Rating: Summary: Fincher's Marginal Tale of Anarchy Review: "Fight Clubs" evokes passionate responses; it bewilders some, digusts others, and awes many, particularly young males. If it impresses with the chances it takes in narrative form and cinematic bravado, it also proves problematic, cohering only on a peripheral level and ending its tale with a rather forced resolution that doesn't quite pull the thematic elements together. Fincher is, without a doubt, a talented director with a visual style all of his own; he produced "Fight Club" with a sparkling clear, but gloomy, photography that highlights its exisentialist ideas. But the telling is too forceful and heavy-handed, relaying its meaning and themes with blinders on. But by far the biggest drawback is that "Fight Club" is not as smart as it thinks it is. Its philosophy is ultimately too simplistic to be convincing.Among relatively new directors, Fincher is at the head of his class; his style is sophisticated enough to be taken seriously, and he generally handles his films with impressive skill. It's a treat to see, for example, how well he combines CGI techniques with traditional camerawork in this film. But his direction is far from perfect. While it's not a fault of the film by any means, my other problem with "Fight Club" is the mythic status it has attained among specific segments of the movie-going public. It's a film that is prone to over-intellectualizing and hyberbole, and since its release it has been a victim of both. By the way, if you do like this film, you will be happy with the DVD; the picture and sound quality is top notch.
Rating: Summary: My Second Favorite Movie Review: A great movie, running up only up against the movie, American Beauty, Fight Club is a much more dark and slightly less realistic story that gets across the same message as American Beauty: "Life isn't so bad." Or at least . . . that's the most least complicated way that I can put it. It's actually much more in depth than that simple statement, but any movie that can actually CONVINCE you of that statement, is amazing. Alot more can be read into the movie, I simply choose not too, I feel that that leads to too much obsession. HOWEVER, if you're looking for a movie that will not only make you think, BUT make your head hurt from thinking alot! go right ahead! It's a great movie and it gets across an amazing message that is both simple and complex, happy viewing!
Rating: Summary: Make way for Fight Club Review: Now THIS is what the DVD format was made for!"Fight Club" is possibly the most surprising thing that has ever happened to me. First of all, it has been completely mismarketed. While the subplot of two men starting an underground movement where anger and aggression is released through physical conflict IS present in the movie, Fight Club is a much more intricate web of human emotion. It does not glorify violence, as many may have assumed. This is a very ugly movie, and yet, it is strangely beautiful. Director David Fincher is known for making cheerless yet compelling movies, and this is his finest. To reveal too much about the plot is to spoil the fun, which is possibly why all of the trailers for this movie seem to be so misleading. But in essence it is the story of Jack (to which he is indirectly referred, as his true name is never revealed) and Tyler, two unlikely strangers, who meet one day and realize they are tired of life. That night, as both are leaving a bar, they drunkenly begin to fight each other because its something neither of them has ever done, and when it is over, they are intrigued by what they have done. This fighting continues as Tyler and Jack find it is a way for both of them to release their anger and tension without guilt. The weekly fighting sessions begin to attract more people, and this escalates to the point where the fighting actually begins to become an organized activity. Of course, the fighting itself is chaotic, but all the members of the club are bound under rules that must be followed. This continues for a while, but soon, Tyler becomes bored by it all, and uses his faithful followers to orchestrate more complex scenarios. This eventually leads to an out of control Anarchist movement that extends far beyond the power of Jack, who has become powerless now that Tyler has assumed full control. Throw in a suicidal girlfriend, Meat Loaf, a twist ending, a barrage of innovative visual directing techniques, and the Pixies, and you have yourself one killer movie, without a doubt the best film of 2001. And that's not even the HALF of it (pun intended for those who have seen this film). I would be lying if I said that Fight Club is likely to be enjoyed by all who see it. And not to be sexist ladies, but I think Fight Club may be targeted more towards the guys (this is not to say the feminine populace will not like the movie, only that their is a higher level of testosterone present than there is estrogen). However, even if you see the movie and dislike it, the two-disk special edition version of "Fight Club" is possibly the best overall release to come from Fox EVER. The widescreen anamorphic transfer is flawless, the 5.1 surround is exceptional, and the features are...extensive. Begin with FOUR full length audio commentaries (I only listened to the last one so far, but it was highly entertaining), a seemingly endless supply of featurettes, a few deleted scenes, a barrage of great storyboards, and end with some cast and crew bios and trailers for good measure. On a more comedic note, there's also some hilarious publicity material, and an outtakes reel. That's a pretty deluxe package, and I can't see any reason to not own this DVD. Don't bother renting it, it you've read this far, your going to want to own it! This isn't just a movie, it's an experience. Highly recommended.
Rating: Summary: and i hated it Review: I'll be honest, the first time i watched this movie, i hated it. I thought it was the worse movie of 99, a complete waste of time, film and talent. I didn't get it, the end just left me completly lost, why people called it one of the years best confused me even more. A few months later, my cousin asked me if i had ever seen it, and i told her i did and that i wasn't fond of it. A week later, she had convinced me to give it a second try (this kinda thing runs in the family blood). A month after that i find it on HBO or some other channel and decided why not try it again. This is one of those movies that needs to be viewed twice, and i know reviews usually say something along the movies plot line, but to do that with Fight Club might risk giving something away. It isn't your regular, 'you've seen one and you've seen them all' movie, it's differnt, kinda a depressing differnent, but still in a good way (the second time around). It makes me wonder if i should give Vanilla Sky and Magnolia another try, tho the later you might have to threaten me with a root cannel before i agree to waste another 4 hours of my life away.
