Movie Tab II

[Harry Lime]

Yojimbo 1961

Maybe I'm a bit backwards , but often times samurai movies capture my own sensibilities than westerns. An ingenious plot completly followed up on with twists performed by an older/wiser Mifune than the one we see in Seven Samurai.


It was so good that Leone borrowed it for A Fistful of Dollars.

[MovieMan8877445]

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Battle for the Planet of the Apes
J. Lee Thompson, 1973

The final installment in the Planet of the Apes series, and it pretty much matches up with the other sequels. This is probably my second favorite of all the sequels, after Conquest of the Planet of the Apes of course. The plot is still pretty rediculous, but it's done better in this than say Escape from the Planet of the Apes. The final battle sequence in this was pretty great, but very short. The entire series really lead up to this final battle, and I was left wanting more. The final climax in the series just didn't deliver like it had promised. I still wouldn't mind buying the entire series sometime, because even though I haven't exactly rated the sequels high, I've still enjoyed all of them.

3

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Get Carter
Mike Hodges, 1971

Let me first start off by saying that I wasn't exactly in the mood to watch this today, but I still watched it for some reason. It would probably show why I gave it such a low rating. It just didn't seem to interest me much, which is a pretty big surprise because this would seem like the kind of film that I would love. Once again, it all may be because I just wasn't in the mood today. Michael Caine was pretty great in this, though. Probably the youngest I've ever seen him. I don't really want to say much more until I give it a re-watch, though. I'm pretty much postive that my rating will improve greatly when I'm more in the mood to watch this kind of movie.

2.5

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Cabaret
Bob Fosse, 1972

This movie surprised me so much, because I thought that I wouldn't like it one bit. It looked so un-interesting to me, and the only reason I even watched it was because it is one AFI's Top 100. I was totally surprised when I ended up loving, though. This was probably the best movie that I watched all day. I do tend to like musicals, and this one certainly isn't an exception. The music is great to listen to and the dancing is pretty great as well. What makes it so great, though, is that it has an amazing story to back up the music. There actually wasn't even that musical numbers in this anyways, and it mainly relied on it's story. I did feel that the last 15 minutes could've been cut off the movie to make it even better than it was.

Liza Minnelli is incredibly hot in this, and I mean really hot. I could watch this movie over-and-over again just to look at her pretty face as much as I can. She's a pretty great actress and singer on top of that, so she's just great all around. She worked really great with Michael York, too, who was a pretty damn good actor as well. I'd definitely recommend trying to give this movie a try sometime if you haven't yet, because if you're like me, then you won't be disappointed by it.

4+

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Wall-E
Andrew Stanton, 2008

I forgot how great this movie actually was, but after seeing Up this past weekend, I want to try and re-visit all of Pixar's previous films. I decided to start with this one because my DVD of The Incredibles is all scratched up and skips a lot, which I've been meaning to re-buy for awhile now. I remember liking it a whole hell of a lot more with my previous viewings of it, though. This is still pretty amazing visually to look at, and this is probably Pixar's finest film yet visually. I feel the story is great, too, but doesn't compare to some of Pixar's other films. I loved all the references to past sci-fi movies, namely 2001: A Space Odyssey. The score played during some of the movie, and the entire ship's computer sub-plot is an obvious homage to 2001. Making the people blurry during the hyper-jump is also an obvious homage back to Star Trek.

Watching this again tonight really just made me relize how great Pixar movies really are, and it also is a conformation that I like Up more. It's still a pretty great movie, and I still remember how much it surprised me when I first saw it. After Cars and Ratatouille, I was beginning to think that Pixar was losing it, but this really showed me that they haven't lost it just quite yet. I do really need to go back and give Ratatouille another try, though, because I've only seen it once before, and that was the first day it came out in theaters.

4

[Sleezy]

Nice review Sleezy.

Have you seen Lessons of Darkness?

Nope. Should I?

[Tacitus]

W (2008, Oliver Stone)

2.5/5

Disappointingly average.

I guess that Stone decided not to be overtly personally opinionated about Bush in order to let the man's actions, or various writers' views on his actions, speak for themselves. As such it falls between two stools - It seems to leave out too much to be a straight biopic and isn't as bile-fuelled as, no doubt, a lot of people want to see in order to cleanse themselves of a man that they voted into office. Twice.

That said, Brolin brings a basic likeability to Dubya the bloke that I think got him over many hurdles with the American public.

Likeability is a rare political skill (and I think of it as a skill, not a gift) thesedays - Blair had it while his successor Gordon Brown, while trying to implement the same basic policy, does not. Economic crisis or not Gordon, while a decent man in my opinion, will never win an election and was lucky to come in mid-term.

Anyway, I think Stone dropped the ball here. It's not a bad film and zips along at a fair pace when compared to some of his more turgid work but it could have been a lot more provocational. Pull yer finger out Oliver! :D

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/josh-brolin-as-george-bush-in-w.jpg

Would you trust this man to sell you a slightly used right-wing agenda?

[birdygyrl]

Walkabout (1971 Nicolas Roeg) A

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On the Town (1949 Stanley Donen) A

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Sexy Beast (2001 Jonathan Glazer) A

Ben Kingsley was 52 shades of crazy.

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And what's with the crazy rabbit guy...reminded me of Frank.

http://peet.files.wordpress.com/2006/10/sexybeast.jpg

[Used Future]

http://sirjorge.com/blogx/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/rikiohposter.jpg http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/images/storyofricky09.jpg

Riki-oh: The Story Of Ricky (Ngai Kai Lam 1991) 2.5 Trash rating 4
This martial arts-gore hybrid adapted from Tetsuya Saruwatari's manga ''Riki-oh'' is one of the craziest movies I've ever seen. By crazy I mean Kerrr-Ray-Zeeee...no Kidding...The Story of Riki makes Ryu Kitamura's Versus look like a Sunday school play performed by swatty bedwetting ten year olds.

Hong Kong actor Sui-Wong Fang is the superhuman Riki-Oh of the title. A hard-as-nails do gooder dumped in a futuristic prison inhabited by the kind of inmates who'd give Vinnie Jones nightmares. Unsurprisingly the place is corrupt and the warden's a complete bastard who (very surprisingly) likes to show off his porn collection (which takes pride of place behind his desk - I'm not kidding). So far so what right? Well yeah, but wait for it...you see Riki's quite literally so hard that when he hits people he reduces them to raspberry puree. Cue a gleefully yucky succession of ultra-gory fights and madcap black humor all offset by one of the funniest (and by that I mean ineptly terrible) dubbing tracks of all time. Oh and the scene in which the warden's overweight son (who looks like he's been taking lessons from Casper Jnr in Miller's Crossing) trips and falls whilst entering the prison is comedy gold. La la-la-la ooh. Essential viewing for trash fans.

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Street Law (Enzo G. Castellari 1974) 2.5 Trash rating 3
In crime ridden Genoa, mild mannered engineer Carlo (Franco Nero in wimp mode) gets kidnapped during a post office robbery by unsavory types who slap him about and leave his semi-conscious body in docklands. Has Carlo's family been raped and murdered? No. Has his girlfriend (Barbara Bach) been molested, attacked or mugged? No. Yet Carlo suddenly goes all Charles Bronson on us swearing revenge against the vile hoodlums who attacked him - and would clearly have him for breakfast if this film was zero point five percent more realistic.

Street Law is jaw droppingly dumb right from the get go beginning with the kind of disorganised heist that'd have Neil McCauly from Heat spinning in his grave. Credibility is stretched to breaking point and things just spiral out of control as Carlo (who's so wet you can almost hear him squelch with every step) tries to infiltrate the underworld to track the robbers down. But for what? Soon after he blackmails and subsequently befriends!!!??? Tommy (Giancarlo Prete who looks like Cameron Vale from Scanners) a sympathetic thief with all the intelligence of a lobotomized flea. Together they concoct a surprisingly clever scheme to spur a reluctant police department into action, and lure the villains into the open...

http://www.grindhousedatabase.com/images/Streetlaw9.jpg

Despite my somewhat cynical comments I found Street Law rather fun. Castellari's (who cut his teeth on Spaghetti westerns and made around fifteen films with Nero) direction is pretty standard for this type of fare. It's all slow motion violence (his trademark) and second rate car chases; complimented by some nice location work (particularly the shipping yard), an amusingly meek performance from Nero, and a knockout psychedelic-funk soundtrack from italo legends Guido and Maurizio De Angelis. Naturally it's dubbed, the incoherent story is ludicrous, and the violence layed on with a trowel. But seen as I kinda' knew these things going into Street Law, the overall experience was a satisfying one.

[B-card]

Brother Bear(2003)-The things you watch to impress a girl and believe me it's not worth it at all even though when she is sitting next to me and doesn't understand what I am writing at this exact moment(her English is very bad) but its not about the girl it's about the movie and Disney doesn't work for me anymore with all that singing and shallow plots at least they put always some stupid characters(the two goats screaming at the echo-that was good and the moose's ) to keep the movie going plus I fell asleep through the last 20 minutes.It seems that cartoons don't work for me anymore :( 2

http://www.freewebs.com/thedisneyclassics/bears-9.jpg

[Powdered Water]

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (Nicholas Meyer - 1982) 4

Star Trek 3: The Search For Spock (Lenard Nimoy - 1984) 3.5

Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (Lenard Nimoy - 1986) 4.5

I guess I can understand when people can say these flicks are dated and what not. They are 27, 25 and 23 years old now,respectively. I don't care though. These movies are good, so was the show for that matter. I like most of the spinoffs too for what its worth. I guess I would qualify as a 'Trekkie'. ;) I think the stories in these earlier flicks are pretty great. Especially the first 5 or 6 flicks. I agree, that the even numbered ones are better than the odd numbered installments but they are all still very watchable. And I still get a kick out of all of them. As I mentioned in the new Star Trek thread, to me, what sets these flicks apart from the newest one is the villians.

Apparently, I'm only allowed to bad mouth the flick if I absolutely hated it though or something. At least that's the feeling I've been getting when ever I make a comment and someone else around the board expresses shock and awe as to how I couldn't love what was truly a pretty mediocre flick. Maybe I'm just getting old and can't let go of how attached I am to the original crew. Or maybe the gimmick used in the new Star Trek used to "reset" the entire series is really nothing more than a gimmick and I'm right in thinking that if it didn't say 'Star Trek' on the title they wouldn't have gotten half the business that they got. Anyway... give these flicks their due and also give them a watch whille you're at it. I contend that the Star Trek universe didn't need to be completely reset, but maybe that's just me.

The 40 Year Old Virgin (Judd Apatow- 2005) 4

Man, I really love MoFo and the people here. And I am so glad that there are plenty of folks here who don't mind pointing out the fact that I am really missing out on some quality flicks when I talk about skipping a movie like this. This flick was funny as all get out and I'm an idiot for waiting so long to see it. I'm done skipping flicks I think. I'm just going to watch it and love or hate it or whatever... The musical interlude at the end of this flick was a definite high light for me. :laugh: Steve Carrel is rapidly becoming a guy that I am going to watch in anything he is in.

Tank Girl (Rachel Talalay - 1995) 4.5

One of my favorite movies and likely always will be. It is so much fun and I think the writing is terrific. It reminds me of a lot of the writing from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which is a really good thing. I can certainly understand anyone who can't get into it or just thinks its corny or cheesy but these are the kind of flicks I enjoy the most. Probably part of the reason I enjoyed this next one so much...

Wristcutters: A Love Story (Goran Dukic - 2006) 4

What happens when a person commits suicide? As a much younger teen I wondered that at times myself. I basically came to the conclusion that nothing happens. Maybe though, just maybe you don't die at all but you are reborn in the exact same town with everyone else who has ever commited suicide and you just continue to live your life, only here no one smiles and everyone is even more miserable. Plus, "its hot as balls". Such a great line. This is a very good flick and I really enjoyed it. Tom Waits was also in this for an extended time and that is always a good thing. As a matter of fact my ratings invariably tend to rise everytime he's in something. I love that dude. He agrees with me on many, many levels. It's funny, the wife heard him talking and she said he sounds like someone from another flick we watched awhile ago who's name escapes me right now, to which I quickly pointed out, nope. That's just someone else doing Waits. He has been talking and singing that way for as long as I've been alive and even before that. They broke the mold with Waits.

The Hangover (Todd Phillips - 2009) 3

I'm giving this a pretty fair rating because of how funny I found most of the characters to be. The story in the flick itself was basically nonexistent but the guys in the flick were pretty damn funny all around.

[Harry Lime]

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Touchez pas au Grisbi (1954, Jacques Becker)3

An aging gangster played by Jean Gabin and his partner in crime for over 20 years plan on retiring now that they've pulled off a huge score in this stylish film of vice and crime. He's been getting soft as the years have progressed and the inevitable occurs as a gangster of the younger generation makes a move. Slow and patient in its approach right up until its fateful conclusion.

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Fires on the Plain (1959, Kon Ichikawa) 5

On the Philippine island of Leyte it's a desperate time of survival for the Japanese soldiers all but abandoned near the closing of World War II. PFC Tamura travels throughout the island after being turned away from the hospital despite his tuberculosis, meeting various soldiers and citizens of the island. Humanity and fight to hold on to it has a major part to play in this battle against the elements, the self, the body, and his fellow man whether it be the enemy or the soldiers on his side. Excellent performances and images that impress themselves upon your mind add to a film with such important themes that it should not be missed.

Holden, you were certainly right when you called this film a masterpiece.

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A Generation (1955, Andrzej Wajda) 3

The first film of Andrzej Wajda's War Trilogy can't compare to Kanal 4 or Ashes and Diamonds 4.5 but is still a decent film about resistance and the price one must sometimes have to pay in order to challenge those who oppress. Stach is a young Polish teenager living with his mom who only wants her son to get a good job and earn a living. Although partly due to his youthful ideals, and partly due to a beautiful outspoken girl, he joins up with the Union of Fighting Youth and forms his own cell to wage war on the Nazi regime.

Side note: A very young Roman Polanski can be seen as one of the "Fighting Youth".

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We Own the Night (2007, James Gray) 2

Subpar acting from those you would normally expect a little more, and an unconvincing story that tries hard to look as cool as some of the similarly themed films to come before this one are a few reasons why this film was not worth my time. A nightclub manager has to decide whether to ignore his father and brother's (who are police officers) request for information when they inform him of a certain amount of attention on his club due to a major drug dealer operating out of it. Full of annoying characters and some really lame and poorly timed slow motion, I don't want to get into it.

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Au Hasard Balthazar (1966, Robert Bresson) 4

Balthazar is an ass, a donkey that is, and we follow him through his life moving from one owner to another, some compassionate and some cruel. Balthazar experiences all what the humans around him experience, that is except for the fact that we humans can understand what is happening to us, Balthazar just lives without that knowledge. I was reminded of Nietzsche's The Ass Festival from the last part of Thus Spoke Zarathustra while watching this, as the humans that surround Balthazar are so extremely flawed, unable to control certain actions of theirs, and Balthazar is there the whole time with that same look on his face. Bresson was known to erase all ideals of performance when dealing with his actors and Balthazar is no different.

[MovieMan8877445]

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Dog Day Afternoon
Sidney Lumet, 1975

This has always been one of those movies that looked pretty interesting to me, but never was really in a mood to watch. I decided to just go ahead and watch this earlier today, and I'm pretty happy that I did. I ended up really liking it. It started off slower than I was expecting it to, but after the first 15 minutes or so, the movie really picked up. It's pretty surprising to, because most of the entire movie takes place in this one bank, except for the ending. By the end of the movie, though, you're left feeling sorry for the bank robbers. It was great seeing Al Pacino and John Cazale back together for a team.

As those you who've seen The Godfather, you'll know that John Cazale plays Pacino's brother, Fredo, in that. He was very quite throughout the entire movie, though, and never reall said a whole lot. Al Pacino is in every second of the movie, and his acting really shines throughout. He's the character that does all the talking. I don't know, there was more stuff that I wanted to say earlier about this, but I really can't remember any of it anymore. I suppose I'll just leave off with saying that you should see this movie if you haven't yet.

4

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The Poseidon Adventure
Ronald Neame, 1972

I never really even meant to watch this, I accidently clicked this while trying to click something else in my Netflix instant queue. I would've watched it eventually, though, so I just continued watching it. It turned out to be good, but nothing really more, which is what I had expected. This is a good action/thriller, but I think it just takes to long for the ship to actually flip over. I've seen the remake before and it had some similarties, but it was pretty different overall. The entire cast seemed to work well together, but I guess out of the cast, Gene Hackman was the best. I don't know, but I don't really feel that there's much more to say this one this one.

3+

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Peeping Tom
Michael Powell, 1960

I constantly hear how similar this is to Psycho, which always had me excited to finally see it, with Psycho in my top 5 after all. I must say that I was somewhat disappointed, even though I did really like it for the most part. I can see why this didn't get as big as Psycho now, even though they both did come out in the same year, actually this one beats it by a couple of months. My main problem with this one is that there's like no suspence in it what-so-ever. It has an overall creepy kind of feel, but none of the scene really ever sent shivers down my spine, like Psycho for example.

Another big problem that I seemed to have this one was the leading role they chose, Carl Boehm. He didn't seem psychcotic at all, but instead he came off as just more unsocial and weird. I would've liked it better if they hadn't shown why he was like that, too, but instead they showed that he was like that because of his troubled childhood. Of course this is just another advantage that Psycho had over it. Despite me not sounded incredibly postive with this, like I said before, I still thought that it was really good. I'd say that people wanting to see it should still give it a try sometime.

3.5+

[Harry Lime]

I don't know, there was more stuff that I wanted to say earlier about this, but I really can't remember any of it anymore.

Attica?

[Swan]

ATTICA!!!!!!

http://www.celluloidheroreviews.com/images/dog_day_afternoon.jpg

[MovieMan8877445]

So that's what he was saying, I couldn't tell.

[Iroquois]

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Ghosts… of the Civil Dead (John Hillcoat, 1988) – 3

From the director of The Proposition comes this nasty little flick based in a state-of-the-art prison located in the Australian desert. The film starts with all the prisoners enjoying a certain degree of comfort, but a series of incidents within the prison lead to the unseen administrators tightening their stranglehold on the prisoners and their guards. The audience can do nothing but watch the characters boil over and eventually explode…

As I stated already, Ghosts… is a nasty film. It’s got an R18+ for “graphic depictions of prison life” – and they are certainly graphic. The violence is disturbingly realistic (right down to the blood being a very convincing shade of reddish-brown) and the language exchanged by inmate and guard alike is foul enough to peel paint off the walls. There are virtually no sympathetic characters at all. The film jumps from character to character all over the prison, making it hard to maintain any sort of connection to the various characters. You just strap in and watch the way life goes on and how it all devolves into a horrifying truth that isn’t so much a plot twist as a sad but true revelation about just how horrible the prison system is, especially when it comes to influencing the outside world. I don’t know if I can recommend it or if most of the people on here can see it, but it can be confronting and chaotic. But then again, so is life.

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The Neverending Story (Wolfgang Petersen, 1984) – 3

After the filmic equivalent of diving into a sewer that Ghosts… was, I decided that something nice was in order. Enter The Neverending Story, a prime slice of 80s fantasy that revolves around a lonely kid and the magical storybook with which he gradually becomes entwined in a strange and mysterious way. It was a decent enough film, seemed a little too cheesy and over-the-top at times (Bastian talking out loud as he read the book seemed like a bit too contrived for my liking) but I had to admit, I loved the feel of it. I liked the stuff like the impressive puppetry and the special effects that are firmly rooted in that imperfect but loveable ‘80s look (if anything, the noticeable use of blue-screen and miniatures just added to the charm of the film). I still found it rather touching as well – I was especially surprised at how bad I felt when…

Atreyu’s horse Artax sank into the Swamps of Sadness
http://www.popculturebuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/happiness_dvd_cover.jpg

Happiness (Todd Solondz, 1998) – 3.5

Seeing as I’d recommended this to Rice for the Movie Trade-off Game, I decided to revisit it. It’s still as awkward and blackly comic as it ever was, although I think I’ll have to knock my rating down from my original 4 – maybe it’s because unlike the last time there was nobody to share the squirm-inducing humour with? I suppose. I still like it, but I get the feeling I probably won’t like it as much a third time around.

[Godoggo]

From the director of The Proposition comes this nasty little flick based in a state-of-the-art prison located in the Australian
desert

I really want to see this. Too bad Netflix doesn't carry it, so it looks like I'll just have to buy it in one of those rare times in my life when I'm not broke.

[Sedai]

Friday the 13th (Nispel, 2009) 3*

* Graded on a curve for bad horror films...

http://www.fullhalloween.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/friday-the-13th-photo1.jpg

Clearly the most technically accomplished of the franchise, this film wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. I mean, it's a Jason flick, so it sucks, but I happen to like the big 'ol camper, so I had to watch this. As usual, the acting and screenplay are laughable, but that isn't why we watch this garbage. Once you get past these obvious problems, which isn't easy, the film is actually pretty suspenseful, and is shot really well. It is actually directed somewhat skillfully as well, you know, except for all the parts with talking. ;)

Worth a watch for fans of schlock horror, otherwise, skip it.

[meatwadsprite]

It seems that cartoons don't work for me anymore :(

http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/ghibli/studioghibli.gif

http://www.jimhillmedia.com/mb/images/upload/Pixar-Logo-web2.jpg

?

[honeykid]

http://sirjorge.com/blogx/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/rikiohposter.jpg http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/images/storyofricky09.jpg

Riki-oh: The Story Of Ricky [FONT=Verdana]



Is that R2 UF? It's one of those classic/crappy cult movies that everyone who's seen it, raves about, much like For Ur Height Only.

[re93animator]

The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974)
http://i42.tinypic.com/sauvrk.jpg (http://i42.tinypic.com/sauvrk.jpg)
... great movie. I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did, and the flick is just as entertaining (though not nearly as intelligent) as the novel. I hope to catch the remake later in the week and compare the two a couple weeks down the road.
3_5

[Mrs. Darcy]

The Wild Bunch (Peckinpah, 1969) 2.5

I'm a little steamed that I watched this whole movie and it's not even on the top 100 westerns list? I don't get any credit for watching it? I'm not a western fan as evidenced by my movie lists, and this wasn't a movie I enjoyed. I had at least hoped to cross it off a list.

It wasn't the violence. I knew in advance that it would be violent, so I guess my beef is that it just didn't interest me. I never cared about the characters, or their motivation for what they were doing. I saw a bunch of men, a little too long in the tooth, trying to pull off one last job before they have to give up the life they knew for so long.

http://blogs.amctv.com/future-of-classic/wild-bunch-560.jpg

[Swan]

It is on the list Mrs. Darcy, fourth from the bottom.

[Mrs. Darcy]

Revolutionary Road (Sam Mendes, 2008) 3.5

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Richard Yates' 1961 novel is turned into a well-crafted, well-acted commentary about married people living out their lives basically apart. The young couple, Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his wife April (Kate Winslet) have been married for 10 years and have two children. Frank has a job working in an office building, but he doesn't feel fulfilled with his career. After April fails miserably at the center of a local play, she and Frank decide they should go for personal and married happiness and move to Paris, no matter how implausible the idea seems.

Revolutionary Road seems like it's some revisionist look back at the 1950s, but since the source material is almost 50 years old, this is not the case. Personally, I related to the themes of the movie, which I took to be (1) Very few people get a chance to do what they want in this life, at least to the point where they can support themselves and their family while doing it; (2) Marriages are often on autopilot, and the two parties often seem to be leading two completely separate lives where it's difficult to communicate openly with each other based on the fact that their concepts of emotional intimacy are different. Now, Brenda and I've been married a wonderful 21 years, and I believe that we have a strong marriage, but both of those topics have affected us at times. What separates this film from other similarly-themed films of recent years is that the dialogue is much stronger and more believable between the couple. True, I told my daughter Sarah that all you really need to do is watch five minutes of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and you'll get the gist of this film, but then you get the Greek Chorus of Michael Shannon, playing a truly unique character, who also offers up some sharp dialogue about the Wheelers' lives and dreams, how "crazy" they may be, and how they relate to the "Real World".

I watched this this week, too, Mark. Everyone I knew told me to skip it, that it was depressing and scary, and as I watched it, it occurred to me that it was probably scary and sad to some people because it holds a mirror up to married life. Every marriage I know of has times where the couple feels as if they were living individual lives or treading water and not moving forward in their relationship, and this movie takes a look at what can happen if communication and understanding don't take place.

[mark f]

Thank you for that, Mrs. D. I liked it but I also like The Wild Bunch, even though that one took me longer to love. I do want to say though that I think that many people just don't believe in reality. Anyway, how about we see where this takes us? Mrs. D and Slug!!!!!!!: Please try to watch The Ballad of Cable Hogue or My Father's Glory... the latter would be a perfect Slug Father's Day!!!

[Harry Lime]

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Play Time (1967, Jacques Tati) 4

Mr. Hulot travels to a Paris gone mad with modernization and while visuals play a major part in this film with Tati filling each frame, sound no less plays an equally important role despite the lack of dialogue. Very original.

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Mr. Arkadin (1955, Orson Welles) 2.5

A good idea that never seems to connect, not even close actually. And Robert Arden playing the main character is so bad every time he's on screen I was irritated. Despite an abundance of style and craft the film can't be saved with its odd approach in contrast to the subject matter and so many over-the-top characters I wondered if Welles was trying to be sarcastic.

[mark f]

The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974)
http://i42.tinypic.com/sauvrk.jpg (http://i42.tinypic.com/sauvrk.jpg)
... great movie. I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did, and the flick is just as entertaining (though not nearly as intelligent) as the novel. I hope to catch the remake later in the week and compare the two a couple weeks down the road.
3_5


Is there any way that the ending of the novel was as awesome as the ending of the first flicki?

[re93animator]

Is there any way that the ending of the novel was as awesome as the ending of the first flicki?

The ending of the film is great, it's executed perfectly, but not as convincing as the one in the novel. In the ending of the novel:
Longman escapes with two shares of the loot, just as it is in the film. Longman knew that when the transit police check the records of every previous motorman that could have possibly hijacked a train, they would come knocking at his door, but he was extremely paranoid in the book. From start to finish, the book pretty much explained how he wasn't the criminal type and was nervous as hell. When an officer knocks on Longman's door, he tries to escape through the window. The cop hears Longman through the door and goes back outside where he sees Longman climbing down the fire escape. The last word of the novel is "Surprise." Just as awesome.;)
Both are great endings. For the most part, the film is a very faithful adaption.

[Classicqueen13]

The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three (1974) [4 stars]

Walter Matthau impressed me yet again with a great performance. Robert Shaw was also convincing as the ruthless villain. Never a dragging moment up untill the credits. I liked that back then people could write a thriller and have a few laughs in there at the same time!

Regarding Henry (1991) [3.5 stars]

I'm not usually one for dramas, but my sister talked me into it because we're Ford fans. I liked that the movie seemed to have little inside jokes throughout it, and near the ending there were actually some surprising plot twists.

Unbreakable (2000) [3.5 stars]

This movie was very very interesting (for lack of a better word). The characters were like none I'd ever seen, and I must say so was the plot. I had some trouble following it, but I can tell that upon a second viewing a lot would be cleared up. Great surprise ending!

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) [3 stars]

This is a great film for any western, John Wayne, or James Stewart fan. John Wayne's character and performance were so intriguing that I wanted so badly to know more about Tom Donofan. Overall a good film.

Firewall (2004) [3 stars]

The movie is very suspenseful and the acting is good, but there was something that I didn't like about this movie. I haven't been able to put my finger on it. It was far from top-notch Harrison Ford though. I couldn't stand the way that the family talked to the bad guys as though they were just house guests! It seemed like everyone just sorta did nothing untill the last half an hour of the movie, and the dialouge was pretty bland if you ask me.

[MovieMan8877445]

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The Lady Eve
Preston Sturges, 1941

Well, it's pretty much just as good as all of the romantic comedies from around the 40's. None of them were really exceptional, except Capra's of course, but they're all still pretty enjoyable to watch. I think the main thing that bothers me about all of them is that they're just too simple, which is pretty weird from me because I don't like anything too complicated to understand. I guess I just like a good balance between the two. Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck made a pretty good team together. Fonda's seemed really distant throughout the movie, if that makes any sense, but his character was meant to be like that, so I guess you could say that he did a great job. I'd say that basically anyone could enjoy this movie, but it's not something that I'd try to go way out my way for. I still thought that it was a good movie, though.

3

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Do the Right Thing
Spike Lee, 1989

Wow, now talk about an amazing movie, especially from someone that didn't even think they would like this movie. For a 2 hour movie, the movie felt shorter than an hour, because I just too into what was going on. The entire movie was great, but it was that final 30 minutes that really got you absolutely hooked. This may have like the best climax for a movie that I've ever seen. You could tell something big was going to go down throughout the movie, but I don't think they were doing it for the right reasons. This movie really seemed to get the racism thing down, which is what the entire movie is basically about. It's shown throughout the movie, but once again, it's those final 30 minutes that really leads to something.

The diverse set of characters is what really helps what makes this movie so great. Every character in the movie is pretty different, and almost all the roles are played great. Ossie Davis's character, Da Mayor, is probably my favorite character out of the bunch because he's just the person that always seems to want to do the right thing. While I didn't like John Turturro's character as much, mainly because he was so racist, he had some great acting. The rest of the cast did as well, namely Danny Aiello. What I really thought was special about his character was how he acted through the climax, because he kept his cool for the most part. I wouldn't just be standing around if that was me in that situation. I think this is pretty much a film that I think everyone needs to see at least once, because it's just so great and has a great message to it.

4+

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American Graffiti
George Lucas, 1973

I never even really thought that I liked the 60's era that much, but I thought that this was pretty amazing. I'm just happy that I ended up watching two films that I thought was amazing in the same day. This is probably the best coming-of-age film that I've ever seen, and it just shows you how much one night can someone. You just got to watch how much the characters changed through all the different sub-plots all going on at once. I think this falls in the catagory that I was talking about in my The Lady Eve mini-review, as in it has a great balance of not being too simple or overly complicated. The movie is just makes me happy while watching it, so I wouldn't be surprised if it made you happy after watching it too. I totally noticed that Mel's Diner while watching this, though, because I've eaten there while at Universal studios before. I guess I'll just have to eat there again when I go there next week.

I totally caught a resemblence of a young Richard Dreyfuss to Seth Rogen, though. With Dreyfuss' hair cut like that, he looked exactly like Rogen when his hair is cut that short like I've seen him in some movies. Dreyfuss is such a great actor, though, between this, Jaws, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Actually a lot like Do the Right Thing, I don't think there was single bad performance in the entire movie. If you tend to like coming-of-age movies, though, this is one you need to check out.

4+

[Sedai]

Don't Look Now (Roeg, 1973) 4_5

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This was my first time seeing this film. I liked it, but I feel like this is one of those flicks, like say The Conversation, that is so dense stylistically and metaphorically, that I will need to get a couple more viewings under my belt before I can fully appreciate it. The directing is unique and interesting, and the photography is awesome! Think I will watch this one again this weekend, after I have had a couple days to digest.

[tramp]

Gran Torino

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Clint is making me feel guilty. Like Unforgiven, Gran Torino is a film where Clint seems to be apologizing for the violent characters he played in his earlier career. When I watched this film, I couldn't help but wonder how I'm supposed to feel when I fondly look back at the Dirty Harry films and smile. Or Leone's Man with No Name films. These guys wouldn't let any punks get away with it; they'd blow them away and then ride off into the sunset. Was I not supposed to cheer?

The ending of this film was powerful stuff -- and everyone knows why Clint made the ending he did. The combination of that ending and Clint's growling, I had to wonder if he was attempting to create a caricature of his former self. There was talk this would be Clint's last acting gig, and if that ends up how it ends up, it would be rather gutsy for a man to end his career on what seems to be a note of apology and a request for redemption. Of course, the ending was wrapped perfectly in irony and only worked because it was an Eastwood film. I do admit to wanting to yell, "well done!" right after I swallowed my feelings of guilt. I should also not assume I know what a character will do until he does it.

