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Seven

Seven

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: WHAT THE????
Review: MAY I ASK WHAT U PEOPLE FIND SO GREAT ABOUT THIS MOVIE? I PURCHASED THIS DVD NEVER SEEING THE MOVIE BEFORE AND IM SORRY BUT THIS IS NOTHING THAT GREAT. may i ask u whats so great about this? IT WASNT SHOCKING - at the end they didnt even show the head in the box . nothing at all. brad PITT I FOUND VERY ANNOYING IN THIS ROLE .OH COME ON I DONT GET WHAT U LIKE ABOUT THIS MOVIE/ IT WAS OK BUT SEMI BORING. not shocking at all. not disturbing.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Cold-hearted thriller examines society's 'moral vacuum'
Review: SE7EN (USA 1995): On the eve of retirement, a world-weary cop (Morgan Freeman) teams up with his younger replacement (Brad Pitt) in the hunt for a monstrous serial killer whose crimes are based on the seven deadly sins.

Dark, gruesome shocker which set director David Fincher on the road to Hollywood glory following an inauspicious debut with the half-baked sci-fi shocker ALIENĀ³. Freeman loans dramatic weight to the proceedings as a burnt-out cop struggling to make sense of the horrors he has witnessed during his long career, and Pitt distances himself from the 'pretty-boy' roles in which he had become typecast by playing a complex, headstrong character whose flaws lead to a devastating climactic 'twist'. The drama unfolds in an unnamed city where moral values have been replaced by human apathy and excess, allowing the killer at the heart of the story to fester unnoticed, until his monstrous scheme begins to overwhelm the central characters. In fact, Andrew Kevin Walker's ingenious script works both as a police procedural and as an examination of society's moral vacuum, though the downbeat ending may strike some as too neat and cynical for its own good. The movie is quite shocking in places - the killing derived from the sin of 'lust' is particularly degrading - though it's also quite playful in its own twisted fashion (note, for instance, how the constant rainfall surrenders to bright sunlight for the horrific finale), and Darius Khondji's elegant widescreen cinematography often belies the movie's grim subject matter. A triumph for all concerned, this is as close as 1990's Hollywood ever came to a 'daring' mainstream blockbuster, and nervous viewers are urged to avoid at all costs.

The movie runs 126m 38s (minus the MPAA rating at the end) on New Line's region 1 DVD, which letterboxes the wide Super 35 frame at 2.35:1 (anamorphically enhanced), featuring state of the art picture quality and resolution. Released theatrically in a choice of Dolby and DTS digital soundtracks, the disc offers Dolby EX and DTS ES 6.1 options, both of which are deeply immersive. Alongside a number of audio commentaries, this 2-disc presentation offers a series of extended and deleted sequences, some of which add to a subtle thread within the film in which the characters played by Morgan and Pitt playfully acknowledge a tacit 'homoerotic' undercurrent to their roles as mentor and student, culminating in a deleted scene where Pitt's wife (Gwyneth Paltrow, in a small but crucial role) uses the word 'fag' in an abusive manner which goes completely unchallenged, diminishing the viewers' sympathies for her and Pitt. It's plain to see why this was dropped from the final cut! Elsewhere, there's a surprisingly poor trailer which sells the movie as just another routine potboiler, and an alarming feature which demonstrates how the movie was reproduced for optimum playback on DVD, with many shots actually REFRAMED at the director's insistence (shouldn't the framing have been established during preparation of the original THEATRICAL print?). English captions and subtitles are included.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Absolutly Loved it
Review: great movie, with a twisted plot. I just couldnt believe what he did though in the end. Creepy...just a tad
watch it you'll like it

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Extremly creepy
Review: Great movie. Too bad i saw it on T.V. I could tell they cut some scenes out. Some times it goes slow paced (like after the beginning, but really takes off near the end.) Great ending. Althought the T.V. version didn't really explain it good (stupid censorship) i understood it none the less. I write more if i could remember. I'd have to see this special edition

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A great buy.
Review: "Seven" is a movie that really gets under your skin, and it's not easily forgotten. David Fincher's dark and violent thriller about a serial killer who kills by the 7 deadly sins is a rewarding experience, provided you can stomach it. The acting from Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as police partners carries the movie, while the suspense keeps you on edge from start to finish.

The New Line DVD is loaded with (mostly) quality extras. You can expect to see the movie four times just for the commentary, the best of which are from Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. David Fincher is a bore, on the other hand, speaking mostly in monotone and rambling on for too long. The suppliments on disc 2 cover almost every aspect of the movie, from a featurette on the opening title sequence (which is very good by the way), to deleted scenes and alternate endings in storyboard format. I found the alternate endings the most interesting since I absolutely hated the one that made it into the movie.

Perhaps the most interesting suppliment is the photo galleries. The production team went all out the make the photographs as unpleasant as possible. There is a collection of gruesome crime scene photos with commentary from director of photography, you may want to take a shower after viewing these-they're nasty. Also included are John Doe's notebooks and "Sloth" victim decomposition photos for good measure. The galleries alone make this worth checking out, as it's hard not to appreciate the work that went into them. Rounding out the extras are the usual promotional fodder that is good for a one-time glance, but is otherwise nothing special.

