Movie Tab II

[linespalsy]

A few were re-watches. I'd already seen Arizona Dream (it's on my favorites list), Manhattan Murder Mystery, Dumbo, (parts of) Pitz Palu, and (probably all of) Cinderella.

I tried (a little harder than usual) to watch movies I was already interested in, rather than what other people wanted to watch.

And I think you'd be more likely to like Dredd than The Raid: Redemption (less martial arts).

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck x]

Your Friends and Neighbors 3_5

It's a strange little film this one. From the looks of the trailer, you're going to get a romp about adultery, whereas it's actually a tragicomic, at times blackly comic, look at relationships.

Amy Brenneman and Aaron Eckhart (by the way, the characters don't have names so I'm using actors names throughout) are a happily married middle-class couple- apart from their sexual problems. Brenneman is neurotic and sexually repressed whereas Eckhart's biggest turn on is himself. Their friends, long-term live-in partners Ben Stiller and Catherine Keeler, live in a nice city flat. Stiller has fancied Brenneman for a long time and the two embark on an awkwardly unsatisfying affair. As well as these couples we have the two drifters- artist's assistant Natassia Kinski and psychotic doctor Jason Patric- who further complicate the mix.

It's a slow and pensive film, despite many wickedly funny moments, such as the scene before the opening credits where Patric,apparantly in the middle of passionate love-making, is actually practicing how he lies to the women he sleeps with.

The film's main problem is that it is a study of types, which provides some strong moments and allows us to see it as a wider critique of relationships and sex, yet Patric's character fits oddly into this. The others may be narcissistic or neurotic but he is psychopathic. Maybe a little more personality into the other characters might have given the film a little more of the black comedy it hints at.

One critic described the film as 'the kind of date movie that makes you want to go home alone' and this is true- not because the film is so negative but because it has so many grains of truth in it. The characters don't have enough personality for the viewer to be able to attribute their adultery to some flaw in the character. The film highlights every flaw and problem in relationships and puts it there on screen. Hell, even if you go down Eckhart's route of masturbation, sometimes you're still unsatisfied! The film shows- although actually you don't really see anything explicit- lost of unfulfilling sex. You might expect a film with sex as a theme to either be erotic and/or loving, yet there's very little of that here. It's as if the characters trick themselves into thinking that physical intimacy will solve everything and is a substitute for emotional intimacy.

There are some nice moments where the characters seem to show some sort of self-awareness. Eckhart in particular likes to question whether he's a good person or not. The film reflects that modern sensibility of self-interest that still rings true today.

And for the ladies, there's quite a few shirtless male scenes.

[Brother Blue]

http://s3.postimage.org/a5qemqxbn/220px_My_winnipeg.jpghttp://s11.postimage.org/xjdo94qlv/mom.jpghttp://s18.postimage.org/4diuucvyx/MV5_BMTg1_Mjcz_Nz_Mz_N15_BMl5_Ban_Bn_Xk_Ft_ZTcw_Nj_U2_NDU2_MQ.jpg


Memories of Murder (Joon-ho, 2003) 5 [Re-watch]
My Winnipeg (Maddin, 2007) 5
The Fire Within (Malle, 1963) 4.5+
The Fighter (O. Russell, 2010) 3
Excision (Bates Jr, 2012) 3-

[donniedarko]

What I've watched recently ranked from worse to best. All Haneke and Downey Sr. films are reviewed in my self challenge thread. I've been a bit pessimistic in my ratings, but I have come across some true gems recently.

Cannibal! The Musical- 1.5-
Eyes Wide Open- 1.5
Troll 2- 1.5
Two Tons of Turquoise To Taos Tonight- 1.5
Dead Poets Society- 1.5
Surf Nazis Must Die- 1.5+
Babo 73- 2
Predator- 2
The Piano Teacher- 2
The Joenses- 2
This Is Spinal Tap- 2.5-
No More Excuses- 2.5
Hail The Conquering Hero - 2.5
Empire of The Ants- 3-
Putney Swope- 3
Chafed Elbows- 3++
Funny Games- 3.5
Being John Malkovich- 4-
Cache- 4+
Timecrimes- 4.5

[honeykid]

It may not be the case for you, but the more I watch This Is Spinal Tap, the funnier it gets. I'd probably give it about the same, may 3 the first time I saw it. Now, if the funniest film I've ever seen and I spend most of its running time laugh at what is happening or at what I know is coming up.

[linespalsy]

:up::up: for the pessimism!

[honeykid]

Chatroom - 1 I just don't think this works. At all. It's too stagey and it sounds like it was written by in a A-Level Drama workshop. The cast do quite well, especially considering the lines they're asked to deliver, but that dialogue plus the slightly unusual visual narrative and what I thought was a weak and obvious ending, really left me with a "how'd that get released?" feeling.

[mark f]

Leaves of Grass (Tim Blake Nelson, 2009) 2.5
Shade (Damian Nieman, 2004) 3
Saint Joan (Otto Preminger, 1957) 2.5
Man on Fire (Tony Scott, 2004) 3
Confessions of a Nazi Spy (Anatole Litvak, 1939) 2.5
The Farmer's Daughter (H.C. Potter, 1947) 3.5
The Stranger (Orson Welles, 1946) 2.5
Home Before Dark (Mervyn LeRoy, 1958) 2.5
The Story of Louis Pasteur (William Dieterle, 1936) 3
The Life of Emile Zola (William Dieterle, 1937) 3.5
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (Mervyn LeRoy, 1932) 3.5
Take the Money and Run (Woody Allen, 1969) 3.5 for laughs
This is the Army (Michael Curtiz, 1943) 2.5
Room at the Top (Jack Clayton, 1959) 4.5
The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961) 4
The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941) 4

[Sinny McGuffins]

The Master
4

Hitchcock
2

Kiss Me Deadly
3_5

The Apartment
4

Wreck-It Ralph
2

[JayDee]

Chatroom - 1 I just don't think this works. At all. It's too stagey and it sounds like it was written by in a A-Level Drama workshop. The cast do quite well, especially considering the lines they're asked to deliver, but that dialogue plus the slightly unusual visual narrative and what I thought was a weak and obvious ending, really left me with a "how'd that get released?" feeling.

Wow Honeykid actually talking about and rating a film he's seen?!!! :eek: That's a rather rare occurence is it not?

[Mingusings]

Jeff Who Lives at Home (2012): 3_5
Body Double (1984): 3
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011): 4
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012): 1_5
Princess Mononoke (1997): 3_5
Stand Up Guys (2012): 3

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck x]

Shopgirl 2_5

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uR3Dr6Q8u4I/T_vEc5q15XI/AAAAAAAAAfI/00saQCt9qn8/s1600/shopgirl.jpg (http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=shopgirl&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=nrRADCFM248leM&tbnid=Td5kIrVDESmMlM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Flargepopcorn--nobutter.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F07%2Fshopgirl-rom-dram.html&ei=y9UOUazXCMyS0QWz6oHgBQ&bvm=bv.41867550,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNHYYBg_VCn4lb_dwiMie9kp4t5w0g&ust=1360013116451235)

I almost switched off after the first forty minutes. The cinematography was drab, the acting was naturalistic to the point of boring, it appears to be all kooky and 'indie' and the slacker graphics designer character was incredibly boring, and you can see the ending coming a mile off.

Claire Danes plays Mirabelle, a shopgirl who does some art on the side. Passive but beautiful Mirabelle attracts two men: a scruffy irritating musician who designs logos for amps (Jason Schwartzman) and a millionaire old enough to be her father (Steve Martin, who wrote the novella this is adapted from). Lay your bets.

You can't really fault the acting. It's not Schwartzman's fault that the character is irritating and that he drags down the pace of every scene he's in. Claire Danes is very pretty as the passive Mirabelle and manages to get some sort off sympathy for her- a pretty hard feat seeing as the character does nothing but offer herself to two men. And Steve Martin is surprisingly touching as Ray, the man who loves her but can never tell her. Danes and Martin have good chemistry- though it's more that of a father and daughter, it sort of works for the film as Mirabelle needs protection (she's on anti-depressants). Had the film just been about their on/off relationship, it might have got the extra half a star- these sections are reminiscent of Lost in Translation.

The difference between these two films though is that LiT is simple but this is just thin. It's not bad but it's not something to rush out to see. The score is lovely though and does most of the work for the film.

[nebbit]

Leaves of Grass (Tim Blake Nelson, 2009) 2.5
Shade (Damian Nieman, 2004) 3
Saint Joan (Otto Preminger, 1957) 2.5
Man on Fire (Tony Scott, 2004) 3
Confessions of a Nazi Spy (Anatole Litvak, 1939) 2.5
The Farmer's Daughter (H.C. Potter, 1947) 3.5
The Stranger (Orson Welles, 1946) 2.5
Home Before Dark (Mervyn LeRoy, 1958) 2.5
The Story of Louis Pasteur (William Dieterle, 1936) 3
The Life of Emile Zola (William Dieterle, 1937) 3.5
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (Mervyn LeRoy, 1932) 3.5
Take the Money and Run (Woody Allen, 1969) 3.5 for laughs
This is the Army (Michael Curtiz, 1943) 2.5
Room at the Top (Jack Clayton, 1959) 4.5
The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961) 4
The Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941) 4

So, Mark what did you think of Looper? :)

[mark f]

That's in my last one. 3-

It's too arid but it gets a little better as it goes along.

[Godoggo]

The difference between these two films though is that LiT is simple but this is just thin. It's not bad but it's not something to rush out to see. The score is lovely though and does most of the work for the film.

Yeah, I went in expecting a Lost in Translation type of feel, but Shopgirl has none of the power of connection between the characters that LiT has. I generally love Claire Danes and she's excellent at getting the audience to connect to her emotionally, but I felt nothing for her character. I'd probably give it one less popcorn than you. I really did not like it.

[meatwadsprite]

3-
It's too arid.

http://download.gamezone.com/uploads/image/data/1121406/Looper_2.jpg

[nebbit]

That's in my last one. 3-

It's too arid but it gets a little better as it goes along.
Sorry mark must have missed that one :blush: Thanks Hope you had a great Birthday weekend :kiss:

[Tyler1]

http://smhttp.14409.nexcesscdn.net/806D5E/wordpress-L/images/The-Grandmasters-Tony-Ip-Man-e1357216929867.jpg

The Grandmasters (2013) - 3
Seventeen Years (1999) - 4
Reassemblage (1983) - 1
4:30 (2005) - 2
Judex (1963) - 2.5
Outer Space (1999) - 3
The Seventh Horse Of The Sun (1993) - 2
The Apartment (1960) - 5 [re-watch]

[re93animator]

Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future (1973) - 3_5
A soviet film about a man who builds a time machine and ends up bringing Ivan the Terrible into the 20th century. It's actually very funny, though the ending is sort of a cop out.

[Harry Lime]

The Grandmasters (2013) - 3
Where did you get to see this one?

[Skepsis93]

Lawrence of Arabia (Lean, '62) 4.5++
Gone with the Wind (Fleming, '39) 4.5
Once (Carney, '06) 4.5
Brief Encounter (Lean, '45) 4
The Third Man (Reed, '49) 4-
Frankenstein (Whale, '31) 3.5
The Amazing Spider-Man (Webb, '12) 3
Dracula (Browning, '31) 2

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ET--k6PNGHM/UGUc-1Ab40I/AAAAAAAAOcc/SXYpCDIKhes/s1600/lawrence-of-arabia-1962.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BGYSPVNc6Uc/UGDkZrdL1dI/AAAAAAAACcc/vb3U7s8oRjA/s1600/brianvsmovies.png

[honeykid]

I like Dracula more than that, but I'm pleased with your ratings for GWTW and The Third Man. Glad you enjoyed them. :up: How about Brief Encounter? Was that a first viewing, too?

[Skepsis93]

I like Dracula more than that

I see and understand Dracula's influence but I found it to have aged extremely poorly. Didn't like a single performance (don't see what's so great about Bela Lugosi, although the script and cinematography certainly didn't help his performance), the effects were cheesy even by 1931 standards and the world (Transylvania especially) is poorly realised.

Frankenstein was much better. Solid performances; quaint at times but more often in a good way than a bad one. And it actually gets quite creepy. I wasn't expecting either to be scary in the least but the latter at least is still capable of being somewhat unsettling.

I'm pleased with your ratings for GWTW and The Third Man. Glad you enjoyed them. :up:

Yeah, loved GWTW. The Third Man I'm a little iffy on whether I really loved or not, but it's too good not to admire at least. Loved the cinematography and Welles' enigmatic performance.

How about Brief Encounter? Was that a first viewing, too?

Yup, all first viewings. Brief Encounter was excellent; subdued, nuanced, thought-provoking and touching. In terms of scale, a far cry from what Lean would do 17 years later. I'm planning to see Bridge on the River Kwai, Great Expectations and possibly Doctor Zhivago within the next few days.

[Sedai]

Young Adult (Reitman, 2011) 3_5

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jr90hNQN4Ww/TvrnKBQgyUI/AAAAAAAAIx4/iU_vNRqLB7w/s1600/young-adult-movie-photo-03-550x365.jpg

Diablo Cody penned this film, and I can't think of a better writer for a personal little film like this. There are a couple spots where the film could have easily gone into cliche territory, but the script is too smart for that. Theron's turn as Mavis Gary is personal, vulnerable, and exposed. This isn't a cute little story of a misguided woman findiing her way - it's just a slice of her life. She ends up finding some answers and a new direction, but it's not where Hollywood would usually take a character like this. I enjoyed this personal little film from Cody and Reitman. Also, great turn from Patton Oswalt as Matt.

