Movie Tab II [Archive] - Page 57

JayDee

04-23-11, 06:22 PM

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/l_48021_0b9a2584.jpg

Rififi (first viewing) – If I had to use just one word to describe this gritty French noir/heist film it would be classy. From the real Parisian locations to the beautiful photography it just oozes class.

It concerns the attempts by a group of four men to commit a daring robbery and the consequences that arise. There are 3 sections of the film really. First the planning of the robbery, then the heist itself and finally the fallout that happens as a rival gang learns of their act.

Even though I hadn't seen the film before I was aware of the famous silent stretch during the robbery itself. And it certainly lived up to the hype. It is 25 minutes or so of near silence as they conduct the heist. With no dialogue, no music and very few sounds at all it is an incredible accomplishment. Without dialogue to explain what they are doing it is a joy to work it all out for ourselves, all the little details and creative answers they come up with to defeat the security measures.

The other real strength of the film I would say is the characters and how fleshed out they all are. Each has their own individual quirks and qualities, provided by the script and cemented by some impressive performances, whether it be the old master who has been beaten down by his time in prison to the charismatic safe cracker with an eye for the ladies.

While I would definitely go back and watch those 25 minutes again I'm unsure if I'd be desperate to see the whole film again so for now will give it 8/10

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/leon-poster.jpg

Leon (repeat viewing) – As well as being just a great action film this also turns out to be an oddly touching and affecting story.

It tells the offbeat tale of a hitman, Leon, who takes pity on a young girl who lives next door when her family are killed. They each become all the other one has in their lives as Leon teaches Mathilda the profession of cleaning as she seeks revenge on those that killed her family.

In very different roles Jean Reno and Natalie Portman are both wonderful. And the relationship they generate is what lifts this film above normal action films to one of my favourites. Oh and Gary Oldman makes for one freaky ******!!!

While there are some wonderfully constructed action scenes showing Leon in action it truly is the relationship between the two characters that makes this a memorable film for me. The relationship being Reno's lonely assassin who possesses quite a simple mind, becoming a protector and mentor to Portman's young girl who has been forced to grow up too soon in an unforgiving world.

A great action flick and a touching friendship at the same time. 9/10

Fiscal

04-23-11, 10:12 PM

Water for Elephants (2011) Francis Lawrence

http://culturemob.com/wp-content/uploads/water-for-elephants-movie-photo-06-e1303500921598.jpg

My biggest problem with the film was the lack of chemistry between Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. I think Robert Pattinson gave a better effort than Reese and the lack of chemistry fell mostly on her part. This was a real treat though, I thought it was overall really good acting and a charming little story with some stunning cinematography. It's such a relief to see a REAL set and with minimal computer help. Most people have been critical of the script, but I rather enjoyed it. Must add this; Christopher Waltz can play evil, manical mother effer like no other.

3+

Hanna (2011) Joe Wright

http://www.411mania.com/siteimages/hanna-movie-trailer_97124.jpg

Saoirse Ronan is going to do big things. She was incredible. Very well shot film!

4

The Yellow Handkerchief (2008) Udayan Prasad

http://movies4u.ru/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/e8d3d_the-yellow-handkerchief-movie-review-24-2-10-kc.jpg

William Hurt is phenomenal and Kristen Stewart is decent enough. A job well done to Eddie Redmayne, too. Great scenery and cinematography - an overall very good film.

4

Harry Lime

04-24-11, 05:19 PM

The Yellow Handkerchief (2008) Udayan Prasad

In case you're interested, it's a remake of a Japanese film from the seventies. Haven't seen it yet, but I heard it's good and it won a bunch of awards in Japan at the time.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076935/

JayDee

04-25-11, 04:54 PM

Just out of curiousity can people see the posters for Rififi and Leon in my previous post? Had lots of trouble just uploading and editing them at the time and even after I posted the pictures still weren't showing up.

Then they seemed to be sorted out but earlier on were missing again

Yoda

04-25-11, 05:17 PM

No hope of actually updating my movie tab properly, but a lot quite recently:

Harvey 4
The Spanish Prisoner 4
Days of Heaven 3
The Final Cut 3
Cronos 2.5
Legend 2
Your Highness 1.5
The Foot Fist Way 2.5
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey 4
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Touch of Satan 4

Yoda

04-25-11, 05:17 PM

JayDee

04-25-11, 07:53 PM

Works for me.

Yeah again it seems to be ok thanks. Obviously photobucket is just a little dodgy of late.

Just noticed though that only 2 people have plus repped me this time. Usually it's more. :(

:D

By the way I love Harvey. :up: Also used to love the Bill and Ted films but not seen them in years and years

Harry Lime

04-26-11, 02:48 AM

Days of Heaven 3

This is a little low for my liking, but then you go and do something like this:

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey 4

and totally redeem yourself!

Harry Lime

04-26-11, 03:19 AM

Stayed away from the documentaries these last couple of weeks, actually didn't watch too much but hitting up some of the Taiwanese New Wave, two from our crazy friends in Japan, a couple from acclaimed directors that prove everyone has an off day/film, and one that I'm amazed hasn't been released on DVD yet...The Man probably doesn't want the truth to get out but we can thank good old "counterproductivity" (to use a word used by a fellow Mofo) and the file sharing community for making this intense film about the taking over of a nuclear missile silo available to regular people like you and me, transferring their old VHS tape and spreading the truth around the world. On top of that, if someone hadn't taken an old laser disc of A Brighter Summer Day and spread its brilliance throughout the world I wouldn't have had the opportunity to see this four hour masterpiece, which now has a spot on my top 100. Here's to Criterion getting a proper release together so I can borrow it from the library and make a copy for myself.

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/1TheFamilyGame.jpg
The Family Game (1983, Yoshimitsu Morita) 4
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/2TheTimetoLiveandtheTimetoDie.jpg
The Time to Live and the Time to Die (1986, Hsaio-Hsien Hou) 4.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/33Godfathers.jpg
3 Godfathers (1948, John Ford) 2.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/4TheMajorandtheMinor.jpg
The Major and the Minor (1942, Billy Wilder) 2.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/5ABrighterSummerDay.jpg
A Brighter Summer Day (1991, Edward Yang) 5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/6LoveExposure.jpg
Love Exposure (2008, Sion Sono) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/7TwilightsLastGleaming.jpg
Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977, Robert Aldrich) 3.5

Yoda

04-26-11, 11:32 AM

and totally redeem yourself!
I'm a big Bill & Ted fan. The original's a bit better/funnier, but man...playing Death for your Soul, and choosing Battleship? That sequence is so, so brilliant. It's the kind of idea that can make you laugh just by hearing it.

Naturally, I'm giddy at the maybe-possibly-legitimate rumors of a third film. Though probably not as giddy as Alex Winter.

JayDee

04-26-11, 11:33 AM

Wow Harry I've not even heard of most of them never mind seen them. I used to think I was a decent, rising movie buff until I got on here :D and saw what true movie buffs were

Thanks for giving me some movies to investigate anyway.

linespalsy

04-26-11, 11:42 AM

The only one I've seen from Harry's last tab is Family Game, which I like albeit a little more modestly than Harry. Been meaning to catch up on some of Hou, and Yang's films though. The only one I've seen by the former is Millennium Mambo (which is okay).

linespalsy

04-26-11, 12:42 PM

Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1969)
Long and somber without ever really being dull (I watched it in one sitting, which seems to happen too infrequently lately).
3.5

The Social Network (David Fincher, 2010)
Somewhat torn on this one, and for similar reasons as I was recently torn about my ratings for Hanna and Gangs of New York (both of which I probably like better than this, in retrospect). My first impression is that it combines a somewhat mundane story with a very watchable and cinematic production. All three of them are worth watching, which means I probably rated those too low (rather than this being too high).
3-

In the Mood For Love (Wong Kar-Wai, 2000)
This marks the third (and by far most enjoyable) time that I've seen this movie, which I think is somewhat erroneously labeled a romance. It's very tenuous, seeming to say that love (maybe) exists in some sort of ambiguous nexus of collaborative fiction-writing and unconscious urges...? If you watch the extras on the criterion disc, you'll see that they filmed many romantic scenes that never made it into the movie. I'm down with the repetition (for the most part), and this time noticed some subtle humor. I think the main reason this film seems over-long to me is that in the last 20 minutes any sense of character or specific place (the biggest draw of the film for me) the story had all but disappears. The images of the Cambodian ruins are as consistently amazing as in the earlier parts in Hong Kong but the end left me really cold. Still well worth checking out. Between the first hour or so and Christopher Doyle's cinematography, I might consider raising my score a little eventually.
3

Kamikaze Girls (Tetsuya Nakashima, 2004) 2.5
Game 6 (Michael Hoffman, 2005) 2
The Cameraman (Edward Sedjwick, 1928) 3+
Star Trek: First Contact (Jonathan Frakes, 1996) 2
The Killer (John Woo, 1989) 1.5
Jurassic Park 3 (Joe Johnston, 2001) 1.5
Speed (Jan de Bont, 1994) 2.5
Salt (Philip Noyce, 2010) 2.5
La Soufrière (Werner Herzog, 1978) 3
Full Contact (Ringo Lam, 1992) 2.5+

Sedai

04-27-11, 10:23 AM

The Star Chamber (Hyams, 1983) 3_5

http://robie2008.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/star1.jpg?w=497&h=217

A fairly low-key affair, The Star Chamber examines the frustrations of a judge that finds himself letting criminals go frequently due to technicalities. he begins to lose faith in the law and meanwhile another judge offers him a position on a secret panel of judges that have taken matters into their own hands. Some good character actors in this one.

The Experiment (Scheuring, 2010) 2_5

http://lookpic.com/d2/i2/1938/KXtzAH5R.jpeghttp://www.shockmansion.com/wp-content/uploads//2010/08/tn_the_experiment_adrien_brody_floor_2010_large.jpg

Based on the infamous Stanford Prison experiment of 1971, this film examines the relationships and forces in a panoptic prison environment. Since I am currently reading Foucault, I found this film fascinating. It was fairly well done, even though Forest Whitiker does his best to stink up the proceedings. An interesting film, if not particularly good. This film is a remake of 2001's Das Experiment.

honeykid

04-27-11, 12:14 PM

The Killer (John Woo, 1989) 1.5

Erm... What now? One and a half? Are you sure you watched it?

linespalsy

04-28-11, 10:52 AM

so what would you rate it, hk? i have to admit i feel kind of honored to be stealing your contrarian thunder on this one, though i did manage to sit through the whole thing :D

meanwhile, the last few that i've seen:

The Soloist (Joe Wright, 2009) 3.5
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Michael Bay, 2009) 2.5-
Wall Street (Oliver Stone, 1987) 3-

HollyG

04-28-11, 01:50 PM

For the last couple of weeks my computer has been not working and Plainview is in the middle of watching The Sopranos so I have''NT been able to watch alot of movies but here is what I have seen lately.

Ferngully: The last Rainforest 1992 2.5http://animatedviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/fern11.jpg

Almost Famous 2000 Cameron Crowe 4.5 I think I think have seen this movie aleast 4 or 5 times.
http://200movies1woman.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/almost-famous-300x203.jpg

The Major and the Minor 1942 Billy Wilder 3
http://media.jinni.com/movie/the-major-and-the-minor/the-major-and-the-minor-1.jpeg

King Arthur 2004 Antoine Fuqua 2.5
http://emol.org/film/archives/kingarthur/kingrising.jpg

Wedding Crashers 2005 David Dobkin 3.5
http://www.redstaplerchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/wedding-crashers.jpg

JayDee

04-28-11, 04:56 PM

Oh Ferngully!!! :D Such nostalgia.

I loved that film so much as a kid but I haven't seen it in at least 15 years probably. Will need to revisit it someday

HollyG

04-28-11, 06:33 PM

Oh Ferngully!!! :D Such nostalgia.

I loved that film so much as a kid but I haven't seen it in at least 15 years probably. Will need to revisit it someday

Ya I have kids so I get to watch all the animated movies and it was pretty cool watching Ferngully again, It was my favorite as a kid.:)

JayDee

04-28-11, 07:56 PM

Ya I have kids so I get to watch all the animated movies and it was pretty cool watching Ferngully again, It was my favorite as a kid.:)

Have you had to watch any films over and over again that you used to love but the repetition has killed them for you?

I've always thought that if I have kids I'd have to ban them from watching any Pixar films or classic Disney. Can't have them ruining them for me. Just give them some rubbish to watch! :D

Justin

04-28-11, 09:23 PM

Rango (Gore Verbinski,2011) 4

Another Year (Mike Leigh,2010) 4

Jane Eyre (Cary Fukunaga,2011) 3

Sexy Celebrity

04-28-11, 09:39 PM

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey 4

:up:

TylerDurden99

04-30-11, 06:18 AM

Hidden/Cache (Michael Haneke, 2005) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

Close Encounters Of A Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3.5box.gif

Leon: The Professional (1994, Luc Besson) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3box.gif+

Casablanca (1942, Michael Curtiz) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif

Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987, Sidney J. Furie) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3.5box.gif

Scarface (1983, Brian De Palma) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

HollyG

04-30-11, 06:43 PM

http://movies.maxupdates.tv/wp-contents/uploads/2010/01/movie_4260_poster.jpg
Belle de jour 1967 Luis Buñuel 3.5

Honestly I had a hard time rating this film because I'm not sure what I think of it. Its a great film and I enjoyed watching it but the ending really confused me.Bell de jour is about a married women who loves her husband but spends her afternoons as a prostitute. Its defiantly worth a watch its just a weird ending.

mark f

04-30-11, 10:26 PM

I've already decided to stop posting "reviews" in here. It's not really anything to do with you guys, but I'm a Big Mess. It's so much pain (after the fact) to just sit up in this relatively comfortable chair. But since I have a brief amount of time, I'll start with Oscar-nominated films. At this point, it's difficult for anyone to say anything original, but I'll try.

Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky, 2010) 3
The King's Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010) 3.5
The Fighter (David O. Russell, 2010) 3.5

These are the latest in my most recent batch of Best Picture nominees which I've seen. My rating for Black Swan probably is not a surprise to those of you who know me. On the other hand, I realize that many people here give it 5 which I find silly. Now, sure, you go ahead and love your movies which you love, but this movie has almost no back story... it has but they go out of your way to cover it up and that makes it silly. It presents itself as a film about various women who all have ruined lives in one way or another and then it proceeds to ruin their lives even more. Why are their lives ruined in the first place? No one knows. Why do the things happen which happen in the film? Again, they don't happen for any logical or even illogical reason. They just happen because the writer/director has conceived of a spectacular finale which is basically a psychological horror film a la Polanski, but Polanski would never allow such obvious plot points in his films. Even so, the flourishes during the last part of the film do transport the flick into a solid horror film and make it worth watching.

The King's Speech has similar problems which apparently carry more weight with younger viewers and less weight with older ones. However, there is no getting around that The King's Speech is very entertaining, especially if you have a sense of humor. Since I consider the film a full-on comedy. it's easy for me to like it, but I wonder if people younger than I am even think it's funny at all - I'm correct, it obviously is and mostly because of the brilliance of the acting. However, I guess i can see why many think it's too old school and uncinematic. I'll be the first to say that I don't comprehend how Hooper snagged Best Director, multiple times.

The Fighter is the film which grabs me emotionally of these three. If I had to choose from these three, I think I'd go for this one. First off, I've never considered Russell to be such an emotional director, and when I use that word emotional, I use it in a good way. I'm not sure how I can separate Hooper from all the solid performances in The King's Speech from Russell and The Fighter, but ultimately I feel the cast of The King's Speech would have been stellar no matter who directed them (no, it didn't direct itself, but... ). The Fighter had several surprising performances to me, and they were all completely lived in. I suppose they could have faked me out with some superficial crap, but I just don't see it, and the performances, all of them, were incredible. So, based on these three flicks, I'd vote for The Fighter as the best, but since I've already seen other films which were nominated, let me bring those up again.

Inception 3.5
The Kids are All Right 3.5
127 Hours 3.5
The Social Network 4
Toy Story 3 4-
Winter's Bone 3.5
I still haven't seen the new True Grit

I also have over 25 other films I probably won't tell you about because you don't really care.

TylerDurden99

05-01-11, 01:38 AM

A Clockwork Orange (1971, Stanley Kubrick) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

Dr Strangelove (1964, Stanley Kubrick) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3.5box.gif+

Three Colours: Blue (1993, Krzysztof Kieslowski) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif

City Of God (2002, Fernando Meirelles) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

linespalsy

05-01-11, 02:43 AM

I also have over 25 other films I probably won't tell you about because you don't really care.

:mad:

mark f

05-01-11, 03:11 AM

See what I mean.

EDIT - Tyler, I'm happy that you're watching art house/classic films, but I seem to find almost ALL your ratings upside down. The best films, easily in my opinion, are Close Encounters, Dr. Strangelove, Casablanca and A Clockwork Orange.

I've watched Cache several times and it doesn't add up, no matter how much you believe the BS ending at the stairs they try to explain. Scarface? You and honeykid are funny guys...

Miss Vicky

05-01-11, 06:08 AM

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515KIcDOmML._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Micmacs

Much like some of director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's other work (Amelie, Delicatessen), Micmacs is a very quirky and visually arresting film with interesting characters and a very original (if not entirely believable) storyline.

3

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513YQp06JJL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

The King's Speech

Despite my love of both Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth, I found myself not enjoying this movie quite as much as I'd hoped to. Which is not to say that there was anything lacking in either performance, but I had a bit of trouble connecting with its central character, the king. However, that may be - at least in part - to blame on the fact that I watched it during a rather hectic vacation and as a result it took me several sittings to get through it.

3+

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61ziATjH%2BKL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

The Princess and the Frog

Cute, but mostly forgettable. Also the various musical numbers were a big reminder of why I am not a fan of classic Disney.

2.5

JayDee

05-01-11, 06:55 AM

I also have over 25 other films I probably won't tell you about because you don't really care.

That seems a shame. While most of us clearly aren't at your level in terms of movie knowledge, it's always interesting (for me at least) to hear your views on films I'm not particularly familiar with. It's made me interested to track down a few of them

And Midnight Cowboy for example. While not an obscure film, as I said it was a film I was aware of but never got round to watching. It was partly your love of it that I read about in your top 100 that made me think a few days ago, "yeah you know what, I'll give that a go today." And while I didn't feel quite as strongly about it as you it was definitely a film I'm glad to have seen now.

nebbit

05-01-11, 07:36 AM

I've already decided to stop posting "reviews" in here. It's not really anything to do with you guys, but I'm a Big Mess. It's so much pain (after the fact) to just sit up in this relatively comfortable chair.
Sorry to hear that Mark :kiss:

I also have over 25 other films I probably won't tell you about because you don't really care.
I care :yup:

Brodinski

05-01-11, 10:35 AM

meatwadsprite

05-01-11, 11:52 AM

explain yourself mark !

mark f

05-01-11, 03:43 PM

What's wrong, Mark? You sound a bit blue...

I'm more red, as in bloody.

TheUsualSuspect

05-01-11, 04:23 PM

I always enjoy reading your reviews mark, but still try to put off repping you because of what you said awhile back regarding rep.

I still mange to rep you when you DO go above and beyond though.

JayDee

05-02-11, 03:11 PM

A selection of films which I didn't feel I could say enough about to merit inclusion in my review thread.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/mrsmith.jpg

Mr Smith Goes to Washington - This film made me feel proud to be an American. Considering I'm 100% Scottish with no American connection whatsoever that's quite an acheivement! :D

James Stewart is at his wonderfully charming, likeable self as Jefferson Smith, the politician who believes in the power and magic of politics and America itself. With help from Saunders (a delightful Jean Arthur) he battles the fight for good against all the odds.

The ending of the film, with Mr Smith holding the floor in theCongress for nearly 24 straight hours is brilliantly inspiring. It's a film that shows politics how we would love them to be, while also showing us what is sadly too often the reality.

4+

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/raxynuxi.jpg

12 Angry Men - Expertly constructed legal drama. Almost the whole film takes place in one room, with nothing other than talk really. It could so easily be dull but the writing and performances ensure it is engaging and riveting throughout.

The great accomplishment of the film is that each character is able to be developed as a unique individual with their own qualities and their own voice. Whether it be the seeming old, doddery man whose mind can be just as sharp as everyone else, or the men who have entered with a prejudice, determined to render a guilty verdict no matter the arguements

And at the end the men who have come from all different walks of life go their seperate ways. We never find out if the young man on trial is actually guilty of his accused crime or not, and while it would be nice to know in a way, it doesn't really matter. That's not what the film is about

In a way it's similar to Mr Smith... as it shows how wonderful and idealistic the legal system can be but also how polluted and small minded it can be. Without Henry Fonda's character to speak up it seems sure it would be a surefire guilty verdict without any great thought

4+

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/The-Great-Race.jpg

Great Race - It really does seem quite curious how popular such a specific genre, the big chase film, became. Of the few I've seen this is definitely the most enjoyable

It's not particularly clever, but doesn't pretend to be. None of the laughs come from witty wordplay or intelligent observations, it's all purely slapstick stuff. In fact at times, particularly the opening 30 minutes, it feels like an extended sketch show

Alongside the big names of Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood, it's the wonderfully daft duo of Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk that propel the film along. Their chemistry is just fantastic!

It goes on a bit long and has a 45 minute or so section which completely forgets about the race to concentrate on a completely seperate storyline from out of nowhere, but is very enjoyable stuff that should see you with a smile on your face for most of the film

3.5+

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/alex_and_emma.jpg

Alex & Emma - A little film I stumbled across recently. Starring Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson it's a romantic comedy of sorts, just a little bit more offbeat

As a struggling author and his stenographer, Wilson and Hudson make for a nice couple. The gimmick of the film being that while their scenes are set in the modern world, they also play characters from Wilson's story, which is set in the 1920s, so we alternate between the two worlds

I've always liked Luke Wilson, and this is the most I've ever enjoyed Kate Hudson. She tones down her usual glamour to play more of a normal person with a normal job, and displays a lot more charm than I would normally associate with her

While I don't see myself ever tracking it down to see it again it was a fairly decent, nice little film

2.5

Monkeypunch

05-02-11, 06:34 PM

Fast Five - Awesome. Best of the series, no doubt. A great two hours of escapist entertainment, and the final car chase? That was epic. I kinda hope that wasn't done with CGI.

Pyro Tramp

05-02-11, 07:06 PM

Fast Five - Awesome. Best of the series, no doubt. A great two hours of escapist entertainment, and the final car chase? That was epic. I kinda hope that wasn't done with CGI.

