Movie Tab II [Archive] - Page 46

Harry Lime

08-17-09, 05:21 AM

Another week off work, another week of watching a lot of movies.

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A Matter of Life and Death (1946, Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/2thewindthatshakesthebarley.jpg
The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2007, Ken Loach) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/3deathofacyclist.jpg
Death of a Cyclist (1955, Juan Antonio Bardem) 3
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W. (2008, Oliver Stone) 2.5
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The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978, Ermanno Olmi) 4.5
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Even Dwarfs Started Small (1970, Werner Herzog) 2.5
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Gran Torino (2008, Clint Eastwood) 2.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/8changeling.jpg
Changeling (2008, Clint Eastwood) 3
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The Red and the White (1967, Miklos Jancso) 3
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Gommorah (2008, Matteo Garrone) 4
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Before the Rain (1994, Milcho Manchevski) 3
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Fat City (1972, John Huston) 4
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008, David Fincher) 3
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Night and the City (1950, Jules Dassin) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/15thehangover.jpg
The Hangover (2009, Todd Phillips) 2.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/16terraemtranse.jpg
Terra em Transe (1967, Glauber Rocha) 2
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Blue Collar (1978, Paul Schrader) 3.5
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One Eyed Jacks (1961, Marlon Brando) 3
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How Green Was My Valley (1941, John Ford) 3.5

Fenwick

08-17-09, 07:10 AM

Another good haul, Harry.

Any other thoughts on The Tree of Wooden Clogs?

Harry Lime

08-17-09, 07:38 AM

A beautiful and honest film, what else do you want to know?

Pyro Tramp

08-17-09, 08:38 PM

Screamers - 2_5
Sid and Nancy - 3
King Kong (70s) - 2
Four Brothers - 4
Bad Lieutenant - 3_5
Let The Right One In - 4_5
Mesrine: Killer Instinct - 4
Tokyo Gore Police - 4
Benny's Video - 3
Inglourious Basterds -3_5
The Hidden - 4_5
Galaxy of Terror - 2
Ms. 45 - 2_5
Last House on the Left (remake) - 3_5

Will try and write these up probs weds, unless anyone wants to know any thoughts on particular flicks :)

Used Future

08-17-09, 09:15 PM

I don't care that you've given Galaxy of Terror and Ms.45 crappy ratings...I still think they're badass flicks:p

Pyro Tramp

08-17-09, 09:24 PM

I don't care that you've given Galaxy of Terror and Ms.45 crappy ratings...I still think they're badass flicks:p

They're not baaad ratings. I had higher hopes for Ms.45 on the back of last Ferarra flicks i caught (reminds me, need to add Bad Lieutenant to the list) and the copy of Galaxy of Terror i got was horrendously dark but hey, anything with a giant maggot raping a woman is a worthwhile flick in my book :)

Did like The Hidden, big props for bringing that to my attention

Powdered Water

08-17-09, 09:31 PM

Liked to loved most of these yesterday.

Adventureland (Greg Mottola - 2009) 3.5

If you really want to know a little about what it was like being a teenager in the 80's then this is the flick for you.

Music and Lyrics (Marc Lawrence - 2007) 3.5

I must admit that I'm a fan of a lot of the crappy pop music from the 80's and when I saw how this flick started I knew I would enjoy it before anyone even spoke.

Fever Pitch (Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly - 2005) 3.5

I'm not much of a fan of Jimmy Fallon but he was pretty good opposite Drew Barrymore here. Maybe it was just because he was opposite her that it didn't matter. I don't know. Anyway, kind of a fun little movie telling the "real" story behind the breaking of the curse of the Bambino. Good stuff.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Joseph L. Mankiewicz - 1947) 3.5

Another film from the lists that I really dug. The more I see of Gene Tierney the more I like her. She's just fantastic.

B-card

08-17-09, 09:46 PM

GI Joe:Rise of Cobra (Stephen Sommers 2009)-well I watched it last week haven't been here in a while,anyways how would I put this movie mmm let me think...ah yes it is exactly like the animation but live action there were many cult phrases common exactly for cartoons like this.It applies for the "Super Secret movie rules" Super Secret movie rule # 3-If there isn't a Technology,invent it! :) and the Hummer in Paris I know its a big car but where do they put all this stuff other than that hmm let me see aaa there is a reason to watch it that crazy hot red head Rachel Nichols and ofcourse Sienna Miller but mostly Rachel,and for the ladies if you are into Chaning Tatum well you wont be dissapointed.well I'll give you that the effects and the action were on level however I don't know why they used so many slow motion lately it's so cool to see stuff blowing in slow motion.So if you are looking for something serious in this movie I suggest to watch something else but If you want to spend two hours with explosions and cheesy lines well that is the movie

http://www.yowazzup.com/blog/images/gi-joe-rise-of-cobra-movie-02.jpg

Powdered Water

08-17-09, 09:50 PM

I agree B. The only thing they left out from the cheesy 80's cartoon was the little interlude at the end of the cartoon's where they coined the phrase: "And knowing is half the battle." Remember those?

TheDOMINATOR

08-18-09, 12:18 AM

District 9 - 3.5

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2009/8/17/1250500429953/Scene-from-District-9-200-001.jpg

See my review thread for my thoughts, but in short, I enjoyed District 9 but thought it could have been better, and was ultimately slightly let down considering its ratings.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - 4.5
(Milos Forman, 1975)

http://www.oscarguy.com/Reviews/Annual/1975/Cuckoo.jpg

My first viewing; simply incredible. After 12 Angry Men, this film has the collective best performances of its main cast of any movie I've yet to see, I think. Jack Nicholson was fantastic and the ending blew me away, but I'm still trying to figure out if it did so in a good way or a disappointing but still thought-provoking way.

Perhaps, a couple months down the road, a rewatch will bump my score up to a perfect 5 (I'm getting the feeling that it might), but until I sort out my thoughts completely--specifically concering the ending--I stand by what I have listed above. Incredible movie.

Planet Terror - 3-
(Robert Rodriguez, 2007)

http://www.supercine.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/planet-terror-rose-mcgowan.jpg

Some cool zombie-killing action (the helicopter scene? oh, yeah) and the insanely attractive Rose McGowan alone make this film worth watching once. Aside from those two things, though, I don't think it has a whole lot going for it. Other than Fergie. :cool:

The Babysitters - 3+
(David Ross, 2007)

http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/images_6/BabysittersPoster.jpg

My second viewing of this film has brought my rating down from the original 3.5 that I gave it, albeit not by a whole lot. It's a good film that explores deep and dark themes through its disturbing story about teenage prostitution, but the blow-you-away ending this time through didn't quite have the effect I'd hoped it would retain.

Harry Lime

08-18-09, 12:25 AM

Glad you liked One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Dom.

Loner

08-18-09, 12:26 AM

Another good haul, Harry.

Any other thoughts on The Tree of Wooden Clogs?

A bunch of idiot farmers who blend Catholicism with Paganism.

0.5

TheUsualSuspect

08-18-09, 12:26 AM

Trick ‘r Treat Warner Brothers Digital Screener 4

http://backwoodshorror.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/trick_poster.jpg

Can you give me more on this one? I'm really interested in seeing it and I want to know your thoughts on it.

Harry Lime

08-18-09, 12:32 AM

A bunch of idiot farmers who blend Catholicism with Paganism.

0.5

Heh heh, well I guess someone really didn't like it.

Miss Vicky

08-18-09, 12:39 AM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/24thDayPoster-300-Final.jpg

The 24th Day (2004) Rewatch

This is a really interesting and engaging film about personal responsibility in regards to sex. It stars James Marsden and Scott Speedman. Both actors give very taut and interesting performances and the tension is so thick that you can feel it through the screen. Interestingly, though, as much as the film talks about sex and deals with sex, it doesn't actually show any nor are the two lead actors ever shown even kissing each other. But, given the circumstances of the plot, this is completely appropriate. Actually, the only real complaint that I had with this film was the cinematography, which - given that this is a relatively low-budget film - is a little sub-par.

4

TheDOMINATOR

08-18-09, 02:09 AM

Glad you liked One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Dom.

Yeah, I'm just very confused about the ending (the party scene); not about what happened during it, but as to whether or not I liked it and thought it worked with what the film was trying to say.

How'd you like it, Harry?

Nurse Ratched (or is it Ratchet?) having Nicholson's character receive a lobotomy blew me out of the water, but what I'm debating is Chief ultimately deciding to kill him, and what his motives were for doing so. Did he do it so that Nurse Ratched wouldn't stand triumphant over Nicholson, finally having him under her control with the lobotomy, or did he do it to put his friend out of his misery/end his suffering? And with Nicholson's character dead, how are all the other patients going to feel? Life after Nicholson's death and Chief's escape is going to really suck for all the other patients. This problem would have been solved if Chief took the body with him (the other patients wouldn't have ever known he died because they were all konked out at the time, I believe), and it would have led them all to believe that he simply escaped with Chief, giving them all hope. But Chief just left him there.

Pyro Tramp

08-18-09, 05:51 AM

Can you give me more on this one? I'm really interested in seeing it and I want to know your thoughts on it.

OG- did a write up of it on his site, horrorsnotdead.com, which totally sold me on it. Have a looksie

Monkeypunch

08-18-09, 11:34 AM

I've seen a lot since I last posted (obviously) but a few favourites...

Repo, The Genetic Opera
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
The Wrestler
The Rocker
Role Models
Night at the Museum 2

Powdered Water

08-18-09, 09:24 PM

!Ha!!! Monkeypunch! Welcome back duder.

Lennon

08-18-09, 09:26 PM

Hey Monkeypunch! Enjoying the webcomic! Nice work.

jrs

08-18-09, 10:00 PM

Satan's Little Helper 4

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Used Future

08-18-09, 10:59 PM

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They Call Her One Eye aka Thriller: A Cruel Picture (Bo Arne Vibenius 1974) 3.5
Originally called Thriller: A Cruel Picture this low budget shocker was banned outright in it's native Sweden, and hacked to pieces for the American drive in circuit under the title They Call Her One Eye. It was not only the graphic scenes of slow motion violence that had upset the Swedish censors, but Vibenius' inclusion of hardcore pornographic inserts during one of the film's rape scenes which would condemn his original vision to semi-obscurity for the next thirty years. They Call Her One Eye proved to be a cult hit in the US, but much of the slow motion violence had been trimmed, and the real sex (in which a body double had stood in for it's star Christina Lindberg) was a distant memory making the film almost twenty minutes shorter. That is until the original film (Thriller: A Cruel Picture) was released uncut as a limited edition DVD by Synapse films back in 2004. The following year Synapse released an alternative 'Vengeance Edition' cut of the film (pictured above right) under the title Thriller: They Call Her One Eye. This new version retained all of the slow motion violence and rape scenes, but left out the hardcore porn inserts. For reasons of good taste I opted for this newer release and watched the subtitled version of the film...

Essentially a basic rape revenge tale, Thriller is the story of Madeleine (or Frigga if you watch the dubbed version) a young woman who was abused as a child and left mute as the result of mental trauma. Growing up on a rural farm she misses her bus one day and takes a ride from a stranger who subsequently kidnaps and drugs her forcing her into a life of prostitution. When a terrified Madelaine attacks her first client, her pimp (Tony played by Heinz Hopf) gouges out one of her eyes with a scalpel as punishment. Dependent on heroine, and with no escape Madeleine gradually uses her ''one day off a week'' to learn martial arts, weapons training, and driving skills in order to exact merciless revenge on Tony and her clients...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gESD1wkyrz8/SUyXWQ1hBgI/AAAAAAAADDc/zJdU1dlEF_4/s400/thriller+fashion+statement.jpg

Clearly a primary influence behind Abel Ferrara's Ms.45 (one of my favourite films), I found Thriller grim yet compelling viewing from start to finish. Nude starlet Christina Lindberg has no lines in the movie, but (like Zoe Lund in Ferrara's flick) easily convinces through her body language and facial expressions. Her transition from shy vulnerable victim, to ruthless (and clearly insane) killer is contrived and ridiculous, but gripping stuff nevertheless. Vibenius shot the film in a semi-documentary style with an experimental score (comprising of long high notes, and garbled screams), giving it a hauntingly bleak atmosphere all it's own. Best of all however, are the ultra slow motion scenes of violence (I believe Vibenius used a special motion capture camera) in which Madeleine wreaks havock. I particularly liked the sequence in which she beats two police officers to a bloody pulp in lengthy surreal detail. Also excellent are the scenes in which she learns Karate, which far from being cheesy montage sequences, are very well edited and authentically portrayed. To sum up I loved everything about this movie, and am only sorry I didn't see it years ago. It's not going to appeal to everyone, what with it's gritty low budget production values and depressing subject matter. But I fell in love with it instantly and stand by my lofty rating, even if most of you would probably only give it a generous 2.5 or less. It was that eye patch that sold me, but enough rambling.

http://godvsgodard.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/keoma.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/249/535888233_68f23001f1_o.jpg

Keoma (Enzo G. Castellari 1976) 3.5+
Made at the end of the Spaghetti western cycle, Keoma is considered by many to be the last of the greats, and a fitting swan song of the genre. Marking one of Franco Nero's many collaborations with his friend and prolific action director Enzo G. Castellari; it has a reputation as being downbeat, violent and depressing, but also visually striking and thought provoking, with allegorical undertones.

Keoma is the name of Nero's title character, an idealistic, yet deadly 'half breed' Indian returning home to his plague ridden town after (what I presumed to be) the American civil war. Waiting for him are his three racist half brothers and scheming land owner Caldwell (Spaghetti regular Donald O'Brien) who are holding the town in a strangle hold, blocking medical supplies and food to treat the sick. Keoma's only allies are his aging philosophical father (William Berger), and boyhood hero George (Woody Strode), now a broken alcoholic.

Of the seven or so Castellari films I've seen, this is my favourite by far. Right from the striking wind swept opening sequence in which Keoma rides through a dusty abandoned town as an old woman cries his name; it's clear this is no ordinary Spaghetti. Playing like a dark twisted variation on the Prodigal Son parable, Keoma is a deep and brooding western, which explores themes of freedom, race, nostalgia, sacrifice and violence. The dialogue is often memorable and the performances from both Nero and Berger are fantastic and very moving. Keoma excels Visually too, with lush mountain vistas by day, and the decrepit old town lit up by torch carrying bandits and blue tinged lightening by night. Perhaps most notable of all however is the bizarre haunting soundtrack from Guido and Maurizio De Angleis, with it's out of tune yet melodic guitar strings, and operatic warbling vocals. It really does give the film it's own identity even if the basic story is a little on the predictable side.

Also watched...

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Night Train Murders aka Late Night Trains (Aldo Lado 1975) 3
Lado's Giallo Short Night of Glass Dolls (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=529809) didn't exactly knock my socks off, but had enough visual flair and interesting ideas to make me want to check this out too. Described as Italy's answer to Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, it's an exact retread with the only difference being the majority of the film takes place on board a train (duh). In fact that's not really fair; this is well made stuff (the lighting and editing is especially excellent), with some truly harrowing scenes to rival Craven's film (which I've never liked). Particularly effective is the way in which Lado quickly cuts to footage of the girls parents enjoying dinner with friends during the murders. The performances are all rather good too, especially Macha Meril as a twisted nymphomaniac, and Ginafranco De Grassi as a crazed knife wielding rapist (pictured). On the downside the film is a little on the slow side, and the victims characters aren't fleshed out enough for you to really care about them. Oh yeah and you'd never guess the soundtrack is from Ennio Morricone because it's completely forgettable. Still better than Craven's effort in my opinion though.

WBadger

08-18-09, 11:59 PM

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)- F

http://www.nextgn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/g-i-joe-the-rise-of-cobra-3.jpg

You know all of the stuff you look for in a film? This movie didn't have it. Horrible acting, no plot, no actual feelings or emotions toward the characters, unrealistic, stupid dialogue, and a puzzled look afterwards. So where did this movie take place? Underwater, space, underground, desert, ice world with a random polar bear. Yeah, if you couldn't guess, I didn't like this film at all.

Valkyrie (2008)- C/C+

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/8974/valkyrie2008r5linexvidc.jpg

I wasn't too crazy about this movie. It seemed like it ended really abrupt, and I still can't believe this was almost tw hours. I would've never guessed, it went by so fast. I don't know if this is just me, but I was confused in a few spots but other than that it was OK. I wanted some more back stories on Hitler and what he was doing instead of assuming the audience already knew the whole history. Oh well, nothing too amazing in this film. Meh.

Garrett

08-19-09, 01:19 AM

The Big Fix - Plays sort of like a flaccid 1970s version of The Big Lebowski. Richard Dreyfuss plays a P.I. investigating an old activist's attempt to foil some guy's election campaign... or something. I don't know. With the way it artlessly hops from plot-point to plot-point and the failed attempt at social commentary it all kind of went by me. I guess there are also parallels to be drawn with The Long Goodbye.

mark f

08-19-09, 01:33 AM

I'm happy when anybody watches The Big Fix, but calling it flaccid is a cheap shot. You namedrop two popular revisionist mysteries, and I would use that adjective for at least one of them, but whatever. Here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=530530&highlight=fix#post530530) is my meager review of The Big Fix.

Garrett

08-19-09, 12:20 PM

Thanks for linking me to your review, Mark. My feelings probably aren't as harsh as they sound (I would probably give it a 2.5) but all the things you liked about it didn't charm me. And namedropping was probably an easy route to take. Which of those two movies would you describe that way? Just curious.

linespalsy

08-19-09, 02:55 PM

Fright Night and District 9 both 3

TheUsualSuspect

08-19-09, 09:45 PM

The Last House On The Left

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/the-last-house-on-the-left-poster.png

A gang kidnap, torture, rape and kill two young girls in the middle of the woods. One stabbed numerous times, the other shot and left for dead in the lake. A storm soars in and the gang finds themselves seeking shelter to the nearest house. The couple who live there welcome them with open arms and lets them stay at the guest house. The girl left for dead in the lake manages to survive and crawls back to her home....the same home the kidnappers are staying at. The parents decide to take revenge on the gang.

This is a remake of Wes Craven's original with the same name. I've never seen the original, but have heard that it is pretty disturbing. Having seen my fair share of disturbing films (thank you Cannibal Holocaust) I didn't know what to expect from a film that was a remake of such disturbing subject matter. This up to date version seems to unbalanced and tame (and yes I saw the unrated version).

I say unbalanced because it seems to want to be two different films, in terms of genre and style. The last act and the only parts worth watching, seem to fall under the 'torture porn' genre. Think Hostel, Saw and countless other horror films that rely on gross out gore to entertain the audience. I've got nothing wrong with this, I love my gore in horror flicks. This film has some great deaths, even if they are a bit over the top. Hammers, garbage disposals, microwaves, all these are great death scenes. Yet the rest of the film (save for the rape bits) seem to belong to another film all together.

The acting is by the numbers, yet I found Dillahunt and Goldwyn are the stand out performances. Dillahunt, from Deadwood, plays Krug, the lead gang member. He walks the line of being nice, at least to me. He plays it nice, yet his actions are despicable. I say he played it nice because Aaron Paul, who plays another member of the gang is pretty "evil" and over the top. Goldwyn plays the father and has intense moments that is all played through his eyes. The two of them have a fight scene that was not in the original and it seems too fake, just to fill some time.

The story is predictable, even if you haven't seen the original and is by the numbers. In a film like this, I was expecting more shock moments. The final act had two, yet this film cries for more. As a remake, I;d say I've seen worse (Prom Night), but there are certainly better (Dawn of the Dead) remakes out there.

Last House On The Left is a well made film, don't get me wrong. If you're into this type of horror stuff then it might satisfy you. I found it to be pretty basic. I still want to check out the original, one that I'm sure will do more damage than this could ever imagine to. I recommend this to fans of the genre (not the horror genre, the torture genre). Everyone else can skip it.

2.5

Garrett

08-19-09, 11:44 PM

A New Leaf 4
Metropolitan 2.5

mark f

08-20-09, 12:16 AM

I've mentioned this before, but you do realize that the original Last House on the Left is a remake of Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_j4twdnk8ZvI/SUIIqObOhtI/AAAAAAAAB0s/XXOrfFTPdzk/s400/virgin+spring.jpg http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20071019/300_lasthouse13.jpg

Pyro Tramp

08-20-09, 04:59 PM

nebbit

08-20-09, 06:38 PM

http://www.impawards.com/1988/posters/lair_of_the_white_worm.jpg

Bought it for $5 worth every cent :laugh:

Pyro Tramp

08-20-09, 06:50 PM

mark f

08-20-09, 07:07 PM

I'm pretty sure it's not in the credits, but you'll still have to see Max von Sydow open a can of whoop-ass.

Golgot

08-20-09, 07:48 PM

Max Sydow comes in a can now? That's disgraceful!

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/6869/jcvd6smn.jpg

JVCD

With a grizzled and washed-out tint reminiscent of Jean Claude's own chops, we get a revisionist history, projected through an ego's aperture, which casts some fun dancing shadows along the way. Because JCVD has got caught up in a heist you know. It's true.

'Blah blah blah' goes the TV in the overrun post office. JVCD doesn't care. He's self aware. He knows about the grimness behind the glamour, the incessant fan-based clamour, the importance of having good hair. He believes in a code, in loving all that will love him, in long takes that show that he's more than just an ageing chin.

How to take this? The tongue is firmly in cheek, but does feel out some rotten fillings. The heart is pretentious, the body is willing. There's good support from weasel confederates, some cartoon blocks of viewer-collusion, and English-language bits that don't sell that well.

A central spiel is done in character, so it's safe. Other players hog the limelight, in ways that made me happy as a pig in a trough at times. Tangentially. French quotes played pleasing little games with time. And i felt a little more Belgian by the end of it. Just more brusque than bruised. But enjoyably unconfused. (I hope you are too, after this drunken review ;))

'I'm Jean Claude Van Damme. It should be less realistic.'

3_5((+))

adidasss

08-20-09, 08:17 PM

:laugh:

Powdered Water

08-20-09, 08:40 PM

Awesome Gols... I don't really know what you just said, but I plan to see this pretty soon.

spudracer

08-20-09, 10:50 PM

Iron Man 4.5
Role Models 4

Miss Vicky

08-21-09, 12:09 AM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/reservoir-dogs-reservoir-dogs-9906490.jpg

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

I pulled this movie out of the $5.00 bin at Walmart quite a long time ago, but never got around to watching it. I've been in a not so great mood (thanks to stress at work) so I certainly appreciated all of the violence (and there certainly was a lot of it). It was an entertaining film and there were some memorable scenes (Mr. Blond talking into the cop's ear, especially) and memorable characters, but overall I found the film a bit lacking in plot and just not as interesting as Pulp Fiction.

3.5-

Iroquois

08-21-09, 01:54 AM

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Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009) - 3.5

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Hiroshima Mon Amour (Alain Resnais, 1959) - 3.5

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Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992) - 4.5

Classicqueen13

08-21-09, 05:31 PM

Haven't posted for awhile, so I've got quite a few to catch up on.

Die Hard with a Vengence 4

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Bringing Tierman as the director I think really helped this series after the second. Samuel L.'s character was a nice addition, and the plot, which I thought sounded a little weak, worked out very well. Bruce Willis is perfect as usual as McClane. Definately one to see if you enjoyed the first.

Bad Day at Black Rock 2.5

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Despite a good cast and an interesting mystery, this movie had me quite, well, bored. The pace was way too slow it seemed. The hour and twenty minutes dragged on. It seemed as though nothing happened in this film, but that the characters were trying to hide/discover what had happened already.

A Soldier's Story 4

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A not-so-typical who-dunit. I'm surprised this film isn't better known. Great acting and really good plot on racism.

The Skeleton Key 3

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Filled with suspense, but I can see why this film is not very popular. The performances and direction weren't bad. Kate Hudson's character at times, however, got on my nerves and the script was pretty bland. Can't remember a single line from it. If you're in the mood for suspense and have about an hour and a half to kill, not a total waste of time.

to be continued

Classicqueen13

08-21-09, 05:41 PM

Breakfast at Tiffany's 4

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Anyone who loves a good love story should see this one. Audrey Hepburn is perfect as one of the most memorable movie characters. The movie is just good fun at times, but it beautifully switches to a drama. The script and supporting cast great too.

Out of Time 3

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This one started off sorta slow, but when the mystery finally got started, the suspense was pretty good. Denzel and the rest of the cast turn in good performances. Usually with this sort of plot, there are lots of holes, but I think this one steers clear of that. Plenty of tense moments.

Live Free or Die Hard 3

http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2007/06/27/live_free/story.jpg

One of the things I like about a series is the development of a character, but this film didn't really do that. There was plenty of opportunity to give McClane a little more depth in this one, but instead it just tries to out-do the stunts in the previous film. While all the movies in the series were pretty far-fetched, this one takes the cake and even comes off kind of silly. Other than that, there is some good dialouge and acting. If you're a Die Hard fan, this one isn't a bad watch.

The Shawshank Redemption 4.5

http://www.watchmoviestreaming.com/pictures/theshawshankredemption1.jpg

This is not just a movie, but a film. Excellent performances for terrific characters. A great storyline and dialouge. The ending was perfect. A must-see selection.

Miss Vicky

08-21-09, 07:08 PM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/quickanddead.jpg

The Quick and the Dead (1995) (Rewatch)

Yeah, yeah - this movie is not at all historically accurate and is way over the top, but who gives a ****? It is so much fun - Gunfights, cool outfits, fun characters, great cast - and you have to expect over-the-top from the guy behind The Evil Dead trilogy. Russell Crowe looks awesome (and hot) as outlaw-badass-turned-preacher-turned-badass in chains Cort (as opposed to his equally hot Bible-quoting-outlaw-badass in chains Ben Wade in his other Western, 3:10 to Yuma). Little baby Leonardo DiCaprio is so adorable as The Kid. Gene Hackman is wonderfully hateable as John Herrod. And Sharon Stone is sexy and surprisingly believable as the woman on a mission for revenge. This is the movie I recommend to anybody who says they don't like Westerns or, really, anybody who likes fun movies.

4.5

TheUsualSuspect

08-21-09, 11:03 PM

Inglourious Basterds

Miss Vicky

08-21-09, 11:31 PM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/getreal.jpg

Get Real (1998)

Although there aren't many surprises here, this is a very well done coming out story that centers around a high school boy named Steven. Out only to his best friend, Linda (though the other students have their suspicions and many of the jocks take pleasure in tormenting him), Steven's only real sexual experiences have been with random strangers he's picked up in a public bathroom. That changes when - on the lookout for the next random stranger - he ends up with the school's star athlete. But the other boy, John, is very confused about his sexuality and uncertain how to deal with it - leading him to hurt Steven emotionally and even physically.

Well acted (particularly by the young man who play John) and engaging all around - with a nice mix of humor and heartache - this is definitely worth watching.

3.5

TheUsualSuspect

08-22-09, 02:08 AM

Inglourious Basterds

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

Once Upon A Time....In Nazi Occupied France opens the film in the first chapter (a signature Tarantino style) of this WWII film in which Jewish American soldiers, who've deemed themselves "The Basterds", ambush and scalp Nazi's. Their story intertwines with another in which a Jewish girl survives an attack on her family and lives among the Germans as a French theatre owner. The theatre in which numerous high ranking German officials will be at, a theatre that "The Basterds" will be at.