Last of the Mohicans (Mann, 1992) 4_5

http://i2.listal.com/image/1447332/600full-the-last-of-the-mohicans-screenshot.jpg

Last night my GF just happens to casually mention that she has never seen this flick. Since it's one of my favorite period pieces, I had to pop it in. I usually watch the Director's Cut, but last night, it was the theatrical cut we watched. I used to prefer the Director's Cut, but now I think I have changed my mind, as some of the dialogue is missing from the DC, and it's all great stuff.

[Exist]

^ As soon as I get a bluray player, Last of the Mohicans will be my first bluray. :)

[mark f]

Adventures of a Young Man (Martin Ritt, 1962) 2.5
End of the Game (Maximillian Schell, 1975) 2+
True Confessions (Ulu Grosbard, 1981) 3
That Uncertain Feeling (Ernst Lubitsch, 1941) 3
Black Widow (Nunnaly Johnson, 1954) 2.5
Orca (Michael Anderson, 1977) 3
Love’s Labour’s Lost (Kenneth Branagh, 2000) 2.5
Cat People (Paul Schrader, 1982) 2.5
Mosquito Coast (Peter Weir, 1986) 3.5
Oh, God! (Carl Reiner, 1977) 3.5
Knowing (Alex Proyas, 2009) 3
Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967) 4
The Simpsons Movie (David Silverman, 2007) 3.5
The Sundowners (Fred Zinnemann, 1960) 3.5+
The Parent Trap (David Swift, 1961) 3
Freaky Friday (Gary Nelson, 1976) 3
The Boss of It All (Lars von Trier, 2006) 3
Arabesque (Stanley Donen, 1966) 3
Heaven (Tom Tykwer, 2002) 2
Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993) 4

[meatwadsprite]

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[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck x]

Yeah, I went in expecting a Lost in Translation type of feel, but Shopgirl has none of the power of connection between the characters that LiT has. I generally love Claire Danes and she's excellent at getting the audience to connect to her emotionally, but I felt nothing for her character. I'd probably give it one less popcorn than you. I really did not like it.

There's nothing really to latch onto about the characters. They're types.

[Skepsis93]

The Master
Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012

http://www.beyondhollywood.com/uploads/2012/04/Philip-Seymour-Hoffman-in-The-Master-2012-Movie-Image-600x312.jpg

Poetic, impenetrable, enveloping in its intense, deeply nuanced and mystical look at an unconventional, fascinating relationship. A film that you allow to wash over you; appreciate the marvelous cinematography and score, superb direction and two performances among the best of the decade, nay, the millennium so far: Joaquin Phoenix's enigmatic, violent, desperate Freddie Quell, played with a level of commitment in its animalistic rage you see very rarely; and Philip Seymour Hoffman's Lancaster Dodd, aka "The Master", an enigmatic, mysterious leader. The two have palpable but troubled chemistry, perfect for a relationship in which Quell becomes a hint of his former self at the feet of Dodd, resembling, at the apex of Dodd's dominance, a child or even a pet, such is the power of cult and charisma.

Where an emotional punch is lacking, I was instead affected by a tension and a suspense the source of which I couldn't quite explain. I know I have made my love for Paul Thomas Anderson abundantly clear, but this is another gargantuan effort from one of the most exciting auteurs currently in the business.

4.5

[TylerDurden99]

What I've been watching over the last month:

Double Team (1997) 3.5
Tropic Thunder (2010) 4
Jersey Shore Shark Attack (2012) 1 (enjoyment rating: 3
The Cabin In The Woods (2012) 4.5
Event Horizon (1997) 4+
Jurassic Park (1993) 5
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) 4
Jurassic Park III (2001) 3.5
House On Haunted Hill (1999) 3.5
Les Miserables (2012) 3.5+
Radio Days (1987) 3.5+
Bigfoot (2012) 1
Soapdish (1991) 3
Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) 4
Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) 3
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) 4
Django Unchained (2012) 4.5
Sleeping With The Enemy (1991) 3+
Happy Gilmore (1996) 3.5
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2004) 3

[TheUsualSuspect]

It's Digital Film Fest this week up here in CANADA, where we get some digital transfers of some great films.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Still love the hell out of this film. Ford is the perfect leading man in an iconic role. It's pure entertainment and one that I am so glad that I FINALLY got to enjoy in the theatre.

4.5

Jaws

The GF has never seen it, so what's a better chance to see this flick than on the big screen. She jumped a few times and clinched my hand, which is a good sign that the film, more than 30 years old still has intense moments on today's movie goer. Great reveal of the shark, great movie moments and music.

4.5

The Matrix

I had actually seen this film when it first came out in 1999 in theatres, despite being only 12. I loved it then, have watched is more than a dozen times since and was glad to see it on the big screen once again.

4.5

Other films that are playing, that I did not go see:

An American Werewolf in London
Battle Royale
Casino
Pulp Fiction
Goodfellas
Reservoir Dogs
Gremlins
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Oldboy
A Clockwork Orange
2001 : A Space Odyssey

[mark f]

Casanova (Lasse Hallstrom, 2005) 3
The Man Who Fell to Earth (Nicolas Roeg, 1976) 1.5
Billy Budd (Peter Ustinov, 1962) 3.5+
Cabaret (Bob Fosse, 1972) 5
Papillon (Franklin J. Schafner, 1973) 3.5+
Mammoth (Lukas Moodysson, 2009) 2.5
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (Joe Dante, 1990) 4 Slow Buildup
Tokyo Godfathers (Sotoshi Kon, Shôgo Furuya, 2003) 3+
Imagine Me & You (Ol Parker, 2005) 2.5
Aguirre: The Wrath of God (Werner Herzog, 1972) 3.5
All Quiet on the Western Front (Lewis Milestone, 1930) 3.5
Imitation of Life (John M. Stahl, 1934) 2.5
Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale, 1935) 3
Bright Victory (Mark Robson, 1951) 3
Elopement (Henry Koster, 1951) 2
Stop Look and Listen (Lee Janson, Chuck Menville, 1967, short) 3
The Battle of Gettysburg (Herman Hoffman, 1955, short) 3
The Virgin Spring (Ingmar Bergman, 1960) 3.5
My Life as a Dog (Lasse Hallstrom, 1985) 3.5
Bitter Rice (Giuseppe De Santis, 1949) 3
Big Deal on Madonna Street (Mario Monicelli, 1958) 3

[Thursday Next]

Grave of the Fireflies 4
Gone Baby Gone 2
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning 4
Rio Bravo 3
Day of Wrath 4
Nightwatching 2.5
Bio Zombie 2.5
Moonlight Mile 2.5
Three Colours Blue 4
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia 3.5
50/50 4
Army of Shadows 4.5
Pygmalion 4
Silent Running 2.5
Moon 3.5

(Some of these may be unduly harsh, I might give half a star more to a couple of these in a better mood.)

[Brother Blue]

http://s18.postimage.org/4wggctbbt/MV5_BMTgx_Nz_Yy_Mzg1_MF5_BMl5_Ban_Bn_Xk_Ft_ZTcw_Nz_Ux_NTA0_MQ.jpghttp://s7.postimage.org/6k8hleba3/Lost_in_Translation_Posters_lost_in_translation.jpghttp://s17.postimage.org/6tdoue4xr/kiss_kiss_bang_bang.jpg

Lincoln (Spielberg, 2012) 3
Lost in Translation (Coppola, 2003) 4.5 [RW]
Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang (Black, 2005) 3.5+ [RW]
The Silence of the Lambs (Demme, 1991) 4 [RW]
In Bruges (McDonagh, 2008) 4 [RW]
The Fly (Cronenberg, 1986) 4.5 [RW]
Oslo, August 31st (Trier, 2011) 3.5+

[meatwadsprite]

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTLb2aTkkFQRKb9ckEwGNzspETLFiPvjnUON2k8kHwAi1yB-eJ- 3.5 https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSafM5MbrUlhlh5Yb_jRzlSqWwNiWEBEvgglXcwpOJNuAll_Yu 3

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[TheUsualSuspect]

ATM

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OVD2XQC1CsQ/TysmLH98Y_I/AAAAAAAAHGE/_areDTr6kkI/s1600/atm.jpg

Three co-workers decide to hit up an ATM on their way home from a party. Little do they know that they will soon become prey to the dreaded ATM Parka KILLER!!!!!!!

So, ATM has to firstly make you as the viewer believe in the initial set-up. This is where the film fails, right out of the gate. There are too many illogical, frustrating variables that happen in this film that I cannot for the life of me recommend it to any horror fan or a fan of the thriller genre. This film is insulting to the audience and is nowhere near clever enough to keep the character 'stuck' in the ATM area. This film makes so many terrible decisions, let me count the ways.

First and foremost, the writer needed to separate the characters from their vehicle. So we have them park their car, in the middle of the empty parking lot. Just so the writer has an excuse for them to not easily escape. Second, he manages to get all three character inside this ATM shelter through the most inexplicable way. The one drunk character claims his card won't work, so he asks his friend to join him. Not wanting to wait alone in the car, the female joins them as well. How convenient for this ATM killer, whom we know to plan these attacks because of the opening sequence of him crafting his "blueprints. We later find out that the first guys card DOES work, otherwise how would he get into the shelter? He offers up no explanation what so ever, and thus we are shown another sign of terribly weak writing, where the writer seems to call himself out on and not offer up any real explanation. Don't give me the "he's cheap" BS.

The characters then have numerous opportunities to escape this ATM shelter when the killer is not blocking their way. Yet, they decide to stay in the shelter area and wait their doom. Typical horror movie character decisions. Instead of trying to escape, they try to rationalize a reason to stay. The excuses used in this film and thin, insulting and stupid. We are treated to multiple "fool you" moments in which more than one character seems to be wearing the same damn parka coat. I'd be lucky to see one of these jackets out in the winter in CANADA, let alone three separate people wearing the same jacket, going to the same ATM. These variables that the writer inserts here are infuriating. Don't get me started on the fact that the only way he could pull this off is if none of them had a cell phone....oh wait.....they don't. Yet we see him plan yet another situation similar, does he just assume that while these people are on their way to said ATM machine that their phones will magically disappear?

Again, the illogical steps the writer takes in this film is insulting to the viewer and ATM should be banned from public viewing. This film tries to walk the same line as Frozen, yet that film actually succeeds in secluding their characters and trying things that I would think to myself of trying. ATM does not. ATM serves no purpose, we get no motive, lame twists and next to no thrills.

1


That's My Boy

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/11/That's_My_Boy_poster.jpg/215px-That's_My_Boy_poster.jpg

I find that I seem to loath every Adam Sandler film nowadays. When was the last legitimately good comedy Sandler film? For me, it goes back to the 1999's, with Big Daddy. Here he tries to re-capture his youth comedy by doing stupid humour with a stupid voice. It was funny in Waterboy and Billy Madison, it's irritating as hell here. Sandler plays a guy who fathered a kid while he was in grade 7. He had sex with his teacher and he's famous for it. Guys look up to him. Every guy except his now adult son, who tries to separate himself from his past.

The jokes are lame, misfire left right and centre. The usually dependable Nick Swardson does nothing here and seems to be even more stupid than his character from Just Go With It. Was this Sandler's attempt at getting back to his original fan base? That fan base is older now. These types of films are not funny. He also needs to stop calling in random cameos for a laugh. Vanilla Ice appears in this film as himself...cue laughter?

Sandberg fares even worse, as the straight one in this comedy duo. The film takes a turn for the worse when incest jokes are brought into the picture. It honestly seemed like Adam Sandler was trying to apologize for some of his film choices in Funny People, but who knows, as I said before he could simply just be laughing at us and how so many people seem to eat it up. Jack and Jill, That's My Boy...next we will literally see the MerMann trailer.

Yuck.

1.5

[Used Future]

*= rewatches

Berberian Sound Studio (Peter Strickland, 2012) 4
Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012) 2.5
Seven Psychopaths (Martin McDonagh, 2012) 2.5
Skyfall (Sam Mendes, 2012) 3+
Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino, 2012) 3.5+
Django, Prepare A Coffin (Ferdinando Baldi, 1968) 3
Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Brad Bird, 2011) 3
The Campaign (Jay Roach, 2012) 2.5
Lockout (James Mather, Steven St. Leger, 2012) 2
Killer Joe (William Friedkin, 2011) 3.5
Edmond (Stuart Gordon, 2005) 3
The Glass House (Tom Gries, 1972 TV) 3.5
Cutter's Way aka Cutter And Bone (Ivan Passer, 1981) 3
Straight Time (Ulu Grosbard, Dustin Hoffman, 1978) 4
Villain (Michael Tuchner, 1971) 3
The Squeeze (Michael Apted, 1977) 2.5+
Sugar Hill aka The Zombies Of Sugar Hill (Paul Maslansky, 1974) 3
The Valley Of Gwangi (Jim O'Connolly, 1969) 2.5
Werewolf Of Washington (Milton Moses Ginsberg, 1973) 1
Of Unknown Origin (George P. Cosmatos, 1983) 3+
The Sword And The Sorcerer (Albert Pyun, 1982) 2
Star Slammer aka Prison Ship (Fred Olen Ray, 1986) 1
Metal Skin (Geoffrey Wright, 1994) 2.5
* Sweeney! (David Wickes, 1977) 3.5
* Session 9 (Brad Anderson, 2001) 3+
* Beat Street (Stan Lathan, 1984) 3.5
* Dredd (Pete Travis, 2012) 4
* Aliens (James Cameron, 1986) 5
* Forbidden Planet (Fred M. Wilcox, 1956) 4
* Saturn 3 (Stanley Donen, 1980) 2+++
* Firestarter(Mark L. Lester, 1984) 2.5+
* God Bless America (Bobcat Goldthwait, 2011) 3.5+
* World's Greatest Dad (Bobcat Goldthwait, 2009) 3
* King Of California (Mike Cahill, 2007) 3
* The Cabin In The Woods (Drew Goddard, 2011) 3+
* Hell Night (Tom DeSimone, 1981) 2.5
* Five Easy Pieces (Bob Rafelson, 1970) 4
* The Quiet Man (John Ford, 1952) 3
* The Music Box (James Parrott, 1932) 5

[linespalsy]

Is Hell Night the one with "The Gork"? And I'll have to re-watch Forbidden Planet.