I found the film completely compelling and that conversation in the barber shop was just hysterical. The dialogue in this film is simply wonderful and should not be overlooked. I also noticed the acting of the boy seemed a bit forced, but I adored their growing relationship.

In my media class, Eastwood is one of the six film directors I discuss. At the time, Gran Torino's trailers were playing on TV. Many of my male students became intrigued with Eastwood and went and saw the film. Quite a few of them commented to me how much they liked it. Whether Clint was apologizing for his past, some can debate, but it seems to me that Clint's tough-guy persona is rather timeless. And at 78 years of age, he is still able to deliver that persona and command the screen.

Well done.

4

[Pyro Tramp]

Red Cliff- 3

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So John Woo's return to Asian cinema is pretty epic affair, running in 2 parts over there and cut down to 2h30m here. And sadly that's the where the main problem is, it's undoubtedly (for the most part at least) a sweeping film of grandeur- think Ran- but falls apart where they've only left these 'exciting' bits in the shorter cut. For a film of such scale, the multiple characters all seem ancillary and cut out any form of development and even plots points are removed so it's not always entirely cohesive. Tony Leung, who is one of my all time great actors, comes from a side character to main character with little explanation and has some dodgy romance that Woo can't handle, hoping that showing some smootching will suffice for developing a believable emotional bond. The same logic applies to most other characters, show them beat up some horses and that's all that's required to create characters. And i'm sure it's not a decisive military tactic to have your generals take on armies by themselves, considering we've not been officially told they're all immortal kung-fu fighters as they would appear. Points like this lead the film to verge on parody, offering some inadvertent laugh out loud moments. The CGI is passable for the most part and there's a nice return of a typical Woo styled Mexican/Oriental stand off. It's about as close to any of Woo's former, auteurish style we get to see but in place of bullet ballet, he's managed to nearly craft an Asian equivalent to LoTR. I'll hold my rating out around even because i'm sure the longer cut will contain the characterisation needed to make the film more engaging, past just being a string of explosive set pieces.

[Harry Lime]

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My Neighbor Totoro (1988, Hayao Miyazaki) 3

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The Nutty Professor (1963, Jerry Lewis) 2.5

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Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964, Sergei Paradjanov) 3

[tramp]

Defiance (2008)

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I freely admit that the reason I saw this film was because of Daniel Craig. Ever since I saw him as James Bond, I've been totally smitten; his charisma takes my breath away and I cannot take my eyes off him no matter what film he's in. This was no exception.

I thought the story of the Bielski brothers was rather fascinating -- another story of the Holocaust that I didn't know anything about. The story had a perfect analogy within the two brothers: one wanting revenge and violence, the other wanting civilization in the middle of an uncivilized assault.

I didn't think there was anything exceptional in the telling of this story. The film was rather straightforward and nothing struck me as original. But Liev Schrieber never disappoints and Craig commanded the screen once again. I watched it late at night on a work night and even though I knew I should go to bed and pick up the film later, I wanted to see it to the end. I do recommend the film -- it's nothing exceptional but it is interesting and rather suspenseful. It also made me very curious about the real brothers and I find it fascinating that these people did survive by living in the woods. A pretty compelling story after all.

3

Rachel Getting Married (2008)

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Sigh. It's one thing to explore the very real emotions of a family torn apart by death, addiction, and how one moment can change everything, but did it have to be accompanied by endless scenes of wedding guests dancing and a race to see who could load a dishwasher the fastest?

I can't decide how I feel about this film. There were moments of genuine emotion and honesty in portraying a family in crisis. Kim's self-centeredness rang true as did the complicated relationship between sisters, along with the tension between a mother and the daughter that took her son away. And the ending was rather perfect... but I couldn't help but feel that I was watching a movie that was trying to be profound. The characters never really became real to me.

I also had a bit of trouble because there's been a story in my head for over 10 years now that I've started to write that is somewhat similiar -- it is Kim about 10 to 15 years later... and I kept wondering about my own story. I also know that I wanted something else from this film that I didn't get. But I won't say what that was....

3

[Used Future]

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Le Cercle Rouge/The Red Circle (Jean-Pierre Melville 1970) 4
Upper class thief Corey (Alain Delon) is released from prison on the same day a highly intelligent convicted murderer, Vogel (Gian Maria Volonte) escapes methodical police escort Mattei (Bouvril). Whilst Corey sets about raising funds by robbing his old boss Rico who also stole his girl; Vogel is subject to a large scale police manhunt across country. By chance the two meet and form an allegiance after Vogel hides in the boot of Corey's car at a roadside cafe. Together they plan an elaborate jewel heist with the aid of a ex-police marksman and recovering alcoholic Jansen (Yves Montand). Meanwhile Mattei under pressure from his superintendent, hatches a plan to capture the gang...

http://www.citizenpoulpe.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/montand-volonte-delon.jpg

I was expecting great things from this after seeing (and loving) Melville's better known Le Samourai last year. I found lots to love here also; namely the stark grey-toned locales, Delon's sub-zero cool, plus two intricate set pieces (Volonte's escape from a train, and the inevitable jewel heist), both of which are dialogue free, pay incredible attention to detail, and are extremely tense as a result. Favourite of all however had to be the striped room introductory scene to Jansen during an alcohol induced hallucinatory episode. For such an Amercian influenced film it felt so intrinsically French, in terms of humour and visual style, whilst also adding weight to the character's all important 'keyhole shot' in the penultimate sequence; Genius.

The meat of the story though is about Mattei's steadfast pursuit of the thieves, and the contrast between what motivates him, and each gang member. It's very well executed, a little over long perhaps, and with one or two peripheral characters too many, but overall enjoyable and rewarding stuff.

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Un Flic/A Cop (Jean-Pierre Melville 1972) 3.5+
In Melville's last film Alain Delon is Commissioner Edouard Coleman on the rail of a group of bank robbers who (unbeknownst to him) are led by his nightclub owning best friend Simon (Richard Crenna). After successfully carrying out a heist on a seafront bank, the gang plan to use the proceeds to fund an even more lucrative robbery of a drug courier on board a train. To complicate matters Coleman is having an affair with Simon's girlfriend; the ruthless Cathy (Catherine Deneuve).

Once again this centers around two detailed set pieces, the initial bank robbery, and the (excellent) train sequence towards the end of the film. Whilst on the surface I found this to be more focused in terms of basic narrative and running time; there didn't seem to be the same depth to the characters, or sense of satisfaction at the films conclusion (it just felt a little too predictable). Technically and visually it's extremely impressive though, with familiar cold grey tones, and expert creation of suspense complimented by a nineteen forties film noir sensibility. The performances are second to none, and well Deneuve is in it so you can't go wrong really. So yes I enjoyed it, even if the whole thing did feel a little bit too familiar after watching Le Cercle Rouge the previous evening. Incidentally is that the same nightclub location in Le Samourai, Le Cercle Rouge and Un Flic? I keep seeing that dance troupe when I close my eyes gyaaa...

[tramp]

Boy, I'm on a bit of a roll here.... ;)

Billy Elliot (Daltry, 2000)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/950000/images/_952798_billy300.jpg


I had watched a bit of the Tony Awards and was intrigued by the fact that Elton John had written music for a Broadway interpretation to this film and the show swept the major awards. I had been meaning to see this film and had never sought it out. That was too bad. What had I been waiting for?

This is one of those films that feels like you just received a wonderful gift from a friend. I'm literally on a bit of a high after seeing it. Jamie Bell (I just realized he was with Daniel Craig in Defiance) is pretty amazing as the boy who wants to dance. This film soars when he is moving.

At one point, Billy is asked why he dances and he replies that "everything disappears" and it's like "electricity." I thought that such a beautiful description of what it's like to engage in something you love. I've felt the same feeling. At first, I thought the film began rather meekly in that I wasn't sure of Billy's motives -- there wasn't any real explanation or exploration, he seemed to just want to join the line of girl dancers. I wondered why.

But when he finally states why he dances, I realized the film had told Billy's story just fine: sometimes it's just in you and there is no need for some long explanation of motivation. It's just there.

Wonderful film. Great soundtrack. Loved the ending. Beautiful, sweet story.

4

[MovieMan8877445]

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Barton Fink
The Coen Brothers, 1991

Something I've learned from seeing the Coen Brothers other movies is that expect something completely different than what you're expecting. This certainly falls into that same catagory, but I have no idea why I was even expecting a normal movie if you will. It actually did start out pretty normal, which had me pretty surprised at first, but then it got weird. The final 30 minutes is by far the weirdest part of the movie, but I feel it's also the best part of the movie. I saw the somewhat twist coming a mile away, though. I knew there had to be something wrong with that character. I thought the supernatural feel it got during that one scene felt really out of place. I think that scene would've turned out better had they not chosen to use the fire. Some things in that scene were pretty unlogical, but it's still my favorite scene of the movie.

John Turturro's character seemed really distant from reality, if you could say. But Turturro played the part perfectly, sort of like the role was meant for him in a way. He seemed to work really well with John Goodman, who also gave a stellar performance. His character just seemed plain weird, but a lot like Turturro's character, he was meant to be like that. So I guess you say that Goodman did a great job as well. I have a sudden urge to see the rest of the Coen Brothers movies, even though I've seen about half of them so far. For me, this still doesn't quite match up there with No Country for Old Men or The Big Lebowski, but I'd place it right after them. So I guess you could say that this would be in my top 3 favorite Coen Brothers movies.

4

[TheUsualSuspect]

My Name Is Bruce

http://critiquecinema.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/my_name_is_bruce.jpg

I'm a big Bruce Campbell fan, I got his DVDs, I got his books and I'm always looking forward to a film with him in it. This one comes along and pokes fun at the Bruce Campbell image, much like the recent JCVD film does. Bruce is in on the joke playing himself up a bit as a pompous jackass. He kicks a guy in a wheel chair down the street because the guy asked for a more recent picture of Bruce for his autograph.

The jokes are pretty hit or miss. I'm glad I enjoyed this more then The Man With The Screaming Brain. That film bored me a little and relied on Campbell's physical comedy a bit too much. This film on the other hand is more in line with a parody and it gets most of it right.

I wish it were longer. There is very little interaction between Bruce and the evil demon. The thing is all very anticlimactic, which makes the whole film feel very short and cheap. I really liked the inside jokes that Campbell fans will get. Look out for a bunch of cameos from Campbell's other films.

This film knows it's bad and points it out numerous times. Campbell knows he is a B-Movie actor, and always will be. This one is a rental and I wish I could like it more. I just seems that Campbell only seems to really soar when he is with his pals and has a visionary behind the camera. He's not a bad director, but Raimi just knows exactly what to get from him. Which is why every film of his that is without Raimi (with the exception of the great Bubba Ho-Tep) is mostly crap.

My Name Is Bruce is a rental for Campbell fans and since I'm a fan, this is a generous rating.

3

[undercoverlover]

Burn After Reading

What the hell? It turned out to be a film about nothing. It was kind of bizarre and moves at a surprising pace. I liked the fact that Brad Pitt wasn't playing Brad Pitt and George Clooney was pretty good but Frances McDormand outshone everybody. Nice enough but wont rewatch any time soon.

[Pyro Tramp]

Transformers 2 2

Review HERE (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=542169#post542169)

[TheDOMINATOR]

12 Angry Men - 5
(Sidney Lumet, 1957)

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In this case, I don't think my thoughts are necessary. :cool: I watched this character and dialogue-driven masterpiece because I hadn't seen it in a good two months, and for another reason which will [hopefully] be revealed soon.

The Dark Knight - 5
(Christopher Nolan, 2008)

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I actually hadn't planned on giving The Dark Knight its second rewatch, but Movieman's recent post in this thread about it inspired me to do so, and I now officially, completely agree with him: TDK only gets better with successive viewings. Having been over a month since I've last seen it, it blew me away all over again. Man, those final lines of the film are goosebump givers.

The Prophecy - 3-
(Gregory Widen, 1995)

http://www.imovieyou.com/images/the-prophecy.jpg

The concept is awesome and the film itself is decent, but I thought it held far more potential and came up a little short. Still, a great performance by Christopher Walken as the terrifying fallen angel Gabriel and a chilling appearance by the Devil himself occurs, which is always a plus.

The Prophecy II - 3
(Greg Spence, 1998)

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1010/235630.1010.A.jpg

I liked this installation slightly better than the original, which surprised me as I made that decision when its credits began to roll. Who knows, though; maybe that's just Britney Murphy talking, causing me to say that. :P

I plan to continue the five-movie saga within the coming week.

[MovieMan8877445]

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Empire of the Sun
Steven Spielberg, 1987

I've never been too big a fan of war movies, personally, but this is something completely different. This doesn't even really focus on the war aspect anyways, but instead of a young boy's journey duirng World War II. I don't really expect anything less than perfection from a Spielberg movie, though, or at least damn close to perfection. Of course there are some films of his that doesn't exactly meet these standards, like Hook, which I still somewhat enjoy. This is a lot more personal than any of the other war films that I've seen before. Something great that you always know you'll get from a Spielberg movie, is a great score from no other than John Williams. I think this may have my favorite score from Williams, too, after Jurassic Park's amazing score, though. What I loved most about it is how well it fit with the scenes that it was playing. Namely the scene with the score playing before the base got attacked.

Personally, this is probably Christian Bale's most touching performance yet. None of his other performances have ever been so personal, I must say. Even though this may be his debut movie, this is pretty much easily his best. I guess it's not so good, because his performances have been going downhill ever since this. He just needs to pick his roles better than he does. John Malcovich's character in this really is a love/hate kind of character, because you hate him in some scenes and quite like him in others. His character didn't have as much as screen time as I thought he was going to have, though. He seemed to completely just disappear for the final 30 minutes, expect for a quick final appearence.

Any Spielberg fan would definitely love this movie, I don't think there's any doubt about that. This is probably one of the most touching movies that I've seen, and it's pretty funny because I put off watching it for so long. I still have a few Spielberg movies left to see, but I plan to get to them very soon. He truly is the greatest director out there, if I say so myself. Some will probably disagree, though.

5

http://readingeagle.com/BlogUploads/68/baby.jpg

Bringing Up Baby
Howard Hawkes, 1938

I heard this was supposedly pretty similar to the Philadelphia Story, which I liked quite a bit better. For some reason, this one just didn't seem to interest me as much, though. Some parts had me ground the laughing, like the whole leopard bit in the begining. I feel that it just got tougher to watch as the movie progessed, though. It's pretty similar to Arsenic and Old Lace in the same fashion as everything going on is just so looney and hard to watch. Even though I did find quite a bit of it pretty funny, it's definitely one that I don't see myself watching repeatedly. Carey Grant gave quite a great performance, though, if I say so myself. Very similar to his crazy performance in Arsenic and Old Lace. I'm still gald that I got a chance to watch it, though, because I enjoyed it.

3.5

[undercoverlover]

Tarzan
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/film/t-disney-99.jpg

Underrated perhaps even a little forgotten, Tarzan is entertaining and tearjerking with some breathtaking visuals.

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the characters are fun and the dialogue feels very good. A real good disney movie.

[meatwadsprite]

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force : Film for Theaters

Got to watching this one again , of course it lacks the tenacity of the series (and out of the 12 fake endings , the real one is without a doubt the worst) but it's damn funny throughout and as any fan of the show would have it - complete nonsense. I enjoyed it more this time than any of my previous watchings.

4

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The Silence of the Lambs

A film with a great story and great performances muddled down with sub-par visual/audio qualities. It's a very intelligent psychological thriller , but doesn't deliver as well with it's action scenes (the final confrontation being the worst of the whole movie) or musical score. Gets my award for closest shot movie of all time.

3.5

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Do the Right Thing

Bustling with hilarious characters and situations , it's a movie that feels packed and it goes through it's motions in a very concerning and moving matter. It's a movie with themes or racism that doesn't preach to you , or like most others make it worse. A very human , often laugh out loud funny day with a community that does most of their living outside their homes.

4.5

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Tales from Earthsea

Enchanting animation as expected from Ghibli , although the story was probably one of the most plain uninteresting I've seen of recent.

1.5

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Shaun of the Dead

Charismatic characters , brilliant attention to detail , and always packed with humor and energy.

4.5

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Raging Bull

One of the most tedious movies I've seen - if you get enjoyment out of watching a married couple argue this one's for you , but DeNiro's performance kept me hooked this time around and the boxing scenes looked beautiful.

3

[Powdered Water]

The Princess Diaries (Garry Marshall - 2001) 4

I'm such a sucker for these types of movies. Nobody dies, happy ending. Good times. A sweet little story. And any movie with Julie Andrews is always going to be enjoyable for me. This is one of those flicks that I watch every time I see it on TV and I've seen it several times.

The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (Garry Marshall - 2004) 3.5

Almost as enjoyable as the first and as this is only the second time I've seen it I was mildly surprised to recognize a young Mr. Pine, AKA Captain James T. Kirk as the love interest for Ms Hathaway. Plus, bonus! Julie Andrews gets to sing a little in this one! She is truly the bee knees. :yup:

Mad Monster Party? (Jules Bass - 1967) 3

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a391/kingpopgun/party.jpg

I should probably rate this higher as it was such a trip! I swear, Rankin and Bass must have been total stoners. We couldn't really tell what this flick was about other than it was just an excuse to get just about every monster from all the regular movies together in one big claymation flick. And Phyllis Diller singing, yeah, that was also just weird. Kind of good weird though.

Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón - 2006) 4.5

"Alright, yer 'fugees now. Show Syd the 'fugee face. Sad face... Sad 'fugee face."

Maybe this is just a really good flick because I'm just captivated by it everytime I watch it.

Last House on the Left (Dennis Iliadis -2009) 2.5

About what I expected. The final scene is pretty great though. I'm a big fan of creative death scenes no matter how ridiculous they are.

Kung-Fu Panda (Mark Osborne - 2008) 4

Still by far the second best animated flick from last year. I love every second of it.

"Skadoosh."

[mark f]

I can't remember, Bro, have you seen Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring? That's the source for Last House on the Left. I highly recommend the original for people with a heart and soul.

[Powdered Water]

Nope. I will be on the lookout for it now though. I haven't made it through Craven's "original" one either. I just wasn't in the mood for it when I tried to watch it last month.

[MovieMan8877445]

http://www.wcftr.commarts.wisc.edu/images/feature-pics/spartacus.jpg

Spartacus
Stanely Kubrick, 1960

This felt absolutely nothing like any of the Kubrick films I've seen so far. I've always liked Kubrick, but I haven't been the biggest fan of him like everyone else seems to be. One thing I've never had a problem with the length of his films, but I think this one was just a bit overly long. I mean there are some really great scenes in this, but I think my main problem with it's length is the ending is so dragged out. Honestly, though, I've never been the biggest fan of these kind of movies. Ben-Hur is probably the only one of these kind of films that I really loved. I mean this wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't great enough for me to say that I loved it.

Kirk Douglas was pretty good as the lead, Spartacus, but it wasn't the best performance in the movie. Laurence Olivier was the one that seemed to shine out to me in the entire cast. He was pretty much evil in every sense of the word, and I mean I seriously wanted to go on screen and just punch him in the face. Even though I'm not the biggest Kubrick fan, this is probably tied with Full Metal Jacket as my least favorite film from him I've seen so far. I have quite a bit more of his too see, though.

3.5

http://misteriosoobjetoalmediodia.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/little-big-man-custer.jpg

Little Big Man
Arthur Penn, 1970

This is the movie I got from Netflix today that I was really looking foward to watching, and have been for awhile. I guess I shouldn't have hyped myself up for it so much before watching it, though, because ultimately, I ended up being disappointed. It's still a great movie, but I was just expecting it to be better than it was. I guess I was just hoping to be blown away by it or something, but it never happened. The story is told in a similar fashion to Forest Gump and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I think I like both of those more, though, which is surprising because I like westerns more than any other genre.

Dustin Hoffman did an incredible job as the lead role, though. I don't think I've ever seen him in a particually bad role yet, actually. As far as the movies I've seen him in recently, though, I liked him better in Midnight Cowboy, the Graduate, and All the President's Men. I still haven't seen that many westerns yet, but this would probably in the lower half of what I've seen so far. Maybe I'll end up liking it more whenever I get to re-watch it, though, hopefully I will.

3.5+

[Tacitus]

Valkyrie (2008, Brian Singer)

2.5/5

I've had it up to here with Good Nazi Movies recently. Ok, I'm basing this on Valkyrie and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas but it's enough for me to get my dander up slightly.

Valkyrie is very slick and superficially well made but it's rare that a film which is built on a premise of suspense to be so utterly devoid of tension. Ok, it's based on a true story of which we all know the outcome but that's not the issue here. We get the requisite doomy music, cuts to furrowed brows and unusual camera angles but none of it works.

I'm jaded about these good Nazis. If there were so flippin' many of them, as is portrayed here, how did WWII even begin? :rolleyes:

Anyway, the cast (who seem to come from the 'British Character Actor rolodex sitting too close to a fan in the casting director's office' school) aren't bad at all. Even, and you'll not hear me say this often, Tom Cruise.

Sure, he's not called upon to do anything other than wear a comedy eye patch, hit his marks and look reasonably noble but his performance is refreshingly free of the typical Cruise grandstanding. Mostly.

'Mostly' because there are still a couple of occasions where he stares at the ground (which, being Tom Cruise, isn't too far away) and just emotes. He ain't subtle but you know what you're getting when you walk in, I guess, so I'm not gonna lambast the little guy. ;)

Other than that, there's not a lot else to report (other than my feeling that, post-Usual Suspects, Singer is going further down in my estimation with each passing movie - He's kinda like the American Ridley Scott) here amongst the heel-clicking and concerned faces. Nothing much apart from the curious case of the disappearing Ken Branagh...

Ken, who's looking very jowly these days, turns up at the beginning then, just as he's getting into his stride, gets posted to the Russian front or somewhere only to turn up right at the very end. Presumably to pick up his paycheque.

Maybe he had a fight with Singer over swirly camera work?

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/valky4.jpg

In this scene, Ken is informed of the director's reaction to being sent 40 pages of notes entitled 'How I did it in Henry Vee and Dead Again'.

[Iroquois]

http://www.grouchoreviews.com/content/films/3028/1.jpg

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (Terry Gilliam, 1988) - 3.5

Ah, Terry Gilliam. He's one of those directors like Cronenberg or Lynch whose films, whether you like them or not, are always at the very least an interesting and engaging experience. Munchausen is also an interesting film, based around the eponymous Baron and his reality-bending interference with a war-torn city and, specifically, a little girl who joins him on his strange journey to recover his crew and win the war.

I liked it enough, it's definitely got that Gilliam vibe to it in virtually ever regard (painstaking attention to the artwork and production design, brilliant use of actors in even the smallest roles, a charmingly genius script) but it doesn't feel that great to me. As good an experience it was the first time around, I can't see myself going back to it the way I do to several of Gilliam's other films, although I reckon that's a minor weakness on the part of a rather underrated bit of genius.

[Powdered Water]

Classic review Tatty. My God, that was some funny stuff.

[Golgot]

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/8605/myneighbortotoro1.jpg

My Neighbour Totoro

Slightly cruel rating for this one, but guess that's because the family annoyed me at the start, and it didn't have the mutated sensibilities & visuals ramped up as high as Spirited Away. That said, it did sport a 'real life' trauma behind the realised escapism, and felt this counterpoint worked pretty well. The younger of the two siblings became ever more endearing, after a shouty start, and her relationship with her sister turned out to be one of the high points. Not quite a child's-eye-view flick, but a very fond recreation of childhood days and relationships. And Totoro the 'troll' is a lot of fun (and just ever so slightly freaky).

3_5



http://www.worstpreviews.com/images/firewall.gif

Firewall

By the numbers, undemanding, mildly entertaining tale of a banker's family being kidnapped by crooks. Ford plays 'sweaty ageing man' who's not going to take it lying down. Occasionally he lies down. Bettany acts with his jaw. Nothing at all surprising happens.

2

[Edenvegan]

*Although other reviews of this movie have been posted, I wanted to share my favorable posting of this movie.

"The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004) 4

Famed oceanographer, Steve Zissou, was filming a voyage upon his ship the Belafonte, when a
Jaguar-Shark emerges from the deep and devours his sailing partner Esteban. He then announces to the
public that he will return to the waters in order to have his "revenge." So begins the story of this
Jacques Costeau inspired movie.


Zissou, played by Bill Murray, is joined by a pregnant reporter (Cate Blanchett), a chain-smoking wife
(Angelica Houston), an estranged son (Owen Wilson), and an assortment of red-capped team members
as he embarks on his revenge-themed journey. Through a series of mishaps Zissou's search for the shark
leads to a personal discovery of himself, life, and relationships.


Notable performances include Willem Dafoe as Zissou's mildly insecure right-hand man and Jeff
Goldblum as a somewhat vain competitive oceanographer. There's an excellent script, good direction,
great acting and all with live Portuguese acoustic guitar music playing in the background. This
comedy-adventure film gives a good dose of nostalgia with 70's costume, props, and soundtrack. It's
subtle laugh-out-loud moments and relationship themes are perfect for Father's Day--which happens to
be today as I write this review.


http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv304/veggie75/the-life-aquatic-with-steve-zissou.jpg

[Sleezy]

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

Caprica (Moore, 2009) 3_5

Interesting portrayal of the advent of Cylon creation in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica universe. I wouldn't say the execution is perfect yet, but Moore knows where he's going, and he's got capable actors to get him there. I particularly like the way he's created conflict, making the desire to create artificial life a way of erasing personal tragedy instead of simply to "make life easier," as has always been the explanation. There's an instability here that you know will yield a great story - or at least in the case of anything Ron Moore creates, a sufficiently bizarre, religious one - and there's no shortage of either in Caprica. (Of note to BSG fans: you can already see the foundation for the Cylons' ultimate belief in a singular god, and I think Moore has found a pretty interesting way to do it.)


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

Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954) 5

Bloody brilliant. Masterful. Captivating. How many qualifiers can I use? A technical marvel as much as a dissertation on the science of suspense, Rear Window is just incredible. Why did I wait so long to see this?


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

Zodiac (Fincher, 2007) 4_5

Speaking of suspense mysteries, Zodiac is, I think, David Fincher's strongest film to date... simply because all the facts relating to the Zodiac case are so spread out and sporadic that weaving it all into a cohesive, enjoyable narrative - much less a period piece - takes a true master. The film does this wonderfully, with a little plodding in the middle act; but all the players are marvelously cast, and the pacing is spot-on. Perfect for armchair sleuths like me.


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

Role Models (Wain, 2008) 3_5

Mostly funny, but unfortunately, Wain doesn't have the same ability as others to get the best material from his actors. Fun flick, surprisingly more solid than I expected. And Elizabeth Banks. Yeah.

[Tacitus]

I'm with you on Zodiac. Maybe not quite my favourite Fincher film but certainly in the top two.

It's also probably the most impressive looking Blu Ray disc I own. Not a reason in itself to love a film but the picture jumps off the screen here. ;)

[TheUsualSuspect]

Just Buried

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8e/Just_buried_ver2.jpg/200px-Just_buried_ver2.jpg

After his father dies a young man inherits an old funeral home. The problem is that it isn't getting any business. So he, and the beautiful mortician, decide to kill people from the town to get the business booming. Sound familiar, that's because this is basically a remake of sorts of an old film starring Boris Karloff and Vincent Price called The Comedy of Terrors.

This film feels like a mixes dark comedy and horror. There are numerous deaths but all of them are off screen, with the exception of 3. One of which is pretty gruesome. It stars Jay Baruchel and rose Byrne, as the son and mortician. Byrne is pretty sweet here, in her dark and twisted role. Baruchel plays awkward well, and it fits the character here. It's just too bad I wasn't a big fan of this character. I found him annoying and incompetent.

The film has a few funny moments, but a lot of it is dark and doesn't get many laughs. It's more concerned for it's characters and morbid story then laughs. The film isn't for everyone and it tends to drag in parts, but for the most part I enjoyed it. It has a good twist and the good outweighs the bad.

3

[ash_is_the_gal]

hi Mofos. it's been awhile since i made a post here, and i've seen a lot of movies, some good and some bad, that i'd like to talk for a bit here.

Stardust (2007) 2.5
eh.
http://neilbeynon.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/stardust2007preview.jpg

Let the Right One In (2008) 4.5
i'm a bit fed up with vampire movies at the mo', but this one was lovely, sweet, and beautifully acted. the only thing that bugs me is they version i watched was dumbed down a bit or something. i didn't find out until after i watched it that a lot of the subtitles were omitted/changed for region 1...
http://closetonefilms.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/let_the_right_one_in1.jpg

Gender Rebel (2006) 3
an interesting documentary revolving around the lives of three females who see themselves as something between male and female.
http://images.aerogaming.net/files/103/genderq_stock1.jpg

The Wrestler (2008) 5
http://streetknowledge.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/the-wrestler1.jpg

No Country For Old Men (2007) 4
it's been described as slow by a lot of people, but i didn't think so at all. it kept my full attention til the end.
http://boxoffice.com/blogs/steve/no%20country%20for%20old%20men%20still.jpg

Serenity (2005) 2
i don't get it. i don't get why everyone loves this movie so much. i was bored, the acting was pretty bad, and the storyline bordered on ridiculous. sorry Joss!
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/09/28/serenity2_wideweb__430x287.jpg

Marley and Me (2008) 3
ha... i watched this one with Mom one night. i didn't hate it as much as i thought i would. it was a bit sweet.
http://www.popculturebuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/marley.jpg

Sunshine (2007) 2
it isn't horrible, but i dunno, sci fi just aint my "thang". i denied this when the boyfriend said it to me, but now that i think about it, i can't even think of one single sci fi film i really warmed up to. does Star Wars count? i do love Episode V. and yeah, i like some other sci fi. Alien, Sphere [loved Sphere!] Sunshine wasn't even all that bad until the dude with no skin showed up and started knifing people. that was pretty lame. i about had enough by then. and just the last few minutes was just... BORING and vomit inducing.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1367/872089734_d2160d8b5e_o.jpg

Palindromes (2005) 1
don't let the pretty looking coverart fool you. it suuuuuuuuuuuuucked.
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2005/04/palindromes.jpg

Sunset Boulevard (1950) 4.5
LOVED this one, and am regretting i waited so long to see it.
http://judybrune.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/sunset-boulevard_01.jpg

Capote (2005) 4
this one too was slow, but it was interesting as hell, and very seldom does Phillip Seymour Hoffman let me down. he was spot-on, as always.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ylMwl6dK1_g/SX-Jn27SaNI/AAAAAAAAAI8/ySOzb6dj-jg/s400/12348__capote_l.jpg

The Reader (2008) 5
probably the movie of 08 for me.
http://www.tribes.org/web/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/the-reader-winslet-kross.jpg

Up (2009) 4
http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2008/04/11/up-pixar-render.jpg

Drag me to Hell 5
aaaand he's back to his old form! Raimi certainly did not disappoint. possibly the best time i've ever had by myself in the theater.
http://i.indiewire.com/images/uploads/i/drag-me-to-hell_l.jpg

Imitation of Life (1959) 2.5
i rented it off Netflix sort of by mistake. Netflix predicted i would love it though, and i do love me some Sandra Dee so i watched it. but eh. it was waaay too dramatic for my taste. and that sounds weird, because i absolutely LOVE some older movies that happen to be really dramatic. [Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Suddenly Last Summer, Gone With the Wind, etc]. so maybe it wasn't the dramatics i didn't like, just the acting which was second-rate. yes sirree. but i found it interesting nonetheless. it obviously held my attention.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_u9y_rUI2bFc/SXDZpQC7bVI/AAAAAAAAAV0/XzE9nw1npnw/s400/Imitation+1.jpg

Harold and Maude (1971) 5
someday, i'm going to pretend to play the piano like Maude does. really entertaining and feel-good, the perfect mixture of sad and happy there ever was in a "tragic" love story.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1RaJb2xGPh8/SSzCkmz1iMI/AAAAAAAABBA/NuCPwDt7eh4/s400/1107745513931.jpg

Synecdoche, New York (2008) 2
i did try really hard to like this movie, but it just wasn't for me. i do like his other stuff--i love Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, but i really think this movie tried really hard to do something that it never acheived. in order for me to enjoy a movie on some level, it has to have a message of some sort, and if it doesn't, i have to walk away from it with a message of my own.
http://www.ghostinthemachine.net/syneclong.jpg

TEVELVISION STUFF

Soap (Season 1) 4
i watched this in syndication back in the 90's, but never actually sat and watched the whole thing through. i'm glad i am now, because i find it really refreshing and funny, even twenty years later. it's pretty much the only 70's sitcom i really like, too.
http://www.gamerevolution.com/images/misc/Image/soap_sitcom.jpg

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Seasons 1-3) 4
i loved these first three Seasons, but have switched to Angel for the time being so i don't get behind. i'll probably alternate between the two for awhile.
http://ironic1.com/buffy3.jpg

30 Rock (Season 1) 4
i'm very impressed with Tina Fey the writer! this show sort of reminds me of Scrubs, only a lot better, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, though a lot sillier. the writing is funny and sharp, the actors have great chemistry, plus it has Alec Baldwin, who is always entertaining.
http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2008/01/large_30rock-210.jpg

Angel (Season 1) 4
so far so good. i like the character Angel a lot more when he's evil, but he's better in this (less whiny and emo) than he is in Buffy.
http://www.collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/Angel/angel_tv_show_image_boreanaz__2_.jpg

[Swan]

WTF is on Mickey Rourke's back?

