The Resident Bitch's Movie Log

[Miss Vicky]

I've heard people describe them as very emotional. Do you have a specific grievance you could give as an example?

The kid that yells "She stabbed me with lefty scissors!"

The couple who are both lawyers and can't communicate with each other except in legal terms.

The scout master who can't communicate with anyone except as it relates to scouting.

The boy who gets struck by lightning and says "I'm okay."

The scouts who describe the film's protagonist as a "disadvantaged orphan."

Which would be okay if the story wasn't meant to make you feel something. It's a love story about two kids who don't fit in finding a connection with each other and trying to escape to find a better life. The trouble is that I feel nothing between them. They act as awkwardly with each other as they do with everyone else. They're supposed to be oddballs, but they're oddballs in a movie full of oddballs and thus are both essentially normal but also incredibly abnormal and unrelatable for me.

[Omnizoa]

The kid that yells "She stabbed me with lefty scissors!"

The couple who are both lawyers and can't communicate with each other except in legal terms.

The scout master who can't communicate with anyone except as it relates to scouting.

The boy who gets struck by lightning and says "I'm okay."

The scouts who describe the film's protagonist as a "disadvantaged orphan."

It's a love story
( o_o) *vacant stare*

[Miss Vicky]

Exactly.

[Swan]

You obviously just lack the emotional quirkiness to understand their depth.

[Omnizoa]

You obviously just lack the emotional quirkiness to understand their depth.
Hold on, let me write this down.

http://www.divebuddy.com/members/photos/pic_1_64260.jpg

[Swan]

Now that's quirk I can respect.

[Omnizoa]

Now that's quirk I can respect.
Do you realize that "quirk" is one letter away from "quirt" which is the top left 5 letters on traditional keyboards and they were situated that way to reduce typewriter jams?

http://www.quirkbooks.com/sites/default/files/u1150/giphy-1.gif

[Swan]

No but I know qwerty.

[Omnizoa]

No but I know qwerty.
It's I before E, Swan.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/bringingupbaby.gif

Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029947/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 9/22/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 11th MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: Yes, though I've not seen it since childhood and remember almost nothing about it

I hated everything about this movie: Every scene, every character, every line of dialogue. How this is considered one of the film greats is beyond me. David and Susan are possibly the two most aggravating film characters I've ever seen. He's a bumbling, spineless moron who spews made-up bullsh!t phrases and I don't believe for a moment that he's any kind of scientist. But he's a paleontologist? Spare me. "Intercostal clavicle"? F*** you.

As for her, I can't decide whether this bitch is crazy, stupid, or a combination of the two. What I do know is that I wanted to punch her repeatedly in the face from the moment she appeared on screen to the film's final scene. The supporting characters are not much better, but at least I didn't feel any violent urges towards them.

There were moments when I actually wanted to cry at how painful this was to endure. I'm going to be generous and give it one popcorn box on the off-chance that there was some sort of semi-redeeming feature somewhere in this mess that I missed.

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/headdesk.gif

Sorry, Camo.

1

[nebbit]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/moonrisekingdom.gif

Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012)
[SIZE="1"]Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1748122/?ref_=nv_sr_1)
2.5-

Nice review Bitch :)
I love this movie would rate it much higher :yup: but hey What would I know :bored:

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/moonrisekingdom.gif

Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson, 2012)
[SIZE="1"]Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1748122/?ref_=nv_sr_1)
2.5-

Nice review Bitch :)
I love this movie would rate it much higher :yup: but hey What would I know :bored:

Well at least you can rest assured that it won't be getting last place on my ballot when it's time for me to vote in this hall of fame.

[Omnizoa]

DAMN.

[edarsenal]

I'm exactly the same way when it comes to Wes Anderson films, a strike out every time with the only exception being Budapest Hotel that actually was a utter and surprising home run for me. NO IDEA why it all worked great in that one and fails miserably in others. . .

And reps for the ranting against Bringing up Baby. Don't hate the film but LOVED your rant!!
"But he's a paleontologist? Spare me. "Intercostal clavicle"? F*** you." Simple and therefore exquisite.

[Miss Vicky]

The Grand Budapest Hotel isn't one of the five Anderson films I've seen, so maybe at some point I'll give it a shot. My expectations aren't real high, but I guess we'll see.

Glad you enjoyed my rant. I had a much better time reviewing Bringing Up Baby than I did actually watching it.

[seanc]

You will despise Budapest Hotel. Might be the most Wes Andersony of the whole bunch.

[edarsenal]

No idea if you'd like Budapest, most likely won't. I know if I tried to figure out WHY I liked it out of the others i'd just get a really really bad headache. So I don't.

I kinda figured you enjoyed the rant more than the movie because I could almost hear the sigh after you finished.

[Mr Minio]

Bringing Up Baby

rating_1 https://66.media.tumblr.com/58f3e8c4eae64e1c5fa36fb174dda6c4/tumblr_nc8kn8SxMR1qeljkfo1_250.gif

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/ronin.gif

Ronin (John Frankenheimer, 1998)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122690/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 9/27/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 11th MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No

I don't have any real complaints about this film - the acting was solid (and featured quite a few familiar faces including a Game of Thrones alum or two), the story was interesting, and the cinematography matched the film's gritty tone - but I definitely didn't love it. It has some exciting car chases, car crashes, explosions, and cool shoot-outs and for that I could enjoy it on a superficial level. However, I never established any emotional investment in its characters, so when one was betrayed or killed I felt nothing for them. This is not necessarily the fault of the film and I'm not sure that this type of story truly requires an emotional investment from its audience for the average viewer to like it, but it is something that I require.

I have nothing but respect for what the film does well and for that I'll give it a good rating, however it's just not my cup of tea.

3.5-

[JayDee]

I'm with you on Ronin. As a big fan of action and thriller films I was looking forward to it but when I finally watched it a few years ago I was left rather underwhelmed by it. From what I remember I'd also say there wasn't anything particularly wrong with it, just that it was somewhat flat

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/ida.gif

Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2013)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2718492/)

Date Watched: 9/28/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 11th MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No

Potential Spoilers Ahead

Despite its 82 minute runtime, this is by no means a film for those with deficient attention spans. It crawls at a snail's pace. There's little excitement. There's no color. There's only quiet contemplation, reflection, and questions with no concrete answers.

The film centers on two characters - Anna and Wanda. Anna spent her childhood as an orphan in a convent. Now a young woman, she is on the verge of taking her vows to spend the rest of her life as a nun. But first she must spend time with Wanda - an aunt Anna never knew, who will reveal to her a tragic family secret.

I instantly connected with Wanda and sympathized with her struggles to process her grief over the murders of her family. Anna was a little more difficult. I imagine it must be quite a shock to suddenly go from knowing nothing of your origins to learning that your name and your religion are not at all what they once were and that your parents are buried somewhere in unmarked graves - victims of murder that will never get justice. But her face and actions never seemed to betray any emotion at any point in the film, making that critical connection nearly impossible for me to form.

Which is not necessarily to say that this was a poor artistic choice. After all, how much grief can a person really have for people they never really knew? But even in Ida's (Anna's birth name) brief discovery and exploration of mankind's carnal urges she expresses neither joy nor regret or disappointment. Something that I found almost more frustrating than her near non-reaction to finding out about her family.

Still, the story itself was an engaging one and as frustrated as I was with Anna/Ida, she still somehow didn't seem unreal to me. I also really liked that the film never really vilified the killer and left his true motivations open to interpretation rather than painting a black and white picture of the how and the why.

Anyway, forgive my rambling, train-of-thought review here. There were several things that I really liked about the film, but ultimately I found myself respecting it a lot more than I actually enjoyed it.

4-

[edarsenal]

that was a much higher rating for Ronin than what I'd expect from you simply because it wasn't your cup of tea, but serious rep for giving respect for what you did like in it.

For myself I've always enjoyed the old school spy film aspect and yes, the actors and the action are solid. It is a favorite of mine though I do agree, when someone dies I've never felt either way about it except for how it impacted the story line.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/flowersofwar.jpg

The Flowers of War (Jin ling shi san chai) (Yimou Zhang, 2011)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1410063/?ref_=nm_knf_i4)

Date Watched: 9/30/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 11th MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No

Like Raise the Red Lantern, the other film I've seen from Yimou Zhang, The Flowers of War is breathtakingly shot and features complex characters. Unlike Lantern, however, there were a few things that bothered me about this film.

I think my biggest gripe is that the film felt too Hollywood in all the wrong ways. The white hero - played by an A-list Hollywood actor, no less - in a foreign land BS particularly rubbed me the wrong way. I expect as much - and can better accept it - from a Hollywood director, but I hoped for something else from a Chinese one - especially since the story is only inspired by the events of the Rape of Nanking and the characters themselves are fictional. The shoe-horned in love story and the fact that Bale is among my least favorite actors didn't help much either. I was also a bit bothered by the one dimensional pure-evil portrayal of the Japanese, though given the event that inspired the film, its is far more forgivable than other issues I had.

Thankfully there was enough in the rest of the film to compensate for these problems. It's worth mentioning again how beautiful the cinematography is - from the vibrant colors of the women's dresses to the dark, somber scenes of death and destruction on the street. The film spins the tale of unlikely heroes (a drunken mortician and a group of prostitutes hiding in a church in order to save themselves) and of self sacrifice so that others may live. The juxtaposition of mankind at its worse and its best, was moving and heartbreaking. I just wish it felt more authentic and less like the fiction that it is.

4-

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/bashuthelittlestranger.jpg

Bashu, the Little Stranger (Bashu, gharibeye koochak) (Bahram Beizai, 1989)
Imdb (httphttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096894/?ref_=fn_al_tt_6)

Date Watched:10/02/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 11th MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No

I definitely had some mixed feelings about this one.

My biggest gripe is that quite a bit of the acting, including the child playing Bashu, felt unnatural. I realize that Bashu was essentially suffering from PTSD and struggling to adapt to a different culture, but his reactions and emotions were over-exaggerated. I had a tough time buying the reactions of Naii’s neighbors. I didn’t so much have an issue with them going from one general feeling about Bashu to another, but rather how quickly their attitudes changed and then reversed. I had an easier time accepting this from the children because, well, kids are a**holes who change their minds about things all the time, but from the adults it was harder to swallow. I also found the constant animal noises from Naii to be both irritating and distracting and there were certain scenes I didn’t quite understand at all. What the hell was that (really fake looking) creature in the field and what was its significance? So confused.

Still the basic premise of the film was interesting and many of the scenes between Bashu and Naii were quite touching. The bond between them felt real and I couldn’t help but admire Naii’s conviction and perseverance in her efforts to make Bashu part of her family.

3.5-

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/fireinthesky.gif

Fire in the Sky (Robert Lieberman, 1993)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106912/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched:10/07/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The MoFo Sci-Fi List
Rewatch: Yes

This is the first of a handful of rewatches I plan to do for the Sci-Fi List.

I'd seen Fire in the Sky a few times before and quite liked it, but it's been many years. I'd vividly remembered the scenes of abduction and experimentation, but I'd forgotten just how brief they were and how far into the movie they appear.

In my particular case, the sparseness of actual Sci-Fi content is not a criticism but I actually rather appreciate it. The film centers around a man's abduction by aliens, but that's not what it's actually about. It's an emotional film that instead focuses on the effects his disappearance has on his friends, family, and community and the destructive force his abduction and subsequent re-appearance have on him and his best friend.

But, brief as they are, those experimentation scenes are quite terrifying and memorable, possibly some of the most terrifying scenes I've watched in any film. They're definitely the highlight and are the one really impressive thing in an otherwise solid but not spectacular movie.

4-

[rauldc14]

Didn't like that movie when I last saw it.

[edarsenal]

I gotta tell ya, that image freaks me the hell out, but, having read so many reviews of yours of movies that weren't ones you'd originally check out but you did anyway, I am going to watch this on netflix.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/lecerclerouge.gif

Le Cercle Rouge (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106912/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched:10/11/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The 11th MoFo Hall of Fame, sort of.
Rewatch: No.

This was nominated by seanc for the 11th HOF, but ultimately he had to drop out due to time constraints and the film was removed from the nominations. By the time he announced he was dropping out, I'd already picked this up from the library so I figured I may as well watch it anyway.

Let me just say there's nothing actually wrong with this movie. The acting is fine. The story is fine. The cinematography is fine. But I really struggled to get through it. I didn't like any of the characters and I didn't dislike any of them either. I just didn't care. I didn't care about the people. I particularly didn't care about Corey, who I found to be very flat. He wasn't sympathetic. He wasn't charismatic. He wasn't intriguing. I'll admit the film did pick up by the time of the actual heist and the finale was good, but not enough to reverse my apathy.

I didn't quite hate it but I was rather bored through most of the film.

3-

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/fathersanddaughters.jpg

Fathers and Daughters (Gabriele Muccino, 2015)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582502/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched:10/12/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Russell Crowe
Rewatch: No

Possible Spoilers Ahead

I went into this film knowing next to nothing about it because - except for a few PMs from JayDee who alerted me to it - I never heard anything about it. No ads on television. No reviews, either from critics or movie fans. Nothing.

What I did know was that it starred Russell Crowe, who despite some recent missteps (Man of Steel, Noah, The Man With the Iron Fists, and the truly awful Winter's Tale), has been one of my favorite actors for the past sixteen years. He is second only to Joaquin Phoenix in his ability to make me feel for his characters (except for Winter's Tale, there's just nothing redeeming about that movie) and with this performance he did not let me down.

Russell Crowe plays Jake Davis, a Pulitzer Prize winning author struggling to cope with the physical and psychological trauma that he suffered following a horrific car accident that killed his wife and left him a single father. But his troubles don't end there. A stay in a mental hospital strains his finances. His new book is a critical and commercial bomb. His sister-in-law and her lawyer husband have filed a custody suit for his daughter. And the neurological damage from the accident has left him with increasingly severe seizures.

Davis is a loving, dedicated father willing to sacrifice anything for his child and Crowe does well to give this character an emotional authenticity. The scenes between him and Kylie Rogers, who plays his daughter Katie, are touching and effective.

But his is not the only story being told here. We also fast forward many years to follow an older Katie (played by Amanda Seyfried) - a young woman who doesn't know how to love or be loved and who self-destructs in a haze of alcohol and a stream of one night stands. But her life isn't total chaos. She finds purpose in her career as a social worker, where she develops a strong bond with a troubled, orphaned child.

Both stories are engaging, both lead performances are solid, and the supporting cast - including Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Diane Kruger, and Jane Fonda - are all good as well, but there's something lacking here. And that something is a true connection between the stories. The film never really tells us why. We flash back and forth from a child who knows love very well to a woman who is a near stranger to it, but we are deprived of the journey from one point to the other. From the quick bit of research I've done, it seems the final film is significantly different from the original script in this regard - which is a shame, because what we're left with just feels incomplete.

3.5

[JayDee]

Glad you liked it MV, at least enough that it wasn't a waste of money as a blind buy


I went into this film knowing next to nothing about it because - except for a few PMs from JayDee who alerted me to it - I never heard anything about it. ]

Woohoo! I just got a shout-out from the great Miss Vicky. :D

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/ghostbusters2016.gif

Ghostbusters (Paul Feig, 2016)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1289401/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched:10/14/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I was at a friend's house and she wanted to watch it
Rewatch: No

Well... That was... How do I put this? Not good.

I don't even care about the gender switching thing. Whatever. I don't even consider myself a fan of the original movies. I like them well enough, but they're not favorites. But those movies were fun. They had a little bit of the creep factor, some really funny scenes, and some very likable and memorable characters. Also the cutest villain ever in the form of Mr. Stay Puft.

This had none of that. I never laughed. Not even really cracked a smile. I wasn't creeped out even a little. And even now, maybe 30 minutes after finishing the film, I'm struggling to recall the specifics of any scene or the name of any new character.

An instantly forgettable waste of time.

1

[cricket]

I was planning on giving that a shot if you liked it. It ain't happening now.

[Iroquois]

I gave it 3 but nobody trusts my opinions.

[JayDee]

Damn you just killed Ghostbusters; rating_1?!!!

While I certainly wouldn't call myself a fan I actually didn't think it was that bad, certainly not as awful as I was expecting given the trailers. While it wasn't especially funny I found it a fairly easy watch, quite breezy and decently paced. My main problem with the cast wasn't that it was all female (though I am starting to hate this new fad) but who was actually part of it. Had it been the likes of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Emma Stone etc I'd have much preferred it. Kristen Wiig is ok and quite likable but I don't get the big deal about her. While Melissa McCarthy I've never found funny. The big problem for me though was Kate McKinnon as the 'kooky' one of the group. I just found her so irritating. Her performance felt so forced and unnatural to me

What I found quite ironic given all the hoo-hah about the female cast is that it was the single male member of the main cast (Chris Hemsworth) that I found the most entertaining.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/terminator2.gif

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103064/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched:10/23/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Sci-Fi Countdown, also my internet was down and I had nothing better to do
Rewatch: Yes

It's been a long time since I last watched this movie. I remember loving it as a kid and being blown away by the special effects. What I'd forgotten though is just how cheesy this movie is and how obnoxious Edward Furlong is. I hadn't remembered the father/son dynamic between John and the Terminator, which I'm not sure that I buy (sorry but Arnold is not that good at passing for a real human. He's excellent as a robot, though). I also hadn't remembered Furlong's squeaky, pubescent voice, which grated on my nerves every time he spoke. As for the special effects, they still look okay, but their age definitely shows.

