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Nordling Says ATTACK THE BLOCK Is The Best Film Of The Year!
Nordling here.
Cynics leave. Right now. I'm waiting. Yeah, you. Get the fuck out.
Okay, who's left? You the kind of film lover that's willing to try anything? To risk sitting through a bad movie in the hopes of seeing something amazing and life-affirming? To see a filmmaker's first attempt at a movie and who knocks it out of the park? Do you remember when you first saw JAWS? Or SEVEN? SHAUN OF THE DEAD? Or THE EVIL DEAD? You knew you were in the presence of greatness, right? You knew that as a film geek, you would never quite be the same. It's a drug, isn't it? When you see something that utterly completely knocks you on your ass? We film geeks chase that feeling every time we sit down in our darkened church. It's the closest I feel to God. When a story is clicking, the acting is clicking, and you are transported. I don't know much in this shitty world, but I know this: the best films are those that take you places that you had no idea you wanted to go. And when it takes you there, you never want to leave.
ATTACK THE BLOCK is the best film this year so far. And I've seen some good ones, in my humble opinion, including one by a legitimate master of film, Terrence Malick. But Joe Cornish's urban tale of a group of kids who find out what it truly means to be a part of something bigger than themselves is THE 400 BLOWS of alien invasion films. Yeah, I said it. Instead of some fantastical view of childhood, which even Spielberg has been guilty of, ATTACK THE BLOCK deals with real kids who are suddenly thrust into a situation that they are ill-equipped to handle. How they deal with that situation, and learn from it, is what makes ATTACK THE BLOCK more than your simple genre film.
I've written about this film at length; Harry's written about it, Beaks has written about it; Capone, Quint - we've all written about it. We are all uniformly in love with this material, and maybe you can think all this coverage is overkill. But we here at AICN all believe in this one simple truth - it's not about the big summer release, or the Oscar-bait film. We are advocates for the new. When a singular voice arrives on the scene, and gives us something wonderful as Joe Cornish has done with ATTACK THE BLOCK, there's a real danger that that voice will be lost in the noise and the rumble of all these major studio releases, and we feel that it's our duty to protect that voice and bring it to the attention of as many people as possible. I've screened the film here in Houston, and Harry's screened it in Austin, and Beaks in Los Angeles, and Capone in Chicago. Every single time audiences have come out jazzed and excited for the film, and I haven't come across anyone who didn't just fall in love with it.
Put it this way. If this film had been released in the 1980s with THE GOONIES, MONSTER SQUAD, E.T., CRITTERS, GREMLINS... we'd be talking about it to this day. We might even be talking about it over some of those movies. It's a movie that will stand the test of time and even more, it's honest. It never cheats, never talks down to the audience. Every scare, laugh, and every emotion in ATTACK THE BLOCK is earned. And when this film builds the following that it most certainly will have, this might be a film that you'll regret not seeing in the theater. It's not open wide yet, but if you're in the vicinity of it, you really need to make the effort and see it. You won't regret it. Pound for pound, ATTACK THE BLOCK delivers as much thrills as the biggest summer blockbuster, and at the end, you will feel like you've seen something truly new and unique, and a new voice entering the film scene. Those films don't come along very often. Maybe once a year, if that.
Has ATTACK THE BLOCK been overhyped? No. You can't overhype genuine greatness. ATTACK THE BLOCK goes on that list of films that we here at AICN have advocated and fought for since the beginning - like PAN'S LABYRINTH, or SHAUN OF THE DEAD, or OLDBOY, or THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE WEIRD, and the day we stop fighting for movies like ATTACK THE BLOCK, we might as well shut the site down and get day jobs.
Okay, cynics and haters, you can come back now. Feel free to talk about whatever inane bullshit you want. As for the rest of us? We're at the movies. Believe.
Nordling, out,
Here's where you can see ATTACK THE BLOCK this weekend:
AUSTIN
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Chicago
AMC River East 21
Los Angeles
Arclight Hollywood
New York
AMC Empire 25
Regal Union Square Stadium 14
San Francisco
AMC Loews Metreon 16
Seattle
Meridian 16 Cinemas
Toronto
AMC 24 Yonge & Dundas
Readers Talkback
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Ummmmmmm....
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I couldn't even sit through the trailer. Looks bad. But I'll give it a Netflix shot!
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If it comes to my city, I will go see it! Thanks for the recommendation.
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July 28, 2011, 7:15 p.m. CST
I still remember people insisting THE HOST was "this generation's JAWS"... What a joke. But I'll check this out...
by CountryBoy
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I hope it gets wide release soon. But my state is usually one of the last to feature indie films. Like, if an indie film is released in NY or Boston, it'll come to my home state three months later. Lame.
