Movie Tab II [Archive] - Page 34

Powdered Water

11-19-08, 11:04 PM

Feast 2 Sloppy Seconds (John Gulager-2008) 3

Straight to DVD? No problem. This flick was so ridiculous at times that the wife and I were laughing out loud. It was so damn gross that it will sadly never make it to the Sci-Fi channel without heavy editing but that's OK I guess. I do own it now so I don't really need to catch it on Sci-Fi now do I?

Anyway, if you liked the first one like I did then this installment is worth picking up. It picks up pretty much right where the first one left off when a bad ass biker chick and her little gang of biker babes show up looking for the biker chick that got killed in the first flick. Of course hilarity ensues and a good time is had by all. Good stuff.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Philip Kaufman-1978) 3.5

I really haven't seen this flick in a really long time. I'm glad I picked it up. I'm not sure if I like it better than the old Black and White version as I haven't seen that in quite awhile either but I do have an old VHS copy here so I may give it a spin pretty soon so I can compare. Jeff Goldblum looks to be about 18 years old in this flick. He couldn't have been much older than 20 or so. And what was the deal with that goofy half glove that Spock was wearing? Anyway, a damn fine movie and way more betterish than The Invasion.

Wall*E (Andrew Stanton-2008) 4

I think I may be rating this a bit lower than the first time I saw it but not by much. I've decided that I like Kung-Fu Panda better than Wall*E but they are both quite good. I also got to watch the little short this time around (we miised it in the theater) and it was hysterical! My God, that was funny! There were tears it was so funny. Burn*E was also pretty good, which I believe is exclusive to the DVD. Very good stuff indeed.

mark f

11-20-08, 02:52 AM

I must be in a good mood or something because my ratings seem on the high side, but here goes.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Guillermo del Toro, 2008) 3.5

http://www.collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/Hellboy_2_The_Golden_Army/hellboy_ii_the_golden_army_movie_image__1_.jpg

Del Toro's follow-up to both Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth interestingly begins in the same way as the latter with a child reading/hearing a "fairy tale" which has far more to do with said child than he/she could ever know. Hellboy II is crammed with so much visual stimuli and creative CGI that it can almost seem a bit offputting at first, but if you stick with it, it definitely becomes much-more human and easier to relate to. I'll admit that my original rating was 3, but it wore me down enough that when I rewatched it, I let the F/X overabundance slide and related more to the little touches; yes, even if it means laughing a bit more at Barry Manilow and accepting Tecate Light as much as Duff Beer. The film has plenty of other homages. For example, when Hellboy has to deal with that Forest God in the middle of Downtown, it reminded me both of Spielberg's War of the Worlds and a few Miyazaki films. Obviously, the prologue of a world of elves is reminiscent of Tolkien, but what would you expect since del Toro was picked to helm both Hobbit flicks. Ron Perlman is still the perfect Hellboy, even if I thought he had more to do and did it better in the original, but what about the insane new character, Johann Krauss? He was hilarious and totally far-out, man! He also may have my fave line of 2008. When talking to Hellboy in his cornball German accent, he says "You will learn to obey me, follow protocol and stay fock-used (focused, ha!) at all times!" Hellboy's response is equally priceless. Hellboy II ends up being a mass entertainment which I'm actually surprised doesn't have a huger audience.

To Live and Die in L.A. (William Friedkin, 1985) 3.5

This is a gritty, nihilistic thriller which will always be known for William Petersen's and Willem Dafoe's early performances and the greatest car chase in cinematic history. These videos show the chase in its entirety, so if you think that it'll spoil the movie for you, don't watch it. However, if you honestly believe there's a better chase, go ahead and watch this and tell me I'm wrong. I don't want to go too much into the plot, but Secret Service agents Petersen and John Pankow bite off far more than they can chew, and it eventually seeps into everything they do. The interesting thing about the film is that the "Good Guys" are just as "despicable" as the "Bad Guys". Whatever you think, hang on for one hell of a ride, and a thought-provoking one at that. The supporting performances are all solid, especially John Turturro and Dean Stockwell, plus there's plenty of kinky sexual relationships thrown into this flick, which certainly qualifies as one of Friedkin's Top Five. (Personally, I'd pick The Boys in the Band, The French Connection, The Exorcist, Sorcerer and To Live and Die in L.A.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDK8OtjE7O4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ_39lxlDAg&feature=related

The Visitor (Thomas McCarthy, 2008) 3

http://blog.mlive.com/movies_impact/2008/06/medium_the-visitor20.jpg http://www.exclaim.ca/images/up-The_Visitor_lg.jpg

First off, I realize that I'm giving the most serious, lowkey and low-budget film the lowest rating. That may indeed be one of my major flaws when rating films. However, I want to assure everyone that my rating is a positive recommendation, so if you haven't watched this, I'm telling you now to do it. I truly like this film. I like the way it paints a positive and HUMAN image on the illegal immigrant issue. I also realize that some people with certain views about illegal aliens will just think this film is liberal propaganda, and that there's no way we can have illegal Islamic immigrants and that we can be sure that they aren't some kind of ticking time bombs. If you believe that, OK, but the more I listen to all the people who have so many fears about what's happening in America now (Obama, "radical relationships", socialism, "destroying the future for our children", etc.), the more I realize that the fearmongers seem to isolate on one topic or one quote and beat it into the ground. They turn complex individuals into pariahs by repeating catchphrases over and over again, and then they get so mad when you call them on it, that they say silly things like "You're trying to silence our dissent!" I guess whoever "they" are, "they're" doing a crap job because everytime I turn on the car radio, your dissent comes across loud and clear!

http://mnfilmtv.org/mndialog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/the-visitor.jpg

I'm sorry because I'm supposed to be discussing this movie which is all about how the wonderful Richard Jenkins can feel that he's an "underachieving bum" of a crumbum college professor named Walter Vale until he meets the outgoing Syrian drummer Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his Senegalese jewelry artist girlfriend (Danai Gurira) in NYC. Tarek and Walter both love the drum, so they immediately hit it off, but things go bad when Tarek is arrested (for no good reason) and when it becomes clear that he's illegal, he's incarcerated with an immediate threat of being deported. This brings Tarek's mom (Hiam Abbass) to Walter's door since she hasn't heard from her son for days. The film does play out a bit as a cut-and-dried "Why Can't We Be Friends?" treatise, but I find it has more truth than propaganda and may well be an important film to open certain people's eyes.

Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller, 2008) 3.5

http://missgeeky.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/tropic-thunder-poster.png

OK, I watched the unrated, added-scenes DVD, and although it probably didn't add that much, a few scenes seemed to push the envelope of violence for an R-rated movie. I want to say that I thought the movie was at least 20 minutes too long, but somehow that overkill and repetition of war movie spoofs and unnecessary scenes of silliness and political commentary didn't seem to make me want to drop the rating anymore. Robert Downey, Jr. started off with all guns blazing, and he mostly added something pertinent throughout the entire two hours. I agree with Holden that Stiller and Jack Black contributed less, but they weren't really all that weak, just a bit superfluous. Tom Cruise was terrific for all his scenes, especially the ones where he concluded and/or proved that he was talking to morons. I got the idea that Nick Nolte may have benefitted from the added footage more than anybody else because there were a few things in there which certainly surprised me about his character. Overall, although the film is a bit obvious, it does make up for it in its equal amount of outrageousness and just the fact that there's a lot of war present in the world right now. True, only eight American soldiers died last month in Iraq, even if many more Iraqi civilians died, but hey, 16 died in Afghanistan that month. [Sorry about leaving this unfinished last night. I had a computer glitch.]

Daffodil

11-20-08, 04:00 AM

Little Miss Sunshine - 4

I found the beauty pageant contestants disgusting. Do they actually let little 6 year-old girls dress like that and cake on so much make-up?! It would be like a pedophile's dream show or something.

Monkeypunch

11-20-08, 06:47 PM

Tropic Thunder - My god, this is a hilarious film. I thought I was going to die from laughing so hard. And it's smart, between all the crude, dark, effed up humour, too. This is, to me, like a modern day Blazing Saddles. Taking a movie genre, trashing it mercilessly, peeing all over good taste, and forcing people to think about taboo subjects. Robert Downey Jr. deserves an Oscar for this. It's the most fearless performance you're likely to see all year. (well, except that comedy films rarely win Oscars.)

ash_is_the_gal

11-20-08, 06:50 PM

loved The Visitor. thanks for the review mark. :)

mack

11-20-08, 11:02 PM

Journey to the Center of the Earth 1/10
Oh Brendan Fraser, how far you have fallen!! (Pun intended) Good god this film was ULTRA CHEESE. Wow. Even Brendan Fraser can do better than that deadpan, and I kid you not I even saw them screw up a scene and put him in it with the wrong shirt and the book in the opposite hand. Good premise, nice family story, but a poorly done film.

Get Smart 5/10
Ok - this one was nice in the typical Anne Hathaway and the Office dude nice way. The Rock was his typical self as well, and so was Alan Arkin. In fact, this film was so typical it was basic. A one-watch film, and Im also getting the sense that the Office guy's humor is getting a little worn.

Powdered Water

11-20-08, 11:38 PM

I must be in a good mood or something because my ratings seem on the high side, but here goes.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Guillermo del Toro, 2008) 3.5

Hellboy II ends up being a mass entertainment which I'm actually surprised doesn't have a huger audience.

I completely agree and I won't go blue about it. Needless to say (almost) I think a lot of folks just need to lighten up and enjoy the ride. It's a solid flick and I am so stoked to see how his Hobbit movies turn out.

To Live and Die in L.A. (William Friedkin, 1985) 3.5

This is a gritty, nihilistic thriller which will always be known for William Petersen's and Willem Dafoe's early performances and the greatest car chase in cinematic history. These videos show the chase in its entirety, so if you think that it'll spoil the movie for you, don't watch it. However, if you honestly believe there's a better chase, go ahead and watch this and tell me I'm wrong. I don't want to go too much into the plot, but Secret Service agents Petersen and John Pankow bite off far more than they can chew, and it eventually seeps into everything they do. The interesting thing about the film is that the "Good Guys" are just as "despicable" as the "Bad Guys". Whatever you think, hang on for one hell of a ride, and a thought-provoking one at that. The supporting performances are all solid, especially John Turturro and Dean Stockwell, plus there's plenty of kinky sexual relationships thrown into this flick, which certainly qualifies as one of Friedkin's Top Five. (Personally, I'd pick The Boys in the Band, The French Connection, The Exorcist, Sorcerer and To Live and Die in L.A.)

I really like this flick too. I like the Ronin car chase the best but this one is also pretty spectacular. Besides the theme song (which is also pretty good) it just feels like grit. You know? Yeah, you probably do. Its tough and I see a lot of The Sheid in there. Same city too, go figure I guess.

Also: If you look closely you can almost see Petersen's junk during one of the sex scene's. There's not nearly enough man junk in movies. At least that's what my wife says. ;)

mark f

11-20-08, 11:41 PM

You don't have to look that closely. Even if it's on the dark side, it's plenty junky alright.

Powdered Water

11-20-08, 11:45 PM

True dat!

Iroquois

11-20-08, 11:58 PM

If I watch a movie on Mystery Science Theater 3000, does it still count?

If so, I watched Manos: The Hands of Fate

Genuine rating - 1
Camp rating - 3 (purely on the basis of Torgo)
MST3K commentary rating - 3.5

So I think that works out to an average of 2.5 or something. I don't know.

Torgo is one of the funniest characters I've seen in a movie for a while.

rice1245

11-21-08, 01:06 AM

Just watched Southpark: Bigger Longer & Uncut 8-10 of course

http://www.scene-stealers.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/southpark.jpg

undercoverlover

11-21-08, 11:29 AM

Golgot

11-21-08, 04:08 PM

Forgot to tabulate this (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=476985)

The Happiness of the Katakuris

Pyro Tramp

11-21-08, 05:12 PM

I had a little film 4 fest last night

Keeping Mum - funny as hell and not in the ways you'd expect, little english movie and as far im aware not hugely well known. Also unexpectedly Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) has a really sexy scene, he reads out a psalm, sees his wife and gets all hot and bothered. Who knew Maggie Smith was quite this hilarious?

Hostage - really good time, good plot, cool-not overdone action scenes.

The Good Girl - shockingly good indie movie.

Heh, i was surprised as well by how good the first and last ones you saw were. Not very heard of films but both pretty good. I was pretty shocked to Mr Bean and My Swayze in the same film! That alone got my glued to it lol.

undercoverlover

11-21-08, 09:29 PM

atkinson and swayze - surreal to say the least

Alien Resurrection - OK i have never actually seen any of the alien films but i managed to catch this one and it was totally awesome. I've always been a lil skeptical of Sigourney Weaver but she rocked this shiz in this one, pretty good chemistry with Winona Ryder - who i totally did not know was in this.

Not Another Teen Movie - different style from the Scary movies but still pretty good content. Some really gross out moments though, the girl playing the sarah michelle gellar bitch character making out with an old lady - friggin disgusting

rice1245

11-22-08, 03:32 AM

Wolf Creek 6/10 good effort

http://www.rustylime.com/content_images/wolf_creek_04.jpg

Powdered Water

11-22-08, 11:39 AM

The Blob (Chuck Russell-1988) 2.5

I think UF likes this version better than the original. I don't. Its got better F/X but it doesn't have Steve freakin McQueen dig? That's not to say I didn't enjoy parts of it. It was pretty decent, it was about what I expected. Its pretty rare when I watch a remake and think its head and shoulders above the original and this one isn't any different, but for a decent 80's horror flick you could certainly do worse.

Night of the Comet (Thom Eberhardt-1984) 2.5

I should probably be giving these my patented "Eek" ratings, but I've grown as a person. :eek: Now I'm attempting to grade all films equally or something. Anyway, for some reason I've never caught this film in its entirety and now that I've remedied that little situation I kind of really enjoyed the flick. It was really a pretty stupid movie and not much really happens but if you've paid attention at all to my tabbing over the last year or so you'll know that a stupid movie can be pretty damn entertaining to me.

So the world basically ends when a comet flies over the entire world in one night... yeah. Everybody gets turned to dust. Except a few people of course. One of them being Commander Chakotay from Star Trek Voyager. He didn't have those bitchen tattoos like he did during the show though... more's the pity. Also a couple of valley girls who also happen to be sisters just happen to make it. So they basically hang out at a radio station for about half the flick and then go shopping. A few other things happen but you get the point. It's a goofy flick but I liked it. Shocker!

CJ7 (Stephen Chow-2008) 3

This was so completely different from the 2 other Chow films I've seen that it took me awhile to buy into the fact that this really was a childrens movie. Apparently they don't have very many films like this in China. According to the producer its the first "alien dog movie" which is pretty cool I guess. Anyway, it was pretty good. I really didn't care for a lot of the stuff that happened toward the end of the film but maybe my problem is, I'm not Chinese and I just don't understand their culture very well. Pretty likely really.

An interesting fact that I learned from the making of that won't spoil anything. Almost oll of the children were played by girls including the main boy "Dicky".

The Car (Elliot Silverstein-1977) 3.5

I haven't seen this in so long I forgot just how good it really is. A car that kills people for no apparent reason just shows up one day and then hilarity ensues. This is a really beautifully shot movie as well. I'm not sure where they shot it but the background all throughout the film is just spectacular. Its also a trip how much Josh Brolin resembles his father James who stars in this movie.

Some folks tried to paint this as the car version of Jaws. Do you buy that mark? I think its pretty good but not nearly as scary.

B-card

11-22-08, 12:08 PM

Burn After Reading(The Coen Brothers 2008)-4.5

Traitor(Jeffrey Nachmanoff 2008)-3.5 Its OK but a little too much American

Max Payne(John Moore 2008)-2.5 This one just destroyed my world.A great game and such a ****** adaptation.I'm disgusted

Madagascar 2(Eric Darnell Tom McGrath 2008)-2.5 The First one was better.But again thank god of the penguins

Quantum Of Solace(Mark Forester 2008)-4 Great Stunts but a little too short

A Better Tomorrow(John Woo 1986)-3 I cant believe there is a sequel to this and Chow Yun Fat is in it as he died in this one

How To lose friends and Alienate People(Robert B. Weide 2008)-3

Daffodil

11-23-08, 03:38 AM

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (2nd viewing) - 5

Edward Furlong made this movie happen.

undercoverlover

11-23-08, 11:26 AM

Alien Resurrection - it was on again so i gave it a second watching and cause i missed the beginning last time. The basketball scene was so good!

Powdered Water

11-23-08, 12:51 PM

Some pretty good stuff yesterday...

I Robot (Alex Proyas-2004) 3

My thing is; I just really like Will Smith. I always have. Even back when he was the Fresh Prince before he had his TV show. This is one of those CGI laden flicks that many don't enjoy today. I do though. Its a pretty fun ride. From what I understand its not really based on the book and as I haven't read it, (I am a little lame) I can't tell you for sure. Its probably a pretty safe bet though. Still though its a fun little popcorn flick. Oh! and it looks fantastic on a Hi-Definition TV! So there you go.

Hell Ride (Larry Bishop-2008) 4

Man, I really appreciate the fact that there are people like Quentin Tarantino in this world. Larry Bishop is what some would probably call an old hack. He's had very limited success and not much in the way of acting since his motorcycle movies from the late 60's to early 70's. Its a good thing that QT loves a lot of those old flicks that most can't watch or won't watch then. Because he's seen all of Larry Bishops movies (there's only 3 or 4) and apparently he loves them enough that he gave Larry a part in Kill Bill Vol. 2 and then offered to help produce this excellent movie.

http://media.monstersandcritics.com/articles2/1442162/article_images/hell3.jpg

Look, I'm not trying to convince anyone that this is a great film. What it is is a throwback to those flicks from Larry's heyday and perhaps it will simply be perceived as a stroke fest for Larry because he does direct and star in it. I think you'd be wrong though. His career simply doesn't warrant the "stroke fest" treatment, so I think he just really wanted to make a movie about a time in his life that was obviously enjoyable for him and maybe make this installment good on top of it.

http://media.monstersandcritics.com/articles2/1442162/article_images/hell2.jpg

Well, it was. Very enjoyable actually. A very good cast is always a plus and this film has a crap load of star power. So what if these are mostly QT regulars? These are good actors and some of them are friends of Larry, like Micheal Madsen, who you can tell just had a blast making this flick. A few scenes where they were smirking during the dialog had to be left in because Larry shot this movie in just 20 days... just like he did back in the 60's and on a budget. So if you're interested in bikes and babes then this is a pretty good flick for you. It also has a pretty good story, a revenge story. Which some of you already know I particularly enjoy. Very good stuff indeed.

Zombie Strippers (Jay Lee-2008) 2.5

If I were giving this a camp rating it would be about a 4, easily. This was so over the top that of course I loved just about every second of it. I'm not a big porn guy, but I know who Jenna Jameson is and perhaps thats due in part to her own business plan for her life. I don't know if she's even doing porno anymore and I don't really care either. She still gets naked quite a bit in this flick so if you've never seen her before, here's your chance and you don't have to take a trip down to Taboo video. Anyway, this is a classic Sci-Fi channel flick. Just terrible acting and really cheesy special effects and the story... the name of the movie is Zombie Strippers, so do I really need to explain all of the key plot points to you? A fantastic edition to anyones Zombie library.

