Movie Tab II

[Used Future]

last weekend i re-watched chopping mall

zzzt thank you have a nice day zzzt

Horrible film...I was soooo disappointed when I saw it. The only good thing about it is Dick Miller and he gets electrocuted after five minutes. Oh and the scene where Barbara Crampton's (of Re-Animator and From Beyond fame) head explodes. It should be remade in my opinion because the idea of muderous security robots with lazers in a mall is brilliant; just a shame the execution (no pun intended) is dull and uneventful. Safe to say I'll do full review of it soon in my trash thread:)

[downthesun]

Satya- 4 (one of the most groundbreaking movies in Indian cinema)

Pursuit of Happyness- 4 (Will Smith was brilliant)

Hitman- 0 (pure crap and confusing)

The Score- 3 (expected so much more with the number of big names that had been cast)

Sympathy for Lady Vengence- 4.5

[Brother Blue]

Short Cuts (1993)
Director: Robert Altman

Not my favourite Altman movie, but still a very good piece of work.

4

[jrs]

Watchmen Director's Cut 5

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[TheUsualSuspect]

28 Weeks Later

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28 Days Later was a suspenseful, atmospheric and thrilling addition to the 'zombie' genre. At least until the third act, when the film loses it's direction and ultimately failed to reinvest interest. I put zombie in quotes because any fan of the film will tell you they are not zombies, just infected people with a virus. When I heard that a sequel was coming out, I figured it would be even worse because a sequel being better than the original is rare, specifically in this generation of filmmaking.

28 Weeks Later furthers the story, this time with new characters. The virus is gone and re-population has begun. The American army is in charge and have everything under control. That would seem like a boring movie, so of course they have to have the virus come back and wreck havoc. Which it does. In a very lame way I might add.

The film opens with an attack on a house, this is the highlight of the film. The film never reaches the same height of excitement as this, but it does keep the viewer interested. I was never bored and found that it did work well as a sequel. It doesn't have the same feel as the first. All the atmosphere that made the original good is gone here. I felt more threatened by the infected in the first because it was them against ordinary people. Here, we have guns, helicopters and apparently tons of napalm.

In one scene the soldiers bomb half the city, it looks cool, but seems ineffective, they later use gas that seems to kill everyone in sight. My question is why not use this gas first, it sure as hell beats out blowing up half the city. Small things like this are all over this film. Lead a bunch of civilians into one room for 'protection'. Of course this is one room in which the infected gain access, other people are left unguarded and creatures run around unnoticed in this government building. These things aside, the film is really well done and very enjoyable. It serves the genre well and is ultimately more enjoyable then the first.

Boyle acts as producer this time around, so the feel of the film is not all that different and the film does offer some intense moments. There is one sequence in which our characters go underground to the subway system. It's totally dark and one uses night vision from a rifle to see. The filmmakers use this to show us exactly what she sees, in a first person type of way. Very effective and scary.

The gore has been turned up a notch, with more blood splatter and a severe beating of one person that may turn some stomachs. There is another scene in which they use the blades from the helicopter to make quite a mess.

This is an entertaining sequel that manages to actually be better, albeit not by much, to the original. It adds new elements, but doesn't necessarily take the story into new directions. It is better than one would expect.

3

[Golgot]

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The Enigma of Kasper Hauser

Not sure what to make of this one. There's a strong central performance driving the story of a 'foundling' who is released from a childhood of deprivation and adopted by various circles of rural German nobility. And then another strong personality strongarms himself into the story, in the form of Herzog's and his idiosyncratic directing choices. The story of the real Hauser is so shrouded in mystery that it seems you could pick or chose any number of versions of it - Herzog seems to want to use him as an archetype of human isolation in a cruel world. The film's original title of 'Every man for himself and God against all of them' drives this point home (as does the short quote at the start, set against the mesmeric threshing of wind-whipped grasses: 'Don't you hear that horrible screaming all around you? That screaming that men call silence').

Having been taught to speak and move in 'polite society', Hauser has shifted from prison oddity, through circus attraction, to plaything of the intelligencia. His oblique straight-talking is intriguing for both the viewer and his contempories. He frustrates his patron by saying he's only happy when he sleeps, and that others are 'as wolves' to him. He amuses us with his childlike perceptions of 'all encompassing rooms'. He comes up with neat answers to (toweringly stereotypical) priests and logicians. He tells strange tales of distant lands (reinforced by pulsing, grainy cinefilm footage) - and tells them with the broken narrative of thwarted logic that the film somewhat seems to want to embrace.

I did like much of what i saw, but felt strangely trammelled by Herzog's take on the material at the same time. (There were other versions he could have gone for, but he eschewed the self-harming conman aspects, preferring instead this ingenue who could straight-talk on his behalf, having him perceive nothing but beasts roaming uncaring lands)

3

[meatwadsprite]

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WATCHMEN Director's Cut 2009

Marks the arrival of Zack Snyder as one of the worst living directors or at least one of the most uneven. The graphic novel is pure brilliance and it's very cinematic at that , but what's wrong with the movie is that it doesn't try to capture what Watchmen was all about at all - the characters. All it does is get the big major plot twists and action scenes from the book and exaggerates them , it's a wonder to look at - but falls flat on the acting and writing department.

David Hayter (aka Solid Snake) and Alex Tse's screenplay is a meaningless adaptation and Snyder pursues it in his flat action-packed style as usual (just as he did with Dawn of the Dead). Malin Akerman is a terrible actress with matching dialogue and Matthew Goode who plays Veidt is even worse. Jackie Earle Haley and Jeffery Dean Morgan are spot on perfect and perhaps if all the roles been such fits the movie would have been great.

As for this director's cut version of the movie - it's just 20 minutes of stupid extra scenes which for the most part were completely absent in the book. This little write-up seems bent on hatred , but it's just disappointment - the movie itself is actually pretty good despite it's full potential.

3

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Harry Potter Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets

These adaptations are ambitious and divulge a lot of the creativeness from the books , but overall are bloated and poorly strung together. Their narratives are ever changing from being about the kids and their relationships with each other to some mystery plot which feels terribly out of place. Oh yeah the second one is almost a complete clone of the first.

With a nice editing job these movies could be much more enjoyable , it's clear they are shooting for the stars and not pulling any excess material from the books (even if it's for the better).

2

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Bruno 2009

I knew exactly what I wanted with Bruno , a shock type comedy that would only be funny for the first time - but most of the jokes fell flat and the movie took a more staged presence than it's predecessor which really set up the whole idea for Borat.

1.5

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Ratatouille 2007

I watch this one a lot. My favorite Pixar film by a mile , they have never worked on this level - the story is incredibly well written , well surpassing anything they've done so far. Which also speaks for the animation , they really were on top of their game with Ratatouille - it's got all the benefits of three dimensional animation with all their fancy dynamic lighting effects but also offers the organicness of hand drawn animation.

Another thing which isn't often talked about is the digital camera work , it looks very different from their other movies in that instead of static focus on what's happening it's a very fluent flowing moving camera style.

5

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Up 2009

This is my third time seeing this one and I seem to like it less every time. The floating house idea is brilliant and the opening montage is really something special , but the rest of the movie I feel mixed about. The visuals range from brilliant to lazy , the camera is always very close in on the characters and most of the movie takes place in this blah looking jungle. Most of the characters introduced are just typical annoyances and the story starts to feel like clockwork rather than imagination.

On the other hand there are some really great moments and the characters that feel useless will occasionally do something funny.

3.5

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Synecdoche New York 2008

A film I'm always happy to get lost in , Kaufman wrote this epic for the screen and it shows that he's not just a writer but a man fully willing to bring his vision to people with his directorial debut. So many great actors and such heavy material to work with - it often warps from being dark and depressing to funny to exciting to confusing and once again back to sadness. If you enjoy layered clever writing , grade A technical work , and invested acting you should enjoy this one.

5

[downthesun]

Miller's Crossing- 5 (I really do love the Coens so much, can't believe it's taken me so many years to finally start watching their films properly)

The Condemned- 1

[Iroquois]

Amazing what I can get done without the Internet to distract me...

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Dark Star (John Carpenter, 1974) - 3.5

John Carpenter's feature-length debut - revolving around a small team of astronauts who fly the titular planet-destroying spaceship - is a surprisingly competent low-budget space thriller. For the most part, the special effects are rather impressive - the notable exception being a red beachball that is supposed to pass for an alien life form. Fortunately, this doesn't clash with the tone of the rest of the film - Dark Star doesn't take itself too seriously, and this works to the film's advantage. Plenty of the script's strongest moments are built on some essentially stupid situations - planet-destroying bombs are fitted with artificial intelligence and become very difficult to use properly, one of the astronauts is actually just a mechanic that got placed on the ship by mistake, an elevator goes up and down with nobody on it, etc. It all builds up to an ending that is at once so bleak yet still amusing and even full of a little wonder at the possibilities presented by space. Despite its many flaws, it's still a rather solid film and definitely belongs in the top half of Carpenter's filmography.

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Boiling Point (Takeshi Kitano, 1990) - 2.5

Even though I've gotten used to Kitano's very idiosyncratic filmmaking style, Boiling Point never really felt like it came together to make for a particularly strong experience. Granted, the photography looked good and there were several decent scenes in it (with the highlight being one character's attempt to smuggle a machine-gun in a bunch of flowers only for the gun to go off accidentally) but they were scattered very loosely throughout the film. The rest of the time is devoted to watching a blank-faced misfit as he struggles through his life, whether watching him try and play baseball or going through a very protracted quest for revenge against a yakuza member who wronged him (which includes travelling to Okinawa in search of a gun and inadvertently meeting up with an aggressive yakuza boss played by Kitano himself). Ultimately, it's very hard to care about what happens to anyone in the film, least of all the mopey lead.

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The American Friend (Wim Wenders, 1977) - 4

An interesting little film, this. Dennis Hopper is the titular character, a con artist slumming in Germany who ends up coming into contact with a terminally ill craftsman (Bruno Ganz). However, despite top billing, Hopper ultimately ends up being a secondary character compared to Ganz's more sympathetic plight as a family man desperate enough to carry out murders for a French gangster in order to posthumously provide for his wife and son. His journey is an interesting one - the lengthy sequence where he nervously but purposefully stalks a target across the Parisian metro system is a compelling one. It's interesting to see Wenders direct something approaching a conventional drama/thriller - between Robby Müller's always-brilliant cinematography and the unpredictable way in which he tells the story, it's an interesting watch, right up to its ending that is both literally and figuratively explosive.

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (David Yates, 2009) - 2.5

For the record, I am not a fan of the Harry Potter films but I got taken to this anyway. Of course, I knew what I was getting into so I just tried my best to go along with it. The film looks very smooth and the effects are of a reasonably good quality, but the film was ultimately hampered by its noticeably ridiculous plot development. To quote what someone I know said about the film, it needed "less love and more blood". I definitely agree with the first part - I know the characters are teenagers and everything, but the film just ends up riddled with so many romantic subplots (to say nothing of the subplot where perennial outcast Ron becomes the hero of the Quidditch team) you almost forget about the film's central plotline revolving around Harry and Dumbledore's quest to defeat Voldemort once and for all. Even when it's resolved (as much as it can be resolved in the penultimate instalment of the series) it still feels a little hollow and rushed. I know that I'll probably get dragged to the next film, and when I do, I hope that it's a more concentrated effort than this one.

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Performance (Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, 1970) - 2

Made during the explosion of counterculture cinema in the late 1960s, Performance definitely adheres to the anarchic standards of underground filmmaking. However, I don't think that necessarily makes it a good film, though. I'm already familiar with Nicolas Roeg's solo efforts (think this counts as the fourth film of his that I've seen) and his particularly unusual filmmaking style and I'd never really had a problem with it before, although in the other cases it was at least attached to a fairly coherent story. Not so in the case of Performance - which, as far as I can tell, revolves around tidy but temperamental gangster Chas (James Fox) ending up in trouble with either his competitors or his superiors (for all I know, they could be one and the same) and having no option but to hide out in the home of reclusive pop star Turner (Mick Jagger). That gives license for the film to be filled with a series of vignettes where an uptight Chas butts heads with Turner and his groupies in between bizarre (presumably drug-fuelled) visions. Performance ends up coming across as a film that is too arty and experimental for its own good. It offers style to compensate for its lack of substance, but the style feels empty. I get the feeling that I should almost be ashamed of myself for deriding a film that is clearly an exercise in artistic expression instead of formulaic storytelling and it may be better than I give it credit for, but that's the way it is. Performance's "art" does not excite any particular interest in me, but I guess you can't please everyone.

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Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog, 1982) - 4

I almost felt like giving this a 5 purely because of the scope behind it. The story revolves around Klaus Kinski as the titular opera-lover who vows to bring grand opera to the small South American village where he lives. To fund his plan, he has to harvest rubber trees that can only be accessed by riding a large steamboat down a river before hauling it over a mountain with the help of hundreds of natives. The film is truly an unusual epic, revolving around one man's crazed dream and the lengths he goes to in order to pursue it. It's a fascinating journey from beginning to end, taking all sorts of strange turns and always making for compelling viewing. Hell, the part that made me feel like giving it a 5 was the whole half hour or so that revolved around the steamboat being hauled over the mountain. It's a lengthy sequence but it's quite simply awe-inspiring to watch. (Although it's annoying that the subtitles on the DVD that I watched ended up cutting out quite frequently.)

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Society (Brian Yuzna, 1989) - 3.5

Blend teen angst, body horror and class-divide satire into a single film and you get Society. Disaffected jock Billy (Billy Warlock) discovers one day that all the upper-class people in his Beverly Hills community have their own strange conspiracy going on - he eventually learns that every affluent, well-to-do person in town is an inbred mutant that loves nothing more than to engage in weird flesh-bending orgies. Quite simply, Society is just a fun little film - there's probably a lot more potential to its mockery of upper class citizenry than it managed to achieve, but was biting social commentary really the focus of the film? No, it was just a very welcome piece of subtext to a very bizarre black comedy that involves people getting twisted and molded in all manner of strange and terrible (but still starkly amusing) ways. It's definitely not for everyone, but the people who would enjoy such a blatantly ridiculous piece of 1980s horror that's shot through with all manner of inventive special effects (that were invented by a guy calling himself Screaming Mad George, no less!) should check it out if they haven't already.

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Vampires (John Carpenter, 1998) – 2.5

The later half of John Carpenter’s filmmaking career is chock-full of mediocre B-movies, and Vampires is no exception. It has a handful of good qualities – some good photography, a cool Western-style score, and some half-decent special effects – but it’s weighed down by some sub-par writing and poor acting. There are some decent ideas presented in the script but they’re badly fleshed out and full of inconsistencies. The action isn’t really too spectacular either.

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Starman (John Carpenter, 1984) – 3

One of Carpenter’s more accessible movies treads a lot of the same ground as E.T. in revolving around an alien coming to Earth on a fact-finding mission and being pursued by the authorities as a result. The E.T. comparison should give you an idea what to expect, although making the alien a humanoid (played with a strange charm by Jeff Bridges) opens up the possibilities a bit. There’s some nice effects work, an interesting story and I can see why Bridges got an Oscar nomination for his work here. A very charming alien movie.

[Mr.Nobody]

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Watchmen:

****ing awful film. Takes a great novel and then takes away all the subtleties that made it great.Also,the acting is paper thin and the violence is overindulgent(There wasn't half this much violence in the book and several of the fights scenes which lasted about a page in the book are expanded into large two to five min battles.).The opening montage is the only good thing about this. I am so glad I didn't sit through this in the theater, I think I would have left.






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Synecdoche New York 2008

A film I'm always happy to get lost in , Kaufman wrote this epic for the screen and it shows that he's not just a writer but a man fully willing to bring his vision to people with his directorial debut. So many great actors and such heavy material to work with - it often warps from being dark and depressing to funny to exciting to confusing and once again back to sadness. If you enjoy layered clever writing , grade A technical work , and invested acting you should enjoy this one.

5

A great film,But this depressed the **** out of me. It's got a great epic scope and it's so well done,But it takes so much out of you that by the end you are just emotionally drained and don't want to watch it again.

[mark f]

I'd agree with a lot of what you said about Synechdoche, except about the use of the word "great".

[jrs]

Crank 3_5

http://www.firstshowing.net/img/crank-poster-big.jpg

[linespalsy]

zzzt thank you have a nice day zzzt

Horrible film...I was soooo disappointed when I saw it. The only good thing about it is Dick Miller and he gets electrocuted after five minutes. Oh and the scene where Barbara Crampton's (of Re-Animator and From Beyond fame) head explodes. It should be remade in my opinion because the idea of muderous security robots with lazers in a mall is brilliant; just a shame the execution (no pun intended) is dull and uneventful. Safe to say I'll do full review of it soon in my trash thread:)

Yeah, Chopping (Pinching?) Mall isn't really good. The head explosion and that whole chase, plus the bit where the guy crashes that stupid little truck into the spinning robot (and immediately dies) were the high points for me.

Any thoughts on Wes Craven's Shocker? I saw some screenshots from it recently and I think I might watch it tonight.

[meatwadsprite]

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Departures 2009

A very simple movie that takes it's time moving forward , not really much to say beyond that. Offers some interesting views on Japanese culture and this traditional ceremony known as encoffinment.

3

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Clerks 1994

Hilarious , moving , and original.

5

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Sonatine 1993

What starts as a gangster picture eventually grows into a much larger picture. Kitano paces his films in a very calm rhythmic matter but then will slap you in the face with something really chilling. A joy to watch every time.

5

[Caitlyn]

Public Enemies (2009 - Michael Mann) 4.5

Body of Lies (2008 - Ridley Scott) 4.5

Revolutionary Road (2008 - Sam Mendes) 5

Blood Diamond (2006 - Edward Zwick) 5

Hot Fuzz (2007 - Edgar Wright) 4.5

Skins (2002 - Chris Eyre) 5

Imprint (2007 - Michael Linn) 4

The Last of the Mohicans (1992 - Michael Mann) 5

[rice1245]

Aw i loved The Condemned...

anyway

Jerry Maguire 1996 - 4



http://www.mbablogs.businessweek.com/pub/www/WhatTheyDontTeachYouAtBusinessSchool/jerry-maguire.jpg
Kids that cute shouldn't be allowed to exist unless everyone can have one :( But it was a really great movie, Tom Cruise was really likeable and so was Renee Zelwegger because she was younger and less obnoxious :yup: It felt kind of long in places but overall it was great

On the Waterfront 1954 - 55

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I loved it. The entire movie just clicked really well with me and i'd watch it again in an instant. Marlon Brando was amazing.

Groundhog Day 1993 - 4


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This is one of those movies that changed the way i thought for the rest of the day. It was super cutesy which i have to be in the mood for. And i was so it worked.


The Third Man 1949 - 4.5


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The last half hour was really awesome and the entire sequence in the sewers. I really liked how a ton of the shots weren't right side up, the city shots were all slanted and it made it look really cool especially since everyone was lying!

Starship Troopers - 1997 5


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It was such a fun watch. I actually lol'd a bit and it was so campy and fun! Except one particular death >.> which i was so not okay with and it was COMPLETELY unnecessary. and **** denise richards.

Das Boot 1981 - 4.5
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A very great movie! I've noticed about myself that i like really epic things and this would be one of them. Three and a half hours long and filmed in a cramped submarine and still it held my attention the entire time. And i really liked the captain...yeah.

Annie Hall 1977 - 4

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It was super funny Woody Allen humor. The only reason i didn't give it five stars is just because i find all of the dysfunctional relationships in Allen's movies somewhat exhausting sometimes but the dialogue was great and hilarious. Sleeper is still my favorite Allen film just because i think it focuses on comedy more than plot which i enjoyed. And it was just a completely different type of comedy.

The Fifth Element 1997 - 3.5

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It was a lot less of a serious movie than i thought it would be. It was really jokey (if you get what i mean) and had a sort of colorful kiddish style to it which i wasn't expecting but yeah i really enjoyed it as i do with pretty much anything Bruce Willis is in. And Chris Tucker was hilarious and i always love Milla Jovovich :) oh and Gary Oldman being the bad guy again never fails.

Duck, You Sucker a.k.a. Fistful of Dynamite 1971 - 5

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I'm getting thoroughly depressed that i only have one more Sergio Leone movie to watch (Once Upon a Time in America) He always provides me with some of the best movie watching experiences ever. This wasn't as good as Good, the Bad and the Ugly or Once Upon a Time in the West but i'm giving it five stars anyway because i loved it a lot. It seemed a bit long when it was getting towards the end but i forgave it :) and i absolutely loved James Coburn as i always do. He pulls off gray hair very well

Dead Alive 1992 - 5

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That baby was the funniest thing i've ever seen in my life! I watched the entire park scene again (with Igor) because it was so hilarious. This and Bad Taste are tied, they're both actually very different movies...but so similar at the same time...but it seems like a semi different brand of humor and i like them both. And now i have The Frighteners coming to me in the mail :)

The Cat Returns 2002 - 3

http://billsmovieemporium.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/catreturns.jpg

I would have been obsessed with this as a child because i'm obsessed with cats and it had very childish humor. It was a good movie but it was missing some of that magic quality that makes Miyasaki's movies so enjoyable for adults as well as kids.

Wow i've watched a really mixed crop of movies lately...

Sorry all my ratings are really high...I just do them based on how much fun i had while watching the movie

[downthesun]

Role Models
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b2/Role_models.jpg

I've already watched this movie three times in the last week, which shows just how much I like it. You could be forgiven for thinking this is another Judd Apatow flick, it does have a lot of the actors he uses such as Rudd, Banks, Jane Lynch and of course Christopher Mintz-Plasse (a.k.a Mclovin). It also has the same sort of raunchy dirty humour that Apatow flicks have whilst having a softer more caring side as well.

The movie is about two energy drinks salesmen, Danny and Wheeler who are given the chance to avoid jail time and do community service after going on a semi rampage whilst leaving a school where they go to promote their drinks.

Their community service is with Sturdy Wings, an organisation aimed at getting adults to help children. Danny is partnered up with Augie, a quintessential nerd who's passion in life is LAIRE, a fantasy game where people dress up like elves and dwarfs and “fight” each other. Wheeler on the other hand is put with Ronny, a potty mouthed and sex obsessed 10 year old who no other “big” has been able to cope with for more than a day. If they don't complete their 150 hours of service, the two main characters face jail time.
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Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd have a great chemistry in the movie and their wit and comedic timing is hilarious. I particularly enjoyed how both of them are constantly questioning everything said by the head of Sturdy Wings, played by Jane Lynch, who is an ex cokehead. Mintz-Plasse and Bobb'e J.Thompson are the both brilliant in this movie, I don't think I've ever seen a 10 year old kid use as many profanities as Thompson does in this movie. Lynch is also very funny and strange in her role.

The humour in this movie is pretty standard and is nothing new, but there are a large number of quotable lines and on repeat viewings, the movie is still funny which can't be said of all comedies. Lines like “now the get out of jail free card, is that based on something real?” had me in splits of laughter. A lot of lines in the movie are homophobic and racist yet it is done in such a way that I don't believe it is offensive at all.

Credit must be given to director David Wain who takes a formula we've seen many many times before and makes it something memorable.

Role Models isn't as good as Superbad but it is one of the best non-Apatow movie I've seen in recent times. It is a movie that will appeal to a fairly large audience and if you did like movies like Knocked Up and Superbad, I recommend you check it out.
4

[Sedai]

WATCHMEN Director's Cut 2009

Marks the arrival of Zack Snyder as one of the worst living directors or at least one of the most uneven. The graphic novel is pure brilliance and it's very cinematic at that , but what's wrong with the movie is that it doesn't try to capture what Watchmen was all about at all - the characters. All it does is get the big major plot twists and action scenes from the book and exaggerates them , it's a wonder to look at - but falls flat on the acting and writing department.


This statement is completely backwards. The original source material was never a warm character study, far from it, but a cold and clinical look at what actual superheroes might be like, from an uncompromising viewpoint. the inclusion of the side stories should drive the point home that this work is a philosophical dive into a collection of myths that were previously thought of as "for children only".

Also, your statement completely contradicts itself within just a few sentences. You talk about Snyder being perhaps the worst director working today, but just a few sentences later, you target the writing and acting as the problem with the film, applauding it's visual style. In reality, the film just has minor quibbles in these areas. Ackerman is arguably weak, and Goode misplays Ozymandias, but overall, most of the performances are acceptable, with Haley knocking it right out of the park.

This is what irk's me - One minute, people are insisting that the adaptation needs to be completely accurate, sacrificing nothing in the transition to film, and then they turn around and sxlay the thing for having issues with cinematic flow or something.

Meanwhile...the writing is bad??? It's almost word for word in the dialogue department, and for the most part, the flick is blocked almost exactly like the comic, with the obvious omissions of the newsstand etc.

Really, I just have a problem with two things in the film. The silly sex scene, and the WAY over-the-top prison escape. Other than that, it was damn well done.

[Thursday Next]

Got round to joining Blockbuster in my new town and so...

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist http://www.thecinemasource.com/moviesdb/images/Nick_and_Norahs_Infinite_Playlist-poster.jpg
- Sadly nothing to do with The Thin Man. Had a discussion with Mr. Next about this afterwards. He said that small flaws in a rom-com type film can be overlooked if you are convinced enough by the sweetness of the film. Which I suppose is true (explain otherwise the presence of Strictly Ballroom and Latter Days in my top films). And with this one he was convinced, I wasn't. Ok, so it's a step up from your standard glossy teen film. It at least tried for a kind of indie sensibility. But it was still too glossy for me, and there was still a serving of gross-out humour and keep-missing-each-other farce which made me roll my eyes. For those unfamiliar with the film Michael Cera (best known from the not entirely dissimilar in some ways Juno) plays Nick, hung up on his bitchy ex, who bumps into her school-mate Norah, who just happens to think the mix tapes he keeps sending his ex are great and they spend the whole film traipsing round an improbable New York so small they keep bumping into other characters, where even an extremely drunk girl can wander around alone without fear of being attacked, and there are apparently no driving laws (such as having a license, insurance or seatbelt). 3/5

Repo! The Genetic Opera
http://blogs.nypost.com/popwrap/photos/Repo-Genetic-opera.jpgSome kind of brilliant. If your idea of brilliant is people dressed in fetish gear running around cutting each other up. And singing. Repo! is first and foremost a musical with a horror setting, not a horror film (as the guy in Blockbuster felt the need to point out, perhaps they'd had people complain about the singing). The plot is a classic operatic tale of family secrets, old feuds and murder. It is knowingly, deliberately theatrical. Anthony Stewart Head stands out as the concerned father of a sick daughter who has a double life as the Repo man, repossessing the organs of people who haven't kept up their payments to Paul Sorvino's evil Geneco for their surgery. The two main problems are that the songs are not over-memorable, at least not on a first viewing, and that it descends a couple of times into blatantly teen-orientated cheese. It keeps its tongue in its cheek throughout, however, and I can't imagine this not becoming a cult classic. 4/5

[meatwadsprite]

I thought the novel was very large in scope but the characters were at the center , where as the movie doesn't really seem to care about them. Many scenes which further support the character's reasons and behaviors were cut to allow for longer action scenes and none of the really important scenes were executed properly in the film.

The conversation between Laurie and Manhattan on Mars was pretty dull , the relationship between Laurie and Dreiberg didn't feel the least bit actual , the emphasis on nuclear war and Ozymandias were much more exaggerated and obvious where in the book they more back thoughts.

One of the few parts that actually felt like I thought they should have was John's backstory and how he became Manhattan - probably because it was so cold and detached from humanity (which is how all of Snyder's films feel to me).

[Thursday Next]

IMany scenes which further support the character's reasons and behaviors were cut to allow for longer action scenes

This is true, and was an unfortunate decision. I thought the excessive violence that had been added in detracted from the impact of the violence that was in the book. And don't even start on them giving them all apparent super powers...

The conversation between Laurie and Manhattan on Mars was pretty dull , the relationship between Laurie and Dreiberg didn't feel the least bit actual

Yes, although she isn't the most engaging character in the book either, a lot of the emotional impact of that whole Mars scene was lost by skimping on the backstory.

I still don't think it was quite as bad as you seem to, though...

[jrs]

Green Lantern First Flight 4

http://www.animatedsuperheroes.com/images/firstflight/firstflight01.jpg

[Used Future]

Any thoughts on Wes Craven's Shocker? I saw some screenshots from it recently and I think I might watch it tonight.

I've not seen Shocker since I was fifteen nearly twenty years ago. I was obsessed with the Nightmare on Elm Street movies at the time and seem to remember being a little disappointed (because it was was different and at the time all I wanted was Freddy - please no inuendos on that one). I also remember the main character biting a prison guard's lip off and saying finger licking good. Plus something about him going inside a TV set and running around in old black and white movies. The special effects were pretty impressive...in other words I need to see it again.

[mark f]

I watched it again recently and it isn't quite as good as I'd hoped for, but it's still fun and YOU, lines, really need to watch Shocker because of the connection to Sherlock, Jr.! HA! :cool:

[Sedai]

Well MEaty, you said the film felt cold and detached, which is why I think Snyder nailed it. I feel the novel is certainly quite cold. I think you have a couple of valid points, and I feel your opinion on this flick is at least somewhat studied, as I know you have done your homework, read the material, and watched the flick multiple times.

Alas, I don't think Watchmen is a character study and nothing more. The global issues in the piece are just to prescient to ignore. Yes, the violence is TOO much, but I think Snyder nailed a a significant amount of the conceptual material. FOr a piece that was allegedly unfilmable, I think he did a bang up job.

The flick has problems, but I think they aren't as present as some would claim.

Good posts on the flick though, Meatster. Your film knowledge has progressed quite nicely in the short time you have adopted a serious focus on the medium. You will be far, far beyond what I have learned once you reach my age. It's inspiring, to say the least.

[rice1245]

I sort of thought the violence was alright because they were trying to emphasize that this super hero movie is not for children as they were also doing so in the novel just in different ways. But then again i have a very high gore tolerance.

[TheUsualSuspect]

The only part I found over the top was the number he did on the Pedo's head with the meat clever.

[birdygyrl]

The Sheik/Son of the Sheik - George Fitzmaurice - 1921 - B

These two were ok. I totally enjoyed Buster Keaton more.

http://l.yimg.com/eb/ymv/us/img/hv/allposters/94/1800167694p.jpg



Cowboy - Delmer Daves - 1958 - B-

Let's just say I wasn't overwhelmed.

http://nmfilmmuseum.org/history/PHOTOS/nmfilm01.jpg


Apache - Robert Aldrich - 1954 - C-

Not so much.

http://www.adayinthewest.com/images/movies/Apache.gif

[Tacitus]

Touch of Evil (1958, Orson Welles)

5/5

A few years ago, a young and dashingly handsome MoFo (with loads of hair) declared that Touch of Evil was his 10th favourite film. It still is. ;)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/sjff_01_img0501.jpg

My copy of the 50th Anniversary edition arrived this morning so I've only been able to watch the remastered cut (the 'making of doc' is on pause as I type). If you've not seen this masterpiece then shame on you, really. :D

As with all Noirs, Touch of Evil looks like it's been filmed by a midget in a power cut - this is a good thing. It's positively dripping with quirky menace and has star turns everywhere you look. Heck, even The World's WASPiest Mexican, Chuck 'Charlton' Heston is good here.

