Movie Tab II [Archive] - Page 61

JayDee

02-17-12, 08:24 PM

mirror The Descendants

4.5

A really quality bit of film making from the mind of Alexander Payne. It's a sweet and touching effort, with a large amount of laughs over its course. More than you might expect to find given the plot. Perhaps there aren't any real big belly laughs but a lot of chuckles. I saw it described as a bit of a weepie by some people but I didn't find it to be so. Yes it's quite moving, and yes it has a couple of sad moments but nothing too extreme.

There are a lot of Clooney's more acclaimed films that I've not seen (Michael Clayton, Good Night and Good Luck, Syriana etc) but for me this is the most impressed I've ever been by one of his performances. He is also ably assisted by the supporting cast; the two young girls playing his daughters are very impressive, both doing more than enough to make sure they aren't just relegated to the stereotypical roles of 'angry, troubled teen' and 'beyond her years, precocious kid'. Oh and Nick Krause helps create an entertaining character in Sid; a character who divides his time between being very likeable and annoying, and who provides much of the film's comic relief.

Outside of George and his daughters there aren't really any other large roles, but with little screen time both Beau Bridges and Judy Greer are able to shine. Bridges as one of his seemingly infinite amount of cousins; an apparently jovial and affable fellow who reveals a darker side when things don't seem to go his way. And Greer is really quite adorable and endearing. Oh and Matthew Lillard may not have much to do but proves a success just by flashing a douchey smile. :D

While I enjoyed this more than The Artist, I don't think I could really make much of an argument as to why this should be chosen ahead of it for Best Picture at the Oscars. To beat something as beloved and technically impressive as The Artist, I think you'd need something bigger; something more epic to sway the voters.

Oh and a special mention to the great scene of Clooney running; sweating and lumbering along as he completely tosses his dignity aside.

mirror Up in the Air

4-

Our modern life – ain't it great? Travel, work, technology all put up walls between us and the people around us. For George Clooney's character it creates a life of great isolation; he has no real relationships in his life, the only place he calls home is the office and his sisters are really no more than casual acquaintances. And it's a testament to Clooney's performance, as well as the script, that despite his job and many of his character's traits the character is still able to remain sympathetic. Alongside him Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga (who is fast becoming one of my favourite actresses currently around) complete a charismatic and engaging trio of central performances.

While it tackles some serious issues the film remains really quite breezy and light throughout, thanks to a sharp and witty script. As a result you could perhaps argue that for a film that raises some serious questions and issues, it treats it a little frivolously and doesn't really produce any answers.

Every decade or time has films that supposedly define it. This has been called one of those on a few instances. While I'm not going to disagree with that, it is really quite depressing if true; if this really is a film of our times.

mirror
The Spiral Staircase

3+

I just stumbled across this film recently when Amazon recommended it after I purchased Laura. The plot, strong reviews and description of it as Hitchcockian had me very interested in it. And while I did enjoy it, it didn't quite live up to expectations.

After a strong opening this film settles down into quite a slow burning drama about the goings on in the large house in which its set. As a result I found my attention waning at points. It's worth it however for the last 15 minutes which I found really gripping and atmospheric. It achieves it through a lot of traditional and standard elements - suspenseful music, lightning, crashing thunder, lashing rain, use of shadows – but brings them all together wonderfully. It is also wonderfully lit and shot, bringing so much character and drama to the scenes.

mirrorDriving Miss Daisy

3+

A genial and very sweet hearted film, powered by two fine central performances from Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy. It's a relatively simple film which surprised me a bit. I was expecting it to tackle the issue of racism stronger, but it does it all in quite a gentle and safe manner. I was going to say that makes it a weak and surprising choice for the Best Picture Oscar but I suppose that actually makes it a very attractive option for the Academy; a film that appears to tackle an important issue but does so in a way that doesn't rock the boat at all and isn't going to upset anyone.

So while I'd say it's one of the weaker Best Picture winning films I've seen, it is still a nice film with two great and engaging showings.

Quantum Leap actually had a very similar story in its first season, and I remember it taking a more powerful stab at the racism issue, as well as just being a more interesting and entertaining take on the issue and story.

Deadite

02-17-12, 09:31 PM

akatemple

02-17-12, 09:33 PM

Set Up

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8a/Set_Up.jpg

This movie is a retarded mess.

There are so many things wrong with it, I'm not going to bother with a thorough analysis. It's just not worth the effort.

Please don't watch this movie. If you insist on watching, don't do so sober.

What the hell happened to Bruce Willis, he use to be so badass and now it's like he will just be in any movie that get's put in front of him.

Deadite

02-17-12, 09:57 PM

He doesn't have a very big role in it. I dunno, half the actors seemed to think they were in a Guy Ritchie comic caper, and the rest were playing it super-serious like a crime thriller. Willis seemed to be one of the former.

None of the actors were at fault for it being a POS. Most seemed to be trying their best, and I think a few nice performances got wasted.

I think the blame rests squarely on the writers and director.

TylerDurden99

02-18-12, 03:54 AM

American Beauty (1999) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4.5box.gif+
http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/190948.1020.A.jpg

Predator (1987) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif
http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/201349.1020.A.jpg

Raw Deal (1986) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/1.5box.gif+
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9OA5MdwXAio/TdPyreWk90I/AAAAAAAAB3U/ZvX5IkZBqVQ/s1600/raw-deal-movie-poster.jpg

I hadn't watched this film in year, but mainly remembered for it's final twenty minutes, in which Arnie dispatches about twenty gangsters with the machine gun he's brandishing on the poster. A couple of years ago, I would've rated this at least http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3box.gif, but this viewing exposes it as criminally bad, rather than awesomely, like most Schwarzenegger films. The final twenty minutes are no longer thrilling or entertaining, the performances are a bore, and the film seems so long, even though its only 101 minutes long.

Red Heat (1988) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4.5box.gif
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/115/MPW-57531

Tyler1

02-18-12, 04:09 AM

Love Predator, hate American Beauty.

honeykid

02-18-12, 08:18 AM

Raw Deal's always been dreadful.

TylerDurden99

02-18-12, 08:31 AM

Raw Deal's always been dreadful.

It has some cool music, but that's pretty much all it's got going for it.

Brodinski

02-18-12, 08:45 AM

Deadite

02-18-12, 09:38 AM

Oh, I will say one more thing about Set Up: The makers ought to be sued for blatantly ripping off scenes from other movies, eg. the part where Arquette gets beaten in True Romance.

Carry on.

Sexy Celebrity

02-18-12, 09:42 AM

I am totally going to go watch The Descendants now just because Matthew Lillard is in it. I actually had no idea he was in that until the other day. I am 100% rooting for The Descendants to win Best Picture -- mainly because I saw some of The Artist and, yeah, wrong of me to not see it all, but it was terribly boring to me. I think it's gotta be very overrated. But now I have another reason to root for The Descendants and it's because of Matthew Lillard. Matthew Lillard isn't someone I have a crush on - I just think he's a cool person and I'm psyched beyond belief that he's in such a big, big movie.

JayDee

02-18-12, 01:49 PM

what I liked especially is that scenes of which I thought for a split second: "okay, here comes the big scene that's gonna make us cry" were really avoided. I can't go into specifics without giving too much away, but overly sentimental rubbish is completely avoided by Payne

There's something rather special in making a straight-forward story like this memorable, but Payne does pull it off.

I agree for the most part about that, for example cutting away from the big emotional speech Clooney seemed set to give to all his cousins. But did you not feel that the scene where the daughter is told about her mother, and we just stay focused on her face as she gets the news was trying to manipulate a tear or two from people? I went to see it with a friend and that was the bit where she felt herself getting a little bit emotional.

And I also agree about how impressive it is whenever a great film can be made from a fairly simple, straight forward set-up. But that's also why I think it's unlikely to beat The Artist. I think the only way The Artist would be beaten would be by something big and epic; like a Lord of the Rings, a Titanic or a Schindler's List.

I am totally going to go watch The Descendants now just because Matthew Lillard is in it.

Just to let you know his role in it is really quite small. He's only on screen for a few minutes and doesn't really say all that much.

This movie is a retarded mess.

Now there's how you start a review!!! :p

Brodinski

02-18-12, 04:56 PM

I agree for the most part about that, for example cutting away from the big emotional speech Clooney seemed set to give to all his cousins. But did you not feel that the scene where the daughter is told about her mother, and we just stay focused on her face as she gets the news was trying to manipulate a tear or two from people? I went to see it with a friend and that was the bit where she felt herself getting a little bit emotional.

No, I didn't, because of the music. We heard nothing of what was being said and it was watered down to the bare essential: that look on someone's face when you tell them they have lost someone they hold very dear. There is no need for words there, just emotions. The music that accompanied the scene wasn't overly 'emotion-inducing' iirc.

And I also agree about how impressive it is whenever a great film can be made from a fairly simple, straight forward set-up. But that's also why I think it's unlikely to beat The Artist. I think the only way The Artist would be beaten would be by something big and epic; like a Lord of the Rings, a Titanic or a Schindler's List.

I don't know, there's something special about Payne's films in that he has that distinct style that can be recognised if you were watching a film completely unaware of who directed it. I can't quite pinpoint it, but it's all there, especially in The Descendants, Sideways and About Schmidt. Like I said, what I find most amazing is that he makes his films memorable, in spite of them being so damned straight-forward and uneventful. There lies greatness in that, particularly in pacing and script-writing. When I went through my 'best of' lists of the years and I came across one of his films, I would think "oh yeah, that was a pretty good little film". I never really considered one of his films as best of the year, but he is very consistent in bringing out quality films. And that suffices for me. I'll watch anything that guy directs.

Skepsis93

02-19-12, 09:19 AM

I don't know, there's something special about Payne's films in that he has that distinct style that can be recognised if you were watching a film completely unaware of who directed it. I can't quite pinpoint it, but it's all there, especially in The Descendants, Sideways and About Schmidt.

Yes, I totally get that. Election too, I think. Allen and Fincher would be two more examples except Payne's style is much subtler.

Brodinski

02-20-12, 07:21 AM

Here's what I've watched in the past month (I think):

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942, Welles): 3+
The Bucket List (2007, Reiner): 3.5+
16 Blocks (2006, Donner): 2
The Hit (1984, Frears): 3.5+

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H3ohrDykgFA/SxaP5KghtPI/AAAAAAAABAM/wn26Y6ysqTs/s320/the+hit1.png

The Women (1939, Cukor): 3.5
Thunderbolt (1995, G. Chan): 3
The Descendants (2012, Payne): 3.5+
Grumpy Old Men (1993, Petrie):3
Tropa de Elita (2007, Padilha): 3.5
Iron Monkey (1993, Yuen):3.5+

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_zlk53r2pxbk/SrpjAyxyzuI/AAAAAAAADWE/g6heVk8kbWo/ironmonkey7.jpg

Killzone (2005, Yip): 3
Johnny English Reborn (2011, Parker):2+
The Fortune Cookie (1966, Wilder):3+

TylerDurden99

02-20-12, 07:55 AM

Used Future

02-20-12, 08:55 AM

The Hit (1984, Frears): 3.5+

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H3ohrDykgFA/SxaP5KghtPI/AAAAAAAABAM/wn26Y6ysqTs/s320/the+hit1.png

Great offbeat road/gangster movie. Stamp and Roth are sensational, and the penultimate climax is a neat reverse flip of Angels With Dirty Faces. Daft that there's no UK disc considering its a British classic. I might just have to fork out for the Criterion edition.

thracian dawg

02-21-12, 03:29 AM

Dark Passage (1947) Daves - - - 2.5

This is definitely, a curiosity. They use the first person camera, so when Bogie escapes from prison, we only see his feet and hands, and it's not until late in the film when a plastic surgeon cuts him a new identity that they finally show his face. There's also a strange tension to the film because he only meets people sympathetic to his cause and they all want to help this convicted murderer escape the coppers.

If a tree falls: A story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011) Curry & Cullman - - - 3.5

This is one of the Docs nominated for the Oscar next Sunday. On one level, this is the story of the radicalization of one ELF member, hence the title, "A story of..." . Although, on another layer, the careful observer may notice the use of extreme violence is highly selective and arbitrary.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Karigurashi_no_Arrietty_poster.png
　
The secret world of Arrietty (2010) Yonebayashi - - - 3.5

One of the things I never understand with animation is why they try to reproduce the look and feel of other genres and camera techniques and don't exploit the inherent strengths of their own medium. However, the subtle resizing of the borrowers just makes this film; during scenes of peril; they become smaller, more vulnerable; and in lighter scenes of happiness and comedy; they seem to swell in stature. Live action will never be able to match this effortless visual poetry.

La Brunante (2007) Dansereau - - - 4

A quiet drama about two women, the older one (in her early 70's) has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and is entering that period of being dotty; she's decided she won't go gently into that good night. In a chance meeting, she bumps into a younger woman who has also reached that same conclusion. The older woman convinces her to become her companion / chauffeur as she says her final goodbyes to all her friends and family. There's a lightness of touch and emotion as they slowly begin to care for one another. The landscapes of Gaspé are breath taking.

Silent light (2007) Reygadas - - - 4

A married man in a rural Mennonite community in Mexico has an extramarital affair. At first the characters seem to be rather earthy, simple folk without any guile or depth of thought. But as the film progresses, you notice the characters begin to reveal deep emotional depths and their spirituality, they slowly become lit from within. Mahvelous stuff. However, If you can't handle art films, you should avoid this one like the plague.

Brodinski

02-21-12, 01:18 PM

I like The Bucket List quite a bit myself, definitely a more underrated dramedy.

If I may ask, what were your problems with Johnny English Reborn? Because I sort of liked it myself, even though it's pointless and very contrived (even though that's the point).

Basically the problem I have with 90 % of all comedies: I didn't think it was funny. And I'm a Rowan Atkinson fan. That film was just embarrassing, not funny at all, poor acting, poor story... I've been rather generous with my rating if you ask me.

Skepsis93

02-21-12, 01:25 PM

The Lion King for what must be at least the 50th time, although I haven't sat all the way through for a couple of years. Music still perfect, voice acting still perfect, story still perfect... perfect. 5

mark f

02-21-12, 06:47 PM

Love Exposure (Shion Sono, 2008) 3.5+ Art House Rating 4

http://evilmonito.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/loveexposure_600_488-410x333.jpg

Wildly-entertaining four-hour epic from Sono (The Suicide Club, Noriko's Dinner Table) which I find the best of his films which I've seen. It's hard to believe that a film can cram so many different ideas and themes even at four hours, but the pace is frenetic enough that it's done easily and mostly completes the various story arcs successfully. What the movie tackles are subjects involving Christianity, true love, the concepts of sin and perversion, revenge, cult programming and deprogrmming, stalking, terrorism and even a skewed Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedy involving mistaken identity, but here adding the dimension of cross-dressing. Throw in some martial arts, lots of Ravel's Bolero, Beethoven's 7th Symphony and some excellent modern rock songs, and the four hours fly by. I don't want to get into too many plot details because there are several twists and turns, but sometimes the film repeats scenes from different perspectives, so one could be reminded of Pulp Fiction, and there were a few moments I flashed back to Fight Club near the end, but for the most part, this is a highly original comedy-drama which perhaps is a little too outrageous to be taken completely seriously, but is honest enough to still create a considerable amount of power.

Shame (Ingmar Bergman, 1968) 3 Art House Rating 4

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_V-vy8pJtuOY/TD56oqumEdI/AAAAAAAALJ0/PxPCLVelVj4/s1600/skammen+(shame)+1968.jpg

This is one Bergman's best films of the 1960s. It allows him to make statements about war in general and Vietnam in particular. Here there appears to be a civil war going on involving two political factions, but since it's seen from the perspective of a married couple who live on a remote island and don't understand why the war is actually occurring, the reasons for the war are never actually explained. The couple is having some marital problems, apparently because the husband (Max von Sydow) committed some infidelities and the wife (Liv Ullmann) wants to have some children, but the war complicates everything, especially as the film progresses. At first, the war is only "heard" over a radio which periodically seems to break or from a few neighbors who seem friendly enough. Eventually, one of the sides bombs the island and later sends over troops who kill most of the villagers who live near the couple. However, this doesn't actually bode well for the two because eventually they're considered enemy sympathizers by their previous "friends". Bergman does a good job of conveying the horrors of war with a small budget, and his film is very visceral with more traditional storytelling and less surrealism than usual, but there are still plenty of nightmarish images, some dreams to interpret and an almost Kafkaesque feeling of utter helplessness, especially during the finale, which firmly allows Shame to fit comfortably into Bergman's oeurve.

http://www.shotpix.com/images/39524602598940496933.png

Valley of the Bees (Franticek Vlacil, 1968) 2.5 Art House Rating 3.5

http://i2.listal.com/image/486226/500full.jpg

This Czech film, set during the 13th century, follows a young man's journey to try to find his destiny amidst a world divided by what the characters consider pagans and extreme Christians. After a brutal introductory scene best left as a surprise, the young man becomes a Teutonic knight, dedicated to chastity, fighting crusades and righting wrongs in the name of Christ. He's mentored by a slightly older young man, but eventually the protagonist begins to see that violence is everywhere, especially in his religious order of knights, so he leaves to return to his family home and start a new life. Much of this widescreen B&W film is sumptious and authentic-looking, and sometimes it seems to be a cross between Bergman's The Seventh Seal and Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky, but director Vlacil has no intention of recreating an operatic or allegorical movie. He has a good eye but I had a few problems with his storytelling style which seems to involve having a few key scenes occur offscreen and thus I was not always able to understand all the character's motivations. I do believe the most-powerful scenes occur near the end of the movie where the director's intentions clarify, and I'm willing to rewatch this to see if I get it better next time. My brother owns this and another film from this director, so I should easily have a chance to watch them.

Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols, 2011) 3.5

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nYJ4M2rgCkI/TqF-2klvaeI/AAAAAAAABdc/nSvdkXpb2ew/s1600/Take%2BShelter.jpg

This is a modern-day psychological drama which also touches on apocalyptic imagery, expertly directed, acted and constructed with some breathtaking visuals, all accomplished on an apparent budget of only one million dollars. Michael Shannon plays Ohio construction worker Curtis who begins to have visions, nightmares and hallucinations about imminent storms and violent attacks from people and even his trusty dog. This is quite unusual because he has a happy family with a loving wife (Jessica Chastain) and a young deaf daughter who's about to get some hearing implants, and he has no major problems with his life. As his sleeplessness and nightmares continue though, he becomes worried that he will follow in the footsteps of his mother (Kathy Baker) whose mental illness has confined her to assisted living for most of Curtis's life. Eventually, he decides to upgrade a tornado shelter in his yard, and this begins to tear apart his family, but Curtis is compelled to do it to save his family from what he feels is an impending storm or perhaps even something approaching the Apocalypse.

http://cdn2.crushable.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/take_shelter04-640x272.jpg

Shannon is his usual intense, brooding self, although for the most part, he seems to be a slow-burner and only seems to really explode in one community get-together. Jessica Chastain balances his personality well by being rational and caring although she does feel betrayed when he goes behind her back to take out a loan they cannot afford. But eventually the family proves strong enough to withstand whatever comes, although the ending of the film is open to interpretation and leaves Curtis's character unresolved as to whether he truly is insane, a prophet or someone in between. One thing I will say is that although Take Shelter has a few elements of horror and is certainly suspenseful, it's basically a serious character study and doesn't try to take any easy outs getting to its resolution and forcing the audience to believe one way or another. The fact that it can get away with what it does is a sign of a sure hand behind the camera in writer/director Jeff Nichols who made another good low-budget film with Shannon, Shotgun Stories, although this film seems to be a noticeable leap in overall quality.

Deadite

02-21-12, 09:54 PM

Take Shelter is now a must-see for me. I've always liked Shannon, and it sounds very interesting.

akatemple

02-21-12, 10:10 PM

I just put Take Shelter on my Netflix Queue so hopefully I'll get it soon, sounds like something I would really like, thanks for the review.

akatemple

02-21-12, 10:44 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/cdnextracinecomfiles201011the-toxic-avenger.jpg

The Toxic Avenger (1984)

This is the second Troma in a row that has been recommended to me, I know a lot of people do not like these movies but I get a kick out of them, if you are looking for a serious horror then please look elsewhere.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/toxicavenger3.jpg

98 pound Melvin is basically a doormat for anyone who wants to just walk all over him, and not to sound mean but if I saw him in real life I might find it hard to resist also I mean wow the teeth on that kid, I am really hoping that was some kind of movie magic and not the real deal. As you can pretty much guess from the title Melvin has an unfortunate encounter with a vat of toxic waste while the drivers of the toxic waste disposal truck were getting REALLY HIGH and did not notice anything. That is one of the main reasons that I like Troma films, the mix between comedy and horror. There is also a romantic twist thrown in when Melvin meets saves a blind woman from a group of thugs and they wind up falling in love, the make-out scenes were the hardest part of the movie to watch I mean that is a girl that is dedicated to her job.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/toxic_avenger_2_a.jpg

I think that the best laugh I got out of this movie was the voice when Melvin got turned into the Toxic Avenger, the voice over they did was perfect and hilarious. There is also the gratuitous nudity which did not hurt at all, what killed it for me was the overacting of the main bad guys, all the screaming and yelling, the “I just can't take it anymore I've gotta drive something” that kind of was a bit over the top for me even for a Troma film.
All in all I thought this was a good movie and would suggest this to anyone who likes movies that are a little different, a nice mix of comedy and horror and all that B-Rated goodness. So thanks to Sexy for recommending this one, I did enjoy it.

3

HitchFan97

02-22-12, 09:07 PM

Citizen Kane (1941)

http://www.rounds.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/citizen-kane-poster.jpg

Some may recall my occasional bashing of this film around MoFo, so I'd like to clear this up right now: I was wrong about Citizen Kane.

It's been almost a year since I first saw Orson Welles' masterpiece; I viewed it for a second time earlier this week. Though I'm still not completely sure if this is The Greatest Movie of All Time, I do believe it isn't far behind and is as worthy a candidate for that title as any film. Perhaps my tastes have matured in the past 9 months or so, but for the first time I was actually drawn in by the storyline of Citizen Kane. My other criticism of the film, its supposed lack of profundity, was erased as well; this is more than a simple morality tale of how to live your life to the fullest. It shows the insurmountable impact childhood has on us all, says a great deal about the human need for love, and is a far more masterful view of one man's life than I remembered. A truly great film that I think I will enjoy more with each repeated viewing.

5

TylerDurden99

02-24-12, 09:38 PM

Commando (1985) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gifhttp://www.movie-list.com/posters/big/zoom/commando.jpg

Executive Decision (1996) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3box.gif+
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ad0i8mTPmg4/Th_qKBeDtRI/AAAAAAAAFgE/aYeeSfcmRrw/s1600/Executive%2BDecision%2B%25281996%2529.jpg

Magnolia (1999) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WkKZJVG5wTk/TRMK-JUmKvI/AAAAAAAC1rw/c5gE0ZyY5Fs/s1600/magnolia_ver3.jpg

Under Siege (1992) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif
http://media.screened.com/uploads/0/48/141599-under_siege_original_large.jpeg

The Tree Of Life (2011) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif+
http://onemoviefiveviews.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/the-tree-of-life-poster.jpg

HitchFan97

02-25-12, 04:55 PM

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Full_Metal_Jacket_poster.jpg/220px-Full_Metal_Jacket_poster.jpg

Leave it to Kubrick to craft a masterpiece in one of my least favorite genres. "Full Metal Jacket" gives "Apocalypse Now" a run for its money as my favorite war film, even though the two are really polar opposites. Kubrick's film trades in Coppola's fantastical grandeur for harsh, gritty realism, as we follow Private Joker through the rigor of Basic Training and watch as he is plunged into the hell of Vietnam. The movie's first half is built on the intensity of the Sergeant Hartman character while Act Two is filmed with suspense and chock full of disturbing imagery. But Stanley Kubrick, as always, is the real star of the show.

5

TylerDurden99

02-25-12, 06:32 PM

Full Metal Jacket is brilliant, tied with The Thin Red Line for my favourite film of the war genre.

Skepsis93

02-25-12, 07:00 PM

Tyler1

02-26-12, 10:03 AM

Full Metal Jacket is the greatest war film, imo. I love Kubrick's movies precisely because they are all devoid of emotion. The helicopter scene where the gunner "leaded women and children" was the most harrowing scene in the entire film for me.

Children Of Heaven
http://img1.gtimg.com/ent/pics/27905/27905858.jpg
Heart-warming. Charming. Honest.
4

Eraserhead
http://www.grindhousedatabase.com/images/Eraserhead-704667.jpg
Pro: Several arresting images
Con: Wasnt as stimulating to the mind as I anticipated. Amateurish acting.

2

Flowers Of War
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3kS1-vxI0XY/Tw0X_R5GRGI/AAAAAAAADiE/bfRUdBkVcKk/s320/the-flowers-of-war-1.jpg
3

Used Future

02-26-12, 01:33 PM

As usual you can read full reviews of the following two films here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=794183)and here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=794196)

Targets (Peter Bogdanovich, 1968) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/4box.gif+

Pretty Poison (Noel Black, 1968) http://www.movieforums.com/community/../images/popcorn/4box.gif

I've also been busy watching this stuff...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E2uWeSxRO60/S-_MvOK_BhI/AAAAAAAACUY/ksDVCdtujgw/s1600/criofpass6.jpg

Crimes Of Passion (Ken Russell, 1984) 2

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AdsCvrMidJ0/Ts5wK9xSy_I/AAAAAAAAHx8/WXRSnY_schA/s400/2hj6gk29rft5r9tg.jpg

House Of Mortal Sin aka The Confessional (Pete Walker, 1976) 3+

http://www.dvddrive-in.com/images/a-d/comeback4.jpg

The Comeback (Pete Walker, 1978) 2.5

http://www.posters555.com/pictures/Extreme-Prejudice-movie-poster-%281987%29-picture-MOV_de70e4cd_b.jpg

Extreme Prejudice (Walter Hill, 1987) 2.5

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQz__kvDStXKllOsyETAEXX10W_KrxWr9GnAG6tnjgLce1FbtdgFY9pag5gVw

Cruising (William Friedkin, 1980) 2

http://static.zoovy.com/img/redford/W414-H414-Bffffff/3/369771_1020_a.jpg

Strange Behavior (Michael Laughlin, 1981) 3

http://wiki-images.enotes.com/thumb/4/40/The_Prowler.jpg/180px-The_Prowler.jpg

The Prowler aka Rosemary's Killer (Joseph Zito, 1981) 1.5

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQnoZ2-kbA842m7znV4XZ6ufa-uSn7lxmcCcTg78nCLO0lL-zotKpvqCk9m

Ulzana's Raid (Robert Aldrich, 1972) 4

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LmpgNYksvMs/TT0Ii8YkosI/AAAAAAAAAHw/ZfpGWsBoii0/s1600/ip%2Bman%2B1.jpg

Ip Man (Wilson Yip, 2008) 3

http://www.turkcealtyazi.org/images/poster/1003034.jpg

Perrier's Bounty (Ian Fitzgibbon, 2009) 2.5+

HitchFan97

02-26-12, 02:57 PM

I wasn't impressed at all by Full Metal Jacket. On a technical level it's good and all, and the performances are decent but for me at least a war film needs to stir up some emotion. I felt completely detached from it and did not care one slice about the characters. 3 at best.

