Movie Tab II [Archive] - Page 59

thracian dawg

09-17-11, 12:39 PM

I'm a bit confused by this statement. Were you expecting change and resolution? If so, what sort of resolution would you have had?

Change. That's a cardinal rule. Movie characters go through a series of difficult obstacles to achieve a goal and learn something about themselves or become better people as a result. So I always expect the main characters in a movie to change---if not a lot, then at least a little by the end of the film.

Resolution. A film's ending contains several elements. The resolution specifically refers to the problem posed by the film, in which the ending provides. In the film, the problem is cradle to grave racism in their lives. The movie infers the book helped bring about real changes in Jackson, Mississippi. Not even close. Change was brought about by the thousands of individuals, through active non-violent protest: lunch counter sit-ins; marches; boycott campaigns. Which comes from the exact time period, and the film is careful not to show.

Possible spoilers!
　

There's a scene where Aibleen vents their frustration. She mentions the maids get paid 97 cents (?) a day. There's no job security. Aibleen's own son dies from an on the job accident---which she mistakenly attributes to racism. There's a few stories about some women working their whole life for one family and being turfed out after 40 years of loyal service for something trivial. Skeeter's long time housekeeper being one of them. I assumed the maids were going to band together collectively at the very least, or maybe join up with other civil rights protests going on all around in the city, instead they jus' help Miss Skeeter with her book project.

Skeeter writes a book about what it's like to be a maid in Jackson Mississippi. But when she gets a job offer in New York because of the book, she immediately leaves for the big apple, making the whole exercise at best, merely padding for her CV---or at worse, she herself exploited these women. Also, the book isn't even from the time period, it was published in 2009!

But rethinking it over. The last scene in the film where Aibleen walks up the road (after being fired) mentions that she's going to become a writer. Had they added a few more scenes showing she had attained that dream, that would have been enough change and resolution for this viewer.

Monkeypunch

09-17-11, 01:43 PM

Last night was movie night at the Monkey house, so:

Resident Evil: Afterlife - This wasn't bad, per say, but there were so many glaring logic flaws, it was hard to really get into the story. I know, I shouldn't expect films like this to make sense, but you know? I want a semblance of a story to go along with the action...

Yes Man - Funny film about Jim Carrey joining a cult led by General Zod...okay, thats not the plot...this was much funnier than I'd expected it to be.

28 Days Later - You know, i loved this movie, but it is a terrible choice for a film on date night? LOL. But really, it's an awesome flick. For the real zombie experience, get chicken wings, and whenever a zombie bites into someone, eat a wing. It's kind of awesome.

Hanna - Strange, fun movie about a little albino girl trained to be a killing machine by the guy from Hulk, and hunted down by a woman with a very fake southern accent. I rather liked this one, actually.

TylerDurden99

09-17-11, 08:51 PM

Equilibrium (2002) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3box.gif

Some excellent "gunkata" sequences and an unforgettable scene involving a puppy can't outweigh the flaws, including the fact that many of the actors show emotion and the ending feels very abrupt.

akatemple

09-18-11, 02:21 AM

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30 Days of Night: Dark Days

Directed by: Ben Ketai
Written by: Steve Niles and Ben Ketai

I’m not sure what I am more disappointed in, the fact that I wasted 92 minutes of my life or that I wasted time waiting for this to arrive from Netflix. The story is about Stella, the only survivor from Barrow’s Alaska (30 Days 30 Nights) as she tries to get people to believe what happened. She soon meets 3 people who have had similar run ins with Vampires.
There is a queen in this movie of course, A queen which they must kill in order to stop the Vampire attacks from happening. Getting to the Queen will be difficult and matched with equally horrible CGI Vampire scenes. The only good CGI scenes in this movie are from the flashbacks from the original movie.
Seriously don’t waste your time with this movie. In my opinion it is just a pathetic excuse to make money off of a movie that was good. You will never get this time back so just go and do something you enjoy for about 92 minutes. The only redeeming part of this movie is Stella (Kiele Sanchez) she is really hot and that’s all I have to say about that.

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Running Time: 92 Minutes
Rated: R

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Brodinski

09-18-11, 07:22 AM

many of the actors show emotion

Isn't that the point of acting? Or didn't people experience emotions in Equilibrium? Watched that flick a year or two ago, didn't think much of it so I don't remember what it was about or anything.

TylerDurden99

09-18-11, 07:58 AM

The characters in Equilibrium take a drug that supresses all emotions. The worst offender is Taye Diggs, who smiles, smirks and yells with passion throughout.

Godoggo

09-18-11, 10:16 PM

The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009 Daniel Alfredson)

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For the first part of this movie, I thought I might like it better than TGWTDT. It seemed to have a better story and more focus. Then the pacing slows to a grinding halt and it feels like the movie will never end. That's never a good thing. I won't be bothering with the third installment. D

Oceans (2009 Jacques Perrin Jacques Cluzaud)

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If ever a movie serves a dual purpose as a sedative this one is it. With its soothing score, tranquil blue of the ocean, sounds of crashing waves and Pierce Brosnan's soothing monotone voice and his slight English accent I was nearly in a trance. Even when; as will always happen docs such as these; nature was eating nature, it just happens. No scary Jaws type music; nothing to disturb you from your trance.

It's not very informative. Only those with almost no knowledge of oceanography will find this an educational documentary, but it's gorgeous to look at and did I mention how relaxing it is? B

Day of Wrath (1943 Carl Dreyer)

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Day of Wrath takes place in the 1600's when witchcraft was widely believed in and women were frequently burned because of a mere accusation. A very dangerous time for woman and it's the background of this story.

The main character of the story is Anna. She was married to Absalon while she was still a child and lives with him and his mother. Absalon is a pastor who saves Anna's mother from being burned at the stake in order to marry Anna. Absalon's mother is disapproving of the marriage between Anna and her son because of the vast age difference. There are other reasons under the surface as well and you get the sense that she views Anna as a dangerous woman. Then there is Martin. Martin is Absalon's son and only a few years older than Anna. Martin comes to stay with his father and that is when he and Anna fall in love.

These characters put a very human and personal face to all the different themes in this movie and there are many. The director has a point of view for sure, but allows the viewer to have one of there own as well. For example, each character could be seen as having done something morally corrupt. I think lots of different people would come away as to what degree though.

Dreyer does this movie in such an understated simple way, but it's thoroughly complex in it's ideas and the nature of its characters. I could literally discuss this movie for hours. Loved it. :) A+

akatemple

09-18-11, 10:21 PM

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My Left Foot

Directed by: Jim Sheridan
Written by: Shane Connaughton and Jim Sheridan
The Novel was written by: Christy Brown

This is the true story of Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis) who is born with crippling Cerebral Palsy, he can only control his left leg and foot. Christy is born somewhere in the middle of his 13 brothers and sisters, they are a very poor Irish family, even with Christy’s disability the family never seems to give up hope even though there are some very rough patches that they go through. They cannot afford a wheel chair for Christy so they rig up a wheelbarrow to push him around in. The family seems to think that Christy is mentally handicapped, this is way before there was all that much known about Cerebral Palsy. I really liked the scene where he gets a piece of chalk in between his toes and writes MOTHER, his dad carries him on his shoulders into the local bar and sais: “This is Christy Brown my son the genius”.

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As Christy grows up more adult problems start to affect him, the main one is seeing everyone falling in love. The restaurant scene where he confesses his love for the Dr. is one of the most uncomfortable scenes that I have watched in a very long time. Watching Daniel Day-Lewis play Christy makes you hurt, he is so convincing that it is hard to believe that he is acting and not actually suffering with Cerebral Palsy.

These are my favorite lines from the movie.

Dr. Eileen Cole: “Christy, if you like we can work here.”

Christy: “F**k off”

Dr. Eileen Cole: “With speech therapy I could teach you how to say f**k off more clearly.”

In such a serious movie it is always good to have the comic relief just at the right times. Like the quoted lines above which made me laugh, there were other funny spots in the movie, just enough to keep it from being to overwhelmingly serious. The ending is fantastic and tear jerking but that’s all I think I can say about that. If you have not seen this film then please go out and get it however possible.

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HitchFan97

09-18-11, 10:31 PM

Weekend Report: lots of movies :yup:

The Blob (1958)- 3

Decent enough 50s sci-fi B-movie. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is still the reigning champ, though.

Memento (2000)- 3.5

I went into this film expecting Chris Nolan's best movie, and in that sense I was disappointed. Memento was mind-bending, but it lacked the epic scope of Inception or The Dark Knight.

Unforgiven (1992)- 4

One of Clint's better movies. It gets better as it goes along, and the finale is unforgettable.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)- 4.5

The concept alone is enough to make A Nightmare on Elm Street one of the most powerful horror movies of all time.

Pulp Fiction (1994)- 5

Fulfilled my expectations on all levels. Pulp Fiction deserves its title as the most influential American movie of the 90s. Acting was fantastic but my favorite thing about this masterpiece was the ingeniously unique narrative structure. I now understand the hype.

MovieMan8877445

09-19-11, 12:20 AM

Memento (2000)- 3.5

I went into this film expecting Chris Nolan's best movie, and in that sense I was disappointed. Memento was mind-bending, but it lacked the epic scope of Inception or The Dark Knight.

Memento is a smaller independent film, what had you expecting it to be on the same epic scope of stuff like Inception or The Dark Knight?

HitchFan97

09-19-11, 04:43 PM

I didn't expect it to be as grandiose. But I think Inception is superior to it because it's every bit as original and cerebral as Memento, but had an epic scope that the former lacked.

Kitsch

09-19-11, 05:16 PM

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Måske ku vi. Wonderful Danish coming of age story. A tad heavy on the communism, but still an enjoyable film. 4.5

The Dead Pit. A surprise find. One of the better horror films of the late '80s, and a zombie movie to boot. 4.

Demons 2. Falls short of the first film's excitement, but with plenty of zombie/demon action, definitely far from the worst Italian film I've seen. 3.5.

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A Taste for Killing. A fan of made for TV movies, this one took an all too familiar concept and, though not making anything new of it, was still surprisingly well made and perhaps more believable - until the end - than most. 3.5

Death Wish 2. Far less believable than the first (considering that the exact same phenomena repeats itself in the same man's life, but only in a different city), this was not as believable as the predecessor, nor was it as exciting. 3.5.

Hannibal. Too focused on Hannibal's alleged homosexuality, not enough on the good stuff - the psychological terror/cannibalism. Ridley Scott did with this the same as he has done with almost all of his films: he took a wonderful idea and made it not bad, but not as good as it should have been either. 4

Kitsch

09-19-11, 05:18 PM

Weekend Report: lots of movies :yup:

Unforgiven (1992)- 4

One of Clint's better movies. It gets better as it goes along, and the finale is unforgettable.

The whole movie was unforgettable. The problem with that is that it is only the ending which one does not wish to forget. I'd give it a 3 and call it one of his worst.

HitchFan97

09-19-11, 05:26 PM

Definitely overrated. #13 on the MoFo Top 100? That's a bit shocking.

Oh well. Nightmare kicked arse and Pulp Fiction is the latest entry into my Top 10. I'd call this a successful weekend :D

TylerDurden99

09-19-11, 07:57 PM

Basic (2003) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3.5box.gif

A well directed, well acted feature, with a decent twist ending, but can be slow-moving at times.

Sharktopus (2009) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif

Much better than the mega humongous piece of recycled crap that Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus was, this doesn't take itself too seriously. Instead, it's an enjoyable, humourous horror with some surprisingly ok acting and inspired action sequences.

Dial M For Murder (1955) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

One of Hitchcock's best, with a marvellous performance from Ray Milland and executed with style and elegance. A great example on how to make a dialogue driven drama work.

HitchFan97

09-19-11, 08:04 PM

Dial M is a great movie :yup:

Ðèstîñy

09-19-11, 10:27 PM

Don't think I've seen it since the 80s. ;)

Is that you're winky way of saying that you don't like it? I bought that movie back when you could only get it on VHS. I really like it a lot.

A Taste for Killing. A fan of made for TV movies, this one took an all too familiar concept and, though not making anything new of it, was still surprisingly well made and perhaps more believable - until the end - than most. 3.5

I love made for TV movies. If memory serves, you're the first person I've seen on-line that shares that opinion. I've been streaming many from Netflix. Find one and watch it, and they'll suggest many many more to you.

akatemple

09-20-11, 12:31 AM

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Conan O’Brien: Can’t Stop

When all the S**t hit the fan at NBC Conan was not allowed to appear on television or radio for 6 months, So he got the idea to do a tour called The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour. Of course the title refers to Conan’s settlement with NBC.

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I have been a fan of Conan O’Brien for as long as I can remember. This film is great not only because it is freakin hilarious but also because you get to see the family side of Conan playing with his kids and being a dad. It is so great getting to see the uncensored Conan, even though he can get away with quite a bit on his old show and new one. He has a very dark comedy side of him that you get to see and you will find yourself rewinding over and over to see certain parts again. Sona Movsesian is Conan’s assistant, the way they treat each other is hilarious, and sometimes almost seems cruel even though you know they are just joking with each other, it also seems like he wouldn't know what to do without her. You also get to see what a tour like this is like and how much it takes out of the person and how much is asked of them, it seems brutal.

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If you are a fan of Conan then you have to see this film.

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Kitsch

09-20-11, 08:22 AM

Drive. Though I was expecting an action film, and the lack of chase scenes was somewhat disappointing, this was still a pretty good drama. I don't think that it deserves the perfect rating Ebert gave it, rather, this is more appropriate 4

Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals. A lot of sex, but I guess that is what when can expect from Emanuelle. It is not that I am opposed to sex in film, it is simply that I'd prefer for the plot to work around the sex, not vice versa. As a sexploitation flick, it was pretty good, I suppose, but as a cannibal film it was definitely lacking. The deaths, too, were far less realistic than those in other such films. 2.5

The Serpent and the Rainbow. Probably one of the better made zombie movies of all time, I'm not sure I would dare categorize it as a real zombie movie. There are no "traditional" zombie scenes, and the zombies aren't even zombies as far as film tradition goes. 3.5

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Sleepaway Camp. I shan't expose the climax, for it was so fun to watch that I would sooner wish to spoil the twist in, say, Identity or The Sixth Sense. I could see it coming all along, but it was still a great scene; indeed, it was that scene which elevates this rather poor movie to 3.5

Matcat

09-20-11, 08:33 AM

Yesterday I watched October Sky starring a young(er) Jake Gyllenhaal.

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Oh I really liked this, it was just so feel-good and sweet and I enjoyed every second of it.
I'm not gonna rate it, though.

akatemple

09-20-11, 08:14 PM

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Infection

Directed by: Masayuki Ochiai
Written by: Ryoichi Kimizuka and Masayuki Ochiai

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This is a horror movie but with more of a thriller/mystery feel too it, the gore is less then you would expect from a Japanese horror movie. So in a nutshell: A decaying hospital (as well as healthcare system) is the setting for this nicely done thriller. Fear of illness, infection, hospitals, the dark, doctors.... they're all covered here. A botched death at the hands of doctors, a mysterious patient dropped off at the E.R., a hospital with very dark rooms and corridors, an aggressive virus that dissolves its host. The movie really builds tension, and the payoff does not insult the viewer. Most horror films today are pretty silly, and this was a nice little gem to discover. I Highly recommended watching this film.

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mark f

09-20-11, 08:25 PM

The Serpent and the Rainbow. Probably one of the better made zombie movies of all time, I'm not sure I would dare categorize it as a real zombie movie. There are no "traditional" zombie scenes, and the zombies aren't even zombies as far as film tradition goes. 3.5

I agree that it's an underappreciated movie, but you mention tradition twice here. They certainly are zombies in the tradition of White Zombie (1932) and I Walked With a Zombie (1943). Are you talking about the much more-recent "tradition" of George Romero-inspired zombies?

linespalsy

09-21-11, 12:26 PM

I've seen a few interesting movies lately, including Dudley Moore and Peter Cook's Bedazzled, Kim Ki-duk's perverse and eccentric film Samaritan Girl, Moulin Rouge!, Contagion, Rebecca, and various animated shorts by Ub Iwerks, Nick Park, Jan Svankmajer, Jiri Barta and the Quays -- but I don't have ratings pinned down for those.

I've also seen several that I have ratings for:
Royal Wedding (Stanley Donen, 1951) 3.5-
Hoffa (Danny DeVito, 1992) 3.5
City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931) 4
Stripes (Ivan Reitman, 1981) 2.5
Some Girl (Rory Kelly, 1998) 2.5-
Two Girls and a Guy (James Toback, 1997) 3-
Dangerous Liaisons (Stephen Frears, 1988) 2.5+
Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999) 3.5
Mystery Liner (William Nigh, 1934) 2
Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming et al, 1939) 3.5

honeykid

09-21-11, 04:54 PM

I've not seen Hoffa since it was released on video, but I remember liking it. Bafflingly low rating for Dangerous Liaisons though, IMO.

linespalsy

09-21-11, 05:16 PM

Hoffa's a lot of fun to watch, DeVito always comes up with some great match-cuts in his movies.

I could maybe get behind Dangerous Liaisons more on a second watch, I'd probably rate the re-make about the same and I thought the original has better one-liners. Like Cruel Intentions though, I just didn't find it as cutting or edgy as it seemed to be going for, and I'm not sure I bought Malkovich's transformation into an almost-tragic hero. I think I initially gave it a 3 but then realized that I didn't like it quite as much as Two Girls and a Guy. What do you think of In the Company of Men, hk?

mark f

09-21-11, 06:05 PM

I watched Dangerous Liaisons again recently and gave it 4. I'm considering adding it to the mafo MoFo Top 100.

honeykid

09-21-11, 06:46 PM

What do you think of In the Company of Men, hk?
Although I own it, I've never seen it. Sadly, I don't think that I've ever been in the mood to take that film.

Kitsch

09-21-11, 11:31 PM

Paperhouse. I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times - the British simply are not good at the arts. Music, art, film, even literature: very few Brits are good. Paperhouse, unfortunately, was not made by one of the few talented Brits. Expecting a horror film, I was somewhat disappointed that the extent of the horror took place in the character's mind, not that there was enough horror for it to make any difference. 51.5

Amityville Dollhouse. After seeing that it boasts a 3.7 rating on IMDb, I certainly held low hopes for this one. Fortunately, even if I expected a masterpiece, I would not have been disappointed. Easily one of the best horror films I'd seen in a while - I simply cannot understand the low rating. 52.5

Amityville It's About Time. Not quite as good as Dollhouse, but still a marvelous entry to the Amityville franchise. 52

Inferno. My second re-watch, I started noticing plenty of flaws unseen in previous viewings. Perhaps "the masses" were right and Suspiria really is better!? 54

mark f

09-22-11, 12:02 AM

I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times - the British simply are not good at the arts. Music, art, film, even literature: very few Brits are good.

This is both the funniest and sillest thing I've read recently, and that's really saying something.

kubrick

09-22-11, 12:27 AM

Just watched Super Troopers, so stupid and so smart at the same time.

honeykid

09-22-11, 01:00 AM

This is both the funniest and sillest thing I've read recently, and that's really saying something.
I know. I had to read it twice just to make sure that I read it right the first time. That's three readings just to make sure I understood what I understood the first time of reading.

akatemple

09-22-11, 01:32 AM

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The Kennedys (2011)

Directed by Jon Cassar
Written by Stephen Kronish

I thought I knew a lot about the Kennedy’s from what I learned in school and TV programs that I have watched. It turns out that I knew a lot about John F. Kennedy but not about the Kennedy’s. This mini- series really gives a great look into the family starting with Joe Sr. (Tom Wilkinson) as a ruthless father who believes everyone has a price, John F Kennedy (Greg Kinnear) portrayed as a womanizing man that never really wanted to be president, Bobby Kennedy (Barry Pepper) who’s main job it seems is cleaning up after his brother’s sexual indiscretions, Jackie Kennedy (Katie Holmes) as the long-suffering but dutiful wife and first lady. What is odd is that Edward, Kathleen, Eunice, and Jean Kennedy are nowhere to be found in this mini-series.

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The Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, Marilyn Monroe, the Mafia, drugs, and being the first Catholic president are just a few of the reasons that I think John F. Kennedy had one of the most interesting presidencies. It is important to remember that this is not a Documentary but a dramatized look at the Kennedy family. A lot of this film seems more suited to a soap opera then a serious drama, still this mini-series is addictive once you start watching making it really hard to press the stop button until you are all the way through.

Rated: NR
Run Time: 353 minutes

3.5

honeykid

09-22-11, 02:31 AM

I thought I knew a lot about the Kennedy’s from what I learned in school and TV programs that I have watched. It turns out that I knew a lot about John F. Kennedy but not about the Kennedy’s. This mini- series really gives a great look into the family starting with Joe Sr. (Tom Wilkinson) as a ruthless father who believes everyone has a price, John F Kennedy (Greg Kinnear) portrayed as a womanizing man that never really wanted to be president, Bobby Kennedy (Barry Pepper) who’s main job it seems is cleaning up after his brother’s sexual indiscretions, Jackie Kennedy (Katie Holmes) as the long-suffering but dutiful wife and first lady.
Of this, what didn't you know? Maybe it's just me, but I see this as pretty basic Kennedy stuff. Maybe it's because I'm not an American or, maybe, it's because I'm not of a generation that reveres Kennedy? Hell, maybe it's because I used to be interested in the Kennedy conspiracy theories and just read a lot about the man and his family. Whatever the case, I didn't see anything in the mini-series that warranted such outrage from the Kennedy clan. Other than the beginnings of the rewriting of history, of course.

A lot of this film seems more suited to a soap opera then a serious drama
Much like the Kennedy's themselves, no? Not that I'd limit it to them. Any political/powerful family like this is going to be more soap opera than serious drama. Powerful they may be, but they're still human.

...still this mini-series is addictive once you start watching making it really hard to press the stop button until you are all the way through.
I thought it was ok, but I didn't find it addictive. TBH, I was disappointed at the level it was pitched at. Not 'serious' enough, IMO, and failing to draw any real drama from what were very dramatic times and events.

Godoggo

09-22-11, 02:59 AM

Paperhouse. I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times - the British simply are not good at the arts. Music, art, film, even literature: very few Brits are good. Paperhouse, unfortunately, was not made by one of the few talented Brits.

I really liked Paperhouse. I thought the fantasy element was well done: quirky, fresh and original. As for the rest of your statement; that's simply preposterous.

On to tabbing my movies:

We Are The Night (2010 Dennis Gansel)

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It's a basic vamp movie. Hip and stylish. There's not much to it, but it was a fun enough watch. I'd only recommend it to people who like this sort of movie. Basically, if you liked The Craft, you might like this. C+

Red State (2011 Kevin Smith)

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I don't want to comment too much because I imagine there will be some discussion after more people get a chance to watch this, so I'll wait. For now I'll just say that I thought it was a poorly made wreck. D

Kitsch

09-22-11, 08:25 AM

This is both the funniest and sillest thing I've read recently, and that's really saying something.

I'm a classicist. Edward Elgar was just about the only Brit of consequence when it comes to Classical music; Lemuel Francis Abbott is one of the few British artists whose work I've ever considered "superb". I dislike Shakespeare, but Dickens and Tolkien were good when it comes to literature. Off the top of my head, the only British film directors that I like are Hitchcock, and he wouldn't even make my top 15, and Christopher Nolan.

What I rather dislike is people's opposition to my various personal stances, which are often viewed as contrarian. I've no interest in disagreeing with people for the fun of it. I view the world in my own way; I make no attempt to reconcile my opinions for the sake of others, nor do I forge my opinions after learning of the popular opinion. The belief of mine listed above is a belief I have held for most of my life, and it shall remain no matter how many people insist it is "silly". Indeed, rather than making such preposterous and rather useless statements, why not try and show me where I am wrong?

Just a few more things: I do not care for the Beatles of any of their successors; I would happily call Picasso an imbecile, and theater simply is not my thing.

mark f

09-22-11, 11:40 AM

The belief of mine listed above is a belief I have held for most of my life, and it shall remain no matter how many people insist it is "silly". Indeed, rather than making such preposterous and rather useless statements, why not try and show me where I am wrong?

