First viewing underwhelming. Needs another.
938613
ON first viewing, I found myself underwhelmed, but am not sure why. Maybe it's burnout. Been following this series almost my whole life, after all. Oh, I fell in love with Clara -- as one is supposed to do. And got cross with the Doctor, as one is supposed to do. But... is the thrill gone? I may have to watch again to find out for certain.
1903575
Saw II.

** 1/2

Reprising the original this returns to the world of Jigsaw and some fresh victims. As per normal, rather than rehash plotline I'll focus on my thoughts on this film.

The suspense just isn't there. Throughout most of the film I never felt pulled in. Sure in a couple of the bloody scenes I winced a bit. However, the emotional rollercoaster isn't there.

Amanda: early on I knew something was up with her. She knew too much and acted too out of place with the other misfortunate souls. You knew something was coming. The end wasn't much of a surprise.

The first 80% of the film I almost felt as if I was watching CSI. It felt like that in set up and presentation. Only in the end does it breakout and get some flair to it.

Bloody it is. Seeing the venus flytrap again was nice. The torching of the one victim in the boiler one could see that one coming a mile away. I did though like the one girl getting her hands stuck in the glass box. That was brutal.

Donnie Wahberg puts in a decent performace as a corrupt cop who in the end well, gets a surprse.

It struck me as interesting with windows around the house. No one went for one.

I liked the tie in with the original movie that we arrived back in the same nasty basement room.

Is this worth a purchase? No. I suggest renting it. Its nowhere near as cerebral or twisty as the original. It is worth seeing though to see where the world of Jigsaw goes since we know he ain't long for this world.
4975528
Positive: I'm glad I only spent $3.99 (plus tax) to watch this on Amazon Prime Instant Video...divided between 2 of us. Negative: Didn't live up to the hype. I would like to see the stats on how many people watched this a second time. Heck, I'd like to know how many people got up during the first viewing and left due to boredom/loss of credibility. I have too many issues to list in this forum; credibility/believability/pace of the storyline/loss of the most interesting character practically at the beginning of the story/etc/etc/etc. Now don't get me wrong. I'm a die-hard Sandra Bullock fan. I'm just not a fan of this performance. But hey, what do I know? I'm just a movie buff; just a customer; just a member of the audience. I'm SURE the Academy Awards wonks know much more about the quality of this film than I EVER would. What I do know is I won't shell out any more cash on this train wreck...er...Space Shuttle wreck.
1924671
After being exposed to all of the hype about this movie over the past couple/three weeks I was really looking forward to seeing it. Sadly, I was disappointed and actually had to force myself to watch it thru to the end of the first episode and I doubt I will watch any following episodes.

The show is very choppy as it flits from one dramatic scene to the next and seems to pick and choose so it may dwell more on the sensational and dramatic events of the Bible. Being a Christian man and having read the Bible I could fill in the gaps for myself but I don't doubt that for anyone who has this as their first exposure to the Bible and its' stories wouldn't be a bit confused by it's being somewhat disjointed and leaving some holes as to what was going on in between. Although that could be good as it may entice them to pick-up and read the Bible for themselves.

I don't know if the producers were wanting to come up with an epic blockbuster such as Cecil DeMille's "Ten Commandments" or John Huston's "The Bible", but whether they did or not they failed miserably in producing even a coherent, smooth flowing story.
4301193
I rented yesterday the movie to proof that it will not going to be better than T2 and exactly.  There some scenes with stupid "jokes" if we can say joke at, like Arni getting the stupid sunglass.  I expected a serious drama.  I only enjoyed whe short moment when the endoskeletons are marching and shooting (reminds me T2, thats a movie), the chase scene and the ending.
3750885
As a big fan of the movie, I was really anticipating watching Blade Runner on Blu-Ray on my new HDTV. However, it was a disappointment. Not just because the changes in the Final Cut didn't do much for me, but also because of the changes they made in the Director's Cut, which I thought was going to simply be the same as the DVD release, but at higher resolution. I was wrong. One of the reasons I really like the Director's Cut is the unicorn scene, and that's one of the changes that bummed me out about this Blu-Ray release. Originally the unicorn scene is tinted a beautiful, dreamy yellow, and in combination with the Vangelis music, it's just an epic thing to watch. For some reason, though, they got rid of the tint in BOTH the Blu-Ray Final Cut and Director's Cut versions, leaving the scene with normal light and thus feeling less transcendent, less emotional, and more mundane. Very disappointed in that. They have also messed with the coloration of other scenes, such as Deckard's first scene in the movie, where he's sitting in the rain, waiting for a seat at the Japanese food stand. It was originally awash with a beautiful deep, moody blue; now it's kind of a harsh, electric white. The same for the food stand, which had a lot more atmospheric lighting with lots of yellow elements; now it seems kind of washed out, too. There may be more changes in coloration for the rest of the movie, but I haven't made it that far in my viewing yet. I really wish they had just updated the special effects and not messed with the color palette, which was perfect before. What a let-down. I will therefore be hanging onto my DVD two-disc edition of the Director's Cut and sadly I will endure the low resolution when I want to watch it, because even with low resolution it's visually superior to this messed up release in the Blu-Ray edition. I hope they do a re-release of the Director's Cut in Blu-Ray with the original coloration someday.
3239174
5th viewing was quite a bit, well, stale.  So much of the CGI depends on emotional engagement to be meaningful.  Skipped a lot of scenes.  Should have waited another year before trying this viewing.  Now I suggest waiting until 2019.
2677336
I was half concentrating,going between different rooms/making cups of tea etc.and then i was transfixed by the first big fight scene....i'm not normally a fan of violence and it wasn't simply the utterly adorable main star (Tony Jaa)which caught my attention. Quite clearly the lack of technical paraphanalia/special effects adds a special dimension of visceral excitement. I hated Kung Fu Hustle but Ong-Bak is in an altogether different league.