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Finally, the first great horror film of 2011, and quite possibly the best film of the year. Attack the Block is both entertaining, scary, hilarious, and original. What makes this film so great is it's originality, which is defined by the films simple storytelling of what would happen if an alien invasion occurred in a dark, dangerous hotel complex. Attack the Block is not well known, and it is a disappointment because I would expect mainstream audiences to love a film like this, but many American's most likely won't understand the British humor (and the very strong British accents). Nevertheless, Attack the Block is a very great film that is destined to become a cult classic.
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July 28, 2011, 7:23 p.m. CST
I enjoyed ATTACK THE BLOCK very much...but c'mon! It's this generation's TREMORS. Which is fine and great. But JAWS? JAWS?!!
by Karl Hungus
ATTACK THE BLOCK is probably my favorite film this summer. It's really a whole lot of fun and I highly recommend it, especially to people who love '80s creature features. THIS is what SUPER-8 desperately wanted to be and failed. Still, it's not THAT great. It's not JAWS great, or SEVEN great. Overhyping this film will only hurt it. It can't withstand that kind of expectation.
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July 28, 2011, 7:25 p.m. CST
Well, I left the review and came back to discuss inane bullshit
by matthooper8
Now what?
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To say this film is film of the year is a little silly. It's a good film but not a great film and certainly not a classic film that will be remembered in years to come. Lumping this film in with pans labyrinth and shaun of the dead dpesn't make you sound like someone with a knowledge of films.
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July 28, 2011, 7:41 p.m. CST
I just re-read the review with a sarcastic tone in my head...
by Emperor_was_a_jerk
I just re-read the review with a sarcastic tone in my head and it makes much more sense. Here. Try it!: "Has ATTACK THE BLOCK been overhyped? No. You can't overhype genuine greatness.
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if it does ill see it, otherwise netflix
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no film lover would ever call this the best of the year, even in this the worst year of films ever.
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might be a great movie but why the bad title?...people will have misconceptions on what the movie is about and hence will not go see it...the poster/title makes me think of Step Up or some breakdancing movie from the 80's
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July 28, 2011, 7:43 p.m. CST
We are all talking about the same film, yeah?
by IWasInJuniorHighDickhead
Utterly mystified as to how much you guys are gushing over this film. Is it an American thing? I'm not hating, I just do not get it and I want to know.
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SKYLINE is streaming on Netflix and it is pretty fucking stupid, that's for sure. But, I found myself really enjoying the shit out of it anyway...or perhaps because of its stupidity. Can't say the same for BATTLE: LA, which I found to be surprisingly tedious. The trailers for ATTACK THE BLOCK aren't doing it any favors. But, if I can make it through those two...why not give this one a shot, right? Bring it on.
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Nordling basically says, 'oi, retards! Here's a film I think is great and here's why. Now that you've listened to me, go fuck yourselves and die in a fire.'<P> Depressing state of affairs, but it is quite funny and endears me to the site a little. It would only happen here.
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no other way to describe it. Terrible on most levels. It did well to not come out of it with some Battlefield Earth style notoriety. Maybe nobody watched it. I bet Eckhart hopes so.
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July 28, 2011, 7:55 p.m. CST
This could have been an un-used review for Super 8 and no one would know the difference.
by Jay
What's sad about this review is that you could replace the movie title it's reviewing with anything, and the review would still make perfect sense. The review never states "why"? But apparently those who disagree are cynics. Still, I'm looking forward to the movie quite a bit.
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Can think of few better accolades. Tremors is near-perfect.
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good lord.. you people are so in bed with specific entities it's pathetic... I wouldn't watch this movie if it was across the street and free...
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Stop.
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I wanted them all to die. Fuck this movie.
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Better than War Horse?
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Here, have a whore on me.
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never mind
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July 28, 2011, 8:21 p.m. CST
Do you wanna come to a party pom pom?
by Thehairyhandedgentwhoranamucinkent
Maybe you shouldnt be living heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
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make it big. Gotta give props as you know it would've taken all kinds of favors to get this film made!
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If not for AICN I would have missed District 9 at the theater last year. Usually right on the money at least 90% of the time.
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Another hipster-ish piece of dreck that AICN has been shilling for months, just like that notorious bomb, Scott Pilgrim. Be wary of any of these wannabe geek 'cult-classics' that fanboys are being told to like. Best film of the year, my ass - and likely to go down like the Hindenburg in box office, too.
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And promptly threw it in the fucking trash. I'll give this a shot on Netflix... because I'm a sucker for anything half-way original. The trailer doesn't have my hopes up, and reviews like this one doesn't either.