I don't think the characters are important in Full Metal Jacket (though I found the Hartman/Pyle dynamic very compelling), or any Kubrick movie for that matter. Like I said, Kubrick's visual flair is always the star of the show, and I think that was more instrumental in portraying the horrors of Vietnam than any character could be.

honeykid

02-26-12, 05:59 PM

Crimes Of Passion (Ken Russell, 1984) 2
I must dig out a copy of this. I've not watched that in forever.

I really like Cruising... Yes, I mean the film. ;)

The Prowler aka Rosemary's Killer (Joseph Zito, 1981) 1.5

This is a bit of a shame, as The Prowler's something I've wanted to see for a couple of years now.

Used Future

02-27-12, 09:47 AM

I must dig out a copy of this. I've not watched that in forever.

I really like Cruising... Yes, I mean the film. ;)

The Prowler's something I've wanted to see for a couple of years now.

Thanks for the comments HK.

Crimes of Passion looks nice (lots of freaky lighting ala Dario Argento's Suspiria) and Kathleen Turner is ace as China Blue, but the rest of the film is an out of control uneven mess. The film never really gets under the skin of what motivates Turner's character (a successful designer by day) to turn to degrading prostitution at night.

Cruising has a great premise, but the script is muddled and underdeveloped; especially the ending. Pacino doesn't really have anything to do but wear a dodgy perm and the whole thing takes place in semi darkness. Besides I kept expecting those two goons from Police Academy to walk in at any moment;) On a side note I enjoyed spotting Powers Boothe as the guy who advises Pacino on what the coloured hankerchiefs mean.

As you know I'm not a fan of generic 80's slashers and The Prowler plumbed new depths for me. Good effects work from Tom Savini is the only saving grace. The rest of the movie is just a long string of stupid character decisions and dumb by the numbers plotting. No suspense, just a deputy sherriff who leaves his girlfriend (the one the killer is chasing) alone in a soft top jeep. A dumbell who searches the same house twice; each occassion walking straight past the room with the Prowler in (that has the door a'jar and the light on no less). Slasher fans add another popcorn bucket for some excellent gore, but I thought it was bobbins.

JayDee

02-28-12, 05:04 PM

mirror
You Can't Take It With You

3.5++

An engaging little charmer of a film; pretty much exactly what you'd expect from Frank Capra. A film full of kooky and goofball characters it's just all so sweet and fun, and all exists in that so very Capra-esque world. It's also a great example of the phrase “they don't make them like that anymore”, and with good reason. If someone tried to make a film like this today the critics would probably crucify it. The story itself is not exactly the most creative, a lot of the time coming across as little more than just a device to get us from one set-piece to another.

James Stewart is, well, James Stewart, and all that entails. It's another of his trademark likable, slightly bumbling everyman roles. And following her delightful showing in Mr Smith Goes to Washington, Jean Arthur is just adorable again and I am very quickly finding myself falling for her, and definitely plan on tracking down more of her work. Oh and I could not believe that the loveable Grandpa was played by Lionel Barrymore, the same guy as the despicable Mr Potter from It's a Wonderful Life. I didn't even realise it until I saw his name in the credits. Talk about two polar opposite roles.

mirror

Drive

3.5-

I wasn't sure whether to review this or not, as I really wasn't sure what to make of it after just one watch. Decided just to post some quick thoughts.

While I did enjoy the film I found it to be on quite a superficial, shallow level. I enjoyed it for being stylish, slick and almost painfully 'cool', but not much more. For a film hailed as a masterpiece my some, and as film of the year by many I expected something more. I'm quite willing to admit I perhaps missed the point, and indeed hope that I did. It's certainly a film I want to watch again however.

mirror
Leave Her to Heaven

3+

For the first hour I just found this a bit too slow for my liking. I'm all for fleshing out characters and building the story, but for me it went too far and was to the detriment of my enjoyment. After that however it does pick up, pretty much starting from the moment where Ellen starts to stalk Danny in the boat. From there it is a tense, nervy experience as we wait to see just how far she will go to get what she wants.

As well as looking pretty damn gorgeous Laura Tierney is great as the unhinged, monstrous Ellen. While you're appalled by her there is also something quite hypnotic and mesmerising about her. Oh and the film also looks fantastic in all its Technicolor glory. For such a perverse, noirish movie about obsession it feels quite strange to be painted in such broad and bold colours, but it works.

I should add a disclaimer though that I wasn't feeling that great when I watched this, which may have hampered my enjoyment of it.

mirror
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

2.5

Considering the subject and the story this just didn't come across as powerful as it should, at least until the heartbreaking last five minutes. It comes across as a bit of a shock compared to the rest of the film which is quite gentle by comparison. Or as gentle as a film about a concentration camp can.

It all just feels so very English. It's like an ITV evening drama or something. And most of the elements feel like it. There is nothing particularly bad about the acting, writing, directing etc but there's nothing particularly noteworthy or impressive either.

I do think however it would be a good film to show in schools. I think it can be difficult as a kid to truly get your mind around a situation like the Holocaust; the numbers and the atrocities just seem too vast to really comprehend. This film is able to take a small, personal tale and relate it to the larger picture that is going on.

The film actually reminded me of American Dad. That might sound strange but stick with me. There was an episode outside of the normal American Dad universe, set in the world of James Bond. As usual the villain has a great plan to destroy the world – he wants to make the world cry itself to death. So he makes a film about a young Jewish boy having to hide in Nazi Germany. As if that wasn't enough he is mentally retarded and has an alcohol problem, and the little puppy he has dies from cancer. The boy and the film were called Oscar Gold. It's a film which feels like it was designed just to pull on your heartstrings and to be critically acclaimed.

akatemple

02-28-12, 05:46 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/936full-the-last-circus-poster.jpg

The Last Circus (2010)

Directed by: Alex de la Iglesia
Written by: Alex de la Iglesia

In 1937 a happy clown is forcibly recruited to fight in the spanish civil war, he is in full makeup and wearing a womans dress while killing anyone in sight with a machete. I think that right there was a great way to start off such an insane movie. There was a good line in the beginning when the clown asked the general if he could change clothes and the general looked at him and said "No, a clown with a machete, you will scare the Sh*t out of the enemy." I got a huge kick out of that. Skip ahead to the early 1970's and the happy clowns son starts working for a circus as the sad clown who falls in love with an already taken woman. The different characters at the circus are all interesting and the motorcycle stunt guy made me laugh on a few different occasions. The sad clown winds up doing something that causes him to have to go on the run from the police, it is not to far after where things get even more crazy.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/clown.jpg
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/the_last_circus.jpg

I thought this was a beautifully messed up movie, this is not a horror movie but still plenty of gore, I am not sure what catagory I would put this under. There are parts of this movie that will make you laugh and a lot more parts that will have you cringing and just wondering what the hell is going on. I recommend this movie to everyone (unless you hate clowns), this movie is dark and gritty, if you are into that kind of thing then definitely watch this.

4

Skepsis93

02-28-12, 06:36 PM

Easy A
Will Gluck, 2010
Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Thomas Haden Church
4.5

http://www.slantmagazine.com/images/film/easya.jpg

After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, clean cut high school girl Olive (Emma Stone) sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne's in "The Scarlet Letter", which she is currently studying in school - until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that I'm astounded by how much I enjoyed this. After seeing some decent to good reviews I expected little more than a fun high-school flick I could switch off to. What I got was this generation's The Breakfast Club.

It manages to draw you in a number of ways. The affable, goofy charm of the gorgeous Emma Stone makes Olive incredibly easy to like and we care about her right from the get go. She has star quality in abundance and it shows. Her turns in Crazy, Stupid, Love., The Help and Zombieland make it clear she has a massive future, but this is where she gives her best performance to date, for my money anyway.

The story, whilst simple, feels very fresh in its delivery, and is thickly layered with a brand of comedy that is all at once razor sharp, superbly written and performed with aplomb. It's deceptively smart, too, a quality that is sorely missed in the majority of teen-centric comedy releases these days. Direct reference is made to them in the movie itself, but even before it does I'm feeling twinges of a kind of bright, inventive humour akin to John Hughes' wonderful and iconic youth films of the 1980s, only culturally up-to-date.

The supporting cast was one more thing I found myself really digging. Thomas Haden Church, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell, Patricia Clarkson, hell, even Amanda Bynes wasn't completely insufferable. Stanley Tucci was undoubtedly the stand-out, though, as Olive’s liberal dad. He’s hysterical.

I would encourage any doubters to give this a chance. There's a lot more to it than I think a lot of people expect.

From the trade-off tab:

American History X
Tony Kaye, 1998
Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo
Recommended by DexterRiley
3

http://images.picturesdepot.com/photo/a/american_history_x-25384.jpg

Norton's performance is good enough to carry the entire thing. One of the things that struck me as most remarkable was the way in which he portrays Derek in the 'after prison' parts of the movie, the thought that I could feel even a grain of sympathy for a man clearly so despicable is both terrifying and awe-inspiring and a testament to how well performed and how well written the part is. Of course the tirade of hate we see from in the flashback sequences and how committed he is to that is just as impressive.

But I never felt as if the story really lived up to expectations, mostly because it lacked focus. The narrative following Derek's attempt to reform his brother is good but too much time is spent on Derek's own reformation to dedicate the time needed to make the main story pop. Both are extremely well made and acted across the board, but it felt as if I was watching two separate movies roughly sliced together.

and some quickies...

Charlie Wilson's War (Mike Nichols, 2007)
3.5
Entertaining, and certainly more fun than it has any right to be. I would watch Philip Seymour Hoffman in anything. Always superb.

The Men Who Stare At Goats (Grant Heslov, 2009)
3
Wispy nothingness when it comes down to it, but the cast try hard and the wackiness is more charming than annoying.

JayDee

02-29-12, 05:52 PM

Just realised I forgot a film from my recent post

mirror
Phantom of the Paradise

4

I think this is just a deliriously entertaining piece of nonsense. If you want an idea of plot, it's pretty much a gaudy, camp, glam rock take on Phantom of the Opera

Not all of its ideas work, and it's quite dated at points but that just adds to its charm and cultiness. It has a number of truly memorable characters, and a number of wonderful striking scenes; including it's own fantastic take on the shower scene from Psycho.

There are some great performances from Paul Williams (as Swan) and Gerrit Graham (as Beef), but by far the star here is William Finley, who is just excellent as The Phantom. It's got to be some of the best emoting with just one eye acting I've ever seen! :D

Quite why the film doesn't have a bigger cult following is a bit of a mystery to me. It doesn't even come close to that of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the film you could probably most obviously connect it with. I actually feel that I should be following the example of Mark and others by classifying this with a cult or camp rating.

Just damn good fun. If you get the chance give it a shot. You may hate it, but it could also become one of your very favourites.

akatemple

02-29-12, 08:45 PM

Movies I have watched over the last couple of weeks.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/TEMPORARY/drive.jpg

Drive (2011) - I really enjoyed this movie way more then I thought I was going to, I thought that Ryan Gosling was just amazing in this film. 4.5

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/TEMPORARY/apollo18.jpg

Apallo 18 (2011) - I read a lot of reviews about this movie and they were not very nice about this movie at all, I thought this was a great found footage type film and towards the end it was quite intense, thought this was a good sci-fi movie. 3.5

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/TEMPORARY/thething.jpg

The Thing (2011) - I was really wondering what this would be like as a prequel to one of the best sci-fi movies ever made, I was not let down by this. I thought that they did a very good job on keeping with the feel of the original and the monsters looked a lot more like good old fashioned creepy makeup than CGI, I am sure there was plenty of CGI but there was not nearly as much as I was afraid of and they ended it really nice but will not say anymore because I don't wanna spoil the ending for whoever has not seen this. 4

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/TEMPORARY/spider.jpg

Spider (2002) - This movie just did nothing for me, but this is just my opinion. 1

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/TEMPORARY/adventureland.jpg

Adventureland (2009) - I really liked this movie, it is not a 5 out of 5 movie but it is funny and serious at the same time, don't know what else to say except if you haven't seen it it's worth a watch. 3

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/TEMPORARY/irreversable.jpg

Irreversable (2002) - This was supposed to be some kind of crazy disturbing movie, I did not see what the big deal about it was, yes there was the rape scene which was messed up but the only thing close to disturbing to me was the way it ended or rather begins. The way the movie was done all in reverse was interesting and even running the credits at the beggining was kind of cool. 3

mark f

02-29-12, 09:47 PM

Hard Candy (David Slade, 2005) 3.5

http://themadmovieguy.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/hardcandy.jpg

This is a modern-day variation on the Little Red Riding Hood/Big Bad Wolf Fairytale, tricked out with cyber-stocking, and played out with a combo of suspense and dark humor. Fourteen-year-old Hayley (Ellen Page) begins an internet relationship with older photographer David (Patrick Wilson), and after a quick in-person meeting, she goes with him to his home where flirtatious banter suddenly turns deadly serious. Eventually, Hayley drugs Patrick, ties him up, accuses him of pedophilia and also questions him about a missing girl, although the relationship between this other girl and Hayley is unclear. Patrick denies any wrongdoing, but Hayley increases the psychological and physical torture she's willing to put him through to make him confess to something.

Hard Candy plays out as a small, basically two-character play, but it was written for the screen, albeit by playwright Brian Nelson. It's quite clear that although the subject matter is disturbing, there is a sense of sexual tension up front and the humor maintains itself for most of the running time although I suppose there are some viewers who won't find the subject matter amusing. To tell you the truth, the filmmakers don't go out of their way accenting all the laughs, often leaving them to a tone of voice or the way a 14-year-old might say something she personally knows about sex even if you wish it not to be true. The soul of the movie is the way the young girl is able to bully and abuse the experienced man in ways that make everything seem to play out the opposite of what one might expect in real life. In fact, Hard Candy isn't really anything resembling real life, but it's good drama, with two solid performances and something of a vigilante fantasy for those who are sick and tired of watching the news every day and hearing about another child abuse/pedophilia case tearing apart a school or school district.

Four Lions (Christopher Morris, 2010) 3.5
The King of Marvin Gardens (Bob Rafelson, 1972) 2.5
Family Plot (Alfred Hitchcock, 1976) 3.5
The House of Seven Gables (Joe May, 1940) 3.5
Sometimes a Great Notion (Paul Newman, 1971) 3
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt, 2011) 3.5
A Safe Place (Henry Jaglom, 1971) 1
All the President's Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976) 4
I Served the King of England (Jiri Menzel, 2006) 3
Salt (Phillip Noyce, 2010) 3
The Lion in Winter (Anthony Harvey, 1968) 4
The Flamingo Kid (Garry Marshall, 1984) 3.5

Pyro Tramp

03-02-12, 07:19 AM

Darkman

Almost the definition of a generic script however Raimi's kinetic camera and visual flair bring it to life in a far more polished directorial effort than Army of Darkness. It's definitely a showcase of his style than anything else and is a great example of how intuitive direction can save bland material, as well as a great Elfman score that accompanies the action very well. Interesting to see Big Dog Neeson in early action role which most people forget about with his 'new' status. Shame because can see how much the role would have suited Mr Campbell.

4

thracian dawg

03-02-12, 05:18 PM

This means war (2012) - McG - - 0.5
I saw this because the premise of two James bond type characters falling in love with the same women is rife with comedic material. However, the director thought all the comedy lay in using the patriot act and the multi-million dollars resources of the CIA to spy on a potential GF. The sequences are all very short to hide the fact McDLT can't sustain or even create any kind of tension. This film never raises above a live action cartoon

Goon (2011) - Dowse - - 2.5
The screenplay definitely needed additional work, you could have thrown out the first 15 minutes and simply begun the film when Doug (Seann Scot) arrived at the farm team. Liked the sweet, dorky romance between Alison Pin (the future Mrs Jay Baruchel) and Scot. Loved Liev Schreiber suggesting, with just his face, the right mix of menace and weariness---he's king of the goons but he knows, he's only as great as his last fight. The ending kind of drifted into extreme hyperbole where Seann looks like he's the last man standing in a slasher film rather than a sports comedy.

Something the Lord made (2004) - Sargent - - 3
This HBO film is interesting in the way it explores moral blindness. When Vivian puts on the white lab coat he's one of the best and brightest researchist in the room, however, once he takes it off he's just another black man who recedes into the background of society. The film uses a nice religious counterpoint: it's a sin to medically repair something defective, since God made the defect for a reason with infinite wisdom. It's funny how all those white scientists who probe the very limits of medical knowledge and then profit from the so called natural order of life, where they were born at the top of the heap.

Lacombe Lucien (1974) - Malle - - 3.5
A Character study. It's interesting is that Lucien never seems to gain any self-awareness about himself or his situation. Too young to join the resistance, he actually throws his lot in with the Nazi collaborators and becomes one of their henchmen---after D-day no less. Lucien discovers this new found power and prestige, but he never seems to know the limits of that power.

Skepsis93

03-02-12, 09:20 PM

Take Shelter
Jeff Nichols, 2011
Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart
4

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2011/11/23/1322072677083/Take-Shelter-distressed-m-007.jpg

Take Shelter is about as tense a movie-watching experience I've had lately. In general it's extremely well made, its locations beautifully photographed, and its story executed very well, slowly tightening its grip, teetering constantly on the edge of fully fledged horror but crucially never falling off. Even in relatively "safe" periods the tension is palpable, the earmark of a great thriller.

Of course it doesn't hurt than Michael Shannon's performance is as courageous and brilliantly realised as it is, the way he portrays the aftermath of the nightmares and the slow mental deterioration is nothing short of astounding. I'm not going to be the guy who says anyone was "robbed" of the subjective awarding of a small gold man, but he would have been on my Best Actor list for sure. The way he and Jessica 'in absolutely everything' Chastain play off one another is fantastic to watch and she gives an individual performance as winning as any of her many appearances last year.

Only the ending made me really question the score I was going to give it. Could it have been more powerful? Thought provoking? Maybe. One viewing doesn't answer that question as definitively as I really want it to.

re93animator

03-04-12, 05:43 PM

Judge Dredd (1995) - 3
Deservedly gets a lot of crap, but I still enjoy it a lot. The cyberpunk-ish visual design could've been put to better use.

Falling Down (1993) - 2_5
Sufficiently entertaining, but I honestly didn't find anything particularly special about it.

Save the Green Planet (2003) - 4
Amazing! Absolutely idiosyncratic flick that knows no thematic, genre or content boundaries. Some of the most fun I've had watching a movie.

HitchFan97

03-05-12, 06:08 PM

Blue Velvet (1986)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P7mYEXfJ1lc/TTN0Rn45XbI/AAAAAAAAArk/e82fGLEIHbI/s1600/Blue_Velvet_Poster.bmp

David Lynch's shocking look at the seedy underbelly of small town America is one of the most bizarre and disturbing mysteries I've ever seen- and also one of the best. Unlike "Mulholland Drive", "Blue Velvet" tunes down the surrealism (though there's still plenty of it) in favor of putting a greater focus on the fascinating mystery at the film's core. And Frank Booth is one of the most hideously demented concoctions ever created for the screen, at least to my knowledge.

5

honeykid

03-05-12, 06:26 PM

I find Blue Velvet truly terrifying. Along with Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer, it's the most unnerving film I've ever seen.

HitchFan97

03-05-12, 06:39 PM

Definitely a chilling film. What do you think of Mulholland Drive?

honeykid

03-05-12, 09:05 PM

I've still not seen Mulholland Drive. Had it on my shelf for about 8 years or more now. :o

HitchFan97

03-05-12, 10:14 PM

Definitely worth seeing :yup: I think it's the best film of its decade, to say the least.

Deadite

03-05-12, 10:22 PM

I've still not seen Mulholland Drive. Had it on my shelf for about 8 years or more now. :o

Do it! :mad:

Monkeypunch

03-05-12, 11:28 PM

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - Surprisingly fun, ugly, hyper violent yet totally bloodless, and just plain weird sequel, with Nic Cage in total looney mode. Could have been better if it were R, but I liked it for what was there, even if the directors' hearts were more in the action parts than in the story.

Dirty Work - Drinking game: Take a shot every time someone says Whore, Hooker, or Prostitute in this movie. Then call an ambulance. LOL! Loved it for it's dark, inappropriate humor and for Norm MacDonald, who is a sorely missed comedic talent on SNL.

Skepsis93

03-06-12, 09:21 AM

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Fincher, 2011) 4.5

Young Adult (Reitman, 2011) 3.5

Full reviews in my review thread here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=795995). :)

Tyler1

03-09-12, 07:53 AM

Some movies Ive seen over the past week.

Memories Of Underdevelopment (1968) 4
All About My Mother (1999) 5
The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie (1972) 4.5
Hour Of The Furnaces (Part 1) (1968) 1.5
Yeelen (1987) 3.5

Used Future

03-10-12, 04:56 PM

We have guests over this weekend so no time for any reviews. I've left four films out of this post which I'll try and write up in full over the next couple of weeks...

Recent newbies and re-watches include...

http://www.wrongsideoftheart.com/wp-content/gallery/cache/11921__x400_and_soon_the_darkness_1970_poster_01.jpg

And Soon The Darkness (Robert Fuest, 1970) 2.5

http://cinematichorrorarchive.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/raw-meat-cannibal1.jpg?w=450&h=247

Death Line aka Raw Meat (Gary Sherman, 1973) 3.5

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s52OD79eIH0/Tktr0_wIsSI/AAAAAAADWXU/5dRIqeh039M/s400/performance-poster.jpg

Performance (Donald Cammell, Nicolas Roeg, 1970) 3.5

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/dboyzero/ip-man-2-1.jpg

Ip Man 2 (Wilson Yip, 2010) 2

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/34/b70-17306

Will Penny (Tom Gries, 1968) 4

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3rsS1unjxjM/TpTIbA033oI/AAAAAAAAGkA/VLaVZbLwK78/s400/S5.jpg

Schizo (Pete Walker, 1976) 2+

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yuAcKMMWB28/TpnIjGfhnLI/AAAAAAAAAvc/mjo1HAsDxmM/s1600/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-movie-poster-2011-1010710953.jpg

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt, 2011) 2.5

http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/reviews2009/movie_pix_a-g/flesh_frank01.jpg

(Andy Warhol Presents) Flesh For Frankenstein (Paul Morrissey, Antonio Margheriti, 1973) 1.5 Cult Rating 2.5

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQcMQKRL0uDQES68L0phqVQf2iOrXtKm9vaWxsfulQKIzRWg5iOSqrS-GRAjw

(Andy Warhol Presents) Blood For Dracula (Paul Morrissey, 1974) 2.5 Cult Rating 4

http://bp0.blogger.com/_v0fV15P7uQo/RtgX_P3uaTI/AAAAAAAAA-0/U7P9lCE3gnM/s400/BLIND+IMP+POSTER.jpg

See No Evil aka Blind Terror (Richard Fleischer, 1971) 3

Thank you Mark for giving me the inspired idea of a 'cult rating', and thank you for letting me steal it...even though you knew nothing about it until now;)

JayDee

03-10-12, 09:34 PM

mirror

Broadcast News

4++

see full review at JayDee's Movie Musings (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=797177)

mirror

The Trouble With Harry (d. Alfred Hitchcock - 1955)

3.5+

Even in his darkest and most suspenseful films Alfred Hitchcock frequently had a little streak of dark, mischievous comedy running through them. Here he allows that streak to have free reign and run wild. Although while the dark, farcical comedy takes centre stage Hitchcock still creates touches of suspense throughout.

The cast all seem to be having good fun with their distinctive characters. In her debut role Shirley MacLaine is a delight, and has nice chemistry with John Forsythe's silver tongued artist. There is also a quite touching and humorous little romance between the characters of the excellent Edmund Gwenn and Mildred Natwick.

Some of the humour is actually quite 'cheeky', with numerous examples of innuendo scattered throughout. I can just picture Hitchcock behind the camera with a schoolboy grin on his face. Add in a cracking, at times mischievous and playful score from Bernard Herrmann, and a smart, witty script and you have something which is always enjoyable, and at stages a delight.

The film also looks absolutely lovely, though here the Master of Suspense has a good deal of help from Mother Nature. The countryside setting of the film is just beautiful to look at with all the autumnal colours about, and the way it's shot in glorious colour just brings all the golden and orange leaves on the trees to life.

In a way this actually reminded me of the films of Frank Capra, or some of the Coen's comedic efforts (Raising Arizona, Hudsucker Proxy) in that it seems to exist in it's very own, slightly fantastical world; a dimension just slightly off-centre from ours. It feels a bit cartoonish in terms of the constant burial/digging up scenario, and then it has the quirky, unique attitude that everyone seems to have to death in the community which isn't natural.

Having made so many innovative and influential films over his career it would be easy to see this as a somewhat frivolous and throwaway effort from Hitchcock, easy just to dismiss it. But I think it's too much fun for that. Perhaps not an outrageously funny film, but certainly a very entertaining one.

mirror

Foreign Correspondent (d. Alfred Hitchcock - 1940)

3.5

Set at the dawn of the Second World War this is an entertaining espionage thriller from Hitchcock. The plot may be quite convoluted, and at times nonsensical, but by keeping the film moving at a fair old pace we don't really have time to focus on it all that much.

On the whole I didn't find it as gripping or engrossing as Hithcock's best work. However it is punctuated with a series of very impressive set-pieces; of particular note are the assassination scene and the use of umbrellas (makes sense if you've seen it), the windmill sequence and the tense waiting game atop Westminster Cathedral. However special mention must go to the stunningly realised plane crash toward the film's climax. It truly captures the chaos and terror of the situation.

I felt the film was let down a touch by the acting. It's not that it was particularly bad, just a tad bland and unengaging in my eyes, especially from the female lead. It just felt like it was lacking the kind of iconic performance that is frequently found in a Hitchcock film from the likes of a James Stewart, or a Cary Grant or a Farley Granger. And while I understand why it was done at the time, the blatantly propagandist ending feels a bit overwrought and cringeworthy now.

mirror
Kiss Me Deadly (d. Robert Aldrich - 1955)

2.5

I'm still trying to find a great love of film noir as a genre. There have been a few I've loved (Sunset Boulevard, Laura, Double Indemnity), but those are definitely outnumbered by the amount I've seen that just haven't really done much for me.

This is a very dark, dirty and nihilistic film which features many staples of the film noir genre – a murder mystery, a femme fatale, twists and turns, double crosses galore. However it breaks from the norm and takes an unusual veer off into an apocalyptic, somewhat sci-fi zone.