And, my, wasn't Janet Leigh a fine lookin' woman? :)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/Touch_of_Evil-Janet_LeighCharlton_H.jpg

[Used Future]

http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww335/GialloFunk/369402.jpg?t=1248378445

Leviathan (George P. Cosmatos 1989) 3
This one of the many underwater sci-fi/horror flicks released in 1989 on the back of James Cameron's The Abyss (including Deep Star Six, Endless Descent, and Lords of the Deep). Slated by critics and fans alike at the time as being just another Alien/The Thing rip off; I've always felt it to be the best of the underwater cash-ins. I considered putting Leviathan in my 80's trash thread but watching it again (for about the fifth time) merely reconfirmed how glossy looking and well made it is.

Essentially the set up is a familiar one. A group of deep sea miners led by Peter Weller stumble across a ship wrecked Russian vessel on the sea bed. Amongst the salvage they recover (including medical files showing the entire crew died of a mysterious disease) is some vodka which, when drunk, turns people into deep sea versions of John Carpenters The Thing...

What Leviathan lacks in originality (which is considerable) it makes up for with a crackerjack B-movie cast, handsome looking production design, and a great score from Jerry Goldsmith. Most notable in the cast are Daniel Stern (almost as funny here as he was in C.H.U.D.), Ernie Hudson from Ghostbusters, and veteran actor Richard Crenna as the doc. I really do like this movie, it's fast paced, has a sense of humor, and decent all be it briefly glimpsed Stan Winston creature effects. If you like creature features, and haven't seen this, give it whirl...it makes a great midnight movie.

http://www.grindhousedatabase.com/images/thumb/Switchblade_sisters_1975.jpg/300px-Switchblade_sisters_1975.jpg

Switchblade Sisters (Jack Hill 1974) 3
Four years before the 'gang movie' cycle made popular by The Warriors and The Wanderers; exploitation director Jack Hill delivered this cheap and cheerful drive-in classic (though it flopped initially). I'd not seen this one before, but read lots of good things about it on various B-movie fan sites and figured I'd give it a go.

Essentially it's your usual warring gang setup with Joanne Nail's feisty Maggie inducted by Lace (Robbie Lee) into the 'Dagger Debs'; an all female subsidiary of 'The Silver Dollars' gang headed by the sullen Dominic (Asher Brauner). At war with the Silver Dollars is a larger rival gang led by Crabs (Chase Newhart) who looks like he just got back from a Bay City Rollers concert. To further complicate things there's a power struggle within the Dagger Debs stirred up by the evil (and imaginatively named) Patch (Monica Gayle)...

I really enjoyed this one. It has woefully cheap production values, and some amusingly spirited overacting (Robbie Lee's performance, and Joanne Nail's final speech are particularly sensational). The build up is a little on the slow side as the real action (including a roller rink shootout, and a shootout involving an all female black gang who team up with the Debs) is mainly confined to the second half of the movie. But the film still remains highly watchable as it's filled with colorful characters, juvenile catty dialogue and some surprisingly well choreographed fights. Plus I actually found myself really rooting for Maggie. Thumbs up for a worthy cult classic.

http://pagesperso-orange.fr/religionnaire/artistes/sel_blacky/art/truck_turner_poster.jpg

Truck Turner (Jonathan Kaplan 1974) 2.5
Pretty standard blaxploitation bouyed by some nifty camera work, crunching fight choreography and (an underused) Yaphet Kotto as crime boss Harvard Blue.

Hayes is the 'Mack' Truck Turner of the title, a super tough skip tracer who after killing a pimp in self defence; finds himself (along with his partner played by Alan Weeks) targeted by numerous bounty hunters and hit men who've stuck a deal with the pimp's girlfriend Dorinda (Nichelle Nichols).

This is action packed stuff with plenty of fist fights, shootouts and car chases, but it lacks the edgy racial empowerment vibe the best of the genre has to offer, and ultimately amounts to nothing more than a time filler. Hayes is likable enough despite mumbling his way through the movie, and Nichelle Nichols is feisty if a little Pam Grier-esq as the vengeance seeking Dorinda. But the film only really comes alive when Kotto shows up in the final act. It's certainly never boring though, and there are even small roles for Scatman Crothers and B-movie legend Dick Miller, but I'd only really recommend this to Hayes fans, and they've probably already seen it. Funny I thought his soundtrack for this one sounded a little flat which is probably another reason it's not considered a classic.

[TheDOMINATOR]

How to Marry a Millionaire - 2.5+
(Jean Negulesco, 1953)

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/534/howtomarryamillionaire.jpg

To this date, I've seen two other Marilyn Monroe films besides this one: Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch, and I loved them both. However, I didn't like How to Marry a Millionaire as much; I felt it fell far short of both the other titles just mentioned.

How to Marry a Millionaire had its funny and clever moments, but the story was mostly uninteresting and the plot was drudgingly slow at points. Although the three lead actresses (Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, and Lauren Bacall) give charming performances, I found myself--more or less--kinda bored. Especially during the five-minute-long opening which is nothing but an orchestra playing music. I mean, really? I could have done without that; I don't see how it even coincided with the movie. It just seemed like that was thrown in there for no apparent reason.

I still intend on getting my hands on as many other Marilyn Monroe films as I can, but I hope this is one of the worst of the lot.

Young and Innocent - 3.5
(Alfred Hitchcock, 1937)

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/1224/girlwasyoung.jpg

Apparently also known as The Girl Was Young. I liked it a lot; it was very supsenseful and had some excellent performances, particularly by Nova Pilbeam as Erica. My only real gripe with this movie is that, especially considering that this is a Hitchcock film, I expected a bit more of a twist ending. Without giving anything away, the climax was pretty straight-forward and perhaps a bit of a let-down, but everything leading up to it, I found to be very good.

The Prophecy 5: Foresaken - 3-
(Joel Soisson, 2005)

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/7787/prophecy5.jpg

Being the final installment of the series, my Prophecy experience is now complete. The first two were by far the best. This one was decent, but probably not worth viewing again anytime relatively soon at all. Lucifer's character and portrayal was chilling like it has been throughout the series and is probably my favorite part of the saga other than Walken's Gabriel, but aside from that, The Prophecy 5 just isn't very memorable.

30 Days of Night - 4-
(David Slade, 2007)

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/6021/rtukfeaturejoshhartnett.jpg

Call it a guilty pleasure (I'm not 100% sure of its reputation), but I think this is an excellent movie. There's a review of it sitting on the first page of my review thread, and that helps explain why I hold it in such high regard. However, it was one of my earliest reviews, so perhaps I should write up a new one with greater details. I'd probably consider 30 Days of Night one of my top five all-time favorite vampire movies and perhaps one of my top 150-200 favorite movies, period, so I think it deserves it.

[Classicqueen13]

Die Hard 2: Die Harder 3.5 stars
After recent repeated viewings of the original, I thought it was time to watch this one. While still a good movie, I found it fell quite short of the other. As a film on its own, I still give it the same rating. The plot didn't work as well for me, but the acting was dead on. It didn't exactly put me in a rush to watch the third, but a decent use of my time.

A Perfect World 4 stars
I know that most of us don't like Costner here, but I found his performance here to be superb. It's a fairly long movie that doesn't drag, and Eastwood's acting and directing are commendable. The end brought tears to my eyes. There aren't many other important cast roles, but the few are played well. The plot is interesting and even suspenseful at times.

Planet of the Apes 3 stars
A classic indeed, but I myself am not big on sci-fi. It was kind of slow to grab my attention, but things picked up. Charlton Heston's performance was amazing as the lead. I enjoyed the humorous little parts where the monkeys talked about man as though he were so inferior. Truly, a one of a kind flick.

Swing Vote 4 stars
This movie was really funny and had a good message to it. The plot isn't very believable but it's a good story line. Can't say that the performances were remarkable, but they weren't bad. If you're looking for a good comedy and can stand Costner, give this one a try.

On Borrowed Time 4 stars
This little known gem my father tried to find for years. It stars Lionel Barrymore in this classic from the golden year of film. The fairly sentimental story will also make you laugh. I've never seen a storyline like it either. (Some have come close). A really enjoyable little film.

[Godoggo]

Padre Nuestro (2007) Christopher Zalla

http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/godoggo_photo/PadreNuestro-1.jpg

This movie was a complete surprise to me. I don't remember putting it on my queue, or who recommended me to do so. It was billed as a thriller, so I went in expecting that. Not sure why it is billed as such, but as a character study with a fresh and interesting perspective this is a solid little film.

The story line is a little improbable, but is made up for by outstanding performances by all four leads. Especially by Armando Hernandez who plays Juan. He has a pretty tough job to do by making a pretty vile character sympathetic without much screen time to do it in B+

[mark f]

I watched parts of Le Doulos (1962) and Sword of Doom (1966), but I need to see them wide awake and in their entirety to discuss them. I did see some other films though...

Macario (Roberto Gavaldón, 1960) 3.5

http://www.tragaluzpanama.com/03/cine/cineimg/Ignacio%20Lopez%20Tarso%20y%20Pina%20Pellicer%20en%20Macario.jpg http://redescolar.ilce.edu.mx/redescolar/act_permanentes/luces_de_la_ciudad/Maestros/gfigueroa/Macario.jpg

Macario is a beautiful Mexican fantasy film which tells the story of a poor woodcutter (Ignacio López Tarso) who on the Day of the Dead decides that he will never eat again because his life is miserable. He has a wife and two kids, but he laments that "we spend a lot more time dead than alive", so when his wife (Pina Pellicer, One-Eyed Jacks) connives a turkey from a neighbor and cooks it for Macario, he decides to take it out into the forest and eat it all by himself, or so he thinks... Macario comes across a tricky Devil, the Lord God Himself and Death, and all three want a piece of turkey. Macario finally allows Death to share some and in return, Macario receives a healing potion which brings him fame and fortune, but alas, he also comes to the attention of the ruling Spanish Inquisator whose son is dying.

http://www.ficco.com.mx/Informacion/Peliculas/macario.jpg

Adapted from a B.Traven (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre) novel and photographed in spectacular black-and-white by Gabriel Figueroa (The Pearl, John Ford's The Fugitive, Los olvidados, El, The Exterminating Angel, Night of the Iguana, Under the Volcano), Macario comes off as a cross between a Bergman and a Buñuel film. It is both stark and simple, yet is almost playful in its presentation of Macario's strange circumstances which also take on an almost A Christmas Carol quality. One thing is for certain, at least to me, and that is by the time the film reaches its supercool twist ending, I was just as knocked out this time as I was when I first saw it about 35 years ago.

Electra (Mihalis Kakogiannis, 1962) 3

http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/coverv/20/189220.jpg

A couple of years before he made the smash hit Zorba the Greek, the director of that film made his version of Euripides' classic tragedy for only $30,000 while shooting on classic Greek locations where some of Euripides' plays were first staged. It's one of the most-striking-looking $30,000 films you'll ever see with a powerful performance by Irene Papas as Electra, the daughter of Agamemnon, who returns from the Trojan War only to be murdered by his wife and her lover. Electra and her young brother Orestes (played by Giannis Fertis when older) vow to avenge that death when the time is right and they mature. The film is quite intense and powerful although Kakogiannis actually made a more-intense version of Euripides' prequel Iphigenia (3.5) in 1977. For anyone who has never seen a Greek Tragedy (with capital letters), these two films are among the very best of their kind.

Les Biches (Claude Chabrol, 1968) 2.5+

http://www.cbo-boxoffice.com/full/p10713.jpg


One of Chabrol's many enigmatic films, Les Biches (which doesn't mean what you think but rather means "The Does", as in Deers) is something along the lines of a cat-and-mouse game, but it's really more of a hunter-and-the-hunted film, and the mystery is who is it that ultimately catches their prey. The film begins with a rich woman (Stéphane Audran) with the seemingly-masculine name Frédérique picking up a street artist (Jacqueline Sassard) who may or may not be named Why and taking her back to her St. Tropez villa where they begin an affair and share the place with Frédérique's two gay male friends (Henri Attal and Dominique Zardi). Frédérique is an avid hunter and Why is fascinated with drawing does, and all seems quite happy between them until they both fall for architect Paul (Jean-Louis Trintignant). Why starts out with Paul, but Frédérique ends up with him, and he too moves into the villa, and the relationships begin to morph.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1199/1077739492_c69c36df1a.jpg?v=0

It isn't especially difficult to determine what happens in Les Biches, but the "Whys", both the reason and the character, are a bit denser to comprehend. Sarah actually asked me if I thought the film was reminiscent of Persona, and although it didn't strike me that much at the time, I believe that she is on to something there. Good for her.

Che: Part One (Steven Soderbergh, 2008) 3

http://i00.rnhh.de/eu/shared-images/blog/2008/12/che-part-one.jpg

You can never accuse Soderbergh of doing anything easy. Last year, he made a four-and-one-half hour epic, based on two autobigraphies of Che Guevara (played excellently by Benicio Del Toro), divided into two parts and released them well-knowing that he could never recoup the investment. Soderbergh also used a fractured storytelling approach which cuts back and forth in time and tone, changing from color to black-and-white, and often making it difficult for the film to gain any momentum or dramatic power. However, mostly due to Del Toro, the film does eventually prove worthy of the time and attention paid to it by the viewer. I have Part Two, but I haven't watched it yet, but I know that it's set in a different locale and uses different cinematic techniques, so we'll see about that one. But Part One is reminiscent at times of Oliver Stone's JFK, Salvador and Platoon, as well as biographies of seemingly-radical figures such as Spike Lee's Malcolm X. Most of the film leaves the storytelling to the mid 1950s-mid 1960s, but there are a few times where the material seems to have been tweaked a bit to relate to our current political situations, involving both Cuba and Venezuela. Once again, I'll have to wait to see what appears in Part Two which is mostly set in Bolivia, but Part One is a somewhat difficult but rewarding watch. I just wish that there were a few less cigars doing some major acting, but that's a minor quibble. I know that Mrs. Darcy and Holden saw the film at the theatre, but did anybody else? You know who you are, you Del Toro lover. :cool:

[Godoggo]

You know who you are, you Del Toro lover. :cool:

Are you talking to me? ;) Oddly enough, I haven't seen this yet, but I really want to. I rarely watch movies these days that I don't get through Netflix. Hopefully, I will get around to buying or borrowing it soon.

[TheUsualSuspect]

G-Force

http://blog.digitalkloc.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/g-force_poster.jpg


G-Force is a specially trained team of guinea pigs, a mole and a fly. They must foil the plans of Saber, a millionaire, who wants to take over the world with these home appliances that ultimately transform into Megatron. Or something along those lines.

I watched this one because it was available in 3-D. My first Disney Digital 3-d film. From the aspect, the kids will enjoy the things that pop out at you. This film has a few of those moments, water, debris and glass. Although it just didn't do it for me. The 3-D in this film didn't enhance the film or astonish me. Thus, it ultimately feels like a gimmick and will until a certain film that is planned to be released in the near future apparently plans to change that. I'm not saying it wasn't well done, I just expected more.

The film is mixed animation and live action. The animation is obviously the rodents and insects, while the cast is formed of Hangover star Zach Galifianakis, Will Arnett and Bill Nighy. Galifianakis is really timid here and Nighy does his whole British thing, while Arnett plays the G-Rated version of an A-hole. Nothing memorable, and the kids won't care about these people. They want to see the funny guinea pigs do funny things. Yet, in the theatre I was in, which was full of kids, had hardly any laughs. That's not to say they won't enjoy themselves, because the film is entertaining. It's just not that great a comedy.

The voice acting is great, Sam Rockwell plays Darwin, the lead commando. Tracy Morgan is Blaster, if anyone has seen him on 30 Rock, it's the same here. Penelope Cruz is the female character, who toys with the boys on which one she likes. Nicolas Cage plays Speckles, the mole who is a tech whiz. In this film if you did not know it was Cage playing this character, you would never know it was him. The voice is so different that is makes you scratch your head, well done on all parts.

The child favourite without a doubt is Hurley, the guinea pig that our team meets in a pet shop. He has a bad case of flatulence and is the 'dumb' friendly character. He gets the most laughs, which like I said, wasn't many. Finally Steve Buscemi has a small role as a hamster and he plays it exactly as you would picture Buscemi to play it. The voice work from everyone was top notch, but if I were to hand it to anyone, it wold be cage for his transformation to the unknown.

The animation is well done, the final action sequence does feel like it comes straight out of transformers, but it looks neat. The interaction between human and creature is still noticeably fake, even after all these years they can't seem to perfect this. Since this is a Bruckheimer film, you know there has to be non-stop action. This involves car chases left right and centre, covert-operations and battles with giant creatures. The film is fuel injected to the bone with this. There are moments here and there to slow everything down, yet they are extremely short and don't seem to do much to create conflict for the characters. When the guinea pigs are told they aren't special, they get doubt themselves, this lasts all but one scene because in the next they get a pep talk and are back to the chase sequences.

The plot is one that we've all seen before. Unlikely heroes stopping someone from world domination. So don't expect anything new in the story department. The reveal at the end is lame and predictable, the whole bad guy plan is extremely far fetched and doesn't make sense. Although if you're expecting this film to make sense I guess you're in the wrong theatre. These are talking guinea pigs after all.

The film is entertaining and the kids will most likely enjoy it. It does seem like a typical Hollywood kid flick and it is exactly that. There's no life lessons learned and by the end of the film your kid will want a new pet.

3

[Iroquois]

http://lindsayism.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/diner762943.jpg

Diner (Barry Levinson, 1982) - 4

Wow, this was excellent. Great acting by everyone involved, combined with a genius script that hit all the right notes and had so many moments that, despite taking place in another country fifty years ago, just rang so true to me. Quite simply a great film and I wish it'd get a DVD release over here sometime soon (especially since a lot of Mickey Rourke's early films are getting re-releases in the wake of The Wrestler).

http://www.bluebird-electric.net/films_movies_actors/actors_films_images/top_gun_goose_and_maverick.jpg

Top Gun (Tony Scott, 1986) - 2

This film just bears the unfortunate stigma of being the kind of movie I'd never really want to see at all, but I just put it on to pass the time while waiting for something else to happen. It was hard to take seriously - although I'm not too sure that the makers intended it to be that way. But yeah, not really much to like about this film - predictable romantic subplot, unremarkable acting and character development and the action sequences were a little lame. I guess the highlight was trying to read into the infamous gay subtext the film has acquired over the years, which added all the real humour to the film. But yeah, doubt I'll see this again.

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/images/americanmovie1.jpg

American Movie (Chris Smith, 1999) - 3.5

This was certainly an intriguing premise - the story of amateur filmmaker Mark Borchardt and his lengthy quest to make movies with the help of his weird but strangely lovable friends and family - and it manages to be an engaging enough account of Mark's passion for movies (even if the end result - a 40-minute black-and-white no-budget horror film titled Coven - isn't exactly on the same level as other troubled productions like Apocalypse Now or Fitzcarraldo).

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r68/giancarletto/FILM/NOIR/500/500OutOfThePast.jpg

Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947) - 3.5

While it's a real by-the-numbers noir, it's still an enthralling and interesting one to watch. Well-scripted (if a little hard to follow at times) and photographed in black-and-white that sometimes gets a little too black for its own good (or maybe that was the VHS quality), but all in all it was a solid film and I'm probably underrating it.

[undercoverlover]

La Vie En Rose

Brrrrrrilliant.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/film/La_Vie_en_Rose_1.jpg

During this I laughed, cried like pu$$y and was an emotional wreck by the end of it.

If you haven't seen this movie, or thought it really wasn't for you, you're wrong. Marion Cotillard is so amazing, she really earned her Oscar. She portrays Edith Piaf through out her life, jumping from one point in her life to another. This can be a little jarring sometimes, a good memory is required.

5 Stars

(havent figured out how to do popcorn ratings, cant believe ive been on here for 5 years and havent worked it out yet)


Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

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

Amazing people, just amazing. David Yates I love you.

Althought of course some liberties are taken with adaptations, it can't be helped, i thought the main plot and the changes that were made were really well handled.

Of course Yates' way of shooting action and chase sequences is exciting; the way he uses the camera is fantastic and so well suited for Potter.

Cast wise I thought it struck gold again with Jim Broadbent as Professor Slughorn. Narcissa malfoy was well done though I always envisioned her differently. I'm having slight second thoughts about my beloved Helena Bonham carter, I think she just needs more room to strech her legs, something we'll get in the next two i think.

Ginny: I'm not entirely convinced by her. In the books ginny is kind of a badass with a snarky sense of humour. She's a real cracker, but Bonnie Wright's Ginny just doesn't quite cut the mustard. And their romance is a little heavy handed, but ultimately quite sweet.

In terms of plot I was of course a little disappointed that things I was looking forward to seeing weren't included. APPARENTLY I CANT WORK THE SPOILER TAGS EITHER!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/film/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-pri.jpg

There was so much humour in the first half of the movie, some really genuinely funny stuff. Though I though when Harry is high of the luck potion was especially funny.

One thing that annoyed me was that the occassional glance at what Malfoy was doing was a bit tedious at some points.

I loved it, i couldnt help myself.

[Brother Blue]

Synechdoche, New York (2008)
Director: Charlie Kaufman

http://idreamedmovies.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/synecdoche.jpg

Wonderful movie. One of the best I have seen all year.

4.5

[MovieMan8877445]

Once again, I haven't watched as many movies this week due to catching up on all of season 1 of Sons of Anarchy and I started reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Of course though, I still watched quite a bit of movies.

I guess I'll just go ahead and start off with Harry Potter. Watching the Half-Blood Prince last week in theaters, it had me wanting to re-watch some of the rest of the series. I decided to skip the first two, because I don't remember liking them all that much. You know, for the longest time, I always thought that I didn't like Order of the Phoenix at all, but re-watching this week had me loving it a lot. It was a hell of lot better than I had remembered it being, but then again, I had only seen it once before, and that was back when it was out in theaters in 2007. The ending is definitely the most stand-out part, having one of the greatest movie climax's ever. The only thing I didn't like about it was Umbridge, I completely hate her as a character. I think if she wasn't in the movie, my score may actually be a bit higher. Prisoner of Azkaban is my second favorite of the series. I always hear that it's the most faithful adaption of the series, but I honestly can barely remember the book at all. I watched Goblet of Fire as well, and I didn't like it as much as I remember, but I still thought it was pretty good. I'll have to buy Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix sometime, because I already own Prisoner of Azkaban.

Watching those three of the series got me hooked yet again on Gary Oldman. He's pretty much easily the greatest living actor out there, and needs to take on some more roles. At least lately he's been getting himself known by people over the past few years by chosing big movies, like the Harry Potter movies or Nolan's two Batman films. His greatest role though, still remains to be as Stansfield in Leon. I watched that earlier this week, and I still love it just as much as I remember. It definitely deserves its spot in my top 10. It seemed to go by a whole hell of a lot faster this time though, I guess because I already knew what was coming the whole way through. I watched some of his earlier roles as well, like in State of Grace. The movie itself isn't all that impressive, but Oldman does a great job in it no doubt. I actually liked it myself, but it's not a film that I would go watch over and over again. Sean Penn was in it as well, and that's a plus because he's on my favorite actor list as well. Ed Harris, too, even though I don't like him nearly as much as the other two. They all did pretty good jobs, but Oldman was the one that stood-out to me the most. Lastly of his movies, I finally got around to watching True Romance as well. His role was short, but damn good at that. Truly his funniest role so far, with him trying to act like a gangster during his whole role. The movie itself was pretty good as well.

The other few movies I watched were ones that I had been waiting to for awhile, like the Sting. With me being such a big fan of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, I was surprised it took me so long to get around to it. I can definitely say that it doesn't even compare with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in the slighest. It was still pretty great, though. The ending was definitely the most stand-out part to me. I wouldn't mind getting around to buying it sometime soon. Tonight I watched the Dirty Dozen finally, too. It was pretty great as well, and I would probably rank it among my top 5 favorite war films. My favorite part in the movie had to be the WarGames part, truly hilarious. I also bought and watched the director's cut of Watchmen this week. I wasn't too big of a fan of the theatrical cut, but the director's cut did improve some. Like the pacing issue that I had with it, it seemed to be gone completely. Hollis Mason's death scene was the most beautiful scene in the movie by far, but my favorite scene still remains the Comedian's fight/death scene. A very well-made scene, if you ask me.

My official ratings for the week:

The Sting (1973) - 4

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - 3.5+

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - 3+

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - 4+

Watchmen: Director's Cut (2009) - 3.5

Leon (1994) - 5

State of Grace (1990) - 3

True Romance (1993) - 3.5

The Dirty Dozen (1967) - 3.5

[Sleezy]

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

Magnolia (Anderson, 2000) 2_5

Wow. I didn't think it was ever going to be over.

This is the Transformers 2 of overly dramatic Oscar hopefuls. Too many characters, too many breakdowns, too many long scenes. I can handle drama, but this is a flat-out cacophony of disastrous living situations that practically runs the entire gamut. And I still didn't connect.

Anderson was trying too hard to make his film seem poignant and true, and in some respect, it is. There's just too much of it. It tries to do too much too fast, and stumbles over its own feet. I'm giving it points for having some great extended performances, most notably from Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and a delightfully subtle turn from John C. Reilly. (Why is this guy still doing films with Will Ferrell?) But the labyrinthine story and confused presentation ultimately make the film a terribly boring endurance test. Not recommended.

[TheUsualSuspect]

I agree that the film is indeed a long one and it would hurt it to lose a character or two, but I found myself entangled in these characters lives. Tom Cruise does give one hell of a performance and it is my favourite in the entire film...and his career.

The opening montage is my favourite part of the film, followed by the random ending bit. All the stuff in between is the hard stuff to get through and a lot of people could do without it, you seem like one of those people.

[Miss Vicky]

http://studybreakreviews.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/wristcutters1.jpg

Wristcutters: A Love Story

With its interesting premise (people who commit suicide are sent to an alternate reality where everything is pretty much the same as before, only worse), oddball characters (gotta love Will Arnett as "The Messiah"), and WTF quality, this little movie has a certain charm to it that made it very enjoyable.

The actual plot, however, has a very "that's been done before" quality to it and drags the movie down some. After he learns that his ex-girlfriend (who left him and caused him to become suicidal) had commited suicide and is somewhere in that alternate place, Zia (Fugit) convinces his friend Eugene (Whigham) to go with him on a road trip to find her. Along the way, they meet and befriend a woman named Mikal (Sossamon) who, without realizing it, Zia begins to fall in love with (take out the suicide factor and you've got the plot of many other movies). Still, it's a nice way to spend 90 minutes.

3.5

[meatwadsprite]

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:1LM5R3RUwb9ZHM:http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00003CWTI.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:51ADWDk4HJ7ArM:http://www.vertigomagazine.co.uk/articles/images/article/magnolia02.jpg http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:N18TyifxViNURM:http://www.kinopolis.de/filminfo/m/img/magnolia04.jpg

Magnolia 1999

But the labyrinthine story and confused presentation ultimately make the film a terribly boring endurance test.

I hated Magnolia a lot the first time I saw it , nothing but pure hatred for this movie and I considered it one of the worse I've seen - but after subsequent viewings I realized how flawed my logic was on frowning on the movie for what I wanted to see as opposed to appreciating such a rich and realistic feature that dug at something I hadn't seen done in a similar fashion ever.

Each of the characters exhibit something of an exaggerated problem that I'd like to think we've all shared at one point - so even if you've never been in a similar situation , you understand the reasons and motivations for their behavior. It's a hard movie to watch if your looking for classic movie fun , but it's very technically adept and I think it's skilled composure gets overlooked because of the giant scope it tries to connect on.

There are a lot of parts that are depressing and at times not enjoyable at all , but as a whole I heartily declare Magnolia as a movie about why our lives our special - that each individual person is equally important and our existence as a whole is important and that every decision we make is important , which is a giant counter to the nihilistic tone many of my favorites share : it fleshes out clichéd messages which I've seen a hundred times in movies and makes them real.

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

Or to summarize , I loved it and you didn't understand it , thought the whole film was fake , or simply didn't enjoy the individual scenes - which I thought were all beautifully written.

5

http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:OC6nnFFlxp0JSM:http://caffeine-headache.net/blog3/protectedimage.jpg http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:kdFLTVmjPJu-pM:http://itpworld.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/tokyo_sonata_haut.jpg http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ioWfCZpCEB2e0M:http://media.entertainment.sky.com/image/unscaled/2009/1/22/Tokyo-Sonata-20.jpg

Tokyo Sonata 2009

A familiar tale that isn't poorly done , but not exceptionally crafted either. With jobs at a minimum in the U.S. it's easy to relate the father's unemployment and the problems it causes. There is an excess of materialism in this and had it been put in the hands of a more exciting director it may have been amazing.

3

http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ZBejNS85VKu9sM:http://arcadeheaven.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/main_background.png http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:c5hTV6IRxJpHRM:http://i40.tinypic.com/19nwwm.jpg

Chasing Ghosts : Beyond the Arcade 2007

A lot of familiar faces from King of Kong , although the films themselves do share the common element of retro gaming and Twin Galaxy's Walter Day - the documentaries themselves couldn't be more different. This is much more free-form which sounds just as good , but it's so formless that it's not exciting at all - and even worse it's repetitive.

2

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:MdKQWcMugU7i6M:http://sachem.suffolk.lib.ny.us/Reel_Rebels/images/KingOfKong.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:jPiAK4fEQxTJAM:http://media.decider.com/assets/images/media/movie/3341/King-Of-Kong_jpg_595x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:Zi4uo49KWjmc_M:http://www.filmjunk.com/images/weblog/gregkinnearkingofkong.jpg

The King of Kong : A Fistful of Quarters 2007

You know from the start it's giving you an uneven view of the two contenders , but that's the point. It completely dramatizes the rivalry (Steve and Billy actually went head to head before this movie started filming) , but continues to offer a truthful depth about gaming and what I love about it. The wild cast of retro masters become very memorable in the little screen time they are given and I appreciated their brief appearances in the background a lot on this later viewing.

4.5

[jrs]

Twilight (with Rifftrax) 5 - Twilight itself I didn't go for that much but this with the crew from MST3K doing the narrative to it, made it absolutely hillarious. And worth watching nonetheless lol.