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July 28, 2011, 8:45 p.m. CST
Best movie of the year!! If you are 40 with the mentality of an 8 year old.
by Jerry Piper
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PLANTY MC PLANT.
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And I liked it quite a bit
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I hope it's subtitled...But seriously, I'll check it out soon as I can.
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Seriously!
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Ya think? Only at AICN, where the hype is so blatantly transparent that it actually creates backlash (see: Scott Pilgrim).
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and I have never heard the end of it. Everytime I recommend a movie..."Is it this generation's Jaws"? Fuck. Smart-ass but on the money.
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Chance to watch it in my local theaters, in Mexico: 0.000001% Fuck
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I am so glad some talkbackers on here drew comparisons to that over-hyped POS of a film. I saw that shit based on the overwhelming praise heaped on it by AICN. I wondr if they saw the same film I saw...
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July 28, 2011, 10:32 p.m. CST
The Host WAS awesome. Anyone who thinks otherwise sucks cock by choice.
by Happyfat73
What I'm really hoping from this film is this year's District 9. Oh, and Tremors rocks as well.
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There's nothing "real" about the child-world in this film. It's hyped-up nonsense where everyone has had a series of sarcastic one-liners shoved in their mouths by the too-cool writers. Not saying that makes it a bad film, but it doesn't belong in the same sentence, paragraph, or book as Spielberg.
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EASILY the best movie of the year. Trust bruv.
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ill go see this but man, i really dont like his review style "you...yeah you" "thats right i said it" egotistical fluff, review the flick without the bullshit.
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Great movie regardless.
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shaun of the dead was "ok" pans labyrinth was decently cool as was oldboy, never saw the host cuz it looked stupid. but this , like scott pilgrim are aicn dork faves. personally i thought "house of the devil" was fucking amazing and the best horror movie ive seen in a long while and truly evoked the 80's without campyness, but this site didnt hype it that much, but shaun of the dead....pffft. does this make me a "hater" ?...no. and the way nordling talked about it made it seem phenomenal but then says "best of the year" to me considering not many astouunding films are released every year, "best" of the year isnt saying much. nordling's taste sucks anyhow, moriarty was the only one i ever came close to agreeing with consistently.
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"As for the rest of us? We're at the movies. Believe." sigh. you get docked more reviewer points. wank-er
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Was not great at all, so take off the rose colored specs already. This does sound good though, can't wait to check it out!
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July 28, 2011, 11:15 p.m. CST
Really was looking forward to this until I read this review.
by Tikidonkeypunch
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July 28, 2011, 11:29 p.m. CST
I live in South London and we Hate these tyoe of kids, we wish they would all die. Film made ZERO here!
by CeejayNightwing
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I'm cheering for the aliens.
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Moses does NOT earn his redemption. He's still a fucking punk.
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I feel sorry for anybody who can't see why it was a first rate monster movie. Full of constant invention, ideas and an absence of predictable tropes. A five star movie on all fronts.
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No, no, no. You should be advocates for the GOOD, and good only, not the "new" just because it's new. That doesn't mean I think "Attack the Block" is bad; I haven't seen it yet, and I very much want to. But don't promote this -- or any other film -- just because it's the new shiny thing, okay? (And on the flipside, I also can't stand the too-cool-for-school asswipes who reflexively dismiss anything and everything new because they think it makes them seem "smarter" to automatically hate something, rather than express pleasurable anticipation for something. If you're one of these people, here's a newsflash: doing this makes you come across as just another insecure Internet douchebag.)
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July 29, 2011, 12:15 a.m. CST
I see that being regarded as the worst reviewer is getting to you
by Rex Carsalot
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RANGO, or HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, TRUE LEGEND, & SUPER ? I haven't seen the movie yet but I am for sure going to check it out, but to even say it's the best movies thus far is a little premature isn't it? Not saying it wont be good but the above movies I mentioned are hard to bet, but I'm sure it will be great. Just hold off on the best picture of the year stiff until the year is actually over, its so pompous.
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July 29, 2011, 1:18 a.m. CST
You know you're in for a BAD film by a Favorite Son of AICN...
by tailhook
when the review starts with a multi-line disclaimer pleading with people not to go in and watch it for what it is (shit). Actually, come to think of it... Nordling didn't even review the film. He just said it was OMGBESTEVER and then started dropping names of other movies and locations where this can be seen. Next time, sport... know that a 'review' usually consists of first watching a movie and then actually talking about the actual content therein.
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.. cause only the infirm, retarded and/or the random retarded left-brain morons didn't like Battle: LA. And consider that Battle:LA was a hit at the Box Office (cleared $200 mil on a $70 mil budget).