The whole film is littered with a series of unlikeable, reprehensible characters. This includes a classic example of an anti-hero in Mike Hammer, as to be honest he's a bit of an a**hole! The only way we know he's the good guy of the piece is that everyone else around him just happens to be a little bit worse! Place him in just about any other film and he'd almost certainly be the villain of the piece.

I know it's a film loved by a number of people, including a few on here I believe, and while I could appreciate some of its qualities it just wasn't a film I particularly enjoyed or liked.

Skepsis93

03-10-12, 10:17 PM

Quickies... should have some more reviews up in my thread soon-ish.

Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969) 3.5
Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley, 1992) 3
Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990) 4

Yoda

03-11-12, 05:47 PM

Just finished Take Shelter.

WOW.

Sexy Celebrity

03-11-12, 06:37 PM

Just finished Take Shelter.

WOW.

Is Super Lent over? I thought you gave up movies, Amish guy?

Yoda

03-11-12, 06:39 PM

I gave up going to the movies. This was a Netflix rental.

Deadite

03-11-12, 10:13 PM

Skepsis93

03-11-12, 11:00 PM

The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola, 1999) 2.5

Full review right 'ere (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=797367) in mah thread.

akatemple

03-11-12, 11:24 PM

Movies of the past week or so.

What's Your Number (2011) - 3 - This movie did exactly what it was supposed to do and made me laugh, that's all there is to it.

Cowboys and Aliens (2011) - 4 - I was very sceptical going into this because I had heard both good and bad things about this movie. I thought Harrison Fords character was just right on and Daniel Craig did an amazing job also, plus throw in a little Olivia Wilde and a odd but good Sci-Fi Western and it all worked, I don't know how but it did.

Dark City (1998) - =4 - I watched this movie in the theatres when it first came out and to be honest could not remember anything except a few scenes from it so I decided to watch it again. The movie is awesome, crazy Sci-Fi with a really cool story about experiments being done on the humans. Kiefer Sutherland's character is really awesome playing a torn down doctor that is forced to do the bidding of the aliens or whatever they were. If for some reason you have not watched this movie then do so now.

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) - 4 - This is my third favorite Star Trek movie, all the characters did a great job in refrence to the TV show. I think the only thing that bugged me about this movie and all the Star Trek: The Next Gen movies is that they always have to have Data throw some Terminator like line.

The Thirteenth Floor (1999) - 4 - This is another movie that I saw in theaters and just rewatched the other night, I think this is an amazing movie and funny how it came out around the same year as the Matrix, so much in common. This was I thought a really great movie with lots of great twists and turns throughout.

The Night of the Hunted (1980) - 3 - This movie is bizzare, almsot to the point where it does not make any sense. But the oddites of this movie is what makes it worth watching, seriously if anyone can help me understand this movie then please let me know.

Izo (2004) - 3 - I was really underwhelmed when I watched this movie.

Powder (1995) - 4 - This is another movie I watched at the Theater and have not really given a second thought about, this came on TV (one of the unedited channels) and I jumped at a chance to watch it. I was not dissapointed, this movie is really awesome and has almost a tear jerker ending to it, really good movie.

Babel (2006) - 4 - This is a movie that I did not know anything about before I watched it, and I really loved it. The way it shows how speaking different languages can have such a huge impact on everything, plus the way the movie is done with a few different story lines is great.

Pink: Live from Europe (2004) - I have always had a crush on Pink (and yes this is still considered a DVD) and this video just shows why, up until I watched this the only concert footage I had seen was the MTV aproved footage. This concert is raw and I mean really raw, dry humping blow up dolls etc. She does some cool covers of Guns N Roses and other bands, but the main reason I watched this was that I heard about the nipple piercing scene, and yes on the extras after one of her shows she has a professional piercer waiting and get's her other nipple pierced and it's completely unedited,,,,, yeah.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) - 4 I was really hesitant about watching this just because the first Burton film was IMO such crap. They really did something different with this one and made it really awesome, the CGI was amazing, actually being able to see the emotion in the Apes eyes made this much more of a personal feeling movie. All around in all aspects this is a great movie except for Malfroy saying that line "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape", maybe it's just me but that was a little to corney for the movie.

Sexy Celebrity

03-11-12, 11:46 PM

Was thinking about watching Dark City this week, actually.

Brodinski

03-12-12, 09:34 AM

Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley, 1992) 3

Why the lowish rating? Hall-of-fame-worthy dialogue, terrific performances. Jack Lemmon is magnificent

Yoda

03-12-12, 10:04 AM

I'm even more eager to see Take Shelter now. Been a Shannon fan for a long time. I've read up some on the film and there seems to be a consensus that his performance in TS is brilliant, possibly his best.
Yeah, I totally vibe on all the snub talk now. He's fantastic, and I was literally sitting forward as the film went on.

linespalsy

03-12-12, 12:44 PM

We don't have a dvd player set up in our new apartment yet so I've mostly been watching movies Rebecca and I have on vhs (or what we could find at goodwill). I've also just been keeping myself extra-busy with other non-movie-related activities (school and reading mostly)... all of which is a roundabout excuse for why I don't have much to say in here right now.

Clay Pigeons (David Dobkin, 1998) 2
Girl on a Motorcycle (Jack Cardiff, 1968) 2
Snatch (Guy Ritchie, 2000) 3
Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989) 3.5
Lost Highway (David Lynch, 1997) 2.5
Under Siege (Andrew Davis, 1992) 2.5
Harmagedon (Rin Taro, 1983) 2-
The Fast and the Furious (Rob Cohen, 2001) 2.5+
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012) 1.5
Charlotte Gray (Gillian Armstrong, 2001) 3.5
Whisper of the Heart (Yoshifumi Kondo, 1995) 2.5+
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Nicholas Meyer, 1982) 2
Blade Runner (original theatrical cut) (Ridley Scott, 1982) 3.5
High Tide (Gillian Armstrong, 1987) 3.5-
Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson, 1987) 3.5
Island of Fire (Yen-ping Chu, 1990) 2

Skepsis93

03-12-12, 12:58 PM

Why the lowish rating? Hall-of-fame-worthy dialogue, terrific performances. Jack Lemmon is magnificent

The performances and dialogue are basically what the 3 is for. I can see the appeal, I guess it just didn't really click with me.

Brodinski

03-12-12, 04:03 PM

The performances and dialogue are basically what the 3 is for. I can see the appeal, I guess it just didn't really click with me.

Yeah, I can see why. Myself, I'm a guy who likes extremely dialogue-loaded films, especially if it's razor-sharp, poisonous dialogue. I usually find it in film noirs, but Glengarry Glen Ross has it too. To me, that films is material for the ages. Jack Lemmon's portrayal of 'The Machine' Levene is top, top drawer, some of the best work he's ever done. I may be biased, because I think very high of Lemmon, but there's no denying the brilliance of his performance. All the guys in it are good, but he's just a notch above the others.

There's something mesmerizing about Glengarry Glen Ross. It's like those guys, real-estate salesmen, are bullsh!tting us too, because in essence, this film has very little plot to keep going. It's purely dialogue driven, backed by great performances and a moody jazz score to accompany the tone of the film.

Skepsis93

03-12-12, 09:19 PM

Yeah, I can see why. Myself, I'm a guy who likes extremely dialogue-loaded films, especially if it's razor-sharp, poisonous dialogue. I usually find it in film noirs, but Glengarry Glen Ross has it too. To me, that films is material for the ages. Jack Lemmon's portrayal of 'The Machine' Levene is top, top drawer, some of the best work he's ever done. I may be biased, because I think very high of Lemmon, but there's no denying the brilliance of his performance. All the guys in it are good, but he's just a notch above the others.

There's something mesmerizing about Glengarry Glen Ross. It's like those guys, real-estate salesmen, are bullsh!tting us too, because in essence, this film has very little plot to keep going. It's purely dialogue driven, backed by great performances and a moody jazz score to accompany the tone of the film.

Yes, it is quite excellent, and to be honest there's nothing you've said that I can really disagree with. The cast is unbelievable really, I mean, where can you possibly go wrong with Pacino, Lemmon, Spacey, Harris and Arkin? Like I said, sometimes however much you can appreciate a film's appeal, it doesn't really hit you on that gut level. :skeptical: Maybe I'll give it some time and try again.

In other news, I have a short review of Network up in my thread (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=797571).

Godoggo

03-13-12, 04:32 PM

Nowhere Boy B
Killing Bono B+
Easy A C+
Quiz Show A-
Fort Apache A-

Brodinski

03-14-12, 09:58 AM

Quick jabs:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008, Fincher): 3.5
Drive (2011, Winding Refn): 3+

Hmm, I've got mixed feelings over this one. I think the story is simple, but well-told and well-paced. There's nothing to 'just' happens here and I like the logical progression of the entire plot and the way it finally plays out in a more or less realistic fashion. The action scenes are fast and raw, fitting in nicely with the tone of the film, so no complaints there. The acting is good, but nothing to write home about. My gripe lies in the fact that there isn't enough going on on an emotional level. I couldn't connect with the characters. Yes, Gosling's character is a cool guy, but in some scenes where he remains silent, he came off as slightly retarded to me or someone who's extremely timid. I know that Nicolas Winding Refn has invested time in building up the relationship between Gosling and Mulligan, but for some reason, it didn't draw me in. As a result, I find this to be a slick, quick flick that feels a little empty...

Margin Call (2011, Chandor): 3
Win Win (2011, McCarthy): 3.5+
12:08 East of Bucharest (2006, Poromboiu): 3.5

And I went on a minor Anthony Mann binge:

http://berkshirereview.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/anthony_mann.jpg

The Glenn Miller Story (1954): 2.5+
The Tin Star (1957): 3
The Naked Spur (1953): 3.5+
Man of the West (1958): 3.5
Men in War (1957): 3

JayDee

03-14-12, 04:49 PM

My thoughts on Drive and the rating were pretty much the exact same. I enjoyed it on a quite shallow level. I enjoyed it for being slick and stylish, but it all felt very superficial.

mark f

03-16-12, 08:37 PM

Here are some from this month:

The Tourist (Florian Henckel von Domersmarck, 2010) 2.5 - Mostly lackadaisical thriller with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie gets points for the Venice locations and improving as it progresses.

Charly (Ralph Nelson, 1968) 3.5 - Film adaptation of Flowers for Algernon snagged an Oscar for Best Actor for Cliff Robertson. The film is equal parts awkward and affecting, but overall still worth a look for its premise of turning a retarded man into a genius through drugs.

America America (Elia Kazan, 1963) 3 - Kazan's personal epic about his Greek uncle migrating from Turkey to America is entertaining, if a bit obvious, but has wonderful Haskell Wexler cinematography and Dede Allen editing.
http://giselefayet.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/americaamerica196301g.jpg

Angel Baby (Paul Wendkos, 1961) 2.5 - One of the better religious films made in the wake of Elmer Gantry is this modest faith-healing flick where George Hamilton is fought over by Mercedes McCambridge and Salome Jens.

The Cry Baby Killer (Jus Addiss, 1958) 1.5 - The only reason to watch this is to see Jack Nicholson make his feature debut at age 21 as the title character. Otherwise, this is boring and preposterous, but a slight step up from Ed Wood flicks.
http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTM2NjE3NDc2NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwOTI0MjM2._V1._SX450_SY351_.jpg

Little Shop of Horrors (Roger Corman, 1960) 2.5 Cult Rating 3.5 - Corman shot this in two days and one night, creating a follow-up to his equally black-comic Bucket of Blood. This one has Jonathan Haze as a beatnik botanist/delivery boy, Jackie Joseph as his perky girlfriend, Dick Miller as a wacko who loves to eat flowers (with added salt) and Jack Nicholson as a masochist who loves pain, especilly from the dentist.

Death Watch (Bertrand Tavernier, 1980) 2 - Surprisingly muddled and lifeless "sci-fi" about Harvey Keitel (with a camera implanted in his head) covering the last days of novelist Romy Schneider for a TV show, although she doesn't know his true identity.

Miller's Crossing (Coen Bros., 1990) 4 - Coen Bros. film which most successfully straddles the bizarre and the classic has solid performances, dialogue, acting and period detail, as well as numerous spectacular set pieces.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BJ4HxBGz2IM/SNnwjMmy9TI/AAAAAAAAAbM/3BYZ3EZ5zbU/s400/Miller's+Crossing+19

Tracks (Henry Jaglom, 1976) 2 - Dennis Hopper stars as a Vietnam War soldier escorting a coffin with a dead soldier on a train ride to the dead man's hometown cemetary. Along the way, Hopper encounters numerous characters and engages in sex and violence, some real and some imagined.

Silent Running (Douglas Trumbull, 1971) 3 - Simple sci-fi film, with a solid premise about a spaceship trying to preserve Earth's greenery, gives Bruce Dern a chance to play the lead and give a superb performance as a man who feels the burden of possibly being the future Savior of a polluted Earth. Nice debut by Trumbull, who's mostly known for doing F/X in 2001 and Close Encounters.

Torn Curtain (Alfred Hitchcock, 1966) 2.5 - Hitch has a subpar script but still films one great scene involving a murder in a kitchen. Paul Newman and Julie Andrews obviously deserve better, but it's still just barely watchable for the average thriller fan.

Life is Beautiful (Roberto Benigni, 1998) 3.5 - A sweet and witty romantic comedy turns into a farcical Holocaust film, and even if there are patches where the melding seems awkward, there's no denying that the film works for the most part and becomes a poignant memoir with Benigni approaching Chaplin territory.
http://robertobenignifans.com/wp-content/uploads/life-is-beautiful.jpg

The Devil By the Tail (Phillippe de Broca, 1969) 3 - French farce about a weird family involved with a bumpkin thief (Yves Montand) who's really a chef at heart. Underseen film has an attractive cast and French countryside locations.

The Razor's Edge (Edmund Goulding, 1946) 2.5 - Lush filming of the Somerset Maugham novel tells a story I actually appreciate about a young man (Tyrone Power) who searches for something resembling the meaning of life, while all his friends and acquaintances struggle with war, the Stock Market Crash, insanity and various other calamities. It's certainly watchable with a huge cast, but somehow it still seems a bit superficial which is really unfortunate for an underachieving bum such as I.

One, Two, Three (Billy Wilder, 1961) 4+ - Wilder and co-scripter I.A.L. Diamond fashioned one of the fastest, funniest comedies ever, based on a European play, but situated here in the divided city of Berlin during the height of the Cold War. There are as many jokes here about sex and movies as there are about politics, and James Cagney is a marvel playing a Coca-Cola executive who's forced to "babysit" his boss's daughter (Pamela Tiffin), even after she gets pregnant by a beatnik communist (Horst Buchholz). A laugh riot.

The Ox-Bow Incident (William A. Wellman, 1943) 3.5 - This is as solemn as the previous film is irreverent. It's a powerful western about lynching, short at 75 minutes while making its point poetically. I won't give anything away, but the whole thing is superb, especially Henry Fonda.
http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9fqrymCa81qdx4k4o1_500.jpg

Wordplay (Patrick Creadon, 2006) 3+ - Fascinating documentary about the New York Times crossword puzzle, how the puzzles are made, who does them and the annual tournament involving them. Very entertaining subject and presentation, especially for crossword puzzle freaks.

A Kind of Loving (John Schlesinger, 1962) 2.5 - Schlesinger's debut is a simple film of the British New Wave about a draftsman (Alan Bates) who has an on-again/off-again relationship with a young woman (June Ritchie) at his job and how it affects their lives when she gets pregnant. Nothing too interesting but well-crafted.

The L-Shaped Room (Bryan Forbes, 1962) 3+ - Tale of a pregnant French woman (Leslie Caron) who is going to have her baby in London and the neighbors she encounters in her flat, especially two men, played by Tom Bell and Brock Peters. Engrossing tale is one of the more overlooked British films of the period.

Theater of Blood (Douglas Hickox, 1973) 3 - Vincent Price has a field day playing a supposedly-dead Shakespearean actor who wreaks vengeance on a critic's circle whom he believes cheated him out of an acting award. He dispatches each critic by gorily replicating murders from Shakespeare's plays, all with the help of his yummy daughter, Diana Rigg.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-STc8lHGPRXw/TvIIFVMcM-I/AAAAAAAAJHk/1z1QxJfDWqo/s400/Theater-vince2.jpg

All That Heaven Allows (Douglas Sirk, 1955) 2.5 - Quintessential Sirk/Ross Hunter soap opera inspired both Fassbinder's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul and Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven. The original has widow Jane Wyman falling for her gardener (Rock Hudson), although he's more of a botanist than just the son who took over his father's business when he died. Problems arise when the tongues start wagging from all her family, friends and acquaintances who come up with every possible misgiving over meaningless piffle.

The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) 4.5 - Peerless gangster saga, both about the American Dream and the American Nightmare, is masterfully crafted and acted by a cast which seems to fully inhabit each and every character, so much so that the viewer believes they know them all well. All the scenes flow smoothly from one highlight to the next.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Jeff Feuerzeig, 2005) 2.5 Cult Rating 3.5 - Interesting documentary about cult musician Daniel Johnston who created a series of homemade cassette albums of creative music in the 1980s while also living a bizarre life which included bouts of mental illness, violence and demonic obsession, seemingly triggered by his experiences with LSD. He's still currently touring, and Sarah saw him not too long ago, so there's more to his story...
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_jE4793Iwn4A/TAMsh4THnrI/AAAAAAAABgc/wBft6r8JDy4/s1600/devildaniel_johnston.jpg

Woman and Child (Rodrigo Garcia, 2009) 2.5 - Serious film about adoption and how it affects three seemingly-disparate women: lawyer Naomi Watts, medical tech Annette Bening and African-American baker Kerry Washington. It holds your attention but still seems a bit slow although it improves as it reaches its climax.

Planet of the Apes (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1968) 4 - Wonderful sci-fi/social satire plays out as an extended "Twilight Zone" episode, which makes sense with Rod Serling working on the script. Charlton Heston gives probably his best performance, and the entire film has passed into folklore, not only for its perfect plot but for its awesome ending.

Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968) 4+ - Polanski's adaptation of Ira Levin's novel is perfect and his mise-en-scene is masterful, creating dread just by hearing a car horn honk or the repetition of an unseen pianist practicing Beethoven. The duality found in the sound effects and character behavior is meticulous and gives sharp viewers many clues in how to interpret what's going on with Rosemary (Mia Farrow), her husband (John Cassavetes) and the other characters we see at that creepy apartment building with a past.

Brodinski

03-17-12, 09:18 AM

The Ox-Bow Incident (William A. Wellman, 1943) 3.5 - This is as solemn as the previous film is irreverent. It's a powerful western about lynching, short at 75 minutes while making its point poetically. I won't give anything away, but the whole thing is superb, especially Henry Fonda.

Wordplay (Patrick Creadon, 2006) 3+ - Fascinating documentary about the New York Times crossword puzzle, how the puzzles are made, who does them and the annual tournament involving them. Very entertaining subject and presentation, especially for crossword puzzle freaks.

Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968) 4+ - Polanski's adaptation of Ira Levin's novel is perfect and his mise-en-scene is masterful, creating dread just by hearing a car horn honk or the repetition of an unseen pianist practicing Beethoven. The duality found in the sound effects and character behavior is meticulous and gives sharp viewers many clues in how to interpret what's going on with Rosemary (Mia Farrow), her husband (John Cassavetes) and the other characters we see at that creepy apartment building with a past.

Damn Mark, that's a whole lotta movies. I just picked out a couple to comment on.

The Ox-Bow Incident: I think that's a low-ish rating there, Mark. That film is a superlative achievement that rises above the Western genre. It's like a Greek psychological tragedy in a Western setting. The themes are timeless and remain relevant to this very day; the performances are all-around solid; the script is wonderful and the film is perfectly paced. There's not a scene too many in that film. It's brilliant in its conciseness. I'd rate it 4+ or even 4.5 if I'd feel generous.

Wordplay: This sounds very interesting, I'll try to 'catch' that next week.

Rosemary's Baby: I've only watched this once, but at the end I was thinking: "yes... and why is this film regarded to be something special???" The way you put it, it does seem like there's much more to it than I think. The duality in sound effects and character behavior I don't recall. Perhaps these are things that are noticed on repeated viewings... I might check this one out again this month.

Godoggo

03-17-12, 05:55 PM

Biutiful Javier Bardem and Marica Alvarez give outstanding performances, but Biutiful is so jam packed with tragic circumstances and human misery that none of them have much impact. C+

Lonesome Dove (tv mini-series) Extremely well acted and well written with characters and a storyline interesting enough that I watched all of it in one sitting. Loved both Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall. A

Dark Matter There's not much to say other than the movie just wasn't made very well. This could have been a really interesting movie in the right hands. D

Used Future

03-18-12, 04:33 PM

Nasty hangover today courtesy of St. Patrick, hence the lazy post.

Anyway here's what I've been watching this week...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5069/5748472785_a95ba6fc7a.jpg

The Possession of Joel Delaney (Warris Hussein, 1972) 2.5+

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TnFcKwywc44/S5efo37NALI/AAAAAAAABAo/7QnpSp41o2s/s400/Joe+1970+Peter+Boyle++Susan+Sarandon+b.jpg

Joe (John G. Avidsen, 1970) 4+

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7sz2gRi3mQw/Tvu3kCQs28I/AAAAAAAADs0/BVmEjH0k9wg/s400/midnight1982poster01.jpg

Midnight (John A. Russo, 1982) 1.5

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_aB65kLa2fI/TYDVdOdE3XI/AAAAAAAADcg/bVikVCMY2DY/deadlyblessing.jpg

Deadly Blessing (Wes Craven, 1981) 3+

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/b/images/black-snake-moan-poster-2.jpg

Black Snake Moan (Craig Brewer, 2006) 2.5+

http://www.soundonsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/amer-movie.jpg

Amer (Helene Cattet, Bruno Forzani, 2009) 2

http://blogs.suntimes.com/foreignc/possession1981_street_fight_scene.jpg

Possession (Andrzej Zulawski, 1981) 2-

mark f

03-18-12, 05:04 PM

I'm happy that you liked Joe. Care to go into it any more?

Used Future

03-18-12, 05:22 PM

I'm happy that you liked Joe. Care to go into it any more?

Just a great slice of social commentary come satire of the generation gap, class stereo types, the flower power era and general bigotry. Boyle is by turns hilarious and cringe worthy, and I really enjoyed his relationship with Dennis Patrick's character, Bill. The film does a neat job of playing on the expected stereo types before tearing them down, which makes for a satisfyingly unpredictable ride. Some great moments, particularly the scene in which Joe has Bill and his wife round for Chinese food (the irony), and the orgy (pronounced orr-gee hehe) drug party the two go to. Great title song and ending too.

linespalsy

03-19-12, 09:58 PM

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/john%20carter.jpg

John Carter (Andrew Stanton, 2012) 2.5
This one is actually more enjoyable than that rating makes it seem. Aspects like a cool and beautifully-coordinated design of the world and cosmology of Mars, some good action set-pieces, and an engaging set of characters that don't seem to be taken too seriously as a pop pantheon make it pretty entertaining. The main problem keeping me from rating it higher is that it actually feels shorter than it needed to be. It has a fairly complicated plot but the last act where everything came together felt truncated and unsatisfying.

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/dr%20lamb.jpg

Dr. Lamb (Danny Lee & Hin Sing 'Billy' Tang, 1992)
Exploitative but stylish procedural about the arrest and interrogation of a psychotic cab driver who murdered young women and posed them nude while taking pictures of them. It plays out pretty straightforwardly but there is a final twist in which the film almost disappears down the rabbit hole (intentionally or not). Other than that the main talking points are the over-the-top performance by "erotic thriller" regular Simon Yam, and an atmospheric neon-and-grime HK aesthetic, with all the standard tics. 2.5

http://www.princeton.edu/~ddunham/cinema/they%20might%20be%20giants.jpeg

They Might be Giants (Anthony Harvey, 1971)
I really liked this early 70s cultie, but I think half my appreciation is what I brought to it from my own and my girlfriends' memories of the various places in New York where this movie takes place. It includes a visit to the warm and comforting Jefferson Market Library, and a hysterical march past the Lincoln Center that seems to magically take them out of the city to some mysterious sand-covered square with a kiosk and a sewer entrance leading to a sinister supermarket. It has one of those very 60s zeigeisty "new wave" endings, in which form and content seem to merge in some sort of cataclysm, but the final image of "Sherlock Holmes" and Ms. Watson holding each other before the trefoil arch in Central park, and declaring their love as they disintegrate (???) is something that I found eerily moving. The tone seems to resemble something like a cross between Harold & Maude and The 9th Configuration (though I liked it better than either of those). It also maybe owes a little bit to Midnight Cowboy, but is more abstract than that film. Anyway, I might be overrating it, but it certainly hit a sweet spot for me. Oh yeah, and George C. Scott is a great actor and that's no exception in this film. I think I prefer his Sherlock Holmes to Robert Downey's.
4

Monkey Hustle (Arthur Marks, 1976) 1.5
The Big Kahuna (John Swanbeck, 1999) 2

Tyler1

03-20-12, 09:16 AM

Searching For Bobby Fischer (Steven Zaillian, 1993) - 4.5
I watched this film with the lowest of expectations and found myself loving it a lot. One of the best child performances by Max Pomeranc who plays Chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin. One of the reasons why I loved it so much is because I myself am a chess player. Recommended for those for love the game.

Paisan (Roberto Rossellini, 1946) - 5
Thanks to wt for the recommendation. My 2nd Rossellini film (its been a long time since I watched Open City on a crappy version... which makes me want to revisit Open City again if I have the time.)

Pixote (Hector Babenco, 1981) - 5

http://celluloidparadiso.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/pixote.jpg

If you loved mtv-style City Of God, then please check out this other gem from Brazil which paints a bleak portrait of slum kids in a neighbourhood of violence, sex and drugs.

A Separation (Asghar Farhadi, 2011) - 2

Intimate Stories (Carlos Sorin, 2005) - 1.5

Brodinski

03-20-12, 01:58 PM

A Separation (Asghar Farhadi, 2011) - 2

That does beg an explanation. And I agree that Pixote is terrific. Maybe a little bleak, but there's no denying the emotional impact of that film.

Monkeypunch

03-20-12, 07:02 PM

In Time - Pretty good sci-fi from the creator of Gattaca and The Truman Show, about a world where humans are genetically engineered to die at age 25, and the currency of the land is time. The rich will live at 25 for centuries, the poor work tirelessly for minutes, hours, days and years. Sort of a Robin Hood situation with Justin Timberlake (am I the only one surprised what a great movie star this guy is?) looking to take back everyone's fair share. I love Sci-Fi films that aren't just action flicks with space ships or aliens, ones that have IDEAS. This one's like that.

Get Him to the Greek - Seen it before, but I still think it's one of the better rock and roll movies I've seen, a dark and hilarious farce about a timid record company worker who has to deliver the wreckage of a once famous rock star to the Greek theater to put on a show that could revive his faded career. The surprise comes not from the shocking situations or rude humor, but from the fact that both of these characters are deeper than you'd expect on the surface. Thumbs way up for me.