Rating: Summary: A Movie with a Message Review: Fight Club, a Movie with a Message. Definitely 5 Stars. What more can I say, you know the first two rules. As for Clam Chowder, I will never look at a bowl the same.
Rating: Summary: ........get over it Review: OK, I have to say I enjoyed this movie. The visuals were great; performances the same. Sure, there were some plot flaws and the ending did leave some to be hoped for, but show me a movie w/o ANY flaws and I'll sell you a bridge. Lastly, I read many of the comments on here from 1 star and 5 star ratings. I honestly have to say: get over it.... It's just a film people. Watch it; talk about it, stand up, and continue on with life.....
Rating: Summary: Ruined by a bout of Twister Review: First impressions count, they last, and I think they explain the overwhelmingly positive reactions of the Amazon readership to this film. The first hour of Fight Club is truly, exquisitely, brilliant: patiently (if acidly) observed, witty and deadpan, and the punches it lands - good, solid punches - are of the purely figurative kind. The first hour is nothing like what I was expecting (well, there's no fighting, for a start), so much so that I had to check I actually had the right film. But it was so good, so clever, and so funny that I really didn't mind whether I did or not. So, on the strength of that, sans doubte, five stars: Norton is beautifully understated as the nameless narrator, Helena Bonham-Carter reveals the burned out sex-kitten side of herself that previously I could only fantasise existed, and Brad Pitt, always arch and aware, is as charismatic and magnetic as anyone I've seen on screen. Because he's so cool you tend to overlook the fact that he's an extraordinary actor as well. But doubts began creeping into my mind the minute the first punch was thrown. They took a while to solidify - the game could have gone any one of a number of ways; the violence stayed intermittent and along with the punches there were some interesting (if, er, heavy handed) consumerism vs. individualism arguments getting thrown about, and there seemed to be a Brad Pitt as Jesus thread gathering pace, but suddenly everything went terribly wrong, the narrative ceased making any sense, and this clever, articulate and stylish film devolved into an ultra-violent, but otherwise pretty run-of-the-mill high-octane action movie. What happened? Well, put some of it down to Curse Of The Twist. This is a phenomenon which really only started in earnest with the Crying Game, where the twist made the film; was followed (cleverly) by the Sixth Sense and (laboriously) by the Usual Suspects, and now seems to be obligatory way of finishing off a film where what seemed a great idea when it started turned out not to be (see for example the Shawshank Redemption, Signs, and A Beautiful Mind). Problem here is that the twist completely undoes all the good work done in the first hour of the film. A picture that was making some clever points in a pretty palatable way all of a sudden just doesn't any more. And all of a sudden there are lots of guns and lots of punching. Great. And I'm not sure the twist even works (I'd have to watch it again, and to be honest I can't be bothered): the point of a twist is to give you a set of facts and imply that they should be interpreted in a certain way, and then to reveal the critical piece of information which reveals that everything must actually be viewed another way. I have a sense that some of the facts from the first half don't square with the revised scenario. This was all immensely disappointing, because this could have been a great film - I still think the first 60 minutes is a great film, but I guess if they had stopped there then, on account of the lack of fighting, they couldn't have called it "Fight Club". Olly Buxton
Rating: Summary: THE Rolls Royce of Movies Review: I labeled this THE BEST MOVIE EVER(!!!!!!!) from the first time I watched it (the year it came out) UP UNTIL NOW IN 2003. ANYONE WHO *DOESN'T* LIKE FIGHT CLUB JUST DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT. They need a clue!!! For anyone with a brain will find this gem MINDBLOWING. The BEST MOVIE IN THE WORLD and has it all. GREAT Acting, MIND BLOWING Story, Funny, and Cuts the b.s. like knife through swiss cheese.
Rating: Summary: A revolting film. Review: Someone said that you either love or hate this film. Well I hated it. and I find it difficult to understand how anyone could do otherwise. It is an ugly, squalid, repulsive film about the dark side of human nature. Everything about it is depressing from the brutish thugs who spend their time bashing the hell out of each other, to the dirty, dank, derelict building in which they carry on their odious activity. And it's unrealistic. They would all soon end up in Intensive care with broken noses and their handsome faces reduced to pulp. And why should any handsome bloke volunteer to have this done to them? And suffer the pain that goes with it? It's not only not realistic, it doesn't make sense. Not only do I hate this film but I find it inexplicable that someone of the calibre of Helena Bonham Carter should be willing to appear in it. It can have done her reputation no good (in my opinion). From the beauty of Merchant Ivory to this pretentious rubbish. What a come down. However, I must admit I didn't see the whole film; I was so sickened I couldn't watch any more.
Rating: Summary: absolutely spiffing Review: after just watching this movie i would have to say that i am EXTREMELY impressed- i just loved it so much- at first my main reason for watching it was of course, brad pitt- but then once i started to get into it i realized that this would end up on my top 10 movies list- anyone who hasn't seen it should ...
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