[ash_is_the_gal]

WTF is on Mickey Rourke's back?

what? i'm guessing you haven't seen The Wrestler, in which case i won't answer that but suggest you quickly get a copy of it and watch it immediately. it's brilliant.

[Swan]

I have seen it, I just don't remember him getting a bunch of screws put into his back.

[ash_is_the_gal]

...i don't see how anyone could forget that scene... if you forgot everything else in the movie, i would have thought the staples scene would kind of stick.

[honeykid]

Isn't that what staples do? Stick. :D

[MovieMan8877445]

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/080522/Spielberg/Sugarland-Express_l.jpg

The Sugarland Express
Steven Spielberg, 1974

Well, I since I was trying to decide what to start out my Steven Spielberg marathon with, I thought it might as well be great to start out with one of the few movies from him I haven't seen yet. This is totally different than anything I've seen Spielberg do ever, I mean this reminds me more of Bonnie and Clyde more than anything. I'm just glad that Spielberg decided to take a different route with his next film, Jaws, and we all know how that turned out. The acting is rather meh throughout, and the story's pretty forgettable. I think this may be the first Spielberg film I've ever seen that I didn't care about one bit. I still may buy it sometime soon, because I want to own all of Spielberg's movies, and it's still somewhat good. Compared to Spielberg's other movies, though, it's pretty bad.

3+

http://www.premiere.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/list/the-100-greatest-movie-lines/41.-you-re-gonna-need-a-bigger-boat./533134-2-eng-US/41.-You-re-gonna-need-a-bigger-boat._imagelarge.jpg

Jaws
Steven Spielberg, 1975

I'm so glad that I watched this tonight, because this showed me that I'm going to have to bump it up a couple of spots in my top 10. This is just one of those movies that gets even better with repeat viewings. It had been months since I lasted watched this, and I actually forgot some of the stuff that happened in it. I guess it just worked out for the better, though, because it made it even more suspenseful. The main reason that I decided to watch this, though, is because I'm going to Universal studios next week and I want to re-watch some of the movies that have rides there. I doubt I'll have time to watch a whole lot more, but I'll try to watch as many as I can. This is probably the most suspenseful movie I've ever seen, too, other than Psycho of course. It's like the suspense straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

The acting is pretty good, but the main thing about it that impresses me so much, though, is the amazing chemistry between the cast. Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, and Robert Shaw worked together so well. I mean the scenes that took place on the boat flowed so well just because of the chemistry between the three of them. Also, sharks are probably the most interesting of all the sea creatures.

5

http://www.filmgazing.com/close1.jpg

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Steven Spielberg, 1977

This is a movie that I really wished I would've re-watched before I posted my top 10 up, because this would've easily made my top 10 had I re-watched it first. I guess I'll just have to take Mr. Smith Goes to Washington off of it when I go to bump Jaws up. I can see why a lot of people seem to think of this as slow, but I didn't find it slow one bit. Personally, I was totally interested throughout the whole movie. There was just enough interesting things going on about aliens, and I'm surprised that people find it slow. Anyways, guess what's even more interesting than sharks: aliens. Both story wise, and with the amazing visuals that come with them. I don't see how anyone could end up being disappointed after watching this, though, because this has one of the most pleasing climax's that I've ever seen. Everything going on throughout the movie actually led up to something amazing. That doesn't happen very often.

This is probably the best role that I've ever seen Richard Dreyfuss in. Character wise, though, I prefer him in Jaws and American Graffiti, but I do really want to see some more of his movies. He makes it so damn belivable that he's possessed in a way by these aliens. His determination is pretty great as well. This is probably my favorite Sci-Fi movie ever, I don't think it's tied with Brazil as my favorite anymore.

5

[Iroquois]

I think the ratings on these may be a little generous but you know what Jack Burton says...

"What the hell."

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/12/21/benjamin_button_curious.jpg

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher, 2008) - 4

As you can tell, I liked it. I don't really have much else to say that probably hasn't already been covered since everybody else already saw the movie about six months ago, but yeah, was an enjoyable yet sad little tale.

http://houseofmirthandmovies.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/happy_go_lucky_wideweb__470x3130.jpg

Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh, 2008) - 4

This film served as a reminder that I should probably watch more of Leigh's work. Between this and Naked (the only other film of his I've seen, which has a tone that is pretty much the polar opposite of the cheery vibe this movie gives off) I reckon he's pretty good. A lot of credit has to go to the characters he creates and the actors that are always capable of pulling them off well - characters that are so strong they support the largely non-existent narrative of the film. I reckon that's a plus.

[Sleezy]

Serenity (2005) 2
i don't get it. i don't get why everyone loves this movie so much. i was bored, the acting was pretty bad, and the storyline bordered on ridiculous. sorry Joss!
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/09/28/serenity2_wideweb__430x287.jpg

If you haven't seen Firefly, you shouldn't even be watching Serenity. I know you said sci-fi isn't your thing, but if you're into Buffy and Angel, then you oughta give Firefly a go. If you can get through the first few episodes, I promise you'll be hooked. Wonderful show.

[Tacitus]

This film served as a reminder that I should probably watch more of Leigh's work.

You should give Life is Sweet a spin and, for a complete change of pace, Topsy Turvy is a little gem of a film. Actually, just watch all you can get your hands on and don't be too hard on the guy over Vera Drake.

There aren't too many better directors than The General in my book. ;)

EDIT - Can we get that picture of Mickey Rourke re-sized? It's about 6 feet wide. :D

[Yoda]

I agree, but I should add that I saw Serenity before Firefly, and loved the stuffins out of it. It inspired to go back and buy the series blind (which ended up being quite a fine choice, if I do say so myself). I'm pretty impressed at the way Serenity manages to continue the stories in Firefly without alienating total newbies, like I was at the time. That said, you definitely get more out of it if you know who everyone is.

Such a pity to think of the film and realize that it's almost certainly condensed version of what was going to happen on the series over the next several years.

[Iroquois]

You should give Life is Sweet a spin and, for a complete change of pace, Topsy Turvy is a little gem of a film. Actually, just watch all you can get your hands on and don't be too hard on the guy over Vera Drake.

There aren't too many better directors than The General in my book. ;)

EDIT - Can we get that picture of Mickey Rourke re-sized? It's about 6 feet wide. :D

Hurhur, you said "hard on".

But seriously, agreed on all counts. I don't go in for watching several films by the same directors within close proximity of one another, and at the rate I'm watching his films I should be up to speed by about 2018. I had no idea Vera Drake was that bad a film, although then again that's, like, your opinion, man.

And yeah, can we get rid of the huge picture? Seriously.

[Caitlyn]

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r161/BM100/_pressboys1.gif

For the Boys (1991) ~ kinda predictable and sad but Bette Midler and James Caan are both excellent in it. Wonder why Ms. Midler never makes any of the lists for great actresses (including my own).... I'm not overly fond of some of her music but will be the first to admit she can sing... and she can also act... which is not always the case with singers....

3.5

[Tacitus]

Hurhur, you said "hard on".

But seriously, agreed on all counts. I don't go in for watching several films by the same directors within close proximity of one another, and at the rate I'm watching his films I should be up to speed by about 2018. I had no idea Vera Drake was that bad a film, although then again that's, like, your opinion, man.

And yeah, can we get rid of the huge picture? Seriously.

It's not an awful film by any means but it's awfully grim and a bit devoid of any respite. One could argue that, for example, Naked is unrelenting in its sour approach but it's acerbic, intelligent and features one hell of a performance by Thewlis. I just didn't get than from VD.

Yes, I said 'get VD'. :D

[Golgot]

Weird, i only get a little Rourke. Maybe that's because i watched a film where allll the actors are tinyyyy (except for Max Von Sydow...He has the biggest face in the world)...

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9259/20060727minorityreportg.jpg

Minority Report

Very revisitable this one, but has got a little tarnished now for me. The anachronisms are fun, but often daft (Umbrellas in futureland? Ok. But umbrellas you can steal real easy off a rack? Nah, not buying ;)). Guess it still works because Dick's world has seediness & power-schisms running alongside the tech advances. The cops get jetpacks, everyone else gets targeted advertising and robot spiders crawling over their retinal scans.

Noticed more Spielberg cheese shoehorned in this time round, and some of the action is starting to date. A bigger problem though is that the 'determinism vs self-realisation' theme is pretty esoteric, and doesn't have the pragmatic kick of something like Gattaca (which also manages to include the 'loss of freedom through surveillance' angle. And a helluva lotta blue filters n'all ;)). Also the tension just drops out occasionally, and it feels like non-sequiters are building throughout:

Why didn't Cruise go blind as threatened after revealing his new eyes too early? And why did the plastic surgeon convict let him off so light in the first place? (Didn't feel like it was sold quite right). And why the hell didn't the cops know where the big 'escape tube' went that allowed their precious PreCogs to be flushed away?? And as for surviving a car being built around you.... They're little things for the most part, but felt occasionally like there were one too many leaps of belief-suspension & threads flapping in the wind.

That plus the Cruise set up felt a bit flakey for a bit, but i realise it works with the world's logic now (if perhaps a bit stretched). IE Cruise had always dreamed of killing his kid's murderer, so on meeting him & potentially-murdering him the murder would be viewed as 'premeditated' by the PreCogs, and so caught days in advance, not hours as with crimes of passion. Kinda like that it isn't entirely spelt out and i had to track my way through it. Still has the.... 'but there ain't never gonna be PreCogs' downfall tho in terms of great sci fi being that which says something about current concerns.

On the plus side, Morton is great, Cruise & Farrell are very capable, Sydow towers, the PreCog 'mother' has some fun moments, and there's some solid chase-action & grimey underbelly rubbing dotted about. It's still pretty classy escapism all told :)

3_5+

[Tacitus]

On the plus side, Morton is great

Sam Morton is honestly the only thing I remember about Minority Report - I've got a funny feeling that I own it, too. :blush:

I think she's the best actress in Britain and, more often than not, is the stand out performer in everything she does, so I'm probably biased.

On a totally unrelated and off-topic note, gg: Football Manager Live. It's the dog's danglers. ;)

[Golgot]

Sam Morton is honestly the only thing I remember about Minority Report - I've got a funny feeling that I own it, too. :blush:

I think she's the best actress in Britain and, more often than not, is the stand out performer in everything she does, so I'm probably biased.

Sydow's pretty good too, bringing some strange 'verite' to Dick's dreams of eclectic peeps. Morton does steal the show tho :). That girl can certainly invest in a role.

[Thursday Next]

Watched Frost/Nixon last night. Peter Morgan (screenplay) is interesting - The Deal, The Queen, The Last King of Scotland and this. I slightly wish I'd seen it as a play rather than a film, although it translated pretty well. Ron 'It's a true story and gosh darn it's a dramatic one' Howard (director) is not, really, but does a competent job. It took me about half the film to stop seeing Michael Sheen as Tony Blair and start thinking of him as David Frost (who to me is that old guy who used to have a chat show, can't really imagine him as a go-getting playboy, but he must've been, once!). I don't think it was just this that threw up a few parallels with more modern politicians being grilled over an unpopular war and allegations of corruption, Morgan knows what he's doing. Sheen was good though, and I also liked Rebecca Hall in her small role, she reminded me of Emma Thompson. And Matthew MacFadyen's always good to watch. Frank Langella who played Nixon did a good job, as far as I can make out, although my prior knowledge of Nixon is pretty limited. And perhaps I would have enjoyed the film more if I'd known more about Nixon. Perhaps not. I knew beforehand that some of the events has been moved round to create more drama. I didn't know just how much of the drama would hinge on the 'final interview' (which wasn't really the final interview) and I thought that was unnecessary. It was the funny throwaway lines, the bits of period detail that I liked best. I couldn't help thinking, in the end, how it compared unfavourably with Good Night and Good Luck. 3.5/5

[Pyro Tramp]

Nil By Mouth

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTYxMDUyODg3OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNDE1MjQ3._V1._SX475_SY331_.jpg

Kitchen sink drama for contemporary Britain. Thought sometime it tried bit too hard to be gritty and shocking, didn't see any need for one character to be a heroin addict or the extended shots of him shooting up, seemed only there too cause controversy. It's quite cool seeing lots of familiar faces pop up from other Brit flicks but it really is Winstone's show who is fantastically aggressive and Kathy Burke puts in a surprising turn from comedy. Not really a story, more a portrait of the times, that I worryingly know a lot of people in similar situation so can relate to it on some level. Hard to recommend but hard not to say it's great on some level.

4


I <3 Huckabees

http://images.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2004/10/01/huckabees/story.jpg

Interesting existential flick, nice ensemble cast and some good humour. Nothing particularly stand-out or revelatory but enjoyable way to pass time.

3_5


Village of the Damned (Carpenter)

http://www.bright-white-light.com/diary/wp-content/village-of-the-damned-kids.jpg

Seemed a lot like a TV movie, shot in a pretty plain way with all around mediocrity. Not many logical characters or anything really that scary.


The Wicker Man (Remake)

http://www.honeybeecentre.com/site_assets/www.honeybeecentre.com/images/dynamic/images/Alex2_Wicker_Man-500.jpg

Was in the mood to watch Cage dress as a bear and punch some women. Luckily this one satisfied that urge plus got to him shout about bees and burnings. Pretty awful film

1_5


Tombstone

http://thetruthfulman.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/tombstone.jpg

Was bit weird seeing a modern Western epic, which this pretty much is. Solid film but not a classic in my books. Lots of good turns from a great ensemble cast but the end just turned into a bland montage without a director reaching anywhere near Leone or Ford's class

3_5


Posse

http://mightygodking.com/images/posse.jpg

I like van Peebles and most of what he does, this falls at the lower end of the scale with some hammy performances but still think he's got the charisma to hold a film together. The 'black' element of it doesn't really take a great deal of precedence on the narrative or really manage to offer up any solid form of commentary, instead feeling as more a gimmick

2_5


Django Kill, If You Live, Shoot

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/tomasutpen/Album%202b/questi1.jpg

Nothing like what it said on the tin as one of the most extreme films ever, which was a bit of a disappointment. I knew it was unrelated to the Django series but still hoped for a bit more from it. Doesn't really tread any ground others haven't already and in more stylistic ways. That's not to say this one isn't individual, it does have it's charm but i think the false claims on the front made this more a let down than anything else

3


Death Race 2000

http://detour-mag.com/assets/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/deathrace2000.jpg

This was an enjoyable one, had seen the remake so was expecting something similar. This was far less PC and has a lot more fun in doing so. Was surprised how similar it was to Wacky Races and the VG Carmeggedon. Was everything you'd want from a Corman B-movie. Interesting this is what the expected 9 years ago would be like

4

[mark f]

I meant to tell you when I saw that you bought THAT Posse that you bought the wrong one. You shoulda got this. https://www.greencine.com/images/movies/amg/dvd/cov150/drt400/t426/t42676hroxs.jpg

[Pyro Tramp]

Why? Is that film about black cowboys with Mario van Peebles as well?

[mark f]

OK, you tell me, since I like the newer V.P. Posse more than you do, why did you buy it and why did you think it would be better than the better one? :cool:

[Pyro Tramp]

I didn't buy because i thought it would be a good film, in fact i was well aware it would be average but i like Peebles and liked the concept plus never got around to watching it when was studying it. So i did get the right copy because that's the one i wanted to watch, never said or thought it be better than the other version

[mark f]

Sorry I mentioned it. I thought all my comments were humorous, but apparently English is the worst language to translate.

[Pyro Tramp]

That was humour? Thought you were being elitist...

[mark f]

The Kirk Douglas/ Bruce Dern flick is elitist compared to a PC flick? You are a funny MoFo.

[Used Future]

Pyro, I hope you didn't buy Django Kill just because I used it for my 'obscure cult movies' avatar recently. After all, I never said it was a masterpiece or anything.:laugh:

Would have to disagree with your comments re it not treading any new ground though. I think at the time Django Kill must have been pretty extreme and out there, even if today it looks pretty tame. Alex Cox, (whose comments are on the dvd) says as much on the clip I posted in the 'theme of the week' thread. I also think Django Kill works much better as allegory (all be it different) than say Jodorowski's El Topo (released three years later) which for the most part comes off as pretentious.

[Pyro Tramp]

I'd heard of it before your av but that probably put me onto it and the comments on the box sold me on it. Didn't really factor in the time of its release in my comments though. I thought the plot was pretty generic for the most part, though there were noticeably less morals than others.

[Used Future]

I'd agree the basic 'stranger wanders into a vicious town' plot is generic, but it's the symbolism Questi imbues the film with that sets Django Kill apart. The fact that Milian's gun fires golden bullets, the black shirted (and clearly homosexual) Mariachi henchmen - pretty out there for a western made in 1967. The guidance of the Indians after he appears to rise from the dead also implies the character has passed over onto a spiritual plain; that he's somehow there to judge the fascist and depraved townsfolk who eventually try and crucify him. It's all in there man. Milian's character appears to be on a spiritual journey (hence my El Topo reference), and I think Questi was also commenting on the political situation in Italy. There was a fascist movement who wore and were hence called Blackshirts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackshirts). But hey I agree with your rating (I'd probably give it a 3+) so who cares right?:cool:

[Powdered Water]

Sounds good to me.

[honeykid]

Village of the Damned (Carpenter)

Seemed a lot like a TV movie, shot in a pretty plain way with all around mediocrity. Not many logical characters or anything really that scary.


I think you'll find it was a tv movie, Pyro. I like it, but then Kirstie Alley's in it, so that's not really a recommendation. ;)


Death Race 2000

http://detour-mag.com/assets/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/deathrace2000.jpg

This was an enjoyable one, had seen the remake so was expecting something similar. This was far less PC and has a lot more fun in doing so. Was surprised how similar it was to Wacky Races and the VG Carmeggedon. Was everything you'd want from a Corman B-movie. Interesting this is what the expected 9 years ago would be like
4

Glad to see you like the great Death Race 2000. I take it from the review this was the first time you'd seen it? Also, the first time I saw heard about Carmeggedon it took me back to being a kid, dreaming about playing a Spectrum version of Death Race 2000. Not that there was one, of course. Back then, computer games really were for kids.

Did the end of your review get eaten or something? It sort of just en....

[ash_is_the_gal]

Être et Avoir (2002) 4

http://pagesperso-orange.fr/kees.bakker/graphics/tobeandtohavepic.jpg

i watched Être et Avoir (To Be and To Have) this afternoon. it was such a sweet documentary. the little children were lovely, and so was the teacher. and the turtles. it made even more anxious to finish school and get into a classroom already, but it also makes me feel like i won't be up to snuff.

[MovieMan8877445]

http://www.scene-stealers.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/trex_l1.jpg

Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg, 1993

This is the one movie that I still love to this day, even though I've watched it probably around 200 times over the past nearly 16 years. There was something that I heard Spielberg mention about this while watching an interview of him on Youtube the other day. I couldn't stop thinking about what he had said, either. He does bring up a good point that there is a good amount of drama even though it is an adventure movie, because of the whole kids issue. With Grant not wanting kids at all, and then having to basically be a father to these kids and watch over them while they're trying to get out of the park. I guess with everything else going on in the movie, I never really noticed it before, but once I heard about it, I couldn't stop thinking about it. That happens to me quite often while watching certain movies, though.

The effects are really amazing, though, there's no beating around the bush for that. The dinosaurs still look completely realistic to this day, even though it came out 16 years ago. I still can't believe that it came it out 16 years ago, because it doesn't seem that old in the slighest. This is pretty much by far William's greatest achievement so far with the amazing and timeless score to this. Pretty much everything about this movie is timeless, and even though it's only 16 years old, it's stood up to the test of time pretty well so far. I know that many really wouldn't have this as their favorite movie, or even in their top 10 for that, but I guess why it's in my top 10 is because it's so personal for me. It's the first movie I ever saw, and it's the movie that got me into movies as much as I am today. I was also obsessed with dinosaurs when I was younger, so that may be abother reason. I still like them to this day, too.

5

[Holden Pike]

I think you'll find it was a tv movie, Pyro. I like it, but then Kirstie Alley's in it, so that's not really a recommendation.

Carpenter's Village of the Damned re-make was not made-for-TV, nor did it go straight to video. It actually had a regular theatrical release. It was simply so bad, nobody went to see it: a huge boxoffice bomb, not even making $10-million in the U.S. I can see how the low-wattage cast of Kirstie Ally, Linda Crocodile Dundee Kozlowski, Michael Eddie and the Cruisers Paré, Mark The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia Hamill and Christopher Reeve (in the last flick he completed before his riding accident) might make you assume it was a crappy made-for-TV project, but in fact it was a crappy made-for-the-big-screen project.

[mark f]

Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, 2008) 3.5

http://laceysfilms.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/large_eastwd.jpg

OK, I've already reviewed this and I haven't changed one thing about my original opinion, except that maybe it's even better than I remember. The script and direction are almost perfect and reflect exactly what Eastwood wanted to do, I have not one iota of a problem with the acting of the kids who are just fine (you guys who complain that they can't act are really awesome; where are your Oscars for best director and picture which this old man received?). I last watched this the eve of Father's Day, and although it doesn't paint a happy family, it paints a realistic one, and most all of the events are quite realistic to me. Yes, from first-hand knowledge, I'd say that an old white man (with or without a gun) can scare ethnic gang members with guns depending on exactly what he says and how he says it. It's not really a question of whether he "scares" them though; it's more a matter of whether he makes them think more than they have in the past.

Animal House (John Landis, 1978) 3.5

http://blogs.suburbanchicagonews.com/sportsbeacon/animal_house_deltas.jpg

This is one of the best, lowest-common-denominator flicks ever made. Yes, the characters are scummy, but the scummiest ones are the ones who end up in the Nixon Administration! It's the truly crummy characters who end up kicking those other punks' asses! This film did sorta "introduce" some great actors to the flicks, including Tom Hulce, Peter Riegert, Karen Allen, John Belushi, Kevin Bacon, Bruce McGill, etc., but it really worked as an anarchistic take on American Graffiti ("Where were you in '62?"). Dean Wormer (John Vernon) actually ends up being my fave character though - referring to Belushi's GPA - "Zero Point Zero" while Blutarsky has two straws sticking out from his nostrils. Sing it... "Animal House... Animal House"

The Postman (Kevin Costner, 1997) 3

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/the-postman.jpg

Most people have the flick they like to crap on Costner for. For some, it's an Academy Award winner! (the superb Dances With Wolves), and for others, it's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Waterworld and, especially, The Postman. Now, I'll be the first to tell you that I never thought that The Postman was a bomb, but I did think it was silly for it to go on for three hours, but I'll be damned at this point in time. The Postman seems much more watchable than it was when it came out, and even if three hours cannot be justified, I can't tell you what should be cut out. The Postman just isn't the silly, overblown pic that it's painted to be. For one thing, it's much funnier and self-aware of its humor than other such movies, so I have to cut it some slack, no matter how one-dimensional it "seems" to be. Before you come in here and tell me I'm full of it, make sure that you provide enough evidence to convince me that you've actually watched it. :cool:

Victor/Victoria (Blake Edwards, 1982) 4-

http://whatsontv.co.uk/blogs/movietalk/files/2008/12/victor-victoria-2.jpg

This musical farce came out the same year as Tootsie although I'm not sure that most people have as good feelings about it. After all, it's a musical!! Then again, it's more blatantly about sexual politics, at least if you want to add gays into the mix besides male and female heterosexuals. Even so, this film is hilarious, and for people who can handle a semi-modern musical, it pays off in even more with laughs, entertainment and reactions from so-called macho men. I'll admit that I may be overrating this one (slightly), but if you pay attention, and love the cast, you may just agree with me.

Star Trek (J.J. Abrams, 2009) 3.5

http://www.thefilmwall.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/star-trek-2009.jpg

I don't know, PW. The only person I know who's watched more "Star Trek" TV than I have is probably my wife Brenda, and she said this movie seems more like a movie than any of the other ones because they all seemed like overblown TV episodes. I'll admit that didn't occur to me, but I certainly enjoy this flick for providing plenty of entertainment. I basically liked it for what is was, but as an homage/ borderline spoof of the original series, it earns extra credit from me. My only complaint is that it probably could have been 15 minutes shorter.

The Play House (Buster Keaton & Eddie Cline, 1921) 3+

http://deeperintomovies.net/journal/image09/playhouse1.jpg

This Keaton short begins hilariously where he plays every character. It's only the second half where other actors/characters show up that it seems to lose a bit of something. I know that a certain someone here believes that this is one of Buster's two best shorts, but I'm not really ready to say that it's anywhere near as good as The Goat quite yet. I'll be watching it a lot more in the future and post any changes of my or anybody else's minds which matter to me. Haha!

Cops (Buster Keaton & Eddie Cline, 1922) 2.5+

http://media2.moma.org/collection_images/resized/330/w500h420/CRI_113330.jpg

My family watched this short outside at the Victoria Gardens in Vancouver, British Columbia a few years ago. It's a cute flick, but also a little bit stretched out. However, if you ever get a chace to watch a silent film, especially with musical accompaniment, you should take advantage of it. We originally watched this with Chaplin's The Cure (1917), which I thought was just about equally entertaining.

The General (Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman, 1926) 3.5

http://www.yvoverschoor.nl/Afbeeldingen/buster%20keaton%20kanon.jpg

Although this doesn't rank as one of Keaton's funniest (College, Seven Chances) or even most-experimental (Sherlock, Jr.) flicks, it probably is his greatest silent film because besides being funny, it's exciting and a major war film. In fact, it's easily one of the best Civil War films ever made. This flick has a ton of action to go with all the stunts and comedy, plus it's all based on a true story. Some people may not understand all the work that went into making this film as honest and believable as it turned out, but all I have to say is this: Watch it once, so you can say that you've seen it. Then, watch it again so that you can honestly see what you missed the first time. Of course, I say that about almost every film, but especially older films and silent films because they are often so comfortable in their ancient skin that it takes our newfangled skin repeated viewings to get why they should feel so comfortable in the first place. :cool:

The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941) 4

http://media2.moma.org/collection_images/resized/323/w500h420/CRI_113323.jpg

Oh Boy! One of my fave novels is turned into one of my fave films. This movie is so perfect that it's hard for me to describe how anybody could improve upon it, and it's approaching 70 years in age as far as film goes. Well, let's start with a perfect cast. Can anybody suggest a better cast? I know that some people want somebody younger and more beautiful than Mary Astor as Brigid but I can't guess who could possibly have been such a perfect foil for Bogart. "You're good, you're very good!" Peter Lorre is the perfect Joel Cairo and Sydney Greenstreet is awesome as Gutman. The dialogue by Hammett is just so good. I'm not sure that the younger generation realizes how witty this flick and script are. I laugh my butt off at all the perfection on display here.

[honeykid]

Carpenter's Village of the Damned re-make was not made-for-TV, nor did it go straight to video. It actually had a regular theatrical release.

Wow. I've always thought that it was a made for tv film. In fact, I think I've even seen it listed as such. :D

Cheers Holden. :up:

[MovieMan8877445]

http://www.independentcritics.com/images/ai%20artificial%20intelligence%20SPLASH.jpg

Artificial Intelligence: AI
Steven Spielberg, 2001

This is one of those few movies from Spielberg that doesn't seem to get all the love that it deserves, IMO. It's pretty underrated if you ask me, and underrated is a word that I wouldn't usually use in the same sentence with Spielberg. I think this film was so near perfect, but I had bring down my rating some because of the ending. It's not the fact that I didn't like it, but it just didn't fit with the cold and dark atmosphere that the rest of the movie had. I blame Kubrick for that, though, since it was his ending and not Spielberg's. The entire movie is rather depressing, though, and it worked. It's not like anything I've seen from Spielberg before.

Haley Joel Osment fit so perfectly as the lead role, and I really couldn't imagine anyone else playing the role. I didn't even notice it was the "I see dead people" kid from the Sixth Sense until the ending, though. He did a much better job in this if you ask me, but I also don't love the Sixth Sense as most. I would probably rank it in the lower amount of Shyamalan's films. He really seemed dedicated in the role, but I think kid actors just really shine in Spielberg's movies, between Osment in this, Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun, and Henry Thomas in E.T.

I've noticed that these past few days I've only been in the mood to watch Spielberg's movies, though. I really need to shake off this strange obsession I've had with him these past few days. As far as ranking it amongst the other Sci-Fi films I've seen it, this would probably make it in the lower end of my top 5 favorite Sci-Fi films. Don't let all the hate that this movie seems to get to put you off from watching it, if you haven't yet, and I'd say to at least give it a try.

4.5

[Harry Lime]

Oh I think the ending is plenty dark, and cold.

[Swan]

The ending made my eyes swell up. :(

[tramp]

The Postman (Kevin Costner, 1997) 3

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/the-postman.jpg

Most people have the flick they like to crap on Costner for. For some, it's an Academy Award winner! (the superb Dances With Wolves), and for others, it's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Waterworld and, especially, The Postman. Now, I'll be the first to tell you that I never thought that The Postman was a bomb, but I did think it was silly for it to go on for three hours, but I'll be damned at this point in time. The Postman seems much more watchable than it was when it came out, and even if three hours cannot be justified, I can't tell you what should be cut out. The Postman just isn't the silly, overblown pic that it's painted to be. For one thing, it's much funnier and self-aware of its humor than other such movies, so I have to cut it some slack, no matter how one-dimensional it "seems" to be. Before you come in here and tell me I'm full of it, make sure that you provide enough evidence to convince me that you've actually watched it. :cool:

Ah, The Postman! A film I'm always afraid to say how much I like for fear of ridicule. :p

I actually thought it rather watchable when it came out, and I remember it was released the same week as Titanic. I've often wondered if it would made a few more dollars if released in another year... ;)

But, really, I like the film and especially the whole Richard III thing ("let loose the dogs of war!") and Will Patton's villainy turn. This was during the period where Costner became the critic's favorite whipping boy (after the poor casting of Robin Hood and the overblown Waterworld, they turned on him like rats, even though his ego needed to be checked) and this film was unfairly berated, imo. Another film of that period, Wyatt Earp, is a favorite but doesn't seem to be as ragged upon as this one. I gather it's because Costner directed it and he was supposed to make a DWW every time out.

