I am reminded... Movie reviews: Saw and The Village

[lyssie]

Short reviews:

Saw: *yawn* Timey watched the first twenty minutes, then skipped to the end. I watched about five, and then the end with her. It was... really boring.
The Village: Not so boring. Although, Mr. Director, sir? We get tired of your Arte after a while.


Saw: Again. I'm sorry, I know they were trying for intense and scary, but it just didn't do more than bore me. Was I going ew? Yes. That is not scary intensity, that's nausea. I don't like the House Body Cam, either.

And the ending? Eh. Whatever.

The Village: WHY isn't Ivy on people's Heroine lists? OMFG, the girl is FUCKING BLIND, and she's also amusing, articulate, intelligent and kicks more ass than many, MANY film heroines. Seriously, Ivy is incredibly impressive. And the actress who played her did a lovely job.

I wasn't all that... well, I was kind of impressed with the concept, but kind of bored, too. However, unlike Saw, it at least kept my attention. And their intense creepiness was FAR better than Saw's. Although, as mentioned, I think they pushed it a little too far with some of the later woods scenes. When I roll my eyes? It's probably best to've cut that down a little...

We watched some of the cut scenes, and I have to say, "Thank GOD they cut them" as they would have added nothing and just made it weightier.

Some of the dialogue was over-stiff. Some of the mannerisms were pathetic. But they did a good job.

Even if they couldn't explain where all of the fuel for the lights came from. *eyeroll*

But. Ivy! I had already liked her, and then she did the thing with the thing in the woods and, OMG, she's pretty much confirmed as Trinity and Ripley's second cousin once-removed or something.

So.

Saw: Boring.
The Village: Amusing, has a FABULOUS heroine, and kinda creepy.

Comments

[daisycm83.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. Although I had issues with The Village and how it couldn't seem to decide what the hell kind of movie it wanted to be, so it decided to try and be five things at once (anyone see Identity? Same problem.) But Ivy was OMGsocool that it made up for some of the other things.

And am I the only one who's sitting here thinking hey, they billed Phoenix as the hero and he was all unconscious for a third of the movie? Amused am I.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I really liked Phoenix, but, yeah. Er. HE'S the hero? Not in reality, damnit.

Although I really really loved the way he always could find her.

Ivy, in the long run, was the only one in the entire movie who had actual balls. Even during the middle, she did that one bit where she was standing in the doorway, waiting for him to appear. She had NO certainty that he would. But he did.

*happysigh*

[ravenevermore.livejournal.com]

I think billing Phoenix as the hero then taking him out the running was another one of M Night Shayamalamadingdongs twists. It worked though.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Hah! I should really watch that show...

[mike-smith.livejournal.com]

WHY isn't Ivy on people's Heroine lists?

I think it's mainly because everyone seems to dislike the movie she's in. I saw it at DexCon last year, and while I liked it well enough, it really had more to do with Ivy, and less to do with the monsters and their mysterious secret and whatever else. The ending was awesome, but it's the kind of thing that only works the first time you see it. So really, I can't think of any redeeming qualities to the movie _itself_ that makes me want to tell everyone to go see it. That just leaves Ivy, and really, I could just go watch some other movie starring the same actress who played her.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Good point. *nods* Hrm...

[surreallis.livejournal.com]

I really liked The Village. I tend to really like M. Night S. movies though. The whole atmosphere of the film just hit me. With the wind and the way the forest sounded. And this is stupid, but the way the main romance was all unspoken for so long and then suddenly they were blunt about it and it was obvious they'd die for each other... and with no sex. It just kind of did a Sam/Jack kink thing on me.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Unspoken AND holding hands. It's a secret kink.

*g*

I didn't hate it, I just thought, er, it was talking down to my intelligence, occasionally. There were some things they could have explained (lamp oil, for instace. What are they doing, mining?), and some things they did explain that they didn't need to...

erm. But Ivy. Loved her.

[dreagoddess.livejournal.com]

You know the actress who played Ivy is Ron Howard's daughter? This was her first movie, and I think she was awesome.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

*nods* I looked her up. I was really rather impressed with her (and the character). *g*

[million-moments.livejournal.com]

Ohhh...I also really liked the village. Though I had trouble taking it seriously after awhile because the microphone boom was always on screen, but that may have been corrected in the DVD...The entire cinema (we we're in the student cinema, so a bit more sociable then most) started a game to see who spotted it first when it came on, kinda distracted from the movie!

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Hah! I... wasn't looking that hard. Spent most of it not watching watching... I might've been bored if only watching it. hrm.