Just finished watching it DVD. Has to be one of my favs in a while.

http://vaytan.com/pics/Vfordvd.jpg


http://vaytan.com/pics/vfordvd1.jpg

Family and I saw "V for Vendetta" in the theater and were blown away (no pun intended) by the silky smoothness of Hugo Weaving's performance (limited as he was to that immobile mask), Natalie Portman's willingness to take such risks with her role and turn out such a remakably memorable performance - and of course the poetic script and revolutionary concepts.

Pardon if this sounds naive but how does one get the DVD ahead of the published August 1 release?

Best Movie of the Year IMO.

Blown away by the superb script...terrific writing by WB. :cool:
We were speechless by the end-credits. :eek:

This movie cries out for HD...no dvd for me.

How is the audio and video of the DVD?

I didn't see it in the theater, I guess it is worth the purchase?

This film was really quite good. I enjoyed it a great deal and look forward to owning it on HD-DVD down the road. I'll just rent the regular DVD.

Also saw this in the theaters and the whole family loved it. This one will be a special purchase for me and definitely only in an HD format.

With the dark and murky scenes, this will look fantastic in HD.
I did manage to see the trailer in HD on cable. :cool:

Just out of curiosity, is anyone planning on replying remotely on topic, and saying something about the actual DVD? All possible comments (including whiney stupid religious and policital ones) about the film have already been made a dozen times here on AVS...

...so who has the disc and what do they think of it?

Just out of curiosity, is anyone planning on replying remotely on topic, and saying something about the actual DVD? All possible comments (including whiney stupid religious and policital ones) about the film have already been made a dozen times over on AVS...

...so who has the disc and what do they think of it?

lol. Get your forums mixed up, khyron. ;) :D

I loved this movie. Best movie of the year.

When did this even come out? Never heard anything about its release on dvd at all.

lol. Get your forums mixed up, khyron. ;) :D

Yeah I need to coffee first, post later - corrected! ;)

When did this even come out? Never heard anything about its release on dvd at all.

I don't think the offical release date is until Aug. 1 for the US (according to video ETA).I'm really looking forward to it though.

Waiting to ship from Amazon for me; saw it twice in theaters on release week. I think it may be my last regular dvd purchase, good one to end 8 years of dvd buying. :P

Waiting to ship from Amazon for me; saw it twice in theaters on release week. I think it may be my last regular dvd purchase, good one to end 8 years of dvd buying. :P

Yeah, good luck with that. Keep us posted on your progress. :D

Funny, but this will be my FIRST movie purchased only in HD-DVD. Unless it is one of those blasted hybrids.

Chris.

I avoided this in the theater, but I am intruiged to know if it is as heinous as I read. DVD will be a way to check it out via NetFlix rental. I have no doubt it will look amazing, but my real interest is in the story, and the stir that caused.

I am intruiged to know if it is as heinous as I read.
my real interest is in the story, and the stir that caused.


Heinous?
Where did you hear that?

If you read the summaries at IMDB you can see that it is an interesting storyline. It's also easy to see how people with nothing better to do can make it out to be more than just the story that it is or some such. I haven't seen it but too many people say it was the best movie of the year. I look forward to it. However, it doesn't seem like the HD-DVD is going to arrive the same time as the DVD.

larry

Oink, I read such vehemently negative comments about the "V" story on many sites; however, I cannot comment on their validity, having not yet seen it. Thus, I'm "intruiged."

It was a pretty cool flick, UK. It ought to make you think; that's what it's supposed to do. The trick is not to let the movie affect you on a personal level by appearing to threaten your beliefs or the institutions you believe in. That's where the venom you speak of comes from.

It's a movie made from a graphic novel...the themes represented have to be 2D, there's not enough time or room for backstory or to assign more than cursory parallels to reality. It works totally as a movie...great story. Anyone threatened by it's implied message is taking it way too seriously...time for a valium.

Oink, I read such vehemently negative comments about the "V" story on many sites; however, I cannot comment on their validity, having not yet seen it. Thus, I'm "intruiged."



As Larry, Arch, and Ron point out, V is not a pushy or overblown political diatribe.
It is more of an updated Orwell 1984 piece.
V is only controversal IF one thinks it is.

George Orwell was a giant of Western Literature in the 20th century.
That is just a fact. ;)

I saw this movie in theaters as well thought it was very good. Can't wait for the dvd. Its always nice to watch a dvd at home with no distractions...

I just saw it Yesterday, and if you can, wait for the HD-DVD, I've seen lots of better DVD's transfers than this one.

My 2 Cents.

It seems that the movie has made stylistic choices here and there which may not appeal to some and there are quite a few dark scenes which always aggravates some displays/calibrations. I couldn't find a review out of the 4 or 5 that I read that spoke negatively of the transfer.

larry

Trying to fend off the temptation to buy the dvd.
This is such a GREAT movie, I want the SUPER DUPER disk for my permanent collection....must wait....arghhh.... :D

Trying to fend off the temptation to buy the dvd.
This is such a GREAT movie, I want the SUPER DUPER disk for my permanent collection....must wait....arghhh.... :D

I really wanted to like this movie, I'll still buy it, but overall, I was underwhelmed. I found it a little contrived and predictable, loved the imagery though. Good film, far from being a standout

I really wanted to like this movie, I'll still buy it, but overall, I was underwhelmed. I found it a little contrived and predictable, loved the imagery though. Good film, far from being a standout

Why buy it then? lol

Why buy it then? lol
Cause I'm a sucker for moody, characters in capes and masks...oh yeah and bald chix ;)

V for Vendetta is a favorite of mine for particular reasons

1. Cinematography. I flat out loved some of the scenes captured on film. John Hurt was amazing. Hugo Weaving's voice talent was phenomenal

2. Dialogue- It's refreshing to have a movie with dialogues that's High School level at least. I enjoyed the "quiet" scenes as much as the action.

Can't wait for the HD DVD version. I'll be ready.

Maybe we should change this thread title to "V for vendetta: anything but discussion about the DVD release".

*sigh*

Maybe we should change this thread title to "V for vendetta: anything but discussion about the DVD release".

*sigh*

August 1st release. Hard to comment on something that isn't out yet.

My local rental place already have them[yeah they are R1 legit copies]
I found the disc to be better then average on all accounts, I'm sure the HD DVD will look better but that's how it should be.
It was far from the best movie of the year,not to mention there are 6 more months to go. YMMV.

Woot!

Who's gotten it?! How's it look? Which version did you get?!

:p

Picked up the box set with the flair from BB, alas I had to break my HD DVD streak and pick up an SD. The disc looks good being SD, only had a chance to poke around a bit look forward to watching it again, I saw it in the theater on the IMAX and it was the only theater experience this year I enjoyed so I hope it lives up on DVD if anyone does not want to buy or rent it I will glady send you my SD version when the HD DVD hits......well when and if...


Edited my post, took out comments offering a different perspective on the post that was deleted.

Echo

threads merged

larry

A friend and I picked up the movie only version today at BB and watched it in my theater.

This release is ALL about the sound. It sounds great. Dialogue (which there is a LOT of) was clear and easily audible, and at times the bass was thundering. Lots of great sounding music and some nice surround effects.

I don't really have the greatest equipment for judging video (Panny LCD Projector, 92" screen), but even with it I thought the video was only about average. Good enough, but somewhat soft. I expected it to be razor-sharp like "The Matrix" movies.

What does the SE disk have that the regular one doesn't?

Sounds like a BUY to me on DVD. With the recent drought in anything "buyable" I'll go for it. The last purchase I made was back in March. Gotta scratch that itch once in a while!!

How is the BB exclusive mask., was it worth the money. I haven't been to BB yet I may go tomorow. And buy it.

Very good movie...
I'd think they'd have put it out on the 5th of november

A keeper. What was the significance of the hanging?

A friend and I picked up the movie only version today at BB and watched it in my theater.

This release is ALL about the sound. It sounds great. Dialogue (which there is a LOT of) was clear and easily audible, and at times the bass was thundering. Lots of great sounding music and some nice surround effects.

I don't really have the greatest equipment for judging video (Panny LCD Projector, 92" screen), but even with it I thought the video was only about average. Good enough, but somewhat soft. I expected it to be razor-sharp like "The Matrix" movies.

Wow, I think I have the exact opposite review, the video was sharp and detailed, the audio, from what I saw in the theater, was a bit dissapointing, I even turned the sub up to 11 and was still left unimpressed. Guess Im just too used to expecting things like The Haunting DTS-ES from all these new action blockbusters.

