Movie Tab II [Archive] - Page 40

Used Future

03-24-09, 05:54 PM

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They Call Me Trinity (Enzo Barboni 1970) 4
My spaghetti western binge continues. I was supposed to be watching A Bullet For the General and Companeros next, but rather ironically the company I ordered the DVDs from turned out to be real cowboys (Amazon have refunded my money). Not to worry though because I got to see this instead; a light hearted comedy western starring Terrence Hill as slacker cowboy Trinity (possibly the fastest gun in the history of western cinema) and his man mountain of a brother Bambino played by Bud Spencer. I absolutely loved every minute of this, Hill and Spencer made a brilliant double act and the film is filled with timeless comedy that really hits the mark. This has everything from speeded up gunplay to riotous bar brawls (usually involving Spencer bashing people over the head) and some hilarious scenes involving a group of Mexican cattle rustlers. The token plot - about Bambino posing as a sheriff so he can steal some stallions, and Mormon farmers being bullied off their land - is pretty old hat (no pun intended) but the film is so perfectly paced with eminently likable stars that it flies by leaving you wanting more. Recommended for all.

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Trinity Is Still My Name (Enzo Barboni 1971) 4
More of the same from Hill and Spencer as the nigh on invincible duo who reluctantly agree to team up as outlaws at the request of their father (in a knockout family dinner scene). Naturally they make the worst outlaws imaginable with the good natured Trinity giving their first potential victims (who keep popping up throughout the film) money and helping to fix their wagon. This time they end up posing as a pair of government agents in order to get close to a Spanish mission and a haul of fifty thousand dollars. This is equal to if not slightly better than the original with the same madcap blend of fast cartoonish gunplay, slapstick bar fights and general roguishness from the brothers. I particularly enjoyed the funny opening sequence involving a group of idiotic cattle rustlers who fall foul of the duo who keep eating their beans, brilliant. I also loved the scene in the posh French restaurant surely homaged by Ackroyd and Belushi in The Blues Brothers (1980). In short I could prattle on about these all night, they're hugely entertaining with great performances from Terence Hill and Bud Spencer; I'll definitely be watching them again.

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My Name Is Nobody (Tonino Valerii 1973) 4+
This is no relation to Barboni's films, although Hill does play an almost identical character to that of Trinity. In this he's the 'Nobody' of the title another good natured and lightening fast gunslinger (this also has speeded up gunplay) who shadows his childhood hero; the aging legendary gunfighter Jack Beauregard (Henry Fonda). It appears Nobody wants Jack to make the history books by 'going out in style' at the hands of one hundred and fifty gunfighters nicknamed 'The Wild Bunch'. Beauregard initially takes Nobody for a young wannabe out to make a name for himself, but gradually comes round to his way of thinking as a friendship develops between the two. My Name Is Nobody is a gentle comedy with some very funny scenes (especially one in which Nobody distracts a train driver attempting to urinate). Hill is his usual good self whilst Fonda exudes cool in a nicely contrasting role to that of Frank from Once Upon A Time In The West. The film as a whole comes off as an allegorical tribute to the old school Western whilst readily embracing a new era. Almost as if Leone (ahem! I mean Valerii) were tipping his hat to the American masters whilst having already tinkered liberally with Western genre conventions. Clear references are made to Sam Peckinpah - he's even mentioned by name in an early graveyard scene, and 'The Wild Bunch' reference is blatant - as the film may even be an homage to his work (Mark and Holden will no doubt know more on this). I liked it a lot even if I didn't fully comprehend the allegorical aspects of the film. The overall sentiment was really worthwhile and uplifting, especially accompanied by Leone's trademark visuals. Another film I'll be happy to revisit in the near future.

honeykid

03-24-09, 10:06 PM

The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) - . Except my grandpa had been saying "We don't need no stinkin badges" literally my entire life so it was kind of surreal to see the primary source.

haha... I say that all the time, complete with crap 'Mexican' accent too. :D

MovieMan8877445

03-24-09, 11:51 PM

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Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid
George Roy Hill, 1969

Finally decided to give this it's second watch that I've been waiting awhile to do. I think I'm assured that this is going to stay at the number 3 spot on my top 10, and remain my all-time favorite western. Everything about this film is perfect, or pretty damn close to it that is. Some people might consider that they didn't have to use some of the scenes, but I felt that they just really added much more to the movie. My favorite scene by far is the last scene in the movie, that one long gunfight. Paul Newman and Robert Redford are like the greatest duo ever to be in a movie. That's probably the best relationship I've ever seen in a movie. I know they did another movie together, which I hope to see sometime in the very near future.

Anyone who hasn't had the chance to see this yet really needs to get to seeing this. Especially people who're fans of westerns, because if you are, I'm sure that you won't be disappointed. I also want to point out how much I love the 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head' scene; I just really like that song, mainly the beat to it.

5

Lennon

03-25-09, 12:42 AM

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Air Force One (Wolfgang Peterson, 1997)

So, another 'Just awesome, kay?' movie. If you look at it seriously, there's a lot of flaws (and a bit too similar to Die Hard) but my overall enjoyment outweighed those flaws by a lot.

Harry Lime

03-25-09, 01:10 AM

MovieMan you should watch The Sting now, seeing as your such a fan of this film. Chances are that you won't like it as much as Butch and Sundance (I don't), but it has the same director, the same two stars, and it did win Best Picture.

Fenwick

03-25-09, 10:33 AM

Trouble Every Day (Denis,2001) - 4

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After hearing much about Trouble Every Day, and considering how much I loved L'Intrus, I thought I would give it a go. Now, a fair warning to all of those who choose to watch this: it is very, very disturbing. Trouble Every Day follows Shane and June Brown on their honeymoon to Paris. Shane has a "mysterious" condition, and he longs to find the cure. Eventually, he meets another individual (the seductress Core) with the same condition.

Denis does a wonderful job at creating tone and atmosphere. Agnes Godard (she does almost all of, if not all of Denis' cinematography) creates some amazingly moody cinematography. Godard created some absolutely blissful cinematography in L'Intrus and it carries over very well. Each scene seems to almost be lit by natural sources, which is something I like very much. She manages to bring a very strong visial color palette with the moody cinematography mixed with the (almost) natural-esque lighting.However, in some cases I found that the musical choices conflicted slightly with the overall film; but not to the point of ruining anything.

Denis' narrative is always very experimental. For example, there is hardly any dialogue in L'Intrus - the same is true for Trouble Every Day. This is something I really admire. Denis clearly refuses to utilize exposition and linear script structures - she asks a lot of us. But the difficulty of her narrative is what makes it much interesting. Often times, in either film, we may not "totally understand" what direction the film is heading - which is perfectly fine. She requires us to think and mull over each action without dialogue, and without the needless exposition. Many might prefer the more linear, structured nature of conventional films, but I encourage even those who do to give it a shot. Denis' experimental narrative is what I've always admired and has kept me interested.

Now, the acting left a little to be desired. I am not a huge fan of Gallo in acting form, but he isn't terrible here. Sometimes he doesn't seem to be paying much attention as to what's going on - but somehow, he does manage to "fit" the film. Beatrice Dalle, however, was great - per usual. She did wonderfully with what little she had in L'Intrus, and having more to work with this time really paid off well for her.

Overall, a fine film; however, I will say that I still love L'Intrus much more. I do think that this film has a bad reputation and can be misleading given the content of the work, as it involves cannibalism, but on a much deeper level it's about society's moral decay, sexual urges, and love.

Recommended (assuming you can handle the content of the film).

Good review Justin.

I haven't seen Trouble Every Day yet but I managed to catch Denis' L'Intrus the other day; the film you speak highly of throughout your above review.

I had the feeling i'd love it. From the DVD menu, it looked like a slow, moody piece; a film that washes over you rather than letting you dose into identification. And that, I believe, is the way to watch L'Intrus. You could try and unpack it all but you'll be left empty, there is no clear signal whether this is bleakly real or a mere psychogenic fugue of lost hope.

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Godard's cinematography is typically stunning, dressing Denis' pervading subtexts of colonialism, loneliness and redemption. All of this as you say Justin, is without words. Denis' work almost subliminally represents the gulf between words and deeds. Anyway i'm going to stop the attempted academic noodling and just offer my thanks to you for reccommending such a thoughtful piece of work to me.

Justin

03-25-09, 11:20 AM

You're very welcome. I'm thrilled you enjoyed it.

zedlen

03-26-09, 03:17 AM

Bedtime Stories (2008)

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For a kids movie its pretty good, I'd like to see Russell Brand and Adam Sandler together again for an adult film because they could have taken the jokes a lot further but they do good job all-the-same. Worth seeing or taking your kids to see.

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Fenwick

03-26-09, 04:52 PM

You're very welcome. I'm thrilled you enjoyed it.

I had to rush off yesterday so I forgot to reciprocate. For some, perhaps illogical reason, L'Intrus (Denis, 2004) reminded me of an Argentinian film by Fabian Bielinski called El Aura (2005). It was made in the same period, in a similar setting and with the same disregard for dialogue as L'Intrus. Although atmospheric and moody, El Aura is more of a conventional thriller than L'Intrus. This is not to its detriment however; its a beautifully crafted, psychological experience. I implore you to check it out if indeed, you havent already.

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Justin

03-26-09, 05:11 PM

I believe I've seen a trailer for this, actually. I'll add it to my Netflix queue. Thanks!

MovieMan8877445

03-27-09, 12:14 AM

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Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock, 1960

Alfred Hitchcock's true masterpiece. Not only is this is best movie by far, it's the best thriller I've ever seen. It's the only movie that actually sends chills down my spine, and this actually happens in a couple of scenes too. I wish I could've been alive back when it first came out in theaters, because then some things would've been more shocking when I first found out about it in the movie. Like Anthony Perkins being the killer for example, it's not even a spoiler any more, because it's so widely known. The ending is still totally amazing though, because that's when you find everything out.

Anthony Perkins was absolutely incredible in this. Possibly some of the best acting that I've ever seen from anyone. No one else in the cast seemed to really stand out any besides Perkins, but I think that's because Perkins just really overshadowed the rest of the cast. Hitchcock really is the true king of suspense, and it's definitely what he does best. I'm quite glad I decided to re-watch it tonight, because I hadn't watched this since the beginning of November. I'm going to have to start watching this one some more.

5

Powdered Water

03-27-09, 12:52 AM

Too many to do any kind of proper write up. I'm sure you'll all survive.

Pineapple Express 4
Doom 3
Dead and Breakfast 3.5 If you haven't seen this UF, you need to...
Let it Ride 4
The Entity 3.5
Boogeyman 2.5
Boogeyman 2 2.5
Boogeyman 3 2
Dead Fury 3
Rachel Getting Married 4.5 The best recovery movie since Clean and Sober.
The Abandoned 2.5
Unrest 2.5
Charlie Wilson's War 3.5
Wicked Little Things 3
Crazy Eights 2.5

So, just a few.

Iroquois

03-27-09, 12:59 AM

Aside from another viewing of Pump Up The Volume (which I covered in greater detail in my review thread), the only other movie I've seen of late...

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Fight Club (Fincher, 1999) - 4

When I wrote up my Top 100 a few years back, this managed to win the #6 spot. After this viewing, I think my position for this film might be closer to #66. While I still reckon it's stylish, the performances are good and it's also reasonably clever, the shine's worn off a bit. Still, there are far worse films to waste two hours on, so why complain?

Harry Lime

03-27-09, 03:55 AM

Quantum of Solace (2.5/5)

Iroquois

03-27-09, 11:14 AM

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One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (Forman, 1975) - 4+

Another blast from the past and erstwhile Top 100 film. I think I may end up putting this back on the list, as it's still a stunningly good character study full of great performances.

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007) - 3.5

Much to my surprise, I actually liked it. Damned amusing and rather decent film to watch.

zedlen

03-27-09, 11:56 AM

College (2008)

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Apart from the three main characters resembling the cast of Superbad, College is a pretty decent teenage sex/alcohol comedy. Not as polished and orderly as most but does the job well enough.

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The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

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I liked the sound of this, but half way in I lost interest completely. It wasn't until the last 10 minutes I got back on board. This is based on a Clive Barker short story, the short sounds better then this film. Vinnie Jones makes a good serial killer though.

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Defiance (2008)

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I did enjoy Defiance, the action is brutal but it works in the context of the plot, the story is just eventful enough but its the acting that kept me watching, Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell give great performances that make up for any faults.

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Used Future

03-27-09, 01:31 PM

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The Mercenary aka A Professional Gun (Sergio Corbucci 1968) 4
Another absolute gem from Corbucci this time set during the Mexican revolution. Franco Nero plays Sergei Kowalski a Polish mercenary out to make a fortune in the employ of naive peasant Paco Roman (Tony Musante); a wannabe revolutionary general. Along the way Paco falls for fiery Mexican revolutionary Columba (the beautiful Giovanna Ralli) and the trio must contend with dastardly killer and army informant Curly (Jack Palance). The Mercenary isn't a comedy, but there's a great sense of fun to the film with lots of witty interplay between Nero and Musante (reminiscent of Eastwood and Wallach in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly). There's plenty of well handled action, including the obligatory machine gun scene (ala Corbucci's Django, and Companeros which I'll be watching soon) It's often lavishly staged stuff with stunning photography and memorable moments like Nero's amusing punch up with Mussante, and Palance forced to strip nude by their gang. This combined with Ennio Morricone's wonderful score, perfect pacing, and a superb climactic bullring showdown make The Mercenary essential boy's own entertainment.

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Day Of Anger aka Gunlaw (Tonino Valerii 1967) 4
Day Of Anger is another film considered one of the best examples of the genre by fans and it's not hard to see why; it's great. In this one Giulliano Gemma plays downtrodden Scott Mary the illegitimate son of a prostitute constantly mistreated by local townsfolk. When mysterious gunslinger Frank Talby (Lee Van Cleef on top form) rides into town however, Scott befriends him seizing the opportunity to better himself. The two form a partnership Talby teaching Mary the 'ten lessons' of being a gunman, as the pair become feared by the townsfolk. Gradually however it becomes clear that Talby has an ulterior motive for helping Scott leading to the inevitable showdown. This was much more a character study of Talby and Scott than an all out action adventure like The Mercenary. Both are deep and complex characters who develop and evolve as the story unfolds making this a gripping western with some great dialogue. Giulliano Gemma's character goes through a particularly believable and satisfying moral transformation during the film perfectly complemented by Lee Van Cleef in a tailor made role. The support is also top notch especially Walter Rilla as Scott's only real friend (and mentor), the aging Murph. When the shootouts come they have a considerable impact thanks to the well drawn characters making this another true classic.

Godoggo

03-27-09, 02:44 PM

The 400 Blows

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Of the films directed by Truffaut that I've seen, my personal favorite. A

Cabaret

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I've seen this movie countless times now, and I love it (and Liza Minnelli) more and more each viewing. A+

honeykid

03-27-09, 10:34 PM

Psycho

Psycho's a great film and certainly my favourite Hitchcock film. As you love it too, I'd highly recommend that you see Peeping Tom. Personally, I think it's a better film than Psycho.

Ðèstîñy

03-28-09, 02:03 AM

The Dead Zone (1983)

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Christopher Walken
Brooke Adams
Tom Skerritt
Herbert Lom
Anthony Zerbe
Colleen Dewhurst
Martin Sheen
Nicholas Campbell

The Prophecy (1995)

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Christopher Walken
Elias Koteas
Virginia Madsen
Eric Stoltz
Viggo Mortensen
Amanda Plummer

Murder by Night (1989)

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Robert Urich
Michael Ironside
Kay Lenz
Jim Metzler

Warning Sign (1985)

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Sam Waterston
Kathleen Quinlan
Yaphet Kotto
Jeffrey DeMunn
Richard Dysart
G.W. Bailey
Jerry Hardin
Rick Rossovich
Cynthia Carle
Scott Paulin
Kavi Raz
Keith Szarabajka . . .

TheUsualSuspect

03-28-09, 02:14 AM

I'm glad to see you gave Dead & Breakfast a positive rating there Powdered.

MovieMan8877445

03-28-09, 02:38 AM

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Terminator 2: Judgment Day
James Cameron, 1991

I saw this many years ago, and still own the VHS for it actually, but I really haven't watched it since then because I can't watch VHS tapes anymore. Seeing as I have already owned the third one for many years now and because of Terminator: Salvation coming out in May, I decided that I'd go out and buy this so I can watch it again. I'm sure glad I did, because this film was damn near perfect. This is probably the second best sci-fi movie that I've ever seen; The Matrix will always be the best. I'm really quite amazed at the special effects that were used in this, I mean for when it came out, they were some pretty good effects. Hell, even for today, those are some pretty good effects.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is totally cool in this, but that's not really surprising. I've always known that he was going to be cool, actually he's cool in most of his roles. I haven't even seen many of his movies either. I would've liked Edward Furlong coming back to play Connor for Salvation, but I'm fine with Bale for the role. I really can't wait to go buy the first, so then I can watch all three movies in a row. It'll really get me excited for when Terminator: Salvation comes out.

4.5

Psycho's a great film and certainly my favourite Hitchcock film. As you love it too, I'd highly recommend that you see Peeping Tom. Personally, I think it's a better film than Psycho.

I'll be sure to check that one out, Honey. I really just started seeing older movies a couple of months ago, so I still have many to see.

Mrs. Darcy

03-28-09, 11:37 AM

Brief Encounter (David Lean 1945) 3.5

Laura is a housewife that takes a train to town on Thursdays to shop and watch a movie. She has a nice home with two children and a husband who likes to do crossword puzzles. She likes her life.

Alec is a general practitioner that works in the hospital in town. He's married and has two children. He takes the train from town to his home every evening.

Laura and Alec have a chance meeting in the refreshment room at the train station when Laura gets a piece of grit in her eye from a passing train. They exchange pleasantries and go their separate ways.

The next week, they have another chance meeting when the restaurant Laura frequents is full and Alec comes in and has nowhere to sit. He asks Laura if he can join her and they have a nice lunch. He goes to the movies with her and they enjoy each other's company. As they wait for their trains, Alec shares his love of being a doctor to Laura, and as he talks, you can see her fall in love with him. He feels it, too, and asks to meet her the following Thursday. She reluctantly says yes, and they part. After Alec gets on his train, Laura decidely feels guilty about her afternoon and decides not to see him again. she tells her husband about her lunch with Alec and he's barely listening and doesn't seem concerned, so she feels ridiculous for being a ninny about an innocent lunch and movie.

Things of course get more complicated, and that's what I liked about this movie. It showed Laura and Alec's turmoil. Two nice people that happen to meet and fall for each other. No solution except to not see each other because there are spouses, and children, and routines. At every turn there is something to make their feelings seem small and tawdry. Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson did an excellent job of showing two people torn by love and obligation.
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Used Future

03-28-09, 05:06 PM

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Face To Face (Sergio Sollima 1967) 4.5
My binge continues happily and along with Corbucci's The Great Silence and The Mercenary this is my favourite spaghetti so far. A pacifistic English professor, Brett Fletcher (Gian Maria Volontè) travels out west due to ill health but is taken hostage by feared outlaw Solomon 'Beauregard' Bennet (Tomas Milan). Together the two forge a mutual respect as Fletcher becomes enchanted by the bandit's way of life, and Beauregard sees the benefit of having an educated man on his side. Gradually however, Fletcher changes from meek scholar to ruthless outlaw straying beyond even Beauregard's code of ethics, and threatening his people. Their allegiance is placed under further tension by Charles Siringo (William Berger) a traitor in their midst determined to see Beauregard and his gang captured...

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Face To Face has a cracking story that takes some unexpected turns along the way; not least Fletcher's metamorphosis. I thought Volontè was great in this film, and especially enjoyed seeing him play such a different character from that of his roles in Leone's A Fist Full Of Dollars and For A Few Dollars More. Whilst Fletcher's radical transformation might sound a little far fetched, Volontè nails it, and the character always feels natural and completely credible. Milan and Berger are equally great as the brooding outlaw with a heart and uncompromising lawman respectively. It seems all three characters are on a journey of self discovery and Sollima ensures that this aspect of the story shines brightly through the dust and bullets. Visually the film is as impressive as anything by Leone or Corbucci (illustrated by the fantastic screen shot above) and Morricone's score is just as rousing as ever. Highly recommended.

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Blindman (Ferdinando Baldi 1971) 3.5-

Blindman: I want my fifty women

Tony Anthony is the mysterious Blindman an uncanny aim with a rifle and owner of the cleverest horse since Mr. Ed. Ringo Starr (yes the Ringo Starr) is Candy, the ruthless brother of Mexican bandit leader Domingo (Lloyd Batista) who's kidnapped fifty mail order brides on their way to Texas. Unfortunately for Blindman he has a valuable contract to deliver the women to the Texan miners who want to marry them; much violence ensues...

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I enjoyed this one, even if it's not up to the standards of the previous films I've mentioned. Unsurprisingly it's pretty offbeat for a western (possibly influenced by the popular Japanese Zatoichi series) going for a tongue in cheek comedic approach that doesn't sit well with the often brutal violence (including torture and attempted rape) and thoroughly nasty bad guys. Anthony is extremely likable in the lead and Starr is surprisingly good as the possessive Candy, but the film is so uneven in tone it's impossible to ignore. It's a shame because Blindman has some striking imagery like a town painted black for a funeral, and the climactic shootout in a village turned cemetery. The action is effectively handled with some well choreographed fights and Baldi displays considerable visual style giving the film a great comic book feel; Stelvio Cipriani's energetic soundtrack is another highlight. So overall Blindman can be a lot of fun if you're in the mood and don't mind a bit of the old ultra-violence with your comedy.:cool:

ash_is_the_gal

03-28-09, 06:38 PM

Tideland (2007)

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by the same director as Brazil 5 out of 5

Ma Vie En Rose (1997)
4 out of 5

Far From Heaven (2002)

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3.5 out of 5

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

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5 out of 5

Cleopatra (1963)
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4 out of 5

Capote (2005)
3.5 out of 5

MovieMan8877445

03-28-09, 07:25 PM

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Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
Adam McKay, 2004

This is truely the most epic comedy that I've ever seen. Not only does it have like the best main cast ever for a comedy, but so many others of my favorite comedians have smaller roles. It was great to see so many of my favorite comedians like Seth Rogen, Vince Vaugn, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Tim Robbins, and quite a few more, in smaller roles in this. They were definitely hilarious in it too, but the main cast does seem to really overshadow them. Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell are my two personal favorites of the main cast. Carrell can play a dumbass so well, and make it so funny. Rudd just does his usual hilarious stuff. Ferrell is just so great in stupid roles, because that's what I think he's meant for. This is by far my favorite of his stupid roles, followed by Talladega Nights and Step Brothers.

Certian scenes in this just literally had me rolling on the floor laughing so hard. Namely the scene where Jack Black kicks Ferrell's dog off the bridge. The entire fight between the all the news stations is other scene that had me on the floor laughing as well. None of the other scenes really had me on the floor laughing like those two particular scenes, but I was luaghing pretty hard throughout. Judd Apatow is like the best writer for comedies, I've yet to be disappointed by one of his movies. I saw this movie like first when it came out, but I could barely remember it. I'm quite glad I decided to buy it and re-watch it. If you're in the mood for an extremely hilarious stupid comedy, this is by far the best one that I'd recommend. I can honestly say that this is one of my all-time favorite comedies, and I may be giving it a little more than it really deserves, but who cares. I just loved it that much.

4.5

MovieMan8877445

03-29-09, 01:42 AM

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/04/the_wackness_500.jpg

The Wackness
Jonathan Levine, 2008

I had been wanting to see this since I first saw the trailer like back in May, but it never came to a theater near me. When the DVD first came out, I had other things I wanted to buy, and I just seemed to forget about it. I'm glad that I ultimately decided to rent it, though. I thought it was really great, but it did get a tad depressing at times throughout the movie. One things that really seemed to stand out to me in The Wackness was the music choices they chose for it. I'm probably going to go download the soundtrack tomorrow; I would do it now, but I'm too tired to. There were some songs I heard in this that I've been wanting to know what the songs were called for awhile now, and I hope those certain songs will be on the soundtrack.

The acting for the most part is pretty good, and I'm quite surprised with Josh Peck's performance in this. I don't even think Mary-Kate Olsen did a horrible job in this, now that's not to say she did good, but she didn't really do bad. Luckily she was barely even in the movie. Ben Kingsley was really good in this, but I'm not really surprised about him. If you're looking for a good coming-of-age or a love story to watch, then I'd say that you check this out sometime. Once it goes on sale or comes down in price a bit, I'll probably pick up the DVD myself. This is easily one of the most \, or maybe the most, underrated movie of 2008.

3.5

Harry Lime

03-29-09, 05:50 AM

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/zodiac.jpg

4

Iroquois

03-29-09, 05:53 AM

Been feeling down lately, so tried watching a couple of very different comedies...

http://www.trondheim-filmklubb.no/h2006/bilder/harold_and_maude.jpg

Harold and Maude (Ashby, 1971) - 4.5

I think I may end up knocking this one out of my Top 10, but it's still rather amusing and touching.

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/12/02/teamamerica_wideweb__430x269.jpg

Team America: World Police (Parker, 2004) - 4.5

What can I say? I like these kind of movies.

Feeling like something a little darker tonight, though...