:rolleyes:

A little story: I was ordering a movie poster of Costner's film, For Love of the Game (an uneven but wonderful look at a pitcher's perfect game; the romance was misguided but the baseball sequences are rather perfect; watch John C. Reilly give a heartwarming performance as the catcher), when the guy I was talking to mentioned he had just watched The Postman. I asked him what he thought and he said, "Why did everyone rag on that film? It wasn't the greatest, but it was pretty entertaining and I liked it a lot."

:D

Anyway, as you were.... ;)

[tramp]

Hamlet
Kenneth Branagh 1996

http://openlettersmonthly.com/issue/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/hamlet-branagh2.jpg

I finally got around to getting this from Netflix (had been in my queue), and I had a bit of bad news last night, so decided that 4 hours of Shakespeare and Branagh was a perfect way to disappear for a while. I couldn't have made a better choice.

I am a fan of the Gibson Hamlet and have wondered for a while which version I would like better. And now I'm not sure. Scenes from Branagh's film blow me away, yet the pristine and shiny look of Branagh's version isn't as much to my liking as the dirty and dark look of the Gibson version. And there's something visceral about Gibson's Hamlet as opposed to Branagh's more reserved version. I think Gibson does madness better. Yet, some things are done so right with Branagh's film:



the "To be or not to be" delivered before a mirror with Claudius and Polonius listening (which is the way it should be)
"Get thee to a Nunnery" sequence with Winslet's Ophelia -- this is pitch perfect, disturbing, and both performances are flat-out amazing
the decision to include Fortinbras (not seen in the Gibson version) leading to an amazing soliquoy right before intermission with Branagh all in black standing in the snow (wow); speaking of which, the use of color was amazing -- so much black and white and Hamlet's entrance as he stands all in black amid a landscape of bright color was beautiful to look at
Branagh's anguish when he yells how much he loved Ophelia at her grave site and loved the "Yorik" speech
Billy Crystal's PERFECT delivery of the gravekeeper's lines -- wow, who knew? Charlton Heston was also perfect as well as Robin Williams, who added a bit of comedy
Branagh's delivery of the "sparrow" lines near the end of the film
Kenneth gave me new insights into the play and a new theory about Hamlet's "madness"

What really hurt the film for me, though, was the staging of the end of the play. In Gibson's version, I often watch that scene over and over, loving every minute of it. Gibson's black gloves, Horatio's "sweet prince" delivery kneeling over Hamlet, the delivery of the poison all work incredibly well. For some reason, nothing worked for me in Branagh's version -- Horatio stands apart from Hamlet when he delivers that most famous of lines, Claudius holds up the poison for all to see (boy was I confused), and I didn't really buy Laertes sudden conversion before his death.

To have lived with this Hamlet for almost four hours and have the climax not deliver the way I wanted was disappointing. But I plan on watching the film again today (while doing laundry) and reevaluate.

Nonetheless, when Branagh speaks Shakespeare (omg, how I love Henry V), all kinds of things happen to me emotionally. Some I can talk about, some I cannot.

Suffice it to say that it is an extreme turn on for me. ;)

4

[Sleezy]

Artificial Intelligence: AI
Steven Spielberg, 2001

Don't let all the hate that this movie seems to get to put you off from watching it, if you haven't yet, and I'd say to at least give it a try.

I'd like to supply a counter-argument. Artificial Intelligence is one of the few films I wish I'd never seen. Unlike other films that strive to be inherently depressing in nature, this one contains artificial entities that represent the human condition, but can be subjected to more pain than humans can. In other words, instead of a lifetime of hopelessness that at least has the potential to end, the film gets to dabble with an entire millennia of hopelessness and unfamiliarity that goes on forever.

Whether Ian Watson, Kubrick, or Spielberg is to blame, the film takes plenty of cheap opportunities to pull your heartstrings, particularly where the central character - who is a child - is concerned. His naivety makes his entire quest, and everything that happens to him, an exercise in emotional torture that's just not enjoyable to watch. The entire film is a wolf in sheep's clothing: at every turn, it appears to be the dreamlike adventure of a child who will eventually find his way. But it's nothing short of cold and cynical, and forces you to evaluate your own mortality in a very sterile, unfeeling sort of way. Make no mistake: A.I. will abuse your emotions, and leave you without resolution.

[Golgot]

How about some earthly mortals? ;)...

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/148/welcometocollinwood001.jpg

Welcome to Collinwood

Fun little heist caper, which isn't really more than the sum of its parts (and almost certainly owes a lot of what it does have to the Italian flick it's based on). Macy, Rockwell and the like are all enjoyable company though, and the premise is pretty cool. I hear they hit the farce end more than the social-struggle aspect, and can believe it. There are pants round ankles and numerous sucker punches. Some fun lines though...

'I will sh*t in you', says the threatening cop who knows what they're up to

So yeah, worth a watch. Very much in the Soderbergh mode (he produces along with Clooney, who has a twitchy cameo) of breezy complicated heists.

3

[MovieMan8877445]

Oh I think the ending is plenty dark, and cold.

I guess in a way that it was, but it could also be happy at the same time - I mean even though that David only got to spend one last day with his mom, he still got to see her at least one more time. He waited 2000 years just searching for her, and did get to see her again. I guess it could still be considered cold, though, because she died after one day. I'm still trying to figure out if David died in a way.

I also want to point out how much I loved Teddy.

[Sleezy]

I guess in a way that it was, but it could also be happy at the same time - I mean even though that David only got to spend one last day with his mom, he still got to see her at least one more time. He waited 2000 years just searching for her, and did get to see her again. I guess it could still be considered cold, though, because she died after one day. I'm still trying to figure out if David died in a way.

But see, even that is false happiness, because...

...she's not really his mother. She's a clone from a lock of his real mother's hair, and although they share this lovely final day together, it still doesn't change the fact that his real mother abandoned him in a forest. Sure, it was to protect him from being destroyed, but the irony can't be ignored. At the end, she tells him she always loved him, but at the beginning, abandoned him like a puppy that had grown too large to handle, when the entire reason for his creation was to be a lifelike replacement for her ailing son. The lines between person and thing are drawn very precariously in the film.

I also want to point out how much I loved Teddy.

Boy, he gets screwed at the end, doesn't he?

[jokerboy1991]

But see, even that is false happiness, because...

...she's not really his mother. She's a clone from a lock of his real mother's hair, and although they share this lovely final day together, it still doesn't change the fact that his real mother abandoned him in a forest. Sure, it was to protect him from being destroyed, but the irony can't be ignored. At the end, she tells him she always loved him, but at the beginning, abandoned him like a puppy that had grown too large to handle, when the entire reason for his creation was to be a lifelike replacement for her ailing son. The lines between person and thing are drawn very precariously in the film.



Boy, he gets screwed at the end, doesn't he?

I loved Teddy! :D

Also, I love the Snuggles bear. :love:

[Godoggo]

Brazil


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What took me so long to watch this? I could have seen it about 20 times by now. Absolutely amazing. What I really like is that it didn't feel cold or removed like movies of this nature sometimes can. Jonathan Pryce was largely responsible for that. His character was in turn very funny, endearing, and empathetic. A+

The Damned Don't Cry

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I feel like all the male characters story lines needed to be fleshed out a bit here. Also Joan Crawford's transition from Ethel Whitehead into Lorna Forbes is a bit jarring. Apart from that great movie. I was completely hooked into the characters and storyline. Halfway through the movie I couldn't wait for Ethel to get her comeuppance, then I felt really bad for her when she got it. Makes me want to have a Joan Crawford marathon movie night. B+

[MovieMan8877445]

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E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Steven Spielberg, 1982

So many memories from my childhood came back while watching this, but mainly the scene were the score started playing. I mainly went to pick up the DVD today just because I wanted to re-watch it before I rode the ride again at Universal later in the week. Another reason being because of the Spielberg high I've been on these past few days. If it wasn't for Close Encounters, this would probably be my favorite Sci-Fi film ever made. Some scenes actually had me shaking, namely the chase scene while the kids are on the bikes. I constantly hear people complain about how slow this is, though, but maybe it's because I was sitting in a car with nothing else to do but watch movies.

Hnery Thomas was surprisingly really good in this, but like I said in my AI mini review, the kids in Spielberg's movies really seem to shine. I'm sure I don't have to recommend this to people to see, because this is a movie that just about everyone has seen by now.

5

http://www.dailypress.com/media/photo/2009-03/45346024.JPG

The Color Purple
Steven Spielberg, 1985

Something that Spielberg always seems to do great in is dramas, between this, Schindler's List, Empire of the Sun, and Munich. I didn't like this one as the other three that mentioned, though. Maybe it just didn't seem to interest me as much, even if it was still was a well-made movie. Most of the movie is pretty depressing, but at least it gets really happy by the time the ending comes around. Whoopie Goldberg and Danny Glover really shined out of the entire cast, even though most of the cast still did an incredible job. Even though I've sounded mixed with it in this, I still thought it was quite an amazing movie and don't really feel that there's anything left to say on it.

4

I also started watching Flags of Our Father, which I'll finish up tomorrow. I thought what I watched was pretty great, but only got about 20 minutes into it.

[Used Future]

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Terminator Salvation (McG 2009) 2.5
I went into this with very low expectations but to be fair Terminator Salvation was slightly better than a steel toe-capped kick in the balls; with the emphasis heavily on slightly. I wont bore people with the plot details seeing as most of you know the crack with the Terminator films (if you don't then please report to your GP immediately,they still need to perform the finishing touches to your recent lobotomy). Save to say this latest installment takes place after judgment day with the machines now in charge and the CGI turned up to eleven.

James Cameron has been quoted as saying the franchise ended after part two, and I'm inclined to agree with him. You see my main problem with this new installment is not the nonsensical Blade Runner inspired subplot (involving Sam Worthington's character Marcus); the films complete lack of personality or heart (barring Anton Yelchin's likable Marty McFl-err I mean Kyle Reese impersonation) or some truly ridiculous and improbable looking robots. No. My problem is that once you take the Terminators out of 'our time' and place them in a generic looking used (ah hem!) future; you take away what was always so thrilling about the franchise. I liked seeing futuristic robot assassins beating up greasy bikers and thuggish bouncers in the present. I liked seeing big Arnie surfing atop a petrol tanker or mowing down a precinct full of cops after saying I'll be back. Terminator Salvation looses the thrill factor because we can no longer relate to the world it smashes up, or the characters (who've all been re-cast) that inhabit it. Ironically the best scene of the film is the one in which a suspiciously airbrushed looking Schwarzenegger makes a brief cameo. I felt a fleeting feeling of joy tinged with a real pang of sadness as his face melted away like the soul of this franchise. Always good to see Michael Ironside though.

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Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi 2009) 3+
Well I had to see what all the fuss was about and finally got this under my belt the other night in a deserted cinema (minus the hordes of annoying kids). Yes this one has had quite alot of critical praise heaped on it, though far be it for me to play devil's advocate (no pun intended) but I wasn't all that impressed. Again the plot of this one has been explained very well by Yoda et al already, and I'm tired so I'll skip all that if you don't mind...What? Ohhhh Ok then seeing as it's you....

A pretty girl-next-door bank worker Christine (Alison Lohman) wants a promotion, and so to come off as ruthless to her boss, decides not to lend any money to creepy slobbering gypsy Mrs. Ganush (amusingly played by Lorna Raver). Naturally Ganush goes postal because she's about to be made homeless, and well she's a creepy gypsy woman right? Cue some gross-out slapstick and Ganush placing a curse on Christine that will see a demon drag her off to hell within a couple of days. Naturally Christine's none to happy, enlisting the help of boyfriend Clay (David Schwimmer-in-a-foppy-wig-lookalike Justin Long), and likable Indian mystic Rham Jas (Dileep Rao). What follows is a slick mixture of old school jump scares, gross-out gags and savvy sound mixing as Christine battles to save her bacon.

Drag Me to Hell is a good old fashioned horror movie that rises above much of the second rate dross filling the genre today. But that's not really saying much, nor does it mean I thought the film was particularly great. For the most part I felt it was pretty average stuff that relied much too heavily on loud screeching gates, and repetitive old-hag-face-appears-out-nowhere jump scares. It wore thin with me pretty quickly as I guess I've just seen far too many films like this already. By the last reel I was just counting down the minutes waiting for it to end so I could go home. I didn't care one jot about the vapid Christine or her grit-in-the-lense boyfriend, and saw the film's supposed twist ending a mile off (twenty minutes in to be exact). So yeah I thought it was unremarkably good in a 'is that it?' kind of way. Drag Me to Hell is Raimi returning to his roots for sure. But it's an older, mellower, pampered Raimi lacking the hungry uncompromising edge that made his original Evil Dead so great. This could have done with a few buckets of real blood, instead of duff looking CGI (those awful pop out eyeballs), and pantomime people dancing around on wires. But overall solid with some truly great sound mixing.

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Death Machine (Stephen Norrigton 1995) 3+
Ok ok so I'm biased...My third viewing of this mid nineties cyber-punk favourite (think Richard Stanley's Hardware by way of Die Hard and Aliens) flew by as I sought meager recompense for the disappointment that is Terminator Salvation. Yes three years before he gave us the thrilling Blade, Stephen Norrington made this violent little gem. Filled with in jokes Death Machine is a stylish tongue-in-cheek actioner made at a time when it was still cool to name characters after cult directors like Sam Raimi, John Carpenter, and (my favourite) Scott Ridley. Cringe-worthy now yes, but back in 1995 this was a video rental wet dream, and has remained a personal favourite to this day.

Set in the near future the film centers around the Chaank corporation, a super conglomerate responsible for weapons development. We're given a cool (Universal Soldier type) pre-credits sequence showing the aftermath of a super soldier malfuctioning and killing a load of innocent cops. Yup Chaank are hated by the public and there's a mutiny going on within their walls headed by sleazy computer geek Jack Dante (Brad Dourif on crazed top form). Attempting to foil his hostile take over is sassy (Ripley-esq) exec Hayden Cale (Ely Pouget). But Dante has got the controls to his latest creation, the Warbeast, a mammoth killer robot that makes Robocop 2 look like a wind up toy. Enter into the fray a group of executive hostages (most notably William Hootkins playing John Carpenter) and some hippy eco terrorists there to bring down the corporation, and you're left with a high octane chase through the bowels of the Chaank building...

Death Machine borders on spoof at times, but it isn't, it's just a knowing genre piece that for the most part hits more than it misses. Infact it's probably the best straight to video sci-fi actioner I've ever seen.This flick moves like gang busters with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but it's very funny (especially the scene in which Dante produces a rubber chicken when asked to throw down his weapons). Plus if like me you loved the sound those guns in Aliens made then you'll be right at home here as there's plenty of massive-guns-that-never-seem-to-run-out-of-bullets action. Death Machine doesn't look low budget either, Norrington creates an effective A-movie aesthetic with lots of shafting blue and green light, hot sparks and gore. So if you like trashy robot action with a dash of William Gibson thrown in for good measure then check this one out.

* US Mofo's looking to see this movie need to get hold of the UK dvd as the US version is heavily cut.

[B-card]

The Hangover(Todd Phillips 2009)-it's true that they say it's one of the best comedies of the year and also in the last few years Todd did it first with Old School and now The Hangover.Ed Helms is fantastic just like in the office but this time a little neurotic Bradly Cooper has gain power lately as we see him in a lot of movies for the past year and a half and Zack Galifianakis is just hilarious with his stupidity and the Rain man reference just killed me :D.Oh and I can't go without Ken Joung who almost made me fall off my seat from laughter so good soooo good :D

5

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[re93animator]

The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
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I didn't expect to like it at all after the negative to mixed reviews labeling it as a typical Hollywood thriller, but I still dragged my butt to the theater. Actually thought it was pretty damn good. I can't relate to the criticism of Travolta's performance either, he did a fantastic job at letting me feel he was on the edge of insanity; that he was about to blow any second.

The film brought much more tension than the 1974 film most likely ever even thought of doing (even though the stupid spinning camera shots almost ruined it). From the look of the trailer, it looked like it would rely almost solely on special effects and gunfire, but rather centered on building suspense, which it did beautifully.

It did have it's flaws, but it created a new, darker, more realistic vision of John Godey's novel than the 1974 film. I'll get around to writing a full review one of these days.
3_5

[TheUsualSuspect]

Horror In The Hammer

No, that is not a movie, it was an event in Hamilton. It was the first Fright Night of hopefully a monthly thing. Cramped in a small theatre...if you can call it that. There was available seating for about 50 people. If that. They showcased two films based on H.P. Lovecraft's work. This was a first double bill I've been to. Not including Grindhouse or films I saw twice on one day by sneaking into another theatre. Two films, one price, horror extravaganza.

The two films I had never seen, or knew anything about. I've heard about them before, just nothing about the plot or what to expect. The first was From Beyond, the second was Dagon. Both Stuart Gordon flicks, whom I've come to known what to expect...my friend on the other hand had no idea.

From Beyond

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Scientist create a device that stimulates the pineal gland, making it possible to see these creatures living among us and actually be able to interact with them. The only problem is these creatures are not friendly and will most likely bite your head off....and if I can borrow a quote from Combs...."Like a gingerbread man".

These cheesy and campy flick was gross and fun. I figure I would not have enjoyed as much as I did if I were to see it alone. The plot is ridiculous and the events that happen are even more, yet you are there cheering it all on. Jeffery Combs, the creepiest bastard alive, is the lead scientist. After the first experiment goes wrong, in which his boss has his head bitten off, he is thrown in an institution. They think he is schizophrenic, but one woman wants to hear his case. She believes him and along with Ken Foree (shout out to my boy) go back to the house to confront this machine and the monsters it brings out.

Of course she gets sucked in by the perverse power of it all and flips the switch back on numerous times. Resulting in a scene in which she is almost raped by this half man half creature while Combs is in the basement getting eating alive...only to be saved by Foree. Yet when he is saved, all of his hair is gone? Okay, I'll roll with it.

This is a Gordon film, his style is all over it. The perverse sexuality, the violence, the comedy, everything. The special effects are there, takes you back to the days before CGI. It feels real, looks fake and is 100% disgusting. This film is not for everyone, this is evident as a father took his kid to leave the theatre within the first ten minutes. Yet for horror fans, I think it's something that should be experienced. It doesn't go above and beyond and really explore this nature of having these creatures live among us, which is a shame because that would have been neat.

This is a horror film that doesn't have much horror in it, horror as in trying to scare people. There is not a real scare here, yet everything about this film is grotesque and in your face that you don't need it. It blends sci/fi and horror well and is a film that will undoubtedly get you talking, for better or worse. I enjoyed it for what it was.

3

Dagon

http://chizine.com/images/dagon_poster.jpg

Dagon is another Gordon flick that played after a 20 minute intermission. This one was boring the hell out of my friend, who didn't mind From Beyond. He was falling asleep through this one, and here I am digging it. I enjoyed it a tad more than From Beyond, only because it drew me into the story more. Since there was more here to chew on.

It has it's fair share of problems, and I could do without a chase scene or two (since that was almost half the film) but Dagon was well made and has it's own unique stamp on it. It tells the story of two couples on a boat that get shipwrecked on some rocks. One couple stays with the boat while the other goes to a nearby town for help. The problem this time folks is that the town is full of...FISH PEOPLE. I don't get why or how it all came about because the film doesn't really make it clear, or if they did I didn't understand it because the old guy explaining things was incredibly hard to understand.

Anyways, the fish people aspect is what drew me in. I was waiting for Kevin Costner to pop up in a scene, but he never showed. The characters weren't interesting, neither were the fish people to be exact. All they did was chase the good guy around the town...that is all. Again, like I said, I could do without a chase or two.

So this main guy is having nightmares about this fish lady, who he later meets on this island. She thinks they are destined to be together, he is freaked out and wants to get off the island. All these fish people worship a new god, Dagon. In a flashback sequence, a well done one too, we see that this fisherman character comes to the island and preaches the word of Dagon. He throws this object into the water and Dagon pops up. Later, while the people are fishing, the find gold in the water and they reject God and the church and praise their new lord, Dagon.

I didn't really get much of this film, the beginning has some black clouds storming in, I thought this is where they might have came from, but apparently they were always on the island? Also the boat was so close to this island from the start, that felt off to me.

There are two parts that I remember vividly and are my favourite scenes. The entire ending climax with the sacrifice up to the final bits with the Lovecraft quote. Great ending, and the face ripping scene. Puts the film Face/Off to shame.

Dagon is a film that is repetitive and certainly not for everyone. As most of Gordon's work is not for everyone. I think this is his most approachable one. It certainly is not as campy or cheesy as From Beyond, yet it is in it's own right a very good flick.

3

[Used Future]

From Beyond is one of my favourite films. I hope you saw the uncut version with the eyeball sucking scene.

[B-card]

Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen(Michael Bay 2009)-Wow I couldn't expect more from this movie,visually stunning no one can beat it for sure yet again Michael Bay proved to be one of the best action directors.The action was on the next level at it was 3 times more than the first part a lot of new and exciting robots,and Characters and a lot of funny moments again and Megan Fox is foxier than ever.The story is again as if it is was written by a six year old but if you are going for the story and the depth of characters this is just not your movie I suggest go see it have fun enjoy it :)

4
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http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/5300000/Transformers-Revenge-of-the-Fallen-Movie-Stills-upcoming-movies-5305757-2560-1703.jpg

[TheUsualSuspect]

Well, there were a few eyeball sucking scenes.

[Used Future]

I have the MGM unrated director's cut disc and am referring to the scene in which Combs sucks a nurses eyeball out (you see it plop to the floor) so he can get at her brains. That and a few other segments were censored on the films initial release and only restored a couple of years back for the dvd - Gordon actually thought the footage had been lost until it turned up in a random film cannister and was restored. I used to have the old Vestron video release aswell and that was cut to pieces, i.e. it had visible jump cuts, no eyeball sucking, and hardly any bondage.:)

[TheUsualSuspect]

There was plenty bondage and eye sucking and I think I remember the guy mentioning it was unrated, which is why the one guy left with his kid within the first ten minutes.

[Iroquois]

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Dolemite (D'Urville Martin, 1975) - 2 (Camp rating: 4.5)

I don't watch much blaxploitation (I think the last one I watched was The Mack, which was over two years ago now) although if Dolemite is any indication, I should probably start watching more of them. The titular character is a notorious pimp who is wrongfully imprisoned by a pair of corrupt cops so a rival gangster can claim his turf. However, the police let him go in order to bring down the people responsible by any means necessary. Granted, it's a paper-thin plot with more than its fair share of holes, but who cares? Dolemite is just plain, no-budget, incoherent, cool-as-ice fun.

Between the hilarious performances (the supporting cast is great, although Rudy Ray Moore as Dolemite himself is legendary, delivering the word "motherf***er" in ways Samuel L. Jackson could never touch), the ridiculously bad attempts at action (you can see people miss each other when exchanging blows in fights) and the very amateur feel to it (if I had a dollar every time I saw a boom mic appear in the shot...), Dolemite is just a bit of awesomely terrible fun. It's enough to make me start looking for more films like it, anyway, and hell, if they're half as enjoyable as Dolemite then I don't really regret it.

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Welcome to the Dollhouse (Todd Solondz, 1995) - 3.5

Ah, Todd Solondz. I don't think he can be called a master of black comedy, but I think that between this and Happiness he's not exactly a lightweight. Based on pre-teen misfit Dawn, who is in a word miserable with life both at school and home, it's yet another free-form dive into the lives of its characters - namely, its tortured protagonist who goes through all manner of hardships that make up a particularly rough childhood. The film has Solondz's distinct touch to it, wringing out some decent humour from the strangest places (even though it can be incredibly cringe-inducing at times) and while it's not exactly the most enjoyable film, it still manages to be rather decent. Even though it does seem exaggerated in parts (Dawn's family seems a little too cruel to be totally believable), it never seems completely unrealistic and the film is just bound to strike a chord with every viewer to some extent.

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Bad Boy Bubby (Rolf de Heer, 1993) - 3

I've noticed that the past few Australian films I've seen have been rather strange and terrible efforts (with the exception of Mary and Max, which was certainly strange but definitely not terrible). First came the documentary-like drug film Pure S***, then the harsh and unflinching depiction of prison life in Ghosts...of the Civil Dead. I thought both of those were pretty nasty little films, albeit somewhat enjoyable. Well, those ones were a walk in the proverbial park compared to Bad Boy Bubby. This film is blacker than the cover of a Spinal Tap album and a tough watch for anyone. It's dark, disturbing and depressing - in addition to being downright bizarre and confusing.

The first (and toughest) half hour introduces us to Bubby (Nicholas Hope), a mentally challenged 35-year-old who has spent his entire life locked in a tiny flat with only his mother for company (who mistreats him in a horrible variety of ways). A series of unfortunate events leads to Bubby ending up outside the flat and on the streets in a world he has trouble understanding. He tries to learn from the people he meets and the things he sees, with varying degrees of success and failure. No matter what happens, be it good or bad, Bubby goes on, parroting other people and discovering talents in a way that keeps him going.

It's hard to decide where I stand when it comes to Bad Boy Bubby. It's a difficult film to watch even by my relatively high standards. I don't think I'll go into detail about a lot of the stuff that happens (although let's just say it earns its R18+ rating), and to be honest I'm not exactly sure if I like it or not. It's got a strong enough narrative that's compelling enough to make me want to see how things turn out for Bubby in the end, for better or for worse. While parts of it feel like they're thrown in merely for shock value, I can see how they fit into Bubby's story and development and manage a certain degree of poignancy. All in all, it's one very strange filmic experience that I'm still having a little trouble trying to digest - I'm wondering if that reaction alone is enough to give a recommendation to others. I guess if you can handle something as out there as Bad Boy Bubby and can find a copy easily enough, I say go for it.

[Rev. Jesse Jackson]

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

0

Now now, I was thrilled at this poster. I mean look at it, there, finally, what the first movie was missing. (Call T-I-C-K-E-T-1, to get your traffic tickets done.) A black robot, in control. You see, cause who was the strongest robot? Optimus "Prime", (Tosh.0 on Thursday Nights on Comedy Central) just look at a picture of him since I can't post pictures.

Now, where's the black on this robot? Nowhere. Just another way the man is trying to bring us down. Although, I've got to say, I love Michael Bay, always the best product placement, a tactic that I don't hate. (Hungry? Grab a Snickers.) I was more psyched for this than the Inauguration of Barack "Messiah" Hussein Obama. Until I saw the "enhanced" version.

Now, that's a white robot. A mayonnaise-eating, polo-shirt-wearing, can't-understand-rap-music, cracker. Who do we get? Two twin "jive-talking" robots? Where are their fathers? (Need your thirst quenched? Buy Sprite.) Of course, the Witwicky boy gets a father, and a college education, what do these twins get? They get to be a box on wheels.


Compelete and utter racism. (Pepsi throwback, in stores now.)

[Iroquois]

Hehehehe, you're a funny troll.

Just remember that racism against whites is still racism - your post makes me think of the pot calling the kettle "African-American".

[Pyro Tramp]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1C0x_axzNg&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cracked.com%2Farticle_16256_near-misses-6-worst-movies-hollywood-almost-made.html&feature=player_embedded

[birdygyrl]

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984 - W. D. Richter)
A+

http://bplusmovies.today.com/files/2009/03/endtitle.jpg

OMG, I cannot remember when I had so much fun watching a movie. It was just one scene after another that had me cracking up. Peter Weller (perfectly cast) is a rock musician, particle physicist, neurosurgeon, martial arts master and jet car driver who must save the world from Red Lectriods from Planet 10 in just a few scant hours. He does this with his merry band called the Hong Kong Cavaliers. This group is part of a think tank from New Jersey. Of course, where else would they be from. They also form his rock band. Buckaroo is also aided by the Black Lectroids, who are fighting against the Red Lectroids. The Red Lectroid's leader is Lord John Whorfin, who is trapped in the body of Dr. Emilio Lizardo (played perfectly by John Lithgow.) Whorfin had been banished to the eighth dimension and manages to escape and possess Lizardo's body during an experiment gone bad. On earth, Whorfin's posse operates the Yoyodyne Propulsion System, who need an oscillation overthruster to return to their home on Planet 10. It just so happens that one was invented by Buckaroo and they mean to steal it.

At times, this movie has all the appearance of having been shot in somebody's garage. This only adds to the satire. Did I mention there is also romance? Buckaroo falls for Penny Priddy (Ellen Barkin) who is the spitting image of his late dead wife. Of course, Buckaroo must save the fair damsel, who is willing to give up her own life for the greater good.

The theme music at the end of the movie during the credits was playing in my head for days.

This movie is highly recommended.

[TheDOMINATOR]

Some Like It Hot - 4+
(Billy Wilder, 1959)

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Yes! I finally get to smack on another 1% to a couple of my MoFo lists: this was my very first viewing of Some Like It Hot, and I had been wanting to see it for quite some time (ever since last Christmas when I first saw The Seven Year Itch).

In short, I loved it. Its clever, brilliant comedy had me laughing out loud and the performances of Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon left me dazzled. I was completely absorbed in the film, and I'm glad to call this wonderful classic a new personal favorite comedy (or, rather, it's among my favorites).

After watching this and The Seven Year Itch, it's safe to say that I'm going to try and collect all of Miss Monroe's movies in which she stars; she's quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses, and she only ever starred in a suprisingly low 20 or so films, so obtaining them all over time on DVD should be relatively easy (if they're all available on DVD, that is).

Cold Mountain - 3+
(Anthony Minghella, 2003)

http://www.moviehabit.com/photos/cold_mountain_dvd_150.jpg

A visceral tale of a woman awaiting the return of her lover who went off to fight in the Civil War, depicting the war in all of its inglorious horror. The acting, with performances by Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, Renee Zellweger, and Jude Law, is solid all-around and the story is gripping--even awe-inspiring--but the plot seems to drag at times which throws the pacing off, lessening the cinematic experience.

All in all, a solid movie, but has its fair share of flaws.

Devour - 2.5
(David Winkler, 2003)

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Eh...the picture pretty much says it all. A pretty weird (in a bad way) movie with a story that struggles to remain interesting and characters that are pretty one-dimensional. Some of the effects and deaths are cool, but...that's about it for positive feedback for Devour.

Blue Smoke - 2.5
(David Carson, 2007)

http://web3.seventymm.com/Images/MoviePoster/267301.jpg

Eh...(again), a made-for-TV movie that wasn't too great but wasn't horribly bad, either. I only watched it for one reason, and her name is Alicia Witt.

[Godoggo]

Hellboy(2004)Guillermo del Toro


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This was on tv the other day, so I gave it a re-watch. My opinion of it hasn't changed any. I still find it an enjoyable movie with some really cool looking characters, but I want to like it a whole lot more than I do. I always enjoy the worlds that del Toro creates, but knowing what he can do, I can't help but to fill a bit dissapointed with Hellboy. C+

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang(2005)Shane Black

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Some good chemistry between Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer and some witty dialogue almost saved this movie for me, but it just wasn't enough. When they weren't bantering back and forth, I alternated between being bored and annoyed (mostly when Harmony was on-screen.) C-

[Harry Lime]

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Shame (1968, Ingmar Bergman) 4

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La Jetee (1962, Chris Marker) rewatch 4
Sans Soleil (1983, Chris Marker) 2.5

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Ace in the Hole (1951, Billy Wilder) 3.5

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

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Eraserhead (1977, David Lynch) 2.5

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Samurai Rebellion (1967, Masaki Kobayashi) 4

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Marnie (1964, Alfred Hitchcock) 2.5

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F for Fake (1974, Orson Welles) 4

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Castle in the Sky (1986, Hayao Miyazaki) 3.5

[meatwadsprite]

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Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea

My favorite film so far this year - an absolute blast every time. Sets the bar even higher for animation (and it was already pretty high up in my opinion). A beautiful film with awe inspiring hand drawn sights and an equally magical score.