"Seven" is a great movie that gets the DVD release it deserves. Though it is not for every taste, it is a fun and rewarding experience. Fans will undoubtedly love the extras.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 1234567
Review: this was a great mivie up until the very end. i thought it was going to be a really really gory gross movie( a little gross at some parts) but it turned out to be great suspense thriller. the end was shocking but it fit right in. it reminded me a little about the silence of the lambs but there were lots of similaritys. i learned one thing from this movie: never ever live in the bronx(the scummy apartmens and gross allies really got to me)

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Stupid Silence of the Lambs Wanna Be
Review: Caught this on TV. Awful. Maybe it was good in another time period (1995) when Silence of the Lambs was still on the audience's mind.

It's a mix of a Silence wannabe with an attempt at a 1970s Taxi Driver/Conversation overlay (too many dang saxophones and trenchcoats). It works with Morgan Freeman, but not with Brad Pitt whose essential 90s-ness jumps out at you. Kevin Spacey underplays it in an attempt to be another Hannibal. He is not successful.

There are plot holes galore. The clues don't add up and the suspense doesn't build in the same way they did with Agent Starling. Things happen and you aren't sure why. Gwenyth Paltrow's character asks Morgan Freeman to lunch for no discernible reason and this later becomes a key plot element.

Just a really stupid movie. As far as pure horror/suspense, the sloth guy tableau was the only one that got a jump out of me.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: SPOOKY THRILLER STILL NEEDS SOME WORK ON DVD
Review: Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are cops on the prowl for a serial killer who chooses his victims from the "Se7en" deadly sins. Much has been written to both bally-hoo and criticize this disturbing thriller. In point of fact, there's not much to the story but hey, style goes a long, long way and this movie has style down pat. There's something unsettling in the dreary, dark and haunted cinematography that makes even a public library or police station seem like the most frightening place on earth to be. The chemistry between Freeman and Pitt is highly toxic. Gwenyth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey costar.
Unfortunately, for those who have been waiting to toss out their old flipper disc of this movie, I wouldn't be rushing out to the resale shop just yet. Although there are definite advantages to not having to turn over your disc in the middle of the movie, this new edition of "Se7en" still suffers from a host of DVD mastering problems. First there is edge enhancement to contend with. At times it is nonexistant. Then suddenly, there it is, excessive and distracting and making a mess out of the visual information presented on the screen. Aliasing and shimmering of fine details also do this hit and miss throughout the movie. A real shame since color rendering, shadow delineation and fine details throughout this disc are superbly rendered. Remember that this is an extremely dark visual experience. The DVD's ability to retain depth and clarity throughout is remarkable. The soundtrack is remastered in 5.1 and wonderfully vibrant in all of its sustained and low key ambiance.
Extras: An audio commentary and some toss away features that really don't enhance the over all viewing experience. Really, they're not worth discussing.
BOTTOM LINE: Better than the first try. Third time's the charm!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Like watching a train wreck
Review: I was caught totally off guard when I saw this for the first time. This is not your average cop chases killer, cop catches killer, killer dies movie. It breaks all the rules from start to finish. This is one of the few movies that make you squirm in your seat with what it does not show you. Suspense and a forboding sense of doom takes ahold of you during the beginning credits and do not let go. Not for the faint of heart. Kevin Spacey deserved an Academy Award for his portrayal of John Doe. He played the type of killer that would have Hannibal Lector looking over his shoulder.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A modern classic
Review: Brilliant mainstream movies seem to be increasingly rare these days, but "Seven" is surely one that will stand the test of time. Direcotr David Fincher, with help from a terrific ensemble cast, crafted a dark, uncompromising look at the moral failings of contemporary American society. This is not a happy movie, and you won't feel any better after watching it, but it'll certainly make you think. On one level, "Seven" is a mystery/suspense movie, and an excellent one at that. The plot, which I'm sure most are familiar with by now, concerns two cops, Brad Pitt's youthful Mills and Morgan Freeman's aging Somerset, on the trail of a serial killer. As the movie develops, it turns out that the killer is basing his murders on the seven deadly sins, and finding a fiendish way to turn each one against the sinner. Although this concept is exceedingly clever, it wouldn't make a classic movie on its own. What elevates "Seven" above the heap is that it exploits the allegorical potential of its subject to the fullest. More than just a simple crime drama, "Seven" is a modern morality tale for our troubled times. The lead characters, Mills and Somerset, become representatives for two competing viewpoints. The young Mills still thinks he can make a difference through his work, but the soon-to-retire Somerset has allowed himself to become jaded by the constant apathy he sees in society. Unfortunately, it seems that Somerset's view has the weight of evidence behind it. And then there's the killer, played in truly unsettling fashion by Kevin Spacey (back when he was still an excellent character actor and not a failed leading man). Spacey's John Doe doesn't show up until there's about a half-hour left in the movie, but during his brief role he OWNS the screen. When he explains the rationale behind his killings, it's pretty near impossible not to think about what he says. Fincher's noirish direction tops it all off, creating a dark and oppressive atmosphere that perfectly complements the movie's subject matter. If you're anything like me, you'll be rather depressed after watching "Seven," but you'll be wiser for it.


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