Unfortunately I started watching this DVD too late last night and only could stay awake to see 1.5 hours. I really like the movie and it is very well done. NP is the best she has ever been. I thought the PQ was very good to excellent. Whatever softness was there was not the fault of the encoding or transfer. In one or two scenes blacks could have been darker. This movie will look great on HD-DVD. Also, did anybody notice the size of John Hurt's pupils? What was he on? :) I look forward to finishing it tonight.

larry

PLincoln,

Thanks a lot for not using the spoiler tag.

Please be more carefull next time.

Could you (or a mod) please edit that post?
Thanks!

PLincoln,

Thanks a lot for not using the spoiler tag.

Please be more carefull next time.

Could you (or a mod) please edit that post?
Thanks!
No S!! Not that it is unexpected what happens, I would have like to seen it for myself also.

larry

Maybe its time to use large font red at the top of this forum (as done in the HD-DVD forum - MEMBER ABUSE IS NOT WELCOME) reminding people to use spoiler tags. Then again, there may not be a font big enough for some people. ;)


BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHERS - USE SPOILER TAGS. Or something similar to that.

The HD version supposedly will include a commentary track with Natalie Portman. Hugo Weaving, and Jim McTiegue.

I didn't consider that much of a spoiler, my apologies, next time i'll err on the side of caution.

Not a bad film. Taken for what it is, it was quite enjoyable. It was well made, the acting was quite good and there were some fun plot twists (as well as some absurd ones, even for a work originating as a graphic novel). Sort of The Scarlet Pimpernel meets Batman.

As a serious piece of sociopolitical commentary it was to Orwell what Clueless was to Shakespeare.

Edit- in retrospect that probably should be Jane austin :D :D

I didn't consider that much of a spoiler, my apologies, next time i'll err on the side of caution.Perfect! :) That way nobody can complain. Some people don't care at all, some people don't want any details except for plot synopsis.

larry

Maybe its time to use large font red at the top of this forum (as done in the HD-DVD forum - MEMBER ABUSE IS NOT WELCOME) reminding people to use spoiler tags. Then again, there may not be a font big enough for some people. ;)


BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHERS - USE SPOILER TAGS. Or something similar to that.


Larry has trained us regulars very well on ST.
Sometimes the rookies screw-up.

As for a notice at the top of this forum ala the 2 Hi-Rez Video Disk forums.
I hope the hell not!!! :mad:
If this community EVER becomes like those other 2, I'm outta here.
Fortunately, we (along with help from our moderator) self-regulate our posting and do not come anywhere near the insanity over there. :)

As a serious piece of sociopolitical commentary it was to Orwell what Clueless was to Shakespeare.


HEY!!!!!!

Whatta you got against Clueless?! :D :D

As for a notice at the top of this forum ala the 2 Hi-Rez Disks forum.
I hope the hell not!!! :mad:
If this community EVER becomes like those other 2, I'm outta here.

So true. No one in their right mind would think you need ear plugs when conversing on the internet, yet, when you venture over there, they are a necessity.

I’m really looking forward to seeing this DVD this weekend. I’ve been busy watching LOST S1 and will finish the bonus disc tomorrow. No way to stop that series and watch anything else until you complete it.

Poop...,

Thanks for removing that post.

PLincoln,
I'm sure you didn't do that intentionally. It's hard to give a good definition of what a spoiler exactly is.
For me, revealing what finally happens to a character definitely is a spoiler, even if it is not unexpected. It's kind of like giving away the score of a football game before you saw the game itself: you can still watch the game but it isn't nearly as much fun\exciting.

All,
I don't know what is happening in the HiRes-forums (other sub-forums on AVS i presume), but after reading some of the other posts i'm reluctant to find out. If these are other sub-forums of AVS, i'm surprised there isn't an AVS-wide policy on this.
A little consideration goes a long way...

As for a notice at the top of this forum ala the 2 Hi-Rez Disk forums.
I hope the hell not!!! :mad:
If this community EVER becomes like those other 2, I'm outta here.
Fortunately, we (along with help from our moderator) self-regulate our posting and do not come anywhere near the insanity over there. :)

Hey oink, I think you're sort of tarring the wrong forum. The two high resolution multichannel audio formats, SACD and DVD-A, are generally called "hi-rez", and that forum (Surround Music Formats) is the model of civility and good humor. I think what you're referring to may be the forums where HD optical disks are discussed (Blu-ray and HD-DVD....? I never go there, so I've missed all the acrimony. I usually get enough of that on the Programming forum. ;) )

Hey oink, I think you're sort of tarring the wrong forum. The two high resolution multichannel audio formats, SACD and DVD-A, are generally called "hi-rez", and that forum (Surround Music Formats) is the model of civility and good humor. I think what you're referring to may be the forums where HD optical disks are discussed (Blu-ray and HD-DVD....? I never go there, so I've missed all the acrimony. I usually get enough of that on the Programming forum. ;) )


AH GEEZ!!! :eek:

I'm sorry, Arch, my mistake!
Whatta dummy...I wasn't thinking...you're right, I did mean VIDEO.
Changing post now.

Sorry, everyone. :o :o

ok, ok, let't stay on topic. There will always be mistakes - the fewer the better. :)

I finished watching the DVD and overall I really enjoyed the movie. I'll be buying the HD-DVD when it comes out. The LFE at the end was great.

larry

"Voila! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance, a vendetta held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose. So let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you.....and you may call me V."

Best. Movie Lines. Ever.

I saw this in the theatre and thought it was a great movie. The DVD looks pretty good for the most part. I'd give the picture a 7/10 and sound an 8/10.

I watched it tonight (saw it in the theatre) with my 2 channel amp off...oops :eek: I guess I'll need to watch this again. What a bummer.

Presto! Perilously perched upon a peculiar platform of ponderous perplexity, pedantic people pass particular prosperity upon this preachy prism of platitudes, pushed into piles to please, perhaps pathetically, to panderous pimps of pleasure. :( A pragmatic populus preaches poetic pertaining to this protracted project? Please! :rolleyes: Provide a peasant's peddlings in private or persuade via pure passion, for piety to piggish perversions place power in propitiation of purely preposterous pursuits. Purists, persuade me with pithy, play upon previously proven parlays, not presentations plugged and plagued by problems in a pubescent position. :confused: Perhaps, if preferred, a piece of a peace may pervade in less perceived pixelation, yet politely, I say...If it's not good enough on DVD, it's not good enough, period.

:D :D :D

The HD version supposedly will include a commentary track with Natalie Portman. Hugo Weaving, and Jim McTiegue.
I know Poop just said HD DVD but will it, in fact, be HD DVD or Blu-ray?

The thread in the HD-DVD forums say HD-DVD.

larry

Presto! Perilously perched upon a peculiar platform of ponderous perplexity, pedantic people pass particular prosperity upon this preachy prism of platitudes, pushed into piles to please, perhaps pathetically, to panderous pimps of pleasure. :( A pragmatic populus preaches poetic pertaining to this protracted project? Please! :rolleyes: Provide a peasant's peddlings in private or persuade via pure passion, for piety to piggish perversions place power in propitiation of purely preposterous pursuits. Purists, persuade me with pithy, play upon previously proven parlays, not presentations plugged and plagued by problems in a pubescent position. :confused: Perhaps, if preferred, a piece of a peace may pervade in less perceived pixelation, yet politely, I say...If it's not good enough on DVD, it's not good enough, period.

:D :D :D

If you made that up yourself, that's awesome!

Wow I thought it might be cheezy and didnt buy it.Looks like I will be heading back up to BB.

If you made that up yourself, that's awesome!

Well, while we writhe and wiggle our way, wondering who will win a war waged and wrought within widescreen or wrong, we wager and wish well within each weapon, now waking. Wafting winds to waxing words, while welding wedges betwixt walls, we wait, awash with want, while wistfully weary of weening our way off a wedding we were warmed to. Will winds of who, why, what, or when weaken or waver our wailings? Wildly, we wave our worn wings, while wry waste (like this) warns whelps to wince and wilt wearily to whence they wandered, perhaps wheezing or weeping in wartery wads. Why worry weekly, weakly worming or weaving warped warts in what was... and still is? ;)

Once again, if it's not good enough on DVD, (without HD-DVD) it's not good enough. :D

Forsooth- the fawning or'e the fakery of this felonious fraud fills me with foreboding, for foolish is the frantic faux-felicitous verbal froth falling from him, though at first it feels fluent and facile, still fell be his face, and foul features further finger his folly, while frankly his foibles frequently figure in fanatical flights of fantasy, foremost among his fabled faults. Fine. Feel free to follow this fopp, I fear you shall fail famously, at least such is my feeling.