Your first statement answers your question. I won't try at this point but are you serious when you list only six films seen out of the "Top 100 British films"?

under0ath777

09-22-11, 02:14 PM

I just watched Withnail and I a few hours ago, and I must say this is not only one of the best comedies but also one of the greatest british film out there. It's very intelligent, unlike most american comedies, and it's genuinely funny I mean every line/dialogue is just humorous. I was having a beer and laughing throughout. It kinda left me sad in the end though. I enjoyed every minute of it. I'm definitely going to watch it again this week, with my friends.

Also this week, I've seen the movie if.... ,and it's a totally stunning masterpiece. Excellent writing, powerful and definitely unforgettable. I need not say more about it. I'll recommend it to everyone. I guess I'll be checking out more of Lindsay Anderson's, especially This Sporting Life and O Lucky Man!.

So, I've watched a few movies these past few days:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 3.5
Lust, Caution 4
Red State 3
Contagion 3.5

...but I think the ones that're going to be stuck in my head for a while are these two brilliant British movies. I give them both a 10/10.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_f-InnOqLDn4/Ss5na08pZLI/AAAAAAAAAF4/delu3k9JK7k/s400/withnail-and-i-movie-poster1.jpg http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTY4ODM2OTc4Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDMyMTY0MQ@@._V1._SY317_CR5,0,214,317_.jpg

55

akatemple

09-22-11, 06:39 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Rammbock.jpg

Rammbock: Berlin Undead (2011)

Directed by: Marvin Kren
Written by: Benjamin Hessler

Rammbock is a really great Zombie film from Germany and comes in at a astounding 59 minutes long. This being a very short film there was a lot of action and the storyline never lagged. The movie is about Michael a man who goes to Berlin to find his ex-girlfriend and instead finds a plumber’s assistant named Harper. Things happen very quickly and Michael and Harper find themselves being two out of the very few survivors in a apartment complex surrounded by Zombies.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Rammbock-Berlin-Undead-Movie-Image-600x450.jpg

These are fast moving zombies, very fast moving zombies which mean’s the problem of survival for the characters even harder. They come up with a creative way to get by the Zombies, but that’s all I’m going to say on that. If you like Zombie films then I do not think that you will be let down there is enough action and gore to satisfy any fan.

It's the classic story, man falls in love with girl, girl dumps man, man goes to get girl back, man finds Zombies.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif

ash_is_the_gal

09-22-11, 09:16 PM

Lovers of the Arctic Circle
1998, Julio Médem

as recommended by wintertriangles
*warning! spoilers etc*
mirrorI admit it... I cheated a little. Before I watched this movie I read probably too much about it, but that's a compliment, really. It's just that I was insanely curious about it, and the poster that wintertriangles posted in the Trade-Off tab was all it took. Plus I liked the images that were conjured up when I imagined a romance taking place in the Arctic Circle (it doesn't actually... well, sort of). It reminded me of "The Ice Man", a short story about a woman who falls in love with a man who is literally made of ice that I really liked. Anyway.

Lovers of the Arctic Circle is a movie that challenges the idea of fate, destiny, and coincidences. As young children, Otto and Ana meet in the schoolyard and are instantly drawn to one another. Soon thereafter, their parents meet and fall in love, Brady Bunch style, and the children are thrown together as step siblings in the process. They never act like step siblings, though. They barely speak at all (very much like my own relationship with my step sibling), but they like to share long, sideways half glances and secret smiles together (nothing like my own relationship with my step sibling).

mirrorAs teenagers, they turn into lovers, and they enjoy parading it right under their parents' noses without them actually ever noticing. It turns into a game for them, like "accidentally" falling asleep after an all-night "study session" and having to climb out the window and re-climb in their own bedroom window in the nick of time. Unfortunately for them, though, fate has other plans, and guilt and tragedy force the two apart when Otto's mother dies. Years later, they meet again... in the Arctic Circle (where Ana has taken up residency and Otto, now a pilot, parachutes from his plane and gets stuck in a tree!)

The most interesting thing about this movie is that it's told through both of the children's point of view, so after watching one scene, it'd immediately start over again but this time with a different voice over in a sort of Run Lola Run-esque way. This over-the-shoulder perspective is really well-done with an honest feel to it - like when Ana tells the audience how she believes Otto is a reincarnation of her father on the inside, it mostly comes off as a girl playing make-believe.

The title itself is sort of a play on words, because Lovers of the Arctic Circle is really just one big symmetrical mind-f*ck, from the palindrome names, to the very last scene. The ending, in particular, left me feeling quite undone, because

as they two are finally reunited, Ana dies from being hit by a bus in Otto's perspective. They show that after they show Ana's perspective, which is much different. In hers, she makes it all the way up the stairs to see him, but is frozen in place as Otto clings to her

but then I watched it again and decided, after taking into consideration both sides of the story, all lines had been met.

There's also a scene involving a sled that reminded me of Ethan Frome and I was momentarily scared out of my wits.

4.5

TylerDurden99

09-23-11, 12:28 AM

Watchmen (2009) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3box.gif

Nowhere near as good as the graphic novel, and Billy Crudup annoyed the sh*t out of me, but had some interesting touches and aspects, especially Jackie Earle Haley's badass portrayal of Rorshach and the excellent opening credits.

The Bourne Supremacy (2004) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3.5box.gif+

Not as good as the first, but remains a decent sequel, with some exhilarating action sequences and solid performances from it's cast.

The Specialist (1994) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3box.gif

Predictable, but fun, with James Woods adding a star onto the film's rating with his dynamic villianous performance.

linespalsy

09-23-11, 12:46 PM

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/king%20of%20beggars.jpg

King of Beggars (Gordon Chan, 1992)

I certainly don't consider myself a cinematic Asia-phile, but I must be something of a Hong Kong-ophile by now. More specifically a Hong Kong mid-70s to late-90s action movie-ophile (roughly the period when Cantonese cinema rose to dominance until reunification with the PRC in 1997). I'm a sucker for the incongruous mix of seriousness and broad comedy, artful excess, crass pandering, sentimentality and cynicism, that are specific to so many movies made in Hong Kong in that period. Plus at their best the stunts and acrobatic choreography rival silent Hollywood, maybe even surpass it.

This Stephen Chow comedy (directed by Gordon Chan) is a better-than-average example of comic writing and irony in the genre, that spoofs anything from The Last Emperor to Jaws in an otherwise typical historical-fantasy setting. The basic story follows the formula of Drunken Master and countless others with a few twists: Chow plays the ne'er-do-well son who loses his doting father's fortune, then learns some new kung fu to regain his filial piety (and impress his girlfriend). The main twists are that Chow's father is just as worthless as he is, and he doesn't train so much as dream up his new skills in his sleep, making him the "sleeping fist disciple".

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/king%20of%20beggars%2001.jpg

While the script and acting maintain a goofy, irreverent tone throughout, there's some real love of movies and film-making on display here. The big barrier for me and likely even more for other mofos is that not knowing Cantonese or the supposed history this is based on means any wordplay or sense of satire is lost, and there does seem to be a good deal of both. Otherwise I'm inclined to love King of Beggars more than Kung Fu Hustle or Shaolin Soccer.

4

The rest of this week's viewing:

The Debt (John Madden, 2011) 2.5
Casino (Martin Scorsese, 1995) 3.5
The Sting (George Roy Hill, 1973) 3
Street of Crocodiles (Stephen and Timothy Quay, 1987) 3.5

akatemple

09-23-11, 06:06 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/R_point_tyson_front.jpg

R-Point (2004)
Directed by: Su-Chang Kong
Written by: Su-Chang Kong

R-point takes place in 1972 Vietnam. A radio transmission comes through and is identified as a South Korean Platoon that disappeared six months ago. Lieutenant Choi Tae is given the order to go to R-point and find the missing soldiers. When they get to R-point they find a marker saying that one hundred years ago the Chinese killed a lot of Vietnamese and dropped them into a lake, then built a temple over top of the place becoming a sacred place to the North and South Vietnamese.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/r-point1.jpg

While trying to find the missing Platoon the soldiers find what looks like a abandoned southern style plantation house. Weird things start to happen, seeing ghosts and becoming possessed are just a couple ultimately leading to overpowering paranoia and violence.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/3219762752_ab071c5510.jpg

This not a huge budget movie but it still looks nice and has a good story that will not bore you. I have seen a lot of Asian ghost movies and this one is unique in that it takes place during wartime in Vietnam. If you like Asian Horror/supernatural movies then you should watch this one, just don’t expect to be scared that much, the movie focuses more on violence and blood then the ghosts.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/3box.gif

HitchFan97

09-24-11, 12:01 PM

Apocalypse Now (1979)

http://mintyblonde.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/apocalypse-now.jpg

Apocalypse Now is a film I have been looking forward to watch for a very long time. Coppola's Vietnam epic is often called the grand finale to the New Hollywood era, and I can't say i'm in disagreement. With its dazzling, chaotic set pieces, this is clearly one of the most ambitious movies ever made and a masterpiece by any standard. No greater film has been more effective in displaying the dehumanizing effects of war.

5

Kitsch

09-24-11, 12:08 PM

Crawlspace
A lesser known mid-'80s horror film. Quite slow, but the last ten minutes were worth while. Klaus Kinski was odd, as always. 51

Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural
I'd been putting off watching this movie for awhile. Vampires have never really been that interesting to me - only a few such films have I ever enjoyed - but this was an exception. Entertaining from the beginning, I'd say it is one of the better horror movies from the '70s. 53

Maniac
I was expecting a lot more violence and a lot less drama from one of the better known "video nasties". Not that I was disappointed, the film itself was pretty enjoyable to watch. 52

akatemple

09-24-11, 04:27 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/edenlog.jpg

Eden Log (2007)
Directed By: Franck Vestiel
Written By: Franck Vestiel and Pierre Bordage

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/EdenLog01.jpg

This French film, this very long feeling French film is basically about a world where all their energy is supplied by a enormous tree. The Eden Log is a secret underground science facility for studying the exposed tree roots. The studies that the scientists are conducting include injecting people with sap from the tree which gives them a symbiotic relationship with plants, and plants with humans. Eventually the sap turns people into man killing mutants that are then placed in boxes and hung from the tree canopy.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/edenlog-1.png

The part that bothered me the most is that the main character wakes up and can’t remember anything, in freezing cold mud, surrounded by dead bodies and when he does come into contact with a person he does nothing. He does no ask for a name, location, who are the freaks chasing me, any weapons, what’s going on, seriously what’s going on. This is a movie you either love or you hate there is no middle. I found the camera angles dizzying and annoying, Seriously what the hell is this film really about!

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TylerDurden99

09-25-11, 08:00 AM

North By Northwest (1959) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did, but it's easily one of the most fast-paced, exciting and humourous films I've ever seen. Cary Grant is excellent in the lead role, the score is amazing and the finale is thrilling. This is my favourite Hitchcock.

Brick (2005) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

Another great film, although I've seen this one before. Joseph Gordon Levitt is phenomenal, and the dialogue is superb. Wonderful noir.

mark f

09-25-11, 04:35 PM

I don't mean to be a jerk, but I find it difficult to believe that both the above films get the maximum rating. One seems a whole lot better to me than the other.

akatemple

09-25-11, 04:42 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/ybr0.jpg

YellowBrickRoad (2010)
Directed by: Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton

So the story begins zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz oh wow that was kind of disgusting
did not see that coming zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Oh god will the music
stop playing that is seriously getting annoying zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Wow that credits are rolling, did I really just
sit through that. :bawling:

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/1box.gif

HitchFan97

09-25-11, 04:53 PM

The French Connection (1971)

http://www.filmsite.org/posters/fren.jpg

A gritty, suspenseful, and action packed cop thriller that proves to be one of the best films to emerge from the New Hollywood era. The praise for the chase scene is well deserved.

4.5

linespalsy

09-25-11, 10:51 PM

Good Weekend movie-wise.

Mysteries of Lisbon (Raul Ruiz, 2010) 3.5+
Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) 3.5
Witness (Peter Weir, 1985) 3.5
Fists of Fury (Wei Lo, 1972) 3.5-
Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen, 2011) 3.5-

...

Kuffs (Bruce A. Evans, 1992) 2-

honeykid

09-25-11, 10:53 PM

North By Northwest (1959) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

Brick (2005) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

I don't mean to be a jerk, but I find it difficult to believe that both the above films get the maximum rating. One seems a whole lot better to me than the other.
I agree mark, but not everyone thinks North By Northwest is a crap as I do. :p

YellowBrickRoad (2010)
Directed by: Jesse Holland and Andy Mitton

So the story begins zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz oh wow that was kind of disgusting
did not see that coming zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Oh god will the music
stop playing that is seriously getting annoying zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Wow that credits are rolling, did I really just
sit through that. :bawling:

You watched a film with a title connected to that bloody Oz film? You've only yourself to blame. :D

Iroquois

09-25-11, 11:04 PM

This is several months' worth of movie-tabbing right here. I remember the days when I used to watch this many movies in the space of a week.

RoboCop 2 (Irvin Kershner, 1990) - 2.5

We know this one, right? Well, if we don't - Verhoeven's original RoboCop is hailed as a competently directed satire that doesn't skimp on the excessive violence one would come to expect from such a blatantly high-concept venture. The sequel...isn't bad, I guess. Overall, it doesn't live up to the original, but that was always going to be a tall order. There were some interesting expansions on the original material such as the new RoboCops and having Tom Noonan play a brilliantly creepy antagonist, but I get the feeling I won't revisit this anywhere near as much as the original, if at all. As such, I don't have high hopes for RoboCop 3 - it's quite possibly I'll never watch that.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters (Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis, 2007) - 2.5

Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the show based on a trio of giant talking fast-food products living in a rundown flat in New Jersey, gets a cinematic adaptation and...predictably, it's just like an overlong episode of the show. This isn't good for a show where the average episode runs for about ten minutes and has some incredibly outrageous plotlines - there is simply no way a film could maintain the same steam the show does. I think I might have to get back to checking out the show instead.

Con Air (Simon West, 1997) - 3.5

Between this and The Rock, I think I might be developing a weakness for big, ridiculous blockbusters. I don't know which one is better - this one has a great supporting cast and is so ludicrous it becomes vaguely brilliant, but then again The Rock had Sean Connery.

Troll 2 (Claudio Fragasso, 1990) - 1 (Camp rating: 4)

Yup, another legendary "worst movie ever". While still very entertaining, I think since the premise showcased the occasional moment of potential, I don't quite think it's quite as terrible as other "worst movies ever" have been (I daresay The Room outdoes it on that scale). Still, it's worth seeing in theatres.

The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris, 1988) - 4.5

This was a re-watch - I don't really have anything to say about it, other than it's really, really good, recommended to everyone who hasn't already seen it and that the closest thing it has to a flaw is that it feels like it's dragging a bit towards the end.

Time After Time (Nicholas Meyer, 1979) - 4

Interesting little film which posits that H.G. Wells actually built a time machine, only for a friend of his (who turns out to be Jack the Ripper) to use it to escape capture by travelling into 1970s San Francisco. The special effects seem a little dated and it maybe goes on a little longer than necessary, but otherwise it's an entertaining piece of speculative fiction and features good performances from the leads, especially Malcolm McDowell playing against type as Wells.

linespalsy

09-25-11, 11:18 PM

Con Air (Simon West, 1997) - 3.5

Between this and The Rock, I think I might be developing a weakness for big, ridiculous blockbusters. I don't know which one is better - this one has a great supporting cast and is so ludicrous it becomes vaguely brilliant, but then again The Rock had Sean Connery.

Between those two Con Air is the easy choice, since it has more of a sense of humor. Even the parts that don't seem to be intentionally funny are better than those in The Rock.

"Nicholas Cage, since your hot bod is such an awesome killing machine, Due Process is up for grabs. I hereby sentence you to 8 years of sappy voice-over montages and a comical southern accent."

Kitsch

09-26-11, 01:00 AM

This is several months' worth of movie-tabbing right here. I remember the days when I used to watch this many movies in the space of a week.

I've been known to watch that many movies, or more, in a day.

Kitsch

09-26-11, 01:06 AM

The Seventh Seal. I'm not really sure what I was expecting - maybe something more supernatural - but it was a pretty good movie. Definitely not Bergman's best, but still quite entertaining. 53.5

Phantasm III. The best of the three Phantasm sequels (but nowhere near the original). I must say I was expecting a horrible movie when the black woman and the little kid came into the picture, but surprisingly they didn't ruin it. 52.5

Midnight Cowboy. Once again, I suffered from the delusion that this would be a great film along the lines of Taxi Driver. I was wrong. I didn't really enjoy it as much as I expected - the '60s have never been a favorite - but there were some good parts. 52.5

Cannibal Apocalypse. Now, I didn't expect another Amazonia: The Catherine Miles Story, but I didn't expect the worst cannibal film yet. This is one of those few films I'd tell people to stay away from. Films like TerrorVision are horribly stupid, but because of their stupidity they are enjoyable - not so for this. 2.

TylerDurden99

09-26-11, 10:51 AM

GoodFellas (1990) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

Still great after about 50 viewings. Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and even the usually crap Ray Liotta deliver ace performances, in what is one of Martin Scorsese's masterpieces; funny, tense, exciting, violent, deep, great to look at, fun to listen to, and amazingly well directed.

Fiscal

09-26-11, 03:58 PM

Moneyball (2011) Bennet Miller

http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/2011/09/moneyball-brad-pitt-chris-pratt.jpg

Brad Pitt missed this one big time. I hated his performance. Chris Pratt was excellent in what little screen time he had. Overall, it was a decent story, but a rather dull film.

2

Godoggo

09-26-11, 04:39 PM

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Wow that credits are rolling, did I really just
sit through that. :bawling:

Did you understand any of it? That movie made me so very angry because for 30 minutes or so it fooled me into thinking it was going to be good. What was up with that damned music????

akatemple

09-26-11, 07:30 PM

Did you understand any of it? That movie made me so very angry because for 30 minutes or so it fooled me into thinking it was going to be good. What was up with that damned music????

The movie started off with a interesting story and yeah for the first 20 or so minutes I thought I was going to like it. Then the story died and the music annoyed the hell out of me and no I don't understand what that has to do with the story and the ending just pissed me off.

Kitsch

09-26-11, 10:33 PM

Wishmaster. Fairly good for a late '90s horror flick. I've seen a lot of better ones, but with such low hopes this film really took me by surprise. 52.

Desperate Hours. This film was really disappointing. With such potential, this movie was nowhere near as good as it should have been. The Bogart original is a personal favorite, and this movie fails to do it justice. The acting was perhaps the best part, and even that failed miserably on many occasions. The script - especially that female FBI agent's lines - was downright atrocious. Indeed, I'd say that she is probably one of my least favorite characters in any movie I've ever seen. 2.5

akatemple

09-27-11, 12:23 AM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/true-legend-poster-28420.jpg

True Legend (2010)
Directed by: Woo-ping Yuen
Written by: Chi-long To

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/truelegend.jpg

This is a really sad movie about revenge, Su’s (Man Cheuk Chiu) son is kidnapped by his step brother Yuan, a very evil and dangerous fighter who has perfected the fighting style called Five Venom Fist. While Su is training to go and get his son back he meets two men, the God of Wushu(Jay Chou) and the Old Sage (Chia Hui Liu who also played 2 parts in Kill Bill). Both of these men are some sort of gods and he is the only one that can see them. After regaining his strength he goes in search of Yuan, Good versus Evil someone has to die. There is also some comic relief in this film with the help of the Old Sage and God of Wushu, some of the scenes are just so ridiculous it will make you laugh.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/010TL_Chia_Hui_Liu_002.jpg

This is also very very very loosely based on a true story about the invention of the fighting style called Drunken Fist which is still practiced today. The story is great and cinematography is just beautiful. David Carradine makes a appearance which I thought was just awesome. Anyone who is a fan of movies such as Ip Man or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon will love this movie. The fighting scenes are over the top goodness and there is plenty of blood and limbs flying around. I really suggest watching this movie.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/45box.gif

Monkeypunch

09-27-11, 02:05 AM

Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj -Way better than I had expected. I laughed a lot, so it gets a thumbs up.

Wild Target - I had never heard of this, but it has Bill Nighy as a meticulous assassin, Emily Blunt as his target turned employer, and Rupert Grint as his assistant and not Ron Weasley. Also with Martin Freeman playing against type as a sadistic killer with a cheesey grin. I really liked this one.

Raging Phoenix - Looney Taiwanese action flick about drunken martial arts/breakdance fighting...Some truly awesome choreography and amusing characters with ridiculous names.

TylerDurden99

09-28-11, 04:29 AM

A Town Called Panic (2009) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif+

I was expecting something very different, but instead I was very pleasantly surprised. At times, it's strange, but this offbeat stop motion animated comedy is a quirky, enjoyable piece with some amusing moments and likeable characters.

Clerks (1994) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif

Still great.

Fiscal

09-28-11, 03:34 PM

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop Rodman Flender

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2011/03/conan-obrien-cant-stop-648x365.jpg

While I've always felt that Conan's prepared material is mediocre, this documentary shows how completely hilarious the guy is away from the stuff you usually see on his show. Conan was also very caring about his fans, and even after being completely exhausted midway through the tour, he still put forth the energy and commitment for those that stood with him through the battle with the extra unfunny Jay and NBC.

..."Did you know I opened for Damien Marley and NAS?"

4

HitchFan97

09-28-11, 04:36 PM

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/202553.1020.A.jpg

For the second time in his career, Stanley Kubrick has made me question whether or not I liked his movie.

The first was 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film I now regard as one of the greatest of all cinematic experiences. With A Clockwork Orange, Kubrick has left me second-guessing myself; if a movie is this sickening, offensive, and unpleasant to watch but clearly gets its point across, does that make it a good movie? After some deliberating, I've decided that the answer is yes, and in the case of a film with such an important point to make as A Clockwork Orange, this makes it a great movie. Aside from the brilliant philosophical warning that the movie serves as, A Clockwork Orange features a fantastic performance by Malcolm McDowell and Kubrick's camerawork is as omniscient as ever. A uniquely bizarre masterpiece.

5

Kitsch

09-28-11, 05:10 PM

The Initiation (1984). Pretty good film. Could've been better, but as a slasher I'd say it's one of the better ones. 52

The Changeling (1980). I really didn't expect anything that good. Its beauty and perfection are probably overlooked because it was released only two months before The Shining; I am unsure of which film was better. Both are about houses (well, a hotel) which are possessed by spirits. One starred Jack Nicholson - one of the best actors of the '80s - whilst the other starred George C. Scott - one of the best actors of the '70s. I really cannot decide 54.5

Saully

09-28-11, 05:52 PM

Disturbia 4 Better than i expected.

Valkyrie 4.5 Seen it at least five times. Great!

Pyro Tramp

09-28-11, 06:08 PM

Kitsch, can you just divide your ratings by 2. 10 boxes is pretty distracting

ash_is_the_gal

09-28-11, 06:35 PM

Kitsch, can you just divide your ratings by 2. 10 boxes is pretty distracting

or just use numbers instead of the popcorn boxes.

Kitsch

09-28-11, 10:06 PM

Valkyrie 4.5 Seen it at least five times. Great!

I couldn't get through it. If they're going to make a movie about Germans with German names, they can at least get the pronunciation of the names right. I turned the movie off in disgust, with a hatred of Bryan Singer and a general contempt for anybody associated with that horrid film.