Probably the best but also the stupidest

Yoda

05-02-11, 07:08 PM

Probably the best but also the stupidest
Probably not a coincidence.

Brodinski

05-03-11, 12:58 PM

This is what I've watched over the past 3 weeks. Don't feel like doing write-ups, so just these ratings:

The Commitments (1991, Parker): 4
The Madness of King George (1994, Hytner): 3.5+
Across The Wide Missouri (1951, Wellman): 1.5
The Visitor (2007, McCarthy) 4
Little Big Man (1970, Penn): 3+
36 (2004, Marchal): 3
D.O.A. (1950, Maté): 3
Roadgames (1983, Franklin): 3.5
Night and the City (1950, Dassin): 4
127 Hours (2010, Boyle): 3+
Rio (2011, Saldanha): 2.5+
Hail The Conquering Hero (1944, Sturges): 3+

And some rewatches:

The Killing (1956, Kubrick): 3.5
Dangerous Liaisons (1988, Frears): 3.5
Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest (2006, Verbinski): 2.5+
Anatomy of a Murder (1959, Preminger): 3.5+
Hustle & Flow (2005, Brewer): 3+
Matchstick Men (2003, Scott): 3
She's Gotta Have It (1986, Lee): 2.5

Pyro Tramp

05-03-11, 01:40 PM

Probably not a coincidence.

You'd think that but the two aren't really intertwined on this one. The fun bits were fun and stupid in a forgiveable Stallone-esque way; it's was the stupid bits between them that were stupid.

Paris18

05-03-11, 02:12 PM

Not doing huge write ups- I usually don't anyway but I'll be extremely brief.

http://l.yimg.com/eb/ymv/us/img/hv/allposters/92/1800068492p.jpg
Full Metal Jacket -Loved this Kubrick film. Although not my favorite of his but still extremely good.

http://www.moviezeal.com/wp-content/uploads/maltese_falcon.jpg
The Maltese Falcon -Not my favorite classic, but again, still an extremely good film. Always impressed by Bogart. Great directing by Huston as well.

http://www.videomax.com.hk/upload/English%20DVD/English%20DVD-The%20Silence%20of%20the%20Lambs.jpg
Silence of the Lambs -Very great movie, probably one of my favorites of the 90s (along with American Beauty, Forrest Gump, Fight Club, Seven, Schindler's List, etc.) Thought Hopkins and Foster both had very strong performances, and loved the script, character development and directing.

JayDee

05-03-11, 04:20 PM

mark f

05-03-11, 04:23 PM

Careful there about Bogie. Why exactly is he lacking in your eyes thus far?

Sedai

05-03-11, 04:34 PM

Not seen Full Metal Jacket yet. Caught Maltese Falcon a while back, I really, really wanted to love it but just didn't. Have to admit from what I've seen of him I'm not really liking Bogart.

And Silence of the Lambs I haven't seen either but ordered last week cheap from amazon marketplace to give it a shot

Watch The Big Sleep. Pay a fair amount of attention to the plot and all that, but really just settle in and watch Bogie do his thing. They don't make em like they used to!

meatwadsprite

05-03-11, 04:58 PM

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQcxuA-i2J2AQZJI3GEGrkmo1obYpczBAvC5HSuCjJPEDH0s6PzSA http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRhHDOuNkLuwJNvl3XfVRVQy60LAC2GBcPnGtTiAmozXKZyF6_hxA http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR83eS8GUrHTlHR6g0Xw5-_H5NRxLrr1szfL-DSO8swmv1HYLmJZg

Titanic 1997

This movie is pretty amazing in that it makes one of the flimsiest love stories of all time, actually compelling. Not sure how a 101 year old woman can tell such a long story, or is able to talk so well, but then again the billionaire ******* Billy Zane exists to balance it out. Best parts are by far Winslet's chest and the last hour of the movie (where it sinks). Lots of stellar imagery after they bump into a big ice cube. Halls filling with water, Dicaprio seeing his window drown, as well as the underwater bits in the ship, and then when it snaps in half. It's a cool experience, with an actual story tacked on at the last second.

3

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQt7-KscfFwtMsH5WRPvotcmRSClb0PV_vsVbd5tYFW-Yx_R1w7dw http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRocuaH8DSrx6CUIiE-VC4i9VP_OdgbClkmfaypRT7WQdUKbhNw

Following 1998

Nolan's first flick is quite enjoyable and perhaps more of a science fiction than Inception and Batman. The timeline is all scrambled up, but it has a very natural story flow reguardless. Short and fast.

3

JayDee

05-03-11, 05:12 PM

Careful there about Bogie. Why exactly is he lacking in your eyes thus far?

Oh oh. :bashful: Have I stirred up a hornet's nest here?

I'm not entirely sure what it is. I watched Casablanca and Maltese Falcon within a couple of days of each other a while back and was just left cold by him. For me he seemed to do the exact same thing for every moment of both films.

To be fair I'm not sure I was really in the right mood for Casablanca at the time which is unlikely to have helped him

mark f

05-03-11, 05:15 PM

What were these "exact same thing"s? I'm trying to understand through your eyes.

Paris18

05-03-11, 05:32 PM

I kinda see where you are coming from Jay. I love Bogart though- I think he's good because he plays himself in different perspectives. I think Rick Blaine and Sam Spade are different, but at the same time- I still felt Bogart's personal touch and feelings in both characters. I don't know, it's hard to explain but I love him. But I can see where u are coming from.

And I think you'll like Silence.

MadMikeyD

05-03-11, 05:56 PM

I haven't seen much Bogart, but he seems to remind me of John Wayne. By that I mean, no matter what character he's playing he's Bogart. The character becomes the actor rather than the other way around. During that time of cinema there were many stars that had that effect. The same arguement could be made for Jimmy Stewart, Gary Cooper, or Cary Grant to a large degree.

mark f

05-03-11, 06:24 PM

Bogart reminds you of John Wayne? I've never heard that one before. Paging Holden...

Look, there's no way you can tell me that Charlie Allnut is like Dixon Steele or that Linus Larrabee is like Capt. Queeg. Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe aren't even that close to each other. Even when Bogart goes "psycho", as in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, In a Lonely Place and The Caine Mutiny, he goes out of his way to make each character unique and human. I could go on and on. He started as a supporting gangster type, moved into Anti-Hero, then Romantic Hero and then into what he always really was, a character actor. Most character actors do not play the same role over and over, at least if they also become gigantic movie stars. The reason Bogart became a star though was because he was a great actor, not because he was glamorous or sought media attention. The details are what makes him a cut above the rest. However, if you dislike him because he's bland or you cannot relate to him for some reason because he's been dead forever, just disregard me. I love the man, and I'm not mad. I just like having an excuse to proclaim my deep, abiding and open love for that short, ugly, funny-voiced guy.

Harry Lime

05-03-11, 06:28 PM

Advantage, Mark.

MadMikeyD

05-03-11, 08:19 PM

I likely haven't seen enough Bogart, and most of what I have seen was decades ago. I'll have to study up.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/mrsmith.jpg

Mr Smith Goes to Washington - This film made me feel proud to be an American. Considering I'm 100% Scottish with no American connection whatsoever that's quite an acheivement! :D

James Stewart is at his wonderfully charming, likeable self as Jefferson Smith, the politician who believes in the power and magic of politics and America itself. With help from Saunders (a delightful Jean Arthur) he battles the fight for good against all the odds.

The ending of the film, with Mr Smith holding the floor in theCongress for nearly 24 straight hours is brilliantly inspiring. It's a film that shows politics how we would love them to be, while also showing us what is sadly too often the reality.

4+

Glad to hear you liked Mr. Smith, JayDee. A true classic and one of Frank Capra's best. A top 10 favorite of mine.

Monkeypunch

05-03-11, 11:19 PM

Probably the best but also the stupidest

I didn't find it all that stupid. I mean ridiculous, sure, but then they weren't trying to win oscars or anything. It was just really fun.

Pyro Tramp

05-04-11, 06:05 AM

I didn't find it all that stupid. I mean ridiculous, sure, but then they weren't trying to win oscars or anything. It was just really fun.

Maybe it was just me, I had no idea what happened to their deal on the train, the whole training sequence turned out to be redundant, The Rock had a silly character arc etc. Stupid in that there were lots of plot holes, like I said, the ridiculous fun buts were great.

JayDee

05-04-11, 09:39 AM

MadMikey - I appreciate your appreciation. :) It was just such a charming, inspiring film. I read a while back someone on here saying it should be shown in every American school to kids and I would agree. A great idealistic view for them to grow up with

It wouldn't come close to my top 10 but certainly in my top 100 I would think and that's only on my first viewing. Repeat viewings could see it climb up.

What were these "exact same thing"s? I'm trying to understand through your eyes.

I just felt that it was like a car stuck in the same gear. It was like he went with one acting mode and stuck with it - same facial expression, same voice tone, same emotion, same acting techniques/tricks over both films. I'm not saying he was bad or that I hated him, I just struggled to connect with his characters which obviously worked against my enjoyment of the films.

But I may be completely wrong. And I'm certainly not going to try and argue with you as I will most certainly lose. I don't have your way with words, your level of movie knowledge and understanding or your passion on this subject.

I do have two points though in my defence. 1) At times when I watch a film for the first time I will miss out on a lot of stuff. I tend to just relax and try to get caught up in the film and don't notice the use of music, clever directing techniques, subtle elements in the acting etc. Only in subsequent viewings can I sometimes spot and appreciate it. And 2) My mum really doesn't like Bogart so I've perhaps inherited it! :D

mark f

05-04-11, 01:06 PM

I'll try to catch up here since many of you said you might care to get something about these films.

If.... (Lindsay Anderson, 1968) 3+ - My first impression was 3.5 but now I don't know. Surrealism at an English boys school turns to violence... or is it vice versa?
http://deeperintomovies.net/journal/image09/if4.jpg

Night Moves (Arthur Penn, 1975) 2.5 - Some noir flourishes but left me with too many questions.
BUtterfield 8 (Daniel Mann, 1960) 2.5 - Liz Taylor gets her first Oscar for this MELOdrama.
Giant (George Stevens, 1956) 4 - Sure, it's overlong and the leads' hair sure is a funny color at the end, but Rock Hudson gives his best performance, Liz Taylor is super good and James Dean has a few highlights.
This Sporting Life (Lindsay Anderson, 1963) 3 - Tough subject matter combined with gritty filmmaking makes this powerful and difficult at the same time.
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2009/5/28/1243526497019/Richard-Harris-in-a-scene-001.jpg

The Straight Story (David Lynch, 1999) 3.5 - Lynch at his simplest and most eloquent, probably because he lets Richard Farnsworth do the heavy lifting. Beautiful score by Angelo Badalamenti.
Getting Straight (Richard Rush, 1970) 3 - An attempt at a serious film about the Vietnam Era at U.S. college campuses is let down slightly by including too many tangents. It's still worth a peak, especially if you like Elliott Gould, and Laszlo Kovacs' cinematography is great as always.
The Slugger's Wife (Hal Ashby, 1985) 2.5 - I admit I'm probably overrating this baseball romance with too many '80s synth pop songs, but I've always found it innocuously pleasant.
Flame & Citron (Ole Christian Madsen, 2007) 3.5 - Compelling Danish film about WWII spies and assassins, based on true characters and incidents, gives a fresh perspective and is filled with suspense.
http://blog.ctnews.com/meyers/files/2010/03/flammen_og_citronen_1.jpg

Heavy Metal (Gerald Potterton, 1981) 3 - Entertaining teenage boys fantasy of a sci-fi nudie cartoon seems better in its parts than as a whole but it's better than it probably has a right to be. Enormous amount of '70s music on the soundtrack.
Surrogates (Jonathan Mostrow, 2009) 3 - Although it seems like a rehash of earlier films, this is surprisingly well-done and deeper than most such recent sci-fi, plus it has one of Bruce Willis's better late-career performances.
Lifeguard (Daniel Petrie, 1976) 3 - Good drama about a 30+ lifeguard (Sam Elliott) who feels he should be making more of his life but loves the peace, freedom (and yes, responsibility) of the beach.
12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957) 4 - Not much that I can add to describe this classic drama with a tense script and incredible cast. There is a lot of talk in a small room, but the movie definitely plays out as a thriller.
The Pawnbroker (Sidney Lumet, 1965) 4 - Incredibly powerful film with subject matter and characters rarely depicted in films before also has early uses of female nudity which helped push the boundaries and get rid of censorship in the '60s. To me, this story plays out almost as a Book of the Bible, somehow combining elements of Job with Abraham and Isaac. It's really about a Jewish pawnbroker and his Puerto Rican assistant in Harlem, but then again, it's not really about that either. Awesome editing and Rod Steiger delivers a performance for the ages.
http://www.thefilmyap.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/The-Pawnbroker-inside.jpg

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (David Yates, 2010) 3.5 - The most-mature Potter film thus far, probably because it has the hugest cast and the best acting, does seem to raise the seriousness of what's at stake. This has almost no comedy relief at all. It still seems like a Harry Potter film but it doesn't seem like a kids' film.
The Two of Us (Claude Berri, 1967) 4- - Beautiful fictional autobiographical film, Berri's first feature, shows him as a Jewish boy of nine living through WWII in the French countryside while posing as a Gentile. He's taken under the wing of an old bigot (Michel Simon) who shows him much love in between regaling him with stories about the horrors of Jews and the Resistance. The relationship is both funny and moving, and the child actor Alain Cohen works wonderfully with superstar Simon.
Dracula (John Badham, 1979) 3 - Remake of the Lugosi version tries to be sexy, scary and a bit campy. It works pretty well with Frank Langella as the handsome count and Laurence Olivier hamming it a bit as Van Helsing.
Jesus Christ Superstar (Norman Jewison, 1973) 4 - Powerful, impressive musical version of the Passion of the Christ works incredibly well and seems stronger with each passing year. All the techniques which are used to make it seem "unreal" only add to the sting in its tail, but what really carries it through is one of the most melodic scores in the history of all musicals, let alone for a rock opera. Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson and Yvonne Elliman are all excellent, and Norman Jewison proves a brilliant choice as director.
http://moimirvideo.com/uploads/posts/1701djesus4.jpg

The Godless Girl (Cecil B. DeMille, 1929) 2.5 - The director's last silent movie is quite entertaining, as usual, mostly because he throws in everything nasty and violent he can get away with. This one starts off as a battle at a college between atheists and believers and then it turns into a prison flick.
The Thing (John Carpenter, 1981) 3.5 - Carpenter's best film is one of those very easy to just come across and start watching. The claustrophobia and isolation add tension and the gory, over-the-top special effects take it to another dimension.
Mallrats (Kevin Smith, 1995) 2.5 - Good cast makes this funnier than expected although I don't really have much else to say about it.
Carnival of Souls (Herk Harvey, 1962) 2.5+ - Cult classic has an eerie timeless feel while following a young woman who survived an auto accident but constantly sees a strange man and occasionally feels as if she's shut off from the rest of humanity. It's obvious to see influences here which turned up in the work of George A. Romero and David Lynch. To give you a comparison: this film had a budget of $30,000 while the original Night of the Living Dead cost $114,000.
http://celluloidheroreviews.com/images/carnival-of-souls.jpg

Daughter of Horror aka Dementia (John Parker, 1955) 1.5 - Here's another cult item, mostly known as the film being played at the theatre when it's attacked by The Blob (1958). This movie has no dialogue (you can hear some turned down way low for some reason) but it does have some beautifully-lit-and-composed B&W cinematography which makes it almost worth watching. Then Ed McMahon (!) turns up as a scary narrator to explain the lunacy which passes for a plot. If you just watch it as a silent movie, the visuals and a couple of weird scenes may hold your attention for the hour running time but it's really not that good.

Sexy Celebrity

05-04-11, 01:55 PM

If.... (Lindsay Anderson, 1968) 3+ - My first impression was 3.5 but now I don't know. Surrealism at an English boys school turns to violence... or is it vice versa?http://deeperintomovies.net/journal/image09/if4.jpg

I have seen this. It's different. Should watch it again sometime as I own it. I have also seen the sequel, O Lucky Man!, which I liked better. Never saw the third film in the trilogy, Britannia Hospital.

mark f

05-04-11, 02:49 PM

I saw all three at the theatre. This one is always entertaining but it seems to dogpaddle a bit when it should be swimming full-out laps, so I think it could have been better. I'll rewatch the others and get to them later.

JayDee

05-04-11, 04:31 PM

I've actually heard of a bunch of your films there Mark and even seen a few!!! Which is a nice change for me. :D Usually I'm pretty clueless.

Am I remembering rightly that you put The Pawnbroker on your top 100 list? Think I noticed that was on TV quite soon, will either watch or record it perhaps

Brodinski

05-05-11, 12:49 PM

The Straight Story (David Lynch, 1999) 3.5 - Lynch at his simplest and most eloquent, probably because he lets Richard Farnsworth do the heavy lifting. Beautiful score by Angelo Badalamenti.

What I loved most is that it manages to be a 'warm' film about family and friendship without being overtly sentimental. However, you do have to be in the right mood for it, namely be open to a film that strolls along at a very leisurely pace. Luckily I was in such a mood on my first viewing and by the end, I was genuinely moved. I don't think it's Lynch's best, but it's in my top 3.

Flame & Citron (Ole Christian Madsen, 2007) 3.5 - Compelling Dutch film about WWII spies and assassins, based on true characters and incidents, gives a fresh perspective and is filled with suspense.

This is a bloody good film. Compelling, noirish story with morally ambiguous characters combined and some excellent directing and editing = one of the best year. If I had watched this before I made my best of the year pick of 2008, this would've been a definite contender.

(And it's Danish, but whatever)

The Thing (John Carpenter, 1981) 3.5 - Carpenter's best film is one of those very easy to just come across and start watching. The claustrophobia and isolation add tension and the gory, over-the-top special effects take it to another dimension.

Couldn't agree more, Mark. How do you rate this one in comparison with some other great horror films?

Yoda

05-05-11, 12:52 PM

This is a bloody good film. Compelling, noirish story with morally ambiguous characters combined and some excellent directing and editing = one of the best year. If I had watched this before I made my best of the year pick of 2008, this would've been a definite contender.
Awesome sounding. Going near the top of the Netflix queue.

(And it's Danish, but whatever)
Oh...well...I guess I'll never see it, then.

mark f

05-05-11, 01:57 PM

Check on Flame & Citron being Danish. I knew it was but hey, "Dutch" also starts with a D and ends with an h even if Holland doesn't border Germany. Flame & Citron reminded me of something like a cross between The Day of the Jackal and Munich but with a totally personal historical perspective which taught me some things I wasn't aware of concerning WWII.

JayDee

05-05-11, 04:43 PM

Flame & Citron was one of the films you listed there that I have seen and I'm also a fan of it. Very good film. :yup:

linespalsy

05-06-11, 01:31 PM

Carnival of Souls (Herk Harvey, 1962) 2.5+ - Cult classic has an eerie timeless feel while following a young woman who survived an auto accident but constantly sees a strange man and occasionally feels as if she's shut off from the rest of humanity. It's obvious to see influences here which turned up in the work of George A. Romero and David Lynch. To give you a comparison: this film had a budget of $30,000 while the original Night of the Living Dead cost $114,000.
http://celluloidheroreviews.com/images/carnival-of-souls.jpg[/CENTER]

I'm surprised that Living Dead cost so much more to make than Carnival of Souls. I like both, but Souls is definitely creepier.

Sedai

05-06-11, 04:17 PM

The Private Eyes (Elliot, 1980) 2 Guilty Scale 4

http://cdn.mymovies.ge/backdrops/ada/4bc93f31017a3c57fe01aada/the-private-eyes-original.jpg

Guilty pleasure time! When I was a young tyke, I used to watch this flick whenever I got the chance. Goofy, over-the-top and fairly obvious, it hit the spot when i was 9. Of course, I still love it today. Some of the bits are great, while others just don't work at all, especially these days. Add in some racial stereotyping that was sort of the norm for the times, and the film wobbles off the tracks even more. Still, Conway was clearly a genius, and Knotts plays the straight guy pretty well in this one. Conway really carries the whole thing, but the supporting cast (including Twin Peak's Grace Zabriske) is good too, as they are all pretty fun to watch.

A comedy from a different time and a true guilty pleasure for me.

Miss Vicky

05-09-11, 12:27 AM

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

Tangled

Not bad, but there was nothing particularly interesting or memorable about this animated take on the story of Rapunzel. Also not fond of the musical numbers. Entertaining enough to check out on Netflix, but definitely glad I didn't shell out any money for it.

2.5

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

Psycho

Overall, a well made and enjoyable movie, but there were a few scenes that I found more funny than scarey (when I don't think it was intended to be so) that kind of detracted a bit from the overall feel of the movie.

Still, an excellent watch.

3.5

Harry Lime

05-09-11, 01:51 AM

During the last two weeks I watched:
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/1DustintheWind.jpg
Dust in the Wind (1986, Hsiao-hsien Hou) 4
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/2TokyoGodfathers.jpg
Tokyo Godftahers (2003, Satoshi Kon) 2.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/3TheFuneral.jpg
The Funeral (1984, Juzo Itami) 3
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/4LesOrdres.jpg
Les Ordres (1974, Michel Brault) 4 ESSENTIAL VIEWING FOR ALL CANADIANS
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/5DistantVoicesStillLives.jpg
Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988, Terence Davies) 3
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/6Restrepo.jpg
Restrepo (2010, Tim Hetherington/Sebastian Junger) 3
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/7AssaultonthePayTrain.jpg
Assault on the Pay Train (1962, Robert Farias) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/8TheIpcressFile.jpg
The Ipcress File (1965, Sidney J. Furie) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/9TheEel.jpg
The Eel (1997, Shohei Imamura) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/10YellowSky.jpg
Yellow Sky (1948, William A. Wellman) 3
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/11XiaoWu.jpg
Xiao Wu (1998, Jia Zhangke) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/12Vacas.jpg
Vacas (1992, Julio Medem) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/13SayatNova.jpg
Sayat Nova (1968, Sergei Parajanov) 4
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/14RichardPryorLiveinConcert.jpg
Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979, Jeff Margolis) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/15Trans-EuropExpress.jpg
Trans-Europ-Express (1966, Alain Robbe-Grillet) 2.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/16HotelTerminus.jpg
Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie (1988, Marcel Ophuls) 4
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/17House.jpg
House (1977, Nobuhiko Obayashi) 2.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/18StopMakingSense.jpg
Stop Making Sense (1984, Jonathan Demme) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/19TheFlowersofStFrancis.jpg
The Flowers of St. Francis (1950, Roberto Rossellini) 3
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/20TuckerDalevsEvil.jpg
Tucker & Dale vs Evil (2010, Eli Craig) 3

Monkeypunch

05-09-11, 02:06 AM

Return of the Living Dead - Watched this on the recommendation of a friend, and at first, I was groaning. Bad 1980's music soundtrack, generic "Punk" characters, bad dialogue...then it just went incredibly funny. The three idiots in the warehouse trying (and failing) to kill one zombie, the girl who is naked for what seems like the entire movie, and the "Send more cops" scene totally won me over. Not a brilliant movie, but an enjoyable one.

linespalsy

05-09-11, 02:14 AM

"send. more. paramedics."

i also love, love, love when the guy is like "i love you darling. so please won't you let me eat your braaiins?"