But none of this is to say that I didn't enjoy it. The cheesy one-liners are fun (Hasta la vista, baby!), the action sequences are exciting, and I'll admit to getting a little misty-eyed at the iconic thumbs-up finale, but I do have to wonder how I would've felt had this not been a nostalgia filled rewatch.

rating_4-

[cricket]

Same here, still good but felt dated the last time I watched it.

[Sexy Celebrity]

I was just thinking yesterday that I might review the original Terminator 1 soon.

[cricket]

I was just thinking yesterday that I might review the original Terminator 1 soon.

I like that way better

[honeykid]

The first Terminator is far superior, but much less an action film. Which is probably one of the reasons it's better. :D

[JayDee]

I'm assuming that's the first film you've watched from the trio you picked up last weekend yeah?

Anyway I love Terminator 2; such a blast. And I've got to say that the last time I watched it I was really impressed with how strong the effects still were. I also prefer the first one however

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/overthehedge.jpg

Over the Hedge (Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, 2006)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327084/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched:10/25/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I just felt like watching something fun
Rewatch: Yes

The quality of Dreamworks Animation's films have been spotty at best. Some of them are excellent, others not so much. I've always felt that Over the Hedge falls into that former category.

Although it was marketed for children, the creators of this film most definitely did not forget that adults will be watching it, too. Yeah it's got a few butt jokes and slapstick for the kids, but it also has plenty of fun little jabs at our food-obsessed, consumerist culture and features some cool nods to classic films like Citizen Kane, Silence of the Lambs, and A Streetcar Named Desire. It also boasts a pretty impressive voice cast, including Bruce Willis, Steve Carell, Gary Shandling, Wanda Sykes, William Shatner and Nick Nolte (among others) who all do well to lend their characters some real personality.

If I have a gripe about this movie, it's that the animation does look a little dated. There's not much texture to the designs and it all looks slightly flat. However it's only a minor complaint and given the advancements in CG animation that have occurred in the ten years since its release, it can be easily forgiven.

Overall it's a really fun film and an excellent choice if you're just looking to have a good time. It still irritates me that this one failed to make the animation countdown, though just barely.


rating_4+

[Chypmunk]

I quite like Over The Hedge, some of the characters are endearing and the script is good enough to make me laugh.

[Camo]

I actually thought that might be your HOF nom after you said it didn't make the countdown.

[Miss Vicky]

I actually thought that might be your HOF nom after you said it didn't make the countdown.

I can see how you would think that, but I nominated something else.

[edarsenal]

Been a while since seeing Over the Hedge, but it is a funny lil watch. I remember chuckling watching Shatner play a opossum that was CONSTANTLY playing dead with true Shatner zest.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/jurassicworld.gif

Jurassic World (Colin Trevorrow, 2015)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369610/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 10/27/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I stayed home sick from work and wanted some mindless entertainment
Rewatch: Yes, I think this was my fourth time seeing it

I know this is not an especially popular film around here, but I do not and likely never will understand the hate it gets. I've seen people complain about there being "nothing new" here and they say that the characters are flat. I really have to ask (again) what were people expecting? It was only ever going to be a movie about a dinosaur amusement park where the dinosaurs break free and start killing people, just like the three Jurassic Park movies that came before it. And I don't recall any real depth to any of the characters in those other films, nor do I care much about characters in a film like this.

I care about people being hunted by giant predators and I care about cool special effects. Jurassic World has plenty of both.

rating_4-

[edarsenal]

I care about people being hunted by giant predators and I care about cool special effects. Jurassic World has plenty of both.

And THAT is a pretty damn good argument to check it out. Which I haven't, so I really should at some point.

[Iroquois]

I think a major problem with Jurassic World isn't so much that there was "nothing new" so much as what new stuff there is on offer isn't good even on the relatively simple level at which a movie like this is supposed to operate. A major point of contention was that this was the first Jurassic movie to actually kill off a female character, which had the result of making her get what might just be the most drawn-out and absurdly brutal death in the series (which is thrown into even sharper relief by the fact that the genuinely despicable human villain dies a swift off-screen death, whereas the worst this woman does is lose track of some kids for an instant). It calls to mind Ian Malcolm's whole quote about how scientists were thinking about what they could do rather than whether or not they should. The attempts to offer empty replications of old characters (e.g. the two kids) not only function as empty call-backs (as do the various references to the old park) but don't even offer any interesting variations to make them into decent characters even by the relatively low standards of the previous films. The kids' parents are getting a divorce? Who cares. The down-and-dirty raptor guy has tension-laced banter with the uptight female executive? Groundbreaking. You may ask what any of this has to do with watching a movie about dinosaurs eating people full of special effects. I'm positing that it's hard to care about effects-driven spectacle in a vacuum. It'd be one thing if these characters were just flat, but their treatment within the film goes past flat and into bad, which makes it hard to care about who lives or dies (even the most genuinely tragic death in the film has multiple asterisks attached to it). There's got to be at least a little worthwhile substance in place and Jurassic World - a film that takes easy pot shots at bland corporate products even though it is one - is so lacking in it that even the effects do little to paper over the gaping cracks.

[TONGO]

Ive never seen either on this page. The first Jurassic Park was great, 2nd was good, 3rd ok, and I havent seen the rest. Jurassic World must be action packed to get a 4

[Optimus]

Jurassic World is awesome. Glad you enjoyed it.

[Miss Vicky]

I think a major problem with Jurassic World isn't so much that there was "nothing new" so much as what new stuff there is on offer isn't good even on the relatively simple level at which a movie like this is supposed to operate.

Again, I don't get what newness people were expecting exactly. The only "new" thing I was expecting to see were some dinosaur species that hadn't been shown in the previous films and of course the Indominus Rex. I knew that the story and the characters would be very similar to the original. The movie is just as much a remake as it is a sequel, which is exactly what I figured it would be going in the first time.

A major point of contention was that this was the first Jurassic movie to actually kill off a female character, which had the result of making her get what might just be the most drawn-out and absurdly brutal death in the series

That was a major point of contention? Just because she's a woman? That's just stupid. Minor characters often get brutal deaths in films because the audience doesn't have any real attachment to them. I don't see why it should make any difference that she's female.

(which is thrown into even sharper relief by the fact that the genuinely despicable human villain dies a swift off-screen death, whereas the worst this woman does is lose track of some kids for an instant).

So are you saying that the brutality of the demise of characters should always reflect their level of morality? Why?

I wasn't bothered by the off-screen death of Hoskins. I think lingering on him would've interrupted the pace of that sequence. In any case, he never struck me as being the film's real "villain" anyway. He's despicable, sure, but the villain to me was always the Indominus, which killed things because it liked killing things.

Though really if you want to put blame on the a human character, then you should be lamenting the fact that the truly despicable one in this story - Dr. Wu - keeps surviving and creating more monstrosities despite having seen the tragic consequences.

The attempts to offer empty replications of old characters (e.g. the two kids) not only function as empty call-backs (as do the various references to the old park)

I liked the references to the old park. :shrug:

But don't even offer any interesting variations to make them into decent characters even by the relatively low standards of the previous films. The kids' parents are getting a divorce? Who cares. The down-and-dirty raptor guy has tension-laced banter with the uptight female executive? Groundbreaking.

I felt a little bit of sympathy for the kid when the divorce was revealed and I rather liked the "tension-laced banter." I watched it with Funny Face the first two times and she felt the same. :shrug:

I'm positing that it's hard to care about effects-driven spectacle in a vacuum. It'd be one thing if these characters were just flat, but their treatment within the film goes past flat and into bad, which makes it hard to care about who lives or dies (even the most genuinely tragic death in the film has multiple asterisks attached to it).

I liked the characters well enough and I cared about their fates - though I admit that I was more interested in the fates of dinos than the humans (but hey, as long as I'm invested in something, I'm happy).

There's got to be at least a little worthwhile substance in place and Jurassic World - a film that takes easy pot shots at bland corporate products even though it is one - is so lacking in it that even the effects do little to paper over the gaping cracks.

It felt pretty tongue in cheek to me. :shrug:

[nebbit]

Nice work Bitch :up:

[Iroquois]

Again, I don't get what newness people were expecting exactly. The only "new" thing I was expecting to see were some dinosaur species that hadn't been shown in the previous films and of course the Indominus Rex. I knew that the story and the characters would be very similar to the original. The movie is just as much a remake as it is a sequel, which is exactly what I figured it would be going in the first time.

You're right, this is on me for thinking that this movie might actually do something different. Fury Road got too many of my hopes up when it came to 2015 soft reboots.

That was a major point of contention? Just because she's a woman? That's just stupid. Minor characters often get brutal deaths in films because the audience doesn't have any real attachment to them. I don't see why it should make any difference that she's female.

As far as trying to do something new with the franchise goes, it's shamelessly methodical, as if they scanned the IMDb trivia page for ideas on how to up the ante. It'd be one thing if it was just a random character, but to have it be the one whose most (only?) significant action in the film was to lose the boys suggests an even greater degree of overkill for a rather minor misdeed and only makes the villain's comeuppance seem anticlimactic in return (which is not good when it's happening during the actual climax).

So are you saying that the brutality of the demise of characters should always reflect their level of morality? Why?

Why not? It's kind of like the whole bomb under a table thing - if it's a sudden occurrence then you get an immediate shock, but taking the time to build up to the occurrence is what makes its worth it. Having this "bomb" go off early with Zara's death is a shock, but it also sets up an expectation for the next one - if they're going to give an innocent person this kind of treatment, imagine what's going to happen to the actual villain? Escalating action is a pretty simple principle when it comes to narratives, yet the movie opts to disregard it in order to skip to the bit where Good Dinosaurs fight the Bad Dinosaur - they already used the most excessively brutal kill they could think of on a bystander so why bother trying when it comes to the actual human villain?

I wasn't bothered by the off-screen death of Hoskins. I think lingering on him would've interrupted the pace of that sequence. In any case, he never struck me as being the film's real "villain" anyway. He's despicable, sure, but the villain to me was always the Indominus, which killed things because it liked killing things.

Though really if you want to put blame on the a human character, then you should be lamenting the fact that the truly despicable one in this story - Dr. Wu - keeps surviving and creating more monstrosities despite having seen the tragic consequences.

Even in that context, It practically seems like an after-thought as if the makers went "oh yeah we gotta kill this guy too, let's do it between dino-battles". I reckon the humans have more right to be considered villainous than the dinosaurs - the dinosaurs have always just been animals who follow their instincts, and even the Indominus only has its bloodlust because of human interference. In this context, Dr. Wu is only part of the park's machine and he even justifies his actions by saying that he was following orders - I could even suggest that Claire can be held accountable to some degree, which does clash with her status as the film's heroine.

:shrug: :shrug: :shrug:

Suit yourself. Virtually none of that worked for me.

[Optimus]

A major point of contention was that this was the first Jurassic movie to actually kill off a female character, which had the result of making her get what might just be the most drawn-out and absurdly brutal death in the series (which is thrown into even sharper relief by the fact that the genuinely despicable human villain dies a swift off-screen death, whereas the worst this woman does is lose track of some kids for an instant).

In Jurassic Park the T-Rex kill's the man in the porto toilet in quite violent fashion too. Does it matter if the character was male or female?.

[Miss Vicky]

In this context, Dr. Wu is only part of the park's machine and he even justifies his actions by saying that he was following orders - I could even suggest that Claire can be held accountable to some degree, which does clash with her status as the film's heroine.

Hoskins justifies his actions by saying that if the project succeeds and the raptors can be used as a weapon, it'll greatly reduce the number of casualties during war. Both men justify the awful things they do, but the reality is that they do it because they enjoy it.


Suit yourself. Virtually none of that worked for me.

Yes, well we so often agree anyway.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/eternalsunshine.gif

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338013/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 10/28/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Trying to finalize the order of my next personal top 100
Rewatch: Yes

Possible Spoilers Ahead

Jim Carey gives what I believe is the best performance of his career as Joel Barish - a deeply damaged and painfully shy man reeling from the dissolution of his two-year relationship with Clementine Kruczynski, an impulsive and outspoken woman played by Kate Winslet. After discovering that Clementine has had her memories of him erased and is now dating a younger man, Joel goes to the doctor who did the procedure and demands to have his memories erased as well. As the procedure is being performed on a sedated, sleeping Joel, we are immersed into his memories. We begin with the most recent – distance, bitter fights and resentment, then we progress to a sweet, genuine romance between two messed up people, and then to their fateful meeting.

But it’s not a slow or peaceful progression. Very quickly, Joel decides he doesn’t want the procedure anymore, but is powerless to compel his body to voice his objections and make it stop. So instead he drags Clementine from one memory to the next, desperately fleeing the technology that will take away what he has left of the only thing that brought him any real happiness.

However, the thing that really makes the movie to me is what happens when Joel wakes. When his mind compels him to act on what he believes is merely impulse and he and Clementine are brought together for what they think is the first time only to discover the truth the next morning when each receives a mysterious package.

Without a doubt, this is one the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen – not just in the way it looks, but in the story it has to tell and in the way it perfectly captures the bittersweet emotions of its characters. Though it toes the line of fantasy, this is a film that is deeply rooted in reality and in a genuine understanding of what it is to be human.

rating_5

[cricket]

I have to give that another shot now that I'm more receptive to movies of a quirky nature.

[rauldc14]

So when is the next top 100 :)

[Miss Vicky]

So when is the next top 100 :)

Soon. I've got my 100 picked out, it's just a matter of finalizing the order and figuring out what I want to say about each one.

[Camo]

I'm not much of a fan of Eternal Sunshine as you know, but great review. Still, not one of the images on this page show up for me.

[Miss Vicky]

I'm not much of a fan of Eternal Sunshine.

That's because you suck.

Still, not one of the images on this page show up for me.

That's because the site where I host them is down at the moment.

[Camo]

That site is pretty pathetic right now then!

[Miss Vicky]

That site is pretty pathetic right now then!

It's down for upgrades and will probably have outages off and on for the next few days. Oh well.

[Camo]

This is the only place to find Miss Vickys opinions; in my opinion!

[Iroquois]

In Jurassic Park the T-Rex kill's the man in the porto toilet in quite violent fashion too. Does it matter if the character was male or female?.

The difference is in the details. A man getting quickly chomped in half by a T-Rex after he had already abandoned his own boss's kids at the first sign of danger is not the same as a woman whose boss's kids run away at the first opportunity getting subjected to a prolonged attack involving near-drowning and not one but three separate dinosaurs. The first one is appropriately karmic yet swift, whereas the second one seems grossly disproportionate (and, as noted, doesn't work that well within a greater context).

Hoskins justifies his actions by saying that if the project succeeds and the raptors can be used as a weapon, it'll greatly reduce the number of casualties during war. Both men justify the awful things they do, but the reality is that they do it because they enjoy it.

Fair point.

Yes, well we so often agree anyway.

Exactly.

[Miss Vicky]

http://billy-burnette.com/personal/ernestandcelestine.gif

Ernest & Celestine (Ernest et Célestine) (Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, 2012)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1816518/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched:10/28/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I just felt like watching something fun
Rewatch: Yes

I first discovered this delightful little film two years ago when I was preparing for the MoFo Animation Countdown. I loved it immediately and it made my ballot but sadly failed to make the cut.

Based on a series of children's books, Ernest & Celestine is a sweet tale of an unlikely friendship between two social misfits. Ernest is a grouchy bear just awoken from winter hibernation, he's poor and hungry. Celestine is a young mouse tasked with the chore of collecting bear teeth to be used to replace the lost teeth of the mice in her colony (a fundamentally flawed concept, if you're at all familiar with rodent dentition, but that doesn't detract from the movie) and is being raised to be a dentist. When her attempt to collect the lost tooth of a bear cub goes awry, she finds herself trapped in a garbage can, where she is found by Ernest who at first tries to eat her.

A series of somewhat darkly funny events results in the pair taking shelter in Ernest's remote cabin, where they hide out from the law. It is here that the two bond over a love of the arts. Ernest is a musician, Celestine a painter. Neither had any interest in pursuing the careers others had chosen for them. They are kindred spirits.

I've only ever watched the English dub of this film and not the original French (tsk, tsk, I know) but I really enjoy the voicework of Forest Whitaker and Mackenzie Foy as the titular characters. Whitaker's gruff voice makes for a perfect bear and Foy is wonderful as the precocious Celestine.

But there's more to the film's charm than just solid performances and a fun story. Hand drawn and painted in gorgeous watercolor, the look of this film is quite different from the highly polished, computer generated output of studios like Pixar and Dreamworks. The artwork is simple, even a little crude in design, but works so perfectly with the film's tone.

I really can't recommend this film enough to lovers of animation and, at only 80 minutes, it's a breeze to watch. I think I may have to check out the books at some point.

rating_4+

[Camo]

Seriously, does that picture work for everyone else?

[Miss Vicky]

Seriously, does that picture work for everyone else?


Are you seeing it okay? I uploaded the Ernest & Celestine gif directly to MoFo since the other site is still down.

[Camo]

Are you seeing it okay? I uploaded the Ernest & Celestine gif directly to MoFo since the other site is still down.