I probably take such things too seriously. I am German and proud of it, and I refuse to tolerate such disrespect for the tongue of my forefathers.

akatemple

09-29-11, 12:35 AM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/bayrong.jpg

Clash (aka Bay Rong) (2009)
Directed by: Le Thanh Son
Written by: Johnny Nguyen

Trinh, a mercenary, must complete several missions for her boss in order to get her daughter back who is being held as collateral to make sure she completes the jobs. While starting her next job Trinh assembles a team of five including herself. Amongst the five is Quan (Johnny Nguyen, stuntman in Spiderman 1 and 2, We Were Soldiers, Collateral, Serenity, Jarhead, and X-Men: First Class) who has his own motivation for helping Trinh complete her mission. This movie has car chases, a love story, crazy action scenes, tons of bullets and heads getting kicked in, enough to make me smile. The entire mission is to recover one laptop, evidently the only one in existence that can hack into Vinasat.1 (a satellite), so the story as far as that goes is not really one that will make you think too hard. The story about the relations of the group that is assembled is quite good and has some unexpected twists.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Bay-Rong-1.jpg

This is a Vietnamese film, I think this is either my first or second one that I have seen. A lot of the combat looks more like something you would see in a Thai movie, but that’s just me being picky because the fight scenes are great. I recommend this to anyone who likes a good ass-kicking movie.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/35box.gif

Miss Vicky

09-29-11, 01:42 AM

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519SgX2wwDL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Rio

Meh.

2

Pyro Tramp

09-29-11, 06:03 PM

I am German

Ah, that explains it

Brodinski

09-30-11, 09:39 AM

Most of what I've watched over the past 2 (?) weeks:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/63/Dawn_of_the_dead.jpg

Dawn of the Dead Director's Cut (1978, Romero): 1.5

Some explanation as to my rating: A horror film should first and foremost scare you. If it doesn't, it's got a pretty big problem. I didn't think Dawn of the Dead was scary at all. I didn't care for the characters, so it left me completely cold whether they'd eventually be infected. I found it to be too slow of pace and the social commentary injected felt pretty forced. All in all, this was a big dissapointment.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/Black_stallion_poster.jpg

The Black Stallion (1979, Ballard): 3

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Foxhoundposter.jpg

The Fox & The Hound (1981, Berman, Rich, Stevens): 3

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9b/Germinal93.jpg

Germinal (1993, Berri): 2.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d7/Carrieposter.jpg

Carrie (1976, De Palma): 2

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/78/CrazyStupidLovePoster.jpg

Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011, Ficarra & Requa): 3+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/Night_Moves_VHS_cover_art.jpg

Night Moves (1975, Penn): 3.5

Monkeypunch

09-30-11, 10:12 AM

Thankskilling - Yes, I actually watched this. And surprisingly, I laughed out loud for nearly the entire film.

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/images/Thankskilling.jpg

Tyler1

09-30-11, 10:20 AM

http://kaganof.com/kagablog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/VIRIDIANA.jpg

Viridiana (Luis Bunuel, 1961) - 5/5

2nd Viewing. This definitely IS master Bunuel's masterpiece. Yes, i have seen The Exterminating Angel, Los Olvidados, Un Chien Andalou and The Discreet charm of the bourgeoisie. Viridiana is one of the best satires ive ever seen. And a very wicked satire indeed.

http://www.swotti.com/tmp/swotti/cacheZGFZIGJVB3Q=RW50ZXJ0YWLUBWVUDC1NB3ZPZXM=/imgdas%20boot1.jpg

Das Boot (Wolfgang Petersen, 1981) -5/5

Its 3 hours long, and i enjoyed every single minute of this film. One of the greatest films of the 80s.

akatemple

09-30-11, 11:30 AM

^ I just saw Das Boot for the first time a few weeks ago and completely agree, I have always just brushed it off as something that would be boring and now I feel bad that I waited so long to see it.

voneil7

09-30-11, 12:18 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/67/Oldboykoreanposter.jpg

Oldboy - 4

After sitting in my streaming queue for ages, I finally got around to watching this. I really liked the movie. I felt the cinematography and lead actor were some of the strong points of this movie. What I really liked was that although this is characterized by many as a revenge film, it went deeper than that. It explored more of the psychological aspects as well as developing a story further than the typical revenge story. Just a little side note for those that haven't watched it, it's not subtitled, it's in English, which is not what I would have expected. It didn't influence my rating, just a little fyi.

Tyler1

09-30-11, 12:29 PM

^ I never watch dubbed foreign films. And i always have the subtitles on, even on english language films :)

Tacitus

09-30-11, 01:03 PM

Oldboy's certainly not in English natively. I've got it on DVD and Blu Ray (my only 7.1 title :D) and have never listened to the dub track. ;)

Tyler1

10-01-11, 03:08 AM

To Live (Zhang Yimou) -3/5

http://www.butler.edu/cnt/images/To_Live_Poster.jpg

Often called the Chinese 'Gone With The Wind', Zhang Yimou's To Live was banned in China for its blatant protrayal of anti-Maoist historical events. One down-side of this movie is that it tends to rush through the 50 years or so of history, and so before we are completely immense in one event the movie immediately changes to another. Now for the great part of this movie .... it's sad. Yes, i enjoy sad movies, and i dont mind crying. :bawling:

City Of God (Meirelles, 2002) -5/5

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2734/snapshot20090130124403eb2.jpg

City Of God has lost none of its visceral power since my first viewing 2 years ago. It continues to fascinate and pulls no punches. At times you feel like turning away from the violence on screen because its so so brutal. But that is what makes this brazilian film a masterpiece of the 21st century.

TylerDurden99

10-01-11, 10:34 AM

The Last Supper (1995) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif

Kitsch

10-01-11, 01:59 PM

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WkKZJVG5wTk/SpyY_7PRPWI/AAAAAAACMKs/XStW1UCKB5M/s400/MovieQuiz_431-1.jpg
Vigilante (1983). Pretty much what I thought it'd be like. Not as violent as I expected, but a pretty surprising scene during the home invasion. 3.5

French Quarter (1978). A movie that didn't know what it wanted to be. Horror? Drama? Fantasy? I couldn't really tell. Definitely not the best film I've seen in the last week or so, but not the worst either. 2.5

http://www.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/scavenger/2009/07/08/red-velvet266x400.jpg
Red Velvet (2008) Intriguing. Probably one of the best slashers this side of the millennium, not that I've bothered to watch many - nothing beats the '80s for that subgenre. 3.5

Night of the Scarecrow (1995) I don't know how many like-minded movies I've seen, but this one doesn't stand out. An average horror film. 3

Ice Cream Man (1995). Clint Howard was great as a disturbed, homicidal Ice Cream Man; the children catch on to his homicidal ways and try to stop him. One of the better horror films of the decade. 3.5
http://www.nihil-and-rat.com/images/movie-ice-cream-man.jpg

akatemple

10-01-11, 06:17 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/the-troll-hunter-header-4e5582bc3bdc4.jpg

Troll Hunter (2010)
Directed by:Andre Ovredal
Written by:Andre Ovredal and Havard S. Johansen

This mockumentary starts with 3 young college students making a documentary about Bear Poaching (I’m guessing, it never really sais), soon it becomes obvious that one of the men is not a Bear Poacher but something else entirely. Of course the naïve kids follow the man into the forest at night and discover that he is hunting Trolls. None of the kids believe in Trolls but the man lets them follow him as he goes on a Troll killing spree.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/troll-hunter.jpg

At the beginning they really try and make you think that this is a real documentary with footage that was just found and analyzed by professionals and found to be authentic. They do a really good job of that in the film also, the special effects are really good and the story line was pretty good. The only thing that killed it was that the girl (only one in the movie) was smiling way to much instead of being scared stupid.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/troll-hunter3.jpg

There is some good dry humor to help this movie along, such as the almost Monty Pythonish armor the actor wears in one scene, and learning about the secret government squad known as the TTS. The Troll hunter complaining about how he gets no overtime or benefits from his job, saying this as he’s jack hammering the remains of a troll he just turned to stone. This is a Norwegian film so yes there are subtitles even though I am sure you can get a dubbed copy somewhere. In my opinion it is well worth the 1 hour and 44 minutes it takes to watch this film, and I really suggest you do.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/35box.gif

Tyler1

10-02-11, 01:38 AM

The Holy Mountain (Jodorowsky) -3.5/5

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__AwvXntDpxw/S8t-xVR9GDI/AAAAAAAACQk/BPinDOvACJk/s1600/808562001_c506de8c9a_o.jpg

Why did i ever watch this movie? It's so messed up that it makes David Lynch's movies look like clowns. There are dwarfs, weird alchemists, naked men&women smeared in blood, and lots of perverse violence. If there was a list of cult movies, this would be at the top of it.

Kitsch

10-02-11, 02:38 PM

Pyro Tramp

10-02-11, 03:20 PM

The Holy Mountain is nuts, so unashamedly surreal. Love it. Definitely a cult classic, though El Topo and it's 'Midnite Movies' rep seems to edge it up in a lot of Cult Lists. Try Santa Sangre, it's a little more narrative driven but still has some fantastic imagery.

HitchFan97

10-02-11, 07:22 PM

Un Chien Andalou (1928)- For the life of me, I can't figure out what the hell this movie was even about. Sorry to anyone who regards this film as a masterpiece, but I can't see it as anything other than an exercise in insanity. Please enlighten me.

1 (NOTE: I give this film 1 star rather than 0 only because it's just 16 minutes long.)

Sunset Boulevard (1950)- Very interesting and provocative look inside show business. It's built on Gloria Swanson's performance, which is all at once psychotic, manipulative, and sad.

3.5

Platoon (1986)- Entertaining enough, but war movies aren't really my thing in the first place. Apocalypse Now minus the grandeur.

3

Pyro Tramp

10-02-11, 07:34 PM

Un Chien Andalou (1928)- For the life of me, I can't figure out what the hell this movie was even about. Sorry to anyone who regards this film as a masterpiece, but I can't see it as anything other than an exercise in insanity. Please enlighten me.

1 (NOTE: I give this film 1 star rather than 0 only because it's just 16 minutes long.)

I think it serves more as an artefact of cinema (look at when it was made) or a moving expression of Dali's surrealism. I don't know if it's meant to make literal sense, should just enjoy it for what it is, a little film to illicit the kinda reaction you had- consider the confrontational/controversial opening image and that kinda sets the tone. But it's art so you're meant to pretend to like it.

thracian dawg

10-02-11, 09:00 PM

Un Chien Andalou (1928)- For the life of me, I can't figure out what the hell this movie was even about. Sorry to anyone who regards this film as a masterpiece, but I can't see it as anything other than an exercise in insanity. Please enlighten me.

http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/1box.gif (NOTE: I give this film 1 star rather than 0 only because it's just 16 minutes long.)

It's surrealism, so yeah ... it is a deliberate exercise in insanity. It's open to any interpretation you want to place upon it.

The image of the ants in the hand, is supposedly an expression in French which means "I''ve got an urge to kill". I wouldn't be surprised if there were lots of Spanish proverbs and expressions in the film, Buñuel and Dali both being Spaniards.

I was surprised by the film quotes that I didn't realize were film quotes. The scene in "The matrix" when Mr. Smith waves away Neo's mouth during first interrogation, that image of the startled man without a mouth comes from here. Also, the poster for "The Silence of the lambs" is here. A close-up of the Death's head moth puts in an early appearance.

It's deliberately multi-layered, so You need to see it several times. I also saw this recently for the first time, and I'm definitely going to rewatch this in the future. I gave it an ...

3.5

Tyler1

10-03-11, 05:18 AM

^ Interesting observations Thracian. I watched Un Chien Andalou a few months ago so i cant really remember many of the scenes. My favourite scene, which i still can recall, is the 2 men pulling the piano using strings. I never understood what it meant at all.

Pyro Tramp

10-03-11, 06:06 AM

I thought seeing ants was meant to be a sign of depression, though might be thinking of Oldboy just as much.

Matcat

10-03-11, 07:20 AM

Last night I watched Edward Scissorhands

http://www.imusic.dk/gfx/item/reference/675/5707020018675/edward-saksehaand-2003-edward-scissorhands-edward-saksehaand-dvd.jpg

I loved it! Though I would've liked Edward to say more.

And I also watched The Illusionist

http://sorenz.dk/The%20illusionist%20poster%203.jpg

Ah great! I really liked the story, characters and acting. And also the fact that I was never actually sure whether or not it was realistic.

akatemple

10-03-11, 10:57 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/get-carter-41.jpg

Get Carter (1971)
Directed by: Mike Hodges
Written by: Mike Hodges and Ted Lewis

Jack Carter (Michael Caine) heads north back to his hometown of Newcastle for his brothers funeral. Nothing really adds up about the way his brother died, supposedly he was dead drunk and drove his car into the river. Only problem with that is apparently Jack’s brother did not drink. It’s not that Jack is very smart but more that he’s unpredictable and goes on instinct making it so that you don’t have any idea what he is going to do next.
Get Carter is a story of revenge, a very dark and gritty story of revenge. Even though Carter is a morally challenged protagonist, you find yourself rooting for him, this film taps into your dark side making you want more of the force without pity that is Jack Carter.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/122308required.jpg

I went and saw the remake of Get Carter (2000) with Sylvester Stallone and walked out of the theatre about 30 minutes into it, it was one of the worst movies I have ever tried to watch. After seeing that it did not make me want to run out and watch the original, big mistake on my part.
There is a huge difference in the story, main thing for me was that in the remake Sylvester Stallone’s character tried to hard to make you like him. Michael Caine did not try to make you like him or hate him, his character was just ruthless and didn’t care if you liked or loved Jack Carter. I really loved this film and thanks to HK for getting me to watch a movie I never probably would have on my own.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/5box.gif

ICONIC BRITISH CAR PARK FROM "GET CARTER" TO BE DEMOLISHED (http://cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/4768-ICONIC-BRITISH-CAR-PARK-FROM-GET-CARTER-TO-BE-DEMOLISHED.html)

http://cinemaretro.com/uploads/getcarter3.jpg
Trinity Square Car Park in Gateshead, England is scheduled for demolition - and legions of retro movies fans are grieving. That's because the parking garage is where a key sequence from Michael Caine's 1971 crime classic Get Carter was filmed.

Monkeypunch

10-03-11, 11:15 PM

Strange Brew - Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis as two beer loving brothers who get involved in a plot to turn beer into a mind control drug...okay the plot isn't all that important. It's all about the slapstick silliness and weird humor. Loved it.

Kung Pow! Enter the Fist - This is a really strange movie. As far as I can tell, the film's writer and star superimposed himself into a B roll kung fu movie, re edited it, and re dubbed the entire thing with silly voices. I laughed, so it gets thumbs up from me.

mark f

10-03-11, 11:35 PM

Hoser!

Kitsch

10-03-11, 11:59 PM

Bad movies. A lot of bad movies.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IBFonDH1onE/ST11Vn6GB4I/AAAAAAAABQQ/dV0gle3-imA/s320/Bad-Movie.jpg

The Attic (2007). Contains what is possibly some of the worst acting I've ever seen. Writing was atrocious and the plot was nowhere near believable. Where was the horror? Nothing even remotely interesting in this entire movie. 0.5

Demon Warrior (1988). I don't really have much to say. The movie was stupid. That was that. I'm glad it is over. 1

The Prowler (1981). Not saying much, but this was probably the best "first watch" movie since Ice Cream Man on Saturday (seen about a dozen since then). Pretty good, for a slasher, but still not the kind of movie I'm planning on rewatching for many, many more years. 3.5

Devils of Darkness (1965). I didn't think it was too bad. Not deserving of its 4.1 on IMDb - maybe closer to a 5.9. Anyway, it was a pretty good vampire/occult movie for the period. 3.5
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6BI-crkwKGA/SvldV9OQgWI/AAAAAAAACkU/zL25K4X3P44/s320/DevilsOfDarkness2.jpeg

Killer Nun (1979). Now there's an idea for a movie. A drug addicted nun who goes around killing people. Too bad it sounds better on paper than on the telly. It had merit, but should've been handled differently. 3

Slime City (1988). I hate to say it, but I kind of liked it. Better than Class of Nuke 'em High which I watched immediately beforehand, I'll give it that much. The movie itself was pretty lame: man drinks elixir from basement of sorcerer's apartment building, becomes all slimy and must kill to regain normality. The guts looked like spaghetti and meatballs, but I can't say I was neither pleased with the film, nor enjoying myself as I watched it. 3
http://www.blogcdn.com/blog.moviefone.com/media/2010/04/slimecity-410-x-224.jpg

honeykid

10-04-11, 12:20 AM

The Attic (2007). Contains what is possibly some of the worst acting I've ever seen.
I could be wrong, but this sounds like someone who's not seen Blood Feast. Am I right? Surely it's not worse than Blood Feast acting? BTW, for those looking for halloween treats, hasn't seen Blood Feast and likes/loves truly bad acting and films, I urge you to do so.

akatemple, I was sure you'd like Get Carter, but I'm really pleased to see just how much you liked it. It's a great film, IMO.

akatemple

10-05-11, 12:21 AM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Quartermainskulls.jpg

I really like the 1986 Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold movie. I should have rented that and watched it again, but I did not do that. Instead I went ahead and got this 2008 FAILURE. Wow this movie is so horrible, there is nothing good at all to say about this film. There are so many mistakes in this, I don't see how during editing or shooting they did not catch that in Allan Quartermain's house in the film it has a alarm system, there was a blinking red light on a motion sensor in the hallway and this isn't one of those fraction of a second shots but probably about ten seconds the sensor is in view and right under it a modern day American style toilet. Oh yeah and this movie takes place somewhere between 1910 and 1920. Just please don't waste your time with this, I have just done anyone who reads this a huge favor.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/1box.gif I do not know how to give it a 0 or I would have.

So to make myself feel better I will put the Trailer for the 1986 Allan Quartermain movie below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3071D-KQ3E

mark f

10-05-11, 02:51 PM

0

[*rating]0[*/rating] without both *

Kitsch

10-05-11, 06:22 PM

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BOTc0Mzc3Nzc2NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDM2ODk3NA@@._V1._SY317_.jpg
Cheerleader Autopsy (2003). Do not watch this movie. 0

Army of Darkness (1992). Very good film. Not quite up to the standards of the first, but much more enjoyable than the first sequel. 3.5
http://www.randomfilmstats.co.uk/images/stories/Film-pics/army%20of%20darkness%20ash%20split.jpg

akatemple

10-05-11, 07:17 PM

I really like the 1986 Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold movie. I should have rented that and watched it again, but I did not do that. Instead I went ahead and got this 2008 FAILURE. Wow this movie is so horrible, there is nothing good at all to say about this film. There are so many mistakes in this, I don't see how during editing or shooting they did not catch that in Allan Quartermain's house in the film it has a alarm system, there was a blinking red light on a motion sensor in the hallway and this isn't one of those fraction of a second shots but probably about ten seconds the sensor is in view and right under it a modern day American style toilet. Oh yeah and this movie takes place somewhere between 1910 and 1920. Just please don't waste your time with this, I have just done anyone who reads this a huge favor.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/0box.gif

I finally found a picture of the scene I was talking about above, it's not a very good pic but you can see the sensor. remember this takes place between 1910 and 1920.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/35cf9c7910.jpg

Pyro Tramp

10-05-11, 07:22 PM

^ got Asylum written all over it

akatemple

10-05-11, 08:29 PM

^ got Asylum written all over it

You are correct, that is exactly who is responsible for that steamy pile.

akatemple

10-06-11, 12:05 AM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/9_movie_photo_02.jpg

9 (2009)

I can't believe I waited so long to see this film. This was a great animated movie, not for kids, this is a animated movie more for adults. This is a dark and gritty post apocalyptic story about a scientist who puts part of his soul into each one of the sewn up little lives, the characters must battle the evil machines so that they can finally be free. Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Connely and John C. Reilly add there voices to this film. If you are a fan of post apocalyptic and/or animated dark movies then you should deffinatly watch this one.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif

Sedai

10-06-11, 04:57 PM

Dead and Buried (Sherman, 1981)
3

http://www.iconsoffright.com/Gary_Sherman/DEAD_AND_BURIED07.jpg

It's October, so I am grading horror on a curve. ;)

Really though, this was pretty spooky in parts! Some kill scenes Lisa just loved, too...

"Time for your medicine!!!"

Pyro Tramp

10-06-11, 05:14 PM

^

I watched this one recently as well, loved it for the most part. Competent 80s horror that didn't seem to be badly dated. I guessed the twist, or more thought before the reveal that it would make a good twist in a sequel. Was a nice little surprise of a film hadn't heard much for

akatemple

10-07-11, 12:18 AM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/49119.jpg?t=

Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)

Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) are on vacation up to there new cabin in the woods accidentally giving college kids they pass on the way the wrong impression. After things start going badly is when the hilarity starts when both sides (Hillbilly's/College Kids), the college kids think the Hillbilly's are trying to kill them and the Hillbilly's think the college kids are in some kind of suicide pact. Let the fun begin.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Tucker_Dale_02617.jpg?t=

This is the perfect combination of Comedy and Horror, in my opinion this is the best thing that Alan Tudyk has done since Firefly and Serenity. I really recommend watching this movie, I laughed my ass off while watching plenty of blood flying through the air.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif?t=

HitchFan97

10-07-11, 04:42 PM

Casablanca (1942)

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/81/MPW-40980

Superbly acted, written, and directed, Casablanca earns its title as the perfect movie. Even today, nearly 70 years after its release, this perennial classic remains one of the most gripping and entertaining films ever made.

5

Justin

10-07-11, 05:11 PM

Moneyball (Bennett Miller,2011) 3.5

Contagion (Steven Soderbergh,2011) 4

Drive (Nicholas Winding Refn,2011) 5

akatemple

10-08-11, 12:34 AM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/hobo_with_a_shotgun_01.jpg?t=

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

Directed by: Jason Eisener
Written by: John Davies and Jason Eisener

A hobo (Rutger Hauer) jumps from a freight car hoping for a fresh start in a new city. Instead, he finds himself trapped in an urban hell. This is a world where criminals rule the streets and Drake (Brian Downey), the city's crime boss, reigns supreme alongside his sadistic murderous sons, Slick & Ivan. All the hobo wants is to save enough money to buy a lawnmower that is in the Pawn shop window, but winds up spending the money on a Shotgun instead. In a nutshell, HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN is a homage to the sleazy "Grindhouse" cult films from the 1980's. It's not a throw back to the 1970's cult films (like the amazing DEATH PROOF or HOUSE OF THE DEVIL), but more along the lines of the neon bright splatter flicks of the mid 80's.
This was originally a fake trailer created when Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino were bringing their Grindhouse film to the masses. The film is bloody, very bloody right from the very beginning. You really find yourself caring for the hobo and hoping nothing happens to his new friend Abby the hooker (Molly Dunsworth).

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/i399452.jpg?t=

The car that Slick and Ivan drive in the movie is awesome, but I had no idea what kind of car it was so I did a bit of googling and found out it’s a Mid-70’s Canadian made car called a Bricklin.
There were references to a lot of great older movies and I swear right after the shotgun alteration scene there was an Evil Dead 2 Ash lookalike stuck in there, I might be wrong about that. If you like blood and guts with a bit of humor then watch this movie.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif?t=1317957460

mark f

10-08-11, 03:28 AM

Most people at this site really seemed to dislike this movie, but I accepted it as an over-the-top, intense exercise in style which had me smiling and naming at least 100 different films and 30 different directors. I wouldn't call it a "good movie" but I found it good entertainment, especially if you watched it with a group of people who understood all the references. I gave it 3 which is at least one popcorn box higher than anybody else I've noticed on here, at least until now. :cool:

TylerDurden99

10-08-11, 05:24 AM

The Rock (1996) http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif?t=1317957460

Batman (1989) http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif?t=1317957460

ash_is_the_gal

10-08-11, 08:41 AM

Terms of Endearment
1983, James L. Brooks

*as recommended by Sexy Celebrity*
mirrorSo... I've been kind of putting this review off mainly because I knew it wasn't going to be pretty, and I didn't want to hurt Sexy's feelings. I know that kind of defeats the purpose of the Trade-off, but I like Sexy and don't want to be a jerk, but I just really disliked this movie.

This movie is just like a certain ex boyfriend of mine - really depressing in a bad way. There is just so much that happens, and none of it good. Confusing relationships that turn friendly, then sexual, then confusing, a love/hate mother daughter relationship which I still don't think I really understand, infidelity, stale and strained married/family life, growing old, dying young... no wonder this movie won so many awards.