I vehemently disagree that The Cramps, The Damned and 45 Grave are "bad" 1980's music. Surfin' Dead might be one of the coolest songs ever. Definitely top hundred. "life is short and full of stuff, so let me know baby when you've had enough." How is that bad?! My only complaints are no Misfits or Bobby Soxx/Stickmen With Rayguns on the soundtrack, but the former were probably too obscure at the time and the latter probably still are. Totally would have fit in, though.

Nevertheless, agree with "not brilliant, but enjoyable."

HollyG

05-09-11, 11:32 AM

I Just Finished Park Chan-wook's Vengeance trilogy and I really enjoyed all three films.I am usually not into trilogy's but these 3 films are amazing , they got everything from violence,sex,love,friendship.All three of these films are freaking awesome but I honestly think that Sympathy for Mr.Vengeance was my favorite.

Sympathy for Mr.Vengeance 2002 Park Chan-wook 4
http://www.cinemablend.com/images/news_img/16437/sympathy_for_mr_vengeance_16437.jpg

Oldboy 2003 Park Chan-wook 4
http://www.shockya.com/news/wp-content/uploads/oldboy_poster.jpg

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance 2005 Park Chan-wook 3.5
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Kr%2BXvGD-L.jpg

linespalsy

05-09-11, 02:14 PM

Ranked.

Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005) 3.5
Point Break (Kathryn Bigelow, 1995) 3.5
Mother (Joon-ho Bong, 2009) 2.5
Transformers (Michael Bay, 2007) 2.5
Legend of the Mountain (King Hu, 1979) 2.5
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (With a Vengeance, 1995) 2.5
Thor (Keneth Branagh, 2011) 2
Jaws 2 (Jeannot Szwarc, 1978) 2
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Jon Turteltaub, 2010) 2
Alakazam the Great (Daisaku Shirakawa & Taiji Yabushita, 1960) 2
Hot Tub Time Machine (Steve Pink, 2010) 1
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Phil Lord & Chris Miller, 2009) 1
Violence Jack, Part 2: Hell's Wind (Takuya Wada, 1988) 1

Sedai

05-09-11, 02:26 PM

Yoda

05-09-11, 02:28 PM

Alien 3. Is "Meh out of 5" a real ranking?

Sedai

05-09-11, 03:21 PM

Theater Cut? That gets maybe 2 from me. I may add half a box depending on mood. The Assembly Cut is far superior and like, makes sense and stuff. I hate how they cut part of the narrative out of the theatrical cut...Did you find yourself asking just why some of the prisoners would just randomly switch locations, or be doing tasks that made little sense? When the full story is told in order, the prisoner's actions make a lot more sense.

The Alien in the theatrical cut comes from a dog, while in The Assembly Cut, it comes from an Ox. There is not one, but two different plans to capture the alien in The Assembly Cut. Why they removed the first attempt is beyond me, as it has crucial implications on the story. Also, the opening sequence is changed, and the theatrical one removes a lot of the epic photography and storm footage from the Assembly Cut. This decision puzzles me to no end, as the original opening is clearly superior from a cinematic standpoint.

Yoda

05-09-11, 03:27 PM

I saw the Assembly Cut; I was pretty torn on which to watch but I went with the longer one, figuring it probably was more addition than actual change (which seems to have been the case).

Anyway, nothing to compare it to, but I can't say I loved even the superior cut. Sounds like the theater version would've been worse, though.

That said...

...I very much like the core idea of killing Ripley, and of her going through a good chunk of the movie having no idea there's an alien inside her. Gutsy, smart, and a natural conclusion. Killing herself to avoid its proliferation is the natural consummation of all the character has said and done. I just wish the idea had been surrounded by a better movie.

Sedai

05-09-11, 03:39 PM

Care to elaborate on what didn't work for you? Yeah, the theatrical cut is incomprehensible.

And ultimately, this thing is always going to place 3rd in the series no matter what, as the first two films are just too good to top in their own right, and the 4th is pants.

Paris18

05-09-11, 10:47 PM

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i4TDb0QUhyY/TVvMx2ODiVI/AAAAAAAABG4/TdPcN0mFIks/s1600/sabrina-1954-audrey-hepburn-humphrey-bogart-ebaycom.jpg
Sabrina - Loved it. Love Wilder and Bogie and this was actually my first audrey film but she was awesome in it. I read that this film is mediocre but I was really impressed. I love Bogart so much :)

http://getmovielink.com/images/covers/Scarface.jpg
Scarface -So, I missed a little of the beginning but I still really liked it. Not my favorite of Pacino (good thing I'm not a rapper I guess) but still excellent. Not a lot of people can deny that young Pacino was unstoppable in his hay day. Also enjoyable- he looks like my dad exactly when he was younger so part of the film was spent laughing at that.

Sedai

05-10-11, 10:56 AM

Bah. I felt like popping some trash in yesterday, and I noticed Metalstorm : The Destruction of Jared Syn was available to stream. Well, I got what i asked for, which was probably one of the worst films ever made. At some point in time, a group of people thought this film was a good idea. I just can't fathom it!

Metalstorm : The Destruction of Jared Syn (Band, 1983) 0_5 TRASH 4

http://www.coldfusionvideo.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/metalstorm-b.jpg

Almost the entire film is shot in a rock quarry, with endless POV shots from a bumper camera while some ******* wearing an old motorcycle helmet drives a dune buggy around in circles. At one point, a guy in a plastic hat shoots green water from a tube on his plastic, errrr, metal arm and then...hell I dunno, someone starts up a fog machine and everyone starts moving in slow motion. That's pretty much it. At no point during the film is any sort of plot attempted. It;s just a collection of half-assed sci-fi scenes tacked together in succession. At one point, Jared Syn (who never gets destroyed, sorry) talks about how once they hand out these red crystals to all the troops, no one will be able to stop them. The only issue is that we never find out what anyone would try to stop. Was there some plan? Some sort of coup or takeover of...something? There aren't any buildings. No one has anything, and there are no locations to seize or control. Will everyone just swap dune buggies or metal hats as a sign of conquest? Syn talks about opening a portal to the realm of the Lord Set, but what demonic lord in his right mind would come through the portal to rule over what amounts to 9 half-wits in a sandbox? These are the endless questions one has as they ponder the mysteries of this introspective gem! ;) Oh, it was in 3d. That's why that chode in the plastic hat kept sticking his arm out at the camera.

The Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian (Adamson, 2008) 3_5

http://www.markdroberts.com/images/prince-caspian-7.jpg

Ok, I know I am in the minority here, but I liked this one a bit more than the first. I liked the premise of the fallen kingdom in ruins and the idea that hundreds of years had gone by, and i feel like the kids did a better job with the roles here. I understand that this film seems less magical and fantastic when compared to the first, but i was fine with that, as this film seemed more focused on intrigue, which I like.

JayDee

05-10-11, 12:05 PM

I agree that Prince Caspian was pretty decent but still my least favourite of the series so far. Mostly (as you say) because it wasn't as magical or adventurous as the other two or as I was expecting. Maybe a second viewing knowing what I'm getting beforehand would change my opinion

Paris - So some more Bogart eh? :D You've not had a chance to see any more Hitchcock then?

Sleezy

05-10-11, 12:15 PM

The Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian (Adamson, 2008) 3_5

http://www.markdroberts.com/images/prince-caspian-7.jpg

Ok, I know I am in the minority here, but I liked this one a bit more than the first. I liked the premise of the fallen kingdom in ruins and the idea that hundreds of years had gone by, and i feel like the kids did a better job with the roles here. I understand that this film seems less magical and fantastic when compared to the first, but i was fine with that, as this film seemed more focused on intrigue, which I like.

I'm with you, actually. The first film was definitely well-done and faithful to the book, but felt hurried and suffered from "bad kid actor" syndrome like the first couple Harry Potter films did.

In the second, it seemed like there was just more room for everyone involved to stretch their legs. I thought the magic was still there, it was just a darker and more grown-up story, which was a nice deviation from the token fantasy classicism of the first film.

I watched the third film last Sunday and actually liked it more than the critics did. On Blu-Ray, the effects are astoundingly good and the sense of wonder and adventure, I think, worked better in this one than the first. I remember thinking it had a very Myst/Riven quality to it, which I really liked. And Eustace damn near stole the show.

Yoda

05-10-11, 12:18 PM

Care to elaborate on what didn't work for you?
This is one of those instances where I'm forced to admit that my reasons are very vague and not really of the empirical variety, but insofar as I can explain them in objective terms:

1) I think the prison planet idea is awesome, but was very poorly realized. I'm sure you've read all about the massive script changes and redone (or reused) sets, and I think that confusion really shows through.

2) Not really a horror film, but not really an action film. I'm fine with the series dispensing with the slow horror of the original; Aliens rightly recognized that you can't do that forever, particularly after everyone knows what the alien looks like, so it emphasized bigger, sprawling battles a little more. I feel like Alien 3 sort of took a half-step back, to the point at which the film wasn't slow and scary or fast and raucus. And I'm surprised we didn't get it, because the setup of dumping the alien on a planet full of inmates seems to lend itself to the idea so very well.

A sub-point here is that, if it wanted to do something new, it could've easily eschewed both horror and action and gone in a more cerebral direction. It sort of tries to do this in the big twist, and in the attempts to "trap" the alien by luring it and closing a series of doors, but that sequence was confusing beyond belief. I had no idea what was happening or where, and thus wasn't able to appreciate whatever cleverness might have been involved in the scheme.

The more I think about it, the more I like that idea: I wanted to see a chess match between Ripley and the alien using the different sectors and cells like the board, moving inmates around like pieces. And then...

...Ripley discovers she has the alien inside her, and that becomes her trump card. It could've been a grand moment of revelation.
Granted, it's not always fair to fault a film for not being what you wanted it to be, but I don't feel it really had a coherent direction to begin with. Gah, getting mad just thinking about the missed opportunity this film represents.

And ultimately, this thing is always going to place 3rd in the series no matter what, as the first two films are just too good to top in their own right, and the 4th is pants.
Agreed. Which is kind of why I wish it had done something new. It was never going to out-scare Alien, or out-do the fighting in Aliens. Ripley outsmarting the alien rather than outgunning it would've been a really great way to cap off her development and the series. In retrospect, the whole thing would've been about...

...her underestimating the creature just like everyone else had, including the corporations she was railing against, and finally realizing that she had to outsmart it and sacrifice herself to stop it from spreading. Not to mention that the idea of trapping it in various sectors would emphasize the disease-like nature of the alien, which is how Ripley always seemed to describe it. It'd be like a quarantine.
Now I've gotten myself all worked up. Wanna go halvsies on writing an alternate, puzzle-like screenplay? :D

Paris18

05-10-11, 12:34 PM

Paris - So some more Bogart eh? You've not had a chance to see any more Hitchcock then?

Haha more Bogart :) But sadly no more Hitchcock :( I'm low on movie funds and Sabrina was only 5 bucks. Once I get a decent job I'm gonna get Netflix so it's probably gonna have to wait until then :/

linespalsy

05-10-11, 01:18 PM

Lines!

It's weird, but I thought of you while watching Thor, and I thought you would like it more! I thought you would like how it embraced the fantasy and just went for it, not trying to ground the story in Earthly realism at all...

I'm really happy that you thought of me while watching this. I don't know if I mentioned it here before, but my best friend and I co-wrote our own Thor "screenplay" when we were 8 (not based on the comic, Norse Mythology was part of the 4th grade curriculum at Waldorf School). I also played Loki in the school play, who was probably my favorite character from the mythology at the time.

As to the Branagh movie I guess where I disagree is that I didn't really find it whimsical or fantastic enough to embrace as pure fantasy. Thought it looked okay (good cg lighting, dynamic, if not particularly daring use of the camera...) but stuck mostly to a forumulaic and safe design philosophy, borrowing elements from Peter Jackson and some others without really adding anything new. Likewise thought the acting was okay but the character arcs and plot played out predictably, and the fantasy world-building aspect felt kind of flat and not complicated or deep enough for me to get engaged with or forget myself and escape into. I think you may have been right that it could have been better if it had more time to unfold and elaborate on stuff. Any of that make sense? I also feel like my ratings have been getting harsher lately, but in this case I couldn't think of a good reason to recommend it to anyone over a dozen or two other blockbusters from the last ten years.

planet news

05-10-11, 02:31 PM

I liked the class dimension of the romance. Greatly overshadowed the anti-Semitic overtones.

Sedai

05-10-11, 03:21 PM

Fair enough. I thought it was a refreshing departure from the more and more workmanlike comic films we have been getting as time wears on. As fantasy films try more and more to fasten themselves to realistic anchors, this seemed like a breath of fresh air, even though I am usually the loudest voice in the room clamoring for more realism in comic films, or I have in the past, anyway. I guess to me, this felt like a quintessential comic movie - no genre blending and very little focus on ancillary narrative.

I am all for films like The Dark Knight going all real on us, and I usually prefer that style when compared to misses like The Spirit or Batman and Robin. Still, with Thor I think Branagh took material that most likely would have blown up in a lesser director's face and made it work in spectacular fashion.

JayDee

05-10-11, 04:58 PM

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/SunsetBoulevard.jpg

Sunset Boulevard - A truly wonderful film. Considered to be one of the all time classics and certainly worthy of that accolade. It is a biting, darkly funny film that rips apart the golden dream of Hollywood.

It is a truly sad, slightly haunting story as the once famous star, Norma Desmond, descends into desperation, depression and finally madness. Along the way she drags down Joe Gillias along with her as he is trapped in her web

The main cast are universally excellent. Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond is incredible, perfectly capturing the desperation of the faded star and the unshakeable belief that she is still 'big'. And her descent down the stairs has to be one of the great scenes in film. William Holden convinces fully as the screenwriter who knows he should leave but just can't bring himself to

The film does also have some real heart in the shape of Erich von Stroheim's role as Norma's butler. While everyone else has deserted her he has stuck with her throughout, now doing all he can to protect the diva's fragile mind.

A true masterpiece with so many great, quotable lines of dialogue

4.5+

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/ShadowofaDoubt.jpg

Shadow of a Doubt – Inspired by the true 1920s case of the serial killer known as “The Merry Widow Maker” this film is not amongst Hitchcock's most famous but is considered by the master to be his own personal favourite.

I found the film a bit slow to get going, the first half mainly setting up a killer in a small, gentle community and drip feeding clues for his niece. As the film progresses however the tension ramps up. Young Charlie begins putting the clues together that seem to point to her visiting uncle (also Charlie) as being a serial killer. Young Charlie has always idolised her uncle however so will not turn him in even after confronting him. From then on Charlie suffers a series of 'accidents' which put her life at great risk. All leading up to tense, thrilling finale on a train

My favourite little element of the film was the morbid conversations on murder that Charlie's father would have with a neighbour. It's very entertaining and is probably the closest that this little community ever thinks it will get to murder

So this is Alfred Hitchcock's favourite of his own films, and while it's not that close to being mine it is still very entertaining

3.5+

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/PaperMoon.jpg

Paper Moon - A very sweet, funny little film. It tells of the relationship between two characters thrown together; Ryan O'Neal's travelling conman, Moses Pray, and Tatum O'Neal's little Addie who has been left alone after the death of her mother. At the pressing of fellow mourners at the funeral Moses agrees to take the little girl to her aunt's home in Missouri.

Their journey makes for some entertaining stuff, full of debacles and colourful characters, as the little girl proves a willing and capable partner in many of the cons. The performances and relationship between the two O'Neal's is excellent. Tatum O'Neal is particularly special as the smoking, cursing 9 year old girl.

The film also looks absolutely beautiful; wonderfully photographed. A charming film full of warmth, humour and heart

4

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Laura.jpg

Laura - A classy, mysterious film noir. It's quite an unusual story. A detective investigating the murder of a beautiful girl slowly finds himself falling in love with the dead girl, just from hearing about her and looking at a portrait of her. Then she turns up alive!

You can throw so many words at this film to describe it - taut, intense, tight, perfectly plotted. It is an excellent and intriguing mystery. And Clifton Webb is an absolute treat as Waldo Lydecker, throwing out one acidic put-down after another

4

Sedai

05-10-11, 05:13 PM

TheUsualSuspect

05-10-11, 05:21 PM

I would have loved to have seen the original idea for Alien 3 realized on screen. The whole monk aspect seemed cool to me.

I hated the hybrid alien that was half dog, it was an interesting idea, but the technology wasn't there yet.

The one story I love, behind the film is how Weaver signed on. She met with the Producers and Fincher, a nobody at the time. She turns to him and asks him one question, which would determine if she signed on or not.

Weaver: "How do you picture Ripley in this one?"

Fincher: "I don't know....bald?"

Weaver: Awesome.

JayDee

05-10-11, 08:08 PM

Yes...yes...YES! Sunset Boulevard is SO good. I just adore that film. I am also a HUGE fan of Shadow of a Doubt, which has grown to be one of my favorite Hitch films. It's definitely one of the darkest. Did you catch the scene where the family is waiting for Uncle Charlie to arrive at the train station, and when the train pulls in, it brings this thick black cloud that roll in and casts darkness over the area? So well done!

Sunset Boulevard really is wonderful. I actually feel I've underrated it by not giving it 5 stars. Couldn't believe that didn't make the last MoFo 100 list when looking back at it

Didn't really notice that bit and register it. As I said somewhere before (might have been this thread) I will sometimes miss little elements like that on a first viewing. At the end of the film, even though I enjoyed it I did think that with a repeat viewing I might appreciate it more

re93animator

05-11-11, 04:53 PM

High and Low (1963) - 4

Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953) - 3_5
A 50's homage to silent slapstick films. The pacing seemed laggy every now and then, but some of the hilarious bits easily made up for it.

Mon oncle (1958) - 3
I was actually disappointed by this following Hulot's Holiday, even though this is generally considered the superior. Some of the gags are still pretty funny, and it's a much more poignant film than its predecessor, but the extremely exaggerated 'ultra-modern' lifestyle and subtler humor didn't have too much of an effect on me.

Play Time (1967) - 3_5

Werewolf of London (1935) - 3
A notable precursor to The Wolfman. Not one of the most entertaining classic Universal horror flicks, but good nonetheless. One thing that might make The Wolfman stand out more to most is the sympathetic lead in Chaney Jr, whereas the overly-obsessive and seemingly selfish lead in this is more akin to the likes of Dr. Frankenstein.

Virtuosity (1995) - 2_5
Has a promising virtual reality-driven premise and some good acting, but I think it was pretty mediocre overall.

ash_is_the_gal

05-12-11, 12:43 AM

total amount of Bette Davis films seen so far: 22

The Cabin in the Cotton
Michael Curtiz, 1932
3.5

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4476751038_5c53c1bd50.jpg

A Marked Woman
Lloyd Bacon, 1937
4

http://www.alifeatthemovies.com/images/2010/12/marked-woman.jpg

In This Our Life
John Huston, 1942
4

http://i.cdn.turner.com/v5cache/TCM/Images/Dynamic/i113/In_This_Our_Life-Scene_Stills9_640x496_20100607.JPG

Scream 4
Wes Craven, 2011
3

http://www.onlinemovieshut.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/scream-4.jpg

Monsters
Gareth Edwards, 2010
4

http://geek-life.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Monsters-2010.jpg

Forbidden Games
Rene Clement, 1952
4

http://cf1.imgobject.com/backdrops/d1f/4bc91bf3017a3c57fe00ad1f/jeux-interdits-original.jpg

Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog
Joss Whedon, 2008
2.5

http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl1/1/13839/29_2008/dr-horrible.jpg

Quills
Phillip Kaufman, 2001
3

http://content9.flixster.com/photo/11/71/99/11719915_gal.jpg

Great Balls of Fire!
Jim McBride, 1989
4

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KGLQ283kPI4/TFBxN1ZU_tI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/uiuAn2Thqag/s1600/7vidBALLSmarriage.jpg

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Martin Scorses, 1974
5

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l7olf45FmJ1qzzh6g.png

Water Lilies
Céline Sciamma, 2007
4.5

http://www.ize-stuff.com/picture/dvd/pics/drama/water_lilies/water_lilies_1.jpg

Paris18

05-12-11, 12:13 PM

http://www.reasoner.org/wp-content/B00005B75C.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
The Shining I just posted my thoughts on this film in another thread but I'll repost it here too to see what everyone here thinks. I'll probably add a few comments here too.

I have to say I was a little disappointed. I was so excited for the hype and Nicholson and Kubrick combo. but the film only gets interesting when Torrance goes ape ****. I nearly shut the film off twice but I stuck it out. If the whole film were more like the ending, I think it would've been a better film. I also read somewhere that King disagreed with the casting of Nicholson and I can understand why. It felt like Jack was just a crazy man going even more insane rather than a good man, battling alcoholism, & going insane. The film felt similar to Amityville (sp?) Horror (old or remake- but more the remake). I gotta give props to the kid though- what an amazing talent. All the acting was great actually but...just the story itself (I am an aspiring screenwriter so this is what I look for the most) was kind of boring. The camera shots, like the maze or the view of the child on the bike- really did blow me away and made me remember that this was Kubrick but...it just didn't have the same effect on me that Strangelove (probably my favorite of his) did. Again a good film but not a great one. It was not close to Kubrick's Strangelove, 2001, or Full Metal Jacket.

On another note- Duvall was an amazing actress and she really nailed the vulnerability of Wendy. But- I couldn't believe Nicholson would actually marry her. No offense to Duvall of course :) I love when normal looking people get into acting, especially with such a major role. It gives me hope.

Sleezy

05-12-11, 01:59 PM

I have to say I was a little disappointed. I was so excited for the hype and Nicholson and Kubrick combo. but the film only gets interesting when Torrance goes ape ****. I nearly shut the film off twice but I stuck it out. If the whole film were more like the ending, I think it would've been a better film... All the acting was great actually but...just the story itself (I am an aspiring screenwriter so this is what I look for the most) was kind of boring.