Pyro Tramp

11-23-08, 01:24 PM

Weyy, someone who's seen Zombie Strippers! I actually, haven't seen it but i mean what could go wrong with a title like that. Except seeing zombies strip probably is a massive turn off but still, if you take the two bits individually- winner. Probably. I've been hanging round to pick this up but i think paying full price will just make me feel sleezy, rather wait for it to be in a bargain bucket (no pun intended)

Otth

11-23-08, 04:29 PM

4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032846/) - 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (2007)

When I watched this movie I came to the conclusion that watching paint dry is more interesting than this. For my part the human angel of this topic, abortion, is for my part totally uninteresting (my mind is made up). The women invoke no sympathy empathy or compassion. The only character who I in some part could relate to was the movies villain, Mr. Bebe. Even if I wouldn’t go as far as defend his actions, I do understand the reason for them.

It will without a doubt function as a wakeup-call for the pro-lifers. I can also be recommended to people who have had felt the effects of abortion first hand. But if you are an cynic like me, stay away.

Golgot

11-23-08, 10:32 PM

Xchange

Knew when i started watching this i'd seen it before - and knew it was one of those late-night sci-fi low-budget big-budget-wannabes that i'd stopped watching too. Kinda wish i had this time n'all.

But it's got such a promising premise... A standard corporate-bloat future world where people can exchange bodies for travel, or otherly-hedonism, or as the plot unrolls... nefarious identity-free terrorism. And on a more practical bad-boy capitalism level, people can sub into hard-wearing but short-lived clones to do dangerous construction-style work etc.

The budget starting to fray at the edges isn't a huge problem - there's some wry humour and decent turns by the protagonists in the first third. What's more telling is the drop off in quality control. Not even Kyle McLachlan can save it. The tawdry descent into soft-porn filler, clunky camera angles, and plot holes that could swallow the world twice over is a waste of a fun concept. Stephen Baldwin becomes an insipid centre-point. You have been warned ;)

First act: 3
As a whole: 1

mack

11-23-08, 11:10 PM

Tropic Thunder 3/5
not a bad film, very self-deprecating, a la Ben Stiller. Pretty typical, almost slapstick.

mark f

11-24-08, 03:52 AM

Slap Shot (George Roy Hill, 1977) 4
http://csu13.com/Forum/JeepKJ/Misc/HansonNatAnth.jpg
This is one of the most hilarious films I've ever seen, and what makes it even more significant is that it's truly one of the few mainstream American films to ever attack Americans' ideas that violence is somehow preferable to sex, at least when you are participating in something organized which allegedly has some form of "family values". Paul Newman stars as the aging player-coach of a lousy minor league hockey team, and when it becomes clear that the town's local mill, which employs most of the town's male population, is going to close, it becomes only a matter of time before the team will fold. Newman has to try to keep his team together in the face of little support from the General Manager (the wonderful Strother Martin), and Newman eventually gets a brainstorm to pump his team up by concocting a fake sale of the team from their cold Northern climes to Florida. All this is done while the team adds three brothers to their team which Newman won't play because he thinks they're both too violent and just too "retarded" - the Hanson Brothers.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XTIPTo82oNw/VfXCoC5jzDI/AAAAAAAACAo/ZKrjx9UC9Cg/s1600/slap-shot.jpg
This only scratches the surface of how wonderful and original Slap Shot is. Newman still has the hots for his ex-wife (Jennifer Warren), but he also has a yen for the young wife (Lindsay Crouse) of his best young player (Micheal Ontkean) who won't "go goon" but also shows little interest in his wife. Then there's the hot wife (Melinda Dillon) of a rival who has "turned lesbian" since her husband abused her, but she still loves to be in bed with Newman. The team is crammed with several memorable characters and then it turns out that all their arch-rivals are great characters too! Did I mention that this film is filled with colorful dialogue (written by Nancy Dowd) which would would probably make a sailor turn red in embarrasment? They just don't make films like this anymore. I mean, Judd Apatow tries, but it's just not quite so funny or so significant. So, does that really mean they don't make 'em like they used to? HA!

99 and 44/100% Dead (John Frankenheimer, 1974) 2.5

http://www.yammeringmagpie.com/catalog/images/99-and-44.jpg

I have always avoided this film down through the years because it received such horrid reviews, but I was home when it came on cable, so I watched it and I thought it was actually rather entertaining. Director Frankenheimer (he did Ronin, Powdered) directed some great action scenes the next year in one of my faves, French Connection II, and this film actually has at least three top-of-the-line action set-pieces. The plot and characters aren't quite as successful, but it does seems to be a cult film. The problem seems to be that not enough people have watched it to make it a cult yet! Richard Harris is pretty cool playing his hitman role, and Chuck Connors is a riot as a one-handed psycho who has dozens of attachments for his missing hand. The opening and closing scenes should also get your attention. I really need to watch this one again.

The Bridge to Terabithia (Gabor Csupo, 2008) 3

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/b/images/bridge-to-terabithia-poster-0.jpg

I've heard lots about this book and movie, but I had no experience with it until today. It's actually quite good and something I'd recommend to youngsters and early teens as a learning experience. Of course, I'd still recommend they watch Paths of Glory first, but if this examination of death helps to prepare the path for them to get into stronger tastes, I say it's well worth it. It's mainly about an elementary school which goes up to 8th grade. Most of the film is straightforward and realistic, but fantasy is eventually introduced and becomes more important to the story. Then, almost out of the blue, there's a brief introduction of Christian concepts that non-believers may go to hell, no matter how loving and perfect they are, just because they haven't ever acknowledged Jesus. It's a bit jarring, but the movie actually improves after that part. I like the movie, even if I'm still ignorant of the book or if it's a series. However, I find it a bit strange that if someone wanted to teach children about Jesus and his message that they would couch the film as a fantasy. I don't think it would throw adults, but kids could turn JC into the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus (sound familiar?), and I don't think a Christian-based flick would want to do that. However, as I mentioned, this movie has about three minutes of "pseudo-Christianity", so I took those minutes as a way to placate fans of the book. You guys tell me if I'm wrong.

Shocker (Wes Craven, 1989) 2.5

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q283/PAJohnDoe78/shockermoviepostersmall.jpg

This film gets a bad rap. IMDb, for example, gives it less than a 5! I just don't think that people understand the flick. It is a comedy, in the same way that Q is a comedy. It's also another Craven social satire about the death penalty and the way people relate to their families, friends and loved ones. Then Craven even has the audacity to try to pay homage to Buster Keaton's Sherlock, Jr. by having the protagonists jump around inside a TV set as the channel gets changed. There are also several suspenseful and bloody moments. No, I don't think it's as good as The People Under the Stairs, The Serpent and the Rainbow or the original The Nightmare on Elm Street, but it's a serious film masquerading as a silly, stupid film. It's silly and stupid, alright, but in that, it actually succeeds to try to make other points! Oops, here I go again, HA! Let me say this: The Last House on the Left makes Shocker look like Casablanca.

Iroquois

11-24-08, 08:57 AM

Nice call on Slap Shot, one of the few sports movies I genuinely like a lot. (and I'm not really one for sports by and large).

Mitchell

Original rating - 1.5
Camp rating - 2
MST3K rating - 3.5

B-card

11-24-08, 03:35 PM

Iron Monkey(Woo-ping Yuen 1993)-3

Swan

11-24-08, 03:44 PM

The Harryhausen Chronicles

It's a documentary, so I can't truthfully rate it.

Ray Harryhausen is the man. He has (or had, since he quit) the most passion of anyone in art. Stop-motion animation is a grueling process, and he overcame some extremely difficult challenges. Just shows he's the master of stop-motion animation, and even animation altogether.

rice1245

11-24-08, 06:16 PM

The Producers (1968) - 9/10 First time i saw it and i loved it of course, Gene Wilder's nervous breakdowns were hilarious

http://static.guim.co.uk/Guardian/arts/gallery/2007/jul/22/comedy.films/producers_kobal-1751.jpg

B-card

11-24-08, 07:19 PM

No Country for Old Men(Coen Brothers 2007)-Finally watched it 3.5

Fenwick

11-24-08, 08:27 PM

Today I saw...

The Worlds Fastest Indian (Donaldson, 2005)

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/images/pics/FastestIndian1.jpg

Donaldson weaves an uplifting tale of unflinching desire in his sketchy biopic of New Zealand speed freak, Burt Munro. Hopkins' delicately humourous turn is a joy to behold, as is Donaldsons decision to eschew complete sentimentality.

Bad Education (Almodovar, 2004)

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/images/pics/badeducation.jpg

An almost Hitchcockian thriller confronting the issue of sexual misconduct in the Catholic church. While perhaps its more intelligent than it is moving, Almodovar constructs a rich tapestry
of identity, truth and desire.

White Heat (Walsh, 1949)

http://filmforno.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/white_heat.jpg

Cagney's forced return to the gangster film results in a psychological meandering through the criminal psyche. However, this is still pretty standard stuff (despite a deeply distressing scene in the prison cafeteria). Check it out but on a personal level, it didn't do much for me.

Le Cercle Rouge (Melville, 1970)

http://filmsociety.wellington.net.nz/db/images/CercleRouge.jpg

Another beautifully measured piece from the master of the French Gangster Film, Jean Pierre Melville. Delon and company terrifically play out their characters' tragic fate in a wordless heist sequence echoing Dassin's Rififi (1955) and Bresson's A Man Escaped (1956). Essential viewing.

adidasss

11-25-08, 04:11 AM

http://www.geocities.com/woofboy_movie/pict/eve.jpg

Just so you know, Yoda made me post this...sorta!

Anyway, overall I liked it, the script was great and as the movie progressed it got better (well obviously) culminating with one of the better film endings I've seen...but! I thought the performances were average at best. The male actors, apart from George Sanders who plays DeWitt, were downright awful, very plastic and unbelievable. In fact, at times, their delivery was annoying and distracting (like the falling out scene between Lloyd and Margo, although a part of it may be in the awkwardness of the screenplay, for example I thought the sentence "I shall never understand the weird process by which a body with a voice suddenly fancies itself as a mind." was awkward and redundant.) I also can't help but compare all the female performances to Patricia Neal's spectacular performance in Hud which absolutely shames every single one of them. Admittedly that film was made 13 years after All about eve, but it's not too long to avoid comparison. Also, I thought Margo's monologue about women being nothing without men indicative of (to me) the almost impenetrably different universe of 60 years ago but I'm sure you can argue me on that point). Anyways, I'm sorry, I just can't give them any slack given the fact that A streetcar was made the following year and Citizen Kane 9 years prior. Please don't hate me! *runs and hides*

4

Yoda

11-25-08, 11:24 AM

Thanks for your thoughts, Adi. :) I actually love the utterly melodramatic fight scenes and even most of the male performances, but I can see how someone might feel otherwise. I bought into the heightened drama and thought a fair amount of it was intentional. They're all playing actors, after all, and self-important ones at that. Loved, loved, loved the film.

By the by, finally saw Laws and the Real Girl over the weekend. Lovely little film. I'm probably at the point where I'll take a chance on whatever Ryan Goslin chooses to do next.

adidasss

11-25-08, 11:44 AM

Have you gotten around watching Almodovar's Todo sobre mi madre (All about my mother)? I think you might enjoy it a great deal. I see some striking resemblances between the characters of Huma and Margo (Almodovar actually dedicates the film to Bette Davis). Plus, it incorporates A streetcar named desire stage play...you can't lose...;)

Yoda

11-25-08, 11:46 AM

Ooo, no, haven't seen it yet, but I'll add it to Netflix now. :) Sounds interesting, thanks for the recommendation.

Fenwick

11-25-08, 02:18 PM

Marnie (Hitchcock, 1964)

http://thisdistractedglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/Marnie%20pic%202.jpg

Typical Hithcockian yarn through the mind of a suicidal woman. It shares thematic similarities with Vertigo (1959) but does not reach the dizzy heights of Hitch's finest work. Furthermore, there is a distinct lack of chemistry from our leading couple. The premise is good but its too loose to adorn the top of the Hitchcock canon. This is worth a watch but its not essential Hitch.

rice1245

11-25-08, 09:46 PM

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - 8.5/10 it was a tiny bit dated that girl just wouldn't stop screaming! but overall i really enjoyed it, especially the hitch hiker of course it's a classic

http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/874/874549/1controversial-gal-texas-chainsaw-massacre_1210899537-000.jpg

adidasss

11-26-08, 10:28 AM

http://www.lovefilm.com/lovefilm/images/products/7/100837-large.jpg
In which we serve - Noel Coward and David Lean (1942)

A great piece of wartime propaganda and a fine testament of a time long lost. It got off to a shaky start though, I had the feeling it was rather unrealistic as far as the battle sequences went ("Duck chaps, incoming" says the captain as if they were being hit with water balloons), and I had to wait for an hour (more or less exactly) for the first show of real humanity (a sailor abandoning his post during an attack). After that it got better and better, especially by incorporating the other side of the story, the families left behind. By the end and Coward's poignant last speech I bought it all hook, line and sinker. I loved most of the cast, especially John Mills and Celia Johnson (from the brilliant Brief Encounter) whose dinner table monologue gave me goosebumps. The only major flaw of the film was casting Coward as the captain. The man delivered his dialog with the urgency and sensitivity of a machine gun. Really really awkward acting. Incidentally, I think this film would make a great prelude to Distant voices, still lives, only I don't know if I could handle the overabundance of nostalgia...I have a thing for WWII films, I think I may have gone through it in a past life or something, I don't know how else to explain a tangible feeling of longing for a time I've never experienced.... :|

Oh and I didn't know Coward was a flaming queen! :D

4.5

Hannah and her sisters - Woody Allen (1986)

Wonderful, charming, uplifting and naturally funny. One of the best films I've seen by Woody. I've also realized that I absolutely love Michael Caine, he's one of the most charmingly charismatic actors ever, not to mention diverse. And while doing some post viewing reading, I've found out he and Coward played together in The Italian Job so that should be an interesting watch.

5

Golgot

11-26-08, 10:38 AM

Oh and I didn't know Coward was a flaming queen! :D

...I've found out he and Coward played together in The Italian Job so that should be an interesting watch.

You get to see Coward wearing silk in a toilet. You'll love it ;)

Tacitus

11-26-08, 11:20 AM

Doesn't Noel get referred to as 'the old queen' or something similar in The Italian Job? I would imagine that he actively lobbied for the line's inclusion in the movie, unless I imagined the whole thing. ;)

He was an amazing talent actually, reminds me a bit of Stephen Fry today - the greatest living Englishman...

Fenwick

11-26-08, 01:21 PM

The Double Life Of Veronique (Kieslowski, 1991)

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s264/sonpham32/thedoublelifeofvCRR.jpg

A masterfully self conscious work from the creator of Dekalog and Three Colours. Two women, both wonderfully played by Irene Jacob, have a spiritual connection that binds their lives together. The allegorical connotations with East European politics echo the leitmotifs of duality and identity. There is so much to look at here; it is quite extraordinary. I'm sure that with a few more viewings I will begin to appreciate it even more.

Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down! (Almodovar, 1990)

http://www.amautaspanish.com/amautaspanish/culture/cinema/images/atame1.jpg

Although by Almodovar's standards, this is thin and perhaps misguided, the relationship between Banderas and Abril makes it thoroughly worthwhile. Almodovar's colours and themes are typically vibrant but the film lacks the emotional gravity of some of his other work, namely All About My Mother (1999), Volver (2006) and Talk to Her (2002).

B-card

11-26-08, 02:23 PM

SAW V(David Hackl 2008)-Haven't seen IV but i made the connection and believe me they are sucking the story out of their fingers and YES there is going to be probably another Saw movie crap! 2

adidasss

11-26-08, 08:26 PM

http://www.videoplugger.info/uploaded_images/tropa-789869.JPG

Tropa de elite - José Padilha (2007)

Essentially, it's City of God from the police's perspective, only with more testosterone and less style and wit. I'm not butch enough to like this. Plus, you've seen one film about the favelas, you've seen them all. :\

3

Powdered Water

11-27-08, 12:18 AM

Movies, movies, movies.

Day of the Dead (Steve Minor-2008) 1

That's a generous rating at best. This flick is no remake folks. I suppose you get what you pay for and all that jazz, but damn, this movie was baaaad. Definitely not to be confused with Romero's installment by the same name and really I wouldn't even call this a remake, it didn't follow the story from the original at all, unless you count the fact that the movie did have zombies in it. But other than that it sucked.

Dance of the Dead (Gregg Bishop-2008) 3

Now this zombie flick on the other hand was quite good. It borrows or steals (which ever works for you) from just about every zombie flick before it. But this one works. Lots of unknown actors and a very low budget. Good writing and even some pretty good laughs. Another fine addition to my zombie library.

Silent Running (Douglas Trumbull-1978) 3

I left this flick unchecked from my lists because I was so young when I saw it the first time. Part of me is glad I saw it again and part of me isn't. I think I understand the message of the movie and all, but geez, the guy is a total whack job you know? I can't really go into detail without spoiling most of the movie but some of you will get my drift.

The Mist (Frank Darabont-2007) 3.5

I really enjoyed the lack of music through the majority of this movie. I really think it added to just how creepy and tense the whole experience was. It wasn't "The most shocking ending of all time!?!" like the box exclaims, but it was pretty good. Different from the story I believe. I seem to remember that the story had a happy "ending".

Hancock (Peter Berg-2008) 3.5

I really liked this as well. I bought the version that has an extra 10 minutes or so added and I don't know if that really improves it overall but I liked it alright. Agian, I'm in the bag for Will Smith and he didn't disapoint me here either. I just like the guys style.

Dark City Directors Cut (Alex Proyas-1998) 4

In this version Jennifer Connelly sings! Love that. She is truly divine. I so love this flick too. The DC/DC as I like to call it adds about 10 minutes to the original film and I thought it all flowed together just as nicely as the original version. Alex Proyas is one of my favorite directors and this flick is a good example why. His movies are just flippin' cool.

Thursday Next

11-27-08, 10:39 AM

Venus 4/5 Very funny and very sad at the same time. Peter O Toole is a legend.

http://www.channel4.com/film/media/images/Channel4/film/V/venus_xl_01--film-B.jpg

rice1245

11-27-08, 03:05 PM

The Tripper (2006) - 7\10 This movie was hilarious, it was completely against conservatism, the plot is about a guy wearing a Ronald Reagan mask and killing hippies and he has man eating dogs named Nancy and George W. I probably would have enjoyed it way more if i was liberal, which i'm not but i can admit when something is hilarious, which this was. It has a 5 or something on IMDB which just again shows how unreliable IMDB because honestly, what would somebody expect when they rent this? It's directed by David Arquette and it's straight to DVD

http://media.monstersandcritics.com/articles/1370205/article_images/tripper0.jpg

Powdered Water

11-27-08, 03:16 PM

The only thing IMDB is good for is looking up movie titles. Oh, and the pretty pictures.