Here's a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0fknMFFXg

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/TorysMovies/Posters/kissofdeath.jpg

Kiss Of Death (1947)

I watched this one on my computer from Netflix. I'd been meaning to see it for awhile and the discussion I've been having on another thread made me decide to finally give it a shot.

I must say that I was rather unsure of this one at first. The beginning was a bit slow and I was a bit put off by the narration (narration has always been a peeve of mine in films). Also I found myself, for once, not liking Victor Mature's performance. Now don't get me wrong, I've never held him in high esteem in terms of acting talent, but here he not only doesn't emote well, but he doesn't even have that "ham" and "cheese" quality that I loved so much in other films of his I've seen.

Still, the movie kept me well engaged despite the shortcomings of its leading man. The giggling Tommy Udo was more than sufficiently creepy, the plot was quite suspenseful and the ending was a bit unexpected. All in all, an entertaining watch and one I may very well add to my own personal collection.

4

[TheDOMINATOR]

This lot of movies I've watched over the past few days have ranged from about average to dismally below average, perhaps with one exception, so I'm not even going to write up mini-reviews like I usually do; I'll just do a run-down with ratings.

Surf's Up - 3-
(Ash Brannon, 2007)

http://anim.usc.edu/research/2_documentary/images/rr_surfsup_02.jpg

The Seventh Sign - 3
(Carl Shultz, 1988)

http://stolemyhubcaps.com/covers/The%20Seventh%20Sign.jpg

Bug - 2
(William Friedkin, 2006)

http://www.moviesonline.ca/movie-gallery/albums/Bug_2006/Bug-11.jpg

I just want to note here that the concept of this film is really cool, but I'm not a big fan of its overall execution and how things eventually play out in the end of the movie (I just sat there shaking my head when the final scene came to an end and the credits began to roll). Bug has a lot of decent stuff, but...well, it's a really weird movie that doesn't remain thoroughly engaging enough to warrant any higher of a rating than what I gave it.

Turistas - 3.5
(John Stockwell, 2006)

http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/747/747821/turistas-wilde-george-duhamel1_1164738696.jpg

This was my second viewing of Turistas, and I'm fairly surprised to say that it held up well with a rewatch. I liked it a lot the first time through, and I still do now, several months later. It packs some genuine scares and reveals a story that turns your stomach. Some pretty memorable characters (Kiko) and some pretty memorable dialogue.

"In any situation, the best thing you can do is the right thing.
The next best thing you can do is the wrong thing.
But the worst thing you can do is nothing."
[The man kills his henchman in front of a young boy, talking to him.]
"If ever you find yourself in a situation ... do something."

Chills.

[Sleezy]

Or to summarize , I loved it and you didn't understand it , thought the whole film was fake , or simply didn't enjoy the individual scenes - which I thought were all beautifully written.

I get what Anderson wanted to say with the film - that we're the ones steering our lives, and at some point, we've got to take responsibility and make amends for the directions we've steered them... or start steering them in the directions we want them to go. In some respect, he succeeds. The characters are mostly wonderful, although a few are tacked on and feel extremely forced (namely Julianne Moore's character, and the game show host, who's big reveal is completely unfounded). The performances are completely heartfelt and honest.

It's just that a film has got to have some kind of focus. Magnolia likes to boast that it's a tale of many lives interwoven into a complex, enriching tapestry of meaning. But it's really just a loose menagerie of downtrodden people with and little or no real connection with each other, aside from the occasional familial one. Unlike [i]Crash, which uses a similar ensemble structure of interwoven characters (and much better, I might add), Magnolia doesn't tie them together through an over-arching truth or significant issue. It's enduring message is simply, "Life can really suck. But sometimes, you do (a). Other times, you do (b). And other times, you do (c)." I'm sorry, but that's no message at all.

In reality, Anderson wanted nothing more than to hit people over the head with intense dramatic breakdowns and tragedy in the hopes that his viewers would buy into its validity as a meaningful piece of film. Sure, great acting is definitely a treat. But without a focus, all these vignettes just float in the film's ether as side-stories that are never brought together. Because of this confusion, the film is begging to choose a main one, which runs completely perpendicular to what the film feels like it really wants to be. It shouldn't be about one character over another. But currently, it's not really about any of them.

I just think it's a classic case of pulling the audience's heartstrings to death, and hoping for a standing ovation. Without a cohesive focus, what would normally have been very substantial content is reduced to fluff. A gimmick. A superficial means to an end. And that's a real shame.

And it's way too long. And often pretentious. I was almost laughing out loud at the end listening to John C. Reilly's voice-over, which was obviously intended to be - in some coincidental way - a summary statement of the truth of these people's lives, and how they live them. But it didn't work. It was ridiculous and unnecessary. But hey, everybody's gotta have a vision, right?

[Harry Lime]

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

Simon of the Desert (1965, Luis Bunuel) 3

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

Night and Fog (1955, Alain Resnais) 5

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/Vampyr-1.jpg

Vampyr (1932, Carl Theodor Dreyer) 4

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

Strike (1925, Sergei Eisenstein) 4

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

Waltz with Bashir (2008, Ari Folman) 4

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

Let the Right One In (2008, Tomas Alfredson) 3.5

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

Salesman (1968, Albert and David Maysles) 3

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

The Leopard (1963, Luchino Visconti) 3.5

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

Under the Roofs of Paris (1930, Rene Clair) 2

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

Mafioso (1962, Alberto Lattuada) 3.5

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

Earth (1930, Aleksandr Dovzhenko) 3.5

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

Alexander Nevsky (1938, Sergei Eisenstein) 2

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/TorysMovies/Posters/milk.jpg

MILK

This movie gets better every time I watch it. It's so incredibly well acted and is at once uplifting and infuriating, funny and incredibly sad. It has easily become my favorite movie of last year.

Still, watching this movie leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. It's a painful reminder of how far the movement was able to go some 30 years ago and how far it still must go, especially given the shameful event that was the passing of California's Proposition 8. Why people can't just learn to live and let live, I'll never understand.

5

[Iroquois]

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2009/03/31/drag-me-to-hell-poster.jpg

Drag Me To Hell (Sam Raimi, 2009) - 4

Ah, this is my kind of film. Loved it.

http://reeltoreel.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/juno.jpg

Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007) - 0.5

Urgh, this is NOT my kind of film. Hated it.

[Tacitus]

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008, Marina, Zenovich)

4/5

I'll get this out of the way early - Polanski is one of my favourite directors and has been for years.

Like the majority of film fans I'd known about the reason he doesn't return to the US but I hadn't sought out to read about it in great detail - The Smoking Gun and other websites of that ilk have never really done anything for me. I was only 4 at the time it happened so didn't appreciate the media circus which surrounded events in 1977. That he had pled guilty to sex with an underage girl was proof enough, as far as I was concerned...

Having said that, Wanted and Desired is fascinating - not regarding the sordid details (all of which, I assume, are covered here) but in the way it approaches the legal machinations of how to try and sentence a very famous man.

The prosecuting DA and Polanski's defence lawyer both come out of this as honourable men, the presiding Judge appears as a completely different animal. But, hey, watch the film for the reasons why. ;)

As a piece of documentary cinema, Wanted and Desired tries hard to be impartial. Really really hard. Alas, the talking heads on show come mainly from the director's friends and colleagues. The Judge has passed away, the girl (well, woman in her early 40s now) in question, who seems as sensible and grounded as one could imagine, appears sitting alongside her lawyer throughout and the resulting interview just doesn't have the immediacy one might expect. I wonder what would happen if the story had played out in today's instant internet age, where everyone not only has an opinion but the ability to broadcast it to the world?

All in all, Wanted and Desired shows how the Justice system failed not only the young woman concerned but also the man accused of the crime(s), and shows it pretty well.

Not essential but pretty darned interesting nonetheless and told with a surprisingly light (but never disrespectful to any of the parties) touch. Well worth a look. :)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/roman-polanski.jpg

[Sedai]

Meatwad - Have you seen Short Cuts? This flick is very similar in structure to Magnolia, but I like it a lot more. Altman did it first, and he did it better, IMO.


Meanwhile:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Yates, 2007) 3

http://moviescomments.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-phoenix.jpg

I like this one quite a bit, as it is darker and more adult. The final act is some of the best material in the entire series, but the middle act suffers from some pacing issues. I wanted to get a refresher before seeing the latest one, so I popped this in to get caught up.


Excalibur (Boorman, 1980) 4

http://www.corporate-aliens.com/quotes/merlin.jpg

Still a classic! My lady had not seen this, and she got into it immediately. The tone of the film still holds up really well, and the performances are really fun to watch, especially Nicol Williamson and Merlin.

[Tacitus]

Still a classic! My lady had not seen this, and she got into it immediately. The tone of the film still holds up really well, and the performances are really fun to watch, especially Nicol Williamson and Merlin.

Two words - Helen Mirren. :randy:

[Brother Blue]

Spaceballs (1987)
Director: Mel Brooks
http://wisportsconsin.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/spaceballs-right-now.jpg

Not the best Mel Brooks movie, but still fun.

3

[Sedai]

Two words - Helen Mirren. :randy:

http://zenithofhotness.com/images/dame-hellen-mirren/excalibur-morgana.jpg



She is quite fetching in the flick, but the incest thing squeems me out, so I feel dirty gazing upon her chestly lumps as she gets down to business with her brother. Morgan is creepy in both her young and old incarnations in this flick.

[Tacitus]

Ach, sure 'twas the middle ages! They were up to all sorts back then! ;D

When I was a child I kept getting Excalibur mixed up with Krull (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krull_(film)), lord knows why. Only one of those films contains Helen's thrups...

[Iroquois]

Ach, sure 'twas the middle ages! They were up to all sorts back then! ;D

When I was a child I kept getting Excalibur mixed up with Krull (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krull_(film)), lord knows why. Only one of those films contains Helen's thrups...

That would've been the good one, yes?

[Tacitus]

Emphatically.

[Sedai]

Helen gets racy in quite a few films, from what I remember... Post favs if you wish! ;)

[Golgot]

You can see her ankles in The Queen

[Tacitus]

Indeed. ;)

Caligula is probably the most (in)famous but I remember a quick flash as recently as Calendar Girls (I sound like a stalker now, I know :p). I think she's great - a terrific actress who's risen far above what short-sighted (and one wonders why they were so short sighted ;)) 70s casting directors saw in her.

Taylor Hackford is a lucky fella. :)

[meatwadsprite]

But hey, everybody's gotta have a vision, right?

I respect that view and I think a lot of people on this board share a similar opinion on Magnolia (I think we're reviving the old Crash vs Magnolia vs Short Cuts thread actually) - I'd say Crash is the most obviously interwoven and Short Cuts being the most open ended with Magnolia lying in the middle , but PTA is imo the very highest caliber of director and his movie has a much more powerful effect on me than the other two - he's technically given it an epic look , a larger than life technical approach (ex : 2001 theme playing when Phil's given his mission to get a hold of Mackey and the god-like lighting on Mackey during his introduction) , which I thought worked perfectly given the ultimate meaning.

[Sleezy]

but PTA is imo the very highest caliber of director and his movie has a much more powerful effect on me than the other two - he's technically given it an epic look , a larger than life technical approach (ex : 2001 theme playing when Phil's given his mission to get a hold of Mackey and the god-like lighting on Mackey during his introduction) , which I thought worked perfectly given the ultimate meaning.

Yeah, I thought there were some nice bits of filmmaking in Magnolia. All of the seminar pieces were handled wonderfully. I'm starting to get the sense, though, that Paul Thomas Anderson is too much about being a visionary, and not enough about streamlining his ideas and trimming the lard. Tarantino is quickly developing the same affliction, and it's that kind of unchecked filmmaking that leads to overly saturated, self-absorbed final products. With some good, old-fashioned revision and editing, I think Magnolia would have worked. But I fear that Anderson got so caught up in his vision that he couldn't objectify the film enough to make it accessible (or even tolerable) to his viewers.

[birdygyrl]

The Bridge on the River Kwai - 1957 - David Lean - A

Now I know why this movie appears on at least six of the "lists" if not more. It was beautifully rendered and morally engaging. The movie is set in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Burma during World War II. The opening of the movie features the famous whistling theme music (The Colonel Bogey March). The battle of wills between the British Colonel Nicholson (Sir Alex Guiness) and the Japanese Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) begins early and is intense. Nicholson eventually becomes the victor as he has less to lose than the Japanese commander. The other battle is between Nicholson's obsession to build the bridge, to create a monument to the British, and Major Sparks' (William Holden) dedication to the task of destroying the bridge by blowing it up. Then there is the battle that Sparks is fighting within his own soul, to do the right thing or follow the easy path.

I enjoyed this movie very much and actually liked it better than, and I hope I don't offend, Lawrence of Arabia. Highly recommended.

http://www.diggerhistory.info/images/asstd3/kwai3.jpg


Desire Under the Elms - 1958 - Delbert Mann - B

I believe I put this in my Netflix queue a hundred years ago, after I saw Marty which was also directed by Delbert Mann. I think what might have attracted me to this movie was that it involved greed, lust, conflict, adultery, hatred, passion, (did I mention lust?) all set in morally chaste New England. A veritable boiling stew pot of emotions. Not exactly a "must see", but it was entertaining.

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/3721/desire015fw.jpg

[TheUsualSuspect]

Blindness

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn95/moviecinema/Blindness-Poster.jpg

There is usually a few films in which I absolutely hate a certain character. In Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it was Franklin, Marcia Gay Harden from The Mist, just to name two. Yet in Blindness, I hated about a dozen of them. Never in a film as much as this one have I hated so many characters and their actions and Julianne Moore's character has to go down in history as one of my most hated...ever....in the history of film.

An epidemic spreads and everyone is suddenly blind by this whiteness. It's apparently highly contagious and the government decides to quarantine these people and shoot them if they were to try to even come close to someone outside of the facility. Moore's character is somehow immune to this blindness even though she has direct contact with those infected. Does she offer to help find a cure using herself, no she goes into the facility with her husband and pretends to be blind. I can get that, after all love is blind. Yet her actions within this place are extremely questionable.

The entire film is suppose to show how we would fall from our height and destroy our humanity if we were to lose something as precious as our sight. Thus, the film is gritty, unapologetic and disturbing. The facility is split into 3 wards, we never meet ward 2. Ward 1 has Moore, Ruffalo and Glover. Gael Garcia Bernal is in ward 3 and for some reason has a gun, so he decides to take control of the food supply and threaten to shoot anyone who gets in his way. Keep in mind, they are all blind. He, and his ward who all support him, will exchange the food for money, jewelery and other possessions. Why? They don't even know themselves, but they want it. what happens when the possessions run out? They resort to sex. Yes, they exchange food for sex with the women from the other wards.

So begins the rape scene in which the women are beaten, one is beaten to death, all of this happens while Julianne Moore can see and she does absolutely nothing to stop it. Here is a woman who has such a great advantage over everyone else and she doesn't use it. I became so aggravated with this character and her stupid actions to do nothing. Instead, she goes down on one of them. How easy could it have been to steal the gun, or use scissors or a pipe and kill him? They claim it will start a war, so be it, she can still see. I guess the life and dignity of others mean nothing. She even catches her blind husband having sex with another woman, yet she is too tired to even care. When she finally decides to do something, I've given up already. I can't stress how much I hated this character and her willingness to do nothing.

The film is bleak, yet beautiful in it's cinematography and atmosphere. The deserted streets and apocalyptic feel of the world outside is well done. Yet all that does not make up for such a dirty feeling the film left me throughout it's 2nd act. The characters all 'act' blind, for the most part it comes off believable, but I did not care for anyone in this movie. The husband is himself is stupid and weak.

I can't really recommend this flick. It's well made and has the same feel as films like Children of Men, except it's nowhere near the quality of those films. I just can't recommend a film that made me feel disgusted by characters and actions.

2

[Brother Blue]

^^^

I'm currently reading the novel of which that movie is based. I haven't seen the movie so I have only skimmed through your review just incase there are any spoilers. But from what I can tell the old saying (that I just made up ;)) "It's never as good as the book" is quite apt here.

That's not entirely true, but it's late and I can't be bothered to keep typing.

Good book though.

[B-card]

Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen(Michael Bay 2009)-I was in Salt Lake City the other day so I wanted to see it in IMAX my God it's freakin' huge and Megan Fox running in slow motion on such a big screen now that's sexy ;) :D 4
http://www.scene-stealers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/transformers_revenge_of_the_fallen_movie_image__18_.jpg


Cruel Intentions(Roger Kumble 1999)-I haven's seen that one in a while but all I remember is that it was really good and as the title refers "Cruel" but that makes it even more interesting Ryan Philippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar make an amazing performance 4
http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/cruel-intentions.jpg

[jrs]

Star Wars Holiday Special - 4_5 Watched it fully intact with advertisements and all. Just as it aired in 1978......but with Rifftrax :laugh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q8NxxbEFio


300 (with Rifftrax) 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv0a_UXVqFs


Jurassic Park (with Rifftrax) 5


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPT62JEt9hw

Cloverfield (with Rifftrax) 5


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT4co-aTQDA


War of the Worlds: The Extinctive Cut (http://fanedit.org/7048/) 4_5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJKRRLlfFH4&e

[BobbyB]

Funny People - 8/10...I guess?

I don't know. I still have a lot of pondering to do on Funny People. It wasn't really what it was advertised to be. It was good...I just have to figure out if it was great, or just decent. Can't really tell yet

[downthesun]

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/Good_the_bad_and_the_ugly_poster.jpg
What can I say which hasn't already been said? This is the movie that got me into westerns and made me really appreciate how good some westerns are. Leone is a genius.

Perfection

5

[Tacitus]

Encounters at the End of the World (2007, Werner Herzog)

4/5

Of Mad Werner's recent output it's the documentaries which have lit my fire - Grizzly Man and the wonderful White Diamond.

The visual and aural poetry on offer in Encounters at the End of the World is up there with both those films. :)

The focus here is less on the lone Messianic misfit (although there is a guy with weird fingers who thinks he's an Inca king and a deranged penguin!) but the collection of men and women who hoover up taxpayers' money in the name of scientific research. Oh, and the wildlife and scenery of Antarctica...mustn't forget that.

That it's not just concerned with one central figure/nutter means that the structure is probably not as tight as it could have been - the encounters in question are highly episodic and could probably have been presented in any order or, whisper it, a TV series but the slight misgiving here is balanced some of the most beautiful underwater footage you'll ever see.

And seal song.

I'm not talking this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhVe_IsTVJY), fine choon that it is, but rather the sounds seals make while underwater. That's seals, not Seal. Damn, stop digging Dave. :blush:

They're mournfully majestic and worth getting hold of the film for on their own. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlrcbKlW4Tw

Imagine that in surround sound...

In case you thought that the deranged penguin bit was a cheap joke then think again. As if! ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7kdDeGXUjI

EDIT - I forgot to mention the score. Stunning.

[Caitlyn]

Fast & Furious (2009) ... no, I didn't rent or buy this... my cousin brought it over to watch... and all I can say is that Michelle Rodriguez had the right idea... by drying early on...

[undercoverlover]

Sin Nombre - 2009 dir. Cary Fukunaga
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/film/sinnombre.jpg

Amazing. I implore you to go see this movie when you get the chance. Beautiful and heartbreaking

[TheUsualSuspect]

Fast & Furious (2009) ... no, I didn't rent or buy this... my cousin brought it over to watch... and all I can say is that Michelle Rodriguez had the right idea... by drying early on...


I know what you mean, I hate watching a movie wet. ;)

[TheUsualSuspect]

Teeth

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/Teeth-Poster.jpg

I'm all for good horror comedies and reading up on the premise of Teeth ad me rolling in laughter. It had the same feel of films like I Spit On Your Grave, the idea of a woman using her sexuality as a weapon to detach a man from his...manhood. Teeth could have played up the comedy a bit more and I would have enjoyed it more than I did, the problem was it played it way too straight.

The premise of the film is based on old myth's that would scare boys into staying virgins until they were married. Females had teeth in their vagina that would bite off your penis, aptly titled Vagina Dentata. This horrid little circumstance has happened to our lead character, who is a virgin and a speaker for purity before marriage.

She befriends another member of this group and has feelings towards him, he is a born again virgin. They go for a swim and his penis gets the best of him, he tries to rape her. Well, chomp chomp. His penis is bitten off and falls to the floor. He dies from falls back into the water and either drowns or dies from blood loss. It's never clear. She of course freaks out and goes to a gynecologist to see how things are down there. This is the funniest scene in the entire film.

My problem with it though is that this film depicts every male character as either a pervert, rapist and molester. The step-brother degrades women and views them as sex objects, the friend tries to rape her, the gynecologist molests her, another man has a bet whether or not he can bang her and it ends with a creepy old man wiggling his tongue around suggesting more sexual things. Two separate times we see a penis detached from a man and one tries to have it surgically re-attached, to which the doctor mentions during the operation "almost doesn't seem worth it" :p

Teeth doesn't really have much of a climax, or a story. It follows this one girl as she turns from a scared virgin to a slut dealing out death by vagina dentata. If your curious to see the flick, give it a go. If anything of this disgusts you, give it a skip.

Also, for you're viewing pleasure. The gynecologist scene.

2.5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pfakW2LM74

[jrs]

Batman Begins: Dark Cut (http://fanedit.org/6683/) 4_5- A more streamlined version of Batman Begins, with fewer cheesy jokes, less un-Batman-like behavior and, most importantly, a more tolerable Katie Holmes.


http://images.fanedit.org/fanedits_coverart/jmb/batmanBDC/3D_BBDC_by_jmb.jpg


Army of Darkness – Primitive Screwhead Edition (http://fanedit.org/443/) 5- Features 3!!! extended versions of ARMY OF DARKNESS, available via seamless branching, featuring both alternate endings and the alternate beginning.


http://images.fanedit.org/fanedits_coverart/Ridgeshark/AOD/3d.jpg

[TheUsualSuspect]

ANOTHER AOD dvd??? :rolleyes:

edit - It's one of your fan edit flicks? Never mind then.

[Iroquois]

I want to see a fan-edit that links all three movies together at all the right points.

[jrs]

I want to see a fan-edit that links all three movies together at all the right points.

There is one..it's called Evil Dead Trilogy Ultimate Fan Edit

[Pyro Tramp]

Have you come back just to promote these fan edits and those rifftrack things?

[Iroquois]

You don't say.

RiffTrax is pretty cool, though.

[tramp]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/man_on_wire_ver2.jpg

Man on Wire
Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary

I've seen a few films in the last few weeks (on summer break), but this is the first film that has sparked me to write anything. In short, this film made me cry while causing a very strange sensation inside my body. I believe that sensation is referred to as "vertigo." ;)

At the beginning of the year, I see there was a Mofo Discussion Group on this story of Philippe Petit's 1974 wire walk between the Twin Towers. I wish I had seen it then and engaged in the discussion. And I think Yoda was a bit cynical about it. ;)

I do have a vague memory of the event but only in that I remember it happened. I didn't pay any great attention to it as I was 18 and had so many other things on my mind, lol. In the retelling of this story, so many years later after the fall of the Towers, it makes for very compelling cinema. The film is constructed of a mixture of black and white "recreations," a few of which were hysterical (loved the shadows), footage of a young Petit and his friends preparing for the high wire stunt, recent interviews staged with stark lighting, and documentary footage of the building of the towers. All of this combines for a walk down memory lane of a moment that was more than a walk--it was a dance in the heavens. The sheer audacity of it is one thing and if that is all the story was, that would be compelling in and of itself. But this was so much more. The film builds to the crucial moment and when that happens, the exhileration I felt was rare for a film like this. I agree with those that said it was "beautiful." And I don't think I have the ability to say why.

Often, documentaries fall into two camps: they are either dark and heartbreaking, exploring the tragedy of life, or they are exhilarating as they explore the strength and determination which exists in us all. Some of the time, they are both these things. What is so incredibly entertaining about a documentary like this is that this story is always just one slip from tragedy but we know it won't turn out that way. He will make it across. We know this. We are allowed to revel in his daring, celebrate his talent, wonder at this concentration, and gawk at his courage.

One of my favorite moments was when one of the arresting policemen described the walk as more of a "dance," and how he knows he will never see such a thing again. Inadvertently, this film becomes a love letter not only to the beauty of the act itself, but to the Towers themselves. We won't ever see such a thing again. That aspect of the story becomes the slip to tragedy just below the surface, a tragedy that is never discussed or is part of Petit's story. But it is there and we know it.

So in the end, the image of Petit dancing on the air between the buildings becomes more of a celebration that even Petit could have imagined.

In the special features section, there is a cartoon rendering of the story. If you rent the film, check it out.


4

[tramp]

^^^

I'm currently reading the novel of which that movie is based. I haven't seen the movie so I have only skimmed through your review just incase there are any spoilers. But from what I can tell the old saying (that I just made up ;)) "It's never as good as the book" is quite apt here.

That's not entirely true, but it's late and I can't be bothered to keep typing.

Good book though.

Re: Blindness

The book came highly recommended and it won the Nobel Prize, but I'm ashamed to say that as of last night, I decided to give up on it. I read the Usual Suspect's review and that makes me more comfortable with giving up. First, I cannot get past the style of the writing. It's annoying to no end and makes for a difficult time. Maybe I just don't have the patience right now. Second, as Usual Suspect's review shows, the story is incredibly dark and it seems I also don't have the desire to be in that world.

I like to think of myself as someone that will read anything, but alas, I guess not. :blush:

And I gather I won't watch the film now either!

[Brother Blue]

Re: Blindness

The book came highly recommended and it won the Nobel Prize, but I'm ashamed to say that as of last night, I decided to give up on it. I read the Usual Suspect's review and that makes me more comfortable with giving up. First, I cannot get past the style of the writing. It's annoying to no end and makes for a difficult time. Maybe I just don't have the patience right now. Second, as Usual Suspect's review shows, the story is incredibly dark and it seems I also don't have the desire to be in that world.

I like to think of myself as someone that will read anything, but alas, I guess not. :blush:

And I gather I won't watch the film now either!

I agree about the style of writing. It can become incredibly annoying when one sentence can go on for what seems like an eternity with the comma being the only source of punctuation. I think that's probably more to do with the translation process than the actual writer himself. I would think in Portuguese it's a much better read.

Having finished the book a two days ago I can say I found it enjoyable but not perfect. The only major criticism I have is the author does seem to ramble quite a bit. He seems to think everything needs to be philosophised in order to make it interesting which obviously isnt the case and can get very annoying after a while.

It's a decent enough book. Worth the Nobel prize? That's not for me to say. But, I might check the film out if it's ever shown on TV just to see whether or not it's a good adaptation.

[tramp]

Well, Brother Blue, you get a rep point for making it through the book. Congratulations!

I'm starting The Kite Runner. This is the third novel I've started in two weeks, and I gave up on the first two. Cross your fingers: I want to escape into an amazing book and I haven't found one in a while!!

While I'm here, I also want to talk about another film I saw at the recommendation of people here:

http://www.thesupermovie.com/images/sunshine.jpg

Yoda and some others were praising this film in the Shoutbox one day so I put it in my queue and finally watched it.

Ummm... well, I thought it was interesting but nothing spectacular. My biggest problem with the film was Boyle's decision to shoot so much of it in the dark. I simply couldn't see it. I can appreciate the contrast of the dark inside the spacecraft to the bright rays of the sun, but I was having trouble following the film at some crucial moments.

There is much to admire about the film. The claustrophobia of being on a spacecraft is communicated well (much like the best claustrophobia film of all time, Das Boot). The film seems to be an homage to Kubrick's 2001, and that is done very well. Every time the computer said something, I was waiting for it to go a bit villiany, but it didn't, lol. The characters are compelling, the acting is fine, and there is enough suspense to keep it entertaining.

Yet, for me, the moral complexity of playing god rang hallow. I was not invested in the success of this mission. I was not emotionally connected to the idea of touching the sun. I simply didn't care.

I'm glad I saw it though. I gather someone could argue the film is better than I took it to be.

2.5

[Sedai]

Quick question:

Have you used the THX video optimizer that comes on some DVDs? Sunshine has some dark scenes, but they are all shot extremely well, and I haven't run into anyone that has ever expressed any sort of difficulty in seeing what was going on (until now). I remember the flick being quite easy to follow visually.

4_5

One of the best science fiction films to come out in a long time, IMO.

[tramp]

Quick question:

Have you used the THX video optimizer that comes on some DVDs? Sunshine has some dark scenes, but they are all shot extremely well, and I haven't run into anyone that has ever expressed any sort of difficulty in seeing what was going on (until now). I remember the flick being quite easy to follow visually.

4_5

One of the best science fiction films to come out in a long time, IMO.

I didn't know anything about a THX video optimizer. How do you find that? And yea, I figured maybe it was my TV, but I also think the film was rather dark.

Don't you want to argue why you think it is one of the "best?" ;)

[TheUsualSuspect]

The Spirit

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y143/jksterup/spirit_film_poster_large.jpg

Denny Colt is shot dead, yet is brought back from the afterlife and uses his new abilities to fight the evil in Central City. First on his list, is The Octopus. No, not a giant Octopus that attacks the city, just an angry black man who has 8 of everything.

The Spirit is yet another comic book adaptation, this time it's Frank Miller behind the camera in his first solo effort. He was given a directing credit on Sin City, but after watching this film, I wonder how much influence he had on that one. He clearly shows that he doesn't have the knack for keeping an audience's attention or even entertained in the slightest. The Spirit is a mess of horrible acting, bad plotting and stale dialogue that will make you want to vomit. The fight scenes are horribly done and the film as a whole feels empty.

Where does this film succeed? Well, in two places. One it has a nude backside shot of Eva Mendes and two, it is visually pleasing to the eye. Yet these two things do not equal a good film. First, you need a story and this one is hastily thrown together that you never are given a chance to care. We are introduced to our main character, The Spirit as he runs across the rooftops monologuing about how he is in love with the city, his city. He saves a girl, beats up some bad guys and during the fight we discover he apparently cannot be killed. Hmm, that seems to take away all the dramatic tension one would need in any scene in which the hero might die.

The characters are ridiculous and over the top. I get this is a comic book, but it does not translate well to the screen. The Octopus is beyond camp and never seems like a real threat. Watching him fight in the opening scene is a joke and the use of the toilet and the toilet line solidified the fact that this whole film is a piece of crap. Why does this film such so badly? It's because Miller tried to recreate something that was not really his, Sin City part 2.

Sure, he did write the books and the visual styles, but it wasn't he who translated it to the big screen. I'm afraid that if it were Miller who took the reigns of that piece it would look like this. How many shots were directly ripped from that film? Does that style even belong with this film, since the source material is a lot brighter. Miller's dark and gritty tone doesn't really give with this piece, because it's too unrealistically funny. Had the film been more serious and dark, it might have turned out okay.