I think the intent was to build slow, impending dread through most of the film in order to make the finale that much more of a crazy, horrific release of evil. I feel like it works pretty well if you lend yourself to that perspective. Kubrick presents a relatively mundane existence for the three characters, but leaves just enough weirdness and dread bubbling underneath (the hotel's history, the two girls, the mystery surrounding room 237, even the musical track) to keep your senses heightened in expectation of bad things to come.

Ironically, although King reportedly hates this version, I think that's what he was most interested in when he wrote much of his fiction. The idea is that horror can exist right in your own backyard and become interwoven into the very normal life you think you're living (or, in Jack's case, trying to live).

Sedai

05-13-11, 10:59 AM

Yeah, I am just over-the-moon for The Shining, and I would rate it 4_5. Over the years, I have grown to like the first half more than the second, because that is where the insidious dread is. I just don't understand the complaints about Nicholson. This is my favorite performance from him, hands down. The scene at the bar, during which he speaks to Lloyd about Danny, is some of the best acting ever put on film. Nicholson twists through emotions flawlessly and just owns the scene. I can watch that scene over and over. how about the scene in the bathroom with the conversation about the caretaker's job? So chilling, and again, knocked out of the park by the actors.

Love the film - the isolation, the stark banality of everyone and everything right at the beginning, a device Kubrick uses a lot, for example in 2001. The Shining is a film that almost requires multiple viewings in order to really uncover all its subtleties.

Meanwhile:

The Chronicles of Narnia : Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Apted, 2010) 3

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/101209/Voyage-of-the-Dawn-Treader_320.jpg

Again, I think this series gets better as it goes along. Caspian seemed much more natural and less doe-eyed in this one, and the fantasy sequences were fun and inventive. I especially liked the kid's entrance to Narnia this time around. Sure, the film is sort of a CGI-fest, which did take away from it from time to time, but still, if there is any genre in which it's OK to overuse CGI, it's children's fantasy films. This series has grown on me a bit. It will never compete with something like LotR, but it's a fine little fantasy series. I had to knock half a box off because Susan, my favorite character, wasn't in it much.

Yoda

05-13-11, 11:12 AM

I agree, I liked Dawn Treader best, but man...the book is so, so much better in this instance. I enjoyed the film but given that the story is definitely the most cinematic in the series, I was hoping for a lot more. But yes, the entrance to Narnia is a superb; which is another example of the best parts of the movies merely being the transfer of ideas from the book, rather than anything new brought to the table.

I hear they're doing The Magician's Nephew next, which is a prequel. I like that book a great deal, but I was really hoping they'd continue in sequence with The Silver Chair, which is the second-most cinematic of the stories, after Dawn Treader.

Sedai

05-13-11, 01:40 PM

Lisa wants me to buy the book series for her, but i want to avoid any versions associated with the films at all. Hopefully I can track a nice set down! :)

Yoda

05-13-11, 01:46 PM

Yeah, get originals. They read plenty modern most of the time.

I don't know how you'll react, to be honest. They are fairly light at times (though some awfully advanced theology is smuggled in at certain points), but the core creativity is deeply impressive. However, it's been my experience that modern readers who come to read them later in life (as opposed to as children or young adults) are too preconditioned to expect deep character exploration and moral gray areas to accept anything else. It feels "simplistic" to many now, when in reality it just has a different goal than they're used to stories having.

But, anyway, I hope you give them a try and I'd be all sorts of giddy to hear your thoughts, even if the above ends up describing your reaction to them. If nothing else, though, you can be sure that each book will have two or three really breathtakingly creative ideas or turns of phrase. The shifting tastes of various time periods can hide the full brilliance of a masterpiece, but some of it always shines through.

Sedai

05-13-11, 01:53 PM

Well, one of my favorite books of all time is Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, which was written for children, I believe. Simple is fine, as long as its well done. :)

JayDee

05-13-11, 03:45 PM

I think Voyage of the Dawn Treader was my favourite so far as well. Was just really fun and had the best child performance by far in the series with Will Poulter as Eustace.

I still have a box set of the Narnia books from back as a kid but I don't know if I ever actually read any of them other than Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe

Yoda

05-13-11, 03:50 PM

I've got an old BBC adaptation on DVD. I thought they were only pretty good when I was growing up, and a large part of the seeming quality was probably just satisfaction that any adaptation existed. It's kind of funny to watch them now. Certain aspects of the production hold up well (the theme is really lovely and "feels" Narnian), but it's beyond amusing to see how badly certain characters -- like the White Witch -- were overacted, now that I have some conception of what overacting looks like.

Sedai

05-13-11, 03:56 PM

Was just really fun and had the best child performance by far in the series with Will Poulter as Eustace.

You can say that again - that kid was great. I still missed Susan, though...

meatwadsprite

05-13-11, 04:35 PM

but the film only gets interesting when Torrance goes ape ****

http://www.bloodsprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/shining3.jpg

Yoda

05-13-11, 07:11 PM

http://www.bloodsprayer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/shining3.jpg

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lky5llDXkY1qe0eclo1_500.gif

TylerDurden99

05-16-11, 07:45 AM

Zodiac: Yet another David Fincher film I loved on my first viewing. I will definitely re-watch this one, superbly crafted thriller.

Magnolia: Brilliant film, great performances and direction. It isn't my favourite Paul Thomas Anderson, though.

Golgot

05-16-11, 08:13 AM

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lky5llDXkY1qe0eclo1_500.gif

http://i52.tinypic.com/f43ath.gif

Torrance tag ;)

---

http://www.mardecortesbaja.com/Touch%20of%20EvilTamiroffWellesBaja.JPG

Damn, now I've posted in here. Best flick I've seen recently was Touch of Evil (1998 'restored' version). Saw the languorous hours of Arena-interview with Welles and it reminded me to get on it (shame it didn't reinvigorate his directorial career, but yet again he didn't get to sit in his treasured editor's seat it seems).

In some ways not as dark as I was expecting, with a certain parity to proceedings and even genialness at the end (or am I wrong for having expected more darkness when it was foreshadowed?). Still hits the 4 mark for me tho, thanks to some classy shots, great character portrayals, and tense sweaty scenarios. For some reason, my favourite exchange was:

Quinlan: What's my fortune? You've been reading the cards, haven't ya?
Tana: I've been doing the accounts.

linespalsy

05-17-11, 12:30 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/ionford/rashomon.jpg
Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
This is a movie that's worth seeing multiple times. At the level that most people seem to comment on, it's a story about subjectivity, trust, and nested storytelling; it is complex and narrative. I think within that level there's another, ironic layer (embodied in the peasant who is eager to hear the story) that is critical and mocking of storytellers in general and moralistic wordiness in particular.
Just visually, I found the first two scenes -- the introduction to the gate and the "walking-through-the-forrest" scene -- completely arresting. These scenes are imagistic and concrete. They palpably show you the minute temporal details that the characters experience. Even better, there's a constantly shifting cinematic awareness of form and environmental space (the scene I screen-capped for this post is one good example) that just makes the film seem a lot more alive to me when I'm watching it without the distraction of story. I think the next time I watch it I'm going to keep the subtitles and volume muted.
4.5

http://www.fusedfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/the-tourist-15-9-10-kc.jpg

The Tourist (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2010)
Charming, comfortable vehicle for Johny Depp and Angelina Jolie to act like Hollywood movie stars in a classic Hollywood romance/intrigue. If you liked Charade and have a lot of nostalgia for the studio/star "classics" you'll probably like this and may feel my rating is on the low side. I enjoyed it pretty well. It's interesting how little the requirements for this type of movie have changed over the last 5 or more decades, which you can see if you look at Charade (1963), Hopscotch (1980) and now this. This seems to work just about as well as those two, though I think I liked it the least by a little bit. Worth seeing, though. Same director as The Lives of Others (2006).

2.5

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YSEjc2ju-Gg/TK1wEF9Nm6I/AAAAAAAAAAo/naZDJAb7p7g/s1600/the+piano+3.jpg

The Piano (Jane Campion, 1993)
A decent movie with some lovely images of New Zealand and an equally lovely score. The story is about how romance can be an emotional wilderness that you can journey to through (certain) music. There were plenty of times I thought to myself that the cinematography and music were lovely, but for some reason I never felt myself connect with that wilderness. I guess it's a case of "you can't help who you fall in love with" (or don't). My girlfriend liked this movie a lot, so I'll probably watch it again some time and try to go in with an open heart once again.

2.5

Lethal Weapon 2 (Richard Donner, 1989) 1.5
Lethal Weapon 3 (Richard Donner, 1992) 1
The Rock (Michael Bay, 1996) 1
Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988) 4
Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991) 3.5
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Werner Herzog, 2011) 3
Ten Canoes (Rolf de Heer & Peter Djigirr, 2006) 3

Golgot

05-17-11, 12:40 PM

No love for Ten Canoes lines? I know in some ways it's a procession of fart jokes, but I kinda loved how the amateur dallyings were packaged in a way that felt more bark-wrapped than polythene.

*EDIT* I'd never thought of the narrative-criticism as such in Rashomon (I remember Mifune's bombast & the lady protesting and such, but I'd never thought to add that string to its bow). Film does have layers doesn't it. (And visual layers too, like you say :))

linespalsy

05-17-11, 01:17 PM

You know, I really need to see Ten Canoes again. That 3 really just means "liked it, or at least what I saw of it" (whereas other times it could mean "liked it, but didn't love it.") In the middle of the movie my grandmother called and I talked to her for about 15 minutes. I was kind of pressed for time and the movie was due back at the library the next day anyway, so I just left it running and had a hard time getting back into it after that. And one thing I definitely did love was the fart humor! I'll see it again some time.

Similar problem with Cave of Forgotten Dreams. My mother got the show-times wrong so we got to the theater about 20 minutes into the movie. We decided that the loss rather than wait for the next (non-matinee) show. Would like to see that one again too (hopefully in 3-D).

Rashomon: There's definitely a lot to it both at the story, and aesthetic levels. This is probably about the fourth or fifth change of opinion I've had concerning the movie. Which is fitting I guess.

Golgot

05-17-11, 02:25 PM

Cool :). Yeah it's normally a miracle watching any movie through without interruption. Canoes def seemed to have a fireside 'story flow' throughout to me (fitting with the narrative device) so I can imagine it being hard to slip back into down the line.

Let us know if the 3D 'zog is better/worse to your eye, if you catch it in that format. (The first 20 mins or so do have a scene-setting tone of their own, but his docs have such a higgledy piggledy style that I wouldn't say missing it throws off what follows massively).

Monkeypunch

05-17-11, 06:39 PM

Black Swan - Crazy, intense, and sometimes TOO intimate. I liked it a LOT.

JayDee

05-19-11, 11:27 AM

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/l_75187_0054215_cd43fbf1.jpg

Psycho (first viewing) - Man this is one creepy, freaky movie! This film works both as a classic shock film full of suspense but also as a real study of this strange character, Norman Bates. Anthony Perkins is just incredible as Norman Bates as he switches from an eccentric but seemingly nice guy, to being absolutely terrifying.

The film looks incredible too, full of chilling set-pieces and effective 'tricks'. That along with a terrific score really help to ramp up the tension and nerves

I just wish I hadn't known about most of the twists and turns before seeing the film so it could have made even more of an impact. The shower scene in particular, while impressive, would have done more for me if I hadn't already seen it countless times.

4.5+

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/200px-How_to_Murder_Your_Wife_film_poster.jpg

How to Murder Your Wife (first viewing) – A daft, dated but ultimately still enjoyable film. The main reason for it being able to retain that enjoyment is the sheer energy of Jack Lemmon's performance, particularly in the courtroom scene near the end of the film which is terrifically funny.

Lemmon is also given help however by the supporting cast, especially from Terry-Thomas who achieves the impressive feat of almost stealing any scene he is in with Lemmon.

It's just a simple, good old-fashioned little comedy. The perfect kind of film perhaps for a lazy Sunday afternoon when the rain is pouring down outside

3.5+

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/jordan-poster-color-sm.jpg

Here Comes Mr Jordan (first viewing)– A nice, good natured film. Certainly better than Chris Rock's Down to Earth which it inspired.

The most impressive element of the film for me were the performances. Robert Montgomery makes for a very likeable lead, Claude Rains is excellent as the suave, compassionate Mr Jordan and James Gleason steals pretty much every scene he's in, especially as his behaviour becomes more and more insane to all those around him

With a real warmth and charm, it is a sweet little film and certainly comes into the category of “They don't make 'em like that anymore!” kind of films.

3+

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/13-1.jpg

African Queen (first viewing) – I've ran out of steam a little bit here to write anything substantial. So I'll just say it's a decent film which has stunning looking cinematography, some great dialogue and real chemistry between Hepburn and Bogart. Not however my cup of tea really and it would certainly be a long while before I would watch it again (if ever) but fairly enjoyable all the same

3

Paris18

05-19-11, 11:38 AM

Sedai

05-19-11, 01:41 PM

Giant (Stevens, 1956) 4

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vbrMa5TSSdY/SJxyBY40M-I/AAAAAAAABfs/ief4O33GQ3o/s400/james_dean_giant_oil.jpg

This one one of my Grandmother's favorite films, and we used to watch it together when I was a youngster. At the time, I didn't understand the implications, I just liked the scene with the kids and that poor turkey. This time around, I was just enthralled by the epic scope and earnest but over-the-top performances. I also liked the statement made in the restaurant scene near the end. The family is confronted by a racist restaurant owner, and the scene escalates into a fist fight between Rock Hudon and the owner - I love the resolution of the issue. The owner gets his way, as it is his property and clearly his free decision to not serve someone for a reason he deems valid, while Hudson makes his point that he and his family disagree strongly, and will pay with pain to stand up for what they believe. Of course, I agree with the family's view on this one, but I support the owner's right to refuse service to anyone he chooses on his property. He's the one losing business and making himself look like a fool, but hey, it's HIS place. I still feel bad for Pedro the turkey!

Runaways (Sigismondi, 2010) 2_5

http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/the-runaways-movie-image-4.jpg

Tough call here. I liked some aspects of the film, but man, what was with the shanking of Lita Ford? Her only scenes are her being screamed at by Joan Jett and then at the end, when the film makers did the obligatory "Here's where they are now" title cards, she didn't even get a mention. Also, I thought the film focused far too much on the lead singer, who was an idiot, and not anywhere enough on the actual talent in the band in Joan Jett. Decent, but not great.

The Parallax View (Pakula, 1974) 3

http://www.davidmullenasc.com/parallaxview1.jpg

An extremely cynical examination of the political climate in the Nixon years, with conspiracy, murder and subterfuge around every corner. Some interesting concepts, if not a bit predictable, and the film is shot exceptionally well.

Metal : A Headbangers Journey (2005, Dunn) 3_5

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/m/images/metal-a-headbanger-s-journey-1.jpg

Above average documentary with a personal touch that I really enjoyed. I used to be a die-hard metal fan throughout the 80s and some of the 90s. I still put it on here and there, but not anywhere near the level I used to listen. I have picked up my guitar in the last couple of months again, and i am enjoying playing some of my old favorites - this film just added to the inspiration that has re-emerged recently.

JayDee

05-19-11, 04:59 PM

Jay you finally got to see Psycho! (And you threw in a little Bogie in there- one of which I have yet to see). Loved your review of it and glad you liked it!

Also really interested in seeing How to Murder Your Wife. I love Jack Lemmon- he always makes me laugh :)

Well after your gushing of love for it I just had to. :)

Yeah I'm still really enjoying Jack Lemmon. Taped The Odd Couple not too long ago so I think that will be my next Lemmon film to watch

Brodinski

05-20-11, 08:51 AM

Here's what I've watched since my latest post. No time for write-ups; got some studying to do.

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1010/455106.1010.A.jpg

The 39 Steps (1935, Hitchcock): 3.5

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xwpzLNl7L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Shanghai Knights (2003, Dobkin): 3+

http://www.motorbar.co.uk/images/dvd_americanfriend.jpg

The American Friend (1977, Wenders): 3

http://www.afi.com/10top10/IMAGES/thumbs/38_poster.jpg

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979, Benton): 3.5+

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ShSl7f2iy-M/TBTd-TZ5ktI/AAAAAAAAAFg/ECXyLGQ9uCA/s1600/Jerry-Maguire-Poster-C10135584.jpeg

Jerry Maguire (1996, Crowe): 1.5+

http://images.moviepostershop.com//coming-home-movie-poster-1978-1010243309.jpg

Coming Home (1978, Ashby): 3+

http://www.silveremulsion.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/machete_poster.jpg

Machete (2010, Rodriguez): 2.5

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1010/193053.1010.A.jpg

Apollo 13 (1995, Howard): 3

http://cache2.allpostersimages.com/p/LRG/7/782/CX8I000Z/posters/the-ipcress-file.jpg

The Ipcress File (1965, Furie): 3+

ash_is_the_gal

05-20-11, 08:54 AM

Yeah I'm still really enjoying Jack Lemmon. Taped The Odd Couple not too long ago so I think that will be my next Lemmon film to watch

have you seen The Apartment or Glengarry Glen Ross? he was excellent in both.

Paris18

05-20-11, 10:08 PM

http://www.onlinemovieshut.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/pirates-of-the-caribbean-on-stranger-tides-poster.jpg

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides So, I'm a huge "Pirates" dork. Now that that is out of the way- let me explain my feelings toward this film. Keep in mind, I feel very differently then most critics do about this one.

I watched the opening thinking, "Oh no this is going to be boring. How I am I supposed to watch this entire movie at 1230 in the morning?" Then, Captain Jack Sparrow made his entrance (a little awesome scene to do with Gibbs & court). I was in awe- maybe this film had potential. Then it was followed by an awesome chase scene. And a few, cameos, one obvious and kind of pointless one, and one really random...and kind of pointless one. It had raised the bar though- could this be better than the first and second (the second actually being my favorite)?

Then Penelope Cruz entered. I am probably one of the very few to like her character. She came into the thing as a fiery female, rather than Elizabeth (extremely annoying in the first and half of the second). Then the film went on, and again I found myself a little bored. I realized that something felt missing. I realized this for two reasons. One main reason was the sad attempt at a love story between a mermaid and a completely underdeveloped priest. It was a sad grasp at trying to rekindle what Elizabeth and Will had- and it made me actually miss them.

But the biggest problem with this film was the lack of a central villain. Don't get me wrong though- I LOVED Blackbeard. If they did a little more development with his character I would've confidently said he was the best villain in the entire franchise. But, instead of a villain, they gave us an extremely bad a**...horrible father. And as for Barbossa- wth was that!? When and if you see it- I hope you'll get where I'm coming from. I really missed Davy Jones.

I thought the action was awesome. The mermaids were very interesting and their scene was probably the best in the film. Depp was awesome and hilarious as ever- still the strongest in the series. But not on the same level as the first two (although I do think it was slightly better than the 3rd one). They need a new screenwriter, I don't think Marshall was the entire problem. I'd give it like a b/w a 7 and a 7.5/10. A word to the wise- the scene after the credits was EXTREMELY disappointing. My brother and I decided to forget it ever happened.

P.S. sorry for the long rant. I was pumped for this, I even saw it in the theater in disney. (It was between that and waiting for the Star Wars ride, which we might not have gotten on.)

JayDee

05-21-11, 08:52 AM

Wow Paris by far your longest review so far. Well done! I actually saw the film yesterday (will perhaps try and write up a review of my own) and felt roughly the same as you.

Was decent fun but still not got that spark back that made the first one such a great blockbuster.

have you seen The Apartment or Glengarry Glen Ross? he was excellent in both.

No to both. I've got The Apartment on DVD though and plan to watch it very soon.

thegreatone

05-21-11, 10:57 AM

That is a great review Paris. I saw the movie today and I must say I agree with your opinions about it.
In the past three films, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley were the two characters that made me cringe, but seeing On Stranger Tides made me miss them, not for their acting or screen presence but for the way Johnny Depp used to bounce his humorous lines off them. Also missing were Pintel and Ragetti and other supporting characters, they were super-fun in the previous installments.
Certain plots and sub-plots felt absolutely unnecessary to me, like the Spanish, the love story with the priest and even Penelope Cruz's character. The saving grace was the trinity of Depp-Rush-Mcshane. Gah! I am afraid they the franchise has hit rock-bottom.

5.5/10

Brodinski

05-21-11, 01:02 PM

Paris18

05-21-11, 05:07 PM

I can't really make out if you kinda liked it or whether you were dissapointed. In my book, or + is very good. Or do you usually rate films a lot higher?

I usually rate films pretty high. I could never be a film critic because I'm way too nice, unless I think the film is really bad.

But for this film- I did like it. It is a good film but compared to the first two- it's not really in the same league.

I don't know how to do the popcorn meter thing so...lol

And thanks Jay and Greatone for reading!

Paris18

05-22-11, 12:21 AM

So...since yoda taught me how to do the popcorn meter :)

I'd give it a 3

Brodinski

05-22-11, 02:55 AM

So a 6/10?

TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_

05-22-11, 10:20 AM

A double bill of reviews here. The legend of Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the last Tsar of Russia who managed to escape whilst her family were shot and killed by revolutionaries, has now been definitively disproved by DNA testing and the discovery of her body in 2008. However before that time, it inspired many films. The two most famous adaptations are reviewed below:

Anastasia (1956) 4

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTjgOcv15VQJj5jy0qml0IHFCQQ3DMvUAe6i1hlHthztas_Pqim

"The poor have only one advantage; they know when they are loved for themselves."

This is an underrated gem and well worth a watch. Ingrid Bergman stars as Anna Koreff, a homeless madwoman who bears a great resemblance to Duchess Anastasia (pronounced Ana-star-zia, as in Russian). Yul Brynner plays the conman Bounine, who takes advantage of Anna's amnesia and trains her to become Anastasia, so he can claim his large financial reward for finding her. But Anna knows so much about Anastasia and her dead family. Could she really be Anastasia after all?

Although the film looks like Hollywood gloss, it is subtle and witty, though it retains all of the magic and romance of Hollywood. The story is fantastic- it's a Pygmalion-type story, except that the statue might be real after all. Bergman won an Oscar for her performance, and she deserved it. Casting her as Anna meant that the film didn't become all-American vulgarity. Okay, she was Swedish and not Russian but in Hollywood, being 'European' is good enough. Brynner was similarly a great piece of casting- he actually was part-Russian. He plays the Pygmalion role perfectly (fans of The King and I will note that the dance scene with Anna is reminscent of his dance with Deborah Kerr in The King and I) and the chemistry between him and Bergman will keep your eyes glued to the screen. It really is a gripping film but also a poignant one, particularly in the scene where Anna is introduced to her supposed grandmother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (Helen Hayes). Hayes and Bergman capture the uncertainty and loneliness of not knowing where you belong beautifully. My only criticism with the film is that it felt too short.