Pyro Tramp

11-27-08, 04:25 PM

It's more competent then a 5/10 rating but it is nothing special, i think watching the special features put me off it a bit when i realised Arquette thought he was making a massive bold political statement. It was fun, though and as i said before about it, a really nice cast.

rice1245

11-27-08, 06:46 PM

Suspiria (1977) - 8.5/10 It was completely not what i expected but i liked it a lot anyway, very cool ending and death scenes and music! :yup:

http://photos.bravenet.com/272/478/925/3/923A027C82.jpg

Used Future

11-27-08, 07:21 PM

http://www.caratulasdecine.com/Caratulas/Bahia_de_sangre.jpg

A Bay Of Blood aka Twitch of the Death Nerve (Mario Bava 1971) 3
I wasn't really expecting too much from this, it's one of Bava's later (and poorer) films often credited as being the primary influence behind the original Friday the 13th. Typically for Bava the plot takes a back seat in favour of stylish colour saturated photography, and clever use of shadow. The resulting film is an often confusing mixture of extremely graphic murders, (including a machete to the face, throat slashing, and a romping couple impaled with a spear) double crossings and high style centering around the inheritance of a valuable bayside property. Fans of exploitation and slasher films should check this out if only to spot all the simialrities to subsequent genre favourites, but Bava's best it certainly aint.

Iroquois

11-28-08, 08:19 AM

The Ladykillers (original) - 3.5

Caitlyn

11-28-08, 11:50 AM

Twilight (2008) 3½/5

Spirit Rider (1993 - TV) 2½/5

Skins (2002) 5/5

The Last of the Mohicans (1992) 5/5

Iroquois

11-28-08, 02:08 PM

Westworld - 3

martian leader

11-28-08, 03:13 PM

Suspiria (1977) - 8.5/10 It was completely not what i expected but i liked it a lot anyway, very cool ending and death scenes and music! :yup:

http://photos.bravenet.com/272/478/925/3/923A027C82.jpg

That looks like a really cool movie!! :D Also IMDB seem to have nice pictures yes. But you can't save any of the damn pictures!! :mad:

undercoverlover

11-28-08, 10:24 PM

Alien - ridley scott, master of suspense. liked it,wasnt a lot of character development but was still good. Not sure if I was paying enough attention but i didnt hear ripley talk about her daughter in this film, only in the sequel is she mentioned. Just points to the difference in character development between this and the sequel

Vertical Gunn

11-29-08, 01:40 AM

Transporter 3 - 1.5

Iroquois

11-29-08, 03:15 AM

Quantum of Solace - 2

Powdered Water

11-29-08, 11:51 AM

Home for the Holidays (Jodie Foster-1995) 4

Best time of the year as far as I'm concerned. Lots of good stuff coming out in the theaters and now its time for all my favorite flicks and a few new ones, like this wonderful flick right here. Man this was good. So Jodie Foster directed this and Holly Hunter stars in it. Sounds like a winner doesn't it? It did to me and it was.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Jeremiah S. Chechik-1989) 4

I paid a little attention to the credits this time around and its no wonder I enjoy this flick so much. John Hughes wrote it. You learn something everyday... unless you don't.

"Sh*tter was full!"

Used Future

11-29-08, 05:16 PM

http://content9.flixster.com/movie/29/88/298807_det.jpg

Knife in the Water (Roman Polanski 1962) 5
I picked this up recently along with Repulsion and Cul-de-sac as part of a Roman Polanski box set, and what a cracking little film it is too. A free spirited young student spends the day on a yacht with an older materialistic sports writer and his attractive wife. A macho (non violent) rivalry develops between the two men who have very different outlooks on life. This is well acted, beautifully photographed and expertly builds a subtle sense of tension culminating in a thoroughly satisfying climax, brilliant.

http://www.techdigest.tv/quantum-solace-sony-c902-titanium-silver-thumb-200x305.jpg

Quantum of Solace (Marc Forster 2008) 2
Ask anyone what they like about James Bond films and invariably they'll say the big set pieces, gadgets, girls and wisecracks. Take those ingredients away, throw in a director with no experience of making action movies, skimp heavily on the plot and you're left with Quantum of Solace. Watching the action scenes in this film is like watching an episode of NYPD Blue whilst rolling down a hill. The wafer thin plot is a convoluted mess, the lackluster villains forgettable, and the charm non existent. Overall Quantum of Solace is an empty experience with only Daniel Craig's solid performance to recommend it.

http://www.weirdwildrealm.com/filmimages/deaths-of-ian-stone.jpg

The Deaths of Ian Stone (Dario Piana 2007) 2
I rented this one after reading the back and thinking it sounded like and interesting mixture of Quantum Leap, and Final Destination. Unfortunately what I got was a boring derivative mess with a story that went absolutely nowhere, stock characters, and lots of cut rate CGI. Ian Stone awakens in a new life after being murdered by a demonic stranger on a deserted highway. Soon he discovers that he can't really die and a group of demons (Harvesters here) are on his tail, killing him every day to prevent him remembering something or other. Each time Ian dies he immediately wakes up in a new life and has to go on the run again. Oh yeah and his girlfriend keeps popping up in different lives too and he has to protect her because she's special *groan*. The basic premise is interesting, but the dumb execution completely fails to develop the idea beyond a predictable third rate chase/horror flick.

adidasss

11-29-08, 09:25 PM

http://mnfilmtv.org/mndialog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/1812298179_dd95dc3c83.jpg

Los Chronocrimenes - Nacho Vigalondo (2007)

I thought it was an incredibly stupid and gimmicky film with as much depth as a puddle, but a lot of people seem to think it quite clever, including David Cronenberg who is set to do a remake. I hope he does better. Maybe I'm just not a fan of time travel, it just seems like a paradox that can't make sense no matter how you turn it. Cool poster though. 2

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Qg4DXtA3L.SS500.jpg

The boys in the band - William Friedkin (1970)

Well this landmark of gay cinema finally arrived on DVD recently and I jumped at the chance to see it. I suppose I got what I was expecting, and given the fact that it's very "stagey" I liked it more than I should have (Who's afraid of Virginia Wolf has a very similar vibe and I didn't really take to that one). Smart screenplay, even if the dialog is a bit dated, and fantastic performances from the entire cast. I couldn't believe half of them had died of AIDS by the early 90's. Only two were available for interviews for its 40th anniversary. So freaking sad...4

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MG/196031~The-Sum-of-Us-Posters.jpg

The sum of us - Geoff Burton (1994)

Quaint little auzzy gay film whose sole purpose, I'd imagine, was to sensitive the Australian public to the gay issue by showing them how "normal" gay people really are...too didactic to have any real artistic value but I can imagine its historical importance. Russel Crowe is standardly (it's a word damnyou!) good though, as is the very charming Jack Thompson. 2.5

mark f

11-29-08, 11:22 PM

The Boys in the Band is number one in my queue, I haven't seen it for over 25 years.

B-card

11-30-08, 12:48 AM

Commando-if I was 10 years younger I'll probably rate it 5/5 but watching it now it looks so funny,but still good action,Arnie delivers all the way 2.5

Deep Blue Sea-Jaws better 2

Eagle Eye-I thought that movies about super computers were history 3

The Duchess-It took me a whole day to watch it started it something like in 3pm and finished it some time in the evening but it was quite good 4

Sci-Fi-Guy

11-30-08, 01:08 AM

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/6706/wallejx3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

DAMN, if that wasn't the friggin cutest movie I ever did see! ;D
Definately my new favorite among the Pixar animated movies.
Friggin... bug went in my eye when it looked like the end for the little guy. :blush:

No. Really, that's true... :rolleyes:

I really hope they do a sequel so we can see Wall-E and EVE again.
They made a cute couple. :p

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/8742/evewallekk1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I'd definately give it a 5 out of 5 stars so if you haven't already seen it -- SEE IT! :cool:

rice1245

11-30-08, 02:34 AM

That looks like a really cool movie!! :D Also IMDB seem to have nice pictures yes. But you can't save any of the damn pictures!! :mad:

yesss yesss watch it!

and yeah IMDB is frustrating like that, fortunately i've found a loophole which involves the printscreen button then you can just open it on paint and save it from there :D

martian leader

11-30-08, 04:07 AM

yesss yesss watch it!

and yeah IMDB is frustrating like that, fortunately i've found a loophole which involves the printscreen button then you can just open it on paint and save it from there :D

Thanks for the print screen advice.

:D:D;)

undercoverlover

11-30-08, 07:14 PM

Aliens Not sure if it was a better film than the first but definitely more enjoyable, awesome action, good plot, believable character progression for Ripley and generally a wicked time.

ash_is_the_gal

11-30-08, 07:44 PM

Man on Wire (2008)

a documentary about a guy who wants to high-wire walk the Twin Towers.

http://www.grouchoreviews.com/content/films/3173/2.jpg

4 out of 5

undercoverlover

11-30-08, 09:29 PM

Powdered Water

11-30-08, 09:36 PM

I don't really understand why but I really like the third Alien flick. It does have a pretty strong cast. I don't know... it just agrees with me. Hey UC. Are you watching these from the Alien quadrilogy box set? That's a great set. I have still got to get into some of the extras that are in the thing.

undercoverlover

11-30-08, 09:39 PM

Nah im watching them online, i thought if i like them all I would get that great honking alien head with all the dvds inside. I'm not loving the third one, first one is good and a classic, 2nd is rockin and im in love with the 4th.

Powdered Water

11-30-08, 09:46 PM

Yeah, I really love the 4th as well. I kind of think it gets overlooked somewhat.

TheDOMINATOR

12-01-08, 03:43 AM

Freddy's Dead - 7/10.

The 3D aspect of the ending sequences was really cool. This installment fell somewhere in the middle of the series for me. I liked it a lot.

New Nightmare - 6/10.

I understand this is a fan favorite of the series? I'm not part of that majority. The concept of the movie was cool, but I didn't ultimately like how events within the film unfolded, and Freddy's "final" death was a let-down. Along with Part 5, this is my least favorite Nightmare.

Pyro Tramp

12-01-08, 02:28 PM

Alien 3 - obviously not as good as the others, generally hated the idea of the sh!thole prison. I dont really rate the other ideas id heard for the screenplay either but this did suck hard. Didnt like the characters, Ripley was unsteady on her feet in this one. And far too long, good lord it took long to get anywhere and when it did you were so bored by that point that you barely cared.

I think on the Quadrilogy set, there's two pretty different ****s of that one. In fact I know there is, just haven't watched them close enough together to remember any differences. But I hear the cut in the set is the better. I enjoyed both cuts, though still not as much as the other three.

adidasss

12-01-08, 09:40 PM

http://www.ugo.com/filmtv/top11-gunfights/images/Wild-Bunch.jpg

Guess what film that is! Finally saw it, it was magnificent. I've actually not seen anything by Mr. Peckinpah until a couple of days ago when I saw Straw dogs, which was one of the most frustrating and exhilarating films I've ever seen (although the devious bit of me sort of wondered if they couldn't have ended on a completely negative note, like say, Funny games). I'm not a fan of westerns but this is obviously something very different. Beautiful carnage...:yup: 5

http://labels.third-ear.com/images/bubble72.jpg

The bubble - Eytan Fox (2006)

The usual culture clash/can't we all just get along? story from Israel, this time involving a gay Jewish/Palestinian couple. I thought it could've made its point without the over-the-top melodrama of the last 20 minutes but it had its moments. 3.5

Powdered Water

12-01-08, 10:09 PM

I think on the Quadrilogy set, there's two pretty different ****s of that one. In fact I know there is, just haven't watched them close enough together to remember any differences. But I hear the cut in the set is the better. I enjoyed both cuts, though still not as much as the other three.

Yeah there is. I've seen both and personally prefer the original version. The new cut was pretty chopped in places and some of the scenes they added were really poor quality. I like it just the way it is.

Justin

12-01-08, 11:13 PM

Role Models (Wain,2008) - 3

Quantum of Solace (Forster,2008) - 3.5

Tropic Thunder (Stiller,2008) - 4.5

TheDOMINATOR

12-02-08, 12:17 AM

Of Unknown Origin (1983) - 5

Starring Peter Weller, this psychological thriller is magnificent in which Weller delivers a fantastic performance. After tonight's viewing which has been my fourth total, it's safe to say it's one of my favorites.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/846/14620largeod2.jpg

rice1245

12-02-08, 02:35 AM

Boondock Saints - 6\10

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/anielDay/BoondockSaints3.jpg

See review thread...

mark f

12-02-08, 02:42 AM

The Doors (Oliver Stone, 1991) 3

http://www.rockencyklopedie.cz/doors_film.JPG

Stone's psychedelic bio pic centers on the exploits of lead singer Jim Morrison (the magnetic Val Kilmer) from his days at UCLA film school up through his death in a Parisian bathtub at age 27. We also get to superficially see his relationhips with the other members of the Doors, keyboardist Ray Manzarek (Kyle MacLachlan), guitarist Robby Krieger (Frank Whaley) and drummer John Densmore (Kevin Dillon), as well as the two women he was closest to, artist/designer Pamela Courson (Meg Ryan) and Pagan author Patricia Kennealy (Kathleen Quinlan). All the actors do well, but the film is all about Morrison and Kilmer's ability to inhabit him, including doing the vocals for many of the concert and recording scenes. Oliver Stone throws in so much drug-induced and Native American spiritual imagery that he seems to be trying to rival Ken Russell's use of them in Altered States. How well you can handle the excesses will probably measure how much you enjoy the film. I like it, but I tried to give it a balanced rating.

Hancock (Peter Berg, 2008) 3

http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/Previews/Hancock-movie-s19.jpg

Many people here understand the origins of this flick far more than I do. As released, the film contains plenty of raw language, despicable villains, flamboyant special F/X, etc., but I can see how some might have wanted it to go past the line. I guess somebody really wanted to see a more explicit scene of somebody's head up somebody's a$$. I'll admit the film seems short, and even though the two "halves" may not fit together as well as they could, they do make Hancock an unusual superhero movie by many standards. This is one of those movies where the lead character has a form of amnesia, so he actually believes that he's just a normal guy who had an accident, became super human and never ages. Enough plot. The acting is all pretty good, even naturalistic at times. Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman almost seem to feel like they're acting in a superhero version of Juno, with Will Smith as their child who has a little problem he has to take of.

Vacancy (Nimród Antal, 2007) 2.5

http://themoviepreviewcritic.com/assets/images/Vacancy_Movie_Film.gif

This horror film is able to work up quite a bit of suspense despite the fact that it's a collection of cliches, borrowed from such better films as Psycho and Mute Witness. A married couple (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) on the verge of divorce get lost on a remote road late at night with a broken-down car. They end up in a motel which is used to make snuff films, and they gradually learn they're to become the next movie "stars". That's mostly it. There are enough scary moments here and there to make you wonder if they'll actually survive, but you probably have seen it all before, numerous times.

The Holiday (Nancy Meyers, 2006) 2.5

http://jameslogancourier.org/media/1/20070105-article_attachment_1165355725.jpg

This is a warm, likable holiday romance, but as with Vacancy, albeit in an entirely different genre, it's just a bit too obvious and rehashed to be as memorable as it could be. The plot is a bit by the numbers, but if it weren't so long and actually had a few big laughs, it would be a good movie. It's certainly cast with attractive people (yeah, even Jack Black here :)). Los Angeles movie trailer maker Cameron Diaz swaps homes for the Christmas season with Chelsea Girl Kate Winslet. Both are having romantic troubles, and both find greener pastures in the other's neighborhood. The most original and interesting thing in the film is old pro Eli Wallach's turn as an Oscar-winning screenwriter who encourages the Winslet character to watch classic films with strong female characters. He'd be good to see again playing Cupid in a film centering around him; at least if they can make it while the almost 93-year-old is still with us. (Wallach is the lead in a feature set to be released next year, Tickling Leo.)

Burn After Reading (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2008) 2.5

http://img.blogdecine.com/2008/07/burn%20after%20reading%20poster%20nuevo2.jpg

The Coens' latest takes quite awhile to get rolling. The set up is a bit laborious and mostly uninspired, but about 40 minutes in, it begins to pick up, and the idiot characters are matched by an almost Rube Goldbergish clarity in idiot plot twists. There are also a couple of sudden bursts of graphic killing which remind you that the Brothers enjoy a bit of the old ultraviolence no matter what their film's about. Basically, it's just a series of misunderstandings combined with a couple of paranoid intelligence men that's set in Washington, D.C. My favorite character probably has to be CIA official J.K. Simmons who has no idea what's going on or why, but does have plenty of good ways to take care of them all. He's not only hilarious, but probably chillingly realistic at the same time.

Swedish Chef

12-02-08, 02:52 PM

Yikes, haven't tabbed in a while...

http://www.best-horror-movies.com/image-files/ravenous-attack.gif

Ravenous (Antonia Bird, 1999)

This is a weird movie. In a good way, though. I think there's a lot of wasted potential here, because the first half was very cool, but then the film kind of got bogged down in silly gobbledygook and genre conventions and what-have-you. Still, this is one of the three or four best movies about cannibalism I've seen. It certainly made me do a double take the next time I saw a plate of red meat. And it does work as a pitch-black comedy, especially early on, but I think the people who made it were probably aiming a little higher. Robert Carlyle is kind of a one-note actor, but he's balanced well by Guy Pearce doing his best minimalist Guy Pearce-type performance.

The best thing Ravenous has going for it, though, is a tremendous and completely out of place Michael Nyman score. I think if I was in a different mood, the uptempo electronic music would have gotten on my nerves, but I liked it. More than anything, the score sets it apart and makes the movie more memorable and I think, ultimately, everybody who makes movies just wants their movies to be remembered.

I must have been in a "minimalist Guy Pearce and vastly underrated Michael Nyman score" mood, because the next two movies I'm a gonna tab about incorporate both. Anyway, Ravenous was good. Weird, but good.

3.5

http://members.cox.net/kdrum/Gattaca.jpg

Gattaca (Andrew Niccol, 1997)

I'm a huge fan of these sort of neo-noirish sci-fi flicks and this is one of the best. Jude Law is a really underrated actor, Alan Arkin is hilarious and while Uma and Ethan Hawke are very wooden here, as per usual, I think they're supposed to be. Gattaca is a little lame or hokey at times and its plot might come off as a tad manipulative or agenda-pushing, but it sure does looks great and that can cancel out a whole bunch of minor flaws. And that Michael Nyman score I mentioned before? It's very, very good.

4

http://img2.ifilmpro.com/resize/image/stills/films/resize/istd/2723416.jpg

The Proposition (John Hillcoat, 2005)

Every time I watch this movie, my appreciation for it skyrockets. It's sort of a faster-paced, slightly more compelling and Australian companion piece to The Assassination of Jesse James. Except it's also much better acted and stuff. I think the cinematic outlook and prospectives for future revisionist westerns would look better if films like this or even The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada should become the gold standard, instead of the comparatively dull Unforgiven. And Danny Huston should be in every movie.

4.5

I've also watched...