The women were pure eye candy, serving nothing to the film. The flashbacks that were used to fill in back-story could have been written by a monkey. Sand Saref is the girl from his flashbacks and she has an obsession with diamonds. So much that she goes looking for treasure and finds mythological artifacts, like Jason's golden Fleece and Hercules' blood. It's said that once you drink from Herc's blood you become a God. I don't see how that's any different than how these two characters are now. They never explain it. They just say become a God. They already can't die, but the story needs some kind of motivational piece for the characters to do their actions.

The dialogue is horribly bad. My ears are still bleeding from the wooden delivery of those lines too. Sam Jackson plays himself, in varied costumes. He says random lines about eggs about a dozen times. No significance, other than the fact that he doesn't like them. His henchmen are clones, they repeat inane things. In fact everyone does, this film has repetitious dialogue everywhere, it's annoying.

Yes, it looks nice, but it isn't. It comes off as that loser brother of the popular kid. The popular kid being Sin City. Miller's Spirit is something that I could have done without and you can too.

1

[rice1245]

I think that the only thing similar between Sin City and The Spirit is visual style and that's it, other than that they are nothing alike and shouldn't be compared. I think i'm the only person on this website that liked The Spirit i personally thought it was hilarious and did quite enjoy the toilet line >.> I think that people judged it too harshly because they were expecting it to be like Sin City which it completely is not. Yeah the actors aren't great but i thought it was funny :shrug:

[jrs]

I watched it and thought and laughed somewhat. Although the visuals were like Sin City, it's practically the only thing I could give the film credit for. Besides that, the film is a stink bomb. 0 is my rating.

[TheUsualSuspect]

Visually yes, it is comparable to Sin City and it is from Frank Miller ANd they are both comic book adaptations. If he didn't want to comparisons, he should have gone a different route. I praised the visuals, it was the only good thing. I never expected a Sin City 2, but that's the impression I got from it. Even the filmmaking style was the same, quick and dirty over green screen.

The rest of the film was bland, felt rushed and never truly developed. The story is shallow and the reasoning behind everything is weak. A stronger script would have done WONDERS for this one.

After this and my review of Blindness, I think a need a picker upper.

[Tacitus]

I didn't know anything about a THX video optimizer. How do you find that? And yea, I figured maybe it was my TV, but I also think the film was rather dark.

Don't you want to argue why you think it is one of the "best?" ;)

Most Disney DVDs should have a THX optimiser and anything which George Lucas has been involved in, either by directing or doing the special effects. It's amazing how 'off' your TV can get.

If your DVD player can play jpeg files then google 'pluge' or 'pluge pattern' for the kind of pictures which all these discs have, then put it on a CD.

Oh, and I love Sunshine. It was my movie of the year when it came out. ;)

[meatwadsprite]

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:Cp0k3o1rmrQ4nM:http://members.fortunecity.com/paultweedle/mccover.gif http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:-iU9jkgouwo1iM:http://i32.tinypic.com/28hfqt4.jpg

Miller's Crossing 1990

Every time I watch this I can't believe that it runs 2 hours , it's over in a heartbeat and feels like a very small focused story when you know all the crosses. What is Tom Reagan thinking , is the question at the very inside of this movie and when your looking at him near the end - you still can't tell. I'd say this is among the Coen's best work , clever idea after another with some awesome action scenes in between - it's a technical fanatic's delight.

4.5

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:s_VewMJ8XstwgM:http://www.myglife.org/usa/wv/svhswiki/images/3/3d/Belleville.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:Qw3EFq6rlzy_jM:http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/mepics.nsf/view/afi2003a/%24File/afi2003a.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:Thr0qp9lGTU94M:http://animated-views.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/belleville03.jpg

The Triplets of Belleville 2003

Very little dialogue in this one , it's animation constantly wanes from sub-par to excellent. When is it excellent ? It gives you these awesome moments where it mixes hand-drawn animation seamlessly into 3D cell-shaded objects and backgrounds. Though more often times it's feels very stiff , the story ? The story really isn't bolted at all , until a twist found near half way in.

2.5

[downthesun]

I'll post up my review of Miller's Crossing soon too, great flick.

[Classicqueen13]

This Week:

Roman Holiday [4.5 stars]
Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck highlight this great. The plot is fun, and the dialouge is witty. A must-see classic. Is it any wonder this film turned Audrey Hepburn into a star!

The Apartment [4 stars]
This film is not only a comedy, but its very sweet and heartfelt at the same time. McClain and Lemmon are wonderful together, and I finally understand all the hype surrounding it. It is an overall charming piece of hollywood gold.

Extreme Measures [3 stars]
This dark, mind-bending tale is a terrific medical mystery. However, I think that Hugh Grant was miss-cast. So many other actors could've done better. A lot of moments will have you questioning the main character's decisions. Gene Hackman, on the other hand, actually had me wanting to believe in his cause. Not a bad way to spend an evening.

The Stranger [2 stars]
Honestly, I was ready for this movie to end long before it did. The performances seemed to lack chemistry, and the dialouge was bland. There really isn't mystery to it. It's more like the characters slowly figure out what other characters have spelled out for you. I chose the film because of the actors, and Orson Wells' direction, but sadly I wasn't impressed.

Tango & Cash [3.5 stars]
A typical action flick about two polar-opposite cops is the plot, but Stallone and Russell give it a fairly fresh spin. The script is pretty funny and the action is tops. The near two hours went by quick. Stunt-doubles must have earned their money on this one. Check this out if you're in the mood for an action pack.

Fandango [2 stars]
This movie was supposed to be a comedy-drama. I didn't laugh, and it was hardly ever serious. A movie about the misadventures of five drunken college guys. Two don't even talk. The chemistry between the actors aren't bad, but the characters are underdeveloped. The plot is shallow and the dialouge isn't even worth talking about.

The Eagle Has Landed [3.5 stars]
A really good war movie with a terrific cast, but I felt it was a little overlonged. Too many moments seemed unnessary I suppose. The plot is nicely done, and the script is very well put together. I took away .5 because I felt the pacing was off a bit.

Without a Clue [3 stars]
Half screwball comedy, half mystery, Without a Clue isn't half bad. Caine's performance I liked the most. It was a fun flick, but not going to the top of my list. The story of a fumbling actor hired to play Sherlock holmes was definately original. The jokes seemed a little flat at first, but they picked up nicely. Not a bad watch if you have the time

[Miss Vicky]

Got bored and decided to watch a couple of silent films, since a certain MoFo mod seems to think I'm missing out on something.


http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/forumphotos/hisnewjob.jpg

His New Job

I started off by testing the waters with this short film, picked at random from the collection of Chaplin movies available to watch instantly at Netflix. I must say I was not impressed. Though I can appreciate the skill of Chaplin's slapstick (even if I don't find it particularly funny), there was entirely too much of it crammed into 30 minutes - making what little plot there was hard to follow.

1.5

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/forumphotos/thegeneral.jpg

The General

Now this one did surprise me with its complexity and sophistication. The plot was engaging, I did crack a grin at some of the comedy, and I found it really amazing to see what they were able to accomplish without the aid of special effects. Overall, I enjoyed it - but I think this is a one-off kind of thing and I really don't see myself watching it again. Though I may at some point check out some more of Keaton's work.

3.5

[undercoverlover]

The Red Shoes

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/TheRedShoes.jpg

Astounding. Im actually still watching it.

The editing, the music, the sets. The colours. Everything is exceedingly beautiful.. Having never seen it before i thought it wads overrated but now i understand every bit of praise it has received.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/undercoverlover/redshoes.jpg

[Golgot]

Aha, me too :)

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/9808/2434285086172eb846a0.jpg

The Red Shoes

Gotta love P&P's sublimely gauch stylings. Liked the flurry of activity behind the scenes, with all the well-framed sweat and grime, and the camaraderie that grew out of it. The early introductions were replete with some truly technicolor demonstrativeness tho: Declaim, place kitten in pocket, strop out. (Alright ,that didn't happen, but it could have ;))

The 'impossible' filmic ballet has some great aspects when it happens, even if it tries to push the technology of the time a bit too far in places. I think they were better off using the genuine ingenuity of the stagecraft combined with the merging and transition possibilities of film. The blending of internal and external dance worked pretty damn well in the end tho. (The 'cloud' bit was just naff tho. Meh)

A bit too melodramatic for my tastes at times, it's still an interesting look at a highly-strung theatre 'family', and all the dreams and ambitions boiling over therein.

4-

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/8121/copyoftechnicolortheredp.jpg

[undercoverlover]

^during the red shoes performance when waves crashing on rocks is layered over the orchestra is fantastic, so simple but I was so impressed with that whole sequence.

I think the red shoes is one of those films that can make people fall in love with cinema

[Iroquois]

Now I really regret missing it when it was on TV recently...

Anyway, most of the movies I've seen recently are in the "last movie seen in theatres" thread - full write-up is there but if you just care about ratings then...

Red Cliff 4
Withnail & I 5
The Horseman 3
Black Dynamite 4.5

I also ended up watching Little Nicky - I'd give it a 2 because it wasn't totally crap.

[meatwadsprite]

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:YGrUr5tje3FV1M:http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/public_enemies_poster.jpg http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:JLHHVaHbSzYICM:http://media.decider.com/assets/images/articles/article/24730/PublicEnemies_jpg_595x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:Z2naQ6ZMatdwsM:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/MadScntst/movies/public%2520enemies/public-enemies_l_EW.

Public Enemies 2009

The first time I saw this it was like watching an unfinished movie , I've read about how this movie needs to be played at a specific volume and obviously my theater didn't use the suggested settings and it sounded terrible. The entire movie is predicated on it's action sequences which I thought "hey maybe they actually look good on the small screen" - so I went to a theater with a much smaller screen and the sound actually was done right .... and it's still horrible and boring.

It's all about the bank robberies and the shootouts , none of which look good at all - because it looks like Mann decided to shoot it all himself with complete disregard for clarity. The over the shoulder style was perfected in Saving Private Ryan and Public Enemies joins the list of movies trying to replicate the same look (with about 1/10 of the professionalism).

1

What's even worse ? Well it's the same director who brought us ...

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:36kJq3nK14V5TM:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6c/Heatposter.jpg http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:lWq5h5pYWBTvoM:http://www.popcornreel.com/jpgimg/Blue2.jpg

Heat 1995

Mega cops and robbers , it uses the big name actors to their full potential with a giant script and crisp technical proficiency to bring it all to life. There's not nearly as many shootouts or heist scenes throughout , but that doesn't keep it from being 100 times more exciting and dramatic. Oh yeah and the action scenes that it does have , are among some of the best ever put to the screen.

5

[Loner]

Encounters at the End of the World (2007, Werner Herzog)

4/5

EDIT - I forgot to mention the score. Stunning.


I found the score to be overbearing, inappropriate, and annoying.

When they were crawling around in the volcano vents, I turned the volume off.

[Miss Vicky]

Watched a couple more silent films.

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/forumphotos/The_Tramp.jpg

The Tramp

At Tramp's suggestion, I gave Chaplin another shot. However, since the two movies she suggested weren't available to watch instantly on Netflix, I figured this one would be appropriate (I did, however, add The Kid to my queue, so I'll get to it at some point).

I must say that this film was a great improvement over the other one I watched. It was much easier to follow and even managed to elicit a few chuckles from me, which is much more than can be said for a lot of modern comedies. A fun little film.

3+


http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/forumphotos/nosferatu.jpg

Nosferatu

While the vampire himself was quite creepy, the movie really wasn't. Still it was engaging enough to keep me watching and it's interesting how much of the techniques - especially in regards to shadows and lighting - are still used in movies today.

3-

[MovieMan8877445]

Once again, I haven't watched too many films this week. The good news, though, is that I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 3 days, but because of this, this put me behind on my movies.

I re-watched the entire Harry Potter series starting on Thursday night, and I can finally say that my Harry Potter obsession is finally over. I was really surprised about the first two in the series, because I always thought that they were really bad. I didn't think the first two were amazing or anything, but still really good movies. The Scorcerer's Stone is still my least favorite of the series, but much better than I had remembered it being. It was so weird watching it, though, because all of the actors looked they were 5. Chamber of Secrets is probably my third favorite of the series, which I'm extremely surprised about. I know some people may find him really annoying, but I really loved Dobby. I thought he was a great and likable character. Prisoner of Azkaban is still as great as I remember from last week. Sirius and Remus are my two favorite characters out of the Potter universe, and it's the movie that really helps them shine. Well, actually Order of the Phoenix is the movie that Sirius gets to shine in.

Goblet of Fire is really good, too, but still near the bottom half of the series for me. Nothing in it is especially stand-out to me, other than Cedric's death of course. I know some may disagree with me, but Cedric's death still remains to be the best handled death in the movies so far. Maybe because Cedric was so young, but he's the only character that's death got to me. Sirius's death was done well, too, but didn't realy get to me emtionally. Which brings me to Order of the Phoenix which is my favorite out of the series. It's dark, exciting, and extremely well made, but I can't really remember the novel at all, so I don't know how well of an adaption it is. I also went and saw the Half-Blood Prince in theaters again today, but I already wrote a review for that in my review thread earlier. I just thought I'd mention it since I mentioned the rest of the series.

Other than that, I haven't really watched much at all this week. I re-watched Step Brothers last night for the first time since I saw it in theaters, but the laughs felt extremely forced this time around. I thought it was hilarious the first time, but it just felt extremely dull this time around. I finally watched Snatch as well earlier in the week, and I loved that. It was extremely stylish and the best from Guy Ritchie I've seen so far. Lastly, I watched To Catch a Thief finally, too. I didn't think too much of it, I mean it was alright, but nothing too special. This week I plan to catch up on my movies, though.

My Offcial ratings for the week:

Snatch (2000) - 4

To Catch a Thief (1955) - 2.5

Harry Potter and the Scorcerer's Stone (2001) - 2.5+

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - 3+

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - 3.5+

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - 3+

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - 4+

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) - 3+

Step Brothers (2008) - 2+

[downthesun]

Eureka
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5e/Eureka_DVD.jpg

With a cast featuring Gene Hackman, Joe Pesci and Mickey Rourke I expected so much more. This movie was shambolic and crap. It seemed completely disjointed and strange, I couldn't even finish the whole thing and switched channels 20 mins from the end.

0

[Tacitus]

I found the score to be overbearing, inappropriate, and annoying.

When they were crawling around in the volcano vents, I turned the volume off.

You did? Not a lot I can add to that, really, apart from what did you think of the film itself? :)

[tramp]

Watched a couple more silent films.

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/forumphotos/The_Tramp.jpg

The Tramp

At Tramp's suggestion, I gave Chaplin another shot. However, since the two movies she suggested weren't available to watch instantly on Netflix, I figured this one would be appropriate (I did, however, add The Kid to my queue, so I'll get to it at some point).

I must say that this film was a great improvement over the other one I watched. It was much easier to follow and even managed to elicit a few chuckles from me, which is much more than can be said for a lot of modern comedies. A fun little film.

3+

Phew. That's a relief. I was afraid you wouldn't see his amazing talent. ;)

I hope you like The Kid! (City Lights is my favorite.)

[Loner]

You did? Not a lot I can add to that, really, apart from what did you think of the film itself? :)

I loved the film!

His interview with the greenhouse guy was priceless.

I love Herzog's smart ass common sense approach to what they were really trying to accomplish down there.

Which looked, as you similarly stated, like a bunch of unbalanced intellectuals using grant money for a Antarctic vacation.

[Tacitus]

He's great at sniffing out the interesting oddball. 'Interesting' in this case because I guess that you could throw a stone with your eyes shut down in that camp and stand a good chance of hitting an ordinary oddball.

The only guy I wasn't keen on was the English volcano bloke. He was trying much too hard. ;)

[zedlen]

Donnie Darko
http://www.leavemethewhite.com/caps/albums/movies/donnie/Donnie_Darko_183.jpg

I haven't seen Donnie Darko in a few years, its just as good as I remember it to be.

[TheUsualSuspect]

The Strangers

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/StrangersPoster.jpg

This is a suspenseful horror flick in which a couple stays at a rented home for the night after coming back from a wedding. He has just proposed to her himself, but it seems she said no because their is an awful funk between the two of them. They hear a knock at the door and what appears to be an innocent mistake of the wrong house, turns out to be a night of horror.

The Strangers takes an old cliched horror technique, of having the 'killer' appear somewhere in the background near the character, but then disappear as they turn around, and beat it to death. I couldn't even count how many times they used this technique, but it was completely redundant and lame. Sure, it's creepy at first because this is where we are first introduced to these killers, with masks and all, but after the 12th, 13th time, it just gets ridiculous.

The two leads are Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, do killers never attack ugly people? They don't have any romantic connection, but one can argue the script called for it. I was left asking myself if I ever cared for these two. They seem like they want to be together, but never give it a chance. Much like Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale in Vacancy, these two characters fought more often than acted like a couple. Note to producers: If you want the audience to care about these people, make them like each other. I'm not saying the two leads acted poorly, I just didn't care if they lived by the end.

The film loses the tension early and the rest is the audience just waiting for the intruders to stop playing games and 'kill' them already. As a film from a first time director, it's watchable. The creepiness factor is there, if only for the first half. I wouldn't recommend this to horror fans, more to those teenage girls looking for something they would define as scary on a Friday night.

2

[Loner]

He's great at sniffing out the interesting oddball. 'Interesting' in this case because I guess that you could throw a stone with your eyes shut down in that camp and stand a good chance of hitting an ordinary oddball.

I'm sure in that environment everyone must be suffering from cabin fever.

The only guy I wasn't keen on was the English volcano bloke. He was trying much too hard. ;)

The gent wearing the tweed?

Think he might have been acting a wee bit?

[Tacitus]

I'm sure he assumes that his new American friends think he's a rakish fop with an open-top MG and a house in the country when, in fact, he's got a Nissan Micra and a flat in Slough...

...where his mother also resides. ;)

[mack]

Push - 1/5
Streetfighter: The Legend of Chun-Li - 2/5
Madea Goes to Jail - 5/5 - hilariously funny. perhaps the most funny of all his plays-made-movies. if you're a fan, its a must watch.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - 3/5
The Code - 3.5/5 - not a bad movie, only it almost felt like it was Antonio Banderas' comeback somehow, and that feeling really detracted from the overall coolness of the film itself, which was really a good heist film.

[rice1245]

The two leads are Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, do killers never attack ugly people?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-o446A4-ToY/Ru0n-0q-aUI/AAAAAAAAAnU/szproY3WvfA/s400/t1.jpg

You tell me...:P

(http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0045476/)

[igor_is_fugly]

Network
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/images/networkpitch2.JPG
There is no way this movie was only two hours. It felt like four. Really outstanding acting, an interesting and creepily foreshadowing theme, but it just did not hold my attention. And I can't believe how much I didnt care about Max's personal life. I kept waiting for another scene with Beale then he'd come on and I'd just be like...crap. Ugh, and there were too many sidestories that they shouldve either given more time to or just deleted in my opinion. I will give credit for, even with high expectations, not disappointing with the mad as hell scene. That and the scene in the pic were by far my favorite in the movie.
3

Night Train
http://www.popculturemadness.com/Entertainment/2009/images/Night-Train01.jpg
Only rented this to see the beautiful reunion of Steve Zahn and Leelee Sobieski, cause Joy Ride is a total guilty pleasure of mine:bashful: Nice little twist in the middle to keep it from being bad, but definitely not a shining gem of a movie. God I love Steve Zahn. And all his B-movie glory. So excited for a perfect getaway.
2.5

Gran Torino
http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/gran-torino-trailer.jpg
Liked it even better the second time.
4.5

The Thing
http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/rsz/434/x/x/x/medias/nmedia/18/35/16/42/18365852.jpg
Looove. If i'd seen this a few years ago it'd probably be in my top 10by now, but it needs a few more watches and some time to ferment. So it'll have to settle for top 100 for now. I loved all of the characters without getting to the point where I was pissed when they died, and I lovelovelove the ending. It was so perfect. And therefore fitting for the movie:D
5

Les Diabolique
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb52/The_Playlist/movies_music/diabolique_les.jpg
Another one I think I'll have to add to my top 100. Absolutely wonderful. I can't help comparing it to psycho for some reason, and thinking that I may actually like it better which isa HUGE statement for me. But.. i dunno if im comfortable with that yet so im just gonna say that its on par, which is still big. All of the characters were so well developed, i loved them all. And all the chemistry between the characters was just right. I mean usually its like "the chemistry between soandso and soandso" but no, between all of them. It was awesome. And the twist was great, even though I knew about it already(the downfall of watching those damn movie moment countdowns on bravo), but the errie twist that ended the movie was even better. Also, the atmosphere created by Clouzot makes it absolutely impossible to be anything less than totally enthralled.
5

To Die For
http://www.channel4.com/film/media/images/Channel4/film/T/to_die_for_05--film-B.jpg
I'd never heard of it before so I like did a double take when I saw the amazing cast and director. A dark comedy. Starring Nicole Kidman, Joaquin Pheonix, Casey Affleck, and Matt Dillon. Directed by Gus Van Sant. By the writer of the graduate. Que the choir of angels. I really really enjoyed it. It was funny and witty and insightful and entertaining. Needless to say, I much prefer this look into America's media obsession over Network's. Although I think I may be the only one...
4.5

It Happened One Night
http://knightleyemma.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/clark_gable7.jpg
I feel like if this came out today I'd just think it was another stupid romantic comedy, but the charm of the cast and the classic moments makes it ok in my book. I totally understand how this movie induced a warm and fuzzy feeling epidemic all over the country even in it's roughest time. Also, Clark Gable is the ****.

4

[Sleezy]

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

Moon (Jones, 2009) 4

VERY impressive film. For Duncan Jones' first feature, Moon is surprisingly patient in its complexity, but stays on task and never loses its audience. Sam Rockwell owns this film. He's in tune with the human condition, mixing equal parts comedy, confusion, frustration, sorrow, and simple joy that makes this very intimate tale something special.

The plot definitely seeks to navigate fresh waters. There were some logic issues, but none egregious enough to really upset the experience. Even if you don't like science fiction, this film is worth seeing simply for its aim to make the cinema a place where you can find fresh ideas written exclusively for film, an intellectual look at humanity, and a resolution you can't predict. It's films like this that make me believe a new renaissance in film might still emerge.

[TheUsualSuspect]

The Hurt Locker

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/hurt-locker-poster.jpg


The Hurt Locker has a lot going against it. One, it's a modern day war film and if the record shows, these films don't do well at this point in time. Two, it has a no name cast, full of those guys from that movie. Three, how entertaining can a movie be about a guy who disarms bombs. The Hurt Locker is a film that will surprise you on every level.

Jeremy Renner is the bomb expert, who doesn't like to play by the rules. If course, there is always one of them right? Instead of following orders, he likes to play games, take off his communication device and disrobe of his bomb safety gear. Why? Well, if he is going to die, he wants to die comfortable. His team consists of two men, Anthony Mackie, a by the book soldier who doesn't get along with Renner and Brian Geraghty, a young blood who is afraid of dying. They all seem to get on each others nerves, but to survive they must pull together and act as a team.

The film is intense and gritty. Shot hand held for a lot of the scenes, it puts you right beside the bomb. You feel the sweat and hear the ticking. The scenes themselves are done without music, relying more on the drama at hand told straight. Nothing to help build the emotion and this film doesn't need it. There is impending doom music, which to me sounded a bit like The Joker theme from The Dark Knight, but once we get to the disarming stage, it's just us and the bomb.

At first the film feels like it's going to be repetitive. We disarm a bomb, then we are back at base and chit chat, then we go back out there another day to disarm another bomb. Just when it feels like it becomes predictable, they pull the rug from under our feet. We are given scene of emotional depth and action round-up. Don't think for a second all the intense scenes involve bombs.

I've enjoyed Renner is everything he's done and it's nice to see him front and centre here. He plays the 'wild man' part perfectly. Mackie plays the straight man yearning for more. Both these guys have played men in uniform before. Renner with both Swat and 28 weeks later, Mackie in Eagle Eye. There are a few small roles filled out by Ralph Fiennes, David Morse and Guy Pearce. Lost fans can see Evangeline Lilly, as Renner's wife. She is given next to nothing in this film and is merely there for more backstory to Renner.

I really enjoyed this flick, Bigelow has a hit here. My only complaint is the run time. It's a bit long. There are scenes here and there that could be a lot shorter and seem almost totally out of place, along with some sub-plots that don't always work out. On a whole, this film works and is one of the best of this year.

4

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/forumphotos/cabinet-des-dr-caligari.jpg

The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari

I must say I was completely shocked by this movie. I've seen many movies with stunning and unforgettable visuals but I never expected to see it in a movie this old. The surreal style of the sets really suits the paranoia and insanity of the film's premise and characters. Truly an extraordinary movie.

4+

[Harry Lime]

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

The Phantom of Liberty (1974, Luis Bunuel) 2.5

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

Little Big Man (1970, Arthur Penn) 3

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

Kagemusha (1980, Akira Kurosawa) 3.5

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

L'Eclisse (1962, Michelangelo Antonioni) 2.5

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/watchmen-final-poster.jpg

Watchmen (2009, Zack Snyder) 3.5

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

The Naked Prey (1966, Cornel Wilde) 4

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

Safety Last (1923, Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor) 3.5

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

Killer's Kiss (1955, Stanley Kubrick) 2.5

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

Casque d'Or (1952, Jacques Becker) 4

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

Masculin Feminin (1966, Jean-Luc Godard) 3

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

Encounters at the End of the World (2008, Werner Herzog) 3.5

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/lakeview-terrace-poster-0.jpg

Lakeview Terrace (2008, Neil LaBute) 2

[Fenwick]

Nice little marathon right there, Haz. Slightly miffed you didn't like L'Eclisse a bit more though.

[Golgot]

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4171/manonwire.jpg

Man on Wire

There's been plenty written on this, so i'll just say the clownish protagonist is a fun companion, if undoubtably an arse too. You still can't help but get drawn into the story of pretentious daring-do, to the point where even a man 'dialoguing with a seagull' becomes impressive ;)

3_5++

[Yoda]

I said this in a comment, too, but I was starting to think I was crazy for being the only viewer not to love Petit. What a relief. :D

Anyway, been watching a lot lately; saw the nine films below in about 12-13 days, I think. Not counting Funny People yet, as I'm gonna try to write a formal review. Here we go:


A History of Violence
3.5

http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/700/700701/viggo-violence1_1144454058.jpg

Not bad. Really like the storytelling device of keeping the audience in the dark about Tom's past and whether or not the whole thing is a case of mistaken identity. It seems less impressive in hindsight, but I can't deny that I was pretty engrossed at the time. I admire its simplicity.


The Great Escape
4

http://img.listal.com/image/521843/500full-the-great-escape-screenshot.jpg

Classic film based on a true story (loosely, I'm guessing) about escape attempts at Nazi prisoner camps. Netflix'd this at Courtney's insistence. Definitely a lot longer than it needed to be, but still a lot of fun. I'm pretty sure I would've really loved this movie if it were 20-30 minutes shorter.


The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
4

http://www.vanessasopinion.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/king-of-kong.jpg

Documentary about the world of video game record holders. My rating for this isn't exactly fair, as it's a result of reading about the film and its aftermath. The director seems to more or less concede that he deliberately misled the audience about several things, but insists that the things they left out were more insulting to Billy Mitchell than the things they falsely insinuated. Very weird, to say the least. The little prologue was awfully tacked-on, too, but still strangely satisfying.

'Course, the whole thing's undermined when one learns that Mitchell re-claimed the high score title later on. But it still paints an interesting picture, even if it does seem as if it stooped a bit low to do so. I want to believe it's accurate, which says a lot about how well made it is.


Princess Mononoke
3

http://www.jazzhammer.com/images/mononoke.jpg

Epic story about man and nature, and probably the most respected example of anime, from what I've gathered.

I'm sure there are a lot of people here who love this film, but I just can't. I adored the first ten minutes, and really admire some of the stylistic flair, but I have a lot of trouble buying into the weird pseudo-philosophy. Roger Ebert praises it for what he sees as a high degree of moral nuance, and that's reasonable (and welcome), but I'm not sure how much of that is deliberate, and how much of that is just confused.

It also weirds me out when various characters simply declare that doing such-and-such will yield such-and-such result, as Ashitaka does near the end of the film in regards to the forest spirit. Random, crucial elements of the world's mythology crop up at the last moment, which seems sloppy, to say the least. And it's a little weird to have Ashitaka, an outsider to the world, directly contradict San about these matters. I've seen this in other examples of Asian animation, where the characters seem to possess an unexplained, sometimes inexplicable knowledge about the machinations going on around them. I suppose there's a cultural gap there, but it always irks me.


The Counterfeiters
4

http://ace-producers.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/thecounterfeiters.gif

A film about an expert countfeiter taken into custody during the Holocaust and forced to help the Nazi war machine forge pounds and dollars to cripple the Allies' respective economies.

Really enjoyed this. Hats off to this film for exploring a very specific type of moral quandry inherent in the Holocaust: do those in captivity have a moral obligation to thwart their captors at every turn, or is it better to do what they're asked if they believe it will increase their chances of survival? The characters wrestle with these questions, until eventually it becomes clear that there's no right answer. The only answer is that it is a crime against humanity to force people to make such decisions.


Vicky Cristina Barcelona
3

http://blog.spout.com/wp-content/uploads/vicky-cristina-barcelona.jpg

A Woody Allen film about two girls spending the summer in Barcelona who are propositioned by a local man (Javier Bardem) and gradually succumb to his advances. Their love triangle becomes a love quadrilateral before long, and one complication is heaped on top of another.

Didn't love this one, but Allen does have a way of making me curious about how his films will end. He makes me think he's got a clear message in store, but it seems like he never does. I don't know if this makes his films better or worse, but I do think it stops this one from being especially great. Difficult to review, except in the abstract. If it's about anything, I suppose it's about how, no matter what craziness we experience, people don't usually change.

One unabashed positive is Penelope Cruz. She's really fantastic in this. Between this and Volver, I've come to have a lot of respect for her as an actress.


The Arrival
3

http://www.resourceslog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/0142336m1.jpg

Sci-fi film about a possible alien conspiracy starring Charlie Sheen. Nothing terribly special, but I saw this when I was a lot younger and remember thinking it was interesting, so it takes on a special meaning for me that it wouldn't for others. Still think it's a tad underrated; there are a couple of silly elements, but it does have a neat twist or two. Worth seeing for a) Ron Silver wearing a fake mustache at one point and b) an assasination-by-bathtub attempt. Really.


Gosford Park
4

http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/gosford.jpg

Murder mystery (of sorts) and period piece (1930s, I believe) from director Robert Altman. Not sure about the rating; I think I'll have to watch this again to form a better opinion about it. It's deliberately confusing over the first 45 minutes or so, so I'm not sure whether to judge it based on whether or not it does this well (it does), or whether or not I enjoy this decision (not particularly). I do like the way the mystery comes together (though I was able to predict part of it fairly early), and it's very well-acted. Definitely the kind of film that would benefit from a second viewing.