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Reviewers are like assholes. Actually, most of them actually ARE assholes. If you like what you see in the preview, then you'll probably like the full length version. If you think the trailer is ass, that's all you need to go by. And the trailer for one is very much ass. Very much.
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bring on the wide release
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hyperbole much nordling? idiot
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No thanks.
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July 29, 2011, 4:03 a.m. CST
This film is truly great fun! Call yourselves film geeks?
by drwilliamweir
Perhaps try watching it then hating on it? Jesus.
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July 29, 2011, 4:11 a.m. CST
Wake me when this has Potter's 97% Tomato-meter rating. Or Midnight In Paris' 95%.
by Jerry Piper
Then we can talk movie of the year.
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If you use rotten tomatoes ratings to judge movie of the year, there really is no help for you.
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You know, the kind of movie cynics would have no problem with. The kind which the movie fanboy crowd will stop talking about after a few weeks. But to say this is a better motion picture than "Kung Fu Panda 2"is utterly ridiculous.
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July 29, 2011, 5:24 a.m. CST
Interesting review, despite the fact Nordling does not make a review but an over-emphatic (in my opinion) paragraph of pure impressions.
by Clément
But This is a part of the fun of being, as he said, a flicks geek. Only because he spoke to my 8 year-old heart that sees the world into a movie, I shall see this one (by the way, France says" hello" and "best regards" to AICN. We love what you do, we love what you write. )
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July 29, 2011, 6:17 a.m. CST
Wait i thought this was a breakdancing movie not an alien attacks movie.
by Eric
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July 29, 2011, 6:23 a.m. CST
THIS IS A GOOD MOVIE I SAW IT MONTHS AGO AS I LIVE IN THE UK BUT BEING BRANDED MOVIE OF THE YEAR CAN DESTROY A FLICK LIKE THIS BASED ON EXPECTATIONS, THE FILMS GOOD NOT GREAT FFS!
by SachMan
Seriously the movie is great its fun and had gags if you live in my end off London its about a typical group of London Chaves in the mix of an Alien Invasion, I understand why this would not be peoples cup of Tea at first glance but Joe Cornish had really pulled out a cool filck out the bag with some great humor to it, This film is definalty one of the better Alien invasion films out this year (we have had many) but to give this Film of the year is Overhyping it as it will never deliver the goods on that hell AICN a statment like that could destroy this movie on expectations
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I enjoyed it; it was fine. Quite fun, in fact. But for the love of god, movie of the year? Seriously, online American movie critics, stop this silliness. It's getting really cringe-worthy.
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The Host sucked...badly. Nordling, you just lost all cred giving this movie "Best Film of the Year." Better than Cap? I doubt it.
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Since AICN and every talkbacker at the time recommended Bubba Ho-Tep. Just a terrible f'ning movie.
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How The Fuck Can You Compare This Shit Film To Jaws You Must Be High To Even Think That Fucking Retard!
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July 29, 2011, 8:16 a.m. CST
jaws=the reason we have the term blockbuster.Attack the block=only playing in 7 cities. biggest comparison fail ever.
by Eric
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Deep Blue Sea is better than Jaws.
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I never leave a comment, but for me to do so now means something had to have been said so profound that I absolutely MUST comment on it. I saw the movie last night, watched the whole thing and I have to say it's an utter embarrassment to hear them say from the creators of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz in the same sentence. I can enjoy a good B-rated movie, anything that goes straight to DVD is fine with me. This was one of those movies, only difference: better acting. But this movie sir was in no way the best movie of the year, I'm really truly shocked to see someone even say that. I also don't comment because I believe when it comes to movies, everyone is entirely entitled to their own opinion, so...I guess I'm glad you found your favorite movie. But this review tells me your tastes are definitely different from mine so I guess I'll just skip your reviews from here on out. Thanks for saving me the time. Heh, not like I listen to reviews anyway.
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the movie is good. why dont you go suck your mom!!!
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What is it with you Americans? Any old half baked geeky comedy from this side of the water (ATB, Shaun of the dead, Hot fuzz etc) and you lot go crazy over it. Average at best.
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No...that dude is standing up.
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I haven't seen it, but I know that's true. You crossed a line, and the hyperbole on this site is fucking ridiculous. But this movie has been hawked so much ehre that I REALLY have to wonder... I normally don't put any stock in that shit, but come on... how many fucking posts have there been about this thing? There are other indie geek movies that don't get anywhere NEAR the coverage of this. Not to mention BIG Hollywood movies where you seem to actively ignore new information until you simply can't any longer... Prometheus comes to mind. Amazed another site hasn't stolen the TB sauce by now and married with a better overall design and, ya know... more actual news. Oh, and cinematic shrimp... I really wish you guys had continued on with that what with all the little (and some not so little) sci-fi and horror shorts being made on a budget.