4.5

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Guns of Navarone

I really dug the characters and their relationships , but the action scenes ranged from hilariously dated , to somewhat exciting , to tedious.

3

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Playtime

Harry's little write-up on this one forced me to get my hands on this one as quick as possible - I'm fully open to movies with formless approach , but this one almost put me to sleep. I'm sure some would appreciate this one , but I am definitely not one of them.

1

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Batman Begins

The one that introduced us to comic book movies with not only cringe-free dialogue , but top notch - engrossing writing. Obviously not visually adept as it's successor , it offers something entirely different - an intimate and sensible back story on possibly the best superhero of all time.

Also ... Morgan Freeman , Christian Bale , Micheal Caine , Liam Neeson , Gary Oldman , and Tom Wilkinson ....

4.5

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The Prestige

Although I'd say the story's impact was muted on my second viewing , it's still a very enjoyable movie with top notch acting and often brilliant cinematography. A mystery I'd happily divulge into over most other films of the kind.

3.5

[mark f]

Richard Pryor Live in Concert (Jeff Margolis, 1979) 4.5

http://www.richardpryorliveinconcert.com/pryor4.jpg http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/coverv/82/128282.jpg

I almost didn't write anything up about this, but I mainly thought I would because sometimes I think that people will automatically like it or dislike it just because of the subject matter and the language Pryor uses. The comedian does use a ton of the N-words (something he later stopped altogether) and mofos everywhere, that's for sure. He talks about sex, family, racism, pets, drugs, hunting, boxing, heart attacks, sexism, funerals, children, corporal punishment, wet Q-tips, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, long lines, freaky-deaky, The Exorcist, the Vincent Price The Fly, "Macho Man", "dead person", Long Beach, and much more. I laugh longer and more often at this movie than any other movie I've seen, and when I'm not laughing, I'm wearing an enormous smile of recognition.

Honeysuckle Rose (Jerry Schatzberg, 1980) 3

http://www.posteritati.com/jpg/H3/honeysucklerose_1sh.JPG

This film was actually renamed On the Road Again to take advantage of the film's hit song. It's a two-hour flick which is about one hour's worth of pretty good Willie Nelson concert footage (in character with his movie band and singers) interspersed with a slight reworking of the Ingrid Bergman films Intermezzo (she made two versions). Willie is married to Dyan Cannon, but when he takes the young daughter (Amy Irving) of his retiring guitarist best friend (Slim Pickens) on tour with him, a love affair ensues. The film is both a drama and a comedy (Willie and Slim make a good team), and Robby Müller's photography is especially evocative and makes things seem more complex and important than they actually are. However, I used to think better of this one, so maybe I was just not in the best frame of mind when I watched it (although probably not).

A Night Porter's Point of View (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1977) 2

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This short film is technically a documentary about one man who has very strong ideas about supporting the Communist government and inflicting as much "justice" against as many people as he possibly can. The title translates as "Night Porter", but in the U.S. we used to call him a night watchman and nowadays a security guard. This guy though goes on and on about having public hangings and that when individuals question the government that it's just not right. If taken as a straight doc, it's a bit scary, but even at 17 minutes, it's a little too long and cinematically-flat. However, if you take it as a satiric jab at a man's thinking (I'm not even sure the guy isn't an actor) and at the government in charge in Poland in the '70s, it's more interesting.

Le Boucher (Claude Chabrol, 1970) 3.5

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This is probably my fave Chabrol film. It's set in a small French town where a school headmistress (Stéphane Audran) strikes up a friendship with a butcher (Jean Yanne) who's recently returned to cater a wedding. Meanwhile, a serial killer seems to be terrorizing the area, and it definitely affects the relationship between the two adults. Right from the weird opening credits which show a cave near the town where the school children later go on a field trip, the film is unsettling, especially when accompanied by Pierre Jensen's freaky music. Chabrol always uses Hitchcockian touches such as subjective camera, long shots inside cars, and a general way of being able to shoot in long takes while showing a lot without being flamboyant, but here he's really at his best. The two lead characters are also two of the more realistic leads he's ever built his films around. You can see the humanity and pain in their eyes when they remember their pasts and think about their futures. If you haven't watched much in the way of Chabrol, I suggest starting with this one and branching out if you enjoy the flavor and cut of it.

Waltz With Bashir (Ari Folman, 2008) 3.5

http://www.edsopinion.com/uploaded_images/Walz-with-bashir-dogs-777090.jpg

Basically, this is an animated documentary about the 1982 Lebanon War and how the director cannot actually recall certain key incidents he was witness to, but still has nightmares stemming from some memories. He visits friends and soldiers who were there with him and together they try to piece together what really happened. Although the animation is striking, it's mostly in the use of color and added-on effects. The faces of the people all have something almost resembling a lifeless quality, but that's undoubtedly the point. Also, if you aren't aware of the political and historical significance of what's been happening in the Middle East at least since WWII (but basically since written history), the film's pace and occasional talkiness might get to you before some intense action, heady surrealism and powerful truths sink in during the second half. Overall, it's an important film and an artistic one as well which can only grow in stature the more one learns about the subject and sees it tragically repeat ad infinitum.

Heaven's Gate (Michael Cimino, 1980) 3

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I was one of those people who actually saw Heaven's Gate in 1980 in its original version before UA pulled it, recut it and dumped it back on the market five months later. At 219 minutes, it certainly is a formidable film and one which you have to be prepared for. (Of course, any movie over three-and-a-half hours needs your dedication, especially at the theatre.) What got Heaven's Gate into trouble with most viewers (and critics) is that it started out with several long, mostly-impressive (in and of themselves) set pieces which didn't especially seem to connect to each other and further the plot. In other words, the most-difficult part of the film was the beginning. Of course, several foreign epics have been structured similarly and hailed as masterpieces, and although I won't namedrop them right now, most of them are Italian. Then, there is the other thing which caused Heaven's Gate to bomb, and that was that there was a backlash against Cimino for winning the Oscar Best Picture (The Deer Hunter) with what some wrong-headed people (including Jane Fonda) thought was a pro-war, right-wing flick.

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Now, I went back in 1981 and rewatched the film, cut by 70 minutes, and it's true that it was faster-paced and that it seemed action-packed (most all of the action was rear-loaded originally), but it also seemed choppy because the set pieces which used to be 20 minutes were now five minutes long. It also eviscerated much of the character motivations, the acting, the thematic complexity, and left you wondering who some people were. Today, I rewatched the restored version, and although it's still something of a tough row to hoe, it's certainly the way to watch the film. For one thing, Vilmos Zsigmond's sepia-toned cinematography is both spectacular in the context of the film and in the way we see history often through old sepia photos of the West. The film is about the Johnson County Wars of Wyoming in 1892, and the scenery is impressive and makes you feel as if you were close to Heaven's Gate, but in this version, there's just as much hellfire as anything.

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Heaven's Gate is a big flick, and it has a big cast. The central character is obviously the man played by Kris Kristofferson who sides with the European immigrant settlers against the Cattleman's Association and eventually the U.S. Army. He meets and falls in love with a wild Frenchwoman (Isabelle Huppert), but she also loves Christopher Walken who's actually on the wrong side of the situation. Sam Waterston plays a scumbag who's basically in charge of arranging the killing of the settlers, and John Hurt, who doesn't believe in what he stands for, is also on his side just because he's too ineffectual. The cast is full of many other names, including Jeff Bridges, Brad Dourif, Joseph Cotten, Mickey Rourke, Terry O'Quinn, Geoffrey Lewis, Richard Masur, Tom Noonan, and a few others. David Mansfield's elegaic musical score is a strong asset (he's the violinist in the movie every time you see one), and the sets and costumes are spectacular. Ultimately, Heaven's Gate comes across as some strange melding of 1900, McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Soldier Blue. Some people will hate it, others will love it, and many will scratch their heads. But if you get through it to the end, it's obvious that it's trying to be about something important, and in more than one way, it succeeds.

[Sleezy]

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

A Perfect World (Eastwood, 1993) 4

Wonderfully surreal film that benefits largely from Costner's charisma and Eastwood's ability to frame stories. I was surprised to learn that the film wasn't actually based on a novel. It's got that feel; that every circumstance seems to have a deeper meaning lingering underneath.

Actually, I'm beginning to understand what bothers me about a lot of Eastwood's films. While he doesn't seem to be completely lost on the power of subtlety - as evidenced by the connection between Costner and the boy - he usually goes straight at the social issues he wants to confront, which often comes off as much too forced. I certainly felt that way about Million Dollar Baby, and I've heard Gran Torino takes much the same liberty. A Perfect World touches on gender roles, but I found the frequency a bit heavy handed, as if characters seem to make a point of speaking up about it.

Still, an excellent film that knows how to juggle the issue of morality and goodness in all the right ways.


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Ocean's Eleven (Soderbergh, 2001) 4_5

Fun, sharp, inventive, stylish. This one is still just magic.


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Ocean's Twelve (Soderbergh, 2004) 3

This one... not so much. I can see where Soderbergh was trying to take it, stylistically-speaking, but I'm not sure it worked as well as he'd hoped. It gets better as the film goes on, with a particularly fun segment involving a cameo by Bruce Willis, but the writing limps along, and the sleight-of-hand reveal at the end seems tacky and unfounded. I also have to say that in the area of new faces, Vincent Cassell easily outshines Catherine Zeta-Jones (who's just bland in this film), and it's a shame Albert Finney is so underused. Oh well.


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Ocean's Thirteen (Soderbergh, 2007) 3_5

This one is a little better. Soderbergh took the style of the film back to its roots - that is, a new age Rat Pack picture - with all the slick wheeling and dealing back in force. Shamefully, now it's Vincent Cassell who's underused, and in some respect Al Pacino, who fills the villain role pretty well in the beginning, but spends the rest of the film playing the victim. The plot is a little more competent this time around, and with a little more heart, but it feels too much like an overblown remake of the first film. I'm being too unkind. It's a pretty fun watch, even if it doesn't fly as well as its predecessor.

[undercoverlover]

Corrina, Corrina

Sweet, funny and touching. Where did this Whoopi go, she's wasted on the View, I'd love to see her back in movies. Tina Majorino is uber cute as Molly, she should be doing more movies too. Good direction and a sweet a$$ jazz soundtrack.

[Iroquois]

http://www.premiere.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/list/the-25-most-dangerous-movies-ever-made/23.-in-the-company-of-men-1997/62313-1-eng-US/23.-In-the-Company-of-Men-1997_imagelarge.jpg

In the Company of Men (Neil LaBute, 1997) - 3

Granted, this wasn't as absolutely horrible as it had been hyped up for me, but yeah, it's not exactly the most pleasant film on the shelves. While it was pretty unremarkable in terms of technical prowess (the camerawork and by extension the visual style of the film were by and large very static), I suppose it wasn't particularly necessary to the film's extremely caustic content. I liked it well enough - Aaron Eckhart delivers the stand-out performance as Chad, the smooth-talking executive who ropes in miserable co-worker Howard (Matt Malloy, delivering a reasonably good straight man performance) to "hurt somebody". Even though it did feel like it dragged in parts, it was still an alright movie, and yet again I was disappointed that it was nowhere near as confronting as I expected it to be.

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Ghosts of Mars (John Carpenter, 2001) - 2.5

Ah, John Carpenter. He's directed quite a few of my favourite films but in the later years of his career he seems to have mellowed and not worried so much about turning out spectacular films. Carpenter's a B-movie director at heart and Ghosts of Mars is essentially like most of his other films, although I'm a little less inclined to like it. I'm not entirely sure why - maybe it's because it's a highly derivative film (most obviously of Carpenter's earlier classic Assault on Precinct 13 in taking a rag-tag collection of cops and robbers and uniting them against a common enemy) or because it feels rather underdone anyway, but yeah, I'd definitely put this in the bottom half of his filmography. One thing I'll say about it - if it weren't for Carpenter's name on the cover I'd probably never watch it at all.

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Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977) - 3

It seems like a tongue-in-cheek parody of the kind of pretentious art film that most people would categorise it as, but I still enjoy Eraserhead quite a bit. Sure, it's slow, random and as I mentioned it seems more than a litle pretentious, but I still lean more towards liking it than disliking it. Make of that what you will. I still can't get over how they managed to make such a convincing-looking special effect like the baby.

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1010/193579.1010.A.jpg

The Sex O'Clock News (Romano Vanderbes, 1984) - 2

I found this on an old VHS tape in the "exploitation film" section of my video store and decided just to watch it for the hell of it because the title and premise sounded so random. The film is essentially just a series of sketches in the vein of Kentucky Fried Movie tied together by the titular news program and its strange collection of hosts (one of which is played by Wayne "Newman" Knight, who's just about the only real highlight in the cast). Much of the content is merely existing footage being recut and dubbed over, which is more amusing to watch than the original content for the show. I have to admit, it did get a few good laughs out of me, but ultimately its extremely poor quality and often unfunny moments do get the better of it and ultimately I can't rate it higher than a 2 (and even then that's being rather generous). Oh, well, it's not the worst comedy I've ever seen.

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The Devil's Backbone (Guillermo del Toro, 2001) - 3.5

This is more like it. I should actually start watching more of del Toro's films, now that I think about it. This one had an inventive storyline (revolving around a Spanish orphanage in the wake of the civil war and the strange occurrences that've been going on there) well-written and well-performed characters, surprisingly decent effects work and overall just a great amount of entertainment value. The Devil's Backbone is a compelling film and it kept me riveted until the very end. It has a very similar feel to Pan's Labyrinth and on that basis I recommend it to virtually anyone who'd enjoy such an intense but ultimately enjoyable slice of paranormal fantasy.

[Sleezy]

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

Journey to the Center of the Earth (Brevig, 2008) 3

Pretty asinine, but at least it errs on the side of stupid fun rather than science. Brendan Frasier eeks out a little bit of his former charm, and Josh Hutcherson performs admirably (Kentucky represent!). Effects range from decently good to astonishingly bad, and same goes for some of the film's logic (like the ever-popular "jump the track" mine car routine). Overall, not a bad effort... just a forgettable one.

[B-card]

Harold and Kumar go to White Castle(Danny Liner 2004)-This movie is always fun to watch a really good profane comedy filled with a lot of stupid and ridiculous moments that make you laugh really hard :)

http://somethinglikearapper.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle-1.jpg

[Loner]

Surveillance (Jennifer Lynch)

Note to filmmakers, when you put the ending at the beginning, the plot twist at the end doesn't work.

1

[TheUsualSuspect]

Hellboy II: the Golden Army

http://www.twentysevenviews.com/images/films/hellboyII-poster.jpg

I found the first Hellboy to be incredibly average and anti-climatic. I had some hopes for the sequel, but the trailers made it seem like there was just too much going on. It seems like the film is trying really hard to create this other world in which Del Toro can have his fun, run wild and create some pretty interesting creatures and locals. Hellboy II is exactly this, but I did enjoy it more then the first one.

Abe is given more screen time, but his character seemed to irritate me at the end, would he really do what he does? I thought he was smarter then that. Don't tell me he was in love either, I just couldn't really buy that relationship. It seemed forced and used as a device just so that we could get to the battle sequence at the end.

Perlman proves again why he is the man to play Hellboy. He has so much fun in this role and it shows. Why these films don't make him a bigger star, I don't know. he has the action role down pat and his comedic bits are great. Sure he doesn't have the face of Tom Cruise, but this guy should be in more movies.

The film looks beautiful and it moves at a great pace. The action sequences, while great, don't add up to anything. It really just seems like they go to one location fight, then go to the next to fight. The fault of both this film and the first is that is has the potential to be really great and I know Del Toro can deliver, but on both tries the films have been just decent. Good films that you like, but wouldn't rush out to buy or remember years later.

The bad guy, who was also the baddie in Del Toro's other comic book flick Blade II, is the highlight. He is great and I hope to see Goss in more roles as well. Although, in the film there is a point they make about him and his sister and once they show it you know exactly how the film is going to end. The Golden Army could have been in the film a bit more, but that's just a minor complaint. It seemed like the film's climax wasn't really the biggest battle. The Nature Creature (which reminded me of Cloverfield) seemed to pose more of a threat and the film couldn't jump over that hurdle, which came mid way through the film.

To wrap it up, this film improves on some things from the original, but not so much to make me really adore it. I can recommend it because it's fairly entertaining and does a good job at pleasing the fans. I'm hoping the next film, they pull out all the stops and really wow us. The potential is there, they just need to see it.

PS: Extra points for that final shot though.

3

[Sleezy]

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

Willow (Howard, 1988) 4

Actively aging, but still a strong favorite for me. The charm is just too rich not to like, and you rarely see Val Kilmer having so much fun these days (if you see him at all).


http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/iusreview/Brotherhood1.jpg

Le pacte de loups, "Brotherhood of the Wolf" (Gans, 2001) 4

Dusky, cavalier period film that's more fantasy than history, but loads of fun nonetheless. The mystery of the "Beast" sustains the film quite well, and although the finale is somewhat convenient and cheesy, getting there makes for a spirited romp, thanks in no small part to the film's stylish action scenes. The dubbing is suprisingly believable, with many of the film's actors contributing their own voices in English.

[undercoverlover]

Public Enemies

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/film/100_0459.jpg

In a word...Boring

Poor character development. Film school style camera work. Lead actors that were phoning it in. I just kept thinking 'God I wish Scorsese had directed this' and 'We should have seen Sunshine Cleaning'. Pretty damn disappointing.

[Iroquois]

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b26169e2011570b92e87970b-800wi

The Hangover (Todd Phillips, 2009) - 3.5

Just a fun way to spend a couple of hours, nothing more, nothing less. Probably won't hold up to repeat viewings, though.

http://videodetective.com/photos/014/000616_46.jpg

From Beyond (Stuart Gordon, 1986) - 3

This marks the first Gordon film I've seen since Re-Animator a couple of years back. I get the impression that body horror films aren't really my thing - sure, I can watch them, but I don't find them especially interesting. From Beyond is no exception and while I thought it was an alright movie on all counts, I didn't think it was anything too special and probably won't end up revisiting it at any point soon. Plus, I'm pretty sure I got a trimmed version.

http://festivals.carolinatheatre.org/retrofantasma/demons.jpg

Demons (Lamberto Bava, 1985) - 3

With a title and premise like this film has, how can you not love it just a little bit? It revolves around demon zombies terrorising the captive audience of a haunted movie theatre, has extremely bad dubbing, a soundtrack stuffed to the gills with rock music, copious amounts of gore, and one of the strangest yet most awesome climaxes to a horror film ever. I recommend it to the people who'd enjoy one ridiculously violent demon movie, although I get the feeling most of the people who'd like this movie have probably already seen it.

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/images/2008/10/23/the_human_tornado.jpg

The Human Tornado (Cliff Roquemore, 1976) - 2 (Camp rating: 4)

Remember Dolemite, the hilariously bad blaxploitation film I watched last week? Meet the sequel - where Dolemite once again has to tackle a bunch of bad guys who are threatening his friends and business. The Human Tornado is roughly the same in terms of quality, although there are several instances where it goes above and beyond the ridiculous nature of its predecessor. Crazy stunts get instant replays. Fight scenes are ludicrously sped up (and Dolemite does some kind of crazy blubbering noise when he fights). One scene where Dolemite has sex with the bad guy's wife actually results in the room getting destroyed (because Dolemite is a "human tornado", get it?). You get the idea. The Human Tornado is just as hilarious as Dolemite, thanks to its few strengths and many weaknesses. It may be a slightly more polished film than the original, but who watches these things for quality?

[re93animator]

Watchmen (2009)
http://i40.tinypic.com/1ql4sj.jpg
I just finished watching Watchmen. I loved it. It marks only the third movie I've seen released this year, but it will very likely end up among my favorites, if not my favorite, of the year. I haven't read the graphic novel (which I've heard adds to one's enjoyment of the film), but still enjoyed the hell out of it.

Very original concept, intriguing characters, and beautiful visuals make Watchmen a fascinating flick. The CGI could be toned down a bit, but when it provides as much to the look of the film as it does here, it's tolerable. The action isn't as frequent as I thought it would be (a positive thing), which supplies an ample amount of intrigue amid the films characters and story. When the action does kick in, it looks very good. The use of slow motion in most of the fight scenes was nice. I also loved the noir-ish vibe that some of the film gave off (notably Rorschach's moments in the first half of the film). Terrific movie.
4

[Classicqueen13]

Last Five:

Torn Curtain [3 stars]
Paul Newman and Julie Andrew's performances highlight this somewhat overlonged story. It is definately not a flick to watch with high hopes. I thought the combination of those two actors and Hitchcock was a must-see, but really if you are a fan of any of the people mentioned, I think it's not a waste of time. Otherwise, your two hours are better spent on something else. Never the less quite a few moments of pure Hitchcock tension.

Spy Hard [3.5 stars]
I was impressed by this film because I really did laugh from beginning to end. I'm usually not one for goofy comedies, but I do enjoy a good spoof. This movie is one that should be viewed several times to catch all the funny jokes there are. Only a few moments where the comedy lags.

North to Alaska [4 stars]
Great John Wayne flick. It has a lot of good comedy, but doesn't overwhelm you with it, romance, or too much western stuff. It is a perfect balance of all that. And other than The Duke never fails, there isn't anything else to say for me.

Fallen [3 stars]
Really interesting plot, but the ending killed this movie for me. True that there is no way that one would guess this ending, but in my opinion, I wouldn't want to guess that ending. However, one big plot twist I saw coming in the early part of the film. I liked Washington's character though, but overall I just can't give it more than 3.


Spellbound [4 stars]
Hitchcock never ceases to amaze me! He is truly the master of suspense. Just when one thinks the movie is over, there is another twist. It has its dull moments, I'll admit. But the surprises of this movie aren't like any I've seen. You are certain that you know what has just happened, but then it's something different. Peck and Bergman have ideal chemistry. Definately one that I would recomend.

[rice1245]

Deep Red (1975) - 4

http://www.videomagica.it/img/locandine/6406415967ca987fb-profondorosso.jpg

This was only my second encounter with Argento's movies but i'm really starting to like him. As Eli Roth said on Bravo's Hundred Scariest Movie Moments, he puts the 'gore' in 'gorgeous' His movies are always stylish, pretty and gory with a (mostly) great soundtrack in this case, it got a tiny bit hokey at some points but didn't detract from the movie at all. I still like Suspiria more but am going to check out more of his films, Tenebre next most likely....

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) - 3

http://www.cclapcenter.com/archives/manfellearth03.jpg

Verrrry weird movie with the oddest most alarming sex scene ever.. that could actually be plural. I'll never look at those tight pants from The Labyrinth the same way ever again v.v but anyway, it was an enjoyable movie, it dragged in a few parts and didn't seem to go anywhere but that's why i gave it a three


Happiness (1998) - 3.5

http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/060424/060424_happiness2_hmed_2p.hmedium.jpg

I had to watch this movie for the trade-off tab, Iro recommended it to me. It was a very unhappy movie despite the title =\ but also a very good movie despite the depressing content

Bad Taste (1987) - 5 horror comedy rating

http://www.badmovies.org/movies/badtaste/badtaste3.jpg

Lord of the Rings are my favorite movies ever and horror is one of my favorite genres ever and Peter Jackson is now the love of my life! (He already was before but it has intensified) All you need is the pictures and if those don't make you want to see it then it's definitely not the movie for you.

http://www.mazeforge.com/Words/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/bmovies-badtaste.jpg

Severance (2006) - 4

http://www.dreadcentral.com/img/reviews/severance2b.jpg

I really enjoyed this movie. In any other horror movie you always are yelling or at least thinking at the screen telling the main character what they should or shouldn't be doing but with Severance the characters actually seem to care about their own survival, they don't stand there like =O for ten minutes. And there was a pleasant blend of humor.

Gattaca (1997) - 4

http://blog.bioethics.net/images/gattaca_still_ethan_hawke.jpg

The concept of this movie is the best part. It is set in the future where the second you are born they take a blood sample that can tell you the likeliness of ADD, Depression, Heart Disease etc with the baby. The percentages affect how likely it is you will get a job even though it is illegal to discriminate but no company wants to invest in someone with a bad heart. So Ethan Hawke's results when he was born said that his life expectancy was in this thirties and his dream is to go to space but he can't get accepted into the program because of his blood and yeah...really cool movie :yup:

Sleeper (1973) - 4.5

http://www.ecopolis.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/039_20431woody-allen-in-sleeper-posters.jpg

Verrry funny movie. Less focus on plot and more focus on fun and comedy it was exactly what i was in the mood for.

Silent Running (1972) - 1.5

http://gadgets.boingboing.net/90482-2.jpg

I haaaated this movie =\ i found Bruce Dern very obnoxious and psycho looking at times and my god you couldn't pay me to watch this again. The music was the most ridiculous part and although i was on Dern's side i wanted him to die

Three Stooges: Stooges at Work (1938) - 4

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_OfpZQm4cpao/SK1iz9QqAYI/AAAAAAAAAog/nv_Qf1Pivb0/s400/three-stooges.jpg

A refreshing blast from (my) past. My father has seen eeevery episode these guys have made and i grew up watching them but hadn't seen them in forever. These weren't the best episodes i'd ever seen but pretty much everything these guys did was genius

Aliens (1986) - 5

http://www.g4g.it/g4g/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/aliens_01.jpg

Awesome action movie. It was verrry different from the first one but in a good way. They can't really be compared although i prefer the first one which had more of a horror element to it and this one had action. And Michael Biehn!! Which is always a huge plus

[Godoggo]

The Funeral (1996 Abel Ferrara)

http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/godoggo_photo/funeral1.jpg

This is my second viewing of this movie and it's going to be my last. It's been a while since I've seen it and I remembered it being a whole lot better than it is. There are some good performances; the best given by Annabella Sciorra and Benicio del Toro. Christopher Walken is always amazing to watch, but he seems a little absent here. Chris Penn is sweaty and loud and Vince Gallo is Vince Gallo. Unfortuneatley.

I think this tried to be a different sort of mob movie, but the ideas brought up aren't examined fully enough and the complexities of the relationship between the brothers aren't given enough detail. Which is why the ending isn't nearly as powerful as it should be. D+

http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/godoggo_photo/fune.jpg

I don't care for the movie, but Gaspare is hot. ;)

[Iroquois]

http://www.gothtronic.com/Goth/img_/Movies1/sub/hellboy.jpg

Hellboy (Guillermo del Toro, 2004) - 3

I don't go in for most superhero movies, although Hellboy had an interesting premise on its hands. Ultimately, I was a little disappointed in the final product but it was alright to watch. Some of the stunt work and CGI looked a little fake and the character development felt hollow in places but all in all it was an okay way to spend a couple of hours.

http://www.best-horror-movies.com/image-files/christine-dvd-cover.jpg

Christine (John Carpenter, 1983) - 3

Despite being adapted from a Stephen King story and being directed by the man responsible for both Halloween and The Thing, this film never felt particular scary to me. I just put it down to the fact that it wasn't going for your average jolting scares, instead building up a sense of unease over the building obsession that grows between the titular killer car and the nerdy young teenager who buys it. It's an alright film that has all the best Carpenter touches (such as the distinct electronic score or the smooth widescreen photography) and a good premise that doesn't quite reach its full potential.

http://digilander.libero.it/allenwoody/images/broadway_danny_rose.jpg

Broadway Danny Rose (Woody Allen, 1984) - 3.5

This was more like it. I haven't seen much Allen (the only other film of his I've seen so far is Annie Hall, which I wasn't too fussed about) although I was fairly impressed by this. I'm still getting used to Allen's sense of humour, although I can't deny he shows some ingenuity in this film. Between the stylish black-and-white photography and the use of a Greek chorus of comedians telling/hearing the stories about the eponymous Danny Rose, not to mention the sharp scripting, I actually rather liked it and am probably rating it a little low, but as you may have noticed I'm starting to get ever so slightly harsher. Doesn't matter, it was a fun movie.

[linespalsy]

innocent blood (landis, 1992) 2
europa (von trier, 1991) 2
the international (tykwer, 2009) 3

[meatwadsprite]

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:RMHqOW0IfCW-1M:http://hopelesslyflawed.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/amoresperros.jpg http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:oywX5nZkjnhN1M:http://unknownpoets.blogs.sapo.pt/arquivo/amores%2520perros.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:0faeok72FmcWxM:http://www.offoffoff.com/film/2001/images/amoresperros.jpg

amores perros 2000

It's gritty , well filmed , well acted , wildly ambitious - but I've seen this same movie too many times now. Overlapping crisscrossing narratives with often harsh realities forced upon it's characters , it's enjoyable but doesn't stand out in a slew of others just like it. I'd still recommend it and even more so from the same director Babel.

3

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:B1_K-oYxY0Ep1M:http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/german-dvds/1507-1.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:TZNeUfA3YNeCIM:http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/Images/stories/2009/jan/blue.jpg

BLUE 1993

Juliette Binoche may be the key player for the film , but what I thought was more important was the director's style in how he presented the story - which was interesting at times , but overall dull.

2.5

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:uf2qPAJQNXsl6M:http://i.neoseeker.com/p/Movies/Anime/spirited_away_profilelarge.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:BJkSoOgENwzIMM:http://www.watchmoviestreaming.com/pictures/spiritedaway1.jpg

Sprited Away 2001

Pure imagination , mysticism , and emotion. The best animated film I've had the pleasure to experience and probably the best I ever will. Miyazaki's animators in perfect collaboration with Joe Hisaishi's magical orchestra.

5

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:xnT6kpvwgiEkNM:http://www.kaufmanclark.com/0385_1%2520MoviePoster-TheDirtyDozen-0706.jpg http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:u42Du70x-01_SM:http://thisdistractedglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/DirtyDozen2.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:pQgC9of3lYS0jM:http://images.blu-ray.com/reviews/93_4.jpg

The Dirty Dozen 1967

Wonderfully structured character driven fare that doesn't look to dissect war and combat but to acknowledge it as simplicity. I loved the performances as much the story , the only thing trailing behind are the visuals. They are by no means terrible , but the weaknesses are highlighted when you get to the big action sequences. Still top notch stuff , I'll be visiting this one again soon.

4

[KasperKristensen]

I Love You Man - Jay Segel, Paul Rudd.
http://www.movie-moron.com/wp-content/gallery/soundtrack/i-love-you-man-soundtrack.jpg
"Yeah, I slap some base."

Not much of a story. Me and my buddy tried guessing what the plot turn was going to be... Maybe Rudd's girlfriend payed Segel to hang out with him. Maybe Segel was a hustler who just wanted to rip Rudd off... But no, Segel was exactly as he appeared to be.
Turned out to be an ordinary comedy with no real story or 'meat'. As much as I love Segel and Rudd this flick just didn't do it for me. Occasionally funny, but I'd rather watch Rolemodels, Knocked Up or Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
3.5

[Harry Lime]

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

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974, Sam Peckinpah) 3.5

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

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976, John Cassavetes) 3.5

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

The Innocents (1961, Jack Clayton) 3

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

Fracture (2007, Gregory Hoblit) 2

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

Night on Earth (1991, Jim Jarmusch) 3.5

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

The Passenger (1975, Michelangelo Antonioni) 4

[Iroquois]

http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/heldenfiles/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/uc.jpg

Used Cars (Robert Zemeckis, 1980) - 4

This movie made me think about what makes for good comedy, especially in the wake of watching The Hangover last week. I think circumstances had a lot to do with it - I saw Used Cars at 2 a.m. by myself as opposed to watching The Hangover in a crowded theatre with a friend. Of course, it goes without saying that comedies are usually much more fun when you have someone else to enjoy them with - maybe I should do the same with this because while I wasn't exactly laughing myself sick at it, I had to admit it was consistently amusing. The script and performances are pretty good, including some brilliant building of tension, charming little nuances and pulling off a plot that is at once very convoluted yet surprisingly easy to follow. Then there's the performances - Kurt Russell and Jack Warden are the obvious stand-outs in the cast, but the supporting cast deserve their credit (especially Gerrit Graham as superstitious salesman Jeff). I should probably watch this again under more favourable circumstances to get the full effect but until then...yeah.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_enZG7U3Zr5A/RxX6HTmFzII/AAAAAAAAAD4/l4KCvk1o71w/s400/santasangre08.jpg

Santa Sangre (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1989) - 2.5

Okay, so this was a bit of a disappointment. I think I'm starting to get over Jodorowsky's films, or rather get used to them and the supposed novelty of his attempts at living artwork. Santa Sangre is more of what I've come to expect - it's quite simply weird, albeit slightly more rooted in a sensible reality than his prior work. What story there is - about a traumatised circus performer trying to adjust to everyday life, but is hampered by his psychotic amputee mother - is somewhat strong, but it's drawn out a hell of a lot by a series of surrealist episodes. Granted, this is the director's usual style, so I can't really fault the fact that this is how he makes his movies. I've just lost interest in watching them.