The Limey
3.5

http://commentarytrack.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/the_limey.jpg

Stylistic film about a man seeking revenge for his daughter's death from director Steven Soderburgh. Not sure if this should be 4 or not. I'm not nuts about the odd cutaways where a character's mouth moves while the audio plays something they said earlier (or later). It's just a tad overused, but I'll concede that it does force you to be a bit more alert about it, though it seems to mostly exist just to be different.

I like that the "villain" isn't really even remotely stereotypical. Most of its value lies in its direction, I think, and less in its actual story.

[Pyro Tramp]

Just got through Diagnosis: Death

http://www.diagnosisdeath.co.uk/images/general/dvd-bluray.gif

Heavily marketed on the back of Flight of the Conchords which worked, as i paid money for it, stupidly. Two of them have a scene each and Brett gets a few but they are literally cameos. None of the same humour or anything really to do with the show. Big disappointment. As a film, it's a very below average "horror/comedy". Which doesn't have really any of either. It's a very weak whodunnit with some ghosts and not much else. There's no glaring bad parts it's just painfully average with a frustratingly deceptive advertising campaign. Avoid

1_5

(Looses half bucket for advertising)

[meatwadsprite]

http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:aLzDKP19edsuMM:http://www.viewclips.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/the-baader-meinhof-complex.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:gk5okHWLlVgLDM:http://files.list.co.uk/images/2008/11/13/baader-meinhof.jpg http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:yXlZpUqc7HA3MM:http://images.nymag.com/images/2/daily/entertainment/08/08/19_bmk_lg.jpg

The Baader Meinhof Complex 2009

Uli Edel has quite a varied filmography (The Little Vampire) , it's obviously a step forward for this long time TV film director - but the movie cares too much about it's politics and not enough about the people.

1.5

http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:LG197Obhbh7YfM:http://a44paco.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/thank_you_for_smoking.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:EjDe2GFhu4MXCM:http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2006_Thank_You_For_Smoking/2006_thank_you_for_smoking_009.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:hGuoxzN4fR5jyM:http://www.stomptokyo.com/reelopinions/images/smoking1.jpg

Thank You For Smoking 2005

Now here's a perfect balance of politics and character depth ....

4

[adidasss]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41qiDsKvliL.SL500AA240.jpg

Ok, just wanted to ask, is there an edition out there with better subtitles? I was really unpleasantly surprised with the ones on this Criterion because they seemed so below their standard (a lot of the dialog isn't translated which I found very frustrating) but just when I wanted to bitch about it found out that Polanski himself did the translation. That was a really odd choice I think, especially since he did a pretty crappy job of it...:\

The film is very good incidentally, but I was so frustrated by the subtitles that I can't say I fully enjoyed the experience. :|

[rice1245]

Don't worry pyro I'd have paid for it if it was on the back of a Flight of the Conchords box too. I love that show it was the only reason I rented Eagle vs Shark

[WBadger]

last movie you watched type thread, i gather

knowing- B

harry potter and the half-blood prince- B/B+

[linespalsy]

So I did end up watching The Shocker (my girlfriend fell asleep) --- and, while my initial reaction was disappointment at its cheesiness, in retrospect I don't really mind and thought it was a pretty successful example of the genre. The "Sherlock Jr. sequence" near the end was particularly cheesy fun, and the chase through the park full of body-switching.

Watched Phantasm and Critters the other day. Critters was pretty uninteresting but Phantasm had some good stuff. I liked (this is something my girlfriend pointed out to me but completely true) how fearless and seemingly oblivious the protagonists are in the face of obvious danger. Kind of hardy boys-esque. fun movie.

[birdygyrl]

Apocalypse Now (Redux) - 1979 - Francis Ford Copolla - A

Even though this is not my favorite genre of movie, I absolutely enjoyed it. (I really don't like guns and blood and things blowing up.) It was truly a masterpiece. I can't believe, after living through the timeframe this movie covers, that I was so naive. What those soldiers went through. The characters, the camera work, fantastic. And the ending......it just blew me away. I thought it was the best part of the film. Amazing.

http://www.filmreference.com/images/sjff_01_img0037.jpg


The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner - 1962 - Tony Richardson - B-

Bad Boy starts bad, becomes good, then ?? Complex movie. "Conflicted and bitter, Colin must decide whether to nurture his ability as a runner or once again rebel against authority." Netflix review.

http://www.filmref.com/journal/archives/2007/images/loneliness.gif


Get Carter - 1971 - Mike Hodges - C

This movie depicts the dark, mob filled world of Newcastle, England. Michael Caine's character travels to Newcastle to delve into the untimely death of his brother at the hands of the mob. I imagine this was considered pretty hot stuff back in the 70's. Not liking the ending so much.

http://trashcity.org/content/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/caine.jpg

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/forumphotos/iwakeupscreaming.jpg

I Wake Up Screaming (1941)

I decided to take a break from silent film and squeeze in this film noir starring Victor Mature (on what is apparently the tenth anniversary of his passing - August 4, 1999).

This was an entertaining film with an interesting plot and passable (but not great) acting. The film centers around the murder of an aspiring young model and the various people suspected of the crime. As each possible killer is presented, the movie effectively leads the viewer astray from the truth a time or two before revealing the real killer and motive. Overall, worth a watch, but the film does have one major drawback - its brevity. Clocking in at only 80 minutes, the film has to keep a good pace, but such a short amount of time leaves little room for character development. There are simply too many characters and too much going on to allow the viewer to make much of a connection.

3+

[Pyro Tramp]

Don't worry pyro I'd have paid for it if it was on the back of a Flight of the Conchords box too. I love that show it was the only reason I rented Eagle vs Shark

Took it back in the end but on the bright so got the excellent second season to get my Conchcord dosage

[TheUsualSuspect]

JCVD

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/jcvd.jpg

I consider myself one of two here at movie forums who adore JCVD films. No matter how trash they might be, I always seem to like them, this is because of Van Damme himself, in all his goofy glory. I liked him as a kid, see my faults now, but still like his films. I can't say too much about his direct to DVD stuff, as I really never bother to go out of my way to rent them, but after viewing his latest, JCVD, my hopes of a return might happen. To what extent, that is to be seen.

In the film JCVD plays himself, with both tax problems and a messy marital fight over custody of his child. Things go from bad to worse when film roles that were his are given to Steven Seagal, because he cut his pony tail. Yet somehow he finds himself in an even worse situation, as a hostage in a robbery. The police outside think he is the one robbing the bank and thus creates the tension in the film. Van Damme, who is known for his splits and kicks, must finally 'act' in a film.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am impressed. The film is told half in English, half Van Damme's native language. This appears to make him more relaxed and he is able to simply fall into the role without worrying about how to pronounce certain words. Everything from him is more fluid and natural. The most moving scene is when he is physically removed from the post office and begins monologuing directly to the audience, asking for forgiveness and giving his views on life. This is a movie scene and Van Damme nails it very well. I didn't expect to see such emotion from him and applaud him for breaking the barrier that we held up against him. The scene plays out of context from the film, it almost seems as if he is asking us to give him a second chance, to comeback.

There is little to no action, so those expecting to see another Bloodsport movie will be disappointed. Instead we are given a heist flick, told from different perspectives and not in chronological order. This is used to pull the viewer in more, letting them know that there is more to this picture than meets the eye. It's been done before, but it's never boring here.

Van Damme does get a chance to show that he still has what it takes. He's able to still kick high and do what needs to be done. The situation doesn't call for this, but since he's playing himself it fits. The film manages to balance both comedy and drama very well. The opening scene is one for laughs, as Van Damme performs a long stunt, all in one take. To counter that, the final scene is almost a tear-jerker, yet the filmmakers find enough restraint to not let it go too far in that direction. A perfect ending for this movie.

I ask Van Damme fans to check this one out, if you haven't already. Even more though, I'm reaching out to those who don't really care for him to see this one too. You might be surprised, this is a really good film.

4

[Iroquois]

http://pandasurya.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/tsotsi2.jpg

Tsotsi (Gavin Hood, 2005) - 2.5

Am I alone in thinking there is nothing particularly special about this film? Save for some interesting cinematography, some halfway-decent character development and a cool-sounding hip-hop soundtrack, I really don't see what the big deal about this film is, especially considering how it won an Oscar. The plot's rather predictable, as are most of the characters' actions. While there's enough style to keep it interesting, the substance isn't really anything new or special.

[mark f]

I certainly agree with your rating above (for a change :cool:).

[Iroquois]

I know, it's only fair after the countless times I claimed Jaws was crap.

[WBadger]

I've got three movies on tap that i'm recording. All first time viewing:

Planet of the Apes (1968)
Fight Club
Die Hard

can't wait

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_]

Aha, me too :)
A bit too melodramatic for my tastes at times, it's still an interesting look at a highly-strung theatre 'family', and all the dreams and ambitions boiling over therein.
4-


I don't consider it melodramatic. It's based on a fairy tale (did Hans Christiern Anderson ever write nice stories?) and it's poetic justice...it just had to end like that.

'Life is unimportant!' Poor Boris. If this was a melodrama, Boris would have been totally heartless evil man but he's just got a passion that closes him off from life.

Definitely on my want list.

[Loner]

http://pandasurya.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/tsotsi2.jpg

Tsotsi (Gavin Hood, 2005) - 2.5

Am I alone in thinking there is nothing particularly special about this film? Save for some interesting cinematography, some halfway-decent character development and a cool-sounding hip-hop soundtrack, I really don't see what the big deal about this film is, especially considering how it won an Oscar. The plot's rather predictable, as are most of the characters' actions. While there's enough style to keep it interesting, the substance isn't really anything new or special.

This plot has been totally played out.

Why not just spin a wheel, see what country it lands on, and go from there.

It took me four tries to make it through this.

1.5

[Golgot]

I don't consider it melodramatic. It's based on a fairy tale (did Hans Christiern Anderson ever write nice stories?) and it's poetic justice...it just had to end like that.

Hey, he wrote the Ugly Duckling ;) (Just had a quick look at a summary of the fairy tale and that also seems to have a 'sunnier' ending, as it were).

'Life is unimportant!' Poor Boris. If this was a melodrama, Boris would have been totally heartless evil man but he's just got a passion that closes him off from life.

Yeah fair points. He was nearing an archetypal 'baddie' at times, but he certainly was humanised again by the end. Although perhaps he could still be seen as one extreme end of the film's theme personified. I guess i felt that pushed him quite far into emblematic territory. The other 'melodramatic' element to me is just the fairly histrionic world they all live in ;)

[Pyro Tramp]

JCVD

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/jcvd.jpg


4

Saw this other day but was iduring my lull from being on here so never wrote it up. Did you know it wouldn't be an action film before you went in? I had no idea but still thought it was a pretty solid and surprising turn from van Damme, glad not alone on that. And actually thought the opening sequence was pretty awesome

[Yoda]

Got that (JCVD) near the top of my Netflix queue. Glad to hear so many people have dug it.

[TheUsualSuspect]

I knew it wasn't going to be action oriented like his other films, but I did expect more than I got. Although, I liked that it didn't, it gave the film more realism.

The scene in which he is being escorted out and kicks the robbers ass was awesome, than finding out it was all in his head, was even better

That opening scene is, again, hilarious and one of my favourite moments.

[TheUsualSuspect]

Disaster Movie

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/disaster-movie-poster-final-thumb-4.jpg

Anyone going into this film would automatically assume it would suck. The other films in the ______ Movie franchise have been garbage. Ladies and gentlemen, Disaster Movie is different.

The film is so funny and spot on with the spoofs that I almost died from laughter. All the actors turn in near perfect parodies of their characters. I actually thought I was watching Juno and her baby fight Sarah Jessica Parker from Sex And The City. The guy who played Hancock could be a twin for Will Smith, that is how good he is. He channels the Hancock character so well that I thought I was watching the Hancock sequel.

The film is so witty and on the spot with it's comedy, it feels natural. So natural that there probably was no script. With a film like this, the joke write themselves. Throw whatever story you want in because it's the comedy here that works. On second thought, the story works too. It's leap and bounds over films that have been Oscar nominated. The story centre's around these people and a crystal skull and some disaster that happens. Everything about it works.

The fight scenes are phenomenal. G. Thang plays a character called Calvin, he has a fight scene with a real life panda. Or at least I thought it was a real life panda, the animatronics and special effects in this film will rival Avatar, and it came out a year before it!!! Take that James Cameron. The fight between the two is so well choreographed that it makes Jackie Chan and his stunts look like child's play.

The film has so many unexpected events. Who knew that a meteorite would come crashing down on Kim Kardashian. I sure didn't. Speaking of Kim, she is more than just another pretty face. She was channeling something else here, I think she must have been in character for months before and after this film, because it is just too phenomenal. Daniel Day Lewis should be offering her his Oscar, that's how good she is.

Ike Barinholtz, of MADtv fame, pulls an Eddie Murphy and a Mike Myers, by playing multiple roles. His range is out of this world. Who else could be able to pull off Hellboy, Batman, Beowulf, a police officer and Javier Bardem look a like, and Prince Caspian. I can only think of one man...and that is Ike Barniholtz.

I can't stop recommending this film. It's what the movies and film and cinema is all about. I wish I could watch it everyday for the rest of my life. Which is why I'm giving this the absolute best rating I can possibly give a film like this.

0

[birdygyrl]

The Innocents - 1961 - Jack Clayton - B

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm89/JDHallowEEn/TheInnocents.jpg

The movie is based on the Henry James novella, "The Turn of the Screw." The screenplay was written by Truman Capote and William Archibald. This movie was an early attempt at a psychological thriller. The director had to make the audience believe in evil spirits and posession without the use of modern day special effects. Instead, he made excellent use of close ups, lighting, maniacal laughter, eerie music and slow motion. The story begins with a well to do socialite (Michael Redgrave) interviewing a young woman, Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) for the position of governess for his two wards. He wants nothing to do with the raising of the children and tells her she will be the one who is ultimately in charge, and he would prefer not to be disturbed with any problems. She accepts the job, and travels out to the country estate, Bly House. She is greeted by the adorable Flora and she bonds with her instantly. She meets the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose. All seems well, until she receives a letter explaining that Miles, Flora's brother, is being expelled from boarding school and will be arriving home. Why he is expelled is never fully divulged and Miss Giddens fears the worst until she meets Miles. She is won over completely by his sweet disposition. As time passes, Miss Giddens begins to see "others" on the property. One is the former governess, Miss Jessel, and the valet, Mr. Quint. She is told by the housekeeper that their deaths were under stange circumstances. She reveals that the two deceased people were lovers, and feels that they may have detrimentally influenced the children as they were not judicious about how they carried on their affair. The children start behaving strangely, whispering and playing pranks. Miss Giddens begins to think that perhaps they are being posessed by the ghosts of the dead.

http://content8.flixster.com/photo/10/26/32/10263274_tml.jpg

This is where she starts becoming unhinged, and feels it is her duty to save Flora and Miles. The otherwise mild mannered woman embarks on a holy crusade to rid the children of the evil spirits.

http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/films_dvd/archive/2006/dvd/dec/innocentsflora.jpghttp://exclamationmark.files.wordpress.com/2006/09/the-innocents-1961.jpg

Ultimately, there is a lot more damage done than spiritual healing. I would recommend this movie for the sheer creepiness factor.

[jrs]

Observe and Report DVD Screener
http://img.scenereleases.info/thumb-88B2_4A739F91.jpg

Banshee (2008) DVDRip
http://img.scenereleases.info/thumb-17FD_4A7859DD.jpg

Bundy A Legacy Of Evil (2008) DVDRip
http://img.scenereleases.info/thumb-1DD3_4A74DEDB.jpg

[Iroquois]

But how did they make you feel?

[zedlen]

http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2009_Observe_and_Report/2009_observe_and_report_007.jpghttp://www.cinemaisdope.com/news/films/observeandreport/observe_and_report.jpghttp://cribbster.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/observe-and-report.jpg

Observe and Report (Jody Hill, 2009)

Seth Rogen is better then this. There were a few cheap laughs here and there but most of it was painful to watch.

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http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2009/02/Transformers_2_Movie_Trailer.jpg

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (Michael Bay, 2009)

This could have been a great movie with a better director. I'm not a fan of the 'new' Transformers franchise and I didn't really like the first film but after seeing this I appreciate what it did right. The sequel does nothing right apart from CGI. I hate Michael Bay.

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http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/arts/photos/2009/03/19/arts_I-love-you-man_584.jpg

I Love You, Man (John Hamburg, 2009)

I Love You, Man has its moments. A few solid laughs, like Paul Rudd being kissed by a gay man but I don't think it stands up next to similar comedies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall or 40Yr Old Virgin.

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http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/985/985488/the-hangover-20090521021931226_640w.jpg

The Hangover (Todd Phillips, 2009)

Similar to I Love You, Man this had a few solid laughs but in the end just felt like it tried to hard.

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http://wearemoviegeeks.com/wp-content/ramjam-560x357.jpg

The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

I found this hard to watch, not because it was bad but because it was so emotional. A moving performance by Rourke and the supporting cast. A unique and solid film.

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

[downthesun]

After a little layoff from my reviews I've got a lot of movies to do so decided to do a few brief reviews rather than a lot of long ones.

Miller's Crossing

http://www.bergen-filmklubb.no/images/Millers_Crossing_stort.jpg

One of the best film noir's I've seen. They proove once again they can tackle any genre and do it well. Miller's Crossing falls under the underrated movie category as far as I'm concerned.

The Coens do a brilliant job in this strongly character driven gangster drama. It is full of double crossing, plotting and has a solid script. Gabriel Bryne puts in arguably his best performance and John Turturro is certainly one of the stars and excels as Bernie Bernbaum, his speech in Miller's Crossing is one of the highlights of the movie.

The score and choice of music is very smart with the music always contrasting the brutal violence being shown on screen. For example, Leo's gun battle with two men sent to kill him whilst “Danny Boy” plays in the background.

This is one of the Coens finest works.
5

Pride and Glory

http://www.mannythemovieguy.com/images/pride_and_glory.jpg

Pride and Glory tries at least to some extent to be a movie different from the many generic police dramas which have filled cinemas in recent years. It tries to add a bit of creativity to a fading genre where too many movies use an all to familiar plot. However, in the end this movie ends up like many of it's predecessors.

For at least 80% of Pride and Glory it is a solid piece of filmmaking with enough drama and tension to keep audiences tuned in. Whilst it isn't anything new it is still a good effort. Then in the last 20 minutes the whole film falls apart in one of the worst endings I've ever seen. The ending is essentially ridiculous.

The quality of acting is a saving grace in Pride and Glory with both Norton and Farrell doing what they do best and conveying huge screen personas. Supporting actors such as Ehle, Voight and Emmerich do their part to add to the movie. The acting pulls this movie up from an average cop film to something a little special.

If it wasn't for that ending this movie would have got a 4 star rating as for the most part the writing is just as good as the acting mentioned above. The ending however seriously derails a good film and I had many problems with how this film finished (If you want to know what they were PM me as they are slight spoilers). All in all this is the perfect example of how a good movie can be destroyed but a pathetic ending.
2.5

Lucky You

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2007/05/10/Lucky_You_070508110700320_wideweb__300x375.jpg
One thing I really liked about Lucky You was how the majority of the character development takes place at the poker table. Being a poker fan, and also a person who enjoys watching poker events on TV like the WSOP I was happy to see that director Curtis Hanson who has the classic L.A Confidential on his C.V, managed to bring some of the excitement of poker to the movie.

One of my criticisms would be the running length of this movie, it could have been 20 minutes shorter as I did find some of the scenes were unnecessary. There are times when the pace of the movie slows down and causes the film to lose some of it's power.

Bana and Duvall are both brilliant in their roles as I believe both of them understood their characters and what was required from them. The interactions between the two at the poker tables are the best parts of Lucky You. When they are at the same table whether in the same hand or not, it is no longer about the poker but about the emotional tension between these two and about their egos.

The love story between Huck and Billie is quite unnecessary but I guess is needed for certain members of the audience. Arguably Billie is needed as a conscience for Huck in times when he considers cheating and may go off the rails. I was pleased that this relationship took the back-seat to the one between Huck and L.C.

I loved seeing a lot of familiar poker players in this movie like Daniel Negranu and Sammy Farha so I can only assume the poker community approves of the movie too. It is not Hanson's best work but is an enjoyable piece of cinema.
3

The Incredible Hulk

http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/images_5/EdwardNortonHulk.jpg
This follow up to Ang Lee's 2003 feature is significantly better in my opinion. I think the studios made the right call in choosing to redo The Incredible Hulk character instead of creating a sequel to The Hulk. This new feature has a lot more action and much less talk and is more of a traditional superhero movie. As you'd expect from one of the Marvel Universe's most destructive characters there is a lot of smashing to keep fans happy.

I loved the cameo appearance from Downey Jr to promote Iron Man and it was a nice little way of showing how Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk are set in the same universe. Perhaps this leaves the door open for a future Iron Man and Hulk movie. However whilst Iron Man could be watched by anyone and enjoyed, this film lacks its wit and genius and is more of a movie made for comic book fans.

This is a good action movie and the acting is what you'd expect it to be, Tim Roth is great as the villain and Norton does what is needed to portray Banner. Tyler and the rest of the cast are all very average.

The finale is a fitting one after all the build up, the pace of the movie is good for an action flick with only occasional breaks from the action to further the love story. The CGI is all right whilst not breathtaking it does what is needed. The final scene especially must have taken some time to construct.

Together with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk has created a potential franchise to be exploited by studios. It certainly performed well in the box office and home video sales.
3.5

Choke

http://filmbuzi.hu/files/film2008/choke-sam-ciganyuton.jpg
It is sometimes the case that adapting a book into movie form doesn't really work out and doesn't really convey the characters and tone of the book properly. Unfortunately Choke is one such case. Being a huge Chuck Palahniuk fan and loving Choke after reading it, I was hoping for a movie which would to some extent come close to being an adaptation somewhere near as good as Fight Club, I was however left disappointed.

Whilst I criticised Lucky You for running too long, I think Choke was too quick and too rushed. Perhaps adding a few more scenes to make us really connect with the characters would have gone some way to improve the movie. It is due to this lack of character development that at the end of the movie when the protagonist is hit with two bombshells, the audience doesn't really feel too much for him. The script is witty enough but doesn't make us feel anything for Victor. We understand why he is like how he is but don't really feel it through the films writing.

The movie changes tones effortlessly from hilarious to sombre and credit must be given to director, Gregg and the cast. Sam Rockwell is truly one of the stars of this generation of actors and shows yet again just how talented he is.

Choke attempts to be more than it actually is but doesn't quite get there. Fans of Rockwell and Palahniuk will enjoy the movie if only due to the fact it is another adaptation of a great book. Lets hope future adaptations of Palahniuk books are nearer to Fight Club.
2.5

[meatwadsprite]

http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:y4LrfzdlwVTXzM:http://www.impawards.com/2009/posters/in_the_loop_ver5.jpg http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:zxPBDE4IALFBpM:http://www.screendaily.com/pictures/586xAny/9/0/3/1103903_SCR_in_the_loop.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:SUIY0Rs3bdAmdM:http://www.theatren.org/getattachment/1a98d338-9ac2-4c1a-846f-02b563212f95/In-the-Loop.aspx%3Fwidth%3D470

In The Loop 2009

In The Loop is a mouthful , but it's constantly hilarious and the pace is always frantic and confused. It's a very simplistic movie , but it's key feature is how it sets a realistic atmosphere for it's crazy characters to chew up. I'd like to see Gandolfini in more stuff , he's a very impressive actor.

3.5


http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:V_yyeHimfIjgqM:http://ransu.blog.is/users/79/ransu/img/c_documents_and_settings_smfr_vallargerdi_my_documents_my_pictures_hudsucker_proxy.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:Llw0ulwHEw5U7M:http://media2.moma.org/collection_images/resized/130/w500h420/CRI_137130.jpg http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:DS0tD_25WGiE8M:http://images.themoviedb.org/backdrops/24434/The_Hudsucker_Proxy__1994_-fanart_poster.jpg

The Hudsucker Proxy 1994

One of the few Coens movie I hadn't yet seen , it's got the awesome technical aspects you would expect from them - but at the core it's loud and obnoxious more than anything. Though it's quite funny from time to time.

3

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:eDR0vJqHye1e4M:http://www.dharmaflix.com/w/images/3/3d/Et_poster_extra_terrestrial_steven_spielberg.jpg http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:iQqYgBerD4wIrM:http://www.solasfilmfestival.com/2008/et_l.jpg

E . T . 1982

Conflict in harmony , the film's nostalgic innocent homey feeling collides with John William's over the top score.

4

[TheDOMINATOR]

Hey, guys. I haven't posted much lately; I've been working a bit of over-time at work and haven't gotten the time to pop in much. I also haven't been watching a lot of movies lately; I'd say over the past couple months, I've watched fewer than I ever have since I started watching films regularly. Along with working, I've been reading and watching television shows on DVD/Blu-ray a lot. And I mean a lot -- yesterday, I watched five episodes of LOST, three episodes of Alias, and an episode of Angel. :D

Anyway, here's the run-down:

The Man Who Knew Too Much - 2.5+
(Alfred Hitchcock, 1934)

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/2131/76532039144e7a16fb.jpg

My second ever Hitchcock film, my first having been Young and Innocent which I saw a couple weeks ago. :cool: Unfortunately, this one wasn't nearly as good. At times, it struggled to hold my interest, but still, I found The Man Who Knew Too Much to be a rather decent film during its high points. The quality of the film was so poor, though, with a dismally grainy picture and poor audio, making it hard to follow the story. However, I liked most of the performances and the story contained a very interesting twist, but mostly--perhaps mainly due to the poor audio and video quality of the movie--I'd consider The Man Who Knew Too Much to be rather forgettable. The 1950's remake with James Stewart looks like it's worth a shot, though, despite the original not having left a lasting impression.

The Lodger - 2
(Alfred Hitchcock, 1927)

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/4469/hitchcockmurder.jpg

The Lodger set a couple of personal records for me: this is now easily the oldest movie I've ever seen, along with it having been the first silent movie I've ever seen. And, I think it's going to take a little getting used to--silent movies, I mean--because it really struggled to hold my interest. However, the story (on paper) is rather interesting: a serial killer surfaces in town, taking pretty blonde women as victims, and to avoid succumbing to his deadly grasp, young women throughout the town buy and wear brunette wigs. Perhaps I'll revisit it in the future, but I'm a big fan of audible dialogue. :D

The Blob - 3.5-
(Chuck Russell, 1988)

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/3227/blobz.jpg

A really great, really fun sci-fi horror/thriller with an ultra-cool antagonist: a giant blob with tentacles that consumes its human victims, leaving their dead forms inside of its huge, bulbous body, which are still visible long after they're eaten. I liked it a lot, although the ending and, paritcularly, how the creature was destroyed...I'm not sure I was a huge fan of.

Vampire Wars - 2.5
(Matthew Hastings, 2005)

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/3876/vampwars.jpg

Ehh...a made-for-TV movie with some cool blood and gore and a couple of neat creature designs (weird vampires from outer space), but mostly...it was a pretty passable film.

[Miss Vicky]

http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/994/994970/julie-julia-poster2_1245110258_640w.jpg


Julie & Julia

Nice, light, fun entertainment (despite a really crowded theater that included a crying baby and a snoring old woman). Meryl Streep was wonderfully hilarious as the queen of butter and Amy Adams was lovable as the young woman who idolized her.

4

[Tacitus]

The Hit (1984, Stephen Frears)

3.5/5

Terence Stamp has had a funny old career. I think it's fair to say that he's more naturally talented than his old mucker Michael Caine and was probably even more handsome in his youth, beautiful even. One became a superstar and one an interesting actor who took off but never really flew to the heights he might have.

Caine has a different sort of charisma, I suppose. He's a man's man while Terry is a bit more brooding, quiet and well ... feminine. Ish. I dunno.

Anyway, I hadn't seen The Hit in years and years and it's as solidly good and well shot as I remember. The cast make it work more than anything else with a prime John Hurt, a young and eager Tim Roth and a Stamp who wanders around looking like he's in an altogether different film, not an existential road movie with (not very good) gangsters. The way Stamp plays Willie Parker works in the main, it's just that he's not 100% convincing as a Cockney mobster grass who's spent a decade living on the Costa del Crime. He's far too posh, but maybe that's the idea - he's not like the others.

The script isn't the greatest thing I've ever heard either - it occasionally sweeps when it should be swooping, pongs when it should be pinging. Know what I mean? :blush:

What I'm trying to say is that needed more of a solid bedrock before getting all meaningful an sh*t. The characters are well enough drawn but no more than that - it's good enough but you feel like it could have been drafted a few more times into something much better.

Still, The Hit is very good, just not as fantastic as I remembered it and certainly not as fantastic as I think it could have been after looking at it with these cynical old eyes. But what do I know, eh? :)

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

One other thing I need to mention is that Laura del Sol is as jaw-droppingly lovely as I remember, even though her allure was muted slightly when I found out that her real name is Laura Arce. Really. :(

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/4479-8604.gif

[Miss Vicky]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Chaplin1992.jpg

Chaplin (1992)

Excellent performances all around by a surprising number of familiar faces (Robert Downey Jr, Anthony Hopkins, Moira Kelly, Dan Aykroyd, Marisa Tomei, Penelope Ann Miller, Kevin Kline, Mila Jovovich, Diane Lane, James Woods, David Duchovny) make for a very interesting film. Still, I didn't find the man himself - especially with his utter neglect of the women in his life - all that likeable and it did bring down my enjoyment of the film to a considerable degree. Still, it was a good movie and I must say that the scenes it included from The Kid were really great and I'm very much looking forward to watching that film. It's next up on my Netflix queue, so I won't be waiting long.

3.5

[WBadger]

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/04_02/ape2STOCK0704_468x313.jpg

Planet of the Apes (1968)

This was my first time viewing this, and I was pleasently surprised. The apes ruling the planet and descending from humans was actually believable, and it was interesting to see the effects of the planet had and how different it was with the apes in charge. And, Heston did a tremendous job acting, in my opinion, and I really liked this line, "Get your filthy paws off of me, you damn dirty ape!". Also, the ending came unexpected to me.

Overall, I give this movie an A-/A

[Harry Lime]

The original Planet of the Apes rules, more people need to realize this. But after being a member of this forum for some time now and seeing what people think of the film after watching it for the first time, I'm thinking more people are starting to realize it.

[WBadger]

yeah, frankly, i have no desire to see the remake from 2001.