It's my internet/laptops fault then. It is coming up as a broken image; so was the last page.

[Miss Vicky]

Well the other images will keep showing up as broken until the other site is back up. I just checked this thread on my kindle and the image is working on it, so it's not just in my desktop's cache.

[Sexy Celebrity]

I don't see the image.

[Sexy Celebrity]

None of her images are working. Probably 'cause the site was just down?

[Miss Vicky]

Damn it.

[Miss Vicky]

I don't know what I did wrong, but I re-uploaded it to a different site, so hopefully it's working now.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Working here. But only the one for the last review.

[Miss Vicky]

Working here. But only the one for the last review.

That's the only one that will be working for a bit. Stupid Lycos is doing an "upgrade" so the space where I normally host images is going to be down for awhile.

[honeykid]

Soon. I've got my 100 picked out, it's just a matter of finalizing the order and figuring out what I want to say about each one.

I love seeing this. :cool: Looking forward to it, MV. :)

[edarsenal]

image IS working and it looks pretty delightful! Just requested it at my library and reading your review that Whitaker voices the bear I just may have to set the audio for English on this one (or maybe watch it twice; once in French, once in English)
THANKS Vicky

[Miss Vicky]

http://billy-burnette.com/personal/darkcity.gif

Dark City (Alex Proyas, 1998)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118929/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched:10/29/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Rewatch for the Sci-Fi Countdown
Rewatch: Yes

I originally saw this film during its theatrical run and it has been in my movie collection for quite some time, but I can’t recall when I last watched it and that goldfish was the only detail I could remember about it before tonight.

If I’m being perfectly honest, the movie is pretty close to pure Sci-Fi, which makes it pretty far from my usual taste. Also – at nearly twenty years old – some of the effects look a bit dated, but I enjoyed it anyway.

Though it is yet another alien abduction/experimentation film, its premise is different and interesting enough to set it apart from other such films. The humans here are essentially rats trapped in a maze but they don’t know it and the obstacles are not really the walls, pathways and dead-ends of their city but the fabricated “memories” imprinted in their minds, traded from one person to the next with each “tuning.” But they are oblivious to what’s happening and unaware of the presence of the “strangers” – white skinned beings that use human corpses as “vessels” so that they may take a tangible form.

But something goes wrong during one imprinting and one human – John Murdoch – not only develops a resistance to the strangers’ powers but the ability to use them himself. This makes him a threat and a target to the strangers.

Rufus Sewell (as Murdoch), Jennifer Connelly (as his “wife” Emma), Kiefer Sutherland (as Dr. Shreber, a man who has betrayed his own kind to assist the strangers with their experiments), and William Hurt (as a detective following the case of a string of murdered prostitutes for which Murdoch is the prime suspect) all turn in solid performances. They really help to keep the film engaging, even when some scenes begin to cross the line to a level of absurdity more appropriate to a superhero film than to the Sci-Fi thriller it aims to be, especially during the final showdown between Murdoch and the strangers.

But - a few silly scenes aside - the film is thick with atmosphere and tension and at a little more than an hour and a half in length, it doesn’t really lag anywhere.


3.5+

[Chypmunk]

Love Dark City - great film up until the showdown which also feels a disappointment after what has gone before for me.

[Mr Minio]

Ernest and Celestine <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 Better than any anime.

[JayDee]

You've been on a nice little tear over the last few days MV. :up: Coincidentally I also just watched Dark City a couple of days ago. I'd seen it before a number of years ago but had been left rather unmoved by it. However this time I thought it was great. The atmosphere is excellent and I loved the look of the film; the visuals and architecture were really imposing and expressionistic. While that obviously goes all the way back to German flicks like Metropolis and Cabinet of Dr Cagliari, for me it most readily evoked the likes of Batman Returns.

I felt like the only thing that stopped me from truly loving it was Rufus Sewell. I don't think his performance was poor or anything but there was just something off-putting and cold about him; he didn't really engage me.

[Miss Vicky]

http://billy-burnette.com/personal/wolfofwallstreet.gif

The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993846/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched:10/30/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: No particular reason
Rewatch: Yes

Before 2013, a three hour long Martin Scorsese comedy about a real-life crook on Wall Street seemed like a bizarre concept that could never work. But it really does.

Leonardo DiCaprio pulls out all the stops in his performance as Jordan Belfort, bringing to the film some really impressive comedic chops, including physical comedy I never expected him to be capable of pulling off. Despicable though his character may be, he is absolutely mesmerizing to watch. The scene at the country club and the fight in the kitchen afterwards - both involving the delayed effects of some expired Lemmon 714's - is particularly hysterical and is probably the biggest highlight in a film full of great scenes.

But DiCaprio does not carry the film entirely on his shoulders, though close to it. Jonah Hill is also surprisingly great as Donnie Azoff, Belfort's friend and second in command and Matthew McConaughey is pretty memorable in his brief performance as Belfort's mentor Mark Hanna. Margot Robbie is impressive too, though more for her stunning looks than for her solid but unremarkable performance.

The Wolf of Wall Street has been criticized by many for its celebration of the crimes of Belfort and his comrades and of the debauched lifestyle that they led. The real Jordan Belfort also profited from the film itself, which is adapted from his memoir of the same name, and he even appears in a small role in the film. The Wolf of Wall Street also put his name in the spotlight and landed him interviews on several prominent television programs.

Personally I don't think it's the duty of filmmakers to side-step stories like this simply because their nefarious subjects might benefit from them. Rather it is their duty to find or create intriguing stories and present them to viewers in a creative and engaging way. To that end, Scorsese and company succeeded admirably.

4+

[Tugg]

There is no other movie that feels so wrong to feel it is so right.

[cricket]

If I hadn't heard other people's complaints about Wall Street for glorifying the Belfort character, it never would have entered my mind.

[Miss Vicky]

http://billy-burnette.com/personal/magicallyrical.jpg

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A’s (Mah ô shôjo lyrical Nanoha)
(Unknown Director, 2012)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808082/)

Date Watched: Started late 10/31/16, Finished 11/1/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Guaporense’s (Disqualified) Nomination for the MoFo Animation Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No

This "retelling" barely qualifies as a movie – if I understand correctly, it’s really just a bunch of television episodes edited together to create a “film.” It doesn’t even have an IMDb page. The link above is for the anime T.V. series. As a stand-alone movie, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: The Movie 2nd A’s (a ****ing sequel to something I’ve never seen or heard of) fails. Character development – and story development for that matter - within the “movie” is seriously lacking. I had a lot of trouble following the movie or even telling one character apart from another which left me completely detached from them and feeling nothing in scenes that – judging by the score – were supposed to have been deeply emotional. What little exposition we do get is in the form of flashbacks that don’t provide enough context to fully understand the relationships between the various characters (of which there are quite a few, making it even more difficult to keep track of them) or the “whys” of what was happening. I assume it would make more sense if I’d seen the television program or watched the first “movie” beforehand but this (fragment of a story) is what was nominated, this is what I watched, and I’m judging this by its own merits. Or lack thereof.

As to the characters themselves, I found the voices of the main characters to be incredibly shrill and irritating. I also didn’t like the look of them, especially when compared to everything else in the film. Some of the lesser characters' faces seemed fairly detailed in design and the backgrounds and inanimate objects were drawn with a decent amount of detail as well (and some of it was actually quite beautiful to look at, though certainly not on par with the likes of someone like Makoto Shinkai), but the central characters were drawn in a way that was at once overly exaggerated and infuriatingly simple. Gigantic eyes. A dot or simple v in place of a nose. Impossibly long and skinny legs. Pointy chins. Wild, crazily colored hair. Cutesy little outfits. Big t!ts. Animal ears and tails. Give me a f*cking break. :rolleyes:

Combine the irritating voices, lack of development (from what little I could gather), and ugly characters with a story (or, rather, part of a story) that is very, very heavy on fantasy, and what you get is a Resident Bitch who is confused, annoyed as hell, disinterested in the “film,” and glancing at the clock every couple of minutes wishing the damn thing would just end already.

0.5-

[Mr Minio]

Looks like you just got a new sworn enemy - Guap.

[Miss Vicky]

Looks like you just got a new sworn enemy - Guap.

:shrug:

We were never on good terms anyway and the guy's a troll, at least as far as the HOFs are concerned.

[rauldc14]

Was it worse than K On or PMMM

[Miss Vicky]

Was it worse than K On or PMMM

Yes. As much as I disliked them, both of those work as stand-alone films. K-On seems to be a separate story from the show and PMMM had enough contextual clues that I was never confused by it.

[rauldc14]

Utena was the worst though

[Miss Vicky]

Utena was the worst though

I wouldn't know. I wasn't in that HOF and never had a reason to subject myself to it.

[Camo]

:rotfl: Can't believe you watched it. Why did you continue when it looked like it was going to be eliminated?

[Miss Vicky]

:rotfl: Can't believe you watched it. Why did you continue when it looked like it was going to be eliminated?

I'm a masochist, maybe? :laugh:

Mostly so the troll has no ground to accuse me of not giving it a fair shot - or at least that's what I told myself. Also I couldn't sleep last night.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/walle.gif

WALL•E (Andrew Stanton, 2008)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2)

Date Watched: 11/1/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: gbgoodies's Nomination for the MoFo Animation Hall of Fame
Rewatch: Yes

I've seen this movie many, many times and - while it's not quite my favorite Pixar film - it is a shining example of the of the quality that the studio made their name on. It is an absolute joy to watch - with gorgeous colors, wonderful humor, an imaginative story, a beautiful romance, and endearing characters.

Despite being a robot that was designed simply to compact and move garbage - and one of the least sophisticated machines in the film - Wall•e demonstrates the most emotional range and the most human-like traits of any character in the film, actual humans included. In many ways, he's like a toddler - full of innocence, curiosity, and just a touch of mischief. He's a collector of trinkets and trash - of anything that interests him, but at the film's start we find that his only companion is a cockroach. (BTW, who knew an animated roach could be so damn cute?)

All that changes when an Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator probe arrives on Earth with a classified directive. Wall•e is smitten and these early scenes between Wall•e and Eve - with his clumsy attempts to win the affections of the fierce and beautiful newcomer - are incredibly sweet.

And while there are underlying themes about consumerism and humankind's abuse of the environment, the love between Wall•e and Eve is what carries the film. The scene where the pair dances in space is nothing short of magical and the later scenes where Eve discovers the depth of Wall•e's devotion to her and her realization of how much he means to her are absolutely heartwrenching.

But it's not all about love and tears. It's also about laughter - from sight gags like Wall•e's confusion over where to place a spork, to more physical comedy like his interactions with the Microbe Obliterator (Mo) - I find myself far more amused by this than by most live action comedies.

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/wallemo.gif

While it might not be a truly perfect film (though if there's a flaw, I'm blind to it), it is for me at least a perfect film watching experience, and this may well be the first HOF in which the number one movie on my ballot likely won't be my own nomination.

5

[Chypmunk]

Can't understand how anybody cannot at least like Wall-E personally :up:

[gbgoodies]

That's a terrific review of WALL•E. I hope everyone in the HoF enjoys it as much as you did. :up:

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/thesecretofnimh.gif

The Secret of NIMH (Don Bluth, 1982)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084649/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 11/2/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Clazor's Nomination for the MoFo Animation Hall of Fame
Rewatch: Yes

The thing about NIMH that I really love is how it doesn't talk down to its audience. Like all great children's films, it trusts them to reach beyond their comfort level a little bit to meet its story. It really respects its audiences.

As I was watching this film tonight, I kept thinking about the quote above and how accurate it is. The Secret of NIMH is a children's film about determination, bravery, and love. But that tale is also about vivisection, torture, powerlust, betrayal, and murder. It is a very dark film, both in subject and atmosphere.

I also really respect the choice of protagonist. Mrs. Brisby is not the kind of film heroine you might expect to see. She is not strong in body and she isn't trying to be a hero. She is simply a widowed mother, forced to find courage and risking life and limb in her struggle to protect her children.

But the film is not perfect, the comedic relief of Jeremy and Auntie Shrew is stretched too far at times and I have mixed feelings about the inclusion of magic in the film. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (yes, that's Frisby with an F, but the name was changed to Brisby in the film to avoid trademark infringement with Frisbee), the children's novel on which the film is based, did not include any of the mystical elements found here. Nicodemus was not a wizard and there was no magic amulet. I personally have a distaste for fantasy, but I do understand that these things appeal to a lot of people and I will admit that it does add to the film's sense of adventure and adds an aura of mystery to the proceedings.

Still, it's a very good film, a strong nomination, and is probably more worthy of a place on the MoFo Animation Countdown than some of the films that actually made the cut.

4+

[JayDee]

You're starting to become Iro-like the way you're churning these out. :D

Very nice review of Wall-e. As I think you know I adore that little fella and the film. I've never actually seen Secret of NIMH. I had it down as a possible watch for the animation countdown a year or two ago but never got round to it. If you're a fan then I should get on it

[edarsenal]

Absolutely adore Wall-E!! And a big fan of Dark City since first seeing it on the big screen when it first came out.
Haven't seen Secret of Nimh for decades and have yet to see Wolf of Wall Street, but will eventually.

Great reviews down the line!!

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/thelastunicorn.gif

The Last Unicorn (Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr, 1982)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084237/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 11/3/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: CosmicRunaway's Nomination for the MoFo Animation Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No.


I'm a little torn on how to rate this. On one hand, it is beautifully animated, has solid voice performances, and a pretty unique story. On the other hand, it's filled with things I really, really don't like.

My biggest gripe is right there in the title - The Last Unicorn. Unicorns. Heavy fantasy. UGH.

But not just unicorns - wizards, witches, magicians, a harpy, a talking tree with gigantic boobs, a peg-legged cat with an eye patch who talks like a pirate for some reason, a bull made of fire, a butterfly that sings and speaks in riddles, and a skeleton that guards the passageway to the bull's lair. As if that weren't bad enough - it's a musical. Sort of, there's only a couple musical numbers but they are there and they're really annoying. So is the theme song by America that plays ad nauseum throughout the film.

Granted, there are other fantasy animations that I enjoy, even animated musical fantasies like Alice in Wonderland and The Nightmare Before Christmas - but the former has nostalgia and a lot of whimsy on its side and the latter has a macabre aesthetic and dark humor that appeal to me. But I do have to wonder if I would've enjoyed this even as a child and the answer is probably not. I had a higher tolerance for both fantasy and musicals back then, but I still gravitated to more whimsical material and to animated films centered around animal characters rather than mythical creatures.

But again, it is beautifully animated, easy to follow and has good performances. It's just really not my kind of movie.

2.5-

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/nightonthegalacticrailroad.gif

Night on the Galactic Railroad (Ginga-tetsudô no yoru) (Gisaburô Sugii and Arlen Tarlofsy, 1985)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089206/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 11/4/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: jal90's Nomination for the MoFo Animation Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No.

I don't think I'd ever heard of this film prior to its nomination in the Animation Hall of Fame and it's unlike most films I've seen.

Though beautifully animated and possessing solid voice performances, Night on the Galactic Railroad is not a film for the attention deficient. It is quiet and contemplative with a hazy, surreal, dream-like atmosphere and somber mood. There is little action to speak of and the film is devoid of humor.

I had some very mixed feelings about it overall. While I have nothing but respect for the look and general feeling of the story, I struggled to connect with Giovanni or Campanella - the film's primary characters. I wasn't completely without sympathy for them, but my emotional investment in them was tenuous at best. I do think there is potential for this film to grow on me with a repeat viewing, however, so I may revisit it sometime in the future.

3+

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/treasureplanet.gif

Treasure Planet (Ron Clements and John Musker, 2002)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133240/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 11/5/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: MovieMeditation's Nomination for the MoFo Animation Hall of Fame
Rewatch: Yes.

Cyborgs, robots, portals, aliens, space surfing - All these things had me rolling my eyes several times during the movie, but damned if I didn't have a good time with it in spite of myself. Technically this re-imagining of Treasure Island was a rewatch, but I only saw it once in the theater 14 years ago and had pretty much forgotten it since.

The basic premise is that a teenaged boy tries to rescue a mysterious stranger that crashes near his mother's inn. The boy discovers a strange object that the stranger was carrying but before he can figure out what it is, the stranger's pursuers arrive and burn down the inn, while the boy, his mother, and a family friend narrowly escape. Later they discover the object is actually a map to a legendary treasure. Trying to redeem himself, the boy and the friend hire a ship and crew and set out to find the treasure.

And, of course, being a Disney film we can't possibly be without the cutesy sidekick or the comic relief - found in the form of a morph (a creature that can change shape and resemble any object or creature it chooses) and an obnoxious robot (with memory loss, voiced by Martin Short, which didn't help matters) respectively. Also, being Disney, the protagonist couldn't possibly have had a stable and happy childhood. No, we MUST remove at least one biological parent from the picture, so our protagonist Jim is dealing with daddy issues after his father abandoned him and his mother.

So, of course, while on his adventure Jim finds a new father figure in an unexpected place, only to be betrayed by him. But - shockingly - the new "daddy" redeems himself and helps Jim save the day and make it possible for Jim's mother to rebuild the inn.