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Sorry haters the movie is great! John Boyega is perhaps the finest young actor i've seen in years. tough, convincing, and with just a shade of vulnerability that he can sell with just a look. The swagger of a young Denzel Washington. Oh and by the way, a kick-ass soundtrack!
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It's got nothing to do with language. They're just twats.
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First off, Misterfurly, I wholeheartedly agree that 'House of the Devil' deserved way more attention then it got. I don't think it was an instant classic, but I thought it got so much right where so many other horror movies fail... that sense of impending dread, the lighting, the location, the actress and the owners of the house... pretty much everything. And I don't even think they were trying to make an instant classic horror film, it felt like more of an experiment in seeing if you could get all those ingredients working right again. The movie made me believe you COULD get that kind of feeling again with modern actors, etc. and not have it feel like a movie made now that's trying to harken back to a different era of filmmaking by blasting the top 10 hits of the time on the soundtrack and having them wear only the most ridiculous, "look, it's the 70's cause they're wearing bell bottoms! Now it's the 80's cause they're wearing leg warmers!" type clothing. This film actually FELT like it was made in another time and unearthed in a time capsule or something. Not the greatest but sure as shit above the rest of the recent horror pack... it showed real filmmaking skill far beyond Ty West's peers. FUSTFUCK - I fired up Skyline on netflix for ipad just before going to bed the other night thinking I'd have a laugh at how ridiculous it is... to my surprise, it wasn't THAT ridiculous. The characters are woefully underwritten, sometimes downright idiotic, and the plot points land with a thud at times, but overall it was nowhere near as bad as I imagined it would be. If anything, it was just kind of boring... you could tell what they were going for - to try to keep the tension and story contained in this one location and then blow your mind when they go outside with these crazy-ass alien ships and creatures. But by the time we'd get to the action, I just kind of got bored... I didn't think it was laughably bad in the interim, it just didn't do enough or make me care enough about those people to be interested in staying in that apartment building with them for so long. But I felt that they tried much harder to get you to care than I was lead to believe by the awful reviews, and the actors weren't that bad, it's just you could feel the limitations of the screenwriters (don't think the Brothers Strausse wrote it, but could be wrong). The alien stuff was actually pretty great and a bit more imaginative than I thought it would be. Haven't seen Battle: L.A. yet, but looking forward to it... I love seeing movies that are trashed like that many months later because sometimes you can be surprised and realize that everyone decided to just pile on that particular movie at the time (not totally unwarranted) and then with some passing time you can see it more for what its intentions were. The reverse can also be true, you wait, for whatever reason, many months to see something universally beloved and go, "What the fuck am I not seeing? "
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Now...who knows , it may be entertaining. The trailer is all kinds of awful but trailers can be misleading. But..."in the presence of greatness" and then you invoke JAWS ...Nordling may have forgotten JAWS is a true film masterwork. The work of a director coming into his own, discovering his skills, blessed with a tremendous cast, the synergy of conditions conspiring to break the film but ended up making the film achieve greatness by inspiration...I mean...I don't see this movie reaching those heights. Let us look at it this way: JAWS has a score by John Williams, arguably the most effective film score in history... Attack the Block has a score by Basement Jaxx. How about some perspective?
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Really what a pile of shit this film is and the reviews in the UK say the same
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Yeah, I said it.
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this whole site said Kiss Ass was such a great and fearles film. That it was one of the best Superhero films ever made... blah blah blah. That SHIT was AVERAGE. I think only difference was an R rating and a someone playing a young girl saying the word "cunt." Otherwise, a big ole bowl of average. I liked the movie but.... seriously... it wasn't great. Hope your evaluation of this isn't as hyperbolizifiedaficated!
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While I didn't buy the bd (I actually love buying them blind and enjoying the film - but it is a risk for wasting coin to be sure), I did rent it, hoping to find a movie that was as good as everybody described. I did love the creature design and the 1st act was tremendous/excellent but then, something quite rare for me, I actually got so bored over the 2nd act that by the 3rd act, I found myself not even watching the flick anymore. I wanted to like it, especially given it's fantastic start but it is what it is...for me anyway. I think Nordling is right in terms of protecting certain directors (Blomkampf, Jones) that make fantastic, original, very limited budget films, and show such amazing promise of more brilliance to come. What more could a film geek want, after all? But there is a fine line between hype and unmerited praise - unmerited praise will earn any work and the creators of said work, that "cynicism" Nordling spoke of initially. I have no idea of his take is unmerited for 'Attack the Block' but based on what was described above, I sure hope it's not. Even the cynics, likely with few exceptions, all *want* these films to live up to their hype. Like mine and others take on "The Host", we'll each find out when we each find out.