The people in this film were awful. I don't mean the actors themselves, I really like Shirley Maclain, actually. I mean the characters. And I don't mean they are awful, as in, they are horrible people and I don't want to watch a movie that has horrible people in it. I don't give a **** about that, even though that seems to be a lot of people's problem with this movie (according to reviews on the internet). It's just that the characters are badly written. They aren't even cliched - they're, like, inconsistent, like the writer couldn't make up his mind what he wanted them to be like, or they just wanted them all to be super quirky, but they went over-the-top and they're just kind of bonkers. Do people like this really exist? A lot of them? I sincerely want to know. It sort of reminded me of that one episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in season 4, when Faith and Buffy switch bodies.

So, in conclusion-

mirror"A person's energy has a flow, a unity. Buffy's was fragmented. It grated like something forced in where it doesn't belong." <--pretty much every character in Terms of Endearment

0.5

mark f

10-08-11, 01:54 PM

Well, I'm not going to get into it right now, but I give it 4. Either I liked the quirkiness or I didn't think it was true of every character. Oh, and yes, I can assure you that there are "real people" like this, even though that has nothing to do with why I like this movie.

mark f

10-08-11, 03:23 PM

Deep Water (Louise Osmond & Jerry Rothwell, 2006) 3
https://keatsghost.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/tumblr_m9lnirjjst1qajgsfo1_1280.jpg
This is a fascinating documentary about the first non-stop, around-the-world, solo sailboat race which started from England in 1968 with nine entrants, including experienced yachtsman, a former submarine commander and some pleasure sailors. One of these day sailors was Daniel Crowhurst who borrowed money for his boat and left his wife and family behind on the last day a sailor could depart and still be in the race. Many competitors had to drop out for various reasons, leaving Crowhurst one of the few who could actually win, but he never made it past Brazil going south and went into radio silence to hide his whereabouts. Near the end of the race, after the leaders rounded the Cape of Good Hope, turned north for England, and passed him, Crowhurst decidesd he could fake his log and as long as he didn't win, officials wouldn't look at it too closely. However, fate threw a monkey wrench into Crowhurst's plans and the results were certainly unexpected.
http://www.truefilms.com/DeepWater4.jpg
This documentary/recreation of the event was done by the team responsible for the mountaineering adventure Touching the Void. It focuses on Crowhurst, but despite home movie footage, audio tape recordings and excerpts from his log/journal, it doesn't totally dig deeply into Crowhurst's psyche which was probably damaged before he set sail but got further lost in his metaphysical "discussions" with God while on his lonely journey. It also doesn't spend much time on the other contestants although one French sailor's story seems equally compelling. This DVD does have excellent bonus features which help flesh out all the entrants in the race and go into more detail about Crowhurst's mindset during his voyage. although several questions remain unanswered to this day. I recommend it to those interested.

under0ath777

10-08-11, 03:57 PM

Been busy in school lately. But finally, finals is over. I'll make the most out of my sembreak... :)

So...this is my first movie this October.

THE QUIET EARTH (1985)
http://64.19.142.10/2.bp.blogspot.com/_XRyDF3c2S-s/S9PoKIGUvvI/AAAAAAAADfo/U2RJpKaMq6Y/s640/quietearth2a.jpg
Scientist Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) wakes up to find he's the only person left in the world. He tries to adjust to the solitude, raiding consumer goods and finding a fancy apartment, but loneliness causes him to turn first eccentric and then delusional. Then it appears that Zac is not entirely alone after all ...

From the beginning, it seemed very intriguing to me. The sci-fi plot is somewhat absurd, but won't really bother you. For a movie of the 80's, the effects is very innovative. The cinematography and the sceneries are praiseworthy despite the low budget. Great music perfectly goes with the enigmatic atmosphere of the movie. The only weak points I can think of is the script which is poorly written and the acting that seem too wooden sometimes (except for Bruno Lawrence). Also, I must say I had a bit of a hard time understanding the english accent, but that's a problem on my part.

The final shot is beautiful, but doesn't explain anything at all. Instead it just raised more questions, but then maybe it's up to me on what would I make out of it. But honestly, it's just possible that I didn't understand it entirely so I'm thinking of watching it again some other time.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U3-MOGX63kQ/TXSFA-zdZ7I/AAAAAAAAIhw/51rwPkdxDK0/s1600/The-Quiet-Earth-Gallery-7.jpg.552x402.jpg

'The Quiet Earth' is a quite good sci-fi movie that does not rely on SFX and action sequences, but focuses more on the drama and the performance of the protaginist/s. All in all, I can't say I really enjoyed it, but it's definitely worth the look.
3

Saully

10-08-11, 05:03 PM

Role Models - 3 An okay comedy movie. Stifler is in it. It was funny, like a comedy movie should be. And nothing else really.

mark f

10-08-11, 06:13 PM

THE QUIET EARTH (1985)
Also, I must say I had a bit of a hard time understanding the english accent, but that's a problem on my part.

Those are New Zealand accents, Mate. :cool:

Matcat

10-09-11, 07:00 AM

I just recently watched American History X

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTkwNjE3OTU5MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTM1Nzg0MQ@@._V1._SY317_CR5,0,214,317_.jpg

Not one I would watch with my rom-com loving friends. It was very disturbing, especially the curbstomp *shivers*, but I still thought it was a great movie.

HitchFan97

10-09-11, 06:26 PM

Fight Club (1999)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Fight_Club_poster.jpg

Yes, this was my first time watching the movie. While entertaining enough, Fight Club's moments of genius came from its comedic scenes (Meat Loaf with bitch t*ts) rather than those displaying its confused ideologies. If the film condemns corporations and consumerism, it is odd that Fight Club itself became a franchise. Maybe that's just a part of the convoluted irony, but it is for this reason that Fight Club falls short of greatness for me. To call this Fincher's best movie is a large overstatement; it is instead the work of a filmmaker still a bit puzzled by his own genius, which he wouldn't master until the more recent Zodiac and The Social Network.

4

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

http://www.swotti.com/tmp/swotti/cacheASBRBM93IHDOYXQGEW91IGRPZCBSYXN0IHN1BW1LCG==RW50ZXJ0YWLUBWVUDC1NB3ZPZXM=/imgI%20Know%20What%20You%20Did%20Last%20Summer4.jpg

A very good teen slasher. Every bit as scary as it should be, and the film even works fairly well as a story of lost friendship.

4.5

akatemple

10-09-11, 09:03 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bf/Transformers_dark_of_the_moon_ver5.jpg

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Directed of course by: Michael Bay

I watched the first Transformers because I was curious and wanted to see it with my friends, I watched the second Transformers because Megan Fox was in it. I am not really sure why I watched the 3rd Transformers, tons of explosions and violence is usually something I really like. But this was so PG-13 that you could tell, there was not on drop of blood even though hundred of humans were being slaughtered. The thing that really bugged me was the comedy and dumbass smaller Transformers, they tried to put way to much comedy in this film. Bottom line is just don’t watch this movie and I am not trying to offend anyone who is a fan but in my opinion this was just a big steamy pile.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/1box.gif?t=

akatemple

10-09-11, 11:17 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/I_Am_Number_Four_Poster.jpg

I Am Number Four (2011)

Directed by: D.J. Caruso
Written by: Alfred Gough and Miles Millar

Tonight I decided to go for a bad double feature, first was Transformers and as you can tell from above I did not care for that very much. I Am Number Four is not a bad movie, it’s about a alien world that was taken over and their saviors were sent to earth to do something, still a little fuzzy about what they were there for except to survive. The story line is pretty much the same as quite a few others, there just isn’t anything new in this movie, I am a big Sci-Fi person but this just did not do that much for me. I am a big fan of Timothy Olyphant and I really liked him in this movie. I am not really sure what else to say, I just told you the whole story line so there you go. The Blooper real on the bonus features was the best part to me.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/dog.jpg?t=

Oh yeah the dog was really cute in the movie, that's another point for the film.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/15box.gif?t=

under0ath777

10-10-11, 12:47 AM

The Holy Mountain (1973)

http://reghartt.ca/cineforum/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/TheHolyMountain_Final-1023x672-Copy.jpg

I don't know what to say. Hard to describe what I just saw. All those those images thrown at my face. Some doesn't make sense, completely undecipherable nonsense (I think). Some are symbolism, an obvious mockery of all religions, and politics, and ****. Some are outright funny and some are just plain crazy. And I cannot fully processed them all. All I can say is, this is definitely a one-of-a-kind, mind-numbing, unforgettable experience in cinematic weirdness.

4

mark f

10-10-11, 03:37 AM

I pretty much agree with what you say except that I think the movie stinks and is mostly forgettable. I really don't think much of Jodorowsky, but nobody nowadays seems to care.

under0ath777

10-10-11, 04:09 AM

I pretty much agree with what you say except that I think the movie stinks and is mostly forgettable. I really don't think much of Jodorowsky, but nobody nowadays seems to care.

Yeah, fair enough. At first, I thought it was gonna be bad. I mean, I even thought there would be no actual plot at all. First time I've seen something like that. Now, I would know what to expect with his other films. :)

Anyway, I just finished watching this:

The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)
Nothing special, just pure entertainment. Like TGTBTU, only with more action... and I wasn't bored watching it.3
http://contemplatrix.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/the_good_the_bad_and_the_weird_poster.jpg

akatemple

10-10-11, 04:17 AM

^ I watched that film a little bit ago and thought it was great, I completely agree with you on that it was just pure entertainment.

HitchFan97

10-10-11, 11:49 AM

Horror Hotel (1961)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P89S3BXVL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Simple, cheesy, cut-rate B-movie entertainment. Nothing special, but Horror Hotel serves its purpose, I suppose.

2.5

linespalsy

10-10-11, 08:55 PM

Real Steel - Super-cheesy, weak on sci-fi themes (this is from a Richard Matheson story???) in favor of treacly father-son bonding tropes. Still purdy entertaining.

http://www.daemonsmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/karl-yune-real-steel-550x365.jpg
"We're prepared for every contingency.... except an inspiring underdog story."

I also re-re-watched Fist of Fury aka The Chinese Connection, minus the humorous dubbing. Maybe I'm just in the mood for some good old-fashioned post-WWII anti-Japan jingoism lately ("You killed our teacher!" ..."and firebombed our cities and performed horrific medical experiments for 15 years."), but I think this holds up much better than I remember it being from my adolescence in the house of a card-carrying Cult of Bruce-member. That closing freeze-frame is ridiculous and over-the-top and also kind of touching all at the same time. It's all very much a star vehicle, but just too darn charming to resist. I'll have to check out Enter the Dragon and see if it deserves the same sort of reassessment.

http://www.allmovia.com/c/8108/8108_1.jpg

One of the most unique films that I saw recently (but only briefly mentioned) was Raul Ruiz's 4½ hour fabulist beast, Mysteries of Lisbon. Which reminded me of Jan Potocki's The Manuscript Found in Saragossa because of all the narrators and their games of hidden and revealed identies, and in the peculiar mix of optimism and irony about human nature. It also reminds me of Kubrick's and Greenaway's restoration tragedies. The cinematography has consistently rich choreography of light and texture, with lots of scenes only partially illuminated or obscured by smoke, fog or other conditions to create a powerfully-simulated experience of the shadows of late 18th-century Lisbon and Paris.

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/images/mysteriesoflisbontrailer-e1310496296493.jpg

Is it the fantasy of an Orphan about who he wants his parents to be, imagined from the sick bed of childhood or old age? Or the workings of a boy's imagination on a toy stage? Or the aggregate observations of a lifetime of acquaintances from all walks (from servants, to slumming tourists, lovers, to friendly pirates and priests). These are the sorts of superficial questions that the movie prods you to ask throughout -- what sticks out foremost in my mind are individual episodes in the multiple-nested story, and the enticing visual style of the film.

Then there's The Swordsman II, which is so fast-moving and relentless that it's hard to make much of the plot on one viewing (plus all the characters from the first movie are played by different actors), but it has some truly weird surprises involving Brigitte Lin and twisted gender-bending romance and martial arts. Most of the best scenes are piled onto the second half of the movie.

http://www.kungfu-daddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/swordsman2_1.jpg

Lastly there were a couple of Bruce Campbell re-watches - Evil Dead II and Bubba Ho-Tep, both of which are a lot of fun, but I particularly liked the latter.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I7zyViW_6v0/S9uh5tOb6uI/AAAAAAAABpo/yRGgyirRnYg/s320/Bubba+Ho-Tep+3.jpg

akatemple

10-11-11, 12:18 AM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/phase7poster.jpg

Phase 7

Directed by: Nicolas Goldbart
Written by: Nicolas Goldbart

Coco returns from the grocery store with his 7-months-pregnant wife Pipi, when their building is quarantined due to the outbreak of a deadly flu. Some of the neighbors start running out of food and turning on the more well stocked ones forming rifts within the people in the building. Coco joins up with there conspiracy theory nut neighbor who as it turns out is right about everything and really well stocked on supplies and weapons.
You don’t get to see outside the building until almost the end of the movie, so I’ll let what they find outside to be a surprise.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/EIFF-2011---Phase-7-review-image.jpg

The soundtrack of the film is amazing, it really reminds me of 80’s early 90’s horror movie music. The movie is a bit drawn out and slow moving but all in all it was definitely worth watching.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/3box.gif

HollyG

10-11-11, 01:51 AM

So I have been really busy this month and I have been busy catching up on my T.V shows but I have watched a few good films this month.

La Regle du jeu 1939 Jean Renior

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gpp7GM5CjsM/SkheOuUCSMI/AAAAAAAABNI/-OFjiS0BysU/s400/vlcsnap-627820.png

"Love, as it exists in society, is merely the mingling of two whims and the contact of two skins."
4

Vivre sa Vie (1962) Jean-Luc Godard

http://www.calgarycinema.org/content/2009/vivre-sa-vie/vivre-sa-vie-2.jpg

"The more one talks, the less the words mean.
4.5

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) Carl Theodor Dreyer
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HnDzh2ik4ek/S-CjssNvuYI/AAAAAAAAAd8/dhv6eGjXBXk/s1600/joan.jpg
"Will I be with You tonight in Paradise?"
5

Hesher 2010 Spencer Susser

http://www.moviespad.com/photos/hesher-smoking-photo-63cb2.jpg
"Dude if you wanna poke her, there's nothing wrong with that. Don't be ashamed. Human beings have been poking vagina for hundreds of years. Longer probably."
3

Julie and Julia 2009 Nora Ephron

http://images.zap2it.com/images/movie-186815/julie-and-julia-13.jpg
"I'm Julia Child. Bon appetit!"
3.5

Amarcord (1973) Federico Fellini

http://www.filmforum.org/films/amarcord/20_074b.jpg
"When the puffballs come, cold winter's almost gone."
3.5

Sedai

10-12-11, 09:59 AM

The Descent (Marshall, 2005) 4

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/d/images/descent-6.jpg

Continuing October fright fest, Lisa and I sat down with what is starting to become one of my favorite thrillers. Each time I see this, I notice more brilliance. The allegory is thick, the visual command is impressive, and the claustrophobia is palpable.

The Last Exorcism (Stamm, 2010) 3

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/the_last_exorcism05.jpg

OK, Someone told me this what terrible. To that I say, huh? I really enjoyed this flick. I was expecting the typical The Exorcist ripoff, but man, this was fun! I'm a sucker for the Verite style, and this delivers. Definitely lifts a bit, but most horror is derivative these days, so that's just fine. The little girl was stellar in her role.

Tyler1

10-12-11, 12:48 PM

Sci-fi movie marathon

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/56/THX1138.jpg

THX 1138 -5/5 (Luca's best film, no doubt)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/54/Solyaris_ussr_poster.jpg

Solaris -5/5 (Pfft, did Tarkovsky think he can even beat Kubrick? But this is still a masterpiece)

http://cdn.movieclips.com/keyart/145490x480.jpg

Dune -3/5 (A movie i watch solely for its amazing scifi visuals)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/719BT0RFBTL._SL500_AA300_.gif

Dark City -4.5/5 (Except for the ridiculous ending, this film could have gotten 5 stars)

MADABOUTMOVIES

10-12-11, 01:08 PM

ive just watched all 30 episodes of the time tunnel does anyone remember it??
if youve never seen the 60s classic its a must for sci-fi fans

Sedai

10-12-11, 01:09 PM

I've seen a few episodes. Fairly interesting but sort of long in the tooth at this point.

Monkeypunch

10-12-11, 11:01 PM

Star Trek - Latest go around for the JJ Abrams Trek. Still good.

The Haunting in Connecticut - Pretty scary, actually. Well, more creepy than scary.

Eurotrip - I can't defend my love of this movie.

The Mask - Old school Jim Carrey. I wish he'd go back to these types of films.

Canadian Bacon - I love John Candy. Maybe this tried a bit too hard to be Dr. Strangelove, but there's just no hating John Candy. He's so...likeable! I laughed a lot at his three man invasion of Canada.

akatemple

10-12-11, 11:52 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/shrooms.jpg

SHROOMS (2007)

Directed by: Paddy Breathnach
Written by: Pearse Elliott

This is your basic teens doing something really stupid around really weird locals and expecting nothing bad to happen. This film takes place in Ireland where 5 teens from America meet up with an Irish man and go Shrooming way out in the middle of nowhere Ireland, apparently Ireland is like the king of Shrooms, at least that is the way the movie makes it look like almost everyone in Ireland is up to there ass in Shrooms. One of the teens eats one of the really bad shrooms and starts tripping really bad, seeing the future and who is going to die.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/shrooms1.jpg

Oh yeah did I mention the talking cow, that part made me laugh pretty good. If you like movies like Wrong Turn and Cabin Fever then you should really watch this one.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/3box.gif

Monkeypunch

10-13-11, 01:56 AM

Hackers - I don't know how I've gone this long without seeing this movie, but it's a lot of fun. I don't normally like Angelina Jolie, but she's pretty hot in this one. Cool storyline, too.

mark f

10-13-11, 03:17 AM

Canadian Bacon - I love John Candy. Maybe this tried a bit too hard to be Dr. Strangelove, but there's just no hating John Candy. He's so...likeable! I laughed a lot at his three man invasion of Canada.

I'm sure you realize this was directed by THE Michael Moore.

honeykid

10-13-11, 04:25 PM

Hackers - I don't know how I've gone this long without seeing this movie, but it's a lot of fun. I don't normally like Angelina Jolie, but she's pretty hot in this one. Cool storyline, too.
Me either. I love this film. It came really close to making my top 100. On another day it may do.

Also, first film I ever saw Jolie in. I thought she was gorgeous but truly didn't expect anyone else to. :D I was stunned when she 'became' Angelina Jolie.

akatemple

10-13-11, 04:34 PM

Jolie looked the best in that movie then she ever has, she looks so good with short hair.
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/angelina-jolie-hackers-small.jpg

She kinda looks like the Vulcan on Star Trek

Monkeypunch

10-13-11, 07:57 PM

I'm sure you realize this was directed by THE Michael Moore.

Yeah, I saw him in the movie as an extra too. I think this is the best thing he's ever done because if he's pushing an agenda, at least it's being done in service of a slapstick John Candy movie. I dunno, I'm kinda growing out of Michael Moore, he complains and makes points but offers no solutions to the problems he points out...in the end that adds NOTHING. If we're going to solve problems in the world, there needs to be no republicans or democrats, no conservatives or liberals, just Americans.

HitchFan97

10-13-11, 10:01 PM

akatemple

10-14-11, 12:34 AM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Poultrygeist.jpg

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead

Directed by: Lloyd Kaufman
Written by: Daniel Bova and Gabriel Friedman

If you learn anything from this movie it is that building a Fast Food restaurant on top of a Indian burial ground is a very bad idea. Arbie and Wendy (yes it’s part of a joke along with other characters names such as Denny, Carl Jr., Humus, Jose Paco Bell) are the two main characters of this film. Wendy goes off to college and becomes a lesbian while Arbie gets a job at the fast food restaurant named American Chicken Bucket. After a few really bloody deaths the people finally figure out that something is wrong, and of course with the help of the reincarnated Paco Bell who comes back as a Sloppy Jose sandwich.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/poultrygeistpics2wendy_mikki2jpg-for-web.jpg

This film insults EVERYONE, if you are easily offended then don’t watch this movie. Luckily it is almost impossible to offend me so I loved it, enough blood and body organs being ripped out to make a Japanese Ultra Gore movie blush, and more nudity then a softcore porn. What’s not to like?
The song and dance numbers are hilarious and insanely offensive, oh yeah and Ron Jeremy even has a cameo in this. They completely rip on Jared the Subway guy (the guy that has ruined my name for the rest of my life) which is more than okay with me.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/kaufman2.jpg

The pop culture and political references as well as every race, creed, color, sexual preference, and body type in this film are very thick and hilarious. I think this is definitely the best Troma film I have ever seen.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif?t=1317957460

Tyler1

10-14-11, 12:35 PM

Continuing on my sci-fi marathon... 2 sci fi flicks yesterday!!

Logan's Run -4/5

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/da/Logans_run_movie_poster.jpg/220px-Logans_run_movie_poster.jpg

Alphaville - 4/5

http://www.yume.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/alphaville.jpg

Pyro Tramp

10-14-11, 02:31 PM

Glad you liked it Aka!

mark f

10-14-11, 05:00 PM

Wild Target (Jonathan Lynn, 2010) 3+

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JbcW7ewATGo/TRemlUv4VvI/AAAAAAAADHA/F-VaA0PeTyc/s1600/10292010_WildTarget.jpg

This is an often funny dark comedy about Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy), the highest-paid hitman in London who's hired by con artist Ferguson (Rupert Everett) to kill seemingly-frivolous kleptomaniacf Rose (Emily Blunt) who just graduated to the big time by ripping off Ferguson of 900,000 pounds by selling him a fake Rembrandt. Other important characters include the hitman's Mom (Eileen Atkins) who has admiringly followed his son's career, the dope-smoking Tony (Rupert Grint) who accidentally becomes the hitman's protege, although both Tony and Rose think Victor is a private detective, and competing assassin Dixon (Martin Freeman) who tries to off Nighy when he becomes Rose's protector.

http://img0.liveinternet.ru/images/attach/c/2//71/565/71565601_274581.jpg

Bill Nighy is always good and he's especially deft here when he has second thoughts about both his profession and his sexuality. The scenes between him and his mother are some of the funniest in the film. There are a few times near the beginning where the work of director Jonathan Lynn (Clue, My Cousin Vinny reminded me of Monty Python and specifically, A Fish Called Wanda. The characters played by Blunt and Grint are somewhat unpredictable but they also take the film further into the realm of farce, along with Everett and his bodyguards who seem to be almost incompetent in dealing with the situation. However, I have to give the film credit for mostly succeeding in making an offbeat comedy which also works as a romance and a tale about disparate characters coming together to form an unusual family. By the way, every time Freeman smiled as Nighy's competitor, he reminded me of a blonde Martin Scorsese, and Freeman's assistant Fabian was good for a few laughs as a menacing dimwit.

To tell you the truth, I'd never even heard of this film before, and it's disappointing that it didn't earn more at the box office, but I believe that many people would enjoy it.

thracian dawg

10-14-11, 07:13 PM

Wild Target - 2.5

Rated this slightly lower than you, all that very British situational humor and what not. I wanted to check out the French original on which this was based upon: Cible émouvante (1993)---but from your description: "Bill Nighy is always good and he's especially deft here when he has second thoughts about both his profession and his sexuality." I just realized ... I've already seen it. A scene just flashed in my mind where the Marie Trintignant character makes a crack about Jean Rochefort's sexuality. He gives a double take that is absolutely priceless. Which makes me want to see it again even more now.