This is fun!! :D :D :D

PS- you can call me Fred

Word.

I'm beginning to worry about you guys....

Mired in the mist of magical mystification, methinks.

This was one of the better movies i've seen latley. Watched it two nights in a row. My only regret is that i did not see in the theater.

Ok, we've had our fun, please get back to DVD. Thanks.

larry

I am picking it up today, looking forward to seeing it. I never saw it in the theater so I am basing it off of the good reviews you guys/girls are giving it.

See how many JVC LCD TV's you can count.

I noticed the JVC gluttony too. Talk about product placement. Funny thing was, they were all really small, around 20"-42". You'd think they would be plugging something much bigger. I guess they're subliminally saying that Brits don't care about big screens or that they have really good eyesight. :)

I loved the movie, just fantastic!!

Saw it in IMAX and felt it rated alongside BATMAN BEGINS as one of the best comic book adaptions (as well as one of the best films of the year, IMHO.) I know that they've also snagged a director (again) for WATCHMEN. Guess Alan Moore will have his name removed from the credits of that film too, as it will be much more difficult to adapt than V FOR VENDETTA! Rented the V DVD, which just whets my appetite for the HD release of this film. It should be a keeper.

They got the same guy that is finishing up 300 to do Watchmen. I'll be picking it up this weekend. Haven't gone HD yet for my prepressed (?) movies.

I thought about getting the BBY exclusive mask. However after seeing it I was rather disapponted. I was hoping for a full size mask. And at 35 bucks ouch. Is 10$ more just for that.

I went with the 2disc. Haven't watched the DVD yet. Prehaps this weekend

Well im in the minority here, I didn't think it was very good and V came across more like Timothy McVeigh than a hero. Maybe it's the sight of a suicide vest with all that going on in the world i don't like. Anyway very well made , just didnt appeal to me.


Fitz

one of the best movies i've ever seen

one of the best movies i've ever seen

Me too...or at least in recent memory. ;)

Gosh, it's tough to wait for an HD disk...

There have been more than several people salivating about V in HD. I don't get it. While it would be nice to see everything in HD, there aren't a great percentage of films I see that have me absolutely yearning for it. When I think of what can showcase HD, I think of; the billowing smoke, explosions, and dogfights in Pearl Harbor, the epic battles and lighting of the beacons in LotR, the gluttony of beauty in the "Blue Planet" series, etc.

A show such as V, comprised of mostly dialougue between characters, seems to hardly fit the bill. Granted, the last explosion at the end has great LFE and some pretty fireworks/explosions and the use of lighting was very nice, but I don't recall much else that seemed like HD would enhance the experience that much.

Am I missing something?

Am I missing something?


HD would add much...

A great deal of this movie is shot in low lighting with big staging.
DVD does not have the data and resolution to convincingly give this flick a 3D depth (as our eyes do when looking around a darken room).

This is why the thought of an HD disk version gets us all worked-up. :cool:

The trick is not to let the movie affect you on a personal level by appearing to threaten your beliefs or the institutions you believe in. That's where the venom you speak of comes from.
I hope it threatens my beliefs so I can get me some new ones. I'm tired of the old ones.

Man I guess I had high hopes for this movie. But I saw it last night and I was left wanting more. I guess I thought there would be more action. :( Especially watching the opening scences.

But I can see why others really like it. The rest was really done well and the acting was very good. But IMO, I would not say best movie of the year.

listened to the soundtrack cd agan tonight, on my Dali MS5 speakers + Helicon sub (so 2.1).
what a threat ! this soundtrack goes DEEP !! you have to listen to it. try tracks 5 7 13 for instance. this is really an excellent score, very very powerful. with subtilities too and themes. I look forward to more from the italian composer.

as for the hd dvd, i hope it does have DD TRUE HD or DTS TRUE HD. this score needs it.
and as someone says here, being often shot in low light it requires HD color resolution and
gamma.

sure it's a critic of America's and England policies and tricks but nevertheless, it makes you think. there's power in that movie.

Not to challenge any belief systems or whatnot... ;) but did any of you notice some sort of strange artifacts in several of the dark backgrounds in some scenes ?
In particular were Evey was locked in the cell reading the "toilet paper" diary..
I could only describe it as looking like "grain crawl" where the encoder was having problems with the film grain.

Comments ?

b2b

I hope it threatens my beliefs so I can get me some new ones. I'm tired of the old ones.


Bob,

Knowing what I know of you, this movie is just what you need...the perfect tonic...at the perfect time. :cool:
See this post haste....you can thank me later. ;)

Bob,

Knowing what I know of you, this movie is just what you need...the perfect tonic...at the perfect time. :cool:
See this post haste....you can thank me later. ;)

Don't encourage him... :eek: Next thing you know we'll be getting news reports on CNN about a caped masked man called "W" running around the panhandle region setting off fireworks... :D

b2b

Don't encourage him... :eek: Next thing you know we'll be getting news reports on CNN about a caped masked man called "W" running around the panhandle region setting off fireworks... :D

b2b


And that would be a bad thing? ;) :D

Not to challenge any belief systems or whatnot... ;) but did any of you notice some sort of strange artifacts in several of the dark backgrounds in some scenes ?
In particular were Evey was locked in the cell reading the "toilet paper" diary..
I could only describe it as looking like "grain crawl" where the encoder was having problems with the film grain.

Comments ?

b2bI don't "know", but I don't think it's problems dealing with "grain". Could be. Part of it is somewhat elevated black levels that may have been done to help reveal more things they want you to see. Other people have mentioned this. You will not see this on the HD-DVD (hopefully).

larry

I got around to rewatching this movie on DVD last night...and well, I was a little harsh in my original opinion of the movie, I enjoyed it much more the second time around in my home theare. Far from perfect, but not the dog I had originally thought it to be...

I enjoyed the film; the plot and acting were better than Matrix but not the action sequence.

Both films are dark.

I don't "know", but I don't think it's problems dealing with "grain". Could be. Part of it is somewhat elevated black levels that may have been done to help reveal more things they want you to see. Other people have mentioned this. You will not see this on the HD-DVD (hopefully).


b2b,

What I did to "correct" the noise/grain I believe you may be referring to was by keeping the contrast up and reduce the brightness a bit. This kept the gamma/depth high and lowered black levels to a degree any "defect" is masked.
It is just a small adjustment, but did wonders (this disk is too well lit IMO).

I have a Samsung HLP-5685w.

Natalie Portman in a little kiddie outfit is just wrong! ;) ...but at the same time you'd think costuming could come up with a more convincing kiddie outfit to really set it off with Natalie Portman? It was just a weird, weird scene, imo. You know the scene is "naughty", but who would pass up seeing Natalie Portman like that, but then you realize how ridiculous the outfit looks on her. It's like why even bother with including a scene like that, if it is going to be watered down to the point of being a ridiculous charicature?

Anyways, I heard there was some scene cut from the theater presentation, due to it not being politically correct? Was this the scene, or was it another scene, or is the dvd pretty much the same as the theater print?

The point of the NP "kiddie" scene was to show how depraved (or corrupted, immoral) the "bishop" (or the Powers-That-Be) was.
In other words, how far the leadership had debased themselves in secret. ;)

Yes, I got that, but the design of the scene just seemed really watered down and silly. Ooh, the bishop gets turned-on by a girl in a kiddie outfit...just seemed like if that is the sort of thing the bishop was in to, he would be too jaded to fall for the silly get-up NP was dressed in- she looked like an anorexic Raggedy Ann doll with those rouge cheeks, for gawdsake! :p Without knowing, this scene seemed almost like a comedy satire skit you would find in an "Another Date Movie", rather than a dramatic scene for V. I would have been more convinced of his depravity had they just tied a sheep to his bedpost, instead of the scene they went with... :p

Last spoiler warning. Posts will be deleted instead of me editing them. Is it really that hard?? Oink, you should know better by now.

larry

In regard to the clothing discussed above, keep in mind that this was coming from a comic book, where quite often things are a little overdone/overdrawn for effect. Think of how the proportions of women are typically drawn in CBs, compared to how they are in real life (with the exclusion of a few porn stars).

