Seven

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good crime flick
Review: Seven is supported by its solid cast, especially Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman---who I find to be a few notches above, for example, Denzel Washington in The Bone Collector. Tracking a serial killer with a peculiar religious motivation, Freeman and Brad Pitt have a nuanced relationship (one could probably find homoeroticism in it) as investigative partners, and each murder is a setpiece in cruelty and methodical retribution. I also appreciated the film's willingness to question the morality of punishment, indeed some of the killings seem in some ways to be hardly malicious at all.

The only reason I don't give it five stars is the last scene, which admittedly could be a lot worse. But there is a notable lapse in the movie's tone and a twist which I could see coming a few minutes before it happened. Nonetheless, there is a nice psychological reversal which one rarely sees in today's crime films.

Rating:
Summary: Strong, powerful movie
Review: First, there is so much improvement in this DVD over the previous DVD version, which one had to flip over half way through the movie. The sound and visual quality is also much better. This is a very powerful movie with many cleaver juxtapositioned themes: good and evil, culture and savagery, violence and beauty. The credit sequence in itself is a work of art. The acting is strong, and the script has the potential to shake you to your core. All of these elements, along with Fincher's touch, make this one of the best psychological thrillers around.

Rating:
Summary: Good Movie, But a Predictable Ending
Review: As far as Serial Killer thrillers Seven is pretty good, but doesn't hold up to the suspense that was built in Silence of the Lambs. Cinematography and score are up to the artistic standards of a great movie, but the plot seemed secondary to the care that was taken to create the mood and look of the film. The much talked about "shocking ending" seemed very predictable and was obvious by the first third of the movie. Morgan Freeman seemed bored and this definitely was not the best work of his career or of the careers of Brad Pitt or Gwenyth Paltrow.

New Line Platinum Series DVD's are well worth it though, as they give an outstanding insight into the craft and art of movie making. The depth of information and behind the scenes access that they provide give a greater appreciation for the tremendous amount of work and detail that goes into making even a mediocre movie. So if you are interested in the magic of moviemaking this series is worth the purchase, even if the final product doesn't blow you away.

Rating:
Summary: Dark, Gritty, Chilling . . .
Review: When I originally saw this movie in the theater several years ago, I was unsure of my intial reaction to the film. As a (not quite) typical teen girl, I went to see Brad Pitt on the big screen. I left with an icky feeling in my stomach.

However, once I got over the not-so-happy ending (being the happy-happy-joy-joy sucker that I am), the film eventually ended up on my Top Fifteen list of favorite films. I really love its dark tone--the low lighting, the unpolished look, everything. For some odd reason, that type of film-making appeals to me. "Fight Club" has the same look and feel, both of them being directed by David Fincher. "The Matrix" also has that same feel in some places.

Anyway, the movie is about a rookie homicide detective, the naive and wanting-to-make-a-difference David Mills (Brad Pitt) getting reassignment to the big, bad city. William Sommerset (Morgan Freeman) is the veteran detective on the brink of retirement. He's intelligent and kind, but the city has hardened him and turned him into a cynic.

When a serial killer simply called John Doe (Kevin Spacey) starts murdering people in accordance to the seven deadly sins, Mills and Sommerset become temporary partners in order to catch John Doe.

The film is intelligently written and well-acted--one of Morgan Freeman's best performances to date. The film has to be the most engrossing and intelligent psychological thriller of all time, better than "The Silence of the Lambs." I also love the various references to classic literature--Dante, Hemmingway, Chaucer, the Bible, and even the Marquis de Sade (the latter being fitting with the "sadistic" nature of the murders. FYI--Did you know the word "sadistic" or "sadism" cames from the Marquis de Sade's name?).

This is definitely not one for the kiddies. It's very graphic and disturbing, but I love everything about this movie. And the ending--although not happy--is definitely shocking and horrifying and fitting with the rest of the movie. It's not enough to watch this film just once.

Umm . . . "Seven" also stars Gwyneth Paltrow ("Shakespeare in Love", "Emma") as Brad Pitt's wife.

The DVD is fabulous. Like "Fight Club" it contains two disks--one for the feature, and the other for the wonderful DVD bonus stuff. Can't get enough of that--you know, the usual deleted scenes, theatrical trailers, behind-the-scenes, alternate endings, yadda-yadda . . .