Tarantino is a favourite director of mine, not the top, but he's up there. Many people complain he simply rips off older, better films. I say nay. He is inspired by them because he loves cinema so much. Any interview with the guy will prove his vast film knowledge, a knowledge that he has used in his film-making, giving us some of the best films of the 90's. He doesn't have many films under his belt, but the ones their are all highly praised and one even earned him an Oscar. He is able to mix different genres well and is competent in each one. His last 3 films were a throwback to grindhouse features, a two part revenge story that mixes the spaghetti western and the Asian martial arts and finally a novel adaptation. Yet his praise is mostly in his writing, which is why he has an Oscar in the first place.

Inglorious Basterds is yet another film from Tarantino in which he mixes violence with characters who seem too cool for school. Brad Pitt plays Aldo Raine, the leader of the Basterds and one who can speak almost fluent Italian. He has a scar around his neck, yet it is never answered as to why, and he seems to be having too good a time here, killing Nazi's. He enlists 8 men to be apart of his squad of Basterds, along with his 2nd in command (I'm assuming) Donny Donowitz, played by Eli Roth. Who for once does not annoy me. His best scene involves the most brutal part of the film, reminiscent of Pesci's scene in Casino. Two more men join the Basterds, one is Til Schweiger, who is famous for killing 13 Nazi's in cruel and inhuman ways. The second is Michael Fassbender, a Scottish soldier posing as a German to initiate Operation Kino. A secret mission that will involve explosions and death. Seems like a lot of "Basterds" to keep track of, and it was. Tarantino loses half of them half way through. Missing scenes from trailers would indicate there was more story for each of them, but for the film as it stands now, it's incomplete. These characters are forgettable faces, this film needed more time with it's title characters.

In a Tarantino flick you can guarantee a couple things and getting good performances from his actors is definitely one of them. Brad Pitt is hilarious as Aldo and Roth is menacing as Donowitz. The short scenes with the Basterds are good, good enough to want more and feel disappointed when you don't get it. Krueger, from National Treasure fame, plays a famous actress working for the English, posing as a German. She has a thick accent and pulls off her scenes quite well. I didn't find her annoying at all, and even though Mélanie Laurent does a decent job as the Jewish girl posing as a French woman, her subplot with a German Private is boring and almost forgettable. It's not till the ending of this sub plot does it become remotely interesting, but it seems too late. The stand out is without a doubt is Christoph Waltz, playing a German who is nicknamed "The Jew Hunter". He plays the guy with enough kindness to make him creepy and enough crazy to make him fearful.

This film tells two different stories that meet up at the end. Each one has their own fair share of subplots, that seem to distract from more time with the Basterds. There are numerous scenes that are quite shocking and will leave you with a big smile, or a disgusted look of disdain. The violence here is more gritty and real, thus it feels more involving. Kill Bill has limbs flying and gallons of blood, but it was too over the top and comical to be taken seriously. Here it has that gritty feel to it that it just makes you wince when it happens.

Not Tarantino's best work, but then again will he ever top Pulp Fiction? Instead it's a welcome addition to his resume of films that I can say I enjoy. The length of this one is a little long and it may drag in some places, but the overall feel at the end is enjoyment. He takes his characters and lets them takeover the story, which is why the historical facts in this film are more interesting than others. There are countless war films that are plagued with people already knowing the outcome. Valkyrie is an example of a film that the audience knew how it was going to end. This one throws it all out the window.

A tighter running time and more time spent with the people who want to see would have made this film even more fun for me, but I'll take what I can get.

4

mark f

08-22-09, 02:14 AM

3-4-1? :cool:

Thursday Next

08-22-09, 04:19 AM

Watched The Time Traveler's Wife. Now I read the book ages ago, and loved it, but wasn't particularly inspired by the trailers for the film, it looked schmaltzy. It was, a bit, but still better than I'd expected it to be. Perhaps I didn't remember the book as well as I thought, because there were a few things which seemed different but I couldn't quite remember how, and it would be difficult to explain without spoiling both the book and the film anyway. But it's a lot less subtle.

So, I'll make a few non-spoilery comments: Rachel MacAdam looks worryingly thin, you can see the bones in her back. For a time travel film it doesn't do a good enough job of making the times he travels to look different. Love Will Tear Us Apart is an unusual choice for a wedding song.

3/5

Caitlyn

08-22-09, 11:16 AM

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa249/jmicahs/Butch-Cassidy-and-the-Sundaarticle.jpg

What can I say... I absolutely love this movie and definitely need to move it into the top 20 on my list...

5

Classicqueen13

08-22-09, 12:43 PM

Message in a Bottle 4
http://www.moviemart.in/upload/Message%20in%20A%20Bottle%20(1999).jpg

Actually, I saw this one awhile back and forgot to add it here. It was very good, so I wanted to include it. Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn have beautiful chemistry in this touching love story. I even managed to watch it through commercials on AMC. I particularly like Paul Newman's character. He and Costner worked well as father and son I thought. The end had me in tears.

Open Range 4
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This is probably one of my new favorite westerns. Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner have good chemistry and I liked Annette Benning's performance too. The shootout scene was great. Usually at my house, there's plenty of talking scattered throughout a movie, but it was complete silence during the last half of this one. The plot isn't terribly original, but script is good.

12 Monkeys 3
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As far as sci-fi goes, this should probably be a higher rating. This is probably one of Bruce Willis' best performances, and the rest of the cast is very good in their roles. The storyline is one last provides excitement and curiosity. I didn't care much for Madeleine Stowe's character. She annoyed me, but that aside a great sci-fi watch.

The Left-Handed Gun 3
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Paul Newman is great as the spirited, Billy the Kid. Western fans will enjoy this movie a lot, otherwise. It's not as entertaining. A fair amount of suspense, but I have to say that I was ready for the end when it came. Quite a few quirky and memorable moments though.

Strangers on a Train 2.5

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Just couldn't get into this one. Usually I love Hitchcock, but I wasn't impressed. The beginning pace seemed much too slow, and by the time a little tension broke though, I didn't care. Plus, I think that the plot was something of a weak one and not much to say for the dialouge. This movie just didn't impress me.

Tacitus

08-22-09, 01:21 PM

What can I say... I absolutely love this movie and definitely need to move it into the top 20 on my list...

5

For what it sought to do, I've always thought that Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid was close to perfection. When you look at that film and The Sting (plus a number of decent to very good movies) I wonder if it's fair to say that George Roy Hill has been under-appreciated in recent years?

Heck, he even managed to get a performance out of Robin Williams that didn't end with you wanting to punch him in the face. :up:

Used Future

08-22-09, 04:36 PM

Open Range 4

Open Range is a great movie:)

WBadger

08-22-09, 05:35 PM

Pulp Fiction (1994)- A

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/080616/pulp-fiction_l.jpg

Finally watched this movie, for the first time. Impressive and unique way of story telling, that loops back to where it started. A lot of the scenes were familiar becuase of the episode from The Simpsons titled "22 Short Films About Springfield". Which made the scenes much more enjoyable, like the burger dialogue between Vincent and Jules, and "Looks like the spider, caught a ccoulpe flies", and where the two men were tied up in the weapons shop. The ending was pretty great and probably my favorite scene of the movie, just a lot of memorable dialogue from this movie. I wouldn't call it one of the best movies ever, but still a very engaging format and good acting makes this a 90's classic. Obviously, needs a rewatch, though. You can't really finalize an opinion about a movie after one viewing.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)- B+

http://www.patersonpl.org/ferrisbueller.jpg

Funny, entertaining, and just an overall fun movie. Ferris Bueller is highly charismatic and he pulls you into this movie from the beginning with his slick moves he pulls on his parents. Definitely had the John Hughes-movie feel to it like all of his movies, which is a good thing. I think everyone can and should enjoy this movie and maybe even relate to high school or having fun in their teen years.

Miss Vicky

08-22-09, 06:43 PM

http://www.fr2day.com/images/page_image/inglourious-basterds-poster.jpg

Inglourious Basterds

I was wanting to watch something with a lot of people getting killed and s*** getting blown up and boy did this movie deliver - with a great deal of humor thrown in. Top that off with Tarantino's typically memorable characters and you've got one hell of a fun movie. History buffs keep away, because you'll hate this one but -considering that my first and second favorite films also rewrite history - I really couldn't care less. I'll dock it half a popcorn for the sometimes slow pacing, but otherwise I really loved it.

4.5

Pyro Tramp

08-22-09, 08:31 PM

Inside - 5

http://hypothesisspits.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/inside.jpg

This was a bat ***** crazy film, i'd say this years [rec] except it wasn't made this year. It's a small, simple concept film yet is a brutal, taut exercise that not only shows up the torture porn nonsense polluting horror but firmly puts France as the current horror hot point. Basically, the it's set in a house with a pregnant woman and someone trying to steal her baby. It's graphic, violent and one of the very few films that's had me flinching. It's a marvellously crafted film, taking create care with spatial awareness in the confined setting, slick productions and some genuinely great moments. There are lapses in character logic but they serve to continue the film which was enjoying too much to care about.

Mirrors - 2_5

http://media.movieweb.com/img/t/N/P/PHJNmNKKqsqtNP_m.jpg

Similar to the above film, in it's helmed by a French horror director, only this being a remake of a Korean flick- which i actually reviewed a long time ago and stated doubt on it get the remake treatment. Anyway, this is Aja's second Hollywood outing and also another remake (his third also being a remake of Piranha). It's not a patch on the excellent Hills Have Eyes and is a rather disjointed film with minimal killing and a weak explanation. Aja's handling is good enough and the final act is pretty effective but i'm sure there could have easily been a better film made. Good to see Jack Bauer

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete

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Basically an 'improved' version of the first release, the plot is padded out to make more sense and some more scenes thrown in for added cohesion. Can't really say it's a massive improvement on the first version, that i adored as it was despite flaws, so meant the additions didn't really make it any better. They've spiced it up with some blood and bruising as well but wouldn't have said it was particularly necessary. Hard to justify added expense if you don't already own it but if you haven't seen, this be best version to catch

Serpent and the Rainbow - 4

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Craven doesn't really get mentioned in the same breath of other horror directors which is a shame as this under-seen flick is pretty solid. It's more a voodoo thriller on the zombie mythos than outright horror. A pretty original take with a cool ending and some nice dream sequences. Solid film, high recommendation for genre fans looking for something different

Miss Vicky

08-22-09, 11:54 PM

http://thumbs.filmstarts.de/wallpaper/Wonderland_poster_01.jpg

Wonderland (2003)

Interesting enough to keep me watching, and it had its moments, but with a group of characters as devoid of redeeming qualities (either good or bad) as this, it was hard for me to actually care what happened to them. As a result, I watched with a sort of distance that prevented me from truly enjoying the film. Not terrible, but certainly not something I care to watch again.

3

Miss Vicky

08-23-09, 02:17 AM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/thelastfrontier.jpg

The Last Frontier (1955)

Victor Mature hams it up in this cheesy 1950s Western, playing a cocky trapper turned civilian scout who falls for a colonel’s wife. Though this sort of character is how I usually like my Mature served up, something about this movie just doesn’t quite work for me and I don’t think I’ll be watching it again.

2.5+

adidasss

08-23-09, 04:08 PM

I haven't tabbed in a while! Warning, gargantuan post ahead!

In a lonely place (1950) - Nicholas Ray
Very good noir (although it's much less about murder mysteries than about abusive relationships). I felt Grahame's character went through an odd change (from femme fatale to "battered wife") and the whole murder case seemed a little out of place/underdeveloped. I'm thinking it could hold up to repeated viewings though (especially on account of Bogart's performance). 4

Tokyo twilight (1957) - Yasujiro Ozu
Started watching this about a year ago, fell asleep after about 40 minutes. Tried it again in the morning, started falling asleep again, but was determined to finish it because I can't stand to look at it collecting dust anymore. I took 3 breaks but I finally did it. Extremely slow paced (2h 20 min.), stiff acting, not a particularly interesting story, nothing particularly inventive in the directing or visuals and a pretty problematic message (as I saw it at least): single parents raise troubled children, therefore, it's best to give an abusive relationship another go than to risk raising a wayward child? Yah, I don't think so Mr. Ozu. I suppose it says something about the slow decay of traditionalist Japan but I didn't really care... :\ 2

Pitfall (1962) - Hiroshi Teshigahara
I guess I'm just not a fan of absurdist, abstract(ish?) cinema. I'm pretty sure I understand what it wanted to say, and appreciate all the technical aspects (and especially acting which, after the Ozu debacle, was a blessing), but I was still mostly uninterested. I'll watch his other stuff though...2.5

Nights of Cabiria (1957) - Federico Fellini
Obviously much closer to my kind of mentality/sensibilities. I liked La Strada better and thought it was much better suited for Masina's face and gesticulations (some of the clownishness was seeping out in Cabiria too which I could have gone without) but she's still pretty spectacular and carries the entire film really well. I love the host of characters, the street life and atmosphere of Fellini's Italy and particularly the ending. Definitely adding it to my collection. - 4

The cranes are flying (1957) - Mikhail Kalatozov
Ok, the first half hour of this one is extraordinary. I can't remember if I've ever seen any pre-1960s film which managed to show such incredible intimacy and genuine tenderness between a love couple. A lot of this is probably due to the casting, especially with Tatyana Samojlova who has a very Audrey Hepburn-like charm. But as soon as the boyfriend gets sent off to war the flow is lost, the characters start behaving oddly (I'm still trying to process why she married Mark) and the story is underdeveloped. In that sense it's kind of similar to Atonement which was brilliant until the shift to the front when it loses all its momentum. I would have preferred it had they kept the focus on their relationship (kept him alive perchance, which would have added all sorts of interesting complexities to the plot)...alas...:\ 3.5

The African Queen (1951) - John Huston - It's just a treat to see two of the greatest and most lovable actors of the last century doing their thing. Everything else is secondary (but the story is pretty good too ;)). 4.5

The Killing (1956) - Stanley Kubrick - The ending really ruined it for me (I mean, c'mon!) but pretty good heist/noir/somethingorother nonetheless. Sterling Hayden is pretty great, I've been intrigued by this man ever since I saw The long goodbye (he's fantastic in it), I've read up a bit about his life and wow...respect.4

Paths of glory (1957) - Stanley Kubrick - One of the best (anti-)war films out there. Outstandingly realistic performances from the cast (especially the scene in the holding place). I couldn't believe this was filmed only a year after The Killing. It's an entirely different sort of film.5

The Shining (1980) - Stanley Kubrick - Loved some bits, but the downside to watching such pop-culture classics is that you know a lot of the scenes already which takes away some of their power. Other than that, horror just isn't my genre of choice so this film probably has the least replay value of all of his films I've seen so far. :\ 3.5

The graduate (1967) - Mike Nichols - Great fun. Laughed my ass of at certain scenes. Hoffman was absolutely perfectly cast, the soundtrack was great and my God, Ann Bancroft has an amazingly commanding presence doesn't she? Dayum...Will add to my library a-sap. (: 4.5

Battle of Algiers (1966) - Gillo Pontecorvo - Pretty spectacular considering when it was made (documentary style years ahead of its time methinks). And surprisingly enough, given that it was financed by Algeria, it's very even handed in that none of the sides come out looking particularly good. You also get a great insight into their struggle. I don't think it has much replay value for me though...:\ 4

Persona (1966) - Ingmar Bergman - I liked and understood most of it, which is why I like his brand of art film, he does actually try and spell it out for you. I didn't understand the opening or closing sequences though but it doesn't matter much I figure. Very good idea, but spectacular performances from the two leads. It was a pleasure to watch great acting...3.5

Psycho (1960) - Albert Hitchcock - It was all pretty good, but as I mentioned in The Shining, too much of it has been exploited indefinitely in the last 50 years so pretty much all of the initial impact is gone since I knew what happens in the end. Still worth watching, I guess...3

Vertigo (1958) - Alfred Hitchcock - Probably the most languid of the films I've seen by him. It does force the psychological issues too much, but Hitch has had that problem in many a film (remember Spellbound? *shudders*)...in any case, enjoyable...3

Breaking away (1979) - Peter Yates - Pretty average post high school- feel good- small time America- teen drama. But dayum, Dennis Quaid was RIPPED in his younger days...2.5

The treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) - John Huston - I'm a bit ambiguous about this one, on the one hand it was very engaging and I found myself completely suckered into taking sides and rooting for the good guys. I liked its ancient Greek idea of fatalism but on the other hand, intellectually I find it's not a very credible case of character development (I'm sorry, I've never been sold on sudden changes in personality unless the change is triggered by severe trauma. Bogie's transformation therefore struck me as somewhat silly, almost cartoonish near the end, complete with the maniacal laughter). It's also a very frustrating watch so I'm not sure what its replay value is, but let's compromise and give it a 4 +

Best boy (1979) - Ira Wohl - Not much to say, obviously given the subject matter (a retarded 50-something year old is being prepared for independent life) it's a given that it's going to be a very emotional documentary. I was on the verge of tears several times. Extremely melancholic viewing. 4.5

It happened one night (1934) - Frank Capra - Very charming (and apparently very influential and innovative) romantic comedy which actually made me laugh a few times (not common for older films), but the concept is a little too familiar by now (Roman holiday anyone?). Was pleasantly surprised by Clark Gable's performance (haven't seen many of his films though). 3.5

Umberto D (1952) - Vittorio de Sica - Not nearly as good as The Bicycle thieves (which for me is one of those very rare perfect 10s) but a very solid and moving neo-realist movie nonetheless. The far too obvious amateurishness of the main actor was its only major flaw for me. 3.5

In the heat of the night (1967) - Norman Jewison - Electrifying thriller with an amazing ensemble cast. But the scene stealer wasn't Poitier (whom I'm not a big fan of), but Rob Steiger.:yup: - 4.5

A night at the opera (1935) - Sam Wood - My first Marx brothers film, EVER *le shock*. I didn't particularly care for it, even though some lines were funny. - 2

Amadeus (1984) - Miloš Forman - Spectacular "costume drama" (I think that's a genre) with spectacular costumes and even better drama (I know, right?). I wish I was more familiar with the music so I could giggle and point at the soundtrack and the placement of particular pieces. Even so, I was much impressed. Although it is a bit of a commitment with a running time of just under 3 hours. 4.5

The Killing Fields (1984) - Roland Joffé - Been meaning to watch this ever since I saw Withnail and I (which I wasn't much impressed by, if you'll recall). This didn't really change my opinion of Robinson as a mediocre writer. I guess all films that deal with large scale human suffering inevitably get the attention of the Academy but I wasn't much impressed (with the film, mind you, it's based on a true story and that certainly is impressive). I felt as though I was thrown into the middle of the story so I never really got any sense of the relationship between the two main characters. I felt it was anything but close (Shanberg actually shows a great deal of impatience towards Pran in the beginning) so when the actual...poo starts hitting the fan I was not a little surprised to see them all start to bend over backwards to help what I assumed was an insignificant character. So the whole middle of the film seemed rather unbelievable. The last third, which focuses solely on Pran and his attempts to escape the death camps, though featuring very little dialog, is actually the most intriguing.

Oh and I also resented its cheap sentimentality. I mean the ending actually features Lennon's Give peace a chance. I mean, c'mon....:rolleyes: 2.5

Oh and I managed to endure about 2/3 of Being there but decided staring at the ceiling might be more interesting. :|

linespalsy

08-23-09, 04:32 PM

michael jackson's moonwalker. i need to watch something really good and weird soon. i'm feeling kind of dried up, movie-watching-wise. i need an amazing spectacle. solid writing, plot, deep characters aren't going to be enough to shake off this malaise. maybe i'll just pop prospero's books in when i go home tonight, seek refuge while i wait to find some awesome new thing.

adidasss

08-23-09, 04:35 PM

Haha...Harry informs me it's actually Imagine playing at the end of The Killing fields...those tree hugging, peace loving, hippy anthems apparently all sound alike to me...http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/diezelpower/dreamy.gif

mark f

08-23-09, 04:36 PM

Sergei Bondarchuk's War and Peace is about as spectacular as films get.

Miss Vicky

08-23-09, 10:29 PM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/3-10-to-yuma-poster-0.jpg

3:10 To Yuma (2007) (Rewatch)

After the disappointment of The Last Frontier, I decided to watch a Western that I know I love. Such a cool movie. Russell Crowe turns in an intense and wonderful performance and Christian Bale is passable - coming closer to showing actual acting ability here than in any other movie of his I've seen - but Ben Foster is incredible. It's a shame he has ended up with crap roles elsewhere (X-Men, 30 Days of Night, Alpha Dog) because he shows some serious talent here. Aside from the performances, this movie delivers with great shootouts, witty dialogue, characters that are much more developed and feel more real to me than those in the 1957 version, and the replacement of the original's arbitrary happy ending with one that better suits the rest of the film. Without a doubt my favorite Western.

5

re93animator

08-23-09, 10:49 PM

I just returned from watching Inglourious Basterds, and like most of the reviews that I've read, I loved it. The dialogue, performances, style, direction; all superb, and I loved the spaghetti western style that it had. Christoph Waltz stole the show IMO, and nearly every scene he was in was drenched with tension. Schweiger and Pitt played great characters too. In Tarantino's filmography, I'd rank it behind only Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown.
4

Miss Vicky

08-24-09, 03:56 AM

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The Robe (1953) (Rewatch)

I was in the mood for a good laugh and decided to revisit this old favorite. Though not actually a comedy, this Biblical Epic is a really (unintentionally) funny movie. Here, Victor Mature "gets his Holy on" and hams it up for all he's worth, but he's not alone in his over-the-top performance. Richard Burton, too, is laughable as Marcellus, particularly when he's gone mad and screams "Were you out there?!" But out-doing both of them is newcomer Jay Robinson who is absolutely hilarious as emporer Caligula, piling on the camp and the cheese with great zeal. A very fun movie.

3.5+

Harry Lime

08-24-09, 06:03 AM

Another week off, the hand's taking a lot longer to heal than I originally thought.

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Damnation (1987, Bela Tarr) 3.5
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Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989, Aki Kaurismaki) 2
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The Defiant Ones (1958, Stanley Kramer) 3
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Lars and the Real Girl (2007, Craig Gillespie) 2
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2046 (2005, Wong Kar-Wai) 4
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Kikujiro (2000, Takeshi Kitano) 3.5
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The Naked Spur (1953, Anthony Mann) 2
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The Human Condition Trilogy (1959-1961, Masaki Kobayashi) 5
I highly recommend this to anyone who has about ten hours to spare. The best I've seen in years.
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Lilja 4-Ever (2003, Lukas Moodysson) 3.5
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Che (2008, Steven Soderbergh) 3
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Young Mr. Lincoln (1939, John Ford) 3
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Terminator: Salvation (2009, McG) 2
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X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009, Gavin Hood) 2.5
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Ariel (1988, Aki Kaurismaki) 3.5
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Le Notti Bianche (1957, Luschino Visconti) 2.5
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I'm Not There (2007, Todd Haynes) 4
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Frost/Nixon (2008, Ron Howard) 3.5
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Hunger (2008, Steve McQueen) 3.5

zedlen

08-24-09, 06:28 AM

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Nineteen Eighty Four Michael Radford 1984

Being a fan of the novel I appreciated this adaptation because it doesn't change anything important, there are a few small variations but nothing that impacts the message or power of the story. John Hurt is brilliant. The only short-coming if I had to choose one is that unless you've read the novel some of the terminology and concepts could go over your head but in the end all movie adaptations slim down there novel counterparts and this one at least does it right.

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Screamers Christian Duguay 1995

I caught most of this late one night on TV and I liked the concept. One side of a war gain the advantage when they use a new a new weapon, a subterranean robot that screams before they attack. Whats interesting about this is that soon different kinds of screamers are seen that there human creators didn't build. Its a pity time has ruined this for me, its aged badly or I've just grown up since. I felt like I was watching a mid-day movie, tacky special effects, corny jokes and some very poor acting. If Screamers was remade with a serious director who wanted to make more then an cheap action film this could be a great scfi thriller.

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Caitlyn

08-24-09, 04:01 PM

We Were Soldiers (2002)

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First time I've ever watched it without my Dad and/or brother... and I had forgotten how graphic some of the scenes are... not that they really bother me... at least not for the gross factor but I wouldn't recommend this one to anyone with a weak tummy. I like the fact it touched on the families left at home though and showed the network they set up to help each other... and I loved Sam Elliott ...

5

meatwadsprite

08-24-09, 05:14 PM

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My Neighbors The Yamadas 1999

The light watercolor pallet is new for Ghibli and is an interesting experiment on their part. It also doesn't take a conventional form of a movie , instead is a disjointed series of stories - kind of like a big book of comics (maybe because it's based on a comic series ?).

There are some really awesome looking parts , but most of it feels restricted and less ambitious than their other work. Still a fun movie , I actually did like the English voices better - the subtitles at the bottom take you out of the look.

3

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Getting Any ? 1995

The last Kitano film left for me to see , it's an epic screwball comedy - in that it just consistently keeps growing and growing , and is ultimately way longer than any film with no core plot should be. Any fan of extreme absurdity (Airplane) should go well out of their way to see perhaps the craziest thing they ever will see.

3.5

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Inglourious Basterds 2009

After a second viewing I wouldn't think twice about throwing this in league with Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs , it's Taratino's biggest movie (not longest) and his most concentrated.

5

mark f

08-24-09, 08:35 PM

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (John Hough, 1974) 3

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Simple robbery/chase movie snowballs into a cult flick due to the cast, characters, a few good chases and a memorable ending. Larry (Peter Fonda) dreams of being a successful racer, but he needs money, so his lover Mary (Susan George) and mechanic Deke (Adam Roarke) rob a store and get pursued by Sheriff Franklin (Vic Morrow) throughout backroads California. That's mostly it, but the locations are excellent and there's real wit to some of the chases and the stunts. Although the film seems to borrow some existentialism from Vanishing Point, overall it's lighter and more entertaining. This is one B-movie which easily earns its rating through some solid craftsmanship, even if there are a few technical flaws which are noticeable but not damaging.

Robot Monster (Phil Tucker, 1953) 1 Camp rating:4

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OK, I'll admit that I raised this one up a half-rating. It's still ludicrous beyond words, but it actually almost makes sense in a few of the key plot points, so I guess I have to give it credit for some creativity amongst all the gorilla suits and aquarium space helmets. It looks and plays like somebody's extremely poor home movie, but if you're in the proper mood, it generates lots of laughs, especially the casting which brings together a wildly disparate set of actors and tries to pass them off as a family. When the "action" wanes, you can always count how many different ways Ro-Man and the Great Guidance wave their arms around while conversing over the fate of Mankind in a desert cave full of bubbles.

Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959) 2.5+

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It's amazing how basically nothing happens in Rio Bravo, but it's still kinda watchable. On the other hand, I'll admit that there's nothing really wrong with what happens in Rio Bravo which wouldn't make a decent little 90-minute action western, but the problem is that Hawks made the film 141 minutes. What's even more telling about Hawks at this latter end of his career is that he basically retooled this movie three times later: El Dorado and Rio Lobo as actual westerns and Hatari! with Wayne making a modern western set in Africa and running 157 minutes! All four movies have basically the same sets of characters going through similar situations to try to survive and make things right. There's no point in going into the specific details of Rio Bravo, but I recommend it just enough that I think people should watch it and decide for themselves what they think of it. I know people who say it's a masterpiece and others who think it's a turd. I fall somewhere in the middle, and I'm quite sure that Hawks didn't get any money from the NEA, so I'd never say it was a turd myself.