Personally, I thought she looked delicious! Sorry, I just couldn't resist not putting in a spoiler. ;)

In regard to the clothing discussed above, keep in mind that this was coming from a comic book,

Noooo! It was a graphic novel! You see, comic books are just comic books, but graphic novels are literature :p :p :D

Yes, I got that, but the design of the scene just seemed really watered down and silly. Ooh, the bishop gets turned-on by a girl in a kiddie outfit...just seemed like if that is the sort of thing the bishop was in to, he would be too jaded to fall for the silly get-up NP was dressed in- she looked like an anorexic Raggedy Ann doll with those rouge cheeks, for gawdsake! :p Without knowing, this scene seemed almost like a comedy satire skit you would find in an "Another Date Movie", rather than a dramatic scene for V. I would have been more convinced of his depravity had they just tied a sheep to his bedpost, instead of the scene they went with... :p

Personally, I don't agree with that at all......I think you were missing the point. She was dressed in that uniform probably because all of the girls that he violates wear outfits like that.....it probably turns him on. So her being in that outfit was a probably a normal occurance for him

If by delicious you're referring to Natalie Portman, I suppose if you find the figure of a slender, boyish 12-year old to be delicious, then yes I can see where you're coming from.

It's not my idea of feminine attractiveness, I'll take women with actual curves like Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet or Catherine Zeta Jones over NP every day of the week.

Now, directly relevant to the film, even though I'm not a film critic:
I thought it was an excellent film and even thought provoking. It had definite Orwellian overtones that I caught onto very early into the film. It's not a bad thing to have hints towards Orwells great 1984 several decades later in history ;)

This part is semi-spoiler:
I also thought there were some interesting (and intentional) resemblances to the Nazi era of Germany in some aspects. Notice the issues with homosexuality and other "aberrant" behaviours.

In addition the character Creedy is paralleled by the head of the SS, which made people disappear...

Do I remember seeing some parallels to the Hitler Youth at one point?

John Hurt's character as Chancellor Sutler was a master stroke. They needed someone with powerful oratorical skills and he delivered here. Hitler was a brilliant orator. I'm not praising him, merely commenting on his skills.

In addition, the government's ability to manipulate the media is (I think) a very important warning to be heeded.

I've only watched this once, so forgive the question. Was there a virus outbreak in the US leading to the civil war? If that's the case, it is clear where the virus came from ;)


I thought it was a very good movie, and I don't recall what it was competing against at the box office. I look forward to it coming out in HD.

Best,

The allusions to 1984 are about as subtle as Robin Williams on a cocaine binge.

actually, that was the main thing that made me chuckle about the casting of John Hurt- he was Winston Smith, after all.

That doesn't make it a bad film, just hardly a clever one. And if poor skinny Natalie ever turns up on your doorstep you just send her on to me. My idea of feminine attractiveness is pretty diverse and she's waaay in it :D

If by delicious you're referring to Natalie Portman, I suppose if you find the figure of a slender, boyish 12-year old to be delicious, then yes I can see where you're coming from.

It's not my idea of feminine attractiveness, I'll take women with actual curves like Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet or Catherine Zeta Jones over NP every day of the week.


LOL. It was my sly way of plugging in a joke at the bishop's expense. It's the outfit itself that was arousing, not necessarily the body in it. However, given the exact wording of your post, I don't think that Portman is 12 years old either. ;)

I personally like a more developed figure myself. Those of you that have read my thoughts on Alba know this in detail already. :D What is attractive about Portman (in direct contrast to Alba) is more of her presence than her looks alone. She has the ability to command interest in her performance, while Alba couldn't command a dog to sit. :rolleyes:

I will say that after Portman gets her head shaved, I can certainly see the reference to a boy. She wears it well, just like Demi in G.I. Jane a few years ago. Does the fact that I find this mildly attractive mean that I'm a perv? :eek:

As a side note, if you really, really, really like your curves on females (or even if you don't), you should watch Feed. It's an excellent example of the differing views of what attractiveness is. :)

Here's some images to correleate with this discussion:

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&q=v%20for%20vendetta%20portman&btnG=Search&sa=N&tab=wi (first pic is a hoot)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=portman+filmography (2nd and 4th pis are nice, but she looks a bit off in the 3rd, don't ya think? ;) )

Last spoiler warning. Posts will be deleted instead of me editing them. Is it really that hard?? Oink, you should know better by now.

larry


Sorry, but the previous post by Mr. Hanky had spoiler tags...my post gave nothing away UNLESS his post had been read. ;) :)

I added Mr. Hanky's spoiler tags. Both his posts and yours we in the clear. Mentioning a bishop doing anything would be a spoiler to some folks.

larry

I added Mr. Hanky's spoiler tags. Both his posts and yours we in the clear. Mentioning a bishop doing anything would be a spoiler to some folks.

larry


Oops, I'll try to be more careful. :o

I think the whole V is a terrorist, but a hero at the same time, idea that they keep hammering on in the "making of" extra is a clumsily forced analogy and pretty well misguided. Is he really terrorizing the people? Sounds like he is working for the people. Is he a "terrorist" because he blows up buildings? Is it even clear that there are people in the buildings, or are they pretty much empty by night? I don't think he is a "terrorist", at all. I don't think blowing up buildings is a inherent calling card to be as such. Surely, past terrorism acts have involved buildings and others being blown up, but that's pretty much where any similarity ends between V and a "terrorist". He does kill persons in critical government positions. That very well makes him homicidal and a murderer, but still not a "terrorist".

A "freedom fighter" sounds more apt for V. He was motivating the people to stand up for their own liberty and overthrow their totalitarian government. Oftentimes people attempt to blur the lines between "freedom fighter" and "terrorist", as well. However, I don't see any equivalence in regards to the context of the movie. At best, he is a "freedom fighter", and at worst, he is a focused serial killer. In the middle, he may just be a "veangful, dark hero", who tends to do right as a means to an end- essentially an English spinoff of Batman, no? Playing the "terrorist" card on this, though popular and topical for the day, really has no place in this movie.

The ironic thing is that the message to overthrow your totalitarian government should not be seen as directed at the free Western world (though some will hijack this theme to be so). It is more aptly a message to the good people in the Middle East, imo. The message is to fight for freedom in your own country, if you are under a brutal dictatorship (naturally, things are not that simple, so this message would have limited use even over there). Unfortunately, I don't think anyone there would ever "get" this message and see how it applies to them. So this movie comes off as mostly preaching to the choir of the importance of freedom and democracy. We already enjoy it over in the west, so it is a message of limited benefit.

Mr. Hanky,



I think you may be over-estimating the IQ of many of my fellow Americans. ;)

Perhaps...I just think people (Hollywood included) should be more responsible with the term "terrorist" in this day and age. If you are going to blur the distinction just to make a point, it better be a good damn point. I wouldn't have minded so much if they really went through the effort to make a storyline that poses a genuine paradox dichotomy between "terrorist" and "freedom fighter", but throwing the terrorist card into this movie was just sloppy and gratuitous. V is no more a terrorist than Batman. He just uses a bit more pyrotechnics in his operations. ;)

Hell, why not go for broke and hint that totalitarian governments are not so bad once you learn the ropes...evidently, the people in this movie did not have the ballz for that, eh? :D I just get all worked up into a foam over this "terrorist" angle.

Terrorist = one who instills terror. Simple as that. I have no idea why people get the term so confused. Is a person that commits an act of destuction any more a "terroist" than one who keeps reminding us that we need to feel fear on a daily basis?

There's a big difference between terror and horror, as has been discussed by myself, oink, lonwolf, and others. Lots of horror films, such as Hostel, Feed, Wolf Creek, etc, cause us to be horrified or repulsed at the image upon the screen. Rarely, do we see a film that is truly terrifying, causing us to withdraw within our own deepest selves, beyond our ability to reason, regressing all the way back to a primal "fight or flight" nature that causes elevated levels of adrenaline.

This isn't just in movies either. In the news, we see horrific stories of murder, rape, war, accidents, etc, but we cannot live any kind of "normal" life being terrified of all these things we have no control over. Another simple example is that most people aren't actually terrified of dogs, but coming face to face with one is a horrifying experience. If they were truly terrified, they could never leave the house for fear that a dog may be outside.

Simply put, terror is the impending fear of what might happen, terror is the effect after the event.

So, are those that perform the act "terrorists"? No. I'd be more likely to call them "horrorists", if anything. Those that provoke the continual dread that something might happen, those are the "terrorists". *

*This is, of course, all based upon definition, not the emotional responses we attach to these words. :)

Does a mean boss count as a terrorist? :p ...if you are always in fear for your job, when you have to meet with him...why not?

Personally, I don't agree with that at all......I think you were missing the point. She was dressed in that uniform probably because all of the girls that he violates wear outfits like that.....it probably turns him on. So her being in that outfit was a probably a normal occurance for him
Bingo.