Powdered Water

03-29-09, 03:24 PM

I love movies... I really do. :yup:

The Breakfast Club (John Hughes - 1985) 4

I blame this flick for just about all of my teenage angst and heart ache. I swear this flick was almost like a bible for teenagers growing up in the 80's. I have a little bit of all the characters wrapped up inside the crazy labyrinth inside my head and to be honest, that is a good thing. I too, hated my parents while growing up and I too also feared I was going to end up just like them. In many ways I have. Again, not really a bad thing. The thing is, I was too f***ing smart (stupid?) at the time to realize they were just doing the best they could with the same limited resources that I am experiencing today. I say bless them. How was I to know that in fact they actually did know more about the world I was rebelling against? I sure as hell wasn't going to give them or anyone for that matter enough of my time to find out if they were right or not. I was to busy marching to my own beat. And what a beat it was. I survived though and now you all have to read my ramblings from time to time.

Anyway, its a great flick that is probably not as culturally relevant today as it was during the 80's but it is a flick that many can watch and chalk up all the little quotes and skits that others have been ripping off for almost 25 years now (25? Really? Jesus.). And there is a good reason so many of the young actors that are in the film are still working today. The entire cast was quite good, especially Judd Nelson. "Eat. My. Shorts." Sound familiar? Yeah...

Abre Los Ojos - Open Your Eyes (Alejandro Amenábar - 1997) 4.5

If you can get into Vanilla Sky and you think its decent then I suggest you check out the original version made 4 years earliear that is a superior film. Props to Penelope Cruz for getting a gig in both flicks. Nice little payday I'm sure. Anywho, I loved every second of it and now I may not be able to watch the remake anymore. Oh well, so it goes.

Ms. 45 (Abel Ferrara - 1981) 3.5

http://www.road-dog-productions.com/weblog/ferrara_ms45.jpg

Wow. That Abel Ferrara sure made some interesting flicks eh? This movie starts out innocently enough and then in about a span of 3 minutes there are two rapes that send a poor mute girl completely over the edge. After which she goes on a rampage and kills just about every man she comes into contact with! Good stuff I says... :yup:

Barbarella (Roger Vadim - 1968) 4

http://www.fishup.ru/files/f9/b4/43/lg_7045251_barbarella.preview.jpg

I was on a serious roll yesterday! This was an absolute trip! All kinds of 60's psychedelic music and backgrounds and there was also a movie in there somewhere. My god Jane Fonda was knockout back then. And... AND she was pretty much naked through a large portion of the movie. Which was nice. :yup:

Screamers: The Hunting (Sheldon Wilson - 2009) 3

Altogether, a not too bad follow up to the original Screamers that I really enjoy. I'm guessing there will be another straight to DVD follow up shortly judging from the ending of the film.

Used Future

03-29-09, 05:03 PM

This is just a quick tab for some of the other stuff I've seen recently and couldn't be bothered to write up.

http://quityourdayjob.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/starship_troopers_3_marauder.jpg

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (Edward Neumeier 2008) 2.5-
Much better than the dull second installment, this benefits from the re-introduction of Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) and a slightly bigger budget. It's still no great shakes though, with crappy looking CGI work, misfiring attempts at satire, and thoroughly unlikable performances from the supporting cast. A disappointing improvement.

http://www.asianfilmreviews.com/cover/56.jpg

Female Prisoner #701 Scorpion: Grudge Song (Yasuharu Hasebe 1973) 3
This is part four in the series (I reviewed parts one & three here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showpost.php?p=490850&postcount=8918) and part two here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showpost.php?p=493028&postcount=9013) ). Directorial duties on this one were handed from Ito to Hasebe and it shows badly. Much of the beautifully framed photography is absent, and the plot feels like a tacked on after thought considering things were wrapped up nicely at the end of Beast Stable. Kaji is still excellent to watch though, and the film does have it's moments, not least Scorpion's gallows encounter with a crooked cop. Good, but not great.

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1010/230402.1010.A.jpg

Death Ship (Alvin Rakoff 1980) 1.5
Ugghh!!! by rights this should go in my 80's Trash thread but I'm damned if I'm wasting time writing it up properly. George Kennedy and Richard Crenna's luxury cruise ship (which looks like left overs from The Love Boat) sinks forcing them (and some other B-listers) to board a ghostly Nazi torture vessel. Cue an hour and a half of grimy uneventful boredom as they die one by one in remarkably un-gory ways. Oh and the boat collision sequence is pathetic; stick with The Poseidon Adventure (1972).

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1324/773035409_3872601e64.jpg?v=0

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (Frank De Felitta 1981 TV) 3+
This is a better than average TV movie with Charles Durning great as the leader of a lynch mob who gun down the local simpleton, Bubba (Larry Drake giving an excellent performance) when he's wrongly accused of murdering a young girl. Shortly after they meet with strange deaths at the hands of the creepy scarecrow Bubba was hiding in at the time of his death. This is predictable stuff, but De Felitta still manages to craft some genuinely hair raising scares, and there's a subtle atmosphere of foreboding throughout. Neat.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51pVIImvNlL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

The Ghost Galleon (Amando De Ossorio 1974) 2-
Third part in Ossorio's cult Blind Dead series (Part one reviewed here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showpost.php?p=490538&postcount=8904) part two here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showpost.php?p=493028&postcount=9013) ) and it's a complete wash out. A group of models on a seabound photo-shoot get lost in fog and end up boarding a spooky old galleon inhabited by the Templars (who for some unexplained reason are all at sea in this one). What should be a laugh riot is just painfully slow with banal dialogue and a complete lack of gore. In it's favour the galleon sets are really atmospheric, but why did Ossorio include that ridiculous model boat?

http://www.filmscoop.it/locandine/lisoladegliuominipesce.jpg http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1010/204766.1010.A.jpg

Screamers aka L'Isola Degli Uomini Pesce (The Island of the Fishmen) (Sergio Martino 1979) 3
The American poster (above right) for this has to be the most misleading I've ever seen. Nobody is turned inside out and it's nothing to do with the Peter Weller Sci-Fi flick. It's actually a rather fun adventure film in the vein of The Island of Doctor Moreau (1977) and Warlords of Atlantis (1978). This has bond girl Barbara Bach and Richard Johnson from Zombi 2 (it was filmed right after on the same locations) as father and daughter on an island of genetically engineered fishmen controlled by a mysterious drug. Enter a group of shipwrecked convicts who expose a plot using the mutants to recover the lost treasure of Atlantis. This is good fun with amusing fish makeups (think Creature from the Black Lagoon meets Humanoids from the Deep) and some explicit gore spliced in by Roger Corman who purchased the film for the American market. Fun.

MovieMan8877445

03-29-09, 07:17 PM

I Love You, Man - 4+

My review can be read, Here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showpost.php?p=513891&postcount=112).

meatwadsprite

03-29-09, 09:25 PM

Cinema Paradiso : The Director's Cut

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:QEvwg2yjthZrfM:http://moviebanter.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/cinema_paradiso2.jpg http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:MytBTDx5CGBHfM:http://www.potatomato.com/mt/archives/image/cinema.jpg

I thought most of this was brilliant , anyone and everyone who enjoys films will most likely fall in love with this one. Although I want to get my hands on the original 2 hour cut , this three hour one tends to really drag on during the third act.

Hopefully all the best parts will still be in the 2 hour cut.

4

The Shawshank Redemption

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:nCE20acvYK5scM:http://g.imagehost.org/0116/the_shawshank_redemption.jpg http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:yd-9UrTgo2FiDM:http://www.redstaplerchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/shawshank.jpg

Pretty enjoyable prison flick that reaches far beyond the realm of prison life and into every life. Top notch acting , but some of the writing / characters did seem flimsy at times (warden was pretty cartoony).

3.5

Spirited Away

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:TjK-vAysdpqLuM:http://www.impawards.com/2002/posters/spirited_away.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:BJkSoOgENwzIMM:http://www.watchmoviestreaming.com/pictures/spiritedaway1.jpg

Very enjoyable animated film with a huge imagination.

4.5

TheDOMINATOR

03-29-09, 11:25 PM

The Warden in Shawshank being "cartoony"? I'm not seeing it. :/

meatwadsprite

03-29-09, 11:27 PM

Well he supposedly is a strict Christian who has no actual moral standards at all. Either Shawshank Redemption has an anti-christian agenda or the character himself is laughable.

He's just super-villain evil , he has no humanizing traits.

Harry Lime

03-30-09, 12:20 AM

I would think that evil is very human.

mark f

03-30-09, 12:57 AM

Hey meaty, let me ask you this. Do you believe the "Christians" on TV who make a show of prayer, "heal" people constantly and ask you to support them financially have an anti-Christian agenda?

mark f

03-30-09, 03:50 AM

Monsters vs. Aliens (Rob Letterman & Conrad Vernon, 2009) 3.5

http://scifiwire.com/assets_c/2009/01/MonstersVsAliens-thumb-500x381.jpg

You may well wonder why I saw this on its opening weekend at the theatre. There's a very innocent answer. Today my younger brother's oldest daughter Gwendolyn celebrated her 10th birthday, and the party was held at the movie theatre before the screening of this flick. There were about a dozen other 10-year-olds there and a small group of adults. Anyway, when we showed up at the box office, the ticket seller went ahead and gave us tickets for the 3-D screening at 4:30, but the rest of the party had tickets for the non-3-D screening at 5, and since part of the party included a tour of the projection booth, there was no way to get to the 3-D show, so we saw it in 2-D. Although the trailer looked cute, I would have waited for the DVD to check this out, but I thought it was a fun day at the movies(yes, even for a 50+ Disney Dork... )

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ecMcf3B-ZR4/SJbv1qnk8pI/AAAAAAAABt0/XHIuz9GUvRs/s400/Monsters%2Bvs%2BAliens%2B-%2BDreamworks.jpg

There's no need to go into the plot of the film, but part of the fun is mentioning all the film references you can make. Since this is a Dreamworks Film, Spielberg references take priority, but there are some cute homages to older sci-fi films in the way the various monsters came to be, as well as some visual recreations of specific scenes from specific movies, although all of this is done in passing. You'll either get it or you won't, but the movie flies by so quickly that you'll still enjoy it anyway. Monsters vs. Aliens is a step down from Kung Fu Panda, but that was the best Dreamworks animated film ever, so this one is still worth watching. I could imagine lots of the 3-D effects watching this one, but it's certainly fine in 2-D. Just don't look for anything original or too deep, although "critics" who claim that it's completely empty of humanity are undoubtedly on the running on empty humanity scale, at least if you ask me. This is a kid's movie, but there are plenty of scenes of violence and scares plus quite a bit of sexual innuendo. I only heard two babies cry during the movie, and both were rushed out of the theatre (although come to think of it, it might have been the same baby twice).

I'm actually biting my tongue to keep myself from giving away some of the references/in-jokes, but I feel the need to mention one. I'll admit that this isn't the largest image around, but does this guy remind anybody of Gen. Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) from Dr. Strangelove?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e8qaKHUaCjs/SIdxn9QCFaI/AAAAAAAACdE/6ySSJCB3ubo/s400/monsters-v-aliens-monger.jpg http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/09/07/strangelove_wideweb__430x284.jpg http://www.zuguide.com/image/George-C-Scott-Dr-Strangelove-or-How-I-Learned-to-Stop-Worrying-and-Love-the-Bomb.7.jpg

meatwadsprite

03-30-09, 05:26 AM

Hey meaty, let me ask you this. Do you believe the "Christians" on TV who make a show of prayer, "heal" people constantly and ask you to support them financially have an anti-Christian agenda?

Possibly , they are making a mockery of the religion. As interesting as the subject is , I would much rather watch There Will Be Blood which has a large focus on false prophets and religious actors - rather than just cramming it in there as a small twist as seen in Shawshank Redemption.

(and I do think one could easily assume There Will Be Blood as an anti-christian agenda , but I could care less in this case as it's done in proper context)

Mrs. Darcy

03-30-09, 06:10 PM

Bottle Shock
Randall Miller 2008 3.5

A smart little movie about the French/California wine competition in 1976. Based on Jim Barrett's Chateau Montelena and other Napa vintners who went up against the uppity French wines of the day and had some sweet victories.

Alan Rickman plays Steven Spurrier, a Brit living in France, who owns the academy of wine and gets no business except for an American (humorously played by Dennis Farina) who comes in to drink his wine. He decides to try California wines to see how they stand up to legendary French wines, and gets an education when he visits Napa. Expecting swill, he is surprised to find very good wine and decides to hold a blind tasting with the best tasters in France.

Bill Pullman plays Jim Barrett, the man that owns the Chateau Montelena and is trying to make the perfect chardonnay. His son, Bo, played by Chris Pine is a hippie that abuses the benefits of living and working for his father.
http://bp0.blogger.com/_ecMcf3B-ZR4/SGhTcD1OsKI/AAAAAAAABg0/8mrhbqmbeR8/s400/bottle-shock-1.jpg

The story revolves around the father son dynamic, and the struggle for California winemakers to get noticed. A fun film with a few side stories intertwined into it. I love an underdog story, and this didn't disappoint.
http://www.collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/Bottle_Shock/bottle_shock_movie_image__14_.jpg

igor_is_fugly

03-30-09, 07:08 PM

Giant
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xfWLIg8hemo/Sa287-WrN2I/AAAAAAAAANo/PJCe-ROgV1k/s400/giant_l.jpg

Love it. Classic in every sense of the word. 53 years old and still completely relatable and with that cinemagic that can only be found in this kind of classic hollywood film, it's pretty much impossible to not like.
4.5

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Mxvt5nibaOc/Ry0G8oJlZYI/AAAAAAAAAM0/62BDvJ1qIhw/s320/Nurse+Ratched.jpg
Really a great movie, but a little disappointing. Not in the movie itself but... i don't know, I feel like it just didn't click with me like it does with most people. I didn't find myslef all that attached to the characters, and watched the end more thinking "oh, that's sad," instead of actually feeling sad know what I mean? Undeniably fantastic script, acting, and directing, and I especially loved the Chief and the absolutely amazing character of Nurse Ratchet. Maybe a rewatch is in order.
4.5

The Red Violin
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-nmpEaAYNWA/SJDtbeFh4lI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/DUbVuRe8XTQ/s320/Red+Violin+photo1.jpg
Interesting little movie. Seeing Samuel L Jackson getting his sophistication on kind of freaked me out, but I recovered fairly quickly and got surprisingly wrapped up in each of the 5 different stories behind the violin. I liked having the assortment of locations and time periods, but sometimes it felt more like a collection of small films instead of a cohesive work. I don't know, maybe they were kind of going for that though. There's also a nice little twisted twist at the end that, for me, was just unique enough to push the movie from meh to worth watching.
4

Ordinary People
http://www.oscarguy.com/Reviews/Annual/1980/Ordinary.jpg
I hate this movie. I can't believe they dignified this overdramatic, insincere piece of garbage with awards. Judd Hirsch was the only thing that kept me from killing myself.
1

Watchmen
http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo224/trailermovieblog/watchmen-scream-awards.jpg
Visually fantastic, and a decent representation of the graphic novel. It loses points for moments of corniness that just can't go overlooked.
3.5

Annie Hall
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/04/11/amd_annie-hall.jpg
My favorite movie of the bunch. I didn't really know what to expect from this. I discovered it to be one of the funniest, wittiest, quirkiest, and most honest movie I've seen in a long time. Definitely added to my list of faves.
5

The Ruins
http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/images_5/TheRuins.jpg
My kind of movie. I think I'd actually buy this, i've seen it like five times now and would still totally be ok with seeing it again. Anyway, it's an original horror movie(or at least not a torture movie, which makes it unique to pretty much every mainstream horror movie since the success of Saw) with legit actors and good directing. I read the book first and I loved that there's like a little inside joke for fans of the book. In the book, there's this conversation about what order they would die in if this were a movie and, although in the book they got it completely wrong, they used that order in the movie and it made me really happy.
4

undercoverlover

03-30-09, 07:11 PM

Annie Hall
http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/04/11/amd_annie-hall.jpg
My favorite movie of the bunch. I didn't really know what to expect from this. I discovered it to be one of the funniest, wittiest, quirkiest, and most honest movie I've seen in a long time. Definitely added to my list of faves.
5/5

i really like annie hall but i found it to be the kind of film where its really funny but you wont laugh once

linespalsy

03-30-09, 07:31 PM

Elmer Gantry 3
Videodrome 3
Waltz With Bashir 3
Watchmen 1.5

mark f

03-30-09, 08:10 PM

Elmer Gantry rates with Jaws? At least I see that as consistent. Plus, it makes it better than the Tennessee Williams adaptations. Thanks for watching because otherwise you'd have no reason. :cool:

igor_is_fugly

03-30-09, 10:25 PM

i really like annie hall but i found it to be the kind of film where its really funny but you wont laugh once

Really? I for sure laughed out loud. A lot. When he has to be driven home by suicidal Christopher Walken I almost died!

Harry Lime

03-30-09, 10:28 PM

Really? I for sure laughed out loud. A lot. When he has to be driven home by suicidal Christopher Walken I almost died!

One of my favourite scenes in that film.

BobbyB

03-30-09, 11:13 PM

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters: A+
The Ice Storm: A+
George Wallace: B+
Mother and Son: A+
The Sting: A+

I've had a great week or so of movie viewing. :yup:

Justin

03-30-09, 11:37 PM

Mother and Son by Sokurov? That's a good one.

BobbyB

03-30-09, 11:46 PM

Mother and Son by Sokurov? That's a good one.
That's the one. :yup:

Someone suggested it to me and I'm glad they did. Some of the most beautiful images I've ever seen in film.

Justin

03-31-09, 12:11 AM

I feel the same way.

TheDOMINATOR

03-31-09, 12:16 AM

All right, it's been a few days since I've posted in this thread, so here we go. :)

The Haunting in Connecticut - 3.5-

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/6586/thehauntinginconnecticur.jpg

Holding the documentary this film is based on ("A Haunting in Connecticut," pilot to the series "A Haunting") in such high regard, the movie was--plain and simply--underwhelming. It shared very little in common with the documentary, significantly straying away from the "actual" story, and I found the story of the documentary ten times more frightening. Small things here and there were kept in the movie (the bloody mop and the dishes disappearing from the table), but far too many things were altered for me to keep myself from repeatedly saying "This, or that, was better in the documentary" throughout the movie while I was in the theater watching it.

However, not in comparison to the epically, genuinely scary documentary originally aired on the Discovery Channel, The Haunting in Connecticut was decent. Basically, it was a non-stop thrill-ride of jump scares that left you with no time to catch your breath. The CGI was well-done and the ghosts were fairly chilling, but I was left with a feeling of incompleteness. It's hard to explain; I keep wanting to go back and compare it to the documentary which I'm trying not to do.

Pet Sematary - 3+

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1371/petsematary.jpg

I hadn't seen Pet Sematary in a very long time, and got the sudden urge to give it another go, so I did. :cool: It was very creepy; the opening sequence panning through the "pet sematary" gave off a chilling feeling of coldness, and that same feeling progressed as the film itself progressed. However, I felt the scenes involving the zombies could have been better pulled off. The first zombie in the movie (the one in the flashback) was seemingly mindless and a typical "I want to eat your brains"-style zombie, but the other zombies toward the film's end showed vast signs of intelligence and actually planned their murderous attacks. There was a definite lack of consistency there, which knocked down my rating some.

Still, overall, I felt Pet Sematary was a very good, creepy movie that still stands up to others in its genre today.

Pet Sematary 2 - 3.5

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1221/petsematary23.jpg

I had also seen this, Pet Sematary's sequel, before but barely remembered anything about it. And strangely, I've discovered that I like it a bit more than the original. The characters were more interesting and the zombies here were much more well-presented, albeit in a much different way than they were in the first, but well-presented nonetheless; I actually found the main zombie in the movie (the police officer) to be my favorite character in the film. He had some great lines and some awesome kills.

Pulp Fiction - 4

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/1382/pulpfictiond.jpg

This was my first rewatch of Pulp Fiction, and I ended up enjoying it just as much this time as I did the first time I saw it--no better and no worse. Everything, from the story to the acting, is pretty much top-notch, and the whole "starting where it began" thing is a very interesting turn of events, even though I knew it was coming this time. My favorite storyline in the film is definitely Butch and the head gangster's relationship, and the...incident they experience together; it involves some very awesome and completely riveting scenes and exchanges of dialogue.

I mostly watched Pulp Fiction tonight to decide whether or not to include it in my Top 100 list; I hadn't had it on the "rough draft" before tonight, but now I think I might find a place for it there. My rewatch was very successful.

MovieMan8877445

03-31-09, 12:31 AM

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

The Mist
Frank Darabont, 2007

Frank Darabont's true apocalyptic masterpiece, hell I think I may even like this more than The Shawshank Redemption. Everything right from the very start screams amazing to me, but then again, I seem to really like apocalyptic movies. I actually just realized tonight how much I love these types of movies, and how many favorites of mine that are apocalyptic movies. Something I did really seem to notice with this viewing is there are a quite a few things that are similar to Zack Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead. With a group of people being trapped in some place, with something going on outside. Some of the stuff that they both do seem to have some similarities to me as well. The acting from the entire cast is top notch, I literily mean from everyone too.

Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden are about equal in the movie as far as performances go. Actually I think Marcia Gay Harden is better throughout most of the movie; I mean I've never wanted to punch a movie character in the face as much as her. The final moments in the movie with Jane though, when he breaks down, is simply amazing. There's really no other word to describe it. Something I did notice is that Darabont's movies really seem to get religious a lot, at least this and The Shawshank Redemption. I remember The Green Mile being quite a bit religious too, but I haven't seen that in like half a year. The ending is so great though, and I don't care that some people didn't like it. It's so depressingly amazing, and how else would you want an apocalyptic movie to end? This is seriously getting moved up much higher on my favorites list, and I'd probably call this my second favorite horror movie of all-time, right after Zack Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead.

5

Harry Lime

03-31-09, 12:39 AM

I've been sitting on my copy of this movie for some time now MovieMan, I think I'll give it a shot sometime soon and let you know what I think.

Powdered Water

03-31-09, 01:40 AM

Its just OK, it kind of depends on how many horror movies you've seen. If you're like me (God forbid!) then you saw the ending coming from about a block away. It did have a good cast and I agree with the sentiment (maybe its my sentiments) that Darabont has done the best Stephen King novels to screen adaptations to date. So hopefully he does a few more King books because lordy knows there have been plenty of clinkers made under the King story umbrella.

TheDOMINATOR

03-31-09, 01:49 AM

It did have a good cast and I agree with the sentiment (maybe its my sentiments) that Darabont has done the best Stephen King novels to screen adaptations to date. So hopefully he does a few more King books because lordy knows there have been plenty of clinkers made under the King story umbrella.

Agreed and agreed.

Harry Lime

03-31-09, 01:51 AM

The Three best King adaptations so far in my opinion: Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile. These are not his usual stories of horror.

re93animator

03-31-09, 05:25 AM

The Mist
Frank Darabont, 2007
Frank Darabont's true apocalyptic masterpiece, hell I think I may even like this more than The Shawshank Redemption. Everything right from the very start screams amazing to me, but then again, I seem to really like apocalyptic movies. I actually just realized tonight how much I love these types of movies, and how many favorites of mine that are apocalyptic movies. Something I did really seem to notice with this viewing is there are a quite a few things that are similar to Zack Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead. With a group of people being trapped in some place, with something going on outside. Some of the stuff that they both do seem to have some similarities to me as well. The acting from the entire cast is top notch, I literily mean from everyone too.
Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden are about equal in the movie as far as performances go. Actually I think Marcia Gay Harden is better throughout most of the movie; I mean I've never wanted to punch a movie character in the face as much as her. The final moments in the movie with Jane though, when he breaks down, is simply amazing. There's really no other word to describe it. Something I did notice is that Darabont's movies really seem to get religious a lot, at least this and The Shawshank Redemption. I remember The Green Mile being quite a bit religious too, but I haven't seen that in like half a year. The ending is so great though, and I don't care that some people didn't like it. It's so depressingly amazing, and how else would you want an apocalyptic movie to end? This is seriously getting moved up much higher on my favorites list, and I'd probably call this my second favorite horror movie of all-time, right after Zack Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead.
5

Nice review MovieMan. I give it 5 as well. Strong character development is extremely rare in horror films like this these days, but The Mist nails it. The ending would not be nearly as effecting if made like a traditional modern horror picture, and what a doubtlessly remarkable ending it was. I loved the classic horror inspired directorial effort from Darabont as well. Above all was the aura that the film contained. The concentrated effect on the mood was perfect. The shaky camera work gave the film a superbly crafted and harrowing feeling along with the eerie deliberation of a store surrounded by impalpable creatures unforeseen in the mist. A rare case of film bettering book as well as the best picture of '07, all in my judgment of course. I'm surprised you thought that the Dawn of the Dead remake was better.

Its just OK, it kind of depends on how many horror movies you've seen. If you're like me (God forbid!) then you saw the ending coming from about a block away. It did have a good cast and I agree with the sentiment (maybe its my sentiments) that Darabont has done the best Stephen King novels to screen adaptations to date. So hopefully he does a few more King books because lordy knows there have been plenty of clinkers made under the King story umbrella.

I saw the ending coming as well. Anticipating the possibility of a climax as painfully tragic as the one that was featured makes it all the more powerful, and nothing ever put on film has emotionally effected me as much as the ending put forth here. Certainly above OK.

The Three best King adaptations so far in my opinion: Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile. These are not his usual stories of horror.

The Shining ranks as the best in my book. Even if King doesn't appreciate it himself the film is pure brilliancy and quite possibly the greatest horror film ever made.