[Lennon]

http://www.ideagrove.com/blog/uploaded_images/blog-council-meets-735858.jpg
Thank You for Smoking

This movie is pretty much the reason I love Eckhart. To quote Nick Naylor "You remember that guy in High School? The one who could get any girl? I'm him on crack." All the cast does well in their supporting parts. The script is so brilliant in this though, I loved how Naylor is just a good guy, who just happens to be a supporter of cigarettes, while trying to raise his kids right. You need to see this if you love a good dark comedy.

5

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2008/05/aemain-(2).jpg
The Dark Knight

Do I need to do a write-up on this? Just, everything you've heard is true. Although, two things, one, I didn't really like the relationship between Dent and Wayne. In the comic, Batman actually confinded in Dent, before Gordon. I would of loved to see Dent in the first movie, maybe making the transformation a little more meaningful. The seond thing, and this is just a personal preferance, I didn't like The Joker too much, I mean I liked him, he felt good in the sort of griddy way, but I love The Joker from The Animated Series that I grew up with. More of a mischevous cleaned up clown. I know the dirty gritty psycotic Joker fit better, just, I like my Joker the other way. Eh well, still a GREAT movie.

4.5

[MovieMan8877445]

I've spent this past week finally improving my movie watching from the past month. I did start reading Shutter Island, but I haven't really got into it yet because of I've been more interested in movies. Basically I'm only a few chapters in so far.

I've been catching up on some of the newer movies from 2009 that I've been missing this year. I can honestly say that I haven't really been missing much at all with that. I had been really wanting to see the Soloist because the trailer looked amazing, yet the film itself wasn't all that great. I mean it wasn't bad or anything, but I felt extremely let down after that trailer for it. My main problem with it was the editing, which I felt was very poorly done. Robert Downey Jr. was pretty good, but Jaime Foxx was pretty amazing. Foxx's acting alone is what made me give it some of the score that I gave it. I watched Fast and Furious as well, and techincally speaking it's a worse film than the Soloist, but I liked it better. It's a whole hell of a lot more fun, and that's what it is supposed to be. I've pretty much liked every film in the series so far, and I think they get a lot of undeserved hate. It's meant to be fun movies, and that's what it is. Also, to top all of it off, I watched Knowing as well. It's definitely my least favorite film of the year so far. Very bad dialouge, medicore acting, and alright CGI. It was a very good concept, but poorly excuted. Also the ending was completely weird, I mean it wasn't techincally bad, but just all around weird.

I've been watching some other films that I've been wanting to see for awhile, too. I watched Naked earlier this week, but I'm still not sure how I feel about it yet. I honestly can't rate it, because I didn't get most of the film. I'm not even sure if there even was a point to it at all, but if there was, I think the film was just too intellegent for me. It just left me confused mainly, and I don't even think I can think of anything else to say about it. I watched Little Children today earlier as well. I liked it, but a lot like 21 Grams, I think it was just too much like real life to actually enjoy it. The last 10 minutes, though, it really picks up and gets up pumping to see what happens next. It was a tad bit slow, but I still thought it was pretty great. Jackie Earl Haley was the best out of the cast in it, but why does he always chose roles that is an outcast from society? I mean he was a child malester in this, a psycho vigilante in Watchmen, some insane dude in Shutter Island, and he's playing Freddy Kruger in the Friday the 13th remake. I guess he's just great in these roles, which is he. I finally watched Dogma finally yesterday, too. I honestly didn't find it that funny, but I still loved it, because it was insanely epic. Epic is really the only word I can think of to actually describe it.

I finally got around to watching a lot of my past favorites this week as well, because I started working on my new top 100 again. I watched Die Hard first and that's one movie I will always love. I don't see much point in getting into talking about it, because everyone already knows whats so great about. Hot Fuzz was next and it's never exactly been a favorite of mine, but I still think it's great. The final 20 minutes is possibly the best action scene that I've ever seen in any movie. I got around to re-watching L.A. Confidential for the first time, and it still held up great with a re-watch. Pulp Ficiton was after that, and while it's not quite in my top 10 anymore, I still love it almost as much as when I saw it for the first time. Maybe because it had been so long since I last watched it, but it flew by so fast this time around, and I was surprised because it went by pretty slow the last time I watched it. Lastly, I re-watched Snatch for the first time today after buying it yesterday. Even though I did only watch it last week, it was still pretty great. I can see it making it somewhere near the bottom half of my top 100.

My offcial ratings for the week:

Die Hard - 4.5
(John McTiernan, 1988)

Hot Fuzz - 3.5
(Edgar Wright, 2007)

Naked - N/A
(Mike Leigh, 1993)

The Soloist - 3
(Joe Wright, 2009)

Fast and Furious - 3+
(Justin Lin, 2009)

L.A. Confidential - 4+
(Curtis Hanson, 1997)

Pulp Fiction - 4.5
(Quentin Tarantino, 1994)

Dogma - 3.5+
(Kevin Smith, 1999)

Snatch - 4
(Guy Ritchie, 2000)

Little Children - 3.5
(Todd Field, 2006)

Knowing - 2.5
(Alex Proyas, 2009)

[Lennon]

You didn't like Dogma that much? Really, like I mean I knoow it's not for everybody, but worse than Fast and Furious?

[mark f]

He gave it higher than TFatF. :)

[Lennon]

Ah crap! I thought he gave it a 2.5+ :D.

[MovieMan8877445]

You didn't like Dogma that much? Really, like I mean I knoow it's not for everybody, but worse than Fast and Furious?

What? I gave Dogma a higher score than FaF. Besides I loved Dogma.

[Lennon]

What? I gave Dogma a higher score than FaF. Besides I loved Dogma.

Sorry about that, thought you gave it a 2.5.

[Harry Lime]

3.5+ does seem a little high for Dogma.

[meatwadsprite]

So does 1 :mad: !

[tramp]

http://www.impawards.com/2000/posters/before_night_falls.jpg

Before Night Falls (2000)

Reinaldo Arenas was a Cuban writer, poet, and openly gay. After helping Castro's revolution when he was young, he came to regret that decision. He suffered because of his sexuality and sent his work abroad to be published. He was thrown in jail for a crime he didn't commit, and he was able to finally leave Cuba during a mass exodus in 1980. The last part of the film covers the next 10 years in New York.

First, Javier Bardem is an extremely sexual being, therefore making his casting here rather perfect. And while I don't think this film really helps me to understand Arenas -- I only got a surface impression -- he more than adequately represented Arenas' pain. He is also charismatic as hell.

The one scene that stood out was the exchange between a sadistic guard -- played by Johnny Depp of all people -- and Arenas. This scene was perfection, full of sexual and violent tension with two actors playing perfectly off each other. I sat transfixed.

If only I had felt that way during the rest of the film: the film meandered through his life instead of capturing the essence, and I never understood Arenas' writing. I never got the sense of what he wrote. I would have liked that. Still, scattered throughout were moments and shots that I don't think I will forget. Images seared into my mind. Schnabel (the director) is an artist and it shows. Pre-Castro Cuba is beautifully captured. Arenas' heartbreaking relationship with his mother poignantly and disturbingly shown. Arenas' pain of his final years is also captured, reminding us of that terrible time for gays. Except that is where I knew the film had failed me to some extent: the final moments of Arenas' life is sad, but it actually felt strangely disconnected from the rest of the film. How can that be? I can only surmise the build up to that moment hadn't properly set in for me.

Still, let's face it, this is a special kind of film. A film that had a story to tell about a man whose story should be told. There was beauty and heartbreak here. And one of the better "art-house" films that I've seen. This film rested on Bardem's shoulders and no wonder he became a star.

3.5

http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/synechocheposter.thumbnail.jpg

Synecdoche, New York
(Charlie Kaufmann)

Is there another writer/filmmaker that can generate more discussion than Charlie Kaufmann? There is more stuff rolling around in this man's brain and not all of it is actually understandable. Watching this film was like trying to figure out a rubric's cube. Is it a dream? Well, not exactly, since we never see the protagonist wake up. But it is clear it is a dream motif.

The film begins rather clearly and coherently, but once Phillip Seymour Hoffman's girlfriend leaves with his daughter, the film descends into a rather curious alternate universe. Not that I didn't expect that from Kaufmann since all his films explore places most of us would never think to go.

I am a huge fan of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but not as much of a fan of Being John Malkovich, and I'm a half-fan (is that word?) of Adaptation. Why I think Mind works so well is because Michel Gondry gave that film a heart that I didn't find in Kaufmann's previous stories. Those films were cerebral celebrations; Mind was a perfect blending of heart, mind, and spirit.

Here, I was too busy wondering where Kaufmann was taking me to really care about Hoffman's troubles. What exactly is this film about? A man's life? Okay. How others see him? Okay. About missed opportunities? Okay. It finally occurred to me that all those things have been told in films many times before and in a much more coherent way. At least with Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, there seemed to be a point to it all. Here, not so much.

I did find a bit of heart in the last few moments of the film and I actually felt choked up. But to be honest about it, that was because of Hoffman, not Kaufmann.

Side note: Samantha Morton is simply a glorious actress and a joy to behold. :)

So ultimately, I hope to see more of Charlie's stories, after all, he's an interesting talent, but this film was a big disappointment.

2

[Yoda]

Three films, all of which I saw yesterday. Made for a very odd triple feature. In order:


Manhattan
3

http://ariasfilms.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/Manhattan.jpg

Bit of a letdown. I like Allen's rambling persona and there are always plenty of great one-liners, but I feel like the whole film is just a bit underdeveloped, and apparently Woody would agree. I've heard various opinions about the film's ending and am rather surprised at how much some people try to read into it, right or wrong.

Even the film's much-ballyhooed photography left me wanting a bit. The shot above is gorgeous, of course, but the rest of the shots of the cityscape at the film's beginning and end didn't strike me as particularly attractive. The music was sublime, though; I wonder if that has a major influence on people's opinions about the imagery, given that it's always playing over them.


Black Narcissus
3

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd257/treyofthedead/Top25/black_narcissus_-_sister_ruth_rings.jpg

Not sure about this one. Loved the seamlessly blended matte paintings and obviously the film was a bit of a visual marvel for its time, but seen today it contains a lot of overacting and a lot of what takes place was, I thought, fairly predictable.


Brazil
2

http://eighty1.net/wp-content/gallery/main/brazil_babyface.jpg

Didn't like this one much. I absolutely love specific elements of it (the shared desk, the receipts for receipts, the duct work), but I felt the actual events were just a big jumble of nonsense most of the times. I can't elaborate without spoiling some things, but it seems like at least one character behaves in completely inexplicable ways, doing a completely 180 for no apparent reason at one point.

The visuals were interesting, but I felt like they were pretty much the only thing the film had going for it, except for the occasional amusing gag. I like some of the pieces a lot more than I like the film as a whole.

Lots of parallels to the Coen Brothers' The Hudsucker Proxy, which did a much better job of poking fun at bureaucracy without sacrificing coherency.

[Golgot]

The visuals were interesting, but I felt like they were pretty much the only thing the film had going for it, except for the occasional amusing gag. I like some of the pieces a lot more than I like the film as a whole.

Lots of parallels to the Coen Brothers' The Hudsucker Proxy, which did a much better job of poking fun at bureaucracy without sacrificing coherency

Be careful, or you'll get filed under 'heathen' ;)

I can see where you're coming from on this, although i think some of the chaos and internal conflict is deliberate. It's possible the version you saw effected the coherence of the flick's more nihilistic theme. Or it's possible that you just don't like it ;)

[downthesun]

Saw a few shorts today, you can find them all by searching on google, a lot are on Youtube and Dailymotion. I'm just going to give them a rating as most of them are too short to actually review properly:

One Froggy Evening- 2

Kiwi- 2.5

The Landlord- 5

Presto- 5

Validation- 4

[Powdered Water]

I'd give Dogma a 4. But then, not all of you know how I think. Probably a good thing... for you.

[Yoda]

Be careful, or you'll get filed under 'heathen' ;)

I can see where you're coming from on this, although i think some of the chaos and internal conflict is deliberate. It's possible the version you saw effected the coherence of the flick's more nihilistic theme. Or it's possible that you just don't like it ;)
Yeah, if it's deliberate, then I guess I dislike the choice instead. I get the idea of chaos and conflict as a way of poking fun at the absurdity of large-scale organizations. That's necessary. But the characters? The ones we're supposed to be, for lack of a better word, rooting for? I'm thinking mainly of...

...pretty much every scene involving Jill. At no point does Sam have the good sense to simply explain how he knows she's in danger, and she takes forever to express the slightest bit of curiousity about why he's so adamant. Worse, while running away from him pretty much all movie, she suddenly decides she loves him? Wha? I don't remember exactly how it played out, but I believe she just kinda showed up and kissed him. Did I miss something?

[Powdered Water]

You do realize you were watching a Terry Gilliam movie yes? When do his movies ever really make sense? Also: Which version did you watch? That can have a rather interesting effect on the film too I'm told.

[Yoda]

:laugh: Yes, that has to be taken into account.

That said, I thought Twelve Monkeys made plenty of sense, and I thought he struck a great balance with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (which I really enjoyed as a child and might watch again today, actually). I'm willing to overlook some of the craziness when it has a goal or a purpose, or overlook it to the degree to which it's necessary to create a mood, but I felt it was just inexplicable in a few places, namely the examples I mentioned with Jill. Can't fathom what that was all about, but it's entirely possible something went right over my head.

EDIT: I got the 142-minute version, which I believe is the director's cut? Not sure. Netflix doesn't always make these things as clear as I'd like.

[Golgot]

Yeah, if it's deliberate, then I guess I dislike the choice instead. I get the idea of chaos and conflict as a way of poking fun at the absurdity of large-scale organizations. That's necessary.

I think they were taking a swipe at even broader power structures in the sense of 'fascist' nation states etc, beyond the bureaucracy itself. I guess i'm happy with the ensuing confusion that then rises above the bureaucratic-alone, especially when it feels representative of the confusion a 'free thinking' person might feel within such iron rules etc.

But the characters? The ones we're supposed to be, for lack of a better word, rooting for? I'm thinking mainly of...

...pretty much every scene involving Jill. At no point does Sam have the good sense to simply explain how he knows she's in danger, and she takes forever to express the slightest bit of curiousity about why he's so adamant. Worse, while running away from him pretty much all movie, she suddenly decides she loves him? Wha? I don't remember exactly how it played out, but I believe she just kinda showed up and kissed him. Did I miss something?

I can kinda buy him not telling her how he knows, given that makes him the 'enemy' immediately, plus in the confusion of the panicky escapes etc & his own exhilaration at rebelling. As for her part in going along with it, i had to pin it on the paranoia she felt about being near Officialdom, and her nefarious background. I do agree with you that it does seem a bit inexplicable at the time.

The change in her behaviour towards him did always seem a bit sudden/unnuanced to me as well, but i vaguely bought it on the grounds that he seems to be prepared to sacrifice everything for her out of the blue (even if in an inept way) and this puppy-dog worship has softened her loner exterior etc etc. Either that or she just wanted some post-danger adrenaline sex ;). If that was what they were going for it might not be sold to us that well, as i recall, but but i always found the other strengths of the film overrode those misgivings

[Powdered Water]

One of these days I may plunk down the cash and Buy the set that has all of the different versions of the film. I think there's at least three now isn't there? I've most recently seen the "Love conquers all" version and now I need to see the other's to compare and contrast.

I'll admit though that it's not a masterpiece but a lot of it does agree with me. Shocker, I know.

[Loner]

I want to see the version that doesn't have Kim Greist in it.

[Yoda]

I think they were taking a swipe at even broader power structures in the sense of 'fascist' nation states etc, beyond the bureaucracy itself. I guess i'm happy with the ensuing confusion that then rises above the bureaucratic-alone, especially when it feels representative of the confusion a 'free thinking' person might feel within such iron rules etc.
Yeah, you're right, my description sort of made it sound like I was just talking about businesses, didn't it? My bad, it's definitely focusing more at unwieldly/oppressive governments, though more the subtler ways in which they become oppressive. I like this message fine, but it's not exactly groundbreaking either, is it?

I can kinda buy him not telling her how he knows, given that makes him the 'enemy' immediately, plus in the confusion of the panicky escapes etc & his own exhilaration at rebelling. As for her part in going along with it, i had to pin it on the paranoia she felt about being near Officialdom, and her nefarious background. I do agree with you that it does seem a bit inexplicable at the time.

The change in her behaviour towards him did always seem a bit sudden/unnuanced to me as well, but i vaguely bought it on the grounds that he seems to be prepared to sacrifice everything for her out of the blue (even if in an inept way) and this puppy-dog worship has softened her loner exterior etc etc. Either that or she just wanted some post-danger adrenaline sex ;). If that was what they were going for it might not be sold to us that well, as i recall, but but i always found the other strengths of the film overrode those misgivings
Perfectly reasonable. I guess that's what a lot of it comes down to: how much do you like the things you like, and how much does that offset the things you don't? I guess I'm always especially bugged when something feels like a non-sequitur, particularly things that could be easily explained anyway. And I hate it when people behave in movie ways. IE: assuming the worst, making things difficult for each other, etc. In real life people are way more curious and open-minded about unusual things that happen to them, I think. I realize this is a weird thing to impose on a movie, and I'm not suggesting it's an especially objective way of being annoyed, but there you go.

That said, I can buy her initial reticence for the reasons you mention. It's the about-face that makes me scratch my head. Kinda seems like one of those things that had to happen to keep things moving forward. Dunno.

I want to see the version that doesn't have Kim Greist in it.
Yeah, as shallow as this sounds, I found her pretty unattractive, and I didn't think she was terribly believable, either. Whether or not she's pretty isn't a huge deal, of course, but the movie hung a lot on her beauty and allure, so it took me out of it all a bit.

And, let's be honest: the whole David-Bowie-as-possibly-gay-warrior-angel look has not aged well. Giant-samurai-with-fire-for-blood, however, has the comedic maturity of a fine wine these days.

[Powdered Water]

I've been working so much lately I really haven't had the time nor the inclination to do any serious tabbing.

Here's a few I've seen lately that I feel warrant a few words I reckon.

Oldboy (Chan-wook Park - 2003) 3.5

Available On-Demand from the dreaded cable company of all places and for free to top it off! I dug it quite a bit and I think I get why you like it Iro. Good stuff.

Religulous (Larry Charles - 2008) 4

I don't have anything real interesting to say here that won't probably just come off as inflammatory to all of the "True Believers" out there. Basically I agree with just about everything that was said during the film and I will never understand why so many have a blind faith in something so fabricated by men who mostly are just trying to make a buck. I especially enjoyed the montage of all the "other" religions and the ways that Christianity has ripped them off. Very enjoyable.

Encounters at the End of the World (Werner Herzog - 2007) 4

Pretty much agree with everything that's been said so far. After seeing this I think this was better than Man on Wire but I still like that Man on Wire won. They were both pretty terrific. And the Seals were an absolute trip! Worth the rental (or whatever) just for that.

I also rewatched the first 5 Rocky movies and so many horror flicks that most of them I don't even remember right now.

I caught Blindness yesterday and pretty much agree word for word with TUS's review. An utterly pointless film. Well, maybe not pointless, but it wasn't good. :nope:

Also saw a few flicks with Forest Whitaker who I think is one of the finest American actors we have to offer right now. Even better than Ferrel. ;)

Winged Creatures (Rowan Woods - 2008) 3.5

This also has the very talented Dakota Fanning who will win an Oscar probably sooner rather than later. She is special folks. And I don't mean Juicebox special, dig? Anyway, I thought the film was pretty good. Another good turn from Jackie Earl Haley as well in a limited part but he is a good'un.

Powder Blue (Timothy Linh Bui - 2009) 3

This was supposed to be crap but I found it kind of interesting. Forest and Lisa Kudrow (of all people) were really good together I thought. Ray Liotta was also very good. I liked it.


Anywho, that's just a few. I just haven't been able to make the time to get my thoughts down much lately. Solly Challey!

[Godoggo]

http://www.impawards.com/2000/posters/before_night_falls.jpgFirst, Javier Bardem is an extremely sexual being, therefore making his casting here rather perfect. And while I don't think this film really helps me to understand Arenas -- I only got a surface impression -- he more than adequately represented Arenas' pain. He is also charismatic as hell.

Yes, he is.

I really like this movie a lot. I always wonder if Benicio del Toro had taken the role, if he would have done as good of a job with it. He and Bardem are pretty similar in some ways. I actually think Bardem might have been the better choice.

[Classicqueen13]

The Pink Panther 2
3

Steve Martin really is one the funniest men in comedy right now in my opinion. While he's no Peter Sellers, this was a very likable comedy with loads of laughs. My personal favorite scene was when he dressed as the pope. Good script and a nice supporting cast.

Diggstown
4

Great performances and a suspenseful, interesting plot. I was at a disadvantange while watching it, however, so definately gonna re-watch this one. While the movie is a lot of boxing, there is so much more to the story, so even if you don't get into sports flicks it's good. The conclusion was marvelous. One of the best I've ever seen. Highly recommended movie.

Trading Places
3.5

Caught it on TBS and I think it'd be a much better watch without the TV-14 version. Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd were great though as well as the rest of the cast. A good comedy from what I could tell. Must check this one out in the original format.

A Big Hand for the Little Lady
2

Didn't care much for this and even fell asleep through some of it. It seemed very drawn out, but the acting was good. Henry Fonda and the lovely Joanne Woodward played their parts well and so did the supporting class. The plot, however, couldn't hold my attention. Not many laughs, not drama, and not exciting. A predictable twist at the end.

Eyes in the Night
4

A fantastic noir with superb performances. This little known gem is classic. Edward Arnold plays a blind detective that could out-wit just about anybody. Donna Reed is great in a very out-of-character performance. The plot has twists that will keep you in suspense right up until the climax. Plus a dog smarter than some people I know!

[Pyro Tramp]

The Pink Panther 2
3

Steve Martin really is one the funniest men in comedy right now. While he's no Peter Sellers, this was a very likable comedy with loads of laughs. My personal favorite scene was when he dressed as the pope. Good script and a great supporting cast.


Reallllly?

[igor_is_fugly]

Singin' in the Rain
http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/020923/15829__singing_l.jpg
I was really surprised that the two people I loved the most in this movie came out of nowhere. Gene Kelly's dancing was great of course but I didnt really loove him(although if him dancing in the rain doesn't warm your soul then you must not have one), and Debbie Reynolds was charming but I couldnt help thinking that I like her better with age. It was Donald O'Conner and Jean Hagen who absolutely made the movie for me. Hagen was so unbelievably perfect for the role, her voice was just soo funny! And stupid people who think they're smart are always great, "What do they think I am? Dumb or something? Why, I make more money than - than - than Calvin Coolidge! Put together!" haha. However, my favorite scene in the movie involved only one character- Cosmo Brown played by Donald O'Conner. The "Make 'em Laugh" number was amazing. I feel like watching somebody make himself trip should not be that funny, but it was! I laughed so hard. The choreography was brilliant, as was O'Conners performance. Overall the movie had a decent plot, great music and choreography, and charming performances so...
4

Way of the Gun
http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp79/igor_is_fugly/The-Way-of-the-Gun-benicio-del-toro.jpg
Yeah I actually really like this movie. Underrated in my opinion. Great cast and characters, great plot, great directing, and I really liked both the humor and violence(gritty but not overdone). So pretty much.. nothing not to like. Might consider bumping it up half a star...
4

Breakfast at Tiffany's
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_owprsMcYnQc/SLFQyNTmNPI/AAAAAAAABoA/DVlCQwPGHXE/s320/5.+Audrey+Hepburn+-+Breakfast+at+Tiffany%27s+(1961).JPG
I love this movie more each time I see it. I think everyone can connect with the characters and the issues addressed- everyone has masks they wear and has struggled to see behind the masks of other people. This movie has given us one of the most iconic characters of all time, and definitely one of my personal favourites. But Holly Golightly isn't the only thing to love, the rest of the cast and characters are wonderful, unique, and heartfelt. And this is one of the few movies that makes me cry everytime I watch it. It's shamefully really, im getting emotional just thinking about the scene right now. It just hits a cord with me. That damn cat...
5

Roman Holiday
http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/features/italy/images/roman-holiday.jpg
My least favorite Audrey Hepburn movie I think. Maybe needs a rewatch. Loved her and Gregory Peck on screen together but... I think a lot of it had to do with my mood, I wasn't in the mood for depression and figured this looked like a safe choice in movie. Nnope. And I was rather unsettled by the fact that Audrey Hepburn was being overshadowed in a movie. Gregory Peck has like a mesmeriznig effect on me. He's such a great actor, and he's got that wonderful voice, and, let it just be said, he is one sexy sexy popsickle. I officially decided after watching this that I need more of him in my life. Anybody have any favourite performances of his they'd reccomend to me?
3

Noises Off!
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512skwb1h5L._SL500_AA240_.jpg
Cute and witty. Love July Hagerty.
3

Olboy
http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp79/igor_is_fugly/oldboy.jpg
Holy crap this movie is intense. I love it. Definitely one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen. My jaw was dropped for like the whole last half hour of the movie. I was absolutely blown away and already wanna watch it again.
5

[Pyro Tramp]

****in aye, Igor! Love me some Oldboy, glad you enjoyed it

[Iroquois]

Oldboy (Chan-wook Park - 2003) 3.5

Available On-Demand from the dreaded cable company of all places and for free to top it off! I dug it quite a bit and I think I get why you like it Iro. Good stuff.

I think you mean Pyro, but yeah, I'm not averse to it. You should check out Park's Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance while you're at it - at the very least on the same level as Oldboy.

[TheDOMINATOR]

Poltergeist - 4.5
(Tobe Hooper, 1982)

http://www.geektyrant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/poltergeist-clown-3.jpg

One of my favorite movies of its genre, Poltergeist is the telling of one family's unimaginable experiences in a seemingly normal, suburban town which they later find out is far from it. Fantastic performances, a remarkable story, and--above all else--a truly memorable and thrill-inducing musical score. I love this movie, and plan to write up a full review within the next couple of days.

The First Power - 3+
(Robert Resnikoff, 1990)

http://www.aolcdn.com/amgvideo/dvd/cov150/drt100/t109/t109611bdvw.jpg

Within the horror genre, my favorite category is that revolving around demons/the Devil (as opposed to, say, ghosts or animals or human adversaries), and The First Power belongs to that category. In it, an innocent man is possessed by an agent of the Devil, killing several helpless young women in bazzare Satanic rituals. The story plays out nicely, and while it has a few kinks, the movie overall is pretty enjoyable and contains a particularly memorable scene: the ceiling fan scene, and if you've seen the movie, you probably know what I'm talking about. :cool:

They - 3-
(Robert Harmon, 2002)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9HaR-XEG47k/SYVu7KrZEHI/AAAAAAAAC2A/EsNDFCZaSFg/s400/[email protected]

A neat creature flick -- not much more, not much less. It doesn't have much of a story (just that there are these unexplained alien-like beings that are afraid of the light which induce night terrors upon young children, later coming back to haunt--and kill--them in their adult lives), and not much character depth or riveting dialogue is present, but eh...I enjoyed the CGI and the creature effects.

[mark f]

For igor, concerning Gregory Peck, there are just so many performances to pick from. You must have already seen To Kill a Mockingbird, but you need to check out Spellbound, Gentleman's Agreement, Twelve O'Clock High, The Yearling, Captain Horatio Hornblower, The Gunfighter, The World in His Arms, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Designing Woman, The Big Country, The Guns of Navarone, On the Beach, Captain Newman, M.D. and a host of others. The two films where he is most-blatantly sexual are two '40s westerns, Duel in the Sun (nicknamed Lust in the Dust because of Peck's on-screen relationship with Jennifer Jones in the flick) and Yellow Sky. Peck's most against-type performance is as Capt. Ahab in Moby Dick, and I, for one, like that one. It's funny that you thought that Audrey was overshadowed in Roman Holiday since she was the one who took home the Oscar for it.

In response to Yoda's tab on the last page, I have this to say:

Manhattan seems to be a film which some people think less of nowadays because it was the first Woody Allen film where he showed himself having an affair with an underage girl, even if she was far more mature than he was. As far as the visuals go, I found the scene at the Museum of Natural History the best visuals in the flick. The scene starts here at about 7:00 in the first video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5na36DUcwsc

... and the first 1:13 of this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhaBWbhHIhU&NR=1

I'm also not quite sure what you're referring to regarding the ending since it's basically open to interpretation what it means, although I'm pretty sure I know what it means. :cool:

As far as Black Narcissus goes, I want to ask how many other Powell/Pressburger films you've watched before. I probably give the film an even lower rating than you do (barely), but I think the entire point of the film is that living an isolated life, especially up in the low-oxygen zone of the Himalayas, can lead you to become hysterical and act "melodramatically". Even so, I thought that Black Narcissus was a lot less-developed than Manhattan was. The thing I've noticed about Powell and Pressburger is that they make many films with an airtight script and superimpose the visuals over them, and then they make a few films where the visuals are king and the "script" seems to be more something of a "story outline". Although I find this film more of the outline variety, I'm glad you still thought it was sorta worth watching.

Brazil seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it film. Part of its love comes from how Gilliam had to fight Universal just to get the film released and then released the way he wanted it. Part of its love seems to be that passionate people like to give "serious" sci-fi a big kiss, especially if it falls into "the world is in a pile of shite" message. Then again, Gilliam is also a cult director, and cults seem to grow bigger and bigger as time goes by. I saw Brazil several times at the theatre when it first came out, but I have to admit that it and Gilliam's point just don't really impress me that much any more. I'm not trying to say that I'm right and everybody else (except Yoda) is wrong; I'm just saying that I like some of Gilliam's films and I find some extremely over-indulgent. I certainly think that Brazil is one of Gilliam's better flicks, giving it 3, and I think my fave Gilliam movie after Python is The Fisher King. However, I find lots of Brazil to be overkill and unnecessary, so I'd wish that Gilliam would cool his overimagination sometimes. He doesn't really need to throw in several kitchen sinks every film. Super Heathen Signing Off.

[WBadger]

Field of Dreams (1989)

http://voices.mysanantonio.com/chris_duel/09FieldofDreams.jpg

A movie that may inspire a person to be more spontaneous and take chances, or to inspire. Definitely a feel-good movie, and I really like the acting from Costner and James Earl Jones. I give this movie a grade of an A-

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

http://image.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/harry_potter_and_the_prisoner_of_azkaban_6.jpg

Here is the third installment in the Harry Potter movie series and I think it is an okay outing. I consider this the movie that kind of transforms Harry into more of an adult and that strays away from Hogwarts. New characters were introduced and a lot revealed and it was still easy to follow, which is always a good thing. I really did like the Harry/Hermoine sequence as they traveled back in time to save themselves and free Sirius Black. Overall, though, I give this movie a B

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)

http://scifiwire.com/assets_c/2009/05/NightAtTheMuseum_Smithsonian_Stiller_azaria-thumb-550x332-18236.jpg


To enjoy a film like this, you need to have the right expectations for it. I expected a silly sequel that wouldn't compare to the first one but would still entertain, and that's what I experienced. Some parts were a bit too ridiculous and uncharacteristic to the first one, but I don't really think this film is supposed to be taken that seriously. Nonetheless, this was actually quite humorous throughout most of it. Mainly because of one of my favorite guys, Hank Azaria, basically stole the show in this one. I enjoy watching his talents being used in my favorite TV series The Simpsons, and he is utilized well here. He does two other voice overs in this movie and is also the comedic 'villian' in the film. A lot of flaws in the movie though as one would expect. The acting and humor is what saves this from falling flat and I give this movie a C

[TheUsualSuspect]

Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance is great to look at, but terribly slow. Also, they seem to dumb it down at the end for the audience, as if we didn't know who certain people were, we just had to be shown to be reminded.