A "freedom fighter" sounds more apt for V. He was motivating the people to stand up for their own liberty and overthrow their totalitarian government. Oftentimes people attempt to blur the lines between "freedom fighter" and "terrorist", as well. However, I don't see any equivalence in regards to the context of the movie. At best, he is a "freedom fighter", and at worst, he is a focused serial killer. In the middle, he may just be a "veangful, dark hero", who tends to do right as a means to an end- essentially an English spinoff of Batman, no? Playing the "terrorist" card on this, though popular and topical for the day, really has no place in this movie.

The ironic thing is that the message to overthrow your totalitarian government should not be seen as directed at the free Western world (though some will hijack this theme to be so). It is more aptly a message to the good people in the Middle East, imo. The message is to fight for freedom in your own country, if you are under a brutal dictatorship (naturally, things are not that simple, so this message would have limited use even over there). Unfortunately, I don't think anyone there would ever "get" this message and see how it applies to them. So this movie comes off as mostly preaching to the choir of the importance of freedom and democracy. We already enjoy it over in the west, so it is a message of limited benefit.




Well duh.

I wanted to like this movie. I didn't. I'm still trying to figure out why.

In the end, despite the talent involved, I felt the movie was an uneasy collision of comic book superhero conventions with political/social commentary. For me, the comicbookness undercut the seriousness of the political story.

Imagine if All the President's Men's story had been told not realistically through the journalistic detectivework of Woodward and Bernstein but symbolically through, say, two knights called Galahad and Percival. It's lose/lose: the myth becomes earthbound, and the real heroism of regular people is lost because, well, they're knights.

I felt the same thing happened here. To the extent comic book stories work in movies, it's because the heroes' journeys are about personal/psychological conflicts. That comic book mode doesn't translate well to specific political commentary.

But I'm willing to give it the movie another go after some thought and some viewing of the extra features.

Finally saw V for the first time.

Very decent film that has shades of Equilibrium but with much more bite. Good job all around to the actors including John Hurt who's demise was somewhat anti-climactic, IMO.

Hugo Weaving was quite effective, and in spite of recognizing his voice, still fooled me when he pulled that (Neo head-trick) on Evey (Natalie Portman). Probably the best part of the whole film.

I didn't really see where the L scene fit in the scheme of things, but I did discover that although I think NP is beautiful, I despise her voice. It kind of grates on the ear (I wouldn't equate that with poor acting).

V for Vendetta certainly is thought-provoking and action packed (and controversial to some), but Portman said in an interview (to those who took it way too seriously): "..It's just a movie".

In the end, the rewatchability factor for V isn't real high for myself; I'll probably see it at least once more, though (preferrably in HD). It's an in-the-park-homer for the W. Brothers.


3.5 out of 5 stars

It seems everybody is sort of over-analyzing the film. I thought it was bulls**t, but rather gripping and compelling bulls**t nonetheless.

In contrast to the Matrix films, it actually had admirable performances, and its blending of Orwell and Phantom of the Opera gave it a timely resonance and its allegory of contemporary media manipulation may give all of the gleeful rightwingers something to think about.

But ultimately it seems to me it exists sort of independent of its plot and ideas as a series of spellbinding set pieces. Its visuals have a strange emotional power, even though we know it's really a bunch of hooey.

It seems everybody is sort of over-analyzing the film. I thought it was bulls**t, but rather gripping and compelling bulls**t nonetheless.

In contrast to the Matrix films, it actually had admirable performances, and its blending of Orwell and Phantom of the Opera gave it a timely resonance and its allegory of contemporary media manipulation may give all of the gleeful rightwingers something to think about.


Orwell would be proud- that's some kick-a$$ doublethink :D :D :D

It seems everybody is sort of over-analyzing the film. I thought it was bulls**t, but rather gripping and compelling bulls**t nonetheless.

In contrast to the Matrix films, it actually had admirable performances, and its blending of Orwell and Phantom of the Opera gave it a timely resonance and its allegory of contemporary media manipulation may give all of the gleeful rightwingers something to think about.

But ultimately it seems to me it exists sort of independent of its plot and ideas as a series of spellbinding set pieces. Its visuals have a strange emotional power, even though we know it's really a bunch of hooey.

I think the above is about the most entertaining movie comment I've ever read here, CW. :D
And I don't even know if I agree with it or don't agree with it yet. I watched about the first 45 minutes of it last night before I fell asleep. And it wasn't because the movie put me to sleep. It was old age that did it. That and wasting an hour and a half trying to get two different new piece of crap Toshiba HD-D1's to play the go****n movie before I finally gave up and hooked up my Momitsu again. But by then I was so damned tired I just couldn't last till "The End".
Will get back on it tonight after I take the HD-DVD players back to Walmart and tell Sammy to stick em where the sun don't shine.

In the end, despite the talent involved, I felt the movie was an uneasy collision of comic book superhero conventions with political/social commentary. For me, the comicbookness undercut the seriousness of the political story.

I think this really summarizes my impression of the movie, as well. It was just all over the place with the evil government, homosexuality, underage sex, priesthood perversion, genetic research, engineered viruses, genetic racism, terrorism, freedoms, and the politics of dissent.

Cut all that crap out and concentrate on the comic book lore, and it would have been a more enjoyable piece, imo.


;)

Well said, Christmas Poo.

If there was a problem with film for me, it was that it couldn't decide what flavor to go with.

I mean, I love salsa and I love chocolate ice cream, but mixing the two together...

It's also easy to see how people with nothing better to do can make it out to be more than just the story that it is or some such.
Yes, people with nothing better to do, such as the author of the original graphic novel, Alan Moore. I won't post what he said here because it is very political in nature and would offend the sensibilities of those on the side of the political fence that this film caters to, but it can be found easily enough, if you have nothing better to do, unlike...nah, it's too easy.

You are almost hammered with it, if you look at the extras on the disc. It wouldn't surprise me that much of the buzz around the movie is inherently laced with myraid political hooks to reel people in. I don't think it is fair to simply blame viewers with nothing better to do, reading such themes into the movie. In a sense, the movie almost begs for this to happen, since it opens the can on a laundry list of topical themes, but doesn't even bother to take it anywhere from there. So people are just left with the "seed" of something and a blank line to fill in stuff from their own head. Is it a wonder there is a controversy over what the movie is "saying" and what it hasn't said?

Yes, people with nothing better to do, such as the author of the original graphic novel, Alan Moore. I won't post what he said here because it is very political in nature and would offend the sensibilities of those on the side of the political fence that this film caters to, but it can be found easily enough, if you have nothing better to do, unlike...nah, it's too easy.
Don’t forget to mention Alan wouldn’t see; "From Hell," "Constantine," "League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen," and won’t see “Watchmen” when it is released. He doesn’t like anything Hollywood does to his comic books and wants his name removed from all of them. To insinuate it was only because of politics is false.

This makes me wonder what Moore's movie version would have been like? Does the movie release we have now have more stuff schlocked onto it than Moore would speak for, or is it actually watered down compared to something much more devisive and concentrated to Moore's "message"? What really happened here between "graphic novel" to "movie script"? Did the story get hijacked into something entirely different?

What does Moore have to do with V? Nothing.

This makes me wonder what Moore's movie version would have been like? Does the movie release we have now have more stuff schlocked onto it than Moore would speak for, or is it actually watered down compared to something much more devisive and concentrated to Moore's "message"? What really happened here between "graphic novel" to "movie script"? Did the story get hijacked into something entirely different?

Good questions. Has Moore himself ever said what he would do in terms of cinematic treatment of his work? Who he might cast? What his film vision would be?

Yes, I was just curious what his vision was compared to what the movie became. Is it just because he is picky about screen adaptions or is there a whole different layer to this? What is the Wachowski angle to this, as well?

I guess if they were going to make some intriguing extras material, maybe they could have delved into this behind the scenes controversy. ;)

I've finished it. I think the movie is what you would expect would spring from Larry Wachowski's diseased mind. In other words I loved it.
Yes it's something that's an easy target to poke fun at (and on different levels). But in the case of this movie for one to choose to react to it like that would be too predictable and would bore me.
This movie is a ultimately a plea for sanity. Not Larry's own sanity because that's probably hopeless. But the movie is Larry's perception of a f'ed up world (which it arguably is) coupled with his own neo-modern version of the Howard Beale speech.