My favorite King adaptions:
1. The Shining
2. The Mist
3. Misery
4. Secret Window
5. The Shawshank Redemption

meatwadsprite

03-31-09, 09:35 AM

Achilles and the Tortoise

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:OYpcDSGre38-UM:http://www.sentieriselvaggi.it/file/214/28352/image/kitano_achilles(1).jpg http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:coFH8MOZkWBmiM:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wkMSc5DjQ18/SK8qNFHCLjI/AAAAAAAAEsE/0BGUI9j1MC8/s320/Achilles%2Band%2Bthe%2BTortoise_1.jpg

Another film in the vein of his "examination of art" phase , aside from the humor - you could barely tell it's a Kitano film. Very understated and sad , I really got no enjoyment out of this one except for the rare occasional laugh. Hopefully Takeshi will move forward now and continue to make art rather than question why to make it.

2

Dawn of the Dead

http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:mFvv5bEo8dg2TM:http://morb.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/dawn_of_the_dead_1978.jpg http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:wA25fgutNpFFTM:http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u180/GamerBait/dwnotd-r2_shot3l.jpg

Rewatched this one yesterday , it's a blast. To call this a horror movie would be flat out wrong , everything you would ever want to do in a mall - they do it. Huge action scenes shot with true talent , strong acting performances. It takes every idea you could ever do with a zombie and does it , it's magnificent.

5

The Departed

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:9rXug_uXX769HM:http://www.impawards.com/2006/posters/departed_ver9.jpg http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:C7xb2eRC8SVEAM:http://www.cinephilia.com/images/departed.jpg

Meticulous detail , amazing camera work , tons of music , and lovable acting - everything you want from Scorsese. It's his big ensemble crime piece and it's great. No it dosen't reach the feelings you experience with Goodfellas , but that's because it's trying at a much larger scope.

"This guy dosen't want you to have the money for me Baboo , he wants to go over there and squash your head !"

4.5

Justin

03-31-09, 03:21 PM

Police Beat (Devor,2005) - 4

http://www.jjmurphyfilm.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/img_policebeat1.jpg

Police Beat follows Z, an immigrant from West Africa, who works as a police officer in the Seattle area. Throughout the day, he rides around on his bicycle with his partner; all the while, he reminisces on his strained, troubled relationship with his girlfriend, who has gone camping with a male friend of hers. His mind is so preoccupied with his girlfriend that his duties as a police officer suffer greatly. As the film continues, we begin to notice a correlation between the instances Z is investigating and his narration. A mirror is formed, in a way. Z's obsessive and strained relationship with his unfaithful girlfriend becomes progressively clearer.

One of the most interesting aspects of Police Beat is the use of an elliptical voice-over. Z speaks English, but his voice-over is in his native tongue, Wolof (the language of Senegal, parts of Mali, and others). In the first few scenes, we can hear Z's narration in Wolof mixed in with dialogue being spoken by others. This was a very interesting directorial choice, as it gives us a very clear-cut idea. Z's elliptical narrative seems to drown out much of the dialogue spoken, but it can be heard faintly. Despite the language difference, Z speaks the "dialogue" for the individual's he's narrating - which include his girlfriend, an old friend, and a few others. Throughout the film, Z often "believes" he hears the sounds of his phone ringing. I believe this was a wonderful directorial decision, as it shows us clearly Z's manifesting loneliness. The soundtrack, which was very nice, was done by Paul Matthew Moore. It's very simple, but works effectively. Most of the music is electronic and works nicely with the images.

Sean Kirby produced some very authentic, gritty cinematography. Aesthetically, the film has a very raw. It doesn't seem glossy, or remotely refined in any way. This was one of my favorite aspects of the film, as I like gritty cinematography. All throughout Police Beat, the view begins to notice a distinct color palette consisting of blues and blacks. Many images were very striking, but extremely simple (one scene of Z sitting on stairs, outdoors, in pitch black darkness - all we see is a silhouette). For some reason, perhaps it's the color palette, but it reminded me of Sombre; the major difference would be the camera is much more stable and brighter. Altogether; both Kirby and Devor produced some wonderfully authentic and beautiful cinematography.

Devor examines the life of an immigrant, but not strictly on the circumstances and experiences of actually being a new citizen, but more towards Z's response to life in America. He paints a beautiful, introverted picture of an individual attempting to comprehend the horrors going on around him.

Recommended.

Lennon

03-31-09, 04:27 PM

Some movies I've watched over the past 3 days

IFC's INDIE SEX: Censorship (Lesli Klainberg, 2007)
http://www.ifc.com/images/tribune/310x229_indiesexreair.jpg

So, I decided to watch this since it was a boring night, and Netflix Instant View had just added it to their list. I know next to nothing about the history of censorship, and learned a lot. It does seem a bit one-sided, I mean there is a reason why the government censors stuff, and I think that side deserved more than the last like 5 minutes.

3

12 ROUNDS (Renny Harlin, 2009)
http://z.about.com/d/prowrestling/1/0/B/N/-/-/12rounds03.jpg

Yes, this movie is dumb, horribly-acted (besides Aiden Gillen,) and predictable. But, I still enjoyed it, and would recommend it, if you're into action movies. Partially because of it's look, Renny Harlin is very stylish, even if he needs to use a tri-pod.

2.5

HALLOWEEN (John Carpenter, 1978)
http://www.grindhousedatabase.com/images/162828_curtis_l.jpg

This is why I sometimes stay away from horror movies. Sometimes you can just build up it's hype so much that what you get isn't scary at all. Nothings worse then a movie can't accomplish what it wants to do (in here, scaring.) Luckily, John Carpenter has some good camera work.

1

The Untouchables (Brian De Palma, 1987)
http://www.ryanwilliams.us/Top100_80s/80s_top_100_pics/Untouchables.jpg

Still a fun movie, even if this time around I'm starting to see some more flaws, still most of my review HERE (http://www.movieforums.com/reviews/users/506408.html) stands.

3.5+

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (Hayao Miyazaki, 2004)
http://www.opendemocracy.net/content/articles/2864/images/Bird-Howl-and-Sophie.jpg

Wow. This was pretty to look at. I mean the colors were great. Even if it is a flawed movie. Christian Bale's voice seemed like he was about to fall asleep most of the time. Plus, in the beginning it seemed like some of the animation didn't fit (I thought the castle was clay-animation at first) but it got better as it went along. Still worth watching at least once.

3.5+

MovieMan8877445

03-31-09, 05:42 PM

Nice review MovieMan. I give it 5 as well. Strong character development is extremely rare in horror films like this these days, but The Mist nails it. The ending would not be nearly as effecting if made like a traditional modern horror picture, and what a doubtlessly remarkable ending it was. I loved the classic horror inspired directorial effort from Darabont as well. Above all was the aura that the film contained. The concentrated effect on the mood was perfect. The shaky camera work gave the film a superbly crafted and harrowing feeling along with the eerie deliberation of a store surrounded by impalpable creatures unforeseen in the mist. A rare case of film bettering book as well as the best picture of '07, all in my judgment of course. I'm surprised you thought that the Dawn of the Dead remake was better.

The Dawn Of The Dead Remake was the first horror film that I truely loved, so I think that really does have something to do with it. I only like it a little better than The Mist, though.

Fenwick

03-31-09, 08:38 PM

I've been brushing up on the remainder of Jena Luc Godard's filmography lately...

Une Femme est une Femme (A Woman is a Woman, Godard, 1961)

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s120/pearlystagedoor/unefemme03.jpg

One of Godard's most accessible works, Une Femme est une Femme is a playful musical-comedy starring the gorgeous Anna Karina. Its a beautifully vibrant, self conscious film and remains the closest Godard and the French New Wave came to making a genre film.

Le Mepris (Contempt, Godard, 1963)

http://www.ogleearth.com/mepris_02.jpg

Along with Passion (1982) this is probably Godard's most self reflexive piece of work. It works upon the Brechtian concept of estrangement and alienation; in short Godard wants to remind the viewer they are watching a film. Instead of dosing into identification, he wants his audience to ask questions and re-evaluate the purpose of the cinema as a whole. This all sounds like very essay-esque stuff but its a profound and beautiful film.

Le Petit Soldat (The Little Soldier, Godard, 1963)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dUW0kIrE0V4/SBSrSyNc2UI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/iOwkdQ5jbNQ/s400/soldat_1.jpg

Godard's first overtly political production, Le Petit Soldat follows the relationship between a right-wing male terrorist and a left wing female terrorist. Godard's personal view (I believe) is that there is no difference between the two, they're both devoid of morals. Godard implements a doc style but his jumps towards politics have always left me underwhelmed and this sadly was no different.

Alphaville (Godard, 1965)

http://www.joeclipart.com/blog/images/2007/01/20070128alphaville.jpg

One of Godard's most famous works, Alphaville charts the experiences of an American private eye and his battle with an evil suitor on a futuristic planet that has outlawed self expression. This sort of dystopian landscape has been copied many a time (Equlibrium for example) but this film remains more minimalist and philosphical than its imitations. Is that for the better? Who knows, I dont get much change out of Alphaville but its easy to admire.

Pierrot le fou (Godard, 1965)

http://filmbrain.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/pierrot_le_fou_1.jpg

Often hilarious, consistently self-aware and breathtakingly beautiful, Pierrot le fou is one of my favourite Godard films. Bereft of any sort of narrative thread, Pierrot le fou washes over you like a poem and forces you to contemplate, well, everything. Its a marvelous film, it really is. I urge anyone with eyes to see it.

Made in USA (Godard, 1966)

http://filmbrain.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/made_in_usa_2.jpg

This is unfortunately, where it all starts to wane a little bit (save Weekend, maybe Slow Motion). It would be untrue to say this is an appreciation of Godard's favourite American B movies. Indeed, this is probably one of the more forthright expositions of his 'Girl and gun' philoosophy but its messily constructed. I was never convinced that Godard knew where he was going with this.

La Chinoise (Godard, 1968)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6mGHoKxDQK8/SEV0UzQS0yI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/rLsOVy6iUaI/s400/chinoise.jpg

With La Chinoise we see Godard shift towards politics again; this time Maoism. A group of students disillusioned with late capitalism and life in genereal sit down and debate their purpose to the world. Its sort of like The Breakfast Club meets Zabriskie Point. Sadly, its nearly as poor as the latter.

Passion (Godard, 1982)

http://www.geocities.com/glen_norton/pics/Passioninvaders.jpg

Thankfully Godard moves back towards his Brechtian roots with Passion but sadly its no Breathless, Le Mepris, Vivre sa Vie or Bande a Part for that matter. It contemplates art and commercialism and a filmmakers struggle to manage both. The film also follows the difficulties in production. Godard inevitably places the producer as tyrant as they refuse to grant filming privileges until the identification of a working script.

Detective (Godard, 1985)

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/detective-2-400.jpg

Detective is difficult to unravel; like the films that influenced Godard (look at Hawks' The Big Sleep etc), people owe money here and there (in this case Jim owes the Mafia and a local boxer) and things spiral out of control. Things are so out of control, one might be tempted to read this as a parody of the detective film. I'm hardened on Godard but I still couldnt get past this.

Helas Pour Moi (Alas for me, Godard, 1993)

http://www.lesinrocks.com/uploads/tx_inrocksttnews/H%C3%A9lasPourMoi.jpg

Right we've looked at political Godard, reflexive Godard, intertextual Godard but now we reach my least favourite pigeon hole, the bitter, metaphysical Godard (this stage encompasses the final three films i'll look at). Again, this runs on a sort of dysnarration about relationships. This is tough avant garde for the intellegentsia. And they dont even get it.

Eloge de l'Amour (In Praise of Love, Godard, 2001)

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/images/issue/420/eloge-de-lamour_420.jpg

This is metaphysics with self reference. I sense an angry Godard here, I can almost see a bursting vein behind the camera. The debt of gratitude towards Hollywood we saw in Breathless is long gone; he now condemns commercialism and how it has destroyed cinema and even further yet, love and life. The recurring, pointless intertitles get us back to Brecht and remind us we are watching a film. Godard is at his strongest when looking at cinema and Brecht but this shouldnt compensate for his refusal to comply with anything even partially mainstream.

Notre Musique (Our Music, Godard, 2004)

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/images/issue/420/godard_420.jpg

Godard remains typically upbeat (allow me some sarcasm please) in this meditation on war, famine and moral bankruptcy. Save an interesting conversation with a Palestine on the fame that comes from their war with the Jews and a dazzling last 10 minutes, Notre Musique remains completely indigestable. As with Helas and Eloge there is simply too much here; this is imagery upon imagery.

mark f

03-31-09, 08:54 PM

Wow! Are you on your own Godard kick or is this for school? I appreciate the even-handed treatment you give to the films; I think you're a lot more even-handed regarding Godard than I am. :cool:

Fenwick

03-31-09, 09:03 PM

Wow! Are you on your own Godard kick or is this for school? I appreciate the even-handed treatment you give to the films; I think you're a lot more even-handed regarding Godard than I am. :cool:

Nope, not for school, I just love some of his '60s work and decided to look at everything else hes done. It was worth it for Pierrot le fou on its own but even if you dont like Godard, I dont think he ever fails to be anything but interesting.

I have to go to bed now as its 1.00am in England but i'd be interested to hear your non even-handed thoughts on Godard. Hes a figure who always provokes controversy and debate amongst cineastes.

meatwadsprite

03-31-09, 09:40 PM

If you could recommend me one Godard pic to see which would it be ?

Justin

03-31-09, 09:57 PM

I'm a pretty big fan of Godard, but not as much of one as I used to be. Pierrot le fou is probably my favorite. I haven't seen a few of these, like Alas for me - I'll check them out.

Nice work!

Iroquois

03-31-09, 11:45 PM

12 ROUNDS (Renny Harlin, 2009)
http://z.about.com/d/prowrestling/1/0/B/N/-/-/12rounds03.jpg

Yes, this movie is dumb, horribly-acted (besides Aiden Gillen,) and predictable. But, I still enjoyed it, and would recommend it, if you're into action movies. Partially because of it's look, Renny Harlin is very stylish, even if he needs to use a tri-pod.

2.5

HALLOWEEN (John Carpenter, 1978)
http://www.grindhousedatabase.com/images/162828_curtis_l.jpg

This is why I sometimes stay away from horror movies. Sometimes you can just build up it's hype so much that what you get isn't scary at all. Nothings worse then a movie can't accomplish what it wants to do (in here, scaring.) Luckily, John Carpenter has some good camera work.

1

You've got to be f***ing kidding me.

Harry Lime

03-31-09, 11:52 PM

The Shining ranks as the best in my book.

Der, forgot about that one. still like Shawshank more though.

MovieMan8877445

04-01-09, 12:35 AM

http://thisdistractedglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/Rear%20Window%20pic%201.jpg

Rear Window
Alfred Hitchcock, 1954

After re-watching Psycho the other night, I thought it was about time to give some of Hitchcock's other movies a re-watch. I definitely don't think this is any near as amazing as Psycho, but then again, it's really hard to compare to a movie as amazing as Psycho. My main problem with Rear Window is that there really isn't much going on at all in the middle; I mean it has a good beginning and a great ending, but the middle isn't all that interesting. I can see that the movie really wouldn't have worked without it, but I'm just thinking that Hitchcock could've made it a little more interesting. The acting is really great, though.

James Stewart is such a great actor, and I just wish that I could've gotten into him sooner than I did, which was just a couple of months ago. This is definitely one of the best performances I've seen him in, so far. Grace Kelly is a damn good actress, and I think that I need to see some more of her movies. She's also really hot, or well, was really hot back in the 1950's. I'd still recommend it to any movie fan who hasn't had the chance of seeing it yet, because it's still a great movie overall.

4

Justin

04-01-09, 12:42 AM

That's my favorite Hitchcock.

TheUsualSuspect

04-01-09, 01:02 AM

Carpenter's Halloween isn't suppose to scare you. People often make this mistake with horror films. Not every horror film is made to scare the audience.

Halloween was made to make the audience not feel safe in their own suburban homes (it worked for that time).

Tis a shame you didn't like it, it's a lot better then any F13th film that was cranked out.

Iroquois

04-01-09, 01:04 AM

Doesn't feeling unsafe in your own home equate to being scared, though?

Fenwick

04-01-09, 05:21 AM

If you could recommend me one Godard pic to see which would it be ?

I'd start with A bout de souffle if I were you. That will get you acquainted with his style and methods. I you were ask me to pick my favourite Godard though, it would probably be Pierrot le fou.

B-card

04-01-09, 10:59 AM

They(Robert Harmon 2002)-hmm not bad but not that good still.It had it's shocking moments and the ending was pretty nice 3

The Spirit(Frank Miller 2008)-it's pretty much like Sin City like image but really surreal and that Eva Mendes mmm damn fine,not that the other women in the movie were bad but Eva was stunning 3.5

X-Men Origins:Wolverine(Gavin Hood 2009)-I was invited to a special pre-screening here at London from 20th Century Fox it was awesome movie visually stunning and it gets a lot to the back story of Wolverine his real name and his relation to Sabertooth, and the whole thing with weapon X program to bad it was little short only 100 minutes :( but still good though
http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/852/852176/x-men-origins-wolverine-20080214002451981_640w.jpg

4

zedlen

04-01-09, 02:53 PM

Knowing (2009)

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/zedlen/knowing-121108.jpg?t=1238604111 (http://javascript%3cb%3e%3c/b%3E:void%280%29;)

I enjoyed Knowing, but it has a lot of flaws, Nicolas Cage's character is very similar to his character in Next and National Treasure, Rose Byrnes performance is weak and the plot is all over the place, sometimes it feels as if your watching two movies at once. In its defence the detailed destruction sequences are excellent and it does have a great score. An entertaining movie but not as grand as it looked.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3.5box.gif

Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)

http://papilio.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/2008_vicky_christina_barcelona_003.jpg

More of the same drama/comedy/romance from the Allen/Johansson combination, if your a fan like I am, you ll enjoy this.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/4box.gif

The Good Life (2007)

http://pic.leech.it/i/8969d/6acca49vlcsnap163.png

Depressing but with an optimistic message, The Good Life has a decent enough story and cast but I didn't find it that entertaining.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/2.5box.gif

Perkins 14 (2009)

http://www.didntyouhear.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/perkins14.jpg

The unique story is the only thing that interested me, the beginning does hold your attention for a while but after that, its all downhill. If your a fan of low budget horror movies with bad lighting check this out if not don't bother.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/1box.gif

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

http://blogs.tampabay.com/80s/images/2009/01/20/grossepointeblank.jpg

Entertaining, original and a great cast. Enough said. Highly recommended.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/4box.gif

War, Inc. (2008)

http://blogs.kpbs.org/images/uploads/War01.jpg

The unofficial sequel/reimagining of Grosse Pointe Blank. Just as entertaining but heavier, tackeling issues like american war profiteering and commercialism. Not as flawless as Point Blank but not far off it. Recommended.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3.5box.gif

Powdered Water

04-01-09, 10:32 PM

Unofficial re imagining/sequel? I hadn't heard that before. Does he play the same guy or something? Is it like a prequel? Like the story of what happened to him after he disappeared after prom night?

MovieMan8877445

04-02-09, 12:08 AM

http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2000_X-Men/hugh_jackman_x_men_001.jpg

X-Men
Bryan Singer, 2000

I hadn't watched this in so long, and with X-Men Origins: Wolverine coming out in a couple of weeks, I thought it'd be about time to revist the trilogy again. I think this is one of the better superhero movies that I've seen, but I may be a little biased because Wolverine is my favorite character of Marvel. Hugh Jackman just does the part so great; I mean yeah, he's not as violent as in the comic, but he's still pretty violent for a PG-13 movie. My main concern with this is that it seemed really short while watching it. I know it's barely over an hour and a half long, but it seemed much shorter than I remember it being. I remember X2 being considerably longer, but that's for tomorrow night.

I'm sure that any superhero movie fan would enjoy this, because as I said before, this is one of the better superhero movies. This is one of those superheros that I haven't had the chance to visit the comic for, yet. I mainlt focus on Batman for comics, though.

3.5

TheDOMINATOR

04-02-09, 12:26 AM

Ulli Lommel's Zodiac Killer - 0
Ulli Lommel's Black Dahlia - 0
Ulli Lommel's Green River Killer - 0.5-

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/9923/serialkillercollection.jpg

Well, I have a new least favorite director of all time. Everything about those films are absolutely terrible and literally unbearable. I gave each about twenty minutes and turned them off, one right after the other. The extra .5 for Green River Killer only comes from some good nudity early on and a decent performance from the actress who provides it.

Harry Lime

04-02-09, 12:30 AM

Looks like you had a fun few hours there Dominator.

TheUsualSuspect

04-02-09, 01:12 AM

Hmmm, I was under the impression they haven't done any Origins pre-screenings yet. But I did hear a leak on the internet arose.

Not questioning you or anything, just trying to get what's what.

re93animator

04-02-09, 01:13 AM

TheUsualSuspect

04-02-09, 01:21 AM

What is it with these Germans?

Iroquois

04-02-09, 01:25 AM

I recall reading somewhere that the reason Boll gets away with making crap videogame movies is because German investors are getting some sort of tax write-off for putting up money for German-based films. Apparently the benefit for these investors is greater if the film flops, like The Producers. This explains why Boll has stuck to videogame films, which already have a poor reputation and are more likely to fail.

I think Lommel is pulling the same schtick.

B-card

04-02-09, 02:21 AM

Hmmm, I was under the impression they haven't done any Origins pre-screenings yet. But I did hear a leak on the internet arose.

Not questioning you or anything, just trying to get what's what.

you should question me couse there was no pre screening it was an Aprils Fools joke but I watched alright and that was my biggest mistake because it was a workprint release which means some of the effects weren't added and you can see wires and and sets ahh it was alwful and still I don't know I watched it I couldn't stop myself,I'll go and see it when it comes out so it's not a problem :)

zedlen

04-02-09, 02:36 AM

Unofficial re imagining/sequel? I hadn't heard that before. Does he play the same guy or something? Is it like a prequel? Like the story of what happened to him after he disappeared after prom night?

He isn't the same character as in Grosse Point but he plays an almost identical character, a lot of the same cast reprise similar roles, the story is very similar, it could have been the sequel.

Sedai

04-02-09, 10:41 AM

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961, Edwards)

4

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2006/12/05/breakfast460.jpg

A classic for sure. I did find myself getting irritated with Ms. Golightly a couple of times, but I think that was the aim. I also fell head-over-heels for her and that damn mangy cat. Hepburn brought such character and life to this film. Overall, a pleasure to watch.

Iroquois

04-02-09, 12:09 PM

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Mad Max 2 (Miller, 1981) - 3

I don't remember being too impressed with this when I watched it a few months ago. My opinion of it has varied slightly in a positive direction, but I think Escape From New York will always cast a very long shadow over any 1980s post-apocalyptic movie for me. The characters are weak (and some, such as the Gyro Captain or the Feral Kid, are simply irritating), the plot's a bit weak and even the action doesn't seem as thrilling as it ought to. 3 seems a little high for this film, and I doubt I'll ever end up rating it any higher.

http://www.planetvideo.com.au/blog/2009/03/05/repo-man_l.jpg

Repo Man (Cox, 1984 - 4.5+

I may be overrating this by at least a couple of popcorn boxes, but I don't really care. Repo Man is a cult classic of the highest order, mixing a coming-of-age tale with a seemingly random crime caper comedy with enough bizarre elements of sci-fi thrown in for good measure. It's tough to get such an eclectic combination right (and the film's got more goofs than I care to remember) but it doesn't bother me because Repo Man is a very "cool" film.

Sleezy

04-02-09, 05:48 PM

Quantum of Solace: 007 (Forster, 2008) 3

Pretty forgettable, but not nearly as bad as others have made out. I can usually forgive convoluted stories in Bond films, and since I was feeling an action flick anyway, I was appeased. Shamelessly, I always look forward to the sharp chemistry between Bond and his female sidekicks, but this film is somewhat lacking. Still, I continue to enjoy Daniel Craig in this role, and I think the series remains on the up-and-up.

Kingdom of Heaven (Scott, 2005) 3

This one isn't aging well for me, but I continue to watch it... presumably for the magnificent production value. If anything, Ridley Scott brings to life the stormy climate of the Crusades, and I only wish that less-superficial steps had been taken in evaluating the implications of the events. Scott is a visually-inclined director, yet he never really uses Jerusalem as a visual anchor: it more or less looms--ghost-like--throughout the film, with little real emphasis placed in the fanatacism over that city, save for the kinds of general rhetoric that serves the film's purposes. I'm not a religious person, but holy places carry significant weight, and it would have been nice to see some notable Jerusalem hotspots. (Balian's visit to Golgotha is particularly haunting, in its own quiet fashion.)

City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (Weiland, 1994) 3_5

"If you ever talk to me like that again, I'm gonna turn your balls into earrings."

Godoggo

04-02-09, 06:10 PM

I may be overrating this by at least a couple of popcorn boxes, but I don't really care.

No your not. :)

TheDOMINATOR

04-02-09, 07:00 PM

Looks like you had a fun few hours there Dominator.

:laugh: A waste of time and a waste of $11. I would have rather bought, well...pretty much anything else with that eleven bucks.

Ah yes, Ulli Lommel. Makes Uwe Boll look like Kubrick.

I believe one of his first films, The Boogeyman (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080464/), was actually a bit enjoyable. Still nothing to brag about though.