But I don't mean to complain - too much. As one would expect from Disney, the film is beautifully animated and features solid voice performances and a good score. It also features some pretty breathtaking visuals and despite the cliches it is a rather unique take on a very old tale. I also admit that the film's emotional manipulations were effective and I was a little touched by the scenes between Jim and Silver.

3.5

[JayDee]

Treasure Planet is one of the few Disney animated films I've never seen. Looking at the date though it's not surprising. It will have come out when I was 15 which I think coincided with the period where I would have thought myself too grown up and cool for animated films anymore. Then you actually grow up and realise that when done well you're never too old for animation. I think there's another from this period I've not seen either, Lost Empire or something like that.

[Camo]

Treasure Planet is one of the few Disney animated films I've never seen.

Same here. Of the Disney Animated Classics the only ones i've yet to see are Treasure Planet. Tangled, Winnie The Pooh (2011) and the 40's compilation films except Ichaboad & Mr Toad. That's why i was really glad that MM picked it.

[Miss Vicky]

I was 21 when Treasure Planet was released. I was over my "animation sucks" phase at that point, but still the only reason why I saw it was that a pirate obsessed friend of mine wanted to see it so I went with her. I vaguely recall liking it back then, but not enough to want to own it or see it again. I may pick up a used copy if I can get it cheap or perhaps I'll put it on my wishlist and maybe someone else will buy it for me.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/madagascar2.gif

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, 2008)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479952/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 11/6/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: tatmmw2's Nomination for the MoFo Animation Hall of Fame
Rewatch: Yes.

I've always considered the Madagascar franchise to be good, but not really impressive on any level and the second film of the series is no exception.

As tends to be the case for many sequels, Madagascar 2 borrows heavily from the original for its humor and some of the jokes - especially the old lady ("Bad kitty!) - run pretty thin. The story is also not particularly inspired - Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman - decide they want to go back to New York, but the run down plane that King Julien provides ends up crash landing in continental Africa and the gang meets others of their own respective kinds for the first time. Some fairly predictable conflicts arise but are worked out and in the end their friendships are stronger than ever.

But what it lacks in originality it pretty well makes up for in simple, mindless entertainment. It's an easy watch and does not require any advance knowledge of the characters or previous film to understand. In fact it might arguably be more enjoyable without that prior knowledge, since the recycled jokes won't be stale to someone new to Madagascar.


3+

[JayDee]

I've always considered the Madagascar franchise to be good, but not really impressive on any level


That's a pretty good way to describe it. :yup: They fall into the category of animated films that are enjoyable, easy watches but that never threaten to be anything of any real substance. I've only seen it once but I remember thinking that the second one was the weakest of the trilogy. I was however really surprised by how much I enjoyed the third film. I felt it somewhat broke out of its comfort zone and became a good bit more zany and surreal even. From memory it's a bit more out-there and absurd, more in line with classic Looney Tunes shorts. Certainly the best of the series I think

[edarsenal]

Treasure Planet is one of the few Disney animated films I've never seen. Looking at the date though it's not surprising. It will have come out when I was 15 which I think coincided with the period where I would have thought myself too grown up and cool for animated films anymore.

Never stopped loving animation from childhood through teenage years and to this day; though when it came out I was a little iffy about it
Feel the same about Madagascar and haven't seen Last Unicorn since it came out and probably won't

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/waltzwithbashir.gif

Waltz With Bashir (Vals Im Bashir) (Ari Folman, 2008)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185616/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 11/7/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Camo's Nomination for the MoFo Animation Hall of Fame
Rewatch: Yes.

I first watched this animated documentary film in 2014 while preparing for the MoFo Animation Countdown. I've loved animation for quite some time, but I'll admit that - prior to seeing Waltz With Bashir for the first time - I had a very narrow view of what animated films could and should be. This film totally blew those preconceptions away and opened my eyes to the possibilities.

This is a film about memories - some vivid, some only half-remembered. It also calls into question the merit of memory itself and the mind's tendency to omit the traumatic and to fill in gaps when the true details are fuzzy, even to the point of believing fabricated memories. But this is only a short digression and the focus of the film is to uncover what really happened to the film's director and star and how culpable he is in a heinous act that happened in a time and place he can't quite seem to recall.

Drawn in bold lines and colored in shades of gold and blue, the animation is both crisp and yet somehow crude. The images don't move with the fluidity that you expect to see in modern animation, but this is not a flaw. The style of the artwork adds greatly to the sense of surrealism and a sort of numbness that accompany its depictions of the horrors of war. Many of the film's scenes are oddly beautiful - the reflection of a man in the eye of a dying horse, the graceful, dance-like movements of a soldier firing countless bullets into surrounding buildings as he spins circles in the street, and the glow of flares that light up the sky while soldiers murder civilians below. It's all strangely entrancing. But it's the final scene - the actual footage of the aftermath of a massacre - that is the most powerful. All that stunning animation gives way to images of the innocent dead - piled atop each other, partly buried in rubble or simply left lying in the street - and the grief stricken. It's a jarring transition, but one that is undeniably effective.

Waltz With Bashir is a film unlike any other I've ever seen. It's haunting and thought provoking and it presents its ideas in a stunningly unique fashion. It's a definite must-watch for any appreciator of animation and an excellent nomination for the Hall of Fame.

4.5

[JayDee]

Lovely review MV. :up: That's yet another film I've still not watched. Again I was planning on finally getting to it for the animation countdown a year or two back but didn't manage it. I don't think I realised just how big a fan of it you were; will definitely need to get to it

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/alldogsgotoheaven.gif

All Dogs Go to Heaven (Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and Don Kuenster, 1989)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096787/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 11/8/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Topsy's Nomination for the MoFo Animation Hall of Fame
Rewatch: Yes.

I've seen this movie many times, including in the theater when I was a child. I liked it a lot back then, but my experiences with it as an adult have been less positive. That's not to say that I dislike the All Dogs Go to Heaven, but there are definitely things about it that I very much dislike.

But let's start with the positives. As with the other Don Bluth film in this Hall of Fame, I appreciate the darker themes this presents (though it falls into some of the same old cliches as a lot of other animated children's fodder, including featuring yet another orphan). I do enjoy me a good bad-guy-redeems-himself tale. I also really like the look of the film, with its appealing character designs and rich colors (though I don't know what the hell was up with some of the color choices, like those damn puppies looking like they'd just leapt out of a Crayola box). The vocal performances were all really solid too - except for the singing.

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/rainbowpuppies.gif

The singing. Why must they ruin this otherwise perfectly good film with all that horrid singing? But it's not just the actual singing. I hate the songs themselves. The lyrics are uninspired and the scenes just don't work for me. I know a lot of this film's fans really like the scenes with King Gator, but to me it just felt like it was thrown in there randomly. Alligator ex-machina. :rolleyes:

Still it's an easy and entertaining enough watch and a much needed diversion from certain events of the night.

3+

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/tokyogodfathershanasoup.gif

Tokyo Godfathers (Tokyo Goddofazazu) (Satoshi Kon and Shôgo Furuya, 2003)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388473/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1)

Date Watched: 11/9/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: My Nomination for the MoFo Animation Hall of Fame
Rewatch: Yes.

I first became aware of Satoshi Kon's work when I hosted the Animation Countdown in 2014. My very first introduction to Kon was when I searched for a gif to represent Paprika. I was stunned by what I saw. The images were unsettling and incredibly beautiful. My experience was repeated when I later searched for images from Millennium Actress and Perfect Blue. Still later, I challenged myself to watch every unseen film that had made the countdown. When I got to Kon's work, I was rewarded with films that were rich with surrealism, mystery, and characters haunted by their pasts.

And so I expected the same when I decided to explore further and watch Tokyo Godfathers - the one Satoshi Kon feature that failed to make the countdown. What I got was very different, but no less rewarding. The artwork looks great. There is some mystery and some surreal aspects, and certainly its characters are hiding from their pasts, but none of that is what the movie is really about.

It's a Christmas film about the importance of love and family, but it doesn't seek to define either of those terms in conventional ways. Here we are presented with a group of people with rough exteriors. They're homeless. They're ragged. They constantly bicker and sling insults (and sometimes objects) at each other. Each comes from a very different background - one a drunkard with a gambling problem, one an outspoken transgender woman, and the other a teenaged runaway - but above all their fighting rises a dedication and solidarity that makes them no less a family than any group of people related by blood. And this unity (and sometimes division) is amplified when they find an abandoned baby girl hidden among the trash and seek to find the child's mother.

Along the way, they encounter a series of outrageous events and coincidences that might have been a little harder to swallow in a non-holiday film or in one with characters who are not as fully realized as these. The things that happen in the film admittedly feel contrived, but I buy it anyway because there is so much heart and emotional authenticity to these characters. And the warm fuzzy feelings I get from watching this don't come covered in corn but rather a deliciously thick layer of salty humor.

4.5-

[Miss Vicky]

The film doesn't concern itself with politically correct terms but I suppose I'll change it. Assuming the translation in the subtitles is correct, Hana refers to herself as a "homo" and Gin, the man she loves, calls her a fagg*t.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/castleofcagliostro.gif

The Castle of Cagliostro (Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro) (Hayao Miyazaki, 1979)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079833/)

Date Watched: 11/11/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: rauldc14's Nomination for the MoFo Animation Hall of Fame
Rewatch: No.

In my quest to watch every film that made it onto the MoFo Animation Countdown, I watched 10 of Hayao Miyazaki's 11 feature films. The Castle of Cagliostro was the only one of his features that failed to make the cut and so it was also the only one of his features I hadn't yet seen. After being underwhelmed by his other offerings, I had no real desire to see this and were it not for the Hall of Fame it would have remained unwatched.

Raul assured me that this would be a very different experience from the other Miyazaki films. He wasn't wrong, but different is not synonymous with better. Although not fantasy like most of the other films, Cagliostro requires no less suspension of disbelief. Cars drive on vertical surfaces, characters leap from building to building, and are practically impervious to injuries as if they had superpowers or something.

Like Guaporense's nomination, this is one of a series of films based on a television series (based on a manga) and so character development is... lacking. (However, unlike Guap's nom, the story and the relationships between the characters were easy to understand.) Though I'm doubtful whether any further development of the characters would've actually changed my experience. I hated Lupin and cared little for Clarisse. I think I was meant to find Lupin's antics charming, but all they did was annoy me - while Clarisse offered virtually no personality to her role as damsel in distress.

But the film is not without its merits. The voice cast was solid (if unremarkable) and some of the artwork was really beautiful. I will also admit that a tiny hint of smile may have broken through my scowl a time or two, but none of that was enough to elevate my experience beyond mediocrity.

2.5

This completes my movie watching for the Animation Hall of Fame.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/thelandbeforetime.gif

The Land Before Time (Don Bluth, 1988)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095489/?ref_=nv_sr_3)

Date Watched: 11/13/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I was in the mood for more animation
Rewatch: Yes.

Despite some eye-rolling clichés (Orphans! :facepalm: ) , The Land Before Time is among the few childhood favorites that still genuinely holds up today. I really like the look of the artwork and I appreciate the darker themes – death, the power of hope and friendship, and the importance of tolerance and understanding - that seem to be Bluth’s trademark.
The story itself is quite simple: a group of children (baby dinosaurs, but essentially children) are separated from their families and must band together to survive and be reunited with their loved ones. . With the exception of Cera, who I can’t stand, the central characters are really endearing, super cute, and supported by strong voice performances (okay, well not Spike. He never speaks). The peripheral characters are also well-drawn and add to the film’s charm.

I do have to wonder though, whether I would love this film if I hadn’t grown up with it. I could see the voices of both Petrie and (especially) Ducky being annoying if you’re not used to it. But I am and I love it and those characters. And really, at just over an hour in length I doubt it could ever really be tiresome.

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/sadlittlefoot.gif

4

[Miss Vicky]

I also rewatched Mad Max: Fury Road, but didn't feel like writing it up again. Still love it. Still rate it 5/5.

[MovieMeditation]

I watched the television show as a kid, at least parts of it, but I don't think I've ever seen the movie... I should really get around that.

[Miss Vicky]

I watched the television show as a kid, at least parts of it, but I don't think I've ever seen the movie... I should really get around that.

I didn't even remember there was a tv show. As if the billion straight to video sing-along sequels weren't bad enough. :laugh:

[Camo]

Loved it as a kid. I'd say it holds up better than most Bluths but it's not a favourite anymore.

[MovieMeditation]

I didn't even remember there was a tv show. As if the billion straight to video sing-along sequels weren't bad enough. :laugh:
I just checked and saw that there was indeed a tv show. But I think it might have been all those straight to video sequels upon sequels that I watched instead. :laugh:

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/jinroh.gif

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (Jin-Rô) (Hiroyuki Okiura, 1999)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193253/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 11/25/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Zotis said he thought I would love it
Rewatch: No.


I went into this having no real idea what to expect. This film takes place in a sort of alternate reality in which Germany occupied Japan in the 1950s, although none of the characters are German. However, the Nazi influence does very much inform the look of and atmosphere of the film as well as the behavior of its protagonist.

There are riots in the streets and bombs are being set off. Resistance groups have formed and among their recruits are girls and young women called "Red Riding Hoods" who act as couriers for the explosives. A special anti-terrorism police force is deployed and goes through the sewer to intercept and eliminate this threat. One member of this special unit, Kazuki Fuse, tracks down one such Red Riding Hood and finds himself unable to shoot her. She detonates the bomb she is carrying and so takes her own life but fails to take him with her. This sets off a chain of events that finds him being used as a pawn in battle between rival police divisions and also finds himself romantically involved with a woman who identifies herself as the dead girl's sister.

This is a very dark film, in terms of atmosphere, content, and color. There is a definite sense of uneasiness and paranoia throughout. The only thing that feels certain is that things are not what they seem to be, which is frequently alluded to with references to the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad wolf. Parts of the story itself is recited in several scenes (though the version of the tale used here is a little more ****ed up than the one I grew up with) and Fuse is often accompanied by images of wolves - whether in his nightmares or in the form of taxidermied specimens at a museum he often visits.

But the question of whether Fuse is actually man or beast is one that is too complicated to be definitively answered. Although a trained killer, Fuse is haunted by his memory of the girl's death. He is all but dead inside and struggles to process his feelings. His later involvement with the sister allows little bits of his humanity to begin to seep through to the surface. But things come to light and she is not quite what she pretends to be. Ultimatley he is forced to face a terrible decision.

It's definitely an intriguing story and the film is supported by strong vocal performances and excellent animation. It's also a far more graphically violent film than I'm accustomed to seeing in an animated piece. However, I ultimately didn't love it. It took me a very long time to get emotionally engaged (yes, Zotis, I used that phrase again!) with its characters, which left me feeling disconnected with the film for quite awhile. I think this has a lot to do with the sort of empty feeling that Fuse carries through most of the runtime. He felt little and so I felt little. But it ended very strongly and was an overall solid film throughout. I do think there is potential here for my opinion to improve quite a bit on a rewatch.

3.5+

[Miss Vicky]

A couple of shorts for you:

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/houseofsmallcubes.gif

The House of Small Cubes (Tsumiki no ie) (Kunio Kato, 2008)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1361566/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 12/03/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: It looked interesting
Rewatch: No

I stumbled across this on Netflix and had remembered it being mentioned quite a bit around the time of the Animation Countdown. At only 12 minutes in length and no dialog, The House of Small Cubes tells a poignant story of an elderly man who is confronted with buried memories when he sets out to retrieve his lost pipe. The art style is very crude, but beautiful at the same time and does well to set the mood of the film. I also really liked the concept of the different levels of his house representing different times in his life. It’s really cool how much emotion can be captured and conveyed without a single word.

4

* * *

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/howthegrinchstolechristmas.gif

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Chuck Jones, 1966)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060345/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2)

Date Watched: 12/04/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: It's December
Rewatch: Yes


Chuck Jones brings to wonderful, colorful life the tale of the Grinch, a grouchy creature who is jealous of the joyous spirit of the residents of Whoville and tries to take it away from them. It’s really hard not to love the whimsical and non-sensical world of Seuss’ creations where the images pop and the cheer is infectious. Couple that with the wonderful voice of Boris Karloff as the Grinch (and narrator) and it’s no wonder that this classic special has endured for so long. No Christmas season is complete without it.

4+

BTW, this thread has been going for just over a year now. A big thank you to those who've been following it!

[JayDee]

BTW, this thread has been going for just over a year now. A big thank you to those who've been following it!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/insta_zpslgzbcjf1.gif (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/insta_zpslgzbcjf1.gif.html)


Congratulations Victoria! It's great to see how you've really gotten into this and how your reviews have improved along the way. As I've said before this is my favourite reviews thread. And yes I'm still going to take at least partial credit for your achievement of making it a year having encouraged you to give it a shot. :p


Also, I have a confession that may shock and horrify many a MoFo; I'm not sure I've ever actually seen How the Grinch Stole Christmas. :eek:

[Miss Vicky]

Also, I have a confession that may shock and horrify many a MoFo; I'm not sure I've ever actually seen How the Grinch Stole Christmas. :eek:

Dude, it's 26 minutes long. Get it watched.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/theincredibles.gif

The Incredibles (Brad Bird, 2004)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317705/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 12/05/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I bought a used blu-ray copy and wanted to make sure it played okay.
Rewatch: Yes

As much as I'm a big Pixar fangirl, The Incredibles always seems to rank somewhere in the middle of my list of favorite films from the studio and I'm not entirely sure why, since every time I watch it, I think "Wow, this is really good." I suppose it has a lot to do with the simple fact that it is a superhero movie - and as far as that goes, the fight scenes, chase scenes, and anything to do with the special powers of the supers or Syndrome's inventions have always been my least favorite parts. That said though, the rest of the film is really, well... incredible. There are so many little scenes that I adore. Bob's interactions with his tiny boss. Frozone demanding to know where his super suit is. And Edna Mode. Oh my god, Edna. I ****ing love that character. That tiny woman cracks me up every time. She is absolutely, hands down, the highlight of the movie for me.