Interesting take! :)

But it does have one glaring flaw, Hanky. "V" may be Harry Houdini, but it's physically impossible for V, Houdini, or anybody else to get "842" selections on a 200 selection Wurlitzer 2300. And unless you like listening to the B sides it's really only 100 selections (that's the number of 45's the record magazine holds).
But it's always cool to see a vintage jukebox used as a movie prop. Especially one which figures into the story (has a tendency to promote sales). So I forgive it.
God knows I wish they'd make a Happy Days movie. That thing was a like a commercial for antique jukeboxes.

But it does have one glaring flaw, Hanky. "V" may be Harry Houdini, but it's physically impossible for V, Houdini, or anybody else to get "842" selections on a 200 selection Wurlitzer 2300. And unless you like listening to the B sides it's really only 100 selections (that's the number of 45's the record magazine holds).
Ah, but did the film make explicit that the music was really stored on 45's?? (It may have, I don't remember.) Otherwise, it might just have been a facade for some digital storage medium. Although then it should have way more than 842 selections.

OK, you're right- I think they just f'ed up.

There is actually a niche market for that, Fred. Some have gutted the things and installed CD changers in em (god forbid). And I imagine they're now putting the hard drives in em too. That's actually what stores the music in today's jukeboxes. So with that in mind I have to eat what I said because I suppose with V's amazing talents it's entirely plausible that he could do that. Hell that would be a piece of cake compared to his pyrotechnic skills.

I loved seeing the juke in V. Sad to see anyone gut them out to put in hds and changers, but sometimes the parts just aren't anywhere out there to fix them correctly or at all. At least if the shell remains, we can show the young kids what they look like up close, as compared to the TouchTunes models of today (which are pretty sweet in their own way). Jukes and pinballs...a dying breed.

Speaking of "Happy Days", if it weren't for so many kids emulating the Fonz and bashing the machines, maybe a few more jukes would still be alive and breathing today. ;)

There is actually a niche market for that, Fred. Some have gutted the things and installed CD changers in em (god forbid). And I imagine they're now putting the hard drives in em too. That's actually what stores the music in today's jukeboxes. So with that in mind I have to eat what I said because I suppose with V's amazing talents it's entirely plausible that he could do that. Hell that would be a piece of cake compared to his pyrotechnic skills.
yeah, but like I said if it was modified you would then probably expect many more songs than 800-something. And V has a great affection for classic vintage items. So I think his Juke was meant to be stock.

V's record player.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1114498/2300.JPG

I guess if they were going to make some intriguing extras material, maybe they could have delved into this behind the scenes controversy. ;)
That's as likey as seeing the film Overnight as an extra in the next installment of Boondock Saints.

I went in with no expectations and really enjoyed the film. As someone seaid, Hug did a great job of acting through the mask. I thought this was the best acting job Natalie has done since The Professional.

The movie was nicely stylized, too.

The dialog threw me in the beginning... I did not realize I would have to concentrate a bit to follow it at first. Oh well.

By the way, just last week I re-watched Fight Club. I thought there were a lot of parallels between the two movies... waking up your insides via anarchy... etc.

This movie is a ultimately a plea for sanity.


Agreed...coupled with a warning. ;)

And, yes, great writing by the WB. :cool:

The wife and I just finished watching this movie and we both loved it. For us, talk about a movie for its time. Political and social issues for the movie were deja vu for us.

Anyway, it made us feel like we're not doing enough. Two huge thumbs up.

I've finished it. I think the movie is what you would expect would spring from Larry Wachowski's diseased mind. In other words I loved it.
Yes it's something that's an easy target to poke fun at (and on different levels). But in the case of this movie for one to choose to react to it like that would be too predictable and would bore me.
This movie is a ultimately a plea for sanity. Not Larry's own sanity because that's probably hopeless. But the movie is Larry's perception of a f'ed up world (which it arguably is) coupled with his own neo-modern version of the Howard Beale speech.

well he(or she ?...) seems to have become her "thing" ...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,181389,00.html

V makes you think a lot about what's going on with our societies. who knows 10years from now ?

Just rented V for Vendetta and it looked like CRAP. I watched it on my GF's 50" plasma. So i figured maybe it was his crappy hook ups. So i played it on my laptop hooked up to the Plasma with a HDMI->DVI. (PowerBook using Apple DVD Player and VLC). Still noisy in the shadows and blues.

So i come home and watch the DVD on my set up. (Prog Scan DVD, Comp cables, Syntax LCDTV) and the noise is still there. All I have to say is that i am glad i didn't buy this movie. Netflix =)

Is V for Vendetta known for this?

Looked fine to me although I only have a 30" crt with a older samsung upconvert player via dvi-hdmi.


Great movie anyway

I finally had a chance for movie night and caught this one. I thought it was good, but not great. It was a bit hamfisted on the message, but I understand that it was following fairly closely to the graphic novel. It was good to see Natalie Portman get away from the fairly wooden (acting-wise) Star Wars stuff and get to do some real acting. And, frankly, she looked really hot with the shaved head. I have a thing for women with shaved heads I guess. I'm sure that Hugo enjoyed the lines, which were of a sort that actors probably rarely get to deliver in a big movie these days.

I saw it opening night at the theaters (yeah, I'm so cool /sarcasm). I loved it, despite the few changes from the original story. I just rented it on Netflix. I would buy it except I'm trying to get rid of my DVD collection as I may be moving overseas shortly and need to minimize my posessions.

I recall V looking pretty good on my 120". I don't remember any serious issues.

Stace

Looked good here also on my 61" Pioneer.

Just rented V for Vendetta and it looked like CRAP.
Could you describe said crap in more detail?

I watched on DVD last night. I thought it was a good movie. I see were their trying to go with this. A lot of movies have this message of a ruthless goverment...

I wonder what "people" would say if they rereleased 1984 or Farenheit 451 into the theaters? Although I guess they'd have to do good remakes or else people would whine about the crappy special effects and such and miss the point of the movie. :)

larry

Finally saw the movie. WOW..... good enough that I will have to buy it HD-DVD, too.

Chris.

I wonder what "people" would say if they rereleased 1984 or Farenheit 451 into the theaters? Although I guess they'd have to do good remakes or else people would whine about the crappy special effects and such and miss the point of the movie. :)

larry

Fahrenheit 451 was never a very good film, IMHO, and has aged badly. 1984 (the 1984 version, natch) is amazing though. Because it was designed to look shabby and retro it has aged wonderfully.

Watched this movie this past weekend. Really refreshing and enjoyable. My son and I really enjoyed it, my wife, however just didn't get it.

Jon

Saw the movie in the theater and liked it quite a bit. It was a little better even on second viewing i think.

The sound on the DVD was a bit weird, especially in the beginning. Weaving's voice's volume kept going up and down during some of his sentences, and some of the audio sounded "compressed" too much. Later on it either wasn't as bad or i had gotten used to it.

Some appreciable LFE during the various explosions though.

Overall, stands above the crowd.

The sound on the DVD was a bit weird, especially in the beginning. Weaving's voice's volume kept going up and down during some of his sentences, and some of the audio sounded "compressed" too much. Later on it either wasn't as bad or i had gotten used to it.



HW was so convincing we forget he was talking from behind a mask!
His voice, of course, was a bit muffled (and outdoors, as well, in the opening scene).
That would make sense on why he sounded a bit odd. ;)

HW was so convincing we forget he was talking from behind a mask!
His voice, of course, was a bit muffled (and outdoors, as well, in the opening scene).
That would make sense on why he sounded a bit odd. ;)
Did they actually mike him during the filming or dub it in later? I can’t find anything on it and would be surprised they actually miked him during filming being as so many movies dub later. With so much action by his character it seems to me there would be too many possible audio problems to overcome. Perhaps in their attempt to make it seem ‘live’ they didn’t do the best job of dubbing.

Did they actually mike him during the filming or dub it in later? I can’t find anything on it and would be surprised they actually miked him during filming being as so many movies dub later. With so much action by his character it seems to me there would be too many possible audio problems to overcome. Perhaps in their attempt to make it seem ‘live’ they didn’t do the best job of dubbing.


You could be quite right.
I don't know the answer to this.
Does anyone out there know?

My rental comes today. I can't wait to watch it. Almost everyone I know said that this is one of the best movies they've seen in a long time.

Finally caught this one Saturday night. I liked it, wasn't quite what I expected, and certainly didn't deserve the political hoopla that surrounded it.

