Rating: Summary: Love it Review: That's an alternative. Take a sober look at your life!
Rating: Summary: I loved this much maligned movie Review: Denounced by several key critics and avoided by many moviegoers, Fight Club has seemingly found its audience on DVD. Pardon the pun, but its a knockout of a movie. Violent? Oh, yes. Gratuitous? I don't think so. I can understand the controversy. Violence in society is at the forefront of today's news. I don't think Fight Club is any more pro-violence than Saving Private Ryan is pro-war. Edward Norton plays a character referred to only as The Narrator. I think this was done for two reasons, one of which I can tell you without writing a plot-spoiler. His character is nameless because he has become so alienated and frustrated that he has no identity left. He is the victim of the empty promises of the bourgeois lifestyle that, sadly, so many of us are caught up in today. Many of us work for corporations so vast that they are both faceless and soulless. Never in history have so many material goods been dangled before us, The the more we acquire, the less fulfilled many of us are. As the movie says, sometimes the things we own wind up owning us. One day, The Narrator comes up with a plan. He starts attending support groups for people with various mental and physical afflictions. He thinks he will feel better if he hangs out with those who are worse off than he is. This works until he meets the chain-smoking, neurotic Marla [Helena Bonham Carter], who has the same plan, but for different reasons. After a few weeks, he confronts her and demands that she change her schedule so that she doesn't go to the meetings on the days he does. When she refuses, he sinks back into his personal abyss. Things change when, on a plane flight, he meets Tyler Dane [Brad Pitt]. Forceful, direct and more than a little anarchistic, Tyler is the antithesis of The Narrator. When our character arrives home, he finds his condominium has been destroyed by a mysterious explosion. Not knowing where to turn, he calls Tyler, the only person recently who has made sense to him. He moves into Tyler's derelict house. Soon, the charismatic Tyler commandeers the basement of a seedy bar and transforms it into a fight club, a place where other frustrated males can beat each other senseless. A few months later, there is a string of clubs across America. Tyler becomes a hero of mythic proportions to the members, and The narrator is always right by his side. The idea of a fight club may sound like a testosterone induced hallucination. To a degree, it is, but that's taking the literal approach. Most of director David Fincher's movies are metaphors, and none is more so than Fight Club. Here he gives us a vision of a vast segment of males suffering a mass identity crisis because modern society has rendered them so powerless. The club is make believe. I fear the identity crisis may be real. Of course, beating each senseless doesn't solve their problems, yet there are many examples in history of groups so oppressed that they wind up taking out their frustrations on each other. Regardless of whether of not you agree with Fincher's assessment, the fact remains that this is a brilliant movie. The cast is superb. Norton and Bonham Carter have excelled in everything they have ever done, and Pitt has his best role since Legends of the Fall.
Rating: Summary: Fantastic Review:
Rating: Summary: pretentious twaddle Review: Back in the early 80's, Warren Zevon released a song called "Ain't That Pretty At All". It's about feelings of alienation and the search for real meaning amongst the superficiality of modern culture, summed up neatly in its recurring line "'cause I'd rather feel bad than not feel anything at all" It's a pretty good song (more of a rant, really); Zevon's a great songwriter and this is about par for him. It's currently available on his "best of" CD. Which pertains to "Fight Club" in this way only: in about 3 minutes, Zevon manages to make the same point that the makers of "Fight Club" waste two hours of our lives to ham-handedly try to get across. Zevon's take on the topic has the virtues of wit and brevity, while the film offers up only pretentiousness and incoherence. Lots of able talent on hand here, but the net result is unwatchable dreck. I can't remember the last time I hated a movie this much.
Rating: Summary: One of the most thought-provoking films of our time Review: With a name like Fight Club, one would expect this movie to be laced with violent, testosterone-driven men beating the everliving hell out of one another. To that end, this movie does not disappoint. On every other level, though, this movie shocks and surprises the viewer, and it is one of the few films in recent years that makes you think, rather than treat the viewer like a mindless zombie. All the praise and every in-depth review of the movie that I can offer has been already sang by the masses. This is merely a confirmation of their reviews, a way to barely raise the meager(in my opinion) 4.5 star rating, and, if you didn't need anyone else telling you, more incentive to make this movie the next purchase on your list.
Rating: Summary: Mind Bended and Twisted Review: FIGHT CLUB stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter. Each one plays a unique part in a demented triangle. Directed by David (SEVEN) Fincher, the film is totally fresh, and keeps viewers on their toes. The actors give great performances that are among the best of their careers. Fincher puts his experience as a former music video maker to good use. The movie is kenetic in pace and style. The dirty underground world of FIGHT CLUB is used effectively to tell this twisted tale. I know that the plot details in this review are sparse but that's because I think that, in this case, too many details are a bad thing. For those folks that haven't seen it, you are in for a treat, if you have seen it, then you know what I mean. Like the SEVEN DVD set, this two disc set is well done, and is a real winner. It gives viewers a pretty complete picture of how the movie was made. There are four commentary tracks. Of those, the best one, is with the three main stars and Fincher. The second disc has 17 behind the scenes vignettes, deleted scenes, and a boatload of other stuff to enjoy. Kudos to everyone on a job well done. The set is awesome.
Rating: Summary: The first rule about the Fight Club DVD is... Review: The first rule about the Fight Club DVD is you will add this to your DVD collection now. One of the best movies I have ever seen, and one of the best produced, standard-setting DVDs out there. The commentary, top-notch; the extras, funny and detailed. If you liked this movie, you will like it even more after owning the DVD.
Rating: Summary: Intriguing. Review: This film was beautifully shot. The acting was superb; Ed Norton and Brad Pitt make a dynamic duo. However, this movie is not something that everyone will enjoy. The film is rather interesting and quite intriguing, though the issues the film raises are nothing new (anyone read Plato anymore; the movie reminded me a lot of stuff from THE REPUBLIC). There are a lot of fairly graphic hand to hand fight scenes, lots of language, and some sexual images as well. The movie is definitely not for everyone, and not just because of the above mentioned reasons. It's just a strange movie. Intriguing, but strange.
Rating: Summary: Slick, stupid. Review: Fincher creates a fascinating look at the internal reality of a schizophrenic and the external reality of those who follow him.
Rating: Summary: The movie that redefines genius Review: This movie is basically a propaganda movie. It shows the world where they are heading and is unintentionally humorous by how it shows the truth directly. This movie analyzes by how people are in need to find comfort that will get the nowhere. In a way, this movie inspires us to re analyze our own lives. It made us ask the question, are you happy? It tells us to stop complaining and do what you want. This movie also shows violence in a way that can be alarming for some people. The ideas in the movie can be unsettling and uncomfortable, but that was the point of the movie. The direction is wonderfully done. The acting should've been oscar calibur. There is nothing wrong with this movie. It's beyond perfect. Please, whoever reads this, please try this movie out.
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