A Southern Yankee (Edward Sedgwick, 1948) 2.5+

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Film buffs may notice director Sedgwick's name and connect him to Buster Keaton. It's true that Keaton wrote some of the script uncredited and he conceived (or reconceived) many of the sight gags for funnyman Red Skelton here in this Civil War comedy. Red accidentally becomes a Union spy behind Southern lines in this amusing farce which has plenty of plot but could have used even more of Keaton's sight gags. It's still fun enough to watch Red play an incompetent and a coward who somehow keeps outfoxing the enemy and even carries on a romance with a hot Southern belle (Arlene Dahl). Another fun moment in the movie will remind people of a similar exchange of dialogue which the scripters later updated as one of the funniest moments in Danny Kaye's The Court Jester. ("The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!")

Che: Part Two (Steven Soderbergh, 2008) 2

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Part One of Che is worth 3 to me, but this film, which chronicles his utterly-futile attempt to bring armed revolution to Bolivia is formless, boring and eventually all-too-predictable. There are only one or two other characters in the 135 minute film who even come off as people, besides Che, and here, even Che (Benicio Del Toro) has little to do except to greet people, get sick, fight against overwhelming odds and occasionally offer some quietly-profound inspiration to his men who have little else to go on. The movie seems to mostly consist of people walking through a jungle with no particular rhyme or reason with a few cuts away to the government opposition who have little to fear from them. Occasionally, there are some gunshots exchanged. Actually, I feel I may be overrating Part Two, but I'll keep this rating for now.

Coraline (Henry Selick, 2009) 3.5

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I'm going to come back and write this one up more thoroughly later on. I need to rewatch some of it before I get into some details I want to touch on, so take this rating as a sort of sneak preview.

The Wanderers (Philip Kaufman, 1979) 4

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Great flick which I never grow tired of watching. The film is basically about NYC gangs in 1963, but it's about so much more, at least in the way it shows how gang life permeates everywhere. Richie (Ken Wahl) is the ostensible hero of the film, but even the father (Dolph Sweet) of his girlfriend Despie (Toni Kalem) seems to be the local Godfather who can dish out violence and make offers people can't refuse. The collection of gangs is wonderful, and the dialogue which is sprinkled throughout is often truly hilarious. At the same time, the film is surrealistic and often violently-unnerving, especially in the presentation of a gang called the Ducky Boys who almost seem to exist in the "Subconscious of the Big Apple", only to put other gangs in their rightfully-lower places. Karen Allen is also a major asset as an intelligent young woman whom Richie and his buddy Joey (John Friedrich) encounter in their adventures with just struggling through daily life. Other significant subplots involve the Fordham Baldies, their leader Terror (Erland van Lidth) and his appropriately-named girl Peewee (Linda Manz), Joey's scary father (William Andrews) and new student Perry (Tony Ganios), a massive young man who tries to help protect Joey when he gets into trouble. ("Leave the kid alone.") When you throw in a perfectly-edited early rock soundtrack, The Wanderers has everything I need for a tweaked walk down Memory Lane, even if it's a walk on the wild side.

Messiah of Evil (Willard Huyck, 1973) 2

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I watched this at the drive-in back in '74, but at the time, the combo of an incredibly low budget, long stretches of pregnant pauses, occasional funny lines and acting, and basically no gore, left me wondering why anyone would make what seemed like an art house zombie flick. IMDb calls this Dead People, but even my brother's DVD says Messiah of Evil on the box and in the titles. Today, I can appreciate the movie much better, but I still feel a little of it goes a long way. The albino at the beginning who likes the German composer Wagner is a highlight, as is Royal Dano's narrator and Elisha Cook, Jr.'s seemingly-insane character, seen all too briefly. There's also a classic scene in a movie theatre showing a Sammy Davis Jr. western where lovely Joy Bang doesn't seem to notice that she's being surrounded by what just might be "Dead People". However, the film still suffers from a lot of boredom. Some will enjoy this as atmosphere, but others will just not take to it because they'll never quite be rewarded with something they'd expect from an R-rated flick called Messiah of Evil or Dead People. Either way, it's interesting that the writers/directors of this film also co-wrote the next one, at just about the same time they were filming this one.

American Graffiti (George Lucas, 1973) 4.5

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When I feel like watching something which enables me to just sit back with what amounts to about two dozen old friends and admire film in an almost pure form, this is always one of my Go-To films. From the opening titles, it's clear that Lucas is in complete control of the camera and sound, and in fact, it's partly the way he actually lights and shoots (with plenty of expert help) the film (95% of which takes place at night) which turns something which can be seen as a silly high school comedy into something much more meaningful. However, with that rock solid script, a collection of great performances and one of the greatest uses of pop songs in motion picture history (each song seems to comment on the exact actions of the characters at the time), it would be difficult to confuse American Graffiti with something like Porky's. There are so many memorable episodes and incidents, and they all flow so smoothly, that anyone who has never watched this yet or didn't get it the first time should take another look ASAP. Be sure to watch the Special Features where Lucas discusses that nobody wanted to film the original script, the original cut was over three hours and that if he didn't get a name attached to the film (Francis Ford Coppola), it would have never been financed and filmed in the first place, even though the budget was only $400,000. Of course, when you're watching this on DVD now, it looks like the budget was closer to $40 million with the state-of-the-art visual updating and ultimate sound recording and effects.

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Used Future

08-24-09, 10:10 PM

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Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (Yasuzo Masumura 1973) 3.5+
This is the second part of the Hanzo trilogy; an unusual and extremely violent mixture of the Chanbara and Pinku genres. I've had the box set sitting on my shelf for well over six months now, but the first film in the series (Sword of Justice) didn't really capture my imagination like I hoped it would despite being directed by Kenji Misumi of Lone Wolf & Cub fame. As a result I kind of put off watching parts 2 & 3, until Fenwick PM'd me a few days back to ask if I knew anything about the series.

Played by the wonderful Shintaro Katsu (best known as the original Zatoichi) Hanzo is your basic badass police inspector with a misogynistic line in torture, lack of respect for authority, and a penchant for beating his manhood with a wooden paddle. In this installment he investigates the suspicious death of a young woman, and uncovers political conspiracy involving prostitution, and economic corruption...

Where Sword of Justice was a little short on action, and heavy on some very uncomfortable yet blackly comic sexual torture; The Snare is quite the opposite. This installment has Hanzo in full on ass kicking mode, with some truly exhilarating blood splattered swordplay, and a nice line in laconic humour (Hanzo's relationship with his boss is particularly funny). This is perfectly paced, effectively builds tension, and culminates with a truly thrilling penultimate showdown involving Hanzo saving a young maid from a group of robbers. Other highlights include a foolish group of ninja turned into sushi after invading Hanzo's lair, and his amusing bust of a Buddhist temple housing a prostitution racket. Yes Hanzo is often very funny stuff, has a cool Blaxploitation style soundtrack, and is beautifully photographed. If you can stomach the distasteful misogyny and torture, then this is a must see.

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Conquest (Lucio Fulci 1983) 2
This is gore maestro Fulci's doomed foray into the sword and sorcery genre made popular in the 80's by John Milius' superb Conan the Barbarian.

Now it's no secret I'm a fan of Fulci's work; especially his early gialli like Lizard in a Woman's Skin and Don't Torture a Duckling. He was a master at creating doom laden atmosphere, and the operatic gory set pieces of his later horror films like The Beyond often rivaled those of Dario Argento in terms of dreamlike visual style and unrelenting sadism. Considering his diversity (he also made action comedies, westerns and science fiction) I was practically foaming at the mouth to see this.

Sadly the plot for Conquest is virtually non-existent. A young man called Ilias travels to a far away land armed with a magic bow that has the power to destroy armies. There he meets a barbarian called Mace (Jorge Rivero) and together they set out to destroy Zora; a gold masked oppressive god who likes to prance around semi-nude.

What a let down. I wasn't expecting Star Wars, but Conquest is a mess. In an attempt to mask the film's meager budget and give it an atmosphere of mystery and magic; Fulci appears to have gone hog wild with a dry ice machine and smeared vaseline all over the lense. Sometimes it works and the film looks suitably ethereal and fantastic, but most of the time the blurry action is frustratingly obstructed by smoke blowing into shot. If it wasn't so tragic it'd be funny, but I wasn't amused. On the plus side the trademark Fulci gore is there, with zombies, brain eating, a woman torn in half, rubbish looking wolf men, plenty of head clubbing's and splattery arrow impalements. But it's painfully cut rate, accompanied by a dull Claudio Simonetti synth score, and backed up by such an uninspiring flimsy narrative, that Conquest fails on every level. Disappointing.

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Killer Klowns from Outer Space (Stephen Chiodo 1988) 3+
I'd always avoided this instant cult hit from the Chiodo brothers thinking it looked a little too goofy and childish. I just kind of lumped it in with all those cruddy movies that came out on the back of Joe Dante's Gremlins and to a lesser extent Stephen Herek's Critters (the latter featuring excellent effects work from the Chiodo Brothers). Not until I saw the kooky looking and very funny trailer again recently, did I finally decide to check this one out.

I'm not sure I need to explain the plot of a movie called Killer Klowns from Outer Space, but here goes. In another nod to old 50's alien invasion flicks a small town witnesses what appears to be a comet crash near by. On investigation various residents discover a circus tent in the woods, and before you can say bearded ladies, all hell breaks loose. With the towns folk systematically being cocooned in corrosive liquidating cotton candy and sucked dry; it's left to local sheriff Hanson (John Allen Nelson) to save the day accompanied by valley girl Debbie (Suzanne Snyder) and a pair of hormonal ice cream van owners...

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is puerile, idiotic, silly, juvenile and very funny. What initially struck me most about the film was the colourfully imaginative low budget production design (the matte work is superb) and wonderful makeup effects. The film is full of screwball touches, like a sequence in which the mischievous ''Klowns'' use a balloon dog to chase down escaping townsfolk, and their guns that fire popcorn and cotton candy rays. Best of all however has to be Dean Wormer himself John Vernon, perfectly cast as the skeptical Sheriff Mooney who effortlessly steals the movie. In all Killer Klowns is short and sweet at 86 minutes with likable characters (including the Klowns) and rarely a dull moment. For what it is it has no right to be this well made and entertaining.

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Return of the Street Fighter (Shigehiro Ozawa 1974) 3.5
Or maybe they should just have called it Sonny Chiba Vs Mafia. Yes Japan's answer to Bruce Lee is back as the ruthless anti-hero Tsurugi. This is another series I've been meaning to get under my belt after watching the superb original last year.

In this one Tsurugi gets hired to assassinate three bad guys involved in the theft of a priceless golden Buddha statue. Along the way he uncovers a Mafia plot (led by a guy who looks suspiciously like Al Pacino in Serpico) to discredit and destroy the martial arts world, and soon finds himself on their hit list. Naturally they picked on the wrong guy, and much ass kicking ensues.

I thought this was equal to the original, with non stop bone crunching, brilliantly choreographed fight scenes to rival any martial arts movie (loved the weapons demonstration sequence). Favourite characters from the first film return, most notably Karate master Masaoka (Masafumi Suzuki) and a certain arch nemesis minus his vocal chords. It's not exactly subtle, and as is the case with this series the plot is largely just a semi-coherent excuse for a punch up. But Chiba is incredibly charismatic, the direction solid, and the blood on tap; what more could you want from a 70's Karate flick?

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The Tenant (Roman Polanski 1976) 3.5
The Tenant sees Polanski further explore themes of madness, alienation, obsession, and paranoia he covered in his earlier apartment based horror classics Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby.

Here Polanski himself plays Trelkovsky, a mild mannered file clerk who takes an apartment in which a woman recently committed suicide. Not long after moving in he begins having trouble with his overly fussy neighbors who think he's making too much noise. There are veiled threats in the hallway from his landlord Monsieur Zy (Melvyn Douglas) and strange figures staring at him from across the courtyard. His friend Scope (brilliantly played by Bernard Fresson) is obnoxious and unsupportive, and his somewhat distant love interest Stella (Isabelle Adjani) a friend of the previous tenant. Gradually Trelkovsky becomes obsessed with the woman's suicide, and convinced the inhabitants of the apartment building are trying to drive him the same way. Is it all in his head? or is there a real conspiracy afoot?

Slow and downbeat, The Tenant works much in the same way as Rosemary's Baby in that it attempts to gradually crank up the tension and suspense, whilst sucking you into an elaborate mystery. Polanski is surprisingly effective in the lead, underplaying his character as a meek introverted victim, and the support (including Shelly Winters as the concierge) is superb. The film is full of tiny well observed details that no doubt reward multiple viewings (this was my first) and succeeded in sucking me into the mystery of the previous tenant (especially the scene in which he finds a tooth in the wall, and what did those hieroglyphics in the bathroom mean?). But my main issue with it was the familiarity of the whole thing, like I'd seen this before from Polanski done better, tighter, and with more focus. Plus the ending felt like a complete cop out. Overall though I found this a fascinating film, and wouldn't mind discussing it further. In needs it's own thread if you ask me.

Other stuff I watched...

The Streetfighter's Last Revenge (Shigehiro Ozawa 1974) 3
Easily the least of the series, this benefits from the presence of Reiko Ike from Sex and Fury, and a bizarre laser firing mariachi henchman. The fights are somehow less impressive though as the series appeared to be going in a more light hearted James Bond direction, and the plot is completely incoherent. Still fun though.

mark f

08-24-09, 10:16 PM

I really need to watch The Tenant again. I hated it so much the first time (upon original theatrical release) I've still never watched the whole thing through a second time. All my queues are basically empty so The Tenant's going up to the top. I also have to grab a copy of Tyson so I can get pissed off at another movie. :cool: HA!

zedlen

08-25-09, 09:10 AM

I also have to grab a copy of Tyson so I can get pissed off at another movie. :cool: HA!

Good choice

TheDOMINATOR

08-25-09, 12:27 PM

The Happening - 3.5-
(M. Night Shyamalan, 2008)

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The review is up in my review thread (a link to which is in my sig), but until now I never actually posted here (in the Tab thread) that I've watched it. It's a good movie, but with a few too many annoying flaws.

The Godfather - 5
(Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

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With my third viewing of this film, The Godfather still remains to completely engross me in its awe-inspiring story like few other films can. This will be a favorite for a long time to come.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 2
(Michel Gondry, 2004)

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My initial viewing and this rewatch are enough to make me realize that I just don't care for this film, after having finally given it a second chance. The story is okay and the performances are really good (loved Kate Winslet), but I never really managed to get into the movie's bizzare plot. Especially towards the late middle of the film, things just get way too freaky.

Mark's talked about Eternal Sunshine before (he doesn't care for it much, either), and I agree with most of the points he's brought forth about it. Oh well; this is just one of them otherwise immensely popular films that I plain old just don't like.

Wishmaster - 2.5+
(Robert Kurtzman, 1997)

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The movie overall is pretty decent and the Wishmaster himself is pretty cool, but it pisses me off that half the people in the movie don't say "I wish" when the Djinn grants them what they want, which ultimately leads to their death and the damnation of their soul. For example, in one scene a police officer simply says "Freeze!" and the Wishmaster actually turns him frozen solid and says "Done" as if in reply to a wish. I just kinda shook my head.

Aside from that, I didn't like the ending (although that freaky dog creature near the film's conclusion was pretty cool-looking).

The Djinn is vanquished by the protagonist wishing that an accident in the beginning of the film never happened, which is what caused the Wishmaster's release. So, at the end, we're taken back to the beginning of the film and it's like the entire past 90 minutes never happened in the Wishmaster saga's story. Lame.

Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies - 2.5
(Jack Sholder, 1999)

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004D31M.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

This one had a lot of the same problems the first one had. I don't know; maybe if there was some nudity in these movies they would be a little better.

Wind Chill - 3.5-
(Gregory Jacobs, 2007)

http://www.emilyblunt.info/images/windchill_movie.jpg

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/04/28/movies/28wind600.jpg

Wind Chill really suprised me. I had little to no expectations at all (it was five dollars at Wal-Mart so I picked it up), but I ended up liking it a lot (and no, Mark, it's not because of attractive ladies :D ;)). Thinking it was going to be just another cheap horror movie good for a few good laughs, what I got was--more or less--a quality film with good acting, a good story, and an eerily cool atmosphere that sets the tone of the movie perfectly.

Emily Blunt, who I had never heard of before, delivers a solid and believable performance as the protagonist (who is never named in the film), a college-going twenty-something girl in need of a ride to Delaware to see family for the holidays, which is a five-hour's drive from campus. Happy to ablige is the only other non-antagonist character who gets more than five minute's screen-time, Ashton Holmes (who is also never named), who offers to take her, and does.

The trip doesn't go well, however, as they soon find themselves broken down on an eerie back road at night, in the middle of a blistering cold snowstorm. Fighting to keep warm in the wrecked car, they soon venture outside after seeing what seemed at first like people coming to their rescue, but they quickly discover otherwise. These ghostly abberations are portents that give hints to the road's grim past.

What follows is a genuinely captivating story that pulled me right in and kept me watching, even though--between each scene of action--not a whole lot actually happened. I have a few problems with the movie, but considering my expectations and the price at which I got it, it was really, really good.

Used Future

08-25-09, 03:34 PM

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 2
Oh well; this is just one of them otherwise immensely popular films that I plain old just don't like.

I didn't care for it much either Dom.

Caitlyn

08-25-09, 03:47 PM

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 2
Oh well; this is just one of them otherwise immensely popular films that I plain old just don't like.

I didn't care for it much either Dom.

Add me to the list... I never could really get into that one either...

Golgot

08-25-09, 05:18 PM

Kinda talking of which...

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/2879/lettherightonein2009001.jpg

Let the Right One in

Not sure this entirely deserves the hype it received, but it is a beautifully filmed oddity, if one whose facets feel a bit abandoned at times. Certainly no horror-fest (but using its budget pretty well for the gore that it goes for), it's the not-quite-of-age tale that profits the most (and the evocation of a snow-smothered early-80s Sweden is well done aswell - even if it's a perplexingly 'alternate' Communist Block one, or so it seemed).

The long-loop of the storyline rolled out just fine, but perhaps it felt too much like a fantasy-escape of the author-as-child (to have a vampire girlfriend who could rescue him from his tormentors). Couldn't really identify with it as a reality on that level, or believe in the girl's own torments as co-protagonist, in some ways.

3_5+

re93animator

08-25-09, 09:11 PM

Wishmaster - 2.5+
(Robert Kurtzman, 1997)

The movie overall is pretty decent and the Wishmaster himself is pretty cool, but it pisses me off that half the people in the movie don't say "I wish" when the Djinn grants them what they want, which ultimately leads to their death and the damnation of their soul. For example, in one scene a police officer simply says "Freeze!" and the Wishmaster actually turns him frozen solid and says "Done" as if in reply to a wish. I just kinda shook my head.
I know it's not very well received by critics or movie-goers, but the first Wishmaster film is one of my favorite horror flicks of the 90's. It works nicely as a dark comedy as well, whether that be with intentional humor or not.

But... the scene you describe here is from the sequel. If I remember correctly, in the first film he does get all (or at least the majority) of his victims to wish for something. Oh, and it has cameos galore!

Wind Chill - 3.5-
(Gregory Jacobs, 2007)

Wind Chill really suprised me. I had little to no expectations at all (it was five dollars at Wal-Mart so I picked it up), but I ended up liking it a lot (and no, Mark, it's not because of attractive ladies :D ;)). Thinking it was going to be just another cheap horror movie good for a few good laughs, what I got was--more or less--a quality film with good acting, a good story, and an eerily cool atmosphere that sets the tone of the movie perfectly.

Emily Blunt, who I had never heard of before, delivers a solid and believable performance as the protagonist (who is never named in the film), a college-going twenty-something girl in need of a ride to Delaware to see family for the holidays, which is a five-hour's drive from campus. Happy to ablige is the only other non-antagonist character who gets more than five minute's screen-time, Ashton Holmes (who is also never named), who offers to take her, and does.

The trip doesn't go well, however, as they soon find themselves broken down on an eerie back road at night, in the middle of a blistering cold snowstorm. Fighting to keep warm in the wrecked car, they soon venture outside after seeing what seemed at first like people coming to their rescue, but they quickly discover otherwise. These ghostly abberations are portents that give hints to the road's grim past.

What follows is a genuinely captivating story that pulled me right in and kept me watching, even though--between each scene of action--not a whole lot actually happened. I have a few problems with the movie, but considering my expectations and the price at which I got it, it was really, really good.It's been a while since I last saw this, but I remember liking it a lot. It's a very atmospheric horror flick that takes full advantage of its setting. I'll have to give it a re-watch sometime soon.

WBadger

08-25-09, 10:08 PM

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)- A/A+

http://jonasferry.com/images/screenshots/day-the-earth-stood-still-screenshot.jpg

You know what I love about this movie, and generally sc-fi? It's that it makes you think about the possibilities of the future and how life would be different in regards to the changes. For example, this movie, an "alien" or human from a different planet shows up on Earth, it's basically the predictable theory that humans have come up with. But this move takes that simple idea and makes it into a clever masterpiece. The character, Klaatu, lands on Earth and escapes from the hospital and it was interesting to watch him try to learn about human society and to say the right things. Entertaining movie, that is one of the best sci-fi movies I've ever seen.

District 9 (2009)- B-/B

http://www.yowazzup.com/blog/images/district-9-movie.jpg

I liked it, yet some plot points were stupid. It has a different feel to it, especially with the unique style of a theme of a documentary and then shifts to a normal action movie. I liked the alien designs, and felt weird for feeling strong feelings towards one of the alien characters, Christopher. But some things were stupid or maybe just not explained enough, the aliens were portrayed as both extremely advanced and yet as stupid creatures. Why the hell are humans controlling these supposed advanced specimens as slaves? And why would these aliens being fighting over a can of cat food? They're aliens for heavens sake. They travelled over in a human ship and were able to create space travel. Come on now. Besides these plot holes, I did like the theme that was being set and found it to be an entertaining film. Just fell short of my expectations, and was hoping for a more complete film.

TheDOMINATOR

08-26-09, 02:18 AM

I didn't care for it much either Dom.

Add me to the list... I never could really get into that one either...

I feel a bit better, then. Not that I really felt bad about not liking it, but...you know. :P

I know it's not very well received by critics or movie-goers, but the first Wishmaster film is one of my favorite horror flicks of the 90's. It works nicely as a dark comedy as well, whether that be with intentional humor or not.

But... the scene you describe here is from the sequel. If I remember correctly, in the first film he does get all (or at least the majority) of his victims to wish for something. Oh, and it has cameos galore!

Yeah, that particular scene is from the sequel, but in both movies a noticeable number of victims never say "I wish." Just something that ticked me off a little. Agreed about those cameos, though--awesome appearances by the great horror legends, all while a new one is being born. :cool:

It's been a while since I last saw this, but I remember liking it a lot. It's a very atmospheric horror flick that takes full advantage of its setting. I'll have to give it a re-watch sometime soon.

Definitely give it a rewatch and tell me what you think (in greater detail). :) Really suprisingly good movie with, as you said, a fantastic atmospheric tone and setting.

TheUsualSuspect

08-26-09, 02:38 AM

The Happening over Eternal Sunshine? You're giving me a heart attack here.

undercoverlover

08-26-09, 06:45 AM

All Tomorrows Parties
Princess Mononoke
Bicentenial Man
Mesrine Part 2

Miss Vicky

08-27-09, 12:58 AM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/demetrius_gladiators.jpg

Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) (Rewatch)

Victor Mature and Jay Robinson reprise their respective roles as Demetrius and Caligula in this sequel to The Robe. Also returning to the screen is all the camp and cheese from the original. Even Susan Hayward hams it up as Messalina, wife of Caligula's uncle Claudius and love interest to Mature's Demetrius. Not quite as funny as The Robe, but this movie holds a special place for me because it is the first Victor Mature movie I ever saw and began my love for the swords-and-sandals epic.

3.5

TheUsualSuspect

08-27-09, 02:29 AM

Had a Peter Jackson triple feature tonight with 4 other friends, two of them having no idea what they were about to watch.

Bad Taste 3.5

Meet The Feebles 3

Dead Alive 4

TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_

08-27-09, 03:30 PM

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WfNXLqpFPqM/SWn7TBtvZ9I/AAAAAAAAANc/nxY-qHzqwME/S410/TheRedShoes.jpg

The Red Shoes

Having caught the last half hour on TV, I finally watched the whole thing, and loved it. The colour is extraordinary, the dance sequence is wonderful and not boring as I feared it might be. Based on Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale, this is a dark dreamlike film (5/5)

http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/usa/images-2/judy-garland-a-star-is-born.jpg

A Star is Born

Although I really liked the story of the film, the dance numbers and songs apart from The Man That Got Away went on for far too long, and could have done with trimming. There is also a large part which is just stills because they didn't have the visual footage, which jarred it a bit. Too much Judy Garland (although she is very good) and not enough James Mason. Such a sad last line! (3/5)

http://richeyrich.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/rebecca3_b.jpg

Rebecca

Still really creepy. Hitchcock really was good at suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the film, especially with such great leads. Probably not the best thing to watch if you're going to marry an older man... (4.5/5)

Loner

08-27-09, 07:29 PM

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 2
(Michel Gondry, 2004)

http://lookingforlola.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/eternal_sunshine.jpg

My initial viewing and this rewatch are enough to make me realize that I just don't care for this film, after having finally given it a second chance. The story is okay and the performances are really good (loved Kate Winslet), but I never really managed to get into the movie's bizzare plot. Especially towards the late middle of the film, things just get way too freaky.

Mark's talked about Eternal Sunshine before (he doesn't care for it much, either), and I agree with most of the points he's brought forth about it. Oh well; this is just one of them otherwise immensely popular films that I plain old just don't like.

I didn't care for it much either Dom.

Add me to the list... I never could really get into that one either...

I feel a bit better, then. Not that I really felt bad about not liking it, but...you know. :P

Haters! :p

Sign me up.

As soon as the van pulled up, the film ended.

Jim Carrey is horribly mis-cast.

Has anyone mentioned that the plot is similar to Random Harvest (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035238/)?

WBadger

08-27-09, 07:45 PM

I've never seen an in-the-middle opinion for Eternal Sunshine yet, either people love it or hate it. I have yet to see the film, but it is on my list. With the mixture of opinions, I am suddenly intrigued.

Iroquois

08-28-09, 02:01 AM

I would say I'm in the middle.

regnif

08-28-09, 02:28 AM

Funny Games (2008)- loved it (4/5)

The Fountain (2006) - had higher expectations, but overall a fine movie (3/5)

Ellie Parker (2005) - this was good, big fan of Naomi Watts (love this woman) (3/5)

Pouic Pouic (1963) -louis de funes movie, so-so (2/5)

Le Corniaud (1965)- another de funes starring movie- this one was great! (4/5) (but i'm sure it'll rise up to a 5 if i see it a couple more times)

Miss Vicky

08-28-09, 02:53 AM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/pecker.jpg

Pecker (1998)

I was in the mood for a good comedy with oddball characters and figured I'd give this John Waters film a try. Well, I got the oddball characters I was looking for (and Waters' usual high WTF factor) but I didn't so much as a crack a smile the entire movie. It just wasn't funny.

What a disappointment.