But it's not just the laughs that really make this such an enjoyable watch. It's also a surprisingly emotional piece and it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling watching the interactions between the members of the close-knit Parr family. And there's one particular scene that just devastates me every time and I can't help but shed some tears - when Mr. Incredible, held captive by Syndrome, is helpless to do anything to stop the plane that carries his family from being shot down. So heartwrenching.

I still wouldn't rank this above films like Up, Ratatouille, or Wall E, but I can definitely see why some people would hold it in such high esteem and it is making me think I might need to make some changes in what I thought was the final order of my upcoming new personal top 100 movie list.

4+

[nebbit]

Nice reviews :up:

[edarsenal]

https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-05/25/11/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane03/sub-buzz-7680-1464191094-1.png

EDNA ROCKS!!!!

and CONGRATS on the one year!!!!

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/ChristmasVacation.gif

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Jeremiah Chechik, 1989)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097958/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 12/12/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Because Christmas. Duh.
Rewatch: Yes

Christmas just isn't complete without a visit to the Griswold Family home in this cheesy, over-the-top, but really fun holiday staple. For anyone who hasn't seen it (are there people that haven't seen it?), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation centers around Clark Griswold's efforts to put together the perfect Christmas celebration for his family, but of course this is National Lampoon, so the movie is nothing but a series of hilarious misfortunes and catastrophes.

It's hard not to root for Clark - bumbling and a bit short tempered though he may be - as he goes above and beyond to try to impress his loved ones and prove himself as a patriarch and provider to be admired. It's also easy to relate to his frustrations (and over-reactions) when things don't turn out the way he wants.

I know there are some people out there that don't find this movie funny at all, and I'll grant that the humor here isn't subtle, is often crude (gotta love Cousin Eddie, "Sh!tter was full!"), and relies fairly heavily on slapstick. It also probably benefits greatly from nostalgia and its corniness is easier to forgive because it's a Christmas movie (and from the 1980s), but even after nearly 30 years I still laughed quite a bit at its ridiculousness.

As a side note, I also really like the soundtrack for this. In particular the theme song from Mavis Staples and "That Spirit of Christmas" by Ray Charles (played when Clark watches old home movies from his childhood while trapped in the attic) are always in heavy rotation on my iPod this time of year.

4-

[Camo]

Missed the last few entries. How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a really fun classic, she is right JayDee you should give it a try if you haven't already since that post is over a week old.

The Incredibles is my second favourite Pixar after WALL-E and one of my favourite animated films in general. Good to hear that it may be moving up your top 100.

Watched both Vacation and Christmas Vacation for the first time earlier this year. My parents actually owned the Vacation boxset for years but i thought they would be bad because i watched Fletch and hated it. I preferred Christmas and it's too bad i didn't try it when i was younger because i think it could've been one of those nostalgic christmas films i still love like Home Alone.

And a late congratulations on the year :up:

[Miss Vicky]

The Incredibles is my second favourite Pixar after WALL-E and one of my favourite animated films in general. Good to hear that it may be moving up your top 100.

Moving on to my top 100, not up it. That is, if I can figure out which other movie to cut.

Watched both Vacation and Christmas Vacation for the first time earlier this year. My parents actually owned the Vacation boxset for years but i thought they would be bad because i watched Fletch and hated it. I preferred Christmas and it's too bad i didn't try it when i was younger because i think it could've been one of those nostalgic christmas films i still love like Home Alone.

Wow. You've been missing out for years. I love both Vacation and Christmas Vacation and grew up watching them. I also prefer Christmas but I don't really recommend European Vacation if you haven't seen it yet. I don't think I've ever seen Fletch. Actually I think the only non-Lampoon Chevy Chase film (with him in a starring role) I've seen is Funny Farm, which I loved as a kid but haven't seen in ages.

[edarsenal]

it is EXTREMELY easy to feel sorry for Clark; he really tries, really really really really hard. And I really gotta admit, it's when he finally loses it and blows a serious gasket that I cheer for him the most.
I do have a little trouble watching Christmas because of HOW BAD they put him through the grinder - but still a very funny movie.


And yes, Jay, WATCH THE ANIMATED GRINCH!!!! NOW

thank you
Oh, and don't watch a version off cable - they cut it and you have to deal with the commercials. Rent a copy from they library or bum it from someone who already owns a copy to fully enjoy it. I'm gonna do that with Rudolph if I can. Haven't seen that for FAR TOO LONG.

[Camo]

Moving on to my top 100, not up it.

That's how i read it at first but i second guessed myself because i know you usually have a lot of animation on your lists.

I've not seen Fletch since i was a kid, quite a few people i know with good taste like it but i hated it. The only other thing i've seen Chase in is Community i think, he's amazing in that. Have you ever seen Community?

[Miss Vicky]

No, never watched Community. I'm not real big on TV.

[cricket]

I don't mind watching Christmas Vacation, but I'm definitely not a fan. I love the first one.

[JayDee]

You know, for whatever reason I still don't feel I've ever really 'got' The Incredibles. I've seen it 2 or 3 times and while I've always rather enjoyed it I've never come close to seeing it in the way that many other people do. For me it's always been very much in the basement positions in terms of my favourite Pixar films; I've never considered it anywhere near the same league as Wall-e and the Toy Story films for example. And yet as a fan of both Pixar and superheroes I feel I should love it, like it should be perfect for me.

Not seen it in a few years so perhaps on my next viewing I'll finally see what so many other people do

[Guaporense]

The Incredibles is better than Toy Story but weaker than UP and Wall-E. I rank it as 4th among Pixar films.

[Miss Vicky]

The Incredibles is better than Toy Story but weaker than UP and Wall-E. I rank it as 4th among Pixar films.
Why are you even in this thread?

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/nightmarebeforechristmas.gif

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 12/17/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Christmas
Rewatch: Yes.

When I saw this movie the first time, I had some reservations. I really, really don't like musicals and animated musicals are usually no exception. But with each viewing I think I actually like the songs a little more. Of course, my general positive feeling about the film is also helped tremendously by the character designs and overall look of it - a delightful blend of the whimsical and the macabre.

Despite my initial misgivings, Nightmare has been a favorite for a long time now and I usually watch it at least twice a year - and of course a December viewing is obligatory.

4.5-

[Miss Vicky]

I rewatched The Secret Life of Pets on Friday. I liked it slightly less the second time around but still enjoyed it. Funny Face and I are going to go see Moana in about an hour, so I'll probably have another review up today.

[rauldc14]

I rewatched The Secret Life of Pets on Friday. I liked it slightly less the second time around but still enjoyed it. Funny Face and I are going to go see Moana in about an hour, so I'll probably have another review up today.

Hope you like Moana. Have a feeling you won't though.

[Miss Vicky]

Hope you like Moana. Have a feeling you won't though.

Yeah, I've got some reservations about it. But I've got a free pass and my main objective is to veg out and munch on a hot dog and some popcorn so whatever.

[rauldc14]

It's probably my favorite Disney movie (non Pixar) since Lion King so it's doomed.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/innerworkings.jpg

Inner Workings (Leonardo Matsuda, 2016)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5807512/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 12/18/16
Cinema or Home: Cinema, with Funny Face
Reason For Watching: It played before Moana
Rewatch: No

This was a really fun and relatable short about a day in the life of an average guy working in soul-sucking office job. What makes this unique though is that it's told from the point of view of the man's organs. No words are spoken. We see only the thoughts of the brain and the reactions of various organs, including the lungs, heart, stomach, kidneys and bladder as the man encounters various temptations on his way to work and then faces the mind numbing repetition of his job. An absolute delight.

4+

* * *

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/moana.gif

Moana (Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker and Chris Williams, 2016)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3521164/?ref_=tt_rec_tt)

Date Watched: 12/18/16
Cinema or Home: Cinema, with Funny Face
Reason For Watching: I'd read good things about it, but mostly I really wanted a movie theater hot dog and some popcorn (with lots of yellow chemical sludge).
Rewatch: No.

Possible Spoilers Ahead

I went into this movie with some reservations and I wish I could say they were unfounded. The movie is about a young woman who teams up with a shape-shifting demigod (with a magic fishhook) to restore the stolen heart of an island goddess so that the dying crops and disappearing fish on the woman's home island can be restored. Along they way, she is assisted by the ocean (which is a character in the film) and her dead grandmother's (manta ray) spirit. She also enters a realm of monsters (and fights a gigantic decorator crab) and does battle with with an enormous lava demon thing.

Surprisingly though - as much as I dislike heavy fantasy - none of these factors really bothered me. Most of these things were offset by the fantastic animation, breathtaking colors, and solid voice acting. I found myself really engrossed in the film... at times. Unfortunately, the filmmakers decided to make this a musical and every time I got really into it, some jackass character(s) would break out in song and dance. :facepalm: And the songs weren't even good or memorable, they were just irritating, overlong, and felt like useless filler. They took me right out of the movie and severely impaired my ability to enjoy much of the film. Such a shame.

3.5-

[Camo]

Looking forward to Moana. I think that's about the lowest rating i've seen for it and that is still a pretty good rating.

[rauldc14]

Completely disagree, like we always do. I didn't think the songs were that annoying. Some were actually even decent, I would say.

[Miss Vicky]

Completely disagree, like we always do. I didn't think the songs were that annoying. Some were actually even decent, I would say.

I hated the crap out of every single one of them. That opening number actually made me want to walk out.

[Captain Steel]

Just wondering... is Moana Disney's attempt at trying to have a "Princess" of every ethnicity?
(It started out just trying to cover every hair color, then became trying to cover every race. They still need to do a Hindu fairly tale for Asian Indians and a Japanese one, because Mulan doesn't cover all Asians - and the Japanese would be very offended if Disney thinks a Chinese fairy tale is going to appease the Japanese! I don't think they have a Latina Princess yet, do they? Get on the ball, Disney!)

[seanc]

Looking forward to Moana. I think that's about the lowest rating i've seen for it and that is still a pretty good rating.

I rated it lower, but it appears I liked it more. :shrug:

[Miss Vicky]

I rated it lower, but it appears I liked it more. :shrug:

I know my review doesn't accurately reflect it, but I really enjoyed Moana aside from the songs. I might've actually come close to loving it had they been cut from the film.

[rauldc14]

How far I'll go is a fantastic song in my book.

[JayDee]

Glad to see you were still able to enjoy Moana despite its musical inclinations. As I said to you beforehand I really wasn't sure it would be to your tastes as it was a lot more sing-songy than I had realised. As I also said though I really liked it. I thought it looked gorgeous, had a familiar but engaging story, solid vocal performances and a likeable protagonist to really get behind. And I've got to say I really enjoyed the music. I thought the score was great and I was also a fan of some of the songs, so much so that they're still been stuck in my head even a few days on from seeing it. I thought that "Where You Are" was nice and that "How Far I'll Go" was a really rousing crowd-pleaser, that "You're Welcome" was fun and that "Shiny" was successful as a creepy villain song.

If I had one complaint it was the film's humour. I tend to find animated films to be about the funniest stuff that Hollywood puts out these days and that much of the humour arises from clever, witty writing and a place of creativity. I felt that maybe too much of Moana's humour came from quite simplistic slapstick. Her pet chicken for example basically just bumping into stuff for the whole film; I found that quite wearisome. My favourite source of comedic material was definitely Maui's living, interactive tattoos

And I thought you'd really like the accompanying short. It was a fun, creative effort that was also quite sweet.

What did Amanda think about it?

Also was I the only one that was reminded quite heavily of Pocahontas throughout? Not just the similarities in the respective societies and their connection to the planet or the similarities between Moana and Pocahonats themselves; both very adventurous free spirits. I also felt that there was just something about the songs that felt quite familiar

[Miss Vicky]

I felt that maybe too much of Moana's humour came from quite simplistic slapstick. Her pet chicken for example basically just bumping into stuff for the whole film; I found that quite wearisome. My favourite source of comedic material was definitely Maui's living, interactive tattoos.

I thought it was funny enough, especially for being essentially a princess movie. I didn't mind the chicken but didn't find it especially funny. I had kind of mixed feelings about the tattoo. It was unique and fun, but it started to wear pretty thin after awhile.

What did Amanda think about it?

She seemed to really enjoy it, though she was disappointed that the pig had so little screen time. She liked the short a lot, too.

Also was I the only one that was reminded quite heavily of Pocahontas throughout? Not just the similarities in the respective societies and their connection to the planet or the similarities between Moana and Pocahonats themselves; both very adventurous free spirits. I also felt that there was just something about the songs that felt quite familiar

I've only seen Pocahontas once and that was probably 15 years ago so I don't remember it well. I do recall not liking it much, though.

[JayDee]

She seemed to really enjoy it, though she was disappointed that the pig had so little screen time. She liked the short a lot, too.

Oh I was too. :yup: He was so freaking cute! I was disappointed that he didn't go on the voyage with Moana instead of the chicken.

One other thing I liked about the film was that for a princess film there was absolutely no trace of romance. I think it makes a nice change not to have a film that tells little girls that finding a man is the be the be-all and end-all in life.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/theref.jpg

The Ref (Ted Demme, 1994)
Imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110955/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 12/24/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Christmas
Rewatch: Yes

With its ridiculous premise (about a feuding couple and their dysfunctional family that get taken hostage by a burglar on the run on Christmas Eve) and sometimes corny sentimentality, this very easily could've been a very forgettable holiday comedy. And it probably isn't really well known or well respected, but it has long been a personal favorite.

What makes this film really stand out for me are the three central performances. Denis Leary of course gets the lion's share of the laughs as the bumbling burglar who gets more than he bargains for when he finds himself forced to pose as a psychiatrist/marriage counselor for his hostages, in order to hide the reality of the situation from their holiday guests. But both Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis really stand out in to their roles as the captive couple who - through Leary's unorthodox methods of "therapy" - are able to peel away their collective layers of pain and resentment to uncover the real reasons things turned out the way they did and to rediscover their love for each other.

While Spacey may be better known for roles in such films as Se7en, The Usual Suspects, and American Beauty, this performance is no less impressive. He brings a heart-wrenching authenticity as a man who has fought and sacrificed for his family only to be resented and reviled by them. Not to be outdone, Judy Davis is an absolute riot as his neurotic wife who takes every opportunity to make little jabs at him and his visiting relatives.

While its sarcasm and profanity might make it a slightly unconventional Christmas film, it's also a very entertaining one and well deserving of its place on my annual holiday watch list.

4+

[seanc]

I still haven't seen The Ref. Maybe next year.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/strangedays.gif

Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, 1995)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114558/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 12/28/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Sci-Fi Countdown, Cricket's rec.
Rewatch: No

I actually had attempted to watch this movie twice before, but for some reason just couldn't seem to get into it and both times turned it off after about an hour. So I gave up and put it aside for awhile. On this third attempt, I still struggled with it in the beginning but forced myself to push through and actually ended up enjoying myself.

Set in Los Angeles in what was then the near future- the days leading up to New Year's Eve 1999, Strange Days centers around an ex-cop who peddles "playback tapes" - the product of a wearable technology that records not just the sights of experiences, but the feelings as well. He is unwittingly caught up in a conspiracy full of murder and betrayal.

While the performances are all solid and the premise is intriguing, I found myself much more caught up in the atmosphere of the film. Everything about the film's world is buzzing with unrest, conflict, and paranoia and these feelings are palpable through the screen - heightened by the excellent soundtrack, sets, costumes and cinematography. Like the "playback" that is key to the film's story, this is not something you simply watch, it's something you experience.

That said, though, this isn't a film with the sort of strong emotional connection that most appeals to me personally and honestly I respected it more than I actually liked it. I already have more than enough qualified films to submit a ballot and this has no shot at the top half of my list, but perhaps might secure a slot further down.

3.5+

[edarsenal]

you nailed it when you said Strange Days is to be experienced. I remember the first time seeing it when it came out at the theaters and feeling emotionally wiped out afterward. Great movie. Glad to see you take one more attempt to watch it.

And CRAP The Ref is one Christmas movie I haven't seen in a while and truly need to! Though, amusingly, any time I've watched it was never around Christmas. :rolleyes:
Spacey and Davis really do stand out in this movie.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/kubo.gif

Kubo and the Two Strings (Travis Knight, 2016)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4302938/?ref_=nv_sr_2)

Date Watched: 12/29/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: It's animated
Rewatch: No

I can't really call this a disappointment - since that would indicate that I had high expectations of it - but I can say that I was hoping for a lot more. While the film was aiming for imaginative - with its one-eyed boy who uses his magic Shamisen to bring origami to life and to create a ship out of leaves and twigs on his quest to find his father's magic armor (accompanied by an equally magical monkey and a samurai beetle) and defeat the evil, shape-shifting moon king and the two evil witches (read: the boy's grandfather and aunts) - it struck me as mostly being just silly. I'm not a fan of heavy fantasy anyway, but this really didn't work for me.