Mr. Popper's Penguins - Honestly, just who was the intended audience for this movie? I am assuming kids will enjoy the antics of Jim Carrey's pet penguins (though why do they have to fart and defecate SO MUCH throughout the movie?) but then the majority of the film is a poorly written mess about Jim Carrey's less than amicable divorce, his daddy issues, and his horrible ex-wife and kids who run the poor guy down for acting like a responsible adult, trying to provide them with some economic stability by being good at his job. It's not until he does something reckless and blatantly illegal, like I dunno, raise penguins in his apartment, that they seem to really take to him. I could rant about how the film shows him as a really good father throughout it's opening, he plays soccer with his kids at the park, he connects with them, (well, except for his bitchy daughter because he can't keep all her teenage angst ramblings straight...what a crime! Gasp!)...I really ended up hating this movie. It's shallow, uncreative, and just plain...uck.

honeykid

03-20-12, 10:50 PM

(though why do they have to fart and defecate SO MUCH throughout the movie?)
Because it's for kids and they like that kinda stuff?

Monkeypunch

03-21-12, 02:20 AM

Because it's for kids and they like that kinda stuff?

Are kids really that stupid, or does Hollywood just think they are? Or did they become that stupid from Hollywood movies treating them like that? It's a confusing thought. I'm just saying penguins pooping isn't funny.

linespalsy

03-21-12, 11:01 AM

I didn't see Mr. Popper's Penguins, but I thought the South Park parody of its trailer was hilarious.

mark f

03-21-12, 11:03 AM

Did they call it Mr. Pooper's Penguins?

linespalsy

03-21-12, 11:11 AM

That's pretty close, actually. :D

Deadite

03-21-12, 11:29 AM

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was a good albeit flawed film. I really like the grungy yet ethereal style of Gilliam's films. Though the plot was somewhat wispy, I quite enjoyed the charming performances and wonderful visuals (natch). Occasionally off-putting, but overall a worthwhile bittersweet fantasy.

Godoggo

03-21-12, 03:15 PM

Meek's Cutoff- I hope Kelly Reichardt makes many more movies and nothing would make me happier if Michelle Williams continues to work with her. I love Reichardt's slow, deliberate pace. She keeps dialogue to a minimum and uses landscape and extended shots of the character's facial expressions to further the story. The effect is that you feel that you are taking the journey with the characters. I didn't like this as much as Wendy and Lucy, but I'd give that movie an A and give this one a very high B+

Terribly Happy- A noir set in a small town in Denmark. It has that slightly weird & wacky edge a la Cohen brothers, but it definitely has it's own unique voice and style. Highly recommended. B+

Superheros- Doc. about real life people who don mask and cape and roam the streets as a superhero. Most of the people aren't as zany as you might think. (with a couple of exceptions) It's an interesting watch, but I wish It would have gone deeper and asked more of the people it was documenting. Except for one case, I didn't really get a good sense of who these people were in day to day life and what made them tick. Also several issues came up that really needed explored further. C

The Messenger-C+

Fist Full of Dollars B

Sleepwalking D-

JayDee

03-21-12, 03:54 PM

Superheros- Doc. about real life people who don mask and cape and roam the streets as a superhero. Most of the people aren't as zany as you might think. (with a couple of exceptions) It's an interesting watch, but I wish It would have gone deeper and asked more of the people it was documenting. Except for one case, I didn't really get a good sense of who these people were in day to day life and what made them tick. Also several issues came up that really needed explored further. C

So would you still say it's worth watching? Just I've fancied it since hearing about it a while back and would like to catch it at some point

JayDee

03-21-12, 03:55 PM

mirror

The Muppets (d. James Bobin - 2011)

4.5

See review here - The Muppets review (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=799338)

mirror

Marathon Man (d. John Schlesinger - 1976)

4.5+

A fantastic thriller. Tense, gripping and brimming with paranoia. It's got to be one of the best suspense thrillers I've ever seen that wasn't made by Alfred Hitchcock. It actually feels quite a lot like one of his but with a bit of the grit and edge of the 70s added in.

It has an absolutely terrific cast, all of whom are on top form. Hoffman is terrific as the the innocent, clueless guy dragged into a game he knows nothing about. While as his brother Roy Scheider kicks all kinds of ass! And then there's Laurence Olivier. He's just wonderful as Nazi dentist and war criminal, Christian Szell. He is just so damn cold and chilling. A pure embodiment of evil. He has to be one of the best villains I've seen in a good long while, perhaps one of the great movie villains I've ever seen. Who would have thought that three simple words could be made into just about the most terrifying sentence I've ever heard - “Is it safe?”

I was never someone who was a particularly big fan of Dustin Hoffman, but I think a lot of that is down to the fact that until fairly recently I hadn't seen a lot of his really great work from the 70s and 80s, what is considered the peak for his performances and his films. Having seen Midnight Cowboy, Little Big Man, Tootsie and now Marathon Man however my admiration for his abilities just continues to grow.

The film is expertly directed by Schlesinger, and features some wonderful location shooting in New York, LA and Paris. There is also an incredibly impressive set for the finale. There are a series of terrific scenes throughout, most of them relying on incredible suspense and terror. The bathtub scene, the chase scene, the fight Scheider's character has in a Paris hotel room and then of course the dentist scene.

Depending on how this holds up or improves on repeat viewings I could perhaps see it sneaking onto my top 100 list.

mirror
It Happened One Night (d. Frank Capra - 1934)

4.5-

As the first film to ever achieve the feat of winning all 5 of the big Oscars, this film is always going to have a place in film history, and happily it's a film that deserves to be remembered. It's another delightful and endearing film from the catalogue of Frank Capra. It may be closing in on 80 years of age, but thanks to a sharp script and sparkling performances it still feels very fresh.

The story itself is not exactly a revelation (though I suppose maybe at the time it may have felt fairly new). It's the classic boy meets girl story, boy and girl don't get on, boy and girl bicker back and forth, boy and girl slowly begin to thaw, boy and girl realise they are in love (even if they're not all that happy about it).

What truly makes the film is the pairing of Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Their chemistry together is just fantastic and they make for a wonderful couple. I don't think I had seen either of them in anything before (although I'm surprised at that in Gable's respect), but from now on whenever I do see one of them I think I shall always be hoping for the other. They just fit together so damn well!

There are a number of great scenes, all of which pretty much occur when Gable and Colbert are just left to it all by themselves. Their marriage act (“quit bawling!”), the singing on the bus, scaring off Shapely and Gable being a drunken hero to a bunch of fellow drunks are all great. But my favourite scene? Gable's complete failure with his thumb routine. And for those who haven't seen the film and are getting some dodgy ideas I'm talking about hitch-hiking. And as all great romantic comedies should, it provides us with a lovely happy ending as the walls of Jericho come crashing down.

Just a delight. My only major complaint? That for the next couple of days I had that damn The Daring Man on the Flying Trapeze song stuck in my head!

mirror

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (d. Michel Hazanavicius - 2006)

3.5+

Austin Powers. Johnny English. Get Smart. Spies Like Us. Top Secret. With so many about you really wouldn't think the world is in need of another spy spoof, but when it's this much fun where's the harm? This is a clever and slick effort from the team who would go on to make The Artist.

I have to admit that it took me a little while to get into that film, though I think the fault lies with me as opposed to the film itself. As far as I can think this is the first out and out comedy of this sort that I've seen which is subtitled. So it took me a bit of time to adjust to reading the lines and linking it with the action to get the most out of it. If you know what I mean. Not sure I made that clear. As a result I can see it perhaps reaching a 4 out of 5 rating on a repeat viewing when I don't have that initial adjustment period.

After that initial spell however I settled into a very enjoyable piece of entertainment, led by the great performance of Jean Dujardin. As witnessed in The Artist he has a tremendously expressive face which he puts to great use. Hell his eyebrows almost deserve a credit all of their own!

Throughout the film there is a nice mix of comedy. You've got some slapstick, some fun wordplay, lots of physical humour, some daft running gags (my favourite being the homoerotic flashbacks Dujardin's character has.) and is not afraid to veer into some rather un-PC territory. The film also has a great ambience, creating the look of those 50s and 60s spy films with a lovely glossy, golden sheen to it. Just good silly fun

mirror
Sense and Sensibility (d. Ang Lee - 1995)

3.5+

I really wasn't sure how much I would enjoy this. I wouldn't exactly call it my kind of film. Usually something so very, very English that flirts with being a period, costume drama would not be up my street. However I actually really quite enjoyed it. It is impeccably acted, has a witty script and looks just gorgeous. And I did find myself becoming quite captivated and moved by the story. And as someone who hasn't read the book, so had no idea of its outcome, I found myself really starting to root for a happy ending.

The performances are just about uniformly excellent, largely down to the casting being pretty much spot on. Many of them, Grant and Thomson in particular, seem as if they were born to star in these kind of productions. Though Grant (who I usually really like) comes off as just a bit annoying as he turns his Hugh Grant-ness up to 11. Oh and as someone raised on Alan Rickman being Hans Gruber, it is a little odd and disconcerting to see him playing one of the most honourable and noble characters I've seen in quite a while. And he really is quite excellent in a restrained and subtle way. Oh and Hugh Laurie appearing was a great surprise, and one of my favourite elements of the film. His incredibly rude character is a real treat.

While there is no doubt that is a very fine film; and one that I enjoyed a good deal more than I thought I might, I'm still not sure how often, or even if, I shall feel the desire to watch it again. Not really sure why that is though.

mirror
Goodbye Solo (d. Ramin Bahrani - 2008)

3-

I feel a little guilty about my rating for this, as at times this is a quite beautiful little film. A small personal tale which is about big issues. However I was never really drawn into it, never completely engaged. I always felt just on the outside looking in. Perhaps it's just the mood I was in at the time.

The film's strong point is definitely the raw, natural performances of Red West and Souleymane Sy Savane, and the unlikely and touching friendship that they strike up. They're what kept my relative interest and made sure that while I wasn't captivated it didn't slip into boring territory. Certainly one I'll give another shot to someday and perhaps appreciate more.

Godoggo

03-21-12, 04:34 PM

So would you still say it's worth watching? Just I've fancied it since hearing about it a while back and would like to catch it at some point

Yeah, I'd still recommend it. I may be being a tad bit harsh on it because I just saw a lot of wasted potential. It's really short, so I wonder why they didn't go a little further. I just wanted to know as much about the others as I did Mr. Extreme.

I'd actually like for a few other people to watch it. Even if I didn't love it, it still invites some good conversation.

Skepsis93

03-21-12, 08:14 PM

Forgot to put these here too...

The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
There were times during this that I felt as immersed as I ever have by a film. I don't think I've ever seen a performance as mesmerising as Jack Lemmon's. He portrays C.C. Baxter with not only razor sharp comedic timing, but a realness and a relatability you rarely find elsewhere. The writing and supporting performances make it really quite a wonderful experience. 4.5

Beauty and the Beast (Trousdale/Wise, 1991)
Has never clicked with me as anything special, in terms of story. It feels dated and all too generic these days, in comparison to others in the Disney collection. Musically and visually it holds up, not that I would expect anything else. 3

Mulan (Bancroft/Cook, 1998)
A prime example of what Disney is capable of musically, this has one or two of the best numbers in their arsenal. 3.5

Tarzan (Buck/Lima, 1999)
This one still hits all the right notes for me. A favourite of mine growing up, I still love the music, the voice acting and the classic story. A beautiful example of Disney's ability to seamlessly blend comedy with drama and heart. 4.5

-------------------
OSS 117: Lost in Rio (Michel Hazanavicius, 2009)
Yes, this is essentially the same movie as the first, but all the wit and charm is still there, and it's almost as funny as Cairo, Nest of Spies. 3.5

B-card

03-21-12, 10:50 PM

I Saw the devil(2010)-I believe I saw the trailer for that film a year ago and since then I had it on my lap top. I can only say great movie-intense good story,trying to escape the typical serial killer cliche's and extremely brutal and violent. Maybe the best film that I've seen since Se7en
http://www.isawthedevilmovie.com/images/photos/photo_04.jpg

4.5

akatemple

03-21-12, 11:03 PM

^ I Saw The Devil is now in my top ten, I agree that it is such a great movie.

re93animator

03-22-12, 05:25 AM

The Element of Crime (1984) – 3_5
Has its share of problems that hinder my score, but it was still one of the most personally appealing movies I’ve seen in a while. A new favorite of mine, but one I wouldn't recommend to many.

Face to Face (1976) – 3

The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello (2005) – 3
Steampunk stylized short film. I don’t think it came across as visually stunning as it wanted to be, but it’s good enough for half an hour.

Stalker (1979) – 4_5
Didn’t care for this the first time I saw it, but with no misconstrued expectations leading this viewing, I loved it.

akatemple

03-23-12, 08:38 PM

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

Passchendaele (2008)
Directed by: Paul Gross
Written by: Paul Gross

In my opinion there are not that many well done WWI movies, the combat scenes and authenticity in this movie are by far the best I have seeen so far on trench warfare. This movie really shows how much Canada got screwed over in WWI, their casualty rating was disgusting and hard to imagine and that is what I really think was shown in this film. The love story felt like it could have been left out, I am guessing that they just needed some filler because the love story did not make me feel any different about the outcome one way or the other.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/8b4a94210ac77bb29f0b8b4677d18f5e.jpg

Michael Dunne (Paul Gross) get's badly injured during a battle so he is shipped back to Canada to help out the war effort on his home soil. David Mann is a young man wanting to enlist in the army to fight but there is one drawback, he has asthma, David's girlfriends father is a doctor and does not approve of there relationship so he signs a paper saying David's Asthma is gone and he is free to enlist. During all this there is the love story part between Michael Dunne and Sarah Mann (David's older sister), when David leaves for Europe Michael feels it is his job to go along and try to protect him.

This movie has some major religious undertones and overtones in it especially at the end which almost made me choke because it was so in your face. I think this movie has some of the most authentic and graphic trench warfare scenes out of any movie that I have ever heard of, if you like war films and have not seen this one then you have to watch it.

3.5

Tyler1

03-24-12, 01:02 AM

12 Monkeys 3
Time Bandits 4

The Hunger Games 3.5
https://celebrationimages.s3.amazonaws.com/web/posters/Hunger-Games-IMAX.jpg

Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone, 2010) plays Katniss, a resolute and resourceful young woman who volunteers to take the place of her younger sister to represent her district to compete in the 'Hunger Games'. Lawrence's performance is assured, and she comfortably carries the entire film on her own, outclassing supporting acts. The Hunger Games is a critique on people's obsession with reality television, social segregation and Man's ability to kill one another. However, what stood out was its assurance of our capacity for love, and sacrifice for one another, and that is most resonating.

The Hunger Games does not pay off as well as expected in the final act. This is because we know she is the heroine, that she will be safe after all. So any suspense Ross tries to create through editing and camerawork achieves little effect. The Hunger Games may be too brutal for kids, but it remains to be a Battle Royale X-tra Lite.

akatemple

03-24-12, 08:39 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/The-Girl-With-The-Dragon-Tattoo-2011-Front-Cover-61597.jpg

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Directed by: David Fincher
Written by: Steven Zaillian and Stieg Larsson

I am such a big fan of the original Swedish version and a even bigger fan of the book on which all this is based, and what I base my comparison on. That was the only thing that bothered me about the Swedish movie/mini-series was that they just basically used the middle of the book and even then very little of it, so many characters were left out and so much that is important to tie it into The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest. I thought Fincher did a great job with the remake, it is almost a shot for shot remake except Fincher included so much more from the book, characters that wind up playing large parts in the trilogy.

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

I was curious to see if Roony Mara could pull off a good Lisbeth Salander and she did a great job, I was really impressed that she went to all the lenghts to get into character. That being said I think that Noomi Rapace did do a better job in the Swedish version. I went into the remake thinking that Daniel Craig was a much better choice than Michael Nyqvist just going on how the character is described in the book as a very handsome ladies man. Craig did a good job of playing the character but his English accent killed the part, he could have at least tried and pulled off a Swedish accent, so I have to go with Michael Nyqvist as the better Mikael Blomkvist. I thought that even though his screen time was not that much Christopher Plummer did a great job of playing Henrik Vanger. This movie was awesome and I know a lot of people disagree with me on that, This movie is really dark, gritty and just excellent. Fincher's version IMO is the better movie but I'll take the book anyday.

4.5

Monkeypunch

03-26-12, 02:32 AM

The Hunger Games - I went into this knowing very little, I'd seen the trailers and that was all. After watching the film, I can honestly say I was very impressed by it. Honestly, a lot of people are going to compare it to Battle Royale, but while that film was also a satire, and featured children murdering each other for survival, The Hunger Games seemed more humanitarian and philosophical than BR's stylized "oh that was so cool!" violence and mayhem. Thumbs way up, and I'm going to start reading the novels.

MovieMan8877445

03-26-12, 10:42 PM

Figured I haven't done one of these in awhile, so why not. Here are some of the new releases I've seen lately.

The Muppets - 3.5
(James Bobin, 2011)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8KpldcwR368/TtfJofTdnAI/AAAAAAAAJyY/udTFeLRd5Rs/s1600/The-Muppets-2011-Cast.jpg

It was extremely enjoyable as I was expecting. I didn't get to see it in theaters sadly like I had wanted, but I managed to finally get it from Redbox after looking for like a week. The story was just so bland though, it's really like Disney copied 3/4ths of the movie from The Country Bears, because all they really did was replace the bears with muppets. I know it wasn't exactly the same, but there were some huge similarities between the two. Still, it got it's purpose across and it entertained me. I loved how Bret Kenzie wrote some of the songs, I love his music.

The Hunger Games - 3
(Gary Ross, 2012)

http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/the-hunger-games-jennifer-lawrence.jpg

It was alright, and I haven't read the book so I wasn't really expecting much. I think I'll just stick to Battle Royale which is a lot more entertaining. They took way to long to set up the actual games, then once fighting actually began, there wasn't much fighting at all. It was a really cool concept that was just toned down in order to achieve a PG-13 rating, because from what I've been told, the book is way more graphic than the movie was. I wish I would've waited until all the crowds died down though, because it wasn't worth waiting in line over.

Martha Marcy May Marlene - 4
(Sean Durkin, 2011)

http://reeltimepodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/47902.jpg

I had been waiting to see this one and I finally got the chance, I really liked it. The thing is though, it just wasn't exceptional or anything. I've been noticing lately I've been seeing all these great movies, but theres nothing really in them that makes them standout or anything. It was an extremely interesting story that kept me engaged the entire time, but it's not really something I can see myself watching over and over again.

21 Jump Street - 4
(Phil Lord and Chris Miller, 2012)

http://www.frontroomcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/21-Jump-Street-2012.jpg

I don't see how someone couldn't be entertained while watching this. This is hands down one of the funniest movies I've seen out of the past couple of years, which I wasn't expecting at all. It looked so dumb in the trailer, and I almost didn't see it, but I did and I couldn't stop laughing the entire time. I really want to see it again before it leaves theaters, but I don't know if I'll be able to.

Project X - 3.5
(Nima Nourizadeh, 2012)

http://www.phoenixhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ProjectX_PhoenixHouse.jpeg

This movie wasn't funny at all, but instead is probably some of the most fun I'll never have. Seeing this opening night was an experience because everyone in my theater was getting into it, but sadly, I don't think it'll ever happen again which makes it hard to believe I'll ever watch it again. Not to mention that it gets you excited for a party thats near impossible to throw, which leaves you disappointed.

Melancholia - N/A
(Lars von Trier, 2011)

http://thefilmstage.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Melancholia-Von-Trier.jpg

I honestly don't know how to rate this because it didn't feel like a movie to me, it just felt real. People were just acting normal, well at least most of them, and it didn't even feel like there was any acting going on. The first part just flew by in the blink of an eye, but the second part seemed to drag to me. This is weird because most of the events happen in the second half of the film, but I was more dazed into the wedding part of the film. Kristen Dunst gave a stellar performance, with an incredible cast. The cinematography was just beautiful to stare at, I was in awe of the images.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 3+
(Tomas Alfredson, 2011)

http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/cnishared/tools/shared/mediahub/00/23/00/slideshow_1002301576_2011_tinker_tailor_soldier_spy_015.jpg

I was incredibly disappointed by this one, and I had high hopes for it. It just left me confused, by the end of the movie I couldn't tell who the good guys and bad guys were. I almost didn't rate it because I feel I need to give it another viewing before I accurately rate it. For now though, I guess I'll just stick with that rating until I get around to re-watching it.

Take Shelter - 4+
(Jeff Nichols, 2011)

http://images.zap2it.com/images/movie-8683227/take-shelter-0.jpg

The surprise hit of last year for me, and I think that's underselling it. Michael Shannon delivered the best performance of last year, and it's really sad that none of the big awards even seemed to give any recognition whatsoever. I don't even know if there's words to describe how great his performance was. The apocalyptic visions were handled so well too, especially for a low budget film. This for me ranks as one of the best of last year and something that's very memorable to me.

mark f

03-26-12, 11:06 PM

Nice reviews but you're going to have to suck it up and give Melancholia a rating. :cool:

MovieMan8877445

03-27-12, 12:35 AM

I wish I could. I'm just not really sure how I feel about it.

Tyler1

03-27-12, 08:12 AM

Starship Troopers
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/df/Starship_Troopers_-_movie_poster.jpg/220px-Starship_Troopers_-_movie_poster.jpg
One of the most fun time I spent watching a movie that has fantastic battle scenes, with a dose of satire. Verhoeven doesnt give a damn about gore- body parts are ripped out and tossed around, and soon, we dont give a damn as well. The dialogue wasnt as cheesy as I expected and there was a fair share of one-liners. The first 15 minutes felt totally unnecessary... Overall it's one of the best sci-fi movies I've seen.
5

Equilibrium
http://content8.flixster.com/movie/26/70/267094_det.jpg
Another sci-fi movie that has been slammed by critics. I however enjoyed watching it for the gun battles (though they are sometimes over-the-top and so unrealistic). It does not offer anything new to the genre but is a welcome addition with some striking imagery.
4

Gattaca
http://content9.flixster.com/movie/25/53/255319_det.jpg
This is one of the best science fiction movies because it is new and refreshing. Focusing on the effects and consequences of genetic modification and how future society demands the best of genetic make-up in order to secure certain jobs, this is an insightful movie for the thinking man.
5

Other sci-fi films that I'm watching:
Contact
Serenity

JayDee

03-29-12, 11:06 AM

Just posting these here along with links for anyone who hasn't already noticed them in my reviews thread

mirrorAll the President's Men

4.5

An important, landmark film. Probably one of the most essential movies of the 70s. These are accolades I've seen this film labelled with for quite a while. And now that I've seen it, I understand why and would echo those sentiments. It's a finely crafted film of extremely high quality.

A great deal of the interest for me came just from learning about one of the most intriguing and important moments in American history. While I knew the broad strokes of the Watergate/Nixon story it was very intriguing to learn about it more thoroughly, about all the little ins and outs, the facts, the lengths of the investigation and who was involved. As much as it's about the Watergate scandal it's also about the journalistic process. It depicts it at it's purest core..........

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=800572)

mirror
Three Days of the Condor

4+

A cracking good film. It's always nice when you watch a film that is able to match its thrills with some smarts. Along with it's glossy exterior and adventurous, paranoid tone a good deal of the reason it works is that it always remains worryingly plausible, especially in a world after Watergate. Indeed during shooting of the film many post-Watergate revelations came to light including illegal wiretaps, surveillance and killings motivated by political expediency.

One thing that I thought was very impressive was just how well the film had actually aged. The story and look means that it feels almost timeless, helped by the fact we could still envisage this going on today............

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=800850)

mirror
Dog Day Afternoon

4-

Whatever I was expecting from this film, it's certainly not what I got! I obviously only had the vaguest, most basic knowledge of the plot. I knew it was a film set during a bank robbery, starring Al Pacino but that was about it. So I was expecting a tense, edgy, gritty thriller with Pacino most likely playing a bad ass. While it remains tense and gritty what I also got instead was a fairly absurd, almost farcical debacle of a robbery/hostage situation. A film just as concerned with the robbery as with commenting on issues of the time such as the law, media exploitation and views on people's sexuality.

It all turns into a bit of a circus with Pacino's Sonny as the ringleader................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=800822)

mirror
The Conversation

3.5+

A slow burning, taut and intriguing film dealing with the world of surveillance. It's a film that just screams of the 70s! Throughout my little 70s thriller season there have been frequent themes and issues that keep cropping up - paranoia, anti-establishment sentiments, conspiracies, technology invading our lives, alienation of the individual, evaporation of civil liberties etc - and this film features a great deal of them. Compared to much of his other work from the era (The Godfather parts 1 and 2 and Apocalypse Now) this is a much more intimate tale told on a smaller scale.

While the almost stone-age technology badly dates the film it does not dilute its power..................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=800832)

mirror
Deliverance

3

Just as with Dog Day Afternoon (that review to follow later) this wasn't quite what I was expecting. Based on a famous scene I was expecting a deeply unsettling and harrowing experience. Which is probably the reason I had put off watching it for so long. And yes while there are a few moments like that, particularly that scene, and a fairly unnerving mood always lingering, there are actually long stretches of the film that in its own way are quite beautiful. Some of the scenery captured by the cinematography is just gorgeous, it looks stunning and harsh.

The acting from the four rowing mates is all very strong. Voight and Beatty are good but of particular, and indeed surprising note, would be Burt Reynolds. I always thought of him in the same kind of mould as a Mr. T, a David Hasselhoff or a Lou Ferrigno. While they might be popular....................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=800575)

Iroquois

03-30-12, 10:00 AM

So it's been nearly three months since I made a post in this thread, so obviously I've seen lots of movies in the past three months, right?

Wrong.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Guy Ritchie, 2011) - 3

So I gave the last one a 3 as well. So what? They're both about equal in terms of quality and disposability. I think I might give this one the edge over the original, though, but there's no telling, really. Neither one would ever get more than 3 from me - enjoyable, yet ultimately disposable.

Persepolis (Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, 2007) - 4

This story of one woman's autobiographical tale of growing up in post-revolution Iran was an absolutely excellent film - and this was even after I'd already read the graphic novel upon which it's based. Smooth animation, well-performed and pretty affecting. Highly recommended.

Easy A (Will Gluck, 2010) - 3

Like Sherlock Holmes 2: Holmes Harder above, this has a real "short-term amusement" vibe to it. Decently done, but I doubt I'll check it out again in a hurry.

Wet Hot American Summer (David Wain, 2001) - 2.5

Damn, what a disappointment. Given how cultishly adored this movie is in some circles, I have to wonder if I just didn't get it (and maybe some time later, I'll rewatch it) but for now - geez. I liked Role Models and all, plus I like the odd aimless comedy, but for some reason this just didn't click with me.