We saw it last week and overall liked it but thought Natalie was concentrating on the accent a bit too much and her acting seemed a bit stiff and even (GASP!) dull due to that. It very often happens with American actors doing a british accent. Less the other way around for some reason. If you listen carefully it was a very monotone delivery whereas the proper english actors spoke much more melodically, naturally, the way people actually talk. Weaving was incredible. Makes the film IMHO.
(Interestingly I personally knew both Rupert Graves and Natalie as they both were in shows at the Broadway theater I used to work at in "Closer" and "Diary of Anne Frank" respectively. Graves was awesome, great guy. Natalie was polite but not particularly friendly.)

Pretty good film though. Wished it had been a tad longer and more relaxed, felt like they had to cram a TON of expo. into the running time which resulted in alot of montages with voiceovers.

:)

Dave,

I agree it did seem short...probably because I was caught up in it. :)

Yeah, we were too. One of the rare films where I thought it could have benefitted from taking a little more time.

:)

We saw it last week and overall liked it but thought Natalie was concentrating on the accent a bit too much and her acting seemed a bit stiff and even (GASP!) dull due to that. It very often happens with American actors doing a british accent.

Natalie Portman is that same way when speaking in her normal voice too. Did you miss the Star Wars prequels?

I agree there too and she was trying that weird SW type way of speaking. Any of her other films she's not like that though.

:)

I enjoyed the movie until it got to the ending. I was even willing to go along with the typical unbelievable movie parts such as where he lived. But once the ending came around it completely fell apart.

1. I spent 10 years digging the tunnel and surely no one even noticed a thing.
2. One thousand bullets can't even stop him in his tracks.
3. Magically once he dies he appears inside of the train.
4. The explosions and fireworks were so unbelievable.I know you can make up all kinds of explanations but in my eyes like a lot of movies they refused go along with the momentum of the movie for an way over-the-top ending. For me all it does is cheapen the movie. Just my take and you are welcome to yours.

Natalie Portman is that same way when speaking in her normal voice too. Did you miss the Star Wars prequels?


She can do very good work, so it's not very fair to judge here by the Star Wars stuff, where almost everything is done on a blue/green screen stage (which can't do much for the involvement of the actors) and where GL seems to micro-direct his actors.

And besides, as I already said, she looked hot with the shaved head, so who cares if the accent was bogging her down a bit :-)

It seems everybody is sort of over-analyzing the film. I thought it was bulls**t, but rather gripping and compelling bulls**t nonetheless.Ha! :D
I rather enjoyed this movie, but the only real problem for me was appearently the detective agreed with V's ideas.....I thought his about-face was rather sudden, and he never really tried to stop Evey from setting the train into motion. Maybe I need to watch it again.

Ha! :D
I rather enjoyed this movie, but the only real problem for me was appearently the detective agreed with V's ideas.....I thought his about-face was rather sudden, and he never really tried to stop Evey from setting the train into motion. Maybe I need to watch it again.


I thought the detective:
was having doubts from the very beginning. He and his partner investigated V's background and was startled by what they found. So much so, that he de-bugged his office so no one could hear them discussing the case and where the trail was leading.

I thought the detective:
was having doubts from the very beginning. He and his partner investigated V's background and was startled by what they found. So much so, that he de-bugged his office so no one could hear them discussing the case and where the trail was leading.Guess I do need to watch it again.

Yea rewatch it, the detective was turning good steadily through the movie, and had read the real history, and the government should have probably killed him about half way through it.

By the way, how about that oh-so-current "Coalition Of The Willing" poster the comedian had?

BTW, I loved this movie ...

On the detective:

His "turning good" was one of the surprises for me in the movie...mostly because the actor that portrayed him almost always plays some kind of dirtbag...

Great film, IMO. The acting, writing and cinematography were tops. My biggest problem came at the end when people who had died during the film showed up in the crowd as the masks were removed. I amended this as being symbolic but I think it would have been better not to have done it. It was a scene of reality, IMO. We did go back and look at the faces, which were closeup, and the last several were of people who had died. It could have been done with some visual effect that would have allowed the figurative to stand along side the literal.

I'm looking forward to seeing this one again. (and again :D )

Cyrano,

My interpretation:

V said WORDS are more powerful than men.
The "people" behind the masks are symbols of the WORDS manifested.

Those actors were just doing a bow at the end of the show ... like Broadway.

Cyrano,

My interpretation:

V said WORDS are more powerful than men.
The "people" behind the masks are symbols of the WORDS manifested.
That is a very poetic and well put thought. I appreciate it.

However, (you knew that was coming ;)) I would have liked to have continued with the "feeling" the ending was giving me. If there had just been a change in the music and/or a different camera angle/move it would have flowed better for me. But it might only be me. My wife did not notice (what's in the spoiler) until I mentioned it at the end of the film so I don't think it's a very big deal. An excellent movie with a lot to think about in it.

Those actors were just doing a bow at the end of the show ... like Broadway.
That would be too intrusive for me. The curtain hadn't come down on the show yet. The actors don't bow before the show is over.

Baz Luhrman's Moulin Rouge used the technique of being so over the top at the beginning of a film that the audience that is still with him is ready for anything. (He talks about this in Commentary or Making ofs - I can't remember which.) That worked for me. For some it didn't.
I didn't feel the audience was setup in V for the action I mentioned in the spoiler so it didn't feel right to me. But then, I might change my mind in a future viewing. ;)

BTW: I'm not comparing V to Moulin Rouge in its use of plot devices.

I didn't feel the audience was setup in V for the action I mentioned in the spoiler so it didn't feel right to me.


You are right...it WAS a surprise.
But then again, this movie is filled with surprises. ;)

You are right...it WAS a surprise.
But then again, this movie is filled with surprises. ;)

You, too, are right: it was filled with surprises. :) But the final surprise was not well done, IMO. Jarring and intrusive (for me) at a moment when plot-hole filling was not what I wanted to do.

Great film, IMO. The acting, writing and cinematography were tops. My biggest problem came at the end when people who had died during the film showed up in the crowd as the masks were removed. I amended this as being symbolic but I think it would have been better not to have done it. It was a scene of reality, IMO. We did go back and look at the faces, which were closeup, and the last several were of people who had died. It could have been done with some visual effect that would have allowed the figurative to stand along side the literal.

I'm looking forward to seeing this one again. (and again :D )



We just watched this Saturday night, and both my wife and I really enjoyed it. It was a lot different than I thought it would be. I guess I wasn't sure what to expect.

Regarding what you have in the spoiler tags,


We very much enjoyed seeing all the people at the end - the two women (Salt Flats), two men ripped from their beds, girl with the glasses that got shot, Evey as a kid, the comedian, everyone. Now that I think about it, it was like "vindication" for them, to use a "v" word. And/or, they respresented other people who had been oppressed, abused, or were just fed up with the system. As if their spirits live on. I loved the closing scene, with the people pouring through, taking off their masks to watch the spectacle.


The sound was great. I loved the explosions at the end. The dialog seemed a bit quieter than the average DVD, probably because V was talking from behind a mask the whole time. We watched at -6, although I have watched the Matrix movies at -5, and more dialog-driven movies at lower volumes.

Picture quality was great, too, I thought. I watched on a 2910 and a self-calibrated Samsung DLP. No PQ complaints from me.

V for vindicationI like that. (I don't really think I needed to spoiler tag that but just in case.)
I am looking forward to seeing it again. There are so many important and politically current facets to V; I was surprised to find it so smart.
Perhaps all of this discussion will allow me to "not think" ( ;) ) during the final scene. (although I'd still like to add a visual or aural "tweak" at a certain moment. :D
It is a rousing finale!!

V is absolutely filled with symbols from beginning to end...
WBs force you to think about the biggest and most complex challenges humans have and will ever face.
This is what makes this movie so special and so rare.
For some reason, this reminds me of some of the challenges Kubrick often threw down.

This is a movie for adults only...without the popcorn.

Picture quality was great, too, I thought. I watched on a 2910 and a self-calibrated Samsung DLP. No PQ complaints from me.

PQ was excellent, DVD2900 and a self-calibrated Sony RPTV.

Audio, on the other hand, was not that impressive. I expected more immersive stuff.

I was not that impressed with the video, it was a bit soft. The audio was also not what I expected given the positive comments here. There was a great deal of clipping going on, and the dialogue was not at a consistent level throughout the film, especially V's voiceovers were soft and varied even within a single scene. Still, the effects were strong and fairly well done.

I also did not like the movie, I was expecting something abit more intelligent. It was so predictable, the dialogue and acting were mediocre at best. I guess I'm also just not that impressed with natalie portman, I thought her character was hilariously bad.

The film felt like an attempt to be meanginful but it just wasn't.