[Yoda]

Saw a few movies over the long weekend...

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

http://www.moviesonline.ca/movie-gallery/albums/iceage3/iceage3-3.jpg

I'll reserve a rating, since I might yet write a review. I'll simply say that it was okay; pretty good, but nothing terribly special.



Run Lola Run
4

http://www.spectralmasters.com/image/obj359geo235pg5p4.jpg

Really dug this. Courtney had been telling me she liked it for some time, and I finally Netflix'd it. I had a lot of guesses as to how it was going to end, and none of them quite ended up happening, which is kind of a shame because I thought its possibilities were better than its actual ending. Still, fun idea. I like that the first run-through is tense, but the other run-throughs are merely intriguing.

I particularly like this because most films that people describe as "experimental" end up being nebulous and weird, and a bit of a waste of time. I feel like this is a film that is both genuinely experimental, and genuinely entertaining/interesting.



Persepolis
2.5

http://eeink.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/persepolis-morceaux-choisis-2.jpg

Maybe it deserves a 3 for some of the animation alone. Regardless, I was pretty disappointed with this one. Perhaps it's not fair of me to criticize the film for what I rather would have seen, but I just wasn't that interested in its emphasis on autobiography. I feel like the Iranian backdrop really fell by the wayside, and it missed a chance to educate a bit more by being so vague and placing so much emphasis on Marji's mental machinations and personal life. I was far more interested in what was going on in Iran and how it might affect her than I was about her love life with some random guy in Europe. I feel like it missed a chance to make some more meaningful observations.

Still, quite gorgeous to look at most of the time.

[meatwadsprite]

Waltz with Bashir reminded me of the animation in Persepolis ....

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:-mPi_l6Obw4oHM:http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/joker.jpg

I hated the animation for Persepolis :mad: !

[Pyro Tramp]

Gah lost my post.

Public Enemies

http://eastofhollywood.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/public_enemies_movie_image_johnny_depp.jpg

Starting again, the film is almost the polar opposite to the other big picture out Transformers 2 in style and tone, yet retains a lot of similarities and subsequent problems. Essentially, the film is Heat in the 1930s, pitting two of today's big stars- Depp and Bale- against each other, much like de Niro and Pacino. Depp is always watchable but doesn't seem to have invested into this character to make him interesting, while Bale is sidelined, a lot like his last few big films. There's an unconvincing romance thrown in for Depp that takes up too much time and has about as much emotional resonance as the toilet flushing. Sadly this is where much of Depp's character development is supposed to be while Bale never really gets any. When the action does explode, the lack of attachment to the characters somewhat diminishes the excitement. There are plenty of other characters but are lost in the shadow of Depp and Bale's screentime. The biggest disappointment, however, is failing to create any relationship between Bale and Depp, the two have next to no interaction to make for an exciting or tense game of cat and mouse driven by strong characters, like we had in Heat. Like his last film, Miami Vice, Mann makes good use of the realist digital shooting only here he fails to utilise a tone to accompany it; the film is just superficial- big name actors, a unique visual style but nothing behind it.

2

[MovieMan8877445]

My past 2 weeks since I did last post in here have been pretty different with movies, so I thought I'd do something different than I usually do.

I think I have a problem though, because I'm becoming too obssessed with Jaws. I watched 4 or 5 times while I was on vacation, and I loved it everytime I watched it. Maybe it was because I rode the ride at Universal a couple of times, but something about it has me wanting to watch it so much. I don't want to over-watch it, too, because then I fear I may start to not like it. Speaking of Spielberg's films though, I also watched E.T. one more time since my last post in here. Luckily I haven't been becoming as obssessed with it as I've been with Jaws. It's still very nostalgic and even though I got the crappy DVD version of it, I still love it. The ride at Universal for it is pretty boring, though.

Seeing as how we didn't even have HBO where we were staying for the week and a half either, I found myself watching a lot of TCM. I don't think I watched a whole movie on the channel at all, though. I found myself watching parts of movie and that was it, hell I didn't even know what I was watching half the time. I caught the second half of the Philadelphia Story the first day I got there, though. I found myself liking it a whole lot more this time than the first time I watched it. I do remember the first Saturday I was there TCM was having a Hitchcock marathon. I got the ending of the Man Who Knew Too Much and the beginning of Rear Window, and I still think the both of them are great. Even though I wouldn't rank them in the top of Hitchcock's work. I caught one scene of North By Northwest, too, but I opted not to watch it. Instead I just popped my DVD in the next night, and I watched it in full. I still think it could make the bottom half of my top 10, and still remains my second favorite Hitchcock film. I also watched the Birds on the ride home yesterday, and it's still my third favorite Hitchcock film. I guess I need to go and re-watch Psycho sometime soon which is my favorite Hitchcock film.

All of the other films I watched were on my trip to and from Orlando, and I didn't even watch that many more movies considering I watched Jaws both to and from Orlando. One film I watched coming home yesterday was the Usual Suspects, which I loved a whole lot more this viewing even though I knew the ending this time around. The ending is played out perfectly, if you ask me, and it has a great score to go along with it. I re-watched the French Connection after buying it yesterday, too, and I'm glad I did. I found it a lot more un-interesting with this viewing. The final 20 minutes are still the best part of the movie, but I found everything before it a lot more slower paced this time around. I had this placed pretty high in my top 100, too, and now I probably wouldn't even put it in my top 100. The only other film that I watched all week was Flags of Our Fathers, which was another really good movie from Clint Eastwood. It focused a lot more in real life than I thought it would though, and the effects were pretty crappy, if you ask me. I should have Letters From Iwo Jima from Netflix waiting for me whenever the mail comes today, too. I'm very much looking foward to watching it hopefully sometime tonight.

My official ratings for the week:

Flags of Our Fathers - 3.5+

Jaws - 5

E.T.: the Extra Terrestrial - 5

North By Northwest - 5

The Usual Suspects - 4+

The French Connection - 3.5

The Birds - 4.5+

[linespalsy]

Knowing 3

[MovieMan8877445]

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w163/rpeal/20060727-minority_report_gestural_u.jpg

Minority Report
Steven Spielberg, 2002

Holy crap, does Spielberg even know how to disappoint someone? Something I've just happened to notice about Spielberg is that he works great with sci-fi films. All of his sci-fi films of his I've seen so far, which is all of them now, have been pretty great. This certainly is no exception, because I absolutely loved it. The best thing about it by far was the final 30 minutes. There are quite a few plot twists the take place during this, all leading up to one hell of an ending. I didn't even know the ending would've been so great either. I've heard people say that this is similar to North By Northwest, which is in my top 10 favorite movies. I saw some similarities, but I didn't see that many, except for the fact that it's about a man on the run from the law.

I think Tom Cruise gets a lot of undeserved hate as an actor, because I don't think I've seen him in a performance so far that I haven't liked. I really loved it, and I'd recomend it to anyone who just enjoys movies. I still think it's pretty underrated, because I almost never hear talk about this, at least compared to Spielberg's other movies.

4.5

[meatwadsprite]

rofl , nice picture

[Yoda]

http://zippyfish.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/screenshot-lives-of-others.jpg

Just saw The Lives of Others...wow. What a wonderful film. It drew me in right away. A few moments stand out in my mind as being particularly brilliant, yet surprisingly simple. Just an all-around fantastic film.

Funnily enough, it occured to me just while writing this post that the language barrier I had to view it through may have heightened its impact. The subject matter (and a couple of key scenes) are made all the more potent by the serendipitous necessity of subtitles. And more potent still by the real-life experiences of the late Ulrich Muhe (pictured above), who has a special, disturbing connection with the material.

Can't recommend this film enough.

5

[MovieMan8877445]

rofl , nice picture

Oh my god, I didn't even notice that. That's too funny. I guess I'll go find another pic.

[TheDOMINATOR]

I don't recall ever seeing too many posts by Yoda in this thread. I'm liking the recent posts! :cool:

[Yoda]

Thanks. :) Yeah, I don't post in here too often, partially because anything recent goes up elsewhere, but I've been watching lots of interesting (but not just-released) flicks lately. :)

[Harry Lime]

Oh my god, I didn't even notice that. That's too funny. I guess I'll go find another pic.

What was up with the first picture?

[meatwadsprite]

Nothing at all (http://kotaku.com/assets/images/kotaku/2008/07/minorityj_01.jpg)

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:k4gtAbLsXlZTMM:http://1001movie.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/batman_mask_of_the_phantasm.jpg http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:69Glrn-mXVttgM:http://ourenclave.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/batman1.png

Batman : Mask of the Phantasm

Shortly after Burton threw the dark comic hero into the campy cheesy spotlight and long before Nolan would take the crusader to new depths - Mask of the Phantasm was a darker , better Batman movie - even if it it seems dated now. The animation is very simplistic , but it gets the job done - I'd probably say the music was one of the exceedingly great things here ... and Mark Hamil as the jokester.

The story does feel very limited in reach , as overall it's like watching an overly long episode of a television series - than a stand alone film.

2.5

[Iroquois]

Burton threw the dark comic hero into the campy cheesy spotlight

You've got to be kidding me. Burton's Batman films are sufficiently dark whilst still maintaining a certain degree of fantasy to them. Hell, one of the reasons he never did a third film was because executives thought his style was "too dark", and so they hired Joel Schumacher to direct Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, which make Burton's films seem as campy and cheesy as Schindler's List.

Go ahead, watch those two. I dare you. Hell, I double-dare you.

[meatwadsprite]

Burton's Batman films are sufficiently dark ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmqNMc0IDWE

[Iroquois]

Two can play at this game...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70vHRlhspLE

When it comes to camp/cheese value, Schumacher blows Burton out of the water.

And to defend the clip you posted - it's the Joker. What did you expect?

[meatwadsprite]

Hey you don't have to convince me that Schumahcer made the most hilariously bad ones ever , but it seems he just jumped off Burton's total non-serious approach.

"Funny I don't remember there being so many random pink , green , and blue lights around Gotham ..."

[Iroquois]

Fair enough, I just think that Burton made a reasonably decent stab at capturing the dark nature of Batman while still making the movie a bit of overly fantastic fun. Schumacher almost continued the same way in Forever, but then lost the plot in Batman and Robin.

[Sedai]

I can't comment on all these at the mo. Still trying to dig out here at work!

Road to Perdition 3_5

Wait Until Dark 4_5

The Pineapple Express 3_5

Waiting 2

Orange County 1_5

Pirates of the Caribbean III 2_5

The Prestige 4

[Yoda]

Aw, bummer on the Orange County rating; I love that flick. Would still like to hear your thoughts on it at some point when you're un-buried by work-stuffs, of course. :)

[meatwadsprite]

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:4mndZarYZVXxgM:http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/3/K/4/eternalsunshinepubv.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:DFYkiTGiIZE57M:http://www.celluloidheroreviews.com/images/eternal_sunshine.jpg http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ycCHj2RJTlJlVM:http://www.cinefforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/ScienceOfSleep03.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:Y7fSgPrQcRc78M:http://www.joblo.com/newsimages1/poster-sleep1.jpg

Eternal Sunshine and The Science of Sleep

Long overdue viewings on both of these amazing films (which I've probably already wrote about 5 times on this board) , Gondry's excessive attention to detail results in movies that are roughly 2 hours and feel like they have 20 hours crammed in there - they look and sound brilliant and they feel very organic and realistic, very true performances and stories take romance in film to a place I've never seen before.

I'd give Sunshine a slight edge for it's science-fiction time bending narrative structure (you're watching two stories one in forward motion , one in back-wards motion - but the one going back-wards is entirely in the head of one man who already knows what's ahead of him , and all the characters featured in his memories are only his representation and memories of them .... ) *boom*

Both of them are very personal , but they dig at universal questions and emotions - I doubt there's anyone who hasn't already seen em , but if you haven't you're in for a surprise.

5

[Used Future]

Used Cars (Robert Zemeckis, 1980) - 4


You've been watching quite a few of my favourite films recently Iro, Broadway Danny Rose, From Beyond, Used Cars (and Demons); have you been looking at my top 100 list by any chance?;) Glad you liked Used Cars though, that's a film I've seen over fifteen times (including two viewings of the commentary which is almost as funny as the movie). I hope you do give it another watch because I find it gets better with each repeated viewing, Trust me. Kurt Russell really is great in that flick isn't he.

[Sedai]

Aw, bummer on the Orange County rating; I love that flick. Would still like to hear your thoughts on it at some point when you're un-buried by work-stuffs, of course. :)

Wow, I thought it was so, so poorly done in almost every way. The lead was awful, and I found the entire premise to be rote and tired. Your basic "Trying to get into college" flick, but with a dismal cast and a poor script. I mean, I laughed more at Waiting, which was pretty damn bad itself.

[Edenvegan]

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:4mndZarYZVXxgM:http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/3/K/4/eternalsunshinepubv.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:DFYkiTGiIZE57M:http://www.celluloidheroreviews.com/images/eternal_sunshine.jpg http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ycCHj2RJTlJlVM:http://www.cinefforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/ScienceOfSleep03.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:Y7fSgPrQcRc78M:http://www.joblo.com/newsimages1/poster-sleep1.jpg

Eternal Sunshine and The Science of Sleep

Long overdue viewings on both of these amazing films (which I've probably already wrote about 5 times on this board) , Gondry's excessive attention to detail results in movies that are roughly 2 hours and feel like they have 20 hours crammed in there - they look and sound brilliant and they feel very organic and realistic, very true performances and stories take romance in film to a place I've never seen before.

I'd give Sunshine a slight edge for it's science-fiction time bending narrative structure (you're watching two stories one in forward motion , one in back-wards motion - but the one going back-wards is entirely in the head of one man who already knows what's ahead of him , and all the characters featured in his memories are only his representation and memories of them .... ) *boom*

Both of them are very personal , but they dig at universal questions and emotions - I doubt there's anyone who hasn't already seen em , but if you haven't you're in for a surprise.

5

I tried watching Sunshine and had high hopes, but got irritated by Kate Winslet's character and wound-up turning the channel. I don't think she was written well. She reminded me of user-whiny-type girls I've seen with nice, sensitive guys in real life. Anyway, after reading your review I may give it another shot in the future.

[undercoverlover]

Tropic Thunder

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/film/tropic-thunder-retards.jpg

Funny and yet not. Missed opportunities mostly. Good solid cast but some parts of the plot were just a bit rubbish - stiller having to redo simple jack for the heroin dealers. Robert Downey Jr of course stole the show, jack black was fairly pointless, cruise was pretty good.

Probably wouldnt watch it again in a hurry.

[B-card]

Watchmen(Zack Snyder 2009)-Uff.When you hear a comic book movie you expect something simple a heroe a villian some shalow plot and thats all well with Watchmen is the other way around till the end of the movie you are thinkig what the hell is going on.At the end I had mixed feelings towards it I am not sure if I liked it or not.On one side its visually stunning in the way Zack Snyder does it just like he did it with 300 and the fact that its R rated makes me even happier(I despise censorship)even though its a comic movie.However what I didn't like and maybe that is what the rest of the world didn't expect was the akward story and the way it was told as if I was watching an art movie,but after all it was OK even though it took me almost all day to watch it
3

http://www.channel4.com/film/media/images/Channel4/film/W/watchmen_xl_04--film-A.jpg

[Sleezy]

Batman : Mask of the Phantasm

The story does feel very limited in reach , as overall it's like watching an overly long episode of a television series - than a stand alone film.

Yeah, but did you ever see any episodes of Batman: The Animated Series? The animation detail and production value is quite noticeably better in Mask of the Phantasm than in any episode of that series. You can see glimpses of the direction Bruce Timm really wanted to go with his animation, and I thought the music and voice-acting really made it feel like a legitimate film.

[MovieMan8877445]

Watchmen(Zack Snyder 2009)-Uff.When you hear a comic book movie you expect something simple a heroe a villian some shalow plot and thats all well with Watchmen is the other way around till the end of the movie you are thinkig what the hell is going on.At the end I had mixed feelings towards it I am not sure if I liked it or not.On one side its visually stunning in the way Zack Snyder does it just like he did it with 300 and the fact that its R rated makes me even happier(I despise censorship)even though its a comic movie.However what I didn't like and maybe that is what the rest of the world didn't expect was the akward story and the way it was told as if I was watching an art movie,but after all it was OK even though it took me almost all day to watch it
3

http://www.channel4.com/film/media/images/Channel4/film/W/watchmen_xl_04--film-A.jpg

I'm sure a lot of the world had expected a different kind of superhero movie because it was based of a very popular graphic novel.

[B-card]

I'm sure a lot of the world had expected a different kind of superhero movie because it was based of a very popular graphic novel.

I first heard about it when I saw that there was going to be a movie

[Iroquois]

You've been watching quite a few of my favourite films recently Iro, Broadway Danny Rose, From Beyond, Used Cars (and Demons); have you been looking at my top 100 list by any chance?;) Glad you liked Used Cars though, that's a film I've seen over fifteen times (including two viewings of the commentary which is almost as funny as the movie). I hope you do give it another watch because I find it gets better with each repeated viewing, Trust me. Kurt Russell really is great in that flick isn't he.

Yeah, I think I'm unconsciously going through the list - in my latest batch of rentals are Manhunter and Don't Look Now, for instance. And on a somewhat related note, I'm actually reading an anthology of American Splendor. And yes, Kurt Russell is great in it.

Anyway, what'd I watch recently...

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/1controversial-gal-scum.jpg

Scum (Alan Clarke, 1979) - 3.5

Controversy abounds in this tale of a "borstal", an English youth prison, and the trials and tribulations of everyday life inside for both the inmates and the officers alike. I thought it was rather good if rather confronting - there are quite a few scenes in there that are not for the weak of heart. However, I thought there was some surprisingly good character development given to the characters - one character who consistently steals the show is eccentric vegetarian inmate Archer (Mick Ford) who stirs conflict with everyone through his nonchalant manner and intellectual conversations. It's all very grim and tough to watch up until the ending, but it never feels exploitative or dumbed down.

[Tacitus]

It's not exactly a movie but here goes...

The Beatles Anthology (2003, Geoff Wonfor, Bob Smeaton)

5/5

I borrowed this a while back and have just spent basically a week dipping in and out. :)

Who doesn't love The Beatles? You're a cold-hearted bugger if you don't but, hey, their influence on popular music is undeniable. The Beatles Anthology was aired on TV well over a decade ago but I only caught a few episodes. Stylistically it's pretty standard fare with period news footage, promo videos and home movie clips interspersed with talking heads of the 3 remaining (at the time) members and John via various archived interviews.

I don't really need to say much about the general structure, do I?

50s Liddypool, Hamburg, bye bye Bestie and talentless Stu, hello Ringo, Cavern, Epstein, Martin, World domination, facial hair, mantras, Yoko, arguments, split. That about covers it. ;)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/274-001The-Beatles-Posters.jpg

What's awfully impressive here is the sound mix. The way in which already classic tracks have been converted to 5.1 is quite quite glorious, beautiful even.

A few little things caught my attention -

1. McCartney, to these eyes, seems less of the cheery, thumbs-aloft Fab Macca of lore and more of slightly tetchy middle aged man with an awfully high opinion of himself covered in a thin veneer of cheery, thumbs-aloft Fab Macca-ness. Then again, if you'd been fielding questions about John Lennon for 40 years you'd probably be slightly tetchy too... ;)

2. Along with all the instant classics, they produced their proportion of self indulgent sh*te, most of which seems to have made it on to the 5 DVDs in some form or another.

3. George Martin appears to live in a recording studio, endlessly unearthing and remixing increasingly unimportant Beatles jamming sessions and talking about them at great length in the manner of an earnest vicar.

4. Judging by the parts where the surviving Fabs are gathered together (at Harrison's country pile, I think), there was still a little friction between Paul and George even by the mid-90s. George was endlessly the 'little brother' to John and Fab Macca and the resentment surfaces from time to time.

5. The sheer competitiveness, not just between the two main songwriters but with The Beatles and their contemporaries in the mid-60s, seems to have pushed everyone to new heights of creativity.

6. Hello Goodbye is one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded.

All in all, I'd say the The Beatles Anthology is close to essential, even if you're not a big fan.

I was more of a Beach Boys guy, myself... :)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/GetBack.jpg

[Johnny Chimpo]

I was in the mood for a bit of good ole horror and decided not to wait a day or so for Netflix so I did the unthinkable and went to Blockbuster. I got:

http://3gpfilm.org.ua/uploads/posts/2008-12/1228320973_wrong-turn-2.jpg
Pretty, pretty bad. Not a big fan whatsoever. There was a pretty good nude scene, but thats about all. If you're into gore, I would recommend.

1.5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.vidiok.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/creep.jpg

Pretty damn good. Very refreshing and different. Pretty scary, especially a chiling reveal. I really liked Franka Potente (Jason Bourne's girlfriend) in it a lot. Creep was the perfect title, as the movie is just really creepy.

4.5

[Johnny Chimpo]

Sorry for the double post, but I just watched:

http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/knowing-poster.jpg

Nicolas Cage was, well he was Nicolas Cage. lol. So the acting was so-so at times and others it was horrible. Cage is again typecast as this smug genius who solves everything (a la National Treasure). The music was decent, although it was sometimes over-dramatic and I hate that this cheapy film used my eternal favorite (Beethoven's 7th Symphony, 2nd Movement) so nonchalantly.

The film itself was pretty interesting the first 2/3 of the movie. The last 1/3 seemed a little watered down and over-dramatic for me though. Also, the ending didnt exactly do it for me:

I didn't like the whole alien thing. I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, so this just seemed a little over-the-top for what otherwise was a pretty tame psychological film. I did however like how Cage's character died with his family in the firey uproar of chaos. I didnt really expect that.

First 2/3 4
Last 1/3 2
Total: Ill be generous and give it 3.5

Pretty good popcorn flick.

[Mrs. Darcy]

In the Heat of the Night 4

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/images/heatofthenight5.jpg

A very good film about racism in a small town in Mississippi when a big city African-American investigator gets caught up in the effort to find the murderer. Virgil Tibbs(Sydney Poitier) gets accused of the murder initially, but gets released when his chief vouches for him. This causes some grumbling from Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger) who is no fan of African-Americans. He is smart enough to evolve, though, and realize when he's out of his depth, so he lets Tibbs investigate the murder of one of the towns most prominent citizens.

There are several run-ins with town rednecks, and Tibbs has a showdown with one of the richer businessmen in the area, which causes the mayor and Gillespie to have hissy fits. Tibbs does an amazing job of keeping his cool when small minds try to hinder his work and degrade his esteem. The movie follows Tibbs' trail as he narrows down the likely suspects. There is humor, tension, and a great script to keep your interest throughout. I recommend it.

[Yoda]

Finally saw Doubt last night. I'll give it 3.5. I didn't love it (thought I thought I would). Great performances, interesting themes...just a little shallow in exploring them, I thought. Rating would be lower if not for the last line.

[TheDOMINATOR]

I haven't made a post in this thread here in quite a while, so here goes...

The Maltese Falcon - 3.5
(John Huston, 1941)

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/4030/maltesefalcon.jpg

Believe it or not (I'm walking on air!), this marks the first Bogie movie I've ever seen. I was thoroughly impressed, and although Bogie didn't leave quite the impression that Henry Fonda did when I first watched 12 Angry Men, I'm certainly compelled to see more of his films. The Maltese Falcon I thought was a very good, very clever "whodunnit" type of film with some gripping dialogue and an excellent performance by Mr. Bogart. The ending, however, I felt was a bit of a let-down (although not entirely so; I admit it worked well for the story), and I felt that the film moved undesirably slowly in some parts, but all in all, I liked it a lot.

I have a good feeling that I'll come to appreciate the things that I didn't during this first viewing more with subsequent rewatches; my rating, in the future, may very well hit that distinguished 4 mark. But, as it stands now, my first impression for this great classic is what it says up top.

Valkyrie - 2.5+
(Bryan Singer, 2008)

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/6981/tomcruisevalkyrie.jpg

It had its moments, but overall, I found Valkyrie to be pretty forgettable. My biggest problem was that I couldn't sympathize with any of the characters. Valkyrie's protagonists are a small group of Nazis (the main character played by Tom Cruise) suddenly deciding to rebel against Hitler who plan an attack to assassinate him early in the film, and the entire film centers around that. Although they're doing this very good and noble thing, in the past--before the events in the film--I'm sure they took countless lives in the name of the Fuhrer. Therefore, no matter what, I never could make any emotional attachments to them whatsoever.

There were other problems with the film, but that's its most notable flaw for me. I understand that it's a flaw that could not have been mended considering the story, but eh...I tried to look past it and couldn't.

The Babysitters - 3.5-
(2007)

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/1673/babysittersposterx.jpg

A movie in which a group of high school girls get together and, in need of money for college with graduation right around the corner, form a club they call The Babysitters. Its title is deceiving, for the girls' new-found business is really, basically, prostitution--they sleep with strangers, all of the girls giving a 20% commission to the leader of the group and founder of the club.

It's a very dark and very disturbing story (one of the girls is only 15 or 16 years old), but it's told in a vastly gripping and entertaining way. Its drama is excellent, the acting is solid all-around, and the ending was a thrilling shocker. I liked this movie a lot, and I never had high hopes.

The Prophecy III: The Ascent - 1.5
(Patrick Lussier, 2000)

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/2141/theprophecy3theascent20.jpg

The last of The Prophecy movies starring Christopher Walken, this has been the weakest installment in the series I've watched so far (at this point, I have one left to go). I'd go as far as to say that it was almost unbearable; the action was weak, the plot really struggled to move along while keeping my interest, and the climax was a total disaster. Yeesh.

The Prophecy IV: Uprising - 3-
(Joel Soisson, 2005)

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/595/theprophecy4uprising.jpg

Well, it was better than Part III, that's for sure. It contained a clever twist or two, and I found the character of Belial--a fallen angel, like Gabriel (Walken), in opposition to both Lucifer and mankind, thus forcing Satan to "side" with humans--to be an interesting new character in the series.

[undercoverlover]

Mesrine: Killer Instinct

real review later

[Godoggo]

The Secret of NIMH(1982) Don Bluth
http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/godoggo_photo/nimh_l.jpg

I have a lot of affection for this movie, even if it's terribly flawed. Too much time is spent on comic relief and not near enough time with the rats. In fact, we are only given one or two lines in explanation of why the rats are in conflict with each other, which leaves me feeling a little emotionally uninvolved.

Some parts remind me very much of Disney while some parts remind me of Watership Down. It's better when it's channeling the latter. I think if they would have stepped further away from Disney and geared the movie more towards an 12+ audience it could have been fantastic.

I sure do love Mrs. Brisby though, and she has probably has the cutest children in animation history.
http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/godoggo_photo/NimH.jpg

I really want to re read the book now after watching the movie. It really is a very good story. B-

Another pic just because I love the animation so much.

http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/godoggo_photo/nimh-2a.gif

[Yoda]

I love The Secret of NIMH. It occupies this weird place in my childhood memories...for awhile it was one of those stories I'd inflated and twisted in my mind and couldn't quite get a handle on, but always knew was incredibly mythical and intriguing. I snagged a copy on DVD not too long ago (it's on top of my DVD player right now (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=547493)) and have been looking forward to watching it again soon.

[meatwadsprite]

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:cfsWc-wB5YpvAM:http://chasness.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/american_werewolf_in_london.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:rJSu6OjwwdgqVM:http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/protectedimage.php%3Fimage%3DMichaelMackenzie/werewolf-2.jpg

An American Werewolf in London

Slightly scary and morbidly humorous , this fun riff on the werewolf has got inappropriate laughs and a satirical music selection to boot. It's unique because it treats it's characters like crap and there are plenty of moments where you really do feel bad for them , but had it come together more elegantly I would have enjoyed it much more.

3.5

[Godoggo]

I love The Secret of NIMH. It occupies this weird place in my childhood memories...for awhile it was one of those stories I'd inflated and twisted in my mind and couldn't quite get a handle on,

It was like that for me too, but more so from the book, I think. I actually don't remember whether I watched the movie or read the book first, but the story has always stayed with me.

[undercoverlover]

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

Mesrine: Death Instinct part 1

hella good, was gonna do a real review but cant be bothered. It rocked it out, go see it.

[Johnny Chimpo]

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

Mesrine: Death Instinct part 1

hella good, was gonna do a real review but cant be bothered. It rocked it out, go see it.

As a big Irreversible fan, I really want to explore French superstar Vincent Cassel more (La Haine is on the top of my list). Thanks for the review here, I will now add it it my foreign films list.

[TheDOMINATOR]

I love The Secret of NIMH. It occupies this weird place in my childhood memories...for awhile it was one of those stories I'd inflated and twisted in my mind and couldn't quite get a handle on, but always knew was incredibly mythical and intriguing. I snagged a copy on DVD not too long ago (it's on top of my DVD player right now (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=547493)) and have been looking forward to watching it again soon.

I feel exactly the same way about The Secret of NIMH. Of nostalgic movies for me, it's among the fondest and most vivid of my earliest (or earlier) film-related memories.

Well done, Godoggo (and Yoda).

[Iroquois]

http://whiggles.landofwhimsy.com/images/dvd-nakedlunch-shot2.jpg

Naked Lunch (David Cronenberg, 1991) - 3.5

A strange book with a strange author gets put in the hands of a strange director. I enjoyed the weird ride that the movie took me on (thanks in no small part to the variety of weird special effects on display) but there was something about it that still rang a little hollow, as if I wouldn't really care if I never saw it again. I may even be overrating it a little.

http://media.monstersandcritics.com/articles/1356896/article_images/manhunter3.jpg

Manhunter (Michael Mann, 1986) - 4

This was more like it. Great-looking photography, a good soundtrack, pitch-perfect acting from just about all the players and enough changes from the book (which I'd already read once a few years back) to make it seem like a fresher experience.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_fpKN531CE_Y/Sc1t3rzL7pI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/UIVGsyOAqzc/s320/bring-me-the-head-of-alfredo-garcia-bloody.jpg

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (Sam Peckinpah, 1974) - 3.5

While it was a little less impressive than I was hoping it would be, this was still reasonably entertaining. Nothing quite like a modern Western.

http://www.best-horror-movies.com/images/dont-look-now-drowning.gif

Don't Look Now (Nicholas Roeg, 1973) - 3.5

What a strange thing to watch at 2 a.m. in the morning. It looked reasonably good (making very good use of handheld cameras) and stayed interesting the whole way through. I kind of wish I didn't know how it ended beforehand as that ruined it a little, but not totally. Granted, there were parts that seemed a little confusing and out-of-place, but I think that's part of Roeg's style so I don't complain too much.

[Yoda]

It was like that for me too, but more so from the book, I think. I actually don't remember whether I watched the movie or read the book first, but the story has always stayed with me.
I feel exactly the same way about The Secret of NIMH. Of nostalgic movies for me, it's among the fondest and most vivid of my earliest (or earlier) film-related memories.