I actually own The Boogeyman and thought it was pretty decent, but still nothing to give any kind of praise to. Part of the reason why I bought that Serial Killer Collection DVD is because it said "from the man who brought you Boogeyman" or something.

undercoverlover

04-02-09, 07:06 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/film/The_Last_Kiss-8-Zach_Braff.jpg
The Last Kiss -
i admire Zach Braff for making a film that has characters that are kind of easy to hate given the sweet natured portrayal of Largeman in Garden State. Trying to get away from the sweet confused guy? On one hand it makes them more realistic and on the other its unusual to watch given our diet of unreal, perfectable people.
The lead, played by Braff, is very easy to hate - he cheats on his pregnant girlfriend. It was interesting to see this kind of dialogue on relationships from sensible, if misguided men. I didnt appreciate the focus on Braff's character over his girlfriend at the most crucial moments, it felt like we were being forced to understand and sympathise with him.

Justin

04-02-09, 08:46 PM

Repo Man will always be cool.

zedlen

04-02-09, 10:49 PM

Evil Dead 2 (1987)

http://blogs.kpbs.org/images/uploads/evil-dead-2.jpg

Classic cult horror/comedy. This is my first viewing, I wasn't as impressed as I though I would be but I still understand why it has such a following, if I'd watched this when I was 16 I'd have been blown away. Ill definitely watch this again.

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Army Of Darkness (1992)

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Disappointed, this wasn't as serious as ED2, comedy, no horror. Army Of Darkness is entertaining and there are a lot of good laughs but just not the same. I've heard Evil Dead fans didn't like this one as much and now I understand why.

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Iroquois

04-03-09, 12:01 AM

I watched ED2 when I was 16 and I was blown away. I watched it when I was 19 and I was somewhat disappointed. Such is life.

Sedai

04-03-09, 10:22 AM

The Happening (Shyamalan, 2008)

2

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2008/02/04/happening-teaser-trailer.jpg

Silly. There were certainly some effective scenes, but they were overshadowed by goofy dialogue, preposterous situations, and anvil-like environmental messages. This guy needs to hand the writing over to someone else.

Sleezy

04-03-09, 11:34 AM

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008) 2_5

Didn't much care for this second installment. The action was great, and the brother/sister dichotomy was interesting. But there were some problems with pacing and logic that I couldn't overlook, and some of the funnies felt overloaded and forced. Not to mention, the opening scene was just silly. Like, bad silly. Like, "why did we need to see that?" silly.

The Constant Gardener (Meirelles, 2005) 2_5

This one felt much too pretentious for me. I'm good with any film that chooses to take a stab at pharmaceutical companies, but this film operates on the superficial platform that the misdeeds of a generic corporation are harming a generic African population. Films like these need to bring things down to a personal level, and this one certainly tries. I don't know, it all felt conveniently constructed for me. That, and I think I'm tiring of films about comfortable Europeans who travel to Africa and - eyes opened - become some kind of champion for the dying masses. A noble thought, perhaps... but in the end, only an extended fantasy. Let's take a look at the real people who do this work.

Sleezy

04-03-09, 11:36 PM

The Shining (Kubrick, 1980) 5

Caged, methodical, unsettling... at every moment picturesque. This is the perfect blend of creeping horror. Give me this madness over projectile gore any day!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/Sleezy/shining.jpg

Slumdog Millionaire (Boyle, 2008) 5

Beautiful film, through and through. It doesn't hide from its seedy haunts, and there's plenty of real India brutality to throw your arms up over. It's a fairy tale at its core, but amid the muck of the slum lands, it's easy to believe. And magical once you do.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/Sleezy/slumdog.jpg

Powdered Water

04-04-09, 12:49 AM

Just some of the flicks I still have in my head from the last several days. I don't seem to be quite up to the task of tabbing as I used to be. I'm still watching a crap load of movies however. Some really good and some not so much...

Mamma Mia (Phyllida Lloyd - 2008) 4

Look, I don't need to try and convince you that this is a great flick. It is for me though. I happen to love movies with singing and dancing is all. I also love Meryl Streep and she can really carry a tune. The fact that this movie is made entirely from ABBA songs is also pretty interesting and bizarre to me. Apparently its also a play. Imagine that.

Monsters Vs. Aliens (Rob Letterman - 2009) 3.5

I agree with Mark, Kung Fu Panda was really good. But this little movie is pretty entertaining as well. I didn't bother with the 3-D version. I don't really care about that stuff, I just like to watch movies dig? I don't need no stinkin' 3-D to make it more better-er and stuff. Anyway, Reese Witherspoon was terrific as usual.

"E tu vivrai nel terrore - L'aldila"/The Beyond (Lucio Fulci - 1981) 2

Meh, mediocre at best. I was watching the typical dubbed and probably hacked up version that is usually available here in the States, but still. Are all Fulci movies so.. uh, gooey? He was really big on decomposing corpses and gooey zombie like critters wasn't he? We watched another Fulci flick a few weeks ago and the title escapes me at the moment but I remember there were several very gooey scenes in that one as well. I don't really have a problem with it. It's just a little odd sometimes is all.

zedlen

04-04-09, 01:12 AM

Say Anything... (1989)

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A great film from when John Cusack was still playing a mis-guided teen. Cusack gives a great performance, one that will keep you laughing, entertained and sympathetic with his short comings and ambitions. But the other %40/50 of this film revolves around Ione Skye and John Mahoney and there father, daughter relationship which is partly where the film gets its title. An uplifting comedy/drama coming of age romance. Must see if your a fan of Cusack.

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Powdered Water

04-04-09, 01:27 AM

It also has one of the single greatest movie lines of all time.

"I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that."

MovieMan8877445

04-04-09, 02:21 AM

http://www.cinemastrikesback.com/news/reviews/psycho19983.jpg

Psycho
Gus Van Sant, 1998

It's like original Psycho, except this one seems to hyped up on crack or something. Seriously, like everything about this movie felt so rushed. To start off on a postive note, Arbogast was done great in this, IMO. William H. Macy did just a good of job as Arbogast in the original Psycho. Anne Heche wasn't good one bit; she can't act, and she isn't even hot. She looks like a man to me, and I have no idea how she even seemed to get this role. To get to the big thing though, Vince Vaugn was semi-good. He's actually a pretty good actor when he's not in some stupid comedy, and he seemed to get the jiteriness of Norman Bates down great. Other than that, nothing was really good about his character at all, especially him saying his lines - slow down in saying your lines, Vaugn. One thing I hated about Norman in this: is that he's portayed as being pure evil or something. He's not supposed to be evil one bit, but he seriously just seemed evil to me.

All the suspense from the original film was gone completely. The best shocking scene from the orginal, the ending seen with Norman in the fruit cellar, was completely screwed up. It didn't even seem like they were trying to make it shocking or anything, it actually came off as more of an action scene. That was a huge mistake. Nothing else I really have to point out that hasn't already been said - fans of the original Psycho really needs to stay away from this one. The only reason that I even bought it was because it was super cheap at Best Buy.

Remake rating: 0

Movie on it's own rating: 1.5

mark f

04-04-09, 04:46 AM

Harry Lime

04-04-09, 05:32 AM

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The Mist (2007, Frank Darabont) 2.5

I gave this a shot tonight after putting it off for sometime.

spacefish_uk

04-04-09, 07:57 AM

MONSTERS vs ALIENS: 3D
Went over to my local IMAX theatre last night to see this in all it's huge screen and 3D glory.
Wasn't expecting the greatest film in the world but what Dreamworks does best is provide good old fashioned fun for the family movies.
The story is obvious and the laughs come thick and fast. For fans of the old skool horror genre (like myself) there are lots of, giggle under your breath references thrown in to add to the light entertainment. For the kids, with characters such as B.O.B (Seth Rogen) & the hilarious President Hathaway (Stephen Colbert) it manages to keep the entertainment going whilst the story rattles along at a snails pace at certian points.
With the added bonus of 3D it adds that extra dimension to the movie and nice to see it was not used to over effect and take away from the actual movie itself (like previous 3D motion pictures have done in the past).
A lovely animated, sit back no brainer film just in time for the Easter holidays. Worthy of watch.
4

MovieMan8877445

04-04-09, 12:47 PM

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I have to tell you the honest truth. Even though I find no reason whatsoever for Psycho to have been remade, I really don't resent the fact that Van Sant did it, and I don't think it's a bad movie at all. It follows the original script to a tee, and even though the director decided to add in some personal flourishes here and there (birds, for example), it doesn't detract from the already-strong content. I will agree that the movie is basically pointless, but as pointless movies go, it's probably one of the best. I'm probably weird because I think Anne Heche IS hot, but no, she's no Janet Leigh when it comes to "traditional female" hotness, but maybe you hit the nail on the head; for Van Sant, Heche is hot enough. I also like Vince Vaughn as Norman. Really, this film's existence actually seems less bizarre to me than the fact that Michael Haneke remade his OWN film, scene-for-scene and shot-for-shot with Funny Games, but just did it in a different language. I respect Haneke's remake more, but I do not find it as entertaining as the Psycho remake. However, both sets of films are surprising commentaries on each other and would probably be worthy of their own class in college as long as the screenplays of all "four" films were included in the subject matter.

http://jet0425.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/funny_games.jpg http://thevoidmovies.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/funny-games.jpg

For my official rating and the stoning brigades, I give Hitch's Psycho 4 and the remake 3. Both Funny Games (which I actually recommend for their sheer audacity), I rate 2.5.

Now, the fact that this should all lead me to another film which came out in 1960, actually before Psycho, makes me want to refer you to this thread (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=14668). Be sure to check the last post which I'm making NOW.

The inclusion of the birds in the fruit cellar was one of the things that I didn't like that they changed. It just seemed really weird seeing birds in a fruit cellar. I wish Sant could've at least made it a little better by filming it in black and white. I actually didn't have much of a problem with Vaugn as Norman, my only problem was that his lines seemed so rushed. Norman coming off as evil really wasn't Vaugn's fault, but the writers fault. I still say Anne Heche didn't act really good in this at all, and she's not one bit. I thought that Janet Leigh was quite attractive too, so I wish they would've at least chosen someone attractive.

I've seen three of the four films you mentioned, and I really liked the Funny Games remake. Yeah, I haven't seen the original one, yet, but I'm still not sure if I should. I'm sure I'll check out the original and Peeping Tom sometime in the future, though.

Used Future

04-04-09, 05:37 PM

Evil Dead 2 (1987)
Classic cult horror/comedy. This is my first viewing, I wasn't as impressed as I though I would be but I still understand why it has such a following, if I'd watched this when I was 16 I'd have been blown away. Ill definitely watch this again.

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Army Of Darkness (1992)
Disappointed, this wasn't as serious as ED2, comedy, no horror. Army Of Darkness is entertaining and there are a lot of good laughs but just not the same. I've heard Evil Dead fans didn't like this one as much and now I understand why.

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I hope you've already seen the original Zedlen, because it's by far and away the best of the series in my opinion; especially if you prefer the more serious approach. I know a lot of people prefer part II probably because it's more polished looking, but for me, you can't beat the gritty, raw energy of the first. :)

"E tu vivrai nel terrore - L'aldila"/The Beyond (Lucio Fulci - 1981) 2

Meh, mediocre at best. I was watching the typical dubbed and probably hacked up version that is usually available here in the States, but still. Are all Fulci movies so.. uh, gooey? He was really big on decomposing corpses and gooey zombie like critters wasn't he? We watched another Fulci flick a few weeks ago and the title escapes me at the moment but I remember there were several very gooey scenes in that one as well. I don't really have a problem with it. It's just a little odd sometimes is all.

Blasphemy!;) it's a little incoherent sure, but what about the doom laden atmosphere, brilliant Fabio Frizzi soundtrack and ultra gory set pieces...huh? Huh? I'm really surprised that as horror fan you didn't like it. The only explanation I can think of is that Fulci is a little on the sadistic side in terms of the violence, whereas you seem to like the silly stuff. Please explain further, because The Beyond is considered a classic amongst hardcore horror fans; myself included.

Used Future

04-04-09, 05:39 PM

"E tu vivrai nel terrore - L'aldila"/The Beyond (Lucio Fulci - 1981) 2

Meh, mediocre at best. I was watching the typical dubbed and probably hacked up version that is usually available here in the States, but still. Are all Fulci movies so.. uh, gooey? He was really big on decomposing corpses and gooey zombie like critters wasn't he? We watched another Fulci flick a few weeks ago and the title escapes me at the moment but I remember there were several very gooey scenes in that one as well. I don't really have a problem with it. It's just a little odd sometimes is all.[/quote]

Blasphemy.

Powdered Water

04-04-09, 06:15 PM

Used Future

04-04-09, 06:45 PM

To be totally honest, I didn't really give it my full attention. I have it here on disc and will give it a re-watch at some point. Just because I gave it a 2, doesn't really mean anything.

As you know I'm seeking out as many of these as I can get my grubby little mitts on, so, at some point I'm going to have a bunch of Fulci flicks so's I can have a proper marathon and give these flicks the attention they deserve.

Hmmmm OK I'll let you off this time then:laugh:

To be honest Fulci is an acquired taste even for casual horror fans. Like Argento his films are often incoherent, but peppered with stylish scenes of extreme gore and violence. He was a pretty diverse director though, apart from his Gialli he only really turned to the horror genre when he was asked to direct Zombi 2 (1979). Before that he'd even made a Spaghetti western called Four of the Apocalypse (1975) as well as crime/erotic thrillers. After the success of Zombi 2 (which made more money than Dawn of the Dead on it's initial release) he went on a horror spree and made a trilogy of sorts (a bit like Corman's Poe adaptations) With City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond (1981) and The House by the Cemetary (1981). He also did a pretty decent Poe adaptation himself with The Black Cat (1981) which is relatively easy to follow, and has markedly less gore, if that's not your thing.

I'm currently waiting for two of his Gialli to arrive in the post A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971) and Don't Torture a Duckling (1972) the latter of which is widely considered to be his masterpiece. Though if you want to see a more fun side to Fulci PW then I recommend you check out The New Gladiators (1984). It's like a cheesy version of The Running Man (1987) complete with duff models of a futuristic Rome and a ridiculous TV gladitorial combat game called Kill Bike; check it out, it's a hoot.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3364/3346334792_0a805acbd5.jpg http://cinemino.kaywa.com/files/images/2007/5/480/mob840_1180122501.jpg

R.I.P. Lucio.

Powdered Water

04-04-09, 06:54 PM

Sweet, I've got Zombi 2 in the pipe. I may get to it this weekend. I've been on a TV kick lately though so we'll see.

Thanks for the recommendations I'm going to search out as many of them as I can find. And it really doesn't bother me how gooey his stuff is. I was just making an observation. I've seen some of the same stuff you have so you know it doesn't gross me out or anything.

We get a kick out of comparing and contrasting all these different guys when watching these flicks. "Gooey" was our first impression. I'm sure there will be more really insightful one word reviews forthcoming. :p

Sleezy

04-04-09, 09:20 PM

Waiting (McKittrick, 2005) 3

As stupid, gross-out frat boy comedies go, this one is competent enough. Very much a Kevin Smith stepchild, the film somehow manages to under-use Dane Cook, and over-use Luis Guzman instead. Which is a shame.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/Sleezy/waiting.jpg

Barton Fink (Coens, 1991) 3

Well, it's quite noticeably a Coen Brothers film. Lots of goofy weirdness and a sharp, dark downturn to go around. I love the parody of 1940s Hollywood, as well as its greasy "behind-the-scenes" veneer. But much like Barton's screenplay, the story just kind of hobbles from the beginning to the end. If I remember anything, it'll be because of its sheer loudness... not because it forced me to evaluate something new.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/Sleezy/bartonfink2.jpg

Amelie (Jeunet, 2001) 5

I've had this one sitting dormant on my shelf for months. I know, shame on me. I'm glad I watched it. Beautiful, quirky, sweet film. I love all the small things that it seems to compulsively want to say. And I love the disruptive dichotomies, like the fact that the quiet, sweet, sensitive boy of her dreams works in a porn shop. Amelie feels like one long breadcrumb (or blue arrow) trail of discovery that's infinitely smarter than me. I'd call that a win.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/Sleezy/amelie.jpg

mark f

04-04-09, 09:21 PM

Caravaggio (Derek Jarman, 1986) 2

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Director Jarman brings his usual anachronistic style to perhaps his most famous film, this biography of the artist Caravaggio (Nigel Terry) who today is seen as the father of the Baroque art movement. Jarman tells the story in a fractured way, and while most all of the settings and costumes look like early 17th-century, he introduces some objects from much later periods and often includes odd sound effects (ticking clocks, computer bleeps) which obviously are from 1986. Although what made Caravaggio tick is never really addressed, there are several scenes of him painting some of his most famous works, which in Jarman's vision are mostly full of homoeroticism. The more spiritual side of Caravaggio's art is mostly ignored, so he comes across less complex than he undoubtedly was. Probably the best section of the film involves Caravaggio's relationship with a young model (Sean Bean) and the model's passionate girlfriend (Tilda Swinton in her film debut).

Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 1997) 2.5

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I obviously did this backwards, but it's been difficult for me to find a copy of Haneke's original Funny Games to rent, so I watched the American version first. I was equally impressed with and indifferent to that film, and since this is almost the exact same version with just a different language, it's difficult for me to give it a higher rating, even though basically all the creative decisions are found here in the original. Funny Games is the kind of film where you can't really get into what it's about without ruining it. Haneke is obviously addressing cinematic violence and how the audience responds to it and fuels the need for it to perhaps become increasingly more prevalent and gruesome. It's a heady theme for a thriller, and sometimes it works amazingly well, but other times, it seems a bit cold and pretentious. I still recommend that you check out one of the versions and decide for yourself.

From Russia With Love (Terence Young, 1963) 4

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The second James Bond film is one of the best, crammed with believable fistfights and suspense to go along with some major action set pieces. Robert Shaw is a delightful strongman bad guy, and Lotte Lenya is both scary and a hoot as his superior. Sean Connery seems more comfortable than he did in Dr. No, and even though the "Bond Girl" (Daniela Bianchi) is a step down from Ursula Andress, she and Bond have a realistic romance which involves something strongly resembling love. There are a few wise cracks here and there but nothing like what the series turned into with Roger Moore. In this film, Bond is still somebody who gets beaten up and could have easily died more than once but survives by his intelligence more than his brawn or super-human qualities.

Quantum of Solace (Marc Forster, 2008) 3.5

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This new Bond (the excellent Daniel Craig) seems to be a human being too, but he seems to perform some almost super hero moves when it comes to running and jumping (especially out of an airplane). Regardless of this fact, this flick starts riproaringly and rarely lets up except for brief introductions of the new characters. This film has been criticized for being a bit blurry in the plot department because it references characters and events in the previous Casino Royale, but I never really found that to be a problem. These references were just a way to give Bond more of a personal reason to go about his business. It also sets up the point-counterpoint of Bond's relationship with M (Judi Dench), and that adds plenty of tension to the Bond world because in this movie, he's being pursued by everybody. All in all, an entertaining Bond film in the good old-fashioned way. I wouldn't have guessed that director Forster had it in him.

4 Flies on Grey Velvet (Dario Argento, 1971) 2.5

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Argento's third film finds him fine-tuning his visual style with one of his patented idiot serial killer mystery plots. This one is about a drummer (Michael Brandon) in a rock band in Rome who believes that he's killed someone but doesn't want to report it for fear of punishment. He then begins to get threats left at his home, so he fears for his safety and that of his wife (Mimsy Farmer). Watching this film with my Bro (the biggest Argento fan I know), we discussed how much energy and creativity that the director puts into his suspense and murder scenes. Each one is a beautiful vignette but they're surrounded by childish plotting and weak acting. Argento only cares about his actors in the way he can choreograph them; he really seems to be disinterested in their psychology. But man, he knows how to film suspense with flamboyant visuals and unexpected results. This film is pretty good for what it is. The violence isn't especially strong in this outing, but there are still a few gotchas here. Bud Spencer gets all the best lines and I would have appreciated him having a bigger role, but most Argento fans will be pleased although there is only one possible candidate for the killer so after awhile, it's not really a mystery. In fact, the titular piece of evidence almost turns the film into a fantasy. :cool:

Yentl (Barbra Streisand, 1983) 3.5

http://ziegfeldgirl.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/yentl4.jpg

In honor of rufnek and Sedai, I rewatched their fave film Yentl, and I find it to still be a personal statement as well as a funny comedy of the sexes. Yentl (Barbra Streisand) yearns for spiritual learning and her Papa (Nehemiah Persoff) teaches her the Talmud behind closed doors. When Papa dies, she cuts her hair and dresses as a young man and proceeds to the city, and en route she's befriended by Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin), a bright student traveling to his Yeshiva. Later, Yentl (who has changed her name to the more-masculine Angel) meets Avigdor's sweetheart Hadass (Amy Irving), and a strange, humorous and surprising romantic triangle develops. Streisand is the only cast member who sings, usually in soliloquies, but they mostly work, and the acting and David Watkin's cinematography are top-notch. I know lots of guys who dislike this flick, but I'm not one of them.

Two Weeks - With Love (Roy Rowland, 1950) 2

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This romantic musical comedy features Jane Powell playing 17-year-old Patti who goes with her family to the Catskills for their annual vacation. Patti wants to be thought of as a young woman but because she's under 18, she's still seen as a kid. Her younger sister Melba (Debbie Reynolds) thinks she's acting like a nut, especially when a dashing Cuban (Ricardo Montalban) shows up at the resort in a fancy car. Amongst many period tunes, teenage heartache ensues and Patti's parents (Louis Calhern and Ann Harding) do their best to make her feel as if she doesn't "really want to die" over her embarrassments. There's also the local boy Billy (Carleton Carpenter) who Melba will chase after if Patti thinks she's too mature for him now. It's pleasant fluff, shot in beautiful technicolor, but it's been done many times and isn't especially distinguished. My highlight is when Debbie and Carleton sing "Aba Daba Honeymoon".

True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993) 4

http://www.gloning.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/true_romance.jpg

I realize that there's no logical reason for my liking this movie so much. It can only exist in the world of cinema because in almost any other form, one would just say it's ridiculous, but somehow Quentin Tarantino's script blends perfectly with Tony Scott's usually over-the-top direction to produce a film I find superior to Reservoir Dogs. Maybe it's the striking cast that makes it so much fun. Christian Slater is good as the romantic, Sonny Chiba-loving hero and he's matched by Patricia Arquette who was never sexier or more loveable. What can you say about a movie where Dennis Hopper is perhaps the most normal character? Hopper is wonderful as Slater's dad and his scene with Christopher Walken certainly ranks as one of Tarantino's best written bits ever, but without the old pros playing off each other, it wouldn't have been as great. Throw in Gary Oldman as a dreadlock-sporting pimp, Michael Rappaport as an idiot actor, Brad Pitt as the most weeded-out character in film history, Val Kilmer as the Ghost of Elvis (Slater's mentor), Tom Sizemore and Chris Penn as narc cops, and several other well-knowns along for the ride, and it makes it clearer now to me why I like the flick. What do y'all think?

Powdered Water

04-04-09, 09:34 PM

"Is it white boy day?"

I love it too, Brad Pitt as a Honey bear toking stoner was pretty excellent as well. Another one of those flicks where you can really tell just about every one was having a blast making the thing.

I've been trying to get to Yentl for a long time now. Thanks for the write up. Looks like the kind of flick I will probably enjoy.

Harry Lime

04-04-09, 10:04 PM

True Romance is great, and From Russia With Love is probably my favourite Bond film (although Quantum of Solace certainly wasn't).

mark f

04-04-09, 10:11 PM

I saw that you gave QoS 2.5. Would you like to explain your reaction a bit?

Harry Lime

04-04-09, 10:37 PM

Ack, I hate writing reviews of films. Personally Daniel Craig doesn't do it as Bond for me, and the last two films have been trying hard to be as edgy as possible (although I liked Casino Royale more than Quantum). His super human actions only dispel any sort of attempts to bring Bond down to a more human level. The ending seemed really obvious, 'do you think it'll blow up'? If I had watched it earlier today, or perhaps even yesterday I could get more into the film for you. The problem is that Quantum of Solace was the kind of movie that loses all impact once it's over, in one ear and out the other. A 2.5/5 isn't exactly a poor rating either, just your average film, nothing too impressive, recommended only to those who are fans of the genre.

Lennon

04-04-09, 10:59 PM

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_chtHB_AtCxI/RoOftXhQgtI/AAAAAAAAABI/AiAdfUFnZbY/s400/whatwom2.jpg
What Women Want (Nancy Meyers, 2000)

Utterly enjoyable, predictable romantic comedy. This one won’t make men feel so weird though. For instance, Mel Gibson is a pretty cool guy (when sober.) I liked the idea behind it though, half the time I’m wondering, what women want, but truthfully, I don’t think they even know what they want.

3.5

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Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick, 1987)

The first-half of this movie is pure awesome. R Lee Erney gives a darkly funny performance, but the true stand out, Vincent D'Onofrio as Pvt. Pyle. In his last scene, he is just bone-chilling. I love how he can shock and awe you in one scene, make you laugh in another, bringing up many conflicting emotions. I could go on, but I would take up the whole MoFo data base. So if you want to talk more, PM me.

5

http://www.chlotrudis.org/mewsings/uploaded_images/religulous-772673.jpg
Religulous (Larry Charles, 2008)

So, not sure why I saw this. I mean I’m already atheist, so I guess this just seemed interesting. I don’t really care what you belive as long as you aren’t pushing it on me or anyone else, especially if you hold political office. So it is just fun to watch, documentary, which probably won’t change your belief.

3

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12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957)

A classic in basically every sense of the word. Perfectly acted, perfectly shot, perfecly, well everything. Everything about it has already been said, just an awesome movie, and if you consider yourself even a little bit of a movie fan, watch it.