[Mingusings]

What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984): 2_5
Oslo, August 31st (2011): 4
For Love's Sake (2012): 3_5
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011): 2_5
Skyfall (2012): 3
Excision (2012): 3
Lars and the Real Girl (2007): 3_5

[Used Future]

Is Hell Night the one with "The Gork"? And I'll have to re-watch Forbidden Planet.

Hehe, yeah it's the one with ''The Gork''. I've never understood why they call him that or what it means. Middling slasher fare with some decent production values and the ever lovely Linda Blair; the sole reason I shelled out £1 for the dvd.

Forbidden Planet was way ahead of it's time and still holds up remarkably well. Saturn 3 is a sort of trashy semi-remake that I have a real soft spot for (the set design is really cool) despite Kirk Douglas' character being a dirty old man who turns my stomach.

[JayDee]

Had completely forgotten about posting here so fallen way behind. As a result will change from my usual format as it would take up half the page

* = rewatch

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring* (2001, d. Peter Jackson) 5 Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=865053)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers* (2002, d. Peter Jackson) 5 Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=867728)
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King* (2003, d. Peter Jackson) 5 Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=869123)
The Lives of Others (2006, d. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck) 4.5 Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=875091)
Oldboy (2003, d. Park Chan-wook) 4 ++ Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=864910)
Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005, d. Park Kwang-hyun) 4 + Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=866867)
Moon (2009, d. Duncan Jones) 4 Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=874008)
The Hobbit (2012, d. Peter Jackson) 4 - Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=871774)
Project Nim (2011, d. James Marsh) 3.5 ++ Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=872312)
Memories of Murder (2003, d. Bong Joon-ho) 3.5 + Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=866742)
Brave (2012, d. Mark Andrews / Steve Purcell / Brenda Chapman) 3.5 - Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=873008)
Les Misérables (2012, d. Tom Hooper) 3 + Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=877461)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010, d. Jalmari Helander) 3 ++
Arthur Christmas (2011, d. Barry Cook / Sarah Smith) 3 -
MacGruber (2010, d. Jorma Taccone) 2.5 +
Starship Troopers (1997, d. Paul| Verhoeven) 2.5 Full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=864599)
Happiness of the Katakuris (2001, d. Takashi Miike) 2 +

[Tyler1]

* The Music Box (James Parrott, 1932) 5 I've never laughed so hard before. Repeated many times but never equalled, this funny short shows how genius Laurel and Hardy were at making a simple story into one gag after another. :up:

[Sleezy]

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Peter Jackson, 2012) - 2.5

Rest easy. Jackson's LOTR trilogy is far better than this new film, particularly Fellowship. If you're at all into fantasy films, don't let anything keep you from trying them out, at least.

[Used Future]

I've never laughed so hard before. Repeated many times but never equalled, this funny short shows how genius Laurel and Hardy were at making a simple story into one gag after another. :up:

It's probably my favourite Laurel and Hardy short along with Laughing Gravy and Them Thar Hills.

He wants the other monkey...YOU!

Brilliant.

Good to know there's another fan on Mofo.:)

[donniedarko]

Laurel and Hardy are a pretty good. I haven't watched any of there shorts in awhile though, I shall fix that.

[linespalsy]

Hehe, yeah it's the one with ''The Gork''. I've never understood why they call him that or what it means.

I never figured that out either, probably one of the reasons I still remember that after 15+ years. Didn't realize it had Linda Blair, but then I hadn't seen The Exorcist yet when I saw Hell Night.

I caught part of Forbidden Planet on tv a while ago and it did look cool (haven't seen the whole thing since I was a kid). And I've never even heard of Saturn 3, looking at your post, is that the same Stanley Donen who directed Singin' in the Rain? bizarre!

Here's my recent viewing (ranked) (* = re-watch):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/ionford/shadowsofforgottenancestors01_zps3affcb84.jpg
Shadows of Our Forgotten Ancestors

The Decade of Destruction Part 1: In the Ashes of the Forest (TV) (Adrian Cowell, 1990) 4.5*
Time Regained (Raul Ruiz, 1999) 4
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Sergei Parajanov, 1965) 4
Fantasia (DISNEY, 1940) 3.5*
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (DISNEY, 1937) 3.5*
Annie Get Your Gun (George Sidney, 1950) 3.5
Exotica (Atom Egoyan, 1994) 3.5
Cluny Brown (Ernst Lubitsch, 1946) 3
Unstoppable (Tony Scott, 2010) 3*
Isle of the Dead (Mark Robson, 1945) 3
Swordsman III: The East Is Red (Siu-Tung Ching, 1993) 3
Bedlam (Mark Robson, 1945) 3
Ballets russes (Daniel Geller & Dayna Goldfine, 2005) 2.5
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (Michael Winterbottom, 2005) 2.5
The Insect Woman (Shohei Imamura, 1963) 2.5*
The AristoCats (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1970) 1.5

[mark f]

* Oscar-nominated Best Picture

Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her (Rodrigo Garcia, 2000) 2.5
The Rains Came (John Cromwell, 1939) 2.5
The Mark of Zorro (Rouben Mamoulian, 1940) 3.5+
Blood and Sand (Rouben Mamoulian, 1941) 2.5
The Tanks Are Coming (B. Reeves Eason, 1941, short) 2.5
My Gal Sal (Irving Cummings, 1942) 2
Anna and the King of Siam (John Cromwell, 1946) 3.5
The Organizer (Mario Monicelli, 1963) 3+
*Wilson (Henry King, 1944) 3
*The Grapes of Wrath (John Ford, 1940) 3.5
Vicki (Harry Horner, 1953) 2
Francis of Assisi (Michael Curtiz, 1961) 2.5
Pinky (Elia Kazan, 1949) 3
No Way Out (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950) 2.5
*Decision Before Dawn (Anatole Litvak, 1951) 3+
Titanic (Jean Negulesco, 1953) 3
Viva Zapata! (Elia Kazan, 1952) 3
*The Robe (Henry Koster, 1953) 2.5
*Three Coins in the Fountain (Jean Negulesco, 1954) 2.5
The Seduction of Joe Tynan (Jerry Schatzberg, 1979) 3
My Girl (Howard Zieff, 1991) 3
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machnes (Ken Annakin, 1965) 3.5
Day For Night (Francois Truffaut, 1973) 3.5
*Hello, Dolly! (Gene Kelly, 1969) 3.5
Brave (Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell, 2012) 3.5
The Long Good Friday (John Mackenzie, 1980) 3
la luna (Enrico Casarosa, 2011, short) 3.5
The Legend of Mor’du (Brian Larson, 2012, short) 3-
Flying Down to Rio (Thornton Freeland, 1933) 3
The Lost Patrol (John Ford, 1934) 2
*The Informer (John Ford, 1935) 2.5

[honeykid]

^^It's always puts a smile on my face when I see someone's watched The Long Good Friday.^^

The Host - 2 I like this when it's being a monster movie. Other than that I wasn't too bothered. I'm afraid it lost me for the last 30 minutes or so, which is a problem for a monster movie.

UHF - 2.5 Both this and The Hidden I've not seen since the early 90's and both were, pretty much, as I remember them. UHF is pretty standard stuff, but it's silly and enjoyable enough.

The Hidden - 4 I used to love this film and I now know that I still do. A great slice of late 80's sci-fi. I really should try to find Alien Nation, as that's another late 80's sci-fi classic that, like The Hidden, isn't spoken of enough.

[Daniel M]

I return to the Movie Tab, with a rather mixed bag of films to rate:

Jeff, Who Lives At Home (Duplass Brothers, 2011) 3

A decent enough film that I found myself enjoying more as it went on, light hearted stuff, I genuinely found myself caring for Jeff, the odd character at the centre of this film who seeks a greater meaning to things in life. One thing that did annoy me and prevents a potential half star extra is the annoying zoom in/out shooting method that is used.

ParaNorman (Chris Butler, Sam Fell, 2012) 3

Decided to try and watch some of the recent Oscar nominees including those in the animated feature category. ParaNorman is a decent enough, enjoyable stop-motion film with a loveable centre that will please children, standard stuff really.

Gangs of New York (Martin Scorsese, 2012) 3.5

This films strengths and weaknesses are clearly visible to me. Created with a huge budget, Scorsese attempts to create an 'epic' and this is clear through sets, costumes etc. however this to me contributed partly to the negative side of the film, although it felt like it was trying to be something huge it all felt a bit like a pantomime at times and failed to create a gritty and more realistic criminal world such as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas or even The Departed. Daniel Day-Lewis is absolutely superb as usual.

Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974) 3.5

Decided to watch this as I saw it was on TV and I had recently seen Django Unchained. My first Mel Brooks film and a very enjoyable and funny one at that, Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder make a great duo, I can't really think of much to write here without going in to specifics, need to watch more of Brooks' comedies.

Frankenweenie (Tim Burton, 2012) 4

Another Oscar nominated animation. This one for me is a class above ParaNorman and I found myself really enjoying it. I'm not the biggest fan of Tim Burton, but his creepy style works extremely well here, from a technical perspective this film is superb, the black and white works extremely well and the use of sound is great too. An enjoyable homage to old horror films (Frankenstein) and an enjoyable film in its own right, I think children might prefer ParaNorman, but this is definitely the better film for me.

Zero Dark Thirty (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012) 3.5

Although very well put together and competently directed, this film plays almost exactly like a documentary and does nothing much more. People know the story of Bin Laden, at least the majority of it, yet most of the film is spent going through the earlier years in order for the finale to seem satisfying for the film's protagonist, speaking of whom I wasn't as blown away by Chastain's performance as everyone else seems to be, she's good, but her character varies too much for me at different times with some of her actions/speeches seeming odd/out of place/forced.

The Sting (George Roy Hill, 1973) 5

I had been meaning to watch more films by George Roy Hill for a while, seeing as I had only previously seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a film which main strength is the lead duo: Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The two return in this film that won 7 Oscars, and in my opinion is much stronger. Their relationship is brilliant and enjoyable, with their characters as con artists who attempt to pull of an elaborate con on a criminal boss Doyle Lonnegan. I'll be watching this film again in the future, definitely, but what I loved most was how well balanced the film was in the fact that at the centre of the film is a serious, crime based and thrilling story that may be associated with classic 'film noirs' yet the mood is cheerful, lively and energetic with two loveable protagonists in Redford and Newman.

Dazed and Confused (Richard Linklater, 1993) 4.5

I had been meaning to watch this for a while, and finally decided to after the creation of the MoFo top films of the 90s competition was announced. I had only previously seen The School of Rock by Linklater which I found to be to be a highly enjoyable film growing up. Where as that is a film that will enjoyed by young kids and families, Dazed and Confused is very much a film aimed at a more older, laid back audience. Also focussed on a school, this film is about the social activities of those older pupils who are enjoying their last day of the school year as they attempt to get drunk, stoned or laid. There's not really much I can say about Dazed and Confused at the moment, whilst not much happens and it's not the greatest thing ever in terms of craft, it's definitely one of the most fun, coolest films that I've ever seen, a great experience in which I found myself wanting to join in with these guys and have a good time.

Taken 2 (Olivier Megaton, 2012) 1.5

A rather poor film to end my list on, I expected it not to be very good and it wasn't. I'm not a fan of the first film either that much, although I can understand why it makes for enjoyable popcorn viewing for some, this on the other hand is just pretty bad and I'm not sure what bigger fans of the original will make of this sequel.

[Skepsis93]

Dazed and Confused (Richard Linklater, 1993) 4.5

I think Richard Linklater is an extremely underrated filmmaker. Before Sunrise/Sunset, Dazed and Confused, Bernie, School of Rock and Waking Life are all vastly different movies yet all bring something great to the table.

[donniedarko]

I return to the Movie Tab, with a rather mixed bag of films to rate:

Jeff, Who Lives At Home (Duplass Brothers, 2011) 3

A decent enough film that I found myself enjoying more as it went on, light hearted stuff,
I felt opposite actually, I feel it started great but ended poorly, I'd still give it a
3.5 though.


Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, 1974) 3.5

Decided to watch this as I saw it was on TV and I had recently seen Django Unchained. My first Mel Brooks film and a very enjoyable and funny one at that, Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder make a great duo, I can't really think of much to write here without going in to specifics, need to watch more of Brooks' comedies.
Brooks is Awesoeme! I'd reccomend History of The World, Young Frankenstien, and High Anxiety.


Taken 2 (Olivier Megaton, 2012) 1.5

A rather poor film to end my list on, I expected it not to be very good and it wasn't. I'm not a fan of the first film either that much, although I can understand why it makes for enjoyable popcorn viewing for some, this on the other hand is just pretty bad and I'm not sure what bigger fans of the original will make of this sequel.
The worse movie of 2012

[Daniel M]

I think Richard Linklater is an extremely underrated filmmaker. Before Sunrise/Sunset, Dazed and Confused, Bernie, School of Rock and Waking Life are all vastly different movies yet all bring something great to the table.

So far I've only seen

School of Rock 4
Dazed and Confused 4.5

Gonna make an effort to see his other films now, I've heard about his under-the-radar return with Bernie and will definitely watch it soon, I've also got The Newtown Boys recorded just because I noticed it was on, even though it's not one of his acclaimed works. and the Before Sunrise/Sunset films I have wanted to see for a while, hopefully I will before the Before Midnight film this year, as well as the other film that features characters from those films and is part animation if I remember correctly? Edit: Just realised this is Waking Life :D

I felt opposite actually, I feel it started great but ended poorly, I'd still give it a
3.5 though.