Ultimately, it is not whether Anna is or is not Anastasia that is important, but whether Anna can find out who she really is and what she wants.

Paris18

05-22-11, 11:01 AM

So a 6/10?

Is that what you'd consider that? Man, I'm bad at this haha.
I meant like a 7/10.

Brodinski

05-22-11, 12:16 PM

It's just basic math. A maximum = 5. As there are 5 popcorns, that's a 10/10.

I score kind of like this:

5 = 10/10
4.5+ = 9.5/10
4.5 = 9/10
4+ = 8.5/10

And so on.

So a 3 = 6/10. A 7 would be 3.5

I saw Pirates 4 last night btw. A 7 is way generous. It felt more like a 2 to me.

Too long (could've easily been half an hour shorter)
blatant plot issues
superfluous storyline (mermaid-religious guy)
bland characters apart from Sparrow and Barbosa
bad acting (Richard Griffiths was over-acting HARD; that religious dude doesn't know how to express sincere emotion)
very poor 3D. It was like watching regular HD apart from 4 or 5 occassions where you actually noticed you were watching somehing in 3D
Bad title that makes no sense. Why not just say Pirates of the Carribean: The Fountain of Youth
I will not waste any more money on watching these in the theatre. A simple download 6 months after release will suffice for the next POS Pirates film.

Holden Pike

05-22-11, 12:44 PM

I will not waste any more money on watching these in the theatre. A simple download 6 months after release will suffice for the next POS Pirates film.

I made this same decision about halfway through the overlong and dull second Pirates movie. Haven't seen the third, theater or otherwise, and I won't see the fourth. Too bad. The first one is a lot of fun and Depp clearly has fun doing the character.

Loner

05-22-11, 01:26 PM

it's just basic math. A maximum = 5. As there are 5 popcorns, that's a 10/10.

I score kind of like this:

5 = 10/10
4.5+ = 9.5/10
4.5 = 9/10
4+ = 8.5/10

and so on.

So a 3 = 6/10. A 7 would be 3.5

55
54.5
54
53.5

Sexy Celebrity

05-22-11, 01:27 PM

I stopped after the first Pirates movie. I thought it was dreadfully boring.

Brodinski

05-22-11, 02:18 PM

55
54.5
54
53.5

Pfft, showoff

Paris18

05-22-11, 04:22 PM

Got it lol sorry.

so either 3.5
or 52

honeykid

05-22-11, 08:44 PM

I'm with Holden on this one. I made that decision before the second one came out. I've only seen the first one, but I think it's great.

Loner

05-22-11, 08:51 PM

55
54.5
54
53.5

Pfft, showoff

Yoda has one on here somewhere to 100.

Got it lol sorry.

so either 3.5
or 52

Yep

linespalsy

05-23-11, 11:29 AM

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_umfxV1bqzno/S_WkFdZcS8I/AAAAAAAAAo4/iatH4hQ3ARI/s1600/lady-from-shanghai03.jpg

The Lady From Shanghai (Orson Welles, 1947)

Odd, funny, extremely broken and black mess of a film. The plot is so confusing and full of holes that it almost seems deliberate. This is one of those films that is really hard to describe because... where do I begin? There are the interesting parallels between the story and "real life" where both feature a doomed romance between Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. Or how Welles chose to play the duped writer who gets suckered by everyone for greed and caprice. How the nonsense of what was intended became inextricably intertwined with the nonsense thrown in (and thrown out) by studio fat cats. Or the fact that I watched it with my Grandfather (a Battle of the Bulge veteran), whose first, strongest response was revulsion that WWII-pinup gal Rita Hayworth dyed her hair blond for this film. There's the four deeply self-aware and metaphoric set-pieces that make up the extended climax of the film, along with the jarring shifts in tone. All the obliquely referenced paranoia (Grisby's apocalyptic fantasy, what Rita's lawyer husband is holding over her). Some people will probably be turned off by the plot holes and the fact that Welles plays possibly the most gullible film character ever, and either find that entertaining or not. Still one of my favorites.

4.5

http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T112/PickupOnSouthStreet.jpg

Pickup on South Street (Samuel Fuller, 1953)

This is an okay later film noir that, viewed together with The Lady From Shanghai should show you just how vague a category "noir" is. There's some generalized version of a communist plot to steal government secrets. The dame proves herself worthy. The hero basically saves the girl and outsmarts everyone. There are some odd camera angles and expressionistic shadows but the style is consistently from the "gritty realism" school, without any overt self-reference to the artifice of cinematic/literary conventions. They're both labeled "film noir" but I think they're about as different as two American films from the same period can be. This one is decent, but nowhere near as cool as Detective Story or even Panic in the Streets if you're looking for a good 50's noir of the grimy procedural ilk.

2.5

Full Frontal (Steven Soderbergh, 2002) 3
Land of the Lost (Brad Silberling, 2009) 0.5
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Rob Marshall, 2011) 3
Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich, 2003) 4
The Life Aquatic (Wes Anderson, 2004) 3+
Punch Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002) 2.5

JayDee

05-23-11, 01:36 PM

Am I the only one who doesn't think the ratings even up when you scale them up to be out of 10? If I see a movie rated as 3/5 I think it seems like a pretty decent movie, worth checking out at some point. If you change that to 6/10 however I think it can't be that great and might not bother

I know it doesn't make sense and goes against the logic but that's just how my mind sees it. Anyone else or am I just weird?

I stopped after the first Pirates movie. I thought it was dreadfully boring.

Really? While I can see people thinking that of the sequels as they became more and more bloated and convoluted, I love the first one. One of the best pure summer blockbusters in my opinion

linespalsy

05-23-11, 02:21 PM

Am I the only one who doesn't think the ratings even up when you scale them up to be out of 10? If I see a movie rated as 3/5 I think it seems like a pretty decent movie, worth checking out at some point. If you change that to 6/10 however I think it can't be that great and might not bother

It might be because 6/10 looks more like 60/100 which most people associate with the primary school grade of D-, definitely not a good grade. Movie ratings aren't the same as school grades though since (ideally) grades are supposed to be based on some sort of objective metric of performance. We can pretend we're only talking about objective quality when we rate movies, and some people do, but at some base level the rating just tells us whether or not you like something.

I consider a 3 movie a respectable one.

Brodinski

05-23-11, 02:44 PM

Yeah, 3 is still ok. It's average, but worth taking a peek at. 2.5 is only ok if you really like the genre, but if you don't, I wouldn't waste my time. Anything below 2.5 is a waste of time and if I rate something below 2, I'd prefer to be in a ring sparring a guy that has +40 pounds on me and throws with bad intentions than watch that film again.

ash_is_the_gal

05-23-11, 02:53 PM

The Story of Temple Drake
1933, Stephen Roberts
4.5

http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/inside_out/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Story-of-Temple-Drake-2.jpg
another pre-code film for me. this has got to be one of the first movies of this time period ever featuring, for what was seen as then, extremely racy subject matter. and man, was this movie terrifying. initially decided to watch specifically because i want to see more films featuring Miriam Hopkins after being blown away by her performance in The Old Maid and Old Acquaintance, both movies she co-starred with Bette Davis.

The Great Lie
1941, Edmund Goulding
4

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_f9pvdIisA48/SjLI0xhNYQI/AAAAAAAAAIA/KsVEMUAucKs/s400/Astor.Davis.bmp

one of the few times i truly feel Bette Davis even came close to being outshone by a female co-star.

Harry Lime

05-24-11, 02:30 AM

A couple of great films here (that was a good two days), and a couple the jury is still kinda out on.

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/1Voyager.jpg
Voyager (1991, Volker Schlondorff) 2
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/2DOA.jpg
D.O.A. (1950, Rudolph Mate) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/3ThrowAwayYourBooks.jpg
Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971, Shuji Terayama) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/4Non.jpg
Non, or the Vain Glory of Command (1990, Manoel de Oliveira) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/5StillWalking.jpg
Still Walking (2008, Hirokazu Koreeda) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/6MarketaLazarova.jpg
Marketa Lazarova (1967, Frantisek Vlacil) 4.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/7TheSaragossaManuscript.jpg
The Saragossa Manuscript (1965, Wojciech Has) 4.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/8Limitless.jpg
Limitless (2011, Neil Burger) 2
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/9TheCow.jpg
The Cow (1969, Dariush Mehrjui) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/10HighSchool.jpg
High School (1968, Frederick Wiseman) 3.5
http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/11HousebytheRiver.jpg
House by the River (1950, Fritz Lang) 3

TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_

05-24-11, 08:25 AM

The second film of my Anastasia double bill:

Anastasia (1997) 3_5

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS80zRUaGhjPw1c8tNpjsltqPxSiEf8_cLlNmmVE4P73Vd91NSEeA

[singing] Yes/Let this be a sign/Let this road be mine/Let it lead me to my past/And bring me home/At last

A lot of the critics moaned about the historical inaccuracies in the film, but it's a children's film, what do you expect? Just to clear up any confusion, in real life, Rasputin did not put a magic curse on the Romanov family to destroy them, he didn't have bits of him falling off, and he didn't have a talking pet bat. The film takes the premise of the 1956 film but makes it more of a Disney fairytale (though the film was actually made by 20th Century Fox) than a Pygmalion story. Although some might see it as a bit crass to take a tragic historical event and turn it into a fairytale musical, the legend was already in existence. Think of the film as a version of the legend, not as a perversion of the truth.

Anya (Meg Ryan, sung by Liz Calloway) is an orphaned peasant girl who wants to find her family. Her only clue is a necklace given to her as a child- "Together in Paris"- so she searches for someone who can give her the papers she needs to get there. She is directed to con-man Dimitri (John Cusack), who's looking for a girl that he can pass off as Anastasia (pronounced in the American way, as Anna-stay-sia) to the Dowager Empress Marie (her grandmother and only surviving relative, played by Angela Lansbury) and claim a financial reward. He fills Anya in on Anastasia's past but he slowly realises that Anya is Anastasia after all- and that he's fallen in love with her. However evil Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd) wants to finish his job and kill off the last of the Romanovs...

The songs are pretty good actually. "Once Upon A December" gets an emotional reprise and "Journey to The Past"- the obligatory "I need to find where I belong" song- is particularly good. The villain's song "In the Dark of the Night" is quite catchy although it's hardly up there with the great villain songs. Still, the songs are good enough that it would be easy to mistake them as Disney.

The central romance between Anya and Dimitri is nicely done. It was suggested in the 1956 film but this film leaves us in no doubt that the conman has fallen in love with the princess.

As a villain, Rasputin is average- hardly a match for Disney's villains. He's really only a plot point because the filmmakers had to come up with an alternative fate for the Romanovs (in real life, they were taken to a cellar and shot). In real life, Rasputin claimed to have holy powers and managed to worm his way into the family's favour but he didn't kill them. Bartok (Hank Azaria) makes a particularly annoying sidekick for Rasputin. Only children might be amused by him- most adults will groan.

But what other components do you need to get right if you want to make a Disney-style film? You need a beautiful princess and a handsome prince (although in the nineties Disney got a bit more modern and they were a bit lenient with whether the man was a prince or not). Dimitri is quite dashing but Anastasia is beautiful, as a child and an eighteen-year-old. Her dresses are also stunning. I can imagine a lot of young girls who might dream of becoming her (though I'm an adult and I'm still envious). I also have quite nostalgic memories of her, as I had an Anastasia backpack when I was little :)

Although the film is not perfect, particularly with regards to the villains, it has enough fairytale elements for it to make a film to rival Disney's. I'm actually surprised that nobody attempted a musical version of Anastasia earlier- it would have been perfect fodder for a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.

linespalsy

05-24-11, 10:28 AM

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n547/halime49/7TheSaragossaManuscript.jpg

That's a good one (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=653865). I highly recommend the late 18th/early 19th century novel, by Count Jan Potocki. You'd probably like it a lot, Harry. They're pretty different but both are awesome, and I think the sense of humor in the book is a bit more pronounced and it may even be a little more accessible than the movie.

MovieMad16

05-24-11, 07:04 PM

currently watching Eyes Wide Shut. Really liking it at the moment.

mark f

05-24-11, 07:11 PM

I find that sorta surprising, but good. :)

Monkeypunch

05-25-11, 02:09 PM

The Green Hornet - You know, I feel like a movie illiterate compared to some of what people post on this thread, but I really still enjoy this movie unapologetically. It's crazy, it plays with the cliches of the superhero genre fairly well, and the long slapstick fight scene mid-film always cracks me up. It just stops the movie dead for five minutes or so of cartoonish fighting that wouldn't have been out of place in one of the original Pink Panther movies.

mark f

05-27-11, 04:30 AM

Elite Squad (José Padilha, 2007) 3.5 - but with strong reservations

http://www.torrentsland.com/upload/preview/images/cr_films/3/3/3/abc20ca49e060d646fd195a155994d15.jpg

At genesis pig's suggestion, I watched the Brazilian thriller Elite Squad, and although I believe the film sends harmful mixed messages, I would have to say that it's well-made and occasionally thoughtful in its presentation of life in the slums of Rio where most of the police are much worse than the criminals and a very small elite squad of "honest cops" believe themselves to be the last stand against utter chaos within the city. The film follows an Elite Squad colonel (Wagner Moura) who feels the need to find a replacement so that he can escape the constant violence of his job and live a more normal domestic life with his wife and their soon-to-be-born son. There are other characters and subplots, but I'd rather talk about the films apparent themes and messages.

http://www.kafepauza.mk/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/4-Eliten-oddel-2-Elite-Squad-2-www.kafepauza.mk_.jpg

Since the film is intense and has action and violence, and it's shot with bright-colored filters and has a loud, danceable soundtrack, I can understand why it's become something of a cult item with the young and downloaders. However, I'm not sure that many of the viewers even understand what it is that they're watching during the film. To boil down the situation in the Rio de Janeiro slums, at least according to the director who is also a documentarian, the regular police are corrupt and allow all manner of criminal activity to thrive in the slums as long as they get their kickbacks. These same police rip off the police department itself and steal carpool supplies and anything else they can get their hands on. The slums are where people make a meager living selling drugs, but the people responsible for the drugs are seen by the Elite Squad to be college-aged students, mostly rich and spoiled. You know, those kids who like to dance, party and smoke a joint. Well, the Elite Squad, which comes across as a self-righteous fascist organization, will come upon one of these parties and shoot and/or torture youths to get the names of drug dealers, lookouts or people holding drugs. All drugs are looked upon equally as worthy of a death sentence by these "special police". Now the fact that this colonel may have a few moral qualms about his job giving death and torture orders doesn't make him come across as any kind of hero, especially when he trains the new group of recruits to do the same things after he's left his position at the top of the elite command.

Some parts of the movie remind me of the training techniques used in the first part of Starship Troopers, another film set in a fascistic South America. There are also echoes of the opening Boot Camp scenes in Full Metal Jacket where the soldiers are trained to become inhuman killing machines. I'm not really sure what to think the actual message of the film is, but I suppose people should watch it and decide for themselves. I realize that there is already a sequel, so that may help clarify things, but this post is strictly about the first film. It is highly watchable even if there's nothing terribly new or breakthrough about the story of police corruption except for the setting and language. It's not really all that far away from Serpico in many ways except that Serpico's choices really impacted his own life and safety.

mark f

05-27-11, 02:14 PM

Some more:

Juggernaut (Richard Lester, 1974) 3.5 - Classy, funny suspense thriller about seven bombs on board a luxury ocean liner has a terrific cast.

Lenny (Bob Fosse, 1974) 4 - This is the Mr. Bruce a few of you missed in a game thread last week or so. Fosse's warts-and-all depiction of Lenny Bruce's rise and fall is both hilarious and tragic with gritty performances from Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine.
http://cdn.mos.totalfilm.com/images/l/lenny-1974--630-75.jpg

Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh, 1993) 3.5 - Colorful Shakespearean comedy with another excellent cast (and look how young they are!)

2012 (Roland Emmerich, 2009) 2.5 - This rating factors in the camp value because no one in their right mind over the age of 16 could consider any of this remotely serious.

Dear John (Lasse Hallstrom, 2010) 2.5- - Pleasant romance which suffers from moving at a molasses pace.

Gun Shy (Eric Blakeney, 2000) 2.5 - Offbeat hitman satire is surprisingly watchable even if it's perhaps too outre.

Bite the Bullet (Richard Brooks, 1975) 4- - Unsung western which tries to resurrect the old-fashioned epic school of genre filmmaking has Brooks' final solid script and plenty of echoes of earlier classic westerns. Gene Hackman and James Coburn lead a huge cast.

Divorce - Italian Style (Pietro Germi, 1961) 3.5 - Scrumptious dark farce with one of Marcello Mastroianni's best performances has him trying to kill ("divorce") his smiling wife so that he can live happily ever after with his teenage first cousin (Stefania Sandrelli). Somebody should really tell him... A highlight is when the whole town turns out for a screening of Fellini's La Dolce Vita which also stars Marcello.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a44/moxievision/DivorceItalianStyle.jpg

Divorce, American Style (Bud Yorkin, 1967) 3.5 - No murders in this film, but the American way of life is skewered as it shows how successful men are forced to live as paupers when a divorce occurs and the whole situation seems to influence most every middle-aged man in a particular suburb. This film is made by the team who later created (or ripped off, for you Brits) "All in the Family", one of my all-time fave TV shows.

Honkytonk Man (Clint Eastwood, 1982) 3 - Surprisingly humorous tale about a tubercular country singer (Eastwood) trying to make it to the Grand Ole Opry before he croaks. There are lots of famous singers/performers sprinkled throughout as well as a turn by Clint's son Kyle playing his nephew.

Abe Lincoln in Illinois (John Cromwell, 1940) 3 - Sincere adaptation of the Maxwell Anderson play features a superb performance by Raymond Massey as Honest Abe and an early one by Ruth Gordon as Mary Todd.

49th Parallel (Michael Powell, 1941) 3+ - Massey shows up again in the humorous coda of this flick about a Nazi U-Boat and a small part of its crew stranded in Hudson's Bay during WWII. It's a fun film but a little overripe at times, with another great cast.

Jezebel (William Wyler, 1938) 3.5 - Precursor to Gone With the Wind has Bette Davis pulling out all the stops trying to outdo Scarlett O'Hara while constantly bickering with her fiance (Henry Fonda).

Drugstore Cowboy (Gus van Sant, 1989) 3 - Tale of a gang of thieves, led by Matt Dillon's character, who rob pharmacies to provide for their drug habit is also a satire and a cautionary tale. It plays out much better to me than the later Trainspotting and Requiem for a Dream. Remember, never put a hat on a bed!
http://listverse.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/1884-drugstore-cowboy-l.jpg

The China Syndrome (James Bridges, 1979) 3.5 - What starts out as a satire on fluffy local news turns into a mystery thriller where a nuclear meltdown almost occurs outside Los Angeles due to human error and corporate greed. The stars, Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda and producer Michael Douglas, sell it.

The Four Seasons (Alan Alda, 1981) 3+ - Set to the Vivaldi title music, a group of middle-aged friends have to adjust when one of them leaves his wife and begins seeing a much-younger woman. This comedy-drama basically plays out as Woody Allen Lite but still succeeds as entertainment.

An Almost Perfect Affair (Michael Ritchie, 1979) 3 - This satire of the Cannes Film Festival and independent filmmaking is also an attempt at a serious romance between auteur Keith Carradine and an Italian producer's wife (Monica Vitti). It's mostly light but the Vitti character is very serious about to whom she gives her love. This flick is lovely to look at and contains one of my fave musical scores, by Georges Delerue.

To Die For (Gus van Sant, 1995) 3 - Another black comedy/social satire, this time about an airhead (Nicole Kidman) who decides that her husband i(Matt Dillon) isn't helping her career as a weather girl, so she enlists the aid of three teenagers (Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Allison Folland) to "take care of him". Lots of innovative filmmaking and storytelling devices keep it fresh and funny.

Ride the High Country (Sam Peckinpah, 1962) 3.5 - Early Peckinpah film, now considered a bona fide classic, tells the story of two aging cowboys looking at life from opposite perspectives and a young outlaw who has to choose his own path in life. Besides having solid performances by western stars Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott, this film touches on themes Peckinpah would later explore in The Wild Bunch (camaraderie, the end of an era) and Straw Dogs (the boundaries of sex and violence and how men may share "their women").
http://nighthawknews.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/ride.jpg

To Live and Die in L.A. (William Friedkin, 1985) 3.5 - Nihilistic action thriller about the Feds and a counterfeiter has some snappy dialogue and the greatest "car chase" ever filmed and edited. Wang Chung fuels the soundtrack to a definite '80s film but it doesn't actually seem dated, perhaps because it foreshadows film's current obsession with anti-heroes and violence for violence sake.

Series 7: The Contenders (Daniel Minahan, 2001) 2.5 - TV reality show about killers plays out as a low-budget variation of The Tenth Victim but without as sharp a sense of wit. It's still passably engrossing.

A Majority of One (Mervyn LeRoy, 1961) 3 - Rosalind Russell plays a Jewish matriarch and Alec Guinness is a Japanese businessman who meet on board an ocean liner and overcome their prejudices to find a sharing of their two souls. This was made at about the same time as when Marlon Brando and Mickey Rooney were also playing Japanese characters, and although it's somewhat bewildering and racist to see Guinness do it (he played an Arab the next year in Lawrence of Arabia), the script and the acting are good enough to have many surprisingly touching and humorous moments.

Black Legion (Archie Mayo, 1937) 2.5 - Although it's a bit obvious, this film about how a good man (Humphrey Bogart) can become a racist murderer still packs a wallop and contains one of Bogie's earliest lead performances and a complex, sensitive one at that.

It's Love I'm After (Archie Mayo, 1937) 3.5 - Unheralded screwball comedy classic has Leslie Howard and Bette Davis playing a feuding couple of Shakespearean actors who go even crazier than normal when a young Olivia de Havilland falls for Howard and he has to try to "turn her off". Things come to a head when everyone shows up at a posh country estate and Howard's valet Eric Blore has to try to help him by doing his repertoire of bird impressions.