50/50 (2011) - Levine - 2

This is a vanity project from Seth Rogen---one of his friends who's a producer, contracted cancer in his twenties and survived. And he passed him a screenplay. Apart from a 28 minute comedy short, this is his only writing credit. And it shows. It's almost a low budget quickie. Example: The hair shaving scene speaks directly to this, rather than showing the progression of chemo-therapy ravage his body, they simply had him shave off his hair to save a few bucks on troublesome continuity shots and extra make-up. Suffice to say, I was underwhelmed by the lack of any kind of dramatic tension or progression.

akatemple

10-14-11, 11:14 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Due_Date_Poster.jpg

When I finished watching this movie I removed the knife that I had been digging into my arm and went and got the dvd out of the player. I looked at the dvd and it spoke to me and said "I wish I was The Hangover".

I'll give it 2 just because the dog was cute and funny.
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/2box.gif

Brodinski

10-15-11, 06:01 AM

When I finished watching this movie I removed the knife that I had been digging into my arm

Dude, you're only supposed to do that if you actually want to die there with your arm trapped under that rock. You on the other hand want to LIVE. So cut that ***** right off!

under0ath777

10-15-11, 10:03 AM

An American Werewolf in London(1981)
Beware the moon.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Observer/Pix/pictures/2009/8/27/1251387711639/An-American-Werewolf-In-L-001.jpg

David Kessler (David Naughton) and Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) are backpacking across the Yorkshire moors when they are attacked by a huge, vicious wolflike creature that pretty much leaves poor Jack a bloody mess and David rescued by the locals, but not before he's sliced up a bit. He wakes up three weeks later in a London hospital, only to learn that the hospital staff and the police are under the impression that David was attacked by an escaped lunatic. Jack, on the other hand, is re-animated, visible only to David, and warns him of what will happen to David at the next full moon. Jack urges suicide to avoid further bloodshed but Jack is unconvinced. Nurse Price (Jenny Agutter) takes quite a shine to this sad case for a man and takes him home with her for further recovery. Full moon awaits as David is growing worried for his sanity.

http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/7900000/An-American-Werewolf-In-London-werewolves-7949523-414-225.jpg

First of all, why the hell didn't they stick to the road, as admonished by the locals, and instead took a path further into the moors? Well, that aside (and all other plot-holes), it was an enjoyable movie experience. In terms of quality, I don't think it could have been better. It's very well-crafted, perfectly paced. I believe Landis made a magnificent job in mixing comedy, horror, gore and romance all in one movie. For a horror, I wouldn't say it was actually scary but like all other horror films, there is quite a thrill in it. There is a whole lot of fun moments driven mainly by well written dialogs. The special effects/makeup, as I understand, was groundbreaking during its time. The transformation scene is considerably superior even when compared to modern CGI.

Some of the most notable scenes are: the one where David dreams of his family being slaughtered by Nazi-like monsters, the chase in the underground, and my favorite - the total mayhem at the Piccadilly. Some would say the ending was too abrupt, but it was just the way I liked it. It left the impression that the whole story is about the tragedy.

There is so much to like about this film. Not my favorite of the horror-comedy genre, but definitely one of the best.

4

Sexy Celebrity

10-15-11, 11:34 PM

Sequel Time.

http://idiotflashback.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/the-road-warrior-04.jpg
The Road Warrior
These Mad Max films aren't very entertaining but I could have done worse. Enjoyed all of the guys in leather. Thought it was probably the best Mad Max film, but I need to see the first one again.
3.5

http://content8.flixster.com/photo/10/99/88/10998810_gal.jpg
Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise
I need to watch the ending again -- got distracted (or bored?) -- and lost some focus. Definitely a bad movie and not as good as the original, but not total trash, either. Horrible music act featuring the nerds this time, though. Some funny comedy, but a lot of idiotic parts as well.
2.5

akatemple

10-16-11, 12:18 AM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/dvdr_devilsplayground.jpg

Devil’s Playground (2010)
A.K.A London Zombie Epidemic

Directed by: Mark McQueen
Written by: Bart Ruspoli

Zombie films have been coming out of everywhere within the last few years it seems, we have had the slow moving zombies and the fast moving zombies. So what did they bring new to this movie, well something I wasn’t expecting and that is Parkour (a.k.a. Free Running) zombies. This not only speeds up the zombies but gives them the ability to jump walls and leap through windows making it almost impossible to get away from them.
The film starts by introducing a company called New-Gen and a new drug they have just started testing RAK-295 which is supposed to increase strength and stamina. At the end of the trial 29,999 or the 30,000 volunteers all start having very horrible reactions to the drug, the end result being that you become a zombie and start eating whoever is closest. Angela (MyAnna Buring) is the 1 person who appears to be immune to the drug, but before New-Gen can find her thinking that she might have the antidote in her body all hell breaks loose in London making it near impossible to find her.

http://www.instash.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/trailer-devils-playground-2010.jpg

Cole (Craig Fairbrass) is a mercenary who has lived his whole life doing horrible things to people, he thinks if he can find Angela and take her to safety that he will have finally done something good with what’s left of his life and get redemption for the things he has done. Cole, Angela and her boyfriend Joe (Danny Dyer), along with four others find themselves running for their lives trying to make it to safety.

This film really seems to be more about friendship and morality then zombies, when you have seven people and your lives are on the line what extremes would you go to in order to stay alive. This is a great zombie film with plenty of blood and flesh eating to satisfy any fan of the genre.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif?t=1317957460

Monkeypunch

10-17-11, 01:16 AM

Thor - This movie was pretty awesome. It managed to keep what was so great about the old Marvel comic book, and not seem overly campy at the same time. I want a sequel.

Beerfest - The guys from Super Troopers play the American beer drinking team in this incredibly funny movie. Their best since Super Troopers.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark - Cool twisted little horror flick about evil little gnomes who feed on people's teeth and kidnap little children. I love that you actually SEE the monsters, cause I hate movies where they leave that up to your imagination, which I know sounds bad, but I just want monsters in my monster movies, okay?

TylerDurden99

10-17-11, 07:42 AM

Matchstick Men (2003) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3.5box.gif

Some interesting aspects and an excellent Nicolas Cage performance makes it a solid 3 out of 5. But that "pissed blood" moment is hilarious, so its 3.5/5.

Dick Tracy (1990) http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/2box.gif

Uggh. What a boring waste of time. I give it points because at least Al Pacino is good. Everyone else, bleurghh.

Dead Again (1991) http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif?t=1317957460+

This is more like it. An uberstylish thriller, in which combines solid writing and direction into a good movie. What makes it great, though, are the terrific performances from Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Wayne Knight and Robin Williams.

The Last Waltz (1978) http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif?t=1317957460

Probably the best concert film ever made.

Tacitus

10-17-11, 08:30 AM

I've not seen Dead Again for ages. That was during Ken's first period of Stateside recognition as a director.

Peter's Friends and Frankenstein did for him, I think, but it's nice to see him being trusted again with something mainstream and non-Shakespearean.

Sexy Celebrity

10-17-11, 10:52 PM

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iiOKsLhXrGU/SdDU2pTimQI/AAAAAAAAAXY/Vh7hL4P4eDs/s320/Trainspotting-as-Renton.jpg
Trainspotting

5

I absolutely loved this movie. I had never seen it before until yesterday. I have really been missing out. I might review it, but I wanna watch it again first. I can't believe how good it actually was -- I was worried it wouldn't appeal to me. I was completely engrossed. Definitely going to be one of my favorite films now. Looks beautiful on Blu-ray.

akatemple

10-17-11, 10:52 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/theperfecthouse.jpg

The Perfect House (2010)

Directed by: Kris Hulbert and Randy Kent
Written by: Kris Hulbert

This film contains 3 short stories about a house or to be more specific the basement. In the present day Mike and Marisol are going to look at their dream house, the real estate agent showing the house is a sexual innuendo dropping sadistic woman, eventually at the end of the tour she takes them to the basement which is when the 3 stories start.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/The-Perfect-House-2-FTW.jpg

“THE STORM” The first story is in black and white and takes place around the 60’s, the family is taking shelter in the basement because of a massive storm that is approaching the house. The kids are always being tormented by their mother being called weak and useless. With the flashbacks that you see that there are a lot of skeletons in this families closet. They soon realizes that the storm is not the only thing they have to worry about.

“CHIC-KEN” The second story set in 1986 starts off with a man mopping up blood and a girl locked in a cage in the corner of the basement. The man uses her as an audience while he allows people to choose the way they die and then carries it out, the girl is forced to watch while this is being done. The girl in the cage (Holly Greene) and the psychotic killer (Jonathan Tiersten) have great on screen chemistry and really play off each other doing a top notch job. This section of the movie has some extreme gore and you really feel you are watching one of the sickest killers ever.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/the-perfect-house-facebook.jpg

“DINNER GUEST” You get a teaser of the third part at the very beginning of the film when a man invites his neighbors over to his house for dinner. There is an important lesson to learn from this part and that is to always remember to return stuff to its owner after borrowing it and definitely don’t call it trash and throw it away. The man (Dustin Stevens) ties the family up in his basement, he is very upset at having his Weed Whacker thrown away by his neighbor, so he decides to start taking stuff from the father starting with his kids and proceeding from there. This is by far the sickest and most sadistic part of the film, starting with the two youngest children having to fight each other to the death in order to save their mother. The anger and viciousness of the killings provide any horror fan with plenty of blood flying everywhere.

As far as I can tell this is not available on DVD yet, the extras on the copy I have said that this was going to premiere on Facebook, so I did some looking and I'll put the link below.
http://www.facebook.com/ThePerfectHouseMovie

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif?t=1317957460

Oh yeah and Chris Raab from CKY, Viva La Bam and Jackass makes a small appearance in the film.

TylerDurden99

10-17-11, 11:01 PM

The Lion King (1994) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

Cop Out (2010) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif

Narc (2002) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/2.5box.gif

Monkeypunch

10-17-11, 11:05 PM

Green Lantern - I don't get why this film was a flop. I had a great time watching it, it was fun sci-fi superhero escapism. It's silly at points, sure, and I can think of one instance where the screenwriter got LAZY and literally picked the main character up and physically moved him to the plot point, but other than that, it was pretty fun.

akatemple

10-17-11, 11:53 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/dd/Dylan_Dog_Dead_of_Night_poster.jpg

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

I have never read the comic series so there are a few things that bugged me about this movie. Does Dylan have some kind of super powers or anything because the beating he took in the movie was just beyond ridiculous if he didn't. There was a good amount of comedy in this but not to much to make it suck. All in all this was a good movie, I enjoyed watching it very much. But I will say one last thing and that is if your going to make a vampire/werewolf/zombie film then please rate it R.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/3box.gif

HitchFan97

10-18-11, 10:22 PM

Of Mice and Men (1992)

Watched in English class after reading the book. A enjoyable adaptation faithful to the source material, carried by Malkovitch's fantastic performance.

4

Persona (1966)

Probably the only film I can name that somehow manages to be both bizarre and disturbing, and boring and melodramatic at the same time. Though Bergman's camerawork, which finds elegance in its simplicity, is to be commended, that's hardly enough to save a film that just doesn't know how to get its point across (whatever that may be). A cliched art-house psychodrama.

1.5

ash_is_the_gal

10-18-11, 10:25 PM

:facepalm:

Harry Lime

10-18-11, 10:48 PM

:facepalm:

+1

akatemple

10-19-11, 12:26 AM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/X-MenFirstClassMoviePoster.jpg

X-Men: First Class

I am not a huge fan of the X-Men, All I remember was watching the cartoons on TV after school. The first 2 X-men movies were cool movies with good special effects, but First Class is 100 percent the best out of the X-Men series. Wolverine and Gambit were always my favorite from when I was much younger so it was cool that Wolverine had a very very small part in this one, and why does Gambit have such a tiny part in the series. Also for any hardcore X-Men fans, is that really how Beast came to be?

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/45box.gif

mark f

10-19-11, 03:37 AM

Persona (1966)

Probably the only film I can name that somehow manages to be both bizarre and disturbing, and boring and melodramatic at the same time. Though Bergman's camerawork, which finds elegance in its simplicity, is to be commended, that's hardly enough to save a film that just doesn't know how to get its point across (whatever that may be). A cliched art-house psychodrama.

1.5

First off, the bolded words can describe countless movies plus probably the majority of David Lynch's features :). I'm still looking for more actual discussion of this film at a still only one page thread over here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=17362). Please feel free to add your thoughts.

TheUsualSuspect

10-19-11, 05:44 AM

HitchFan97

10-19-11, 09:02 PM

The Exorcist (1973)

http://thisdistractedglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/the-exorcist-2003-poster.jpg

The Exorcist is a film of I've avoided for years out of pure fear of its reputation. The scariest movie of all time? Not quite, but it is pretty shocking. The Exorcist succeeds because of the numerous taboos it viciously shatters throughout its run time; in that regard, it is indeed one of the most powerful films ever made. Friedkin's artistry is undeniable and Linda Blair creates a truly horrifying villain in the possessed Regan.

4

akatemple

10-20-11, 12:21 AM

Morning Glory (2010)

Most people that I have talked to hated this movie. I thought this was a pretty good movie and I am always a fan of Harrison Ford, Ford's character in this show was great. It was almost like his Indiana Jones character by being grumpy and basically just being a hard-ass. The only thing was that I hate these kinds of movies so I just really hate those kind of ending like this movie had.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/25box.gif Two and a half for Harrison Ford

akatemple

10-20-11, 07:44 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/GoodNeighbours.jpg

Good Neighbors (2010)

Directed by: Jacob Tierney
Written by: Jacob Tierney and Chrystine Brouillet

The movie starts out slow. In fact I was ready to turn it off a few times. But it is just attempting to establish the plot I suppose. Almost the entire movie takes place in the apartment building in Montreal in the neighborhood of Notre Dame de Grace (I really don’t know why that is so special). Louise (Emily Hampshire) lives alone with 2 cats with which she has bonded. The crazy French lady upstairs hates her cats with a passion. Spencer (Scott Speedman) is a man bound to a wheelchair with a crazy love for fish that eat other living things, he’s not to big on the cats either because they tease his fish, also there are definitely some anger issues with him.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/20109140-good-neighbours.jpg

The new neighbor that moves in at the beginning of the film is Victor (Jay Baruchel) who is basically the same in this movie as he is in any film, spazy, nervous, weird, and has a crazy looking cat that he brought back from China(in the movie). Louise becomes obsessed with the serial killer that’s on the loose, this just becomes more so when her friend is killed by the serial killer(don’t worry that’s not a spoiler). Basically this is just another story of people contained in a small space trying to figure out who the killer is, I said at the beginning that the movie starts out slow but in truth the whole movie is slow and I found myself still waiting for things to happen. Might make for a rental if you really love Indie films and cats.

2

Miss Vicky

10-21-11, 03:30 AM

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51hUC2c9UsL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Little Big Man

I spent a good part of this movie with the feeling that I'd seen this movie before, only not really. There was something about the idiotic Jack Crabb and his way of bumbling through one situation after another that seemed far too familiar. And then it hit me, it was like I was watching a wild west version of Forrest Gump - only far more depressing and far less entertaining - and while I found Gump to be endearing at times, Crabb did little more than annoy me.

I will give it some credit for the scale of the film and for its depictions of the brutality of that era.

2.5

linespalsy

10-21-11, 01:27 PM

Here's what I've seen since my last post.

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/exorcist%20ii.jpg

Exorcist II: The Heretic (John Boorman, 1977) 2 (camp rating: 3.5)

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/dominion%20prequel%20to%20the%20exoricist.jpg

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (Paul Schrader, 2005) 2.5+

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/warlock.jpg

Warlock (Steve Miner, 1989) 3- (knowing camp rating: 4)

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/Rouge.jpg

Rouge (Stanley Kwan, 1988) 4

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/unfaithfully%20yours.jpg

Unfaithfully Yours (Preston Sturges, 1948) 3.5+

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/center%20stage%2002.jpg

Center Stage (Stanley Kwan, 1992) 3.5

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/goddess.jpg

The Goddess (Yonggang Wu, 1934) 3.5

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/zhi%20guo%20yuan.jpg

Zhi guo yuan ("Romance of a Fruit Peddler") (Shichuan Zhang, 1922) 3 (middling physical comedy but worth seeing as the earliest existent Chinese film, portraying recognizable street scenes and characters.)

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/last%20life%20in%20the%20universe.jpg

Last Life in the Universe (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, 2003) 3.5

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/heroic%20trio.jpg

The Heroic Trio (Johnny To, 1992) 2.5 (camp rating: 3.5)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0BHxhUnokU

Hellzapoppin' (H.C. Potter, 1941) 3.5 (meta-film rating: 4.5)

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/blackthorn.jpg

Blackthorn (Mateo Gil, 2011) 3+

and several early W.C. Fields shorts:

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/fatal%20glass%20of%20beer.jpg

The Fatal Glass of Beer (short) (Clyde Bruckman, 1933) 4
Pool Sharks (short) (Edwin Middleton, 1915) 3+
The Dentist (short) (Leslie Pearce, 1932) 2.5
The Golf Specialist (short) (Monte Brice, 1930) 3.5- (Fields' classic golf routine which later appeared in You're Telling Me! - minus the cloying story of that later film)

I also re-watched these:

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/chungking%20express%2002.JPG

Chungking Express (Wong Kar-wai, 1994) 4

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/merry%20christmas%20mr.%20lawrence%2002.JPG

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Nagisa Oshima, 1983) 4

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/hard%20boiled.jpg

Hard Boiled (John Woo, 1992) 4

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/halloween.png

Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978) 3.5+

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/after%20hours.jpg

After Hours (Martin Scorsese, 1985) 3.5-

Tyler1

10-21-11, 02:14 PM

The Scent Of The Green Papaya (Tran Anh Hung, 1993) -5/5

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/71/MPW-35959

Finally a good film ive seen about Vietnam. I'm sick of seeing the Vietnamese portrayed in such a negative light (Apocalypse Now, or for that matter any Hollywood film about Vietnam). This film is sublime, gentle, and beautiful to the senses. Anyone who is interested in Asian cinema must watch this film.

Nausicaä

10-21-11, 03:07 PM

How is Persona cliched?

Tyler1

10-21-11, 03:16 PM

Persona is cliched? :suspicious:

mack

10-21-11, 04:13 PM

Set Up - 3.5/5
The reason I give this B film such a high rating is because I typically NEVER watch a film with 50 Cent in it - on principle. However, I got this one because it had Bruce Willis and Ryan Phillipe, and you know what? 50 Cent was one of the better actors - at least, he was much better than expected. Unexpectedly, Ryan Phillipe's turn as a young hoodlum was......wooden, dead, unbelievable - and it felt like he was reading from a script. His thug sidekick was more credible. The story was a straightforward street life story, and Bruce Willis surprised by doing a good job as minor co-star Mob boss. I hate to see him take such a back seat role in movies, because it makes it seem like he sees himself as a co-star, rather than the main guy - it works, but its an interesting dynamic to watch. Is this how one ages gracefully?

Hanna - 2.5/5
I waited and waited for this film because I expected to love it, being a Cate Blanchett fan, but I have to admit - it underwhelmed. The story was serviceable, but a lot was taken for granted, like "why" Weigler was the Anti-Christ. I mean, you are told "what" she is doing from the start, and you definitely infer "why" she is doing it, but while they spend a great deal of time showing her current behavior, they dont ever really dig down deep into her psyche to help you understand her. Understandable from a writing perspective, but when they finally lay all the reasons on you, it seems a little too heavy for such a short film, and for such banal judgments. Perhaps the best way to describe it is to say they throw at you two dissimilar adult opinions from opposite ends of the same spectrum, and they never really develop the adults' thoughts/feelings for why they disagree. In this way, they turn the viewer into Hanna, the child in this story, who finally understands the facts, but doesnt fully understand the motives behind the outcomes/actions. So I suppose, like Hanna, we are left to come to our own conclusions. It disappointed me.

Transformers 3 - 3.5/5
The film was so-so. Nice in that you have a lot of flash and bang, but I got a distinct impression that it was a remake of Skyline, with a smattering of Battle: Los Angeles thrown in. Transformers is SciFi enough - now they have to cash in on our 2011 penchant for epic End-of-World by otherworldly invaders movies? Weak. Though it was nice to see the scenes I watched being filmed on location show in the film, and McDreamy was a nice addition.

Used Future

10-21-11, 05:14 PM

I really liked Hanna, and whilst I agree it was shallow in some respects (backstory being a prime example) I didn't have a problem with Blanchett's character being portrayed as 'The Witch'. To me that just rang true with the brain washing/training Bana's character had put her through. I actually had more of a problem with the sometimes instrusive soundtrack and over use of slow motion, but that's just me. After the first twenty minutes I decided to look on the film as a straight mood piece come character study of Hanna and her journey of self discovery. On that level (at least for me) the film worked pretty well, and I've filed my copy next to Leon because I think they'd make a good double feature. :cool:

Yoda

10-21-11, 05:23 PM

I agree with you both. I don't mind how Blanchett was handled, except as it relates to the lack of backstory. Was pretty let down by Hanna, not just for that, but because I thought the fight scenes were relatively pedestrian. I expected to see some pretty clever sequences, and would've loved it if they'd expounded on the tremendous premise.

akatemple

10-21-11, 06:08 PM

All I know is that Hanna was waaaaaay better then Transformers 3.

Ads

10-22-11, 02:17 PM

Last films I saw were:

I Am Number 4, which was pretty awful and

The Exorcist, which has got to be one of the best films I've ever seen.

akatemple

10-23-11, 01:45 AM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/2LDK-dvd.jpg

2LDK

Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi
Writers: Yuiko Miura and Yukihiko Tsutsumi

2LDK (2-bedroom, living room, dining room, kitchen) only has two actors in the entire film, Nozomi (Eiko Koike) and Rana (Maho Nonami) are two budding actresses sharing an apartment in Tokyo. The movie starts out so calmly by introducing Rana who is such an innocent girl brand new to the big city Tokyo. Nozomi is the kind of girl that will do anything with a guy if he buys her stuff and is not by any definition innocent about anything. The two girls are sharing a penthouse in Tokyo, and come to find out they are both competing for the same role in an upcoming movie called Yakuza Wife. This film becomes a little tiring after a while, there are several fight scenes and by that I mean a lot of fight scenes where after they make up for a minute and then start fighting again.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/3126992408.jpg

The movie consists of their outer dialogue and inner dialogue that is all, and it get’s kind of old after the first 30 minutes, luckily this movie is only 70 minutes in length. The fight scenes get old and the ending is well you’ll just have to watch it, but I didn’t find it to really satisfy me at all. But if you are just wanting to watch a crazy Japanese movie then this is a good one, the gore is good but if you don't like the shakeycam stuff then don't watch this.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/25box.gif

under0ath777

10-23-11, 09:59 PM

I've seen some awful movies this past few days. Most of them I watched with my kid nephews. The only interesting movie I've seen last week was La vie de Jesus.

La vie de Jesus (1997) 2.5+
I didn't like it that much. Good movie but with some unnecessary explicit scenes.
http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/upimg/photo/1137.jpg

Karate Girl (2011) 1
The worst martial art movie I've seen yet.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5SKqBka3Kro/ThFtKkHKlEI/AAAAAAAAALg/2-py153FlAs/s1600/Karate+Girl+2011+2.jpg

Mr. Bones (2001) 1.5
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_artRdT0l-ow/ShlBMASFWHI/AAAAAAAAADU/Df-O8l-bxNc/s320/Mr.Bones.2001.DVDRip%5B%28153847%2917-19-04%5D.JPG

Underdog (2007) 2
http://www.stardusttrailers.com/gallery_film/%28040609191507%29underdog_3.jpg

Air Bud: Golden Receiver (1998) 1.5
http://images.allmoviephoto.com/1998_Air_Bud_2:_Golden_Receiver/kevin_zegers_air_bud_golden_receiver_001.jpg

akatemple

10-23-11, 10:35 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/assault-girls-poster.jpg

Assault Girls (2009)

Director: Mamoru Oshii
Writer: Mamoru Oshii

This entire movie takes place inside of an incredibly immersive virtual video game, sounds like a cool idea for a film right, well wrong. There are four characters in this movie, Jager, Lucifer, Gray, and Colonel, that’s pretty much all you get is just names without background or any clue about anything in the real world or in the game. Lucifer was my favorite out of the four just because she had wings and a cool hat. I’ll put a picture below.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/assault_girls_02.jpg

The whole point is the three girls and one loner guy are trying to get to the next level of the game, and in order to do that they must team up in order to beat the boss. Descent sounding story but so much of this movie is wasted with them just walking through the desert in silence. There is one part where they each walk past a snail and take time to examine the snail in detail before moving on (about 10 minutes). The movie is less than 65 minutes long so out of the entire film you only get about 5 minutes of action. The CGI is way too obvious and boring, the monsters and boss look exactly the same and not scary at all.