Brooks is Awesoeme! I'd reccomend History of The World, Young Frankenstien, and High Anxiety.

The worse movie of 2012

I thought it started well, started to lag in the middle, then came together really nicely at the end, with Jeff's character at least, I liked the touch at the end where the father was called 'Kevin' as well, overall a nice little film that I actually decided to watch because I noticed you mentioned it a couple of times :up:

Thanks for those Brooks recommendations, hadn't heard of the first but the latter two were already on my watchlist (want to see High Anxiety as I'm a big Hitchcock fan) as well as The Producers which seems to be held in high regard critically.

And yeh, Taken 2 is just a bad film, the worst I have seen so far too. It gets 1 star for Liam Neeson making it just about watchable, the other half because I am generous :p

[TylerDurden99]

UHF - 2.5 Both this and The Hidden I've not seen since the early 90's and both were, pretty much, as I remember them. UHF is pretty standard stuff, but it's silly and enjoyable enough.

I can't stand this film. Fran Drescher's presence is bad enough, but add the moronic, unfunny material and the general "made for tv" atmosphere and you got yourself a genuine turd.

[mark f]

I also give UHF 2.5.

[Miss Vicky]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514YD52JS0L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Grave of the Fireflies

While I understand what the filmmakers were going for, I felt a certain disconnect from the characters. Don't get me wrong, the story was tragic and moving and the animation was beautiful, but something just didn't quite connect. I'll admit that part of that has to do with me watching it on the computer instead of in a more comfortable setting and part also is because of the distracting noises of the house (particularly a certain obnoxious kitten), which is by no means the fault of the filmmakers, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it was animated and that it's just not quite possible to capture all of the subtle expressions of the human face. I think I may have connected more fully had it been live-action.

3.5

[Exist]

The Bourne Legacy 3 Thought the films was good with likewise good acting, but there were simply too many flashbacks in my head to the original Bourne and his initial love interest in The Bourne Identity. The action was also far more in the second half, making it seem a little lopsided.

The Raven 2.5 Film didn't keep me as involved as I'd of hoped, over predictable, also reminded me a good deal of From Hell. It would of been hard to pull off and the script didn't help.

Red Lights 2.5 Fan of the whole main cast of actors. It kept me guessing and interest, the ending for me fell falt, fizzled out. Simply didn't work for me. But a fair film if interested in mystery and/or the paranormal.

[honeykid]

I can understand where you're coming from with The Raven reminding you of From Hell. I wanted a modern Gothic horror movie marathon after watching The Raven. They all have a very similar look.

[Exist]

^ As far as John Cusack and horror, Identity and 1408 are still favs of mine, bigtime. :)

[Gabrielle947]

Ok,finished my TV shows,so I'm back to movie business and this is something I've seen in the past few weeks.

Up(2009) - I was never into animation,therefore,it was enjoyable but not my type.6/10

Gladiator (2000) - It's been ages since I've seen this film and before seeing The Master,I wanted to see Joaquin Phoenix once again.Anyway,this film seems much worse now.The biggest problem is the historical inaccuracy and very cliche and banal characters.5/10

Lethal Weapon (1987) - it was mediocre,so 5/10

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - When I watched it the first time,I enjoyed it but it didn't felt like a great film.Now,after a while,I remembered it,thought that it was actually very good back when I saw it first,rewatched it,enjoyed but it still doesn't seem a very good film. :D 6/10

Seven Psychopaths (2012) - great great intro but I disliked where this film was at the end.Pretty much the same was with In Bruges(it's by the same director).5/10

Argo (2012) - everyone is praising this film as very good,suspenseful,memorable etc. but the same was said about The Town in 2010,too and now no one even remembers The Town.Anyway,it was enjoyable,very well-directed and I even enjoyed Ben Affleck's acting(which I disliked in The Town) but I don't think that it is very special and I don't think that it's the Oscar material. :/ 7/10

Top Secret! (1984) - it's a spy parody with young Val Kilmer in the lead.Not a very bad film,it had its moments but some scenes were just way over the top.5/10

The Master (2012) - finally saw the most waited film of 2012 and as I mentioned somewhere here,I have mixed feelings about it.Very very beautiful shots,great colors,good acting but I just couldn't process the characters and they are important since it's a "character" film.I would give it 7-8/10.

Killing Them Softly (2012) - saw someone's review here about it and it seemed interesting although I didn't even plan to see it.Anyway,I didn't like it,I'm not even sure why,it reminded me a bit of Sexy Beast,which I disliked as well.However,the beating scene was quite memorable and brutal. 4-5/10

[donniedarko]

I also give UHF 2.5.

I was actually a Weird Al junkie up until my teens, but never watched this. I hated everything outside his music, and now I don't even like that.

[donniedarko]

The Trial, 1962, Welles
http://thefilmstage.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/TRI002AV460.jpg
Orson Welles, The Trial, is not at all a court room drama. It's a twisted dream like piece, in a poetic format. A film that's always on track, but that never makes sense. It's a study of human nature and us as a society. My favorite scene is when the protagonist Joseph, is being interrogated and asked almost as it it's obvious if he's victim of society. He responds in his highest form of confidence "I am a member of society". I think this isn't said at all anymore, everyone must be an individual and no one ever admits of being a contributing member of society. The basic outline of the story is Joseph is "arrested" with not charge, he then goes through an insane legal process. Comparable to the U.S. justice system in a way.

This is my second favorite Orson Welles piece, after Touch Of Evil. The director believed this was his most accomplished film despite the critics early hatred. I could certianly see why this would be viewed as his strongest. In adapting Franz Kafka, it always feels made for cinema. He once again uses shadows and beautiful cinematic shots. With bizarre imagery of elderly waiting for a court ruling that'' never come, or a group of what we can assume are prisoners standing in the cold with nothing but rags. I can't complain to say understood all the metaphors, but I connected with the drift of ideas.


Oliver who's played by Anthony Peck, still has Norman Bates characteristics. The queer like awkward man always feels nervous and uncomfortable. He strokes his hands along walls when he walks, and runs away from an awkward situation. He starts standing up for himself later on but is always much so of a coward. He critiques the others who are hopelessly waiting for there court result shouting "you don't see me doing it" while sub consciously trapping himself.

A scene that demonstrates a kind of serfdom to the lawyers, is when we see a elderly pathetic man pleading to his. On his knees and kissing his hands only to be shunned away. Oliver looks in disgust and pity, but the man will do anything to here a word about his case. It's a disturbing scene and the one that can describe the movie the best, other than prologue. In conclusion this film is mesmerizing. It's a nightmare, with no true logic, but actual ideas. Similar to Kubricks, Eyes Wide Shut, an exposure to the inside of the system. Orson Welles narrates the closing credits, almost as a dog pees on his land, I think this his way of separating from the Kafka novel and claiming as a personal piece.
4

[TheUsualSuspect]

I prefer Spider the short film that came before Bear, simply because it plays out almost the same so that "shock" value isn't really there a second time.

[mark f]

* Nominated Best Picture Oscar

The Gate (Tibor Takacs, 1987) 2
*Stage Door (Gregory LaCava, 1937) 3.5
Valkyrie (Bryan Singer, 2008) 3.5
Intermedio (Andy Lauer, 2005) 0 Camp Rating 4
Abe Lincoln in Illinois (John Cromwell, 1940) 3
*Top Hat (Mark Sandrich, 1935) 3
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (William Dieterle, 1939) 4
*Suspicion (Alfred Hitchcock, 1941) 3
Joan of Paris (Robert Stevenson. 1942) 2.5
The Fallen Sparrow (Richard Wallace, 1943) 2+
The Painted Veil (John Curran, 2006) 2.5
Duplex (Danny Devito, 2003) 2.5
My Favorite Wife (Garson Kanin, 1940) 3
*Kitty Foyle (Sam Wood, 1940) 3
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (Irving Reis, 1947) 3
Joan of Arc (Victor Fleming, 1948) 2.5
Mighty Joe Young (Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1949) 3
The Window (Ted Tetzlaff, 1949) 2.5
*Gigi (Vincente Minnelli, 1958) 3.5
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (John Ford, 1949) 3
The Narrow Margin (Richard Fleischer. 1952) 3
The Americanization of Emily (Arthur Hiller, 1963) 3.5

[linespalsy]

watching that many movies can't be healthy.

[meatwadsprite]

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCbIqAVnF-xUQ7nwwdmq81ilNg4_u46nfswfu_hxTrBchYP7OmyQ 3 https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQTlEG7ifhV4y48V66WvSHhQ2h3IAkWWUFeYnLNxC-aTCMbmjQzeA 2 https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR_Gxcfk6fVfXyYOxGRk42KRto4BZzuKYwjUNMwx_chDDeMO55f 3.5

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRR11gQiJCeinEqZGBJzfU8omgbGWh2X-QW8vC3alIIrtIotcD0vA 3 https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS9DjY7pFSPJDAh8e2AmAycK-0lo3KcLlIQSPvi4Vpuo-RNH_Te 3.5

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQW7aOt15Gqao3xjgzZBL7zKsB4Z7j3bOJGZw8VRDMcyLT97M5i 3 https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRuCqIl-vKXrK20h_ROZtre0Uqk9pr8Xcg6dXFuCvR2N4hSeGjwog 3.5

[mark f]

watching that many movies can't be healthy.

It's therapy for that.

[Sexy Celebrity]

It's therapy for that.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/content/articles/2012/10/03/entertainment/doc506c2c6181e036556669211.jpg

[mark f]

meaty, can you explain why you think Blair Witch is better than Heavenly Creatures.

[Monkeypunch]

A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman - Wildly creative if not almost entirely inaccurate film about the life of late British comedian Graham Chapman. Done entirely in animation, the film careens crazily from scene to scene, creating a portrait of Chapman's sordid, tragic life, at times hilarious, rude, sad, and confusing. Chapman himself narrates (from old recordings) and voices are provided by the remaining Pythons, minus Eric Idle. Not for everyone, but the film entertained and perplexed me for it's entire running time.

[Miss Vicky]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511HzDPG%2B3L._SX500_.jpg

The Man With The Iron Fists

When I first saw the previews for this movie, I didn't have high hopes. It looked like Kill Bill wannabe crap. I expected it to be pretty awful, but blind bought the DVD anyway because I absolutely love Russell Crowe.

The movie exceeded my expectations. That is, it was WORSE than I expected it to be. Cartoon-like violence with gallons of fake blood, over-the-top stunts, terrible acting, what little plot it had was downright stupid and when I thought it couldn't get much worse there's a scene (actually several) where Crowe's character is having sex with a bunch of hookers and he's so out of shape that it's a huge turn off.

I can't recall the last time I was less entertained by a movie than this.

1.5-

[Sexy Celebrity]

and when I thought it couldn't get much worse there's a scene (actually several) where Crowe's character is having sex with a bunch of hookers and he's so out of shape that it's a huge turn off.

Thanks. Will check it out.

[Miss Vicky]

Thanks. Will check it out.

Oh, I forgot to mention, even though a huge portion of the movie takes place inside a brothel, I don't recall any actual nudity in the entire thing.

[Skepsis93]

The Bridge on the River Kwai (Lean, 1957) 4
Jezebel (Wyler, 1938) 3.5-
Sunshine (Boyle, 2007) 3.5
Lincoln (Spielberg, 2012) 3.5

The Queen of Versailles (Greenfield, 2012) 2.5
Repulsive people doing repulsive things in this revealing but aimless doc.

Hyde Park on Hudson (Michell, 2012) 2
Murray and Linney do their very best and almost (but not quite) elevate a confused, unfocused script and amateurish direction.

Wreck-It Ralph (Moore, 2012) 4
Vibrant, colorful, silly and lots of fun.