2

regnif

08-28-09, 03:28 AM

Yeah Pecker was quite average, i do however like Furlong...maybe not the most consistent of actors but there's something about him that will make me want to watch a movie he's in, even if it's crap.

honeykid

08-28-09, 11:14 AM

You're in luck then, regnif.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1236484/

Directed by Uwe Boll. Dare you question the quality! :laugh:

Miss Vicky

08-28-09, 11:17 AM

Yeah Pecker was quite average, i do however like Furlong...maybe not the most consistent of actors but there's something about him that will make me want to watch a movie he's in, even if it's crap.

I can't say I really have an opinion of him. Before viewing Pecker, I'd only seen him in Terminator 2 and American History X.

honeykid

08-28-09, 11:25 AM

Take a look at American Heart. Not a great film, but I remember him being really good in it.

linespalsy

08-28-09, 12:11 PM

Inglorious Basterds 2.5
Forgetting Sarah Marshall 3+

Classicqueen13

08-28-09, 05:27 PM

Two for the Road 4
http://www.channel4.com/film/media/images/Channel4/film/T/two_for_the_road_xl_01--film-B.jpg

It was a great last night of summer flick for me. It was a fun movie, but also tells the tale of a deep love story between the two. I wish I could've given this one its own entry. The acting is very good, but I didn't care too much for Albert Finney's character. I found the script and the plot to be quite orginal, so I really liked this one. I think it will be even better on repeated watches.

City Heat 2.5
http://videodetective.com/photos/010/00043443_.jpg

While the two big name actors that starred were pretty good and there were a few laughs spread throughout, this film couldn't really hold my attention. One of those, sounds too good to be true kind of movies. If you can find something else to watch, watch that.

The Terminator 4
http://modernpost.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/arnold_schwarzenegger_the_terminator_001.jpg

A piece of movie history, it is easy to see why this film gathers so many fans. The characters are great with loads of memorable scenes. Arnold has never been better, and the supporting cast turns in great ones as well. This is the type of movie that makes you love movies for all the fun of them!

Curly Sue 4
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/channelsurfing/uploaded_images/sue-795878.jpg

I recalled watching this film when I was very young and loving it, so I was excited to see it again. Alisan Porter is adorable as the smart and sweet Sue, and Belushi is great as her "father". The two make a great pair with good script. The plot isn't one you see everyday though it's probably been done before. A good one to watch with the family.

Harper 4.5
http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/coverv/33/470033.jpg

This is going on my "to buy" list. It's one of Paul Newman's classic H movies. He is perfect as the clever and witty detective Harper. The supporting cast is great. The screenplay is very well written as it had a mystery that kept me guessing and plenty of wit.

igor_is_fugly

08-28-09, 08:07 PM

Freaks
http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/filmnotes/images/freaks02.jpg
Barely remember watching this when i was little, and have been wanting to watch it again for quite some time. Overall I really liked it. Didnt love it, but really liked it. Disturbing, touching, and entertaining. I must admit the ending didnt sit well with me. Not what happened, but the transitions and the dialogue seemed a bit lazy and...not good. Later I was watching some of the special features and I guess a lot of people felt that way. There had been numerous different releases, all with differet endings. I think there were 4, and these were on the dvd. None of them were very good in my opinion...

4

undercoverlover

08-28-09, 08:59 PM

One of us, one of us...

Iroquois

08-29-09, 12:50 AM

Gooble-garble, gooble-garble...

Miss Vicky

08-29-09, 01:30 AM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/thebeach.jpg

The Beach (2000)

This turned out to be a really fascinating and engaging movie about people's desire to escape the mundane and the lengths they are willing to go to to achieve that escape. Well acted by all involved and full of breathtaking visuals, this movie is itself a great form of escapism and a very entertaining watch.

4

mark f

08-29-09, 01:52 AM

Queen of Hearts (Jon Amiel, 1989) 4

Read this (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=561584).

Third Man on the Mountain (Ken Annakin, 1959) 3+

http://www.coffeecoffeeandmorecoffee.com/archives/third%20man%20on%20the%20mountain.jpg%5Dhttp://www.michaelbarrier.com/Commentary/Live_Action_Walt/ThirdMan.jpg

Realistic, suspenseful Disney flick about a young man (James MacArthur) who wants to climb the Citadel (think the Matterhorn), a dangerous mountain in the Swiss Alps. Various friends, family members and visiting climbers try to go with the boy or try to keep him from climbing. This was made back when Disney was making solid family entertainment almost every time out, and this one ranks with the concurrent Swiss Family Robinson and Darby O'Gill and the Little People.

Tyson (James Toback, 2008) 3

I discussed this at the Movie Club (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=561904).

[•rec] (Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza) 3

http://www.dreadcentral.com/img/news/jun09/rec2new.jpg

Pretty scary subjective video camera tale works better than most such films but highlights part of the problem with the "genre". This time a late night TV show interviews and travels with a firetruck when it goes on what turns out to be a deadly call. The entire film is seen from the videocam perspective. One of the flaws with these type of films is that even though they're mostly around 80 minutes long, they're still overlong, and partly it's because they have difficulty in building any kind of character development. So whenever things aren't scary, they tend to get rather boring. This one gets pretty scary, especially near the end, but then there is only one way these films can scare you, and that's to have something come at you from out of nowhere or the dark, so once again, that lessens just how scary the film can be because with only one camera, the "thing" can only come from one place.

The Lion Has Wings (Adrien Brunel, Brian Desmond Hurst & Michael Powell, 1939) 2

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EYRVE8B1L._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Outrageously hokey propaganda flick has a couple of very good action scenes utilizing Ralph Richardson and his Special Forces unit using huge maps and model planes to surround the attacking Nazi aircraft. Then the actual dogfights are shown in the sky. I'd bet my life that these scenes were directed by Michael Powell because they contain a visual wit and polish which far more resemble his work than the co-directors listed. As far as the other hour or so goes, you've been warned.

A Zed & Two Noughts (Peter Greenaway, 1985) 2.5

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ojWtyH7yPvw/SP2X-ZLQcuI/AAAAAAAAC_k/ZDdVj95BZB8/s400/zed_still_01.jpg

Greenaway uses his rich visual pallette to present some case about decay, fate, and perhaps retribution, but as is often the case, it's unclear whether he's trying to intellectualize the physical or physicalize the intellectual. I guess he could be considered the art house (or is it out house?) version of David Cronenberg, but Greenaway makes Cronenberg seem more like Walt Disney. This film involves people who lose body parts, people who used to share the same body (?), zoo animals who live or die and some rather strange obsessions which most of the characters seem to partake in. I liked it a little less this time than I liked it last time, and there are about 50 people in the world I'd ever suggest this one to; otherwise, I'd tell people to steer clear.

Ida Lupino Festival:

Out of the Fog (Anatole Litvak, 1941) 2
On Dangerous Ground (Nicholas Ray, 1952) 2
The Hard Way (Vincent Sherman, 1943) 2.5+
Ladies in Retirement (Charles Vidor, 1941) 2.5+
High Sierra (Raoul Walsh, 1941) 3

http://www.classicfilmstars.com/img/ida_lupino300.jpg

I watched five Ida Lupino flicks yesterday. Out of the Fog is an OK but terribly hokey film which plays exactly like a cramped theatrical adaptation, and yes, it's based on a play by Irwin Shaw. The only reason to watch it is for the cast which includes Ida, John Garfield, Thomas Mitchell, and John Qualen. On Dangerous Ground has a much-better reputation and is now considered a cult film, even if I don't think all that much of it. Robert Ryan is good as a roughneck city cop and Ida is good as a blind woman who cools him down when he's assigned to a special case out of town. The flick is appropriately dark and moody but the plot is just undernourished and the always-reliable Ward Bond gives one of his lousiest performances, at least to me. The Hard Way is an intense and almost insane melodrama, but it's much more entertaining and thought-provoking. Ida runs the personal life and budding show biz career of kid sister Joan Leslie, and she walks all over everybody, especially the two most important men (Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan) in the women's lives. (It turns out that this flick was really based on Ginger Rogers and her mother).

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_f9pvdIisA48/SfyWJk0HbzI/AAAAAAAAAEI/UyJIKRoHd8I/s400/High.sierra.jpg

Ladies in Retirement is also based on a play, but it starts out a little more along the lines of Arsenic and Old Lace. Ida is the thoughtful housekeeper of a wealthy woman (Isobel Elsom), but when she receives word that her two sisters (Elsa Lanchester and Edith Barrett) will be permanently sent to live in a London insane asylum if she cannot care for them, she brings them to live with her. It doesn't take long for the sisters to wear out their welcome, but Ida just cannot let them leave. Added into the mix are Ida's visiting "nephew" (Louis Hayward) and another maid (Evelyn Keyes) who find out some suspicious things when the old lady owner goes away on an unexpected trip. High Sierra is my fave of the five films. It's also the last film that Bogart made where he didn't receive top billing. Ida got that as a sensitive woman who waits for Bogie while he's busy trying to pull off a heist and have a girl's (Joan Leslie's, again) clubfoot repaired as a form of courtship. The film has several interesting characters and an exciting finale, so yeah, I even like all the stuff with the unlucky dog too. Go ahead, shoot me!

The Tenant (Roman Polanski, 1976) 2.5

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/tomasutpen/lalocataire.jpg

Well, The Tenant did seem a bit more interesting than I recalled, but it doesn't really seem any less maddening. I realize that Polanski's Trelkovsky character never explains why he wants the apartment. Supposedly, he already has some place to live in the city when he shows up at the beginning of the film asking about an apartment, but we never see him move out of any other place. He claims he learned about the apartment from a friend, but this could actually be Stella (Isabelle Adjani) whom he allegedly meets in the hospital after he moves in. It's true that there are clues here and there which connect the dead woman to Egyptology and that appears to be a subject of interest in Trelkovsky's floor's bathroom, but after a while, it's really unclear if anything he sees is actually happening. The whole thing is reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby but with no payoff. Actually, the payoff could be that The Tenant is an unnecessary prequel to the earlier movie, but in just as many ways, The Tenant seems to be a circular ghost story a la The Shining. Thinking about what it may mean after the fact seems much more entertaining than the experience of watching the film which gives no answers and goes off the deep end at times by making the sound level drastically low involving a certain character and then having some central characters dubbed.

Tacitus

08-29-09, 06:15 AM

12 Monkeys (1995, Terry Gilliam)

3.5/5

I've finally worked it out - Terry Gilliam is the cinematic equivalent of Nigel Mansell!

Stay with me...

For those of you who have no conception of the fluffy-faced retired racing driver (http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/editorial_images/2007/nigel_mansell.jpg) let me say this: Even the most routine of Mansell's many victories was seen by the man himself as some sort of triumph over adversity. He could have lapped the entire field twice and stopped for a picnic on lap 23 before taking the chequered flag at a canter but the resulting press conference would be full of wheel rattles, pre-race bouts of flu, perceived slights tales of "nursing the car home" etc. Meanwhile his mechanics would be pulling their hair out because they'd given him something fast and with bulletproof reliability.

In short, Mansell was great at what he did but Our Nige made bloody sure we knew it wasn't easy. ;)

This is not to say that Terry Gilliam imagines problems - Anyone who's remotely familiar with his work can point to Brazil and Munchausen to name but two - but boy does he revel in them after the fact. OK, he revels in them with humour and good grace (sorry Nigel, this is where you and Terry part ways) but I don't think a Gilliam film would be a Gilliam film if it's plain sailing.

Yeah, 12 Monkeys.

I'm not in love with it like I am with Brazil and Time Bandits but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. It looks great, has a surprisingly good turn by Bruce Willis and (for the first time you see it anyway - I watched it on successive nights in the cinema when it came out) actually makes you think. For a bit.

This is the part where I mention Madeleine Stowe! Asides from being one of the few genuinely beautiful women in Hollywood she's probably my favourite actress of the 90s and is the glue that holds 12 Monkeys together. Sadly, Hollywood being Hollywood and Madeleine being 50-odd, we'll probably not see her refreshing naturalism in anything meaningful until she's old enough to do those Streep-style character parts in her early 60s.

This is the part where I mention Brad Pitt! He doesn't ruin the film for me but, my, does he give it a good try. I've seen more convincing gibbering loons in a Primary school production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (what? Your school only did Snow White? :rolleyes:) where the kid playing McMurphy has had one too many cans of Fanta before going on.

Let's face it - he's as toe-curlingly awful as Willis and Stowe are good. It's one thing to paint with broad strokes but only Jackson Pollock could get away with hurling open cans at canvas...

Apart from that *cough* slight grumble, I think that 12 Monkeys is a good film, probably the best 'Gilliam for hire' in fact.

Honest. :D

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/12monkeys.jpg

TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_

08-29-09, 11:46 AM

http://math.ucsd.edu/%7Edwildstr/reviews/movies/images/gaslight-1940-full.jpg

Gaslight 3_5

I watched the British 1940 version and really enjoyed it. It is completely melodramatic and good performances all round. It's enjoyably suspenseful, if very of its time. Best appreciated for what it is- typical melodrama.

WBadger

08-29-09, 02:10 PM

Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)- A

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I can honestly say I enjoyed most of what was offered in this movie. Not to mention, some hilarious parts, and a good satire on human communication. Overall, a comedy that everybody should see, because it does everything differently then most of the lackluster comedies today, it is clever, witty, but is still absolutely funny.

Boyz 'N the Hood (1991)- B/B+

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Defintiely a definitive movie about the rough Black community. All the characters were interesting and as they devolped from child to young adults. I haven't seen many movies in this genre, but this one is emotional and brutal at the same time. Overall, a effective movie that illustrates toughness and sadness for the main characters.

zedlen

08-30-09, 01:14 AM

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Tyson James Toback 2009

Not anything that special, if you want to hear Tyson tell his side of the story regarding his life and controversies check it out. If not your probably wasting your time watching this interview/documentary.

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We Own the Night James Gray 2007

We Own the Night started out well, it was fun and had a unique angle on the cop/drugdealer thing but started to drag on towards the end, trying a bit too hard to be dramatic and serious.

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Golgot

08-30-09, 07:58 AM

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In the Loop

Iannucci's piercing and remorseless political comedy series In the Thick of It gets successfully transposed to the big screen, with most of the arch ad-libbers playing similar roles. Like a sweary West Wing injected with a bit too much caffeine, its greatest strength lies in the lancing clashes between personalities. The trappings of power & perniciousness are aptly portrayed too, but you just can't beat the ingenious insults and pithy politics reverberating across the screen. (Don't miss the deleted scenes on the DVD either - there's half a film of improv & interaction tucked away in there :))

The political aspects surrounding the build up to war with an 'unnamed' Middle Eastern state felt too composite to have any bite as social commentary unfortunately. (Or fortunately, as i was happy just rolling with the internal departmental blows). They're vague enough to get the endorsement of critics of the 2003 invasion, but lack the type of retrospect detail that might make a supporter buy into that end of the story.

The shift to the 'youthful' dayglo US political sphere was fun, with the clash of cultures best exemplified by the top-dog pissing contest between the excellent Gandolfini & Capaldi. The UK end is charmingly bedraggled, altho the minister we focus on is perhaps too genuinely insipid to really hold his own amongst the others dominating the foreground. Still, give it a go, even if politics isn't your thing, everyone likes inventive cussing right? ;)

3_5+

spudracer

08-30-09, 02:01 PM

Adventureland - 4

Great movie, probably one of the best of 2009.

Miss Vicky

08-30-09, 03:52 PM

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The Fall (2006)

This is an incredibly imaginative and visually stunning film from the man behind The Cell, one of my favorite movies. Though I didn't find myself quite as engaged with the story as I had been with The Cell, the visuals and brilliant colors are most certainly up to par. It was if I was in some sort of beautiful dream world and I'd really like to see more of it. Pity this and The Cell are Tarsem Singh's only films so far. Though, according to IMDb.com, he has another in the making and I will most certainly be seeing it.

4

Loner

08-30-09, 08:49 PM

I've finally worked it out - Terry Gilliam is the cinematic equivalent of Nigel Mansell!

Stay with me...

For those of you who have no conception of the fluffy-faced retired racing driver (http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/editorial_images/2007/nigel_mansell.jpg) let me say this: Even the most routine of Mansell's many victories was seen by the man himself as some sort of triumph over adversity. He could have lapped the entire field twice and stopped for a picnic on lap 23 before taking the chequered flag at a canter but the resulting press conference would be full of wheel rattles, pre-race bouts of flu, perceived slights tales of "nursing the car home" etc. Meanwhile his mechanics would be pulling their hair out because they'd given him something fast and with bulletproof reliability.

In short, Mansell was great at what he did but Our Nige made bloody sure we knew it wasn't easy. ;)

Didn't he make a demand that his car was to be a inch or two wider?

I stopped watching Formula One after the "Formula Zero" event at Indy.

I stopped watching CART after the Indy series split.

Classicqueen13

08-30-09, 09:17 PM

Hollywood Homicide
3

If this movie is watched with very very low expectations, as I did, then it is a decently enjoyable watch. I laughed plenty of times but not at witty dialouge as much as something ridiculous that happened. This film probably has the worst musical score *ever*. If Harrison Ford wasn't in it, I know that I never would've even heard of this movie and there were much better uses for his time. The plot isn't a masterpiece and there is nothing to piece together. I'm not sure if it was intended that way, but it seemed like a spoof to me. There is some tension in a rather insane chase, but I can't think of a single good reason to recomend this movie.

susan

08-30-09, 09:29 PM

i've just watched nights in rodanthe with richard gere and diane lane...very predictable but a beautiful film to watch throughout...yes it's a sappy love story and i usually don't like sappy love stories, but the chemistry between richard and diane, not to mention the acting was unbelievably good...this film is worth watching....

meatwadsprite

08-31-09, 12:19 AM

susan ? an old time member resurrected ?

TheDOMINATOR

08-31-09, 01:17 AM

With two exceptions, I had a pretty crappy past few days of movie-watching, so I'm just going to do a quick run-down of the titles I've watched recently rather than type out mini-reviews like I usually do (because they'd all be primarily negative anyway, aside from the two exceptions).

The Exterminator - 3.5

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A surprisingly good revenge flick about a Vietnam War veteran seeking vengeance for his best friend who was beaten nearly to death by a gang of street thugs. It's one of the better revenge movies I've seen. "If you're lying, I'll be back." Good (and chilling) stuff; Robert Ginty delivers an awesome performance as the man they come to call "The Exterminator."

Hide and Seek - 3.5-

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Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell - 2+

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Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled - 2.5

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Ringmaster - 2

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Enchanted - 2+

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Yep; I've been known to have my occasional spouts of bad movies watched.

Harry Lime

08-31-09, 04:04 AM

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Funny Games (1998, Michael Haneke) 2.5
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Infernal Affairs (2002, Wai-keung Lau & Alan Mak) 3
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District 9 (2009, Neill Blomkamp) 4
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L'argent (1983, Robert Bresson) 3
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Germany Year Zero (1948, Roberto Rossellini) 3.5
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Paranoid Park (2008, Gus Van Sant) 2
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Wanted (2008, Timur Bekmambetov) 1
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Black Book (2007, Paul Verhoeven) 3
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Adventureland (2009, Greg Mottola) 2.5
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The Quiet Man (1952, John Ford) 3
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Hard Boiled (1992, John Woo) 3
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The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976, Nicolas Roeg) 2.5
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The Horse's Mouth (1958, Ronald Neame) 3.5
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Hobson's Choice (1954, David Lean) 3
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Lancelot du Lac (1974, Robert Bresson) 2
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The Red Shoes (1948, Powell & Pressburger) 3.5

zedlen

08-31-09, 04:53 AM

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Revolutionary Road Sam Mendes 2008

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite but this is far from there characters in Titanic or maybe its what could have been if they'd got a place together. I actually liked this a lot more then I thought I would. Anyone who's been in a long term relationship can relate. The trials and tribulations of setting down and leading a "normal life". Michael Shannon jumps in for a few scenes with a fun mentally troubled character.

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Tacitus

08-31-09, 06:02 AM

First off, someone really needs to do something about people's ability to post massive pictures - Ok, the site resizes them for general view but not when you're posting in a thread.

If you're too lazy to either resize it yourself or find something that's not the size of a bicycle then you shouldn't be able to post images at all.

Didn't he make a demand that his car was to be a inch or two wider?

I stopped watching Formula One after the "Formula Zero" event at Indy.

I stopped watching CART after the Indy series split.

When he returned to F1 from America (and Nige is still the only driver to go from being reigning Formula 1 champ to winning the Indycar/CART (whatever it was at the time) championship in successive seasons) he had a contract with McLaren. Unfortunately his arse was too big for the car and he missed a ton of races while the team basically redesigned the vehicle.

Formula 1 has actually been great since the race you mentioned. ;)

zedlen

08-31-09, 06:29 AM

Used Future

08-31-09, 05:05 PM

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Master of the Flying Guillotine/One Armed Boxer Vs The Flying Guillotine/One Armed Boxer II (Yu Wang, 1975) 3
Directed by and starring martial arts legend Yu Wang; this is the sequel to the hugely successful The One Armed Boxer; not to be confused with Wang's other character, the One Armed Swordsman (who famously appeared in the 1971 film Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman, also directed by Wang).

In this one The One Armed Boxer (Wang) is hunted by Fu Sing Wu Chi, the blind Flying Guillotine expert of the title who's out to avenge the death of two of his students (and who wears a robe with a huge swastika painted on the front). Along the way Chi kills any one armed man he comes into contact with, as his search takes him to a deadly martial arts tournament where The One Armed Boxer and his students are spectators. Competing in the tournament are two of Chi's accomplices; a super tough Thai boxer and an Indian Fakir who can stretch his arms ten feet in length (ala Dhalsim from the Street Fighter video games). Also competing are a Kung Fu monkey boxer, and the superbly named Win-Without-A-Knife; a sinister Japanese Karate expert who wants to take the tournament organiser's daughter (also a competitor and Kung Fu expert) back to Japan with him...

I'm not a huge fan of Kung Fu films, but a reliable source told me this was essential so I took a punt on it. I watched the film in Mandarin with subtitles to avoid the inevitable dubbing and was mildly entertained. As expected the acting and plot takes a backseat to almost non stop brilliantly choreographed fighting. These sequences show their age with often slow moves and loud over dubbed sound effects, but the imaginative characters and fighting styles more than make up for this (not to mention a surprising amount of gore). Standout scenes include The One Armed Boxer squaring up to India's answer to Stretch Armstrong (Played by a blacked up Chinese actor), and his inevitable showdown against The Flying Guillotine. This tense final fight sequence lasts for around ten minutes and is very spectacular and gory (as the blind Chi hunts by sound and smell shredding everything in his path). So yeah it was pretty cool, which is high praise indeed coming from a non-fan of Chinese martial arts movies.

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The Mack (Michael Campus, 1973) 2.5
Campus' gritty look at pimping and the Oakland underworld was a huge success with black audiences, and is widely regarded as one of the best examples of Blaxploitation. Though I mainly wanted to see it because it's referenced (along with a host of other grindhouse favourites) by Clarence Worley in True Romance.

The Mack is the story of Goldie (Max Julien) a small time hood recently released from prison, who sets his sights on making it big in the pimp game (or Mackin' as it's called here). Enlisting the help of some friends (who include comedy legend Richard Pryor as Slim), Goldie gradually works his way to the top, but is hampered by a couple of racist white cops, and Fats (George Murdock); a crime lord who thinks he's gotten too big.

Meh. This didn't do anything for me whatsoever. I thought Julien (who co wrote the script with Richard Pryor and Robert J. Poole) was fantastic as the charismatic Goldie, but little else about the film impressed me. Sure it's gritty and authentic, with real Oakland crime bosses appearing in the film as themselves. But I also found it muddled, with seemingly whole chunks of exposition missing from the confusing narrative, and a host of underwritten supporting characters. Not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, just not a movie that captivated me in the way Jack Hill's fun entries into the genre did.

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Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture (Teruo Ishii, 1973) 3
Reiko Ike returns as the ruthless Ocho in this sequel (of sorts) to Norifumi Suzuki's excellent pinku classic Sex and Fury (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=558064).

In this one Ocho returns to her old Yakuza clan but is subject to a case of mistaken identity, resulting in her kidnap and torture at the hands of three deviant drug traffickers (also working for the clan). Soon she's plotting revenge by exposing their phony smuggling plot (involving young women forced to traffic fake heroine inside their vagina's) a plan that will see her clan lose it's turf to a rival Yakuza organisation. Along the way there's a score to settle with the leader of the rival Yakuza; a couple of ultra cool cops (one of whom dresses like Meiko Kaji in the Female Prisoner Scorpion series) looking for a serial killer who gouges people's genitals, more gambling, and some girls from a brothel who want revenge on the drug traffickers.

If all that sounds more than a little convoluted and confusing, that's because Female Yakuza Tale is just that. The film is full of amusing vignettes, colourfully lit cartoonish set pieces, and upbeat jazzy music, but it hangs together awkwardly, and is often hard to follow. Female Yakuza Tale has that rushed, thrown together feel (probably to cash in on the popularity of the original) and unsuccessfully mixes comedy with extreme violence, resulting in an uneven tone that fails to capture the spirit of the original. That said there's still plenty to admire here, not least the excellent camera work and lighting; plus some great scenes like Ocho's gambling match against her Yakuza arch nemesis, and the stunning ultraviolent free-for-all finale. Good but no classic.

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Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? (Yoshio Inoue, 1974) 3+
Part three of the Hanzo trilogy and after the thrills of part two The Snare (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=561590) this one was always going to have a lot to live up to.

Here our laconic anti-hero investigates reports of a ghost haunting a pond near the Shogunate's treasury, and he's soon knee deep in a samurai conspiracy to steal gold. There's a subplot involving Hanzo harboring a dying outlaw intent on convincing the Shogun of Japan's military vulnerability, by building a cannon. Plus revenge for an old friend murdered over the possession of a priceless antique spear...

This final installment almost completely forgoes the sexual torture angle (barring one rather tame scene) in favour of political intrigue and comedy with a dash of swordplay. As usual the interplay between Hanzo and his boss is highly amusing, as is the relationship with his cowardly man servants who he paroled in the first installment; not to mention his penchant for penile sadomasochism (pictured above). The action is less frequent than it was in The Snare, as the film instead riffs on the relationships and characters established in the first two films. Hanzo's human side is exposed too with the death of his friend, and the subplot surrounding the building of a cannon has a highly satisfying conclusion. Not as exciting as The Snare which I rate as the best of the series, but still a worthwhile watch for Chanbara fans.

Other stuff I watched...

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Frogs (George McCowan, 1972) 2
Dull nature-runs-amok movie that takes an age to get going, and delivers ludicrous non-thrills once it does. Thankfully not as bad as Bert I. Gordon's Food of the Gods, but sadly nowhere near as good as Jeff Leiberman's Squirm. Great cast (including an unrecognisably young Sam Elliott) is wasted. I wanted to like it, honest.

WBadger

08-31-09, 06:43 PM

Paul Blart Mall Cop, (2009, Carr)- D+/C-

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Hey, I was bored on a Friday night so i watched this, don't worry I didn't expect much. Honestly, I expected a light comedy and a movie that was entertaining and I have to admit it even fell short of those expectations. The previews made this look pretty funny and I am a fan of Kevin James, but this wasn't a good comedy even with today's standards. I think comedy has been pretty low in the 00's with movies relying on the worst type of humor without some sort of substantial plot to back it up. Kind of like Paul Blart Mall Cop, which doesn't really have much of a plot and that isn't embraced. It's basically about a guy who is a cop in a mall and that does funny stuff, plus a ridiculous love plot in the back. Don't worry, there are some humorous parts that are eventually struck down by the overshadowing of ridiculousness and plot issues.