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Right. Because the AICN staff are never cynical or hateful.
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I'm not a cynic, I'm really not. I will NOT however fall for this type of bullshit sell-job. The Host was hyped out the ass here, and it was garbage. A boring mess of shit. These "little films that could" are rarely any good. They are championed by the type of film goer who will watch a really shitty film, a 'cult' film if you will, and put it in their top ten list, and yet to other film lovers, the film is barely watchable. And Nordling bitched about Cowboys and Aliens not being "fun" enough. That right there is the sign of a fucking tool. The type of tool who says "Transformers may have sucked, but it was a lot of fun". People like that deserve ZERO credibility in any aspect of life. It's akin to saying "This hamburger tasted like re-fried shit, but I had fun eating it". Fuck you and your use of the term. So in closing, I'm not falling for this. I could give two shits if it's "new" and deserves championing by the staff here. The trailer was shitty, the kids in it are fucking ANNOYING and not one ounce of the trailer made me think of ANY of the great films I loved as a kid.
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July 29, 2011, 1:02 p.m. CST
Devin Faraci just tweeted this: 'People who don't like the kids in ATTACK THE BLOCK are probably big time beta males.'
by THE_CHOPPAH
Alpha Dog Devin. Hilarious.
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Right now this is in my "waiting for it to be on streaming in Netflix" state of mind. I won't even care if it's 4:3 and SD.
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Nothing more, nothing less. On the other hand, I'm glad LET THE RIGHT ONE IN got the hype it did. That's one of the rare instances the 'little film that could' hype paid off.
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Please sit down in a quiet place, either with or without someone you know and trust, and reassess your life's priorities. Soon.
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dr sexy
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July 29, 2011, 1:51 p.m. CST
At what point do the aliens pass the dutchie upon the left hand side?
by crazybubba
and what part of Watts was this movie made in because the aliens would be out gunned in most inner city neighborhoods.
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It didn't age well. It was shite.
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But then...where else do they have to go?
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as the movie progressed. it started off as an environmental film. then that idea was junked and for a while it focused on the girls family, then that got junked, then the family went on the run when the govt went after them for reasons that were never really explained. then for the rest of the movie it focused on the monster and the girl. the monster was very good.
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one of the most over hyped movies in ireland currently is the guard. with brendan gleeson and don cheadle. I was told by friends of mine that the movie was very funny. but I thought that movie was average. it has raked in 2million in the irish bof office. this is not unusual for irish critics they went gaga for the cranberries ooooh look at how well they are doing. most critics outside of ireland bar one notable exception destroyed the cranberries consistently. world wide records sales before the band split up were 200 million. I wish gleeson the best in the awards season. he is by far and away our most outstanding character actor. but gleeson carries the movies. empire gave the gaurd 5 stars. its got some beautiful cinematography and a very good cast mark strong, laurence quinlan, liam cunningham and the legendary Finnola Flanaghan. but the screenplay is patchy at best. at some parts of the story dont go anywhere. john micheal mcdonagh has some balls to bring don cheadle to ireland and he and gleeson spark off well. wendell to sgt boyle I dont whether your a dumb motherfucker or a smart motherfucker. and easily the best line in an irish film film....this year. sgt boyle it must be tough growing up in the projects in wisconsin. wendell. they do not have the projects in kenosha wisconsin.
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and im tired of these little movies that geeksites go on about and u c them and they totally suck. shawn of the dead, scott pilgrim, kick ass, the host, sunshine, the descent, moon, 28 days later etc....all OVERFUCKINGRATED. especially the brit ones. its like american geeks/critics have such a hard-on 4 anything limey "its a masterpiece" "most fun i've had at the movies in years" "if only hollywood could make me blow my wad like this" "best movie of the year" blah-blah-blah-blah. and then go out to... or rent the shit and ur always like... "yeah... and... that's it? really?" like, if the same movie were some big budget hollywood film by a known director all these same assholes would say it's shit...oh excuse me, i mean "shite" as these same stools would say. eatadick
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accents want to make you puke.
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but this movie can pull pud if its anything like all the other stuff i mentioned. if there was one cool thing about the brits it was that y'all sounded cultured...hell, even the black people sounded cultured as robin quivers once noted on stern. now apparently, y'all wanna portray ur selves as a buncha dumbfucks. ooooh look at us and our "cool" slang! see, we're really hard thugs over here too! suckit
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...with his hyperbole-filled rant. I saw a screening of Attack the Block and came out pleasantly surprised. I agree that it is exciting to see a filmmaker like Cornish taking risks and embracing genre film-making that we all love. And I encourage all who consider themselves film geeks to see it when it opens in their towns. BUT, Nordling you are setting bar unrealistically high with your babbling. Just make an impassioned plea for film lovers to go out and see a delightful little alien movie. That's what this is. Drop the comparisons to classic movies...it's just stupid. If it's going to run with those bulls it will get there on its own - it doesn't need your help.