The Lives of Others (Von Hammersmarck, 2006) 4
One of those that is easy to appreciate but a little more difficult to love; superbly crafted and surprisingly emotional, as well as excellently acted.

http://newempressmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Wreck-It-Ralph-villians-photo-courtesy-Disney.jpg

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2010/10/15/1287133558953/The-Bridge-on-the-River-K-006.jpg

[Brother Blue]

http://s18.postimage.org/ir6h6sh7t/the_master_turkish_poster_color_high_span.jpghttp://s11.postimage.org/c01u0gzwj/b70_15938.jpghttp://s4.postimage.org/ppc2a1dx9/Midnight_Run_Poster.jpg


The Master (Anderson, 2012) 5
Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954) 5
Midnight Run (Brest, 1988) 4.5+
Punch-Drunk Love (Anderson, 2002) 4
The Last Boy Scout (Scott, 1991) 3.5
Dazed and Confused (Linklater, 1993) 3.5
Live Free or Die Hard (Wiseman, 2007) 1.5

[donniedarko]

My recent watches

Haxan, 1929
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-16-13/photo5_zpsa032cf23.jpg
An incredibly fun horror film from the 20s. It follows mysticism, which craft, and the devil. Broken into seven sections this film always had my attention and awe. 3.5++

Wise Blood, 1979
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-16-13/4bfb11ef-22d5-47fd-a441-bc7a48904ec2_zps703f46fb.jpg
Funny American comedy set in the deep south. Interesting characters and symbolic Easter eggs scattered through out. 3.5

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, 1943
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-16-13/photo4_zps64997e12.jpg
The film looked just amazing, it was color filled and the production design was perfect. The actual story was mediocre but the style alone makes this film worth it. 3+

The Terminal, 2004
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-16-13/d54e2d72-96ad-4023-847a-279c1f8f5659_zps01c26ddd.jpg
A lighthearted Spielberg fllick, while it's fun, the films biggest problem is its lack of focus. 3

Lake of Fire, 2006
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-16-13/7fd60783-82a9-4e30-ade3-68e260d747d5_zpsf5948a73.jpg
A journalistic documentary, while graphic won't change anyone's mind who knows about the subject. Shows both sides, and all social classes, but with the long run time becomes repetitive. 3-

A Canterbury Tale, 1944
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-16-13/photo31_zpsb03ae9c3.jpg
An awful story and terrible attempts at adventure results in a catastrophe of a film. 1.5


Added from The Trial post so that could be added to the reviews section
All my recent watches ranked from worse to best:
Lars and The Real Girl 1
Life During Wartime 2-
Happiness 2
Beasts of The Southern Wild 2.5
Bear (shortfilm) 3-
The Paperman (shortfilm) 3
Hotel Rwanda 3+
Dead Snow 3.5+
Fresh Guacamole (shortfilm) 4--
People Will Talk 4-
(Rewatch) Following 4

[Gabrielle947]

The Man With The Iron Fists (2012) - quite enjoyable,it felt like watching a Rodriguez movie because it's my type of film,however,it's just way too violent and over the top at times. 3

The Other Dream Team (2012) - it's a documentary about Lithuanian Basketball team as well as hardships and repressions which players had to face during the Soviet occupation since they had to play for USSR despite not being Russians.Although it's not a feature film,it is quite dramatical and sad.However,it talks about history and basketball,so if you're not interesting in any of those,I'm not sure you'll like it. 4

Skyfall (2012) - I disliked this film.It's good that it tried to be more emotional and realistic than previous Bond films but I didn't think it succeeded.I also had high hopes for the villain which I disliked a lot,I found him badly written and it's not for Javier Bardem.Anyway,that's just my opinion since besides me,everyone loves this film. 2

Casino Royale (1967) - very mediocre and boring at times,I'll probably never see it again. 2

Tropic Thunder (2008) - not bad but I didn't find it very special or memorable. 2.5

Badlands (1973) - quite good,I'm guessing it was an inspiration for my beloved True Romance and not so loved Natural Born Killers.I rarely fall in love with a film instantly but I wasn't disappointed. 3.5

[mark f]

My Super Ex-Girlfriend (Ivan Reitman, 2006) 3-
Ondine (Neil Jordan, 2009) 2.5
The Perfect Game (William Dear, 2010) 3
The Trouble With Harry (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955) 4
*A Star is Born (William Wellman, 1937) 3
The Prisoner of Zenda (John Cromwell, 1937) 3.5
The Blot (Lois Weber, 1921) 2+
When Ladies Meet (Harry Beaumont, 1933) 2.5
My Lucky Star (Roy Del Ruth, 1938) 2.5
Take Care of My Little Girl (Jean Negulesco, 1951) 2.5
What a Way to Go! (J. Lee Thompson, 1964) 2.5+
The Big Fix (Jeremy Paul Kagan, 1978) 3.5
Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh, 2008) 2.5
*The Champ (King Vidor, 1931) 2.5
Tabloid (Errol Morris, 2010) 3
Mommie Dearest (Frank Perry, 1981) 2.5
*Mrs. Miniver (William Wyler, 1942) 3+
Lassie Come Home (Fred M. Wilcox, 1943) 2.5
On the Town (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1948) 3
*An American in Paris (Vincente Minnelli, 1951) 3.5

[Harry Lime]

meaty, can you explain why you think Blair Witch is better than Heavenly Creatures.
I don't think that can be explained in any rational manner.

[mark f]

For donniedarko - The "Glue Man" in A Canterbury Tale only tried to keep the women from dating soldiers; he wasn't meant to be really dangerous. The manhunt just brings all the characters together since it's rather obvious who the misguided criminal is. It's the parallels to Chaucer and the outcome of the all the characters' pilgrimages that are the heart of A Canterbury Tale. The other things I can say are that I find both it and Colonel Blimp deeply moving and I own both. I'm glad you'll watch more Archers though.

[donniedarko]

But most normal people wouldn't go on a hunt for someone pouring glue on people, and instead look at it as a practical joke. Unless what you're trying to say is its some sort of metaphor and in that case I think they could've found a better one. But it is adapted.

You did say there films are better during repeat viewings though.

[mark f]

It's no metaphor; the Archers wanted to make him troublesome but not scary. It's actually quite humorous, but he has done it several times.

[linespalsy]

It's been a while since I saw A Canterbury Tale but I read the silliness of it as being about the childishness of war while at the same time being the very real backdrop that the audience was faced with at the time. I realize that those films are trying to push a lot of different emotional and intellectual buttons at once, and I'm comfortable with people not all being as effected as much by the same ones, but I find those two to be a couple of the best films of the '40s (although The Red Shoes is even better, and you should also give Black Narcissus and I Know Where I'm Going a try).

I'm also pretty sure that the Archers' "patriotic" wwii dramas (even A Matter of Life or Death) make Mrs. Miniver look like a cartoon PSA.

[mark f]

Did you see Mrs. Miniver?

[linespalsy]

I saw it in my high school media arts class. To be fair that was 15 years ago.

[Tyler1]

http://i.imgur.com/ftPiI.jpg

Safe (1995) - 5

http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/images/film/the-red-and-the-white/w448/the-red-and-the-white.jpg?1333745841

The Red and the White (1967) - 3

Others:

In Vanda's Room (2000) - 2-
Light is Calling (2004) - 4
Everything Will Be Ok (2006) - 2
Contempt (1963) - 2+ [rewatch]
Sweet Smell of Success (1957) - 2.5+ [rewatch]

[linespalsy]

I think this is how I'd rate the ones I've seen from that list:

everything will be ok 3.5
safe 3
sweet smell of success 2.5
contempt 2

[donniedarko]

I'll be the third to give Contempt a 2

[Godoggo]

Make that a fourth. Safe I'd give one less popcorn than Tyler did and one more than Lines.

[mark f]

I think 2.5 is generous for Safe, but I doubt anyone cares.

[Tyler1]

Safe is frightening. Absolutely terrifying, that it crawls under your skin when you begin to ponder over the issues that it has raised - the dissolution of identity and the mortification of the self.

[linespalsy]

Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951) :up: because it's a compelling story about an unethical reporter who creates a giant circus and ruins everything he touches so that he can get ahead and tell a story. It's a little too preachy and melodramatic, but overall pretty good.
All the King's Men (Robert Rossen, 1949) - Another serious drama about small-town politics as a microcosm of America. Clunkier than Ace in the Hole - the big episodes just kind of glued together in a logical-but-not-very-imaginative way; but the tent-pole themes of politics-as-theatre, self-as-performance are nuanced and well-developed.
Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967) - stylish but thin satire of technophilia. :down::up:
Little Caesar (Mervyn Leroy, 1931) - This has held up as a solid classic. I'd have to re-watch The Public Enemy (also 1931), but I'm pretty sure this is far the better movie. Edward G. Robinson puts in a legit star-making performance and there's just a nice story-image flow. The robbery that proceeds by a series of quick dissolves was a favorite on viewing no.1. Who says "music video" editing is a 90s thing?
Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994) - Felt like a bit of a minor classic to me. It's undeniably got a high level of craft. Maybe it's a little too cerebral for me (too soon to decide). I mean, sure, watching Ruiz's Time Regained last weekend, it was a lot of work just keeping track of all Proust's selves throughout the film, but there was never any doubt for me that there were many selves. For whatever it's worth, Red is a gorgeous film, and it certainly held my attention as well as anything else I've seen recently.
Code Two (Fred M. Wilcox, 1953) - Cheesy, slightly homo-erotic propaganda for the Police-force in the first two acts, grizzly crime-thriller in the third. Not worth anyone's going out of their way to see.
Fallen Angels (Wong Kar-wai, 1995) - The amount I enjoy this movie exceeds any reasonable analysis, so who knows? maybe I am one of those so-called "rabid" Wong Kar Wai fans after all. And yes, I know all of the shots seem to last forever, and I like it that way.

[linespalsy]

I forgot to assign the ratings? Here's seven of them, assign them where you think they should go.

0.5
2
2.5
3
3
3.5
5

[Tyler1]

Didn't like Ace In The Hole, Playtime and Red. As for Fallen Angels, my reception to it has warmed on a second viewing. Definitely the most gorgeously choreographed of all Wong Kar Wai's films. I give it a 4 Have you seen The Grandmasters?

[linespalsy]

Glad to hear Fallen Angels has grown on you, it took me a while to get into it too. Still waiting on a U.S. release date for The Grandmasters. I'd like to see it on the big screen if possible, even though I've read mixed reviews.

[meatwadsprite]

meaty, can you explain why you think Blair Witch is better than Heavenly Creatures.

The relationship between the kids and the parents felt so artificial. Pauline was a really uncompelling lead character. The parts with the clay people were goofy, out of place. The only thing I actually liked about the movie was Kate Winslet.

I thought Blair Witch was really effective and aware of it's limitations. It's much more of a sound movie, than a visual one. It leans right into the nervousness of the amateur actors. I think the idea is unique and the craft of it, intriguing.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Blair Witch is a movie that gets better the more you watch it.

[mark f]

I've seen and heard Blair Witch three times now, and I still give it 1.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Hmm. Well, I didn't care for it when I first saw it in '99. Since then, though, it's grown on me. As a scary movie, it's not much, but I bet if it was made today, it would be a lot more horrible.

[honeykid]

Has there been a better "found footage" film than Blair Witch since its release?

[mark f]

Troll Hunter for one. Every fake garbage movie for all the others.

[linespalsy]

Just looked at my "reviews" and realized I forgot to mention one of the things I liked best about Three Colors: Red : the animal actors. The bit when the young judge throws himself down on his bed in despair and his dog immediately jumps into it. Might have been the most "natural" moment in the whole movie. Come to think about it there was some pretty interesting use of animals in Blue as well. Still need to see White.

[Mingusings]

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): 3_5
Headhunters (2012): 3
Clerks II (2006): 3_5
Wreck-It Ralph (2012): 4
Ichi the Killer (2001): 3
The Turin Horse (2012): Couldn't finish it, so I won't give it a rating. I don't think there was a plot.

[Mr Minio]

The Turin Horse is a Nietzschan nihilism in a nutshell.

[Monkeypunch]

Skyfall - This was fantastic. Daniel Craig has really grown on me as James Bond, and this is his best one. Smartly written, character driven while not skimping on the action. Javier Bardiem is a really unsettling bad guy here, and kudos to him for being able to play such a horrible person with such...oomph. Plus I love that Bond is revealed to be a Scot. My people own him now. haha.

[meatwadsprite]

but I bet if it was made today, it would be a lot more horrible.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ8eXyC1WO-gRyTl_iZigNZ0VtJgTJgAouXPl-4StNKL3NcJZ3O0w

Well this is almost six years old now, but I'm pretty sure they keep rehashing it up every year or so. Feels very much like Hollywood's late answer to the Blair Witch. There are some actual effects and stuff going on, in contrast to Blair Witch's extreme minimalism. But the scares are very telegraphed and it's got the conventional jackass with a horror movie deathwish playing the lead.

I was genuinely gripped in a few of the extended sequences, but towards the end it abandons the creepy surreal atmosphere of a good horror flick and dives right into the completely absurd stupidity of the bad ones.

Probably the best bit is the unintentionally hilarious scene where the Ghost Professor refuses to come in their house and just completely abandons them.

2.5

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT3ACY8O6IIJD4QmO-fXhJRjRJZZHerBlnjTLjwy7V0_-FQ0HAF 1.5 https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ7QPfCbM8fOcqyXbRzIXfCL3DeFeG3qes1V2lW3RbkMX54gvWOPw 3

[TokeZa]

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTYyNjI5NDM3OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwOTQ3NjE5._V1_SX214_.jpg
The Killers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038669/?ref_=sr_1) (1946) by Robert Siodmak 3.5

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTYyOTI0MTkzOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5ODM4OA@@._V1_SX214_.jpg
Manhunter (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091474/?ref_=sr_1) (1986) by Michael Mann 3.5

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTgxNzY3MzUxOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDA0NjMyNA@@._V1_SX214_.jpg
Fargo (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116282/?ref_=sr_1) (1996) by Joel Coen 4

[mark f]

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (Stanley Donen, 1954) 3.5
The Last Samurai (Edward Zwick, 2003) 3.5
*Ben-Hur (William Wyler, 1959) 4
North By Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959) 4
*Quo Vadis (Mervyn LeRoy, 1951) 3.5
The Bad and the Beautiful (Vincente Minnelli, 1952) 3+
*Father of the Bride (Vincente Minnelli, 1950) 3+
Brother John (James Goldstone, 1971) 2+
*Doctor Zhivago (David Lean, 1965) 3.5
Blowup (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966) 3.5
Sabrina (Sydney Pollack, 1995) 3
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (Frank Tashlin, 1957) 2.5
From Russia With Love (Terence Young, 1963) 4-
Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964) 4-
Year of the Dog (Mike White, 2007) 2.5
Poltergeist (Tobe Hooper, 1982) 4+
Victor/Victoria (Blake Edwards, 1982) 3.5+
The Wind and the Lion (John Milius, 1975) 3.5
The Champ (Franco Zeffirelli, 1979) 3
Looking For Eric (Ken Loach, 2009) 2.5
The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke, 2001) 2.5

[donniedarko]

+rep for North by Northwest and Poltergiest.

I didn't like Sabrina or The Piano Teacher

[donniedarko]

Other than the few Dreyer films I've watched (which ill update on during the weekend) here's what I've been watching.