5

http://www.mtv.com/movies/photos/a/accepted_060425/flip-02.jpg
Accepted (John Pink, 2006)

Well, it was enjoyable. Really no point to it,(I can’t go to college, so let’s build one) doesn’t seem like the guy even thought about what would happen if he was caught (he made a friggin million dollars from tuitions.) Oh, I’m so old. It was a fun movie, I enjoyed it.

3

Iroquois

04-04-09, 11:25 PM

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Big Trouble in Little China (Carpenter, 1986) - 4.5+

The amount of votes Jack Burton got in the first round of March Madness should be enough of an indicator that a lot of people love this movie, and when you see it, there's good reason. Granted, there are parts here and there that feel weak or forced (like the rather anticlimatic ending) but overall it's just one fun ride of a film.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/sf/09-29holymtn1.jpg

The Holy Mountain (Jodorowsky, 1973) - 3.5+

I honestly find it hard to come up with a rating for The Holy Mountain. It defies any attempt to rate it like a conventional film, mainly because The Holy Mountain is about as far from conventional as films get (in my experience anyway, I can't speak for anyone else here obviously). While it's still one crazed trip and a half of a film, overflowing with all manner of surrealistic imagery and bizarre concepts, it doesn't really entertain so much and so I give it a "good" rating. I was contemplating putting this on the Top 100, but I think it won't make it now. Still, it's an interesting film that should be seen at least once.

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The Third Man (Reed, 1949) - 4.5

Another possible contender for the Top 100. Objectively, The Third Man is an excellent film. Subjectively, it's not really one I want to watch as frequently as most of my other favourites, and there are parts where it drags, but the combination of Dutch-angled photography, catchy zither music and great performances, all anchored by one fluid and intelligent script, make it too good to ignore.

TheDOMINATOR

04-05-09, 12:50 AM

The Blue Lagoon - 3.5

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The Blue Lagoon is a heartwarming, though riveting, coming-of-age story of adventure, discovery, and love. Acting is good all-around and the score is excellent and adds a certain power to the film and scenes it's coupled with. The cinematography left me marvelling at it and all of its visual splendor, with the lush landscapes and colorful exotic animals.

Pulse 3 - 2.5

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Eh. Some of the supernatural sequences were cool, but the only semi-notable thing here is the lead actress's performance; I thought she did a really good job (her name is Brittany something; she's not very well-known). Other than that, Pulse 3 was pretty... Eh.

Nurse Betty - 3

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/8094/nursebettydvdcover.jpg

In four words: a heartwarming romantic comedy. A decent story (very briefly, a girl gets amnesia and sets out on a journey to find a character in her favorite television show) with some good acting and a strong universal theme: you don't need to rely on other people as long as you can rely on yourself. Along with the theme, the score was very notable; I really liked the music throughout. Other than those notes, everything else was maybe slightly better than mediocre.

Batman Begins - 4

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This was my very first rewatch of The Dark Knight's predecessor, Batman Begins, and it was everything I could have hoped for upon a second viewing. I didn't remember much about the movie at all, so it was almost like watching it for the first time, and what a thrill-ride it took me on. The action was fantastic, the acting was all top-notch, and the plot was rivetingly fast-paced. The film's ending (and the film as a whole, itself) set things up wonderfully for The Dark Knight, the superior of the two films (in my opinion), as good as Batman Begins was. Both films together make about as good of a superhero film duo as you can get, at least with the Batman character.

MovieMan8877445

04-05-09, 01:22 AM

http://movingimages.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/from-slumdog-millionaire.jpg

Slumdog Millionaire
Danny Boyle, 2008

I think that this may be the ultimate theater movie now, mainly because I didn't love it as much with this viewing because of not seeing it in theaters. I never knew that seeing a movie could be affected so much where I watch the movie. Even with my big screen TV and surround sound system, it just wasn't the same. I still thought it was great and overrated at the same time though, like I really like the movie, but I just don't think it's quite as great as people make it out to be. I'd still consider this one of the best movies of 2008.

Dev Patel is pretty much great in this though, especially considering that I've never seen him in a movie before. I don't think there's really much to say about this one at all right not, mainly because I just saw it in theaters like two weeks ago and I said pretty much everything I wanted to say then. I still think everyone needs to see this one, because I'm pretty much sure you'll like it, even if you do think it's a little overrated like I do.

4

Avixion

04-05-09, 01:22 AM

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Workprint

Harry Lime

04-05-09, 02:56 AM

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/persepolis_poster.jpg

Persepolis (2007, Vincent Paronnaud/Marjane Satrapi)
3.5

A story of rebellion, with a unique style of animation.

Harry Lime

04-05-09, 05:50 AM

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The Invasion (2007, Oliver Hirschbiegel)
2.5

Definitely a step down for the director of The Downfall. I have a question, why does Nicole Kidman's character throw away a gun not once, but twice? (Derp!)

B-card

04-05-09, 07:40 AM

A.R.O.G.(2008)-It's a sequel to a Turkish Parody it's not funny as the first part but it has its cult moments

2.5

Daredevil(Mark Stephen Johnson 2002)-strange I've seen this movie only once when it came out back in 2002 and back then I didn't like it at all, not that I like it much now but it was different,the soundtrack is better Jennifer Garner is pff hot

http://a.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/ht_Elektra_060626_ssh.jpg

3

Sleezy

04-05-09, 12:47 PM

Enchanted (Lima, 2007) 4_5

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Brilliant concept. Brilliant execution. I love to see Disney's willingness to laugh at itself, and celebrate its legacy in a whole new (but still entirely familiar) way. The editing is particularly great in most of the musical numbers; the fact that it gives the astute feeling of a Disney animated feature in live action is more rewarding than you might expect. The little inside jabs, as well, are an absolute riot (like the woman with four kids who tells "Prince Charming" he's too late). But the real standout is Amy Adams, whose remarkable versatility only compounds her brilliant, charming realization of an animated Disney princess brought to life. I think I'm falling in love.

undercoverlover

04-05-09, 03:34 PM

Robots
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/film/robots1.jpg

Truly underrated animated funfest. Of course Robin Williams is hilarious as Fender and a whole host of recognizable voices. There lots of quirky, clever robotic jokes as well as genuine humour.

Lennon

04-05-09, 03:38 PM

Sleezy's post reminded me of when Enchanted was nominated for like 2 songs, and they sang them at the cerimony and all of MoFo complaining. :D that was fun.

Powdered Water

04-05-09, 04:01 PM

Highlander (Russell Mulcahy - 1986) 4.5

http://encefalus.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/highlander.jpg

Some movies go on to become legendary. This is one of those films. I have been quoting (badly) this movie for over 20 years. Others do it too. Some do it and don't know what movie its from. That's A-O-K. Talk about a film that has since spawned an entire universe and this one is right up at the top of the list. I've tried to watch the show, it's watchable but it lacks any of the humor and drama of the original film. Not to mention the outstanding Soundtrack by Queen. Who wants to live forever indeed?

http://www.mysteriousworld.com/Content/Images/Journal/2003/Summer/Giants/TheKurgan.jpg

Clancy Brown turns in the performance of his career as Victor Kurgan, to this day it is still one of the most quintessential badass characters that has been often imitated and never duplicated. He has some of the best lines in a supporting role and he makes the absolute most of them. "Nuns... no sense of humor." Yep, good stuff indeed.

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I've tried to get into the sequels and they are all pretty terrible compared to the original. My biggest compliant with the TV show was who they chose to base it on. Why they decided to use Duncan MacLeod who was supposed to be Connor's brother, I always found to be a little strange and ridiculous at the same time. Why not just use some of Connor's backstory? He lived for over 450 years. Surely the writers could have come up with something. Whatever. I digress. I guess that's just part of what happens sometimes when a movie like this takes on a life of its own and becomes a hard core classic.

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Probably even more than the performances of the three main characters in the film that sets this movie apart from yout typical Sci-Fi/Fantasy fare is how visually stunning it is. This Castle in Ireland was one of the settings early on in the movie and there are several more just absolutely beautiful views like this one throughout the entire movie. Including some great shots of New York in all of its dark and gritty detail. If you've never had the pleasure, do check this out won't you?

"There can be only one."

Used Future

04-05-09, 04:46 PM

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The Children (Tom Shankland 2008) 1.5
Yup it's a killer-children-run-amok movie, the kind of taboo premise that brings back fond memories of David Cronenberg's The Brood (1979) and Richard Donner's The Omen (1976). I was looking forward to watching this after reading some favorable reviews, but sadly my viewing experience was not a happy one.

The film is about yuppie couple Elaine (Eva Birthistle) and Jonah (Stephen Campbell Moore) who along with Elaine's teenage daughter Casey (Hannah Tointon) and Jonah's young daughter from a previous relationship; go off to the country to celebrate the new year with their similarly smug friends. They are Chloe (Rachel Shelly) and Robbie (Jeremy Sheffield); naturally Chloe and Robbie have young children too, and everything is going swimmingly until the sickly kids start acting erratic...

The Children is Tom Shankland's second directorial feature, he co wrote the screenplay with Paul Andrew Williams - who also wrote and directed UK comedy horror The Cottage (2008). Most of Shankland's experience is in television though, and it's all to evident here with the dreary characters and generic 'BBC drama' score. His attempts to establish these 'characters' in the first act doesn't work because they're stereo-typical young middle class families, and as such, boring. The dialogue isn't dumb or badly acted, just uninspiring and thus forgettable. Shankland does fare slightly better when it comes to building up tension with some snappy editing and decent photography. Unfortunately though when the strange events escalate into crisis (a fatal sledging mishap and a bone breaking fall from a climbing frame) it's so contrived and ridiculous that the film completely loses credibility. This might be OK if The Children was a tongue-in-cheek black comedy, but it isn't; the film is clearly intended to be a slick and very serious horror movie.

http://media.entertainment.sky.com/image/unscaled/2008/11/28/The-Children-9-3.jpg

Most unforgivable however is the boneheaded way these supposedly intelligent and successful people behave once the mayhem begins. All rationality vanishes as they make one unbelievably stupid decision after another (like sending teenage daughter Casey into the woods alone to look for the clearly homicidal Children...duh the list goes on). No these well-to-do people spend the rest of the movie screaming and running around like headless chickens. Not only that but we're given absolutely no explanation as to why the kids become killers in the first place, save for a viral infection that makes them feel sick. Where did it come from? Why are they killing their parents? Why is it only affecting children? Why did I watch this movie again? *groan*. To be fair Shankland doesn't shy away from showing the murderous sprogs killed in a variety of ways, and I suppose I could argue that he was trying to deliver some kind of social commentary on the breakdown of the family unit. Then again I could also be writing this review from the confines of a mental institution.

MovieMan8877445

04-05-09, 05:28 PM

http://copiousnotes.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834525a3469e200e553991f478833-500wi

Casablanca
Michael Curtiz, 1942

I really hate to go with conformity with this one, but it sure was really great. Yeah it's not the greatest movie ever made like some people make it out to be, but it's definitely a great movie, there's no dening that. I don't even really like love story movies that much either, so I was very surprised that I ended up loving this one so much. It really felt like a true epic love story, even though it was only just over an hour and a half long, it felt so long, but it wasn't like overly long. It felt just right, I actually wished that it could've gone on a little longer. Humphrey Bogart had some of the best acting that I've ever seen in a movie in this. I haven't really seen him in anything before either, but after this I really plan to.

This is truely a great movie, and I'd definitely consider it one of the greatest movies ever made. I still can't quite give that full perfect score because there's no dening that it's somewhat overrated. This is really a movie that I think everyone has to see to just get why a lot of people consider it so great. I'll be picking the DVD up when I get some money to buy it, because I watched it off of Netflix's watch instantly online thing. I think that I'm going to keep Netflix even after my 2 week free trial is up, though.

4.5

mark f

04-05-09, 05:52 PM

Hey, MM, why do you think it's great? :cool: Do you have some fave supporting characters and scenes?

Lennon

04-05-09, 05:55 PM

I'm just saying that Netflix instant view is awesome! Some really good movies there.

MovieMan8877445

04-05-09, 06:41 PM

Hey, MM, why do you think it's great? :cool: Do you have some fave supporting characters and scenes?

A lot of things, the score is really great, it's paced perfectly, and the acting is all top-notch. Sam is definitely my favorite supporting character, he just seems like such a nice guy. He's also very good at playing the piano.

igor_is_fugly

04-05-09, 07:12 PM

Fast and Furious
http://www.blog.automotiveaddicts.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/fast-and-furious-hi-def-trailer.jpg

Ok, so the title's a little wehhwehh but this is a great action movie. I wasn't really expecting much as the series has gotten more and more horrible with each installation, but it was awesome. I wasn't bored for a second. The overall movie had a great flow to it, the cars were gorgeous, the characters were badass, and the action sequences were fantastic! And thank god Vin Diesle is finally back to doing what he was put on this earth to do- furrow his brow, flex his muscles, and say really manly sounding things with that godly voice of his. I might be rating it a little high cause it was just what I was in the mood for but...

4

MovieMan8877445

04-05-09, 09:39 PM

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Dial M For Murder
Alfred Hitchcock, 1954

I just can't explain how much I love Netflix, I mean they have so many movies I've been wanting to see for awhile now available to watch online. This is definitely one of Hitchcock's best movies, but I really haven't been disappointed by any of his movies so far, except for The Trouble With Harry. I like how this one seems to put a twist on murder-mystery movies, like you know who the killer is from the start, but the whole movie is basically everyone else finding out who it is. The ending is so great though, even if you did know it was coming. You just didn't know how it was coming, and then when you actually found out, it was so obvious.

The acting is really great from the entire cast, namely Ray Milland, who I thought was James Stewart for half of the movie. They look extremely similar. Grace Kelly was really great in this as well, just not as great as she was in Rear Window. She really wasn't in as much of the movie as I thought she was going to be in, though. Still, any Hitchcock fan that hasn't seen this yet needs to go and check it out sometime.

4

Lennon

04-05-09, 09:43 PM

Need to pop that in the ol' DVD player soon.

And Powdered WaWa, I'm DVRing Highlander tomorrow.

Sleezy

04-05-09, 11:25 PM

Mystic River (Eastwood, 2003) 4

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This comes highly regarded. It's shameful to say I hadn't seen it till now. It mostly impresses, as Eastwood pictures are wont to do. Acting, pacing, plot... all superb. I don't know, the tension between the friends is well-rendered and believable, but it's so specific in nature that I found it hard to relate. I sensed that I was supposed to empathize with the tragedy, but I never found a way in. Still, high marks for a stellar production.

From Hell (Hughes, 2001) 4

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While it's not entirely invested in the facts of the actual murders or Alan Moore's illustrated novel from which it takes its name, From Hell is still an engaging whodunnit. And if you're like me, you'll scramble to your computer after the film and devour the intricacies of the Ripper case like some kind of heroin addict. This film pursues one of the more unlikely theories. I have my own. :D

Election (Payne, 1999) 4

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For an early MTV Films picture, this was surprisingly layered and insightful. The top layer is quirky comedy, of course, and it's certainly enjoyable to that end. But the characters themselves are peeled back to show their often guided (or misguided) motivations, and how their actions are diverted to those ends in other, completely unrelated avenues for outlet. Some are less-than-believable, hence the one-bucket dock, but I appreciate the irony that unbiased democracy is ultimately guided (or misguided) by human hands.

Identity (Mangold, 2003) 3

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I have to admit, this film is a shallow, guilty pleasure for me. The setting is drenchingly, deliciously isolated, and all the various players are quick to reveal that they hide shadows underneath. Pretty soon, like any good hyper-thriller, it starts throwing curve balls to up the excitement. But I just can't bring myself to give it any higher than three buckets. The final reveal is so ridiculously, unbelievably unfounded for the sake of a cheap shocker that the entire credibility of the film falls apart.

X-Files: I Want to Believe (Carter, 2008) 3_5

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For what's probably the final dip we'll ever take into the creepy X-Files universe, this one is surprisingly tame (and surprisingly star-powered). I guess Carter and crew got it out of their systems with the first film, as this one plays more like one of the more "normal" episodes of the series. Of course, I say normal hesitantly: there's still a healthy degree of weirdness to be found. But what I really liked was the deeper tension between Scully and Mulder, and the parallel narratives that fuels their proverbial headbutting. It's not anything that'll move you or make you re-evaluate your position on anything, but it's at least a stinging connection between two people (real and imagined) who have been acquainted for some time. Oh, and for anyone who's a fan of the show... Skinner!

MovieMan8877445

04-06-09, 01:14 AM

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Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Michel Gondry, 2004

I can't believe I put off watching this for so long, just because I didn't like Be Kind Rewind that much. I can honestly say they're two different movies completely, I mean this movie is such a freaking mind****. It really just seems to open my imagination. I'm not sure I felt this way about a movie, ever really. The story is thrown together so fantasically, interweaving through Joel's memories. It was a very unique way to do the story, and it worked so perfectly. I really want to check out Syendoche, New York now because it's written by Charlie Kaufman, who's the writter of this. I don't really get how someone wouldn't like this.

Anyone who says that Jim Carrey isn't a good actor obviously hasn't seen this or The Truman Show, yet. You may say he's not good because he does so many stupid comedies, but if you watch these two movies, I'm sure your opinion on him will change a lot. Kate Winslet is such a great actress and it's always good to see her in something new, and she didn't disappoint in this. Niether did Mark Ruffalo, who was really great in this, but I've always thought that he was a great actress. This is easily one of the best movies I've ever seen, and I only wish that I could've seen it before now. I'll definitely be trying to go out and buy the DVD sometime within the next few weeks and get some extra money.

5

Harry Lime

04-06-09, 01:48 AM

Sleezy, I'm glad you liked Election, a very underrated film along with an underrated performance by Reese Witherspoon. Payne's best film by far, at least in my opinion.

zedlen

04-06-09, 03:38 AM

Dragon Ball Evolution (2009)

http://filmonic.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/dragonball-evolution-reviews.jpg

I went into the theater knowing this wasn't going to be the movie I'd hoped for when it was announced a live-action Dragon Ball movie was being made. So I let go of everything I loved about the animated series and films and just watched. It doesn't even work as just a stand alone action movie , I doubt kids will find this entertaining. Evolution is an abomination and insult to the original Dragon Ball.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/0box.gif

spudracer

04-06-09, 09:53 AM

Quarantine (2008)
1

Chock this up as nothing more than a "scary" movie to watch and wait for it all to end. You ultimately know what's going to happen before the credits roll; you just want to see how it will eventually get there. The shaky cam worked for Cloverfield, but in the small environment of an apartment complex, it's more nauseating than anything else.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
3.5

Having only experienced a couple of Stanley Kubrick's films prior to this one, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I knew the story of HAL-9000 and that something goes wrong, but that was all. Going into this, I really just couldn't explain what I was watching. Kubrick's known for splashing scenes that make absolutely no sense together to give you some sort of acid trip, minus the acid. Visuals wise, it was amazing to have such visuals back then. Story wise, being that I'm not a big science fiction nut, I wasn't so much impressed, but rather confused.

B-card

04-06-09, 09:56 AM

Armageddon(Michael Bay 1998)-Well just like all Bay movies except Pearl Harbor I've seen this many times since I first saw it on cinema and to tell you despite the many mistakes like fire in space and burning asteroids again in space the movie sets you in an entertainment mood that makes you go through those things,actually last night I watched some extended version (you notice things like that when you see this movie like 7-8 times)it had an extra scene with Bruce Willis and his father talking and I think some special effects were remastered but I'm not sure about that anyways there are a lot of questions that may arose during this movie but it will spoil the fun so my suggestion is Just Enjoy ;)

http://boxoffice.com/blogs/steve/-armageddon.jpg

4

Justin

04-06-09, 11:17 AM

Sleezy, I'm glad you liked Election, a very underrated film along with an underrated performance by Reese Witherspoon. Payne's best film by far, at least in my opinion.

I agree. Election is great. However, I'm stuck in between Sideways and that...

Golgot

04-06-09, 12:17 PM

http://jonathankiefer.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/changeling11.jpg

Changeling

A willowy Jolie & a diffident Eastwood behind the camera means this 'true story' gets two big Hollywood barrels of emotional & factual presence, where it might have been just a period made-for-tv travesty. Got to respect the genuine research that went into this and the quantity of known facts that actually made it to the screen. It's still played around with for effect of course, and glossed up somewhat for a story of abuse, insanity & social inequality. Well worth the somewhat-glamourised trip into a gritty bit of history tho.

(But for those of you who think troublesome citizens no longer get sent to the madhouse, check out modern Mother Russia (http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1078204.html) for a start :|)

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/p/images/proof-0.jpg

Proof

Further proof that stories about eccentric maths geniuses don't always add up to Oscar material. The main problem here, aside from Paltrow's central character being a bit of an annoying foot-stomping child (& Gyllenhaal's consistent interest in her appearing a bit of a long-shot as a result) is that it seems to have been directed by John Madden the gridiron star. Key lines were delivered as the camera cut to the back of their head; seemingly well-delivered performances were somehow mangled in the mix; conversations were either laid out repetitively or with no believable flow. It struck me that they just hadn't shot enough takes at the time, and were left with a mess when they arrived at the editing room. Either way, found the decent central theme of a daughter sacrificing herself for her disturbed father totally undermined by these cumulative flaws.

Sleezy

04-06-09, 01:34 PM

I agree. Election is great. However, I'm stuck in between Sideways and that...

Yeah, I was going to say, Election is great, but Sideways is far and away the superior film. It runs deeper, is so much more believable, and makes a greater lasting impression. (Ironically, though, the novel is terribly written.)

Sedai

04-06-09, 03:08 PM

Superbad (Mattola, 2007)

http://mutantreviewers.com/blog1/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/17superbad-600.jpg

2_5

After this finished, I sat wondering what all the fuss was about. Cera is always fun to watch, but Jonah Hill just wasn't that good. I found the kid annoying, mostly. The screenplay was OK, but I don't know, this just plays like another teen also-ran to me. I liked the last conversation between the buddies at the end of the flick, which was written well, and I certainly laughed at some of the bits, but I doubt I would watch this one again.

Justin

04-06-09, 03:13 PM

Yeah, I was going to say, Election is great, but Sideways is far and away the superior film. It runs deeper, is so much more believable, and makes a greater lasting impression. (Ironically, though, the novel is terribly written.)

Great top ten, by the way...

MovieMan8877445

04-06-09, 03:30 PM

http://discaircraft.greyfalcon.us/picturesf/nor207.jpg

2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanely Krubrick, 1968

I'm still a little confused on what I think about this, I mean it constantly changes diections so much throughout the movie. This is widely considered the greatest sci-fi movie ever made, and while I'm not sure I think it's the best, it certainly is one of the best. I was told that the biggest and loudest place you could watch this is the best you could watch this at, but I watched it on my computer and I still loved it. I think this is one of those films that the more you watch it, the better you'll understand it and like it even more. Like there were quite a few things that I just didn't seem to get while watching it. The whole ending is one huge, epic mind****. The first and last two minutes of the movie are easily the best parts of the movie, just the shots of space with that epic score playing.

I know that a lot of people won't like this because there's barely any talking in the almost 2 and a half hour long movie. The whole movie is basically narrated through the score and visuals. That's what makes this movie completely special and I love it for that. Sadly I knew who the 'villain' was already going to be, because I'm pretty sure it's a widely known who he, or should I say it, is. I'd probably say that this is my second favorite Krubick movie ever, right after A Clockwork Orange. If you want to have your mind completely open and to be blown-the-****-away, I'd say check this out. There is this one 10 minute scene in here, which I think is one of the best movie scenes ever, like it'll completely blow you away. The reason I don't give it a perfect score is because there were some scenes in the middle that I didn't like so much.

4+

linespalsy

04-06-09, 03:42 PM

Pleasures of the Flesh (Oshima, 1966) 2.5
Boy (Oshima, 1969) 3.5

For further comments see here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=516602#post516602).

MovieMan8877445

04-06-09, 06:25 PM

http://www.espionageinfo.com/images/eeis_02_img0698.jpg

Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
Stanely Krubrick, 1964

I really didn't think I'd like this at all because I always heard how much it focused on politics. I saw this on instant watch at Netflix, so I decided that I'd go ahead and give it a try. I'm very glad that I decided to do so because I ended up liking it a lot more than I had originally expected. I constantly here this called a comedy, and I think it's just more of a silly movie, rather than an actual comedy. Then again it might just be because I didn't get the humor because I'm not interested in politics, yet. I still ended up enjoying it, though. Ther were some things of the story that I didn't seem to get, mainly just some of the stuff that was said, probably because it had to do something with politics.

The acting in this was great, though, namely George C. Scott, who was like the only character that had me laughing. Just some of the facial expressions he had throughout the movie was really funny to me. I can tell that this movie isn't meant for everyone though, but even if you're not interest in politics, like myself, I'd still say give it a try sometime. Who knows you may actually end up liking it, like me. It's still Krubrick's weakest movie I've seen so far, but I still have 2 Krubrick movies left to see.

3.5

TheDOMINATOR

04-06-09, 08:03 PM

Rendition - 3.5

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2789/renditionbigposter.jpg

A visceral, gripping film of terrorism and the means of which some will utilize to put a stop to it. Good performances all-around and one deceptively shocking twist make Rendition a memorable viewing experience, and better than I thought it would be. The scenes of torture are gut-wrenchingly tense while the elements of romance in the film are splendidly heartwarming. Some things here could have been better (the ending left something to be desired), but as-is, it's a pretty darn good movie.