Delicatessan (Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, 1991) - 4

This is more like it. A bizarre Gilliam-esque descent into a weirdly familiar universe packed with bizarre characters and insane plot complications, this is one of those movies I can't help but like. Well-made in just about every way, with my only complaint being that it's just a little too thin to be the kind of cult classic I'd be willing to return to multiple times.

linespalsy

04-02-12, 04:45 PM

In Dreams (Neil Jordan, 1999) 3.5
The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972) 4+
Dames (Ray Enright, Busby Berkeley, 1934) 2
Drowning by Numbers (Peter Greenaway, 1988) 4
The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974) 3

Skepsis93

04-02-12, 05:17 PM

Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman, 2008) 4
Say Anything... (Cameron Crowe, 1989) 3

TheUsualSuspect

04-04-12, 04:06 AM

Play Misty For Me

http://www.filmsite.org/posters/playm.gif

Red paint as blood? Argh...

Clint Eastwood delivers his monotone cool voice performance in this thriller where an obsessed fan of a radio jockey tries to force herself into his life. She calls him and requests "Play Misty For Me". A nice creepy line that works well when it's used. It was hard to see Jessica Walter in the role at first since I was introduced to her through Modern Family, but by the end she had a believer out of me.

Eastwood's first feature, he does double duty playing the role of Dave as well. Maybe a bit too much to handle? The film lacks genuine thrills, but it's great to see where films like Fatal Attraction or Swimfan (yuck) get their inspiration from. I never truly felt his danger in the film, he was a tad too nice to her, especially after trying to kill herself in his bathroom.

3

Tyler1

04-05-12, 01:34 PM

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (Ceylan, 2011)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-adw816jVu84/T2A9TfeWX6I/AAAAAAAADT4/i2kBwBNWP7w/s1600/one+upon.jpg

So finally I watched this movie that has been appearing on many critics' top 10 list of the year - once upon a time in anatolia.

The story, if there was hardly one at all, revolves around a group of guys (police, detective, a professor? and a doctor?) searching for the location where a crime had taken place. Those who are familiar with the director's work know its going to be mind-numbingly slow. The isolated barren landscapes, lit up only by the presence of the car lights, are so vast that its hard to locate exactly where anything's buried. Every character seems to be almost uninterested doing their job, as if they've already realised the futility of the search. The conversations they engage in are about the most mundane stuff which are not related to the crime whatsoever.

Those looking for a thriller will be disappointed. This is no Memories of Murder. Dont expect any character study, nor any idea to chew upon. And I suggest drinking a cup of Ceylon tea before watching this film. 3

mark f

04-05-12, 02:34 PM

Your review makes it sound like the rating should be much lower.

Tyler1

04-06-12, 12:31 AM

Your review makes it sound like the rating should be much lower.

At best its a 3 because of the landscape and the first hour and a half was decent. It might actually get a 2 because of such an abrupt ending, as well as the sloppy pacing.

Skepsis93

04-06-12, 01:39 PM

Slither (James Gunn, 2006)
MASH (Robert Altman, 1970)

Both 4.

akatemple

04-07-12, 06:59 PM

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

Beneath Hill 60 (2010)
Directed by: Jeremy Sims
Written by: David Roach

Beneath Hill 60 tells story of a group of volunteer Australian miners who were employed during WWI to undermine and then blow up enemy German positions. The film is so authentic in its presentation of the terrible conditions endured by all sides at the front and is more astonishing as it was filmed in Australia and funded by inter alia The Australian Film Commission. The acting is great, the cinematography though not beautiful does exactly what you want in terms of conveying the filth and the sense of claustrophobia when below ground. They do not shy away from the gruesome detail and Alan Dukes and Brendan Cowell are both excellent leads.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/vlcsnap-2010-11-07-19h27m31s37.png

That said there is not one lack lustre performance and every one comes across as believable. The story is told with a use of flash backs but this is so well balanced that it helps the narrative flow. For fans of history it also tells a part of the amazing Allied attack on the Messine Ridge which had at that time (due to the miners placing massive ammounts of explosives under the german lines) the largest manmade explosion ever recorded, anyone who is a fan of war films will love this movie.

4

JayDee

04-07-12, 08:33 PM

Again just posting the last batch of reviews from my movie musings thread. For people who want to give positive rep (which I'm very grateful for) I'd appreciate that if it's for a particular film or two if you could actually leave the rep in my reviews thread seeing as that is where the work has gone in. If it's just for all the ratings in general then that's ok. Thanks

mirror
Assault on Precinct 13

4.5

Finally got around to seeing this. As a fan of John Carpenter and cult movies in general why it took so long is a bit of a mystery. Anyway now that I have I can see just what I was missing out on.

This is a very early effort from John Carpenter, indeed it was only his second full length feature following Dark Star. As a result it's not as accomplished as some of his later work, it feels a little callow and a bit rough round the edges. In a way I actually think that's beneficial to the film however, helping to build the raw power and intensity. The same could also be said of the acting. It's certainly not the most skilled but as a result it feels quite genuine and honest. It makes.................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=801755)

mirror
Day of the Jackal

4+

While this film and my previous viewing, Assault on Precinct 13, could both fall under the umbrella term of a thriller, they probably couldn't take two more different approaches to the task of achieving thrills and suspense. While Assault on Precinct 13 was a furious, flash bang affair this is a much more methodical, calculated piece. A film revelling in the minutiae of the whole thing. This political/spy thriller has a real air of quality. What is particularly interesting is that the film starts with a true life event, a failed attempt on the life of de Gaulle, before branching off into a world of fiction. A what if? situation.

The real draw here is the intelligently scripted cat and mouse game...................

Review contines here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=802079)

mirror
Frenzy

4

The plot is a familiar one for a Hitchcock film. An innocent man is falsely accused of a serious crime and goes on the run until he can clear his name. However this time we don't find ourselves in an escapist world of espionage, spies and global conspiracy. This time we are in much darker, seedier waters. Coming towards the end of his career (it's his penultimate film) it almost plays as a scrapbook of elements from his previous work. Along with the familiar plot of an innocent man wrongly accused which was found in many a Hitchcock film (The 39 Steps, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Saboteur etc) there is the relationship between Blaney and Rusk that evokes feelings of Strangers on a Train's 'friendship' between Bruno and Guy. There is the sexual deviance of Psycho...............

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=802522)

mirror
The Andromeda Strain

4-

While I may be greatly enjoying my 70s thriller season I've came across a problem. I've never felt so paranoid in my life! I feel myself constantly looking over my shoulder and eyeing up shifting-looking people. And that cough/runny nose I thought had been caused by everyone cutting their grass of late? Turns out it's an alien virus! :D

For people raised only on modern sci-fi films this may not be for them. There aren't any explosions, little action and a real lack of any special effects. This is certainly a film that would fall into the category of 'adult sci-fi'. While it may be science fiction (and let's hope it remains so)............................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=802944)

mirror
Charley Varrick

3.5++

What we have here is an eccentric, oddball depiction of the criminal underworld and those who reside there. With twists and turns round every corner, and a series of peculiar characters this is a tough as nails, but fun offering from Don Siegl. It's a fairly simple narrative, with a plot that is unlikely to stun anyone with its originality. Therefore if it wanted to rise above most of the other entries in the genre it would have to possess great performances, strong direction and a tight script. It's fortunate then that the film is arguably blessed with all of these. It may look a little dated, not far off resembling an episode of Starsky and Hutch or Quincy at points, but everything else is so enjoyable that I soon forgot about that and just got absorbed into the film.........................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=801359)

mirror
The Boys from Brazil

2.5+

Look at that plot. I mean really look at it! Creating 94 Hitler clones? Surely that's a plot that belongs to a trashy 1950s B-movie. And yet somehow the project was able to attract such considerable and acclaimed talents as Laurence Olivier, Gregory Peck, James Mason and eh...Steve Guttenberg....Huh....Ok we lost steam a touch there but we'll carry on. What is quite interesting is that the film chooses to treat this silly, ludicrous concept with such seriousness. It's a losing battle right from the start but as a result I found myself almost getting behind it, willing it on........................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=801753)

Skepsis93

04-07-12, 09:09 PM

Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1994)

I'll labour through the fiddliness of writing a short review on my phone (only source of internet at the moment) because I felt like I needed to share some thoughts on this absolute gem. Without a supreme level of both dialogue scripting and chemistry between the leads, this film falls flat on its face. It's stunning to me how they managed to make it so enrapturing with such dialogue-heavy sequences but I found myself literally hanging on to every word, and what beautiful words they were. It walks a very thin line between actual intellectual and faux-intellectual, but at worst it's always believable and at its best, it borders on prophetic, commenting subtly on love and life itself. The atmosphere is palpable, the emotional impact enormous, and the 90 minutes flew by, just as Jesse and Celine's fleeting romance did. The sequel is on its way to me as we speak, I can only hope I enjoy it as much.

4.5

stevo3001

04-07-12, 11:21 PM

I'll start posting the movies I've watched for the first time here (nothing I've seen before, unless it was so long ago that I didn't really remember it), usually on a monthly basis I think. The reviews here will usually be short; I might start a review thread for a few more in-depth reviews.

Ratings-wise, for me the biggest divide will be between 2 stars and 2.5 (the bad and good side of average)- 2 or below isn't worth watching, 2.5+ is (despite the fact that I watch a fair few movies, I'm not the kind of person who can be satisfied watching a potboiler- a movie better have something interesting to be worth 2 hours of my time). Anything 3 stars or more I must have liked a lot.

First I'll try to catch up with the movies I've seen in 2012 so far. I didn't watch many movies in January, but here are all those I saw that month:

Drive (Nicholas Winding Refn, USA 11)- Another of Refn's slender, fairly stylish ornaments. Good cast (apart from the dependable lead, Ron Perlman always adds something and it's good to see Albert Brooks anywhere). Unpleasant, unnecessary hyperviolence. Nice soundtrack (but not worth buying, as I realised too late). 2.5

Melancholia (Lars von Trier, USA 11)- I watched this not long after The Tree of Life and despite their differences they're linked in my mind and von Trier's film is completely in the shadow of Malick's masterpiece. The characters aren't very interesting, the spectacle of family sicknesses seeping out at a celebration has nowhere near the impact of that in Festen, and the unexplained end of the world thing has been done better too, like in Last Night. Dunst does suggest rather more than is there in her terse performance. von Trier's such a prick that I guess I root against his movies, but he's done much better than this. 2

Hugo (Martin Scorsese, USA 11)- I love many of the silents brought back to life here, I love the story of early cinema, I love that Scorsese has such a deep love of film, and I love that this is a kids' film so maybe it can help my kids love some of those things too. I didn't find much to love in this movie though, I thought it rather staid and lightweight. Still, the material is so interesting that I'll try it again I'm sure. 2.5

Zhestokiy romans (A Cruel Romance) (Eldar Ryazanov, USSR 84)- Several charismatic performances, particularly from Nikita Mihalkov as the cad Sergei Sergeivich, light up this somewhat stagey but nonetheless quite engrossing tragedy of a beautiful woman who gives herself away cheaply when her dashing captain carelessly breaks her heart. 3.5

There'll be rather more in the February post.

Tyler1

04-08-12, 01:30 AM

Melancholia (Lars von Trier, USA 11 2

Hugo (Martin Scorsese, USA 11 2.5

Melancholia is a great movie imo. It doesnt explain the circumstances leading to Dunst character Justine's depression, nor the planet itself, because it doesnt need to. The acting was convincing enough, the cinematography (despite the use of hand-held cam) was splendid and the premise of isolating all the action to just one huge mansion was what I loved most about the film. I like how the characters seem small compared to their surroundings, which conveyed the sense of detachment pretty well.

As for Hugo, we know that Martin Scorsese and his world of film foundation has been restoring "lost" films and bringing the attention of arthouse movies such as Soy Cuba, L'Eclisse ,etc.. to American audience. Hugo is all about that.

stevo3001

04-08-12, 11:51 AM

These are the films I watched in February:

The Descendants (Alexander Payne, USA 11)- Everything is beautiful and nonplussed in Hawaii as the rich deal with ambiguous pain. A little sad and quite sweet, if not as sharp as Payne at his best. 2.5

Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin, USA 11)- Elizabeth Olsen has freed herself physically from the cult, but her mind is still there. The fear, paranoia, the inescapable trap- all that is portrayed very well. 3

Mysterious Skin (Gregg Araki, USA 04)- Deeply disgusting (necessarily so I suppose) and hard to shake off. 3

Shame (Steve McQueen, UK 11)- A quite interesting display of McQueen's artistic vision, but understandably he can't turn the story of a man having lots of sex into anything as searching, troubling and challenging as the Bobby Sands story in Hunger. Fassbender (who's very talented and getting lots of good roles) and Mulligan (fortunately looking a little less than Julie Andrews than usual) are good leads, and she shines in her bug number. 2.5

Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night (Tony Mitchell, USA 88)- Infectiously joyous concert movie as Roy and illustrious guests run through a succession of great songs. 3

Konflikt (Garri Bardin, USSR 83)- Escalating conflict between matches in a strong, clever, even moving short animation of the cold war turning hot. 3

Duck Amuck (Chuck Jones, USA 53)- There seem to be many fourth wall breaking cartoons that are similar but more ingenious and funnier... maybe this is the insoiration for a lot of them, but I didn't find it that much fun. 2.5

Waterloo (Sergey Bondarchuk, USSR 70)- Superbly staged battle scenes allow quite a clear sight of the manouevrings between Nelson (a commanding Christopher Plummer, determined not to run . around like a wet hen) and Bonaparte (a scenery-chewing Rod Steiger, my only
major complaint about the film). In the upper tier of war films. 3.5

All That Jazz (Bob Fosse, USA 79)- I said a little more about this in the movie-trade-off thread. Much more hit than miss, and scuzzily brilliant at times, this is one of the best films I've seen so far this year.
4

Tsumiki no ie (The House of Small Cubes) (Kunio Kato, Japan 08)- Quite a smart and sweet cartoon short.
2.5

Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (A Separation) (Asghar Farhadi, Iran 11)- A decent film about a family tearing apart. Strong characterisation. 2.5

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Tomas Alfredson, UK 11)- Gary Oldman and Kathy Burke are excellent as they sadly come to terms with treachery among their old friends. The mood is excellent, the plot is a murky and lacking momentum; maybe these things are simply Alfredson trademarks. 2.5

War Horse (Steven Spielberg, USA 11)- I didn't like this cheeseball nonsense at all. 1.5

Des hommes et des dieux (Xavier Beauvois, France 10)- Reconstruction of monks who refused to leave their people in Algeria despite terrorist threats quietly illustrates the struggle toward true faith and true valor. 3

Incendies (Denis Villeneuve, Canada 10)- This viciously hard hitting movie takes the viewer along with the central characters from our safe lives to horrors most of us will never see but far too many people in some places cannot avoid. 3.5

Meek’s Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt, USA 10)- Nicely reconstructed atmosphere of a desperately hard type of American life. It's an intelligent plot, the characters play their positions well, but there's something missing- maybe it's just too dry to make the film involving enough, and the ending powerful enough. 3

Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen, Spain 11)- It's been a while since Allen made a movie I really liked, so I went into this not expecting much. Then I enjoyed every minute. Lovely concept, and plainly one Allen was having tons of fun with. Owen Wilson was really good with the Allen dialogue. 3.5

The Help (Tate Taylor, USA 11)- I mean it's hardly the most piercing analysis of an issue, or the deepest character study, or the best example of crackling dialogue, but it's not a bad way to pass the time. 2.5

Nostalgia de la Luz (Patricia Guzman, Chile 10)- Excellent documentary about the Atacama desert, with its unparalleled view of the stars above and the horrors of the nation's dictatorial past buried below. 3.5

The Guard (John Michael McDonagh, Ireland 11)- Gleeson's in great comic form here, and Cheadle works of him well, even if the film doesn't sustain its hilarious start. 2.5

Shi (Poetry) (Chang-Dong Lee, South Korea 10)- Carefully constructed, thoroughly melancholy. Shows all the aging lady's pain as she struggles to deal with life letting her down in ways she can't understand, and like her, occasionally still manages to find moments of beauty. 3

Senna (Asif Kapadia, UK 10)- Riding with the in-car camera on Senna's last lap is one of the most gruelling things I could imagine seeing on film. Other than that, the doc looks great but doesn't say much that's new or fully illustrate Senna's difficult charisma or unmatched talent. 2.5

A Dangerous Method (David Cronenburg, UK 11)- Keira Knightley's gurning had pretty much ruined the film for me within the first few minutes and it never won me back. 2

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Stephen Daldry, USA 11)- Extremely **** and incredibly ****. 1

Sexy Celebrity

04-09-12, 02:00 AM

The Deer Hunter (1978) 4.5
- Loved it.

The Hunger Games (2012) 4
- Didn't want to see it, but was glad I did. High entertainment.

Footloose (2011) 3
- Not funny, not solid, but enjoyable.

The Muppets (2011) 3.5
- Funny, amusing, perfectly nostalgic, but a horrible storyline and a big let down of an ending.

thracian dawg

04-09-12, 03:44 AM

The Easy way (2008) - Rouve - - 2

The subject is immediately intriguing: a journalist wants to do interview the guy who masterminded the 37 million dollar Casse de Nice heist back in 1976. He was caught but quickly escaped captivity in France and fled to South America. Unfortunately, the director, who also does double duty on screen as the big brains behind the operation, never decides what story he wants to tell or even correctly film some of the scenes and ideas. After a boom mike appeared in the film for the seventh time, I stopped counting.

Miral (2010) - Schnabel - - 2.5

Julian Schnabel's heart is obviously in the right place; I can only imagine the amount of flack and demonization the poor man must have suffered for making a film that dares to show Palestinians as decent human beings. Unfortunately, the episodic structure (four stories of Palestinian women) and an extensive use of the passive voice ruins the film. Example: during a protest march, Miral's (Freida Pinto) best friend is shot, the film only shows her dead body in the street, but never contextualizes her murder. Time and time again, the film removes any direct links to Israeli culpability.

There's actually one funny scene, when Miral stays with a Palestinian family later in the film and the son brings home his Israeli girlfriend and his mother---who is completely westernized and multilingual---just for the dinner, she turns into a devout Muslim woman and pretends she doesn't understand Hebrew just to screw with her future daughter-in-law.

Enter the void (2009) - Noé - - 3

Now this got one of the strangest reactions I've had to a film in recent memory.

So near the end of the film, the sister and her brother's friend finally hook up and get into in a taxi and they are hit head on by another car and killed and I immediately thought: Gaspar Noé ... you piece of %!@&!. You just had to kill her off. You couldn't let her live, you bastard! Then the film went on for another 20 minutes with my anger increasing with every fricking minute. Yes, I get it, the aerial shots signify a wandering soul looking for it's next host body. Fine. Pick a body. Start living again. You ameba brained junky dope dealer.

Then I remembered something: were two people in the front seat of the taxi? So I rewatched the scene again and found it consisted of three quick cuts: the Girl screams in terror, another car passed them---almost---clipping them; then an flashback insert to when her parents are killed in their fatal car crash. O villainous micro-cuts! I may forgive Noé sometime in the future, but for the time being, boy do I hate this pretentious little slimy French snot of a film director.

Love crime (2010) - Corneau - - 3

Two women in a large investment firm: the successful older one has broken through the glass ceiling and the brings along with her starry eyed protégé. Kristin Scott Thomas' relationship to the younger woman is kind of ambiguous, she seems to openly flirt with her from time to time. Ambition comes between them and they have a major falling out. The editing could have been a little crisper. And the intricacies of the plot may have worked a lot better as a reveal at the end.

Bellissima (1951) - Visconti - - 3.5

A working class mother hears about an open casting call from Cinecittà for a young girl and desperately tries to land her daughter the role. Although she begins to make larger and larger sacrifices for her daughter, the story seemed to lack tension and it suggests more than it actually shows. The main attraction here is Anna Magnani. She's a wonderful actress. She talks a mile a minute. She's got those wildly gestural hands, she's a great bundle of energy and she'd do anything to secure her daughter's future.

Django (1966) - Corbucci - - 3.5

This was probably my first real spaghetti western. I was immediately hooked by the opening scene where Django plods through a desolate landscape, he's got no horse so he shoulders his saddle. He also ominously drags a coffin behind him. Wtf? There's strange leaps in logic in the film. There's tons of continuity errors: in the exterior scenes, the shadows hop around like grasshoppers. Although it's the frontier, this rogue's gallery seems to be delightfully stylish, there's an appalling amount of shawls, sashes and scarves that brighten even the dullest cowpoke or bandito with splash of color. And the final shoot-out where Django faces the bad guys all alone in a quick draw ... despite having his fingers pistol whipped and broken; his hands stomped by cowboy boots and his arms trampled by horses. And don't forget those strategically placed pits of pesky quicksand! This was a fun watch just because it was so completely insane.

TheUsualSuspect

04-09-12, 04:03 AM

Enter the void (2009) - Noé - - 3

Now this got one of the strangest reactions I've had to a film in recent memory.

So near the end of the film, the sister and her brother's friend finally hook up and get into in a taxi and they are hit head on by another car and killed and I immediately thought: Gaspar Noé ... you piece of %!@&!. You just had to kill her off. You couldn't let her live, you bastard! Then the film went on for another 20 minutes with my anger increasing with every fricking minute. Yes, I get it, the aerial shots signify a wandering soul looking for it's next host body. Fine. Pick a body. Start living again. You ameba brained junky dope dealer.

Then I remembered something: were two people in the front seat of the taxi? So I rewatched the scene again and found it consisted of three quick cuts: the Girl screams in terror, another car passed them---almost---clipping them; then an flashback insert to when her parents are killed in their fatal car crash. O villainous micro-cuts! I may forgive Noé sometime in the future, but for the time being, boy do I hate this pretentious little slimy French snot of a film director.

You mean you don't hate him for wasting 3 hours of your life by watching the camera float above people as they do mundane things, then watch the film turn into porn at the end?

thracian dawg

04-09-12, 04:10 AM

well, I'm sure if you read the Tibetan book of the dead, it would all make perfect sense.

akatemple

04-09-12, 04:30 AM

Enter the Void was just nuckin futs, I don't know if I will ever recover after seeing that, yes I do know the point of the movie but..............

TheUsualSuspect

04-09-12, 05:56 AM

Here's my review of it. (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=710310) I think I was generous that day.

TylerDurden99

04-09-12, 08:12 AM

RoboCop (1987)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Robocop_film.jpg

It's a solid, over-the-top, 80's satire, but I wasn't as impressed with it as I wanted to be. I wanted it to be another example of Paul Verhoeven wonderful filmmaking techniques and a sci-fi classic. And while it achieves in being the former, it falls short of being the latter.

3.5+

honeykid

04-09-12, 06:46 PM

Waterloo (Sergey Bondarchuk, USSR 70)- Superbly staged battle scenes allow quite a clear sight of the manouevrings between Nelson (a commanding Christopher Plummer, determined not to run . around like a wet hen) and Bonaparte (a scenery-chewing Rod Steiger, my only
major complaint about the film). In the upper tier of war films. 3.5
It's Wellington, not Nelson, who's the hero of Waterloo. Nelson died 10 years earlier.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Have you see/are you aware of the BBC tv series from the 70's? There's also a follow-up series called Smiley's People.

Senna (Asif Kapadia, UK 10)- Riding with the in-car camera on Senna's last lap is one of the most gruelling things I could imagine seeing on film. Other than that, the doc looks great but doesn't say much that's new or fully illustrate Senna's difficult charisma or unmatched talent. 2.5

I felt pretty much the same about this and, like you, I was greatly affected by that last lap footage. So many memories came flooding back while watching this, though. I think that was the best thing about it, for me.

stevo3001

04-09-12, 08:17 PM

As for Hugo, we know that Martin Scorsese and his world of film foundation has been restoring "lost" films and bringing the attention of arthouse movies such as Soy Cuba, L'Eclisse ,etc.. to American audience. Hugo is all about that.[QUOTE]

I think that's admirable and an admirable part of Hugo- it's the film itself (plot, character, thrills) that fails to hit the heights for me.

[QUOTE=honeykid;803296]It's Wellington, not Nelson, who's the hero of Waterloo. Nelson died 10 years earlier.

LOL, I don't know why I put Nelson when I knew it was Wellington- how stupid of me.

Have you see/are you aware of the BBC tv series from the 70's? There's also a follow-up series called Smiley's People.

Heard great things about the BBC version, never seen. Is it as good as its made out to be?

stevo3001

04-09-12, 10:23 PM

Here are the films I saw in March-

Hands on a Hard Body (SR Bindler, USA 97)- Rather involving doc about a competition to win a pickup truck by standing with your hand on it for longer than any of your competitors. It has the extra intrigue of the competition (who's your money on? The religious nut? The fitness nut? The guy who's won before?), it tells a lot about character from a simple situation, and best of all it starts silly and follows the competitors down and down into a dark depth as exhaustion crushes them. From the hair, clothes and DVD cover you'd think this was about 10 years older. 3

Pingu’s The Thing (Lee Hardcastle, UK 12)- I'll save everyone the two minutes and say that this is exactly what one would expect from a Pingu version of Carpenter's film. Hilarious idea though. 2.5

Sid and Nancy (Alex Cox, UK 86)- The Sex Pistols and their associated junkies are shown here as the most revolting scumbags imaginable. If there's anything impressive here other than the atmosphere, it's how it makes the viewer care so little about the deaths of the main characters.
2

Osenniy marafon (Autumn Marathon) (Georgi Daneliya, USSR 79)- Pathetic man does pathetic job of having an affair. 2.5

Autobiografia lui Nicolae Ceausescu (Andrei Ujica, Romania 10)- Telling Ceausescu's stories entirely through his predictably flattering 'home movies' was an interesting gambit, and this is not an easy three hours. It does build an immensely damning portrait of a man preoccupied with diplomatic idiocies as his people suffered and died.3

Carmen (Carlos Saura, Spain 83)- Adds another element to the setup of the previous film in the trilogy, as this time the flamenco troupe are much more clearly going through their version of the story they're rehearsing. Not as fresh or impassioned as the first, but still quite exciting.3

Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock, USA 43)- You get a few good thrills and a compelling performance from a misanthropic Joseph Cotten.3

Run of the Arrow (Samuel Fuller, USA 57)- Raw and determined and full of conflict in the Fuller style, this features a man who can't come to terms with the USA after being on the losing side in the civil war and joins a Sioux nation instead.3

The Far Country (Anthony Mann, USA 54)- Not quite as crisp and coolly brilliant as Mann's best, still good though, great setting.3

Judge Priest (John Ford, USA 34)- Homespun 'wisdom', other corn, a dash of racism- this has not aged well. Hopes Rogers would say something like 'the prosecution pecks for a mistrial' were dashed.2

Night Moves (Arthur Penn, USA 75)- Ruthlessly edited, fat-free thriller keeps rushing forward. Hackman at his best.3

Game Change (Jay Roach, USA 12)- The story of how the formerly respected John McCain came to select some horrible eejit as his running mate is told with style and more than a little sympathy. Palin is portrayed as ignorant and highly dishonest, but otherwise humane and genuinely caring about people, and that's about as positive a spin as can still be put on her with a straight face, but I'm sure she's castigating "the media" for this anyway as she does for all her failings.3

The Grey (Joe Carnahan, USA 11)- This looked like being rather enthralling, what with Alaska, a plane crash and Liam Neeson, all things I like. Then the fecking dire wolves showed up.2

L'arrivée d'un train à La Ciotat (Auguste Lumiere/Louis Lumiere, France 1896)- People debark wearing very strange headgear. It's quite an exciting moment- who's there? why are they wearing such headgear? and one that would be a staple in the next 116 years of cinema.3

Chimes at Midnight (Orson Welles, France/Spain 65)- I like Welles' performance, and that Shakespeare seems to have been quite good with dialogue, but I haven't yet found the heart or power I was hoping for in the film.2.5

Katakuri-ke no kôfuku (The Happiness of the Katakuris) (Takashi Miike, Japan 01)- I reviewed this in the Movie Trade-Off Tab thread. I thought it was another case of Miike throwing everything he could think of at a film, hoping something would work, and in this case nothing did. 1.5

The Long Day Closes (Terence Davies, UK 92)- Like Carmen above, this is similar too but not as great as the director's preceding film.3

linespalsy

04-09-12, 11:03 PM

Monkeypunch

04-10-12, 02:20 AM

Easter was apparently Julie Andrews day. I watched:

The Sound of Music - I unashamedly love this movie, and not in any sort of ironic way. It's the most adorable film that features Nazis as a major plot point. I have seen it a ton of times (It was one of my mum's favorites), and it doesn't get old for me.