Safety Not Guarunteed, 2012
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/1D782103-32CD-4D52-9F30-487301DEE31D-3822-000002B4DFE53B23_zpsab81b47e.jpg
A fun and genuine rom com, not really a sci-fi at all. Delightful characters and always felt sweet. Also big :up: for that babe Aubrey Plaza 3.5

Komeda, Komeda (2012)
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/EC4E8829-E267-4940-BCA4-9FEFCA434B06-3193-00000250B99E7973_zps5c7f07df.jpg
While the documentary about the composer who worked with Roman Polanski has a neat style, over all it's sloppy and not always neccesary. 2.5-

The Stunt Man, 1980
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/FB060312-5A3D-4397-A40A-E4EB6B899069-2784-0000020C84D4B947_zpsd17fb212.jpg
I feel like my rating doesn't fully justify the film, this was a rather boring movie. Not much on entertainment, it has good dialogue and a Wondeful ending though. 2

Stardust Memories, 1980
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/762BB6BB-95D1-4C66-85F4-3E467AA63FCE-2784-0000020BFA3F9C9D_zpsc9a0640f.jpg
The worse Woody Allen film I've ever seen. Awful romance in the story, and just a few chuckles. Also I think Manhattan was sufficient for the B&W. 2-

The Element of Crime, 1987
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/DD71ACC9-2460-4DA2-ACCD-2C5B1F6A5142-2784-0000020BF9468F4D_zps0e76ffe1.jpg
Another film that's my least favorite of the directors, this time Lars Von Trier. Despite having a cool layout and an intriguing story this film is 0 on substance.
2-

[mark f]

I love The Stunt Man, and Woody Allen has directed six B&W films. :)

[donniedarko]

I can only recall three of the top of my head and that's Zelig, Manhattan, and Stardust memories. I couldn't find the others off a google search, but I do like the first two I listed.

I can see why people like The Stuntman, but it wasn't my style.

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck x]

The Innocents 4

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EW0vtq50eIk/TnTjySaYDUI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/Y9cXE0Prxew/s1600/The%2BInnocents%2B3.jpg (http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=the+innocents&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=Ht8M_eRqmLhv8M&tbnid=Fdkn_WctpqTyrM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcranesareflying1.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F09%2Finnocents.html&ei=Eh8kUdiBCMLXswaRyoFg&bvm=bv.42661473,d.bGE&psig=AFQjCNHSecYItyTB5rz18QG8QgR3p0TV_w&ust=1361408137889633)

"But above anything else, I love the children."

Deborah Kerr stars in this adaptation of Henry James' most famous work, the novella The Turn of The Screw. It's frequently been cited as being a classic ghost story, which it is, but it's really a tale of Freudian sexual repression.

Kerr is a governess who's charged with two angelic children, Flora (Pamela Franklin) and Miles (Martin Stephens). But there's something odd about them- could they be possessed by the old governess and her lover?

The brilliant cinematography means that it holds up much better than you'd expect. The actors are all top-notch. Deborah Kerr does prim and sexually repressed like no other actress. Acting honours however go to Martin Stephens, who gives such a sinisterly adult portrayal of Miles that it's like watching a little man. He also does very well in a shocking scene that would have troubled the censors today, let alone back then.

The film starts off very creepily, with the singing of children- a song that will become significant later in the film- and ends very creepily. The film is much more than a ghost story, which is what makes it retain its power over 50 years later. Highly recommended to fans of the Bronte sisters as well, or anyone studying Victorian literature.

[Godoggo]

[QUOTE=donniedarko;880173]Other than the few Dreyer films I've watched (which ill update on during the weekend) here's what I've been watching.

Safety Not Guarunteed, 2012
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/1D782103-32CD-4D52-9F30-487301DEE31D-3822-000002B4DFE53B23_zpsab81b47e.jpg
A fun and genuine rom com, not really a sci-fi at all. Delightful characters and always felt sweet. Also big :up: for that babe Aubrey Plaza 3.5[\Quote]

I think I would give it that rating too, Donnie. I'm going to buy it and I don't ever buy movies unless it's something I know I will watch multiple times. Aubrey Plaza is wonderful . Too bad I don't really like Parks and Recreation, but I adore her.

[mark f]

I can only recall three of the top of my head and that's Zelig, Manhattan, and Stardust memories. I couldn't find the others off a google search, but I do like the first two I listed.
The other three are Broadway Danny Rose, Shadows and Fog and Celebrity.

The Innocents 4
The film starts off very creepily, with the singing of children- a song that will become significant later in the film- and ends very creepily. The film is much more than a ghost story, which is what makes it retain its power over 50 years later. Highly recommended to fans of the Bronte sisters as well, or anyone studying Victorian literature.

And anybody who's suffering constipation because it'll scare the crap out of you.

[TheUsualSuspect]

Side By Side 2012

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzBODj9iSHiio6iDoNh5KYtQKMhTDDYQiFTSTVfdCogbPnpuRDeQ


Side By Side is a documentary that looks at the evolution of digital filmmaking and the possible death of photochemical film processing. Which directors are behind which format, why and what the future possible holds for movies.

I was immediately interested in this film when I saw the trailer awhile back and now that I finally got the chance to see it, I can safely say that this film takes an objective view from those who use the tools at the film versus digital debate. Keanue Reeves (who knew right?) asks filmmakers such as George Lucas, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher and Steven Soderberg, among others, about their views on film and digital. As well as those who are responsible for the look of the film, the cinematographers.

The film seems to have the filmmakers take sides with which format they would like to use. You have obvious advocates of digital filmmaking from George Lucas, who after shooting Attack of the Clones on digital said he will never shoot film again, and James Cameron, who is always pushing the boundaries of technology. Then on the flip side you have those who love the purity of film, such as Christopher Nolan, who even goes a step beyond 35 mm film and digital and shoots parts of his films on IMAX and his trusted cinematographer Wally Pfister. Both sides put up great arguments for and against the medium, but I think the answer here isn't one or the other, its what medium best serves the story.

It's interesting hearing the process of making a movie on film versus digital and how it affects every aspect of the production line. Some people love the speedy and constant shooting of digital, Fincher does take after take after take. Shooting on digital gives him the ease of this, much to the disdain of some actors, like Robert Downey Jr who need the luxury of a rest between takes. A luxury that shooting on traditional film is able to give those actors and the crew time to readjust. Is the endless availability of footage a good thing or a bad thing? When you hear film going through that camera, you hear money ticking away, so everyone has to be on their A-game, you have to work as if every shot must count. Digital would give you a more relaxed environment, maybe too relaxed?

This film looks at those sides of the arguments, presents them to the viewer from the director from their own experience. It's interesting to see how someone has used one format, but then quickly changes and adopts the other, people like Robert Rodriguez who jumped ship after Kucas did Clones, with Once Upon A Time In Mexico. This gave him the ability to shoot Sin City, a feat that he claims would not be possible on film.

What this film did lack though, was enough in the corner of film. It felt like it was Nolan and Pfister on their own with Scorsese kind of jumping back and forth. The film needed the voice of Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and Steven Spielberg to give film the "star power" that it needed, cause it seemed to get beat up by Lucas, Cameron and even David Lynch of all people.

Side By Side is a fascinating look inside the world of filmmaking, a brief history and a glimpse into the future. Is digital on par with film? People would argue yes, many would say no. Lucas is making the point that film is as good as it is ever going to be, so why not try to push digital beyond that. Peter Jackson's The Hobbit was shot at 48 frames to give it a better look and people hated it. So what's the answer here? Trust something we've used for the past hundred years? Or look and push for something new? Like I said earlier, these two format need to be available to everyone. Film cannot die, the more tools available to us, the better the film will be.

4

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck x]

Crash (1996) 3_5 (4 as a piece of film history)

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRQv3n1XPw71IGL4E3J62tlNUpZ5lhsy3Rzo80jTmQAhEMSR62U

"The car crash is a fertilizing rather than a destructive event."

Crash was actually banned in parts of London. The trailer basically sold the film as "sex and car crashes"- two things audiences like in films. Except they don't like them put together. This is quite a glib statement on what is a genuine film, but the film does suffer because of this.

Based on the controversial J.G Ballard novel, James Ballard (James Spader) is a film producer whose wife (Deborah Kara Unger) has a fetish for vehicles. When he is involved in a car crash himself, at the point of collision, Holly (the woman in the passenger seat) bares one of her breasts to him. The two descend into a world of underground fetishism led by Vaughan (Elias Kotaes), who runs a sinister show where stunt drivers re-enact famous car crashes for entertainment. The style of the film is surreal and dystopian but the setting is contemporary, which really disturbed people.

What makes the film so sinisters is that those fetishists could be anyone. The fetishists are all dressed in weird outfits, distancing themselves from us, but really we are like James. There's always shows on TV about "worst ever car crashes" and car adverts are practially pornography themselves. They sell you the car as if it was a woman or a man, drooling over leather seats, mileage and nifty gadgets. People even go so far as naming their cars. So really, the premise is not simply the crazy shock the trailer tries to sell it as. It's a critique of society's obsession with machines and the loveless thrills people get from it.

The film's main problem is that its premise is so extreme that this plot suffers a little. The actors are all very good and don't shy away from the material (particularly where there's nudity involved, as there is in Unger's case. I suppose the main pull is wondering how far these characters will take their fetish but it's a tough time sitting through desparately unpleasant sex scenes done to one of the most sinister cold soundtracks you will ever hear. (though to be fair, the one between James and Vaughan is quite hot, and a later lesbian one has some sort of feeling)

To be fair, behind the fetish is the characters' attempts to come to terms with the car crashes they have been in, and so one can see it as a study of grief in that respect- apart from the psychotic Vaughan and his "benevolent psychopathy". As the only character who really promotes the link between sex and car crashes, he is clearly a lunatic so there's no danger of your average citizen thinking that there is a valid link between the two.

I don't mind the film's coldness- how could a film about people getting off on car crashes be anything else?- but your mileage depends on how willing you are to stomach the characters' descent into depravity. The descent is quite shocking and gripping and the ending is very touching and fitting, but there's no pay off, which is very true to the situation.

As for the amount of sex in it, there is female full-frontal nudity. Well, there's nudity from all the characters but more so from the women, which probably didn't help the film's reputation. The scenes are important in that however and whoever the characters have sex with, they can never emotionally connect and the only pleasure they can derive is the sexual one that the fetish gives them. Ultimately the fetish is a cold compulsion rather than a pleasurable obsession. Like any addiction, it is cold and all-consuming.

However it would have been nice to explore the plot a little deeper rather than Cronenberg feeling obliged to put so many sex scenes in there.

It's worth a watch, because despite its flaws, it ends up being a uniquely chilling horrific film rather than a mere shock porno.

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck x]

Disgrace 3

http://www.screenfanatic.com/images/disgrace21.jpg (http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=disgrace+film&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=wog-yE21aPzYCM&tbnid=7qQkhJvpaoA6SM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.screenfanatic.com%2Fdisgrace-film-review%2F&ei=DlMlUeGPGfG10QWv0oCQDw&bvm=bv.42661473,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNEUEEUmEFBMnAUP3zYkvajkFOSnBQ&ust=1361486985096878)

"It's not finished. It will go on long after I'm dead and you're dead."


Another tough watch here. Set in post-apartheid South Africa, John Malkovich plays David Lurie, a middle-aged lecturer at Cape Town University who takes advantage of a female student. He pleads guilty and is fired. Disgraced, he goes to the rural parts of the country to visit his daughter Lucy (Jessica Haines), who has recently split from her girlfriend. After Lucy is viciously attacked by three youths, David is forced to question his own actions and tries to heal his daughter's wounds as he heals his own.

What's refreshing about this film is that Lucy's lesbianism does not become a plot point. David has accepted her sexuality, redeeming him a bit from his opening actions.

Haines and Malkovich are very strong in the lead roles, and the supporting cast is good also. Malkovich just about retains a South African accent as well- better than Meryl Streep's "Eh hed a fim in Ehfreeka" accent in Out of Africa anyway.

Like I said, it's a tough watch- not purely because of the rape. If you're an animal lover, there's a lot of moments where you might want to look away. The moments fit with the film; it's just that it's horrible to watch.

Putting that aside, it says some interesting things politically about South Africa- maybe not new things but then there aren't that many films set in South Africa so it's interesting to see the landscape.

You will know if this film is your thing and even if it isn't necessarily your thing, it's well-acted and interesting to watch.

[Iroquois]

Les Misérables (Bille August, 1998) - 2.5

Non-musical adaptation of the novel that stars Liam Neeson as Valjean and Geoffrey Rush as Javert. Competently made and the two leads are good, but something about it just feels empty. It was probably seeing it too soon after the recent musical version that made it feel flat.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Peter Jackson, 2012) - 3

It's The Hobbit. I really don't know what else to say, other than it's a bit uneven and I don't really feel like watching it again.

The Harder They Come (Perry Henzell, 1972) - 2.5

Jamaican cult classic from the Seventies starring Jimmy Cliff as a country boy who comes to the big city and does stuff like record a hit reggae song and become a violent criminal. Sure, it's got a reputation as a popular midnight movie and its soundtrack is one of the most significant releases in the reggae canon, but as a film this is a pretty stock-standard rise-and-fall exploitation film with little to recommend about it past its soundtrack.

Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino, 2012) - 3.5

I don't know, after the gamble that was Inglourious Basterds it looks like Tarantino's gone and done something safe with this slightly more straightforward Western-only-it's-in-the-South-not-the-West. Funny enough in parts and decently made, but the quality of acting see-saws quite a bit and then there's the fact that after a certain point you're just waiting for it to get to the climax and end.

Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976) - 4

Highly recommended satire about the ins and outs of the exploitational side of television beginning when outgoing newscaster Howard Beale (Peter Finch) becomes a sensation due to his increasingly crazed on-air ramblings. Great performances from a solid cast, although like Altered States (another movie penned by Paddy Chayefsky) it guarantees that EVERY CHARACTER IS GOING TO SHOUT AT SOME POINT AND IT WILL SEEM KIND OF RIDICULOUS. Other than that, it's pretty good.