The Conversation, (1974, Coppola)- A+

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Wow, this movie is fantastic. It's a differenty kind of film, which has been pointed out to me, but it works so brilliantly. If you like suspense, wonder, and mystery, this movie has it, and is more subtle than other films where it's just like BOOM, all that you've been waiting for here it is. You might say that main character, Harry Caul, is a boring character and not much dialogue can be spoken from him, but yet he has to be one of the most interesting characters in a film. So much is learned about him, through dreams, scenery, and just the visual expressions that Gene Hackman brings to the table. His personality and attitude fits very well in with the plot and conflict in the movie. Here is a guy with basically no life outside of his private spy type work, being dragged along a possible murder case. So, yeah, great character insight. I haven't seen much of Coppola's work (not even The Godfather), but can already say how amazing this film is, and must be among his bests. From the opening conversation to the memorable last image you see, this film is a good one, for sure. New favorite of mine, but I got a lot more movie watching to do, obviously, as should every one else. Get this on NetFlix if you haven't yet seen it.

mark f

08-31-09, 10:41 PM

Anchors Aweigh (George Sidney, 1945) 2.5+

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I have to admit that if you like 1940s musicals in beautiful color, sailors Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, Hollywood, Olvera Street, Tom & Jerry, little Dean Stockwell, pretty Kathryn Grayson and José Iturbi, then you'll want to give this at least an extra popcorn. It's a very simple film, stretched out to 140 minutes, but it's pretty easy to watch. It's actually most famous for Gene Kelly's dance with Jerry the Mouse in Cartoonland. Both Frank and Gene fall for Kathryn and also want to help out her nephew (Stockwell). It also revolves around getting Kathryn an audition with maestro Iturbi. It might seem old-fashioned and quaint to some, but the luscious Technicolor cinematography of 1945 Los Angeles and some of its most famous locations is to die for.

On the Town (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1949) 3

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This one has Frank and Gene (along with fellow sailor Jules Munchin) going all out on 24 hours shore leave on the opposite coast in NYC. This was one of the first musicals to shoot several scenes on location at the Statue of Liberty, the various museums, buildings, parks and centers of New York, New York. Gene teams up with Miss Turnstiles (Vera-Ellen), Frank hooks up with a lady cab driver (Betty Garrett) and Jules becomes the prime specimen of a hot anthropologist (Ann Miller). Together, they dance and party their way from one end of the City to the other, although Gene has a problem when Miss Turnstiles takes a powder, and he gets a new date in the form of the cab driver's roommate (Alice Pearce). The directing and writing teams got together three years later to make the stone cold classic Singin' in the Rain.

Sergeants 3 (John Sturges, 1962) 2.5

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This is the Rat Pack's follow-up to Ocean's 11. It's a remake of Gunga Din with a legit western/action director at the helm, but even with all the classic plot points in place, this film cannot balance the comedy, action, violence and sadism of the original. It looks good and Sammy Davis, Jr. is probably the best part of the movie in the Gunga Din role, but whenever they deviate from the original's plot, it's weaker, and even though George Stevens' version was full of slapstick, it just never quite crossed the line into silliness as this does occasionally. I suppose the less you know about Gunga Din, the more you'll enjoy this.

Arsenic and Old Lace (Frank Capra, 1944) 4-

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A Capra film with almost none of his themes apparent, but that's reasonable since it's basically a straight adaptation of the play, albeit by the Epstein Brothers, who co-wrote Casablanca. This film has a strange production history. Capra shot it in late 1941 and enlisted while filming it. He got an extension to enter the Armed Forces until after he finished editing it. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. made a deal that it would not release the film until after the play completed its run on Broadway, which it did in June 1944, so the film was released in September of that year. As far as the film itself goes, Boris Karloff wanted to be in it, but the Broadway producers wouldn't release him, so Raymond Massey plays his part in what may be his greatest (straight-faced) comedic performance ever. The plot, about two little old ladies (Josephine Hull and Jean Adair) who poison lonely men and have their whacko nephew (John Alexander), who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, bury them in the "Panama Canal" down in the cellar, is pretty well-known and full of twists and turns and plenty of dark humor. My two fave performances though are probably Peter Lorre as plastic surgeon Dr. Einstein and Jack Carson as the new cop on the beat who just happens to have written a murder mystery play he wants to show the famous theatre critic Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant).

The Pawnbroker (Sidney Lumet, 1965) 4+

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Lumet's powerful treatise on how memory keeps alive the Holocaust within the dead soul of pawnbroker Sol Nazerman (Rod Steiger in one of cinema's greatest performances) even while he's living in the heart of Harlem where almost all the people are bought and sold in the marketplace by pimps and gangsters in a universe not that different from a concentration camp. Nazerman believes he's above all the ugliness he surrounds himself with because he just doesn't care, yet things at work and outside of it keep bringing him back to the past where he lost his beautiful wife and two children during WWII. He takes on an apprentice (the wonderful Jaime Sanchez) and tries to teach him how to learn a career but Nazerman's ghosts rear their heads and cause him to turn on the young man with horrible, yet perhaps, soul-saving results. The supporting cast is highly-unusual and terrific (Brock Peters, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thelma Oliver, Reni Santoni, Raymond St. Jacques, Baruch Lumet, Warren Finnerty, and the mind-blowing Juano Hernandez). The Pawnbroker is a truly unique film which is still powerful today, not only on a human level but as an American piece of cinema which borrows some editing techniques from Alain Resnais and makes them connect with the viewer in an incredibly visceral way, almost as a precursor to the brilliant editing found four years later in Midnight Cowboy.

Room at the Top (Jack Clayton, 1959) 4.5

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That's a good poster so I wanted to show it even though it's a bit misleading as to what exactly occurs in this film, another powerful one about people trying to live a life which is somewhere between reality and wish fulfillment... or is that reality and a nightmare? Joe Lampton (Laurence Harvey) moves from his lower class town into the city to take a better job and he immediately picks Susan (Heather Sears), the daughter of the wealthiest man "at the Top", as his future bride. Joe doesn't have any silly emotional connections to love and marriage; he just knows that he's had 25 years "without", so he wants to make up for it by getting as many years as he can "with" money and all that money can buy. Of course, Joe will have to overcome Susan's family and boyfriend. Meanwhile, Joe takes a liking to older Frenchwoman Alice (Simone Signoret, well-deserving of her Best Actress Oscar playing one of the most vulnerable, yet passionate women ever on the screen) who's trapped in a loveless marriage. Eventually Joe and Alice begin an intense affair, both physically and emotionally, even though Joe never wavers from his plan to have Susan. This film, which is certainly one of the more powerful dramas, is crammed with witty, satiric dialogue which helps to build up the point that most everybody lets everybody know what they really think of each other. Of course, Joe has to keep secrets from both his women, and as things come to a shattering conclusion, Joe is the character who seems to grow the most, or does he? It'll be up to you to decide what the ending truly means but to me it means "Masterpiece". This is the kind of film which might be considered a soap opera except that it doesn't whitewash, sell or overly emote anything, except for superb storytelling and filmmaking, courtesy of director Clayton (The Innocents).

The Impatient Years (Irving Cummins, 1944) 2

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7e/The_Impatient_Years_poster.jpg

Jean Arthur made this flick to get out of her contract with Columbia Pictures, and she only made two more films afterwards, albeit both classics (A Foreign Affair and Shane). This one is a topical flick about a woman (Jean) marrying a soldier (Lee Bowman) in a whirlwind romance just before he goes off to fight in WWII. When he returns home, she's had a baby and when they remeet, they find they have nothing in common and decide that a divorce is the best route to go for them. Jean's dad (Charles Coburn) convinces the judge (Harry Davenport) to have the couple go back over the four days from the time they met to the time they parted to see if why they married is still something they believe in anymore. There's nothing terribly wrong with this flick, but it's a comedy-drama, and the comedy isn't too funny and the drama isn't too compelling. Even so, I give it points for originality.

Party Wire (Erlce C. Kenton, 1935) 2

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2rl9OV3Auts/SWuwQwl1atI/AAAAAAAABg4/06EFtjzKqHM/s200/party.jpg

This is a fun flick about how two people carry on a romance in a small town where everybody knows everything about everybody else because of a party line where people listen in on other people's gossip and then pass it around town. Jean Arthur plays the daughter of a small town's favorite citizen (Charley Grapewin) and Victor Jory plays a wealthy playboy who returns home and realizes how much he really cares for her now. That's about it, but the town gossips want to twist everything around because they want some of his money and always think the worst of people anyway. This down-home, little movie allows film buffs to see two icons from The Wizard of Oz, Auntie Em (Clara Blandick) and Uncle Henry (Grapewin) on opposite sides of a situation years earlier. (The duo were actually in four films together and Oz was the final one.)

Lennon

08-31-09, 10:50 PM

mark f

08-31-09, 10:55 PM

No. If "Family Guy" teaches anybody about movie history, then that's good. "The Simpsons" and "Pinky and the Brain" have done so too.

TheDOMINATOR

09-01-09, 01:53 AM

Lennon, I'm in the same boat there as you are.

zedlen

09-01-09, 09:23 AM

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Peter Sollett 2008

http://img.listal.com/image/451611/600full-nick-and-norah%27s-infinite-playlist-photo.jpg

I'm not the biggest fans of Michael Cera and Kat Dennings but I have to say I really enjoyed this. Maybe because I went to a lot of gigs when I was a teenager. The story isn't very complicated. Comedy/Romance. Boy meets girl under funny circumstances, someone gets lost, they try to find a concert where there favorite band is playing etc,etc. It doesn't take itself too seriously and it doesn't have to, it is just a nice movie. Some fun and a few laughs.

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Sedai

09-01-09, 11:14 AM

Last House on the Left (Iliadis, 2009) 1_5

http://judgex.com:30301/blog/image.axd?picture=2009%2F3%2F13left_600.jpg

Technically superior to the original, as far as the production goes, this flick had mixed reviews, notably a 2.5 star out of 4 from Roger Ebert. He claimed the middle section of the film contained a cat and mouse sequence that reached Hitchcockian heights. The middle section was pretty well done, and I liked it enough. Alas, the rest of the flick is pretty standard. That is, except for the way over-the-top rape scene that seems interminable while watching. It's just unnecessary to portray a rape for that long, IMO. People understand it's a horrible thing; we don't need to watch the entire thing play out. I know the filmmakers were trying to put the audience in the position that rape victims feel when they are attacked, in that the attack seems to go on forever. They succeeded, but to what end? Torturing the audience is probebly not the best aim when creating a flick.

Anyway, the film is effective in some ways, but that doesn't make it good.

meatwadsprite

09-01-09, 08:01 PM

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Sunset Boulevard 1950

Every film I've seen set in Hollywood has been abundantly surreal , which seems a perfect fit to the fairytale world of studio cinema - where the big actions are set up and fake , for the sake of entertainment. The great quality of this film has made me question my entire interest in classics , I'd still consider myself a movie modernist - but I'd credit Boulevard particularly for some major insight.

Almost all the older movies I've seen have been about the big picture. They rarely indulge giant spectacle scenes and often downplay many of the big events. Personally I lean towards scene-for-scene films , where each scene has it's own purpose (an exaggerated example would be some of Tarantino's films) where it's the scene's energy that blend instead of feeling like the script is running the show.

I'd argue that older films have less creativity , less collaboration , and are ultimately less entertaining - but I can't against Sunset Boulevard , which has sparked a new interest in classic films for me.

Every character seems more flawed than the next and even with a narrator at the core of the story he seems to be devoured by something much more important and mysterious - which turns out to be delusion wrapped in glamor. The only person with his head screwed on tight is dead from the start , in an amazing floating pool shot.

4

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High Noon 1952

Very simple western , not especially great or plain.

2.5

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Once Upon a Time in The West 1968

There are a couple exciting scenes , a spot on cast , loads of amazing cinematography , a tiny bit of wonderful dialogue , and an awesome score by Ennio Morricone ... but for all the things that are right with this movie - Sergio Leone's directing ruins everything. Every scene is unnecessarily drawn out and suspenseful , even if there isn't anything to suspend - fans of his work must have extreme patience. This story isn't actually 3 hours long , I'd say more around 2 hours - and the movie feels like 5.

2.5

honeykid

09-01-09, 09:46 PM

How many Noir films have you seen Meat? Maybe that's a genre you could get into, as it seems what you like about this film is at the heart of most/all Noir films. I (and probably everyone else who's seen it) completely agree with you about the pool shot at the beginning, it's magnificent isn't it? And a great opening for a great film.

meatwadsprite

09-01-09, 10:56 PM

How many Noir films have you seen Meat?

I think it's easier to count how many non-noir films I've seen. Although for classic noir I've only seen so many ... some which were really funny (in a bad way).

Harry Lime

09-01-09, 11:00 PM

Adding in that negative review of Once Upon a Time in the West almost has me regretting repping that post there, but at least you watched it. You can't help it if you don't like a movie.

mark f

09-01-09, 11:13 PM

I had a very difficult time with Once Upon a Time in the West the first time through. I didn't get it. I thought that Leone was intentionally trying to piss me off. Little did I realize that he and Morricone were creating the first genuine opera in western history. Have you heard of the term "horse opera"? That's just some way of warning certain people that westerns may be melodramatic at times. But Once Upon a Time in the West is a legit opera, and if you didn't know it, operas tend to be L..O..N..G.

meatwadsprite

09-01-09, 11:40 PM

I should have been suspicious ever since I saw the alternate title , the way Leone wanted it to be ...

Once ......................... Upon ......................... a Time ........................................................ in ................ the West

Tacitus

09-02-09, 06:18 AM

Once ......................... Upon ......................... a Time ........................................................ in ................ the West

Jeremy Clarkson does the voice-over? Yikes! :D

As Mark says, the film is an opera. Well, it's an operatic Western and there was no one better at that particular sub-genre than Leone.

A Symphony of Violence yada yada yada.

Fenwick

09-02-09, 09:48 AM

I rarely agree with anything you say Meat but your honesty is refreshing. I love your frankness.

TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_

09-02-09, 11:37 AM

http://images2.dvdempire.com/gen/movies/938676h.jpg
The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone

Although I like many adaptations of Tennessee Williams' works, this film just feels so long. There are some good moments but the music makes it seem slow and there isn't enough focus on the romance.

2_5

Yoda

09-02-09, 11:46 AM

I give Once Upon a Time in the West a bit more credit, but I certainly understand the sentiment that it's a bit long. It may be sacreligious to suggest that it could benefit from some editing, but hey, it might. We can't really say that now, because it's already widely considered a classic, but if it were 40 minutes shorter when it first came out, perhaps many of us would like it even more. Dunno.

Either way, I can certainly sympathize with someone who thinks the film drags a bit. It's hard to endure a "classic" that you honestly find boring, even if you can see that there's real art in it.

linespalsy

09-02-09, 12:24 PM

Pretty Baby 2
Hamlet 2 2.5

Caitlyn

09-02-09, 11:04 PM

State of Play (2009) 4

A Time to Kill (1996) 4.5

Edward Scissorhands (1990) 5

Pale Rider (1985) 4

TheDOMINATOR

09-02-09, 11:29 PM

It may be sacreligious to suggest that it could benefit from some editing, but hey, it might. We can't really say that now, because it's already widely considered a classic, but if it were 40 minutes shorter when it first came out, perhaps many of us would like it even more. Dunno.

Yep--I would. Although I would give Once Upon a Time in the West a slightly higher rating than what Meaty did, I do agree with his thoughts.

mark f

09-02-09, 11:50 PM

I obviously agree too. I give that "horse opera" 3, but that's a full rating higher than I used to give it when I was an "angry young man". :cool:

meatwadsprite

09-03-09, 02:10 AM

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Sweeney Todd 2007

Never get bored with this one , tons of energy , beautifully worded and orchestrated songs , and a due amount of carnage. If you don't think a revenge musical about a serial killer barber who ultimately sells people pies to his could-be victims - is about as brilliant idea as they come , you're barking mad.

4.5

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Wild Strawberries 1957

The first Bergman film I've seen , it's another curious early foray into dream cinema. It reminded me of another surreality , 8 1/2. Both of these films share some of the same problems , although Strawberries doesn't have as many personal aspects and gives you a lot more first person insight into it's main character.

Harry argued that classic films are the most original , because they were the first to explore all the ideas and discover the techniques. Which I think they deserve honor and credit for , but shouldn't get a handicap in comparison to modern movies.

Not to rehash my previous "classic vs modern" opinions , I think these early dream movies are important (like all the oldies) - but not nearly as good as some from this age. One of the prominent features is that the movie should feel like a dream , unexplainable occurrences and unconscious subliminal logic stringing together some distorted form of reality.

Lots of the magic lies in the editing and both of these films suffer heavily from the period in which they were made. They have bizarre moments , but there is always a sense of control and limitation. The shots themselves are tight and restricted , locations often aren't nearly as exotic , and the mono soundtrack with casual orchestra continually take you out of the experience.

Although what makes Wild Strawberries a film I'd watch again , is the self-awareness and insight into what techniques were proven to work good back then - and which ones were only premature and not ready for usage.

3

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The Assassination of Jesse James 2007

An unexpected delight , I completely overlooked this actor's western for the other one that came out in '07 (you know that one with the no name director and the low rate method actor Lewis Day Plainview or something). An abundance of scenic cinematography gives some room for the feats of Brad Pitt to face off against Sam Rockwell (just awesome). It's also a great introduction for Casey Affleck , with a very unnerving buried performance.

3.5

Harry Lime

09-03-09, 02:26 AM

Harry argued that classic films are the most original , because they were the first to explore all the ideas and discover the techniques. Which I think they deserve honor and credit for , but shouldn't get a handicap in comparison to modern movies.

I said I could argue, just to counter your statement. And they don't get a handicap when compared, they don't need it, they've managed to survive decades of scrutiny to be considered classics.

Not to rehash my previous "classic vs modern" opinions , I think these early dream movies are important (like all the oldies) - but not nearly as good as some from this age.

They're not "dream movies", but films that contain dream sequences. Which "dream movies" of this age are you referring to?

One of the prominent features is that the movie should feel like a dream , unexplainable occurrences and unconscious subliminal logic stringing together some distorted form of reality.

There's a difference between daydreaming and dreaming.

Miss Vicky

09-03-09, 02:48 AM

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State Of Play (2009) (Rewatch)

Taut and suspenseful while still maintaining a certain level of humor, this is one very entertaining movie. It's well cast with Russell Crowe in the lead as the self-assured journalist with the cunning and tenacity to get the facts and the integrity not to print until he does so, Helen Mirren is great as the no-BS head of the newspaper and Ben Affleck, who I normally despise, is more than passable as the two-faced scumbag politician. Special props to Jason Bateman who steals every scene he's in.

A great addition to my DVD collection. And for the record: yes I know it's based off a British series, yes I know the series is supposed to be better, no I haven't seen the series, and no I don't intend to see it.

4+

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Catch Me If You Can (2002) (Rewatch)

Now this is my idea of great escapist film. I mean really, is there anybody who hasn't - at one point or another - dreamed about running away from their own mundane life and taking on the identity of someone more exciting? I think DiCaprio's performance really captures that idea and mixes cunningness perfectly with a certain childish innocence. And Tom Hanks is perfect as the no-nonsense FBI agent on his trail. A really fun watch.

4+

zedlen

09-03-09, 04:27 AM

The Thing
John Carpenter 1982

http://media.entertainment.sky.com/image/unscaled/2009/1/30/The-Thing-1982-17.jpg

One of my favorites, scfi/horror. You'd don't get that much originality when it comes to horror, every story is usually one you've seen before. The first time I watched The Thing I was really intrigued by the concept of an alien that can imitate anything it absorbs and not in a clean science style, like it just touches it. This looks ugly and disgusting, the alien isn't pretty. The gore and special effects aren't too bad for the early eighties. Kurt Russel does alright as a wise guy helicopter pilot who takes charge when everything goes south.
Still a great movie even after so many years.

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linespalsy

09-03-09, 09:54 AM

deep red 3.5
the howling 2.5

meatwadsprite

09-03-09, 10:03 AM

They're not "dream movies", but films that contain dream sequences.

They seemed pretty dreamlike to me , if you mean in a very literal way that the characters aren't asleep the whole time - no I guess they aren't , but their reality does seem a bit skewed and the linearity of the film's further confuse things. 8 1/2 is pretty full blown surreal though , where as Strawberries he's sleeping probably more than half the movie and that gets mixed into his more stable life where an equal amount of weirdness is happening.

Which "dream movies" of this age are you referring to?

Eternal Sunshine , Mulholland Drive , Blue Velvet , Synecdoche New York , Science of Sleep , Spirited Away , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas , City of Lost Children ...

There's a difference between daydreaming and dreaming.

I've never had a daydream so I wouldn't know.

mark f

09-03-09, 02:38 PM

Hey meaty, aren't you daydreaming every time you watch a movie?

Now, you opened up this can of worms about how much you think characters are "asleep" in a movie, so how often (percentage-wise) are the main characters asleep in each of the "modern dream movies" you listed?

Harry Lime

09-03-09, 02:58 PM

I think we can first off scratch Fear and Loathing, as there's a difference between dreaming and being stoned on every drug known to man...well kind of.

meatwadsprite

09-03-09, 07:15 PM

how often (percentage-wise) are the main characters asleep

Eternal Sunshine is the only one I mentioned where the lead is actually asleep the entire time , the rest are certainly outweighed in surreal characteristics than logical ones.

Should I not interchange dream and surreality as such ?

TheUsualSuspect

09-03-09, 09:12 PM

Entire time?

Come on meat.

zedlen

09-03-09, 09:38 PM

Aliens
James Cameron 1986

http://media.entertainment.sky.com/image/unscaled/2008/12/8/aliens-4.jpg

The best of the Alien series in my opinion followed only closely behind by the first, then the third. The fourth and Predator splice ups don't count at all in my opinion. I wouldn't even consider this movie science fiction, not that it isn't, its just that I never of think of it in that genre. Alien, like Terminator has become more like legend to those of us born in the 80s. Like I read somewhere in this forum '.. if only James Cameron were responsible for more sequels.'

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meatwadsprite

09-03-09, 10:14 PM

Entire time?

Come on meat.

Alright , the only one where he is asleep for 83.59444241% of the movie :sick:

mack

09-04-09, 05:02 AM

Gran Torino 2/5
Really? Is this movie what the fuss was all about? What an underwhelming viewing experience. I still think Clint prolly hurt himself and his 70+ bones making this film. Are we seriously supposed to believe that he can punch through drywall or wallboard at his age? :confused: Im sure the movie was supposed to be poignant and moving, but I found it instead slow and boring. Man seeks redemption? Nah. I've seen better redemption stories.

Pyro Tramp

09-04-09, 08:35 AM

District 9 - 4_5

Definitely one of the stronger- don't want to say Blockbuster/Hollywood but "cinema"- films this year and quite a surprise. Very simple flick but effective nonetheless

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince - 2

Not read the books and doubt i will but as a film, this was pretty weak. I've reasonably enjoyed the others but this was bland, the poor acting from Harry didn't help and was a complete lack of plot or characterisation until final moments, all left this one a bore to sit through. The "let's give every notable British actor a role in each film" trick is just as good this time with Jim Broadbent giving a great turn.

The Hurt Locker - 5

Currently a contender for my Film of The Year, fantastically understated with strong performances all round from rounded and realised characters, great flow and no striving to make an overblown ideological stance on the War itself. Can't recommend catching this one enough.

New York Ripper - 2

Ok, so this was the cut version but even so whatever was so offensive in it has certainly diminished over time

Sleepless - 4

Liked this one a lot, effective score, some great deaths and the mystery itself was handled pretty and the plot developed well to allow for adequate mystery in who the killer is. Not that i've seen much Giallo but this is one favs so far since Tenebre

Phantom of the Opera (Argento) - 2

Weak film, somewhat over stylised which fails to compensate some cringe worthy bits and poorly realised take on the story. There are some ok moments but never really manages to amount to much

Fearless - 3

Over choreographed but then again i'm not a fan of wire-work in martial arts films, weak ending as well but there's some good stuff in there

Ong-Bak 2 - 3

Ok so i watched it without subs and had no idea what was going on but Tony Jaa has some mad skills, worth seeing for him alone- just like all his films.

Miami Vice - 5

Think this one kinda of got slated on release but people are coming round a bit it, i've always liked it but like it even more now. Think it's a wonderful exercise in tone and style, just captures a great mood through out the film, love this use of music in helping create that sense. Effortlessly cool and putting aside the wafer plot think it still stands strong

House By the Cemetery - 3

Started watching this when drunk after night out and remember laughing a lot, then watched rest when hungover and remember thinking why's nothing happening then feeling sick at ending.

State of Play - 3

Think the story was better suited to the original TV format, seemed a bit condensed and didn't see every bit they threw up connecting either. The actors looked a bit strange in their roles, not that they were bad just weird.

Antichrist - 2_5

I LOVE Lars von Trier and most his films but this one just appeared pointless. I know he's a bit of a joker and so are his films sometimes but this one bordered to shamefully on excess and verged into torture porn to create a particularly intellectually engaging piece. I'll give it another go on DVD and hopefully get something else from it that time

Dead Snow - 3_5

It's zombie nazis man, that kinda instant win there. It's not the funniest or goriest zombie film out there but it's still a decent for genre fans, despite not breaking any new ground.

People Under the Stairs - 2_5

Wes Craven, as said with Serpent and Rainbow needs more love. This isn't his best film nor is it really that great but it's still solid fun. Looses out a bit on the spatial awareness as do many films set in confined areas but again, worth a look if you want something a bit different

Ashes of Time: Redux - 3

Nice to see the film cleaned up on the version i used to have, the choppy narrative seemed a bit more coherent but not much.

spudracer

09-04-09, 09:53 AM

The Mist - 2

I like Frank Darabont. He seems to capture what King was conveying in the books. However, this film leaves me famished. The movie is over and I'm still trying to figure out what just happened.

1408 - 3

I've seen it before, but decided to watch it again. I didn't love it to begin with, but I don't hate it.

zedlen

09-04-09, 11:45 AM

Brazil
Terry Gilliam 1985

http://www.sauer-thompson.com/archives/opinion/2008/07/20/BrazilGilliam.jpg

Initially I didn't think very much of Brazil, I expected something different. But now I've seen it more times then I can count. Terry Gilliam's interpretation of 1984, with some great visuals and shocking jokes. Robert Di Niro makes an interesting appearance as a air conditioner repair man / rebel soldier. Must see for any Gilliam fans.

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meatwadsprite

09-04-09, 03:29 PM

meatwadsprite

09-04-09, 03:58 PM

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Gangs of New York 2002

I think Scorsese is a brilliant director , but I wouldn't say everything he touches turns to gold (Cape Fear , The Aviator) - but even those films had the obvious technical qualities you associate with Marty. This one did not feel like a master at work , it felt like an ambitious experiment gone terribly wrong. Right from the opening battle (the worst Scorsese set piece by far) it's clear you're not getting the same production values.