City of God - 4.5

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/691/cityofgodm.jpg

This film has virtually opened the doorway for foreign film-watching for me. Before City of God, I was extremely hesitant to watch all foreign films; I had this deep concern that, somehow, having to watch these kinds of movies with subtitles would detract from their dramatic effect, or that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the dialogue if the action moved too quickly. Neither was the case here.

What a mind-blowing story. And what's nearly as mind-blowing as the story itself is how the story was told. Like Pulp Fiction, City of God (in a way) ended where it began, taking several twists and turns throughout the film, with series of long flashbacks, telling the individual stories of certain people and places to familiarize the audience with them. Then, once everything was finally brought together, we were brought back to the opening scene, and "BAM!" Several enlightening and mind-blowing revelations come to light, all at once.

What an incredible movie. It's not always the case, but with City of God, a second viewing a few months down the road may very well bring it up to that perfect score; it certainly has that potential. My mind needs to set on it for a while before that happens.

Harry Lime

04-06-09, 09:53 PM

I'm glad the door to foreign films has been opened for you Dom, I'll think of some you may like, probably after you post that list of yours so I have a better idea of your tastes.

MovieMan, while I disagree with your review of Dr. Strangelove, I'm glad you gave it a shot. Nice to see you enjoyed 2001 as well, give it some time, then go back to it.

And for the Sideways fans, I have to say I think that is my least favourite of his films (although it still got a 3/5 from me, which is a thumbs up). I know I'm usually in the minority here, but I can't help it, Election is my favourite.

TheDOMINATOR

04-06-09, 09:59 PM

I'm glad the door to foreign films has been opened for you Dom, I'll think of some you may like, probably after you post that list of yours so I have a better idea of your tastes.

I'll look forward to it, TPAM. :) I really am sorry for the delay; I'm sure you know how hard it is, finalizing everything and such. It's proved very challenging.

Harry Lime

04-06-09, 10:04 PM

MovieMan8877445

04-06-09, 10:16 PM

http://www.allmovietalk.com/frames/sitr.jpg

Singin' In The Rain
Gene Kelly and Stanely Donen, 1952

This was just the perfect movie I was in the mood to watch, very up-beat and fun. The musical numbers were great, well choreographed and the lyrics were really great too. I feel like going and downloading the soundtrack now, because I want to put it on my i-Pod. I find it weird that I like never hear any talk about this movie at all, I see it high on AFI's top 100, but I still never hear any talk about it. I'm not completely sure why though, because it's definitely a great movie. I'm not usually that big of fan of musicals either, so I was actually pretty surprised. The only musicals besides this one that I seemed to like were, Hairspray, Walk The Line, and Sweeney Todd. I think I can pretty much call this my favorite musical that I've seen so far, but then again, I still have a lot of musicals to see.

I kept think Grace Kelly was going to be in this, but I read the name wrong, Gene Kelly was the star of this. Now I've never seen him in a movie before, but he sure did a great job in this one. I guess I'll have to add some more of his movies to my Netflix queue. Donald O'Connor was my favorite character of the movie, his character was just very likable. I'd really suggest this to anyone, because it's just such an up-beat and happy movie that I think everyone would be able to enjoy.

4+

MovieMan, while I disagree with your review of Dr. Strangelove, I'm glad you gave it a shot. Nice to see you enjoyed 2001 as well, give it some time, then go back to it.

And for the Sideways fans, I have to say I think that is my least favourite of his films (although it still got a 3/5 from me, which is a thumbs up). I know I'm usually in the minority here, but I can't help it, Election is my favourite.

Why do you disagree with my Dr. Strangelove mini-review? Did you not like Dr. Strangelove?

I didn't really like Sideways that much, BTW. I thought it was going to be great, but then it was very plain and boring when I got around to watching it.

TheDOMINATOR

04-06-09, 10:22 PM

Classic Dom, you know this isn't TPAM thread?

It can be a bit of a challenge though making a list. That's the main reason I did another 100, there were many films that didn't make the the first 100 but could've very easily.

*sigh*

I have no idea how that happened. :rolleyes:

In any event, agreed. I imagine that--eventually--I'll do the same after I pump my first 100 out.

meatwadsprite

04-06-09, 10:46 PM

Why do you disagree with my Dr. Strangelove mini-review? Did you not like Dr. Strangelove?

Nope , he probably loved it.

Harry Lime

04-06-09, 11:06 PM

And the prize goes to Meat. For the longest time this was my favourite Kubrick film, my favourite film even. The film is about politics but also alot more. Humans are destined to destroy themselves, destined to have enemies, and destined to blame their inadequacies on others. I've noticed alot of Kubrick's films also have an underlying theme of man's fate being put into machines, or even a system for that matter. At least in his three best films: Hal in 2001, the reprogramming device in Clockwork, and the control to call back the bomber planes before they start WWIII.

While the same strength and drive that has brought us to this point in history, to every point in our very short history, with all our abilities (which I personally believe to be a tiny fraction of what is really possible but still quite impressive) and perseverance, it is ironically the same drive that in the end brings us to our demise. Going as far as to get on that bomb himself (in one of cinema's greatest scenes of all time), despite overcoming all the obstacles, man manages to get the job done, and bring an end to it all.

Swan

04-07-09, 12:02 AM

I think I will say it now.

Kubrick is my favorite director, I'm interested in politics, and I want to like Dr. Strangelove. I own it on DVD, I've watched it twice. Both times, I was bored out of my mind. I keep it in hopes that one day I will like it, but as it stands, it's the only Kubrick film I really don't like.

I wish I liked it.

Lennon

04-07-09, 12:03 AM

Eh, best Kubrick film? Full Metal Jacket. Definitely.

Swan

04-07-09, 12:04 AM

Eh, best Kubrick film? Full Metal Jacket. Definitely.
A Clockwork Orange, for me. But after that Full Metal Jacket takes the cake.

Harry Lime

04-07-09, 12:05 AM

Wishing will get you nowhere my friend. Sometimes certain films just don't click with certain people. Hey, you put in the effort Swan, what more can you do other than giving it another chance a couple years down the road or something. Rep for that effort.

mark f

04-07-09, 12:11 AM

Check my fave list, re: Kubrick. I guess I screwed up by putting Strangelove on there. :cool: I seem to recall that you didn't dig Casablanca either. It's no biggie and you NEVER have to change your mind, but if you do, you will be in Seventh Heaven!

Swan

04-07-09, 12:17 AM

Well I'm keeping it and I'm going to rewatch it because it's Kubrick, for one, and I think the more I understand it the more I will enjoy it. I don't know. Like Casablanca, I'm still trying to find that special thing about it that everyone else sees but I don't. I mean, I see more in it than I do in Casablanca, but both are films I'm going to see again in the future. Mostly because I've thought long and hard about both films yet still can't see 'it'.

But enough about me.

Lennon

04-07-09, 12:23 AM

http://www.artsjournal.com/aboutlastnight/71492772_650c9a7343_o.jpg
Chasing Amy (Kevin Smith, 1997)

Still a great movie. I love movies that can nail the real way I, and most of my friends talk. Trust me, we’ve had the discussion of how Lesbians have sex, many times. Even if some of the acting is lack-luster, the script saves it and makes it well worth watching.

4.5+

http://img.aftonbladet.se/noje/0609/30/Garden-State.jpg
Garden State (Zach Braff, 2004)

Zach’s a likeable guy, I mean he’s like the zany best friend you can count on. Natalie Portman seems like a weird girl you could fall in love with easily. Even Peter Sarsgaard is a likeable 'That guy' actor. This whole damn movie is likeable. I just think it was the right idea of havin people live the life they want, but the wrong execution. I don't want people reallly taking so many meds, then going cold turkey, I fear shooting rampages as that happens. Eh well, it's worth a watch.

3.5

http://www.independentcritics.com/images/day%20after%20tomorrow%20SPLASH.jpg
The Day After Tomorrow (Roland Emmerich, 2004)

Anyone who knows me, knows I love this movie. I started the Roland Emmerich appreciation thread, and I think his movies always accomplish what they set out to do, be entertaining. I'm not saying the acting's the best, nor the plot, not even the science behind it. I'm just saying it's 'Just Awesome Kay?'

3.5

http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/archives/bestinshow.jpg
Best In Show (Christopher Guest, 2000)

Wow, this was truly hilarious. This was my third entry into the Chris Guest filmography (after Almost Heroes and For Your Consideration, both deserving a rewatch right about now.) This one is probably the best. I love how the actors seem like they live their characters. It’s awesome and I strongly recommend it.

4.5

http://images.allmoviephoto.com/1998_Almost_Heroes/matthew_perry_chris_farley_almost_heroes_002.jpg
Almost Heroes (Christopher Guest, 1998)

The rewatch that I mentioned above, it wasn’t as good as I remember it. I do love Chris Farley in his last leading role, and Matt Perry is his total opposite, which makes for a good team. And yes, it’s a Chris Guess movie, but it’s not a mockumentary, but it’s still pretty creative. Perry and Farley are explorers Leslie Edwards and Bartholomew Hunt, they want to become the first person to map a way to the Pacific Ocean, before Louis and Clark. I’ll just say that while the idea behind it is pretty good, and history’ll never be the same, this movie is incredibly dumb, but I love dumb movies. I’m proud to put this in my ‘Just Funny, Kay?’ genre.

2.5

mark f

04-07-09, 12:23 AM

Re: Swan: That's good. I loved them both the first time through but I'm ancient, so maybe that's my excuse.

Powdered Water

04-07-09, 12:29 AM

Re Swan:

No pressure duder. I've seen it once and it may be another ten years before I see it again. It was OK, but it didn't blow my mind or anything. Blasphemy, I guess, but its still a free country, for now...

Casablanca on the other hand, does blow my mind. I have a serious Bogey fixation though. I've seen a lot of his films and I just love the guy. He was an extremely talented actor and when he teamed up with Ingrid and all of the other greats in that cast it was absolute gold in a time when the studios were just cranking them out like nobodies business.

Look at me, I'm a conundrum! Or an idiot.

MovieMan8877445

04-07-09, 01:34 AM

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/film/doubleindemnity460.jpg

Double Indemnity
Billy Wilder, 1944

I basically knew nothing about this before deciding to watch it tonight, but since I could watch it instantly for free, I just watched it. I see it's on AFI's top 100, but I'm not completely sure how it got on there. I mean it definitely wasn't a bad movie, but I don't know if I'd call it a good movie either. I know it's more than just average, but not much. I think it just did nothing for me, like I could've honestly cared less if I ever saw this movie. I guess I'm glad I did, because at least now I know that I don't really think that much of it. It's good seeing a bunch of older movies, though, so that's one plus about this.

The acting itself was actually pretty good, especially Fred MacMurray. It really seemed like he was paraniod throughout some of the movie. Besides that the acting, like the movie as a whole, did nothing for me. I guess if you're bored one day and have this there to watch, I'd give it a try. It's not something that I'd go far out of my way to watch, though.

3

Eh, best Kubrick film? Full Metal Jacket. Definitely.

A Clockwork Orange and 2001 are Krubrick's two best movies, with The Shining coming close after.

re93animator

04-07-09, 03:50 AM

Double Indemnity
Billy Wilder, 1944
I basically knew nothing about this before deciding to watch it tonight, but since I could watch it instantly for free, I just watched it. I see it's on AFI's top 100, but I'm not completely sure how it got on there. I mean it definitely wasn't a bad movie, but I don't know if I'd call it a good movie either. I know it's more than just average, but not much. I think it just did nothing for me, like I could've honestly cared less if I ever saw this movie. I guess I'm glad I did, because at least now I know that I don't really think that much of it. It's good seeing a bunch of older movies, though, so that's one plus about this.
The acting itself was actually pretty good, especially Fred MacMurray. It really seemed like he was paraniod throughout some of the movie. Besides that the acting, like the movie as a whole, did nothing for me. I guess if you're bored one day and have this there to watch, I'd give it a try. It's not something that I'd go far out of my way to watch, though.

I didn't think too much of it on my first viewing either. I'm far from a Billy Wilder fan, but after a few viewings of this it has grown on me. Maybe it's just one of those films that takes multiple viewings to enjoy, but the quality of it certainly deserves more than a rating of 3. I also think it is completely deserving of a spot on AFI's top 100 films list. It sounds like you didn't enjoy it much if at all, a 3/5 sounds like you were going easy on it. Try watching Sunset Boulevard (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043014/). One of Wilder's best as well as it's easy to enjoy on the first viewing.

Eh, best Kubrick film? Full Metal Jacket. Definitely.

I've always thought of Full Metal Jacket, while still a great film, to be Kubrick's weakest. 2001: A Space Odyssey gets my vote for best Kubrick film, though it is an acquired taste it is hard to deny the brilliance of it. The Shining gets my vote for favorite.

undercoverlover

04-07-09, 08:14 AM

V For Vendetta
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/film/v.jpg

OK im not over the moon about the acting or the accents but I love the script. While it does of course borrow an awful lot from 1984 it doesnt feel like an homage or a rip off but more of a continuation of it. The film has a wonderful look to it too, simplistic but effective.

meatwadsprite

04-07-09, 09:44 AM

Well I'm keeping it and I'm going to rewatch it because it's Kubrick, for one, and I think the more I understand it the more I will enjoy it.

Well there isn't a whole lot to get , other than the Cold War (you know that one right ?) , it's easily my favorite of his by a long shot. I suppose those who like deranged stories with interesting characters will get the most out of it ;)

http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:jIWTnl6eCthKXM:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3463/3259067125_14014a8157.jpg "I CAN WALK !"

B-card

04-07-09, 09:55 AM

Ip Man(2008)-4

Sedai

04-07-09, 10:47 AM

30 Days of Night (Slade, 2007)

3

http://z.about.com/d/horror/1/0/a/1/-/-/30DaysNight3.jpg

This was pretty solid for the first hour or so, then it got pretty silly. Still, I liked the premise and the vamps, so I enjoyed it to a certain extent.

Golgot

04-07-09, 11:19 AM

The Lives of Others

More interrogations and injustices for me. Set initially during the Chernenko period of Soviet rule, when extra repressive methods were again 'spreading like an ill wind', we see the Stasi spies of East Germany plundering their populace for dissident information with galvanised zeal. The film focuses on the shadowy affection a hardline spy develops for an artistic couple who seem to be Good Communists, but are brought into the web of surveillance nevertheless.

It's beautifully shot, and acted with powerful understatement throughout. I wasn't completely sold on a couple of the artier influences our thespian couple had on our moribund spy, but everything else lived up to the director's aspirations for me - namely recreating the paranoia and lurking brutality of those times with fidelity, while championing the role art has in vocally taking on repressive taboos.

It was interesting to hear in the commentary that the lead actor himself had been watched by four Stasi spies in his theatre company during his heyday as a stage actor - and to this day has only discovered the names of two of them - meaning some of his friends of that period could well have been informing against him. His accusation that his wife was also a paid up Stasi throughout their marriage has been challenged in court it seems. That gives you an idea of some of the ongoing effects of that scurrilous phase.

(The science of interrogation via sleep & sensory deprivation, with its power to break people regardless of guilt, of course still resonates with some of the more scurrilous practices of our own days)

Caitlyn

04-07-09, 12:12 PM

Australia (2008) ... I really wanted to like this a lot more... but it was just a bit too much to me... Jackman did okay with what he had to work with... and the kid was cute... but Kidman was so not believable to me... and I normally really like her...

3

Låt den rätte komma in (Let The Right One In) (2008) ... awesome little vampire tale... and I'll probably say a little more about it later on...

4.5

Sleezy

04-07-09, 12:17 PM

Kubrick is my favorite director, I'm interested in politics, and I want to like Dr. Strangelove. I own it on DVD, I've watched it twice. Both times, I was bored out of my mind. I keep it in hopes that one day I will like it, but as it stands, it's the only Kubrick film I really don't like.

Yeah, I feel this way about 2001: A Space Odyssey. I really want to like it, but it just doesn't do anything for me. I get what the big attractions are, and how I'm supposed to be enthralled... I'm just not. It's painfully scientific and methodical, and I feel like the narrative is only ever at a low boil. There's no up and down.

30 Days of Night (Slade, 2007)

This was pretty solid for the first hour or so, then it got pretty silly. Still, I liked the premise and the vamps, so I enjoyed it to a certain extent.

You know, I tried to watch this last night too, and just couldn't get through it. I read and enjoyed the graphic novel, but this film... I don't know. I like the setting, I like the feral quality of the vampires, and I really like some of the overhead camera work. It just didn't click for me. I think the story is essentially just too unsubstantial to enjoy in live action.

MovieMan8877445

04-07-09, 12:34 PM

I didn't think too much of it on my first viewing either. I'm far from a Billy Wilder fan, but after a few viewings of this it has grown on me. Maybe it's just one of those films that takes multiple viewings to enjoy, but the quality of it certainly deserves more than a rating of 3. I also think it is completely deserving of a spot on AFI's top 100 films list. It sounds like you didn't enjoy it much if at all, a 3/5 sounds like you were going easy on it. Try watching Sunset Boulevard (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043014/). One of Wilder's best as well as it's easy to enjoy on the first viewing.

I'll probably try giving it another watch a couple of months down the road. I didn't really think it was a bad movie, but it just didn't do anything for me. It's a good movie, but not much more than that. I'll be sure to check out Sunset Boulevard, and I guess I'll go add it to my Netflix queue right now.

zedlen

04-07-09, 12:40 PM

Watchmen (2009)

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/watchmen10.jpg

I finally got around to seeing Watchmen and I'm glad I waited a few weeks for all the hype to wear off and just see it for what it is. Perfect and I've never read the comic books. What makes it so perfect is the way it doesn't compromise. You know they weren't in this for the money, everything is polished down to the littlest detail, nothing is there to fill in the gaps. The visuals are grand, the story epic and the characters have depth and significance, there true beauty being in the way they relate to each other. If this hasn't strayed from the source material, Allen Moore is a genius and Zack Snyder a miracle worker for getting it so right. Truly entertaining, meaningful and intelligent. A masterpiece.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/5box.gif

Golgot

04-07-09, 01:40 PM

Went a little bit more review-y on:

The Story of the Weeping Camel (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=516940)

&

Grizzly Man (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=516969#post516969)

undercoverlover

04-07-09, 02:44 PM

I'm on a dystopian kick

1984
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/film/1984ee-klldffdt5.jpg
soul destroying story...i love it

A Scanner Darkly
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/film/AScannerDarkly13.jpg

I found it hard to get into Linklater's 'Waking Life' but I much prefer this effort, even if it trails into weirdness at the end. The animation is perfect, so fluid and gorgeous to watch - the best part was the scatter suit, it looked incredible but i wouldnt have liked to have been an animator on that. It was also good to see Winona Ryder back in the swing of things. I do really like this film but i think its first half serves it better.

MovieMan8877445

04-07-09, 03:24 PM

http://atheistsforhumanrights.com/sanity/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/exorcist.jpg

The Exorcist
William Friedkin, 1973

While I don't quite think that this is the scariest movie ever made, like some people make it out to be, it's still a damn good movie. I wouldn't even classify it as 'scary', at least to me, I'd call it 'creepy'. Maybe I'm just saying that because it didn't scare me, but the more older horror movies I've been watching, I've been finding out that barely any of them are actually scary. I don't know why I put off watching these old horror movies for so long. Someone told me before that if you're a christian, it'll be scarier to you. Which may explain why I didn't find it that scary, because I'm not a christian. At first, the first 15 minutes really seemed pointless to me, but then it got towards the last 30 minutes and then it all suddenly made sense.

The effects were really great for this, namely the head turning all the way around. That was pretty cool to see, especially for when it was made. Jason Miller and Linda Blair did great job acting in this, but they're the only ones that really stood out to me. I still think this is a movie everyone just has to see because of how popular it is. I still can't quite give it that full perfect score because I thought it took a little while to actually get interesting.

4

Pyro Tramp

04-07-09, 03:58 PM

Ok, i really haven't posted here in a while or writen up the ones i have done, been far too busy. So now i've got a laptop and can multitask here's some words on selection of flicks from last few months...

The International- generally good attempt to combine a political thriller with an almost Bourne-film action sensibility. Did probably rate it higher for having a decent shoot-out in the Guggenheim which had recently visited. Otherwise it was an enjoyable romp that wasn't overly smart or overly testosterone packed.- 3_5

The Fall- combines elements of Pan's Labyrinth childs perspective fantasy and Holy Mountain experimental road movie. There's a lot of stunning visuals that serve extremely well to hold the film up, and that is meant to imply the plot needs holding up as it never really reaches the emotional intensity or interest of Pan's Labyrinth. - 4+

Crank- got the DVD on the cheap in honour of the sequel coming out soon. Think i like this film more and more each time i watch it. I'm a sucker for Statham and the film is just pure unadulterated action. Love it. - 5

Eden Lake- i'd been interested in seeing this one for a while, even more so after hearing mixed reviews from people on here. To start with, i thought it was a straight up horror, didn't realise it was aiming to be believable. Maybe it's my age or social groups but a lot of the behaviour of the chavs bordered on understandable, only occasionally verging on ridiculous. I didn't have any problems with protagonists logic in returning (maybe in going into the house) and didn't think the violence was anything as bad as had been lead to believe. Overall i liked the film, maybe i'm bias towards the lead chav (he's also in Skins) who even if you don't like his character, still think the actor has a lot of power and charisma. - 4

Semi-Pro- Will Ferrell films are by now standard affairs churned out following a simple formula. I'd have hoped, especially having Will Arnett in, that this one would have least been ok if not great. Unfortunatley it was pretty awful and wholly unnecessary, seemed bit too obviously trying to cash in on the Anchorman 70s vibe. - 1_5

Step Brothers- ironically, after the last flick, i thought this one was up there with Anchorman. There's nothing particularly special about the plot but it mainly rates on the two lead performances and their chemistry together. A lot of the ad-libbing is the same from his other films but if you haven't seen them then was would be even more enjoyable. - 3_5+

Feast- not gonna win any Oscars, borrows a lot from other similar film but works well within the confines of it's simple premise and in turn delivers a nice cheesy little horror flick. - 3

Green Wing: Season 2- one of the best comedy TV shows to grace the screen in as many years. Some fantastic characters and offbeat, surreal, twisted humour. Highly recommended for any comedy fans, far better than Scrubs for my money. - 5

Repo: The Genetic Opera- random little horror musical this one. Giles from Buffy is class, the rest hard to say one way or the other, i mean, Paris Hilton is in it. Some of it works, some of it doesn't but it's quite unique and that's a reason alone to watch it even if you don't think it's any good. - 3

undercoverlover

04-07-09, 05:06 PM

props for the lovage of green wing, crank and repo

zenderella

04-07-09, 10:19 PM

Gothika (2003)
http://espanol.geocities.com/gabrielerbetta/Caratulas/gothika.jpg

MovieMan8877445

04-07-09, 11:36 PM

http://valeriewriter.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/quantum-of-solacepreview.jpg

Quantum Of Solace
Marc Foster, 2008

I heard that this was basically just a movie with no plot and a lot of action before seeing it, but since I could see it for free, I though I'd still check it out. I'm glad that I did, though, because I ended up liking it. I'm no big bond fan, but then again the only other bond movie I've seen besides this is Casino Royale. I guess I'll have to Netflix the other 20 bond movies, because they're very enjoyable movies. I really love sitting down and watching some good action too, so I'm sort of surprised I haven't seen more bond movies. From what I remember of Casino Royale though, this wasn't quite as good as that. It's been awhile since I've last seen it though, so I'm not really sure.

The action scenes were very well made, and very stylized at the same time. When I said the latter, I'm mainly referring to the action scene that happened at the opera house. The opening credits sequence was amazing, and it's probably one of the best opening credits sequences that I've ever seen. You could tell they put a lot of thought into it. Still any action fan needs to check this one out sometime, because it certainly is a great action movie. Once it goes down in price, I'll probably pick up the DVD.

3.5

MovieMan8877445

04-08-09, 02:02 AM

http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/archives/NightoftheLivingDead.jpg

Night Of The Living Dead
George A. Romero, 1968

I had expected something completely different before I watched it, like this was nothing like I expected one bit. I'm not really sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing. I can definitely say that I don't think this is quite as amazing as people make it out to be, I mean it's a great movie, but just not as much as people say. I'd probably call it a little overrated. For one thing, I thought it was going to be in color, and not in black and white. I mean I don't have a problem that it was shot in black and white, but I just didn't expect it to. I really loved how they established all the main characters and they actually didn't even start dieing up until the end of the movie. I think my main problem with this is it didn't focus enough on the zombies, but instead it's main focus was the group of characters in the house.

There was some of it that was quite slow, but the ending seemed to really make up for it. The ending just started killing off the entire cast, and the pace really seemed to pick up. I still think any horror fan needs to check this one out, especially fan of zombie movies. Hopefully you won't end up being disappointed like me, but that was mainly because I was just expecting something different than I got.