I didn't originally have high expectations for this film until I read a number of positive reviews, but what I ended up seeing was what I had first expected: run of the mill fare.

The slightly redeeming part was maybe the allusions to current events, but even that felt forced and kind of silly. Could have been something more than a popcorn movie.

Great movie. Pretty dang good DVD.

Worse movie I have seen since the swamp thing. I am sorry I bought the coaster.

Worse movie I have seen since the swamp thing. I am sorry I bought the coaster.
You didn't like Swamp Thing??

I didn't originally have high expectations for this film until I read a number of positive reviews, but what I ended up seeing was what I had first expected: run of the mill fare.

The slightly redeeming part was maybe the allusions to current events, but even that felt forced and kind of silly. Could have been something more than a popcorn movie.


Chris,

You are a perpetually confusing guy... :D

You didn't like Swamp Thing??


That really hurt didn't it??? :p

Worth the money after the hype. The mask was the best part. Weaving doesn't leak his past roles.

Just watched this over the weekend. Rubbish. Paranoid fantasy from start to finish. I will credit Natalie Portman with fine acting through much of the movie, and John Hurt was convincingly sinister in his role. Weaving's voice (when not muffled by the mask) is always appealing in its way, but most of his dialog was either silly or nonsensical. I was truly worried when he first started speaking to Evey, using all of those alliterations on "V," and she just paused and asked: "Are you like a crazy person?" The best dialog exchange was between Evey and V:
V: "What they did to me was monstrous."
Evey: "And they created a monster."

Just watched this over the weekend. Rubbish. Paranoid fantasy from start to finish.


You haven't read Orwell, Huxley, Bradbury, Goebbels....?

Yes, oink, I've read Orwell and Huxley. Their works (particularly Orwell's) were far from rubbish. They have in common the trait of cautionary tales; however, "V" lacked any of the skill in the storytelling, and I consider it paranoid fantasy. It did not, in contradistinction to "1984," make me concerned for our future based on some menace just ready to surface if we let down our guard. To each their own, but I dismiss "V" as relatively worthless.

I didn't expect V to have the depth of the great dystopian novels.
It can't...it isn't a book, after all.
V doesn't have the richness of some of the works of Heinlein, W. Gibson or S. King.

I am comparing it to other movies in this small sci-fi genre.
IMO, it is the best of the bunch.
Sorry, but I do not consider it to be "rubbish" by any stretch.
YMMV. :)

Yes, oink, I've read Orwell and Huxley. Their works (particularly Orwell's) were far from rubbish. They have in common the trait of cautionary tales; however, "V" lacked any of the skill in the storytelling, and I consider it paranoid fantasy. It did not, in contradistinction to "1984," make me concerned for our future based on some menace just ready to surface if we let down our guard.

Funny, to me it looked like nearly a documentary.

Paranoid fantasy from start to finish.

Well, yeah. That's the whole point isn't it?

To each their own, but I dismiss "V" as relatively worthless.

Rather relatively worthless than a worthless relative.

I really enjoyed it. I rented it with the anticipation that it was another all fighting movie like Kill Bill. I wasn't expecting much, but had to rent it because it's an action movie. I think I enjoyed it so much because it caught me off guard.

Funny, to me it looked like nearly a documentary.

LOL! ;)

I am comparing it to other movies in this small sci-fi genre.
IMO, it is the best of the bunch.
I respect your opinion; mine differs. As for "this small sci-fi genre," if we may include Gilliam's "Brazil" in that group, it gets my vote for "best of the bunch." The storytelling was far more interesting to me; the main character garnerned sympathy from me, while "V" was vile and vicious. (Hey, he'd appreciate that alliterative observation, even as he sliced my throat for failing to align myself with his mission...)

You have Brazil...I have V.

All is good. :)

I mean, I just think V for Vendetta is a bad movie, and as far as dystopian/authoritarian type flicks just not that interesting at all. I mean, even the fairly simple action-based flick Equilibrium was better all around, IMO, and really that's just sort of an action flick.

I mean, I suppose politically I agree with the film and its relevance, I just thought it was so obviously and annoying treating the audience like idiots, that it just sort of got under my skin. There was no depth or subtlety about anything. From the first scene where she shuts off the TV and says "well that's enough of that" (paraphrasing), it's just nothing new and nothing interesting or creative really.

So I don't agree with IM4UK that it was a "paranoid fantasy" but I do agree that the movie was just plain mediocre.

I can think of a whole slew of movies that were easily better than this one in dealing with a dystopian future etc. Just a few that pop in my head would be THX 1138, Rollerball (original), Brazil, or even something mundane but decently done like I Robot

I guess the tough part of all this for me is that some people who express themselves intelligently call this movie rubbish when I think it is very well done.

Oh well.

Now if this was about a known stinker (GODZILLA - the Matthew Broderick one) I wouldn't feel quite so conflicted. I know Godzilla stinks and I know I enjoy it. :p

I guess the tough part of all this for me is that some people who express themselves intelligently call this movie rubbish when I think it is very well done.


Don't sweat it. The individual(s) you're speaking of would (and does) think that anything is rubbish that challenges his political views. This movie had a message, an important one, and he didn't like hearing it. Has nothing whatsoever to do with the quality of the film or the story. :rolleyes:

Of course, archiguy. I must have considered "V" rubbish because it challenged my views. The movie did have a message, and it treated it as an important one, but I found it inconsistent with reality. In fact, I found it perverse. I didn't mind the challenge, actually. As to the quality of the story, I think it would have been more effective had it employed a bit of subtlety. As presented, the characters were predominately archetypes. That pushed it towards silliness, in spite of its dire message.
I realize you perceive me as having a closed mind, but that is an opinion to which I've contributed nothing here. The fact that we disagree does not imply that either of us is necessarily intractable. Peace.

The movie did have a message, and it treated it as an important one, but I found it inconsistent with reality. In fact, I found it perverse.
Wow - My wife and I were struck with the opposite feeling. It mirrored reality without being obvious. It was more like good literature than movies usually allow in its use of metaphors.

Of course, perhaps there was too much beating about the bushies - uh, bushes for some. I thought it was pretty straightforward. :)

It was relatively straightforward, Cyrano. Perhaps too much so; thus my suggestion that it could have used a bit of subtlety. But the mirror it held up to reality was a fun-house mirror, resulting in an inaccurate (even perverse) image. That's my take; I know yours differs.

But the mirror it held up to reality was a fun-house mirror, resulting in an inaccurate (even perverse) image.

Of course it is. This is a comic book movie, after all, not a docudrama.

Of course it is. This is a comic book movie, after all, not a docudrama.

Yeah, I felt the same way about the recent ABC propoganda piece "The Path to 9/11".

"docudrama" -- Haha :D

It was relatively straightforward, Cyrano. Perhaps too much so; thus my suggestion that it could have used a bit of subtlety. But the mirror it held up to reality was a fun-house mirror, resulting in an inaccurate (even perverse) image. That's my take; I know yours differs.
Yes, we do disagree, although I understand how some movies don't push the right buttons for all people. This film takes lots of chances and walks on some rather sacred ground at times. I found it to be a strong film.
The only perversity I noticed were the historical events that served as the "raison d'etre" for the movie. Since we're not allowed to say anything deemed political I will leave it at that. Peace. :)

You didn't like Swamp Thing??


I did like Bridget and here attributes but no the movie was terrible!

Superior DVD Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio and excellent Video. Anymore threads specifically on V for Vendetta?

Good movie. Also very relevant to the times we live in.

I was dissappointed by this movie. But the audio did kick some butt.

merged

Superior DVD Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio and excellent Video.
It sure is!

I wish I could get this on Blu-ray. :(

See what happens when you are more concerned about the format than the content? :) The HD-DVD is stellar. I just did some upgrading which included a new sub. Seeing this thread reminds me I should pop in the disc a check out the end of the movie. It should literally "rock". :)

larry

See what happens when you are more concerned about the format than the content?

No, that's not it all.
The content makes me wish for that format.

I have the DVD (which is quite good).
However, the thought of 1080p and lossless audio makes me drool. ;)

One of the best, most thought provoking Movies of the decade, loved it. I am watching it now for about the 5th or 6th time. I also am one of those people who cannot understand when someone doesn't like that which I like. To each his own. This will be one of my favorites for a long time to come. There is a certain strangeness to the film, but I wouldn't call it perverse, it is after all about a mask wearing revolutionary that is all but invinceable taking on the government by himself.

^Couldn't agree more. :)

i liked the special effects of the trailing knife blades in the final fight scene... it was really well choreographed.