Mary Poppins - I'm sure that 36 is an odd age to see this for the first time, but I'd NEVER seen it as a child, and I feel like I missed out. I still loved it as an adult, though. For me the entire movie belongs to Dick Van Dyke's silly but wise Chimney Sweep. That is a masterpiece of physical comedy.

TylerDurden99

04-10-12, 10:01 AM

Dogma (1999)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dogma_(movie).jpg

Easily the weakest Kevin Smith film I've seen yet, but still entertaining enough to recommend. You won't find yourself revisiting it too often, because it isn't that funny and the dumbed down dialogue actively annoyed me quite a bit on this viewing. Jason Lee is still awesome in this, though. He is, and always was, the best thing about this film.

3

Brodinski

04-10-12, 04:25 PM

Quick jabs (and few longer ones) of the past 2 or 3 weeks:

Hard Candy (2005, Slade): 3
Wild Hogs (2007, Becker): 2
Julie & Julia (2009, Ephron): 3.5

When my girlfriend picked to watch this one, I was thinking: "oh boy, here we go." Surprisingly, I liked it quite a bit. I think it's well-paced and well-acted. There's nothing extraordinary about it, but it's just good fun to watch, especially if you like cooking like myself. I do however felt that the stories of Julie and Julia felt like 2 entirely separate stories and sometimes wondered why we needed so much background on Julie Child. Seemed a bit unnecessary...

A Man Apart (2003, Gray): 2
Tangled (2010, Greno & Howard): 3.5
Carnage (2011, Polanski): 3.5+

http://www.filmcritic.com/assets_c/2011/11/carnage1-cropped-proto-filmcritic_reviews___entry_default.jpg

50/50 (2011, Levine): 3.5+

As a comedy, I thought this was rubbish, bar one scene where Rogan absolutely trashes Gordon-Levitt's character's girlfriend. As a drama however, I found it to be excellent. There is a good focus on character development and the disease that really engages you in the story and makes you feel for Gordon-Levitt's character. The scenes where he's finally crying out in desperation and anger are both moving and liberating for the audience and that scene where the doctors come take him away for the surgery are genuinely tear-inducing (to me at least). Gordon-Levitt does a superlative job by the way. Rogan on the other hand stuck to his trade, quickly becoming one of the most one-dimensional actors today.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011, Wyatt): 3.5
Midnight in Paris (2011, Allen): 3

Quite underwhelming Woody if you ask me: superfluous scenes, lack of depth, no character to really care for. Dissapointing.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/5/9/1304953441723/Midnight-in-Paris-007.jpg

Immortals (2011, Singh): 2+
Monsieur Lazhar (2011, Falardeau): 3.5
The Ides of March (2011, Clooney): 3.5

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j6OG715BEE8/TzSjQqlSWMI/AAAAAAAAAl4/DTIhGrJwmEY/s1600/the-ides-of-march-movie-10.jpg
(He who does not know how to act poorly)

TheUsualSuspect

04-10-12, 04:33 PM

TylerDurden99

04-10-12, 07:13 PM

I'm not Catholic, but I get all the references and such. I just don't find it very funny, and the Jay And Silent Bob characters aren't as funny as they are in Smith's other films.

Powderfinger

04-10-12, 07:41 PM

Immortals 0.5

The Sound of Music 3.5

TylerDurden99

04-10-12, 11:16 PM

Broadcast News (1987)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Broadcast_News.jpg

This was disappointing, as I was expecting something much more hilarious, but instead, it's a pretty limp comedy, but has a few standout scenes (the flop sweat scene had me laughing my ass off) and the three central performances were unsurprisingly solid. Albert Brooks was the standout, for me at least, considering I love him in every film I've seen with him, but Holly Hunter was the anchor that held this film- and my attention- together.

3+

TheUsualSuspect

04-10-12, 11:18 PM

I still think it's different between living the references and getting them. I think it's his second best written script yet, behind Chasing Amy.

TylerDurden99

04-10-12, 11:22 PM

For me, his best written work is between Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks.

TylerDurden99

04-11-12, 03:17 AM

Clerks (1994)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Clerks_movie_poster;_Just_because_they_serve_you_---_.jpg

Speak of the devil, I watched this for the third time last night, just to see if it had fallen in quality like Dogma, but it's just the opposite. If anything, it's gotten much better.

4.5

HitchFan97

04-11-12, 11:31 PM

La Dolce Vita (1960)

http://kinnon.tv/images/various-small/La-Dolce-Vita-Poster-1.jpg

This may be the first foreign film that I've truly, irreversibly, fallen completely in love with. I just finished watching La Dolce Vita and I am completely blown away. I can't remember the last time a film has been so consistently entertaining; it's just one great scene after another. Clearly, there's a lot about Fellini's dissatisfaction with Italian society to be analyzed here, which I'm sure can be further discovered through repeated viewings of this epic nightlife odyssey. But at least upon this first time watching La Dolce Vita, I was totally mesmerized by Fellini's seductive vision of hip, 1950s Rome.

Many critics call this a cynical film. I think I disagree. Towards the end of the movie, during her fight with Marcello, his girlfriend tells him he's a fool for not seeing that he already has everything he needs. Perhaps she was right; perhaps Fellini's film is not cynical at all, but says, ultimately, that all you need is love.

5

TylerDurden99

04-12-12, 01:51 AM

Cocktail (1988)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Cocktail_1988.jpg

I was expecting this to be bad, but it actually turned out to be a fairly engaging story, with a pair of charismatic lead performances from Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown. It's also got a nice stand-up-and-cheer moment when Cruise wins back his ex-girlfriend from her rich, uncaring father. All in all, good movie.

3.5

Iroquois

04-12-12, 02:58 AM

Last post, I said I watched about five new movies (read: movies I hadn't seen before) in the space of three months. Now I've watched seven in two weeks. Guess I'm improving.

Paul (Greg Mottola, 2011) - 3

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a pair of English geeks touring America who cross paths with the eponymous alien life form (voiced by Seth Rogen). It was about as good as I expected, with some decent gags and performances but ultimately a lot more lightweight than I'd like it to be.

Attack the Block (Joe Cornish, 2011) - 3.5+

Much more like it. A low-budget horror-comedy based around aliens invading a London estate and the handful of disparate human characters that make a stand. Not quite as good as I expected (then again, the praise was very high), but I recommend it. Great performances by largely unknown actors, some impressive set-pieces - admittedly not that great a horror, but when it's effective, it's effective.

Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011) - 4

Very impressive. Technically brilliant, great soundtrack and amazing performances all around. Definitely not perfect, though, as its storyline (understandably) feels a little underdone and the film sort of falls apart a bit towards the end, but otherwise, wow.

Bridesmaids (Paul Feig, 2011) - 2.5

Never mind the hype, this is decidedly average. At least it's probably better than The Hangover Part II, but I don't think that's too hard to do.

Red Dog (Kriv Stenders, 2011) - 2

Not my thing at all.

Four Lions (Chris Morris, 2010) - 3.5

The expectations may have gotten a bit too high for this one, but it's still very good. Based on a handful of bumbling terrorists as they repeatedly attempt to strike out against the system, it's not quite laugh-out-loud funny for most of the time, but it's definitely clever and thoroughly audacious. The ending was something else as well.

The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011) - 3.5

I don't know, somehow giving this a rating after one viewing doesn't quite work. It feels like it should be a 4, but honestly, viewing this for the first time will probably do something to your mind. Some of the visuals are amazing, but these are tempered by a somewhat lacklustre "life in the fifties" narrative dominating the film's running time. Makes me wonder what Malick cut out of the final product. Will definitely re-watch.

Tyler1

04-12-12, 07:49 AM

I can't remember the last time a film has been so consistently entertaining; it's just one great scene after another.
5

Entertaining? I thought it was boring as hell. The only good thing was the babe.

Sleezy

04-12-12, 05:28 PM

The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011) - 3.5

I don't know, somehow giving this a rating after one viewing doesn't quite work. It feels like it should be a 4, but honestly, viewing this for the first time will probably do something to your mind. Some of the visuals are amazing, but these are tempered by a somewhat lacklustre "life in the fifties" narrative dominating the film's running time. Makes me wonder what Malick cut out of the final product. Will definitely re-watch.

I've been trying to carve out some time to see this for a few months now. Aside from Days of Heaven (which I just couldn't seem to get into), I'm a Malick fan, and usually when the people I know hate his films, that means I'm in for a treat. :) His stuff is just so visually, emotionally, and intellectually heavy, though. Maybe a mid-week evening flick.

Skepsis93

04-12-12, 06:42 PM

Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004)

***MINOR SPOILERS***
Like the first instalment, Before Sunset absolutely works as a stand alone film, with all the charm, humour and emotional power of its predecessor. The chemistry between Hawke and Delpy seamlessly carries over even though the two films were made 9 years apart, and the super script with Linklater's stream-of-conciousness dialogue and the subtle camera and editing techniques combine once again to produce a hyper-realistic experience.

It's not so much a follow up as a completion, as I realised part way through how incomplete Before Sunrise now feels with the addition of a second meeting. The same would be true, I think, had I only seen this one. There's something tiny lacking from both, and the simplest way I can put it is that they lack each other. Together they're the closest to a perfect romantic tale that I've seen.

As Jesse remarks at the start of the film, in the context of his book, ambiguity is a good test of whether a person is a romantic or a cynic. The film ends so suddenly that for a while I felt taken aback, but realised that the conclusion was simply echoing Jesse's sentiments from the very start. It's a perfect note to end on, really, as the utterance of those words, "I know", could mean so many things. For the cynics amongst us, the final moments must be strikingly similar to the first film. To the idealists and those with a more romantic view of the world, it's starkly different.

4.5

Before Sunrise / Before Sunset as one story - 5

Tyler1

04-13-12, 09:50 AM

Invocation of my demon brother (Anger, 1969) 3
The Tempest (Jarman, 1979) 2
The Conformist (Bertolucci, 1970) 4.5
The Raid: Redemption (Evans, 2011) 4.5
Dawn of the Dead (Romero, 1978) 3.5

Brodinski

04-13-12, 05:55 PM

The Conformist (Bertolucci, 1970) 4.5

Ok, I say this in like 0,5% of all cases, but that rating is just half a popcorn too low.

TylerDurden99

04-14-12, 08:23 AM

Pump Up The Volume (1990)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/Pump_Up_The_Volume.jpg

I had my problems with it in the beginning, but by the end, Pump Up The Volume totally won me over. It kind of encapsulates (at least for me) being a teenager. Not being able to speak your mind (especially when you really need to). And even though I never really thought much of him in the past, Christian Slater is superb in this.

4

Monkeypunch

04-17-12, 02:16 AM

The Three Stooges - LOVED IT. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. The cast does a good job in recreating the Stooges' brand of slapstick mayhem, and the directors obviously love the source material. My fave Farrelly Bros. movie since Dumb and Dumber.

JayDee

04-17-12, 05:25 PM

Part 3 of my 70s Thriller season. Again any rep you'd like to kindly leave I'd appreciate if you followed the links and did so in my Movie Musings thread. Hope that's not coming across as too demanding and douchey! :D

mirror
Dirty Harry

4.5 -

“I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?”

A cracking, iconic piece of dialogue. However would it have worked quite so well if Frank Sinatra (first choice for the role) had been the man delivering it? Somehow I don't think so. Every so often there is a performance that after you've seen it you just can't imagine anyone else could have played the role..............

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=803924)

mirror
The China Syndrome

4

So far during my 70s run I've come across a lot of recurring themes – anti-authority sentiments, cover-ups, conspiracies, paranoia, suppression of the truth etc. This film again features many of them. In particular this shares much in common with The Andromeda Strain, so much that it almost mirrors it, with the only change being from the issue of a virus of extraterrestrial origin to the issue of nuclear power. They both deal with the theme of man's reach exceeding his grasp and bringing about his own destruction though human error and complacency.

And just like The Andromeda Strain (and indeed a few others of late) the film comes close.....................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=804229)

mirror
The Parallax View

3 ++

This is a terrifically bitter and cynical film, right down to its fantastic tagline - “As American as apple pie.” With its evocative visual style, bleak and stark tone it is a truly disquieting, paranoia-fuelled political thriller. This is a film that is quite clearly a sign of the politically troubled times it takes place in, born out of the rash of political assassinations (JFK, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Bobby Kennedy) that occurred throughout the 60s, and more predominantly the countless conspiracy theories that they spawned, particularly those surrounding the murder of John F. Kennedy. After all, in cases such as these............................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=805240)

mirror
Sleuth

3 +

I had high hopes for this one. Going by the plot it sounded like it could a very entertaining, playful treat. While it was still quite enjoyable, it eventually came up as a bit of a disappointment.

My touchstone nowadays when it comes to thrillers is Alfred Hitchcock, and again this is a film I could easily picture him having been involved with. Indeed with the back and forth relationship between Wyke and Tindle, and the macabre nature of the 'games', it has quite a strong resemblance to Hitchcock's own Rope; a film I much preferred.......................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=803926)

mirror
The Omega Man

2 +

Talk about your drop-offs in quality. Now I know I'm a generous reviewer and rater but for the most part I think I've been watching some high-quality films in my little 70s thriller season. As a result this sticks out like a sore thumb. Even the films I haven't fallen madly in love with have at least had some impressive qualities that I've admired and been interested by. This however in terms of acting, scripting, directing and production design is just dreadful. This is some cheap, cheesy, ham-fisted stuff.

Using Richard Matheson's I Am Legend as its inspiration......................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=804498)

Skepsis93

04-18-12, 07:40 PM

Damn it JD, now I feel like a douche with my tiny reviews... :p

Might as well, anyway. Here's what I've seen over the last couple of days:

Goon (Michael Dowse, 2011)
Your typical vulgar comedy with a violent edge and surprisingly big heart. 3.5

Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)
Not his best work (that's a toss up between Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds and Kill Bill: Vol. 1) but a very impressive debut that is superbly acted and wonderfully entertaining. 4

A Serious Man (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2009)
A thinker, and sort of depressing. There's something I like about it, though. Superbly made, as expected, and there's something about its pessimism that I find strangely refreshing. 3.5

Secretary (Steven Shainberg, 2002)
Intriguing, funny, sexy, original, and a phenomenal central performance. 3.5

http://aka.media.entertainment.sky.com/image/unscaled/2011/12/15/Goon-4.jpg

http://www.wildsoundmovies.com/images/reservoir_dogs_mr_pink.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__uACkPWjuQU/TA3RiwDf8yI/AAAAAAAAE30/RHcV0tNRzs8/s1600/Picture+1.png

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0ynhsAi7B1r50cnjo1_500.jpg

TylerDurden99

04-18-12, 10:33 PM

Eddie Murphy Raw (1987)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/Eddiemurphyrawposter.jpg

Probably my favourite Eddie Murphy film to date, even though it isn't strictly a narrative film.

5

Monkeypunch

04-19-12, 04:02 AM

Bedazzled (1967) - This film comes with my highest recommendation possible. A brilliant British comedy starring Dudley Moore as a timid cook who sells his soul to the Devil, played by Peter Cook, for a chance at love with a waitress at his workplace. The movie is philosophical, clever, and hilariously funny. The jokes just build and build like a snowball rolling down a hill until the final sequence which had me nearly crying with laughter. Cook and Moore play off each other perfectly. I want to seek out any of the other films the duo had made together. I've seen the remake of this too, but it's not even in the same league. Not even slightly.

TylerDurden99

04-19-12, 08:27 AM

Ed Wood (1994)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Ed_Wood.jpg

Even though this is about a man who directed some of the worst films of all time, this entire film is about love for cinema, which Ed Wood was desperate to contribute to, albeit poorly. Solid performances all round. Probably the best Tim Burton film to date.

4+

JayDee

04-20-12, 03:45 PM

Damn it JD, now I feel like a douche with my tiny reviews... :p

As you should!!! :p

thracian dawg

04-21-12, 03:11 PM

The deep blue sea (2011) - Davies - - 3.5

This film seems to be infused with nostalgia; a lot of the shots even have a very soft dreamy focus. The set design was exquisite. The acting of the two male characters was too well done: their characters are so completely rendered in their first scenes that the audience can easily anticipate what's to follow, and a lot of the drama seems anti-climatic.

Rabbit proof fence (2002) - Noyce - - 3.5

Liked this more than I thought I would, and the film is really restrained, given the materal. The Government men would simply kidnap mixed race aboriginal children, raise them down south as white--- with the stated ministral goal of trying to breed native population out of existence. However, the three newly arrived young girls decide to hike back home.

Men Don't Leave (1990) - Brickman - - 3.5

The drama remains first and foremost and the quirkiness and the sly humor is never allowed to overwhelm this story about grief. Although now, the side plot about twenty something radiologist (Joan Cusack) shacking up with a seventeen year old high school student might raise a few more eyebrows. The was the first role for the child actor, Charlie Korsmo, who despite a good movie run, went off to University and never came back.

Germinal (1993) - Berri - - 4

The thing of it is, poor people never realize society and the world at large have been systemically manipulated to keep them running on the hamster wheels of low wages and debt. But ever so often, the overseers make a mistake and provide them with the straw that breaks the camel's back. In addition to the strike at the mine, this is a nice glimpse at life and the working conditions back then. The moral? When mothers beg for bread to feed their starving children, it's probably in your own interest to pass them a couple of loaves. Yipes!

Battlestar Galattca (2004) - Season one - - 4

Yeah, I know it's a TV series and it doesn't quite belong here. But near the end of the season, a funny thought occurred to me ... this is basically Spartacus in outer space, but told from the Patrician's point of view, with the slaves so completely demonized, they're metallic monsters. And the thing that really scares them witless is that some of this tin can army, have so evolved, they can actually pass for real human beings, capable of thought and emotion and maybe even a soul. So yeah, I'm cheering for the Cyclons from here on in.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/Libero_poster.jpg

　
Along the ridge / Anche libero va bene (2006) - Stuart - - 4

Nothing really earth shattering happens here. We get a naturalistic and bittersweet slice of life from Tommi, an 11 year old boy and his dysfunctional family; he and his sister are only just slightly neglected. As the film progresses, little bits of information slowly spin the story away from what we originally assumed it was. There's something poignant and wonderful the way Tommi always ends up siding with the bullied; willing to sit beside them, quietly sharing their burden so they're not so alone.

Dying at Grace (2003) - King - - 4

This Documentary follows five terminally ill patients in a palliative care unit in Toronto. The ward psychologist (or hospital Pastor?) sifts the mental state of the patients and what comes out is the side effects of medication; wanting to hold onto one's dignity when your physical body is slipping away from you. And of course, beliefs about life and death and the afterlife. The vigilant nursing staff monitors their physical and mental state, note each dip or uptick in their health. They become at times, almost like tribal women, gathering around the dying patient in a circle of life. A wonderful mediation on death and dying.

nebbit

04-22-12, 01:24 AM

Nice little reviews :yup: thanks :)

Brodinski

04-22-12, 09:23 AM

quick jabs:

Copycat (1995, Amiel): 3+
Tigerland (2000, Schumacher): 2

Atrocious directing and ditto cinematography make this an utterly forgettable experience.

The Artist (2011, Hazanavicius): 4+
Bernie (2011, Linklater): 2+
The White Shiek (1952, Fellini): 3+
Real Steel (2011, Levy): 3
The Street With No Name (1948, Keighley): 3
It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963, Kramer): 4

TylerDurden99

04-22-12, 08:22 PM

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bOvLCZpUJDM/TwnrpX9yvNI/AAAAAAAABms/wJ-PSymhY1A/s1600/Mission-Impossible-Ghost-Protocol-Poster.jpg

An entertaining, if unexceptional actioner with a solid Tom Cruise in the lead and some nice support from Pegg, Renner and Patton.

3+

HollyG

04-23-12, 01:14 AM

Lolita (1962) Stanley Kubrick

I know this probably not Kubrick's most popular film but I really enjoyed it and not alot of directors would be able to tackle A film like Lolita but Kubrick succeeded.Shelly Winters was amazing in this film. James Mason and Peter Sellers did a great job playing difficult characters.I love the twists and turns in this film and I found myself relating alot to Lolita and hey I was 18 when I met Plainview lol
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FmkU_fnIW-U/SrSuQd12pFI/AAAAAAAAAEA/yteWWJ0Dlec/s320/4525-lolita-kubrick-tcm.jpg
4

The Descendants 2011 Alexander Payne 4
Melancholia 2011 Lars Von Trier 3.5
I do wanna say that I absolutely love love Kristen Dunst role in this film.I thought she glowed utter beauty!
Black Moon 1975 Louis Malle 3
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Stephen Daldry 2.5
Equilibrium Kurt Wimmer 3.5
Dark City 1998 Alex Proyas 4
The Immortals 2011 Tarsem Singh 3.5

Skepsis93

04-23-12, 01:51 PM

Last night's bill, first:

The Station Agent (Thomas McCarthy, 2003)
Poignant and funny; a unique and riveting slice-of-life tale. 4.5

Then a mini documentary rampage:

Man on Wire (James Marsh, 2008)
A very interesting look at Philippe Petit and his "antics". The man walks a fine line (pun VERY MUCH INTENDED) between endearingly insane and douchetastic, but I don't think the point of the film was to make us like him, as much as to give a thorough and skilfully structured account of the events. They succeed in that respect. 4

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (Seth Gordon, 2007)
Such a marvellous surprise. Unexpectedly engrossing film that builds an almost stereotypical hero vs. villain story within the character-filled and often hilarious world of competitive arcade gaming. 4.5

This Film Is Not Yet Rated (Kirby Dick, 2006)
Well put together and very entertaining exposé of the MPAA. 3.5

All in all a very good night's watching. :D

Monkeypunch

04-25-12, 02:56 AM

Arthur (1981) - Dudley Moore stars as Arthur Bach, an alcoholic billionaire who's seemingly stuck in a prolonged adolescence. Arthur is being forced by his businessman father to marry a woman he doesn't love but would be perfect to run the company in Arthur's stead, but he's fallen madly in love with a woman he catches shoplifting at an expensive clothing store.

The acting in this is pretty brilliant stuff. We have Dudley Moore, who brings megawatt charm, and an air of sadness to his character's drunken obnoxiousness, John Gielgud as his long suffering butler/surrogate father, Hobson, and Liza Minelli, who's endearingly brash and unconventionally cute as the woman of Arthur's dreams. Gielgud and Moore's scenes together are funny as hell but also touching and they make the film for me. I know there was a remake but it's so over the top and cartoonish that it hurts me to watch it. The original's light and dark, happy and sad vibe has been lost and that's what endeared it to me so much.

HitchFan97

04-26-12, 06:52 PM

Two great films I've watched recently...

The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman, 1973)- 5

My Altman exploration continues with another masterpiece. This ranks, for me, among Chinatown and Blade Runner as a great update to the film noir genre. Elliott Gould is fantastic.

Ran (Akira Kurosawa, 1985)- 5

Epic on a scale few directors would attempt and even less would accomplish. Lady Kaede may rank as my all-time favorite female movie villain.

TylerDurden99

04-28-12, 04:55 AM

The Avengers (2012) 3+
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f9/TheAvengers2012Poster.jpg

Clerks II (2006) 2.5+
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Dandrposter.jpg

Tyler1

04-28-12, 12:46 PM

The Man Who Sleeps (Un homme qui dort) (1974) - 3.5

The first half of the film is an existential masterpiece, while towards the end it becomes a little repetitive. A movie that is highly underrated.

Let The Bullets Fly (2011) - 2

Somehow the comedy was bland and did not gel with the movie. Nothing special here- the lines between good & evil are drawn out clearly.

The One-armed Swordsman (1967) -3

Decent acting with decent martial arts. Movie was predictable... i cant see why its considered a Shaw Brothers classic. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin was much, much better imo.

TylerDurden99

04-28-12, 11:58 PM

Kiss The Girls (1997)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FIkqJcKdY5Q/TWb1Flf7jCI/AAAAAAAAAAc/C-Tr5j9czaU/s400/194QUAD.jpg

A serious disappointment. I've seen this film years ago, and remember liking it then, but this viewing exposes it as a pretty standard psychological thriller. Considering I have a soft spot for the serial killer subgenre, and and as a fan of Morgan Freeman, I expected to still have the same enjoyment for it. Instead, it falls kind of flat.

A special mention, though, goes to Cary Elwes. Much like Honeykid and James Remar, for some strange reason, I like Cary Elwes onscreen in pretty much everything, which is weird, because I've never really thought much of him until now.

2.5

TylerDurden99

04-29-12, 07:41 AM

Fatal Attraction (1987) 3.5
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Fatal_attraction_poster.jpg

Duel (1971) 2.5
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d4/Duel_poster.jpg

akatemple

04-29-12, 09:17 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/TheGirlwiththeDragonTattoo.jpg

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - 4.5 Here is the full review (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=799978)

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/Passchendaele.jpg

Passchendaele (2008) - 3.5 Here is the full review (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=799792)

11/11/11 (2011) - 1 - Seriously what the hell, I remember watching the trailer and really looking forward to seeing this movie. When I finally saw it, well it was just boring as hell.

Contact (1997) - 4[/rating - A lot of people did not like this movie but I really loved this movie, yes it does have it's slow parts but I think it just really helped to put the story togother.