1.5

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True Romance 1993

Giant star cast , fun script by Tarantino , and very effective aesthetical directing by Tony Scott make for a movie that's very easy to enjoy.

3.5

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The Maltese Falcon 1941

A talker mystery-crime film , Bogart makes for a completely rootable lead and the mile-a-minute dialogue is always too clever for anyone's own good.

"AAAAAAAAAA!"

"I guess we're going in"

"I guess you are"

4

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Adventureland 2009

A late 80's teen movie , with little spark or originality ... but also featuring Bill Hader.

2

Sedai

09-04-09, 05:04 PM

I absolutely disagree on Gangs of New York! The opening sequence with the pull back up into the sky is masterful. Daniel Day Lewis is absolutely stellar as Bill the Butcher. DeCaprio nails his role, as well. I did feel Diaz was miscast, though.

Miss Vicky

09-04-09, 06:34 PM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/SayUncleMoviePoster.jpg

Say Uncle (2005)

This is the story of a very child like man named Paul (Peter Paige, of Queer As Folk) who desperately wants a family (note I say he wants "a family" not "to be a father"). He finds this with his close friend, Sarah (Lisa Edelstein of House, M.D.), her husband, and her son, Morgan (who is Paul's godson). But when Sarah and her family move overseas, Paul feels lost. Desperate to find that connection again, Paul begins hanging out at the local park and spends a great deal of time playing with the children he finds there. His actions are at first welcomed by the mothers of those children, but things change when one of those women, Maggie (Kathy Najimy) finds out that he is gay and has no children of his own. Convinced by this and other things that Paul is a pedophile, Maggie organizes the community against him.

Although the film does well to make Paul a sympathetic character, it's difficult not to be at least a little disturbed by some of his actions, however innocent they may actually be. Still the movie was entertaining and very interesting. Though I must say that its efforts to be funny and its label as a comedy fail quite terribly.

3.5

mark f

09-04-09, 08:15 PM

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:Kyvdosse0LjsLM:http://www.moviezeal.com/wp-content/uploads/maltese_falcon.jpg http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:VAn2-8NhL7dPJM:http://www.filmsquish.com/guts/files/images/maltese02.jpg http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:nRKAvn-nTTYuPM:http://filmforno.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/mn_falcon01.jpg

The Maltese Falcon 1941

A talker mystery-crime film , Bogart makes for a completly rootable lead and the mile-a-minute dialogue is always too clever for anyone's own good.

"AAAAAAAAAA!"

"I guess we're going in"

"I guess you are"

4

"I haven't lived a good life. I've been bad, worse than you could know."

"You know, that's good, because if you actually were as innocent as you pretend to be, we'd never get anywhere."
-------------------------------------------
"I couldn't be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, it's possible to get another. There's only one Maltese Falcon."
-------------------------------------------
"You always have a very smooth explanation... "

"What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?"
-------------------------------------------
"A crippled newsie took 'em away from him. I made him give 'em back."
-------------------------------------------
"When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it."

Used Future

09-04-09, 08:28 PM

New York Ripper - 2

Ok, so this was the cut version but even so whatever was so offensive in it has certainly diminished over time

No. It's just been cut:p

Pyro Tramp

09-04-09, 08:36 PM

Is the uncut really much more? From the little i gathered, they cut the 'sexualised violence'. These days really can't imagine something offensive it needs cutting....

Used Future

09-04-09, 08:48 PM

There's a horrible scene involving a razor blade that's been cut out with substitution (34 seconds which doesn't sound like alot of screen time, but is if you count it). I can tell you it's a sickening scene.

Plus, when you consider shocking films like Audition, Irreversible, and Eden Lake are all uncut here, then I think it puts it into perspective.

I'm actually not a fan of The New York Ripper. I think it's a pretty average giallo, and the killer's ''Donald Duck'' voice is just embarrassing.

That said, from your comments I do wonder if you're getting anything out of these old italo horror films. They are an acquired taste for sure. I'm a huge fan and love harping on about them, but lets face it, most of them are complete crap. From the sounds of it the pleasure I get from them is very different to what you are looking for in a horror film.

Pyro Tramp

09-04-09, 09:01 PM

There's a horrible scene in the shower involving a razor blade that's been cut out with substitution (34 seconds which doesn't sound like alot of screen time, but is if you count it). I can tell you it's a sickening scene.

Plus, when you consider shocking films like Audition, Irreversible, and Eden Lake are all uncut here, then I think it puts it into perspective.

I'm actually not a fan of The New York Ripper. I think it's a pretty average giallo, and the killer's ''Donald Duck'' voice is just embarrassing.

That said, from your comments I do wonder if you're getting anything out of these old italo horror films. They are an acquired taste for sure. I'm a huge fan and love harping on about them, but lets face it, most of them are complete crap. From the sounds of it the pleasure I get from them is very different to what you are looking for in a horror film.

I figured they were kept cut because they were obscure relics no-one worried too much about re-submitting or it helped maintain an element of infamy.

When you ask what i'm getting out of them, wasn't sure what you were basing that on? Loved Sleepless but that's not really an old one and House by the Cemetery wasn't really a proper watch in the slightest. I like the style of what i've seen a whole lot and the scores (especially Goblin)

Used Future

09-04-09, 09:20 PM

I figured they were kept cut because they were obscure relics no-one worried too much about re-submitting

You've got a point there, The New York Ripper was last submitted back in 2007 by Shameless. Who knows the BBFC might consider passing it uncut now; especially with the likes of The Last House on the Left, and The House by the Cemetery recently having all previous cuts waived.

or it helped maintain an element of infamy.

I disagree here. There's nothing in it for anyone by doing that. The BBFC certainly don't stand to gain anything, and any respectable dvd distributer is going to want their release uncut so they can boast about it on the cover to boost sales. The filmmakers certainly don't want their work cut either; infamy or not.

Classicqueen13

09-05-09, 10:22 AM

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

http://www.grouchoreviews.com/content/films/3426/1.jpg
This movie was just a lot of fun! An exciting adventure with plenty of humor thrown in. Morgan Freeman was delightful as his character and Kevin Costner pulls off the lead again nicely. Alan Rickman's performance impressed me. He was fabulously insane and evil. Don't worry about the plot and story line because it's been done over and over again, but I think this is my favorite version of it.

Overall: 4

WBadger

09-05-09, 05:36 PM

Bonnie and Clyde, (1967, Penn)- A-

http://itpworld.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/bonnie_clyde_465x402.jpg

Nicely constructed film that works in a lot of departments. A lot of interesting characters and good acting makes this film fun to watch, and to see where Bonnie and Clyde end up is entertaining. I probably don't like it as much as most people, as for now I give it an "A-", but, still, enjoyed this one.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, (2005, Newell)- C-

http://www.reellifewisdom.com/files/images/harry%20potter%20and%20the%20goblet%20of%20fire.jpg

Eh, it's probably my least favorite of the Potter films, as well as the worst acting of these movies. Some characters seemed out of character which made things seem off, such as Dumbledore, Ron and Hermoine at times. With most of the Potter films, every scene usually has it's purpose, but this seemed to have so much filler in it. Still, there were some visually pleasing scenes, mostly involving the tournament. Especially, in the Black Lake. Overall, below-average Potter movie that loses a bit of it's charm, but has some good visual effects and a Voldemort appearance to save it.

TheUsualSuspect

09-05-09, 07:48 PM

Halloween II

http://www.movie-moron.com/wp-content/gallery/trailer/rob-zombie-halloween-2-poster.jpg

The film picks up right where the last one left us. Laurie is walking down the street covered in blood with a gun still in her hand. She is hospitalized, along with her friend Annie. Michael survive the gunshot to the head and comes back to reunite with his sister. Killing everyone in his way.

Not much of a plot, not much of a film. This sequel punishes those who had any interest in the first and almost immediately kills this re-invented series. The remake of the original is not bad and Zombie did a decent job of bringing Michael Myers to the new century of horror, but with the sequel he seems to have steered too far into House of 1,00 corpses territory.

Why is Michael so terrifying? Well, he use to be that is, because he never had a reason to kill. He just did it. In the words of Dr. Loomis, he was pure evil. Freddy had the revenge thing, Jason has the mommy issues, Michael was just evil. Zombie, on the other hand, seems to have missed this point and deemed it necessary to have Michel do things because of visions he has of his mother and a white horse. Enough with the mommy issues, leave that crap for Jason. Michael got his background story given to us in the remake. He is a sick and disturbing boy, now we see that he has a method behind his madness?

The film's script consists of dream sequence, wake up and scream obscenities. Then we cut to Michael making a trip to Mount Doom, killing people along the way. Repeat this for about an hour. Then have a lame, not thrilling, not scary pathetic excuse for a climax at the end, that takes place in a shed. A shed in which Myers stands still while our main character battles herself and imaginary people. This is the same main character whom people seem to have liked in the first film, here she becomes an annoying crying little emo baby. The film brings back a few character whom we thought were dead from the first film, only to see them die here. Waste? I think so. Purpose? Nothing what so ever. Dr. Loomis has a separate story alongside Myers and Strode. One that makes him look like a total douche bag and seems to have been thrown in to make the film run longer and seem more fleshed out. The problem is that it's paper thin and out of character.

Myers is no longer scary, and neither is this series. The film is laughable and the predictable by the numbers set up and execution will make you fall asleep. After years and years of slasher films, you would think they would want the deaths to be unique and the very least creative. Seeing this horror legends slice and dice is what the fans of the original series want. Halloween II has none of this. All Myers does is stab people multiple times. Grunting while doing so, which also ruins the myth of this character. He is suppose to be this silent killer. With the exception of a face stomp, none of these kills are memorable.

Zombie here seems to have gone backwards in his film-making skills. The whole thing feels like a first time music video director takes a shot at a horror film. The sloppy editing and hand held camera make it almost impossible to see. The darkness of the film doesn't help either. I respect Zombie, more than Eli Roth, for trying to put a new stamp on the horror genre, but this is a horrible mess. Being a member of the Splat Pack, you can expect this film to be excessive in its violence. It is, but it's never really too much, specifically with how filsm are done these days.

This is probably one of the weakest slasher films to have come out in a while. Prom Night is the only thing I can think of that is lower on the scale. Things are left unexplained for god knows what reason. Apparently Myers and Strode share a psychic link to each other? Halloween was an interesting take from a fan of the horror genre on a classic. Halloween II is the same fan's dream, only in his own little weird world. A giant misstep, and this series is already done.

Skip it.

1.5

zedlen

09-06-09, 12:07 PM

Chaplin
Richard Attenborough 1992

http://media.entertainment.sky.com/image/unscaled/2009/4/3/Chaplin01.jpg

I enjoyed this film, maybe because I'm just a fan of Chaplin's work but more to do with Robert Downey Jr. I'm becoming more and more a fan of his. It did get overly dramatic at times but I guess that is the nature of the subject matter.

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

Miss Vicky

09-06-09, 12:51 PM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/BloodDiamond.jpg

Blood Diamond (2006) (Rewatch)

I decided to continue my DiCaprio movie watching streak with this gem (no pun intended). The performances in this film are universally solid and DiCaprio in particular shows his chops as he skillfully portrays the bad man turned good Danny Archer. the storyline, too, is moving, engaging and enlightening. Truly a magnificent piece of work and probably deserving of a higher rating, but there are some scenes that go on a bit too long and its heavy subject matter makes it lose a bit of rewatchability.

4.5+

Miss Vicky

09-06-09, 10:11 PM

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/HardCandy_movieposter.jpg

Hard Candy (2005)

a.k.a. To Catch A Predator: Psychological Torture Edition or, at least, that's how this movie views. And, like that show, this is movie is very unsettling and yet I couldn't stop watching.

3.5+

zedlen

09-07-09, 03:01 AM

The Man Who Fell to Earth
Nicolas Roeg 1976

http://criterion_production.s3.amazonaws.com/release_images/1577/ManWhoFellColor.jpg

I knew before I saw this that it would be an art film. David Bowie is a person I have a lot of respect for, his music, creativity and longevity. Although it is common for artists to over-indulge and I think this is the case. There are some intriguing visuals and seeing Bowie, especially so young is interesting to me. Anyone looking for typical science fiction should avoid this.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/3box.gif

Thursday Next

09-07-09, 03:28 AM

Ever After http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/Thumbs/Ever-After-bh01.jpg

Watched this almost entirely as a result of the Drew Barrymore week on the movie theme week. And because I am sick and wanted something undemanding and this fitted the bill nicely, cheesy but without being too sickly. Richard O' Brien should have been in it more, Leonardo da Vinci as a kind of fairy godmother was just bizarre but what claims to realism can you expect from a fairytale?

meatwadsprite

09-07-09, 10:07 AM

yet I couldn't stop watching.

So basically once it landed it hooked into you and there was no tearing you away ?

Harry Lime

09-07-09, 02:29 PM

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/11900.jpg
1900 (1976, Bernardo Bertolucci) 3
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/2danton.jpg
Danton (1983, Andrzej Wajda) 3
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/3comeandsee.jpg
Come and See (1985, Elem Klimov) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/4leboucher.jpg
Le Boucher (1970, Claude Chabrol) 3
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/5streetofshame.jpg
Street of Shame (1956, Kenji Mizoguchi) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/6lachinoise.jpg
La Chinoise (1967, Jean-Luc Godard) 2.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/7october.jpg
October (1928, Sergei Eisenstein) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/8onibaba.jpg
Onibaba (1964, Kaneto Shindo) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/9unflic.jpg
Un Flic (1972, Jean-Pierre Melville) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/10eyeswithoutaface.jpg
Eyes Without a Face (1960, Georges Franju) 3
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/11nostalghia.jpg
Nostalghia (1983, Andrei Tarkovsky) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/12thepawnbroker.jpg
The Pawnbroker (1964, Sidney Lumet) 3.5
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/13cruelstoryofyouth.jpg
Cruel Story of Youth (1960, Nagisa Oshima) 2
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww56/harrylime49/14hailtheconqueringhero.jpg
Hail the Conquering Hero (1944, Preston Sturges) 3

adidasss

09-07-09, 04:25 PM

Not a particularly impressive batch, aye? ;)

Yoda

09-07-09, 05:16 PM

Caught a few flicks over the last few days (all but the first of them this weekend). Here are some very sparse, scattered thoughts:

12
3

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/03/04/arts/04twel600.jpg

Didn't love it, but any take on 12 Angry Men is something I have to see. I like some of the symbolism and it took the same basic idea in new and interesting directions, but it lacked the simple, elegant logic of both the original and the 1997 remake, which is one of the things that has always attracted me to it in the first place.

Winter Sleepers
3

http://www.haro-online.com/stuff/winters2.jpg

By the same fella' who made Run Lola Run. Loved that one, liked this one decently enough. Definitely feels similar in a few ways. Weird and intersecting, and patience without being especially boring. An odd film, but I enjoyed it.

Withnail & I
3.5

http://community.brandrepublic.com/blogs/younglionsfromcannes/Still-from-Withnail-and-I-001.jpg

I can kinda-sorta see why some people love it, but I get the impression you have to appreciate being drunk on a higher level to really adore it, and I'm not a big drinker. That said, there are some genuinely hysterical moments (my favorites: the sitting chicken, and the "burglary" line). Perhaps it'll get a higher rating if I see it again, but at the moment I just found it to be fairly above-average, with sporadic moments of highly amusing greatness.

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
4

http://www.bitesizeadfix.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cary-grant-blandings-ad-office.png

Loved it. It's always fascinating to see what kind of comedies hold up, and this one does a great job. Several of the gags are very, very predictable, but not as many as I'd expected, and it's all very well-executed. Favorite part: the pedantic color description from Muriel. The responses when she leaves the room brings the house down.

Notorious
4

http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/theclog/files/2009/08/filmhitch2blog.jpg

This isn't as good as I'd remembered. I recall the hore racing system being incredibly tense, but it wasn't this time around. Might actually be a 3.5. It moves along a little quickly, the relationship between the two leads just sort of happens and isn't terribly believable, and it ends abruptly. I like the idea and several of the individual scenes a lot more than I like the whole.

Harold and Maude
1.5

http://billsmovieemporium.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/harold460.jpg

Ugh. I'm sure some people will be positively aghast that I'm rating this one so low, but I didn't really care for it. Perhaps certain aspects of it have been done to death since its release, making it seem less creative than it once was. Still, I found the characters stunningly unsympathetic. Harold is kind of interesting, and seems nice enough, but Maude is a bad person masquerading as a free spirit. I didn't find her car-stealing, police-defying antics to be cute or charming, just horrendously inconsiderate, and I found her advice on how to live life reductionist and trite. And for all the implication that Harold is surrounded by bad or shallow people, most of them seemed pretty reasonable. His mother is a little vapid, but the whole thing would've worked a lot better if the supporting characters didn't seem like fairly reasonable people most of the time.

The soundtrack stands out, to be sure, and the suicide sequences are certainly amusing, if nothing else. But I didn't dig it. And while I wouldn't question any one person's love of this film, I have to think that it's one of those films some people like just because it's offbeat, and therefore says something about them if they like it. I guess thinking that It Happened One Night is a better love story is just too stale and boring, even if it's true.

All in my opinion, of course. No offense meant to anyone who enjoys it. :)

Fenwick

09-07-09, 06:13 PM

Come and See is the best film out of that bunch I reckon, Haz. The Pawnbroker must be one of the most underrated Lumet flicks as well - the symbiotic fusion of art and genre makes it really interesting.

Oh and as for Novecento, at 320 mins long it kind of dragged :laugh:. Its not like it's split up like say Dekalogue or Alexanderplatz. It's just very long. I knew what I was letting myself in for and although the film was massively flawed, I enjoyed it for what it was.

Good haul again Mr Lime.

Harry Lime

09-07-09, 06:55 PM

Not a particularly impressive batch, aye? ;)

For me a 3/5 is equivalent to a B/B-, so I basically recommend anything over a 3/5. 3.5/5 is a B+ and is usually reserved for good/great films that didn't have that extra something to make it into "A" territory.

Fenwick: Come and See was great and I agree with you in regards to 1900 as well. As for the best of the batch, something about Tarkovsky's films always draws me in, both visually and philosophically. Unfortunately, after watching this film I've now seen everything he's done since Ivan's Childhood. And Onibaba was enough for me to start searching for other Shindo films as soon as it was over. And when I say searching, I mean on the internet.

Yes, I know the whole moral discussion usually associated with such actions, especially on a movie forum, but I can't find some of these films anywhere else. If it's a choice between not watching the film or downloading it, it's not a choice to me at all, I love the art form.

meatwadsprite

09-07-09, 06:59 PM

deleted my full-er write up , oh well

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:IiT-TZ1fzGSMUM:http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Land/5387/pt1dvd.JPG 1

The consequences of retarded decision making.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:IMYAHb2UlbYJ-M:http://merovingian.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/death_proof_netherlands.jpg 3.5

What if slashers were good ?

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:7sXktMYI9dI4qM:http://www.1watchmovie.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/fantasia-1940.jpg 2.5

An ambitious idea , but the animation is terribly dated.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:YIGf_rYWalsiMM:http://flicks.stanford.edu/image.php%3Fid%3D75 3.5

Not what I expected , nice warm up for Midnight Cowboy - although Anne Bancroft steals this show.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:3jkBvka1WYLBsM:http://www.axelmusic.com/resources/covers/7/786936175219.jpg 4.5

One of my favorite Miyazaki films , stunning animation and an awesome unusual Hisaishi score (which would inspire countless RPG's such as Final Fantasy).

... and if it's too good for you , switch it to english dub :)

Fenwick

09-07-09, 07:10 PM

Fenwick: Come and See was great and I agree with you in regards to 1900 as well. As for the best of the batch, something about Tarkovsky's films always draws me in, both visually and philosophically. Unfortunately, after watching this film I've now seen everything he's done since Ivan's Childhood. And Onibaba was enough for me to start searching for other Shindo films as soon as it was over. And when I say searching, I mean on the internet.

Yes, I know the whole moral discussion usually associated with such actions, especially on a movie forum, but I can't find some of these films anywhere else. If it's a choice between not watching the film or downloading it, it's not a choice to me at all, I love the art form.

I understand your pain Harry. At the moment i'm just getting through everything I can find on Region 2. When thats said and done, i'll have to resort to the internet as well. It's a sad way to go but hey it's Artifical Eye's/Eureka's/ICA's (Criterion for you I expect) fault for not transferring these films on to DVD.

I haven't downloaded a film thus far and I don't want to start soon as not only does piracy get my goat but it also means i'll have to cramp myself by a computer screen to watch a film. And that ain't no good (granted you can probably move it to your TV with the know-how but I have no know-how you see, my cat is better on the PC than me). As you say though, when you love something as much as I love film, principle's have to take a back seat. I'll have no pride but hey, at least i'll have my films :laugh:

Yoda

09-07-09, 08:36 PM

Just caught another one:

After the Thin Man
4

http://home.mountaincable.net/~hkane/After1.jpg

Loved The Thin Man, and I love this one almost as much (though not quite). Like the last one, a little overly complicated at points (this film more than the first), but always charming and the characters are impossible to dislike, and the chemistry between the leads (William Powell and Myrna Loy) is often noted. Fun, interesting, eclectic cast including a young Jimmy Stewart, who was 28 at the time and had all of his most iconic roles in front of him.

I've got the last four films in the series all queued up on Netflix and I hope to catch all of them over the next few weeks.

Powdered Water

09-07-09, 08:45 PM

Awesome. Don't miss out on several other Loy and Powell combo's as well. Like: Double Wedding, (probably my favorite after The Thin Man movies) Evelyn Prentice, Manhattan Melodrama, The Great Ziegfeld, Love Crazy and a few others that I have yet to see. They all are pretty enjoyable as far as I'm concerned.

Iroquois

09-08-09, 12:37 AM

Withnail & I
3.5

http://community.brandrepublic.com/blogs/younglionsfromcannes/Still-from-Withnail-and-I-001.jpg

I can kinda-sorta see why some people love it, but I get the impression you have to appreciate being drunk on a higher level to really adore it, and I'm not a big drinker. That said, there are some genuinely hysterical moments (my favorites: the sitting chicken, and the "burglary" line). Perhaps it'll get a higher rating if I see it again, but at the moment I just found it to be fairly above-average, with sporadic moments of highly amusing greatness.

I'm not exactly a big drinker either and Withnail and I is easily Top 10-20 material for me. Like most cult classics, it's a very love-or-hate affair and I didn't exactly think it was the greatest movie I'd ever seen on first viewing (as a matter of fact, I'd say it took about five viewings to get everything that was going on with the plot - even now, there are still things I pick up on new viewings). I just find it a constantly rewarding viewing experience.

Harold and Maude
1.5

No offense meant to anyone who enjoys it. :)

None taken.

Thursday Next

09-08-09, 03:25 AM

Harold and Maude
1.5

but Maude is a bad person masquerading as a free spirit. I didn't find her car-stealing, police-defying antics to be cute or charming, just horrendously inconsiderate,

I'm not sure that she was supposed to be some kind of shining example of how to live your life, though. That would be a bit trite, wouldn't it? A bit Hollywood. I thought all the characters were a bit more three dimensional than that - everybody's messed up in some way or other.

I have to think that it's one of those films some people like just because it's offbeat, and therefore says something about them if they like it.

I think people can like something because it's offbeat. It's a taste some people have. I don't think the second part of that stands up, though. Can't people like something without trying to 'say something about themselves'? I'm not trying to say something about myself every time I say I like a film. Otherwise there's a few films I like I'd probably keep quiet about...

Yoda

09-08-09, 11:35 AM

I'm not exactly a big drinker either and Withnail and I is easily Top 10-20 material for me. Like most cult classics, it's a very love-or-hate affair and I didn't exactly think it was the greatest movie I'd ever seen on first viewing (as a matter of fact, I'd say it took about five viewings to get everything that was going on with the plot - even now, there are still things I pick up on new viewings). I just find it a constantly rewarding viewing experience.
I can totally buy that; I think I had a pretty decent handle on the plot, but it was fairly dense and a lot of the slang went over my head, so I think the whole affair would be a bit clearer and therefore possibly more enjoyable. Not that I didn't like it very much.

I'm not sure that she was supposed to be some kind of shining example of how to live your life, though. That would be a bit trite, wouldn't it? A bit Hollywood. I thought all the characters were a bit more three dimensional than that - everybody's messed up in some way or other.
I think it's pretty clear we were supposed to admire her, at least somewhat. She says all these grandiose emotional things about life and how to live it, she gets away with everything, it wins Harold over completely (aren't those little speeches about life one of the reasons he fell for her?), and she's one of the titular characters. It's all painted in a pretty positive light, and I can't think of anything offhand that suggests otherwise. I've only seen it once, though, so let me know if I'm forgetting something.

Anyway, even if we assume she isn't meant to be sympathetic or likable, I'm not sure that leaves the film in a much better place, because it doesn't give Harold much reason to admire her.

I think people can like something because it's offbeat. It's a taste some people have. I don't think the second part of that stands up, though. Can't people like something without trying to 'say something about themselves'? I'm not trying to say something about myself every time I say I like a film. Otherwise there's a few films I like I'd probably keep quiet about...
Oh sure, of course people can like something without trying to say something about themselves, I'm just saying sometimes this isn't the case. I certainly know a few people who seem a bit more concerned with what their taste in films says about them than one would like, and I think it's fair to say we all do this on some unconscious level.

I'm certainly not suggesting that anyone who likes this film has some ulterior motive. You'll have to forgive some of my speculation; I've been reading a lot of Chuck Klosterman lately, and he likes to delve into this sort of thing. I'm particularly intrigued by the idea that some people can begin to think of themselves as a "type" of person, and inadvertantly allow that to influence their taste in art.

linespalsy

09-08-09, 12:55 PM

i couldn't stand maude, in harold and maude. i don't know that i mind her being a "bad" person, so much as an obnoxiously smug person. disclaimer: i've only seen that movie once.

over the weekend-

\\
showgirls 1
the final destination 2
ponyo 2.5

Tacitus

09-08-09, 01:28 PM

Withnail & I
3.5

http://community.brandrepublic.com/blogs/younglionsfromcannes/Still-from-Withnail-and-I-001.jpg

I can kinda-sorta see why some people love it, but I get the impression you have to appreciate being drunk on a higher level to really adore it, and I'm not a big drinker. That said, there are some genuinely hysterical moments (my favorites: the sitting chicken, and the "burglary" line). Perhaps it'll get a higher rating if I see it again, but at the moment I just found it to be fairly above-average, with sporadic moments of highly amusing greatness.

I got hooked on Withnail & I when I was a student in the early 90s in the north of England. It just so happened that our landlady had a cottage in the Lake District that we used to rent in the summer. Not far from Penrith, actually.

The little village (more of a hamlet of a few houses actually, it was called Hilton I think) even had its own Withnail-style pub, run by a sozzled old dear and populated by various farmer types.

Once the novelty of walking through fields with the ex-Mrs T shouting "We've gone on holiday by mistake!" and "Are you the farmer?" had worn off we were left with frequently awful weather and one video - Withnail & I. And a sensational cellar. ;)

It just never grows old for me, even though I admit it's a bit dated and certainly not to everyone's taste. It's as warm and snug as your favourite pair of slippers. :)

birdygyrl

09-08-09, 02:29 PM

She Done Him Wrong - 1933 - Lowell Sherman - A

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Holy smoke!! Mae West was the total package...she was sultry, simmering, and had sex appeal oozing out of every pore!! No wonder people thought this was risque for its time. And Cary Grant....even back then totally suave.