A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas (Todd Strass-Schulson, 2011) - 2.5

The third Harold and Kumar movie that sees the titular duo being forced back together to search for a Christmas tree and getting into all kinds of madcap misadventures along the way. Most of the new supporting characters are irritating (with the obvious exception of Danny Trejo being Danny Trejo) and the gags aren't as funny this time around (especially the 3D ones that become really pointless when you're watching them on a 2D screen like I did). All in all, definitely the worst of the trilogy and probably deserving of a lower rating.

Fiddler on the Roof (Norman Jewison, 1971) - 3

Classic musical about Russian Jews at the turn of the 20th century. Well-photographed and played brilliantly, but at three hours it's a bit too long.

[Miss Vicky]

Other than the few Dreyer films I've watched (which ill update on during the weekend) here's what I've been watching.

Safety Not Guarunteed, 2012
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/1D782103-32CD-4D52-9F30-487301DEE31D-3822-000002B4DFE53B23_zpsab81b47e.jpg
A fun and genuine rom com, not really a sci-fi at all. Delightful characters and always felt sweet. Also big :up: for that babe Aubrey Plaza 3.5

I think I would give it that rating too, Donnie. I'm going to buy it and I don't ever buy movies unless it's something I know I will watch multiple times. Aubrey Plaza is wonderful . Too bad I don't really like Parks and Recreation, but I adore her.

I just watched this movie as well and I'll third the 3.5. Sweet little flick. I may need to add to to my collection too.

[linespalsy]

Looney Tunes short ratings (and rankings):

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

3.5 or higher (awesome):

The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
Book Revue
Back Alley Oproar
Stage Door Cartoon - Wojciech Has eat your heart out.
A Corny Concerto - Looney Tunes 'Fantasia'.
Rhapsody Rabbit - Bugs Bunny does Liszt.

3 (good):

You Ought to Be in Pictures
Little Beau Porky - A good example of Frank Tashlin's obsession with live-action film technique ("that was like the poor man's Ufa." ~ Tashlin)
Roman Legion-Hare - I love it when Bugs throws the lions a box of saws...
I Love to Singa
What's Opera, Doc?
Now That Summer Is Gone - The palette of these early color cartoons is practically surreal, like the animators felt like 'kids in a candy store.'
Have You Got Any Castles? - one of the better "books-come-alive" cartoons. (Cf. Book Revue)
Hurdy-Gurdy Hare
Porky the Fireman

2.5 (worth seeing if you've got extra time):

The Case of the Stuttering Pig
Porky in the North Woods
I Got Plenty of Mutton
Plane Daffy
The Stupid Cupid
The Hep Cat
One Froggy Evening
Bunny Hugged
Bugs Bunny Rides Again
Gorilla My Dreams

2 (has a couple of good moments):

Booby Hatched
Rabbit Hood
Sahara Hare
Show Biz Bugs
You're an Education
Rabbit Romeo
Broom-Stick Bunny
Cracked Ice
Barbary Coast Bunny
Mississippi Hare
The Grey Hounded Hare
8-Ball Bunny
Porky's Poultry Plant
Hollywood Steps Out
Knighty Knight Bugs
Three Little Bops

1.5 (if you really feel like wasting your time...):
To Hare Is Human
Forward March Hare
Southern Fried Rabbit
Porky's Railroad
Little Pancho Vanilla
Puss n' Booty
Knight-mare Hare

1 or less (yuck):

Tabasco Road
Orange Blossoms For Violet
So Much for So Little

[TokeZa]

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNDYzNjgyMDc2Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDAxODAyMQ@@._V1_SY317_CR4,0,214,317_.jpg
Little Otik (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0228687/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (2000) by Jan Svankmajer 3.5

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTU1Njg2ODQxMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTkzMzUxMQ@@._V1_SX214_.jpg
Eraserhead (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074486/?ref_=sr_1) (1977) by David Lynch 4.5

[JayDee]

Nice stuff lines, something a bit different. :up: Always loved the Looney Tunes and you've watched a few greats there, including one of my absolute favourites - The Great Piggy Bank Robbery

[donniedarko]

I now want to watch my Looney Tunes discs. The only one I really recall is the singing frog, that's a great one.

[Skepsis93]

Kinsey (Bill Condon, 2004) 4
Very deeply nuanced, commenting on the dynamic between humanity and nature and our self-inflicted separation from it, and also superbly acted, including a surprisingly complex turn from Liam Neeson.

My Left Foot (Jim Sheridan, 1989) 3.5
Puts all focus on a monumental turn from Daniel Day-Lewis, leaving the background story largely generic. But still enjoyable.

Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996) 4-
Didn't go where I expected it to. Enjoyable, but I preferred the first half to the second.

Great Expectations (David Lean, 1946) 3
Fell disappointingly flat for me, although I did like the horror elements Lean threw in, which I'm assuming weren't apparent in the book. I read some of it in school but didn't finish, so correct me if I'm wrong.

The Squid and the Whale* (Noah Baumbach, 2005) 4
Liked this better the second time round. So darkly funny it almost isn't. Wonderfully weird, touching and insightful.

The English Patient (Anthony Minghella, 1996) 2.5
Too long, too melodramatic. Nice to look at but not a whole lot else.

http://www.offoffoff.com/film/2004/images/kinsey.jpg

http://i2.listal.com/image/1171745/600full-the-squid-and-the-whale-screenshot.jpg

[donniedarko]

I'd agree with you about the first half being better than the second in Trainspotting but I gave it a much different rating. Mine was 2.5- and looking back its generous. And ya English Patient was dry, I'd give it half a star lower than you.

[linespalsy]

Nice stuff lines, something a bit different. :up: Always loved the Looney Tunes and you've watched a few greats there, including one of my absolute favourites - The Great Piggy Bank Robbery

Thanks. The University I work at has like 16 dvds worth of that stuff so I've just been periodically going through all of them - some for the first time since I was a kid, some for the first time ever. (The Great Piggy Bank Robbery is in the former camp, what a great cartoon. I wonder if that's where Ren and Stimpy got that trope of the super-detailed still close-up that it used to such gross effect.)

[Skepsis93]

I'd agree with you about the first half being better than the second in Trainspotting but I gave it a much different rating. Mine was 2.5-

What didn't you like about it?

[donniedarko]

I felt like it never really crossed the line it seemed to be edging at. I was never and let alone impressed. I had a few laughs with the baby, but during the second Half I didn't enjoy anything. But watch The Acid house, it's Trainspotting on meth.

[mark f]

* Oscar nominee Best Picture

*The Racket (Lewis Milestone, 1928) 2
*Wings (William A. Wellman, 1927) 3.5
*The Love Parade (Ernst Lubitsch, 1929) 2.5
Stage Door Canteen (Frank Borzage, 1943) 2.5
This Is Cinerama (Merian C. Cooper, Gunther von Fritsch, 1952) 3 (in Cinerama)
*How the West Was Won (John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall, 1962) 3 (in Cinerama)
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (Henry Levin, George Pal, 1962) 2.5 (in Cinerama)
*Hold Back the Dawn (Mitchell Leisen, 1941) 3.5
*Going My Way (Leo McCarey, 1944) 3
The Black Rose (Henry Hathaway, 1950) 3
Blockade (William Dieterle, 1938) 2+
Vogues of 1938 (Irving Cummings, 1938) 2.5
Spaceflight IC-1: An Adventure in Space (Bernard Knowles, 1965) 1+
The Lost World (Irwin Allen, 1960) 2-
Tulsa (Stuart Heisler, 1949) 2.5+
Lords of Dogtown (Catherine Hardwicke, 2005) 2.5
Ali (Michael Mann, 2001) 3+
Sea Wife (Bob McNaughton, 1957) 2
Holiday (George Cukor, 1938) 3+
Theodora Goes Wild (Richard Boleslawski, 1936) 2.5+
The Final Curtain (Peter Harkins, 2002) 3
Faster (George Tillman, Jr., 2010) 2.5+
*My Left Foot (Jim Sheridan, 1989) 3

[honeykid]

Are you watching a lot of movies channels, mark, or are you just watching a lot of Oscar nominated/winners?

[mark f]

All the nominees I watched on Turner Classic Movies in February. They're showing 31 days of only films which received some Oscar nomination. They actually start that on my birthday every year.

[Guaporense]

The Death of Mr Lazarescu - 4

Au Hasard Balthazar - 4_5

Panda Kopanda - 4

Ugetsu - 5

Breaking the Waves - 4_5

Kiki's Delivery Service - 5

Valhalla Rising - 3_5

Battles Without Honor or Humanity - 4

I rated everything highly because I don't have the habit of watching bad movies lately.

[Brother Blue]

What I've watched over the past week:

Wreck-It Ralph (Moore, 2012) 3
The Atomic Cafe (Loader, Rafferty & Rafferty, 1982) 4.5
Ghostbusters (Reitman, 1984) 5
Die Hard 2 (Harlin, 1990) 2.5
Z (Garvas, 1969) 4.5
Simon of the Desert (Buñuel, 1965) 3
Amour (Haneke, 2012) 4.5
Minority Report (Speilberg, 2002) 4
Last Year at Marienbad (Resnais, 1961) 5
U-Turn (Stone, 1997) 3
Winter Soldier (Winterfilm Collective, 1972) 4
McBain (Glickenhaus, 1991) 1
Two-Lane Blacktop (Hellman, 1971) 4
Shock Corridor (Fuller, 1963) 3.5

[Daniel M]

Les Miserables (Tom Hooper, 2012) 3.5

Seen it twice, enjoyed it much more the first time and I think it is definitely one of those films that people will either very much enjoy or hate. The first time I did not mind the constant singing and actually enjoyed it a lot, the second time the constant close ups and 'look at me' scenes (Hathaway) are more evident, although I still liked it, I found myself with a lot more respect for Hugh Jackman after watching this.

Mad Max (George Miller, 1979) 3.5

This was on Sci-Fi channel so decided to give it a watch, and I thought it started off really well. Set in the Australian outback, we are immediately introduced to a bizarre world, and I really love the gritty feel, camera work and odd characters, it even reminded me a bit of A Clockwork Orange. Unfortunately though I thought it really lagged in the middle, and for this I blame the synopsis/IMDB Info/Description on Sky etc. I won't write much for those who watch it without knowing anything, but those who know what I'm talking about will understand what I mean, with everything really occurring in the last 15/20 minutes.

Life of Pi (Ang Lee, 2012) 4.5

I was not sure whether I was going to like this or not, although I am a big sucker for 'cute stories' I will admit. I absolutely loved this though, I'm a fan of Ang Lee and thought this film was great, not only is it fantastic from a technical/visual perspective but I also enjoyed the story and message within the film.

Wreck-It Ralph (Rich Moore, 2012) 3

Started off strong, I liked all the old gaming character stuff and initial premise, but then once Ralph gets to that pink world it really lost most of my interest as it reverted to typical children film formula.

Die Hard 4.0 (Len Wiseman, 2007) 2.5

You might think this is strange but this is only the second Die Hard film I've seen after the first, which I loved, but I thought in comparison this was really poor. Being set moving around didn't help, and the villains weren't that interesting for me, didn't feel like Bruce Willis' character had anything to really gain or prove like he did in the first, decent as an action film in parts, will try and watch the others in the series soon.

Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet, 1975) 4.5

I think this is only my second Lumet film, but I loved it. A fantastic performance by Al Pacino, but that is not the only great thing about this film. It is similar to 12 Angry Men in the fact that it is largely set in one room, and what is great about this film is that it is nothing like your typical bank robbery film but instead focusses on humans, paying respects to its characters, their lives, motives etc. It deals with homosexuality very well, I read about Al Pacino telling Lumet to allow him and Leon's relationship purely over the phone, which works really well.

The Avengers (Joss Whedon, 2012) 3.5

Exactly what I expected it to be, typical super hero action fun that you would expect. Nothing amazing for me, I enjoyed Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. in particular, but I wasn't too keen on the Loki/Alien thing.

[Gabrielle947]

The Fifth Element - this is probably the first sci-fi film for me which I didn't find boring(I'm not a fan of the genre).I really enjoyed it,that makes 3/3 films directed by Luc Besson which I liked.This one will probably grow on me even more. 4

Rain Man - I'll just say that the more films I watch,the more I dislike films about mental ilnesses.I liked the acting performances but the content I found mediocre.2.5

Burn After Reading - I love it,it's been my favorite for quite a while. 5

The Pianist - this film was very popular when I was younger but I never saw it then.Now I found it boring at times but,to be honest,all the films which I've seen from Polanski had some boring moments for me despite their craftsmanship. 2.5

[donniedarko]

Day of Wrath, 1943
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/15141629-8A14-496F-884E-A6DB0BF5D39C-2784-0000020C8461BC44_zps568f4ecc.jpg
4.5-
Review from Self Challenge Thread:
"Day of Wrath is an amazing Carl Th. Dreyer drama, and is my favorite film set in the medieval ages. The film is centered around two scandals, a cover up and a love affair. Both weigh equal value to the film just at different times. I think the greatest part of this film, despite being from the 1940s and set in the 1600s, is that I strongly relate to the family in it. Not a character, or even the situation, but I felt like I had something to share with all four of the family members. I felt all of there emotions, even the seemingly heartless ones. It's brilliantly filmed, and is technically flawless. Filled with depth and marvelous technique, this is undeniably a classic."

Cube, 1997
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/90D7E5E1-686C-43ED-9938-A4177646133B-1373-000000BA922BF99B_zps641b7d7c.jpg
3.5
Intense for a low budget sci-fi. The acting was god awful but it had a strong base to itself, and never got to ridicolous. There were twists until the end but I feel like it didn't answer most of my questions.