With the possible exception of Kubo himself, even the characters fell flat and seemed to have little real personality - which was particularly true of Kubo's near catatonic mother. I also was a little irritated by the white-washing of the main voicecast - which starred Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Ralph Fiennes, Matthew McConaughey, and Rooney Mara - though that's probably mostly just the Japanese blood in me coming through.

But the film is not totally beyond redemption. The animation - which is a hybrid of stop-motion and CGI - is absolutely stunning and alone makes the film worth watching.

3

[JayDee]

As you know I really liked Kubo and the Two Strings so I'm disappointed you didn't get more out of it. At least it wasn't a complete miss however. And I agree about the animation being incredible. Pretty much from the first sequence where Kubo brings the origami figures to life to tell his story I was drawn in.

I also watched Strange Days not too long ago and felt somewhat similar to you. I thought it was really well done in terms of direction and the whole atmosphere of the piece (and I thought Ralph Fiennes was very good) but for whatever reason the actual story didn't really grab me. I came away admiring the film but feeling like I should have liked it more than I actually did. There was enough there however for me to watch it again at some point when hopefully I would get more out of its story

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/therescuers.jpeg

The Rescuers (John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman, and Art Stevens, 1977)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076618/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt)

Date Watched: 1/1/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: It's animated
Rewatch: I don't think so

Add this to the list of animated Disney films that I'd thought I had seen as a child, but was probably mistaken. As a child, I had a book that told the stories of many Disney animated movies and included lots of images from the films and I think I probably mistook memories of those stories for memories of the movies themselves.

In any case, this made for a watch that felt both vaguely familiar and very foreign and ultimately I had fairly mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it felt pretty unoriginal with its cliched orphan protagonist, stolen images from Bambi, and a villain who was essentially a discount Cruella De Vil. It also has a distinctly Don Bluth feel to it and it's no surprise that Buth worked on the film as a directing animator.

On the other hand, the voice performances were pretty good, particularly Eva Gabor as Bianca - the eager but rather inept rodent heroine whose bumbling would probably rub modern feminists the wrong way - and it was full of memorable (if not very politically correct) characters. (This was especially true of the swamp residents with their stereotypical southern mannerisms and reliance on the rejuvenating power of moonshine whiskey.)

Overall it's a pretty entertaining flick and one that, at only 77 minutes long, doesn't outstay its welcome.

3.5-

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/faceoff.jpg

Face/Off (John Woo, 1997)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119094/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 1/4/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Rewatch for the Sci-Fi Countdown
Rewatch: Yes

There once was a (brief) time when I considered Nicolas Cage to be my favorite actor. Yes, you read that right. No, I'm not joking. In my defense, I never thought he was a gifted actor (at least I hope I didn't). The man is not talented. I don't think he even knows the definition of "nuance" but damned if he isn't entertaining to watch.

And Face/Off just might be in contention with Con-Air for being the most entertaining Cage flick there is and boy is there a lot of Cage to be had here - and not just from Cage himself. Sure you've got him doing all kinds of crazy Cage faces and manic Cage movements, but you've also got John Travolta doing his best Nic Cage impression and doing quite well at it. It's clear that both men had a blast playing these roles and you'd be hard pressed to keep a straight face throughout.

Just don't try to apply any logic to the "science" behind this fiction or it will all fall apart. But with the overdose of Cage and the over the top action, who really cares? Have fun with it.

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/faceoffcage.gif

4

[Mr Minio]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8AiWu4P198

Cage at his best!

[Camo]

The Rescuers is alright, personally i like The Rescuers Down Under alot more but i know i'm in the minority there.

Face Off is good ridiculous fun, i do like Cage as Castor more though; at the start or when he's supposed to be Sean but has to act like Castor in front of Castors brother or whoever. He's kinda super whiny in a really annoying way when he's supposed to be Sean acting as Sean.

[Miss Vicky]

The Rescuers is alright, personally i like The Rescuers Down Under alot more but i know i'm in the minority there.

I had actually intended to watch (rewatch?) that next since the bluray I bought has both movies, but just got in the mood for some Cage last night. I'll watch it soon.

Face Off is good ridiculous fun, i do like Cage as Castor more though; at the start or when he's supposed to be Sean but has to act like Castor in front of Castors brother or whoever. He's kinda super whiny in a really annoying way when he's supposed to be Sean acting as Sean.

I like him more as Castor as well, but the whining didn't bother me at all and it made sense for what little plot the movie has.

[cricket]

I wasn't crazy about Face Off but I only saw it once at the movies when it came out. The beginning with Cage dressed as a priest is awesome though.

[Miss Vicky]

I wasn't crazy about Face Off but I only saw it once at the movies when it came out.

Perhaps after 20 years it's time for a revisit?

[cricket]

Perhaps after 20 years it's time for a revisit?

Yeah, it's the type of movie I would normally like.

[JayDee]

I've always really liked Face/Off; just good, absolutely bonkers fun. And while at no point would I ever consider him to be my favourite actor I also used to really like Nicholas Cage, particularly in the mid to late 90s when he had his incredible action movie triple bill of The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off back-to-back. And the one thing I will say about Cage is that at least he's always interesting, at least he's always trying something different in his performances. It's commendable when there are so many actors about who just knock out the same performance over and over again

[edarsenal]

Face/Off IS all kinds of fun. Not my favorite John Woo flick but DEFINITELY, as you said, one of the most entertaining Cage films. The whole opener with Cage running wild as Castor is pretty damn hilarious

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/ytumama.gif

Y Tu Mamá También (Alfonso Cuarón, 2001)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245574/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 1/8/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th HOF, Camo's nomination
Rewatch: No

I really didn't know what to expect from this film going in and my previous experiences with Cuarón films have been... well, not especially memorable. Unfortunately, this wasn't an exception.

But that doesn't mean I hated it and really there's nothing actually wrong with it. From a visual standpoint, I thought the film was really beautiful which seems to be par for the course with Cuarón. The rich, earthy tones fit well with the mood and the setting and there were some very interesting shots, particularly the swimming scenes. I also appreciated the themes of death, love, betrayal, and discovery. The performances were all solid as well.

However, the constant narration really took me out of the film and I found Tenoch and Julio to be far more irritating than endearing. Ultimately I respected Y Tu Mamá También far more than I enjoyed it.

3

[TheUsualSuspect]

I'm a fan of Down Under as well. Remember that one more as a kid than the original.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/Uturn.gif

U Turn (Oliver Stone, 1997)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120399/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 1/9/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th HOF, Topsy's nomination
Rewatch: Yes

Possible Spoilers Ahead

Though IMDb and Wikipedia would have you believe this is a crime thriller, it's actually much more so a dark comedy. Sure, the dread, tension and unease are laid on thick, but so is the film's twisted humor.

The film centers around a drifter named Bobby (Sean Penn) who, while traveling to Las Vegas to pay off a sizable debt owed to a gangster, finds himself stranded in hell (otherwise known as Superior, Arizona) when his car breaks down. Here he encounters the town's colorful, volatile, and not too bright residents. After a series misfortunes leaves him broke - not only without the money for the gangster, but without even enough to pay off the town's white trash mechanic (hilariously played by Billy Bob Thornton) - he finds himself caught up in a web of intrigue, sex, and murder.

While I find the story to be well crafted and engaging and Penn's performance to be solid, it's really those colorful townsfolk that make the movie for me. Not surprisingly, my favorite of these characters is Joaquin Phoenix's hot-headed dimwit Toby ("The name's Toby N. Tucker. People around here call me TNT. You know why? 'Cause I'm just like dynamite, boy, and when I go off somebody gets hurt!) who thinks every man is trying to "make time" with his equally dimwitted girl Jenny (Claire Danes). However the whole cast is really great. Jon Voight as the blind homeless man spouting crazy stories, Jennifer Lopez as a young seductress with secrets to hide, Nick Nolte as her husband, and Powers Boothe as the town's sheriff. A few other familiar faces pop up as well, including Laurie Metcalf and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Liv Tyler (Phoenix's then girlfriend).

U Turn is a film that is perhaps a little light on substance, but delivers a really heavy dose of entertainment. I've loved it for a long time and while it's not my nomination, I really hope the other participants enjoy it as much as I do.

4+

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/budapest.gif

The Grand Budpest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278388/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 1/12/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th HOF, edarsenal's nomination
Rewatch: No

This is the sixth Wes Anderson film that I have seen and the third that I've been obligated to watch for a MoFo Hall of Fame. (Can y'all do me a favor and stop nominating his crap, please?)

Once again, I like the the look of the film. Wes Anderson has a keen eye for color and camera angles. His films virtually pop off the screen. And were that enough to make me actually like a movie, I might be a fan. But it isn't. Yet again, I didn't buy his characters. They don't act or speak like real people (yes, I know he's not trying to make them seem real, but damn it, that doesn't mean I have to like it) - though Gustave seemed far more believably human than most Anderson creations. So I do give some credit for that but he's still not human enough for me to care what happened to him. I also don't find Anderson's particular brand of quirk at all amusing and this was no exception. As with the other five Anderson films I've seen - The Life Aquatic, The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rushmore, and Moonrise Kingdom - I spent most the movie with a completely straight face. That is, when I wasn't muttering "This sucks" or checking to see how much longer it would be until the end.

2.5-

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/romper.gif

Romper Stomper (Geoffrey Wright, 1992)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105275/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 1/13/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th HOF, my nomination
Rewatch: Yes

Although I've seen Romper Stomper many times and the most recent watch was only about 18 months ago, I'd somehow forgotten just how unrelentingly brutal this film is. From the opening scene to the last, it is packed with a level of realistic violence that is seldom seen in other films. And this isn't just a bunch of gunfights but rather street fighting with fists, boots, knives, boards - anything they can get their hands on - and people are left bloodied and limp on the street.

But the film has more to offer than simple barbarity. Russell Crowe turns in a stunning (and terrifying) performance as the charismatic leader of the gang of neo-Nazi skinheads who inflict terror on the Vietnamese inhabitants of Melbourne (that is, until their victims decide to band together and fight back). He absolutely disappears into the role. But his is not the only impressive performance. Daniel Pollock is a wonder as well as the quiet and more sensitive Davey - the only one of with any shred of humanity in a mob of monsters. Sadly though, this was Pollock's final performance - he commited suicide by throwing himself under a train at the age of 23.

What's interesting too is that - though the story doesn't end well for its characters - the film looks at them with an eye that is far more observant than it is critical or preachy. And this makes Romper Stomper that much more powerful and unsettling.

4+

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/barbara.gif

Barbara (Christian Petzold, 2012)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2178941/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 1/15/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th HOF, cosmicrunaway's nomination
Rewatch: No

I had some really mixed feelings on this one. It's beautifully shot, the acting was solid, and the basic story was interesting, but I struggled to get through it. Barbara's coldness - while understandable given the circumstances - was really off-putting to me and it took me a good long while to get to like her. And, while I also understand the quietness of the film, the pacing had me squirming and struggling to concentrate.

That said, I really liked Dr. Reiner. Even when he wasn't speaking, there was a definite warmth to him that I found very appealing and really liked the way he contrasted Barbara's manner. I also really liked the scenes between Barbara and Stella and loved the way the film ended, but it was a bit of a battle for me to get to that point.

3+

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/swordinthestone.gif

The Sword in the Stone (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1963)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057546/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 1/17/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The Animation Tournament
Rewatch: No

So... yeah, thirty-five is not the right age to watch this movie for the first time. About thirty years ago would've been a good time. But that didn't happen for me and without nostalgia on its side I found the movie mostly irritating. The animation is not bad, but not great and while the songs were few, they were really annoying especially when Arthur sang. Also Merlin most definitely did not strike me as the greatest wizard, especially when Arthur was constantly put in peril because of Merlin's ineptitude. And his straight up abandonment of the boy near the end didn't put him in any favorable light for me. But, of course, being a Disney movie, everything worked out in the end.

There were a few scenes that I really enjoyed - like the wizard duel and the flirty squirrel - but overall this just wasn't for me. At least not adult me. I might've liked this had I seen it as a kid.

2.5+

[rauldc14]

I swear you are my film fan polar opposite. If it wasn't for Gladiator.

[TheUsualSuspect]

Grand Budapest is my second favourite Anderson flick.

Also, can a film review from you, for a film that stars Phoenix be taken objectively?

[Miss Vicky]

Also, can a film review from you, for a film that stars Phoenix be taken objectively?

If you want objectivity from a review - regardless of the film's stars - you're in the wrong thread.

[Camo]

Too bad you didn't like it. Great film :cool:

[Iroquois]

If you want objectivity from a review - regardless of the film's stars - you're in the wrong thread.

I suppose a better way of phrasing the question would be to ask how much the presence of someone like Phoenix or Crowe influences your overall subjective opinion of a film, whether in terms of a numerical rating or just general thoughts and feelings about it.

[Miss Vicky]

I suppose a better way of phrasing the question would be to ask how much the presence of someone like Phoenix or Crowe influences your overall subjective opinion of a film, whether in terms of a numerical rating or just general thoughts and feelings about it.

I've said this countless times before and frankly I'm getting tired of repeating it: I'm probably a little more likely to give a favorable review to a film with certain actors in it, but their mere presence isn't enough to make me like it. If a movie is otherwise deeply flawed and just doesn't appeal to me, then I'm not going to like it no matter who is in it or how strong their performance is. I don't love or even like everything Phoenix has done and there are a few Russell Crowe movies that I flat out hate.

Again, if you want objectivity, go elsewhere.

[Iroquois]

https://media.giphy.com/media/FqSWj3uG7dXdC/giphy.gif

[TheUsualSuspect]

https://nerdgasmnerd.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/z0gabha.gif?w=470&h=140&crop=1

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/fromuponpoppyhill.gif

From Up On Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka kara) (Gorô Miyazaki, 2011)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798188/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 01/19/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Animation Tournament
Rewatch: No

After my experiences with the films of the other Miyazaki, I'd been very hesitant to give this a try. To my relief, From Up On Poppy Hill contains no real fantasy elements, aside from a couple of dream sequences. The story is simple and sweet - two kids meet, develop feelings for each other and work to save a clubhouse - and the animation is quite beautiful. I really have very few complaints about the film and the few things that did bother me - the soundtrack (which was too loud) and the roof jumping scene that should have left the boy totally scratched and bloody instead saw him with no immediately visible wounds - were pretty trivial.

That said, however, I just wasn't all that invested in these characters or this story. It struck me as solid but not outstanding in any way. Still, I can think of worse ways to spend 90 minutes.


3+

[CosmicRunaway]

I haven't watched From Up on Poppy Hill yet. I asked my room mate about it (who loves Miyazaki), and she said that when she first saw it, she actually really disliked it. Upon thinking about it she thought it had a nice story, so she decided to watch it again, and liked it a little more. She's since watched it a third time, but still only thinks it's okay at best.

Her less than enthusiastic response has me a bit sceptical about it. Right now I'm just hoping that I'll have a similar reaction to you (liking it slightly more than expected) haha.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/withnail.gif

Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson, 1987)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094336/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 01/21/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, Neiba's nomination.
Rewatch: No

When this was announced as a nomination, I was actually quite glad. Though I knew nothing of its content, I'd heard great things about it. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for the film was killed within the first few minutes and, truth be told, it took me several attempts to complete it.

I think a big problem is that this is supposed to be a comedy and it's a rare thing for a live action comedy to work for me. But moreso my issue was with the characters. Rather than finding this pair of neurotic losers amusing, I found them incredibly irritating. Making the experience worse still was that I didn't like any of the other characters, what few there were, either. And I liked Uncle Monty least of all. Heaven forbid a gay character in a movie from this era actually behave anything like a normal human being. No - let's make the gay uncle a rapey creep, because reasons. :rolleyes:

So yeah, not amused by this. Not amused at all.

1.5

[Iroquois]

Oh, dang. Withnail has been a favourite of mine for well over a decade by this point, but I can concede that its idiosyncratic sense of humour definitely won't work for everyone.

You do raise a good point about Uncle Monty, though. I feel like I could argue the point that he's got more complexity than just being a "rapey creep", especially considering the reveal that

Withnail lied to him about Marwood being a closeted gay in order to gain access to the cottage, which presumably makes Monty interpret Marwood's resistance as him simply being too nervous about his homosexuality to accept his advances

that doesn't exactly excuse Monty's actions (he definitely crosses a line towards the end, even if it's under false pretenses) but at least explains them a bit better than him just being a stock-standard sexual predator.

[honeykid]

I've never seen Withnail because I hate the actual look of the film. However, having heard many of the lines quoted time and time again, as well as seeing clips here and there, I'm fairly confident I wouldn't like it even if I did watch it.

[JayDee]

You're not alone in your sentiments regarding Withnail & I. I was actually given a loan of it by someone who considers it to be one of their favourite films and I just absolutely hated it! Could not believe how much they loved it

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/americanhistoryx.gif

American History X (Tony Kaye, 1998)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120586/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 01/23/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Have been thinking about it since rewatching Romper Stomper
Rewatch: Yes

I've seen this movie before and it's been in my collection for quite some time but it's been a long time since I last watched it and I didn't really remember any of the details.