The Navigator - 1924 - Donald Crisp - A

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There is just something about Buster Keaton that tickles my funny bone. I always end up laughing out loud at the classic slapstick. I love his leading lady, Kathryn McGuire. She definitely held her own while working with the master.

To Be or Not To Be - 1942 - Ernst Lubitsch - B

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I just love Carole Lombard.

My Man Godfrey - 1936 - Gregory LaCava - A

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Again, Carole Lombard. And William Powell always lends class to whatever film he stars in.

Its A Gift - 1934 - Norman Z. McLeod - C

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I know this is a classic, but I just ending up getting annoyed instead of entertained. I think my funny bone was on hiatus.

mark f

09-08-09, 07:47 PM

This is a friendly response to what's been posted thus far about Harold and Maude. :cool:

Harold and Maude certainly isn't meant to be some political diatribe. It's not about economics or conservatiism vs. liberalism, although it wouldn't be hard to pull that out if you want to discuss where its heart lies. Do I look up to Maude? Of course I do. She's not like anybody else. Is she wacky and a wacko? Of course; that's why I love her. Harold and Maude is just much simpler in its basics than people seem to think it is, although its details can be complex. Harold represents Death and Maude represents Life. That's not anything too tough to grasp. If you find this a simplistic look at life, especially for a draft-age kid who could go to Vietnam at anytime (it was made in 1971) somehow personally insulting, then I think you're taking it much too seriously. Yes, and that includes the fact that Maude is a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp (remember the tattooed number on her arm?)

First and foremost, Harry and Maude is a comedy, and one I've been laughing at out loud at for almost 27 years now. It's definitely one of the blackest comedies ever made, but it probably does have the funniest sets of "deaths" of any black comedy I've seen. I do not find anything reasonable about any of the characters that the film seems to make fun of, nor do I find the concept of being drafted to go and fight in a war which seems to have no meaning something to be proud about doing. Harold was probably supposed to be about seven years older than I am, but I was in the last group that actually had their birth dates numbered in the draft, so even if it happened to me after I saw Harold and Maude, I definitely can relate to something about why Harold sees death as the way to live and "fake death" as preferable to real death.

Secondly, Harold and Maude is very romantic. Yes, the Priest's verbalization of what it would be like for Harold and Maude to make love makes him sick, but I find it hilarious. Harold and Maude is one of those films where you can see why opposites attract or maybe even why people who are actually similar at heart seem to be opposites; they were born at different times and went through similar things at different times. You just need to sit down and talk with someone about why they seem different. I mean, even Harold is a bit taken aback at how brazen Maude's antics seem to be, but whatever you say, Maude never really hurts anybody. At least not compared to what she must have lived through in the camps. Besides, Maude knows what we do not know. Maude knows how everything will turn out, and she lets Harold make his own choice on how to live and whether to die. If you ask me, if Maude wasn't good for Harold, then the ending would have been a much bigger downer than it is.

My fave scenes in the flick, besides Harold's suicides, are the ending, the awesome scene where they're having a picnic, pick flowers and then the camera pulls back to show you where they are, and the scene with the motorcycle cop. If you don't know, the cop is played by Tom Skerritt (Alien), and he's hilarious. Now, if I had some reason to be worried about any of the characters running around loose on the street who might actually endanger people, it would be this cop. If his pistol didn't misfire, he probably would have shot a pedestrian stone dead.

I'm glad that Yoda liked the song score. I find Colin Higgins' script almost perfection, and I also would pick Harold and Maude as Hal Ashby's apex of direction, even if it was only his second film. My rating: 4, and yes, it should be in mafo's Top 100.

Yoda

09-08-09, 08:39 PM

One friendly response deserves another. :)

I don't think it's a political diatribe, unless you're using the word "political" in a very broad sense. It's certainly a movie with a philosophy, though, and that philosophy is largely the one Maude espouses. It values a certain kind of living based in impulsiveness and unrestricted by peer pressure or social judgment. On some level this is a lovely thought and the idea that we shouldn't refrain from doing things just because some people find them odd is so widely accepted that it probably qualifies as a truism. But it takes this principle a lot further than even your freest spirits usually care to.

Maude doesn't technically hurt anyone, true, but she certainly puts people in danger, and I hardly find the idea of stealing cars endearing. The fact that she has some pseudo-rationalization for why stealing them is okay (because she's a "reminder" about how transient material things are, more or less) makes it worse, to my mind. I don't know if the film is wholeheartedly embracing her on this point, but it sure isn't passing judgment on her. I guess I don't find the idea that she hasn't physically harmed anyone to be a very compelling point in her favor. To me, she's inconsiderate and selfish. I don't find the movie insulting, I just feel like it's suggesting that I should like a character that I don't.

I thought the numbers on her arm were a fascinating inclusion, even if it wasn't explored much. I'd probably have given it an even lower rating if not for that one moment. I like speculating about how that may have made her into who she is, even though I think the film's seeming endorsement of her behavior undermines all the speculation I find most fascinating about it.

The comedy angle is the one way I can relate to someone enjoying Harold and Maude, I think. I found a few parts amusing, but I don't know if I let out an honest-to-goodness laugh at any point. But I can see the humor in the scenes you describe, Mark, and it's no mystery to me why someone would find this movie pretty funny, even if I didn't.

linespalsy

09-08-09, 08:53 PM

i found maude to be a grating presence, simple as that.

the movie seemed to give both main characters a sense of entitlement to cause mischief and feel like they were doing good deeds to the world and their various victims.

i wouldn't necessarily mind it if she did hurt people in the film. meanness can be very funny, at least to me. maybe that's part of my problem. that harold and maude are supposed to be nice people, innocent little outsiders and victims. taints all their impish pranks with a little too much smarmy self-righteousness for me to really enjoy their activities or like their characters. i think i would like them better if they were just plain old unpretentious jerks.

Powdered Water

09-08-09, 08:59 PM

I wouldn't, there's plenty of crappy movies already out there full of pretentious jerks.

Harold and Maude is most definitely my kind of film and I hope you guys give it another go sometime.

After reading Mark's excellent post it really baffles me how some of the members on this site like to take potshots at the guy for not making coherent posts. That was everything I could ever have wanted to say about it and more.

linespalsy

09-08-09, 09:07 PM

yoda's response is much more thoughtful than mine. i don't even think i got past my gut-reaction of disgust for the two title characters (which had nothing to do with their supposedly-transgressive sexual relationship). i just wanted to add that i did find the romantic angle more compelling than the comedy angle in the film, but couldn't really like either of them enough to get too worked up emotionally.

linespalsy

09-08-09, 09:10 PM

I wouldn't, there's plenty of crappy movies already out there full of pretentious jerks.

hey, i think you misread my post. i was calling harold and maude pretentious jerks. you may disagree with that characterization, just wanted to make sure you understood what i actually said.

i don't have any intention of re-watching harold & maude, though i wouldn't avoid it either if a friend brings it to a movie night or something. on the other hand i would like to see another hal ashby film - being there - some time.

Powdered Water

09-08-09, 09:13 PM

I can dig it.

Unrelated, (sort of) I was told that Airplane! is a comedic masterpiece and when I finally saw it I found it drab and actually tiring to watch. I still chuckled a bit at all the lines I'd been hearing for almost 30 years but the movie is crap and mostly unwatchable. To me.

Holden Pike

09-08-09, 09:14 PM

Blasphemy.

mark f

09-08-09, 09:22 PM

Now that you're here, what d'ya think of the blasphemous Harold and Maude? I'm not really sure...

Powdered Water

09-08-09, 09:23 PM

I'm also a big sinner, which is nice.

mark f

09-08-09, 09:26 PM

TSS (The Sinners' Society). Hell, I've gotta get back over to that Basterds thread and post now...

Used Future

09-08-09, 11:01 PM

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Soldier of Orange (Paul Verhoeven 1977) 4
Another film I've been meaning to see for years now; this finally fell at my feet a few days back (by way of Help the Aged) and I snapped up the opportunity. Soldier of Orange is the first pre-Hollywood film of Verhoeven and Hauer (both of whom I admire greatly) that I've seen. So quite why I've never got off my behind and watched this before is anybody's business.

Adapted from Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema's (who lived the story and is played by Hauer) novel Soldaat Van Oranje; it tells the tale of the differing life defining choices and journeys made by a group of Dutch university students under Nazi occupation.

Soldier of Orange is the quickest 149 minutes I've ever sat through. Highly political it sucked me right in with it's candid exploration of the feelings and attitudes held by young (oblivious) Dutch men and women towards the Nazis. Indeed Before the invasion when asked what he thinks of Hitler, Erik merely comments 'he builds good autobahns'. But these idylls are soon shattered when the Jewish tutors are removed from their University, and a close friend executed as a Jewish insurgent.

I found the characterisation and acting here particularly excellent (especially from Hauer and Jeroen Krabbe as his swaggering best friend Guus). What motivated some of the group to join the resistance whilst others collaborated, and the re-percussions this has, is the real meat of Soldier of Orange. Ultimately it works as both a gripping war thriller, and a heart wrenching exploration of freedom, loyalty, and betrayal. Plus the final sequence links so beautifully with the the films opening credits that I understand perfectly why the Dutch feel such patriotic pride for this film. Highly recommended.

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Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs (Yukio Noda, 1974) 3
Back to exploitation again with another classic Pinku film recommended to me by a reliable source. Not to be confused with later (and I'm told rubbish) Zero Woman outings; this is the original film starring Miki Sugimoto of Girl Boss Guerilla (1972), Delinquent Girl Boss (1972), and Girl Boss Revenge (1973) fame.

Sugimoto plays Rei, a hard as nails female cop jailed for killing (with her trusty red handcuffs) an American serial killer and rapist who had political connections. After languishing in prison where most of the inmates are women she put away; Rei's soon being recruited to infiltrate and assassinate a sadistic gang of kidnappers who've raped and taken the daughter of a powerful politician hostage...

Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs is nuts...completely and utterly crazy. When Noda isn't tilting the camera at 45 degree angles, he's intercutting haunting freeze frame images of characters' past histories during action sequences, and splashing liberal amounts of bright 70's blood all over the place. The story is a wafer thin excuse for lurid violence badly lacking a sense of humour, but it still works thanks to the film's savvy comic book aesthetic, and some well edited set pieces. Sugimoto looks suitably mean but lacks the silent charisma of a Meiko Kaji, or the raw sex appeal of Reiko Ike, despite being very pretty. She's still highly watchable though, and the support (especially the kidnap gang) is laughably over the top in a good way. They sure don't make them like this any more.

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Powder (Victor Salva, 1995) 2.5-
Another film I've been meaning to see for years, and I'm almost sorry I bothered. After reading countless good write ups that say Powder is an original heart warming movie with strong performances, not to mention seeing Lance Henriksen in the cast; I figured it was essential viewing. In reality it left me cold...well feeling sick to be exact.

Sean Patrick Flannery is Jeremy 'Powder' Reed, a highly intelligent albino teenager found living in his deceased grandfather's basement (where he's been all his life) by sheriff Barnum (Henriksen). Soon he's being buttered up, and whisked off to school by Jessie (Mary Steenburgen); a misguided psychologist friend of Barnum's. Naturally a group of bad kids bully him, a sensitive girl falls for him, and there's a hip friendly teacher (Jeff Goldblum) who wants to understand and befriend him. Oh yeah, and he's got some special powers that revolve around electricity...blah blah blah.

Am I being cold hearted and cynical? You bet I am. Powder is an interesting premise all but ruined by schmaltzy half baked philosophy, and a cloyingly intrusive slushy score. Most of the time Flannery walks around like he just got off the set of Nick Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth, and whilst Powder is relatively sympathetic in terms of his predicament; I found his wet, detached non-personality a complete turn off. Now don't get me wrong, I consider myself quite a sensitive person, and like the odd bit of sentimentality in my movies if it's quirky and restrained. But in my opinion Powder is hackneyed and predictable in every way imaginable, with only the solid casting to recommend it.

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Flavia the Heretic (Gianfranco Mingozzi, 1974) 3
Often labelled as the best of the (hardly prolific) 'nunsploitation' subgenre (of which the only other films I've heard of are Juan Lopez Moctezuma's Alucarda, and Giullio Beruti's Killer Nun); Flavia the Heretic came as something of a nasty surprise to me. Nasty in that I found it as disturbing and sadistic as anything I've seen, and a surprise in that the film still managed to bravely explore interesting themes surrounding religion, feminism, masculinity and sexual awakening.

In 1400 era Italy, Flavia (the gorgeous Florinda Bolkan from Lizard in a Woman's Skin) is confined to a nunnery along with her sister by their misogynistic father and king. Everywhere she turns Flavia witnesses the cruelty, and oppression of women by men; be it the brutal torture and mutilation of her sister after cavorting stoned with a tarantula cult; the matter-of-fact castration of a horse; or the casual rape of a farm girl. Never having experienced 'the pleasures of man' as her mentor Sister Agatha (Maria Casares) puts it. Flavia remains a virgin, dismissive of sex as a woman's weapon. That is until an invading Muslim army shows up and she falls for it's leader Ahmed (Anthony Higgins) who reminds her of a dying soldier she fell in love with as a little girl...

Slow and downbeat Flavia the Heretic is definitely exploitation, but it's exploitation wrapped around a decent script, reasonable production values, and luscious photography. Historical accuracies aside the film feels very believable and makes some unflinching statements on human nature; particularly the dark side of man, and how religion was (and is) used as an excuse to control and abuse both sexes (but particularly women). Flavia's spiritual journey throughout the film, although tinged by revenge is nevertheless rewarding if you can stomach it. The gory violence is very shocking (at least I thought so) but it's relevant to the story and never feels like titillation for the sake of cheap thrills. Bolkan is fine as Flavia, but Maria Casares as the influential, bitter and outspoken Sister Agatha steals it. Overall not for regular audience consumption, but if this sounds like your kind of thing...

mark f

09-08-09, 11:45 PM

Greyfriars Bobby (Don Chaffey, 1961) 3

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Another Disney flick whose cast is crammed with British veterans and shot in Britain. It's the story of a Skye terrier who loves his owner so much that he follows him into Edinburgh where the man dies and then the dog proceeds to sleep every night on top of his former owner's grave. The dog is mostly everyone's favorite, but he violates just enough laws that he comes up before the local magistrates who have to send him away unless somebody will truthfully declare him as their own dog. This film qualifies as one of those films that make people cry. It's based on a true story, and it's really a joyous flick, especially if you're an animal lover. In fact, if you love dogs or other pets, watch this and tell me what you think of it.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (Buichi Saito, 1972) 3

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Number four in the series begins with a naked woman covered with tattoos killing guys left and right, so it gets your attention right up front. The middle of the film isn't as interesting as it brings back one of the earlier characters, but then the ending has one of the most humongous action scenes in the entire series. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say the Lone Wolf was dead, but somehow he walks away at the end with his cub and baby cart. Maybe I should post this series over at the thread about Immortality in Films.

Sin Nombre (Cary Fukanaga, 2009) 2.5

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This is an intense saga about how gangs (and a specific gang at that) rules the Mexican border from Central America to the United States. It tells the story of how "gangsters" are recruited, how they must follow a code unless they decide they have the guts to try to leave, which usually results in a death sentence. This film tells the story of a Honduran girl and a Mexican boy who hook up on a northbound train although he's wanted for a murder of a gangster jefe. The film is low-budget but alive, although it doesn't really reveal anything new about the gang problem even if it does paint a bit more specific picture of the chief gang in Mexico at our present time. I recommend that you give it a watch but don't expect anything too terrific, although director Fukanaga shows signs of real talent, especially composition of his cinematography and suspense.

Nightmare Alley (Edmund Goulding, 1947) 3

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Very good Jules Furthman-scripted flick which transitions from cheap carnivals to nightclubs to female psychologist's offices to rich men's cemeteries, has one of Tyrone Power's greatest performances and some superb B&W photography which out-noirs almost every other film noir in its "black" qualities. Besides a terrific performance from Power, little-known Ian Keith gives a solid performance as the husband and partner of Joan Blondell. This film is incredibly complex and touches on elements of God and faith which most films just don't have the guts to delve into. Although the flick could have been better, it's still powerful and any film which discusses what a real geek is deserves some respect. :cool:

Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1966) 3

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To me, this is Tarkovsky's masterpiece, but I realize that some members believe that the man can do no wrong. To me, that seems really weird. Tarkovsky went out of his way to make films which people could not understand on any basic level. If I could somehow magically understand everything which an artist goes out of his way to make sure that I cannot understand on first appearance, then I would have to think that I was some sort of Idiot Savant. Tarkovsky wants people to understand but I'd say it's impossible to understand most of his flicks without repetitive viewings and discussions with similar viewers. This film is about an artist who makes no art whatsoever during the film. It's also about a monk/iconographer who believes in beauty but is completely surrounded by ugliness, pain and death. Obviously, the film is full of contradictions and bizarre, unique visuals and characters. I watched the restored version. The claim was that the Criterion version added 20 minutes to make it go from 165 minutes to 185 minutes. I'll admit that the first time I watched this, long ago, it was 165 minutes, and this version included much more spiritual material, but it was NOT 185 minutes. It was actually about 198 minutes, and of course, the highlight of the film was the conclusion where the B&W film turned to color, and while some intense 2001-type soundtrack was playing, we can see the actual icons which Rublev painted. I easily found this the most moving Tarkovsky I've seen, but it's also incredibly repulsive in the way it shows how far Man truly is from God.

Harry Lime

09-09-09, 01:33 AM

How does a masterpiece only get three stars?

mark f

09-09-09, 01:40 AM

The same way that I tell people to raise my ratings one box if they disagree with me on the "art house" side and to lower my rating one box if they think I'm a Hollywood whore. I'm ready to post a lot about Tarkovsky if somebody wants to start/reopen a thread. My ratings aren't nearly as important as my writings; at least I hope so.

Sedai

09-09-09, 10:13 AM

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

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I liked this flick, a lot. Sure, it had some pacing issues, and it felt a bit manipulative here and there. Overall though, I found it thought provoking and engaging.

Knowing (Proyas, 2009) 2_5

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Bummer. This had the potential to be a fantastic film, but it blew it all away in the final act. The ending came off as contrived, lobbing armchair philosophy around while never fully exploring the concepts. Some seriously cool visuals, though. IO also enjoyed some of Proyas' signature elements, such as the round window/portal metaphor he likes to use in his films, as well as the dark strangers. It's shot really well, too.

Last Night (McKellar, 1998) 4

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A subtle film about the end of the world. I know, that sounds silly, but it fits this flick. I really liked this one, even though it bummed me out when all was said and done. I can't post my favorite shot from the film, as it's a spoiler!

Death Proof (Tarantino, 2007) 3_5

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I really liked this seriously over-the-top chase film. One of the best car chases on film, period. Sure, it's your typical Tarantino fare, but what a ride! I think Tarantino was sort of pandering to guys like me; it worked.

Fenwick

09-09-09, 11:52 AM

Nice work Mark F, Andrei Rublev is probably my favourite Tarkovsky flick :)

And I love Nightmare Alley too.

Caitlyn

09-09-09, 12:43 PM

Aliens (1986) - still gives me chills in places and is definitely my favorite of the Alien series...

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5

WBadger

09-09-09, 04:54 PM

Alien, (1979, Scott)- A-/A

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Aliens, (1986, Cameron)- A-/A

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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, (1939, Capra)- B+

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Citizen Kane, (1941, Welles)- C+

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Race to Witch Mountain, (2009, Fickman)- C

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King Kong, (1933, Cooper and Shoedsack)- B

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zedlen

09-09-09, 11:45 PM

Che: Part 1
Steven Soderbergh 2008

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Do I know anything about Cuban history or the Cuban Revolution ? No. Was this an entertaining, interesting and exciting film ? Yes. Benicio del Toro is in his element and any fans of his must see this. Looking forward to the second part.

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Holden Pike

09-10-09, 12:06 AM

Looking forward to the second part.

Get ready for disappointment. The second installment is repetitive and you don't really learn anything else about the man. But still, overall a nice achievement for Soderbergh and Benicio.

Iroquois

09-10-09, 12:28 AM

I've been a little busy lately...

http://teknolover.altervista.org/_altervista_ht/Commando_supabazooka.jpg

Commando (Mark L. Lester, 1985) – 3.5

I don't make any apologies for outright enjoying this film. It's an absolutely ridiculous Schwarzenegger vehicle that doesn't make the slightest pretension at being anything more than a fun 1980s action movie full of great one-liners, cheesy synthesiser music and questionable stunts and action. "Let off some steam, Bennett."

http://www.hubbywishlist.com/images/fletch.jpg

Fletch (Michael Ritchie, 1985) – 3.5

A rather inventive, if flawed detective comedy. The actual mystery was surprisingly well-written - my only real complaint is that Chevy Chase's humour doesn't quite work in places. Of course, I laughed quite a few times over the course of the film but overall it was more amusing than hilarious. Still, with a rather solid script and some great sequences (the highlight being Fletch's prolonged escape from a large group of cops), it managed to be a solid enough film all around.

http://img.wonkette.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/spaceballs.jpg

Spaceballs (Mel Brooks, 1987) – 3.5

A totally different sort of comedy to the previous film, Spaceballs was still rather good. As with just about any Mel Brooks movie, it made great use of just about every different kind of gag there was - visual, verbal, whatever. Everything was pretty damned funny.

http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/content/binary/up-movie.jpg

Up (Pete Docter and Bob Petersen, 2009) – 4.5

I really can't argue with whatever most people have said about this movie. It's funny, exciting, very well-made and even very touching for such a purported cynic as myself. A good contender for the best film I've seen all year.

http://www.osgoodhotel.com/archives/old_school_verdvd.jpg

Old School (Todd Phillips, 2003) – 2.5

Okay, a rather annoying and predictable frat-boy comedy that admittedly had a few rather funny moments spread out across its running times, but not enough to really redeem it in my eyes.

zedlen

09-10-09, 12:55 AM

Get ready for disappointment. The second installment is repetitive and you don't really learn anything else about the man. But still, overall a nice achievement for Soderbergh and Benicio.

Thanks for the heads up. Damn.

TheDOMINATOR

09-10-09, 04:22 PM

The Final Destination: The 3D Experience
(David R. Ellis, 2009)
The Film Itself - 2.5+
The 3D Theatrical Experience - 4.5

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9Gwgm7dfxW4/SaQeA95o6yI/AAAAAAAAABw/Ub9lld2jPKQ/s400/final_destination_01.jpg

The film itself was pretty "meh," perhaps my least favorite of the Final Destination saga, but the experience of seeing it in 3D--this only having been the second movie I've ever seen in 3D at the theater--blew me away. Tires, knives, and nails were flying right at me, the characters seemingly jumping right out of the screen. Not to mention the ultra-comfy, stadium seating of the theater I attended, one I rarely get to go to (it's a good 30-minute drive). I had a blast, even though the movie itself was less than great.

Lethal Weapon - 3.5
(Richard Donner, 1987)

http://www.ugo.com/movies/guide-to-lapd/images/lethal-weapon.jpg

A very enjoyable action flick, although I much prefer Die Hard over this action quadrilogy.

Lethal Weapon 2 - 3.5-
(Richard Donner, 1989)

http://i.acephotos.org/images/orig/j/4/j4n3tyco67hh3nyh.jpg

More or less on par with the original, only with some really, really good nudity thrown in. :cool:

The Godfather Part II - 5
(Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)

http://www.spencersundell.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/GodfatherPt2_door.jpg

I loved it just as much as the first two times I've seen it. I recently watched the original, so I had to give this one another go as well. Expect to see a post regarding Part III in the future, because when I watch one of these films, I feel like I must watch them all.

Dalva - 0.5
(Ken Cameron, 1996)

http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/coverv/63/257063.jpg

I don't even want to talk about it.

April Fool's Day - 2
(Phil Flores, 2008)

http://www.idealbargainxp.net/images/products/single-movie-dvd/drama/April%20Fools%20Day.jpg

I actually really enjoyed the 1986 original, so I gave this direct-to-video remake a go. Turns out it was nothing like the original; just a film with the same name with only a remotely similar plot to draw in some buyers, which is what they did with me. It had its good points, but it was mostly all bad.

mark f

09-10-09, 10:29 PM

Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009) 3.5+

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2008/12/12/inglourious-basterds-2.jpg

Right here. (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=565498#post565498)

District 9 (Neill Blomkamp, 2009) 3.5

http://media.avclub.com/images/articles/article/31606/district-9_jpg_595x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg

My thoughts. (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=565469#post565469)

The Big Country (William Wyler, 1958) 4

http://www.starz.com/titles/TheBigCountry/PublishingImages/big_country_the_1958_685x385.jpg

Wonderful western, best seen on the big screen, tells how Atlantic ship captain Jim McKay (Gregory Peck) moves out west to marry Pat (Carroll Baker), the daughter of rancher Major Terrill (Charles Bickford) who's in the middle of a feud with Rufus Hannassey (Oscar winner Burl Ives). Jim has run-ins with Rufus' eldest (Chuck Connors) and the Major's foreman (Charlton Heston) and also meets pretty Julie (Jean Simmons) who owns the property which could hold the key to how this bloody feud plays out. Beautiful scenery and an awesome score strongly augment a 165-minute film with great plot twists and character development which seems to fly by in under two hours. This is certainly one of my fave scores and contains some of my fave performances by most all the cast, especially Peck and Heston. I never miss a chance to herald Jerome Morross' music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQTH3a0mjR8&feature=PlayList&p=CB30A90363595485&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=44

10 Things I Hate About You (Gil Junger, 1999) 3

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/images/issue/420/10-things-i-hate_420.jpg

Cute reworking of Shakepeare's The Taming of the Shrew relocated to an American high school is mostly a showcase for the young cast, although Larry Miller has many of the best lines as the father of the two opposite sisters. Heath Ledger proves to be a natural leading man and a good foil for Julia Stiles, and the other young performers all acquit themselves admirably. If you're familiar with the source, you might get something extra out of it, but I have a strong feeling that most people who enjoy this movie have not read the text nor seen the Zeffirelli film version which I'll now say that I give 4. However, I'll bet that many people who like this will also like Clueless. :cool:

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (Kenji Misumi, 1973) 3

http://analogmedium.com/blog/2007/06/lonewolfandcub/06.jpg

Chapter 5 of the series (I've got one left - White Heaven in Hell) is one of the most satisfying of the bunch. It's got incredible cinematography, a straightforward plot which fills up the entire running time, plenty of fight scenes in various forms and an excellent intro into the finale. I'll admit that at this point, there's nothing especially surprising about what occurs, but the filmmakers did seem to go out of their way to make a film for the fans here, although the series has been surprisingly consistent thus far.