However, i was left feeling dissappointed that i'd missed it on the big screen (DVDS are more like a momento/photo of a particular event than the real thing)so i shall keep my eyes out for future showings!
1789470
This does not measure up to the quality of the first series.  This movie feels like they were reaching just to extend the subject, but fell short.
50289
I really wanted to like this movie.  I remember when the buzz surrounding this movie started flooding in during the beginning of 2007 and everyone was predicting it for all kinds of awards beings that it was Kar Wai Wong's first English language film and the casting of singer songwriter Norah Jones in the lead role was particularly interesting.  I waited patiently for the buzz to turn into full-fledged madness but it seemed as if no sooner did the buzz begin then the buzz died and before I knew it the film wasn't even being released for a wide release and I had to wait until it was available on DVD before I could see it.  Regardless of the fact that it managed only one nomination (at Cannes mind you) I still really wanted to see this film, and so I did, and now that Cannes nomination baffles me, because `My Blueberry Nights' is very disappointing.

`My Blueberry Nights' gets off to a sour start.  In fact for the first twenty minutes or so absolutely nothing happens.  We see Elizabeth, a frantic stalker-type ex-girlfriend going in and out of a bakery where she continues to ask the owner Jeremy if he has seen the man she was last in there with and they eat some pie and she watches some surveillance videos and cries and she gives him her keys to give to her ex and then she picks up and leaves town.  I know that sounds like a lot, but it's not when you watch it.  It's slow moving and rather vapid.

In fact the whole movie feels rather vapid.

There are a lot of critics who talk about Kar Wai Wong's infatuation with lovesickness, but I really didn't gather that here.  I saw glimpses of it, sure, but overall the feeling I was left with was more empty than fulfilled.  Sadly this was the first Kar Wai Wong film I have seen (but I do have `In the Mood for Love' in my Netflix queue) and I am left a little confused as to why this director is so lauded.  I will allow his other films to change my mind though.

The acting is decent for the most part, excels in some areas and falls flat in others.  Norah Jones is beyond doubt a phenomenal singer and musician.  Her music touches my soul.  Her acting is uninspired and bland.  There is a part in the film when Faison's character says quite frankly to Weisz's character that he doesn't know what her ex-husband ever saw in her.  As he was speaking those words I was thinking the same thing, but about Jones's character, wondering how anyone could find her remotely interesting.  Her eyes are dead and she embodies no real emotion.  Jude Law is charming across the board; a little obnoxious in some areas but overall strong.  David Strathairn is stronger still as the alcoholic police officer Arnie.  His subtle outbursts within his own skin are far too good for the movie he inhabits.  Rachel Weisz is probably the most entertaining thing about this movie in the way that Thandie Newton is the most entertaining thing about `Crash'; a little uneven but uneven to perfection.  Natalie Portman is entertaining yet nothing impressive.  Her performance is decent, but doesn't really add anything to her character.

I also found the incessant, repetitive use of Norah Jones's music throughout the beginning portion of the film to be rather unnecessary and annoying.