Red Planet (2000) - [rating]3 - What can I say about this movie, hmmm, this is just an average movie. There is nothing horrible about it and there's nothing great about it, I am sure most here have seen this already but if your into Sci-Fi movies and have not then it's worth checking out.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/FirstMenintheMoon.jpg

First Men in the Moon (1964) - 4 - I really loved this movie, it's just a great classic cheap Sci-Fi film where the people travel to the moon in a ridiculous shuttle type thing, sleeping in hammocks all the way, and run into really funny looking aliens, definitely worth watching.

Cashback (2004) - 2 - A student/artist with a vivid imagination pretends to stop time while working the graveyard shift at a supermarket in order to draw the people, plenty of nudity but there was just something about this movie that I did not like, I just found it to be boring and tedious.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/BitchSlap.jpg

Bitch Slap (2009) - 3 - There is only one good to say about this movie, I gave it a 3 because it is basically 3 really hot girls in really skimpy clothing fighting with each other pretty much the entire lenght of the movie. I know some will appreciate me putting the larger image for the poster on here. ;)

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/JourneytotheSeventhPlanet.jpg

Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962) - 3.5 - For some reason in the past couple of weeks I have been watching quite a few cheesy old Sci-Fi movies. This is another one that is great, all of these old Sci-Fi movies are just more hillarious then anything, really worth watching.

Moneyball (2011) - 2 - I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this one but this movie just did nothing for me, I found it boring and I really don't know what all the big deal was that was being made over this movie when it first came out in theaters.

The Legend is Born: Ip Man (2010) - 3 - Not that I really mind but what the hell is the deal with all the movies coming out about Ip Man, This is the third I have watched within the last few months and I know that there is another one on the way called the Grandmaster I believe, what got the sudden interest in the story of Ip Man because it has been around for a long time.

The Great Raid (2005) - 3.5 - This was a really good movie showing the hazards and the horrible treatment of POW's. I thought the acting in this movie was great and it is based on a really awesome true story which always helps. The ending... well you just have to watch the movie.

The Mothman Prophecies (2002) - 2 - I really have nothing to say about this movie, nothing to bad nothing to good, a pretty interesting story but that's about it. Most people have seen this movie but if you have not then I am not going to recommend it, in my opinion just not worth your time.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/Themils.jpg

Them (Ils) (2006) - 4 - Directors by David Moreau and Xavier Palud did an amazing job in demonstrating that it is what you do not see that is scarier than what you do. Just a really great movie, I recommend anyone who has not seen this go and find a copy and enjoy.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/FightNight.jpg

Fight Night (2008) aka Rigged - 2.5 - Again another movie that just kind of hangs in the middle without being anything special, in the world of underground fighting a fight fixer finds a girl that can kick all the guys asses and is pretty cute. This movie might bother some people because the girl does get her face beaten in a few times also.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/BeneathHill60.jpg

Beneath Hill 60 (2010) - 4 - Here is the full review (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=802962)

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/soylentgreen.jpg

Soylent Green (1973) - 4 - Another movie that I should have watched a long time ago but put off until just recently, I was afraid it would just bore me and was pleasantly suprised that it didn't. I thought this was a great movie and I love how Charlton Heston always get's those great one liners in his movies, I don't think I can put it in here without it being a spoiler though. There method of dealing with the riots is something that I think is a great idea and should be put into effect worldwide immediately.

Warhorse (2011) - 3 - I am a huge fan of war movies and this one did not really dissapoint as far as that goes. What killed this movie for me was the music that played during all the emotional seens, I want to feel what I feel not what the director is shoving down my throat. Plus this movie was predictable as hell, you could already tell quite a few things that were going to happen later in the movie by 15 minutes in.

1911 (2011) - 3 - Another was movie that I was really looking forward to seeing and was really let down by, the story was good but im my opinion very poorly put togother, the subtitles on the screen telling you who people were or what was happening were to tiny to read. The biggest problem for me is all the military outfits looked the same, it was so hard to keep track of who was fighting who during the battle scenes, all that having been said Jackie Chan was really great in it as it was something different then his usual slapstick martial arts movies.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/zenith.jpg

Zenith (2010) - 4 - This is a really interesting movie, I thought it was really original and very well executed. In a world where the general populus has become blinded by happiness there are some who actually by drugs to feel pain, I thought that was a pretty cool idea. Basically the son finds out his father was about to uncover the truth behind a goverment conspiracy to keep everyone in this happy state, after something happens the son must take up where the father left off and run with it, a really great thriller.

Young Adult (2011) - 1 - What the hell did I just watch, was that supposed to be a comedy or some kind of sad tragic love story. Seriously I thought this was supposed to be a comedy and I do not believe I laughed once, the story sucks and nothing happens, nothing!

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/anotherearth.jpg

Another Earth (2011) - 4 - After you watch this movie you find yourself wondering what you would do if you had the oppurtunity Brit (Rhoda Williams) had, would you tell him, how would you, if you could meet another version of yourself what would you say. I thought this was a great movie and not really anything like I was expecting it to be, this is not a Sci-Fi movie, I guess you would just put this under the Drama category.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Small%20Shots/nightofthelivingdead3D.jpg

Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006) - 2 - I hate to give a zombie movie such a low rating but what started out as a shot for shot remake quickly disintigrated into something else completely. You still have the female lead, the farmhouse out in the middle of the country so that part is the same, for some reason and really the best part of the movie is that they threw Sid Haig in the story as a mortician with a heart. Here's the part I had the biggest problem with, HOW THE HELL DO YOU HAVE A WHITE GUY PLAY THE PART OF BEN? Seriously don't waste your time with this one.

honeykid

04-29-12, 10:05 PM

11/11/11 (2011) - 1 - Seriously what the hell, I remember watching the trailer and really looking forward to seeing this movie. When I finally saw it, well it was just boring as hell.
Yeah, I thought the trailer looked quite interesting. However, I've seen more than enough crap to worry that the trailer was all there was and, for that reason, I've not bothered with this.

Bitch Slap (2009)
This has always struck me as a film that's trying way too hard, so I've not seen it.

Warhorse (2011)... What killed this movie for me was the music that played during all the emotional seens, I want to feel what I feel not what the director is shoving down my throat.
While I understand the complaint (and, as it's a Speilberg film, you should've expected it) but that's what every director does with every film they make. It's their vision and all the choices they make are designed to make you feel/see things a certain way.

1911 (2011) - 3 - Another was movie that I was really looking forward to seeing and was really let down by, the story was good but im my opinion very poorly put togother, the subtitles on the screen telling you who people were or what was happening were to tiny to read. The biggest problem for me is all the military outfits looked the same, it was so hard to keep track of who was fighting who during the battle scenes, all that having been said Jackie Chan was really great in it as it was something different then his usual slapstick martial arts movies.
If you'd just mentioned Jackie Chan at the top, you'd have saved me having to read all that. :p:D

Young Adult (2011)... Seriously I thought this was supposed to be a comedy and I do not believe I laughed once
Virtually every comedy film I've ever seen.

the story sucks and nothing happens, nothing!
A lot of them are like this, too.

Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006)
Sorry, but you've only yourself to blame here. If you can't tell from that title to avoid this, you shouldn't be allowed to the cinema on your own. :D

akatemple

04-29-12, 10:17 PM

While I understand the complaint (and, as it's a Speilberg film, you should've expected it) but that's what every director does with every film they make. It's their vision and all the choices they make are designed to make you feel/see things a certain way.

I do understand that, I know that all movie directors have their vision and designs to make you feel a certain way, most of the time it is okay but with Warhorse it just felt way over the top, more than I can think of in any movie I have seen.

mark f

04-29-12, 11:32 PM

That's probably why the score got an Oscar nomination. Pavlov's Response?

akatemple

04-29-12, 11:49 PM

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Cool%20Funny/PavlovDogWithBell.gif

JayDee

04-30-12, 09:43 AM

Another little nudge in the direction of my Movie Musings thread for those who haven't caught my latest reviews. More a mixture this time. Still a couple of 70s thrillers but also a classic comedy, a bit of 80s fun and one of my big misses at the cinema from last year

mirror
Some Like it Hot

4 ++

We take a brief divergence from my season of 70s thrillers for this all time classic comedy which I had the privilege to catch at the cinema a few weeks ago now.

While I did very much enjoy this the first time I saw it (around about a 3.5+) my enjoyment this time around was on certainly on a different level. Whether that was down to the experience of seeing it on the big screen, viewing a much sharper print than previously or perhaps it was down to who I watched it with. The friend I
went to see it with loves Some Like it Hot, listing it as one of her 10 favourite films. So perhaps her massive enthusiasm rubbed off on me.

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=806570)

mirror
Take Shelter

4 +

A truly ominous and foreboding tone of dread permeates this whole film pretty much right from the opening seconds. It is an extremely tense movie-watching experience, created by a well executed pace which continues to up the ante and slowly tighten its grip on us. All leading up to an almost excruciatingly uncomfortable scene inside the shelter were I really was fearing that the character was about to snap and cause harm to himself or his family.

The film looks stunning. It's locations are wonderfully photographed; full of lush and vivid colours, and are punctuated by a series of striking, apocalyptic images. His dreams really do deliver some breathtaking visuals.

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=808025)

mirror
The Silent Partner

4

Working from an early scripted effort from Curtis Hanson (later to be of LA Confidential fame) this is a very quirky, extremely entertaining little thriller. It presents us with a series of complicated characters, going about their everyday, but complicated, lives. It is one of those morally ambiguous flicks that seemed quite rife in the 70s. Miles Cullen steals (the money and a van), lies, manipulates and covers up a murder. And he's the good guy of the piece! The one to root for.

Seemingly made on a tight budget the film does have a bit of a TV movie look at times (it could quite easily pass for an episode of Columbo) and the direction doesn't do much to raise this. While not detrimental...............................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=805859)

mirror
Hopscotch

3.5

This espionage caper is a fun, if slight, effort led by the ever dependable Walter Matthau. In a way the film feels kind of old fashioned; rather nostalgic and quaint. It has the air and at times the appearance of an adventure film from the 50s and 60s. Its pace certainly isn't of the breakneak nature, quite happy to just pleasantly canter along. It comes across as an amiable mix of James Bond globe-trotting adventure meets the gentle tone and manner of Murder She Wrote. It rather successfully toes the line between coming across as realistic, and yet still escapist.

Matthau plays a fairly typical Matthau character but with a bit of an added glint in the eye................................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=807148)

mirror
Magnum Force

3.5

In some ways this is actually a more polished and slick effort than its predecessor, seemingly benefiting from a larger budget. However it lacks the same raw urgency and intensity Dirty Harry possessed. A lot of that I feel is down to the departure from the directors chair of Don Siegel. The film is sorely missing the edge that he imbued Harry's first outing with.

The film isn't the only thing to have lost a bit of its edge. Old Harry Callahan himself seems to have mellowed a bit. Now I'm not saying that if you invited him round for dinner you'd get an evening of sparkling conversation but he's certainly a bit softer round the edges here. He's friendlier, he's compassionate, hell he even hugs kids (in a perfectly innocent way might I add!). Indeed if his character...........................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=807662)

Sedai

04-30-12, 10:59 AM

Over the Edge (Kaplan, 1979) 3_5

http://thisdistractedglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/Over-the-Edge-1979-Tiger-Thompson-Michael-Eric-Kramer-Tom-Fergus-pic-4.jpg

Underrated classic about a group of teens in a gated community. As a kid of the 70s, this sent me directly over the edge of nostalgia and wistfulness. I knew kids like these....my, times have changed. Now....I really like Dazed and Confused, but that was a period piece about the late 70s, made in the 90s. Over the Edge is along the same lines, but it's the real deal, made at the time, and it's much more accurate in its representation of how kids really were back then.

Ghostbusters (Reitman, 1984) 4

http://img.tgdaily.com/sites/default/files/stock/article_images/movies/ghostbusterstrio.jpg

Man, I love this flick! Hadn't seen it in years.

Alien (Scott, 1979) 4_5

http://images.wikia.com/aliens/images/2/26/SpaceJockey.jpg

Just getting Lisa all primed for Prometheus this summer!

Sleezy

04-30-12, 01:45 PM

The Mothman Prophecies (2002) - 2 - I really have nothing to say about this movie, nothing to bad nothing to good, a pretty interesting story but that's about it. Most people have seen this movie but if you have not then I am not going to recommend it, in my opinion just not worth your time.

Read the book. The film is based on the real events that happened in Point Pleasant in the late 1960s. Mothman wasn't alone. People were seeing UFOs, bizarre "non-people," phantom cars, and other creepy stuff nightly. Easily one of the wildest and most captivating books I've ever read.

akatemple

04-30-12, 03:42 PM

^ Thanks, I new it was based on a book but until now I had no plans of reading it, but now I am going to put it on my list of books to read, I will try and get it really soon.

Sleezy

04-30-12, 11:58 PM

Nice. :)

What makes the book even more interesting is that much of it is told through firsthand experience, as the author, John Keel, was kicking around Point Pleasant much of the time all this was going on. He does get a bit pedantic when he tries to explain, as logically as he can, what he thinks is happening.

But skeptic though he is, you can tell he's captivated by the weirdness too. He categorically interviewed as many witnesses as he could, and the testimonies they give will absolutely have you turning page after page. They are without doubt some of the most bizarre experiences you'll ever read about.

Also, it's worth noting that the Silver Bridge did actually collapse. Surprisingly, there was nothing terribly unusual about it, considering all the paranormal things that had been occurring for months before. But it is odd that everything seemed to just stop afterward. No more Mothman. No more UFOs. Nothing.

Tyler1

05-02-12, 09:12 AM

A Woman Under The Influence (1974)

Few movies have the capability to leave me utterly devastated. John Cassavetes film definitely ranks alongside Bergman's best films as a searing character study without becoming too cheesy or melodramatic. Perfection.

Touching The Void (2003)

Another movie that left me spellbound is a semi-documentary that is so life-affirming.

Bobby Fischer Against The World (2011)

Yet another great movie that is fascinating and an eye-opener for chess afficianados such as me.

TylerDurden99

05-04-12, 09:27 PM

Cry Baby (1990) 3.5+
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/Crybabyposter.jpg

One of the most (superficially) enjoyable films I've watched in a while.

Dr. No (1962) 3+
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/04/007DrNoposter.jpg

From Dusk 'Till Dawn (1996) 4
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f0/From_dusk_till_dawn_poster.jpg

TheUsualSuspect

05-05-12, 04:55 AM

Conan The Barbarian (2011)

While Jason Momoa is a treat to see in the role, this film fails to compete with him. It's what one would expect from a "Conan" film, blood, boobs, and violence. The acting is over the top, especially from Stephen Lang and we have an almost unrecognizable Rose McGowan as his witch like daughter. The film opens with Conan's birth during battle, a self inflected c-section. His father, Ron Perlman (Not me) holds him up high and screams, like a barbarian would do. Then we are told he holds a piece of the mask, that Lang is after. The mask holds untold power and it was broken into piece and scattered across the world so no one would ever put it back together again. It would make more sense to destroy such a thing, but these people never do. After his father's death (not a spoiler) Conan goes on looking for revenge and finds himself entangled in an adventure to stop the evil. It's pretty tame in the excitement department, which is a shame cause I was hoping it would be half decent.

2

Kung Fu Panda 2

With the origin story out of the way, sequels usually take the opportunity to up the action and the danger. Kung Fu Panda ups the action, we are treated to a lot of well done kung fu sequences involving our hero Po and are told more about his backstory. For those that remember, his father in the first one isn't exactly a Panda. His memories are coming back, in a 2D style animation sequence which sets itself apart nicely from the more common CGI. The villain this time around is a Peacock, voiced by the man himself, Gary Oldman. New additions to the cast include Danny McBride, Dennis Haysbert and a severely underused Jean Claude Van Damme. It's just as entertaining as the first and doesn't try to anything more than a funny, action family flick. It ends with a hint of another film coming our way, and I would welcome it.

3.5

Margin Call

I don't really know what went down in this film, but I was enthralled from start to finish. It's a talking heads picture, but it's fast paced dialogue makes it seem like Mamet wrote it. The actors fit their roles nicely and everyone does indeed have a boss, as we are introduced to new character after new character. The crisis, involves a formula that will cause the market to crash, so the company decides to try and sell their shares, which have zero value. I was all jargon to me, even when Irons, as the head of the company, asks the whiz kid to explain it to him as if he were a child. All I know, is something very bad happened, and a lot of people were going to be losing their jobs. Despite my confusion about what was going on, I was never lost in the film. Odd way to say it, but I knew what was happening, who played what role and I was left satisfied. Well, almost satisfied, as the film ends ion a way the No Country For Old Men did, with an odd denouement that becomes eerily creepy as you sit there during the credits.

3.5

The Raven

Nevermore....

The Raven tries to be clever, but it ultimately fails to do so because it never entices the audience to join in on the fun. We sit there and watch these two men, Edgar Allen Poe and Detective Fields, try to solve the murders and we are never invited. It was a tad frustrating as most murder mystery flicks lets the audience try and guess who the killer is with the clues given. The clues given here are few and far between and are solved almost immediately by the characters. The reveal of the murderer is underwhelming and if it weren't for the atmosphere and performances, this film would have made my worst list. Cusack and Evans are both great in their roles and the time period is pulled off nicely. I'm only familiar with a few Poe tales, all of which made it into the film, others might get more of a kick out of it. Alice Eve, beautiful, is given the poor task of being locked up most of the film. Poe tries to solve all the murders or she will die. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out the ending.

2.5

Justin

05-05-12, 11:09 AM

A Woman Under The Influence (1974)

Few movies have the capability to leave me utterly devastated. John Cassavetes film definitely ranks alongside Bergman's best films as a searing character study without becoming too cheesy or melodramatic. Perfection.

Indeed. Glad you liked it. Cassavetes is my favorite director for a good reason. What other films of his have you seen?

Tyler1

05-05-12, 11:18 AM

Indeed. Glad you liked it. Cassavetes is my favorite director for a good reason. What other films of his have you seen?

This and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie which I did not like. What do you recommend?

Justin

05-05-12, 11:21 AM

I'd recommend Faces and Love Streams. Both are really, really great films. And if you're really into Cassavetes, you can check out Shadows--it's an early, pretty difficult piece of work. Good nonetheless, though.

TylerDurden99

05-05-12, 10:05 PM

Joe Versus The Volcano (1990) 3
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Joe_Versus_The_Volcano.jpg

The Rainmaker (1997) 3.5
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/John_grishams_the_rainmaker.jpg

Men In Black (1997) 3.5+
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/Men_in_Black_Poster.jpg

Ed Wood (1994) 4.5
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Ed_Wood.jpg

TheUsualSuspect

05-06-12, 03:20 AM

The Adventures of TinTin

Marvellous animation, the subtle character expressions really took me by surprise and the chase sequence done in one take was really awe inspiring. Felt like an animated version of Indiana Jones, had a lot of fun with it. At times it felt like it didn't know if it wanted to be for kids or for adults. There are people being shot and stabbed, during pirate ship sequences which stands out as more mature than the rest of the film, for instance when Haddock's parachute gets stuck in the propeller and he zips around a dozens times before being thrown off. The balance was a little off and as great as the chase sequences was, there was an absurd crane fight near the end.

3.5

Fright Night (2011)

I'm a big fan of the original and was interested in seeing how the remake would fare. It's definitely better than most horror remakes we get, but it still lacked a certain charm that the original had. Farrell is both sexy and dangerous as Jerry, the vampire neighbour. The film felt like a roller coaster, as there were quite a few climax worthy sequences scattered throughout the film. First when the house blows up and a chase ensues, second when they are stuck in Peter Vincent's house with a plethora of weapons to chose from and of course the actual climax. Points for having a certain cameo in the flick.

3

Black Christmas (2006)

I love the original and it was one of the first dvds I owned. Here we have a remake with a cast of wannabe horror victims who I could never tell apart. None of the characters can be told apart from one another and the ambiguity of the killer is thrown out the window, completely. We have some nice flashbacks, which are a hundred times more interesting than the present day events. Surprisingly, pretty violent with lot of blood, but the terrible script is too much for me to look past. An original cast member has a small role here, she actually is the best part of the flick. A forgettable slasher film in the vastness of crappy horror remakes.

1

TheUsualSuspect

05-06-12, 06:58 PM

Kalifornia

Brad Pitt hams it up as a serial killer redneck in this road flick with David Duchovny, Juliette Lewis and Michelle Forbes. Duchovny's performance is flat, which is expected from him. While Lewis and Pitt seem to have the most fun with their roles. Duchovny is a writer, visiting serial killer sites to write a book with his girlfriend, a photographer, who will take the pictures. They post an ad looking to share the expenses with whoever needs a trip to Kalifornia, with a K. The two people they pick up are Pitt and Lewis, one is a naive girl, the other a serial killer who is about to snap at any moment. While it isn't as suspenseful as one would expect, or hope, the film does have some sinister undertones. Knowing there is a serial killer in their backseat the whole time, just waiting for him to snap builds some excitement.

3

HitchFan97

05-06-12, 10:32 PM

The Avengers (2012) 4

This is what a super hero movie should be like. Thus far, my favorite movie of 2012.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) 4

Pure Tim Burton. Briskly paced, brilliantly acted, and more than a little messed-up; a great musical, and I don't usually watch musicals.

Funny Games (1997)

The fact that this film is among the most disturbing I've ever seen despite having most violence occur off-screen is a testament to the strength of the performances and the talent of the filmmaker, but I have to wonder if there's a legitimate context. Yes, Haneke wants to re-sensitize the audience to violence, but is that enough to justify the brutal, depraved material on display here? I'll have to sleep on that one. Not sure on a rating just yet.

Monkeypunch

05-07-12, 02:45 AM

The King's Speech - I didn't know if I was going to be able to get into this film, but after the first few minutes I was hooked. Great performances all around, and it made me want to know more about history.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley - This is a harsh movie, about two brothers who join the IRA and the cost it takes out on their lives and their souls. Cillian Murphy is fantastic.

TylerDurden99

05-07-12, 06:17 AM

Double Jeopardy (1999) 3
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a9/Doublejeopardyposter.jpg

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) 4
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/Kiss_kiss_bang_bang_poster.jpg

Transformers (2007) 4+
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/66/Transformers07.jpg

meatwadsprite

05-07-12, 03:02 PM

https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTIpHzbytKzTYBcD5nxVLBNVkox8Ct8I2x3DK9ETnDnLCn29YUWxw1 https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT8LSgFN14nXg-ZCtHtA8syRhBQr-LZJQwCCDKW3e7zm22VJ2Mzvw 3.5 https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZtgRITaJq9j_lbOGibFt_Sh9yn_xNxg3merAnB-wr95CS8nNF 3

https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR9LFv3k0EpgwRMOUj2AYLy-x-VB-teLrph4luqtJzYeWqTxNOL0g 3 https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRugOyck1xX3u-oK3CVlhveboN4Ro9aCXZvwL210PsUu_C-GiA9_w 3.5 https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRrPxgwRzY2KjcaxoBm6KpoQ7YdbO5GL7xcL1Upue4Khk4ubbz5kg 2.5 https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRmisgkiHDzCDPP4zMNBKv_Cj7Uhlm2GTzkI0P-l9-ctDmxK-Xm 3 https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTM294g30QIo3xqU3echMXkXQiKft3RvAeHfFvZIi2YHNtwa6by3A 4

TheUsualSuspect

05-07-12, 04:24 PM

Pre-Avengers, Thor was my favourite Marvel flick.

Tyler1

05-08-12, 11:26 AM

Royal Tramp (1992)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6c/Royal_Tramp_film_poster.jpeg/220px-Royal_Tramp_film_poster.jpeg
One thing I love about Hong Kong movies of the 80s & 90s is that they blend action, comedy, romance and drama so seamlessly that watching it feels like you're on a dizzying roller coaster ride. There's no time to ask "Why did this character behave in this way?"; you simply accept all the farce that's thrown at you. And that means characters disappearing in one scene, appearing later only to alter the plot. What I found most comical was that all the characters were so gullible. 4

Pastoral: To Die in the Country (1974) 4

Save The Green Planet! (2003)
http://kastatic.com/i2/movies/0354668_big.jpg

Seriously one of the most original Korean movies Ive seen. Who says the Koreans are only good at ripping off American films? 4.5

JayDee

05-08-12, 08:38 PM

mirror

The Avengers

5

First off let me say that score will in all likeliehood drop. While I'll still probably keep it around the 4.5/4.5+ level I don't think this is one of my fabled 5 out of 5 films. So why that score just now? Well because it's still fresh in my mind and I'm still in the middle of geeking out: having a nerdgasm I believe the kids are calling it these days! :D If I was on twitter and was tweeting my thoughts during the film it would just have been a constant fanboy stream of “OMG!”, “Awesome Hulk moment!”, “Awesome Iron Man moment!”, “Robert Downey Jr. rules!”, “Did you see that?!!!”, “Iron Man v Thor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, “Holy **** the SHIELD Helicarrier!” and on and on. However I shall attempt to be a touch more eloquent and loquacious here.

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=809529)

mirror
The Warriors

4.5 +

This film is quite dated. This film is really rather camp. This film is pretty daft. Oh and this film is also frickin fantastic!!! :D At the film's opening we are provided with glimpses of several of the gangs that are going to feature; my personal favourites being the mimes (The Hi-Hats) and the demented looking baseball players (The Baseball Furies). Right then I thought to myself “oh yeah, I think I'm going to like this.” And that early inkling proved well founded.

The story is elegantly simple, it's basically a chase movie just without the cars. The Warriors have to make it from A to B, avoiding or defeating the myriad of gangs that lie in between.

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=810108)

mirror
The Manchurian Candidate

4

Here we have the wildcard entry in my season of 70s thrillers. A 'wildcard' because it's actually from 1962! :D One reason for its inclusion is that I have fancied it for a while, however there was one other big reason. Honeykid and Mark f seem to butt heads on quite a number of films; this is a film that made both of their top 100 lists. Something pretty special surely then? While it perhaps didn't live up to that level for me, I still found it to be an extremely good film.

It's actually a very difficult film to pigeon hole in terms of plot. While I suppose 'political thriller' would be about the best umbrella term for it; with elements of political satire, sci-fi, black comedy.................................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=808952)

mirror

The Stepford Wives

3.5 +

Films such as American Beauty, Donnie Darko and The Burbs have shown us that on this vast planet there are few places scarier than the American suburbs. And here is another example of that. While it is quite obviously a pro-feminist product of the 60s and 70s, with a number of themes and issues tackled and satirised such as men's subjugation and oppression of women; it can very easily just be enjoyed as a purely fun sci-fi chiller. Of all the 70s fare I've been enjoying over the last month or two this has to be the most 70s in terms of style and subject, particularly its fashion. As a result it feels quite dated. Another indicator of the films 70s setting is its ending. It is a chilling, extremely downbeat conclusion. So very 70s

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=808950)

mirror
The Incredible Hulk

2.5 ++

After my viewing of The Avengers I thought I'd give this another go. I have watched it once before but it was more in the background, not paying complete attention to it. And although my attention wasn't 100% on it, my thoughts that I did conclude at the time proved to be correct; a decent but forgettable flick, Marvel's weakest effort to date for me. Even my rampant fanboy-ism can only lift the film so far.