The 3 Futurama Movies (2007, 2008, 2008) 2.5
Killing Zoe (1994) 4
All the Real Girls (2003) 4
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) 3
The Visitor (2008) 3
The Brother From Another Planet (1984) 3.5
Sergeant York (1941) 3
Through A Glass Darkly (1961) 3.5
Role Models (2008) 3

Used Future

12-02-08, 04:53 PM

http://www.dustygroove.com/images/products/d/dvd%7E%7E%7E%7E%7E%7E%7E%7E_nightport_101b.jpghttp://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTMyNTg1NzI1MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzkzNTEyMQ@@._V1._SX282_SY400_.jpg

The Night Porter (Liliana Cavani 1974) 4.5
This film was incredibly controversial when it came out and it's not hard to see why, it's still pretty grim stuff. Set thirteen years after WWII, the film follows former Nazi S.S. officer Max (Dirk Bogarde) and his former lover Lucia (Charlotte Rampling), whom he abused whilst she was a concentration camp inmate. The two accidentally meet again in a Vienna hotel where Max works as the night porter. Gradually they rekindle their sadomasochist relationship with dire consequences.

Whilst I initially found the premise repellent (and not very credible) it gradually began to make sense and take on an incredibly bleak and haunting beauty. This is largely thanks to the two leads, especially Rampling who delivers a mature performance far beyond her years. This is a quiet, sombre film about mentally scarred people and their undying forbidden love for each other. It's pretty depressing stuff, but it's also one of the most romantic films I've ever seen. Certainly not for all tastes, some of the sadomasochistic sex scenes are still pretty shocking (though not particularly graphic) but Cavani's direction is classy and the material intelligently handled. This is no exploitation flick, but I'd still only recommend it to more adventurous viewers.

* I picked up the UK Anchor Bay dvd release of this in a sale recently for three pounds and thought it was a bargain at the time. Unfortunately the picture transfer is absolutely horrible, really grainy and dark, so if you're a Brit try and get the Criterion release (above) instead.

http://www.dreadcentral.com/img/dvdgraphics/infernobig.jpg

Inferno (Dario Argento 1980) 4
After seeing Rice's tab of Argento's classic (and one of my all time favourite horror flicks) Suspiria, I thought I'd give it another watch followed by the sequel (of sorts) Inferno. This is the second part in Argento's 'Three Mothers' series, which sees the action transfered to Rome and New York (though all the New York interiors were shot in Rome). The plot is a lot less coherent here (if that's possible), beginning with Rose, a young Woman in New York who stumbles on a book containing the secrets of the three Mothers (witches) one of whom she suspects resides in her apartment block. Afraid she writes to her brother Mark in Rome (where similar weird goings on are afoot) and begs him to visit her, but by the time he arrives Rose is already dead leaving Mark to solve the mystery himself.

Inferno (like most of Argento's films) is essentially just a macabre series of stylish and elaborate set pieces specifically designed to induce fear in the audience. If you didn't like Suspiria, or just dislike Argento films in general then this certainly won't change your mind. The narrative is vague, otherworldly, dreamlike, often lacking in sense, and subsequently hard to follow, but that's completely intentional. Unlike Argento's other Giallo* films, Suspiria and Inferno take place in a fantasy world, they are intended as purely visceral, disorientating dark fairytales bathed in pink and blue lighting with pounding hypnotic soundtracks. Inferno has some set pieces of chilling beauty like Rose's descent into an underwater ballroom, and a man attacked in a river by rats. Not as good as Suspiria, probably down to the absence of that seminal Goblin score. Here the music is provided by Kieth Emerson (of Emerson, Lake and Palmer) and whilst it's cool, it fails to elevate the film to the memorable heights of Suspiria. The special effects were overseen by horror maestro Mario Bava no less.

* Giallo is an Italian genre of crime fiction, often involving mystery, detectives, eroticism, and brutal murders.

mark f

12-02-08, 05:30 PM

Inferno is one of the best films I've ever seen which makes almost no sense whatsoever. You nailed it by calling it dreamlike. Of course, I'd rate it quite a bit lower than you, but I recommend it as a companion piece to Suspiria. Deep Red remains my fave Argento of the 13 I've seen so far.

http://photos.bravenet.com/272/478/925/3/D2C2B46D11.jpg

B-card

12-02-08, 08:35 PM

Yesterday were showing Susperia before the lecture(It was about trash cinema) but I didn't get much sleep last night so I missed it. But from the overall talk I heard that it was crap although our lecturer loves crappy movies and Dario Argento especially.

anyway I watched something these days but forgot what it was

Pyro Tramp

12-02-08, 08:46 PM

B-card

12-02-08, 09:00 PM

You studying Film? By the second year (or maybe it was third) 95% of people hadn't seen, let alone heard of, Chinatown and thought Pirates of the Caribbean was the best thing ever. Moral, don't listen to your classmates.

Yeah First year.Actually I'm pretty disappointed by some of them I remember on our first seminar when we had to introduce ourselves the lecturer asked us about favorite movies and some people went with Honey and Spiderman 2 and all sorts of crap like that.

mark f

12-02-08, 09:03 PM

B-card, remind Pyro where you are going to school now...

B-card

12-02-08, 09:07 PM

Should I?

mark f

12-02-08, 09:09 PM

True, that could be a scary thought. You guys might get together for a film and a drink.

P.S. Get more sleep, you Party Animal!

B-card

12-02-08, 09:15 PM

This week no parties I'm saving myself for the 8th of December(the Bulgarian Student celebration).Basically you gather with friends and drink and party till' your batteries run out

For Pyro: I am at Brunel University (Uxbridge) at the end of London *crap*

undercoverlover

12-02-08, 09:25 PM

Pyro Tramp

12-02-08, 09:38 PM

Sure, some easy going students can say they're their favourite films but considering the only other films they've seen are the similar Hollywood flicks from the last 5 years and Donnie Darko is the 'craziest' film ever and epitome of indy/art/non-mainstream etc- you do wonder what these people are doing on the course. I'm not saying everyone should be ranting over Brakhage or Italian Neo Realism but it is closer to the conversation i'd want with someone on my course, otherwise you can ask any of your friends.

B-card

12-02-08, 09:40 PM

you might find that the people that say their fave movies are Honey and Spiderman are more easy going. i've met a lot of luvvies who when you ask them their fave film they think of the most obscure arty film they can to impress you, it gets boring and you pray for someone to say Kindergarten cop

EDIT: hey a london student, you explored the city yet?

actually you are right in some way but some of them don't have any film education at all.And you are asking yourself what is he doing here,although most of my group are doing a joint course with drama and that's good for me,little less competition

well I've explored only the cliche stuff Westminster Buckingham Palace(my grandmother's house:laugh: )and the parks around(I fed a squirrel-so happy).I have 3 years so why rush it now

undercoverlover

12-02-08, 09:47 PM

I'm all for people having a wide taste in film but when you have to work with these people for three years, you want someone who is easygoing about film not someone who takes it seriously all the time. Some people's favourite films are genuinely obscure and you might not have heard of it but that doesn't always apply and you will most likely encounter a luvvie. And unfortunately not everyone on the course is there because they love cinema, they just thought it would be easy

Pyro - have you/do you study film?

B-card - you would be surprised how quickly it goes, before you know it you havent done half the things you thought you would. Also, Uxbridge is not as close to central London as you might like so it might be more of an effort to see the sights. Im at a London uni studying film, if you want hints and tips on the city id be happy to talk.

And to drag this thread back to topic, last film I watched was Alien 4 again.

Pyro Tramp

12-02-08, 09:53 PM

Yeah, i'm a Ba (Hons) :D Graduated Film Studies with a 2.1

I know what you mean, you don't want everyone to be an elitist and maybe it's because i am it was a problem but when you realise how surprisingly Film illiterate some people on the course are it's shocking. But i do think if you're doing the course your interest should extend past Donnie Darko and Pulp Fiction. And i can't imagine people taking up a whole Undergraduate Course, especially at the prices you pay now because 'it's easy'.

undercoverlover

12-02-08, 10:02 PM

good on ya

there will always be those lazy arse students who never do the work, dont attend the screenings and turn up late. Those tend to be the same people who say 'Pluto Nash? Hell yeah!' Or they think Not Another Teen Movie was original and the best teen movie of the past ten years.

I've met people that seem to enjoy films but dont seem to ave enough passion to actually study it, and yet they are on my course. But that applies to every course going, theres always someone whos gonna flunk because they dont care about the subject

Pyro Tramp

12-02-08, 10:09 PM

Hey, that was me! I went to half my weekly lectures, never went to any screenings and did all my essays night before hand in (started doing them sober in 3rd year though). Probably sounds like arrogant bragging but really should just illuminate the poorly structured course we had. Though i seriously think if someone had those tastes i would actually punch them. My friend picked up Meet the Spartans and started telling me how good it was, restraining myself was a ****ing effort.

undercoverlover

12-02-08, 10:13 PM

a bit of bragging never hurt anyone ;) most students are lazy, or become lazy as time goes on, but it comes down to what you know and how well u can pretend that you know

Pyro Tramp

12-02-08, 10:18 PM

i.e. how well you can turn other people's words into your own

mark f

12-02-08, 10:29 PM

For example, Pyro, you really need to take a class in 60-Year-Old Queer Cinema, or, at least, Ancient Queer Cinema taught by somebody who has to have eight more birthdays to hit 60!! (as per the Shoutbox). It might open your eyes. :cool:

undercoverlover

12-02-08, 10:31 PM

or blagging, blagging is an art form when done well. Blaggatry being when you are asked to write about something you hardly know but somehow manage to write an essay about.

Lennon

12-03-08, 12:06 AM

The Killers Rock Fuse 4 (not really a movie, but it was good.)
http://www.uterwincenter.com/applause/2007/feb07ap/images/Killers.jpg

martian leader

12-03-08, 12:14 AM

So this topic we rate movies correct?

:p

mark f

12-03-08, 12:32 AM

Yes, the ones you've watched recently.

TheDOMINATOR

12-03-08, 12:43 AM

They're not feature-length films, but earlier this evening I watched:

Alfred Hitchcock Presents The Chaney Vase - 3.5

Alfred Hitchcock Presents The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 4.5

The latter was remarkable, and the ending was insane.

Iroquois

12-03-08, 01:10 AM

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance - 4
Lost Highway - high 4

rice1245

12-03-08, 01:31 AM

Sorry to depart back to film school again but that's what i'll be studying next year, i live in Minnesota in the U.S. and i'll be going to Moorehead, which is right next to Fargo, to study film, so how is it? And homework isn't really my deal, i have a 2.48 average GPA right now and i completely relied on my ACT score (26) in order to get in places, tests i can do well on, homework is not my strong point i'm just a lazy **** =D but i work all the ****ing time too, but i can't blame work because even if i wasn't working i'd still not be doing my homework...whew off topic

mark f

12-03-08, 02:07 AM

TheDOMINATOR

12-03-08, 06:00 PM

Rest Stop 2: Don't Look Back - 1.5

The original Rest Stop was all right; I picked it up cheap in a reduced price section and managed to get Part 2 on Black Friday for sale on Blu-Ray. I'm glad I waited to get it on sale. :/

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2168/reststop2dvdhe7.jpg

Iroquois

12-04-08, 01:01 AM

Dead Man - 4.5
Young Frankenstein - 4

Vertical Gunn

12-04-08, 07:33 AM

Transporter 3 1.5

Iroquois

12-04-08, 07:36 AM

Cube - 4

MovieMan8877445

12-04-08, 05:54 PM

The Good Shepherd - 3.5
It was a pretty good movie, it got really confusing at times during it though. I feel some of the movie could have been left out, because it didn't really need to be 3 hours long. One of the things I didn't like about it was that it never really picked up, most of the movie seemed to go by pretty slow, but it speed up a bit towards the ending. Matt Damon did a great job in it though, he was basically in ever minute of the movie and he did a great job in all of it. All the rest of the actors seemed to just be popping back into the movie at strange times, I didn't really get that. It's definitely a good watch though, especially if you like CIA type movies.

http://rustyoscar.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/good-shepherd-0.jpg

Iroquois

12-05-08, 12:10 AM

Paths of Glory - 4.5

TheDOMINATOR

12-05-08, 12:19 AM

Tonight I held my fifth total viewing of:

Groundhog Day - 5

It's got an engrossing story, it's extremely well-acted, it's very, very funny, and the script is amazing. I love it.

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/6163/groundhogdayep7.jpg

MovieMan8877445

12-05-08, 12:21 AM

Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels - 3

Wow, I'm extremely disappointed by this, I had sorta high expectations for this because of how much I loved RocknRolla and this was supposed to be pretty similar to it, but I just didn't see how they were similar. I could really tell that this was Guy Ritchie's first film, because it really seemed like it was made by an ameatur director, I don't get why this movie gets so much love. It may have just been too weird for my tastes though, but I got confused by the plot at some points. There was one scene that I liked it in though, and that's where a point of my rating comes from, but after that scene it just went back to being like it was before that scene. Most of the movie was just average though, and like I said before, I was extremely disappointed by this one. I also want to point out that the lighting in this movie was just horrible, I don't know if they were trying to go for something unique or something, but it just didn't work.

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/03_02/LockStockJonesL_468x317.jpg

Swan

12-05-08, 12:39 AM

I had this whole thing typed out on here for all of the movies I have watched recently last night, but the internet crashed crashed and it was all lost. So I'm just going to sum it all up.

I'll start with the three highlights.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I watched the two David Lynch flicks I got, and those were great. Just what I was expecting with Mulholland Dr., just amplified a LOT. Blue Velvet was a bit different than I was expecting, but it was better than I was expecting, featuring not only my new favorite scene of all-time, but also one of my favorite performances of all-time, given by Isabella Rossellini. Dennis Hopper's performance is up there, too.

Mulholland Dr. - 5
Blue Velvet - 5

--------------------------------------------------------------

Today, I watched Let The Right One In.

Let The Right One In - 5

There was only one aspect of the film I didn't like. It only occurred during one scene in the film, though, so it's not a problem at all. Besides that, wow. Both Oskar and Eli have made my favorite characters list.

And Eli is very... uh... pretty.

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/05/02/alg_let_right_one.jpg

--------------------------------------------------------------

And the other movies I've watched...

Phantasm - 3
A Nightmare on Elm Street - 3.5
The Time Machine (1960) - 4.5
The Time Machine (2002) - 2
The Exoricism of Emily Rose - 1
SiCKO - 4
Goldfinger - 3
Schindler's List - 5
Dogma - 4.5
War of the Worlds (2005) - 4
Mr. Halloween - 1

TheDOMINATOR

12-05-08, 12:47 AM

Wouldn't a 5/10 for The Exorcism of Emily Rose convert to a 2.5/5 rating, Swan? Or at least a solid 2?

Swan

12-05-08, 12:49 AM

Probably, but my ratings change for the 5/5 system.

That, and I'd probably rate it even lower than a 5/10 now.

TheDOMINATOR

12-05-08, 12:51 AM

Ah. Yeah, after going with the 10-scale for so long and switching to the 5-scale on this forum, I can see what you mean. It takes some getting used to, adjusting to the different means of rating.

rice1245

12-05-08, 12:52 AM

rice1245

12-05-08, 12:53 AM

i like the ten scale better, i feel like i have more breathing room lol

Swan

12-05-08, 12:55 AM

i like the ten scale better, i feel like i have more breathing room lol

Yup, so do I.

But I like these little popcorn bags more than anything.

rice1245

12-05-08, 01:01 AM

OK, rice. You kinda went in circles there. Are your grades suffering from your paying job or vice versa? Do you need a paying job? Which do you need to do the most for yourself? College or work? Do your parents pay for your college and have no idea whatsoever what you're posting here? If they do, what are they saying? Would it better for you to quit college (with the highest GPA possible) and then later on reenter when you know better what you want to do?

well i think my grades suffer from my job to a certain extent but i think they'd be suffering without it too...and yeah i need a job, my parents don't pay for stuff, i've been working since i was fourteen. And i'm not in college, i plan on getting a way better GPA in college, mine was ruined freshmen and sophmore year i must admit i have improved over time, if you just looked at this year and last year it'd be somewhere around 3.0 but it's impossible to recover now from my first two years of highschool and i guess it doesn't matter anymore because i'm into the college i want. And yeah i've discussed grades many o' times with my parents, my mom wants me to work less and my dad kinda just agrees with whatever my mom says. And i definitely need college more than i need work, but i also need to pay for college so i work lol. So i'm keeping my job until august next year when i'll be off for college and i'll finish high school with a mid ground GPA but a sweet ACT score :yup: then go study film! yay!

rice1245

12-05-08, 01:02 AM

Yup, so do I.

But I like these little popcorn bags more than anything.

i couldn't ever figure it out =\ how sad is that

Swan

12-05-08, 01:03 AM

i couldn't ever figure it out =\ how sad is that

But they are so cute. I want to gobble the little popcorns up!

I don't know, either.

martian leader

12-05-08, 01:14 AM

1989 Puppet Master 10/10 :yup::yup::yup::up::yup::yup::yup:

mark f

12-05-08, 04:22 AM

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (Joseph Sargent), 1974) 3.5

http://secondavesagas.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/pelham123.jpg

John Godey's suspense thriller is adapted by master scripter Peter Stone (Charade, Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, Arabesque and the Godforsaken 1776), into an exciting, yet equally humorous flick about an NYC subway train being hijacked. Long before Tarantino used colors for character names, Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw), Mr. Brown (Earl Hindman), Mr. Green (Martin Balsam) and Mr. Grey (Hector Elizondo) get together to hijack the train and await for the city to bend to their demands for a million dollars cash. Walter Matthau is the Transit Cop lieutenant who just might outsmart them all. Overall, this flick is SuperEntertainment, with David Shire's throbbing musical score leading the viewer on his merry way to each and every plot twist. I cannot think of anyone who wouldn't want to watch it at least once. It's being remade next year by Tony Scott, and although I find that unfortunate, the cast is good and maybe it'll cause more people to check out the cool original.

Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989) 4

http://dotherightthing.com/image/0/332/full.jpg

I put up a quote earlier this week where Spike said something along the lines that critics give filmmakers too much credit for things they never intended to be in their films. Spike was still a pretty immature filmmaker and human being, at least in my opinion, when he made this, his third feature film, but it stands out to me as even better than I originally thought almost 20 years ago. Maybe it's an accident or maybe Spike was a Baby Genius, but either way, this film is much more complex, in far more many ways than even its champions thought in 1989. First off, there's Spike's screenplay. It seems to be something comparable to a 1930s/1940s play about urban America. It's set in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant, so it incorportes plenty of big-city stories, but it also seems to tell very small stories, almost along the lines of Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Most all of the characters in the film live out in the streets and they all watch, observe and look out for each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpDzd5Sw5HU

Most of the inhabitants of Bed-Stuy are black, but they also seem to gravitate toward Italian-American Sal's (Danny Aiello's) pizzeria. Sal employs his older son Pino (John Turturro) who is a blatant racist and his younger son Vito (Richard Edson) who doesn't believe in racism. It's an unanswered question in the film, but how could such a good man as Sal raise a racist son? On the other hand, there are some local blacks who don't like the fact that Sal loves to populate his wall with Italian-Americans, and Buggin' Out (Giancalo Esposito) basically calls Sal a racist for not having any Brothers on the wall. Another major character is Sal's pizza deliverer Mookie (Spike Lee), who ends up being perhaps the most important character in the film. Mookie only seems to care about getting paid. True, he has a young son he fathered with a Puerto Rican woman (Rosie Perez), but Mookie does very little to support his family. Mookie is in fact sponging off his younger sister (Joie Lee) for his living arrangements, yet he has the audacity to give her "big-brother" lectures.

http://www.gonemovies.com/WWW/Drama/Drama/DoTheRightThingRadioMookie.jpg

I haven't even gotten into Lee's color theme and musical accompaniment for the flick. Do The Right Thing is supposed to take place during the hottest day of the year. Lee uses red filters during the entire film, and although they usually imply that it's really hot, near the end of the film, the red filters imply that it's not only climatically hot, but that everyone in the neighborhood is really hot under the collar and fire just naturally erupts. The score, as with most of Spike's early films, is credited to his father Bill Lee, and although most of it is highly reminiscent of Aaron Copland in the 1940s (another homage to the classical theatricality of the film), it's also suffused with Bill Lee's natural inclination toward late 20th-century jazz. By the time this film reaches its climax, most viewers should be well aware that they have seen a complex film about a complex subject, and I, for one, do not find it racist at all, from any of the possible "racist" angles. I feel a little bit stupid that I haven't mentioned the following characters yet: Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), Sister Mother (Ruby Dee), Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) ["Fight the Power"], the wisdom-spouting triumverate chorus sitting opposite of Sal's pizzeria, the Korean convenience store couple who refuse to stock Miller High-Life, the two local racist cops, the four kids who love to debate but still love to get a slice at Sal's, etc. Tell me what you think of the film when you see it.

Wanted (Timur Bekmambetov, 2008) 3

http://blog.800hightech.com/wp-content/uploads/wanted-movie-angelina-corner-shot.jpg

This film is really weird. The basic plot and most all of the alleged "plot twists" are all so obvious that I feel pissed that the studio didn't pay me to write the "script". This led Sarah and me to have a long discussion about whether it's better to write an original script and receive no payment or whether it's better to write something predictable and be paid enough to be set for life. We still haven't resolved the situation because I've gotten old and think I deserve some of the "shared wealth", and Sarah is still young enough to not believe in "selling out". Anyway, much of this film is ridiculous, but there are enough interesting bits to hold your attention, and then, the final scene is by far the best in the entire film. I really like Thomas Kretschmann and Terence Stamp in this thing, so forgive me for tipping my thumb up to such a hyper piece of gibberish. I did tell Sarah that this film makes Speed Racer seem like Paths of Glory, and even with this flick's cool ending, I can stand by that. :cool:

Iroquois

12-05-08, 04:30 AM

I haven't seen Do The Right Thing in at least three years. While I do remember liking it, I don't remember thinking it was as great a film as several members of this forum seem to think. I'm still planning on giving it a re-watch when I come back home.

mack

12-05-08, 06:04 AM

great reviews mark - youre making me want to borrow Pelham and also watch Do the Right Thing again!! :yup: Wanted was also a good movie in the sense that it added a new twist to the whole assassin idea (bullets that travel around). Other than that, as you say - predictable. Fun, though! :D

Hellboy II: The Golden Army -2/5
:nope: I was very underwhelmed by Ron Perlman this time around and feel bad for him because it wasnt even his fault. I really enjoyed #1, but for some reason, this time around he even looked ridiculous to me in his red devil suit.

Ok wait. The ELVES were the best and most interesting part of The Golden Army, and I actually found myself rooting for Nuada and Nuala. I wonder if he would have just killed her and taken the piece if they had not been so intricately linked that her death meant his death? Im still not certain he should have died.

The Go-Getters 1/5
Very blah, but I'm hoping it was because I wasnt in the mood for the self-discovery of a 15 year old boy. It was right up Zooey's alley in terms of screenplay and character, but I enjoyed her only in Tin Man so far.

Hancock .. .... .... ... 3/5
I feel bad giving Will such a low score because he totally rocked the down-on-his-luck bum role. But I think this film got lost in itself - halfway through it we were blown away with a psuedo adultery angle, and were like...WHAAA? I get unrequited love, but Im uncomfortable with the whole my-friend-is-sleeping-with-my-woman-and-Im-ok-with-it, or the we-share-a-woman angles. It made what was otherwise a good film into something ..... .... .... odd and slightly twisted.

Swan

12-05-08, 11:08 AM

Harold and Maude - 5

This was the third time I have seen it in my life, and it was just as great as the other two. It has such a deep message, and it's silly as hell until the end. Every scene has something brilliant to give, there are tons of great juxtapositions everywhere, and it has very memorable characters (both Harold and Maude have always been on my favorite characters list). It's just a great story. This is one of the movies I have been planning to put in my top 10, and I'm glad I rewatched it to make sure, simply because I am pretty definite where it will be going on my top 10.

What flower would you like to be?

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f145/ifiswan/MV5BMjAzMTA2MDUwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTY.jpg

Pyro Tramp

12-05-08, 11:25 AM

Psycho- i think i probably should have sat down at watched this properly sooner as watching was just piecing together all the clips everyone's seen with filler. Can't really hold that against it but knowing exactly how it plays out did effect my viewing of it. Norman Bates is played brilliantly and the direction of the murders etc were sublime, however there was a load of plod in it (but that might just be were so familiar with certain bits). I really objected to the overused score while she was driving at the start, it seemed really unnecessary attempt to evoke some tension where it wasn't needed. 4

Sedai

12-05-08, 11:42 AM

Do the Right Thing is, IMO, one of the ten best films of the 80s. Important, relevant, and incredibly well crafted. Amazing.

http://www.gonemovies.com/WWW/Drama/Drama/DoTheRightThingLoveDaddy.jpg

Let's not forget Mr. Senor Love Daddy!

Justin

12-05-08, 02:01 PM

Ditto.

TheDOMINATOR

12-05-08, 05:14 PM

Hellboy II: The Golden Army -2/5
:nope: I was very underwhelmed by Ron Perlman this time around and feel bad for him because it wasnt even his fault. I really enjoyed #1, but for some reason, this time around he even looked ridiculous to me in his red devil suit.

Ok wait. The ELVES were the best and most interesting part of The Golden Army, and I actually found myself rooting for Nuada and Nuala. I wonder if he would have just killed her and taken the piece if they had not been so intricately linked that her death meant his death? Im still not certain he should have died.

100% Agreed.

MovieMan8877445

12-05-08, 06:22 PM

I literally stared at the screen like =O while reading the whole review. I am the complete opposite. I saw this and Snatch which are his two greatest films made and then i went and saw Rocknrolla and was completely disappointed. Lock Stock has wayyy more comedy in it and i really like that a lot and i didn't get confused about the plot once o.0 I don't see how it was amateur at all either, what specifically did you hate about it?

I'm not really sure, it may have just been because of my hopes were too high for it. I mean, like I said before I loved RocknRolla so I had high hopes for this, and because I just generally love gangster films more than any other type of movie (aside from superhero movies). And to me it did seem like it was amateur, it looked like he was trying to go for something unique, but I just wasn't fond of it. I still do want to see Snatch though, I'm hoping that one will be better than Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, but my expectations for it has gone down some.

Used Future

12-05-08, 08:22 PM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2284284572_bc031c14df.jpg?v=0

The Damned (Luchino Visconti 1969) 4.5
Beginning on the night of the Reichstag fire of 1933 The Damned concerns the Essenbecks, a wealthy German industrialist family who slide into corruption and depravity as the Nazis rise to power.
The mother and heiress to the family business Sophie Von Essenbeck (a deliciously seductive Ingrid Thulin)
manipulates her lover Frederick Bruckmann (Dirk Bogarde) into committing murder so he can seize control of the conglomerate with her as the real power. Meanwhile her pervert son Martin (Helmet Berger), a closet pedophile and transvestite gradually becomes politicized under the new Nazi dictatorship, and sets his own sights on control of the family buisness.

With the Essenbecks (a fictional family) clearly serving as a metaphor for a nations own descent into hell, The Damned is a fascinating study of a disfunctional aristocracy struggling with the transition from democracy to dictatorship. Operatic, with a delightfully lurid visual style more associated with horror, I was transfixed and fascinated by every aspect of this film. The labyrinthine plot is essentially a series of deceptions and double crosses as the family unit implodes in a sickening lust for power. We get everything from murder, cross dressing, a gay orgie, child molestation (in probably the most disturbing scene I've ever seen) and incest. As gradually the Essenbecks become more allied with the Third Reich so they come to resemble the denizens of Hades, indeed the opening shot of a molten metal furnace in The Damned is a clear indication of what's to come. Epic stuff, rich in period detail, this demands multiple viewings, certainly too complex for me to sum up here, just take it as two thumbs up.

Justin

12-05-08, 09:36 PM

Black Hawk Down (Scott, 2001) - 4.5

Hollywood Ending (Allen, 2002) - 3

TheDOMINATOR

12-06-08, 12:01 AM

Trading Places (1983) - 3.5

I enjoyed it a lot. Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd were great together.

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/7645/tradingplacesforwebjk3.jpg

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) - 3.5

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/7562/36m4lx9.jpg

A musical comedy with clever songs. I found it very funny.

Iroquois

12-06-08, 12:06 AM

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance - 3

Vertical Gunn

12-06-08, 01:20 AM

Frost Nixon 4.5

MovieMan8877445

12-06-08, 01:41 AM

Wanted 4.5

This is my third viewing of it, but I haven't seen it since early July, but I loved it as much as I did before. This has got to be my second favorite action movie (right after Die Hard), it's not really just mindless action. I've heard some people complaining about the plot, but I quite liked the plot, it was really good IMO, and the twist towards the ending was great. Everything after the twist was just plain epic, like a huge action scene, which is why I love it so much. James McAvoy did a great job playing a great job playing just an average guy turned into some badass assain, he was perfect for that role. I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for an action movie to watch, because I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

http://www.indiewire.com/ots/2008_wanted_008.jpg

mark f

12-06-08, 04:32 AM

The Paradine Case (Alfred Hitchcock, 1947) 2.5

http://hitchcock.tv/mov/paradine_case/images/paradinefr.jpg

Although this is a lesser Hitchcock, it's well worth watching if you don't expect too much upon the first viewing. Producer David O. Selznick reteamed with Hitch seven years after Rebecca and "introduced" both Valli (who hit it big soon enough in The Third Man) and Louis Jourdan. The thing which really sets this film apart is that Gregory Peck plays the defense attorney of Valli, who's accused of murdering her blind husband, but Peck plays the most unsympathetic character in the entire film. Not only was that unusual for Peck (who was at the height of his popularity), but it sorta threw off the the entire normal way of looking at the film.

http://www.moma.org/images/collection/FullSizes/F335.jpg

Much of the film takes place in the Old Bailey, and much of the "plot" is revealed during the murder trial, but most all of the character development occurs outside the courtroom, whether it's Peck's courting of the accused in the face of his steadfast wife (Ann Todd) or Charles Laughton's Judge trying to hit on Peck's wife. Then, there's the relationship between Valli and her husband's valet (Louis Jourdan), which results in the film's most melodramatic twists. The Paradine Case is a little light in Hitchcock visual flourishes, but if you pay attention, you can still find them. It's not really a mediocre film, but I can think of at least 25 better Hitchcock films, so if it comes on, I'd recommend watching it. If you start to get bored, put one of the other ones on. (If you want, I'll list my 25 :cool: .)

The Boys in the Band (William Friedkin, 1970) 4

http://www.posteritati.com/jpg/B4/BOYS%20IN%20BAND%20QD.JPG

Mart Crowley adapted and produced his play for the screen with Friedkin doing an estimable job of staging it for the screen. I give it the same rating as adi, and while I agree that it can be considered "stagy", it's really not all that much more stagy than adi's number one from last year, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days. Long takes are one thing, but awesome dialogue and acting should at least match it, especially if we're going for substance over style. :cool: (Totally irrelevant, so try to forgive me, even if I thought it was worth mentioning.) This movie is actually about a birthday party where all the guests are gay, except for maybe one of them. Of course, even if this film wasn't exactly a revelation at the time, the fact that it was ALL basically about gays and pretty much showed them as being full of the same anxieties and concerns as any other human being did make it a watershed film, at least in American mainstream cinema. I mean, Friedkin's next two films (The French Connection and The Exorcist) both were enormous mainstream hits even though he used indie filmmaking techniques.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Qg4DXtA3L._SS500_.jpg

The thing which makes this film so powerful is that the script is both hilarious and pathetic; rather, the characters are both hilarious and pathetic. None of the characters are shortchanged and I don't actually find the relationships and the characters' concerns dated in the least. The Boys in the Band is obviously one of the sharpest plays of its era (but adi, rewatch Virginia Woolf sometime because it's impossible to get how brilliant it is the first time), and the movie has so many solid performances, it's worth seeing for that alone, even if it wasn't so honest. For example, Cliff Gorman, as the most flamboyant member of the fraternity is heartbreaking during his serious scenes. Truly exceptional acting by everyone, but that Michael character really gets to encompass everything from Earth Mother to self-loathing creature. Anyway, now that it's available on DVD, do yourself a favor and watch the film. This is another one I could go on about for awhile, but hell, it's getting late.

Kung Fu Panda (Mark Osborne and John Stevenson) 4

http://khitos.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/kungfupanda2_large.jpg

This is easily one of the best films of the year. It's an awesome comedy, an awesome action flick, a great history lesson, it has some of the greatest voice acting of any animated film (Jack Black dueling with Dustin Hoffman is, dare I say it, AWESOME!) James Hong and Randall Duk Kim are also tremendous, and I haven't even bothered to mention the Furious Five and one of film's all-time greatest villains! The character design is superb, as well as the basic design of everything in the movie. Of course, I told Sarah that any movie which has a rope bridge is awesome (oops!), but the rope bridge was just the beginning of cartoondom's greatest action scenes compendia, all from Kung Fu Panda. Sarah and I fell in love with this flick when we saw it at the theatre. Brenda just watched it, and she was laughing and very concerned and then admitted that "that's a lot better than you'd expect a movie called Kung Fu Panda to be!" Amen.

adidasss

12-06-08, 06:51 AM

Ok, now I think you're disagreeing with me just for the sake of disagreement. Comparing 4 months to The boys in the band makes absolutely no sense. The boys in the band is "stagey" because it's almost a literal adaptation of a stage play played by the same cast, takes place in one apartment and is based solely on dialog. 4 months is shot at numerous locations, is incomparably more cinematic and has absolutely nothing to do with the theater. I get that you didn't like it, but I think it's time you moved on. http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/diezelpower/shrug-1.gif

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Day_of_the_jackal_ver1.jpg/200px-Day_of_the_jackal_ver1.jpg

The day of the jackal - Fred Zinnemann (1973)
Spectacular police thriller. Very grounded in reality and supremely methodical which is what makes it so exciting despite its length. I couldn't take my eyes of it and wound up staying up till 2:30 so I could finish it. Only two things that bothered me a little, one was the use of English with french accents, the other was the assassination scene which I thought could have been handled better. The chief of police happens to ask a certain police officer, minutes before the assassination, if he saw anything suspicious and he remembers letting someone in? Why didn't he find it suspicious then? They should have resolved it differently, for example, someone discovered the woman whom the jackal killed to gain access to the flat? Anyway, it seemed a little inconsistent with the rest of the film, but the rest of the scene was filmed beautifully so it didn't matter much.

Also, ignoring the fact that the assassin being English (sorta) was crucial to the plot development, wouldn't it have been even more spectacular if Alain Delon circa Le Samurai played him? http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/diezelpower/dreamy.gif

Anyhoo, big thanks to rufnek for mentioning it. - 4.5

http://twitchfilm.net/site/images/sleeves_posters/ChaserPoster2_200x282.jpg

The chaser - Hong-jin Na (2008)
Speaking of insane, taut police thrillers, I meant to do a proper review of this film but in the end couldn't be bothered. Anyway, it's the best Asian film I've seen this year and it's just sweeped the Korean film awards. It's somewhat similar to Memories of murder in that it focuses on the police investigation of a serial killer but takes a wholly original approach to it. It's also already been bought by Leo Di Caprio so make sure you see it before it becomes another Departed. 4.5

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/2297255143_96fb77ff49_o.jpg
Chop shop - Ramin Bahrani (2007)

Well I have to say that I was expecting a bit more, but what I got wasn't bad. It's a small indie film about a stray kid name Ale and his sister and their struggle to make a living. It has a third world country feel which makes it kinda refreshing, you don't get a lot of chances to see this side of America. On the other hand, it was kind of predictable and generally too small a story to make a bigger impact, on the audience as well as the critics. 3.5

Otth

12-06-08, 09:35 AM

Last Life in the Universe (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0345549/) - Ruang rak noi nid mahasan (2003)

A must see for everyone how loved Lost in Translation

4

Pyro Tramp

12-06-08, 10:13 AM

adidasss

12-06-08, 11:24 AM

I think I saw it some years ago...I have no intention of searching it out again, but from what I remember it seemed like a decent thriller. I'm not sure how similar they are, but I seem to remember an entirely different ending.

TheDOMINATOR

12-06-08, 01:58 PM

A Night in Heaven - 2

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/693/514ekdmg1mlsl500aa240di7.jpg

A sort of off-the-wall-ish title that I'm pretty infamous for buying and watching in another community similar to this. Don't ask me why. ;) It was pretty interesting, but had too many weak points for me to remain fully engaged in the movie.

Powdered Water

12-06-08, 03:55 PM

Some more Holiday goodness...

Holiday Inn (1942-Mark Sandrich) 4.5

This is actually the first time I've seen this whole movie. Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire... yep, I loved it. If you've never had the pleasure of seeing a Bing Crosby film then you could certainly not go wrong with this flick.

We were talking about Bing a bit while watching this gem and it occurred to me just how incredibly talented Bing really was. Sure, most of his flicks followed a formula of sorts. He was typically the leading man and had some sort of comedic dancing side kick. Most notable of course would be Bob Hope and even though perhaps Bob wasn't a great dancer he certainly fit the comedian bill. Anyway, I think he may have been the most talented singer/actor I've ever seen. Sinatra tried, but he definitely wasn't leading man material. Well, I really love watching the guy.

White Christmas (Michael Curtiz-1954) 4.5

Another spectacular Bing Crosby movie and sadly this is my first time seeing it. Well that shall be remedied now as it will now become another yearly Christmas movie. My God this was good.
I've never had the pleasure of seeing little Vera-Ellen before. This was a good first movie to catch her in as this flick was brought to me in full Vistavision color and seriously it looked really damn good good for a 1954 movie. She was a former Rockette (guessed correctly by me while watching, go me!) and she was just so damn cute! She was also pretty risque I would imagine for back in those days she had a couple of numbers where her legs were completely exposed! :eek: Loved her and loved the movie.