I know this film gets a lot of respect, but I actually found this rewatch a little disappointing, especially with Romper Stomper so fresh in my mind. Edward Norton turned in an excellent performance as Derek Vinyard and I liked the look of the film, but the story and the dialogue were overly sentimental and felt a little preachy at times. I didn't like the way the film tried to make the audience sympathize with these people nor how one dimensional pretty much all of the non-white characters were. One particular character that really bugged me was Lamont - the black convict that worked with Derek in doing the prison laundry. Here's this magical character who will change Derek's hate-filled, misguided skinhead mind with his tale of the bum rap he got at the hands of the legal system. Yeah right. I don't buy it.

Even with its tragic ending, American History X just feels all too tidy and contrived for its subject. I also really could've done without the reading of Danny's essay or its inclusion in the film at all. That sort of heavy-handed sentimentality works when it's a movie about a bunch of high school kids who bond during Saturday detention, but it doesn't work for a movie centered around violent racism, hate, and murder.

3+

[Iroquois]

Good write-up on American History X. It really does play out like an after-school special where it's far easier to talk about what it does wrong than what it does right (and, aside from Edward Norton doing some capital-A Acting, I can't think of too much to genuinely recommend about it).

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/fritzthecat.gif

Fritz the Cat (Ralph Bakshi, 1972)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068612/?ref_=nv_sr_4)

Date Watched: 01/24/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: The Animation Tournament
Rewatch: No

I know this is meant to be satire, but it views like a barrage of crudeness for the sake of it. That crudeness, both in content and style, is so overwhelming and unrelenting that it actually renders the movie boring. Within the first few minutes it ceases to be shocking and just becomes an overload of trash. Thank goodness the movie is pretty short.

The only positive I can give the film is that I liked the soundtrack, but a soundtrack doesn't make a movie.

1

[Camo]

Agree with just about every word of that AHX review except i like it much much less than you. Not a fan of Fritz either as i said in the other thread.

[Derek Vinyard]

At least you like it tho... I respect everybody opinion about it :) (I talk about AHX :p)

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/batmanyearone.gif

Batman: Year One (Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery, 2011)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1672723/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 01/24/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Animation Tournament
Rewatch: No

I really don't have much to say about this one. The animation looked great and the voice performances were solid. However, I didn't feel like anything really new or interesting was brought to this sort of Batman origin tale. It was fine for what it was and at just over an hour long, I wasn't bored or anything, but I wasn't impressed either.

3-

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/themanfromnowhere.gif

The Man From Nowhere (Ajeossi) (Jeong-beom Lee, 2010)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527788/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 01/24/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, RoyalWitCheese's nomination
Rewatch: No

I went into this movie completely blind. I did zero research and read none of the write-ups from the other HOF participants. And honestly I had kind of put it off because I just wasn't in the mood for reading subtitles.

But holy crap. This is the kind of movie watching experience that I hope for when I sign up for a hall of fame. And yet, it's not what I typically expect to see. This is no arthouse picture and there's no real deep meaning to it. What the film does offer though is an onslaught of action coupled with a really interesting story and some great characters.

I LOVED Cha Tae-sik. His combination of sex appeal, badassery, and sweetness was fantastic and an absolute joy to watch. But the bad guys were pretty cool, too. Though cooler still was the way they got their comeuppance - especially Jong-seok, the pretty boy brother of the main villain.

All in all, a great piece of entertainment and something I'll probably watch again.

4+

[Camo]

I've read Batman: Year One, never seen the film though. And yeah The Man From Nowhere was excellent; was a surprise as i'm not crazy about action films anymore.

[Derek Vinyard]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/themanfromnowhere.gif

The Man From Nowhere (Ajeossi) (Jeong-beom Lee, 2010)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527788/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 01/24/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, RoyalWitCheese's nomination
Rewatch: No

I went into this movie completely blind. I did zero research and read none of the write-ups from the other HOF participants. And honestly I had kind of put it off because I just wasn't in the mood for reading subtitles.

But holy crap. This is the kind of movie watching experience that I hope for when I sign up for a hall of fame. And yet, it's not what I typically expect to see. This is no arthouse picture and there's no real deep meaning to it. What the film does offer though is an onslaught of action coupled with a really interesting story and some great characters.

I LOVED Cha Tae-sik. His combination of sex appeal, badassery, and sweetness was fantastic and an absolute joy to watch. But the bad guys were pretty cool, too. Though cooler still was the way they got their comeuppance - especially Jong-seok, the pretty boy brother of the main villain.

All in all, a great piece of entertainment and something I'll probably watch again.

4+

GREAT movie. Agree with the review as well :up:

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/atlantis.gif

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, 2001)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230011/?ref_=nv_sr_2)

Date Watched: 01/29/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Animation Tournament
Rewatch: No

I don't have a whole lot to say about this one. The animation looked great, but I didn't care for the very angular character designs. I also didn't particularly like the characters themselves. I didn't find Milo's bumbling to be at all endearing, Mole, who I suppose was meant to be comic relief, was just annoying, and everybody else just felt kind of generic and forgettable. The film is also heavy fantasy, which has never been a genre that has appealed to me. There wasn't anything that I would necessarily call bad about it and I didn't have high expectations so I can't really call it a disappointment, but it just didn't work for me.

2.5-

[Camo]

Never liked that either.

[Iroquois]

I'm aware it's not great or anything, but I was honestly surprised at how much I ended up liking it when I first saw it last year. Low expectations work wonders.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/rockandrule.gif

Rock & Rule (Clive A. Smith, 1983)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086203/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 01/31/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Animation Tournament
Rewatch: No

I think this is one of those films where my viewing experience would've been vastly improved had I been under the influence of some sort of illicit substance. I wasn't, but I do have to wonder if its makers were. It's a very odd movie, but unfortunately that strangeness did not translate into a positive experience for me. I didn't like the character designs and found them to be actually rather ugly. I didn't much care for the voice performances or the characters themselves either, and found the singing parts rather bothersome because the mouth movements and facial expressions didn't match the vocals of the songs very well. The songs themselves were okay, but not memorable. As to the story? The whole demon thing just felt silly.

I had really hoped for a better experience for this, because this movie is currently matched against one that I don't like, but sadly I liked this one even less than the other.

2-

[ScarletLion]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/withnail.gif

Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson, 1987)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094336/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 01/21/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, Neiba's nomination.
Rewatch: No

When this was announced as a nomination, I was actually quite glad. Though I knew nothing of its content, I'd heard great things about it. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for the film was killed within the first few minutes and, truth be told, it took me several attempts to complete it.

I think a big problem is that this is supposed to be a comedy and it's a rare thing for a live action comedy to work for me. But moreso my issue was with the characters. Rather than finding this pair of neurotic losers amusing, I found them incredibly irritating. Making the experience worse still was that I didn't like any of the other characters, what few there were, either. And I liked Uncle Monty least of all. Heaven forbid a gay character in a movie from this era actually behave anything like a normal human being. No - let's make the gay uncle a rapey creep, because reasons. :rolleyes:

So yeah, not amused by this. Not amused at all.

1.5

Exactly how I felt about it. I get ribbed for not liking it, as it's seen as a kind of cult classic but it just irritated me and I didn't find it amusing at all.

[MovieMeditation]

I'm aware it's not great or anything, but I was honestly surprised at how much I ended up liking it when I first saw it last year. Low expectations work wonders.
I was surprised of the characters, the darker theme, the more complex story, the ambition... all that was really awesome. But unfortunately the execution was meh. But interesting movie from Disney for sure.

[CosmicRunaway]

Rock & Rule (Clive A. Smith, 1983)
[. . .]

rating_2-
Called it. :cool:

Honestly I probably should've rewatched that before nominating it, but I wasn't expecting enough participants to be found so quickly. Also I felt like I should nominate something Canadian for once haha.

[edarsenal]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/rockandrule.gif

Rock & Rule (Clive A. Smith, 1983)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086203/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 01/31/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Animation Tournament
Rewatch: No

I think this is one of those films where my viewing experienced would've been vastly improved had I been under the influence of some sort of illicit substance.

2-

It DEFINITELY helps! ;)

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/cityoflostchildren.gif

The City of Lost Children (La cité des enfants perdus) (Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1995)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112682/?ref_=nm_knf_i3)

Date Watched: 02/02/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, Clazor's Nomination
Rewatch: No

Well that was f*cking weird.

I knew as soon as I pressed play that this had to be from the same people who made Delicatessen and Mic Macs. I also knew that my experience with this movie would be much like my experiences with those other films: I would find the bizarre collection of characters (played by some really strange looking people) and bizarre situations novel and interesting enough to keep my attention but ultimately I would come away with no real desire to ever see it again.

In a lot of ways, these sorts of films remind me of the works of Wes Anderson - they look great - but the odd and awkward characters are a little off-putting and I struggle to connect. Unlike Anderson's films, though, I don't find the characters in City of Lost Children or those other films to be annoying (I can't say the same for my experience with Jeunet's Amélie, though it's been a very long time since I saw that) and there were some moments where despite their strangeness, they felt real. This was especially true of the interactions between One and Miette, but I still never developed much of an emotional connection with either of them.

Ultimately, my prediction was correct: It was entertaining, but I probably won't ever watch it again.

3+

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/joe.jpg

Joe (John G. Avildsen, 1970)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065916/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3)

Date Watched: 02/04/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, Cricket's Nomination
Rewatch: No

I had some very mixed feelings about this one. I really struggled to get through the first half of the film. Peter Boyle and Dennis Patrick were both very good in their roles, but pretty much everybody else ranged from passable but forgettable to downright awful. Susan Sarandon and Patrick McDermott were the worst offenders, but most of the cast was just not good. Once the film really got going I did enjoy the story - though I wasn't totally surprised by the ending - but I really didn't like the dark, kind of gritty look of the film. I don't know if that's owing to the film's age and budget more than to an artistic choice, but it bothered me. Just a very uneven film in terms of quality.

3

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/neverletmego.gif

Never Let Me Go (Mark Romanek, 2010)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334260/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 02/09/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, Citizen Rules's nomination
Rewatch: No

I struggled a little with this one. There were some parts of it that I really liked and some parts that bugged me. I thought the basic idea of it and its attempt to examine what it means to live, to love, and to be human were very good. The performances were also solid and I did find myself shedding a tear or two by the end.

However, the sort of incongruity between the setting of the film and level of advancement in medical technology bugged. There were also times when I felt like the story was a little too heavy on the drama. I get that the characters find themselves in a pretty shtty situation but I also found it odd that a film that focuses so much on the soul is so devoid of humor. It also bothered me that they so willingly accepted their fates. I know that they were conditioned to do so by their upbringing and their isolation but they just seemed to have no fight in them, even Tommy's pitiful rage at the end - when he can no longer continue to foster any hope for his situation - just seemed weak. Impotent.

And in some ways that's kind of how I felt about the film overall. It had promise, but didn't quite meet the potential that I think is there. Still, I can't deny that I did enjoy it for the most part.

3.5-

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/casablanca.gif

Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

Date Watched: 02/15/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, jiraffejustin's nomination
Rewatch: Yes

I saw this movie once before, back in 2014, and I remember being impressed with it - the story was excellent, the performances were all strong, the music was good, the cinematography was great, and I appreciated the themes of love, duty, honor, and forgiveness - yet not actually loving it because I just wasn't that invested in the characters.

History repeated itself tonight. I'm still impressed with it for all the same reasons. I understand why it's considered such a great film, but - aside from Rick and possibly Sam - I was mostly indifferent to its characters, Ilsa and Laszlo especially. These characters just felt underdeveloped and, aside from Bergman's beauty, I failed to understand why men would risk so much for Ilsa.

Still this is a relatively minor complaint and my respect for the film remains. I just don't think it'll ever quite be a favorite.

4-

[mark f]

What about being très witty?

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/midnightrun.gif

Midnight Run (Martin Brest, 1988)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095631/)

Date Watched: 02/18/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, SilentVamp's Nomination
Rewatch: No

I usually avoid live action comedies because... well... they just aren't funny. Most of them anyway. But other than feeling a little wary of it being a comedy,I really had no idea what to expect from this movie going in. With its strong cast I was hopeful I'd enjoy it, though.

I didn't enjoy it.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't quite hate it. Close, but not quite. The cast was capable enough and I suppose if I had let myself not think about what was happening I might have liked it. Maybe. But as the movie dragged on (and it did drag, they should've shaved off 30 minutes or so) I found myself becoming more and more irritated with the writing and with the character of Jack.

Now I'll admit that I don't know the laws pertaining to bounty hunting, but a lot of the things in this movie just sounded like a load of crap that was made up by the writers as a lame excuse for some of the stupid ***** that happens. "I can't keep you cuffed on a commercial flight." Huh? "You know you can't take a prisoner on a plane if he doesn't want to fly." What?! Who gives a ***** what the prisoner wants?

And then there's Jack. We're supposed to like Jack. Jack used to be a cop. A good cop who wouldn't take money from a mobster. So he lost his job and everything he loved and we're supposed to sympathize with him. Right. Okay so this "good cop" wouldn't take money from the mobster, but he thinks nothing of stealing several civilian owned cars and robbing a bar - because theft and robbery are TOTALLY A-OKAY when you're a bounty hunter trying to get a fugitive back to L.A. so you can collect money from the bondsman. No. No, it f***ing isn't. And to that end, Jon wasn't any better. Yeah he's supposedly this "Robin Hood" figure who gave stolen money to charity, but the robbery was his idea.

Oh and let's not forget what a winner of a father Jack is. He says he hasn't seen his daughter in nine years. Nine f*cking years. When we meet her, she says she's in eighth grade. That would put her at about twelve or thirteen years of age, so she was three or four when he last saw her and he couldn't go see his only child or be part of her life because... reasons. Why exactly am I supposed to like this guy again?

So all this just made the ending feel empty, since my irritation towards Jack and apathy towards Jon meant I wasn't rooting for anyone. Oh and as I feared would happen, I never laughed nor even once broke a smile during this whole "comedy."

Sorry Vamp, but this just really wasn't for me.

2.5-

[Captain Steel]

What's funny is I really loved Midnight Run when I first saw it in the theater in 1988.
Then I did a rewatch about a year ago... somehow it didn't feel the same. The movie hasn't aged well.

[honeykid]

I've not seen that film in 20 years, but you've given it a higher rating than I would've, MV. Literally the only thing I remember about that film is the argument I got into with my Film Studies tutor over it. :D

[JayDee]

Throw me into the same pool as Vicky and HK (oh that sounds fun! :p). I've seen Midnight Run a couple of times and just really didn't like it. Never been able to understand the reputation it has and to be honest I don't think I would even have realised it was meant to be a 'comedy' if it hadn't already been sold as one to me

[Roy C.]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/joe.jpg

Joe (John G. Avildsen, 1970)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065916/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3)

Date Watched: 02/04/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, Cricket's Nomination
Rewatch: No

I had some very mixed feelings about this one. I really struggled to get through the first half of the film. Peter Boyle and Dennis Patrick were both very good in their roles, but pretty much everybody else ranged from passable but forgettable to downright awful. Susan Sarandon and Patrick McDermott were the worst offenders, but most of the cast was just not good. Once the film really got going I did enjoy the story - though I wasn't totally surprised by the ending - but I really didn't like the dark, kind of gritty look of the film. I don't know if that's owing to the film's age and budget more than to an artistic choice, but it bothered me. Just a very uneven film in terms of quality.

rating_3

I think the film works as dark and gritty, because that's the atmosphere of the whole movie/plot. Sure, part of it is because of the age and low-budget factors. But I think the B-movie cinematography makes it more home-hitting than if it were some big production.

[Roy C.]

Midnight Run is ok. Just one of those "pass-the-time" movies. I'd give it a 3/5. I wasn't laughing hysterically at it or anything, but I did have some chuckles along the way. The John character is really annoying though, and a complete idiot. Jack should have just given him a sedative at the very beginning and none of the stuff would've happened. Problem solved.

[Camo]

All of you guys suck. Midnight Run is fantastic :cool:

[Captain Steel]

All of you guys suck. Midnight Run is fantastic :cool:

I've argued with people about this, but I always enjoyed Charles Grodin's movie performances. I always liked his comedic deadpan delivery especially in movies like Catch-22, The Heartbreak Kid and The Lonely Guy.

[Camo]

I've argued with people about this, but I always enjoyed Charles Grodin's movie performances. I always liked his comedic deadpan delivery especially in movies like Catch-22, The Heartbreak Kid and The Lonely Guy.

For the record, i don't actually think it is fantastic. Well i do, it's one of my favourite films but i don't really disagree with any of the criticisms here. It's just one of those dumb 80's/early 90's comedies that along with My Cousin Vinny and The 'Burbs especially makes me really happy and takes me out of bad/sad moods. The only thing that works better than those three is Arrested Development. It's flawed as all hell and i completely get people not finding it totally hilarious, while it's one of my favourite comedies i wouldn't say it's one of the films that make me laugh most. Here's my post about it in the 12th:

Midnight Run

http://i65.tinypic.com/fegtbr.jpg

As i said i'm going to make short posts about the films that i'm not going to rewatch, i'll start with this.