By the time the film was wrapping up I was wondering what it was all about, what the whole purpose of this exercise was.  Sure, Elizabeth was supposed to find herself out on the road with all these people she doesn't understand and eventually realize that Jeremy is the one she wants to be with, but that point could have been delivered a little clearer and a little more interestingly.  I just found `My Blueberry Nights' to be a waste of talent and concept and apparently director, unless all of his films are like this and I'm just not intelligent enough to `get' them.
4616071
So I almost turned this off half-way through because it was just not that good of a movie. I forced myself through it just cause I had paid for the rental and I don't like to waste...On that note, I'm a huge Carano fan, she is gorgeous and also is an amazing athlete, so I get why they made this role for her, but she needs to develop a better on screen personality. She should study some Angelina Jolie because if she (Carano) could act a little better, she would be a superstar. Also, Chatum needs to develop a darker, more serious on-screen personality and he could be a bad A5$! Overall, there was plenty of opportunity to wow the audience because of the plot, but the lack of a true action-based cinematic presentation really was disappointing to me. There was also a ton of lag time (stretched out scenes) throughout the show that had me racking my head against the remote. It almost feels like they filmed the first reading of the script and went with that for the movie. I only gave two stars because of the Cast, the person who recruited all this cast should be given some sort of an award to be able to sell a B-rated film to all those stars.
4896965
I just found it lackluster. a little bit of this, a little bit of that.
I was sort of expecting a retelling that wasn't quite so seven samurai.
but I watched it.
3905519
I didn't believe the bad ratings this movie because I think Warner Animation is the only place that gets these characters right.  Now that I've watched it, I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed.  Not much depth to the characters (except one), slightly subpar animation in the facial emotions but average for action sequences and the swearing was totally unnecessary.  I do like the Batman/Green Lantern dynamic although they made GL an attitude more than a character.  Wonder Woman was laughably flat and I just wasn't digging Capt. Marvel's goofy voice or ending.  I'll definitely watch this again down the road but it's low on the list.  I do wish Warner Bros. concentrated on bring these characters' faces to life.  They seem to be getting stiffer and simpler with each movie.
1522225
Cinematography was excellent, special effect we excellent.  Overall, it is watchable due to the scenery and photography.  The movie felt way too long...maybe an hour too long and the story seemed familiar but not done as well...I am thinking of The Outlaw Josey Wales which was a much better movie.  I also thought it fell way short of the AMC series "Hell On Wheels" which is also a much better story than this movie.  Like so many of the new movies, I wanted it to be great...but it isn't.  I bought the Blu-Ray but it will not be a keeper, I will trade it for something else, but it will not remain on my shelf, I doubt I will ever watch it a second time.  Sorry to sound so negative but this was a one man show....the camera-man.
677675
It is an interesting movie concept but lacking in depth or resolution. It looked more like a series premiere that didn't quite get your interest up enough to watch the series. Not the best sci fi film I've seen.
4147452
I understand that not all movies can translate the original book well, and I am usually okay with changes to the storyline/characters if it ends up being a a better MOVIE. However, after seeing the film, I was left unsatisfied. I understood it would be awkward to bring to the screen since most of the discussion between Melanie and Wanda is internal, but even with low expectations, it fell short.

Several characters from the book were not mentioned in the film, such as Sharon. Doc's character was also not really developed, although he is in the film. However, these were changes I could accept, because the change helped focus on some of the main characters, and the plot details were fixed accordingly for the film.

Something I was NOT okay with was how Wanda/Wanderer seemed so weak in the movie. In the book, she comes off as strong in addition to being pacifist. Her background and decisions in the book showed her strength. However, in the movie, many of these scenes were changed to be Melanie leading instead. Some examples from the movie (spoiler alert) include Melanie being the one to tell Wanda how to get the medicine at the hospital and Melanie telling Wanda to not tell people she's alive at first. To make Melanie be in so much control of the body, of all the decisions -- it was a bit tiring to see Wanda's character ask Melanie about everything, and it made me feel like there was not as much depth to Wanda's character. It's as though the writer/director wanted the focus to be Melanie, when I thought the original story has them both be strong heroines.

Some things I did enjoy was how William Hurt portrayed Uncle Jeb, which I thought matched the personality in the book exactly. Saoirse Ronan seemed like a better Wanda than Melanie, but seemed more frail than I expected for the character of Melanie. Max Irons/Jared felt a little stilted and I didn't ever get a sincere feeling from his acting with the exception of his first encounter with Melanie. (I'm not sure how much of that is the fault of the acting, or the awkward translation of the film.) Diane Kruger also portrayed the Seeker well for the movie (accounting for the character changes in the movie), and I believe she was the best as showing the fraying control to the host body.

Overall, if you're new to "The Host", I highly recommend reading the book instead.
3974500
Was not enough to keep me awake. sorry.  I was so excited to watch it and then....poof.........I was disappointed.  Maybe I'll watch it again and see what I missed.