Scrooge (1951-Brian Desmond Hurst) 5

A Christmas Carol is also the title, both are shown on the title screen so I guess it doesn't really matter which you use. Either way though to me this is far and away the best version of the story. It has been done numerous times but Alastair Sim is just incredible! Its even better than the Muppet version. ;)

Gremlins (Joe Dante-1984) 4

Just another really fun little holiday movie. Watching this again got me thinking about what a knockout Phoebe Cates was back during the 80's. After Fast Times at Ridgemont High she was quite the teen age boys wet dream. She was for me anyway. She strikes me as a pretty good example for a big in one decade and pretty much gone in the next type of actress. She did a second Gremlins film and a little movie called Drop Dead Fred which I kind of enjoy but not too much else. Anyway, she was a pretty hot little number during the 80's I says.

http://worlddominationcult.com/images/phoebe_cates_nude.jpg

Bad Santa (Terry Zwigoff-2003) 3.5

I think I mention this every time I see it but did you know that the Coen brothers wrote this? Probably why I enjoy it so much. Such a damn funny flick.

TheUsualSuspect

12-06-08, 08:00 PM

Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

3.5

undercoverlover

12-06-08, 08:02 PM

was it cliched?

Pyro Tramp

12-06-08, 08:04 PM

If Apatow romance has become a cliche. Or Be Kind Rewind. Or getting a poo facial. But seeing Jason Mewes' junk certainly is cliche :eek:

TheUsualSuspect

12-06-08, 08:08 PM

What Pyro said. ;)

Otth

12-06-08, 08:16 PM

Female Agents - Les Femmes de l'ombre ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0824330/) (2008)

Interesting to see a new twist to the more or less standard World-War-II-movie, but in many ways it is still the same old thing we have seen so many times before. Just like Moritz Bleibtreu does the same static role he always does.

Entertaining enough but nothing to make a fuss about.

3.5

TheDOMINATOR

12-07-08, 12:12 AM

The Santa Clause - 2

http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/9366/l2502451ah7.jpg

It was funny in places and had some pretty likeable characters, but it didn't turn out as good as I had remembered it to be.

Gremlins (Joe Dante-1984) 4

Just another really fun little holiday movie. Watching this again got me thinking about what a knockout Phoebe Cates was back during the 80's. After Fast Times at Ridgemont High she was quite the teen age boys wet dream. She was for me anyway. She strikes me as a pretty good example for a big in one decade and pretty much gone in the next type of actress. She did a second Gremlins film and a little movie called Drop Dead Fred which I kind of enjoy but not too much else. Anyway, she was a pretty hot little number during the 80's I says.

http://worlddominationcult.com/images/phoebe_cates_nude.jpg

I think it's time to watch Gremlins and Fast Times again. :yup:

TheUsualSuspect

12-07-08, 12:22 AM

The Santa Clause is the best film out of the trilogy. It was an actual comedy, whereas the sequels went far, way too far down kiddie film lane.

TheDOMINATOR

12-07-08, 12:44 AM

The Santa Clause is the best film out of the trilogy. It was an actual comedy, whereas the sequels went far, way too far down kiddie film lane.

I bought the box set of the trilogy. I thought I remembered The Santa Clause being better, but I didn't like it much. That being said, it's not looking good for the sequels, but I'll find out within the next few days. :/

Swan

12-07-08, 01:05 AM

I love The Santa Clause, it's hugely nostalgic and it's one of my favorite Christmas movies. Always gave me the Christmas spirit.

Iroquois

12-07-08, 03:28 AM

The Crow - 4

Otth

12-07-08, 06:31 AM

When it comes to weird movies, the Christmas themed portion of them, don’t come in short supply. That means that when a movie not only to tries to top the other movies of its kind on the weird scale, but successes, you know you are dealing with something very special.

This is without a doubt the best interpretation of the fictional character Father Christmas (sorry to break it to you kids, its true).

Rare Exports 4
Rare Exports Part II3.5

Rare Exports

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JIz7I5yzwQ

Rare Exports Part II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z4OvK3Vn44

Swan

12-07-08, 03:01 PM

Holes - 3.5

Great movie. I docked it down a bit for a few scenes (barely any, maybe 1 or 2), and I didn't like some of the music choices (although, some of the other music choices were great). I was surprised that the acting was all very good by the boys in the D-tent. I remembered it not being so good, but I was wrong there. The acting wasn't amazing or anything, and there were some slips every once in a while, but it was still better than I remembered it being. I guess I could consider Holes a personal favorite, although it won't hit my top 10 or top 25 favorites list. Still, it's an great film by me and I love it a lot.

TheDOMINATOR

12-07-08, 03:12 PM

The Santa Clause 2 - 2.5

I actually liked this one better than the original (2). While it's not one of my favorite Christmas movies, I thought it had a lot more substance to it as we got to learn more about the characters. Also, JULIET FROM LOST WAS IN IT. That makes it a better movie automatically. ;)

Powdered Water

12-07-08, 03:44 PM

Giving the new HD TV A little workout...

Transformers (Micheal Bay-2007) 4

I just really enjoy this flick. I'm not sorry about it either. Its fun and nice to look at. I can't wait for part 2.

Ratatouille (Brad Bird-2007) 4.5

My god this looked good. Its such a good movie too, one of the best from last year. Maybe I'm a big softy but I get all choked up when Ego writes his review at the end of the film. A lot of what he says is true for everyday life in general. Good stuff.

The Incredibles (Brad Bird-2004) 5

Well I watched it again Iro, and its still a great flick. Not overrated in the least. This is a solid family movie and a very good story as well. So many superhero movies (the good ones anyway) deal with how hard and lonely being a superhero is. In this film the main character actually wants to be a superhero and all of his mental struggles deal with the fact that he isn't supposed to be one. I really like the way the story plays out.

Dark Passage (Delmer Daves-1947) 3.5

I really like this flick. I think this is one of those flicks that showcases how good of an actor Bogey really was. Same with Bacall, they both had several scenes where a lot of emotions were conveyed with their eyes. I think this flick gets over looked. Really good stuff.

TheUsualSuspect

12-07-08, 04:54 PM

Also, JULIET FROM LOST WAS IN IT. That makes it a better movie automatically. ;)

Then you'll love GIA

TheDOMINATOR

12-07-08, 05:05 PM

Then you'll love GIA

Also with Angelina Jolie and rated R for "strong sexual content," you say? Yep, I'm guessing I'll love Gia too, UsualSuspect. :D I'll have to add it to my literal "Movies to Buy/Check Out" list on MicroSoft Excel. :cool:

Swan

12-07-08, 05:17 PM

Gia is a good movie. I've got it on DVD.

Otth

12-07-08, 05:20 PM

http://www.onopen.com/upload/art%20virus/Three%20Times.jpg

Zui hao de shi guang - Three Times (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0459666/) (2005) 4

A Time for Love was perfection and A Time for Youth wasn’t far behind, but A Time for Freedom was a tiering and boring affair Hsiao-hsien Hou could have spared me for.

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTk1NzYyMjU0OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjA4OTkyMQ@@._V1._SX220_SY400_.jpg

The Picture of Dorian Gray (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037988/) (1945) 3.5

The best part of this movie is without a doubt the comments from the disillusioned Lord Henry Wotton.

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjYxNzUxNzE1Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNDYxMzA5._V1._SX279_SY400_.jpg

The Producers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063462/) (1968) 4

Mel Brooks, you are a genius.

TheDOMINATOR

12-07-08, 05:30 PM

Gia is a good movie. I've got it on DVD.

Any Juliet nudity by any chance, or is it Angelina Jolie that contributes to the "strong sexual content"? Or someone else?

Swan

12-07-08, 05:35 PM

Angelina Jolie isn't the only nude chick - there is at least one lesbian scene. I don't remember who specifically, though. I was too busy looking at Angie. :D

MovieMan8877445

12-07-08, 05:56 PM

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly - 5

Now I didn't want to give a perfect score already after just re-doing my ratings the other day, but this movie is nothing, but amazing. It's like The Godfather of western movies, I was actually surprised I liked it so much, because I thought that the fact that it was dubbed would sorta distract me from the movie, but I just got used to it like 10 minutes into the movie. The movie is definitely epic, I don't really think there's another way to describe it other than that. Clint Eastwood did a great job as Blondie, that is probably my favorite movie character of all-time, Clint Eastwood is probably now the coolest actor ever. The score for it was perfect, it may be the best score I've ever heard in a movie, but now I notice that some of Kill Bill's score was taken from The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly score. This is the best western movie that I've ever seen (even though I really haven't seen that many westerns), and I can see this making it into my top 5 when I finally finish my top 100 list.

http://blogs.amctv.com/future-of-classic/The%20Good,%20The%20Bad,%20and%20The%20Ugly_560x330_MMDGOTH_EC001_H.jpg

TheDOMINATOR

12-08-08, 02:29 AM

A couple days ago, I mentioned my slight embarrasment of how small my percentages for the various "lists" are compared to most other members here. Well, earlier today I helped amend that, as I held my very first viewing of:

The Godfather - 5

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/2505/thegodfatherposterc1217nk5.jpg

I hate to sound like I'm just going with conformity here, but I was completely captivated by the gripping story and brilliant performances from beginning to end. While the film moved a bit slowly in some parts and I didn't understand what exactly was happening 100% of the time, I'm sure that that will be amended upon a second viewing. That being said, I'm not let down in the least by this film, as my expectations were considerably high.

Al Pacino was particularly extraordinary in this film, I thought, and the character he portrayed in it may be one of my new favorite characters in cinematic history. His performance as such may also be one of my favorite performances ever, and with a second viewing, The Godfather may find its way onto my top (10/25/whatever) favorite movies of all time list.

mark f

12-08-08, 05:29 AM

Peeper (Peter Hyams, 1975) 2.5

This is a link to watch the entire movie (http://www.hulu.com/watch/15347/peeper).

I last saw it at the theatre in 1975. Nowadays, I can still appreciate it as a The Big Sleep homage with super cool opening credits -- (EVERYBODY watch the opening credits of this and tell me what you think... )

I basically enjoy the film even if the mystery is a little weak and some of the acting seems arch. However, for those of you who love noir, it's a fun film and much more in keeping with noir in the 1970s than some of the revisionist noirs which are also arch and are now (somehow) considered "classics". No, I'm not talking about the stone cold classic Chinatown, but I've been reading so many hosannas about The Long Goodbye that it almost makes me sick. Now, I'll be the first to say that if I think Peeper is better than Altman, I must be insane, but when have I ever denied being insane? On the other hand, The Long Goodbye also has a "mystery [which] is a little weak and some of the acting seems arch". That's enough of that one, at least so far...

The Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968) 2.5

This flick for everybody (http://www.archive.org/details/night_of_the_living_dead_dvd) Not everyone wants to see this, but it's also actually funnier than you might think.

Look, I love Romero and ALL the Dead flicks, even this one I seem to badmouth, but how many of you zombie lovers have seen Romero's The Crazies, Martin, Knightriders, Creepshow (shame on you, Pyro... HA!), Monkey Shines. etc.? He is the Godfather of Modern Zombies, but he's so much more, and nobody lets him be that, so he has to continue to fall back to the old "tried and true". I have so much more to say, but this probably isn't the right place.

Sedai

12-08-08, 11:57 AM

Altered States (Russell, 1980)

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/stills/altered_gizmodo.flv.jpg

Trippy flick about, well, altered states! Sensory deprivation combined with experimental drug use send a scientist on the road to regression... A dated but fun and interesting film!

The Illusionist (Burger, 2006)

http://ts10.gazettelive.co.uk/the-illusionist.jpg

I love this film. The clearly superior picture on magic from 2006, this films does everything right. The tone, the performances, set design and period; it nails it all! The elegant screenplay works beautifully, avoiding unnecessary complication or Deus ex Machina, something the overwrought The Prestige couldn't do. A fantastic period piece with a twist that makes sense.

The Road Warrior (Miller, 1981)

http://matchcuts.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/hdrp_0602_best_car_movies_12_zroad_warrior.jpg

This thing is starting to get pretty long in the tooth, but I still enjoy it for nostalgia purposes. I am still a bit foggy on the subtext of this film, but, I think the director was, too...

Do the Right Thing (Lee, 1989)

http://www.learningfromlyrics.org/DoTheRightThingRadioMookie%5B1%5D.jpg

Had to pop it in again after reading Mark's thoughts on the film the other day. I could watch this film every day and never get tired of it...

"I got it all figured out! Either them Korean Mutha-****as is all geniuses...or you black asses is just plain dumb!" - Coconut Cid

linespalsy

12-08-08, 03:48 PM

Tropic Thunder - 3.5
Eyes Without a Face - 3
Blood of the Beasts - 3.5
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - 3

Pyro Tramp

12-08-08, 04:36 PM

Mark, did you like Creepshow then?

mark f

12-08-08, 04:46 PM

Yes, I like Creepshow. Even if it could certainly have been better, I think it's probably the best horror omnibus film ever made. The last two stories are definite highlights. Of course, part of my enjoyment of it comes from the fact that I don't take it seriously, but then, I don't think Romero and King were trying to be very serious either. They just wanted to make an entertaining flick. Now, I do think that Creepshow 2 is pretty lousy.

Otth

12-08-08, 05:08 PM

I must say that the AFI 100 Years, 100 Laughs is a very dangerous thing when one really should be studing to ones exams.

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjA2MTY3MjM0MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjU0OTExMg@@._V1._SX200_SY303_.jpg

Dinner at Eight (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023948/) (1993)

I was expecting a classic laugh-out-loud satiric comedy, but I found the good mix of comedy and drama, with flawless acting. The only drawback was that I found the movies progression to be a little bit to slow.

3.5

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTY2NjQ5ODgwMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjk0NTgyMQ@@._V1._SX283_SY399_.jpg

My Man Godfrey (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028010/) (1936)

Cinematic perfection. This is without a doubt the best comedy I have ever seen. A must see for all movie lovers.
5

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTU3MjcwNzczMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTI4OTYyMQ@@._V1._SX272_SY400_.jpg

Mr Deed Goes to Town (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027996/) (1936)

Having seen the remake stared by Adam Sandler, I didn’t have very high hopes for this movie. But it seemed that I had underestimated Mr. Sandlers ability to destroy a good story with his presence. The same can not be said of Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur.

4.5

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTI3NTYyMDA0NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjEwMTMzMQ@@._V1._SX285_SY400_.jpg

Arsenic and Old Lace (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036613/) (1944)

I do like my dark humor, and can’t say that the good Mr. Carpa was a stingy with it. The movie was nothing but hilarious.

[rating]5]/rating}

Swan

12-08-08, 09:46 PM

Jacob's Ladder - 5

I saw it a few months ago, and I gave it a full score then, too, although my liking for it was probably more of a just a little less. This viewing was so much more powerful for me. So much that this is now be #1 on my top 10 list. I wasn't expecting that. No, I was planning on putting it in my top 25 (which I use on another forum), but somewhere between 10 and 20 - not even my top 10. It's the most beautiful film I have ever seen in every sense of the word. It's stunning, visceral, mindblowing, terrifying, thoughtful, etc. Some of the scenes are indescribably epic. It's messed with my mind these past 20 +- hours more than any movie has.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f145/ifiswan/jacobs-ladder-1990-tim-robbins-p-6.jpg

MovieMan8877445

12-08-08, 10:53 PM

Gone Baby Gone - 5

It's been almost a year since I've last seen it, so I decided to watch it again because I watched Mystic River last night. Now I've only seen it once other than this viewing, but I absolutely loved it, I think this is gonna make it pretty high when I finally get around to finishing my top 100 (which is actually getting pretty near). A lot like Mystic River, it has an amazing ending, I didn't expect it one bit. Casey Affleck and Ed Harris really shined in this one, I never knew Casey Affleck could be as great of an actor as he was in this one, I already knew Ed Harris could do a great job. Ben Affleck did a great job for his directorial debut, he should direct some more movies, because I think he's better at directing movies rather than acting in them. It was quite as amazing as Mystic River was though, but it sure came pretty close.

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/g/images/gone-baby-gone-7.jpg

TheDOMINATOR

12-08-08, 11:30 PM

Office Space - 4

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/6039/officespacekk8.jpg

My first rewatch in quite a while. Office Space is one of my favorite comedies; I need to show someone my "O"-Face. :D

MovieMan8877445

12-08-08, 11:42 PM

No Country For Old Men - 5

Wow, I can't believe it's been like 5 months since I last watched this, how stupid of me. Back in July, which was the last time I watched it, this was in my top 3, I still don't think this is quite gonna make it back into my top 3, but now I've got to do some serious thought on my top 5. Because this film is nothing, but perfect, I still can't even believe that I said The Big Lebowski was the best Coen Brother movie so far, I was wrong. This film has perfect acting and definitely perfect characters, mainly from Javier Bardam as Anton Chigurh. This was the best film of 2007 by far, and one of the best films ever made, I hope to see another Coen Brother movie as great as this someday.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/twhalliii/NoCountryForOldMen3.jpg

Used Future

12-09-08, 01:12 PM

http://romance.chsparis.com/Oli_pics/aPH13.jpg

Les Amants du Pont-Neuf aka The Lovers on the Bridge (Leos Carax 1991) 3
Alex (Denis Lavant who plays the same character in two of Carax's earlier films Boy Meets Girl, and Bad Blood) is a homeless street performer living rough on the Pont-Neuf bridge whilst it undergoes restoration. Michèle (Juliette Binoche) is the down and out young artist losing her sight whom he falls for. The two become inseparable, but Alex's manipulative and possessive nature threatens to tear the couple apart.

This is bouyed by two good central performances (especially Binoche) and some fantastic imagery from Carax, like Alex's fire breathing street performance, and him setting alight scores of posters on the Paris Metro. I found the story a little uneven and lacking in emotional depth though, underneath all the flashy camera work and homeless chic this is just an unlikely love story that loses its way well before the final act. Still it is entertaining, and well worth seeing just for the eyepopping visual style.

http://www.cinemapassion.com/affiches/que_la_bete_meure.jpg

Que la bête meure aka This Man Must Die (Claude Charbol 1969) 4
Charles Thenier (Michael Duchaussoy) vows to find and murder the man who killed his son in a hit and run accident. An unfortunate (and unlikely) coincidence has him stumble upon the suspected identity of the killer, Paul Decourt (played by Jean Yanne). So begins an elaborate revenge that involves Thenier entering into a relationship with Decourt's sister in law Helen Lanson (Caroline Cellier). On meeting Decourt's family however, Theiner comes to realize he's not the only one who wants the man dead.

Despite a couple of inconsistencies in the plot, not least the unbelievable coincidence that leads Theiner to Decourt, and Lanson's (who was a passenger in the car) silence over the killing. This is a multi-layered, compelling revenge drama, with a couple of neat little twists towards the unpredictably downbeat ending. Overall classy, quiet, restrained stuff, nicely played by Duchaussoy and Yanne, and well worth a look.

MovieMan8877445

12-09-08, 11:58 PM

Goodfellas - 5

Now this is my second viewing of this, I hadn't seen it since September and remember putting it pretty high on my favorites list with that viewing, so I decided to rewatch it. And I'm glad I did, because I didn't even remember the ending to it, I think I may have drifted off during the ending last time because I remember I watched it real late. But I actually think this may be my favorite mafia movie, maybe even more than The Godfather. To me, this just has a lot more going on during it rather than in The Godfather, but I still really love The Godfather a lot. Joe Pesci was amazing in this, you can tell he really got into his role for this movie, De Niro and Liotta did great jobs as well. Overall, I'm glad I decided to rewatch this because it made me remember how great of a movie it is.