Zelig (Woody Allen, 1983) 4- - One of Woody's most original films, it's also the shortest and surprisingly hilarious every time you watch this "documentary" about the Human Chameleon of the 1920s, Leonard Zelig (Woody) and the female doctor (Mia Farrow) who tries to cure him. The film basically predicts Forrest Gump, not only in subject matter, albeit in a different decade, but in the technique of inserting characters into archival footage, but this was all done over a decade earlier! Woody and the viewer will have lots of fun as the humor and romance fly by fast and furiously.
http://i2.listal.com/image/1369985/500.jpghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iXUox-MsZHA/TMTcHKlwIpI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/HG0KOPiZAHg/s1600/zelig-1983.jpg

Z (Costa-Gavras, 1969) 4.5
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977, the "best" version) 4.5
Richard Pryor Live in Concert (Jeff Margolis, 1979) 4.5

meatwadsprite

05-27-11, 02:24 PM

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcToTBKEOGhCRtHT7ZP_twH9OyrXVVV_siiZ8832OweSrHdv1oT_SQ http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSXLc0zGJwPrucM5oHeGW3JwtVl_84aALMpcT4wydjnNEHE68Oq6A

Grave of the Fireflies 1988

One of the last movies I'd watch with my kid. I can and have enjoyed many depressing movies, they're hard movies to make. If you fall short even a little, you have on your hands a horrid film - because no one out there wants to watch some mediocre garbage that is in turn also sad and downbeat. Grave of the Fireflies is stuck in crossfire for me. It's probably one of the hardest to watch movies out there, which is funny because it was released as a double feature with Totorro.

It's about a young boy (Seita) trying to take care of his infant sister in WWII Japan. After they're other family turns their back on them, Seita resorts to living in a dirt house, stealing and surviving on scraps. Of course Seita knows very little of survival and there's no help to avail him. The people of Japan are only looking out for themselves, with bombing runs always a looming threat, food is scarce but surely there's enough for two young kids. Which is the hardest to swallow part of the movie, Seita thinks he can take care of himself and his sister. He's not looking for help and the idea to take care of two kids for awhile never even enters the heads of doctors, farmers, or the family onlookers of the children.

I watch movies for entertainment though. Don't feel like watching kids die for two hours.

0

Kidding, kind of. It is them dying for two hours, the animation isn't breathtaking, it's quite far fetched at times, but the scenario itself is a draw. It's like a train wreck you can't keep your eyes off of, where the train flies off the rails into a volcano, which erupts sending the train thousands of feet into the air and then it lands in quick sand and sinks into the earth for a good 30 minutes. Not that fun though, bad analogy.

3

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Easy A 2010

I thought dodging bombs and eating dirt was bad, but the girl in this movie has an entire school of kids that thinks she's a slut ! This movie is sort of a miracle in that it takes a retard Hollywood formula and actually runs with it, untill it's actually good. Emma Stone is also a hot woman. I'm not sure why she's still in high school though, she's pretty smart in the movie.

3

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT_TXFoRxPvHSKd3SZG-Y6SRdsgZAAtYcCCj9nbAU8gsgPvwHX4kg http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQavJCQqgyGQVFx1WDxs8jD_qbF67vKqrL7eQpfbUe-KNHddujwkg

Tremors 1990

Some boys in the south are gettin' chased by some big chalupas. Now it's up to them to run giant digger monsters into walls and or shoot the piss out of them. Bacon Smith (Mystic River) and Fred Ward (no previous filmography), are two rowdy rollers and they gotta keep on truckin'. They go this craphole town in the middle of bumby and the old chinaman from Big Trouble in Little China gets eaten as hell.

I'm not sure how much you could buy for 11 million in 1990, but Tremors did plenty with it, resulting in a movie that looks particularly good. Best part obviously when they shoot the tremorman with a million guns.

3

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRL1mybXkck9frqynUQ_tSSBFcA3rUeR6KeD7KCvoW8310p7DfG Dudley's a jerk. 4

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3QvO0dmTWC0ntTmWBStD7aSeGPOddyC-l-iRKbOWlVtw4d7ow U/North is a jerk company. 4

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTFkdzQhBrC_0bztORU_b3cSTIN13O3uD_ZXv-A3EHECygvWbOL Saurman abondoned reason for being a jerk. 5

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ71zhrimUTagOyQRUSSRsNAr_xWMqZN--gGR48XpivgkqnmzV6_Q http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQ2usbE2Ue-YVDuwcNpAYcKbqU3nXISXL-8G4NXnnKI0DJJTG0IQ

High and Low 1963

Kurosawa knows the drill. Make it good. Very insightfull into Japanese police procedure and tightly wound, Mifune plays a bidnessman who's had better days. Right in the midst of his giant scheme to buy out his company before he gets the boot, his assistants son is kidnapped and he's forced to pay a ransom. Of course this turn of events sees him losing all of his money, which fuels the cops to bring the kidnapper to an end.

It feels unrealisticly modern, if it were made today the short bits of music would probably have the trumpets replaced with guitars and that's about it.

3.5

ash_is_the_gal

05-27-11, 03:37 PM

grave of the fireflies 1988

0

:mad::mad:wtf :down:

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Sexy Celebrity

05-27-11, 03:39 PM

Grave of the Fireflies sounds disgusting.

Sexy Celebrity

05-27-11, 03:45 PM

2012 (Roland Emmerich, 2009) 2.5 - This rating factors in the camp value because no one in their right mind under the age of 17 could consider any of this remotely serious.
This is probably the worst movie in the world. I only watched a little over an hour of the thing, but it was awful. I mean, it wasn't entirely boring, but it took an hour before something happened and I just gave up. Woody Harrelson made it ridiculous. And this movie is even worse in that it's gonna be obsolete after next year!

mark f

05-27-11, 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by mark f http://www.movieforums.com/community/images/buttons/lastpost.gif (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=730653#post730653)
2012 (Roland Emmerich, 2009) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/2.5box.gif - This rating factors in the camp value because no one in their right mind under the age of 17 could consider any of this remotely serious.

This is probably the worst movie in the world. I only watched a little over an hour of the thing, but it was awful. I mean, it wasn't entirely boring, but it took an hour before something happened and I just gave up. Woody Harrelson made it ridiculous. And this movie is even worse in that it's gonna be obsolete after next year!

It was already obsolete before they made it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by meatwadsprite http://www.movieforums.com/community/images/buttons/lastpost.gif (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=730654#post730654)

grave of the fireflies 1988

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

:mad::mad:wtf :down:

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

If you check closer, meaty actually gives it 3.

ash_is_the_gal

05-27-11, 07:11 PM

oh. sorry. jumped the gun.

Monkeypunch

05-27-11, 10:38 PM

The Hangover Part 2 -yes, it is essentially the same plot as the first one, but this one seemed...darker. It goes a lot further than a lot of people (including two guys seated next to me who walked out at one of the nastier moments) will want to deal with. But I laughed for 99% of the film, so it's a success in my book.

TylerDurden99

05-27-11, 10:53 PM

X-Men (2000) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif

X2 (2003) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif

X-Men: The Last Stand http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif+

True Lies (1994) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

Schindler's List (1993) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

Superman II (1980) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

The Last Boyscout http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif

Great bunch of films, especially True Lies, fantastic action comedy.

Most of these are rewatches, except for The X-Men series.

ash_is_the_gal

05-28-11, 10:17 PM

The Picnic at Hanging Rock
1975, Peter Weir
4

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m0YtPN5vgmI/R1CvW8y9luI/AAAAAAAACS8/laUHv2DRXiA/s1600-R/picnic22107_wideweb__430x350,0.jpghttp://img.listal.com/image/1678167/600full-picnic-at-hanging-rock-screenshot.jpg

Girls Will Be Girls
2003, Richard Day
4

http://daily.greencine.com/archives/girls-will-be-girls.jpg

Singin' in the Rain
1952, Stanley Donen
5

http://ospoetry.homestead.com/music2/Rain/1/SinginInTheRain5.jpg

Fitzcarraldo
1982, Werner Herzog
4

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cbrqjKyy0KE/TMekEY8m-_I/AAAAAAAAAag/s0spCAz9NN0/s1600/fitzcarraldo.gif

TylerDurden99

05-29-11, 05:01 AM

Pulp Fiction (1994) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3.5box.gif+

Fight Club (1999) I'm not sure what to rate this one. I still love it, but my appreciation for it is lessening. As soon as it starts with Project Mayhem, it loses my attention a bit. That could just be that I've watched it too many times, though.

TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_

05-29-11, 05:35 PM

Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (1997) 2_5

http://alabasterbrow.blogsome.com/images/sophie21.JPG

Anna Karenina (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000521/): What are you doing here?
Vronsky (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000293/): You know that I have come to be where you are. I cannot help myself.

Beware any film that purports to be the definitive adaptation of a novel/play- the version that the author would have wished, had they not been dead for hundreds of years. Even if Tolstoy was alive, I think he'd be hesitant to stamp his seal of approval on this film. The film's fidelity to the novel is admirable but it hinders the film.

The most intriguing relationship in the novel is ironically not that of the title character and her lover, but that of Levin and Kitty. Their relationship is touching and sweet- the perfect contrast to the madness of Anna and Vronsky. However the way this film tackles it is poor. Levin's (Alfred Molina) narration is irritating and distracting, and the film begins with some bizarre dream. Mia Kirshner as Kitty is shallow and irritating. She's pretty but that's it. It's hard to believe why Levin would fall in love with her, except for some shallow reason. It's also a little hard to believe why Kitty would fall in love with Levin. As shallow as this sounds, Molina is not much of a looker and Levin comes off as a bit weird. However for those who simply want to see how the relationship has been translated onto film, it does cover most of the basics. I believe that it covers my favourite Kitty/Levin scene in the novel- the one where they spell out coded love messages to each other with chalk.

Sophie Marceau is aesthetically spot-on for Anna. You can sympathise with this beautiful passionate young woman being tied to an old dispassionate man. A lot of comments have been made about her accent but it didn't really bother me. In the novel, pretty much all the characters speak French at some point, and it makes her stand out as being different. Those who haven't read the book may not enjoy her performance as much- she's not that great an actress- but if you want a visual when you read the novel, Marceau offers a pretty good one.

Sean Bean is Vronsky. Bean does smouldering wonderfully but he adopts a strange accent- posh English mixed with Northern. It's like Vronsky is trying to suppress his inner Northerner. So although Bean can do dashing and smouldering, he comes across as a little out of place. He's better at more earthy characters, which is shown quite nicely in the bit where he seduces Anna. Because the film was made in the nineties, it can play up the passion much more.

James Fox as Karenin is quite good, but not as good as Basil Rathbone in the 1935 film. The film includes a scene in the novel where Karenin evokes the most sympathy.

The film is shot nicely. It was shot on location at St Petersburg, clearly to add to the 'authenticity'.

You'll have probably worked out the two major flaws from my review: the film is faithful to the point where it becomes cluttered, and the filmmakers are content to simply do a SparkNotes version of the novel, with little dolls that you can visualise as you read the book.

Miss Vicky

05-30-11, 02:42 AM

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lb%2BtufuXL.jpg

Bridesmaids 3.5

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LQuU4p4IL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 3.5

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Alien Apocalypse 1.5

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vSUFJaE1L.jpg

Fido 4

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51qv7IhJ2NL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

The Switch 3

Plainview

05-30-11, 11:18 PM

Paths Of Glory (1957)
http://www.posters555.com/pictures/Paths-of-Glory-movie-poster-(1957)-picture-MOV_8c7e2c25_b.jpg
4.5

West Side Story (1961)
http://ca.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/68/MPW-34246
3.5

The Player (1992)
http://thisdistractedglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/the-player-1992-us-poster.jpg
5

Thor (2011)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WuBEBMGuNhw/TY_n8DHo3mI/AAAAAAAAMvo/C5dMwXM9F4U/s1600/Thor+Character+Movie+Poster+Set+1+-+Anthony+Hopkins+as+Odin%252C+The+King+of+Asgard.jpg
3

Double Indemnity (1944)
http://ca.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/19/b70-9859
5

Its A Wonderful Life (1946)
http://marknelson.us/attachments/2008/kerviel/Its_A_Wonderful_Life_Movie_Poster.jpg
5

F For Fake (1973)
http://images.moviepostershop.com//f-for-fake-movie-poster-1976-1010341955.jpg
4

Gone With The Wind (1939)
http://mymoviebanners.com/pics/gonewind/gone-with-the-wind-1.jpg
4.5

Lost In Translation (2003)
http://0.tqn.com/d/movies/1/0/l/K/3/lostintranslationpubl.jpg
4

A Street Car Named Desire (1951)
http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1010/259040.1010.A.jpg
2.5

The African Queen (1951)
http://www.maineboats.com/files/u2/african-queen.jpg
4

ash_is_the_gal

05-31-11, 12:53 AM

A Single Man
2009, Tom Ford
4

a conversation that took place while viewing this film:

him: the one thing i don't like about this film is how it keeps going from a lot of color to a drain of color. it just is too obvious.
me: well, it's doing that during his memories, or during times when he thinks there's meaning. i think it's supposed to be obvious. that's the point.
him: i know, but i don't like the point.

http://cinematicpassions.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/2009_a_single_man_001.jpg

Sex and Lucia
2002, Julio Medem
3.5

http://www.celebritywonder.com/mp/2002_Sex_and_Lucia/paz_vega_tristan_ulloa_sex_and_lucia_002.jpg

Rope
1948, Alfred Hitchcock
4.5

http://ticketstubbies.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/rope-film.jpg

TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_

05-31-11, 01:06 PM

A Street Car Named Desire (1951)
http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1010/259040.1010.A.jpg
2.5

Why so low for Streetcar?

linespalsy

05-31-11, 01:25 PM

A Street Car Named Desire (1951)
http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1010/259040.1010.A.jpg
2.5

Why so low for Streetcar?

Why indeed? That "low" score is even more interesting because I think you gave Kazan's later film Splendor in the Grass 4. I don't understand either of those ratings.

JayDee

05-31-11, 03:44 PM

Been feeling rather sick and crappy the last week and a bit so lost my viewing pace that I had for a while. Still managed to get a few seen though

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/The_Hudsucker_Proxy-826753950-large.jpg

The Hudsucker Proxy (first viewing) – Just trying to fill in some gaps in the Coen's back catalogue. If you were to group the Coen brothers films together this would go in along with films like Raising Arizona as being amongst their more fun, daft films.

It's a real throwback to the screwball, fast-talking comedies of the 40s. And it does it very well. It's a lot of fun, full of wit and creativity. The design of the film looks great with some fantastic sets. While it's quite breezy fun it is also a very biting and satirical film at times.

The star of the show for me has to Jennifer Jason Leigh, firing off her lines at an incredible pace while looking like she has just been plucked straight out of the 1940s. The only problem with this style of film is that it can be hard to create much heart and emotion and it does suffer a little from that. But overall good fun

3.5+

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/the_fall_movie_poster.jpg

The Fall (first viewing) – A flawed but very interesting film with some truly stunning visuals. The use of colour and the sheer epic scale of many of the locations (it was filmed in over 20 countries!) are really quite something. Just in those terms it is one of the most extraordinary films I've ever seen

The relationship between Lee Pace and the adorably cute Catinca Untaru is very sweet and charming, though a sad and dark undercurrent runs through it. The first half or so is a really adventurous fantasy, but as we learn more it takes a dark turn.

Due to it's stunning images I'd certainly recommend it as I think it's the kind of film that some people will absolutely adore. It's the kind of film I think I could possibly come to feel that way about with repeat viewings but for now

3.5+

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/the-wild-bunch_movie-poster.jpg

The Wild Bunch (first viewing) – For the first part of this film I wasn't really feeling it, wasn't getting into it, but eventually I came around and found myself gripped and engrossed by the end.

It's a violent, bloody, action-packed western; full of colourful characters who develop a bond and try to stick to a code of honour held amongst thieves. A film that sadly shows the passing of an era. There are some amazing action scenes. The opening battle and train robbery are excellent set-pieces but are overshadowed by the incredible battle that ends the film. While the characters shouldn't be particularly likeable, by the end I felt a sense of sympathy and sadness for these outlaws.

The whole cast are pretty much excellent, with William Holden and Ernest Borgnine being especially impressive.

4+

Ash - I love Rope. Excellent film :yup:

mark f

06-01-11, 07:27 AM

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Archers, 1943) 4

http://www.classicfilmpreview.com/images/Blimp2.jpghttp://media.jinni.com/movie/the-life-and-death-of-colonel-blimp/the-life-and-death-of-colonel-blimp-1.jpeg

This film has always been mind-boggling and it continues to be so today. It basically crystallizes what the Archers are about: not just being "British", but being alive and unable to confess to one's own sins. The other thing about this film is that the writing (mostly Pressburger) and the direction (mostly Maestro Powell) are so personal that it takes film to a whole new level. Yeah, past Citizen Kane, but of all the RKO Films released in 1941, I prefer The Devil and Daniel Webster to Citizen Kane, so there, and I've been to Hearst's Castle five times.

This film is mostly about love and war. Since they seem to go so "well" together it make sense. However, I'm talking about things which aren't purely visual or emotional. Michael Powell is just about the most-visionary director in film history. Some of you here probably implied it but didn't take it that far. I'm totally obsessed with his subjective shots of motorcycles and cars. He also just uses effects, angles and unique lighting to convey emotions which even van Gogh would find difficult. Major General Clive Wynne-Candy (Roger Livesey) is a very sincere British officer who has been horored from 1943 back to 1902 (and then back again since the storytelling is so damn great), but he still believes in some kind of military code involving "gentleman officers" even though it didn't occur in either World War. The thing is that "Sugar" Candy's fave male person in the world is one he met quite by accident. This friend is Teo, a German officer who "drew lots" and "won" the honor to fight Clive in a duel even if he's never seen him. It will become the key event in both men's lives since it involves Miss Hunter's presence.

Something, which you'll have to decide is important or irrelevant is that Clive is such a big-game hunter and that Edith's surname is Hunter. One of the awesome things about this flick is that the gorgeous, 22-year-old, red-headed Deborah Kerr is so important and so visionary (ahead of her time) in each of her three encarnations.

I don't mean for this to be a or even my final word about The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, but you can easily write a book about it and more than one has been written. However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of Powell's "long takes" in the final film. The first one involves Clive fighting a young punk in the "bath". He went in as a 70-year-old and came out a 30-year-old, so that's planned. The other thing which HAS to be mentioned is that Anton Walbrook was/is one of the greatest actors to have ever lived. His scene prior to Britain entering WWII, where he has to explain why he didn't ditch Nazi Germany earlier (his wife and kids were being "absorbed/destroyed") turns into a scene which can almost only rival Quint's speech about the U.S.S. Indianapolis in Jaws.

Dumbass Edit: I sure posted about lotsa flicks last page. Sorry.

Used Future

06-01-11, 07:54 AM

Great movie, great post mark. :up:

ash_is_the_gal

06-01-11, 08:53 AM

Why indeed? That "low" score is even more interesting because I think you gave Kazan's later film Splendor in the Grass 4. I don't understand either of those ratings.

yes. explain yourself!

linespalsy

06-01-11, 04:36 PM

How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman (Nelson Pereira dos Santos, 1971) 2.5
The Eel (Shohei Imamura, 1997) 3.5+ (thinking of dropping this from my top 100, but it's still really, really good)
Excalibur (John Boorman, 1981) 2.5
Tickets (Abbas Kiarostami, Ken Loach, & Ermanno Olmi, 2005) 3
Death and the Compass (Alex Cox, 1996) 3
My Blueberry Nights (Wong Kar Wai, 2007) 3+

Sleezy

06-01-11, 05:25 PM

Since I seemingly haven't posted in the Movie Tab for a while, here's my 2010/2011 recap. I take no responsibility for some of these; girlfriend has an eclectic taste in movies... or just loves blind picking on Redbox. :laugh:

Iron Man 2 3_5
Robin Hood 4
Scott Pilgrim vs the World 4_5
Alice in Wonderland 3
Red 2_5
Inception 5
The Other Guys 2
The Social Network 5
The Tourist 3_5
The American 3
Salt 3
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 4
The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader 4_5
The King's Speech 4_5
The Fighter 5
The Next Three Days 4
Tron: Legacy 2_5
Monsters 5
Ong Bak 3 2
Skyline 2_5
The Green Hornet 3_5

mark f

06-03-11, 05:10 AM

Julie Johnson (Bob Gosse, 2001) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/2.5box.gif

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b310/jetgirl78/lj2007/juliejohnson.jpg

OK, Sexy, you have to know that upfront this rating is positive. It's just that I find the flick very low-key, but it's balanced out by being mostly believable and almost something resembling lovable. So, in that way, I understand why you love it even though I thought you had a problem with lesbians in general. This is a modern tale of two best female friends who are both going through problems with their significant male others. Lili Taylor is the smart one, married with two kids, who just can't take her oblivious husband telling her no any more. She dropped out of school to get married but she really is much smarter than her husband and could probably earn much more money if she carried through with her education. Courtney Love is the sexy one who remembers how sweetly she thought about her friend when she was younger and thinks it's the right time to do something about it since she's fed up with her boyfriend. They begin a romance but as with most such movies, too many people and "things" get in the way.

Julie Johnson is a very sweet movie. For those who worry about such things, it doesn't deserve more than a PG-13 and has no nudity or "sex scenes". Instead it has, for an unfortunately brief amount of time, two attractive, mature, heretofore seemingly-straight women giving themselves over to a loving relationship which is far more tender than they ever received from the men in their lives. If the reasons for their changeover are basically skipped over, it's no biggie to me. The human heart is a mysterious thing and open to many fluctuations... as if you didn't know. The Liz Phair song score is a positive for the movie. I just wish these kinds of movies with such bittersweet endings had some better closure involving the kids and/or the people being dumped. Otherwise, Julie Johnson is just about what you would expect, at least if you just finished reading what I just wrote.

Thanks, Jason.

Other films:

That'll Be the Day (Claude, Whatham, 1973) 3 - David Essex stars in a British pseudo-version of American Graffiti. The plot isn't all that similar but the soundtrack is. If you want to see Ringo Starr give an elongated, serious performance as a guy with girls (sex) on the brain, this has gotta be you cuppa. It's too bad they haven't restored this film yet, but what we have is pretty OK.

How to Steal a Million (William Wyler, 1966) 3.5 - Incredibly entertaining heist flick with Pretty Boy Peter O'Toole teaming up with lovely Audrey Hepburn to perform one of the most-outlandish and seemingly-unserious robberies ever. Not to worry since the entire flick is a joy, and you'll only love all the twists all the more after you rewatch it.

