The Orphanage (El Orphanto)

[j_garcia]

Saw this one over the weekend. I enjoyed it very much. If you liked Pan's Labyrinth, then you will probably like this one. The story is quite good, possibly even a bit better than Pan's, with some of the same feel, though this one is not rooted in fantasy. A woman purchases the orphanage that she was in as a child and turns it into a home with the intent to bring some more troubled children in for care. Her own child starts to have "episodes" however and seems to know things that he couldn't possibly know...from HER childhood. The most intriguing part I think is the play on Peter Pan / Neverland, which this seems to be a sort of modern interpretation of. It is subtitled just like Pan's too, so be aware. If you like movies that are off the beaten path, check this one out.

 

[j_garcia]

Watched this one on Blu-ray over the weekend, and I have to say the PQ was quite amazing. It did have a bit of a soft presentation here and there, but overall it was still impressive. The soundtrack has a lot of unexpected LFE that was not present when I saw it in the theater. Still a good flick; give it a rent if you are curious.

 

[jostenmeat]

That's what I heard about this BD. Reference. So, it's next in line to be bought, I think.

j garcia, what do you know about Cronos? I haven't looked this one up in a while, but are there common audio issues with this title (as it appears may be the case with Sunshine)? I thought I might read of an issue, but cannot recall. Thanks...

 

[j_garcia]

Price was a bit steep for this one, as I couldn't really find any deals locally and didn't want to wait for it to be shipped.

I haven't seen Cronos, but it is on my list because a lot of people have mentioned it and I've liked pretty much all of Del Toro's work so far. I picked up Sunshine, but haven't gotten to watch it yet.

 

[jostenmeat]

thanks for the response, j.

It seems Orphanage is $25 at amazon. I'm still on the fence, sorta, but I really want to watch it! Chorons is $18 new, or $15 used (I usually take new in this case, Amazon Prime shipping), but I now have my memory refreshed that it made only slightly better than the middle of the "bronze" thread. Get what we pay for?

Good luck with Sunshine. I've watched it just once, and it had the worst audio dropouts out of all viewings I've had, using the MA track. More towards the end of the movie. (I can't recall any other BD dropping out on me). I do wonder if the dropouts would be replicated or not on a second viewing. I don't know if the fact that my BD-30 being FW updated would make a difference here either.

 

[darien87]

I watched the Blu-ray last weekend and really liked it. It was scary without having to resort to cheap tricks and loud bangs to make you jump. The scene where the old lady got ran over............. AWESOME.

"Uno, dos, tres. Toca la pare."

 

[j_garcia]

I watched the Blu-ray last weekend and really liked it. It was scary without having to resort to cheap tricks and loud bangs to make you jump. The scene where the old lady got ran over............. AWESOME.

"Uno, dos, tres. Toca la pare."

Yep, it is more of a classic scare than shock value (though I wasn't expecting that scene with the old lady), where you aren't always sure what is going on, and that not knowing is as creepy as anything. The "toca la pare" gave me the chills.

I haven't heard of issues with Sunshine and the PS3, so fingers will be crossed. I believe we will be watching it tomorrow night.

 

[jostenmeat]

I hope it goes smoothly! and I hope you enjoy it.

Would you happen to have some other recommendations to check out? Im always on the hunt now..

I really like Terry Gilliam... I just received Adventures of Baron Munchausen on Hd-dvd (yet to watch it). Have you run into any of his films that happen to have excellent transfer? Thanks.

 

[j_garcia]

Video quality on Baron Munchausen was surprisingly good, but the audio did not upgrade quite as well IMO. Good, but not great. Still a favorite of mine

Close Encounters and Blade Runner both had really nice transfers for their respective ages. I am waiting for Dark City now - the director's cut is now scheduled for July I believe. The transfer for Pan's Labyrinth wasn't quite as good as Orphanage, but it was still good.

 

[jostenmeat]

Thanks j. Im looking even more forward to the viewing now!

Blade Runner final cut is on for this Saturday, for my ongoing movie club. (I've been patient as to not prematurely view it! A couple of others Im holding out on for certain friends are Curse of the Golden Flower, and the Lives of Others).

I think I'm going to schedule an intermission mid-movie, as I believe its longer, and at the last meeting a lot people were running to the RR due to booze!

edit: I just saw the link in your sig. How's the Machinist? Never saw it, and I was wavering on that one when considering it...

 

[j_garcia]

Curse of the Golden Flower is good. Visually very impressive on BD; story a bit odd unless you don't mind Greek / Shakespearean tragedies. I enjoyed it. Machinist is a good one, and didn't want to get the import HD DVD due to cost, so picked up a cheap copy on SD. I thought the performance by Bale was excellent; the movie was good initially, but it telegraphed the ending a bit IMO, though I still enjoyed it and thought it was well done overall - it was very good at setting the mood and conveying the main character's paranoia.

 

[jostenmeat]

Thanks for the reviews.

Unfortunately, Im going to TRY to stay from this thread now. So I now know that an old lady gets run over and someone says Uno, dos, tres. Toca la pare. Not ruined yet for me, but I want to keep it that way... hehe

 

[j_garcia]

Neither of those should spoil it

 

[darien87]

Thanks for the reviews.

Unfortunately, Im going to TRY to stay from this thread now. So I now know that an old lady gets run over and someone says Uno, dos, tres. Toca la pare. Not ruined yet for me, but I want to keep it that way... hehe

The movie doesn't really get going until the aliens come and beam everyone to the parallel dimension. From that point on, it's "hold on to your seat!"

 

[j_garcia]

The movie doesn't really get going until the aliens come and beam everyone to the parallel dimension. From that point on, it's "hold on to your seat!"

And also don't miss the Cameo by M. Night Shayamalan

 

[darien87]

And also don't miss the Cameo by M. Night Shayamalan

I was wondering why the guy that played the mad scientist looked familiar.

 

[allargon]

The gf and I watched this last night in the great room (no surround sound). She said no way in hell would she ever want to watch that in full 7.1! That was a good movie--not as enjoyable as Pan's. However, we both thought it was pretty darned good.

 

[j_garcia]

I like it about the same as Pan's, but for different reasons. The story is just as powerful here but it is far more of a suspenseful film compared to the fantasy of Pan's.

 

[chris6878]

Well Thanks for telling me about the grandmother

 

[j_garcia]

The old lady? She isn't anyone's grandmother in the film. (should have been listed as a bit of a spoiler though...but doesn't give away anything that has to do with the overall story)