The film actually opens well, its opening stretch probably the strongest portion of the film. We get a real idea of Bruce's isolation and loneliness, which he has created out of necessity. And the location of Tavares Bastos in Rio de Janeiro is a very strong, evocative setting. With its claustrophobic layout.......................

Review continues here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=810107)

Brodinski

05-09-12, 07:40 AM

lol, in Belgium, there's a free ticket to The Avengers attached to a weekly magazine. So, it's got good reviews AND I get to see it for free.

Guess what. I told all of that to my girl, showed her the trailer, told her the story a bit and she replied by saying: "that looks ridiculous... I'm not watching that..."

We're going to the theater this Friday with another couple, I might just have to convince that dude to watch The Avengers with me and let them watch a chick flick or whatever.

honeykid

05-09-12, 08:13 AM

Guess what. I told all of that to my girl, showed her the trailer, told her the story a bit and she replied by saying: "that looks ridiculous... I'm not watching that..."

Never let that girl go, Brodinski.

TheUsualSuspect

05-09-12, 01:04 PM

Drop her like a bad habbit.

TheUsualSuspect

05-11-12, 04:17 AM

Trailer Park Of Terror

A horror comedy, if you couldn't tell by the title, that has gives us some redneck trailer trash zombies. After a bus accident, a group of troubled high school students and the pastor who is trying to reform them, seek shelter at a nearby trailer park. They stay the night and discover that the residents are actually guitar playing, sex crazed zombies. The make-up effects are stellar for this low budget zom-com, but the utter lack of coherence and stupidity takes you out of the fun. A lengthy opening sets up the how and why regarding the zombies, but it still leaves you scratching your head, confused. The lax climax leaves a lot to be desired and the random devil like character (I'm assuming he's the devil) has no explanation what so ever. No nudity? :p

1.5

Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead

Take away the talent behind the pen (Abrams) and the camera (Dahl), the screen presence (Walker, Zahn, Sobieski) and the spine tingling voice of Rusty Nail (Levine) and you have your lackluster sequel to Joy Ride. After their car breaks down (like every car in horror flicks do) a group of kids steal another car from what looks like an abandoned home. The do-gooder of the group leaves her name and number and says they will return the car after they get to their destination. Whose car did they steal? Rusty Nail's car, and he doesn't like it one bit. Direct to dvd quality acting is here and the suspense from the first flick is no where to be found. There was one interesting sequences that involved rolling dice, but the film as a whole lacked everything that makes a movie entertaining.

1

Loosies

A pickpocket, who's really good at it, discovers that a one night stand led to the woman being pregnant. Know he has to shake the cops off his tail (he picked a badge off a cop) and the man he owes money to, in order to leave it all behind and start a new life with the woman and kid. There's not much of a story here, but the film, does try to be exciting. Facinelli is Bobby, the pickpocket and Madsen is the cop trying to get his badge back. Madsen is hardly in the flick and he does nothing for the role. The generic story about a down on his luck guy owing money is nothing new and this film follows everything by the numbers. Despite all that, it gets props for trying and I never felt bored. Horrible title though.

2.5

Straw Dogs (2011)

Mark f will be happy to know that this film makes me appreciate the original more. A bad script for starters, which isn't helped by the cast. With the exception of Skarsgård and Marsden the cast is pretty terrible. James Woods overplays the role of a coach who is obsessed with protecting his daughter from a man twice her age. Bosworth continues to un-impress in a role that makes the character look rather stupid. The entire time the film felt like it was trying to spoon feed everything to you. What happened to subtle screenwriting?

2

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Bringing it back to the basics with the fourth entry. Ethan Hunt is back, with a new team and he gets burned. The President puts into effect Ghost Protocol, which I think is IMF being disbanded, which leaves Hunt and his team on their own, in the dark, to clean up the mess. Stellar action sequences, lovely locations and out of this world spy gear make this entry a fun ride. I would have liked the film to have a stronger, more prominent villain and of course Luther (Rhames) deserved more than a mere cameo. The new additions do well enough to make me want to see them in future instalments and finally the Syndicate make their way into the storyline.

4

Serial Mom

A great performance from Kathleen Turner as a lovely suburban mother who has serial killing tendencies. You wear white after labour day? You get killed. You stand up her daughter? You get killed. Fail her son in math? Well, you get the idea. The lovely demeanour she brings to the character makes the film an absolute thrill. The media infatuation with serial killers is brought to the comedic forefront here when people cheer for Serial Mom and she Suzanne Somers wants to play her in a film adaptation. John Water's best film.

3.5

The Avengers

I believe in Joss Whedon. The man managed to handle a huge undertaking, and make it awesome. The humour, the heart, the action, everything I wanted in the film, Joss delivers. Small moments, like two brilliant minds, Stark and Banner meeting, made me giggity. Great lines scattered throughout (I'm always angry) and laugh out loud moments make this film memorable. I'm so glad it never became what so many people were calling it: Iron Man & Friends. Everyone got their moment to shine, some more than others. Look Joss, we know you love empowered women, but Black Widow having more scenes than Thor or Banner? For shame...

4.5

thracian dawg

05-11-12, 08:05 PM

Delicacy (2011) - David & Stephane Foenkinos - - 2

Audrey Tatou's latest offering. From the poster, the film kind of suggests a Rom Com but the film is more of a drama about mourning. There's a lot of voice over and narration from the original novel that doesn't quite translate on screen. Plus the film focuses more on her love interest than her.

Public Speaking (2010) - Scorsese - - 2.5

This is basically a gabfest from writer Fran Lebowitz (her entire oeuvre consists of two books) sitting down with Marty Scorsese and a friend. The film uses their questions to allow her to show why she is known as a wily raconteur.

Some of her observations? When she was a young lass: One was drafted into the army and shipped overseas to fight; saying you were gay, would immediately get you kicked out of the barracks with a one way ticket back to civilization. The idea that gays now fight to get into the army is completely absurd to her. New York City was going bankrupt in the 70's, and their solution was to turn it into a (I love NY) tourist trap, which ruined the cultural vibrancy of the city, as it now panders to tourists who would run screaming from a Mapplethorpe photo. I would have preferred the questions had a little more political and philosophical bite, but some of her jabs are kind of thought provoking.

The Shock Doctrine (2009) - Whitecross & Winterbottom - - 3

http://www.impawards.com/intl/uk/2010/shock_doctrine.html (http://www.impawards.com/intl/uk/2010/shock_doctrine.html)

There's some wonderful absurdities here; a few of these great men and women state that if the general public actually knew what their economic polices are accomplishing---they would never get within a thousand miles of an elected office. Hence, the rise of lifestyle politics. Communism was kicked into the dustbin of history decades ago: this was supposed to have ushered in a period of unprecedented prosperity and enlightenment in human history, but just the opposite seems to be taking place, living and social standards are falling everywhere.

I'd probably call this essential viewing, simply because the politicians and their pay masters use essentially the same ploy over and over and over again. A grave crisis! A calamity that spells the end for life as we know it. The solution spoons out hard medicine and market discipline for the masses---and untold wealth for the 1% who will come to the rescue. Although, given they are the ones making policy decisions, a lot of crises can be easily manufactured. You want to privatize something? Slash the operating budget by 30% then wait for **** to hit the fan.

War Witch (2012) - Nguyen - - 3.5

http://www.impawards.com/intl/canada/2012/war_witch_ver2.html

A 12 year old girl is press ganged into a rebel army. Her short and brutal existence is given a reprieve when she experiences a premonition of soldiers laying in wait in the forest before them. From that, she gains the reputation of a war witch.

This was shot in the Democratic Republic of Congo, so the film is filled with astonishing imagery and arresting landscapes. There's a great bubbly African sound track. Although a solider in every sense of the word, this little girl still retains some innocence. The horrors she's witnessed or been a party to, never leave, they remain ever present as ghosts that suggests obvious PTSD. And in the end, although the subject matter may be more than a little difficult, the on screen violence is kept to a minimum and the film remains poetic and strangely optimistic.

Welcome to the Riley's (2010) - Scott - - 4

A nice quiet little drama about damaged (perhaps permanently) individuals. James Gandolfini plays a businessman in a small town just trying to get by. Top marks for Melissa Leo as his traumatized wife, who for most of the time is alone and she has to make her character come alive with those restrictions. Kristin Steward (pre twilight) is just skanky enough to make it interesting.

TylerDurden99

05-14-12, 09:41 PM

Shoot To Kill (1988)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Shoot_to_kill.jpg

As a fan of Poitier, Berenger and Clancy Brown, I had fairly high hopes for this, and while they didn't quite succeed, Shoot To Kill is a very entertaining thriller with some engaging performances and great individual scenes.

3.5

re93animator

05-15-12, 01:53 AM

Arizona Dream (1993) - 3_5
Unique. I'm very interested in seeing more films from Kusturica now.

Canadian Bacon (1995) - 2_5
I was never really interested in the film itself as much as I was in the fact that Michael Moore directed it. I'm not a fan of his by any stretch, but this was pretty funny, and more pertinent today than at the time of release.

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) – 4
Loved this! Clearly inspired by Brazil and art deco.

Maniac (1980) - 3
Plenty of unintentionally amusing scenes in this, but plenty of great ones too (strangely not much middle ground). Really liked this despite its hindrances though.

Scrooged (1988) – 3
Two hours of Bill Murray, but that was enough.

Uncle Buck (1989) – 2
Has moments, but I found it mostly uninteresting.

nebbit

05-15-12, 05:46 AM

Uncle Buck (1989) – 2
Has moments, but I found it mostly uninteresting.
I quite liked this movie :yup:

linespalsy

05-15-12, 10:22 AM

Arizona Dream (1993) - 3_5
Unique. I'm very interested in seeing more films from Kusturica now.

Check out Time of the Gypsies. Along with Arizona Dream that's my favorite by him.

Harry Lime

05-15-12, 05:30 PM

Check out Time of the Gypsies. Along with Arizona Dream that's my favorite by him.
Underground!

Justin

05-16-12, 03:25 PM

Is Kusturica's work really worth going into?

mark f

05-16-12, 04:39 PM

I haven't seen any of Kusturica's recent work, but I watched When Father Was Away on Business at the theatre and then saw Time of the Gypsies, Arizona Dream, Underground and Black Cat, White Cat. I'd recommend them to the adventurous, although Arizona Dream is probably my least fave.

linespalsy

05-17-12, 10:56 AM

Is Kusturica's work really worth going into?

I can't tell if you're inquiring or expressing incredulity... What have you seen?

Have you seen anything by Shohei Imamura? They seem to be coming from a comparable place, to me. I probably rate Kusturica higher now.

Tyler1

05-17-12, 11:30 AM

Imamura's films are much different from Kusturica's. I've seen Vengeance Is Mine (my rating 3) from Imamura and both Time of the Gypsies (2) and Underground (4.5) by Kusturica. I am quite interested in seeing more films from the Balkans. I also recall seeing No Man's Land, Pretty Village, Pretty Flame and WR: Mysteries of the Organism.

linespalsy

05-17-12, 01:11 PM

mark f

05-17-12, 01:29 PM

I'd also add that I believe that Kusturica is more of a surrealist.

Brodinski

05-17-12, 05:12 PM

Quick jabs:

In The Mouth of Madness (1994, Carpenter): 3
Quiz Show (1994, Redford): 3.5+

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kxg-vlNRgec/Taa5gkJvbRI/AAAAAAAADVo/2bjdBaFG_Nw/s400/quiz-show-turturro.jpg

La Piscine (1969, Deray): 3+
A Single Man (2009, Ford): 3.5
American Reunion (2012, Hurrwitz & Schlossberg): 2.5
Shane (1953, Stevens): 3.5
American Pie 2 (2001, Rogers): 2
Bodyguards & Assassins (2009, Chan): 3
The African Queen (1951, Huston): 3
Matilda (1996, DeVito): 3.5

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2010/8/31/1283275216819/1996-MATILDA-006.jpg

Milk (2008, Van Sant): 3.5
Stray Dog (1949, Kurosawa): 4
Dark Shadows (2012, Burton): 3
Tchao Pantin (1983, Berri): 3.5
The Letter (1940, Wyler): 4
Bad Boys 2 (2003, Bay): 1.5+
Summer of Sam (1999, Lee): 3+

TylerDurden99

05-17-12, 08:34 PM

The Breakfast Club (1985) 3.5+
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/50/The_Breakfast_Club.jpg

The Dictator (2012) 2.5+
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/The_Dictator_Poster.jpg

Justin

05-17-12, 10:36 PM

I can't tell if you're inquiring or expressing incredulity... What have you seen?

Have you seen anything by Shohei Imamura? They seem to be coming from a comparable place, to me. I probably rate Kusturica higher now.

I'm inquiring.

Yes I have. Good to have a reference point, I'll check him out.

Skepsis93

05-18-12, 07:35 AM

Bit of a drought lately... here's what I've seen anyway.

The Intouchables (Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano, 2011) 4
Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller, 2008) 3
The Cabin in the Woods (Drew Goddard, 2011) 4.5
God Bless America (Bobcat Goldthwait, 2011) 3.5

LONG overdue LOTR rewatch:
The Fellowship of the Ring 4.5
The Two Towers 4.5
The Return of the King 5

Tyler1

05-18-12, 08:10 AM

What I had in mind was one of Imamura's famous statements: "I am interested in the relationship of the lower part of the human body and the lower part of the social structure on which the reality of daily Japanese life obstinately supports itself." This seems to apply to Kusturica as well (cultural distances notwithstanding). They also both make "messy" films. The big difference to me is that Kusturica's films seem to have a sort of spiritual quality that I don't see as much in Imamura, and there are other differences as well. I don't want to overstate their similarity, but I think what Kusturica owes Imamura is not insignificant.

Why'd you rate Time of the Gypsies so low?

Well firstly Kusturica's deadpan comedy don't work out for me. In the film Underground theres plenty of his trademark dry humour but what sets it apart is that it is also a great political satire. As such I was held captivated throughout the entire 3 hrs of the movie. I could not care about the characters in Time of the Gypsies, and the humour was too silly and ridiculous. I dont like Balkan humour, as opposed to the slapstick-heavy Hong Kong movies of the 80s and 90s which I greatly admire.

TylerDurden99

05-19-12, 11:10 PM

Thor (2011) 3
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Thor_poster.jpg

Dark Shadows (2012) 3+
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Dark_Shadows_2012_Poster.jpg

This was quite disappointing. Enjoyable, and there were laughs to be had, and of course, Depp was on top form, but the various tone shifts, dragged out pacing and the fact that there was so much potential underneath prohibit me from recommending it.

So far, 2012 has been a pretty bad year for film. My favourite so far is The Avengers, and I didn't think it was all that.

The Muppets (2011) 4+
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/Muppets_ver4.jpg

Despite having a paper thin plot and underdeveloped human characters, The Muppets gets a relatively high rating for bringing back the gang (love 'em), giving me a nice feeling of nostalgia and for brightening up my soul for about an hour and a half.

HitchFan97

05-20-12, 01:06 PM

Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1010/314207.1010.A.jpg

Yes, this is the first time I've ever seen this film. "Seven Samurai" was quite an entertaining film, and it certainly was influential, but I have to admit I was a bit underwhelmed. I'd still take "Ran" over this any day. Still quite an achievement though, especially considering when it was made.

3.5

Gosford Park (Robert Altman, 2001)

http://www.nordicposters.com/p2/gosford_park_02.jpg

I've seen three of Altman's films, and loved them all; he is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. "Gosford Park" is a hugely entertaining murder mystery in the Agatha Christie style, and it's a visual feast as well. This will definitely make my list for the MoFo Millennium Top 100.

4.5

honeykid

05-20-12, 05:33 PM

Glad that you enjoyed Gosford Park so much. As I said in my 100 thread, this was originally on my list, but was bumped when I remembered two films that had to be there.

TylerDurden99

05-20-12, 11:22 PM

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) 3
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/Captain_America_The_First_Avenger_poster.jpg

Event Horizon (1997) 3.5
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8c/Event_horizon_ver1.jpg

TylerDurden99

05-22-12, 08:23 PM

William's Shakespeare's "Romeo + Juliet" (1996) 3
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/William_shakespeares_romeo_and_juliet_movie_poster.jpg

Blue Velvet (1986) 4.5
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/Bvmovieposter.jpg

HitchFan97

05-22-12, 08:52 PM

So glad you loved Blue Velvet! I just finished watching the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet in my English class... I'd give it a 2.5. Romeo looked exactly like Zac Efron, it was kinda freaky :eek:

TylerDurden99

05-22-12, 10:43 PM

Yeah, I loved Blue Velvet. Lynch's true cinematic masterpiece.

TylerDurden99

05-22-12, 10:45 PM

And, yeah, similarly, I had to watch Romeo + Juliet for Film class to analyse and review.

thracian dawg

05-23-12, 10:21 AM

The Best exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) - Madden - - 3
A nice little confection featuring a fine cast of British sexagenarian and septuagenarians; each character is given a little story arc. Although this dramedy seems a little too upbeat about globalization. I mean seriously, instead of enjoying the 50 degree swelter of Mumbai---without air conditioning---a lot of these old folks would be dropping dead like flies. I'll signal one really gorgeous shot. Bill Nighy has a difficult goodbye and he quickly leaves and jumps inside the taxi outside. The driver tries to start the engine but it doesn't turn over; but the engine shakes the car. Although he doesn't move a muscle, it but looks as if he's weeping.

Son of Rambow (2007) - Jennings - - 3.5
A young boy in a single parent family, living within a fundamentalist community (he's forbidden to listen to music and watch TV) and spending most of his time in bible study and fellowship, has his little world is accidentally rocked when he gets his first taste of the outside world in the form of a movie. And that movie is ... First Blood. A very sweet and inventive film. There's some really cute stuff, like the foreign exchange program from France has a young James Dean type character step off the charter bus and say: "Bonjour, l'Angleterre!" In the crowd meeting them, 4 or 5 school boys almost swoon with delight.
　
Headhunters (2011) - Tyldum - - 3.5
A Norwegian film about an employment consultant who slots captains of industry and commerce into key upper management positions---this turns out to be just his day job---he moonlights as a high end Art thief. A couple of turns in the story were so strong it felt like they punched right the fabric of the story into deeper, darker tones. It begins as a character study, becomes a suspense film and finally ends up as a white knuckle thriller. The only downside? It was a little dour, lacking a little playfulness and throwaway humor. The Hollywood remake with Mark Wahlberg is almost a done deal.
　
Beginners (2010) - Mills - - 3.5
I remember seeing the trailer for this and not really being uninterested in this story at all: a man (75 years young) decides to come out of the closet after his wife dies. Meh. As most independent films; it didn't have a big budget but it gets around this in clever ways. There's a very strong screenplay: for instance, Oliver (the old man's son) inherits this adorable little Jack Russell and he confides in him that for centuries, he's been bred exactly to be the irresistible little bundle of joy that he is; then makes that the same comparison to himself, that for that same time period, his ancestors have met, fallen and love for one purpose: just so he could live a life filled with happiness and love. It turns out a story about an old man who comes out of the closet at the end of his life is a film is worth watching. A witty and poetic film.

TylerDurden99

05-24-12, 01:29 AM

Born Into Brothels (2004) 2
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f7/Born_into_Brothels.jpg

On Deadly Ground (1994) 2.5
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/On_deadly_ground.jpg

Monkeypunch

05-24-12, 06:36 AM

Marvel's The Avengers - Best movie I've seen this year so far. It gets just about everything right, and it's the first comic book movie I've seen that actually seems like a live action comic book.

Dark Shadows - Tim Burton's Gothic melodrama definitely came out at the wrong time, and the jokey TV spots did a great disservice to the darker, nastier finished film, and at times some of the plot points seem rushed, out of nowhere, or dropped altogether...but it's a fantastic LOOKING film, and it has moments of brilliance that hint at what it could have been. I still liked it, even if I sound negative...

Cream

05-25-12, 11:49 PM

Great movie, the avengers. But terribly overrated.

Recently saw:
1. Rio Bravo 10/10: Perfection! Ive never heard of Howard Hawks :o:o:ountil I saw this film. This was better than The Searchers. And it should be labelled as the BEST WESTERN.
2. Man Bites Dog 7/10
3. La Haine 8/10
4. Inland Empire 5/10

honeykid

05-26-12, 02:17 AM

+ rep for Man Bites Dog and La Haine.

re93animator

05-26-12, 06:13 PM

Firecracker (2005) – 2_5
Ambitious low budget art film, but I just couldn't shake the b-movie vibe.

Hugo (2011) – 4
Charming. Made me even more interested in Melies. And of course it gets an extra point from me for the steampunk-esque design. Sacha Baron Cohen is a chameleon. I still can't get over him playing a somewhat 'serious' role in a Scorsese film after seeing every episode of Da Ali G Show.

Time of the Gypsies (1988)
The subtitles cut out about an hour and a half through, so I wasn’t able to comprehensibly finish it. What I got through was interesting, but I didn’t really enjoy it.

To Be or Not to Be (1942) - 3_5
Saw this for the tournament. I thought the dialogue was the highlight.

linespalsy

05-26-12, 10:58 PM

Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983) (episodes 1-3)
I got the second dvd (episodes 2-6) of this 12-part miniseries in the mail today. I used to frequently play it when I worked in a video store. It has a little nudity and language, but that's okay because it's British entertainment for the Masterpiece Theatre set (only good).

Some of the other note-worthy movie's I've seen lately as well as some of the things that make them noteworthy.

Klimt (Raul Ruiz, 2006) 3.5
The casual tone of every absurd confrontation in Klimt's life. Meeting his bastard child in a brothel, "dealing" with his psychotic mother and sister, smashing cake in a dandy's face...
Ruiz has stated that he writes characters as collections of warring dice which doesn't really mean anything but should give you some idea of the faith he has in their constancy.
Viennese moustache-themed brothels.
I can think of plenty of other "dream-like" movies, but for some reason, not that many that are actually framed as dreams. Maybe I'm just going senile because this seems like a pretty obvious approach. (on the other hand there are plenty of straightforward narrative movies that are framed as dreams without much stylistic variation).

The Island of Dr. Moreau (John Frankenheimer, 1996) 3
Val Kilmer's Marlon Brando impersonation.
Animal-men dancing to Einsturzende Neubauten.
Brando's "family", particularly his daughter and his Chopin-playing lackey.
Marlon Brando's Marlon Brando impersonation.

Fair Game ( Doug Liman, 2010) 1.5
A couple very good actors trapped in roles where they have to give inspirational speeches.
The incongruous attempts to shoehorn a "true" story into an nice melodramatic formula. Underdogs vs. Demagogues: round 3. And this time, it's personal. A good example is the press-conference scene in this where the Administration's flak gets caught with his pants down. He blinks and stammers in the cold flashes of cameras. Fistbump in the name of Truth. Then why is this the most obviously-staged scene in the film, especially compared to all the stock-footage?

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Oliver Stone, 2010) 2.5
This movie is just as preachy as Fair Game, and even more simplistic and stupid.
The speeches are just as bad.
But it's fun to watch! Not the obvious stuff, the stupid bubble leitmotif or the talking heads. But I'd swear I saw shots that were borrowed from Teshigahara and that elaborated on his complex symmetries - the various uses of reflections alone made this worth watching for me.
Finally some "Talking Heads" music my girlfriend could like.
Some others that I might write about if I can get interested:

Love Exposure 3.5
The Big Kahuna 2.5+
All the Vermeers in New York 2
Cruising 1.5
From Hell 2.5-
Layer Cake 2.5+
Quantum of Solace 2

JayDee

05-27-12, 08:10 AM

My latest batch of offerings from my Movie Musings thread. Again for anyone kind enough to want to leave +rep, especially if it's just for one or two films, I ask/request/hope/beg/demand (in that order! :p) that you follow the link to the full reviews and leave reo there

mirror
Hedwig and the Angry Inch

4.5

This film plays like the love child of This is Spinal Tap and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Telling the incredible, fantastical tale of Hedwig it sort of feels like a surreal, sex-fuelled Forrest Gump (even linking the story to a historic event). Going by that plot, those thoughts and its unique genre placing as a camp punk-rock musical/opera on the surface you would expect this to be nothing more than just loud, brash and superficial. And while there may be an element of that there is also so much more here than just that. It's a film that is full of heart and sincerity. A film that toes the line between humour and poignancy. A film that is both joyous and heartbreakingly tragic. I may even go as far to say that it's a film that is rather oddly beautiful.

Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=812732)

mirror
Black Swan

4 ++

A few years ago on another forum (not a movie one) there was a topic with the title 'Natalie Portman/Mila Kunis lesbian film.' And in it a bunch of guys were salivating over the thoughts of it, and already praising Aronofsky as a legend/hero/God. Sadly that board closed down but I would have loved to read the reaction of those same people. While there may be one scene that matches the dreams they were forging, the package that surrounds it probably isn't what most of them were imagining.

I found this to be a strangely hypnotic viewing experience. I had actually only planned on watching the first 30/45 minutes, finishing it the next day. However I got so caught up.......................

Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=811848)

mirror
Glengarry Glen Ross

4 +

This is an extremely bitter and cynical little film. Resonating the feeling of Death of a Salesman it is a true indictment of the American dream. A character study of a group of men who are mostly over the hill, whose time has passed, and the morality and corruption with which they lead their lives. It would be unfair to call this film a one trick pony. Unfair because it's actually a two trick pony! :D The film pins all of its hopes on two things – acting and dialogue. And if neither of them grab you then you're not really going to find anything else to like. Luckily for me I found both to absolutely excel. Though it may not give me much to talk about, will just see how we go here.

Just looking at the cast list I knew the acting was going to be of high quality........................

Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=814646)

mirror
Water for Elephants

3 +

This is a really quaint, old fashioned kind of film. It's a film that tries and often succeeds to capture the wonder, joy and excitement of the circus of that era; back when it was seen as romantic and adventurous. And with some impressive production values it does feel like a product of a Hollywood of long ago. It has quite a strongly reminiscent Titanic vibe to it. We are informed right from the off that a big disaster is going to befall the circus, and we are lead there by the recollections of an elderly character who was there at the time and survived to tell his tale. This time the narrator comes in the form of the always charming Hal Holbrook as the now elderly Jacob.

Much of the film is undoubtedly predictable. We pretty much know exactly were the story............................

Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=814068)

mirror
Franklyn

2

I was really hoping to like this. I mean really, really wanting to. It sounded weird and quirky enough to be right up my alley. And it sounded like it could be such a cool cult film to love, one that was little known. A film that I could baffle people by mentioning and introduce them to. However it just didn't happen. My viewing experience was actually just about the exact opposite of Black Swan. I really struggled to get into the film, eventually finishing it across three different sessions. And there were a couple of occasions were I contemplated abandoning it.

While I admire the ambition behind the film there were just way too many flaws for me to really connect to it. The film is incredibly slow moving for the first hour, just taking way too long to really get going. The scenes set................................

Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=812731)