3.5

mark f

04-08-09, 04:16 AM

The Emerald Forest (John Boorman, 1985) 4

http://imagecache.allposters.com/images/pic/MMPO/503303~The-Emerald-Forest-Posters.jpg

Boorman has always had a strong, mystical relationship with the land, as well as an experimental side which leads him to sometimes make films which some complain are incomprehensible or just plain silly. Combine this with Boorman's visionary use of spectacular visuals, especially of the green kind, and you get the strange, yet wonderful convergence which is The Emerald Forest. I remember watching this film and Back to the Future on the same day in 1985 just before I drove home for a family vacation, and all I could think about was getting my family to go with me to watch both of these at the largest theatre imaginable. We did and everybody liked both. At the time, I would have considered the two movies comparable in both being excellent, but nowadays, I can see Back to the Future as a more-perfect film, but The Emerald Forest is for those film buffs who are willing to dive off the deep end and just become immersed in the inexplicable things which cinema can accomplish, even when working in something seemingly "commercial".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01129/arts-graphics-2008_1129582a.jpg

The Emerald Forest is about an American hydroelectric engineer named Bill (Powers Boothe) who lives at the edge of the Brazilian rain forest with his wife (Meg Foster) and their young boy and daughter. The boy is very adventurous and always walking off, and one day he disappears right from under his parents' noses. After 10 years of constant searching, they are no closer to finding their boy, but Bill and a sarcastic Brazilian journalist agree to make a dangerous trip along the river because Bill has learned of an unheard-of tribe. Boorman reinforces many of his themes from earlier films during this journey into "the heart of darkness" (although in many ways, it's a journey into the light). As expressed in Deliverance, we see man's voracious appetite to utilize natural resources, this time by destroying the rain forest for profit and modern expansion but we also see the price it has on native human and animal populations. We also see, as Boorman demonstrated in Excalibur, how the Land and the King (or any Ruler or aware human for that matter) can be one. When the Land is healthy, so is humankind, and the opposite is very often also true. What Bill eventually finds is a world in the Emerald Forest, where the Invisible People (the tribe which kidnapped and now harbors his son as the tribe's Prince) attempt to maintain one with nature, including the use of natural hallucinogenic drugs to come more in contact with oneself and the environment. However, the cannibalistic Fierce People are the Dark Side of this Paradise, and they come in contact with Bill's own machine gun which they use to trade with the European Brazilians in order to become more violent and capable of enslaving the peaceful Invisible People. So, even when Bill can do something as seemingly-benign to the native culture and environment as try to find his long-lost son, he ends up corrupting the Emerald Forest and helping to turn it into a world rampant with blood.

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2007/11/20/theemeraldforest460.jpg http://www.channel4.com/film/media/images/Channel4/film/E/emerald_forest_xl_01--film-B.jpg

Bill's teenage son Tommy ("Tomme") is played by Boorman's son, Charley Boorman, and he gives a terrifically naturalistic performance. Most of the film is in Portuguese or native Brazilian dialects and therefore it's subtitled. However, the acting is even more specifically physical and quite similar in many ways to silent film acting. In this way, it's very impressive, especially from all the native actors who spend most of the film in various states of undress and seem quite natural in doing so. The society, culture and basic manner of living their life is all very believeable in the Invisible People's world, and yes, it does involve a manner of drug-taking, at least for the warriors of the tribe who use their "trips" to gather information important to their people by utilizing what each warrior's spirit animal is able to pass on to their human counterpart. Yes, The Emerald Forest casts a wide net; not only does it depict Western Civilization's encroachment on native peoples and their lands, but it does it in the context of an adventure film which turns into a suspense/revenge flick. Add the fact that the film is deeply about family and having to make difficult choices about family from both the perspective of the parent and from the child trying to grow up and start his own new family, and you can see how some viewers might think that the film bites off more than it can chew or that it is just too unfocused. However, for those who fall under the hypnotic imagery of Phillippe Rousselot, the intense sound effects, the offbeat music by Brian Gascoigne and Junior Homrich, the utterly convincing acting, and the exotic world depicted, it isn't a big leap for all but the most-jaded filmwatcher to go along with the film to its conclusion. I'm sure that even in our own paradise here at MoFo that there are a few unbelievers who feel that The Emerald Forest falls into Boorman's category of the ridiculous, right next to Zardoz and Exorcist II: The Heretic. I'm getting to this in the next paragraph.

http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/rsz/434/x/x/x/medias/nmedia/18/64/32/69/18953578.jpg

There is no way the exhilarating drug-tinged scenes in The Emerald Forest where the hawk flies to the waterfall and finds the tribe's sacred stones and Tomme experiences it can be compared to the utter idiocy in Exorcist II where a "possesed" group of African moths invades Washington, D.C. There's no comparison between Sean Connery roaming the countryside in an oversize diaper in Zardoz and Tomme wearing a similar piece of clothing in this film to cover his private parts. Boorman is a visionary, but I admit that sometimes he crosses the line from visionary to lunatic, but The Emerald Forest stays firmly on the side of rationality, plausible storytelling, and if you don't believe those two, at least it fits safely into the realm of films which have the courage of their convictions whether "rational" minds question what the hell is going on. Just relax, kick back and throw away your preconceptions and you should have absolutely no problems with The Emerald Forest. That is unless you have one of those twitches or nervous reactions to seemingly-unrealistic actions in movies. In that case, I suggest you turn this movie off and never watch another one again because you don't really enjoy films. Just look out your window and be overjoyed with the monotony of what's outside. You never know; maybe even in this day and age you can make some money writing about, sketching or photographing your neighbors. Just be sure to get their permission and hope that nobody else thinks that your life's work and its expression is unbelievable and/or unrealistic.

http://www.wildernesscommittee.org/campaigns/historic/WILD/reports/Vol08No04/images/03_Dam.gif

I now want to mention a random list of things I like about The Emerald Forest:

Tommy walking away in the opening scene to strange music;
"Momme" saying "Hallelujah";
The Brazilian journalist's smartass comments and utter insensitivity to the family's loss;
What happens to the Braziian journalist;
The swimming snakes;
The cannibals;
The search for the Sacred Stones;
The meeting of Tomme and Dadde;
Tomme's Mating Ritual;
The way the Native Girls gossip;
The "Trips";
Surprising action scenes;
"Dadde's" Recovery;
"Tomme's" return to the Dead World;
Father's discussions with "Dadde";
The Whorehouse;
The Electric Wires;
The Bar;
The Frogs;
"Maybe I made a mistake" "You?";
The Dam;
The Lightning;
The Hawk Soaring;
The Tribal Drums;
The Final Scroll.

"Good Night, and Good Luck."

spacefish_uk

04-08-09, 07:56 AM

How to loose friends & alienate people
2
With a lineup of Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunce, Gillian Anderson & Megan Fox and director Robert B.Weide the perfect comedy was on the cards.
With disappointment from the off set i found the movie to very flat and out to find petty, cheap laughs.
Pegg has tried to play the 'arrogant' type roll before in 'Hot Fuzz' and pulled it off to slight perfection but here i found myself hating the character and getting annoyed at the mear sight of his actions to try and woo his fellow colleague Alison (Dunst).
With the story line relativley simple and prodictable from the word go there isn't really much to keep you gripped to this movie even the short scenes with Sophie Mayes (Fox) i found myself cringing at her 'bimbo-esc' effort to pull off a budding movie star.
With the exception of the odd giggle and the only piece of good acting i could spot from Jeff Bridges it wasn't a great movie just a plod along typical romantic comdey(ish) but there are better out there by miles.

http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/img_11.jpg

http://www.collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/How_to_Lose_Friends_Alienate_People/how_to_lose_friends___alienate_people_movie_image_simon_pegg.jpg

Pyro Tramp

04-08-09, 02:52 PM

MovieMan, was it the "Anniversary" edition you watched with the bookended 'explanations' because that might explain the issues you had with pacing in what i found to be pretty tight, almost unbearably tense at times, well when i was younger anyway. As for the B&W i definitely think that it improves the film, giving a grainy docu aesthetic to the film, which also serves to hide some of the budgetary constraints. Out of interest, what were you expecting from the zombies? Generally speaking zombies tend to be more a plot device than object of focus- which in turn relates to the actual characters and the tension caused in relation to the threat, especially with Romero where they're often used to perpetrate an extended metaphor. Personally i think it's fantastic, both as an artefact of cinema and a film, not to mention being the original zombie film (at least in regards to that type of zombie flick) and also landmark in horror, breaking ground with gore, stereotypes, expectations etc. But that's just me lol.

Godoggo

04-08-09, 04:15 PM

Ma Vie En Rose

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_HJrGkCIwYOg/SZeAxEmFDQI/AAAAAAAAKZE/DPHCpEUhcoY/s400/ma_vie_en_rose.jpg

My favorite thing about this movie is that we get to see the issue of transgender through Ludovic, whom the world believes to be a boy, but who believes herself to be a little girl. Ludovic doesn't understand the reactions and the chaos that she creates by simply being what she is and is almost dogmatic in her innocence.

The world being what it is, Ludovic is not allowed this state of innocence for long and must come into conflict with the bigotry of those around her; including her own family.

There were a couple of flaws in the film. One being that I would have liked the neighbors to have been better developed. I would have also liked to have been allowed to see more of Ludovic in her fantasy world and less getting trounced upon by the entire world. Other than that though, this film was right on target.

B+

MovieMan8877445

04-08-09, 04:26 PM

http://thefilmstage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/bonnie-and-clyde.jpg

Bonnie And Clyde
Arthur Penn, 1967

You know I was actually quite surprised with this one, I mean I always hear talk about this, but I just never really had any interest in seeing it. Since I got to see it for free though, I thought that I'd give it a try. Even though I already knew the ending, it's still a great movie. It's a total thrill ride, just watching the gang on the run robbing banks. I actually wasn't sure that I was going to like it, because I didn't like the first few minutes of the movie. It just got better and better as the movie progessed, though. Even though I already knew the ending, when it actually got it, I was still pretty amazed. I was waiting for it happen the whole movie, and then in the last minute of the movie, it just happened. It happened really quick, too.

Waren Beatty and Faye Dunnaway had such a great connection in this, I think they were the perfect choices for the roles on Clyde and Bonnie. I think they could've actually been dating while watching this. Still anyone who likes movies about bank robbers needs to see this, because I'm sure that you won't be disappointed.

4

mack

04-08-09, 07:27 PM

Seven Pounds - 3/5
review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showpost.php?p=517315&postcount=15)

Punisher: War Zone - 1/5
Yawn worthy. It was ok for a night when you have absolutely nothing else to do, but the plot was incredibly incredibly weak. Even the final battle - how they managed to get Punisher to fight them - was uninspired. I can remember vividly thinking that seriously wrote the Punisher as a dumb one. Why is he so dumb? played through my mind too many times to count. Having said that, the fella they had reprise the role did a good job, and he really brought out the inner Thug that we know the Punisher is, and love him for being. Basically, Punisher is a brute force, smash and grab....vigilante thug. And they conveyed that very very well. The villians, on the other hand - were superbly cast, and alone kept the movie interesting.

Quantum of Solace - 1/5
Another yawn worthy film of mindless action. Which is why it gets a 1 grade. I cant figure out whether I should be insulted that Hollywood actually thinks we are so dumb that all they have to do is smash a few cars and buildings nonstop and we'll buy the storyline. Plus the fact that I guess these days 007 doesnt even have to drop a cheesy one-liner to pick up chicks (even though he's uglier than he's ever been)? Instead he just turns up in their bed. Give me a break. Plus the fact that this new 007 is clearly the Bond Franchise's fledgling attempt to go after the Bourne Trilogy market share. Bond at the beginning? Give me a break - they knew they were losing ground to the cooler, grittier, blonder Jason Bourne, so they they churn out their whole little "beginner Bond" as a younger, grittier blond....and I gotta tell ya, it has sucked so far. Plus the fact that someone mentioned this flaw to me as well: if we really are going back to the "younger" Bond - how come the storyline has stayed relevant to the 2000s? Wouldnt a "younger" Bond have a storyline more relevant to the time of his beginning.....which, would be years and years ago, right? So yeah. I'll stop while I'm winding up - in sum, I find this Bond particularly unnattractive (for the first time in my life, I comprehend the saying "needs a bag over the head" - because he clearly has the body), the plots dangerously thin, and the similarities in casting and story milieu to Bourne unflatteringly imitative.

Pyro Tramp

04-08-09, 08:25 PM

Monsters Vs Aliens- ok so first 3D movie i've seen so quite new to all that malarky and can't really judge the quality of that. The animation was standard fair, nothing stunning but still crisp albeit simple. The plot was very basic but the voice talent was good, very good i'd say. Hoped for a few more nods to other culture but was glad for what they had. 3

meatwadsprite

04-08-09, 08:38 PM

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:X2-BbU0aDz6dJM:http://www.planetblacksburg.com/images/entertainment/superbad-bigposter.jpg http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:vg8JNrS7xuLEYM:http://images.teamsugar.com/files/users/1/13839/32_2007/superbad-cops.preview.jpg

Superbad

The only teen comedy I have ever enjoyed , memorable characters and comic book visual flair - even if you find it hard to sympathize with the kids , there's always Bill Hader and Seth Rogen as the hilariously incompetent cops.

4

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:1kHGBcaPa9e8HM:http://1416andcounting.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/hunt_for_red_october_ver2.jpg http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:7XGtHGbbD3QowM:http://www.dvdactive.com/images/reviews/screenshot/2008/7/october_1.jpg

The Hunt for the Red October

Before John McTiernan made Rollerball and then went to jail , he directed a great companion for his masterpiece Die Hard - although this one has a lot less blood and guts , instead tension drives from it's Cold War setting and submarine battles.

It did very much remind me of Die Hard in terms of quality photography and blasting sound design.

4

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:CA1Jfb0rnb5g5M:http://www.impawards.com/1993/posters/my_neighbor_totoro.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:_c0Ks0tHnAchPM:http://apike.ca/images/anime/totoro/totoro-tree.jpg

My Neighbor Totoro

Lots of really good animation as expected from this studio , but feels insignificant in the face of the later Spirited Away. Didn't resonate nearly as much with me as did Porco Rosso and ^^^ .

2.5

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:faPWBjW7RnzZYM:http://www.elbenno.de/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/kikujiro-no-natsu.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:lQxyM2dMUHfRBM:http://www.ohbara.com/uploaded_images/kikujiro2-720811.jpg

Takeshi Kitano's heartwarming , sad , and hilarious adventure tale. This is my favorite movie of his and I consider his movies some of the very best. It seems everything is custom tailored to my taste , wide colorful cinematography and crude blunt jokes - it's a celebration of life with a simple message I agree with "the point of life , is to enjoy life".

5

Sleezy

04-08-09, 09:31 PM

W. (Stone, 2008) 3_5

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/Sleezy/W_movie.jpg

A surprisingly sympathetic take on our 43rd president, given Oliver Stone's previous exploits. The film plods along competently enough, with the first truly sincere portrayal of the junior Bush (Josh Brolin). The film does, however, take a definitive stance on the behavior of Bush's administration -- or rather, its motivations. The surrounding characters are mostly interesting, with standouts from Toby Jones (Karl Rove) and Richard Dreyfuss (Dick Cheney). Thandie Newton's Condi Rice, it should be noted, is so bad that it's a wonder anyone took it seriously on set.

The X-Files: Fight the Future (Bowman, 1998) 3_5

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/Sleezy/xfiles1.jpg

Enjoyable TV-to-film transition with a sufficiently weird, unfolding mystery that steps up the scope set by the acclaimed series. The film tends to grind to an idle in places, but for the most part keeps up at a brisk and engaging pace with twists, turns, and tussles with men in... hazard suits? I have my doubts about how Mulder makes it to Antarctica so quickly with little or no friends in the FBI to help him, but with a show like The X-Files, who's to argue plausibility? Still, a fun watch for the paranormally-entertained.

The New World (Malick, 2005) 4

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/Sleezy/thenewworld.jpg

I've argued extensively with a friend over this film. He doesn't find much of a narrative in its beautiful picture-to-beautiful picture format, but I beg to differ. I find a wonderfully subtle, adventurous tale that romanticizes history probably more than it would like to admit. Malick's perennial theme of humanity's undulating relationship with nature is in full effect here, operating somewhat on the unsteady acquaintance between Native Americans and the first Europeans who arrived on their doorstep.

I've docked it one bucket because, where a fiction film like The Thin Red Line can survive (and even thrive) on the ghost-like narration of its characters, The New World stands on the shoulders of 300-year old historical figures, and therefore begs for a little more substance. In other words, it's not enough to hear their musings and relate... some of them are too far removed to bridge the gap with a modern crowd as well as Malick seems to have intended.

Badlands (Malick, 1973) 4

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/Sleezy/badlands.jpg

Wow. I'm not sure if this is an intentional or accidental comedy, but I'm inclined to think it doesn't matter. I had a ball with this, and really identify with Malick even more as a filmmaker. You can see his artful approach seeping through, as its gotten thicker over the years. But the youthful commentary here coupled with the dastardly nature of the events is really effective. Something should definitely be said of Martin Sheen's command of this film, and in particular, his unfailing ability to state the obvious. "You threw my hat out the window." Glorious.

Flight of the Phoenix (Moore, 2004) 3_5

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/Sleezy/flightofphoenix.jpg

I've never seen the original, but this remake seems competent enough for a rainy day. It's an old-fashioned "we're stranded!" adventure with a variety of constrained personalities clashing from the prospect of slow death and desperation. This doesn't have the drama you'd expect from the Donner party, unfortunately, but I wouldn't say this is time wasted when you've got time to waste. Of course, watching this had me wondering if plane crash films are ever shown on airline flights. That's some bad karma.

Harry Lime

04-08-09, 09:55 PM

Badlands is a great movie, glad you liked. Since you're watching Malick films, have you seen his other two?

zedlen

04-08-09, 10:06 PM

http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/blog/elegy2.jpg

Elegy
Isabel Coixet, 2008

I visited a theater a few days ago with a friend, not having picked a movie before hand we chose Elegy, due to the cast and provocative blurb, little was I to know how right we were.
Elegy is the story of a professor who falls in love with one of his students who is thirty years his junior. The real story is more an exploration of beauty, love and the path that leads us to our death.
I am a fan of Ben Kingsly so I am biased but he is incredibly well cast along with Penelope Cruz and Dennis Hopper who are also great.
There is a a lot to like about Elegy, the story is unique, beautifully shot and it keeps you guessing and entertained in equal measure. It has been a while since I've been so genuinely surprised by such a bold and interesting film. A new favourite.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/5box.gif

MovieMan8877445

04-09-09, 12:10 AM

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/12/16/PK-11.jpg

Seven Pounds
Gabriele Muccino, 2008

Whoa: that is basically the best words to describe this movie. I had like no interest in even seeing this, but since I can see it for free, I thought that I'd give it a try. I'm really, really glad that I did, because this movie is nothing short of amazing. I'm surprised too, because I usually don't tend to like depressing type of movies that much. The ending actually 'almost' had me crying. It was such a bittersweet ending, like it was really sad for one, but it's also happy at the same time. Something I did notice is that Will Smith's movies just keep getting more and more serious with each movie, I mean at least his past few movies has had some moments of happiness. I don't think there was single trace of happiness in this, aside from a few minor lines. I totally loved it, though. I feel kind of weird because I did love it so much.

Will Smith just keeps getting better and better at acting though, I mean he just keeps getting better with his past 3 movies - The Pursuit Of Happyness, I Am Legend, and now this. Seriously, I highly suggest checking this one out, especially if you like to watch depressing movies for some reason. It really may seem confusing at first, but it all comes together for the ending.

4.5

Sleezy

04-09-09, 12:48 AM

Badlands is a great movie, glad you liked. Since you're watching Malick films, have you seen his other two?

Not yet, but they're on my list. :)

rice1245

04-09-09, 12:55 AM

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:CA1Jfb0rnb5g5M:http://www.impawards.com/1993/posters/my_neighbor_totoro.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:_c0Ks0tHnAchPM:http://apike.ca/images/anime/totoro/totoro-tree.jpg

My Neighbor Totoro

Lots of really good animation as expected from this studio , but feels insignificant in the face of the later Spirited Away. Didn't resonate nearly as much with me as did Porco Rosso and ^^^ .

2.5

I think that the only reason i love this movie so much is because i grew up with it and as a child i was obsessed but i watched it again recently and loved it again but also can admit that anyone who wasn't transfixed with it as a child may find themselves bored =\

Harry Lime

04-09-09, 01:22 AM

Not yet, but they're on my list. :)

Seeing as you liked those two it's a pretty safe bet you're going to like the other two. I read he has another film coming out next year, that'll make five in about 40 years.

Daffodil

04-09-09, 02:01 AM

Dance of the Dead (Gregg Bishop - 2008).

http://kinoplay.com.ua/uploads/posts/2008-10/1225075239_dance.of.the.dead.2008.dvdrip.jpg

I'd heard some relatively great things about the film, some even calling it a "cult classic" and the greatest horror comedy since Shaun of the Dead. This film, in my opinion, was a load of utter crap. Whoever wrote the script must be sued and never write again. The acting ranged from mediocre to just downright pathetic. The story's been done before, most notably in the Return of the Living Dead films, and you could tell they obviously tried to put a different spin to it but failed. The plot was very predictable and tedious, and the so-called "twist" was not great and left me with a "Huh? That's it?" reaction. I'm going to remind my dad again tonight: NO MORE BLIND BUYS.

1.5/10.

MovieMan8877445

04-09-09, 02:38 AM

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/12/24/alg_marleyme.jpg

Marley And Me
David Frankel, 2008

Okay, it's no lie that I love dogs, so I knew that I was going to at least like this some. I do believe that I liked this more than I thought I was going to, though. I was actually laughing a lot during the movie, and I never thought that it would end up being so funny. I think something that really helps add to it being funny is that this is a real life situation, and could basically happen to anyone. I wouldn't know for sure, though, because I personally don't own a dog. I really want to, but sadly I can't because my sister is allergic. I've been around enough dogs to know that there are a bunch of dogs like Marley. I really didn't like the second half of the movie as much, though. I think it just got way to serious. Especially the ending, like I knew it was coming already, but I was still on the verge of tears. I like never get that close to crying during a movie either.

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston worked great together, and I also think they chose a great dog to work with them as well. I really think that was Owen Wilson's dog in real life, I mean him and the dog seemed to connect together so well. I haven't read the book, so I may have to get to doing that sometime in the future, but I doubt it would be anytime soon. Anyone who loves dogs needs to check this out.

3.5

Sleezy

04-09-09, 10:55 AM

Seeing as you liked those two it's a pretty safe bet you're going to like the other two. I read he has another film coming out next year, that'll make five in about 40 years.

Yeah, he's certainly not the most prolific filmmaker working (which is why The New World was such a surprise). But you can tell his films are always very meticulously, lovingly crafted. So I'm good with it. :)

MovieMan8877445

04-09-09, 03:44 PM

http://www.nb.admin.ch/php/modules/mediamanager/sendobject.php?lang=en&image=M3wBKQDW/8ullqDu36WcnojN14in3qSbnpWVZmiclU6p1rJdsYfsi6rPnqCdno7B

Strangers On A Train
Alfred Hitchcock, 1951

Something I've noticed is that Hitchcock is like the perfect director for thrillers. All of this thrillers are unqiue and different from each other, and most of them turn out great. This is no exception, heck, I'd even put this in his top 5 best movies. The ending is simply amazing, and I really mean amazing. My only problem with this one is, even though it's still a great thriller, I didn't find much suspense in this one. Somehow it still worked for me, but I guess I should've said that differently. There was some suspense, just not as much as Hitchcock movie's usually have. I really love how in most of Hitchcock movie's he makes two complete strangers suddenly have such a huge effect on each of their lives.

Robert Walker just does really great in this, I mean you seriously could've believed that he was crazy. Farley Granger did a great job as well, just not as great as Robert Walker. Once again Hitchcock seems to impress me even more than before. I surely can't wait to finally finish off seeing all of his films, and that should be within the next few months, or even sooner.

4.5

B-card

04-09-09, 03:52 PM

The Fast and The Furious:Tokyo Drift(Justin Lin 2006)-Don't know why I watched this one just to prepare myself for the fourth part which has nothing in common with this one but it seems that even made as a stand alone part a lot of money and style was put in it and it turned out not that bad.Movie like that should be appreciated by the people who adore cars and racing and for this one-Drifting

http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2006_The_Fast_and_the_Furious:_Tokyo_Drift/2006_tokyo_drift_012.jpg

3

Saving Private Ryan(Steven Spielberg 1998)-I don't know what is this fascination of mine with War movies whether it's Enemy at the Gates or Black Hawk Down it has this vibe of quality,with Private Ryan it's reliving the Normandy assault whit such realism that only Steven Spielberg can give us(and maybe few other directors).I am so happy that the Call of Duty games use movie scenarios from those movies to present the gameplay as if you are there.Truly one of the greatest war movies

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/saving-private-ryan.jpg

5

MovieMan8877445

04-09-09, 07:05 PM

House Of Wax
André De Toth, 1953

Ugh, I think this has to be one of the worst movies I've ever seen. This was the first movie in awhile that I couldn't even finish. I don't know if it was meant to be bad or something, but it was just plain bad. I was one of the few who enjoyed the remake too, and I guess I can say that the remake for this is actually better than the original. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood to watch this, but all I know is that I didn't like it. I'm very glad I had Netflix and got to watch it for free, instead of paying for the DVD. I thought that this was supposed to be horror movie, but I didn't get a single trace of horror in this movie. Maybe sometime in the future I can try watching it again, but I doubt it would be anytime in the near future.

N/A

Lennon

04-09-09, 07:13 PM

MM, did you see Seven Pounds and Marley and Me on Netflix too? Because I'm on my computer and can't get those on Instant View.

MovieMan8877445

04-09-09, 07:15 PM

MM, did you see Seven Pounds and Marley and Me on Netflix too? Because I'm on my computer and can't get those on Instant View.

I actually got those two, along with QoS, in the mail. I didn't watch them online. Now I'm just waiting for my next set of DVD's to come in.