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I went to a free advance screening in Philly back in May. I had really been looking forward to this movie after reading all the great reviews. This article opened with that whole 'cynics leave now thing'. Well, that's not me. I'm no cynic. I'm the exact opposite. I have been complaining about nerd cynicism for years now. The sad truth is, this movie just isn't that good. Did you see Super 8? That is almost the same story, but executed so much better. It's not that Attack the Block is bad...I just think it has been so overhyped. I went in expecting something amazing...and it just didn't deliver.
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July 29, 2011, 3:30 p.m. CST
I was excited about this movie, then I saw the trailer
by WINONA_RYDERS_PUSSY_JUICE
It's obviously not going to be very amazing.
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on 'pirate radio'/'the boat that rocked'. oh fuck me i wanted 2 kick the living shit out of every critic who said "go see this movie now!" "a gem!" "one of best times at the movies you'll have this year!" oh fucking cocksuckers die by the sword and writhe in hell-fire
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I was pretty underwhelmed. It's not bad, but it's nothing special. Followed it up with Midnight In Paris, which was FAR more satisfying.
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Saw it in Chicago. There were MAYBE 10 people in theater.
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I can't comment on this movie because I haven't seen it yet, but while I thought Shaun of the Dead was good, I didn't think it was great. Love Simon Pegg and the rest of them, but the movie isn't on my "Oh God you HAVE to see this" list. As a reader of your reviews, it's a little off-putting to read a review like this. Critics don't say "IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS MOVIE UR A HATER!!1!!!1!one!!1" Critics explain why a movie is great, why it's horrible, or why it's mediocre. Based on what I've read before, I think you're a better reviewer than this, Nord. No offense meant at all!
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July 29, 2011, 8:34 p.m. CST
P.S. Whoever said this movie is better than "Transformers 3" was spot on.
by heyscot
I'll never get that part of my life back.
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And yes sunshine had third act problems.
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July 29, 2011, 9:03 p.m. CST
Shaun of The Dead is the single most over rated film in cinema history
by Nabster
Fucking ridiculous the praise that film gets.
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I don't think the "Jaws" comparison really works, but it makes pretty much every recent big-budget Hollywood blockbuster I've seen look really generic and forgettable. Bong Joon-ho is one of the best directors around right now and he made some unusual choices with "The Host" and ended up with a truly unique monster movie, which is probably the reason why it impressed some people and turned off others. I don't see how anyone can write it off as garbage, however. There is some masterful filmmaking on display in there, from the staging of the monster attacks to the way Bong suddenly transitions from tragedy to slapstick comedy. Even if you didn't like "The Host," Bong's other movies like "Memories of Murder" and "Mother" should still be essential viewing.
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This is one of those Sci-Fi movies which uses a not-of-this-Earth crisis to break down doors and bring characters together, compressing them to expose their fears and strengths. The aliens are a scare device that, even given an exposition, doesn't really need to add up. What's important in ATTACK THE BLOCK are a group of youths in dire need of a lesson. They get it, but without moralization. What we get in return are tonnes of Brit-phrasic humor, genuine scares and some truly gnarly demises. I guess the most recent American comparison would be SUPER-8, but that was so tepid, forced and predictable in comparison (although both movies do have a pyro-kid). My only criticism is the accepting use of smoking from teens but, hey, the kids here are deliberately not parentally domesticated like in SUPER-8 or THE GOONIES. Let's put it this way: for this type of movie, Joe Cornish's writing and direction are PERFECT. I'm surprised that he's almost my age and I've never heard of him before. So run, don't walk, to see and support this film (I should duly copy this to the other two ATTACK THE BLOCK talkbacks.)
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Moses had an arc but, sure, not DRAMA quality depth. The background kids were all products of gangland hoodie culture, so I wasn't expecting them to mass enroll in a Catholic boys school at the end. It was an action-sci/fi-comedy about the danger of using strength for mere retaliation. I think it's a great movie for most teens, since most are smothered with the rapper/gang/street cred junk from the media.
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July 30, 2011, 2:42 a.m. CST
Plus, the audience I saw it with also FLIPPED for it ....
by justmyluck
... so I don't think it's a case of AICN insider suction - in this case.
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I'm also British and a fan of Joe Cornish, but this was not the movie of the year. Don't get me wrong, it's an enjoyable, fun film - but not a great film.
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Used to love that film, but saw it again recently... nowhere near as good as I remembered.