Powerful movie and a great DVD to add to your collection.

Rating:
Summary: AMAZING
Review: JUST GREAT! JUST WONDERFUL! AMAZING.

Rating:
Summary: It still keeps me wet during the nights
Review: Se7en is an icredible Movie about the Society we live in. david Fincher is a man who knows how to make a story very alive. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman give excellent performances (For not to talk about the murderer) and the Screenplay keeps you interested during the whole Movie (Say another Thriller during the 90s that was so good in overall?). in other words, Se7en is a GREAT! Movie.

But why 4 Stars? I give the DVD 4 Stars because it doesn't include the TV Spots and the Audio Commentary with Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and David Fincher was not so good as I thought. It was boring in some places, but despite this. I can still recommend this Flick to DVD Fanatics and David Fincher fans (And they are a lot of you out there)

Rating:
Summary: Incredible Piece Of Work
Review: I remember seeing this at the movies early '96,and walking out thinking that yes,we are ready for this kind of film now,to subvert the usual Hollywood ending,to actually show us something different.Could you imagine Seven playing alongside Pretty Woman in a double-bill somewhere?Imagine comparing and contrasting those two?I have just watched Seven Platinum Edition.The extras are stunning,with four different commentary tracks to tell you everything about it,totally absorbing.However,its the film that matters,and out of all the new batch of directors of the last 5 years,only David Fincher and Paul Thomas Anderson have any talent for film.It is interesting the part New Line has played with both of these directors,and is proving to be the only studio with any balls.Along with Goodfellas,Se7en is the best film of the 1990's.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie and documentary.
Review: I saw this movie several years ago when it first came out. I knew, eventually, I was going to buy the DVD. Once I found out the platinum series was coming out I ordered it immediately.

This DVD comes with two disks; one the movie itself and two the supplemental materials. The first disk, the movie, has the widescreen version which was re-master from the original negative. If you haven't seen the movie this is the perfect opportunity to see it. The second disk, supplemental material, is more interesting. See the deleted scenes and extended takes, the animated storyboards of alternating endings, as well as, commentary from the director on the various scenes that he likes. I do not have a DVD player, but I do have a DVD-ROM player on my computer which can connect to my TV. I found at this experience and user interface was quite satisfactory.

As I said in my subject title this is a great movie and documentary.

How fun watching.

Rating:
Summary: Good DVD that hijacks your computer.
Review: Now don't get me wrong, this is a great disc. Freeman and Pitt work extremely well under the direction of Davy Fincher, and the supplemental material is amazing. The only problem I had with this DVD, and something not mentioned as an extra feature..., is the PC Friendly software which you have to install if you watch your movies on a dvd-rom. It crashes quite often (I've seen it on more than a few computers), and the picture quality isn't as good as it is with other dvd's played through PowerDVD. I pipe my video card straight to TV and the sound to a Dolby 5.1 system. The sound is great, but the picture is off when played through a dvd-rom. On a regular dvd player it's fine however. All I can say is that he extra web features are great, but the player lacks a lot and you have no choice but to use the player that comes on the disc. So to reiterate: A great movie, but lousy software.

Rating:
Summary: So good, should've been called Eight
Review: The only thing missing in this film is any sizzle in the title. The name pales in comparison to "Dunston Checks In" or "Beethoven's Second." What this film lacks in style, however, it makes up in substance. Not that "Dunston Checks In" lacks substance.

Seven is an extraordinary film. So good in fact that my girlfriend almost wrecked her car post-viewing. Then again, she wasn't what one would call a "good" driver, so the fact that she had seen it immediately before was probably just a coincidence.

The screenplay is original and airtight. Fincher's direction is excellent. It was an absolute sham that Seven garnered no major Oscar nods for 1995 because it was clearly the smartest and most haunting film of the year, despite Brad Pitt. What makes it even better is the fact that Cliff's Notes make what I believe to be their on-screen debut half-way through. Being that I was in high school at the time of release, I was exstatic to see that little yellow book on the big screen.

In the end the true measure of a film's worth is how long it stays with you. Seven is one of those that never leaves, well, unless you have Alzheimer's. Then you may as well not watch it because you won't remember anyway.