[Iroquois]

That's true.

[Harry Lime]

Being off work for the week I watched a lot of flicks.

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/1thesacrifice.jpg
The Sacrifice (1986, Andrei Tarkovsky) 4.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/2pandorasbox.jpg
Pandora's Box (1929, G.W. Pabst) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/3thekingdom.jpg
The Kingdom (1994, Lars von Trier) 3
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/4criacuervos.jpg
Cria Cuervos (1976, Carlos Saura) 2.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/5ridethehighcountry.jpg
Ride the High Country (1962, Sam Peckinpah) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/6gowest.jpg
Go West (1925, Buster Keaton) 3
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/7sonsofthedesert.jpg
Sons of the Desert (1933, William A. Seiter) 2
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/8mononcle.jpg
Mon Oncle (1958, Jacques Tati) 3
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/9thetenant.jpg
The Tenant (1976, Roman Polanski) 4.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/10intherealmofthesenses.jpg
In the Realm of the Senses (1976, Nagisa Oshima) 1.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/11chariotsoffire.jpg
Chariots of Fire (1981, Hugh Hudson) 3
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/12observeandreport.jpg
Observe and Report (2009, Jody Hill) 1
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/13thefreshman.jpg
The Freshman (1925, Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor) 2.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/14nickandnorahsinfiniteplaylist.jpg
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008, Peter Sollett) 1
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/15iloveyouman.jpg
I Love You, Man (2009, John Hamburg) 3
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/16manhunt.jpg
Man Hunt (1941, Fritz Lang) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/17elnorte.jpg
El Norte (1983, Gregory Nava) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/18tyson.jpg
Tyson (2009, James Toback) 3
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/19knowing.jpg
Knowing (2009, Alex Proyas) 2
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/20voyageinitaly.jpg
Voyage in Italy (1954, Roberto Rossellini) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/21slumdogmillionaire.jpg
Slumdog Millionaire (2008, Danny Boyle) 3

[downthesun]

Harry you saving a full review of Tyson for when the Movie Club thread for it goes up?

[adidasss]

Impressive list Harry. I'm getting ready to watch some Oshima myself.

[Thursday Next]

Lars and the Real Girl (2007) - 3/5 Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=556125#post556125)

[Fenwick]

Impressive list Harry. I'm getting ready to watch some Oshima myself.

If you have access to the highly respected, if a little elitist, Brit film mag Sight and Sound, I urge you to pick up this months issue. Alexander Jacoby writes a detailed piece on the unashamedly modern films Oshima made in the 60s, during Japan's own new wave. He argues that while his 60s work was modernist, he remains as distinctly Japanese as his contemporaries. Jacoby cites stuff like Night and Fog in Japan, A Town of Love and Hope and The Rebel to sustain his argument - he, like Harry (judging by his rating of the controversial In the Realm of the Senses), believes that his finest work came at the beginning of his career. The article however, does not include anything on Oshima's second feature Naked Youth; although often unfairly pigeon-holed as an East Asian Rebel Without a Cause, it is a vital work which Jacoby, for whatever reason, neglects to mention.

http://mmimageslarge.moviemail-online.co.uk/22638_Naked-Youth-2.jpg

[Golgot]

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/4142/munich4.jpg

Munich

An interesting film for a Jewish director to have made, told from an Israeli-centric point of view but not afraid to criticise the deeds and rationales involved. The 'dialogue' of eye-for-eye murder, the generations of blind eyes turned to slaughter as long as religious identity & place are preserved; both sides are taken to task for these things. But Israeli faults are humanised and simultaneously far more exposed, taking place as they do centre stage.

All the consummately competent directing you'd expect is here, and i found Bana a very convincing lead (his accent, despite migrating from Israeli to Germanic as required, always consistent). Strangely, there's still a sense that Spielberg's sentimental side has crept in, that he's romanticising reality, even amongst assassins and cyclical grief. He's not quite the 'sensitive soul with butcher's hands', but i felt like certain subjects had been bludgeoned in some ways...

Was the French information network really as described, or are they part of his 'historical fiction'? It wouldn't be a surprise if they're the latter, as the focus on family trumping ideologies & nationalism seems like a rose-tinted 'happy ending' to a thorny passage of history.

Other issues such as a certain tortured sex scene towards the end seem both brave and bloated, and ultimately flawed. Kinda like the film, although i can't pin down entirely the aspects that don't work. Perhaps it's just that any attempt to bring resolution to these issues, or to gloss them slightly (as Spielberg can't help but do), is doomed to fail. The final shot can linger on recreated twin towers all it likes, but somehow that's just making these personal stories generic, to the point where they all blur. Perhaps it's this clash between the personal and the monolithic that made the film counter-act itself somewhat. Whatever it was, it's a shame, coz there seemed to be a lot that was both balanced and believable in the film.

3_5++

[WBadger]

Fight Club (1999)

http://www.vd-tv.com/thumb/1_80.jpg

This movie set a dark tone from the beginning as the main character makes a disturbing transformation to shake evidence of his psychological woes. This movie is really interesting and it leaves the viewer close to the main character and wonder what this guy is really going through. Then the plot twist came and things started making sense for this guy, it is cool in a disturbing way. Overall, I give this movie an A

[mark f]

Well. Golgot, you mentioned some things which you felt Munich tried to address and hinted at the idea that it fell short, but what about its alternate purpose -- to be a thriller? Is that why the film rates a high rating because it's better as a thriller than an open discussion of issues?

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/forumphotos/it_happened_one_night.jpg

It Happened One Night (1934)

I must say I have mixed feelings about this one. It was an entertaining film, to be sure, and the interactions between Peter and Ellie were cute and romantic, but something about Ellie's character just grated on my nerves after awhile. She certainly was a spoiled brat, - and a whiney one at that - just as Peter had pegged her. She also struck me as rather fickle and foolish. I don't buy that after spending only a few short days together she "couldn't live without" Peter. I suppose that sort of thing is to be expected with this genre of film, but it seems to me that the women in modern Romantic Comedies are much stronger than this.

3+

[mark f]

Which women in which modern romantic comedies, for example? Or is it just that the men are mostly the foolish brats nowadays? Remember, sometimes it only takes one night for it to happen. :cool:

[Miss Vicky]

Some Examples:

How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
Two Weeks Notice
Knocked Up

The women in these films are not spoiled rich girls. They're not naive. They've not lived sheltered lives. They're independent.

And they don't whine.

On the other hand - at least in the case of the last two - the men they're up against are kind of dolts so maybe it is just a reversal of roles.

[igor_is_fugly]

Funny i was just reading about how Katherine Heigl was a little peeved about the sexism in Knocked Up. I think it's interesting how much each individual's image of a "strong" woman varies.

[Golgot]

Well. Golgot, you mentioned some things which you felt Munich tried to address and hinted at the idea that it fell short, but what about its alternate purpose -- to be a thriller? Is that why the film rates a high rating because it's better as a thriller than an open discussion of issues?

Well mark f, i gave it kudos on both grounds ;). And for the chutzpah of attempting to mix thrills and ethical distillations in the first place.

[Tacitus]

F For Fake (1974-ish, Orson Welles)

4/5

I dig out Big Orson's essay/documentary/mocumentary every couple of years and there always seems to be something fresh to delight and discover. I first saw it on the late, lamented Moviedrome (and I checked here (http://www.geocities.com/kurtodrome/drome.html) for the date) in 1992. Nearly half my life ago. ;)

It's a study in editing as much as a study in misdirection and proof that Welles could actually finish a film, a slight which dogged the latter part of his career.

For those of you who haven't experienced F For Fake, it superficially concerns the real-life story of art forger Elmyr de Hory, living out his golden years in a gratis (but not much else) villa in Ibiza with his 'young friend' and filmed by Orson while visited by his biographer, Clifford Irving.

Into the mix gets thrown Howard Hughes, Picasso lots of musings by Welles himself and Oja Kodar.

Oja was Orson's long time muse and companion and in my 'umble opinion one of the most beautiful women I've ever set eyes upon. She flits through the movie like a honeybee at a flower show, all the time with a little look in her eyes which seems to say, "Yes, I know I am but I'm also smarter than you." Her (almost as lovely but not quite) sister is also in the film a few times and there's a hearty slap on the back from me if you can name them...

F For Fake is awful hard to pin down and far from perfect but it's something that everyone should allow to wash over them at least once. Welles was a film maker with few peers, in my book, and this is in turns his most accessible and personal work. :)

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EDIT - A Moviedrome intro (sadly not for F For Fake but some other bit of tut ;))! Alex Cox was probably responsible for my love of cinema.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8IGJjukTzc

[Miss Vicky]

Funny i was just reading about how Katherine Heigl was a little peeved about the sexism in Knocked Up. I think it's interesting how much each individual's image of a "strong" woman varies.


Katherine Heigl is an idiot. I respect her as an actress but she really needs to shut her mouth.

Anyway, I didn't really find Knocked Up to be sexist. But regardless, when I say strong, I mean more along the lines of independent. Heigl's character had a career and wasn't even looking to fall in love - she was just drunk and horny.

As opposed to the character of Ellie, who was running away from her father - while throwing one tantrum or another every other scene - to be with a man she'd already married but clearly didn't really love.

[WBadger]

Man on Fire (2004)- C+ (BIG SPOILERS)

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Okay, this one was heading towards the right direction in the beginning of the movie, but goes downhill once the girl is kidnapped. We learn quickly that Creasy (Denzel Washington) is getting older and has a problem with alcoholism. Which sets up a new found relationship with Pita (Dakota Fanning). Creasy takes this personally, and goes on a mission to kill everybody involved. Which basically turned the movie into watching this guy kill and torture everyone involved, really. It's like after the girl is kidnapped, there's not much to look forward to, no plot twists or anything to make it more interesting, he is just finding out information.

The ending was also a bit disappointing to me, not the fact that the girl is safe, but the "how" part of the equation. All of that for this? Just a trade off between the two? Didn't seem fitting for the whole earlier tone of this film. Oh well.

In summary, the beginning is very strong, but degrades throughout to bring a disappointing ending.

[Yoda]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. And I don't care what you say, Mark; you're getting rep for this post. :p

Manhattan seems to be a film which some people think less of nowadays because it was the first Woody Allen film where he showed himself having an affair with an underage girl, even if she was far more mature than he was. As far as the visuals go, I found the scene at the Museum of Natural History the best visuals in the flick. The scene starts here at about 7:00 in the first video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5na36DUcwsc

... and the first 1:13 of this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhaBWbhHIhU&NR=1

I'm also not quite sure what you're referring to regarding the ending since it's basically open to interpretation what it means, although I'm pretty sure I know what it means. :cool:
I read some various theories about what people thought the ending meant, and some of them went off into quite a bit of speculation. Perhaps they were paying much more attention than I was, but there didn't seem to be a consistent theme that, when I heard it, made perfect sense to me. I've only seen it once, of course, and I haven't thought about it all that much, but it felt a little haphazard to me. Then again, most of Allen's films about relationships (read: 98% of them) feel that way to me. I usually ignore this and rate them based on what I get out of the dialogue.

Surprisingly, the affair with the underage girl didn't really irk me. Her part was very well-handled, though why people think Mariel Hemingway is pretty, I'll never understand.

What did you think the ending meant? I have mixed feelings...

As far as Black Narcissus goes, I want to ask how many other Powell/Pressburger films you've watched before. I probably give the film an even lower rating than you do (barely), but I think the entire point of the film is that living an isolated life, especially up in the low-oxygen zone of the Himalayas, can lead you to become hysterical and act "melodramatically". Even so, I thought that Black Narcissus was a lot less-developed than Manhattan was. The thing I've noticed about Powell and Pressburger is that they make many films with an airtight script and superimpose the visuals over them, and then they make a few films where the visuals are king and the "script" seems to be more something of a "story outline". Although I find this film more of the outline variety, I'm glad you still thought it was sorta worth watching.
I agree completely; it does feel like an outline. It feels like a very interesting outline, but I don't really like where it goes with anything. I didn't "buy" the descent into madness. I get the idea behind it, but it seems less like the area inevitably leads to dangerous introspection, and more like it just made one nun kind of wistful while another was dangerously unhinged already.

This was the first Powell/Pressburger-directed film I've seen, yes. Must say, I didn't realize it was quite so old, though. Makes me appreciate the matte paintings and some of the visuals a lot more.

Brazil seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it film. Part of its love comes from how Gilliam had to fight Universal just to get the film released and then released the way he wanted it. Part of its love seems to be that passionate people like to give "serious" sci-fi a big kiss, especially if it falls into "the world is in a pile of shite" message. Then again, Gilliam is also a cult director, and cults seem to grow bigger and bigger as time goes by. I saw Brazil several times at the theatre when it first came out, but I have to admit that it and Gilliam's point just don't really impress me that much any more. I'm not trying to say that I'm right and everybody else (except Yoda) is wrong; I'm just saying that I like some of Gilliam's films and I find some extremely over-indulgent. I certainly think that Brazil is one of Gilliam's better flicks, giving it 3, and I think my fave Gilliam movie after Python is The Fisher King. However, I find lots of Brazil to be overkill and unnecessary, so I'd wish that Gilliam would cool his overimagination sometimes. He doesn't really need to throw in several kitchen sinks every film. Super Heathen Signing Off.
I think you're spot-on again, Mark; I think that's a very good way to describe Gilliam. I think his best stuff comes when he restrains himself a little (Twelve Monkeys) or works on a film that naturally dovetails with his natural whimsy (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen). Films like Brazil work if you enjoy chaos and completely unbridled creativity for its own sake, I suppose, but to me it almost feels like a big game of cinematic free association.

It is kinda funny how all sci-fi films tend to regard the future as a big pile of crap, isn't it? I think you can make a pretty good case that the genre is almost entirely satire of a sort.

[Sedai]

Some Sci-Fi takes a more hopeful stance, I think. I don't think I even need to mention the utopian slant on Star Trek, but I did anyway. I just tend to think the dystopic stuff is more realistic, to be honest.

One of the reasons I like Blade Runner so much is the fact that it was one of the first sci-fi films to drop the sterile, spartan silliness that pervaded much of the previous sci-fi material. When I say it was one of the first to do it, I mean the first to do it well, by the by.

Even though the world around us was experiencing the entopy effect, for some reason, creators of sci-fi in the past had thought that would reverse, with the world becoming as clean as an operating room in the future. It's like people were great at predicting what technologies would appear in the future, but terrible at predicting just exactly how they would affect us.

As far as Brazil is concerned, it IS a re-telling of the Orwellian classic, 1984, so it sort of has to be dystopic, yes?

[Yoda]

You're right. Star Trek is a big exception to that rule, though I think that's actually one of the reasons it stands out. I don't think it's scientific or societal musings are terribly insightful most of the time (at least, not in the original seris). I think a big part of its appeal is how hopeful it was. But it's definitely an exception.

Yeah, Brazil is definitely borrowing hugely from 1984, so I'm not dogging on it for merely be dystopic. If I did, I'd have to have a problem with most sci-fi films. It's just kind of funny to watch older sci-fi, most of which is terrified at the prospect of a future which, in some cases, has already come, and isn't so bad.

[Tacitus]

I think you're spot-on again, Mark; I think that's a very good way to describe Gilliam. I think his best stuff comes when he restrains himself a little (Twelve Monkeys) or works on a film that naturally dovetails with his natural whimsy (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen). Films like Brazil work if you enjoy chaos and completely unbridled creativity for its own sake, I suppose, but to me it almost feels like a big game of cinematic free association.

A lot of the time it's the indulgence that draws me to TG - I don't rate 12 Monkeys particularly high in his cannon - but sometimes it can feel a bit forced. I'm possibly in a minority of one when saying that I think Alex Cox (the Unconventionally Attractive Scouse Auteur has now been mentioned in successive posts by me - result! :D) would have made a much better fist of Fear & Loathing.

I still love the guy, though, and I love Brazil. For an American (well, he was when he made it) he can make a wonderfully English film.

[meatwadsprite]

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Ponyo 2009

First screening I've ever been to , the English dubbing shares the same problem that all the other Miyazaki dubs do - even with their star-studded casts (Liam Neeson being the highlight) it's not as authentic or well edited as the original Japanese track , but for the most part it gets the job done (the music is almost spot on with the original) and I suppose it would be hard to market a seemingly children's film in a foreign language.

All my comments stand on the visual strength of this movie and to see it on the big screen is an amazing experience , don't miss this one for anything.

Oh yeah , run do not walk out when the credits roll - unless you want to witness one of the most disrespectful , gayest butcherings of all time.

4.5

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Unforgiven 1992

A movie set in a genre I don't care for , from a director I hate.

4.5

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Batman Returns 1992

Well knowing that this would be laced with cheese and cartoony overstated characters , I was surprised by the heavily improved technical qualities. It looked how Tim Burton's original Batman wanted to look and feel - and it was all that much better for it.

3

[Lennon]

Yes. The Penguin's makeup was the definite highlight of the movie.

[Powdered Water]

Meat loved Unforgiven? Good for you. It's a good'un alright.

To jump into the Gilliam/sci-fi talk a bit more. I would say that Star Trek wrote most of the rules so I don't think they were an exception at all. As far as the Utopian society goes. I know many "realists" or whatever you like to call yourselves will always have a problem really believing in a Utopian world and that's fine. Someday I hope to see it but I'm not holding my breath. It would be neat though wouldn't it?

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/forumphotos/thekid.jpg

The Kid (1921)

Like the other Chaplin films I've watched, I didn't find this movie to be particularly funny. However, I did the find the story to be quite sweet and moving. I was also rather impressed by the level of emotion that the actors managed to convey without the assistance of sound.

3.5


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Gremlins (1984)

This was a childhood favorite, but also one that I haven't seen in a very long time. This may even be my first time watching it as an adult. I'd completely forgotten just how funny this movie is and just how disgusting it is (Stripe's demise... yuck). Also props to the screenwriters for the creative ways they came up with for offing both the people and the monsters - especially the crazy cat lady and her chair. :laugh:

4

[TheUsualSuspect]

A Perfect Getaway

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A couple on their honeymoon go to Hawaii and meet up with another couple along the way. They discover that there is another couple killing people on the island and they suspect each other, among others. Who is the real killer?

This film suffers from the same fate Hide and Seek had, the trailer gives away the ending. Maybe not bluntly, but if you know how these films work, you know how the film will end. Going into this film, I had a pretty good idea, from the trailer, how this one was going to end. I ended up being right, but I still enjoyed the film and what it had to offer. Knowing the ending makes it a bit more interesting because you can look at things from different angles, as opposed to someone who may have no clue at all. Despite the predictable ending this film has, it has more to offer.

The cast consists of funny man Steve Zahn, who has been stepping out of his usual comedic roles and taking on more things these days, and Milla Jovovich as the honeymoon couple. He is a screen writer, she is just happy to be on her honeymoon. We don't get much else from her, besides one scene in which she has a conversation about her past. Zahn does a good job playing the nerdy role. I said in another review he couldn't carry a film (Strange Wilderness) yet here is seems like the type of person who can. Only time will tell, I hope he takes on more than just comedic roles though.

Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez (Nikki from Lost) are the second couple. He is some kind of ex-marine type guy, who is a man's man, boar killing and all. She comes off as a free spirited chick, who is able to match her significant other. There is a third couple, who pop in and out of the film as the scary duo. They serve their purpose and leave, nothing more to really say about them.

The director, David Twohy tries his hand at something other than sci/f. His resume includes an underrated flick The Arrival and Vin Diesel vehicles Pitch Black & The Chronicles of Riddick. Glad to see him trying his hand at new stuff and it works. The film is entertaining and thrilling, two key things needed in this type of flick. It has it's by the numbers moments, every film like this does, but in sea of films like these, this one isn't bad.

I wish they film did play up the, which couple are the killers, a little more. It could have been a good mystery, but again, if you pay attention enough, you'll guess who's who early on. The film throws clues as to who the killers are left right and centre. Some people might not like how the film tries to fool it's audience and near the end it does shift it's focus, which seemed odd, yet needed. Can I recommend A Perfect Getaway? Sure, for the people who might be interested that is. If you know this type of film is not for you, keep on walking. If you're a little bit interested, give it a look.

3

[zedlen]

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Delicatessen Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet 1991

Arguably as good a film as Amelie but darker and less-popular, Delicatessen is worth checking out.

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Jindabyne Ray Lawrence 2006

The one aspect of this film that stuck out the most to me is how closely it resembled Australian rural life, the strained relationships are believable.
Not a film ill be re-watching too often but a good movie all the same.

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The Fountain Darren Aronofsky 2006

There are three stories happening simultaneously, all revolving around the same love story and theme of eternal life. If there was more attention to detail and explained just a little more it could have been great but it leaves so much of the film open to interpretation that it just doesn't work.

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Raging Bull Martin Scorsese 1980

I don't know if this is the greatest movie ever made but it is a great film. What is outstanding is De Niro's performance.

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[mark f]

Rancho Notorious (Fritz Lang,1952) 2.5+ http://images.absoluteastronomy.com/images/topicimages/r/ra/rancho_notorious.gif

Western film noir, shot in color, creates a unique atmosphere, but it's often too unique for its own good. Still, it's worth a peek to see how the story plays out involving mysterious cowboy Vern (Arthur Kennedy) who comes to the remote criminal hideout of Chuck-a-Luck, run by Altar (Marlene Dietrich). Vern has just busted out from jail Altar's lover Frenchy (Mel Ferrer), but as soon as they arrive, Vern becomes suspicious of some of the other outlaws there. There are a few visual flourishes but they are sometimes offset by weird acting and staging. Even so, this is definitely a cult flick.

Genghis Khan (Henry Levin,1965) 2 http://kocinema.main.jp/criticism/genghis%2520kahn%2520320x240.jpg

This flick is OK for little kids and undemanding action fans, but it plays out slightly better if you watch it for camp value. Omar Sharif plays Genghis Khan and Stephen Boyd is his archrival in trying to unite the Mongols. Then you have James Mason and Robert Morley both playing Chinese (!) characters. It's not bad enough to be a hoot but it's not really good enough to waste two hours on. There is a bit of spectacle here and there but it's mostly of the cardboard variety.

The Changeling (PeterMedak,1980) 3 http://www.northernstars.ca/posters/1980/the_changeling_150.jpg

This is one of the many supernatural thrillers which came out in the wake of The Exorcist, and it's a pretty good ghost story. Composer George C.Scott loses his wife and daughter in a freak accident and tries to get away from things in an enormous house which turns out to be haunted. He decides to try to exorcise his personal demons by finding out what happened in that house. The film is often low-key and quiet, but eventually it uses loud sound effects almost as well as the classic The Haunting (1963). The flick also has the scariest wheelchair in film history to go along with its other pleasures and mysteries.

The Swan (Charles Vidor,1956) 3- http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/97/Swan_Poster.jpg/200px-Swan_Poster.jpg

This is mostly a low-key romantic comedy which works because of the charm and contrast of the three central charactersand actors: Grace Kelly as a beautiful "ice" princess who has no experience at love or romance, Alec Guinness as a stuffy Crown Prince who's looking for a wife, and Louis Jourdan as a tutor who's in love with Kelly and releases her hidden passions one night. The supporting cast (Estelle Windwood, Brian Aherne, Jesse Royce Landis, Agnes Moorehead) also contributes some laughs, but sometimes the film's simplicity seems to be swamped by the elaborate sets, costumes and the widescreen film process which makes a rather simple play get lost a bit on the big screen.

The Lady Vanishes (Alfred Hitchcock, 1938) 3+http://static.omdb.si/posters/active/186721.jpg

Classic Hitchcock flick, the best one from his pre-Hollywood era, still has the joys of an archetypal mystery thriller laced with dark humor. It's not so much what happens but how it does which brings so much pleasure, and if my rating seems a bit low, it's probably because I've just seen it so many times, and it's been ripped off incessantly down through the years. It still has all the classic elements in place and has us pulling for the young woman (Margaret Lockwood) who knows that an old lady has disappeared from a train but nobody else claims to have seen her. At least young Michael Redgrave agrees to help her get to the bottom of things, and there's an almost rogues' gallery of supporting characters, including Charters (Basil Radford) and Caldicott (Naunton Wayne) who turned up in a few later British thrillers.

Secretary (Steven Shainberg, 2002) 2.5+ http://www.bollycircle.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/secretary.jpg

This is a pretty unique flick and I like it enough to probably give it 3, but I can understand that some others might find it boring, uncomfortable and just plain weird. The subject matteri involves mental illness, self-abuse, dominant/submissive working and sexual relationships, harrassment, loneliness, and other serious subjects, but I find the film's saving grace the fact that even though it takes awhile to get there, it's actually a comedy! James Spader's vocal intonations and pauses are actually very funny, especially if you think of him as a younger version of William Shatner. Maggie Gyllenhaal is charming and brave as she's subjected to various strange, demeaning incidents but comes to find love within them. She's also brave in that she gets completely naked in the film. This is one I'm sure will divide people but it'll probably draw some kind of reaction from everyone.

La femme infidèle (Claude Chabrol,1969) 3 http://images.fan-de-cinema.com/affiches/mini/drame_psychologique/la_femme_infidele,0.jpg

Chabrol creates another film where things are seemingly uneventful, but with that title, you already know what the "plot" is going to be, so what's left is to see how he tweaks his own form of Hitchcockian suspense here in the story of a seemingly happily-married couple (Stéphane Audran and Michel Bouquet). The husband notices a change in his wife's affections and her timetable which involves going into Paris every other day, so he hires a private detective who confirms the worst which is that she sees the same man (Maurice Ronet) on all her visits and she stays about two hours inside his flat each time he sees him. From here on, we watch the husband visit the lover and see how it all plays out from there on. This is one of the stronger Chabrol films in that it isn't as enigmatic as many of his others. We all see what happens and come to understand what it all means for everyone involved.

Gentleman's Agreement (Elia Kazan,1947) 3.5-http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_y6Ryxkf1tlA/ScPAQYRqtKI/AAAAAAAADCg/W0nlaeD5zik/s320/gentlemans_agreement.jpg

Although this film talked about some taboos at the time, it probably won't strike some as anything too daring anymore, but even so, it was a little shocking for Sarah to hear the "N-word" here as well as a few other racial epithets. The film is still surprisingly entertaining and suspenseful though because it's very well-constructed-and-acted. Gregory Peck and John Garfield seem totally committed to their roles as a journalist posing as a Jew to find out about anti-Semitism and his best friend, a Jew. The female roles are all well-handled too, including Peck's girlfriend (Dorothy McGuire), his mom (Anne Revere), his Jewish secretary (June Havoc) and the fashion editor (Celeste Holm) who has her eyes on and cap set for Peck. Young Dean Stockwell contributes a nice turn too as Peck's son. Some people see this film as weaker and more "white bread" than a similar film the same year, (Crossfire), while others don't like Kazan any more because of his involvement with HUAC, but looking at the film in isolation, it's still good and builds in power as it moves along.

Watchmen (Zack Snyder, 2009) 3 http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/CrucifynDi3/watchmen2009.jpg

I'll admit that I don't know anything about the graphic novel, but I'm not "reviewing" the novel. I can't explain it to you, but something about the beginning of the movie completely rubbed me the wrong way. The montage over the opening credits seemed to lavish a lot of money and F/X to explain to me that I was in an alternate universe, but I usually take all movies as an alternate universe. When the credits ended, I was already rebelling against it, thinking it was much ado about nothing, and trust me, I never have these kind of thoughts for movies of most any kind after about 10 minutes. Anyway, then the film started to actually introduce the characters and I found them to be completely uninvolving, so I scrunched down in my seat a bit and decided it was going to be a long haul of a movie.

Eventually, I got used to the characters, even if I never cared about most of them, but the film played out with some fun acknowledgements to the old Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon serials, especially in the heroes' uniforms and modes of transportation (the "Archie"). On the other hand, the non-hero sides (the more human) of the characters didn't really strike me as interesting enough to be the focus of a movie, no matter how many there were and how many versions of them there were. However, Snyder's style and seeming love of the material did make the second half of the film play out more entertaining to me, so it's a mixed bag but a :up:. I'm going to shut up about it now because I'm just spinning my wheels.

War and Peace (King Vidor,1956) 3 http://www.cinemaforever.com/1956_War_and_Peace.jpg

This three-and-one-half-hour version recreates the novel in a sort of Cliffs Notes style. All the highlights are there, so the film is entertaining, although it has none of the dazzling spectacle and cinematic invention of Sergei Bondarchuk's massive 1967 Russian version which is one of the best films ever made. Of the huge cast, Audrey Hepburn stands out as Natasha, but that really is the best-written, juiciest role. Henry Fonda does a good job as the awkward Pierre although he seems to be miscast. Mel Ferrer is fine as Prince Andrei, although he's always going to be the least-emotional of the three characters and therefore the most enigmatically-incomplete. Director Vidor does film the balls, battle scenes and the torching of Moscow well, but the film just never quite ignites enough to turn it from something competent to something inspiring. I recommend it but I certainly think you should see the Bondarchuk version (discussed here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=403937&highlight=Bondarchuk#post403937) briefly) instead.

[zedlen]

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Gigantic Matt Aselton 2008

I'm a fan of Zooey Deschanel and I don't mind Paul Dano or John Goodman. The trailer had me expecting more then this little indie/arthouse film delivered.

Brian (Dano) is a young bed salesmen who's trying to adopt a young Chinese baby when Happy (Deschanel) falls asleep on a bed he's selling. There relationship, crazy families and personal insecurities follow. There is also an unexplained sub-plot that makes no sense and isn't explained.


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Dano and Deschanel give decent enough performances, only Goodman is really convincing but he's only in a few short scenes. Parts of the movie are interesting and a few scenes are fairly good but none of it really sticks together and after a while I found myself getting bored.

Arthouse and indy films can be be great because of there unique approach or they are pretentious and have little or no substance, this is mostly the latter.

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[undercoverlover]

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(500) Days Of Summer

Awesomeness. sweet, funny, heartbreaking with a cool soundtrack. It messes with the medium too which makes it fun visually.