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My friends are going to see this today at the Alamo at 1:15 and they are gonna have a great time, meanwhile I'm stuck at work on a 12 hour shift. Fucking SUCKS!!!
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When the movie theatre you watch this shite at serves beer, its all good son.
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July 30, 2011, 6:20 a.m. CST
This site loves to promote films that cater to...
by BuffyFaithtribyeah
the lowest common denom sometimes. Ive seen straight to dvd flicks better than some of the shite being touted up in here. I recently watched a movie called Burning Bright about some fool who lets a tiger loose in a boarded up house wit his kids in it. real simple premise but i thought more entertaining than cowboys/aliens mash up sheeeeeeeit.
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Attack the Block was a damn good film, really good fun, but this hype is getting way out of control. It is not Jaws or the Evil Dead - its just a fun movie, very impressive for a debut film. This site is making it out to be something it really isn't and all this is going to do is make people overlook the good things about the film and start spewing reactionary hatred for it instead because it isn't the fuckin Godfather or something. So don't expect the second coming, just relax and enjoy. Its great - but ffs its not THAT great.
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The characters in the film are the most unsympathetic in recent film history. ATB asks you to sympathise with their plight, when most people here in the UK were simply rooting for the aliens. These characters are the worst kind of chav scum - only middle class writers/directors like Joe Cornish, who don't have to live near them, could subscribe to the ridiculous 'hug a hoodie' mentality. Yeah, it made zero box office here, because most normal working class people have to deal with twats like these kids on a day to day basis. Asking us to get on their side? Commercial suicide. However... very interesting to get the American point of view on ATB, where these characters would, I presume, be outside a US frame of reference.
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I haven't seen this film, but, this post has little to do with an actual review of an actual film. (Hey! Neither do any of the reviews for ATB on AICN!) I would like to take this moment to urge any serious cine-philes to leave this pathetic site and head over to any of the following: Dark Horizon (The little movie website that could, just the facts, ma'am, without Harry's "fat") Coming Soon (OK site, they dig up some spoilers every once and a while) Latino Movie Review (Hell, a lot of articles on AICN were basically taken from this site anyway) Variety (Tired of the geekiness? Go to the professionals for the real scoop) The Hollywood Reporter (Ditto) Checking in with this site has become an exercise in monitoring the politics, finding out which project AICN is shilling for, and the inevitable blowback. Not very cool. And quoting Travolta from that silly piece of shit Broken Arrow was never cool. (Silly Scieno!) Harry: Loose a lot of weight, get away from the geekiness, do something for yourself IN REAL LIFE. T.'.
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you called Terrence Malick a "master of film." The guy could have been a godlike DP, but as a director he absolute, unapologetic horseshit.
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Goonies was "shite"? No, Goonies is still great. You sir, are a fucking idiot.
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So I saw Scott Pilgrim vs The World on BD awhile back, and enjoyed the film thru the 1st hour or so. I got a kick out of all the zaney fast-zooms/cuts, with whacky sound effects... thought it was clever for the film, since it was a whole comic-book vibe. Then the movie never progressed to a real 3rd act or a legitimate climax, so I got bored. But it was interesting enough for me to go back and re-evaluate Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, both of which I disliked (not hated) when they first hit the rental market. I found something very odd... both these movies feature the exact same super-fast-zooms/cuttting wackiness that Scott Pilgrim did. How odd. Does Wright HAVE to put those into everyone one of his movies? Is it contractual obligation? I don't get it. I can't decide if it's worse then Abram's use of horizontal lens flares, but they're both annoying. Anyway... I still disliked Shaun of the Dead (like Scott Pilgrim, it started off okay, but got very boring pretty quickly), but I actually enjoyed Hot Fuzz a lot, being so far away from the hype probably helped (wasn't there a lot of talk about it not being just a fun comedy, but what a cool 'horror' movie it was?).
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agreed
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you fucking tell him
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Fox News will seize on this movie as leftist anarchy propaganda in the wake of the London riots. Glamorizing gang members....."Shame!" Fox will cry, "Shame!"
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It really did. The so called protagonists were just the kind of wanna be gangsters I could never sympathise with. Not one character in this movie was likeable and it was cheesy as hell. I wanted it to succeed because I love Edgar Wright and Nick frost, but the movie was a total waste of time. It was boring, badly acted and worst of all stupid as fuck. I mean, where the hell does a 16 year old wanna be 50 cent from london get a samurai sword from, that actually can slice aliens in two? And am I really supposed to buy tha main character as a cross breed between John McClane, 50 cent and Blade in that finale? The monster weren't even a real threat! Stupid criminal kids kill them without that much of an effort. Really sorry, but HATED HATED that movie. Cannot understand the hype at all.
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