The Class (Laurent Cantet, 2008) 3

http://encoremag.com/images/2008/film_society_lincoln_center_nyff_sep2008.jpg

This French film won last year's Cannes Palme d'Or Award and the Best Foreign Language Oscar. It's a solid film and one you might think that I would appreciate better than my rating. However, alhough the film seemed to fly by much quicker than the 129 minutes, it just didn't quite convince me that it told a complete story about an entire school year. The acting is really good though, and that may even be because most all the teachers and students were mostly playing somebody not all that far from themselves. The lead actor was a real teacher (François Bégaudeau) who wrote the novel the film is based on. Now, I'm not trying to dis the film at all. It's very realistic, at least to me. This school is supposed to be something similar to a junior high school in Paris, which seems to cover 7th-9th grades. My school covers basically 10th-12th grades, but many of these students are similar to ones I see on a daily basis, except for the fact that my students are much more troublesome. I mean, the students in Blackboard Jungle (1955) make these kids seem like angels, and for the most part, they are. Now, I don't really want to get into the problems you can have when you try to communicate with another generation and they think you mean something blatantly sexual when you mean something much more innocent. That part I can also relate to, but the film really glossed over that section. Overall, I think it's a good film which I recommend but it does seem to omit some crucial details about the reality of inner-city modern schools although it gets the gist of them quite well.

Murmur of the Heart (Louis Malle, 1971) 3+

http://pixhost.ws/avaxhome/2007-03-01/PDVD_004.jpg

Now this one I feel I'm underrating by a half a box because it really is an almost perfect little film and one of Malle's best. Considering that the entire film leads up to an act of incest, it seems to be almost like watching the most natural thing in the world, at least as far as that could be considered natural. Of course, at some point in man's early history, incest must have been the normal way to reproduce, but this film somehow depicts something which seems to be nothing less than a sacred act of love. The mother (Lea Massari) has three sons and a husband who doesn't especially love her anymore. It's 1954, and the youngest son (Benoît Ferreux) is 15 and really getting interested in sex. He goes to a Catholic school, but at the instigation of his older brothers, he loses his cherry at a bordello and then becomes attracted to a couple of girls his own age. While spending some time at a hotel with his mother, the boy almost becomes obsessed with how perfect a female his mother is (as most boys do at some point), but when she realizes that he's "checking her out", she slaps him and makes it clear that it's just plain wrong. However, enough things happen to both the Mother and Son on Bastille Day that something transpires which will undoubtedly shape the rest of their lives, and I, for one, can see it as a unique occurrence, totally loving and positive. The French, They are a Funny Race!

The Good German (Steven Soderbergh, 2006) 2.5

http://www.thecinemasource.com/moviesdb/images/The_Good_German%20-%20Poster.jpg http://randomknowledge.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/casablanca-poster.jpg

Soderbergh's attempt to fashion an homage to WWII-era romances is surprisingly-entertaining, but at the same time, it's painted with too-many broad strokes and something which almost resembles an archness which makes it appear that it's actually above the genre for some reason. Just looking at the posters, one can see what's going on, although the film is probably more reminiscent of The Third Man in the plot machinations. Soderbergh shoots the film himself (quite handsomely in glorious black-and-white) as well as carrying out the editing personally. Thomas Newman, who's one of my fave contemporary film composers, does seem to misjudge his score a bit though. It's loud and intrusive at times, but never anything which Max Steiner would have ever done. Even so, I personally get just as much from the score as I could do without it, but it does add to the concept that the filmmakers somehow feel they're not too serious, although George Clooney and Cate Blanchett give appropriate performances and never seem to make light of their situations. I guess what's really missing from the film is the wit and tragic romance which is barely on display at all. I'd love to see Soderbergh make another attempt at this kind of film but with an original script idea next time (and I think Paul Attanasio (Quiz Show, Donnie Brasco, Disclosure) is one of our better mainstream scriptwriters.

Classicqueen13

09-11-09, 08:04 PM

The Drowning Pool 4

http://media.monstersandcritics.com/articles/1229016/article_images/harpermightnotescapethedrowningpool.jpg

This movie holds up very well to Harper, which I immensely enjoyed. I'm seriously looking into reading the novels these films were based on. Paul Newman's lead character is one of my new favorites of his roles. Even though the elements of the first were there, I didn't enjoy this one quite as much, and I'm not sure why. But it's still a total mystery with sharp with wit thrown in and of course some of the most original and interesting characters.

Classicqueen13

09-11-09, 11:24 PM

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The storyline is odd but quite interesting as a fantasy. I'm not exactly rushing out to join in on the hype this film recieved, but I enjoyed it and it certainly held my attention. Really good performances all around and commendable direction. I didn't find the script to be a masterpiece though, which is a big thing I look for in movies.

Overall: 3

TheUsualSuspect

09-12-09, 01:33 AM

Bordello of Blood

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

Saw this one as a kid and thought it was great because it had vampires and lots of boobies. Well, I've grown up and even though I still love those two things, this time around the film did not do it for me. I remember Angie Everhart being more sexy in the film than she actually is. The acting is beyond horrible, even for B-Movie standards and Dennis Miller is not a leading man. The twist ending is lame, yet fits into those twist ending Saturday night horror flick genre. The vampires were too easy to kill, using holy water and super soakers. The gore is nice, but this comedic horror film is low on laughs and good times.

1

Demon Knight

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/layden/demon_knight_poster_01.jpg

The other horror film from the Tales of the Crypt series (there are only the two) is a lot better. I actually never saw this one till I did the double feature night, glad I watched this one second because I had a feeling that I would enjoy it more. Billy Zane is over the top in a Beetlejuice style performance, clearly the highlight in this film. The film manages to stay entertaining, despite its limitations in locations. There seems to be more of a back-story to this one then Bordello, which makes it 100 times more interesting. The special effects are neat and low rent. I had more fun watching this one than Bordello and would recommend it over Bordello any day of the week.

3

Loner

09-12-09, 02:32 PM

The Class (Laurent Cantet, 2009) 3

http://encoremag.com/images/2008/film_society_lincoln_center_nyff_sep2008.jpg

This French film won last year's Cannes Palme d'Or Award and the Best Foreign Language Oscar. It's a solid film and one you might think that I would appreciate better than my rating. However, alhough the film seemed to fly by much quicker than the 129 minutes, it just didn't quite convince me that it told a complete story about an entire school year. The acting is really good though, and that may even be because most all the teachers and students were mostly playing somebody not all that far from themselves. The lead actor was a real teacher (François Bégaudeau) who wrote the novel the film is based on. Now, I'm not trying to dis the film at all. It's very realistic, at least to me. This school is supposed to be something similar to a junior high school in Paris, which seems to cover 7th-9th grades. My school covers basically 10th-12th grades, but many of these students are similar to ones I see on a daily basis, except for the fact that my students are much more troublesome. I mean, the students in Blackboard Jungle (1955) make these kids seem like angels, and for the most part, they are. Now, I don't really want to get into the problems you can have when you try to communicate with another generation and they think you mean something blatantly sexual when you mean something much more innocent. That part I can also relate to, but the film really glossed over that section. Overall, I think it's a good film which I recommend but it does seem to omit some crucial details about the reality of inner-city modern schools although it gets the gist of them quite well.

Yep, another disappointment from Cannes.

The problem with most of the students is they're just stupid. The teacher isn't Jaime Escalante, all he has to offer is frustration.

Look at the clothes they are wearing, are they really that poor. The girl in the middle of the picture doesn't seem to be suffering from malnutrition.

The six grade center I went to in Vegas was much worse. Forced busing. I got in fights all the time. A teacher picked me up out of my chair and through me into his desk. I didn't see any kids getting shot at in the film.

Hell, there was a great looking blonde chick that through down with a dude in one of my classes, she did really damn good!

If every time an incident involving physical contact resulted in a expulsion at my school, there wouldn't be a graduating class or any teachers.

I'm sure some of you MoFo's have or had it much worse than I did.

P.S. My mom was a teacher.

undercoverlover

09-12-09, 04:12 PM

Up

Not as good as i was expecting. Not terrible but felt like it missed opportunities. Not a patch on Wall-e

mark f

09-13-09, 02:02 AM

The Nun's Story (Fred Zinnemann, 1959) 4+

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/nuetwon_boy/writersblog3/nuns.jpg

The Nun's Story is a very unique film. It's based on a true story told from an insider who was a European nun and specifically delineates why it's so difficult for most people to follow a life which, in this case, the Catholic Church says is conducive to becoming one with God. The movie doesn't attack the Catholic Church at all. It's just that the central character, Gabrielle (the radiant Audrey Hepburn), who becomes Sister Luke, is the daughter of a famous Belgian surgeon (Dean Jagger: perfection), and her father tells her up front that he cannot see her being obedient to bells and thus, even though she joins the Church in the hope of becoming a nurse in the Belgian Congo, she has a constant struggle to overcome what the Church proclaims as her disobedience. This film is so far different than almost any other film that it almost belongs to its own genre: the quiet and 95% non-melodramatic film about religion. This and Elmer Gantry are easily my two fave films about religion, but they couldn't be more different except for the fact that Dean Jagger is awesome in both of them. Elmer Gantry is a "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" melodrama which still contains more truth than many "indie, realistic" films could ever imagine. The Nun's Story is so sublimely-beautiful, quiet, and yet exhilarating that it could also teach modern-day indie flicks a thing or two about how to tell a potent story.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d46/xelakram/AudreyHepburnNunsStoryGoogle.jpg

The Nun's Story is one of those rare films where the acting is equally as important as the direction. Now, I realize that this comment sounds silly, but what I'm trying to say is that this film is one of the best-acted films I've ever seen, and most of the film is truly involved with people and their souls. If you don't believe me, look at that pic of Audrey above. However, Fred Zinnemann's direction is meticulous and covers a verisimilitude of worldwide locations which is almost mind-boggling. I've always felt that Zinnemann was one of the top-of-the-line directors (A Man For All Seasons, The Day of the Jackal, High Noon, The Men, From Here to Eternity, Oklahoma!, The Search, A Hatful of Rain, The Member of the Wedding), but I find this to easily be his most-complex and effortless direction, although it does resemble a bit what he did later (and won his second Best Director Oscar for) in A Man For All Seasons. Both films are about spiritual concerns, yet the protagonists come and leave them from different perspectives. The thing which really makes this film even more unique is the Peter Finch character of Dr. Fortunati who is a healthy antedote to all those holier-than-thou flicks because he's sexy and gives Sister Luke her own set of punishments every time she shows a semblance of pride.

http://www.princessmonkey.com/audrey/graphics/nun_doctor.jpg

Before I get too far making The Nun's Story sound like some boring, austere flick, I want to make sure that you realize that there are several scenes of excruciating suspense and violence. It's amazing how strong scenes can be when they're surrounded by the normal quiet and then, BANG! There are two such scenes in The Nun's Story and both are basically mind-blowing. Then, there are all the other scenes where people lose loved ones, get a disease, have their dreams dashed, etc., so The Nun's Story is an intense experience all the way through, whether it's because it's so calm or because it's so in-your-face. The Honor Roll of actresses includes Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, Mildred Dunnock, Beatrice Straight, Colleen Dewhurst, Patricia Collinge, Ruth White, etc.

The Man With a Million aka The Million-Pound Note (Ronald Neame, 1954) 3+

http://www.leninimports.com/gregory_peck_million_pound_uk_dvd_cover.jpg

This film needs to be restored and put on DVD. It's based on a Mark Twain story and it's extremely witty. However, the film is slightly broader than it should have been, but that certainly doesn't keep it from being worth-watching. The way the film looks and sounds now, the color is uneven and the sound is inconsistent. Gregory Peck is a penniless sailor who shows up in London and somehow finds two brothers who realize that he's a perfect person for their unnamed "test" which involves giving a poor man a "Million-Pound Note" (that's way more than a million dollars nowadays). Of course, nobody can change his note, but it's a cool social satire which probably could be remade into an even-cooler flick. Yep, I'm now officially saying this should be remade along with The Tenth Victim. Does anybody else want to go in with me and buy the rights to these films so we can make some bucks when we remake a couple of good flicks? (I'm serious. I already own the copyrights of some films, but I don't believe they're worth remaking, at least not yet. :))

Always Together (Frederick De Cordova, 1947) 2.5

This is truly amazing. I cannot find an image for this flick which is actually unique in more than one way in film history. This is probably the first one where the husband (Robert Hutton, dad of Jim Hutton and grandpa of Timothy Hutton) asks for alimony, and that's because his wife (Joyce Reynolds) gets a cool million from a dying millionaire (Cecil Kellaway) who doesn't die. The wife is probably the biggest movie fan there is, at least the biggest Warner Bros. fan there is. Part of what makes this film so much fun are all the cameos by WB stars, such as Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Dennis Morgan, Eleanor Parker, and, best of all, a hilarious turn by Humphrey Bogart who pokes his nose up against a window while the rain is pouring outside.

The Battle at Elderbush Gulch (D.W. Griffith, 1913) 2

http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/images/29/battle_elderbush_gulch.jpg

I finally saw Griffith's 29-minute flick which set the stage for his masterpiece The Birth of a Nation. In this film, he cranks up the melodramatics, shows plenty of racism (in this case, the Indians), and also basically pre-directs some of the enormous battle scenes he made for The Birth of a Nation. This film has plenty of silly acting, makeup, costumes and sets, but what do you expect from an almost 100-year-old flick? On the other hand, this film shows a far-more-sophisticated way of directing huge action scenes, especially from a God's Eye View, and it also shows ways to crank up the melodrama using the puppies and the baby. No matter how much you think you hate Mr. Griffith (remember, you should experience these things for yourself), he was the greatest filmmaker of the early silent era, not only in visuals but in the way he pushed people's buttons to exploit any of their prejudices and dramatic reactions. For the record, I give the racist film The Birth of a Nation 3 and I give Triumph of the Will a high 3+, so do with me what you will.

Sonny Boy (Robert Martin Carroll, 1989) Who knows what rating, but somewhere between 1 and 2

http://i1.iofferphoto.com/img/item/334/386/11/o_1.jpg

I only watched the first half of this one because I tried to placate my wife. Now, it's not like I thought it was better for me to watch a flick about a 375-pound crime kingpin (Paul L. Smith, Midnight Express) who lives with a transvestite (R.I.P David Carradine) as his wife, but certain things happened while I was watching it last night. The supporting cast of Brad Dourif, Sydney Lassick and Conrad Janis is very good, and some of the dialogue and acting make the whole film come across as a comedy, but there are other moments involving the baby who turns up later on which makes the film more-complex or is that more-pathetic? I have this memory that somebody here has seen this, so if so, tell me what you think. :cool:

Tacitus

09-13-09, 06:08 AM

http://i1.iofferphoto.com/img/item/334/386/11/o_1.jpg

Jim Gandolfini's let himself go a bit since The Sopranos ended, eh? ;D

Holden Pike

09-13-09, 12:58 PM

Sonny Boy (Robert Martin Carroll, 1989) Who knows what rating, but somewhere between 1 and 2

I have this memory that somebody here has seen this, so if so, tell me what you think.

That is freaky. I have seen this, but probably twenty years ago now. However, last night while I was at the video store I literally had this in my hand. I decided to put it back on the shelf after some deliberation, but now I'll go ahead and get it next time. Hundreds of thousands of movies to rent at that store and I just happened to be considering that one. Went with Quantrill's Raiders (1958) which was just released by Warner Brothers as part of their Archives series and Happily Ever After (2004) starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, who I think I've become obsessed with (really excited about Von Trier's Antichrist).

Anyway, I'll refresh my memory on Sonny Boy and get back to you in a few days.

zedlen

09-13-09, 02:14 PM

Chocolat
Lasse Hallström 2000

http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2000_Chocolat/2001_chocolat_007.jpghttp://partofthejourney.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/chocolat_______1.jpg

As some of you might know I read a lot and not long ago I got my hands on Chocolat by Joanne Harris. I knew eventually I would come across the film adaptation and suspected it wouldn't be nearly as good as the written story as most film adaptations usually aren't. I was right. Even though the movie is nice and Juliette Binoche is perfect for the lead character. The film doesn't capture any of the magic or charm of the story and sometimes seemed as if the actors were just reading the lines straight of the book. If you have the option to choose, pick the novel.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/2box.gif

Used Future

09-13-09, 08:43 PM

http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww335/GialloFunk/cosa_avete_fatto_solange_2sh_ita.jpg?t=1252866996http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww335/GialloFunk/whathaveyoudonetosolange16.jpg?t=1252867480

What Have You Done to Solange? (Massimo Dallamano, 1972) 3.5
Widely regarded among fans as one of the best examples of the genre; Dallamano's giallo is a classy, restrained affair that keeps the violence off screen for the most part. I picked up the Italian disc for this one as it has the best transfer, and opted to watch the Italian language track with subtitles. In retrospect this probably wasn't the best idea as the film is set in London, and the English dub (from what I watched of it) is rather good; so I may well give this another viewing in the near future.

Anyway the story revolves around Henry Rosseni (Fabio Testi); a teacher having an illicit affair with one of his pupils, Elizabeth (Christina Galbo). The film begins with them canoodling on a rowing boat, when Elizabeth glimpses a murder taking place on the river bank. The victim turns out to be another of Rosseni's students, and soon he's under suspicion after secretly visiting the crime scene and leaving evidence behind. What follows is an intriguing whodunnit as Elizabeth begins to recall exactly what she saw, putting her in danger, and exposing their affair...

My plot synopsis barely scratches the surface, as typically with gialli, What Have You Done to Solange? is intricate (some might say convoluted); full of the inevitable twists, red herrings, and bottles of J&B. What sets this one apart is Dallamano's focus on characterisation rather than operatic gory set pieces that often come at the expense of coherency. Not once did I miss the sight of a fedora wearing gloved killer chasing down a damsel, as the film instead sold me with it's perfectly paced narrative, that delivers plenty of well timed surprises (and an excellent if slightly abrupt final reveal). Solange looks fantastic too with it's gorgeous framing of misty autumn parks, overcast London locales, and stately interiors, all adding to the film's elegant sense of style. Certainly not a giallo for casual slasher fans looking for a quick fix of blood, but rewarding enough if you're feeling indulgent.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IOGSf2QwWaE/R7m5natR_4I/AAAAAAAAAMw/QMfAd6DX0h0/s400/poster.jpg http://sarcastig.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/rififi2.jpg

Rififi (Jules Dassin, 1955) 5
First viewing of this hugely influential (I'm thinking Jean-Pierre Melville in particular) heist movie delivered on all counts, and has instantly become a favourite. I don't give out many maximum scores but Rififi has it all for me.

Tony Le Stephanois (a brilliantly stone faced Jean Servais) gets out of prison to find his girlfriend Mado (Marie Sabouret) has been unfaithful with Louis Grutter (Pierre Grasset); the crooked owner of a local nightclub. His friends Jo (Carl Mohner) and Ferrati (Robert Manuel) invite him to steal some jewels from the window of the Mappin & Webb jewelers with them. But after confronting Mado, Le Stephanois has other ideas, and suggests the trio begin planning an elaborate robbery of the safe instead. Drafted in to help is high class safe cracker Wolf Ceasar (Dassin himself billed as Perlo Vita) as the team carry out the perfect heist. Unfortunately things don't go exactly to plan when one of the gang unwittingly exposes them...

With striking black and white photography that captures interesting Paris back streets, and dramatic shadowy interiors; Rififi is as memorable on the eye as anything I've seen. Dassin introduces a variety of tough well rounded characters before plunging them into what is surely one of the most thrilling set pieces in cinema history - the 28 or so minutes of dialogue free footage that makes up the jewel heist. The subsequent fall out only serves to heighten the tension as from the moment the gang step into Mappin & Webb; Rififi grips you and refuses to let go. I thought Servais was ultra cool as the tough, quick witted Le Stephanois, and also enjoyed Carl Mohner's performance as his (stressed out family man) accomplice Jo. In fact the entire cast shine here as the film is filled with great characters like Grutter's drug addled subordinate, and the charismatic Feratti; not to mention the suave Ceasar who reminded me so much of David Niven. Rififi is gritty, stylish and sophisticated, with an uplifting ending tinged with redemption and sacrifice. I loved it.

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The Executioner (Teruo Ishii, 1974) 3+
The Executioner was just one of seven films Chiba appeared in back in 1974 before he was catapulted to stardom in Japan, and to a lesser extent America with The Street Fighter series (the first two installments of which also came out in 1974). I picked this up for peanuts on a triple feature, and boy was I in for a treat. The more I see of Sonny Chiba the more I admire the guy's bad ass tongue-in-cheek charisma, and incredible martial arts skills. To anyone who mourns Bruce Lee and hasn't seen a Chiba flick, I say seek them out and rejoice...just don't expect the same philosophy...

In this one he plays Ryuichi Koga, a ninja hired by two former cops to bust a narcotics ring run by the New York mafia and Yakuza who are in cahoots. Promised bundles of recovered drug money as payment, he's soon breaking a high kicking sex pervert out of prison to help; whilst battling all manner of comic book heavies from the Japanese underworld.

Much like the Street Fighter films this is ostensibly a vehicle for Chiba to showcase his incredible skills whilst delivering a high quota of blood and violence to 70's audiences. The rudimentary plot is childish and often sleazy, but the blistering action delivers in a big way, and the film has an endearing sense of well timed humour keeping the tone fun. Especially good is Makoto Sato as Koga's uncompromising boss, who seems to have taken a few lessons from Lee Van Cleef (as in always seeing a job through when he's paid). Also amusing is a scene in which the bad guys (having captured and rendered Koga unconscious) have a competition to see who can kick him furthest across the room. Expect the usual machine gun punches, and eyeball popping blows to the back of the head; not to mention a scene in which Koga pulls a guy's rib out after punching him. Subtle it ain't. Fun it is.

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The Psychic aka Seven Notes in Black (Lucio Fulci, 1977) 3.5+
This was my first viewing of Fulci's overlooked supernatural giallo, and it's undeniably one of his best films. This is one of his first forays into true 'horror', and I suspect part of the reason he was handed the reins on Zombi 2, and went on to deliver his celebrated horror trilogy comprising of City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond (1981), and The House by the Cemetery (the former two of which both use similar themes involving clairvoyance).

Here the devastatingly beautiful Jenifer O'Neill plays Virginia Ducci; a woman haunted by a childhood vision of her mother's suicide. Years later later she experiences another series of visions whilst traveling to her new husband Francesco's (Gianni Garko) house which they plan to renovate. Comprising of a series of supposedly interlinked images and culminating with an unknown figure being bricked up inside a wall; Virginia is compelled to piece the riddle together. On arrival at the house however, she recognises details from the vision and is horrified to discover a skeleton buried in a wall there. Soon her husband is a prime suspect, and Virginia enlists her friend Dr Fattori (Marc Porel) to help prove his innocence. During which time the visions continue as it's clear Virginia may have misinterpreted their true meaning...

Along with Don't Torture a Duckling, Lizard in a Woman's Skin and The New Gladiators, this is the most coherent Fulci film I've seen. Fulci uses his trademark eye zooms to convey Viginia's visions, and the film has that eerie sense of atmospheric dread that so effectively permeates his classic Gothic horror films. The Psychic had my hairs standing on end on more than one occasion, as the creepy truth behind the meaning of Virginia's visions unfolds. Fulci's use of weird camera angles (as pictured above), and the haunting minimalism of Fabio Frizzi's tinkling score adds to the unsettling ambiance, making this an understated gem. In classic giallo fashion, The Psychic makes you think you know exactly what's going on (It feels predictable at times) before pulling the rug out from under you with a knockout final reel. The trademark Fulci gore is almost non existent here and whilst that might disappoint some The Psychic is all the better for it. Whilst the acting and dialogue might not be of the highest order, the psychological horror on offer is truly suspenseful, and the mystery involving; check it out.

Other stuff I watched...

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The Killer Elite (Sam Peckinpah, 1975) 2.5-
Big disappointment from Peckinpah who apparently wasn't interested in the project. Caan (always watchable) and Duvall are both wasted in this slow moving, convoluted revenge thriller with substandard action scenes.

adidasss

09-13-09, 09:07 PM

Oh hey, I just watched a Peckinpah film too, Cross of iron. I'd say it was very good although not as good as the two other P. films I've seen, The wild bunch and Straw dogs. Loved James Coburn and the editing of simultaneous action (as expected). Wasn't that pleased with the ending though...

From what I've read about the man and his work on wiki, he seems to be a bit hit and miss so I'm quite wary about the rest of his filmography (apart from Alfredo Garcia which should be pretty good).

Tacitus

09-13-09, 09:15 PM

First Peckinpah film I ever saw (although I'll admit that Ali McGraw was an awful lot more interesting than whoever directed it :D) was Convoy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convoy_%28film%29) when I was 8 or 9 on my mate's dad's VCR. This was the time when a single VHS movie cost £60-70 and I'm pretty sure that Convoy was the only one in his collection.

Got The Killer Elite on VHS somewhere, as well as The Osterman Weekend. I still keep them for sentimental reasons, I suppose. ;)

adidasss

09-13-09, 09:19 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/Convoy_film_poster.jpg
Um, half nekkid Kris Kristoferson action flick?http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/diezelpower/drool.gif *downloads*

Used Future

09-13-09, 09:21 PM

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is my favourite Peckinpah movie; I really like the downbeat, fatalistic vibe. Cross of Iron is great too, as are Straw Dogs and The Wild Bunch. Oh and The Ballad of Cable Hogue is a really good comedy western, can't forget that one. Besides The Killer Elite, I think they're the only films of his I've seen.

Tacitus

09-13-09, 09:24 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/Convoy_film_poster.jpg
Um, half nekkid Kris Kristoferson action flick?http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/diezelpower/drool.gif *downloads*

Sexy gals, apparently sexy blokes and articulated lorries! Truly something for everyone! ;D

I'll add Ride The High Country to Mr Future's little list. It's wonderful. :)

adidasss

09-13-09, 09:38 PM

Thanks for the recommendations, Ride the high country does look pretty good. I'll get to it as soon as I stop drooling over Kris's sixpack...http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/diezelpower/drool.gif

Iroquois

09-13-09, 11:53 PM

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Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey (Sam Dunn, Scott McFadyen and Jessica Joy Wise, 2005) – 4

Lifelong metalhead and anthropology student Sam Dunn decides to do a proper documentary about the various facets of heavy metal culture, interviewing many of the genre’s heavyweights and travelling to some of the most important places in the world for metal (such as Germany or Norway). This is a compelling labour of love by Dunn, managing to combine all the basics of metal culture into a documentary that doesn’t exactly break any new ground but is still no less compelling to watch. I don’t know what everyone else thinks of metal, but I recommend watching this, if only because it manages to lend a degree of intelligent analysis to an often-maligned musical genre. I’m definitely going to go on the lookout for Dunn’s more recent follow-up, Global Metal.

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The Doors (Oliver Stone, 1991) – 2.5

As you probably can tell, this movie is about 60s band The Doors, focusing on its eccentric frontman Jim Morrison (in an admittedly rather convincing performance by Val Kilmer). From then on, the movie becomes a 2-hour cinematic trip laced with appropriate music and a plethora of hallucinatory techniques. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to you. With The Doors, there was stuff I liked about it, and there was stuff I disliked, and it all balanced out to create a film that, ultimately, wasn’t quite worth the time I invested in it. Stone goes for some utterly bombastic and heavy-handed direction, machine-gunning symbolism wherever he can (most noticeably in Morrison’s recurring visions of a Native American shaman) and some utterly disorienting and pretentious camerawork (seemingly foreshadowing the MTV angle he took in Natural Born Killers). While I liked some of the photographic effects and the soundtrack consisted of some rather decent choices (my favourite scene was watching The Doors perform The End – easily one of my favourite songs), but overall I just couldn’t get into it and all the self-indulgence of either Morrison or Stone could quite make it worthwhile.