Marathon Man (John Schlesiger, 1976) 4 - Schlesinger adapts William Goldman's novel and script and turns it into an almost perfect paranoid thriller. The characters and plot all seem to resemble a chess game, but there's no way in hell you could ever predict all the moves. Just be thankful that it's so damn entertaining and lovingly-crafted.

Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) 5 - My Bro came over and wanted to watch two of his fave flicks from the middle '70s: Marathon Man and Jaws. I admit that since he had to go home rather quickly to watch his kids that we only watched the first half of Jaws. Even if it's the "weaker" half, it's worth a full 5/5. There are far too many scenes in the first half to bring up. I mean, there's every flippin' one, but I'll mention the intro of Quint, Mrs. Kitner confronting Chief Brody on the dock, the opening scene with Chrissie getting swallowed by the shark, the awesome editing just before the gory Alex Kintner lunch, the dinner table scene between Brody and his younger son, Hooper's intro and his finding out what happened to Ben Gardner... you know, "It was a Carcharodon carcharias, a Great White!"

The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Charles Walters, 1964) 3 - I'll admit that when this started I had a difficult time relating to it. It was too-stagy, too-fake and too-blah, but about one-third of the way through they started treating Molly Brown's (Debbie Reynolds) concerns more seriously and she just started to get the upper hand on all those dense dicks in Denver. The relationship between Molly and Mr. Brown is quite serious and sad, but it's mostly the Meredith Willson score which proplels this even though it's quite faint compared to The Music Man. Debbie earned her one-and-only Best Actress nomination for this, and it's also her fave film of her own.

A Matter of Life and Death (Archers, 1946) 4 - My daughter Sarah, who has thus far made five completed films at USC Film School, asked to watch this one and I was only so happy to show it to her. She was pretty much in awe of the entire film, constantly asking me about the cinematography, editing, music and mind-bending effects. Her mind was especially blown by the gigantic closing eye (with the eyelashes) seen by the person "going under". I reminded her that there are only maybe 20-30 such incredibly directed and conceived scenes in this little opus.

Man Friday (Jack Gold, 1975) 2.5 - I will admit that I really liked this flick when I saw it at the drive-in as a teenager, but when I saw it recently, half-asleep, I have to admit that I was disappointed by what seemed like silly padding and blatant racism. I mean, even more racist than Crusoe (the wonderful Peter O'Toole) was ever depictef in the novel. There is supposed to be some irony when Friday (Richard Roundtree) turns the tables on Crusoe but not enough to clean out your palette.

Royal Flash (Richard Lester, 1975) 3.5 - Lester was on an incredible roll during the early/mid 1970s, and this humorous spoof of The Prisoner of Zenda works out very well. You've got two Malcolm McDowells, and one of each of: Alan Bates, Oliver Reed, Florinda Balkan, Lionel Jefferies, Britt Ekland, Joss Ackland, etc.

That brings me seriously close to having posted about 40 flicks in here in the last week.

mark f

06-03-11, 05:57 AM

Dag nab it, I forgot to include the one I just watched: Michael Lindsay-Hogg's The Rolling Stones: Rock 'n' Roll Circus! That was easy to discuss... maybe next time unless somebody wants me to do it NOW!

Sexy Celebrity

06-03-11, 09:27 AM

So, in that way, I understand why you love it even though I thought you had a problem with lesbians in general.

I don't have a problem with lesbians. If I did or if I said something negative about lesbians, which I probably did, I could have just been making an observation or perhaps I was totally in a bad mood. I do have a problem with the gay scene, though - especially this current Lady Gaga obsessed scene - but that's a separate story.

I'm glad you liked you the movie and I was not expecting you to give it 4 or 5 popcorn boxes. I did the right thing by telling you to rent that instead of Shiner. I agree that the dumped participants - the kids and the husbands - deserved more closure, but honestly, the hard truth is that life can be like this - the dumped don't have it easy. This is one of the cruel things I think Julie and Claire do -- especially Claire. I didn't see what was so wrong with her husband. He looked kinda hot just snoring away in his chair. But I don't mean to talk so badly about Claire as I liked her more than Julie. I don't know much about Courtney Love musically, but I like her as an actress.

TylerDurden99

06-03-11, 07:42 PM

Collateral (2004) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif

A very good thriller from Michael Mann. I especially liked Tom Cruise's solid performance as hitman Vincent. He was very professional and controlled. There are some really good action scenes and expert direction from Mann. Recommended.

Monkeypunch

06-03-11, 10:38 PM

True Grit (The John Wayne film) - I liked this a lot. John Wayne as a drunken, short tempered curmudgeon of a U.S. Marshall helping a spunky young girl track down her father's killer. Incredibly violent and casually profane for a film that's officially rated G, it's one of the Duke's best and funniest films.

(I'm sure someone will ask which I prefer, this or the more recent film, but I won't choose, both have their merits. I will say I prefer Matt Damon's LaBoeuf to Glen Campbell's, but John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn is just so gleefully corrupt and venal, I choose him over Jeff Bridges' incoherent bum portrayal.)

Sleezy

06-04-11, 01:05 AM

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/iusreview/x-men-first-class-uk-poster.jpg

X-Men: First Class (Vaughn, 2011) 4

Great flick. Not only does it smartly interweave with the 1960s to ground it, both stylistically and politically, but the whole film feels so much more genuine and believable than Bryan Singer's first two.

The characters are all very likable and both McAvoy and Fassbender stand out in their roles. Kevin Bacon's Shaw is pretty heavy-handed, but he serves the real purpose of developing the X-Men and Magneto well enough. I'm not sure why Havok and Banshee were even used, though, considering they're terribly minor and could have simply been replaced by the originals (Cyclops, Iceman, and Angel). But really, those are my paltry complaints to an otherwise excellent film.

Oh, and the cameos are absolutely awesome. You always expect to see fan favorites pop up in an X-flick, but one in particular was totally unexpected and totally worth it. :D

Fiscal

06-04-11, 04:02 AM

Biutiful (2010) Alejandro González Iñárritu

http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/sites/bfi.org.uk.llgff/files/programme_item_images/s1/biutiful_03.jpg

Bardem is incredible as a terminally ill counterfeit sales middleman trying to provide for his kids and find peace for them after his inevitable death. The film touches in some supernatural elements and is never pretentious or does it try and get too specific. It was handled spot on and with some very subtle instances that you might have to think twice about. The ending sequence was some of the best stuff I have seen on screen in a long time, it was perfect. Biutiful just surpassed Black Swan as my favorite of 2010.

5

Monkeypunch

06-04-11, 11:15 PM

Get Shorty - Fantastic Elmore Leonard gangster farce, with a uniformly great cast and tons of memorable lines. John Travolta has never been more of a movie star than he was here (And really, what has happened to him? Years and years of poor movie choices, I guess), and a hilarious supporting turn by Gene Hackman as a know-nothing film producer, but what really makes this whole movie for me? Dennis Farina's hapless mob enforcer. Awesome performance.

Don't watch the de-fanged sequel. You'll be much happier.

MovieMan8877445

06-04-11, 11:23 PM

Sleezy

06-05-11, 11:05 AM

They couldn't use Cyclops because he was only a teenager in Wolverine, and Iceman was only a teenager in X3. So both would've been too young to use.

Emma Frost was also a teenager in Wolverine: Origins, but now she's a 30-something in First Class. And Havok is supposed to be Cyclops' brother. Not to mention the fact that Beast showed up as a human in X-Men and Sabretooth has been depicted as radically different characters. So the continuity is already screwed up. I'm thinking they're more interested in just starting over.

Actually, it's weird. In some ways, First Class is trying to connect to the previous films with the look/personality of Mystique, how the story unfolds, etc (not to mention a few familiar faces that pop up in the film). But in other ways, it diverges from them. I'm not sure what to make of it, but at the very least, it appears we no longer have to accept that piece of crap Wolverine movie as X-Men canon. ;)

MovieMan8877445

06-05-11, 12:15 PM

Emma Frost was also a teenager in Wolverine: Origins, but now she's a 30-something in First Class. And Havok is supposed to be Cyclops' brother. Not to mention the fact that Beast showed up as a human in X-Men and Sabretooth has been depicted as radically different characters. So the continuity is already screwed up. I'm thinking they're more interested in just starting over.

Actually, it's weird. In some ways, First Class is trying to connect to the previous films with the look/personality of Mystique, how the story unfolds, etc (not to mention a few familiar faces that pop up in the film). But in other ways, it diverges from them. I'm not sure what to make of it, but at the very least, it appears we no longer have to accept that piece of crap Wolverine movie as X-Men canon. ;)

Yeah, I totally forgot Frost was in Wolverine. I saw it once in theaters, so it's been awhile since I last watched it. I still think they're trying to fit the canon in with the original series, but I'm pretty sure Wolverine is just doing it's own thing.

Sedai

06-05-11, 12:33 PM

X-Men : First Class (Vaughn, 2011) 4

http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/x-men-first-class-magneto-emma-frost.jpg

Great style and execution, with some minor issues here and there. Fassbender was great, but character's like Angel got sort of shuffled about where needed. It also had a bit of a check list feel to it, but I guess origin stories always do.

Very fun, especially since I saw it with John McClane!

ash_is_the_gal

06-05-11, 12:56 PM

i saw X-men: First Class this weekend, too. i give it 4 for being entertaining as hell.

nebbit

06-05-11, 06:44 PM

i saw X-men: First Class this weekend, too. i give it 4 for being entertaining as hell.
http://www.myemoticons.com/images/communicate/signs/t-v/that-s-right.gif

linespalsy

06-07-11, 12:18 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Yiz7xB17A
Detour (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1945)
A b-grade production of an early film noir that still manages to show some class and creativity. The plot kicking off with an excellent swing rendition of Brahms is the added bonus that gets this an extra half-rating from me. Ulmer's credits also include some remarkable set designs (both Metropolis and The Golem). 3

http://crazymonk.org/images/la_dolce_vita.jpg
La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960)
Didn't really get into this rather personal and long/meandering meditation on the emptiness of Roman high society in the early 60s. It features some wonderful black and white cinematography of Rome and a cameo by Nico. Worth everyone's time to give it a chance but it didn't do much for me on my first viewing. 2

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FuRLMGzFyqo/TSy2vQUBZII/AAAAAAAAABE/62g2a-D-GWE/s1600/benjamin-tilda_392.jpg
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher, 2008)
Fincher's masterpiece, so far. A movie I find more and more romantic each time I watch it. My girlfriend called it "mawkish" but you know, she usually just falls asleep when we watch a movie in bed. 4.5

http://www.movie-pix.com/Shark-Tale-Oscar.jpg
A Shark Tale (Bibo Bergeron et al, 2004)
Animation that looks bad even compared to films made 7 years ago, dull designs, and a complete lack of imagination, originality or humor. 0

http://i47.tinypic.com/ezmy5w.jpg
Project A 2 (Jackie Chan, 1987)
A typical irrelevantly plotted, stunt-heavy Jackie Chan film from when he was really nearing his peak as a stunt-man/action director. Well worth checking out for the "Steamboat Bill" and several other sequences of breathtaking physical comedy. 3

http://www.blogcdn.com/blog.moviefone.com/media/2010/10/knowingcreepyguys.jpg
Knowing (Alex Proyas, 2009)
What could very easily have been another lazy formula film becomes an excellent example of manipulating genre expectations. I fell into it as soon as they introduced us to Beethoven's seventh symphony but it's not just the apt soundtrack, but the subtly odd cinematic mood and design choices (great house, by the way) that crop up throughout the film, even in that early scene. There are some possible plot holes but I have to admit nothing bothered me much about this film. 3.5

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/3-resurrected-drunkards-500.jpg
Three Resurrected Drunkards (Nagisa Oshima, 1968)
Typical 60s Oshima that I go back and forth on. For one thing, I'm not sure there's a lot to get here after the novelty of Oshima's political/cinematic prank wears off. On the other hand, it is a really prickly, funny prank and the first time I saw this (on the big screen) I was smiling pretty much the whole time. Looking forward to re-watching some of his other films now that they seem to be getting more dvd releases. 3

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2011/05/31/xmen_first_class_8_320.jpg
X-Men: First Class (Matthew Vaughn, 2011)
I don't really get why they needed to re-boot this series or if this iteration has much new to offer in terms of story. Nothing really stood out about the cinematography or effects. Maybe I'm just feeling generous but I didn't really mind that and enjoyed seeing the matinee with my brother (who also didn't think much of it).
2.5

http://img.listal.com/image/271409/600full-the-spooky-bunch-poster.jpg
The Spooky Bunch (Ann Hui, 1980)
Along with Encounters of the Spooky Kind, this film apparently launched the sub-genre of martial arts horror. It's very hard to find and unfortunately the only copy that I could find was a crappy-looking transfer on the vhs I bought, which also has barely-readable (white-on-white) subtitles. There's a lot of comedy and romance mixed in with the horror in this film about a Cantonese acting troupe that is haunted by the vindictive ghosts of soldiers who were poisoned by phony medicine.
3

Sinny McGuffins

06-07-11, 02:12 PM

X-Men: First Class
2_5

After the brilliance of Kick-Ass I was looking forward to Vaughn's X-Men reboot for a while.

It was a promising start, but as soon as the "first class" started to emerge things got a bit silly and reminded me of Ratner's Last Stand. The whole, "so what's your power?" and "let's all come up with mutant names" sequence was so stupid and childish. Forgiveable in a comic book movie, I guess, but not the more grown up, darker version of X-Men I was hoping for.

I'd have rather have seen a whole movie about Fassbender's Magneto.

And the way things got wrapped up neatly in the end, there was no need for it. If they plan on making more from this lineage, then why not take the the time to build on Xavier and Magneto's relationship instead of rushing it and making them rivals so soon?

meatwadsprite

06-08-11, 11:19 AM

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTHGpk93P-4UKWPfIfpwcF1fiyDc2WstgMsinVcNMrxIRmJdchg 3 http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRwv3TNgN1rNTaNuHjus5rxf0XshojkmA-sscNPQ6Z7-mgK1sC0Fw 3

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCH2uSMYEjJv2YSifOBLSHIsGaj533SXcsp9jhJkQFX2rGOdt0 3 http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQXcripoMgRvKu0XTn9FnxTcApIQ6Ae_QQkiRNZCCHCzqTdKLMP 3

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRvyzx_c4yy3pE_9cxwmPD91M3z6e0wogGPQJrsoqcS-z0-qFjztA 4 http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSzf5vTvP-cKCnuI5XpkcdQrS2KqQbiQ-qW8dYpvMbhJyWPxcEw 4.5

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQHjymCKXza5nG91xQxz0SzmcUtqB7NYIxvph6576HaOYw-rbF6 4.5

Sedai

06-08-11, 11:31 AM

What bothered you about Terminator 2? That whiny kid? ;)

Yoda

06-08-11, 11:36 AM

Man, even Edward Furlong single-handedly inventing emo can't ruin Terminator 2 for me.

ash_is_the_gal

06-08-11, 11:55 AM

i concur with Yoda. though, Edward Furlong didn't bother me in this movie. i thought he pulled out a halfway decent performance.

Yoda

06-08-11, 11:59 AM

Still has some of the most hackneyed dialogue of all-time in it. But I chalk that up to Cameron's nihilism overwhelming his aesthetic sense. Which it usually does. Still an awesome movie; I'll just pretend little parts of it don't exist and enjoy the living daylights out of the rest.

Sedai

06-08-11, 12:16 PM

Yeah, I still like the flick regardless of that clown...

honeykid

06-08-11, 04:23 PM

Man, even Edward Furlong single-handedly inventing emo can't ruin Terminator 2 for me.
Absolutely. It's the fact that I'm bored before it ends that ruins it for me. I'm enjoying it till then, though, but by the end I'm just thinking "Oh, for God's sake die so I can leave!"

Pleased to see Meat giving Chinatown such a good rating, though. Brilliant film.

meatwadsprite

06-08-11, 05:31 PM

Yeah thought the finale was pretty weak. The kid is stupid and then stuff like this.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRo2l4a7uLRKBSoIcCJX94RnhSZoAw6GU36wfTkBS1duwFrxAdYEA

Sinny McGuffins

06-09-11, 12:10 AM

For the past year or so, I haven't been able to get into films as much as I used to. But I'm trying to remedy that by going through the MoFo checklists and re-watching some of the classics.

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
4

Citizen Kane (1941)
5

Paths of Glory (1957)
5

All Quiet on the Western Front was the only film I hadn't seen before. I was impressed at the scale of it considering the year it was made, but it's epic scope was a bit exhausting for me. Though I definitely see it's significance as an important film classic.

It was only my second viewing for both Kane and Paths of Glory. It's been years since I saw them both too. I still think they're two of the best achievements in film I've ever seen.

MovieMan8877445

06-09-11, 10:45 PM

True Grit - 4

First time watching it since the midnight showing, and I liked it about the same. Another great film from the Coen Brothers, other than A Serious Man, they've been on a role lately. The scenery is just gorgeous to look at, as it is with most westerns. I still have to see the original, though.

http://moviegeekblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/true-grit2010.jpg

ash_is_the_gal

06-10-11, 07:57 PM

Kid Galahad
Michael Curtiz, 1937
3.5

http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Robinson,%20Edward%20G/Annex/Annex%20-%20Robinson,%20Edward%20G.%20(Kid%20Galahad)_02.jpg

Cannibal! The Musical
Trey Parker, 1996
3

http://www.filmid.planet.ee/juuli/cannibal6.jpg

La Belle et La Bête
Jean Cocteau, 1946
4.5

http://doctormagiot.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/la-belle-et-la-bete.jpg

Golgot

06-10-11, 10:55 PM

La Belle et La Bête
Jean Cocteau, 1946
4.5

Hexplain? Looks good (in a 'Dorothy gets well-dressed lion' kinda way ;))

*Please apply said question to said other films too ;)*

*Minus the civil bestiality. And flying monkeys.*

Monkeypunch

06-10-11, 11:47 PM

X-Men First Class - Best X-Men film ever. It's one of the only ones that actually feels like the X-men from the comics. I liked the Bryan Singer ones, but compared to this new film, they're clunky and seem like the work of someone who's never read a comic...ever. I hope that they continue with this new series, it's fantastic, especially the actor who plays Magneto. Intense performance.

Sexy Celebrity

06-11-11, 02:53 AM

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Observer/Pix/pictures/2009/12/17/1261074977383/humpday-duplass-leonard-001.jpg
Humpday
(directed by Lynn Shelton, 2009)
Two straight guys decide to make an artistic porno film where they have sex with each other.
3
They ended up not having sex with each other. Yawnfest.

planet news

06-11-11, 03:26 AM

I actually liked it. I thought it addressed some nice issues about how straight people behave when confronted with homosexuality and how true straightness is always in some sense a minimal acknowledgement of homosexuality, not a repression of it.

Sexy Celebrity

06-11-11, 04:26 AM

In fairness, I didn't give the movie my fullest attention, thus the reason I didn't post a full blown review in my review thread, but I thought I attended to it enough to give it a three star rating. Something about it still wasn't captivating enough.

will.15

06-11-11, 05:27 AM

I wouldn't watch that movie on a bet.

I would watch this movie:

MovieMan8877445

06-11-11, 07:22 PM

Midnight in Paris - 3.5+

I was going to type up a full review for it, but I was being lazy. I had a chance to catch this in theaters today and it was quite good. I wasn't really that excited about seeing it, so I can't say it lived up to my expectations, but it really surprised me. I loved all the classic author references - they made me chuckle. It just really makes me wanna go visit Paris, which I'm sure I'll get to one day.

http://movie-area.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Midnight-in-Paris-2011-Picture-Owen-Wilson-Rachel-McAdams.jpg

mark f

06-11-11, 09:37 PM

Sexy Celebrity

06-11-11, 09:42 PM

I wanted to see Midnight in Paris last night, but the person accompanying me wanted to go see Super 8. In the end, Netflix and Humpday won.

MovieMan8877445

06-11-11, 10:28 PM

This is the first movie I ever got Sarah to rate since she watched it at USC before its release. She gave it a 7/10 and told me how it's impossible to tell what the plot even is from the trailer and ads.

Yeah, I haven't watched the trailer in awhile, but I do remember the trailer making it seem like something completely different.

mark f

06-13-11, 01:29 AM

True Grit (Coen Bros., 2010) 3.5+

http://www.ayushveda.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/True-Grit1.jpg

I want to compare this exemplary flick to the John Wayne version. I actually give both versions the same rating although I thought that for awhile I might give this one a slightly higher rating. Let me tell you what I think of these two flicks which really aren't all that different if you're actually paying attention. I will admit that I've seen the Wayne version about 10 times so I basically have that one memorized and sometimes it's not described very accurately at that. For example, this flick is rated PG-13 and I don't think it's any more violent or profane than John Wayne's G-rated version. In Wayne's version you actually see Dennis Hopper's fingers fly off the knife. It tells you more about the era and the evolution of the MPAA than anything else.

http://www.jwaynefan.com/images/dvds/true_grit_30.jpg

This version has a terrific performance by Hailee Steinfeld and Matt Damon is much better than Glen Campbell as Shia's great-great-great grandfather. However, I think that Robert Duvall, Jeff Corey, Dennis Hopper and General Sterling Price are better than Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper and whoever the hell else they had here. Even the guy playing the Strother Martin role was obviously doing an imitation of Strother and it wasn't nearly as good. (Sorry, Holds.) Next, we get to the lead Rooster Cogburn. Bridges is very good. I thought he may have been trying to do Don Corleone, but then Josh Brolin sounded like he was too! But there's no way in hell that anyone who doesn't believe that John Wayne is such a Duck (from Unforgiven) won't think that Wayne is better than Bridges. I mean, Bridges, in my opinion, is better than his year-earlier Academy Award-winning performance, but he still ain't no John Wayne, and the people who think that Wayne did not give a performance as Rooster are in pure denial.

http://www.soundonsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/josh-brolin-as-tom-chaney-in-true-grit-2010.jpg

Other changes worth noting include the fact that the the intro to Matty was different, the intro to LeBeouf was different, the ending was completely transposed. What happened to LeBeouf seems to happen to Rooster, what happens to other characters seems to happen to Mattie, and thus perhaps it may seem less sentimental, but I don't really think it is. Steinfeld is excellent but the fact that she isn't there at the end of the film and is played by her older self seems to rob the character and the film of some of its emotional power. Unlike many others, I've always enjoyed Kim Darby in the original. Of course, it's a bookend and the opening bookend is also quite different than the original flick.

http://cdn.hometheaterforum.com/1/1e/1e2dd572_true-grit-2010-20101209113022859_640w-542x360.jpg

Something else I want to say is that Lucien Ballard's cinematography in the original is gorgeous and full of green trees, meadows, blue water and other very colorful locations. The Coens have Roger Deakins as DP but his pallette almost seems to rival what he did in Fargo. All the greens have turned grey, there is very little water and snow pops up in more than one scene. Apparently this is meant to highlight a difference in seasons and the fact that Arkansas and the Indian Nation just aren't that ripe and luscious as they seemed in the original which was admittedly shot further west than the story was set. There are quite a few other scenes which are different in this newer flick but I'll get to those later if anybody even cares. It's a solid movie, but with such a great plot, I'm not sure how it couldn't be. I'll try to come back and add some more later because although about 85% is the same, it's interesting and/or weird the small part which is different. Did Bridges steal Marlon Brando's Kleenex from The Godfather? Was Bridges' right eye covered because he's somehow left-wing while John Wayne's left eye was covered because he was super right-wing? I have no idea, but it's a thought. Irrelevant to two very good movies, but a thought.