1

Godoggo

10-24-11, 08:29 PM

thracian dawg

10-25-11, 07:05 PM

Moneyball (2011) - Miller
Although pro sports is the back drop for this, this is actually a business film about a couple of guys who build a better mouse trap. After losing his three name players in the off season, the GM for the Oakland A's has to rebuild the team. After getting a hard no from the owner for a bigger budget; he (Pitt) ends up completely embracing his lack of brown pennies and the small market limitations with the help of an economics major (Hill)

With scribes like Zaillian and Sorkin---who can generate drama from a soft drink dispenser, the film is easily compelling. Most lovable in the mix is Pitt's daughter (Kerris Dorsey) who is painfully aware how fragile her father is in her life. Pitt and Hill suffer the stations of the cross from the non believers in their hunt for a better ball club, however their Calvary will be short lived---within a few years, their innovations will become industry standards.

I learned in the film, how good looking a ball player is, is a major factor in making the roster. There's a very interesting motif of cultivating loyalty and fierce camaraderie in a place where it doesn't exist: a player's performance in the big leagues is analyzed to the 4th decimal place and the moment they no longer have any value, they're punted from the team. 2.5
　
Wetlands (2011) - Édoin
This French Canadian production is more of a rural study about self-forgiveness than anything. It's a very hard scrabble life and the margin for error on a working farm is paper thin. Money's always tight and getting tighter. There's a slightly art house feel with lots of striking images. Although the son kind of dallies because of his adolescence, he's still expected to put in his fair share of work everyday.

Pascale Bussières should get a genie nomination (Canada's Oscars) for this role as a farm wife and hard luck woman---at times, she's totally fearless. And if the most amount of flies in a motion picture was a legitimate category, this one would win hands down. 3.5
　
Barbarians at the gate (1993) - Jordan
CEO F Ross Jordan decides to buy up his own company. It's not an idle boast when he says he can sell ice cubes to the Eskimos. James Garner just kills in this black comedy about corporate greed . He is just so damn likeable here, his obvious defaults go completely unnoticed.

The story was very well written for a TV movie. There's lots of great one lines. There was also an interesting idea in the film: the idea of deliberating taking on debilitating debt in order to justify harsh measures.

Caveat? The humor is really understated. You have to pay attention. Especially the countless ways in which greed most foul is presented--- it's wonderfully off-hand and throwaway, if you blink you'll miss them. The way Garner quickly presses a couple of bills into the hands of a homeless man, before entering a $10,000 a plate dinner. Or sending his dog back home on a private jet because he's got the sniffles. 2.5

mark f

10-25-11, 07:40 PM

I've been watching some horror movies I haven't seen. Tis' the season and all.

The Exorcist III - One should never make a movie about demon possession where the demon bores you to death because it won't shut up. Do not believe anyone who says this is as scary as the first.

It's interesting that both Exorcist II and III got reviewed in here recently. I'm going to watch II again soon, but I don't know if the original version I saw at the theatre is even available anymore. Re: III, I have to agree with you. Apparently Blatty, who was very satisfied with the original but pissed that it didn't win more Oscars, was so upset that II completely rethought and trashed what he considered his film to be about, that he had to go on and on and beat a dead horse in III. The interesting thing about III is that it has some great chemistry between George C. Scott and Ed Flanders, but since they both play characters they didn't in the original, it throws a lot of people off. Some of their dialogue is wonderfully funny; for example, the hated carp in the bathtub. It also has some evocative early scenes at the church from the first film.

But then the movie gets serious, and Blatty wants you to make sure you understand that it was Father Karras who was the main target of the demon and that he has to suffer even more, and I agree with you that it goes on and on, so much so that it's almost an insult to anyone who actually understood the novel or the original movie. Then, Nicol Williamson shows up (after a brief, earlier intro) near the end, obviously with several scenes deleted, to remind us that Father Merrin had something to do with the first film, even though II made it all about Regan and Merrin. I don't really know what else to say. There are some good things in III but they are overcome by, as you say, boredom and overkill. My brother, who brought the film over for me to watch it again, probably hates me now. :cool:

I'd give the films:

The Exorcist - 4
Exorcist II - 2
Exorcist III - 2.5
Exorcist IV - I haven't seen either version.

Godoggo

10-25-11, 10:11 PM

The interesting thing about III is that it has some great chemistry between George C. Scott and Ed Flanders,

I agree. For me the only parts of the film worth watching is when they are onscreen together.

under0ath777

10-26-11, 07:58 AM

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
I just saw this on theater a few hours ago, and I will say this is the SCARIEST MOVIE I've seen this year. The early scenes are confusing. I have no idea about it cos I haven't seen part 2 and even the trailer. Once I got the idea that it was actually a prequel story it all became coherent. Honestly, I don't care what the ghost is all about, or what it wants, or what other things that aren't explained in the movie cos what matters is it worked on me. Some (almost all) horror movies just don't work on me. The part 1 was scary but I don't remember it being as intense as this movie. In this movie, all their gimmicks will legitimately scare you, give you goosebumps and some will even scare and make you laugh both at the same time. Watch this, but don't take it seriously. Just enjoy and expect a lot of GOTCHA moments.

4

http://img.poptower.com/pic-70374/paranormal-activity-3.jpg?d=600

Brodinski

10-26-11, 12:08 PM

An update of the 2011 releases I've watched over the past month and a half:

The Adjustment Bureau (2011, Nolfi)

This is a good thriller-drama that is an effective genre-exercise (rom-com, thriller, drama, sci-fi elements, it’s all there) with a message. Near the end, director Nolfi wants to pound his message into your heard a bit too much and on the whole, the film lacks a bit of everything to really be memorable.

3

Limitless (2011, Burger)

During the first hour, Limitless is an entertaining, well-crafted film that thrives off its intriguing premise and a very solid Bradley Cooper. However, instead of asking relevant and interesting questions about the central theme, Neil Burger chose to turn Limitless into a rather obvious thriller that is still well-paced and entertaining, but lacks the creative body I expected. And I really disliked the voice-over, which is primarily used here to spoon-feed as much information as possible to the viewer in order to keep the film moving from one thrill to the other. This sounds overly negative I guess, but this isn’t a bad film. Like I said, it’s entertaining and Cooper is good, but it could’ve been much better.

3+

Scream 4 (2011, Craven)

The film desperately wants to be cleverer than its audience and show that it’s keeping up with the zeitgeist. As a result, the characters are constantly analyzing themselves and making silly references to the horror genre that Scream 4 ends up drowning all the tension in a pond of self-referential jokes and self-proclaimed hipness. During the final half hour, it FINALLY turns into a real horror-slasher and the film’s finale is really expertly crafted. I don’t know why Craven decided to save the suspenseful, scary stuff until the very last, because the rest of the film is crap.

2+

The Dilemma (2011, Howard)

This is disgraceful for a man with the standing of Ron Howard. This film even lacks the ambition to be somewhat of a funny comedy. I don’t think Howard really intended to make a funny film here. The problem is that The Dilemma hovers between comedy and drama and as a result, the film lacks a clear identity to really draw you in.

2

Cedar Rapids (2011, Arteta)
Clever mix of irony, compassion and a hint of mockery in this late coming-of-age tragic comedy. I do have some issues with the direction the story all of a sudden takes. Moreover, the characters of Heche and Weaver don’t get enough time to develop, because the film is too eager to move forward.

3+

And some more:

Cars 2 (2011, Lasseter): 2.5 (even Pixar is striking out in 2011)
Submarine (2011, Atoade): 3+
Noordzee, Texas (2011, Defurne): 3.5
Drive Angry (2011, Lussier): 1.5

linespalsy

10-26-11, 12:37 PM

It's interesting that both Exorcist II and III got reviewed in here recently. I'm going to watch II again soon, but I don't know if the original version I saw at the theatre is even available anymore. Re: III, I have to agree with you. Apparently Blatty, who was very satisfied with the original but pissed that it didn't win more Oscars, was so upset that II completely rethought and trashed what he considered his film to be about, that he had to go on and on and beat a dead horse in III. The interesting thing about III is that it has some great chemistry between George C. Scott and Ed Flanders, but since they both play characters they didn't in the original, it throws a lot of people off. Some of their dialogue is wonderfully funny; for example, the hated carp in the bathtub. It also has some evocative early scenes at the church from the first film.

But then the movie gets serious, and Blatty wants you to make sure you understand that it was Father Karras who was the main target of the demon and that he has to suffer even more, and I agree with you that it goes on and on, so much so that it's almost an insult to anyone who actually understood the novel or the original movie. Then, Nicol Williamson shows up (after a brief, earlier intro) near the end, obviously with several scenes deleted, to remind us that Father Merrin had something to do with the first film, even though II made it all about Regan and Merrin. I don't really know what else to say. There are some good things in III but they are overcome by, as you say, boredom and overkill. My brother, who brought the film over for me to watch it again, probably hates me now. :cool:

I'd give the films:

The Exorcist - 4
Exorcist II - 2
Exorcist III - 2.5
Exorcist IV - I haven't seen either version.

The Exorcist II is a joke, and the parts that I found funniest are also the parts that I liked least. I agree that the failure to understand Karras' place in this universe is a big problem, and I think it really affects the whole movie. It's like they took the center out of the story without replacing it with anything, and then piled more and more "stuff" on in an attempt to make it bigger and more significant, but instead it just collapses. It also does too much explaining for my taste.

The recent Paul Schrader prequel was better, but still not very good. It's more focused and suspenseful, but the plot is a little too obvious. I think the production was troubled and went straight to video, which might explain why it sometimes looks very rushed and sloppy (especially towards the end), but that's less of a problem for me.

Monkeypunch

10-26-11, 05:01 PM

Paranormal Activity - You know, I tend to like movies where things happen in them...this is not one of those movies.

Paranormal Activity 2 - Lord knows why I watched this when I didn't like the first one, I guess I hoped it would be better? Is this really what people find scary nowadays?

The Happening - You know, this had a fantastic premise, and had some suspenseful moments, and I generally liked it, but I had one major problem with it. Mark Wahlberg. Seriously stop and think (if you've seen the movie) how much better it would have been with Jeff Goldblum in this role. It's like it was written for him. So why do we have Marky Mark instead? His delivery was weird and he had the same "Duh" expression on his face the entire time. But I digress. The idea that plants would start defending themselves was a good one, and mostly the execution of this idea is wonderfully carried out, like a Twilight Zone episode writ large. Kudos to mr. M Night Shamalamadingdong...

Sexy Celebrity

10-26-11, 05:09 PM

Scream 4 (2011, Craven)

The film desperately wants to be cleverer than its audience and show that it’s keeping up with the zeitgeist. As a result, the characters are constantly analyzing themselves and making silly references to the horror genre that Scream 4 ends up drowning all the tension in a pond of self-referential jokes and self-proclaimed hipness. During the final half hour, it FINALLY turns into a real horror-slasher and the film’s finale is really expertly crafted. I don’t know why Craven decided to save the suspenseful, scary stuff until the very last, because the rest of the film is crap.

They had the guy who writes the Transformers movies mess with the script. He also wrote the third one, which wasn't suspenseful at all. I read an earlier version of the script and it was much better. The ending was mostly the same (but still better), however...

Jill was supposed to have lived.

The dialogue involving movie references and everything was far smarter, too.

TheUsualSuspect

10-26-11, 06:41 PM

They had the guy who writes the Transformers movies mess with the script. He also wrote the third one, which wasn't suspenseful at all. I read an earlier version of the script and it was much better. The ending was mostly the same (but still better), however...

Jill was supposed to have lived.

The dialogue involving movie references and everything was far smarter, too.

Considering all the hate for the third film, which he wrote, it's surprising they brought him on for re-writes of the script.

akatemple

10-26-11, 07:03 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/259589420_666f42e610.jpg

THX-1138 (1971)
Director: George Lucas
Written by: George Lucas, Mathew Robbins and Walter Murch

This movie has been out longer then I have been alive and I just watched it for the first time, I don’t know what took me so long I guess it was just one of those films that I always skipped over because I did not think I would like it. I was wrong, I really liked this movie. The color or lack there of, the actors it was all great, and wow Robert Duvall was so young in this (yes I know it was 40 years ago) I mainly know Duvall from a lot of his more modern films. The mechanical confessionals were hilarious probably about as effective as the ones today (just my opinion, please no hate mail).

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/TTHX1138.jpg

To be perfectly honest I really did like this film but I did not understand a lot of it. From what I got this is a love story between THX and LUH, also I believe sex is illegal. This look at the future has almost came true IMO with so many people being on sedatives for one thing or another, that part of the movie at least I found quite fitting with the world today. I do not understand the reason in the movie why it was mandatory to take the sedatives and if you didn’t you got put in jail (futuristic bright white jail). A lot of this movie reminded me or George Orwell’s 1984 and the whole Big Brother thing. THX (Robert Duvall) finds out LUH is pregnant and escapes from jail in an attempt to reunite with LUH. I don’t want to say too much about the ending even though everybody but me probably saw this film a while ago, all I will say is that I thought it had potential for a good ending, but all it did was leave me hanging.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/091109-thx1138.jpg

Maybe it's just me but a young Duvall to me looks a lot like a young Robert De Niro. If anyone even reads this and can maybe explain the ending or the reason for the sedatives please let me know, also I really like Sid Haig but I don’t remember seeing him in this movie and he has to be in it somewhere, so if anyone can point him out that would be nice.

4.5

honeykid

10-26-11, 08:04 PM

...but I had one major problem with it. Mark Wahlberg. Seriously stop and think (if you've seen the movie) how much better it would have been with Jeff Goldblum in this role. It's like it was written for him. So why do we have Marky Mark instead? His delivery was weird and he had the same "Duh" expression on his face the entire time.
Two things. Firstly, no, I don't want Jeff Goldblum in this. I think that would've made it worse for me. Secondly, why single out Wahlberg? I agree with you, but I'd apply it to all of the main actors in this. Obviously it's what Shyamalan wanted, as we know they can all act better than they display here. That and, as it's so obviously styled (in a way we all hate), it had to be his choice. A shame as, like you, I think this has real potential. Also, the third act is dreadful, too.

Sexy Celebrity

10-26-11, 08:06 PM

I never saw The Happening, and nothing against Jeff Goldblum - I like him - but I think he's too old for something like that.

akatemple

10-26-11, 08:08 PM

I don't think you can improve on The Happening by switching any of the actors, what really needs changed is the entire story, and maybe the title.

mark f

10-26-11, 08:52 PM

THX-1138 (1971)
Director: George Lucas
Written by: George Lucas, Mathew Robbins and Walter Murch

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/091109-thx1138.jpg

Maybe it's just me but a young Duvall to me looks a lot like a young Robert De Niro. If anyone even reads this and can maybe explain the ending or the reason for the sedatives please let me know, also I really like Sid Haig but I don’t remember seeing him in this movie and he has to be in it somewhere, so if anyone can point him out that would be nice.

4.5

This film has gotten some good ratings lately, but I really don't think that much of it. I think that Lucas's short film is better and this feature is far too stretched out to be effective. The beginning is quite promising and the sets, sound and cinematography are great, but the whole thing just sort of dies in the middle. I wanted to know what happened to THX's lover and they got rid of her with a comment and a shock visual. I thought it picked up a bit with the chase ending, but much of its cool factor was added in later by Lucas after he was rich.

The "leave you hanging" ending is just supposed to make you think about what will happen next. There are not really a lot of hints in the movie, but it does obviously show that Big Brother will lie to keep all the people in their place. The meds are used in the same way the shaved heads and the white clothes are: everyone is supposed to be the same and not question the Powers That Be. No individuality, no personal exchanges, and love is obviously about the most personal exchange a person can have. No reason to mess with your "happiness" by not being a drugged-out zombie.

Sid Haig is one of the workers. I remember seeing him and commenting to the people who were watching with me, but now I can't place what part he was in. He certainly didn't have that much to do. I'm guessing that you haven't watched To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) where Duvall plays the iconic Boo Radley? My rating for THX 1138 is 2, but I can understand why it's a cult film. The fact is that I thnk many cult films are subpar, but hey, if you love something, I'm all for your singing its praises.

Brodinski

10-27-11, 05:59 AM

I concur with Mark here. THX 1138 is nothing special at all. The middle part is boring and feels very drawn out. I also didn't really understand Donald Pleasance' character. Why was he even in the film?

I rate it 2.5

akatemple

10-27-11, 12:07 PM

This film has gotten some good ratings lately, but I really don't think that much of it. I think that Lucas's short film is better and this feature is far too stretched out to be effective.

How does someone get ahold of the short film.

Yoda

10-27-11, 12:08 PM

I dunno how to get a hold of that one, but man, it's such a bummer that Lucas destroyed all the copies of the THX-1138 Christmas Special.

Sedai

10-27-11, 12:19 PM

mark f

10-27-11, 12:47 PM

How does someone get ahold of the short film.

This site (http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/short-film-electronic-labyrinth-thx-1138-4eb-george-lucas.php) has a few problems (such as transposing numbers}, but it does have the full student film. It's much more narrowly focused obviously.

akatemple

10-27-11, 07:08 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/suspect-zero.jpg

Suspect Zero (2004)
Director: E. Elias Merhige
Written by: Zak Penn

Tom Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) is a demoted and kind of burnt out FBI agent who get’s transferred to a smaller town because of screwing up a very big case the FBI was working on. Dead people start popping up with the same symbol on or around all the bodies, at the same time someone starts calling and faxing very vague clues about missing children. Benjamin O’Ryan (Ben Kingsley) is a man with a top secret past having something to do with experiments that the Russians were doing a long time ago but then the American government picked up where the Russians left off and continued the experiments. O’Ryan becomes the FBI’s number one suspect, Mackelway becomes obsessed with the case making others concerned that he might screw this one up just like the last big case he was on. This is a great movie about trying to track down a serial killer with some kind of ESP talent, there are lots of twists and turns that keep you watching, the ending is great and ties up the story nicely, this is a really good and suspenseful movie. Carrie-Anne Moss is also in this movie but to no great extent, she is more of an afterthought in this film.

3.5
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/meet-bill-poster_159372712.jpg

Meet Bill (2007)
Directed by: Bernie Goldmann and Melisa Wallack
Written by: Melisa Wallack

Bill (Aaron Eckhart) is a man who is trapped in his job and cannot win with his in-laws. Bill works at a bank that is owned by his father in-law, he has a made up job title and only has the job because he married into the family. His wife Jess (Elizabeth Banks) starts out the movie as a bored wife who has a thing for Chip Johnson (Timothy Olyphant) the local news reporter. When Bill finds out everything he lashes out at Jess, and Chip resulting in both of them taking out restraining orders against him.
Bill starts living in a tent in his brothers backyard while trying to mentor a young rich high school kid. Bill the kid and a lingerie sales girl (Jessica Alba) team up to try and win back Bill’s wife. This is a great comedy and had me laughing almost all the way through it. Aaron Eckhart put on a good amount of weight for this movie and is a part of the story with him trying to get back in shape and change stuff about himself. Through the entire film there is this donut franchise that Bill is wanting to invest in, that is actually quite a bit of the story but all in all this was a funny movie, but to be honest the only reason I got it was I stumbled upon the .gif I will post below, and then just had to see the movie.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Meet-Bill.gif

3

mark f

10-27-11, 08:03 PM

Man...rating Exorcist III close to Exorcist II in quality is a travesty, straight up. Also, no mention of Brad Dourif as The Gemini Killer??? One of his best performances, hands down. The third film can't compare to the tremendous first film, which in a class of its own, but it is head and shoulders above the almost unwatchable Exorcist II....

I hear you, Seds, but it's more complicated than that. Exorcist III is a legit film, obviously. It's just that I don't think Blatty trusted his audience enough. It's a schizophrenic film since after the opening at the church and a reprise of the original's finale, it basically plays out as a character comedy with Lt. Kinderman and Father Dyer. I liked that part, even though there are a few hints in the editing that it may have been tweaked by somebody other than Blatty. The intro of the Gemini Killer is both a plus and a minus now for me. Dourif is indeed quite good, at least initially, and what he says does reinforce some of the points which The Exorcist, both the novel and the film, made far subtler -- the concept of faith, sacrifice and the nature of evil. I'm still not sure why the Gemini Killer, somebody who has nothing to do with the first film, plays so important a role in III. I realize that Blatty wanted to make sure that you understood that Father Karras was the true savior of Regan, but I like Father Karras and I just think he suffers far too much in this film, I also just wanted it to have less of the Gemini after awhile. The claustrophobia and non-stop yakking in his cell just started to get to me and not in a good way. I got it already, don't beat me over the head. I consider it a noble failure at this point, but well worth checking out.

On the other hand, Boorman is a visionary, yet highly capable of crawling up his own bum (check the film he made previously to II, Zardoz, and you'll see what I mean). Boorman and his scripter basically just trashed the original and went into their own world which is obviously incomprehensible to almost anyone who isn't quite as "visionary". The film isn't unwatchable though. It's akin to a multi-car pileup which gets bigger and bigger and makes you actually have to watch it because it's "INCONCEIVABLE" this is what The Exorcist has wrought. It's idiotic and that's an insult to idiots, but damned if it doesn't look really good and has a super cast, even if almost all of them are horrible in it. The Exorcist II is just an unintentional camp classic, so that combined with the professionalism and a scene or two which almost seem interesting, make it "rise" to 2 for me. The problem with III is that it started at a higher level but seemed to sink to me, so that's why it ended up at 2.5, and I'll admit that rating, here at MoFo, is probably the rating where I find the largest spectrum of quality, at least between the lowest and highest ends of the rating. I can certainly understand others thinking I'm nutso, but at least Godoggo is with me about III. You also have to remember that I think The Exorcist is a great film and I give that 4, which is probably one full rating lower than what most people consider a great film.

akatemple

10-28-11, 06:35 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/rope013.jpg

Rope (1948)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Hume Cronyn and Patrick Hamilton

This was the first time I have seen this movie, I have been trying to find a film that was made in one continuous shot. It was Alfred Hitchcocks idea to film the movie in one continuous shot but the technology did not exist at that time so he made it look like it was continuous by panning the camera behind someone’s back making it look like one shot. The movie starts with two really close friends Brandon (John Dall) and Phillip (Farley Granger) killing there other close friend, they then put the body inside of a chest in the main sitting room of the apartment. Brandon and Phillip then invite a group of people over for a dinner party the guests include the parents and fiancé of the murdered man. Brandon invites Rupert Cadell (James Stewart) without telling Phillip, Rupert was the schoolteacher of all the men at the party and the one person who posed the biggest threat of figuring out what had happened.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Ropepic2.jpg

Brandon and Phillip murdered there friend for the excitement and rush, throwing the party was just to see if they could get away with it. Brandon has interesting views on murder thinking that the superior intellectual people should be able to commit murder as long as it was against an inferior person, Rupert shares their views on murder because he was the one who use to talk about his ideas with Brandon. The main difference is that Rupert was a good person and would never have acted whereas Brandon and Phillip did. You can tell almost from the very beginning that Phillip is the weak link and immediately regrets what they have done to their friend. You find yourself on the edge of your seat waiting for Phillip to do something or say something stupid. Brandon is the exact opposite and definitely the alpha male in this film, he throws gas on the fire with some of the stuff he sais almost trying to see how close he can come to getting caught, he thinks he has committed the perfect murder. I left a few characters out because the movie seemed to mainly move around the three that I have described. I looked up some info on this movie and it turns out that this is based on an actual murder committed in 1924 which makes this movie way more disturbing.