Midnight Run is both one of my favourite comedies and one of my favourite films in general. I first watched it when i was about 12 and loved it but could never remember its name until i stumbled upon it one youtube about five years ago, didn't expect it to hold up like so many haven't as i've got older but it absolutely did and i bought it and have watched it multiple times since. Along with My Cousin Vinny and The Burbs it's my go to cheesy comedy that always relaxes me and puts me an extremely good mood every time without fail. It's not just the humour although i do find it hilarious, i mean there's some films i find funnier that i don't like nearly as much. And the film is certainly no masterpiece; Deniro's character is a very cliche ex cop with baggage and the mafia are extremely one note, his family story really isn't special at all and i don't feel moved by his scene with his daughter. Regardless, it is so entertaining to me which i think is a combination of the humour, Grodin's performance as well as his chemistry with Deniro and just the general feel of the film that i can't quite explain.

Anyway great film, one of my favourites.

[Captain Steel]

For the record, i don't actually think it is fantastic. Well i do, it's one of my favourite films but i don't really disagree with any of the criticisms here. It's just one of those dumb 80's/early 90's comedies that along with My Cousin Vinny and The 'Burbs especially makes me really happy and takes me out of bad/sad moods. The only thing that works better than those three is Arrested Development. It's flawed as all hell and i completely get people not finding it totally hilarious, while it's one of my favourite comedies i wouldn't say it's one of the films that make me laugh most. Here's my post about it in the 12th:

This makes me realize we really don't have a variety of comedies being made today as in the past. I was going to say I miss Charles Grodin being in movies, but he probably wouldn't fit in today's comedies. It seems almost all of it is Seth Rogen / Frat Pack level toilet humor and vulgarity.

[Camo]

This makes me realize we really don't have a variety of comedies being made today as in the past. I was going to say I miss Charles Grodin being in movies, but he probably wouldn't fit in today's comedies. It seems almost all of it is Seth Rogen / Frat Pack level toilet humor and vulgarity.

I always object to films today being categorized as "always" anything since there is just as much variety as before just not always in Hollywood which tends to latch on to niche's they find to milk them for all they're worth. I don't really focus on comedy films though so couldn't suggest any alternatives, maybe some of the bigger comedy fans here will be able to.

TV Comedy has been consistently fantastic since the 90's though, obviously there's been plenty of garbage but i don't think comedy has been explored as well and as in depth as it has in the last 25 years in TV Shows though. Saying that they clearly latch onto certain types of shows too, every time i turn around i seem to see a new show emulating Louie for instance.

[JayDee]

Earlier on I just finished watching Never Let Me Go by the way. I was quite curious about it back when it was released but missed it and had largely forgotten about it. Seeing you and some other people talking about it because of the Hall of Fame made me decide to give it a go. While you certainly rated it higher than I would have I think I largely shared your opinion of it. I struggled to really engage with it, finding it a bit dull in stretches. I think it had some very interseting ideas in there but that none of them were really explored to their full potential. The central idea was interesting but I think so much of it was left vague that I found myself frustrated. How does the whole operation, with all the different centres and stuff, actually work? How do they keep track of the donors? Do the donors ever rebel and try to escape or hide? Like you I was irritated by how willingly they all accepted it. I think the idea of using art to judge a person's soul also had some potential for real depth but wasn't fully explored. I did find it to be a rather lovely looking film though and thought Carey Mulligan gave a rather endearing, mesmerising performance.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/hiroshimamonamour.gif

Hiroshima Mon Amour (Alain Resnais, 1959)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052893/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 02/21/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th HOF, Pussy Galore's nomination
Rewatch: No

There are a lot of things to praise about Hiroshima Mon Amour. The performances and writing are solid. It's a really beautiful film. The cinematography is gorgeous and many of the images, particularly of Hiroshima's survivors, are quite haunting. I really respect the artistry that went into its creation.

The trouble is, even with all its strengths, I didn't enjoy it at all and I really struggled to finish it. The problem is that I simply did not care about either of its central characters. I found her emotional instability annoying and his bizarre fascination with her equally so. I was not at all engaged in the story of her German lover in Nevers and her time in the cellar. And, while I found the sound of the main actress's voice soothing, the excruciating pace and endless and repetitive talking made it hard for me to maintain my focus and I was quite bored throughout.

3-

[rauldc14]

Looks like the rating you gave it may mean I would really like it.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/perfectblue.gif

Perfect Blue (Pafekuto buru) (Satoshi Kon, 1997)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0156887/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 02/23/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Animation Tournament, also because I just felt like it
Rewatch: Yes

Although I still prefer the wonderful characters of Tokyo Godfathers and the twisted imagery of Paprika, Perfect Blue is an excellent film.

What really makes this film great is just how disorienting it is. It's confusing in a way that makes it intriguing rather than frustrating. Nothing is really as it seems and even by the film's end you're not entirely sure what actually happened. While I find the character of Mima actually kind of annoying (her childish naivete in the beginning was really grating), I definitely felt like I was seeing things through her eyes as she lost touch with reality and things spun out of control.

But there's more to like here than just that. The imagery, though not as memorable for me as Paprika's, is still striking and haunting at times. It really adds a lot to the sense of paranoia that permeates most of the movie. I also really liked the contrast between the colorful costumes and bright lights of the life of a pop idol and the darker, more seedy images of Mima as an actress and how those brighter images took on a really ominous feeling as the film progressed.

Overall, Perfect Blue is really taut and engrossing. It's definitely one of the best psychological thrillers I've seen but I still hesitate to call it a favorite.

4+

Camo CiCi

[Camo]

Jesus, yeah you are the best momentarily at least :up:

[Miss Vicky]

Jesus, yeah you are the best momentarily at least :up:
I am the best always.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/sanshirosugata.jpg

Sanshiro Sugata (Akira Kurosawa, 1943)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036400/)

Date Watched: 02/25/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th HOF, Nope1172's nomination
Rewatch: No

This is my fourth Kurosawa film. I generally find him to be a skilled director and quite enjoyed the other films I've seen - Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Rashomon - but I wasn't too enamored with this one. Some of the scenes were quite beautiful and I do have to wonder what was lost to the censors of the time, but other scenes bothered me - particularly some of the fight scenes were wrestlers are thrown. Don't get me wrong, I realize this was from the 40s and effects and stuntwork weren't what they are now, but some of these scenes felt jarringly unrealistic. I also wasn't really that invested in the story or in Sanshiro himself.

Still, the performances and cinematography were mostly strong and its brevity meant that I never really got bored.

3.5-

[edarsenal]

just re-repping your movies from the HoF and, I thought you may enjoy Perfect Blue and glad to hear you did.
Hearing you mention Paprika reminds me to actually watch that one.
Not sure if I had commented in the HoF but I agreed about Sugata's "Still, the performances and cinematography were mostly strong and its brevity meant that I never really got bored."

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/sausageparty.gif

Sausage Party (Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon, 2016)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1700841/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 03/06/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I was bored and it was on Netflix
Rewatch: No

I went into this movie fully expecting to hate it. My history with the work of Rogen and company is spotty at best and this sort of in-your-face vulgarity isn't usually my cup of tea. I like sexual humor, but I generally prefer it to be a little more subtle than this. And while I'm a fan of animation, I'm typically drawn to films that are funny in a much more innocent way and to films with a great emotional impact.

There's nothing innocent here and the story isn't exactly touching, but it is actually surprisingly clever. Yes, the endless sex jokes and rapid-fire profanity grew rather tiresome (We get it, you earned that R rating. Congratu-f***ing-lations), but it actually served as interesting social commentary and satire. Aside from a little chuckle at the villain being a literal douche, most of the amusement that I got out of the film came from the parallels between the belief system of the food and that of certain religions and also the interactions and prejudices of the various food "ethnicities." And to that end, the various vocal performances were pretty solid and I was perhaps most surprised by Edward Norton, especially since I had no idea going in that he was amongst its cast and still didn't know until the end.

On a more technical level, the animation was also surprisingly good. Obviously this is nowhere near the level of Pixar or any of the other major animation studios, but I thought the main character designs were interesting and the crudeness of the film's artwork was actually pretty fitting considering its content.

Ultimately, this is not a great film and I do wonder if I will still find it amusing on rewatch. My suspicion is that I won't, but in this particular moment, in this particular mood, I found it to be a rather pleasant surprise.

3.5-

[JayDee]

Surprised by your rather positive response to Sausage Party; certainly wouldn't have thought it was particularly up your street. As someone who largely hates the output of that whole group (Rogen, Hill, Franco etc) it's not one I've ever been interested in watching

[Miss Vicky]

Surprised by your rather positive response to Sausage Party; certainly wouldn't have thought it was particularly up your street. As someone who largely hates the output of that whole group (Rogen, Hill, Franco etc) it's not one I've ever been interested in watching

Well as I said, I certainly wasn't expecting to like it and wouldn't have watched it if I'd had to pay anything to see it, but I thought it was amusing. I don't dislike any of the people involved, but they're very hit or miss with me.

[Joel]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/midnightrun.gif

Midnight Run (Martin Brest, 1988)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095631/)

Date Watched: 02/18/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, SilentVamp's Nomination
Rewatch: No

this just really wasn't for me.

2.5-

I guess I lucked out by not taking a microscope to the movie and I'm too thick headed to have anything glare out at me as being a serious plot hole. I understand there may be some far fetched scenarios in Midnight Run, but I don't think its purpose is to be a high caliber story. It's a popcorn buddy comedy, and probably the best, right behind Brest's previous Beverly Hills Cop and Hill's 48 Hours. I mean, you could say the scene in 48 hrs. where Eddie Murphy walks into the redneck bar is far fetched and unrealistic and you'd be right. But sometimes people aren't in the mood for a super realistic, epic documentary. They wanna escape, have a little fun and loosen up.

It's just entertainment. Not to be watched back to back with a series of art films or obscure director filmographies unless you don't need a palate cleanse..

[Miss Vicky]

I guess I lucked out by not taking a microscope to the movie and I'm too thick headed to have anything glare out at me as being a serious plot hole. I understand there may be some far fetched scenarios in Midnight Run, but I don't think its purpose is to be a high caliber story. It's a popcorn buddy comedy... But sometimes people aren't in the mood for a super realistic, epic documentary. They wanna escape, have a little fun and loosen up...It's just entertainment. Not to be watched back to back with a series of art films or obscure director filmographies unless you don't need a palate cleanse..

Is this a joke? Did I read this right? Am I actually getting lectured about giving slack to entertainment films? What. The. ****. :confused:

I totally get that it's a popcorn comedy, and normally I am much, much more likely to enjoy a popcorn comedy than I am an "art" film. My main objective when I watch most films is simply to be entertained. My top 100 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=47749) is full of entertainment movies. The last movie I watched was Sausage Party and I liked it. But Midnight Run was not funny or entertaining for me. At all. And I hated the characters, which is a huge turn off for any kind of movie.

As for why I watched it when I did in relation to certain other films, it was for a Hall of Fame (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=47589&highlight=12th+HOF) that I was participating in. Almost every movie I watched in February was something someone else nominated for that HOF and, as a requirement of participation, I was obligated to watch those movies within a specified time frame and, as usually happens, there was a mix of entertainment films and art films nominated.

[Joel]

Is this a joke? Did I read this right? Am I actually getting lectured about giving slack to entertainment films? What. The. ****. :confused:

I totally get that it's a popcorn comedy, and normally I am much, much more likely to enjoy a popcorn comedy than I am an "art" film. My main objective when I watch most films is simply to be entertained. My top 100 (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=47749) is full of entertainment movies. The last movie I watched was Sausage Party and I liked it. But Midnight Run was not funny or entertaining for me. At all. And I hated the characters, which is a huge turn off for any kind of movie.

As for why I watched it when I did in relation to certain other films, it was for a Hall of Fame (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=47589&highlight=12th+HOF) that I was participating in. Almost every movie I watched in February was something someone else nominated for that HOF and, as a requirement of participation, I was obligated to watch those movies within a specified time frame and, as usually happens, there was a mix of entertainment films and art films nominated.

I'm just defending one of my favorite movies, no biggie. Sorry if I offended you, too.

"Hey, no offense jack but F off, it's my movie!" :p j/k

[Miss Vicky]

"Hey, no offense, but F off, your movie blows!" :p

[Joel]

"Hey, no offense, but F off, your movie blows!" :p

It blows sweetly and slowly. Midnight Run always gets me off!

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/pinocchio.gif

Pinocchio (Norman Ferguson, T. Hee, et al., 1940)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032910/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 03/16/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I felt like it
Rewatch: Yes

I've been trying for a little while now to come up with a write-up for this, but the reality is that I just don't have much to say about it. I always favored animated movies with animal protagonists, so Pinocchio was never a favorite of my childhood. I did enjoy it as a child, but it doesn't really have nostalgia on its side the way something like Bambi does.

What it does have going for it, though, is some really gorgeous animation. Like all of the classic Disney animated films of this era, its beauty is undeniable. The voice acting is also solid and the film definitely has quite a bit of charm. On the other hand, being a nearly 80 year old children's movie, it does view as kind of hokey to my rather cynical eyes.

3.5

[Camo]

Pinocchio is amazing. It was my #1 Disney until i rewatched Bambi recently. Great film, glad you like it somewhat.

[rauldc14]

I'd say Pinocchio is the second best Classic Disney film.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/camermansrevenge.gif

Cameraman's Revenge (Mest kinematograficheskogo operatora) (Wladyslaw Starewicz, 1912)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0001527/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt)

Date Watched: 03/20/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I read about it in a Cracked.com (http://www.cracked.com/article_24638_6-absurdly-dangerous-special-effects-before-cgi.html) article.
Rewatch: No

A sordid tale of betrayal and infidelity - with bugs!

One of the earliest stop-motion animated films, Cameraman's Revenge was not filmed using articulated models or clay sculpted figures the way modern stop-motion animation is, but rather by manipulating the remains of dead insects and having them interact with each other and some pretty cool looking miniature buildings, furniture, vehicles, etc.

The story is pretty entertaining as well - a husband goes out for the evening. While he is out, his wife invites her lover over to the house. Both husband and wife get up to no good, but the wife is caught in the act when the husband arrives home earlier than expected. Her husband forgives her and takes her to the movies, but they're in for a surprise that neither expected.

The concept of this film's creation is kind of disturbing, but it's executed very well and is quite an impressive bit of cinema. It's also pretty funny and at only 12 minutes in length, it's a breeze to watch.

4

[Camo]

Damn that's pretty random, never heard of it. Might try it since it's so short. Love your reason for watching it haha.

That pic isn't working for me btw, could just be me tho.

Edit: Nevermind it is now.

[Miss Vicky]

Yeah, I'd never heard of it either. The article showed up in my Facebook feed (I think George Takei shared it?) and I was bored so I clicked on it.

The video is embedded in that article but it's also very easy to find on Youtube.

[the samoan lawyer]

Hopefully watch this tonight. Looks funny. Well found MV.

[Citizen Rules]

Cameraman's Revenge, very cool looking and glad to hear about it. It looks creepy too. It's on Youtube and I'm acquiring it right now, will watch it later.

[re93animator]

Cool! I haven't thought about him in a while, but Wladyslaw Starewicz is the earliest stop motion guy I know of. I think The Mascot (1933) is even better and more creative; really one of the best shorts ever IMO. I guess his techniques had been really refined at that point. You should definitely check it out if you can find it.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/untamedheart2.gif

Untamed Heart (Tony Bill, 1993)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108451/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 03/31/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I felt like it
Rewatch: Yes

Possible Spoilers Ahead

I've probably seen Untamed Heart more times than I've seen any other single film. I was obsessed with this movie when I was younger and I watched it every day after school for several months (which took some dedication considering the copy I had at the time had been recorded onto VHS from TV and there were a couple other movies on the same tape). And I must say it is definitely to the film's benefit - and mine - that I first saw it in my adolescence, before I became the cynic and the pessimist I am today.

This is a tragic romance between two very screwed up people. Caroline, played by Marissa Tomei, is a young woman trying to find herself while constantly chasing love and never really finding it. Adam, played by Christian Slater, is a painfully shy young man with a heartbreaking past who is lost and alone in the world. But when he saves her from a horrifying attack, she falls for him. In each other, they find what they're looking for. Both actors bring an abundance of innocence and sensitivity to their roles. It's the kind of sweetness and pure love that made twelve year old me swoon.

Nearly thirty-six year old me, however, has a harder time buying it. Setting aside Adam's isolated upbringing and subsequent inability to interact with people, his behavior is troubling. Both work at a local diner - she as a waitress, he as a busboy. But he never speaks to anybody there so he is essentially a stranger to her and she is at first oblivious to his infatuation with her. He keeps a photo of her in his apartment. He follows her when she walks home from work - staying far enough behind so as not to be noticed - and he sneaks into her bedroom at night and watches her sleep. Her behavior - her unquestioning acceptance of his explanations - is troubling as well. All of this was super romantic to me then, but kinda creepy now.

Still, Slater does well to make me overcome my cynicism and accept the story as it is presented. He infuses Adam with childlike wonder and sweetness. He makes me believe Adam when he says he follows Caroline to make sure she's safe. He makes me believe it when he says he watches her sleep because she has peace and he doesn't. And because of this performance in particular, I still very much enjoyed the film. I still laughed. I still cried - tears of joy and tears of sadness. And it remains a favorite, however flawed it may be.

4+