Swan

04-09-09, 08:34 PM

Powdered Water

04-09-09, 09:33 PM

Knowing (Alex Proyas - 2009) 2.5

Meh, pretty mediocre. I liked parts of it fine. Overall though it was incredibly average. I'm not a Cage hater but I will admit he seemed pretty out of place in this role. Its weird, at times this flick felt sort of like an M Night flick. It had a lot of the same atmosphere that several of his flicks have had. Oh well, can't win em' all.

Duplicity (Tony Gilroy - 2009) 3.5

Really enjoyed the majority of the flick. I'm not sure what it is about Julia Roberts but I sure do like her a whole lot. :yup: The movie jumped around a lot and it lost me a little but it made up for it at the end. Nice little twist, I liked it.

Far North (Asif Kapadia - 2007) 3

http://watch-movies.ro/imagini/farnotrh.jpg

Well this was interesting. I had no real idea what the movie was about and when it started up I saw Michelle Yeoh's name roll by and since I have a bit of a thing for her as well I said to myself, "Self", this may be worth a watch. And it was.

Basically a woman and a girl who appears to be her daughter are living way up in the middle of nowhere up "Far North" (get it?), and they try to avoid contact with anyone and everyone if they can. A few flashbacks reveal the reasons why this is and its not really explained how she ended up there in the first place, she just is I guess. Tramp should be happy to hear that her favorite Sean Bean is not only in this movie but for a fleeting second you get to see his junk! So run right out and get this if you haven't already Trampster...

Anyway, the end of the movie suddenly turns down the horror road and I didn't see it coming. I thought it was a pretty terrific way to end it. If you like closure and neat tidy packages then this flick will infuriate you. But if not then do check it out won't you?

Iroquois

04-10-09, 02:34 AM

http://openmagazine.rice.edu/secretary.jpg

Secretary (Shainberg, 2002) - 2.5

Secretary is not really a film I would've sought out if it hadn't been so fervently recommended to me, but yeah, I still decided to check it out. Technically, it's a decent film but I don't know, I guess I just put it down to the fact that I just couldn't quite get into the story. The voice-over narration seemed largely unnecessary, and I couldn't really find much reason to sympathise with Maggie Gyllenhaal's character (or even anyone else in the film). I also wonder if the fact that the film's plot took some rather unpredictable turns is a good thing or not, because just because it was unpredictable didn't make it much more interesting for me.

Also, not to mention the fact that it had something approaching a "happy" ending. Call me weird, but I didn't really want this movie to have a happy ending. It really didn't seem like the sort to have one.

http://www.filmcatcher.com/uploads/img/product/425220American-Splendor-Posters.jpg

American Splendor (Berman/Pulcini, 2003) - 4

Now this was a rather interesting film. Based on the life of file clerk turned underground comic writer Harvey Pekar, it's an imaginative blurring of reality and fiction, filled with some ingenious comic-book stylings and animation, brilliant performances that really capture the people they're based on (who also appear in the film, so you can really tell how good the actors are), and quite simply it's an ingenious piece of work.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd72/tucktucks/l_834784abc7fa79df70777ac9fd864762.jpg

Funny Games (Haneke, 1997) - 2.5

I put off watching Funny Games for ages because I was a little apprehensive about watching such an allegedly disturbing film. Funnily enough, I never actually felt particularly disturbed by it (I felt the same way when I saw The Fly last month - also, a movie with a reputation for being extremely disturbing, but which didn't make me feel anything). I reckon that's weird how I watch a movie expecting to be tangibly upset by the content, yet when I watch it, it's nowhere near as bad as I expect and for some reason I feel disappointed by the lack of an impact it has on me. Weird. Anyway, back to the film - yeah, as the rating suggests, I was vaguely unimpressed by it. Of course, I have to give it some credit for keeping me at least somewhat engaged for most of the film, but yeah, to invite yet another comparison to The Fly, I already knew what was going to happen the whole way through the film and so there weren't really any surprises to be had. Quite simply, I didn't really care for it.

MovieMan8877445

04-10-09, 02:41 AM

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2347/2425029847_942a57b1b3.jpg?v=0

You Can't Take It With You
Frank Capra, 1938

I basically had no idea what this even was until this afternoon, but since it stars James Stewart and is directed by Frank Capra, I decided to add it to my instant queue. I'm really glad I did, because it turned out to be a really good movie. I think the whole movie is basically just a message. I'm not really sure how to explain it per say, but it basically shows being rich isn't everything. I'm sure everyone's seen this message used in movies before, but it seemed to work much better in this than the other places I've seen it before. The story is very well written, but that's not a surprise because it's from a play. We all know how well movies that are written from plays can turn out - 12 Angry Men.

I love watching James Stewart in movies, he's such a great actor, but I just started getting into him recently. You can tell that he was really young when he made this movie, but it really shows. I'm so glad that I decided to watch this, because this was a huge surprise to me. I really think that this deserves a full perfect score, but for some reason, I just didn't seem to connect with it per say. I'm not even really sure that's it, but I really don't feel much of anything after watching it. Maybe with re-watches this'll improve, but I guess for now I'll just stick with the rating that I gave it.

4

Harry Lime

04-10-09, 02:43 AM

Right on. I'm glad you liked American Splendor, Iro. It's a little seen gem of a film that really impressed me the first time I saw it.

Iroquois

04-10-09, 04:09 AM

http://vjmorton.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/persona-2shot.jpg

Persona (Bergman, 1966) - 4

Wow. My only real complaint is that it gets confusing towards the end, but eh, I should've guessed this would not be an easy film to understand in the space of a single viewing.

Harry Lime

04-10-09, 05:01 AM

It is a bit of a challenge huh? I've seen it a few times and I'm still not too sure. It's similar to Mulholland Drive, which also focuses on two females, deals with issues of identity, is very psychological and has an ambiguous ending. I like films like that though, they really get you thinking. If more Bergman is something you might be interested in, (I see you've already watched The Seventh Seal) but others I like alot are Wild Strawberries, Fanny and Alexander, and Cries and Whispers.

Iroquois

04-10-09, 05:13 AM

Yeah, after watching Persona I was contemplating finding more Bergman - the real question is whether I can make time for it (seeing as today's a public holiday I could).

spacefish_uk

04-10-09, 07:01 AM

Stand By Me
5
Not really much i can say about this movie that hasn't been said before.
It's an amazing insight into the life of four kids who go on an adventure to view a dead body.
From the off set the film drags you in with the fine directing, powerful acting and simple yet really effective story line (thanks to Stephen King as the film was based on his book) and doesn't let you leave until those credits role.
You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll find yourself wanting to play it again as soon as it's over. Wonderful film, just brilliant!!!!!

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00003CXIP.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://kinsman.epix.net/patricia/images/gcvt2.jpg

Mrs. Darcy

04-10-09, 10:48 AM

Teenagers From Outer Space 1959 2

A old 'B' movie that was innocuous, and forgettable. We had picked up some old movies on VHS a million years ago, and decided to watch it again. Some aliens land here in America with the purpose of raising gorgons for their food supply, since our planet has what they need to grow enormous. The gorgons were just lobsters, but no one in the film admitted that. They were always called the monsters or some such. And one did grow as big as a building and terrorized people. One of the aliens, a teen, fell for a local girl and decides to help rid our planet of the horror. Ah, true love.

Warning: The picture below may be too graphic for some younger viewers. :)

http://exclamationmark.files.wordpress.com/2006/09/teenagers-from-outer-space.jpg

The Woman in the Window 1944 3

This was a fast little film-noir that had Edward G. Robinson in it as a professor left to his own devices when his wife and kids go to visit family. He sees a portrait of a pretty lady in the shop next to the men's club he frequents and he and his cronies have a few laughs over their fantasy gal.

http://alsolikelife.com/shooting/images/wiw/wiw14.jpg

As the professor leaves the club, he runs into the woman in the portrait. they have a few drinks, and suddenly, a man bursts into her home and a struggle between the professor and he ensues. The professor kills the man in self defense, but instead of calling the police, he and the woman decide to dispose of the problem themselves.

After the body is dumped, professor and the woman live their lives until his friend at the club, a police inspector, tells the story of finding a man's body. Then things get interesting!

The rest of the story is tense moments as they uncover clues and evidence which point to the professor, but he manages to keep them off his trail, or does he? It sounds routine, but it was entertaining. The ending is a surprise, yet the idea was something that crossed my mind briefly when he first sees the woman's reflection in the window behind him and they speak to one another.

http://www.filmforum.org/films/nycnoir/WomaninWindow1.jpg

spudracer

04-10-09, 11:47 AM

The Day The Earth Stood Still (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showpost.php?p=517942&postcount=26) (2008) - 3

Sleezy

04-10-09, 06:01 PM

Sneakers (Robinson, 1992) 4

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/iusreview/sneakers.jpg

Highly enjoyable espionage flick with some great chemistry between Robert Redford and his cohort of tech and security spooks. The "world domination" plot is a little hokey, and the action stutters a bit at the end; but even for 1992, the technical swagger and creative problem-solving that these guys employ throughout the film, even under the threat of swift death at the hands of very scary people, makes for a supremely enjoyable romp.

The Last Starfighter (Castle, 1984) 3

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/iusreview/laststarfighter.jpg

For 1980s schlock sci-fi, this one holds up fairly well. It's interesting to me that, as the art direction appears more and more iconic of the 1980s (and not so much identifiable of them), the film seems to become more timeless in the process. The video game hokiness is certainly part of the enduring fun (though perhaps not as much of a selfish indulgence as The Wizard (1989), but the behavior of "Beta Alex" back home is by far the most rewarding fun of the whole film for those of us now old enough to appreciate smartly written, cloak-and-dagger comedy.

Avixion

04-11-09, 12:18 AM

http://i42.tinypic.com/fxwltt.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/2yyd120.jpg

TheDOMINATOR

04-11-09, 12:41 AM

Diary of the Dead - 2.5

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/7381/largediary.jpg

I was really, really trying to take the movie seriously, but some parts involving the zombies and the characters' reactions to them were just too silly-looking. That being said, though, the film contained some genuine scares, but mostly, I found it too "hokey" and the plot really seemed to drag. A disappointment; the trailers made Diary of the Dead seem as though it had the potential to be something truly great, but it didn't achieve its trailers' glory by a longshot.

The Mothman Prophecies - 4+

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4537/mothmanq.jpg

An excellent supernatural thriller that I've seen time and time again. As a few of you guys know, I'm getting closer and closer to posting my Top 100 Favorite Films list, and I wanted to give this film one more rewatch before I did so. And yep; glad I did, because it's moving up a notch or two from where I had it previously. :cool: Indrid Cold--the "Mothman"--is an insanely cool character (if you can call it/him that) and strikes great intrigue in me. The true story boggles my mind nearly as much as the film.

The Prince & Me - 3-

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2519/421570theprincemeposter.jpg

A romantic comedy with some heartwarming moments and a few good laughs, but a considerably unbelievable story toward the film's end. It makes you feel good, but you're left saying to yourself "That really wouldn't have happened." In other words, I would have liked a bit more realism, but for what it was, The Prince & Me was a decent movie that I liked perhaps a bit more than I thought I would.

Cruel World - 2.5+

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/4476/54049l.jpg

Another off-the-beaten-path movie bought and watched by me, but I only payed $7 for this one--on Blu-ray (there was a good Blu-ray sale earlier in the week online I found). The story was pretty decent: a group of college students get chosen to star in a reality TV program, which, little do they know, is a murderous trap. But otherwise, the film was riddled with mediocrity. So-so acting with a very so-so script. Just unmemorable all-around.

When a Stranger Calls (1979) - 3.5

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/1568/b00005nrn701lzzzzzzz.jpg

A suspenseful thriller with a main character that's easily likable and an antagonist that's truly awe-inspiring, but with a plot that just seemingly drags on in places with little or no direction. Despite those few slow points, though, When a Stranger Calls is an overall success of thrills and intrigue, and miles upon miles better than its horrid remake.

MovieMan8877445

04-11-09, 01:15 AM

http://chud.com/articles/content_images/5/observe1.jpg

Observe And Report
Jody Hill, 2009

I had originally planned on doing a full review for this, like I do for every movie I see in theaters, but after having to wait like 6 hours to get on here since seeing it, I sort of forgot a bunch of what I had wanted to say. I saw so hyped to see this from the trailer, I mean this seriously had like best comedy ever potential from the trailer, but sadly it didn't quite do that for me. It sure is going to make it up there for me, though. Every couple of years we get another true epic comedy, and I think this is the first true epic comedy we've gotten since Anchorman came out back in 2004. While I'm already talking about it being epic, it makes we want to bring attention my next thought of the movie. This movie, by far, has the most epic climax that I've ever seen. Even though it got pretty sick watching, mostly guys, but I'm not even sure girls would like this guy either.

This had like some amazingly well done action sequences to it, as well. I seriously didn't think that this was going to have so much action in it. The action in it is insanely awesome too, like Seth Rogen fighting like 15 cops alone with just a flashlight. How cool is that, well it may not sound as cool saying it, but when you actually see it done, it's really great. That's not the only great action scene in the movie, but that's the main one that really sticks out to me. There also seemed to be a bunch of shock moments in the movie, like the last moment in the epic climax before things start calming down. There was a lot of quick cuts in the movie, though, which I usually don't like it when movies do this. Somehow it seemed to work for me, but I that's just my opinion.

It's no secret that Seth Rogen is my favorite comedian, so there was no doubt that I'd at least like him some in this. He seemed to get pretty dedicated for this role, because his acting in the last 15 minutes of the movie really shined for him as an actor. I'd rank it with about his acting in Knocked Up, but I still hope he'll improve even more by the time Funny People come out. Michael Pena is beyond awesome in this, but that's how his character was supposed to be. I don't really like the direction that they ended up going with his character, though. His character had so much more potential than he got. Ray Liotta is such a dick in this, but he's supposed to for his character, so I guess he did an okay job.

I think that this is going to make it very high on my favorite comedies list, maybe even in my top 5 favorite comedies. My expectations for this weren't quite met as much as I had hoped, but I still freaking loved it. This is a definite must for any Rogen fans, and even for people aren't fans of him should try it out. This really isn't as much as a perverted comedy as some of Rogen's other movies, but it's more of a dark comedy. It's great to be seeing Rogen do something different. This is still easily the best movie of 2009 so far, but we still have awhile to go before 2009 ends.

4.5

spudracer

04-11-09, 01:30 AM

I had originally planned on doing a full review for this...

And this was...not a full review? :D

Mirrors (2008) - 2

MovieMan8877445

04-11-09, 01:33 AM

And this was...not a full review? :D

Well, I wasn't planning on it to be, but I guess it sort of turned out to be one. I guess I'll quote it and add it my review thread now.

Daffodil

04-11-09, 09:11 AM

Knowing (2009 - Alex Proyas).
http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww281/soft4all/DL4ALL/Knowing-2009.jpg

I liked it more than I expected. An actual decent action thriller starring none other than.. NICHOLAS CAGE! Le gasp! Let's just say it's something I would be a little willing to buy on DVD, and that means a lot.

7/10.

Sleezy

04-11-09, 03:32 PM

The Mothman Prophecies - 4+

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4537/mothmanq.jpg

An excellent supernatural thriller that I've seen time and time again. As a few of you guys know, I'm getting closer and closer to posting my Top 100 Favorite Films list, and I wanted to give this film one more rewatch before I did so. And yep; glad I did, because it's moving up a notch or two from where I had it previously. :cool: Indrid Cold--the "Mothman"--is an insanely cool character (if you can call it/him that) and strikes great intrigue in me. The true story boggles my mind nearly as much as the film.

If you haven't read John Keel's book, on which the film is based, I highly recommend that you do so. The true story is so much more bizarre and interesting, and if you're like me, you'll fly through it. I've read it several times, as well as some companion literature on the phenomena highlighted in the book. The MIB stuff is particularly alarming. :yup:

TheDOMINATOR

04-11-09, 03:49 PM

Very nice recommendation, Sleezy. I haven't read it, but I'll definitely look into it; this type of thing (supernatural/extraterrestrial phenomenons) interest me greatly. I hadn't even thought of looking into the book with as many times as I've seen the movie, but now that it's been pointed out to me, I'll try and remember to do so. :)

Sleezy

04-11-09, 04:57 PM

The Fifth Element (Besson, 1997) 4

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/iusreview/fifthelement.jpg

I don't know why I waited so long to see this. Fun story, great comedy, top-notch action. The weirdness was just at the right level, too... much more tolerable than something like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which was just all over the place. A consistent (and consistently fun) pseudo-reality cult comedy film, on par with the likes of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and The Goonies.

3:10 to Yuma (Mangold, 2007) 3_5

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/iusreview/yuma.jpg

I couldn't tell if this wanted to be a thinking man's Western or not, but it was enjoyable enough. The developing relationship between Crowe and Bale's respective characters is believable enough, but the film staggered in places, and I never quite bought the reality of the concept as indicative of the true West. Well-rendered film, though, and top marks for Ben Foster's intense portrayal of one of the better Western villains I've seen in a while.

Step Brothers (McKay, 2008) 2_5

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/iusreview/stepbrothers.jpg

Stupid comedy that mostly works, but often doesn't. I'm not really sure what to say here, except that I really hope John C. Reilly gets back into semi-serious roles soon. He's a fine actor, and I'd hate to see his alliance with Will Ferrell drag his career down into typecast territory. Watching these films, I often wonder how Ferrell will be remembered. He's certainly cranked out a hefty body of goofball comedies in recent years, and his prolific behavior doesn't seem to be slowing down. Who knows how many Anchormans and Old Schools we're in store for until he's through.

Powdered Water

04-11-09, 05:05 PM

You've been pumping out some really good flicks lately Mr. Sleezy. I absolutely love The 5th Element. I'm always happy to see another convert join the ranks of the multi-pass.

Sleezy

04-11-09, 05:10 PM

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/iusreview/multipass.jpg

Powdered Water

04-11-09, 05:13 PM

I don't know if you're like me, but man o sakes alive I laugh so hard every time I watch the scene when Corbin leaves his apartment and the robber with the hat is outside. That is an exceptional piece of comedy, I says.

Harry Lime

04-11-09, 05:16 PM

That scene gets me laughing too PW.

Yoda

04-11-09, 05:19 PM

"That's a nice hat."
"You like it?!"

Sleezy

04-11-09, 05:21 PM

Yeah, I like that one (and what is with the guy dancing right before the scene cuts?!), and I also love the scene where Leeloo is kicking the crap out of all the Mangalores in that room, and the solitary Mangalore guard outside looks confused as to the commotion. When two of his buddies come flying out the door, he hauls out of there. The expressions and editing are hysterical.

Powdered Water

04-11-09, 05:22 PM

I'm not sure how many folks are familiar with a show called Moonlighting, Willis was pretty terrific at times during that show and extremely funny as well. Its well worth a look sometime if you're into him.

Sleezy

04-11-09, 05:24 PM

Powdered Water

04-11-09, 05:28 PM

Yes he is. That is one of my favorites of all time. He has always been a pretty good comedic actor in my book.

"Ring Ding, Goat cheese pizza?"

spudracer

04-11-09, 11:02 PM

Yes Man (2008) - 3

MovieMan8877445

04-12-09, 12:37 AM

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/12/12/movies/12doubt.xlarge1.jpg

Doubt
John Patrick Shanley, 2008

I had wanted to see this before it left theaters, but sadly I didn't get the chance to, so I decided to pick up the DVD. I'm quite glad that I decided to do so, because I feel that this is truely the most underrated movie, among the award movies at least. I'm sort of shocked that this didn't get nominated for 'Best Picture', I mean this is really worth it, but then again many movies got snubbed out of that catagory. The acting is the main thing that this movie has going for it, but that's not to say that the story is bad or anything. I was mainly just putting emphasis on how incredible the acting was when I said that. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was absolutely incredible in this, but I seem to find him great in most things he's in. Which really makes me remember that I haven't seen him in anything. If he didn't go up against Heath Ledger, I totally think he could've taken that catagory home.

Amy Adams really surprised me in this, because personally, she never really impressed me as an actress or anything. Meryl Streep was great as well, but I feel Hoffman and Adams really overshadowed her. I still think that this has to be one of the best of 2008, and I wish I could've seen it before it went out of theaters. Anyone that hasn't had a chance to check this one out yet should try and do so sometime soon.

4

Harry Lime

04-12-09, 02:18 AM

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Yes Man (2008) 2

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The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) 2.5

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Synecdoche, New York (2008) 4

zenderella

04-12-09, 04:06 AM

Superbad (2007)
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Arthur (1981)
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B-card

04-12-09, 07:33 AM

Even though I got some nasty Flue and my eyes hurt all day and with that my head too I managed to watch two movies:

The Green Mile(Frank Darbont 1999)-A lot is changed from the book I happen to read it a month ago and believe me the book is better not that the movie is bad but a lot is missed even though it's a three hour movie.Still can't say I didn't like it its my third viewing but through a long period of time.Just to tell you if you like the movie you will love the book

http://www.moviewallpapers.net/images/wallpapers/1999/the-green-mile/the-green-mile-1-800.jpg

4

2 Fast 2 Furious(John Singleton 2003)-I wanted to watch it so bad again because of the fourth part and to tell you this one is my least favorite the only reason you might wanna see this one is for the lovely Eva Mendes.The first part is more raw you are introduced to this racing culture while here it's more shiny and fictional.It's not bad to watch it if you have nothing to do but don't expect much of it

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2.5

Daffodil

04-12-09, 09:42 AM

Doomsday (Neil Marshall - 2008).
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I especially liked the TOO AWESOME FOR WORDS!!! Mad Max-inspired car chase scene. Rhona Mitra gave a nice performance, and was EXCEPTIONALLY BADASS. Pure, sloppy fun. 7/10.

mark f

04-12-09, 03:59 PM

An Early 1940s Hitch Film Fest:

Saboteur (Alfred Hitchcock, 1942) 3

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Hitch takes his man-on-the-run plot from The 39 Steps and adapts it to WWII America and basically develops the blueprint for his later North by Northwest. This time, Robert Cummings is the innocent accused of sabotage and murder, but he knows there's another man who did what he's accused of doing, so he goes cross country from Los Angeles to New York to try to find this man. Along the way, he's captured by the "bad guys" and the authorities and is forced to escape several times. He also hooks up with a young woman (Priscilla Lane) who initially despises him but then falls for him and does all she can to help him prove his innocenece. The film is a little creaky here and there but delivers the goods in many of the set-pieces including the opening fire, a scene at the ranch of the main villain (Otto Kruger), a getaway at a bridge, the explosion of an ocean liner, a scene in a movie theatre showing a comedy-thriller, and of course, the conclusion at the Statue of Liberty. Norman Lloyd, another one of the baddies, was born to play a vampire. Just look at his mouth hanging from the Statue.
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Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock, 1943) 3.5

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Hitchcock paints a beautiful picture of Americana in the town of Santa Rosa. Everybody seems happy and everything is in its right place. What's even more perfect is that young Charlie (Teresa Wright) has just learned that her favorite person in the world, her Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) is coming to visit the family. Young Charlie's world is wonderful when her uncle shows up, but soon it seems that Uncle Charlie is acting secretively and two detectives show up asking questions about him. Could Uncle Charlie really be the Merry Widow Murderer or is it that other suspect back east? Young Charlie's world is thrown into turmoil as she has to investigate for herself whether her uncle is still her favorite person or a vicious killer who needs to be turned in. I personally think that what Hitch does here is something similar to what David Lynch was trying to do in Blue Velvet; he shows the dark underbelly of the American Dream. Hitch is quite successful at probing the dichotomy cinematically while I believe that Lynch goes off the deep end using cartoonish grotesquerie. Sorry about that, but that's the way I see the two films. :cool:

Foreign Correspondent (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940) 3.5

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Hitchcock's second film nominated Best Picture of 1940 (the other is coming next) is a witty, exciting tale of an American reporter (Joel McCrea) "turned into" a foreign correspondent who travels to Europe to find out what's going on just before the outbreak of WWII. He finds there are plenty of sinister happenings, including "two versions of the same man" (Albert Bassermann), a humanitarian (Herbert Marshall) who turns out to be a fascist puppet, the latter's attractive daughter (Laraine Day) who wants nothing to do with the reporter, and a British reporter (George Sanders) also investigating the proceedings. Hitch doesn't stint on terrific set-pieces including the scene on the steps during the rain with dozens of open umbrellas, that suspicious windmill which seems to be turning in the wrong direction, and a super-duper plane crash into the ocean. It's Hitchcock at his most personally-fiendish.

Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940) 4

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/16/Rebecca_1940_film_poster.jpg

This is Hitch's only film to win a Best Picture Oscar, but no, he didn't win best director (he never did). This is a David O. Selznick production, and it seems more like a Selznick film than a Hitchcock one. It's got terrific storytelling, wonderful acting and a sumptuous production. Hitchcock does imbue the film with mystery and suspense, but it seems to be more of a professional job and less of a personal undertaking to get at the audience, which, after all, is basically why Hitchcock films are so appealing. Even if Hitch seems a little bit hamstrung by being a team player here, the plot is so ingenious and the characters so interesting that it's definitely a must-see and probably the best film Hitch made during the 1940s (and yes, I realize many feel that film should be Notorious, but feel free to keep that opinion if it's yours :)). I don't know if I want to spoil it too much, but basically wealthy widower Laurence Olivier meets and eventually marries a simple young woman (Joan Fontaine), and later he takes her to his enormous estate Manderley where the overwhelming presence of his dead wife Rebecca threatens to shatter their marriage. To make things even more frightful, Rebecca's devoted housekeeper (Judith Anderson) goes out of her way to tell the new wife that she can never compare in any way to Rebecca. The strength of the film is that things are never actually quite what they appear to be, almost right to the very end.