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Joseph Gordon Levitt is very impressive here, id be more than happy to see more of him. Zooey Deschanel is also good but her character is loathsome. Which is genius because it's not her characters story, if it was then we might like her more.

[downthesun]

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
http://news.filefront.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/442px-silver_surfer.jpg
This movie neither appeals to comic fans or non comic book fans. It's boring, tedious and is pretty much like watching an episode of the Bold and the Beautiful with a little bit more action. What this movie has done to a much loved group of comic book heroes is horrendous.

The action in the movie is predictable and very poor with little to no excitement. The only real drama in the movie is the soap opera like relationships in the group, in fact most soap writers would call this crap. The attempts at humour are laughable with nothing in the movie making me want to smile.

Story doesn't have a clue what he is doing with his directing, as was the case with the first Fantastic Four. My 8 year old cousin would have found the action scenes the least bit interesting but I can't see how anyone over his age would. I really haven't got a clue who this movie is aimed at.
The acting is atrocious. It's sad that Alba is so hot but yet is such a piss poor actress, Michael Chilkis who I loved in The Shield does what is necessary as The Thing, it's not his fault that the script requires him to try and tell unfunny jokes. Chris Evans just downright pisses me off. There is no character development and it seems like the movie was rushed and put together in the space of a few weeks. The only good thing about this movie is Stan Lee's cameo.

I sincerely hope we won't be seeing a third instalment of this pathetic series.
1

Bad Company
http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTcyNzIyOTY1M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNDg5NjI3._V1._SX485_SY327_.jpg
Bad Company is an action comedy which really doesn't have too much going for it. Jerry Bruckheimer went through a period of producing films which were essentially poor action movies. Hopkins and Chris Rock are on two opposite ends of the spectrum in Bad Company. Hopkins knows he's is too good for this movie and the boredom shows in his performance. Chris Rock tries on the other hand is trying too hard. He's a comedian not an actor and looks very uncomfortable throughout the majority of the movie. I will give him credit for a few quality laughs.

The screenplay means that no matter who was cast in this movie it would have been horrible. Bruckheimer does his usual thing by trying to mask the poor script and casting with big action scenes and a lot of shooting, unfortunately it doesn't work.
2

Super Troopers
http://homepage.mac.com/merussell/iblog/B835531044/C1592678312/E20060825131715/Media/SuperTroopers.gif
This movie is stupid, it's juvenile and it's hilarious. Whilst it's stupid though it doesn't become a movie like Epic Movie or Date Movie which insults your intelligence. It's more like American Pie sort of humour.

The cast are a bunch of likeable and funny guys, it's hard not to laugh at a lot of the scenes in Super Troopers, I was particularly in fits of laughter during the “How many times can you say meow” scene. The majority of the main cast are from Canadian comedy group “Broken Lizard” and were introduced to American audiences through this film (they followed up with Beerfest).

There is a lack of any real character development but this helps as it doesn't slow down the pace of the film. The team have obviously been together for a while because it was co-written by the five of them and it does seem like it was all written by one person. They have great on screen chemistry and I believe this is what propels Super Troopers into the realm of good teen related comedy alongside movies like American Pie and South Park.

It also has the classic line: "I'll believe that when me **** turns purple and smells like rainbow sherbet"
3.5+

Satya
http://www.harsamay.com/ShowPicture/m/7047/Satya.aspx
One of Bollywood's ground breaking films and a movie that launched the careers of Manoj Bajpai and Urimila Matondkar. It actually started a whole new genre of films in India about the Mumbai underworld. Matondkar is impressive showing her range,in her previous roles she had been typecast as a sex symbol whilst in Satya she plays an innocent naïve singer.

The cinematography and background score perfectly capture the mood of Satya and unlike most Bollywood movies avoids becoming too commercial with unnecessary songs. Ramgopal Varma was very much overlooked and underrated before this movie and it really burst him into the spotlight although he is yet to make a piece that rivals Satya, although this is a near impossible task.

I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see a side of Indian cinema which isn't just about glossy songs set in foreign countries.
4

[WBadger]

The Awful Truth (1937)- B-/B

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qzd9HIsRWeA/R6-7y6UoM4I/AAAAAAAAGLs/NrB1YEvZGWw/s400/The+Awful+Truth.jpg

This was a charming movie experience as this couple experience divorce but fall closer to each other when the other starts dating other people. Surprisingly, what made this film better was some good humor. Cary Grant was very entertaining as he tried to annoy his wife by interupting her dates. But, overall, good film that is comedic and charming.


Die Hard (1988)- A+

http://www.scene-stealers.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/diehard2.jpg

Possibly the best action film I've ever seen. I like what Bruce Willis brings to the character, along with his badass attitude. You know what I really like about this movie that seems to be unique in movies today, is that the whole movie is one event. All the action scenes were entertaining and fun to watch. The plot and premise is simple but works effectively. Overall, love this movie.

[Iroquois]

With the exception of Hoop Dreams and District 9, all of these are re-watches that I felt like putting down anyway. If you want further comments, ask me. I don't really feel like writing anything down at the moment.

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Twelve Monkeys (Terry Gilliam, 1995) - 4

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Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2001) - 4

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Hoop Dreams (Steve James, 1994) 4

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Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969) 4.5

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:OX1kfpMPp8FozM:http://www.edge.ca/Pics/Blogs/Adam/bruno_poster.jpg

Brüno (Larry Charles, 2009) 3

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District 9 (Neill Blomkamp, 2009) 4.5

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Ferris Bueller's Day Off (John Hughes, 1986) - 3

[Golgot]

Oo, can you give us more on District 9? It's an alien entity to me

[downthesun]

Iro just reviewed it in his review thread mate:

http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=14774&page=8

[Iroquois]

^Pretty much, yeah.

[meatwadsprite]

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Doggy Poo 2003

What a great film to break in the new netflix party feature (for 360) , if you just happen to have a group of friends ready to ridicule the ever living hell out of a movie about a piece of dog **** - why not watch this ?

1

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Space Jam 1996

... and here's the perfect follow-up. I admit to loving this movie when I was a kid , but aside from the hyper-corn jokes , giggly loony tunes references , and Michael Jordon in cahootz with Bill Murray - it's .... well it's Space Jam.

1.5

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Shoot the Piano Player 1960

There were bits I really enjoyed and the occasional dragging part that I wouldn't , very simple flick with some good technical aspects.

3

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Howl's Moving Castle 2004

There are so many exciting ideas , imaginative ideas , and the animation contends with the studio's latest for amount of detail piled on - what it really lacks is excitement. There are many areas where it just drags into dullness instead of keeping a more on tempo , wondrous , mysterious feel (like Spirited Away). Howl's Moving Castle is a great film in search of a beat and it rarely finds one.

3

[Loner]

Bigger Stronger Faster* (Chris Bell)


http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2008/05/08/bigger-stronger-faster-post.jpg


More than a simple film about steroids, Chris Bell's broad documentary questions the win at
all costs American culture.

Bell, a former high school powerlift champion, becomes disillusioned after learning his
childhood heroes superhuman physiques were built on more than training hard and
vitamins. Everything from the use of supplements to genetic engineering is covered.

http://images.publicradio.org/content/2008/06/06/20080606_steroiduser2.jpg


http://www.ballyroonmountain.com/belgian%20blue%20bull.jpg


As he searches for answers to his moral dilemma,the scope expands to a wider
definition of performance enhancing drugs. High school students using Adderall.
Musicians taking beta blockers. Pornstars injecting Viagra. Fighter pilots
popping amphetamines.

Chris finds in the end that cheaters in our hypocritical society are often rewarded.

4.5

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/furyatfurnacecreek.jpg

Fury At Furnace Creek (1948)

Yep, another Victor Mature movie. Considering the usually poor (yet still enjoyable) quality of Mature's films and considering that I was less than thrilled with another Mature Western (My Darling Clementine) I really was not expecting this film to be genuinely good. However, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this film had an engaging plot, a good amount of action and interesting (if not particularly well acted) characters.

3.5

[mark f]

The Rocketeer (Joe Johnson, 1991) 3.5+

http://tf.org/images/covers/TheRocketeer1991free.jpg

In the summer of 1991, I went to the theatre and watched The Rocketeer and knew for a fact that it would be a huge hit. It had flying, sci-fi, Hollywood, gangsters, Howard Hughes, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin in a terrific role, an Errol Flynn-type villain, a Rondo Hatton-type henchman, Nazis, zeppelins in Los Angeles, and just a general love for moviemaking and movie lore. Well, it made a respectable $46 million but it wasn't a hit, so it's one of several times that I was wrong about a movie's success, but I wasn't wrong about its entertainment value. The Rocketeer is still a slambang adventure, a full-blown romance, a paean to Hollywood during its Golden Years, and especially, a tribute to all the men and women who sacrificed themselves to the improvement of the aviation industry.

http://www.brawnylads.com/hotties/jennifer/jc250.jpg

The film takes place in 1938, and Howard Hughes has just manufactured the first flying jet pack for humans, and a certain Nazi will stop at nothing to get it for the Third Reich. Meanwhile, a simple pilot (Bill Campbell) loves a Hollywood extra (Jennifer Connelly) but he and his mentor (Alan Arkin) become embroiled in a humongous mess involving the rocket pack. This is all set in the midst of late 1930s Hollywood and Howard Hughes (The Stepfather's Terry O'Quinn) plays an important supporting role in the non-stop action, comedy and special effects. I cannot recommend The Rocketeer highly enough for people who want to watch pure entertainment. The only thing I can say against it is that in its joyful glee to provide maximum entertainment that it maybe goes on an extra ten minutes somewhere about two-thirds of the way through, but that just keeps me from giving it 4.

The Fly (David Cronenberg, 1986) 4

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s291/Sam_Loomis/TheFly1986poster.jpg

"Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid." One of the greatest advertising tags to any movie proves to be truth in advertising in what I consider Cronenberg's best film by about a million miles. Somehow, the characters in this film, Seth (Jeff Goldblum) and Roni (Geena Davis), are so empathetic and wonderfully portrayed by the pair of actors that they turn the film into a pure tragedy, almost ranking with Brooksfilms' own The Elephant Man or The Hunchback of Notre Dame which this film occasionally resembles visually. Jeff Goldblum gives a performance worthy of an Oscar, let alone the nomination he was robbed of, and Geena Davis (who married him the next year) is equally spectacular in a film which delves into characters and reality in a way which this year's Watchmen was totally incapable of doing. Seth Brundle in The Fly has more humanity in his "fly hair" than all the Watchmen combined. Now, whether you want to argue that the Watchmen are fleshed out in the graphic novel or not, I'll stand by my statement because Brundle doesn't have a flippin' backstory to somehow try to convince you that he's worthy of your care and concern. However, he does have Goldblum's eyes, voice, wit and intelligence.

http://www.ugo.com/movies/scariest-hospital-scenes/images/the-fly.jpg

The Fly is a pure horror film. What it shows the audience is disgusting and pathetic, but it never begs for any forgiveness, and that's exactly why the characters earn it; they all behave as woefully human as people you and I know. Yes, even the character I consider the Bastard in the film, John Getz (Blood Simple) as Roni's scummy boss, seems to somehow redeem himself and turn into a form of human being at the end when he's the most-deformed. The Fly is a straight-out masterpiece to me. It's not only Cronenberg's most mature film, it's his funniest, most-romantic, most complete and fulfilled flick, no matter what you may think of the way it ends so quickly. In fact, the ending most reminds me of another fave film of mine from the '80s which many of our younger MoFos seem to misunderstand, An American Werewolf in London. The endings of both films are so quick only to emphasize the shocking tragedy involved while not wallowing in any sentimentality to make you think differently than the disturbing imagery to which you have just been witness.

Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979) 3.5+

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0792846109.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Woody Allen made Manhattan as an effort to combine his most serious comedy to date [the Oscar-winning Annie Hall (1977)] with his attempt to make a full-blooded Ingmar Bergman film [Interiors (1978)]. The result was a love letter to NYC, and in fact, Manhattan probably uses more NYC landmarks than any other Allen film, and that's really saying something, even if Woody and all his characters have enough neuroses to fill up Bergman's entire filmography. The strength of Manhattan is that Woody makes the most-mature character the second-youngest one in the entire film. Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) is Woody's 17-year-old lover when the film begins, and she and Woody treat each other as comfortably as an old married couple would (I'm speaking from experience here). However, all of Woody's friends are having marital/sexual problems which are totally unnecessaty if you were lucky enough to cohabit with an Angelic soul such as Tracy. Of course, Woody loves being able to teach and form a pliable, yet intelligent mind about film and music (forgive me, Sarah) and avail himself of her youthful, sexual body, but he keeps acting like she will have to move on because "this is only a temporary thing" on your way to a more-mature life.

Warning: Spoilers (This is the End of the Movie) - I'm posting these because I certainly think it shows that Mariel's pretty (Part 10) and as a response to Yoda's questioning about the ending which I'm getting into next.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXgnXrQtm5I
(3:00-7:20) OR the WHOLE thing if you've seen the movie. :cool:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwEGbMBwhdE

To me, the ending's key lies in both Woody's realization of what makes life worth living and in Mariel's (Tracy's) line that "you have to have a little faith in people." Woody spent the entire movie blowing her off even though he basically loved her but treated her as some student/pet/Galatea. The scene just before this one (Scene 10) is also important so I think I have to post it too -- did it. Woody backtracks and hmms and haws to try to get Tracy to do the exact opposite he recommended the entire film, but when Tracy calls him on it and says that he has "to have a little faith in people", Woody looks around (knowing it's not really that good a thing) but eventually he smiles because he knows that if he was ever going to have faith in anybody, it would be Tracy, the Sweetest Heart to ever grace a human body in Woody Allen history.

P.S. Looking at it now, the ending of Part 9 reminds me of the ending of French Connection II. HA! :cool:

[Iroquois]

Weird, right now I feel like The Fly is closer to a 2 or 2.5 in my estimation - based off a single theatrical viewing a few months ago. It may change in the future, but maybe (to paraphrase the Watchmen graphic novel) I understand perfectly - and I don't care.

[mark f]

I think you should just give it 1 so you don't have to ever think about it again. I'm toying with the idea of seing District 9 tomorrow but I doubt it'll happen since we only have Sarah for another five days before she goes off to USC. However, Sarah has already asked me to watch The Fly with her again tomorrow.

[Iroquois]

Nah, The Fly isn't that bad. It had its moments, certainly enough to keep me from hating it outright. It's more a case of being badly disappointed by something I had high hopes for. Funny you should mention District 9 in conjunction with The Fly because...

...when the lead character is exposed to a strange alien fluid his body slowly starts mutating in a way that definitely owed a hell of a debt to The Fly in terms of minor mutations such as losing fingernails and teeth.

Besides, now that I think about it, I think the fact that I'm still thinking about it is probably a good thing. At least you can't call the film "forgettable".

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_]

Currently watching Les Amities Particulieres

[meatwadsprite]

However, Sarah has already asked me to watch The Fly with her again tomorrow.

That sick , sick woman.

I saw it once and that was enough for me , well made and very yucky disgusting :sick:.

Besides you could always just watch Tim and Eric for the brief wrap-it-up version ...

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gmYkZGoHx5g/0.jpg http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:6xMq-s6yxinIcM:http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/ii472/dothehansa/bluegold.png

[Godoggo]

Into the Wild (2007 Sean Penn)

http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/godoggo_photo/2109709057_bd7f22391f.jpg

I have always wanted to like Penn's movies more than I do, mostly I think because I just like Sean Penn so much. This one I love. I think this was the movie Penn was meant to make.

I have read the thread on this movie, and I am perfectly aware of how some people perceive Christopher Mccandless, but I can't help to be inspired by him. I personally think this movie was about as fitting a tribute to him as one could hope for. A

http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/godoggo_photo/christophermccandlessei0.jpg

Brick (2005 Rian Johnson)

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

This one didn't do much for me at all. The old fashioned noir speak just felt gimmicky and there wasn't a whole lot else to the movie for me. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has done some really great work, but I thought he was miscast here. C

[WBadger]

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)- B+

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg176/unspokenjoe/Butch_Cassidy_and_the_Sundance_Kid.jpg

Decent Western film, with two very interesting characters. Worth the watch.


Seventeen Again (2009)- D+

http://blog.mlive.com/projectmayhem/2009/04/large_17-Again-Movie-453.jpg

Wow, don't watch this movie.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/boy_in_the_striped_pajamas.jpg

The Boy In the Striped Pajamas

I blind bought this movie the day it was released on DVD, but only just now got around to watching it. It moved a little slowly at first but after it got going it became a very engaging film. It was really saddening to watch the mother in particular as she came to the realization of what her husband truly was and had to watch as her children were corrupted by it. And then, of course, there was Bruno and the shattering of his illusions of his father and his country. Very emotionally difficult to watch but very well made.

4

[jrs]

Trick ‘r Treat Warner Brothers Digital Screener 4


http://backwoodshorror.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/trick_poster.jpg

District 9 4_5

http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/district_9_movie_poster3a.jpg

BTW, was this scene taken out of the movie, I don't remember seein it in the film..

http://www.pedestrian.tv/uploads/images/blogs/4a5eaf80241d0/district9.jpg

[Iroquois]

I'm pretty sure it was just supposed to be part of the ad campaign, not appear in the movie proper.

[meatwadsprite]

I bet there was a scene after the credits ...

[Iroquois]

From what I've heard, there wasn't.

[Used Future]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aQdNOVtavJQ/SGRfl3UkVVI/AAAAAAAAADY/-71lRm1CSUs/s400/sf.jpg

Sex and Fury (Norifumi Suzuki 1973) 3.5+
Widely regarded as the pinnacle of Japan's Pinku eiga second wave; Suzuki's Sex and Fury transcends the genre in terms of visual style, sensual erotica, and mesmerising balletic violence. Reiko Ike is magnificent as the ruthless Ocho seeking vengeance against a trio of Yakuza turned politicians (each identified by a different animal tattoo on their back) who murdered her detective father when she was a child. Along the way she saves a young girl from a prostitution ring, and crosses paths with British agent and gambler extraordinaire Christina (played by beautiful Swedish sexploitation legend Christina Lindberg).

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sq4s7kd5tEs/SduJHwhdAcI/AAAAAAAAAkg/6SBxa39nE9w/s400/sexandfury15.jpg

Sex and Fury is one of the best slices of Pinku I've seen so far (right up there with Shunya Ito's Beast Stable). The film is so beautifully photographed and hypnotically performed by Ike and Lindberg that it approaches high art. Perfectly paced it's filled with visceral blood soaked slow motion swordplay (in one scene Ike even fights off a group of gamblers in a snowy zen garden whilst completely naked), sleazy yet restrained sex scenes (including S&M and bondage), not to mention enthusiastic gun play, and a brilliantly staged poker scene. I found Sex and Fury an absolute treat and highly recommended it to more adventurous viewers.

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Inglorious Bastards (Enzo G. Castellari 1978) 2.5-
A title that needs no introduction thanks to Quentin Tarantino's eagerly anticipated loose re-imagining. This original would still be languishing in complete obscurity if it wasn't for his admiration of it's admittedly brilliant title, and the presence of stars Bo Svenson, and exploitation legend Fred 'The Hammer' Williamson. Originally intended as a cash in on Robert Aldridge's The Dirty Dozen, and to a lesser extent a semi homage to Peckinpah and Cross of Iron (who Castellari seemed to mimic in all his 70's action pictures with his love of slow motion choreography) Inglorious Bastards is really just a juvenile yet cheerful adventure flick that unsurprisingly lacks the depth and quality of it's influences.

Set during the latter stages of WW2, a group of American soldiers condemned to death for war crimes escape from custody when their convoy is bombed. Heading for the Swiss border they become embroiled with the French resistance after accidentally killing a group of American soldiers who were posing as Germans in order to steal a rocket guidance system from a train. Soon they're recruited to take their place by Colonel Buckner (Ian Bannen) who promises them immunity in return. Meh this is standard stuff with questionable logic, lots of mindless shooting and idiotic macho dialogue. To it's credit it does have an endearing sense of humour, and both Svenson as the heroic Lt. Yeager and especially Williamson as tough nut Private Cranfield are extremely likable. But really this is a forgettable time filler at best that left me feeling bored despite it's non stop action.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JW363GJKL._SL500.jpg http://jtcummins.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/invadersalien.jpg

Strange Invaders (Michael Laughlin 1983) 3
This is an imaginative largely forgotten homage to 1950's Sci-Fi flicks that garnered critical praise from some quarters on it's initial release. Sadly the film flopped at the box office and subsequently disappeared without trace (at least in the UK) making it something of an obscurity.

The story has aliens land in in a small Midwest town during the fifties taking on human form, and replacing the residents (ala Invasion of the Body Snatchers). Twenty five years later and New York entomologist Charles Bigelow (Paul Le Mat) travels there looking for his missing ex wife (June Lockhart) only to fall foul of the aliens who still live there with permission from the US government!!! Narrowly escaping with his life Charles flees back to New York, but can't get anyone to believe his story (including Nancy Allen as a hack UFO journalist, and Louise Fletcher great as a shady government official). Soon it becomes clear the creatures have followed him and want to take his daughter back to their home planet...

Despite it's slow pace Strange Invaders works thanks to some clever writing that effectively spoofs 1950's B-movies whilst still maintaining a serious (and often creepy) atmosphere. There are some imaginative budget effects, not least the gooey alien makeups, and floating orbs of light housing the souls of captured earthlings; it's just a shame they're so thin on the ground. The story regularly goes in interesting directions though and the film never feels cliched despite the familiar premise. Overall I'd say this is worth a look for fans of fifties science fiction flicks and 80's kookiness.

http://www.separatecinema.com/images/detail_images/Blaxsploitation/lrgpic18.jpg http://www.thenewblackmagazine.com/Photofiles/tamara%20dobson1.jpg

Cleopatra Jones (Jack Starrett 1973) 2.5+
Another iconic Blaxploitation film with Tamara Dobson attempting to rival Pam Grier's turn as Coffy. She plays a special government agent (like a female James Bond with jive attitude and better one liners) on a one woman crusade against the drugs trade. Picking up in Turkey with Cleo ordering the destruction of an opium crop; this is a more light hearted tongue-in-cheek affair with the emphasis heavily on car chases, shootouts and Karate. Leading the bad guys is a hilariously over the top Shelly Winters as Mommy, the head of a drugs cartel out to erase our heroine (no pun intended). But Antonio Fargas steals the movie acting it big as the irrepressibly likable, fast talking drug pusher Doodlebug. This is low budget fluff that veers somewhat awkwardly between high camp and violence, but I've never let that stop me before. I found Cleopatra Jones to be fast paced, often highly amusing, and always entertaining. In short I dug it.

Other Stuff I've watched recently...

Watchmen (Zack Snyder 2009) 3 Everything Mark f said.
Nightbeast (Don Dohler 1982) 1.5 The best trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLpTUp9LIw0) ever, but sadly one of the worst films. I'd wanted to see this for ages and was really disappointed.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/uncletomscabin.jpg

Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927)

Today, I made the mistake of deviating from honeykid's recommendations for silent films and watched this movie. What a stinking turd it turned out to be. The sets were impressive, as were the costumes, but the terrible acting, the "creative license" the filmmakers took with the story and the outrageous number of black roles played by white actors killed any possibility of enjoyment for me.

0.5

[honeykid]

Today, I made the mistake of deviating from honeykid's recommendations for silent films and watched this movie.

That's fantastic, MV. That may be the only time I ever see anything like that in my life. :laugh:

[Powdered Water]

A few of the flicks I've seen this week...

Lars and the Real Girl (Craig Gillespie - 2007) 4

Why oh why do I wait to see certain movies sometimes? I can't see them all I guess and it can be such a crap shoot sometimes when trying to pick out flicks that I think may be interesting. Well, this one sure as hell was. I loved it. And I completely "got it". Ryan Gosling and Emily Mortimer both turn in excellent performances and they were both so good I barely recognized them. My kind of movie. Definitely.

Definitely, Maybe (Adam Brooks - 2008) 3.5

I also really enjoyed this one. I'm not a big fan of Ryan Reynolds but admittedly I haven't seen him in anything other than several action and comic book flicks. He was quite good and little Abigail Breslin is another young female actress that I think I will enjoy watching grow up onscreen.



The wife and I have also gone on a mission to see as many Godzilla flicks as we can get our hands on and so far we've seen about 7 of them this week. They are guilty pleasures for me big time as I used to watch them at 12 o'clock sharp every Saturday from about 1979 to 1980 on channel 11 KSTW. I miss those days. Anyway, I'm not going to bother rating them because really, what's the point? ;)

http://godzillathrone.com/godzilladance2.gif

And yes, that is an actual scene from one of the movies... Teehee!

[igor_is_fugly]

The Nines and Smokin Aces are the two Ryan Reynolds movies I'd classify as "must sees." Chaos Theory was actually pretty good too, and Just Friends is a personal fave comedy. I must find this Godzilla movie that clip is from btw. Thats sooo funny.

[Powdered Water]

Yeah, I liked Smokin Aces quite a bit. I'll look up those others. Thanks!

[MovieMan8877445]

You know, other than starting watching some episodes of LOST, my movie watching this week has been pretty normal.

I'm starting to really like Kevin Smith, I've seen three of his films so far, and I've liked them all. What's weird, though, is the film that most consider his best has been my least favorite so far. I guess I don't think as highly of Clerks as everyone else seems to. I mean the movie itself was pretty great, but it never really made me laugh that hard at all. I'm also not too big of a fan of Indie flicks. Clerks II on the other hand was freaking hilarious. It completely lost the Indie feel that the first had, and uped the laughs. There were a few parts throughout that literally had me on the ground laughing. I wouldn't mind if Smith would make a third Clerk's film, and I believe that he said he was, when he was in his 40's. I also re-watched Dogma and loved it even more this time around. I found it very hilarious, and it's incredibly freaking epic. I loved almost the entire cast, too, I mean: Alan Rickman, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, and Jason Lee were perfect together. I can see it making a pretty high spot on my favorites list.

I had a mini-'Fincher'athon, too, but I already typed up reviews in my review thread for the both of those so I'll keep it short. Se7en is amazing, and one of my absolute favorites. Fight Club is damn great, too, but not as much as Se7en. It still has a spot on my favorites list, though. I re-watched some other movies that I like this week, too. I finally got around to watching my DVD copy of Appaloosa. I saw it in theaters and bought the DVD months ago, but only got around to watching it this past week. I love westerns, and it's a pretty great western at that. There are parts where it gets a tad bit slow, but I still love it. I re-watched Dr. Strangelove last night, too, and I think it's pretty great as well. I don't really view it as a comedy, though, but I still find it very entertaining oddly enough. I have no idea why. I watched I Love You, Man with my family last night, too, and I loved it even more this time around. I guess with who I was watching it with had an effect on that. They thought it was pretty hilarious, too.

I finally got around to watching some films that I'd been waiting to watch for while as well. I watched Boogie Nights last weekend, and I couldn't even finish it. I loved There Will Be Blood, but Boogie Nights just made me uncomfortable more than anything else. I was watching it by myself, too, but it left me incredibly uncomfortable, and it was a tad bit boring as well. I couldn't even make it past the first hour. I watched A History of Violence, too, and I can't even describe how much I loved it. It was amazing, and I really just want to go out and buy it now. I meant to buy it the other night when I went to Best Buy, but I forgot to look for it. I watched 10 Things I Hate About You just a little while ago and it really surprised me. I didn't think it'd be something I like, but I ended up really enjoying it. It was good to finally see a movie with Heath Ledger other than the Dark Knight.

My official ratings for the week:

Boogie Nights - N/A
(Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997)

Se7en - 4.5
(David Fincher, 1995)

Fight Club - 4
(David Fincher, 1999)

Clerks - 3+
(Kevin Smith, 1994)

Clerks II - 3.5
(Kevin Smith, 2006)

A History of Violence - 4+
(David Cronenberg, 2005)

Dogma - 4
(Kevin Smith, 1999)

Appaloosa - 3+
(Ed Harris, 2008)

I Love You, Man - 3.5
(John Hamburg, 2009)

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worring and Love the Bomb - 3.5+
(Stanley Kubrick, 1964)

10 Things I Hate About You - 3
(Gil Junger, 1999)

[TheUsualSuspect]

District 9

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/NewDistrict9PostersExpandTheMystery.jpg


District 9 has been getting a lot of hype and praise to equal that hype. Not many films can do this. I decided that I would try my best to go into this film not knowing much about it. I've seen the teaser and a couple TV spots and knew the basic premise. What I did not know was what a balls to the wall film this is.

Neill Blomkamp has mixed great sci/fi with themes and issues plaguing our society. A blend that works so well in this film that it plays out in two different styles. The first half of the film is told through a documentary style footage, with people talking directly to the camera explaining the backstory of the mothership and basically setting up the rest of the film. Half way through the film Blomkamp switches the style to a more conventional style of filmmaking, yet it isn't a jarring switch. The two styles bleed into each other and both feel the same.

The film is set in South Africa, the aliens are sequestered into these slums and blocked off away from humans. This segregation is reminiscent of our own history and it works well here, making the film more believable than a film like Independence Day. While watching this film I got a sense of Cloverfield and some Slumdog Millionaire. I wouldn't say it's a mix of the two, but I just got the feeling from it. I saw Cloverfield because this is a sci/fi that we haven't seen before. It's not based on anything and the creators have free range to do what they want. This was apparent in all the awesome weaponry they had. Cloverfield was new, fresh and a monster that we had no idea what it could do. I had no idea what this film was about to do, which was blow me away.

The second half, which is the more conventional filmmaking style, is action-packed and bloody violent. I had no idea what I was in for, but once I saw that the lead got his hands on the weapon technology, I had a huge smile on my face. What he did with it, made me smile even more. There were plenty of "Holy Sh*t" moments on my end. The most fun I've had at the movies this year, even more than the other sci/fi entertainer Star Trek.

The film is gritty, dirty and everything that it needs to be to sell this idea. The special effects look marvelous, especially when placed on such a desolate and depressing backdrop. The slums are dirty and turn into a warzone. A warzone that goes on for a long time and you never get tired of. You end up wanting more, craving more.

For a film with no star names attached and a lead who hasn't acted in anything before, I was surprised in the depth and emotion that these characters had and what Sharlto Copley had to offer. He's between a rock and a hard place. His character transformation from beginning to end is real and saddening. It's not easy to get me to care for CGI creatures, George Lucas failed, Peter Jackson succeeds, again. The alien creatures look great and I was surprised at how well I was able to connect to the Christopher character.

The film is original, fresh and unexpected. I was never bored and had no idea what was going to happen next. In all this action and drama, is there any room for some sweet romantic moments? The answer is yes and it ends on a beautiful note.

Go see this one in theatres.

4.5