Well done, Godoggo (and Yoda).
I think it's because a kid's film that doesn't talk down to kids. It expects more of them, and tells a fairly grown-up story. I recognized that as a kid and really responded to it, which is why I think it always felt so much more important to me than anything else I saw at that age. I'm pretty certain this is why it affected us the way it did.

Thanks for sharing, guys; cool to know others think the same way about it. I'll make a point to watch it again soon.

[zedlen]

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button2008
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I enjoyed this a lot but it wasn't as good a I thought it would be. There were a few things that didn't work, like the ending, that just came to a halt with no real conclusion or finale, some parts seemed too slow and others too fast. The effects on the other hand are amazing, probably some of the best I've ever seen. I enjoyed the quiet humble character of Benjamin Button more when he was a child who looked old rather then a young man who was old. Pitt's voiceovers with a New Orleans accent reminded me of Interview With A Vampire. Overall a movie worth your time.
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Choke2008
http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2008_Choke/2008_choke_006.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ne5Lb2SiFHg/R1RhJJxbCVI/AAAAAAAAH-M/IKdXtyCaZjo/s1600-R/choke+rockwell.jpg

I imagine this is a better novel then movie. It is just bad, the jokes arent funny, its hard to know whats going on. Choke feels like its about to go somewhere through out but never does. I'm a Fight Club/Palahniuk fan and that is what prompted me to watch this, dont make the same mistake.
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Deadgirl2008
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Out of the movies I've seen lately this is definitely one of the most original and most disgusting, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone squeamish. If that doesn't bother you its actually a pretty good watch. The characters are great, the scenes flow and the plot steadily builds tension that is rewarded in the end. I recommend it.
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[Iroquois]

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Walker (Alex Cox, 1987) - 1.5

What a strange experience Walker was. Ed Harris plays the eponymous colonel who is sent to take over the country of Nicaragua in the mid-19th century. His journey in the name of good old-fashioned American ideals becomes an increasingly nightmarish trip into hell, littered with senseless killings and ridiculous ideological expressions. If you weren't aware that you were watching Cox's cinematic criticism of American foreign policy, just wait till you get to the end credits (which happens after about ninety minutes worth of one-dimensional characters that we are supposed to care about getting shot) which features news footage of Reagan ordering invasions of Latin America. Just when you thought the fact that a 19th-century period piece where characters read Time magazine or fly helicopters couldn't be any more insulting to your intelligence, the ending batters you over the head.

In favour of the film, some of the shots looked decent and Joe Strummer's acoustic guitar score was alright to listen to. These aren't enough to make up for the cinematic shambles that is Walker, though.

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

I liked this a lot. Between the very well-written dialogue (which was by turns amusing and poignant) and the exceptionally good acting, it was just a great film to watch. I don't really know what else to say about it.

[Golgot]

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8mm

"If you dance with the devil, the devil don't change. The devil changes you."

That's the main premise behind this celluloid flirt with snuff films and perversion. The footage of underground underbellies is glancing rather that glaring, but suggestive with it. Slightly erotic, thematically depraved, it threatens to root through some ambitious themes about tangled lives and drives, but too often falls through the cracks in its own pulpish world instead. I'm not against the build to action, and there is a fair bit of tension generated by Cage's detective doing the right thing, but amongst the primal urges and modern proclivities too much doesn't convince. Old houses that don't creak, a redoubtable PI played as ingenue (& a rather unfortunate role for Peter Stormare that leaves the air echoing with 'Give us the money Lebowski' during some potentially intense "set to"s).

Also why didn't Cage use his digitized versions of the 8mm as a bargaining tool, & why didn't Stormare's S&M film-conversion 'art king' spot this possibility too? And on. Plus what was with the Middle Eastern linking music? 'Babylon'?

There's some good grift by the actors, from Gandolfini, to the aristocratic wife, to the bereaved mother (altho i have mixed feeling about Cage's drawling, slightly cow-eyed presence throughout the film).

The last act flickers between farce and touching presentation, with predicaments that suggest the film shoulda been a lot better than it actually is.

2_5(+)

[Classicqueen13]

The Glass House (2001) [4 stars]
Really a good teen thriller. I mean a perfect one to watch with teens. Adults won't be annoyed or bored and everyone will be on the edge of their seat. The characters were very refreshing and the plot as well. Impressive and gave me chills

Frantic (1988) [1.5 stars]
Why Harrison Ford? Why? What a waste of two hours of my life. My dad was right when he told me this movie was "nothing". I thought with an awesome title like "Frantic" I could've expected some tension and even fear. I thought with Ford I could've expected a better movie. I can't really describe the tension of this film because it didn't exist. Major dissapointment

Hombre (1967) [3.5 stars]
Good choice, especially if you're one for Westerns. Newman is perfect as the cool and distant lead character. The supporting performances were on key as well. For a nearly two-hour movie it flew by and is definately worth the time. It won't change your life, it will just entertain you for awhile.

Poseidon Adventure (1972) [2 stars]
I watched this with my dad and sister and we couldn't stop yelling at the television. The performances were believable, but there was not one brain among the characters. It's like they feel no need to hurry or be practical because the ship is sinking! If I had a buck for every time someone said, "Stay here until I get back" I'd be rich. And one woman even wore high heels through the whole movie. I'll give that it's tense and I did want to see how it turned out, but I wouldn't have cried if no one made it out. I just didn't enjoy it.

What Lies Beneath (2000) [4 stars]
Different, Intense, almost disturbing. Amazing flick in my opinion. I lost count of how many times that I jumped out of my seat. It's scary without being gory, which I liked. It really deserves to be in a catergory under "Thriller". The performances were excellent, and the character are very real, but a little confusing (making them real). Really worth the 130 minute watch

[MovieMan8877445]

After having gone a week and half in Orlando with almost not watching any movies, this past week I've been trying to catch up on my movies. So, these are the films I've watched.

As some of you may already know, this past week I've been really getting into classic Universal monster movies. My favorite so far has been Frankenstein, easily. I still have Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Invisible Man to see, though. Frankenstein is such a misunderstood monster though, because he never really wanted to hurt anyone. To me, it just seemed like he just wanted people to actually like him, but they didn't because he was a monster. I will say that I think all of the Universal monsters I've seen so far have just been misunderstood, except Dracula, but he's just a vampire. The mummy never really wanted to hurt anyone, he just wanted to bring his love back to life to be with him. The wolf man couldn't help it that he hurt people, because he couldn't control himself. So far, I've liked pretty much all of them that I've seen so far. Dracula was a tad bit slow, but still a pretty good movie at that. The Mummy was a little slow, too, but I just liked the story more. I guess because I like the remake so much. The Wolf Man was good, but I wasn't all that interested in the story. I watched Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, too, and it was entertaining, but pretty pointless at that.

Speaking of werewolves though, I also got the chance to finally see An American Werewolf in London yesterday. It was a lot different than I had expected, because instead of being a horror movie, it was more of a stylish comedy. I liked it for the most part, and I liked it well enough, but it never really had a moment in it that stood out to me. It never really had that point where it got really great. I really loved the music choices they chose for the movie, which I think was probably the most stand-out thing about the movie. As far as classic Universal horror goes, I actually got into some of their silent stuff, too. My favorite of those, and my favorite silent film in general, has to be Phantom of the Opera. Lon Chaney is pretty much a master at what he does, you could tell he was dedicated to what he did. I mean when he made the Hunchback of Notre Dame, he actually walked around with that huge hump on his back. I watched that as well, earlier today actually, but I wasn't too big of fan of it. I mean it was alright, but it was like the exact same story as Phantom of the Opera. It had Chaney playing some monster that people hated and loved a girl, but the girl loved another guy. It has me wondering that if I would've watched the Hunchback of Notre Dame first, would I have liked it more? I watched Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, too, but I hated it. I don't even feel it's really worth mentioning.

I also got to work my way through more of Spielberg's movies this week, with Amistad and Duel. Now I only have two of his films left to see, 1941 and Always. I liked Duel well enough, but I was more impressed with the fact that it was a TV movie. It's probably the best TV movie that I've ever seen, but most TV movies are usually crap. Amistad was pretty damn good though, and it got pretty inspiring at many points throughout. Djimon Hounsou starting to chant "give us, us free" was probably the best thing about the movie. Djimon Hounsou did the one line so perfectly, and from what I've seen from him so far, he is a pretty good actor. I also got to watch the brother film to Flags of Our Fathers earlier this week. I thought it was better than Flags, because it was a lot more personal in a way. It actually showed the battle, I mean hell, the entire movie basically took place on Iwo Jima. Aside from a few flashback scenes of course. My only problem with it is that I doubt I could go back and re-watch it a ton. One film that I re-watched this week, that I was actually pretty surprised about, was Raging Bull. If you remember, I gave it a perfect score the first time I watched it, and I have no idea what happened this time. I thought it was kind of boring this time around, and the movie definitely drags more as it progresses. It's still a very good, but nowhere near as good as the first time I watched it.

I re-watched North By Northwest on that same though, and that's a movie I loved even more this time around. I think this marks the fourth time I've seen it, and I've loved it more every time I watch it. I think this viewing pretty much confirmed it a spot in my top 10 though, whenever I finally get around to posting my top 100. I just happened to re-watch another one of my all-time favorites earlier tonight after buying it, American Graffiti. It's one of those films that you watch when you're in a bad mood, and it'll make you happy. It ranks up as one of the funniest films I've ever seen, and easily the best coming-of-age story I've seen. I don't know many coming-of-age stories, though. I also watched that sad exuse for a sequel because it came in the double pack with it. It was better than I thought it was going to be, but still a very bad movie at that. It keeps the interesting characters from the original, but gives them a crappy story. I can see why Richard Dreyfuss didn't want to come back, but I wish they would've just wrote Curt out of the movie instead of replacing him. I still think the ending was pretty sad, because of the fact that it didn't show it happening. It tells you what happened at the end of the orginal, but I didn't think they would actually show it. They way that they did it made it sadder, too, especially because John was my second favorite character after Curt.

My offical ratings for the week:

Amistad (1997) - 3.5

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) - 3.5+

North By Northwest (1959) - 5

Raging Bull (1980) - 3.5

Frankenstein (1931) - 4

Dracula (1931) - 3

The Mummy (1932) - 3.5+

Phantom of the Opera (1925) - 3.5

Duel (1971) - 3+

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) - 1

An American Werewolf in London (1981) - 3.5+

The Wolf Man (1941) - 3+

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) - 2.5

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) - 2+

American Graffiti (1973) - 4.5

More American Graffiti (1979) - 1.5

[Used Future]

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Dead & Buried (Gary Sherman 1981) 3.5-
I've always felt that this to be a somewhat underrated and highly effective horror flick; with James Farentino's amiable sheriff Dan Gills investigating a spate of particularly gruesome murders in the sleepy coastal town of Potters Bluff. What Gills doesn't realize however is that all the murder victims are turning up alive as town residents. Yes it's one of those creepily tense ghost story/slasher variants in the vein of John Carpenter's The Fog except nastier. There's strong support from the likes of Jack Albertson as eccentric mortician Dobbs, and even an early performance from Robert Englund, plus plenty of genuine scares. Perhaps my only criticism is the twist ending which is a little on the predictable side, but overall I'm a long term fan, and highly recommend this to horror fans.

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Coffy (Jack Hill 1973) 2.5+
Second viewing of this near iconic blaxploitation revenger which sees Pam Grier's nurse Coffy literally beat down the pimps and mobsters who got her young sister hooked on heroine, and cop best friend beaten to death. This is a typically slap dash, raggedly staged affair with one knockout performance from Grier in the lead, and some amusing support from the likes of Robert DoQui as the hilarious King George. It's got plenty of the usual topless hair pulling (complete with razor blades), shotgun blasts to the face and pimps dragged behind cars action. But it's also slow paced, repetitive and amateurish. Still considering some of the Italian made crap I watch I can hardly slag this off now can I? Good fun, and the funk/soul soundtrack from Roy Ayres is sensational.

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Danger: Diabolik/Diabolik (Mario Bava 1968) 3.5-
This is my favourite Bava after Planet of the Vampires, it's just great kitschy 60's fun. Adapted from the popular Italian fumetti Diabolik, about a roguish cat burglar-come-superhero with a penchant for underground lairs, fast cars and giant gemstones. This sees lump-of-wood John Phillip law (Pygar from Vadim's Barbarella - an excellent companion piece to this film) perfect in the title role as our spindly yet robust hero. Despite the meager budget (for what is a high concept movie) Bava injects his usual visual flair and energy making this an amusing campy thrill ride. Marisa Mell is just stunning as Diabolik's squeeze and Terry Thomas (in a small role) is a laugh riot (literally - that gas scene) as the Minister of Finance. Plus you get the wonderful Adolfo Celi (Largo from Thunderball) as underworld king pin Valmont. This is highly entertaining stuff with plenty of ingenious action; think a markedly slicker version of the old Batman television series crossed with Sean Connery era James Bond and you're on the right track.

[Thursday Next]

Behind the Lines (Regeneration)
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The film of Pat Barker's Regeneration, about war poet Siegfired Sassoon, sent to a mental hospital after he writes a letter criticisizing the war. The whole saga of the difficulty of obtaining a British copy of this film (despite it being a British film) and having to buy a Dutch import is chronicled elsewhere. Despite what it claims on the case, the copy I have appears to be the shorter, American version. No idea what's in the missing 15 minutes but am curious. It's not bad. It's pretty good, actually, as a story. It just lacks anything special about the way it is filmed to make it stand out as a film. I know it's ten years older, but it suffers in comparison to the film of Atonement. Sassoon is played by James Wilby (Maurice), while his doctor, whose task it is to convince him to return to the trenches, is played by Jonathan Pryce. Johnny Lee Miller plays the fictional character Prior, who is far too modern to be convincing, but then that is true of the character in the books, too. The character of Wilfred Owen, Sasson's fellow poet, is under developed. Altogether a thoughtful, thought provoking film, which is worth seeing (if you can get hold of a copy). 3.5/5

Kissing Jessica Stein is one of those rom-coms that doesn't have much com, and isn't actually very romantic. It's almost more of a lightweight relationship drama, really, about a neurotic Jewish girl, the Jessica Stein of the title, who can't find the right man, who answers an intriguing personal ad and gets together with Helen, a pleasure seeking girl who works in an art gallery who wants to try something new, and through their relationship they both become better people. I found the main character a little annoying, but I liked Helen. Hell, I'd go gay for her:
http://www.filmfodder.com/movies/reviews/kissing_jessica_stein/images/kissing_jessica_stein.jpg
It was quite fun, but just not quite what I expected. Better than Imagine Me and You, if you're looking for a lesbian-not-quite-rom-com, anyway. 3/5

[Sleezy]

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Meet Dave (Robbins, 2008) 3_5

Surprisingly solid film for anyone looking to goof off with Murphy's hysterical physical style of comedy. The schtick gets old after a while, but by then you're dialed into the story. You'll see it through. (Elizabeth Banks is a fox.)


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Mission: Impossible III (Abrams, 2006) 3

Not bad. I still prefer the patience of the first film as opposed to this action-fest three-quel, though it's certainly more reserved than John Woo's M:I2. Pretty shallow, character-wise, even with star power like Hoffman and Crudup. But for a reason to kill a couple hours, you could do worse.


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Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Kuzui, 1992) 4

Awesome flick, and with Whedon scribing, the cheeky, clever script really soars. Swanson is leagues above Gellar, and I'm a fan of that show. Just way more fun, way more focused, and you can tell everyone was having a blast throughout. (Curiously, Hilary Swank, Ben Affleck, and Thomas Jane all make early appearances - you'll miss the last two if you blink).


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Fool's Gold (Tenant, 2008) 3

Pretty confused film that's just light enough to be enjoyable. McConaughey has fun whatever he's doing, and Hudson takes it upon herself to be the glue holding everything together. And she looks dynamite in a bikini. I wish I could discover treasure.


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Brooklyn Dodgers: The Ghosts of Flatbush (Cohen, 2007) 5

Must-see documentary. This covers the entire saga of the Brooklyn Bums, from their humble community roots to the historic signing of Jackie Robinson, to their heartfelt departure to Los Angeles after commercial development forced them out. Former players, fans, and celebrities recount their memories of the team's history, including their ever-increasing World Series rivalry with the New York Yankees. Go. You watch now.


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Six Days, Seven Nights (Reitman, 1998) 3_5

Fun flick that's elevated from mediocre entirely by the delightful chemistry between Ford and Heche.


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Moliere (Tirard, 2007) 4_5

Hysterical film that marries uptight Victorian life with bizarre inanity. It will not only bust your gut, but will also move you with believably loving - and heartbreaking - relationships among the film's illustrious characters. Duris and Morante grow into a rich connection, but Luchini is the standout here. By far.


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Above the Law (Davis, 1988) 1

Terrible. Absolute trash. I only watched this because my friends decided to have a Seagal-athon. I'll admit, some of his goofier installments - namely Hard to Kill and Marked for Death - are entertaining at least for their obsession with stupidity. But this one is stupid and boring. It was going to be a double-feature, but I couldn't bring myself to stay for On Deadly Ground.


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The Age of Innocence (Scorsese, 1993) 4

I'm not usually a fan of stuffy turn-of-the-century period films, and I absolutely hated the book. But aside from some annoying color wash transitions and other time-keeping devices, Scorsese manages to craft a film that feeds off the tension between impotent social customs and an individual desire for passion. Day-Lewis and Pfeiffer are phenomenal. Rider is a bore.


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Cool World (Bakshi, 1992) 3_5

Disjointed story with an underused Byrne and a lug-headed Pitt, but Basinger is the certifiable star of the show, and look at those cartoons! Bakshi's style is gloriously zany and profane, and the shallow story fits surprisingly well. The film slows to a crawl in places, but you can see where Bakshi wanted to focus his time. Cartoon fans need apply.

[Godoggo]

Tokyo Story (1953) Yasujiro Ozu

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There is so much that I love about this movie that I don't know where to begin. It's a very simple story. Tomi and Sukichi are an elderly couple that travel to Tokyo to see their adult children who are so busy with their own lives that the visit is really more of an intrusion than anything else.

I so fell in love with Tomi and Sukichi and it was heartbreaking to watch them being treated with such disregard by their own children. As much sorrow as you feel for them though, they are never pitiful. They have such a quiet dignified acceptance of how life has ended up in this final stage that they are more to be admired than pitied.

Their relationship is beautifully conveyed in silences, pauses and the most mundane of activities such as packing for a trip. They are such an extension of each other that while you are feeling sad for them, you want what they have too.

I could go on forever here because there is a whole lot to get out of this film. It would be a great nomination for the movie club, or I may start a thread about it later. There are so many scenes that are so quietly powerful, that I know I probably missed a lot in just one viewing.

I am not putting it on my top ten yet, but I have a feeling after a couple more viewings it will be there. A+

[rice1245]

Delicatessen 1991 - 5

http://www.crazybobbles.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/delicatessen.jpg

I absolutely loved it, i had no idea what it was about when i decided to watch it on Netflix i just know that i loved Amelie. I liked this one slightly more because it was darker and the humor was darker and that's just the way i like it :) It's so stylish without taking away from the substance of the movie

Tooth and Nail 2007 - 3

http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2007_Tooth_and_Nail/2007_tooth_and_nail_003.jpg

So i really wanted Midnight Meat Train and i am impatient so i went to the nearest (two) redboxes and looked and they didn't have it so i really was craving some Vinnie Jones horror so i looked up his filmography on netflix instant watch and this was on it. It's a pretty decent watch, if you're into horror (all types of horror) i'd recommend it. I just really have an inexplicable love for Vinnie Jones. I don't think he's hot or anything i just....love him >.>

Otis 2008 - 5

http://videodetective.com/photos/1386/otis1.jpg

Keep in mind that this is a horror movie rating so it's slanted. There's no way it's on par with Delicatessen or anything but it's a five star horror movie. This is definitely my type of movie i absolutely loved it. The humor was very dark but it was there and it was hilarious and it was disgusting and creepy and awesome! I want to watch it again now.....

Asylum 2005 - 2.5

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I've been watching a lot of crappy (ish) modern horror movies lately. But this one was decent, had some decent death scenes and a teensy bit of comedy but i would have liked a little better/more in both departments

Near Dark 1987 - 3.5

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It was a fun 80s vampire flick. I really liked Bill Paxton and i didn't know that the guy from Heroes was the main character so that was a nice little surprise. Good blood good movie :yup:

[Harry Lime]

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Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949, Robert Hamer) 4 (a rewatch after a decade)

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The Sword of Doom (1966, Kihachi Okamoto) 3.5

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Le Doulos (1962, Jean-Pierre Melville) 4

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Teorema (1968, Pier Paolo Pasolini) 2

[Sleezy]

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Lord of Illusions (Barker, 1995) 3_5

Deliciously bizarre, like a mystery noir/horror film wrapped up in one. The ending was perhaps a little too drawn out, but even the effects are holding up in their own demonic way. I'd say this one is just as underrated as Polanski's The Ninth Gate.

[Brother Blue]

Un Chien Andalou (1929)
Director: Luis Bunel

http://www.jahsonic.com/Eye.jpg

At 16 minutes this is a short but not so sweet film that I'm sure still holds much of the power that it had in 1929. Of course the most famous image in the entire film is the razor blade to the eye (above) which you probably have seen even if you have not seen the film. But once you get into it, rather than the film having any kind of conventional plot the entire film is chocked full of as many different surrealist images and scenarios as could be squeezed in, that are just there to shock rather than to actually be interpreted as anything with any sort of meaning. Which I am sure was the intention of it's creators Luis Bunel and of course Salvador Dali.

This film certainly is an interesting watch and it's probably something you should experience at least once ... maybe twice. 3.5/5

[Tacitus]

I really wish people wouldn't post giant pictures. The browser resizes them when you're viewing but not when you want to reply...

Anyway, Shallow Grave (1994, Danny Boyle)

4/5

It's been a while since I watched DB's first feature and, for a film a decade and a half old with a budget of just $1 million, it has aged fantastically well.

A tight-as-a-really-tight-drum modern noir for the few of you who haven't seen it, which has the added bonus of making three of the most dislikeable characters ... well ... kinda likeable.

The young Ewan McGregor in particular plays a deliciously snide little pr*ck but is balanced perfectly by Kerry Fox and the criminally underrated Chris Eccleston.

Top stuff, and then I switched over to the commentary:

Danny Boyle must be one of the best exponents of this particular art - he's funny, interesting, self-effacing and, above all, seemingly honest. He then mentioned something which I hadn't thought about -

Did the two detectives, played by writer John 'slim' Hodge and Ken 'best TV actor in Britain' Stott actually exist?

Did anyone get that feeling? I know Seds loves the film. ;)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/shallow-grave-2-732144.jpg

I say this a lot but I'm gonna keep saying it - Danny Boyle is the most malleable director presently working. :)

[adidasss]

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The Sword of Doom (1966, Kihachi Okamoto) 3.5



That cover...must...have...http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/diezelpower/hypno.gif

[downthesun]

Elephant- 2

Pride and Glory- 3

Air Force One- 2.5

Amores Perros- 5

Role Models- 4

Full review of Elephant in my review thread (link below), try to review the rest in the coming week.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=546772

[Golgot]

Did anyone get that feeling?

Yeah, i think i did fleetingly, as the paranoia was building up in all the characters, and they cops did reflect aspects of everyone's guilt. Don't they turn up again by the end once McGregor's lying stabbed to the floor? I seem to remember that solidifying them for me for sure - but thinking about it, McGregor would've been even more likely to hallucinate, and laugh at such a hallucination, given his predicament.

[Golgot]

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/9494/assassinationjessejames.jpg

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Slow and thoughtful, young Affleck is great here as the eponymous Ford, trying desperately to place himself at the centre of events even as they contrive to flow around him. Pitt is fierily-restrained as the mercurial James, and the support cast is strong as they simmer after a train job, scattered across the expansive countryside, stretching time echoed by long bow strokes on the soundtrack.

The two titular characters are linked in some ways, by superstition, by drive, by a certain childishness of soul. Sometimes both the plot and the players seem wilfully obtuse, but there's lots of subtle fencing too. The unpredictable and iconic James drops elliptical spaces into conversations, waiting to see what they loop around. He's paranoid and dangerous to be near, and yet he still draws a crowd.

The most interesting aspect, once the slow-build assassination takes place, is the historical play out of the Ford brothers' lives as they walk in the giant shadow James' legend leaves behind.

4-

[Godoggo]

Rogue

http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/godoggo_photo/lge_Rogue_071107050622667_wideweb__.jpg

I'm a sucker for croc, alligator, or shark movies. There is nothing scarier to me than knowing something is in the water with you, but you don't know where. That's what makes these types of movies so much fun, even if they're generally not very well made.

This one is better than most. The scenery is beautiful, the actors do a descent job and the characters are developed enough that you hope they make it. It's not as believable or realistic as Black Water, but it is more suspenseful.

The ending is over done and completely silly, but other than that descent killer croc movie. :cool: (Grade based on comparisons to other movies of this genre.) B-

[undercoverlover]

I'm a sucker for croc, alligator, or shark movies. There is nothing scarier to me than knowing something is in the water with you, but you don't know where. That's what makes these types of movies so much fun, even if they're generally not very well made.




If you love a bit shark action you have to check out the trailer for Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. It looks mega awesome

EDIT OK Im being artarded right now and cant work the youtube clip thingamabob ok so just google the trailer

[Tacitus]

Yeah, i think i did fleetingly, as the paranoia was building up in all the characters, and they cops did reflect aspects of everyone's guilt. Don't they turn up again by the end once McGregor's lying stabbed to the floor? I seem to remember that solidifying them for me for sure - but thinking about it, McGregor would've been even more likely to hallucinate, and laugh at such a hallucination, given his predicament.

That's the thing with those ruddy existentialists.... ermmm... yeah. :up:

I must watch it again and look for clues, even though DB only alluded to things in a teasing 'some people say' kinda way

[Godoggo]

If you love a bit shark action you have to check out the trailer for Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. It looks mega awesome

That looks cheesetastic! It's available on Netflix, so I queued it up. It has one and a half stars. :D

[meatwadsprite]

Tacitus , did you just post spoilers for a truck ?

[Thursday Next]

Just watched Anvil. Highly recommended. I'm not usually that into documentaries, but Mr. Next wanted to watch it, so and we watched it tonight. Why I should be forced to watch films, cos I'd never get round to it otherwise. Anvil follows the heavy metal band Anvil as they hold down ordinary jobs while still chasing the rock and roll dream thirty years after they first formed and enjoyed limited success. There are disatrous gigs in Europe, supportive families and touching moments. Very good. Beautifully filmed. Hilarious. Almost heartbreaking. 4/5

http://www.tft.ucla.edu/img/school/news/sacha-gervasi_anvil_1.jpg

[Tacitus]

Tacitus , did you just post spoilers for a truck ?

Don't be so silly! (http://www.performance-car-guide.co.uk/images/L-Ford-Escort-Xr3i-6.jpg) :D

Bronson (2009, The splendidly named Nicholas Winding Refn)

0.5/5

Question: What do you get if you cross Chopper with Cabaret?

Answer: Unmitigated sh*te from beginning to end.

If there's one thing worse than a normal bad movie it's a bad Art movie, and Bronson is very very bad. None more bad, in fact, certainly from what I've seen this year...

Words fail me sometimes because I recognise that this is a family-friendly kinda site and I'm in no mood to pussyfoot around and actually think about articulating how poor and up itself Bronson actually is.

Basically - real life character, opera, some minor bod out of Layer Cake, slo mo, todgers, 'hilarious' camp men and a bit of the old ultraviolence.

Actually, that sounds quite good, which means I'm officially a better director than old Windy Nicholas! Result! ;D

It's like something Guy Ritchie thinks is cutting edge...

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/bronson.jpg

Right Said Fred audition for a new member...

[honeykid]

Tacitus, + rep just for the Guy Ritchie comment. Had me :laugh:

[honeykid]

That looks cheesetastic! It's available on Netflix, so I queued it up. It has one and a half stars. :D

I really liked Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus. However, I didn't think there was enough Giant Octopus action... And that's not a sentence you hear everyday. :nope:

Just a tip, when you see the aeroplane scene, keep watching. :D For a cheesy/cheap film of it's type, it's a solid 3

[mark f]

I haven't been posting much in here because I'm teaching summer school, I'm getting ready to move (again), I don't really feel like writing anything too long now, most of these movies are rewatches of faves, and I've been in some physical pain lately, but I'm here now, so I'll try to post something. If anyone's truly interested in more in-depth discussion, please post it. :cool:

Friendly Persuasion (William Wyler, 1956) 4

http://www.videodetective.com/photos/050/000212_42.jpg

This may be my fave film released in the year of my birth. It tells a sensitive, humorous story about a Quaker family during the Civil War. Gary Cooper plays the Father and he seems a little too rambunctuous to put up with too many rules, but his wife Dorothy McGuire is one of the congregation's ministers, so he's flexible. His oldest son (Anthony Perkins) feels the need to fight in the Civil War even though it's against Quaker teaching. All in all, the film shows a wonderful family, full of love and some flaws, tons of unexpected humor and some intense battle scenes. It's so wonderful I'll even forgive its Pat Boone theme song. ;)

One-Eyed Jacks (Marlon Brando, 1961) 4

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zAoRcBU877c/SNPHovteRXI/AAAAAAAAADA/UE7yfx2sjtM/s320/OneEyedJacks1.jpg

Long, brooding, measured revenge western is one of the best ever made, full of great characters, acting, photography, startling bursts of violence, wicked humor, and a great teaming of Marlon Brando and Karl Malden. Some people may find the film overly reliant on romance, but that's what adds to its complexity since true romance is rare in most classic westerns, and in this one, it helps to balance out all the visionary qualities which Brando applies here in his one shot at directing. Of course, the rumor is that Brando wanted to release a five-hour version of the film before the studio took it from him and cut it to 141 minutes. Oh, lookie here at the supporting cast: Ben Johnson, Katy Jurado, Slim Pickens, Timothy Carey, Elisha Cook, Jr., Hank Worden, Philip Ahn, Mickey Finn, Snub Pollard and Pina Pellicer (who was in the underseen Macario the year earlier and died by suicide much too young three years later).

Psycho II (Richard Franklin, 1983) 4-

http://i.realone.com/assets/rn/img/9/9/6/1/28461699-28461706-large.jpg

All right, I realize this may be an overrated stretch, but then again... The thing about Psycho II is that it's a very well-conceived-and-made homage and continuation to the first story. Anthony Perkins gets to play Norman, and now that you think that you really know him, he gets to craft a very amusing and complex take on not only the Bates character but your expectations of him. It doesn't help for me to go into too many details, but Marion's (Janet Leigh's) sister Lila (Vera Miles) wants Norman locked up for good, but he's released once it's determined that he's no longer insane, and he heads right back to the Bates Motel to try to confront his past demons, and one thing's for sure, there are a helluva lot of 'em. The best addition to this flick is pretty Meg Tilly as a young waitress who hooks up with Norman. This film isn't really a comedy at all, but it's funny, and it's much more violent than Hitch's original, but I say you should check it out before you slam it. :cool:

The Paper Chase (James Bridges, 1973) 4-

http://www.ultraswank.net/wp_uswank/wp-content/uploads/images/paper-chase-758885-520x220.jpg

This is probably my fave film about college, so I had to make sure that I showed it to Sarah before she went to USC. Even if the basic skin and bones of the flick is nothing terribly original, the characters, dialogue and direction all combine to create an almost unique experience about first year at Harvard Law School. John Houseman's Oscar-winning turn as Professor Kingsfield is legendary, but he's matched by Timothy Bottoms in a role at least as strong as his one in The Last Picture Show. Add in Lindsay Wagner, who I for one find terribly attractive in multiple ways, and the film gets even more interesting. Throw in the study group and now you're really cookin'. The Paper Chase is a strong comedy-drama, and it's the kind of film which rarely seems to be made anymore, and if it is, it's not nearly as good. It's also one of those rare films which keeps getting better as it goes along.