5

mark f

10-28-11, 07:24 PM

Yes, it was based on the Leopold-Loeb case which has been filmed a few other times, most notably Compulsion and Swoon.

akatemple

10-29-11, 01:58 AM

Yes, it was based on the Leopold-Loeb case which has been filmed a few other times, most notably Compulsion and Swoon.

Thanks I read all about it after you posted this, and the similarities are amazing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_and_Loeb

akatemple

10-29-11, 02:01 AM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Special.jpg

Special (2006)
Directed by: Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore
Written by: Hal Baberman and Jeremy Passmore

Les (Michael Rapaport) has a job as a meter maid (not sure if that term is unisex), he does the same unfulfilling job every day and has no one that is really in his life. He gets the chance to go and partake in a drug trial for a drug that is basically an anti-depressant it is supposed to remove the feeling of hopelessness. The medicine has an unforeseen side effect and makes Les start to feel like he has super powers such as flight, telekinesis etc. Suddenly he has a purpose and meaning in his life and uses this to start doing good and stopping crime. Maybe it is Psychosis or maybe Heroism from all the comic books he reads but in the real life he is ineffectual and powerless but he does not let that stop him from doing everything he can to help, and that really made me feel something for this character.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/images-1.jpg

This film is a very dark comedy and will make you never want to sign up for a drug trial. But this is also a heart ripping story of an example of one person trying his hardest to make a difference. If you like dark comedies or just in the mood for a good dark pick me up then you should watch this.

3.5

TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_

10-31-11, 08:57 AM

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1938) 4

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSsTslBRupjolmb8fQaRRfz3L_Hrr8zWo7S3ujJs1XNFfleFPZlNQ

This was, as I'm sure you all know, Disney's first feature-length film. Unfortunately as my video player is a little screwy (how old-school is that?) I watched it in black-and-white, but nevertheless I found it enjoyable.

Snow White is your typical Disney heroine, so not exactly a feminist role model. She spends a lot of the time either sighing, crying, pouting, singing or cleaning. Snow White is terribly innocent in some ways but I'm pretty sure she's using her feminine charms just a little. Well, a lot.

The dwarf sequences are cute, especially the bit where they all have to wash (though they're a little camp), but I would have preferred more prince stuff. I am a romantic at heart, and the prince and Snow White's duet, "One Song", is charming.

The Evil Queen is genuinely chilling. The film isn't all smiles and sweetness; there are some really scary moments (I found them scary and I'm an adult so who knows what the children will make of them?). The Queen doesn't get much of an exit- it's more of an ironic exit- but this is all-in-all a sweet innocent little film from a by-gone era.

akatemple

11-01-11, 01:29 AM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/poster-for-the-new-rainn-wilson-movie-super.jpg

Super (2010)
Directed by: James Gunn
Written by: James Gunn

Frank (Rainn Wilson) is a short order cook at a diner, he is married to Sarah (Liv Tyler) a recovering addict. One day Sarah is gone, when Frank goes to find her he finds that she is using again and has been taken by Jacques (Kevin Bacon). Frank finds himself unable to deal with the situation so he turns to god and starts praying, evidently Frank has been a victim of hallucinations or seeing gods signs since he was a young boy.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/WFTCRMImageFetchaspx.jpg

Seeing a man on television (Nathan Fillion) dressed up as a religious superhero gives Frank the push to go out and start doing good and fighting crime under the alias Crimson Bolt, only he is less then prepared to start this new line of work. After a few minor successes he picks up a side kick Boltie (Ellen Page) who just acts all spazzy constantly just like Ellen Page in most of her movies. The two join forces in the effort to rescue Frank’s wife and a lot of unexpected things happen which I can’t go into detail here without spoiling the movie. This is a dark dark comedy/superhero movie, this is a must watch in my opinion especially if your into the dark/superhero movie genre if such a thing even exists.

3.5

Monkeypunch

11-01-11, 05:53 PM

Birthday/Halloween weekend movie marathon:

Season of the Witch - I liked this. Pretty cool story, a uncharacteristically restrained (mostly) performance from Nicholas Cage, fun FX, and who doesn't love Ron Perlman? So yeah, thumbs up from me.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - One of cinema's most enduring classics. There is nothing new I can say about this one other than this was an awesome birthday gift.

Year One - This didn't do well in cinemas, but since it hit video, I've run into A LOT of people who love it. It's an underrated comedy gem. I laughed a ton.

Red Dragon - This is the Halloween portion of our marathon...Anthony Hopkins is creepy in this Silence of the Lambs prequel, and the rest of the cast is good too.

Practical Magic - Do you know how you can tell you really love someone? Watch this entirely all too girly chick flick with them, and don't even demand sex after. See, that's love right there. :yup::yup: (Weirdly enough, there were parts of this that I enjoyed, the attempts to kill, reanimate, and then re-kill Nicole Kidman's abusive boyfriend were actually quite funny.)

honeykid

11-01-11, 09:04 PM

So you bad mouth the only good film you watched this weekend and then watch the wrong Season Of The Witch (Halloween III's cool. I don't care what anyone says.) What's wrong with you? :p

akatemple

11-02-11, 08:39 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/bunraku.jpg

Bunraku (2010)
Directed by: Guy Moshe
Written by: Boaz Davidson and Guy Moshe

A Drifter (Josh Hartnett) walks into a bar, the Bartender (Woody Harrelson) sais to the guy….. yeah I’m not sure where that’s going. This is such a bizarre movie which takes place kind of like a post WW3 in which guns have been outlawed so now the sword has replaced the guns. The Drifter meets up with a mysterious Traveler with the help of the Bartender convincing them that they need to work together in order to achieve their goal of defeating the very elusive Wood Cutter (Ron Pearlman). Alexander (Demi Moore) is the Wood Cutters woman who really is just in a couple scenes but hardly enough to matter to the storyline at all, just thought I'd throw Demi's name out there.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/o-poster-for-guy-moshe-s-bunraku.jpg

This film reminded me of Sin City just based on the artistic way it was made, there are some amazing action scenes but believing that Josh Hartnett is some kind of Martial Arts expert is kind of a stretch. But the fight scenes are imaginative and original to say the least. I really liked this movie just because of the artistic and bizarre nature of the whole thing.

3 For the Story.

4.5 For the creative and artistic way it was filmed.

linespalsy

11-03-11, 11:44 AM

I seem to have lost most of my interest in trying to explain (to myself included) my ideas of what makes movies good or bad for the time being, but I would still like to keep a record of what I've been watching, so here are some recent (as well as a few older) watches with more-or-less-arbitrary ratings based on my levels of engagement.

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/red%20squirrel.png
The Red Squirrel (Julio Medem, 1993) 3.5
Moneyball (Bennett Miller, 2011) 3.5-
Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011) 3-
http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/true%20stories%2001.jpg
True Stories (David Byrne, 1986) 3-
Song at Midnight (Weibang Ma-Xu, 1937) 2.5
Killer Elite (Gary McKendry, 2011) 2.5-
http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/infernal%20affairs.jpg
Infernal Affairs (Andrew Lau, Alan Mak, 2002) 3.5+
Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992) 2.5+
The Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002) 3+
http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/shocker.jpg
The Shocker (Wes Craven, 1989) 3
Can't Hardly Wait (Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, 1998) 0.5
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (Guy Ritchie, 1998) 2.5+
http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/bad%20timing.jpg
Bad Timing (Nicolas Roeg, 1980) 3+
Dumplings (Fruit Chan, 2004) 2.5
The Ides of March (George Clooney, 2011) 2.5+
http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/enter%20the%20void.jpg
Enter the Void (Gaspar Noé, 2010) 3-
Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols, 2011) 2.5
Return of the Living Dead Part II (Ken Wiederhorn, 1988) 1.5
http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/ghost%20busters.jpg
Ghostbusters (Ivan Reitman, 1984) 4
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Frank Oz, 1988) 2
Broken Arrow (John Woo, 1996) 2
Lost Boys (Joel Schumacher, 1987) 3
http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/fright%20night.jpg
Fright Night (Tom Holland, 1985) 3-
Wheels on Meals (Sammo Hung, 1984) 3
Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) 3+
Have Sword Will Travel (Cheh Chang, 1969) 2

Brodinski

11-03-11, 12:42 PM

Last time I explained my ratings, but there were no pictures. This time: pictures, but no explanation.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/TheDriverPoster.jpg

The Driver (1978, Hill): 3

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/Original_movie_poster_for_the_film_Sounder.jpg

Sounder (1972, Ritt): 3

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9b/Original_movie_poster_for_Being_There.jpg

Being There (1979, Ashby): 2.5+

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SF9mDrwAQGw/TCFOtU7RJ2I/AAAAAAAACSY/x_roqADllV0/s1600/EstacionComanche.jpg

Comanche Station (1960, Boetticher): 3.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/Black_christmas_movie_poster.jpg

Black Christmas (1974, Clark): 3.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/09/Deepredfilmposter.jpg

Deep Red (1975, Argento): 2.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/Piposter.jpg

Pi (1998, Aronofsky): 1.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3b/All_That_Jazz.jpg

All That Jazz (1979, Fosse): 3.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/80/Longposter.jpg

The Long Goodbye (1973, Altman): 3.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/Bananas1.jpg

Bananas (1971, Allen): 1+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1a/Sleeper_ver1.jpg

Sleeper (1973, Allen): 2

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b2/Original_movie_poster_for_the_film_Mona_Lisa.jpg

Mona Lisa (1986, Jordan): 3+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/The_fog_1980_movie_poster.jpg

The Fog (1980, Carpenter): 2.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/Memories_of_Murder_poster.jpg

Memories of Murder (2003, Joon-Ho): 4+

Just a word of explanation on this very high rating here. I think this is a highly atmospheric, slow-burning thriller that boasts off incredible character development, moments of black comedy and excellent cinematography. It doesn't have a complicated story or HUGE thrills, but it's really good in building and sustaining tension in a remarkably straight-forward manner.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/75/Contact_ver2.jpg

Contact (1997, Zemeckis): 3.5

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b6/Lost_boys.jpg

The Lost Boys (1987, Schumacher): 2+

Used Future

11-03-11, 01:23 PM

Just some horror stuff I don't feel like writing up right now...

http://twitchfilm.com/news/Tucker-and-Dale-small.jpg

Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (Eli Craig, 2010) 3+

http://www.igorslab.com/storage/The-pack%20poster.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1306354308549

La Meute/ The Pack (Franck Richard, 2010) 2

http://images.moviepostershop.com/sssssss-movie-poster-1973-1010209941.jpg

Ssssss aka Ssssnake (Bernard L. Kowalski, 1973) 2 Dirk Benedict turned into a snake rating 3

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Hd7rG8Mvg3U/SefvU3dJpqI/AAAAAAAAA38/iKcFsZZ6EB4/s320/mutants-intl+poster.jpg

Mutants (David Morlet, 2008) 2-

http://monsterhunter.coldfusionvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/Baba-Yaga-Poster.jpg

Baba Yaga aka Kiss Me Kill Me (Corrado Farina, 1973) 2.5 UF'S self indulgant fan-boy rating 3.5

akatemple

11-03-11, 11:24 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/noriko.jpg

Noriko’s Dinner Table (2005)
Directed by: Shion Sono
Written by: Shion Sono

This film is a sequel (I know the picture above sais Prequel but everything I have been able to find sais it is the sequel) to Suicide Club which is a film that I really like. I have no idea that there was a sequel but am happy that I found it. The director is also the same who just released Cold Fish (2010) which is another great film. I was expecting a lot from this film and I did get a lot, about 2 hours and 50 minutes worth.
Noriko (Kazue Fukiishi) is a shy and very unhappy girl, she hates the town she lives in which she describes as in the middle of nowhere and dreams about living in Tokyo. Using the computer lab in her school she finds a website dedicated to girls ages 16 to 17, she becomes a little obsessed with talking to one girl Kumiko (Tsugumi) with the handle Ueno Station 54 who lives in Tokyo. Noriko comes up with the handle Mitsuko and keeps it throughout the movie never revealing her real name to her friends. Her new name helps her to change and become the girl she’s always dreamed of becoming. One night she runs away to Tokyo to meet up with Kumiko, this is when it starts to get really confusing and hard to follow because they should have put 2 hours 50 minutes of this movie into a 90+ minute movie. This is also when I realized that this was a sequel to Suicide Club because flashbacks from Suicide club and mentions in the newspapers start to pop up frequently in the movie, also for anyone who has watched Suicide Club the website is the same website where the two girls meet in the beginning of this film.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/64557_gal.jpg

When Noriko get’s to Tokyo is when all the confusing stuff happens, she and her friend start working as rental families for lonely people who want a family for the day. Noriko’s father tracks her to Tokyo but by the time he finds her she has been brainwashed into thinking that she was her handle Mitsuko and was unable to recognize her father. The rest of the story is just confusing, there are so many alternate reality stories that happen in the movie that it just get’s annoying, you will watch 30 minutes of the movie only to find out that it is a dream or a fantasy or something like that. This movie is long, confusing, annoying, and boring, most of the dialogue in this is their inner monologue which just get’s again annoying and confusing. This was a huge letdown so I suggest not even watching this and sorry if you already have.

Suicide Club 4
Noriko's Family Table 1

Tyler1

11-05-11, 07:58 AM

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The Trial (1962) -Orson Welles (3/5)

Now I know why some people say that cinema is inferior to the book. Let me begin by saying that this film is actually based on the novel by one of the greatest writers, Franz Kafka. Directed by Welles, it is puzzling to see a director of such high calibre faltering in his craft. Kafka must be rolling in his grave if he sees this film. You know why? The actor who played K. , the lead character wanted by the law, Anthony Perkins did a poor job at expressing his emotions clearly. The dialogue is way too fast, and it seems as if Perkins was rambling rather than speaking. I remember that K. in the novel was much more confident and self-independent, as opposed to the rather timid looking Perkins.

On the bright side, the cinematography is brilliant. It has a very surrealistic feel to it. And the camerawork is pretty good. Overall, this film did not meet my expectations, but its still enjoyable.

TylerDurden99

11-05-11, 08:14 AM

Uncle Buck

Solid fun.

thracian dawg

11-05-11, 04:20 PM

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/Charley_Varrick.jpg

Charlie Varrick (1973) - Seigel
A pretty good heist film from the 70's starring Walter Mathau and Joe Don Baker with lots of little twists and turns. This was Seigel's next film after directing "Dirty Harry". A nice offhand glance at the criminal underworld and the people who live and work there. If you listen carefully, that great driving riff from "Heat" is definitely in the music score. I rewatched this because early this summer, "Drive" borrowed one of the plot points from this film about the surprise windfall from a heist. It works a lot better here.

3.5

Sade (2000) - Jacquot
The costuming is absolutely exquisite here. The film seems to have a color motif of greys and silky blues. The actor, Daniel Auteuil brings a curiosity and nobility I doubt the actual historical character ever possessed. The director Jacquot places obvious parallels from Sade's story to larger ones; whether it be the cruelty of life and death; society versus the individual, or the essential question: just who is running the asylum? The film is complicated in that a character's true motivations are always suspect. And best of all, this is a fictionalized account, so we spared the usual excesses of a Marquis de Sade film.

3.5

Darwin's Nightmare (2004) - Sauper
Liked the beginning, the travelogue scenes like someone was visiting the area and stumbled across this fishing center on the banks of Lake Victoria. This is not a nature documentary about an alien species introduced into Africa's largest tropical lake. The Nile perch is clearly a symbol of a larger problem.
The film is kind of unfinished. The film hints that the planes are flying in arms and ammunition to war zones to keep the conflicts brewing and return to Europe laden with other cash crops, not just fish. But the director never explores the theory that the same pattern is repeated all over the continent.
Also, this is one of those times where journalistic neutrally clearly doesn't really work. The lack of education is absolutely heart breaking, condemning these people to a vicious circle of cradle to grave suffering. And all the western advisers are have vested western interests; so the collapse of the fishing industry in Lake Victoria would be meaningless to them, but catastrophic for the country.

2.5

JayDee

11-05-11, 06:05 PM

As I've done before I'm posting this both here and in my movie musings thread as I'm still not sure where is best. And I don't want to post everytime in both as it would just look like I was trying to bump my post count. Whatever gets most rep points (meaning more attention) will be the winner.

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

The King of Kong (repeat viewing)

I just love this little film. It's not possible to rate this documentary in terms of great footage or in depth research or anything like that. It's just a simple little film without any really flash or tricks so my rating is purely for how enjoyable I found the subject matter. And I enjoyed it immensely.

The story of two guys vying for the top score on an old arcade game really doesn't sound like it should be all that exciting, but it just ends up as a cracking story. It turns into an epic battle between good and evil; full of conspiracies, twists and turns.

Just a fantastically entertaining film. I think I remember I made it my number 4 film of 2007.

4.5+

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

Heavenly Creatures

A stunningly affecting film. Beautiful and enchanting, while at the same time haunting and etheral. With two really impressive central performances from Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey it takes a difficult and troubling subject and tells it wonderfully.

While we never get to the stage of sympathising with the girls the film successfully relates and helps us understand why it happened. By contrasting their real lives with the fantasy world that they have created, we understand why the fantasy world begins to bleed through into reality for the girls, and why they go to such lengths to try and realise it.

Peter Jackson does an excellent job. The scene where the murder is actually depicted is truly powerful and disturbing; brought about through the music, the silence of the characters and the long pause which seems to last for an age before it finally happens. And the fantasy sequences work tremendously. Back in 1994 the effects may have been the pinnacle of the current technology but now look a little dated. But I actually think that helps the film. It gives them more of a homemade vibe which fits with the idea of it being creations of the girls, just as the clay figures are.

4.5

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

The Lavender Hill Mob

A fantastic little film. Just a real joy. Unlike most of the other Ealing comedies I've seen which feel quaint, old fashioned and twee with few laughs, this actually still feels nice and fresh and very funny. Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway make for a great double act

There are lots of great moments but my favourite would have to be when Guinness and Holloway descend the stairs on the Eiffel Tower. It's wonderfully filmed, and they just descend into a fit of giggles through a mixture of dizziness and also just the sheer giddiness of the whole thing. These two men are just about the last people you would expect to be criminal masterminds, and as such they seem to get a massive kick out of it – finally a bit of excitement in their lives.

4.5

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

Submarine

I just absolutely loved this film. I just found it to be a really cool, quirky little film. Funny but also a little sad and touching at points. The two young actors, Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige, are both very impressive and make a loveable oddball couple. And then there is Paddy Considine who is just wonderful in his bizarre role.

Ayoade was referenced many times as being the 'new Wes Anderson' or the 'British Wes Anderson.' While it's an easy and perhaps lazy comparison it is also very justified. For me rhe film felt very reminiscent of Anderson's work, Rushmore in particular.

4.5

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

The Man Who Knew Too Much

Another cracking thriller from the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. With twists and turns galore, moments of high tension but with traces of humour throughout it's just a really fun ride from start to finish. In the central roles James Stewart and Doris Day both give engaging performances, whilst having a lovely chemistry and relationship with each other.

One of Hitchcock's trademarks was staging rousing and spectacular set pieces at the finale of his films, and this is another that continues that tradition; this time a fantastic 12 minute sequence at the Albert Hall. For those 12 minutes not a single word of dialogue is spoken. Instead we get the London Symphony Orchestra playing, we get the assassin preparing his shot and we get Doris Day torturing herself over what she should do all expertly pieced together.

4

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

Monsters

I found this to be an immensely engaging film, even if I'm not entirely sure why. It's very low key and not a lot happens but there is just something about it that really got under my skin. The two main actors are very charming and realistic and while the aliens are not on screen for much time they are very well realised.

4-

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The Peddler

An oddball but very charming little documentary. It tells the story of the world's most prolific director that you've never heard of, Danirl Burmeister. He travels from village to village in Argentina, making films using the locals which is then given it's premier at a gathering of the community. And all he asks for is room and board, no additional money.

The reason the film worked so well for me is Daniel Burmeister himself. I never had a grandfather but he acts like I think one would do, thanks to how they are presented in numerous American films and sitcoms. He is a kindly and eccentric old man who seems to know how to do everything. He is an extremely likeable person.

The documentary details the making of one film in a small, rural village. As such it actually feels a lot like a behind the scenes 'making of' DVD extra but is so much more entertaining than you would imagine from that. The real result of the film, as one of the villagers says, is that it brings the community together, getting people talking who wouldn't normally

3.5++

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Super8.jpg

Super 8

Enjoyable but ultimately disappointing. I was wanting to love this. I wanted an absolute classic. But it just didn't happen. It had some good performances from Kyle Chandler and the kids, and some entertaining and realistic dialogue between the kids but just lacked the magic I was hoping for.

There were too many stretches where the film just seemed to drag for me. I wanted more action, more excitement, more charm...just more! It's a good film but nowhere close to the fantastic spectacle I was hoping for and even expecting. Perhaps my expectations were just too high.

3+

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The Science of Sleep

A fun and exceptionally creative film from the mind of Michael Gondry. There really are some moments that have to be seen to be believed. With very little plot to speak of it is definitely an example of style over substance film-making. The relationship between Gael Garcia Bernal and the adorable Charlotte Gainsbourg's characters is very sweet, but too often the film just seems to be trying to hard; straying into pretentious territory.

A nice film but certainly no Eternal Sunshine...

3+

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The Kids Are All Right

A solid, very strongly acted film although I'm a little miffed as to how it got an Oscar nomination for best film. It's a well written study of family, with some fantastic performances from pretty much the whole cast. While Annette Bening seemed to get most of the acting nominations I was actually most engaged by the performance of Julianne Moore.

I do plan on revisiting the film sometime and may actually enjoy it more. The reason is that I was expecting more quirky, indie style moments and was a little surprised it was more of a family drama.

3+

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Monster in Law

Surprisingly fun little comedy. I really wasn't expecting much but I really enjoyed it. Maybe it's just the mood I was in at the time because it certainly isn't regarded highly very generally. While it doesn't offer anything new I just found it to be a funny film. Jane Fonda steals the film any time she's on screen and as a fan of Alias it's always fun for me to see Michael Vartan.

3-

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The A-Team

A completely mindless blockbuster, but as mindless blockbusters go it's harmless and actually rather enjoyable at times. And at least it doesn't seem to have any pretensions about being taken seriously. When you have your heroes escape in a flying tank you realise the makers of the film have no desire about making the film especially believable. Although the plot is so much more convoluted and confusing that it needs to be.

All of the cast pretty much join in and just go along with the fun. As required of him Bradley Cooper oozes charm and charisma, but it's Sharlto Copley that is the real star here. His performance as the unhinged Murdoch is wonderful fun and provides a number of laughs. The other star performer is Patrick Wilson as the horrible, sleazy . He really is someone that you just want to punch right in the face! Always a sign of a good villain.

2.5++

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Passport to Pimlico

This film has an absolutely cracking story as it's premise but at no point did I really feel it lived up to its promise. It's strength and indeed its weakness was that it's a 'nice film.' It's a nice pleasant watch; that very cosy, twee feel common in British films, but I don't think I see myself having a desire to ever revisit it. I know it's considered a classic and I may upset some people on here but it just didn't do it for me really

2.5

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The Back-Up Plan

Last year there were two sperm donor romantic comedies, this film and The Switch with Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston. I highly enjoyed The Switch but this is a real clunker. Not a single laugh was to be found, not a trace of chemistry between the two leads was evident and not one line of remotely memorable or inventive dialogue was written. Just awful!

1

MovieMad16

11-05-11, 06:28 PM

I'm about to watch Following, Christopher Nolan's first film.

Godoggo

11-05-11, 06:37 PM

Science of Sleep

A nice film but certainly no Eternal Sunshine...

No, it's better than Eternal Sunshine. ;)

Loved Heavenly Creatures, King of Kong, and especially Monsters. I don't quite know what it is about that movie either, but it's one of my recent favorites.

Brodinski

11-05-11, 08:58 PM

Super 8

Enjoyable but ultimately disappointing. I was wanting to love this. I wanted an absolute classic. But it just didn't happen. It had some good performances from Kyle Chandler and the kids, and some entertaining and realistic dialogue between the kids but just lacked the magic I was hoping for.