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2007/09/goodfellasREX_450x300.jpg

---------------------------------------------------

Pulp Fiction - 5

Well sh*t, I can't decide if I like this more than Mystic River, but I think when it gets down to posting my list it'll be after Mystic River. I can't believe it's been so long since I last watched this, I think it's been like 4 months now, but not anymore. This film is definitely perfect, I didn't get bored with this movie not even one second, it keeps you entertained that well. I also do want to point out that, I noticed how amazing the music fit so perfectly with it this time after watching it, that I haven't noticed yet with my previous viewings of it. There's nothing really else to say about this that I haven't already said before though, but yeah I still love it as much as I loved it before.

http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/Previews/Pulp-Fiction-movie-01.jpg

mark f

12-10-08, 02:28 AM

TheDOMINATOR

12-10-08, 02:34 AM

Mark, I've known Movieman for quite a while online, and he's infamous for giving films he sees high ratings more often than not. I've tried to talk sense into him, others have tried to talk sense into him, and he even "re-did" his rating scale on another film discussion web site, but...it's no use. He does what he does. ;)

Sedai

12-10-08, 11:29 AM

Mean Streets and Fear and Loathing get 2 boxes? Fear and Loathing is SUCH a great film, in so many ways... and Mean Streets...

I know you don't care for Lynch, so I understand your rating for Blue Velvet, but... Mean Streets??

*Faints*

Meanwhile:

Last night I watched...

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d8/sic_kid/TheDarkKnightTheJoker13.jpg

adidasss

12-10-08, 01:17 PM

Wasn't it the best thing ever?

Sedai

12-10-08, 01:21 PM

Wasn't it the best thing ever?

The Dark Knight?

adidasss

12-10-08, 01:37 PM

Maybe?

Sedai

12-10-08, 01:40 PM

You should see it, then you would know.

adidasss

12-10-08, 01:42 PM

I have. :|

Yoda

12-10-08, 02:03 PM

Adi doesn't like thing as much if they're too popular. ;) Speaking of which, look out: Of Montreal licensed one of their songs for use in an Outback Steakhouse commercial awhile ago.

Sedai

12-10-08, 02:08 PM

I have. :|

Care to list your issues with the film?

adidasss

12-10-08, 03:11 PM

Adi doesn't like thing as much if they're too popular. ;) Speaking of which, look out: Of Montreal licensed one of their songs for use in an Outback Steakhouse commercial awhile ago.
I know, I totally hate them now. Tolly...:|

Care to list your issues with the film?

I have. (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=475675) :|

Sedai

12-10-08, 03:37 PM

Too long?

Nah. :nope:

adidasss

12-10-08, 03:53 PM

Is too...http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/diezelpower/durise.gif

Yoda

12-10-08, 03:55 PM

Oh, come on Simply saying it's too long is not actually elaborating on your thoughts at all -- that could mean anything.

Sedai

12-10-08, 04:02 PM

I took it as him meaning he had to pee while watching... Hey, if you leave it up to guesswork...

Golgot

12-10-08, 04:15 PM

I took it as him meaning he had to pee while watching... Hey, if you leave it up to guesswork...

Isn't that the Hitchcockian measure? 1-and-a-half bladders = bad ;)

adidasss

12-10-08, 05:06 PM

Oh, come on Simply saying it's too long is not actually elaborating on your thoughts at all -- that could mean anything.

A shrewd observation, my dear fellow. http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/diezelpower/sir.gif

Yoda

12-10-08, 05:48 PM

A shrewd observation, my dear fellow. http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/diezelpower/sir.gif
That is one freaky smilie. And something tells me we'll be seeing a lot of it.

undercoverlover

12-10-08, 07:45 PM

wow this has gone on for a long time

Now I didn't technically watch[ it but i listened to Return of the Jedi. For those of you that work in an office or have a job that allows them to listen to music or whatever i give you this (if you haven't already heard of this) www.listentoamovie.com

MovieMan8877445

12-10-08, 08:23 PM

So, MovieMan, the last five flicks you've watched are worth 5? That's OK. Everybody has their own way of rating. I think I give about 10 of the 30,000+ different flicks I've seen 5, but as many will tell you around here, I'm weird. I just think when somebody shows up, instead of trying to define what their ratings mean, why not just list an example of each rating? For example:

5: Jaws, Elmer Gantry, Midnight Cowboy (OK, Pyro?... I know you see this stuff... )
4.5: The Incredibles, The Godfather, War and Peace (1967)
4: The Innocents, The Dark Knight, The Searchers
3.5: In Bruges, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, To Have and Have Not
3: Sunshine (2006), I'm Not There, This is England
2.5: Burn After Reading, Synechdoche, New York, The Night of the Living Dead (1968)
2: Blue Velvet, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Mean Streets
1.5: The Blair Witch Project, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Magical Mystery Tour
1: Fellini Satyricon, Boom, Vampiros Lesbos
0.5: Robot Monster, The Alligator People, Zabriskie Point
0: Gerry, The Creeping Terror, Dog Star Man

I'm not saying that you have to do my thing or change your ratings, but it'll help us around here if we can see the variety.

Well just saying, those last 4 movies that I've watched and given a 5 are all in my top 10 favorite movies, I'm currently rewatching a bunch of movies on my favorites list so I can finally complete my top 100.

Mark, I've known Movieman for quite a while online, and he's infamous for giving films he sees high ratings more often than not. I've tried to talk sense into him, others have tried to talk sense into him, and he even "re-did" his rating scale on another film discussion web site, but...it's no use. He does what he does. ;)

And I have been following my new rating system, I've just been rewatching my favorites recently, and I think Batman Begins and TDK are my next two favorites I'm gonna watch. Unless I decide to watch something else tomorrow.

TheDOMINATOR

12-10-08, 08:49 PM

Understood, Movieman. ;) I'm sort-of in the middle of that same process myself.

Swan

12-10-08, 09:34 PM

Fear and Loathing is SUCH a great film, in so many ways...

I agree with this sentiment.

Swan

12-10-08, 09:50 PM

The Mist (Black & White) - 3.5

This is my third viewing of The Mist. I liked it even more in black & white, I'm sure it's obvious why. It's a great film. The are some things I don't like in it, though. Like the little love story between Private Jessup and Sally. It's cheesy and just should have been left out.

But I still like it a lot. There are many "holy crap" moments in this film. :p

http://z.about.com/d/horror/1/0/f/-/-/-/TheMist_RN_05463.jpg

TheDOMINATOR

12-10-08, 10:44 PM

Constantine - 2.5

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/6010/constantine042505jh9.jpg

A cool concept and some awesome creature designs, but not too much here is memorable. I enjoyed it but am glad I waited to get it basically for free this past Black Friday.

MovieMan8877445

12-10-08, 10:52 PM

Swan

12-10-08, 10:54 PM

*Sigh* MovieMan, don't question the differences in my ratings between forums.

I gave it a 9/10 on CMF.

MovieMan8877445

12-10-08, 10:55 PM

Go look at my rating on the other thread, MovieMan. I gave it a 9/10 there.

Well, you originally put a 9.7/10.

Swan

12-10-08, 10:55 PM

Consider it a typo.

I edited what I just posted, MovieMan. Read it again.

TheDOMINATOR

12-11-08, 12:13 AM

Converting from the 10-scale rating system to the 5-scale rating system isn't an easy thing; sometimes, it defies mathematics. It takes time to adjust. I know I'm still getting used to the change.

MovieMan8877445

12-11-08, 12:16 AM

Swan

12-11-08, 12:27 AM

I guess so, MovieMan. the 5-scale rating system is so much more compact that change in necessary, in my opinion.

TheDOMINATOR

12-11-08, 12:31 AM

Agreed, Swan.

mark f

12-11-08, 12:47 AM

I still use a 10 scale, divided into tenths, so I have 101 ratings, but trying to justify why one film gets a higher rating, based on tenths, can sometimes be a major Mutha.

Otth

12-11-08, 06:34 AM

Converting from the 10-scale rating system to the 5-scale rating system isn't an easy thing; sometimes, it defies mathematics. It takes time to adjust. I know I'm still getting used to the change.

MoFo doesn't use a 5-scale rating system, but a 9-scale rating system. Converting a rating from a 10-scale to a 9-scale system should not be any problem. All you have to do i to dived the rating in the 10-scale system by 2. This will in effect merge the to lowest ratings in the 10-scale system into one rating in the new system, but since the left side of the scale always is less accurate and used than the right side, this should not create any big mix-ups or be any problem to speak off.

Since a 10-scale system is normally more heavily used on its right side, with an average rating rating well above 6 and a median rating of 6 or 7. This will say that any movie with a rating of 6 or more is recommended. A 9-scale rating system is also heavy on the right side, but not in such an extent as the 10-scale system. This is because a 9-scale system, unlike a 10-scale system, has a natural occurring middle value (in MoFos case 3). This is something one must consider when converting from a 10-scale to a 9-scale system.

Simple as it may seem, dividing the 10-scale rating by 2 will actually solve all these problems. It will give your new 9-scale rating system all the characteristics a 9-scale system should have.

Golgot

12-11-08, 10:01 AM

Isn't a 5 point scale with halves the same as a 10 point scale?

Or have i not watched Pi enough times? ;)

Sedai

12-11-08, 10:48 AM

MoFo doesn't use a 5-scale rating system, but a 9-scale rating system. Converting a rating from a 10-scale to a 9-scale system should not be any problem. All you have to do i to dived the rating in the 10-scale system by 2. This will in effect merge the to lowest ratings in the 10-scale system into one rating in the new system, but since the left side of the scale always is less accurate and used than the right side, this should not create any big mix-ups or be any problem to speak off.

Since a 10-scale system is normally more heavily used on its right side, with an average rating rating well above 6 and a median rating of 6 or 7. This will say that any movie with a rating of 6 or more is recommended. A 9-scale rating system is also heavy on the right side, but not in such an extent as the 10-scale system. This is because a 9-scale system, unlike a 10-scale system, has a natural occurring middle value (in MoFos case 3). This is something one must consider when converting from a 10-scale to a 9-scale system.

Simple as it may seem, dividing the 10-scale rating by 2 will actually solve all these problems. It will give your new 9-scale rating system all the characteristics a 9-scale system should have.

Sorry but, what are you on about? What is this 9 scale system you mention. We don't use that. It's a 5 box scale, with half boxes thrown in for flexibility. Not counting the half steps, it's a 6 scale system, because zero is counted as a rating in our system, and people do rate films at zero boxes sometimes. If you do count the half boxes, then it's an 11 scale system, once again counting zero as a valid rating.

So:

0, .5, 1, 1.5 etc. would net you 11 possible rating levels up to a maximum of 5 boxes of popcorn.

Really, you can use any rating system you like. However, if you want reviews posted in the main section, though, you need to use the site's proprietary system of popcorn boxes.

Which I will now use to rate...

Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)

http://www.indiewire.com/movies/EasternPromisesReview.jpg

A really good film. I was slightly put off by some of the ultra-violence in the film, but I enjoyed it for the most part.

4

Yoda

12-11-08, 12:27 PM

Aye, Sedai's right -- the lowest rating isn't 1, but 0.

Anyway, I don't think a change is "necessary." You don't have to use the popcorn boxes if you don't want to, after all. We use them for User Reviews (http://www.movieforums.com/reviews/users.html), so if you want your review flagged, just pick a 0.0 - 5.0 rating in addition to whatever else you care to use. Or pick a 0 - 10 rating evenly divisible by 2 and we can cut it in half for tagging. No big deal.

I encourage people to consider their ratings, but really, they should never be used as a substitute for the review itself, anyway. I often find myself obsessing over whether to give a a film a slightly higher or slightly lower rating, and lamenting the fact that neither seems to encapsulate what I think...but you'll always have that problem when you try to condense your opinion into a number. The important thing is that the review conveys your thoughts; the rating is just a rough shorthand.

Otth

12-11-08, 12:29 PM

Sorry. I thought 1 popcorn was the lowest value one could give. A system which could give a movie zero was in my mind to absurd to be true.

Yoda

12-11-08, 12:32 PM

Sedai

12-11-08, 12:43 PM

Sorry. I thought 1 popcorn was the lowest value one could give. A system which could give a movie zero was in my mind to absurd to be true.

Except that it isn't absurd at all. Not even a little bit. I think giving a film a 0 rating just helps to put it in that "Too awful to even consider watching" category...

Still, even without 0 in the mix, it still isn't a 9 level system, because there is still a .5 rating... Why half 1.5 or 2.5 available if you can't have .5, as well?

TheDOMINATOR

12-11-08, 01:10 PM

Not strictly abiding to the "divide the 10-scale rating by 2" mathematics, I simply found it difficult to make the conversion to the 5-scale system. I've been using the 10-scale system ever since I've been rating movies, so naturally, coming into something new, I'm questioning how to make the switch. Sometimes mathematics say "do this" but my brain says "do that." I didn't mean to start a debate. :)

Otth

12-11-08, 01:28 PM

Uh, okay...why? Doesn't that offer a greater range of flexibility, which you've been suggesting we need? And why is it "absurd" to let people give a film 0.5?

Here's what I think is absurd: obsessing over rating scales and pretending there's an objectively superior way of doing it. Or blanketly declaring that that no film should ever merit less than a 1, and that every rating system should therefore restrict people from issuing such a rating.

I am not a big supporter of a tightly meshed rating system and I have never said that I want a system with greater set of intervals. I find tightly meshed systems unnecessary, abstract, unreliable and imprecise. The biggest problem with tightly meshed rating systems, if they are going to be comparative (which they have to be if they are going to have any value at all), is that their complexity and work intensity have an exponential relationship with numbers of movies added to the system.

Personally I am very fond of the 5- and 9-scale systems, because they are the easiest to give fixed sets of criteria to. E.g. for the 5-scale: very bad, bad, neutral, good, very good

It is not absurd to let people give a movie 0 or 0.5, but I find a rating system which starts on zero to be counter intuitive. Zero is an abstract in which the human mind isn’t very comfortable with. Most people can easily define the numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. for you, but try making them define zero and you have a different tune. By comparison this is one of the reasons the “Runner-up”-system is rarely used when ranking contestants in a competition.

And where did I say that one rating system is superior to another? I mainly stated why dividing by two, in that case, was the best way of converting a rating given in a rating in 10-scale system to rating in a 9-scale system.

Yoda

12-11-08, 01:47 PM

I am not a big supporter of a tightly meshed rating system and I have never said that I want a system with greater set of intervals. I find tightly meshed systems unnecessary, abstract, unreliable and imprecise. The biggest problem with tightly meshed rating systems, if they are going to be comparative (which they have to be if they are going to have any value at all), is that their complexity and work intensity have an exponential relationship with numbers of movies added to the system.
This argument could be used to forever advocate a greater and greater range. Why stop at 9 or 10? How about 1-100? I give The Dark Knight a 92.5:

555555
555555
555555
2.5

It's not the 0.0-5.0 system that is especially "abstract, unreliable and imprecise." All such encapsulations are. The solution, then, is not to rely on ratings to encompass your feelings about a film, and to write descriptive reviews, instead. A rating will never be able to approach that level of precision, no matter the scale.

Personally I am very fond of the 5- and 9-scale systems, because they are the easiest to give fixed sets of criteria to. E.g. for the 5-scale: very bad, bad, neutral, good, very good
This is completely arbitrary. There's nothing about the number 5 that makes it easier to assign fixed criteria to than, say, the number 6; particularly when half-point intervals are allowed. On our scale, 2.5 is the center, rather than 3.

And it should go without saying that, if you rate a film a 3, you cannot reliably expect it to mean the same thing to them as it does to you ("neutral"). The odds of a given person assigning the same terminology to your ratings as you do are quite slim.

It is not absurd to let people give a movie 0 or 0.5, but I find a rating system which starts on zero to be counter intuitive. Zero is an abstract in which the human mind isn’t very comfortable with. Most people can easily define the numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. for you, but try making them define zero and you have a different tune. By comparison this is one of the reasons the “Runner-up”-system is rarely used when ranking contestants in a competition.
I'm not sure how your reference to a "runner-up" system has any relevance here, but regardless of that, I don't find the concept of zero to be terribly troubling in general, and certainly not when it comes to rating movies. It can be done relatively: if 1 is very bad, then 0 is even worse.

Or, if you insist on framing everything in broad, conceptual terms, then how about this: 0 is the absence of a number, and therefore a rating of 0 is the absence of any redeeming factor in a given film. Ta-da.

And where did I say that one rating system is superior to another?
It is implied when you criticize the existing rating system, obviously. Criticism of any kind suggests that there is a superior way of doing things, or else it has no meaning.

Used Future

12-11-08, 01:51 PM

*Sigh* :rolleyes:

undercoverlover

12-11-08, 02:03 PM

personally i would rather see a detailed review of a film than someone who just writes 5/5 or something. It's boring and doesn't tell me why they think what they do

Pyro Tramp

12-11-08, 02:31 PM

Otth

12-11-08, 03:35 PM

This argument could be used to forever advocate a greater and greater range. Why stop at 9 or 10? How about 1-100…

How? The whole point of the argument was to show the futility of increasing the range.

There's nothing about the number 5 that makes it easier to assign fixed criteria to than, say, the number 6; particularly when half-point intervals are allowed. On our scale, 2.5 is the center, rather than 3.

If you ask 20 people at random here at the forum to tell you what the center value of the rating system. With out giving them time to think over the problem, how many of these do you think will say 2.5 instead of 3? I would bet that most will answer 3.

This means that people get less range for the films they like and more range for the films they don’t like. Being that most people like to be more exact when they rate a movie they do like than when they rate a movie they don’t like, the current system gives them the opposite of what they want.

The problem with a 6-scale system, or any even number system, is that they don’t have a an existing center value.

The relevance of the runner-up system is the misrepresentation it creates. Most people, custom to a normal rating system of first, second, third, etc., will think more of the second place holder if he/she is referred to as the first runner up. This is because they will see the second place holder as the winner of a second competition. Transferred to the MoFo rating system, this will mean that the perception of the rating 1, isn’t that it’s a very bad movie, but the best of the worst. This means that the perception of just that rating may be better than the perception of a higher rating.

Since zero represent absence of value. It can just as easily be interpreted as the absence of ratability as the absence of redeeming quality. In other words, zero is a very confusing variable as well as number. There must be a reason MoFo is the only site I know which uses zero as a variable.

The main purpose of the rating system is to function as a quick summarized indicator of a movies quality. For the system to achieve this, it is necessary for all parties involved to easily understand how the system works. This is as I have pointed out above clearly not the case for this system.

Otth

12-11-08, 03:40 PM

personally i would rather see a detailed review of a film than someone who just writes 5/5 or something. It's boring and doesn't tell me why they think what they do

True, but I would say that large number of ratings collectively tell me more about the moves “viewability" is than one single review does.

Yoda

12-11-08, 04:08 PM

How? The whole point of the argument was to show the futility of increasing the range.
Then perhaps you should define what you mean by "tightly meshed," because, to me, it would seem to apply to smaller ranges.

If you ask 20 people at random here at the forum to tell you what the center value of the rating system. With out giving them time to think over the problem, how many of these do you think will say 2.5 instead of 3? I would bet that most will answer 3.