Platoon (Oliver Stone, 1986) 4 (Sorry, meaty!)

http://www.dvdtown.com/images/displayimage.php?id=3331

Harrowing and poetic depiction of Vietnam as a sort of allegory which works because of Stone's real-life experiences and his masterful control behind the camera. 1986 was a very intense year for watching movies in the theatre. First, there was Aliens which was incredibly nerve-wracking, and then later on, Platoon came along with several hair-raising battle scenes and confrontations. The story is almost simplistic as Charlie Sheen's new recruit is being tempted and has to decide who is really good or evil, Barnes (Tom Berenger) or Elias (Willem Dafoe), but what's depicted on screen is powerful and important, especially in the context of Stone's career. Platoon perhaps uses Barber's "Adaggio For Strings" as evocatively as any film has, and here's the roll call for the cast ("Sound off if you've got a pair"): Keith David, Johnny Depp, Forrest Whitaker, John C. McGinley, Kevin Dillon, Richard Edson, Tony Todd, Mark Moses, Reggie Johnson and Dale Dye.

Moonfleet (Fritz Lang, 1955) 2

http://www.cinemaforever.com/1955_Moonfleet.jpg

Although this flick isn't bad, it's also not all that good. I've never been a big fan of Lang's '50s films, with the exception of his bizarre western Rancho Notorious, so this one's about par for him to me in this decade. Stewart Granger plays an enigmatic, foppish 18th-century adventurer who basically adopts young Jon Whiteley and entangles the boy in a group of smugglers. There are a few colorful scenes here and there, and George Sanders and Joan Greenwood are along to provide two of the most-distinguishable voices in the English language, but that's just about it.

Bed and Board (François Truffaut, 1970) 3

http://www.newwavefilm.com/images/Bed_and_Board.jpg

This is Truffaut's fourth film about Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), first introduced in The 400 Blows, and here, he's recently married to his sweetheart Christine (Claude Jade) and struggling to make ends meet. They are a seemingly-happy couple, but once Antoine gets a new, better-paying job and Christine gives birth to their young son, Antoine begins an affair with a young Japanese woman (Hiroko Berghauer). It's not actually explainable, but it eventually reinforces to Antoine that he loves Christine far more than anyone else. It's a smart, romantic comedy-drama which was meant to finish Antoine's story (after The 400 Blows, Love at Twenty and Stolen Kisses), but later the director and star resurrected the character in Love on the Run.

The Sure Thing (Rob Reiner, 1985) 3

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jCtQBPsvASY/SbCzkuj7PyI/AAAAAAAAASI/ZzJwYY3ouP8/s320/sure_thing.jpg

I used to think this was a hilarious comedy, both sexy and romantic, but nowadays, I seem to find it more of a sweet romantic comedy with a few big laughs but not as funny as I used to believe. Even so, it's well worth watching. It does cover teenage life pretty well, but after being a teacher for almost 20 years now, I'm sad to say (maybe the wrong choice of words) that this movie seems almost old-fashioned compared to all the teenage pregnancies I'm faced with on a yearly basis at my school. John Cusack is as wonderful as ever in his first lead role and Daphne Zuniga is a nice romantic foil for him. Tim Robbins and Lisa Jane Persky are still an annoyingly-hilarious singing couple from Hell, and the film does try to be a bit taboo, but it's all really just innocent fun (and there's nothing wrong with that!)

Judgment at Nuremberg (Stanley Kramer, 1961) 4-

http://www.genocidetext.net/judgment_at_nuremberg.jpg

This is basically the Schindler's List of the 1960s, and it's still powerful, not only as a history lesson, a drama, a look at guilt and responsibility for WWII and the Holocaust, but also as an actor's showcase. The cast is impressive and enormous and it's a very strong courtroom drama, albeit with one enemy (the Nazis) being overtaken by another (the Soviets). The trials were held at Nuremberg because that was where the Nazis held their rallies in the 1930s which were recorded by Lennie Riefenstahl in the scary Triumph of the Will. Nuremberg is shown to be a shell of a city even in 1948 when the U.S. judges and military prepare to try four of Germany's most famous judges. The Chief American Judge is played by Spencer Tracy and the most-significant German judge is played by Burt Lancaster. The Prosecutor is Richard Widmark and Lancaster's defense attorney is Academy-Award winner Maximilian Schell. The most notable witnesses for the prosecution are Montgomery Clift and Judy Garland. Even William Shatner gets a big role as Tracy's liasion. The film also contains some famous and potent imagery from Alain Resnais' Night and Fog and allows Marlene Dietrich's character to try to interpret near the end who is better than who and why, if she actually can.

[Sedai]

Real Life (Brooks, 1979)

4

http://blog.nola.com/davewalker/2009/02/large_reallifepic1.jpg

I didn't know what to make of it at first, as it starts off quite strangely. Alas, Albert brings it all together in his quirky little way. A film about making a film, I had fun watching this, as did the others I watched it with!

[downthesun]

From my review thread: http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=547621

Amores Perros
http://shaaaks.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/img-amoresperros.jpg

Amores Perros has been showered with praise and awards since it's release in 2000. I've literally been wanting to watch this movie for years now and finally got round to doing it a few days ago and boy was it a good choice. It straight away enters my top 10 favourite foreign movies.

The movie focuses on three main stories which are all joined together by a car crash involving many of the main characters in the movie.

The first story is about Octavio, a young man who is in love with his brother's wife and has been entering dog-fighting contests and winning a lot of money using the family dog Cofi. He intends to use this money to run away with his brothers wife.

The second story centres around Daniel and Valeria, a married man and a model who are having an affair. Their relationship is strained when Valeria gets in a serious accident and is confined to a wheelchair, to make things worse her beloved dog Richie, who at many times she seems to love more than Daniel, disappears into a hole in the floor of the appartment they stay in. His disappearance causes a lot of strain on the relationship and leads to many fights between them.

The final segment is about El Chivo, a homeless man who walks the streets with his group of stray dogs and is also a hitman.
http://archive.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2001/03/30/amores_perros/story.jpg
The structure of this film is similar to Tarantino's work where stories are inter locked and spread across time, sometimes meeting and other times moving forward or backwards in time. In fact the opening scene is strangely similar to the opening sequence from Reservoir Dogs, with a dog in the backseat instead of a man.

This isn't however a cheap rip off of a Tarantino flick, director Inarritu has his own distinctive style and brings it across in this masterpiece. Respect must be given to cinematographer Rodrigo Pieto who shoots the movie superbly. The car scene which connects the movie together was apparently shot with 9 cameras, including one hidden in a trash can. The script is also powerful and conveys the emotions of the movie beautifully.
http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2001_Amores_Perros/emilio_echevarria_001.jpg

The performances from the cast are just as brilliant as the behind the scenes work and Bernal as Octavio is arguably the strongest performance of the lot. The soundtrack is brilliantly done and the songs chosen are perfect for the scenes they are used in.

If you can make it through the brutal and violent dog fighting scenes at the beginning of the movie you're in for a cinematic experience. The acting, directing, sound and script fit together perfectly to create one of the best movies, foreign or otherwise, from the past decade. Any director would be hardpressed to make better use of a $2 million budget. Amores Perros is the first movie I have awarded a 5 star rating to and it is certainly deserving.

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

[Yoda]

Saw Let the Right One In last night.

http://laceysfilms.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/lettherightonein.jpg

It was probably over-hyped a bit much, given that everyone I've heard talk about it seems to love it to death, but it was still quite impressive. I'm not a huge fan of horror films to begin with, and I'm intrigued that I liked this film as much as I did, despite the fact that I really didn't find it even remotely scary.

Really liked some of the takes it had on vampire mythology, particularly the idea of what happens when they enter someone's home uninvited. The whole movie was like that scene, really; it lulls you to sleep almost to the point of boredom, and then something stunning happens. There were a good five or six moments where I let out an audible "whoa," half because I'd seen something interesting, and half because it came out of nowhere, without cheap audible cues or music.

Really impressive film, if a little slow at times. 4.

ADDENDUM: my version of the film (via Netflix) was dubbed...poorly. Is there a subtitled version floating around, or is this the standard version that everyone else in the States has been seeing? I've seen references to subtitles elsewhere, so I'm thinking I got the short end of the stick here. Meh.

[Sedai]

I streamed the film from Netflix, and it played with subtitles, with no option to go to the dub, which was just fine by me! Strange that you couldn't choose the language on the DVD... Must have been one of those Netflix gray discs...

[Yoda]

It was weird; I went to put subtitles on, and the DVD insisted they already were. This has happened once or twice. Granted, I don't usually obsess about it or spend tons of time on it unless I'm particularly worked up about the film in advance, so maybe if I'd fiddled for awhile I would have figured it out. Dunno. I've got a pretty old DVD player, if that makes a difference, though it works fine, anyway.

So, no big whoop. The dubbing was hilariously bad at times, though. I don't expect it to be great, but I can't help but wonder just how the process is supposed to work. Anyone fluent in English could tell you that the cadence of some of the dialogue is halting and weird at a number of points. Do they even attempt to correct/avoid these things? I suppose not, as even a token degree of quality control would do the trick.

[adidasss]

Wow. I didn't realize they still did dubs in the US. I'm amazed you could've rated the film so high even though you watched it in a bad dub. I'd be far too distracted with the dub's hilarity to pay attention to the plot...:\

Incidentally, I thought it was a fine flick, but still don't quite understand what all the fuss was about...:\

[Yoda]

There aren't many dubs, I don't think. Outside of spaghetti Westerns and the like, I think the only films I've seen dubbed are this (which apparently is more a technical thing) and Oldboy (which I actually thought may have benefitted from the dubbing at certain points; the dubbing was actually quite good).

Anyway, it's hard to say how it changed my view of Let the Right One In. I don't think it soiled it too badly; all the "wow" moments are wordless, and the movie's strength isn't in its dialogue, anyway. The lady friend and I did chuckle at a few points at how awkward it was, but it's not really a scary film per se, so it wasn't hurt as much by the dubbing as it could have been.

As for not understanding the fuss; I think people appreciate its simplicity, and the seriousness with which it takes the subject matter. That is to say, it's a somber depiction of how a vampire might be if it were real, and not just a stylistic excuse to dress up in leather and kill people in nightclub alleys. It's very matter-of-fact about what takes place. As exasperating as certain depictions of vampires can be, that's how refreshing it becomes when a film takes the idea seriously again.

Also, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that ditching extraneous noises and music is a huge part of what makes it as good as it is. It forces you to pay more attention when you realize that it's not going to give you the audible cues that most films do when something happens.

That, and it's pretty nice to look at. :)

[Sedai]

I hear that dub is especially bad, too... Glad I got subs!

[meatwadsprite]

The dubs for the Ghibli movies are pretty hilarious - even though Disney brings in these big casts for them , shame on you Disney - unpurifying the films you could never make so you can market them to kids who can't read !

Sometimes I'd switch between the English and Japanese tracks and Yubaba would be screaming at the top of her lungs in Japanese (which obviously went in hand with the animation) and then talking sternly in English.

I'd have to say the Oldboy dub is one of the best I've heard , the first couple times I watched it were in English (for whatever reason) and in some ways it enhances the movie - of course the girl's voice actor is obnoxious but the guy for Oh Dae Su is perfect.

[Sedai]

Sure, I run into a decent dub here and there, but, for the most part, they bite.

[Godoggo]

ADDENDUM: my version of the film (via Netflix) was dubbed...poorly. Is there a subtitled version floating around, or is this the standard version that everyone else in the States has been seeing?

That's weird. I got it from Netflix and it had the option of subtitles and dubs. I can't watch a dubbed movie. :nope:

[Yoda]

I'd have to say the Oldboy dub is one of the best I've heard , the first couple times I watched it were in English (for whatever reason) and in some ways it enhances the movie - of course the girl's voice actor is obnoxious but the guy for Oh Dae Su is perfect.
My thoughts exactly. Oh Dae Su's dubber stroke a nice, even tone and a few of the lines were particularly funny as a result. The rest of the characters were poor-to-mediocre as a substitute.

Makes sense when you think about it; subtitles often ruin comedy. Screws up the timing, and you usually catch a glimpse of the punchline before it's spoken.

[meatwadsprite]

Does anyone want to watch the vhs full-screen version of No Country for Old Men with the Spanish dub and English subtitles with me ? Anyone ?

[meatwadsprite]

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:hzehLdERRvuw8M:http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2008_Quantum_of_Solace/2008_quantum_of_solace_poster_002.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:OfhAcf2IDXaIdM:http://jonathankiefer.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/quantumofsolace.jpg

Quantum of Solace 2008

As a giant fan of 2006's Casino Royale - which garnered a ton of critical praise , you could only imagine how excited I was to be dragged into watching the sequel which critics disowned. The action scenes were riveting , Craig's cold performance sent shivers down my spine , and the story was extremely well pieced together and unpredictable.

0.5

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The Hurt Locker 2009

I'd have to say the war genre is about as hard as it gets to become great in , if there's one thing we got enough of - it's top grade war films. The Hard Locker offers up a look at the recent war though , one I haven't seen in film too many times - or have I ? For a movie which is practically a string of intense bomb defusal situations , the things is does best aren't the action scenes but the scarce bits of dialogue and the relationships between the characters.

3.5

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Saving Private Ryan 1998

An ambitious visual project , The Hurt Locker got me in the mood for this one and on paper it's the same run down of action scene - the guys talk to each other - action - the guys talk to each other - action. Except the difference is that Spielberg's action scenes are completely spectacular , as is the look of the entire movie.

The chemistry between the group of soldiers is perfect and Hanks takes the spotlight as a natural leader. Even if there isn't a giant load of dialogue found in here , the little there is sounds brilliant. The only problem I have with this movie are the intro and outro , they feel completely fake in a film with real feelings. If I had to the tools (if you don't consider the fast forward feature one) to remove the exterior scenes I would , but the stuff inside is too good to even be bothered.

4.5

[Lennon]

Watched some good movies lately:

http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/921/921528/star-trek-20081020065354914_640w.jpg
STAR TREK (J.J. Abrams, 2009)

Not even sure if I have to do a write up. Most of the stuff I think is written somewhere and there's a lot of reviews up in the review section. I will just say that the villain seemed confused, it seemed like he wanted to be the silent badass type, but then in the second half he seemed to want to be the charismatic, Joker-like, villain type, which didn't work at all. Still a good movie. 3.5+

http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/785/785041/iron-man-20070502110609935_640w.jpg
IRON MAN (Jon Favreau, 2008)

Isn't it real nice when movies hold up on multiple viewings? Still love this movie. Great performances all around. Great story, that both stays true somewhat to the comic, and brings it into modern times. Even the technical specs were good. Just an all around great movie. 4.5

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2088/2881/1600/host_Image12.jpg
HOSTAGE (Florent Emilio Siri, 2005)

This was a movie that I caught on USA the other day. I really enjoyed this movie. Bruce Willis is a good action hero and seeing him in a burning building was a reminder of awesome things could have been with Die Hard 4. Oh well, decent enough plot with a great villain played by Ben Foster makes this a movie to watch on a rainy Sunday. Nothing more, nothing less. 3+

http://www.best-horror-movies.com/images/shaun-of-the-dead-trio.jpg
SHAUN OF THE DEAD (Edgar Wright, 2004)

Funny, funny movie. Great chemistry between all the actors and actresses. Characters you can't help but love. Great direction, even a WOW special effects moment. Not much more to say but an awesome movie. 4

http://www.bttftour.com/locations/1985HillValley/screenshots/002.jpg
BACK TO THE FUTURE (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)

Awesome, awesome movie. I used to love this movie. Still do in fact. Michael J. Fox is loveable as Marty, and who could forget Thomas F. Wilson as Biff, even Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown did as well as everyone else. Sure there are plotholes the size of the Grand Canyon, name one time travel movie that doesn't. If you haven't already, see it. 5

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/09/06/images/shoes.jpg
BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II (Robert Zemeckis, 1989)

I think I'm in the minority when I say this, but I do like this more so than I like Back to the Future. More fun than the first one, and seeing the actors reprise their roles, except older is a lot of fun. The rare sequel that exceeds the original. 5

http://darkknighttrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/batman6_27.jpg
THE DARK KNIGHT (Chris Nolan, 2008)

The best comic book movie of 2008? Oh hell yeah. I'm glad that Chris Nolan took what makes a good Batman story. Because, ya know, there actually was one. I like that the Joker was a here's my plan, now stop me kind of villain. Along with a great performance by the late Heath Ledger. Also, you have the tragic story of Harvey Dent who I more than hope makes it into the next movie, because Two-Face has always been my favorite. Anyway, believe the hype, you need to see it. 5

[Brother Blue]

Le Samouraï (1967)
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville

http://mmimageslarge.moviemail-online.co.uk/le_samourai_rgb.jpg

It was my first time seeing this movie and I was really impressed by it. It's a wonderful thriller; that is in the same vein as the film noir to come out of the US in the 50's in terms of style. Alain Delon is superb in the lead role as a hitman who finds himself in a tricky situation after he allows a witness to live after one of his "jobs".

It's beautiful to watch and you can really see it had a major influence on the films of a similar nature that came after. If you have not seen it, I would advise you to do so.

4.5

[Classicqueen13]

Dial M for Murder (4 stars)
I can understand why this is Yoda's favorite flick. The complex plan is well-explained to us by a well-casted Ray Milland and he draws us in with it. I was never lost or bored despite several different versions of it. From the time the plan is set into motion to the very end, I was deeply interested. I was guessing right up until the very end.

Teacher's Pet (3 stars)
Light and enjoyable flick but a bit overlonged and plot is predictable. It was filled with fun jokes and pretty witty dialouge. I'm not Gable or Day's biggest fan, but they turn in good performances and have believable chemistry. Nothing terrible orginal, but a good romantic comedy.

A Few Good Men (4 stars)
Truly a classic and now I understand why. The performances (even Cruise who I usually don't like) were superb and the plot is intricate and exciting. Well-worth the 138 minutes.

The Postman (4 stars)
This really should be considered an epic. A great storyline and an exciting plot. Costner is really good at portraying an accidental hero and Patton's dark character I hated through the whole film. A lot of elements from different genres of film make it a great flick.

Out to Sea (4 stars)
Matthau and Lemmon's classic chemistry can't be beat and there's loads of laughs and witty dialouge. It's a fun flick that's not to be taken too seriously. It holds a few tender moments as well. I wasn't bored for a moment and even ended up watching the credits.

The In-laws (3 stars)
Falk and Arkin do a lot with a crazy plot in this movie. Slapstick galore. The laughs I found to be spread a bit thin but well spaced out so that I never wanted to turn it off. Overall, I enjoyed it but isn't high on my recommendation list.

[tramp]

Classicqueen liked The Postman! :yup:

I just had a conversation about that with someone else... and I can't remember who. I'm getting old. :|

[mark f]

I'm called mark f. :cool:

[Iroquois]

I don't really feel like making any comments, I'll just let the ratings speak for themselves...

http://www.spazshare.com/files/309650crash.jpg

Crash (David Cronenberg, 1996) - 3.5

http://www.clown-ministry.com/images/jerry-lewis-the-king-of-comedy.jpg

The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983) - 3.5

[tramp]

I'm called mark f. :cool:

That's right, it was you! :D

I'm sorry, mark. :blush:

[B-card]

Casino(Martin Scorsese 1995)-When you are watching Robert DeNiro in a Scorsese movie believe me you will be pleased there is no doubt about it and as much as I like Taxi Driver and King of Comedy I would have to say that Casino and Goodfellas are my all time favorite maybe because they are very much alike telling stories about the mob.In both movies we see Joe Pesci who I don't know why I always have taken for a comedic character maybe its the home alone movies but belive me in Casion he is worth to stand right next to DeNiro as he makes an outstanding performance.The story is very gripping from beginning to end even though its a 2 and a half hour movie you wont feel bored for a minute and the fact that is true story makes it even more interesting :)

5

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/gruesome_casino_431x300.jpg

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurous(Carlos Saldahna 2009)-A lot of fun a lot of laughs definitely worth watching Scrat delivers as always :D
4

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[TheDOMINATOR]

Bruno - 3-
(2009)

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Like Borat, but with a flamboyant gay instead of a curious Middle Eastern. It was pretty funny--funnier than I thought it would be--but I'm not sure it's a movie I want to watch again (at least not anytime soon); it's one, I think, that won't hold up with rewatches and be consistently funny with repeat viewings, like its predecessor failed to be (for me). That said, I did enjoy seeing it in the theater; it was a good film to see with a friend and laugh at, however awkward I felt during some scenes sitting next to my buddy. :D

The Invasion - 3-
(2007)

http://www.filmpeek.net/images/the-invasion.jpg

An interesting story and concept (borrowed from earlier sci-fi films, particularly Invasion of the Body Snatchers), but its execution wasn't fantastic. I felt the plot was a little thin and I wanted to see more of an actiony, intense climax than what I got. Nicole Kidman delivered a great performance, so there is that at least.

Naked Fear - 3+
(2007)

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Maybe it's because the main character, an attractive young girl played by Danielle De Luca, was completely nude for a third of the film, but I enjoyed this movie. :cool: Naked Fear is a terrifying account of one struggling girl's worst nightmare coming true: after basically being forced into prostitution, Diana's (De Luca) very first client turns out to be a sadistic madman, and she finds herself in a horrifying game of kill-or-be-killed. The ending, while a tad bit unbelievable, damn near blew me away and is by far the best part of the movie.

Watching the Detectives - 2.5
(2007)

http://blogs.amctv.com/shootout/images/detectives_lg.jpg

What a strange movie. It tells the story of a geeky movie buff (Cillian Murphy) who falls in love with a quirky, strange girl (Lucy Liu). After several oddly unconventional dates, she eventually inspires him to come out of his shell of normalcy and to embark on several mischievious adventures with her, completely altering his outlook on life. I like Watching the Detectives's themes (anyone can change given the inspiration and/or motivation to do so), but the movie itself is rather sub-par. I think that it either had more potential, or it didn't and was just simply "okay."

Ticker - 2
(2001)

Eh...a mindless Steven Seagal flick. With my three free months of Showtime, I figured I'd give it a whirl. It wasn't great.

D.O.A.: Dead or Alive - 2.5+
(2006)

http://www.wildbluffmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/doa_movie_poster_header.jpg

Some really hot girls with some pretty cool fight scenes, but that's pretty much it for positive feedback I have for DOA. The characters, story, and plot are all paper-thin, and while the action and acting are pretty good, the dialogue/script could have been much better, along with a bunch of other things.

[MovieMan8877445]

I know I haven't really watched as many movies this week as I usually do, but that's only because I spent a day and a half earlier this week just trying to catch up on True Blood. I still watched quite a bit of films this week, though.

I guess I'll start off with the films that I'm not going to rate in this post. One of those is the African Queen, which I happened to catch on TCM last Sunday. One reason I'm not going to rate it is because I don't feel right rating things off the TV, because they can mess up movies pretty easily. Another reason is that there was something wrong with the video at the beginning and it skipped a lot, which is weird because it was on TV. The other film I watched that I can't rate is Seven Samurai, and it's because I only watched the first 30 minutes of it. I just wasn't in the right mood to watch it the day I got it from Netflix, so I decided to wait and watch it when I was in the mood to watch rather than watch it when I wasn't and not like it all that much.

Earlier today I went and caught Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in theaters. I didn't feel like doing a full review for it because I felt that I didn't have as much things to say about it. I can say that it's my favorite film of the entire series, but I haven't been the biggest fan of the series at all. I would actually probably rank it among the best of the year so far. I never read the sixth Harry Potter book though, so that may be a contributing reason to why I liked it so much. I had absolutely no expections for it, well actually I did, I had expected not to like because I didn't like the fifth one all that much. To be honest though, I've only seen it once and that was the first day it came out in theaters two years ago. I think sometime within the next few days I'm going to try and re-watch the entire Harry Potter series, and then possibly try to see it again before it leaves theaters, hopefully in IMAX the next time around.

I finally finished off all of Quentin Tarantino's movies this week, and it took my long enough. I would probably rank Jackie Brown up amongst his best, too. I would have to re-watch it first, though. Hopefully I'll be buy it sometime soon, because I feel I'll like it more the more times that I watch it. The ending did seem like a bit of a mess though, because everything got pretty crazy after the final 'trade-off' started. Speaking of Tarantino's films though, I also just happened to re-watch Reservoir Dogs just a little while ago. I feel I'm liking it less with re-watches, because I wasn't nearly as impressed with it this time around. I feel like a bit of the movie seemed pretty forced though, compared to Jackie Brown which flowed perfectly throughout. The Stuck in the Middle With You torture scene still remains my favorite scene of the movie, and the only perfect scene in the movie, IMO.

I finally got around to checking out some more westerns again this week, because I don't know how long it had been since I watched a western. I watched the Professionals first, and it was good. Nothing particually too impressive, but still an enjoyable film to watch. I also got in Tombstone from Netflix earlier in the week, I liked that one a bit better. It surprised me because it got progressively better as the film went on, because I hated the beginning, but I really liked it by the ending. I especially liked the final 30 minutes, which is the best part of the movie if you ask me. Of course, I finally got around to that long waited re-watch of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly as well. I still absolutely love it, hell I think I loved it more this time around. Even if it's nearly 3 hours long, I was still there just wishing there was more because I love it so much. The final showdown in the cemetary is one of the greatest movie scenes ever, hands down. It wouldn't have been nearly as great without Ennio Morricone's amazingly well-done score. Like seriously, I think it may have the greatest score to a movie ever. I finally got to download the soundtrack the other day as well.

I finished up Universal's classic horror monster movies too, not counting the sequels. I liked the Creature from the Black Lagoon a lot, it's probably my second favorite of the movies, after Frankenstein. I heard that there's going to be a remake with it, too, and I'm looking foward to it. I think with today's technology they could make the creature look even cooler than he already did. I saw the Invisible Man finally too, which I liked, but not as much as Frankenstein or the Creature from the Black Lagoon. I'd probably rank it as my third favorite, right before the Mummy. I re-watched some old favorites as well, starting off with You Can't Take It With You. I'm not sure what happened this time with that exactly, but it wasn't that great. I remember it being a whole hell of a lot better the first time around and I seemed to connect with it the first time and I didn't this time. Along with that I watched Blade Runner for the second time, and I did like it a lot better. I understood it a lot better this time around too, and I can see myself liking it more with re-watches.

My official ratings:

The Professionals (1966) - 3

Jackie Brown (1997) - 4+

You Can't Take It With You (1936) - 3

Blade Runner: the Final Cut (1982) - 4+

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) - 4.5

Tombstone (1993) - 3.5

The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) - 3.5

The Invisible Man (1940) - 3+

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) - 3.5

Reservoir Dogs (1992) - 4

[jrs]

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 2

http://filmonic.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/ice-age-3-poster.jpg

One Eyed Monster 2_5


http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/1879/202fxu.jpg


Public Enemies 5


http://www.daemonsmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/public_enemies_poster-337x499.jpg

[Golgot]

Got some I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=549637) up in me review thread

http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/585/saibogujimankwenchana.jpg

[TheUsualSuspect]

Eagle Eye

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/eagle-eye-official-poster.jpg

Eagle Eye is the second outing for D.J. Caruso and Shia 'every role I play is the same' LaBeouf. The first was a modernizing version of Rear Window, the average Disturbia. This time around they both are playing on a bigger scale. More action, more special effects, more of the same stuff we've seen before. Eagle Eye is a run of the mill action thriller flick that tries to be bigger then it actually is. The way the film plays out, I expected some big conspiracy theory, and was let down by the route they decided to go.

I took a stab at LaBeouf earlier saying he plays the same role over and over. A trouble young teen or adult that screams at people while he runs around. Crystal Skull, Transformers 1 and 2 and now Eagle Eye. I don't see a difference between any of these characters, but maybe the script never calls for one. He needs to break out of his current state and try something different. Or maybe that's beyond his acting abilities? Sadly, I do find him entertaining to some degree. But if he doesn't change it up, it will go stale quickly.

Monaghan plays the female lead and does the same as LaBeouf. The difference is that she has kid and that's the excuse for her being here. Do this or the kid dies mumbo-jumbo. Until the end reveals that it's all a part of this elaborate plan to do something pretty simple. This leads into a problem I have with this film. Everything is so elaborate to the point that things just don't make sense. Operation Guillotine was put into effect regardless of the lockdown. Did the computer know that she will succeed in getting everybody into their place at the exact right time for the assassination to take place? Seems pretty far fetched, even for a so called super-computer. The crystal got to it's place before Jerry could give the voice authorization.

Some scenes were really ridiculous, such as the electrical wires killing the one guy in the Se7en location rip-off and the way the voice helps them get away every single time. Yet that seems to be the whole point of the film and why people are going to want to see it. The chase scenes are thrilling, to a point, then it becomes tedious. Billy Bob Thorton's appearance is random, doesn't seem natural and his character transition doesn't seem real. Dawson plays the role of the one cop who suspects something is up. Again nothing new.

Eagle Eye is generic and nothing that you need to see. I'd go as far as saying it's a rental on a rainy day. It's shot well and Caruso does have an eye for some suspense. Yet as a whole the film fails to deliver on a grand spectacle that it wants to. It seems to be about bigger things than it actually is, which makes it pretty empty inside. I could care less about the people involved or the events that take place.

2

[Lennon]

A stinker and three GREAT movies;

http://www.movieforums.com/images/main/transformers_2_main.jpg
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
Another one of those movies that I don't really have much to say on, because most things have been said on it. All I'll say is that, and this was brought up in TUS' review, just needed to say it again, where are the Autobots? Why do we only have the twins here? I mean 'jive talkin' will only get you so far as laughs go, and tha mom was completly unfunny. Plus, what the heck was the plot here? Big bad robot in Egypt to get machine that I think blows up the sun for no good reason besides mayhem? Retarded. 2.5-

http://thefilmprojector.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/ferrell-and-reilly-step-brothers.jpg
STEP BROTHERS
Okay, if you don't know that I love this movie, then you don't know me. I love this movie to no end and it's just hilarious. If you like Will in anything he's done before (that's not Elf) you'll probably love this. 5+ I'm unashamed.

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SHREK
Another comedy that I love to no end. The cast does marvelous voice work and makes the jokes work, but the true thing shining is the writing. I love how they had all the fairy tales you knew as a kid and then made them their own. If you haven't seen it, see it. 5

http://www.the-reel-mccoy.com/movies/2004/images/Shrek2_3.jpg
SHREK 2

The sequel that beats the original. That simple. Another genius script and a great addition to the great first one. 5+

[Harry Lime]

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/ruling-class.jpg

The Ruling Class (1972, Peter Medak) 3

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

Seduced and Abandoned (1964, Pietro Germi) 4

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The Fantastic Planet (1973, Rene Laloux) 3.5

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Le Deuxieme Souffle (1966, Jean-Pierre Melville) 4

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

My Dinner with Andre (1981, Louis Malle) 3.5

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/the-cabinet-of.jpg

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, Robert Wiene) 3

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

Ghost Town (2008, David Koepp) 3

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/eagle-eye-poster-big1.jpg

Eagle Eye (2008, DJ Caruso) 1.5

[jrs]

Echelon Conspiracy 3_5

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2009/01/05/echelon-conspiracy-poster.jpg

[Lennon]

I heard that was horrid.

[Yoda]

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

My Dinner with Andre (1981, Louis Malle) 3.5

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/the-cabinet-of.jpg

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, Robert Wiene) 3
Ooo, ooo, I saw both of these recently. Could I coax some comments out of you for either/both? Very curious about what you think, particularly in regards to My Dinner with Andre.

[linespalsy]

saw a bunch of new-ish kenneth anger films yesterday. mixed bag but some were enjoyable.

last weekend i re-watched chopping mall, and the tenant. the polanski film is funny and engaging and beautiful.

[linespalsy]

oh yeah and on friday i saw part of the pied piper and donkey skin, and didn't think much of either.