There were too many stretches where the film just seemed to drag for me. I wanted more action, more excitement, more charm...just more! It's a good film but nowhere close to the fantastic spectacle I was hoping for and even expecting. Perhaps my expectations were just too high.

So it doesn't have enough magic because it doesn't have enough action and excitement?

Super 8 had plenty of magic. Abrams managed to weave together plot lines about the frail relationship between Joe and his father, the brooding romance between Joe & Alice, the mystery of the monster, the beef between Joe's and Alice's father, the boys' friendship and attempts to make a short film, and the grim military conspiracy of that colonel. Cramming that much into a 2 hour film can be a bit much, but it isn't imo.

By focusing on the kids and their dads, Abrams ensured that his viewers become emotionally involved. ALL of those scenes involving the kids are a delight to watch. They're well-acted, funny, sincere and packing just enough emotion.

Abrams also efficiently keeps the tension surrounding the monster intact by not letting us see the thing. You know something is out there, but what is it? And what is it trying to achieve by its actions? I also thought Abrams showcased a beautiful style. The camera is rarely ever still, but the motions are always purposeful.

I just think it's strange that you don't think the film was 'magical' enough because it lacked action... I thought it was magical precisely because it wasn't going all Michael Bay on me. Abrams' Super 8 is definitely an hommage to Spielberg (Jaws, E.T., Close Encounters,... the elements are all there), but Abrams has expertly created a personal, emotionally satisfying mystery film with excellent character development, quite a few funny moments, some terrific swings in mood, well-crafted thrills, a fabulous atmosphere and brilliant acting.

I don't know what more you can expect...

JayDee

11-05-11, 09:23 PM

So it doesn't have enough magic because it doesn't have enough action and excitement?

I just think it's strange that you don't think the film was 'magical' enough because it lacked action...

As far as I'm aware I didn't link the lack of action as the reason it wasn't magical. I meant them as purely seperate points. For me the film lacked action/excitement and lacked the magic I expected.

And trust me, I certainly don't find the films of Michael Bay magical!!! :D I love the kind of films that Abrams seemed to be paying homage to - ET, Close Encounters, Goonies, Gremlins etc. Films that were exciting and funny, but which also had a lot of heart, wit and intelligence about them. For me a magical film is one that when you leave the cinema you leave with a sense of wonder and a warm, cosy feeling

As I said maybe I just went in with my expectations too high. Perhaps when I see it again on DVD/TV without the weight of that expectation I will be able to enjoy it a lot more and get what you clearly got out of the film

akatemple

11-07-11, 03:16 AM

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Teeth (2007)
Directed by: Mitchell Lichtenstein
Written by: Mitchell Lichtenstein

Dawn (Jess Weixler) lives in a small town, right behind her house are huge smoke stacks I am guessing from some kind of power plant, I am not sure exactly how that ties in with the rest of the film. Dawn is very outspoken about her beliefs in abstinence that is probably a good thing since she suffers from Vagina Dentata (teeth in her vagina). She discovers that she has this after being sexually assaulted by her boyfriend who forces himself on her only to lose his most precious part. After this happens for the first time her character starts to change both sexually and her becoming a more dark minded person. Soon she starts to learn that she can use her GIFT to her advantage by getting revenge on people who have wronged her in the past or threatening her in the present.

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This movie was classified as a Feminist Horror film, I guess I can kind of see that. For me it seemed like they were just really trying to get there point across about pre-marital sex and puberty or coming of age for a teenage girl. I found the film to be more of a comedy than anything else but there was also a pretty descent about of blood and gore.

This is one brutal horror movie you should snatch up quick

Enter without permission, you might lose your member-ship.

3.5

Godoggo

11-07-11, 06:52 PM

In Bruges

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This is one of those movies I meant to see and somehow fell off my radar. I went in with almost no other expectations other than I would like Brendan Gleeson because I almost always do. What I wasn't expecting was the movie to be as downright funny as it was and I certainly wasn't expecting Colin Farrell to outshine Gleeson. Farrell was by turns outrageously hilarious then sad and vulnerable. My impression of him before this was that he was one of those capable actors but dull as dishwater. I had no idea that he could be this charismatic.

Everyone else in the cast is on point as well. Loved Ralph Fiennes as Harry!

Red Dragon

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This is a re-watch. Normally I don't bother to tab those but I've had a complete change of heart about this one. In that I used to think it was a decent movie and now I don't. It just seems like the atmosphere created in Silence of the Lambs is trying to be duplicated here and fails. It's just not that creepy.

Edward Norton is also either miscast or just not very good here. I think he's a very good actor most of the time, but I didn't believe anything he was trying to sell me for one second.

Paranormal Activity 3

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I think Paranormal Activity has run its course. They can't (or rather they shouldn't) keep finding ways to integrate the demon to this family. The tricks are also getting a little stale; no matter how freaking scary they were the first time around.

Having said that the third installment is better than the second. It's also scarier than most anything current that I've seen. But nothing will come close to first PA as far as found footage horror movies go. (At this point I think I've seen most of them.)

Pyro Tramp

11-07-11, 07:45 PM

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Pretty intense at moments, some great performances from the child actors and a very impressive one from Swinton. Not sure how much of a surprise the ending was meant to be but it's wasn't hard to guess something along the lines had happened. The editing seemed a bit unnecessarily obtuse and only to serve an ambiguous narrative. The sound editing/mixing (not sure on the difference) stood out particularly, though. Not sure Reilly was cast well, as said in another thread, his prior comedy work made him stick out a bit in a film that thrived on tone. The blood on her hands motif became a bit obvious after a while and the rhythm became repetitive enough to the point you could predict where subsequent scenes would flash back to. Definitely a few lapses in logic and undeveloped character motivation that could have been expanded to make it a bit more compelling and less contrived. Still, good film driven by good central performance.

3_5

Sedai

11-08-11, 12:42 PM

The Captains (Shatner, 2011) 3

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An odd film. Shatner can't help but make everything about him in some way, but that is actually OK here. Shatner's Captain Kirk IS iconic. This is a pretty personal exploration of the Star Trek captain characters throughout the years, with intimate chats between Bill and each of the other actors that have sat in the chair.

The odd thing is that, at first, Shatner sort of admits to having this odd rivalry with his screen persona. He dislikes being thought of as Captain Kirk, and feels the role has dominated his personal life no matter what he does. He felt that, from very early on, he would get derisive comments and attitudes about his work on Star Trek, and that the constant comments, such as "Beam me Up, Scotty", were a plague upon his existence.

As he chats with each captain, and some chats are better than others, he slowly comes around and recognizes, very genuinely I might add, that he HAS done good work, and that Kirk is something to be proud of, not ashamed. Patrick Stewart, who also had misgivings about "slumming" when he first got involved, has also come to respect and recognize his work as Picard as the defining role of his entire career, and he is just fine with that. In fact, Kirk had never seen any Star Trek:TNG before he did the film. I guess it makes sense, when considering the guy wanted to distance himself from the franchise.

The cool thing was listening to Shatner's comments on Stewart's turn as the captain. I got the idea that Shatner was blown away by the level of skill and seriousness Stewart reached when playing the part.

"I mean, Pat...this is really, really good stuff. I was stunned at how good! I mean, I always put the drama on, sometimes way over the top - too much confidence, too much gravitas. Why didn't I ever try to play Kirk as diffident? I think it could have worked. Your work inspired me to rethink my character and re-examine him. I like him more, now."

Great, great stuff. The Stewart/Shatner segments were all great, as were the Bacula/Shatner segments. Avery Brooks... is completely out of his mind, stoned, and lost in his music. He couldn't really do a good interview because he was constantly noodling on his piano and making up little songs to sing at Shatner instead of talking to him. It was fairly entertaining, but ultimately, a waste of everyone's time, including Shatner's. Kate Mulgrew... I don't know why, but I will just always like her. I know she is a self-righteous shrew, and I understand her ego is tremendous. She even says that, in so many words, during the interview. These are two actors with ridiculous ego issues, and they are quite frank about it. Still, I like Voyager and a big reason for that is Mulgrew's Janeway. Finally, Hemsworth is cool and slick, and clearly dedicated to his craft - a theater veteran since childhood, he is a consummate professional, and a fine choice for the next generation of Trek.

Overall, an entertaining watch, if a bit odd in places. If you like ol' Bill Shatner, check this one out!

akatemple

11-08-11, 11:17 PM

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Faces in the Crowd (2011)
Directed by: Julien Magnat
Written by: Julien Magnat and Kelly Smith

Anna (Milla Jovovich) is the only survivor of the serial killer Tearjerk Jack, hitting her head during the attack gives her a diagnosis of Face Blindness where she cannot identify anyone by their faces meaning that she cannot identify her attacker. I did a little searching and Face Blindness is a real medical condition that just makes this movie all that more terrifying, trying to imagine this happening to yourself is such a scary thought. The cops become fed up with Anna since she can’t recognize the killer and because she makes a few mistakes, and calls them when she thinks the killer is after her, the one time it was her father that she couldn’t recognize. There is one person who continues to try and work with Anna, a Detective Kerrest (Julian McMahon and David Ingram) who has some kind of special connection to Anna that they really don’t explain and I can’t really go into this without giving away too much. Anna becomes very detached from life with all that she is going through, her boyfriend can’t stand the idea that she can’t tell him apart from any other man, even looking in the mirror she cannot see her own reflection she sees somebody else looking back at her. Anna starts seeing Dr. Langenkamp (Marianne Faithfull) who is deaf and starts to teach her how to recognize people by their body language and other distinctive things about the person she wants to remember. After going through some Hypnosis exercises the killers face begins to clear and Anna starts to remember.

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The ending without giving to much away was for me at least just really boring and not nearly the way I was hoping it would end, just kind of a Blah feeling when the credits started rolling. The way this was filmed was cool, the number of actors they had playing one person was interesting because they changed actors each time she looked away from the person or just blinked her eyes. All in all it’s a good movie and if you like the Psychological Thriller genre then you should watch this.

3

akatemple

11-09-11, 01:56 AM

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Logan’s Run (1976)
Directed by: Michael Anderson
Written by: David Zelag Goodman and William F. Nolan

With the remake of Logan’s Run still a ways away I thought it wouldn’t hurt to watch this classic again since it has probably been about 17 years since the one and only time I watched this film till now. Logan 5, the movie's central character, is a sandman and is played by Michael York. He is given orders by the central computer to track down a group of runners who have not been "renewed" and might have set up sanctuary outside of the City of Domes. To do this, the computer advances Logan's life clock (all the citizens of the city have life clocks that tell their ages) to make him appear as if he's 30. Now Logan is forced to run, hence the title.

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While the billowing, disco-ish haircuts and outfits might scream "'70s!" to those who watch Logan's Run, the truth is that there is a lot to like about the movie. For starters, the premise is an intriguing one, and handled well. Giving Logan a succeed-or-die mission gives much of the movie an urgent, claustrophobic feel. York and Jenny Agutter (who plays Jessica, Logan's accomplice in his escape) appear on the surface to be the perfect bland "pretty people" for the shallow society depicted in the movie, but in the course of the movie, reveal their characters' depth.

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"Logan's Run" is a time capsule of what large budget sci-fi movies were before "Star Wars", but it succeeds, mainly from having a creative plot that draws the viewer's interest and transcends the trappings of the dated 70's designs. By no means the best sci-fi movie of the seventies, but one that’s quite enjoyable nonetheless. In the remake I really hope they keep the hair and clothing style that was in this film, I know it was made in the 70’s and reflects the hairstyles and other aspects of that time but without that then I really believe the movie will be to different and not a remake but a remodeling and after watching this again I just really hope they keep that feeling in the new one.

4.5

Sedai

11-09-11, 02:39 PM

While the billowing, disco-ish haircuts and outfits might scream "'70s!" to those who watch Logan's Run, the truth is that there is a lot to like about the movie.
4.5

And why would the 70s be bad? Such a great decade for film... why is there a lot "to like about the movie" in spite of the 70s?

akatemple

11-09-11, 02:51 PM

And why would the 70s be bad? Such a great decade for film... why is there a lot "to like about the movie" in spite of the 70s?

I did not say in spite of the 70's, what I meant was that the 70's parts, haircuts, dress style are some of the best things about the movie. I guess I just didn't type it out right.

akatemple

11-09-11, 02:58 PM

Thor (2011)
I thought this movie was going to suck because it just seemed like something that would be so easy for a director to screw up. I was completely wrong, this movie was great and I was completely entertained and loving it the whole way through the movie.

4

Captain America: The First Avenger

I am glad that I watched Thor first because I caught a lot of the parts that tie the two togother along with Mr. Stark I am assuming getting everyone ready for The Avengers. This was another really great movie especially the way they made Chris Evans look so short and thin, especially knowing what he looks like in real life. Another Great movie, I am probably the last person to see it but if you haven't then definitely watch both of these movies.

4

Sedai

11-09-11, 03:37 PM

Ironclad (English, 2011)
3_5

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This flick covers the events directly following the signing of the Magna Carta. It's the story if King John's continued resistance to the document and his attempt to slaughter everyone that had signed it. I liked it. A bit too much splatter/gore in some sections, but I guess this is a film where that is probably close to what was actually happening, historically. I guess I just don't need to see it over and over again in all the grim detail. Otherwise, I found this to pretty a fairly strong piece of work. Giamatti's King John is as corrupt and vicious as they come, and Purefoy plays Marshal convincingly. Also, some great photography is some segments. The romance aspect is pretty tacked on, never really developing beyond the allegory it represents, but it was played pretty well for what it was.

Sedai

11-09-11, 03:38 PM

I did not say in spite of the 70's, what I meant was that the 70's parts, haircuts, dress style are some of the best things about the movie. I guess I just didn't type it out right.

Gotcha, and I agree! I like the shots of Washington near the end, as well...

re93animator

11-10-11, 12:13 AM

StageFright (1987) - 3
The Last Starfighter (1984) - 3
Inland Empire (2006) - 2_5
I'm a fan of Lynch, but was disappointed in this. My two main gripes are both technical though. The lighting (usually a high point in Lynch films) has a horrible contrast that makes it difficult to make things out much of the time, and it's just unpleasant to look at. The audio also ranges from too soft to too loud (the kind of abrupt loudness that your speakers will love).

Lynch's films usually have the ability to spark interest out of confusion and peculiarity, but if you've seen much of his other work, this seems like a bit of the 'same old,' and gets overbearing for three hours.

The Toxic Avenger (1984) - 2_5
I normally love 80's tongue in cheek splatter/horror comedy, but the humor in this got a little tiresome after an hour and a half (though it is fun for a while).

akatemple

11-10-11, 03:36 PM

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Rika: The Zombie Killer (2008)
Aka: High School Girl Rika Zombie Hunter
Directed by: Ken’ichi Fujiwara
Written by: Ken’ichi Fujiwara and Takeyuki Morikaku

This well cast low budget, silly and goofy Zombie movie has actually got some really great parts, the fight scenes are actually pretty good and the film has a strong lead actress and a very diverse cast of characters. Fun and entertaining and fans of films like Tokyo Gore Police or Machine Girl will dig this. Nudity = check. Swearing = check. Gore=eh, a little. Blood = hell yeah and a lot of it.

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The film revolves around a scientific program gone haywire. While the emergency sounds are blaring in the background, the main scientist seemed to have slept after having an erotic dream after looking at a porn magazine. When he wakes up, he finds out that his colleagues are now zombies and instead of running away, he looks at his comrades in the eye and ends up being bit by one and thus becoming a zombie. We then see the exploits of a European wandering zombie hunter via a streaming video clip that a guy is watching on his computer. But somehow in this film, the main protagonist is defeated by a huge zombie monster which ends with the hero's arm being cutoff (and evidently, the hero is killed). We then see the monster take the cut off arm (which is still holding the sword) and throwing it towards the forest. It appears that this was not a fake movie but a real clip that had happened.

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Enter Rika and her high school classmate and BFF Nami as they ride in the subway and talk about Rika's grandfather who is a skilled surgeon who moved away and Rika still missing him. The two suddenly have an idea to run away and visit her grandfather Ryuhei at his summerhouse. We then see the grandfather who seems to be an invalid and just sits down with hardly any movement. A woman named Sayaka is seen taking care of him and happy that her brother is to be coming to visit. While at this village, we see Rika and her friend at the village and come face to face with a zombie. The town seems to be filled with zombies and now Rika and Nami try to run away and encounter some gangster guy named Tomoya. The three are then chased by zombies and end up escaping together and go to the summer home where Rika's grandfather is at. Meanwhile at the village in which zombies are growing and growing, three guys (who are like the comedy support of the film) try to find a way to escape the village. The three managed to make it to the village and we learn that Sayaka is the wife of Rika's grandfather and Tomoya is her brother (fake). Sayaka explains to her that her grandfather has Alzheimer's and Dementia but in truth, it was a plot by Sayaka and her boyfriend Tomoya to get money from Rika's grandfather and plans to kill him off in order to get the insurance money. Also, arriving to the residence is the original scientist who was responsible in everyone turning to a zombie. Supposedly, despite now being a zombie, he has resisted his zombie urges and wants to help Rika and everyone. Anyone who is a fan of the Ultra-Gore Japanese films should definitely watch this, great zombie movie, tons of blood and enough action to please anyone.
Forgot to meantion one last thing and that being Rika is bitten in the arm. For Rika's grandfather, being the master surgeon that he is, knowing that a zombies bite can turn a person to a zombie, the only way to save her is to chop off her arm and replace her arm with... the original zombie hunter's arm.

3.5

akatemple

11-10-11, 08:54 PM

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Vanishing on 7th Street (2010)
Directed by: Brad Anderson
Written by: Anthony Jaswinski

VANISHING ON 7TH STREET taps into one of humankind's most primal anxieties: fear of the dark. An unexplained blackout plunges the city of Detroit into total darkness, and by the time the sun rises, only a few people remain surrounded by heaps of empty clothing, and abandoned cars. A small handful of strangers that have survived the night (Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo and Jacob Latimore) each find their way to a rundown bar with a working generator to keep the lights working. With daylight beginning to disappear completely and whispering shadows surrounding the survivors, they soon discover that the enemy is the darkness itself. It seems if a shadow catches you then you just disappear the same with any kind of darkness. Luckily they have a generator however they are running out of gas (of course) to keep the lights on.

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This movie for the most part is entertaining and a good story in general, however there are so many unanswered questions and the ending just sucks. There are some really intense moments so if you like the sci-fi thriller genre then watch this movie, and you get to see Hayden Christensen do something other than screw up Star Wars movies.

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3.5

akatemple

11-12-11, 12:04 AM

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The Terminal Man
Directed by: Mike Hodges
Written by: Michael Crichton and Mike Hodges

A computer scientist (George Segal) is in a car accident, and the resulting brain injury causes him to have sudden, violent seizures. When he assaults his wife, he is imprisoned. Now, he's a volunteer in an experimental new medical procedure that might end his rampages, with electrodes planted in his cerebral cortex that are supposed to control and ease his bad impulses. The operation seems to be a success at first, but--as in FRANKENSTEIN--there's a downside to playing God. The electrodes malfunction, and he escapes from his hospital room. He's at large in a big city, and it's a matter of time before he becomes uncontrollably violent again....

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I have always been a huge Michael Crichton fan and The Terminal Man was the first book I read by him, to this day it is still one of my favorite books. But as in most cases the book is far better and much more interesting. The movie is good but it is long and very drawn out, about the first hour of the movie is just prepping for surgery and then the operation. If you are a fan of movies like the original Andromeda Strain or just a Michael Crichton fan then you should watch this movie.

3 I gave it a 3 just for being so drawn out, otherwise it would have gotten a better rating.

thracian dawg

11-13-11, 12:23 PM

Margin call (2011) - Chandor

Set in a fictional Wall street investment firm on the very last day of "let's party like it's 1999." The film is ridiculously low budget, but they were clever enough to shoot most of it during the night in empty offices and gridlocked cars, matching the story's arc. The film is slightly abstract and morally empty; there's no real heroes or villains, they are all just doing what they are paid to do and are more then adequately over-compensated for it. The bonuses for this one day of work are absolutely insane.

I'd like to signal a wonderful bit of acting business from Kevin Spacey, during his last rousing speech to his crack team of stock brokers, he seems to be fiddling with an imaginary ring on his finger. Of course, he sacrificed his marriage to the company years ago and the company is now all he has left.

3

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) - Durkin
　
The set-up? A woman gets a call from her younger, estranged sister she hasn't seen or heard of in a couple of years. The film divides between two periods, her visit at her sister's posh home in country and flashbacks to her time spent on a communal farm.

I'll explain the title. Her real name is Martha. When someone first comes to the farm, the head guy (John Hawkes) gives everyone a new name (new identity?) in her case, Marcy May. And in their dealings with the outside world, the women all share the same name, Marlene.

There's a slight stumble at the end, when the film leaves everything up to the audience to decide, which was unfortunate. The director managed to sustain a delicate sense of foreboding through-out almost the entire film, building quite effectively to a finish that never comes---which I think it was a little bit of a cop out. I think the film deserved more of resolution. Also the heroine Martha, lacks any kind of self awareness which tends to alienate her from the audience.

2.5

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downthesun

11-14-11, 05:30 AM

The Rock

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After a 13 year break from the genre, Sean Connery returns to action movies in The Rock, this time without the famous tuxedo and martinis (shaken not stirred). He is without a doubt the star of the movie and steals the spotlight away from 1996 Oscar winner, Nicolas Cage. Connery's ability to mix action and comedy make it seem as if 007 has merely aged and changed his name. The chemisty between Connery and Cage builds nicely throughout the film and results in a classic buddy action movie.The rest of the cast is also top class with Ed Harris pulling off a very good portrayal of the key villan in the film. David Morse, John Spencer and Michael Biehn also put in good performances to complement the main stars.

There are a couple of reputable gentlemen behind the scenes as well with Michael Bay of Bad Boys fame in the directors chair and doing a commendeble job taking control of a the action genre and making it his own. Jerry Bruckheimer adds another excellent title to his already impressive resume alongside Top Gun and other classics.

One of my main critcisms of the film would be it's length. Certain aspects could have been cut down to shorten the running time to be more in line with other action movies. The beginning of The Rock featured a bit too much character building for my liking however the flaws are more than made up for the fast paced action and usual action move sequences.

If you're looking for an action movie that's just a little bit different from the usual overdose of violence with weak storylines then I'd recommend giving The Rock a look.

3.5

Predators

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After the shockingly bad Alien vs Predator 1 & 2, Robert Rodriguez does his best to breathe some life into a slowly dying franchise. Rodriguez's best move was pretending the previous cross-franchise movies never existed which works to create an installment which doesn't look out of place against previous Predator films.

One particular aspect of the film I enjoyed was seeing good and bad individuals come together to fight a common enemy, something you don't see too often in many, if any movies. Director, Attal makes some attempts to give the main characters degree of development but as expected from a Predator film, they're anything but 3 dimensional. The plot of the story is very much the same as any horror or alien movie, with the audience merely guessing and placing bets as to the order of how the characters will die.

I found the pacing of the movie to be completely uneven. It begins at a very slow pace with the characters walking around a jungle, without much character development or plot development. In contrast the final third of the film seems extremely rushed and a little too much happens in a very short period of time.

As far as casting goes, Adrien Brody as the lead in an action movie was never something I thought I'd see and certainly wasn't something I'd thought would ever work, but somehow...it does. Unquestionably, Brody has the acting talent as shown in The Pianist, but in Predators he displays a different side of his talents, taking on the role of the anti-hero. With a new physique and deep growling voice to boot, he manages, against all odds to convincingly portray a hard-ass special ops vet. I had no qualms with the rest of the casting as these characters were merely fodder for the Predators. I did however take issue with Laurence Fishburne's appearance, a role which very seemed like it was written for someone else and thrown to Fishburne as a last resort.

Fans of the Predator franchise should definatly watch this film, as it's one of the better installments in the series. If you're looking for a bit of entertainment that doesn't require much brain power check it out as well.

3