This means that people get less range for the films they like and more range for the films they don’t like. Being that most people like to be more exact when they rate a movie they do like than when they rate a movie they don’t like, the current system gives them the opposite of what they want.
I don't grant the premise that people prefer to be more exact with positive ratings than negative ones, and I can't imagine how you would come to such a conclusion. It sounds like you're simply taking the way you think of ratings and assuming everyone else feels the same way.

Even if such a thing were both true and demonstrable, what you're saying doesn't follow. You're merely describing a situation where a person uses a different range than the one we tend to use here. That doesn't give them less range at all. The entire idea is backwards; more possible ratings gives you a larger range, so suggesting that using 0-5 instead of 1-5 decreases the user's range doesn't make a lick of sense. It may cause a slight misunderstanding, however, though only if they fail to learn about the disrepancy.

The problem with a 6-scale system, or any even number system, is that they don’t have a an existing center value.

Yes, we do: by using half-point intervals, as I mentioned in my last post:"...particularly when half-point intervals are allowed. On our scale, 2.5 is the center, rather than 3."The relevance of the runner-up system is the misrepresentation it creates. Most people, custom to a normal rating system of first, second, third, etc., will think more of the second place holder if he/she is referred to as the first runner up. This is because they will see the second place holder as the winner of a second competition.
Again, I don't grant your premise. It's certainly not how I think of the phrase "runner-up," and I'd be surprised if this can be even remotely demonstrated. It's completely subjective. And all this is still assuming that the phrase "runner-up" would enter a given person's mind when seeing a certain rating, which hasn't been established at all.

Transferred to the MoFo rating system, this will mean that the perception of the rating 1, isn’t that it’s a very bad movie, but the best of the worst. This means that the perception of just that rating may be better than the perception of a higher rating.
Once again, you're taking completely subjective interpretations and assuming everyone thinks the same way. On what basis do you claim that the perception of the rating 1 means "best of the worst"? This kind of thing varies from person to person, yet you continue to reference your own interpretation of what each rating means as if it were fact, or near-universal. It simply isn't.

Since zero represent absence of value. It can just as easily be interpreted as the absence of ratability as the absence of redeeming quality. In other words, zero is a very confusing variable as well as number.
This is a problem that, again, applies to all ratings.

Let's use an example: no one in their right mind would suggest that people shouldn't be able to give films a 5 out of 5, but the same confusion exists there: is a perfect score for flawless films? Or is the rating based on a curve, meaning it is imperfect, but as close to perfect as any other film?

In other words, you're trying to condemn a rating system for problems that exist with all rating systems.

And, I'd point out again that this is why it's best to write an actual review. The moment you count on a lone number to encapsulate what you think of a film, you're opening the door to all these problems, on any rating scale.

There must be a reason MoFo is the only site I know which uses zero as a variable.
I doubt this is actually true, unless you frequent a relatively small number of sites. But without going around and digging up sites, I'd point out that Roger Ebert has given out no star and half-star ratings many times. He even compiled his reviews of 1-star-or-less films into a book I happen to own called I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie. I'm sure he's not the only critic who has done this, either. And he also routinely points out that the existence of any rating system is inevitably a poor substitute for reading and writing actual reviews.

The main purpose of the rating system is to function as a quick summarized indicator of a movies quality. For the system to achieve this, it is necessary for all parties involved to easily understand how the system works. This is as I have pointed out above clearly not the case for this system.
True. But I say, hopefully for the last time, that the reasons you give apply to the rating systems you prefer, as well. Simply assuming that most people take a given rating to mean what you do doesn't change this fact.

Otth

12-11-08, 05:34 PM

"Then perhaps you should define what you mean by "tightly meshed," because, to me, it would seem to apply to smaller ranges."

I was referring to smaller intervals, or in other words grater ranges.

"I don't grant the premise that people prefer to be more exact with positive ratings than negative ones, and I can't imagine how you would come to such a conclusion."

You only have to look at the distribution of a vote history (IMDb) to see that people are way more probable to use the higher range, from 6 and up, than they are the lower range, from 5 and down. You will also find that people are much more probable to not use a variable which is placed in the lower range than one in the higher range. If you consult a textbook in statistics, it will also tell you just the same.

"Even if such a thing were both true and demonstrable, what you're saying doesn't follow. You're merely describing a situation where a person uses a different range than the one we tend to use here. That doesn't give them less range at all. The entire idea is backwards; more possible ratings gives you a larger range, so suggesting that using 0-5 instead of 1-5 decreases the user's range doesn't make a lick of sense."

It doesn’t give a finite reduction in higher level range, but it do give a relative (to the lower level range) reduction I higher level range. The rating system most people unknowingly prefer is one that has a perceived center value below the real center value (e.g. 1-5.5 where 5.5 is the golden popcorn). This gives them more intervals in the higher range than the lower range, without being confusing (if you don’t look at it to closely).

"It may cause a slight misunderstanding, however, though only if they fail to learn about the disrepancy."

The main problem I wanted to point out with this system was that it is not intuitive. And here you admit it yourself that one needs to learn it, or with other words counter intuitive. 1-5 or 1-9 systems don’t share this problem. People know the center value and they can’t be misunderstood.

"Yes, we do: by using half-point intervals, as I mentioned in my last post:"

But that makes it an 11-scale system, and last time I checked 11 was an odd number.

"Let's use an example: no one in their right mind would suggest that people shouldn't be able to give films a 5 out of 5, but the same confusion exists there: is a perfect score for flawless films? Or is the rating based on a curve, meaning it is imperfect, but as close to perfect as any other film?"

Why does that matter? In both cases it is an argument for seeing the movie.

Swedish Chef

12-11-08, 06:31 PM

I'll just say that when I'm using the popcorn boxes, I'd equate a 2.5 rating with a very average movie. Probably like a "C" in the letter grading system. So a 2.5 is either a decent movie I was very disappointed with, a completely-average-in-every-way-type flick or something different that I kind of like but can't justify giving a higher grade to.

undercoverlover

12-11-08, 06:54 PM

I doubt this is actually true, unless you frequent a relatively small number of sites. But without going around and digging up sites, I'd point out that Roger Ebert has given out no star and half-star ratings many times. He even compiled his reviews of 1-star-or-less films into a book I happen to own called I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie. I'm sure he's not the only critic who has done this, either. And he also routinely points out that the existence of any rating system is inevitably a poor substitute for reading and writing actual reviews.

Agreement - Ebert is right, personally I really dont get anything from people's ratings other than great, alright and didnt like it. But people like films for very different reasons so it's not helpful at all. And peoples ratings do not in any way effect how/if i see a movie. If someone says 'this film had some serious plot holes and poor charcter development' im more informed.

True, but I would say that large number of ratings collectively tell me more about the moves “viewability" is than one single review does.

Are you going round movie forums collating data?

Golgot

12-11-08, 07:10 PM

The main problem I wanted to point out with this system was that it is not intuitive.

I'll just say that when I'm using the popcorn boxes, I'd equate a 2.5 rating with a very average movie...

I think i've always intuitively seen 2.5 as the 'average' median as well (in a statistical sense - with suitable subjective criteria attached to that in pretty much the same vein to Swedish's). I don't find the system particularly unintuitive on that level.

(Perhaps it took a while to get used to and i don't now remember, but i don't find it a problem to traverse between it and IMDb's 1-10 scale, for example. [perhaps in part because a lot of their ratings seem so ludicrously top-heavy in the first place - has anyone checked whether this top-weighting bias you mention is most prevalent amongst PR people? ;)])

I think i'll also now join the good Chef in stepping away from the rest of the debate :)

Sedai

12-11-08, 07:21 PM

But that makes it an 11-scale system, and last time I checked 11 was an odd number.

Jesus Pickled Christ on a Cracker!

Using odd numbers is the more balanced system. You do see that, right?

An odd number of steps gives you a more even system if one of the steps is counted as the center. You state you like a 5 step system because it is intuitive and balanced... that's also an odd number, no?

A five step system has a center point at 3, with two other possible positions on either side of that number. Our 11 step system has a center point at 2.5 with 5 positions on either side of the center point.

Starting with an even number of steps, then assigning a center point to one of them, you are left with an odd number of steps to balance out both sides, which, last time I checked, doesn't work.

What is this, anti-science week or something?

Also, the forum side of IMDB is absolutely abysmal, so not emulating them is always a good idea, in my book. Good site for info, terrible for forums.

Meanwhile, this is SO a dead horse at this point. Let's move on, people!

undercoverlover

12-11-08, 07:24 PM

agreement to drag this thread back to topic i was watching some of my birthday presents today:

Juno - I've watched this movie a few times and I think the more you watch it the less you notice the comedy and the dramatic scenes really start to stand out, it's actually a drama based film. Still a little disappointed with the lack of screentime for Michael Cera's character - Juno is supposedly so into him but we hardly know who this guy is. Still a good movie but it's definately one that's meaning changes each time i watch it.

Golden Compass - There are some big plotholes in this movie but the CGI is so impressive (Iorek Birnysons fur rivals Sully's from Monsters Inc) and the story is so imaginitive you dont care about plotholes so big you could fall into them. Dakota Blue Richards performance is a little uneven but she still makes an impressive mark, my fave is Nicole Kidman as the cruel to be kind sort of Mrs Coulter with a cool disposition with a hidden caring side.

John McClane

12-11-08, 07:28 PM

Hey, wait a second, is this the Movie Tab thread or have I wandered into some other thread? ;)

Kingdom of Heaven- I watched the good cut, the director's cut, again recently. Love it. 4.5

adidasss

12-11-08, 08:05 PM

http://the217.com/site_media/images/2008/08/AllThatJazz.jpg

All that jazz - Bob Fosse

Hmm, hmm. A rather difficult watch, not because it's hard to follow (which some descriptions led me to believe), especially if you know it's semi-autobiographical, but because it obviously deals with a difficult subject...maybe that's why I'd rate it just slightly lower than Cabaret which was in terms of mood the exact opposite. I also like the music (and singing) in Cabaret better. But they're both probably the pinnacle of musical films for me. I have to be honest though and say that I wasn't terribly impressed by Roy Scheider's performance (despite the glowing reviews he got for that), especially because the film features what is obviously (or at least to me) a much greater talent, the Boys in the band star Cliff Gorman.

It features some of the most (if not the most) breathtaking dancing scenes on film, particularly sizzligly hot studio sequence which also features same sex couples. Bravo Mr. Fosse. Only a true choreographer could make and film something like that. The latter numbers filmed in the giant studio were also quite extraordinary, but overall, I felt maybe they were too few and too far apart.

Overall though, it's just a magnificent, honest and daring film.

4.5

Yoda

12-11-08, 08:10 PM

You only have to look at the distribution of a vote history (IMDb) to see that people are way more probable to use the higher range, from 6 and up, than they are the lower range, from 5 and down. You will also find that people are much more probable to not use a variable which is placed in the lower range than one in the higher range. If you consult a textbook in statistics, it will also tell you just the same.
This reasoning is littered with problems. First and foremost: people rating higher more often is not the same thing as rating more exactly, which was your initial claim.

Also, the ratings you're talking about are ONLY ratings, whereas the ratings here are not prompted, and usually accompanied by reasoning of some sort. And for another, IMDB is an entirely different website, and not necessarily indicative of moviegoers as a whole. Not that these last two points are even necessary.

It doesn’t give a finite reduction in higher level range, but it do give a relative (to the lower level range) reduction I higher level range. The rating system most people unknowingly prefer is one that has a perceived center value below the real center value (e.g. 1-5.5 where 5.5 is the golden popcorn). This gives them more intervals in the higher range than the lower range, without being confusing (if you don’t look at it to closely).
This is sheer nonsense. There are more rating options, period. It doesn't make for a reduction in anything, relatively or not, unless you assume that everybody has a fixed middle number in their head which never changes, regardless of the range of choices they're presented with.

Of course, you've left yourself a nice little escape hatch by claiming people "unknowingly" prefer an off-kilter range of choices, but that strikes me as very convenient. Either you can substantiate all these claims, or not. Simply asserting them is a waste of time.

The main problem I wanted to point out with this system was that it is not intuitive. And here you admit it yourself that one needs to learn it, or with other words counter intuitive. 1-5 or 1-9 systems don’t share this problem. People know the center value and they can’t be misunderstood.
I didn't admit that it was counter-intuitive at all, I simply noted that if you don't know what the system is, there may be a misunderstanding.

To the contary, I think our system is actually very intuitive, for one simple reason: you can see the blank popcorn icons in each rating. Voila:

2.5

The 2.5 image is half-full, and half-empty, and correspondingly, it represents the dead-center option in our range. Any other rating, like 3, is off-balance.

But that makes it an 11-scale system, and last time I checked 11 was an odd number.
It is, which means it has a center. Which means your comment about even number systems does not apply here. Which was the point I was making two posts ago.

Why does that matter? In both cases it is an argument for seeing the movie.
You're kidding, right? You've been going on about how important it is that ratings be exact and reflect a person's summation as accurately as possible, and now you're flippantly declaring that it doesn't matter what a 5.0 rating means, because either way it's an endorsement? Either precise ratings matter, or not. You can't alternate between the two stances when it suits a specific argument.

At this point I have to conclude that you're just arguing to argue, because the things you're saying are starting to collide with each other. Unless you have something more substantive to say, or some compelling new evidence to present, I think I'm quite finished.

If you don't care for the rating system, then don't use it. And consider writing an actual review at some point (I don't believe you've written any to this point), because no matter what system you use, your ratings will never actually tell us what you thought about a given film.

Used Future

12-11-08, 08:18 PM

:sleep:Jeez, get a room you guys

http://www.lovefilm.com/lovefilm/images/products/0/102590-large.jpg

The Sentinel (Michael Winner 1976) 2.5
I've wanted to see this for a while being a fan of 60's and 70's satanic horror films like Rosemary's Baby, The Omen, and The Exorcist. I'm not religious in the slightest, but for some reason those are the only three films (with the exception of Don't Look Now) that really frighten me. I wasn't expecting too much from The Sentinel, for one it was directed by Michael Winner, and two, well it's just not supposed to be very good. But hey, thats never stopped me before, I like sleazy trash, and this film is both sleazy and very very trashy.

Essentially it's a big studio knockoff of Rosemary's Baby, throw in a bit of Lucio Fulci's The Beyond aka Seven Doors of Death (which probably stole from this) and you're on the right track. Cristina Raines plays a young model who wanting some space from her lawyer boyfriend (Chris Sarandon) moves into a decidedly creepy New York brownstone apartment. Before you know it all manner of weird things start happening, a lesbian neighbour masturbates in front of her, she feels really ill, oh and I almost forgot, cuts off her undead dad's nose with a kitchen knife. Yup you guessed it, her apartment building houses the gateway to hell and she's been chosen by the church (represented here by John Carradine) to be its guardian. Throw in Eli Wallach as a police detective with the biggest kipper tie I've ever seen, and his partner played by Christopher Walken who has two lines in the entire movie, not to mention Jeff Goldblum, Ava Gardner, Beverly D'Angelo, Burgess Meredith, Jerry Orbach etc etc and you've got The Sentinel.

Even though I knew it wasn't going to be great, this left me a little disappointed, it's just pretty dull despite the nudity and gore (of which it has a lot less that its reputation led me to believe). I didn't care about Raines's character at all, and the scares were non existent apart from one knockout scene involving said dad half way through. The Sentinel is just too uneventful and derivative, with too many name actors phoning it in to transcend mediocrity. It's not a bad movie par se, Winner does give us a great finale, in which he uses real freaks interspersed with Dick Smith makeups to represent the residents of hell. Overall though this is a time filler at best, it pretty much does what it says on the tin, but only just.

Powdered Water

12-11-08, 10:09 PM

Is this the Car Clamp Club? I give this argument a 2.5.

Now then, on with the show!

Lethal Weapon (Richard Donner-1987) 3.5

I know Die Hard is a certain members personal favorite and all but for my money this is the better 80's action film. Maybe I'm just to far in Mel's bag, but dammit, I just really love all of these flicks. If you have any interest at all in watching a movie where Gary Busey still has his skin then check this one out. He's almost unrecognizable these days. To bad really, I kind of like the guy.

Lethal Weapon 2 (Richard Donner-1989) 2.5

The first time I saw this I laughed at Joe Pesci. I still do. "They F*** you at the drive through!" For some reason I don't like this one as much as the rest of them but its certainly worth watching.

Lethal Weapon 3 (Richard Donner-1992) 3

I really love this flick. Mel's scene with Rene when comparing scars and texture is obviously a ripoff from JAWS, but it is a good one. Those two were terrific together in this flick.

"Ten Dollars for a F****** Aspirin!"

Hopefully I'll get to the fourth one tonight sometime. Then maybe later I'll get to all the Die Hard movies too. Its Christmas ya know?

TheDOMINATOR

12-11-08, 10:13 PM

A Lethal Weapon *and* Die Hard marathon back-to-back, Powdered? Sounds good to me! :cool:

mark f

12-11-08, 11:56 PM

All that jazz - Bob Fosse
4.5

Obviously, I love Fosse, and although it has some great dance numbers, I just found All That Jazz muddled, self-congratulatory and intentionally-offputting. (I mean, do we really need to be dragged into a real open heart surgery?) However, I think Scheider is the best part of the movie. I would rate the Fosse-directed films this way:

Cabaret - 5
Lenny - 4
Star 80 - 3.5
Sweet Charity - 3
All That Jazz - 2.5

Remember though, that's just me. Hey, adi, have you seen Fosse dance in films? His part in Kiss Me Kate is electrifying. I don't know why this video is squished, but Fosse is the guy originally sitting in the front on the right side facing you (the shortest, most-soft-sung guy, since that IS his voice). He shows off his stuff with Ann Miller at the 2:40 mark for a full minute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRPYQaBpTAQ

Oh, one other thing, adi, have you seen Singin' in the Rain?

The Sentinel (Michael Winner 1976) 2.5
I've wanted to see this for a while being a fan of 60's and 70's satanic horror films like Rosemary's Baby, The Omen, and The Exorcist. I'm not religious in the slightest, but for some reason those are the only three films (with the exception of Don't Look Know) that really frighten me. and you've got The Sentinel.

I saw The Sentinel at the drive-in the opening weekend, and it was mildly-involving, but I agree with your rating and I think it was pure schlock compared to the three titanic films you mention. Just wondering though, have you seen The Innocents, my fave horror film?

The Innocents - 4
Rosemary's Baby - 4
The Exorcist - 4
An American Werewolf in London - 4
The Omen - 3.5

Lethal Weapon 2 (Richard Donner-1989) 2.5

The first time I saw this I laughed at Joe Pesci. I still do. "They F*** you at the drive through!" For some reason I don't like this one as much as the rest of them but its certainly worth watching.

Lethal Weapon 2 has always been my fave of the series. I don't know if it's just because it's so funny, or maybe it's the surfboard. :cool:

Lethal Weapon - 3
Lethal Weapon 2 - 3.5
Lethal Weapon 3 - 3
Lethal Weapon 4 - 3

Yep, I'm too easy to please...

Merry Christmas!