Sexy Celebrity

06-13-11, 01:34 AM

I have the new True Grit. I will probably be watching it soon. I have never seen the original, though. Good review.

planet news

06-13-11, 01:50 AM

Nice comparison, Mark. I never really have opinions on "those kinds" of performances. Neither seems very distinctive to me, but that's my inattention. Didn't pick up Don Corleone at all either....

Of course, it's a bookend and the opening bookend is also quite different than the original flick.Yeah, it was pretty much stripped down to a single shot and voiceover. That is interesting that the Coens felt they could take more liberties at the ends of the film while much of the middle is almost shot-by-shot.

Funny speculations about the eye patch. :laugh:

Brodinski

06-13-11, 08:04 AM

The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982, Greenaway)

http://qag.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0003/74883/varieties/Thumbnail_320.jpg

I FINALLY saw this last weekend and I was blown away by it. At first, The Draughtsman’s Contract might seem inaccessible due to the highly pompous dialogue and the fact that you’re thrown in some kind of party setting without really knowing the context. After the first 15 minutes however, everything is put into perspective and you can truly begin to enjoy the seminal achievement that is The Draughtsman’s Contract. This is a social satire with some of the sharpest, wittiest dialogue you’ll ever have heard on a big or small screen; a murder mystery on par with some of the greatest told in cinematic history, and an exploration of late 17th century aristocratic life. And then I haven't even begun to talk about the multi-layered character of The Draughtsman's Contract.

All of this is wrapped in a stunning visual package, with some of the most beautiful countryside imagery. The level of detail put into the costumes and haughty behavior of the actors is nothing short of exquisite and Michael Nyman’s score is fabulous. Moreover, this is a film that will most certainly reward multiple viewings. There’s no way you can fully grasp all the details and symbolism put into the dialogues and surroundings on first, second or even third viewing.

Having read all this, it will come as no surprise that I regard The Draughtsman’s Contract to be a bonafide masterpiece. I think it’s not only Greenaway’s best film, but one of the best films of the 80s. If you ever get the chance to watch this, do it. You won’t regret it.

4.5

Team America: World Police (2004, Parker)
Pubescent persiflage of Jerry Bruckheimer films, mixed with satire and some penis jokes.
2.5

Thelma & Louise (1991, Ridley Scott)
Well-paced road movie with some nice cinematography, good dialogue and solid performances.
3+

Rudy (1993, Anspaugh)
Good sports movie about the classic underdog and how he has to endure to eventually get what he wants, only with a slight twist here. I liked how the whole story was built up, as you really come to feel for Rudy. A lot of attention is spent on how Rudy has to juggle so many activities and works his butt off just to chase that one dream of his. It’s a bit too sentimental at times, but in the end, I couldn’t help cheering for the kid.
3.5

The Ice Storm (1997, Lee)
Relationship drama about free love, hypocrisy, and desperateness in the 70s. A fairly somber film with some solid performances and great cinematography.
3+

http://jacobwilliamson.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/film_426w_icestorm.jpg

In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2007, Holdridge)
Sweet, funny, clever gem of a romcom. It’s an irresistible ode to L.A. and screwball comedies.
3.5

Django (1966, Corbucci)

http://m.blog.hu/he/hesgotcancer/image/django.jpg

Spaghetti western with a simplistic, but well-paced story, some laughs and good directing from Corbucci. It’s no Sergio Leone, but this is bloody entertaining too.
3.5

The Mosquito Coast (1986, Weir)
Harrison Ford excels in his role, but the all-around solid performances and beautiful cinematography can’t disguise the fact that the story is drawn-out.
2.5+

Tehilim (2007, Nadjari)
Intimate, sensitive Jewish family drama about love, faith and hope, with a little TOO much stress on faith and rather annoying wild camera movements
2.5

The Italian Job (1969, Collinson)
Supremely entertaining caper flick that is evenly paced, contains great performances (Caine is exquisite), witty dialogues and beautiful cinematorgraphy.
3.5+

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2009/1/23/1232707805153/The-Italian-Job-001.jpg

Homo Faber (1991; Schlöndorff)
Philosophical artflick that nearly collapses under its weight. A lighter tone would’ve been most welcome.
2+

Videodrome (1983, Cronenburg)
Hmm, early on, you’re kind of searching for the point of what is being shown and as a result, you can’t really relate to the story or characters. Also, it was a bit too weird for my taste. I’m sure there are some messages hidden in this film somewhere, but they flew right past me, because I couldn’t get into it.
2.5

A Perfect Murder (1998, Davis)
Inferior remake of Hitchcock’s classic Dial M For Murder. I like the seemingly simplistic set-up and evolution of the story, the solid performances (Michael Douglas is very good) and the pace. However, there do seem to be some plot flaws and the ending wasn’t to my liking.
3

And some more:

Red River (1948, Hawks & Rosson): 3.5 (would’ve been higher if it weren’t for the anti-climactic ending)
Scarecrow(1973, Schatzberg): 3.5
The Spiral Staircase(Siodmak, 1945): 3.5+ (I’ve yet to see a Siodmak I’m not fond of)
Ride The Pink Horse (Montgomery, 1947): 3+
Antonio Das Mortes (1969, Rocha): 2.5
Atlantic City (1980, Malle): 3+
Romance & Cigarettes (2005, Turturro): 3.5 (underappreciated and underwatched)
The Conversation (1974, Coppola): 4

ash_is_the_gal

06-13-11, 09:01 AM

The Ice Storm is brilliant.

Brodinski

06-13-11, 10:43 AM

Elaborate.

Sexy Celebrity

06-13-11, 12:02 PM

I should watch The Ice Storm again. I can't remember if I even finished it the first/last time I started watching it (in '06 or '07). I recently bought it but it's been sitting on a shelf.

ash_is_the_gal

06-13-11, 12:20 PM

Elaborate.

ok, i promise i will tonight when i have more time!

linespalsy

06-13-11, 12:44 PM

Yay, the Draughtsman's Contract is awesome!

ash_is_the_gal

06-13-11, 07:11 PM

Hexplain? Looks good (in a 'Dorothy gets well-dressed lion' kinda way ;))

*Please apply said question to said other films too ;)*

*Minus the civil bestiality. And flying monkeys.*

this was actually a film i watched for the Movie Trade-Off game. you can read my review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=734051)!

ash_is_the_gal

06-13-11, 07:23 PM

Junebug
Phil Morrison, 2005
4

http://redhotchilliproject.com/images/335.jpg

Raging Bull
Martin Scorsese, 1980
5

http://beyondmediaonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/ragingbull1.jpg

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Stanley Kubrick, 1964
4

http://www.indelibleinc.com/kubrick/films/strangelove/images/warroom1.jpg

Win Win
Thomas McCarthy, 2010
4.5

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/files/2011/03/18/img-win-win_153608211139.png

Super 8
J.J. Abrams, 2011
3

http://geeksofdoom.com/GoD/img/2011/02/2011-02-06-super8-e1297053099173.png

JayDee

06-15-11, 01:05 PM

I've been busy trying to organise and post my top 100 list so fallen behind with little mini reviews of films I've seen. For now I'll just post scores and try to return to them at some point soon with a few words if I can

An American Werewolf in London (John Landis, 1981) 4.5
Blood Simple (Coen brothers, 1984) 4
Brick (Rian Johnson, 2005) 4
The Sting (George Roy Hill, 1973)3.5+
Buffalo Soldiers (Gregor Jordan, 2001) 3.5+
Bombon el Perro (Carlos Sorin, 2004) 3.5
Kontroll (Nimrod Antall, 2003) 3.5

Sinny McGuffins

06-15-11, 02:16 PM

Vertigo (1958, Hitchcock)

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h301/fmrjscm/vertigo.jpg

I first watched this years ago when I bought Hitch's boxset, and I wasn't that impressed. I might not have even finished it, to be honest, because I totally forgot what happened at the end. But today I thought I'd finally sit down for a second viewing, seeing how many regard it as one the greatest films of all time and all.

This time round, it certainly left an impression on me, but something about the third act was just off. Can't quite put my finger on it, but it has a lot to do with the introduction of Judy and how Scottie interacts with her. There's a few things I felt could have been changed slightly to make it more mysterious and suspenseful, but who am I to question The Master?

It's a very good film, beautifully shot and scored, with a pretty good story. Just slightly let down by the last 15 minutes or so.

4

meatwadsprite

06-15-11, 10:43 PM

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ99ff9OsswMVlCF5lRRwh2yy6NuJxli9zzzJsnDDqd8o2QudgosA 2.5 http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSR1FtbPKSdB4ixJnkQ2K7cAN43C2b-WNV_s13iTX5QyTTYTopO 3

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQSjgv4rwCr4mV-wsxjU67pcwzoDrJu03a_bI27_k6A1m8E3bqd 3 http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTAQ-0xJTiXUUp8h7y5-kH-s1mr4F8aZgJbUvMvTABpWCLa1ue5iw 3

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZsAhjR_acDQn1uxhIwLoQ_c6K1Cae1x7wHWud0FxbL4sRmwBN_Q 5

linespalsy

06-16-11, 10:49 AM

Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott, 1991) 3.5
The Green Hornet (Michel Gondry, 2011) 2.5
Penny Serenade (George Stevens, 1941) 3
Mushi-Shi (Katsuhiro Otomo, 2006) 2
Dial M for Murder (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954) 3
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958) 4+
Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001) 2.5
Kung Fu Panda 2 (Jennifer Yuh, 2011) 3
The Masseurs and a Woman (Hiroshi Shimizu, 1938) 2.5
Gozu (Takashi Miike, 2003) 2.5
Jules and Jim (Francois Truffaut, 1962) 2.5
L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960) 3
Autumn Sonata (Ingmar Bergman, 1978) 2.5
Cube (Vincenzo Natali, 1997) 3.5

mark f

06-16-11, 11:01 AM

I don't get why L'Avventura is a full rating higher than La Dolce Vita.

ash_is_the_gal

06-16-11, 11:17 AM

i don't get why nearly everything there is a "meh" rating.

linespalsy

06-16-11, 11:28 AM

I don't get why L'Avventura is a full rating higher than La Dolce Vita.

Because I found it that much more entertaining and exciting? I'll have to think on it some more, but basically the difference between the two movies seems to be the mystery plot/disappearance theme of L'Avventura (which felt underdeveloped or I might have rated it even higher) and the cinematography/setting, which reminded me of Picnic at Hanging Rock and had no parallel in La Dolce Vita.

i don't get why nearly everything there is a "meh" rating.

I try to use the popcorn boxes so that I have more leeway to differentiate between shades of liking than shades of disliking.

2 is "meh, but not completely devoid of value"
2.5 is "kinda meh"/"average"/"okay"
3 is "good, but with some slight reservations"/"good, but not great"
3.5 is "very good. nothing meh about it."
4 is "excellent, unique, and highly entertaining."

and anything above that is definitely on my short "favorites" list.

honeykid

06-16-11, 12:21 PM

I've yet to see L'Avventura (I have it recorded) but, as I agreed with Lines thoughts on La Dolce Vita, I'm looking forward to this a lot more, now.

mark f

06-16-11, 01:42 PM

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (Michael Lindsay-Hogg, 1996) 3+ - An hour-long musical extravaganza, recorded in 1968 and originally intended to be broadcast on TV, features terrific performances by Jethro Tull, The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, The Dirty Mac (John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Mitch Mitchell) with special guest Yoko Ono, and the Rolling Stones. Just about every song is great, so the biggest problem is that it's too short. This is the last time that Brian Jones played with the Stones.
http://www.memeticians.com/2008/01/03/stones1968_11.jpg

The Defiant Ones (Stanley Kramer, 1958) 3 - This thriller wrapped around a message doesn't quite hold up as well as it used to, but it still has solid performances by Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier as two escaped cons who don't know whether they want to kill each other or help each other escape. The trick is that they are handcuffed together while being pursued by the police and bloodhounds. It's still entertaining but ultimately simple and a bit predictable.
http://www.thefilmyap.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/The-Defiant-Ones-inside.jpg

The Pianist (Roman Polanski, 2002) 3.5+ - Matter-of-fact treatment of the Holocaust is often lowkey in its presentation of the horrors which befell Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) during the forming and destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto. However, this presentation allows individual scenes to sting as bolts of lightning, and the last part of the film where Szpilman hides and is protected by a German officer (Thomas Kretschmann) certainly presents a side of WWII rarely focused upon.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5211/5471523802_dac21a50b7.jpg

Standing in the Shadows of Motown (Paul Justman, 2002) 3+ - Exhilarating documentary reminiscing about the Funk Brothers, the backing band which played on ALL of Motown's biggest hits in the '60s and '70s. Intercut with interviews, photos and archival footage are new concert performances with the surviving Funk Brothers. The soundtrack is mind-boggling, featuring such treasures as "Heatwave", "What's Going On", "Shotgun", "You Really Got a Hold on Me", "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", "My Girl", "Baby Love", etc.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YrNV4JnY_ko/S-oYKYzC5HI/AAAAAAAAAEg/lKKATfU2Oqc/s1600/funkbrothers.jpg

Saturn in Opposition (Ferzan Ozpetek, 2007) 2.5 - Italian film about the relationships of several friends and lovers (both straight and gay) and how they're affected when an unforseen tragedy occurs. The characters and acting are above average even though the plot twist halfway through changes the proceedings from something more comedic to very serious and also slows the film's pace down considerably.
http://arttattler.com/Images/NorthAmerica/NewYork/MoMA/Ferzan%20Ozpetek/Foto718Saturnocontro.PierfrancescoFavino.LucaArgentero.jpg

The Pride and the Passion (Stanley Kramer, 1957) 2.5 - Huge adventure epic, shot in Spain, set during the Napoleonic Wars and featuring three big stars (Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Sophia Loren) is pretty hokey for most of the running time. However, since the plot concerns a gigantic cannon and the last half-hour is a rousing use of that cannon on a huge fortress, the film is worth checking out on a lazy day for the spectacular conclusion. This was one of those films I grew up watching repeatedly on TV.
http://www.thecolumnists.com/stanley/stanley54art4.jpg

Ocean's Eleven (Lewis Milestone, 1960) 3.5 - Laid-back original version of the story features most of the Rat Pack as they proceed to rob five Las Vegas casinos in one night. Although it's not as razzle-dazzle as the remake, it certainly provides plenty of entertainment between the cast, all the planning and the solid foundation of a good plot with a twist ending. The frosting on the cake is Dino singing "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" and Sammy Davis Jr. doing "EE-O-Leven".
http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/201001/05/01/c0093101_0201271.jpg

Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow, 1987) 3.5 - Modern updating of the traditional vampire saga has a young cowboy (Adrian Pasdar) turned by a pretty young thing (Jenny Wright) and joining her "family" traveling throughout the Southwest in an RV. Bigelow gets to show off plenty of style and the vampire lore is tweaked enough to keep the viewer off-guard and on their toes. The "family" is gloriously played by veterans from Aliens (Bill Paxton, Lance Hendrickson and Jenette Goldstein) and young Joshua Miller, while the cowboy's Dad (Tim Thomerson) and young sister (Marcie Leeds) search for the missing teenager.
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Prizzi's Honor (John Huston, 1985) 4 - Devilishly funny dark comedy/lowkey spoof of The Godfather has a wonderful cast working at high levels matched by the director's obvious glee in being able to send up the ultimate gangster flick. Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner have tremendous chemistry, William Hickey is a hoot and a half as The Godfather ("You want a cookie?") and Anjelica Huston is voracious as the jilted girlfriend. Key Line - "Do I ice her? Do I marry her?"
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The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993) 4 - Wonderful stop-motion miracle with a terrific voice cast, colorful visuals and delightful songs, all filtered through the mind of Tim Burton. It's a unique twist on a holiday film and is just weird enough and funny enough to please most everybody. Chris Sarandon voices the lead Jack Skellington while Danny Elfman sings him beautifully. Oogie Boogie is a major highlight and look, it's William Hickey again as Dr. Finkelstein!
http://www.gmanreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Nightmare-Before-Christmas-Skeleton-Cause.jpg

Cyborg (Albert Pyun, 1989) 2 - Basic Jean-Claude Van Damme action/sci-fi "epic" with a crapload of kicking and not all that much else. For a low-budget flick, it looks OK, but since I think I slept through part of this, I may actually be overrating it.
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Susan Slade (Delmer Daves, 1961) 2.5 - Basically a follow-up to the wildly-successful A Summer Place, this soap opera has spectacular on-location filming at the Monterey, California coast as its chief form of cinematic enjoyment. Otherwise, it's a tried-and-true melodrama about unwed teenage mothers, unrequited love, parents who misunderstand their children, and the love of horses. The director, Troy Donahue and Dorothy McGuire all return from the earlier flick, but Connie Stevens replaces Sandra Dee here.
http://www.coffeecoffeeandmorecoffee.com/archives/susan%20slade%203.jpg

Without Love (Harold S. Bucquet, 1945) 3 - Fine Tracy/Hepburn romantic comedy has him playing a scientist and her his assistant. Against his better judgment they decide to get married to have some companionship even though the relationship is strictly platonic. Needless to say, it's even even harder than they think. The rapport between Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy is a joy to watch, and there's a nice supporting role for Lucille Ball too.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vOB4cz8q-g4/TZ1JpdUYxpI/AAAAAAAAB3c/k5iLaI-V1Iw/s1600/SpencerWithoutLove.jpg

Innocence (Paul Cox, 2000) 3 - Mature, intelligent Australian film about the importance of passion in one's life and the balance between how much love someone can give (sacrifice) and how much they can receive. Director Cox utilizes an unusual storytelling device. We see a pair of twentysomething lovers causht up in a headstrong romance but we never hear them talk and we never know how they met or why they parted. The remainder of the film is these two same people, about 45 years older, who meet again and rekindle their passion, although the man is a widower and the woman is trapped in a loveless marriage. The film is far more thoughtful on its complex subject than most any I've seen, even if the actual "plot" is very simple. Great performances by Julia Blake and Charles Tingwell as the older couple.
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Yoda

06-16-11, 01:44 PM

The Nightmare Before Christmas and Cyborg. I really hope that was a double feature.

meatwadsprite

06-17-11, 06:29 AM

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The Thin Red Line 1998

It looks good, but the atmosphere of the jungle is about the only thing this movie gets right. Strong performances from Nick Nolte, James Caviezel, and Sean Penn go to waste in a screenplay with near nothing to say or do. The bulk of Thin Red Line is monologues set over montages of soilders walking around on the island, a few of them are good, and a lot of them are trash. With almost no narrative drive, it tests your patience at times.

2

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The Hurt Locker 2010

And now for a complete reversal.

4

MovieMan8877445

06-18-11, 01:55 AM

The Killing (Stanley Kubrick, 1956) - 3

Decent enough film, but it was just too simple for a Kubrick film. If I hadn't already been aware that he directed it before watching it then I wouldn't have even been able to guess that he directed it. I'm sure for the time it came out that it was something unique, but the way he made this seems to be the basis for my heist films that come out now so it didn't really do much for me. The ending I also felt was incredibly rushed.

Bronson (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2008) - 4+

This one quite surprised me, because to be honest I thought it was about something completely different before watching it. Tom Hardy gives an incredibly performance, reminding me of Alex DeLarge quite a few times throughout the film. The score I felt was really fitting, also somewhat reminding me of A Clockwork Orange sometimes throughout.

From Dusk Til Dawn (Robert Rodriquez, 1996) - 3.5

My friend hadn't seen this until the other night, so I decided to bring it over to his house and watch it with him. It's just pure cheesy goodness. It's just so incredibly fun to watch, I just can't imagine someone not having fun watching it.

Animal Kingdom (David Michôd, 2010) - 4.5

The best movie that I've seen it awhile. I love gangster films, but this film just surprised me because I never thought it'd be this good. It's quite possibly one of the fastest paced films I've ever seen, they really know how to keep you into the film.

http://www.altfg.com/Stars/photo-actors-j/joel-edgerton-animal-kingdom.JPG

The Fall (Tarsem Singh, 2006) - 3.5+

The visuals for this are just jaw-dropping. I wasn't that big of a fan of the ending, I just feel like they could've done something more. Also, the switching between real life and fairy tale got a bit annoying sometimes, but other than that it's just a fantastic film.

Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008) - 4

I was expecting something somewhat inspirational before watching this, but instead I got an incredibly depressing film. The trailer really mislead on this one. Nevertheless, it still was an incredibly good film though depressing. Michael Fassenbender does a stunning job. There were just such long takes throughout the film and he nailed all of them perfectly, I thought. It's just so depressing, so I wouldn't watch if you're planning on going to do something afterwards.

Django (Sergio Corbucci, 1966) - 2

I don't what happened with this one, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I'm usually a pretty big fan of westerns too, but this one just didn't do it for me. To be honest though, my only real sudden spark of interest in watching it was Tarantino's upcoming western, which I'm sure has absolutely nothing to do with this one.

M (Fritz Lang, 1931) - 4+

I've owned it for months now, but only just got around to watching it tonight. I really enjoyed it, I was pretty much hooked from the beginning. It shows you what happens when paranoia strikes a huge group of people. The film unfolds so well, I thought. One of my problems with it though was the random silent tracks that would happen spontaneously. I understand when it came out and that it was Lang's first talking film, but it still bothered me nonetheless.

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/29/29_images/029m.jpg

Man Bites Dog (Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, and Benoît Poelvoorde, 1992) - 3+

Okay, I'm a bit confused - was this a real documentary? I didn't think it was, but the ending had me second guessing myself. Anyways, I understand the point it was trying to get across, but it didn't really do much for me. I really could've cared less if I even watched it or not.