Talk Radio, 1989
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/5D66BBD2-28BF-4C4B-A264-821BB3C6DE67-2043-000001CE5E983C1E_zpsf56f1091.jpg
3


Trouble In Paradise, 1932
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/7D686970-149D-4E20-BD77-A6F9981F7C68-2226-0000014588968A76_zps1094e7e2.jpg
3

The Passion of Joan Of Arc, 1928
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/0E58CF8D-AE78-44BE-B6F7-C5470320FFC0-1981-0000011B80725BF6_zps359c9a7b.jpg
2.5

Vampyr, 1932
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%202-23-13/2E2D45E2-D89E-4EC2-939A-FD1CEBACEEA6-3822-000002B4DF40EDC4_zpsab144fa9.jpg
2.5--

[Thursday Next]

donniedarko - I also loved Day of Wrath - I'd be interested to know why you didn't rate Vampyr or Passion of Joan of Arc so highly, though.

Films I've been watching recently:

The Wages of Fear 4
Wasn't sure about this to start with but it ended up being surprisingly tense and powerful.

Good Will Hunting 3
Meh.

Les Miserables 3.5+
It's not subtle and it took me a while to get used to them singing everything ("I stole a loaf of bread!"), and character development is very uneven, but on the whole I was very entertained.

Punch-Drunk Love 1.5
Grated on me the whole way through. Self-consciously 'quirky', unpleasant and lacking in charm.

Stuart: A Life Backwards 4
TV film, excellent performances, by times harrowing and funny and very human.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted 2.5
Quite devoid of any sort of logic and short on charm, redeems itself slightly with the ending.

Lincoln 3.5
It's all very well made and absorbing but it's not very exciting.

La Gloire de Mon Pere 4
A bit chocolate-box pretty at times, but generally a nice nostalgic film.

The Birth of a Nation no rating
I don't know how to begin rating this. It's the sort of film you only really watch as a historical curio. I don't know enough about the history of film-making to know whether this film really invented cross cutting, and technical achievement is the only sort of value I can see in it. The first section works well enough as a piece of propaganda but the second section contains such appalling racism I could scarcely believe it. It doesn't succeed as a film because the characters are so dreadful and the 'triumphant' ending in which the Ku Klux Klan intimidate 'blacks and carpetbaggers' away from voting left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Mysterious Skin 3
I've seen this described as a 'marmite' film - people either love it or hate it. Personally, I have no strong feelings either way about marmite, or this. It's not a very nice film. There are big narrative problems, really. At least one of the stars I've given it is for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who could make anything watchable.

Split Second 2.5
Daft B-movie, doesn't make much sense but it's surprisingly entertaining at times. Loses half a star for the rats.

Cloud Atlas 4.5
An epic, stunning film about the best and worst of humanity, about power, corruption, truth and love. It was funny and tragic and exciting and thought-provoking. A few problems, most of which were to do with some odd casting decisions, but it looks absolutely fantastic. I also highly recommend the book.

[donniedarko]

donniedarko - I also loved Day of Wrath - I'd be interested to know why you didn't rate Vampyr or Passion of Joan of Arc so highly, though.
I found them highly technically accomplished, but equally out dated. For Joan of Arc, I always found her story uninteresting (blasphemy!) and Vampyr was hardly Surreal and not at all scary

Mysterious Skin 3
I've seen this described as a 'marmite' film - people either love it or hate it. Personally, I have no strong feelings either way about marmite, or this. It's not a very nice film. There are big narrative problems, really. At least one of the stars I've given it is for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who could make anything watchable.


I can't describe my hate enough for this movie. We all know that pedophilia is damaging I don't see why we need a disgusting film to tell us.

@Brotherblue I found Simon of The Desert a hilarious satire on religion. The goat scene had me :rotfl:
@Gabrielle The Pianist is a movie that effected and touched my emotions like none other has.

[Exist]

Compliance 2012 2
The Road 2011 (Filipino mystery/horror) 3
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 2011 3.5
A Separation 2011 3.5

[Monkeypunch]

200 Motels - Frank Zappa has famously said he has never done drugs. I think this film begs to differ. Funny and unnerving with some great tunes and some annoying ones. Zappa fans only, I would imagine. Thumbs up from me.

[TokeZa]

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTY5ODkzMzMxN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTg2MzEzMQ@@._V1_SY317_CR4,0,214,317_.jpg
Where the Sidewalk Ends (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043132/?ref_=sr_1) (1950) by Otto Preminger 3.5

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTUwMDA2NDUxN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMDg5MjA5._V1_SX214_.jpg
Trough the Olive Trees (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111845/) (1994) by Abbas Kiarostami 4

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTk5MTkzODc4NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTgwNDg3OA@@._V1_SY317_CR12,0,214,317_.jpg
The Shining (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/?ref_=sr_1) (1980) by Stanley Kubrick 5

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BODg2NzUyNzAxOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzUyMzY3NA@@._V1_SX214_.jpg
The Thing with Two Heads (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069372/?ref_=sr_1) (1972) by Lee Frost 2

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTI2OTQwMDY4NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTA3NjYxMQ@@._V1_SY317_CR117,0,214,317_.jpg
Run, Angel, Run! (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064911/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (1969) by Jack Starrett 2.5

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTI3MzAxOTUyM15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzYxNDMyMQ@@._V1_SY317_CR5,0,214,317_.jpg
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102293/?ref_=sr_2) (1991) by Ngai Choi Lam 3.5

[Brodinski]

What I remember from the last 2 or 3 weeks:

The Messenger (2009, Moverman): 3
The American (2010, Corbijn): 4
The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2005, Loach): 3.5+
Django Unchained (2013, Tarantino): 3.5+
Silver Linings Playbook (2013, O. Russell): 3.5

Hmm, this starts off very edgy, but then drifts into more conventional themes and throughout it sort of lacks the courage of its own convictions. Still, this isn't a bad film by any means. It's well-paced, well edited, nicely directed and boasts some good performances. Good to see the raging bull show up again in non-routine mode.

Into the Abyss (2011, Herzog): 3.5+
Haywire (2011, Soderbergh): 3+

Not even sure what this was supposed to be, but it was VERY well shot (and extremely violent, ha).

[Mingusings]

The Raid Redemption (2012): 3_5
Goodfellas (1990): 4_5 (rewatch)
Shoot the Piano Player (1960): 3_5
The Uninvited (2009): 2_5
The Intouchables (2012): 3_5
Audition (1999): 3_5
Gangster Squad (2013): 2_5
Antichrist (2009): 3_5 (rewatch)

[mark f]

* Nominated Oscar Best Picture

Only Angels Have Wings (Howard Hawks, 1939) 2.5
You Were Never Lovelier (William A. Seiter, 1942) 2.5
The Kingdom (Lars von Trier, 1994) 3.5
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (Roy Rowland, 1953) 2.5
Top Gun (Ray Nazarro, 1955) 2
Bell Book and Candle (Richard Quine, 1958) 3
The Woman in Black (James Watkins, 2012) 2.5
Jumper (Doug Liman, 2008) 2
Skyfall (Sam Mendes, 2012) 3.5
The Harder They Fall (Mark Robson, 1956) 3
*The Caine Mutiny (Edward Dmytryk, 1954) 4
Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper, 1969) 4
*The Bridge on the River Kwai (David Lean, 1957) 4
*Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962) 4
*Awakenings (Penny Marshall, 1990) 3.5
Georgy Girl (Silvio Narizzano, 1966) 3.5-
Racing Daylight (Nicole Quinn, 2007) 2
The Pagemaster (Maurice Hunt, Joe Johnston, 1994) 3
Waterworld (Kevin Reynolds, 1995) 3.5

[linespalsy]

Tales from the Vienna Woods (Stephen and Timothy Quay, 1992) - (short rating):2.5
Mr. Thank You (Hiroshi Shimizu, 1936) 2
*Shanghai Blues (Hark Tsui, 1984) 3.5+
The Crimson Pirate (Robert Siodmak, 1952) 3+
*Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray, 1955) 3
Somewhere in the Night (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1946) Overly talky and with tiresome obligatory romantic elements, but still gets a 2.5-
The Missouri Breaks (Arthur Penn, 1976) 3
*The Two-Alarm Fire (Dave Fleischer, 1934) - (short rating): 2.5
Bud Abbot and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (Charles Barton, 1948) - I actually think Abbot and Costello are the weakest part of this. 2.5-
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel (Betty Thomas, 2009) - 'Chipwrecked' is better, but that's not saying much. 0
The Killers (Robert Siodmak, 1946) 3-
Mutiny on the Bounty (Frank Lloyd, 1935) 3.5+
The Wolf Man (George Waggner, 1941) 2.5+
A Good Day to Die Hard (John Moore, 2013) - probably deserves a lower rating but I just can't bring myself to do it. 2.5
The Hare-Brained Hypnotist (Friz Freleng, 1942) - (short rating): 3.5
*Othello (Orson Welles, 1952) 4
The Perils of Pauline (George Marshall, 1947) 3+
*Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (David Lynch, 1992) - David Lynch's 'Glen or Glenda' (not a bad thing in my book). I'm going to try re-watching the series. My favorite part of this movie is the dancing woman in the red dress. 3
Total Recall (Len Wiseman, 2012) 1.5
British Intelligence (Terry O. Morse, 1940) 3+
*Penny Serenade (George Stevens, 1941) 3
Resident Evil: Retribution (Paul W.S. Anderson, 2012) - I give this the same rating as 'The Cabin in the Woods'. 2.5
*No! No! A Thousand Times No!! (Dave Fleischer, 1935) - (short rating): 3.5
*The Skeleton Dance (Ub Iwerks/DISNEY, 1929) - (short rating): 4

[* = re-watch]

[Gabrielle947]

Ikiru (1952) - I like films which give a story and lets the viewer to draw conclusions.This film has no story but draws all the conclusions for you. 2

Stander (2003) - the idea was good,the screenplay seems well-written and the film is interesting but I felt like it could have been directed better. 3.5

3 Idiots (2009) - well,it was entertaining and fun to watch but I think it has basically no cinematic value - mediocre shot,acted,written,very very predictable,way too sentimental and extremely absurd.Also,what's with the language?The characters are saying each sentences in both English and Indian(or whatever was it).Anyway,nothing that would want me to rewatch it. 2

Top Gun (1986) - you know how we got now these cliche romance comedies with pretty actors and extremely predictable plot?Well,Top Gun is exactly like that,only in the 80s.I'm guessing it was very popular in its time.Anyway,I felt funny watching it,it was very predictable and extremely cliche but how can I resist young Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer?They probably brought that aviator sunglasses fashion. :D 3

Dead Poet's Society (1989) and OSS 117: Le Caire, nid d'espions (2006) - rewatching my personal favorites. 5

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck x]

Jane Eyre (1944) 4

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQFjl-zwJ10hnBoGNy_qYLApb2tNDOkn23ZbXzRJ8oT3_TNZdus8w


Despite the second half of the film completely chucking away the novel, this is pretty good adaptation. The film noir staircase and sensibility works well and means that the film actually stands up quite well, even if Bertha is rather poorly done.

To be honest, who actually cares about the actresses who play Jane? Joan Fontaine is completely sidelined; if you want to see Fontaine doing her Jane Eyre thing, Rebecca's the film you've got to watch. She does do a good job though as a calm modest Jane, without looking sour (Charlotte Gainsbourg), flirty (Mia Wasikowska) or dull (Zelah Clarke in the 1983 BBC version, though Timothy Dalton was suitably Byronic as Rochester). Fontaine can do a pretty type of plain and she's very watchable. Perhaps she lacks a little fire but most of Jane's fire appears in the narrative rather than her actions. She's firecely assertive but not sour.

Onto Rochester. I was pretty sceptical about Orson Welles playing a Byronic romantic hero. Previous Rochesters have been on a spectrum from gorgeous (Dalton) to hunky (Michael Fassbender/Toby Stephens) to gruff but not unattractive (William Hurt). This is at odds with the book- Rochester's not meant to be attractive. He's meant to be swarthy and grumpy looking, old enough to be Jane's father. Yet he has to give off a certain Byronic appeal and I wasn't sure whether Welles could pull it off.

I loved his performance. Yes, you'll need the subtitles whenever he speaks but he's a typical Charlotte Bronte man: swarthy and wild. Despite previous Rochesters being attractive, I didn't find myself attracted to them in the role. They were too conventional, not tortured enough. As soon as Welles appears, he clearly has skeletons in his closet and Jane is a pleasant distraction.

Surprisingly for a 1940's film, it's pretty raunchy. Rochester's raunchy background is not bowdlerised or tamed and ooh, the Freudian imagery! Other adaptations have played the bit where Rochester falls off his horse as realism. Here, it's a raging Freudian symbol as the big black horse emerges from some clouds and rears up. Rochester can later be seen smoking a cigar. My favourite Freudian moment has to be this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anFA0TDE7WI . I've never thought of the phrase "hard as India rubber" being interpreted in quite that way! Welles is just seething with virility throughout; he permenantly looks like he's going to jump Jane.

I gave the film 4 stars for the great film noir moments- Helen's death scene is filmed and played in a particularly disturbing way- but as an adaptation, I should probably tell it off for being naughty. St. John and his family are dispensed with completely in the narrative and things are all a little rushed after a promising beginning. Still, it's a fun watch and one of the better Jane Eyres. The child actresses are all pretty good as well, including a young Elizabeth Taylor.

[mark f]

* Oscar-Noninated Best Picture

Simon Birch (Mark Steven Johnson, 1998) 3.5-
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977) 4.5
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Robert Zemeckis, 1988) 4
*Dead Poets Society (Peter Weir, 1989) 3.5
Good Morning, Vietnam (Barry Levinson, 1987) 3.5
Captain Fury (Hal Roach, 1939) 2+
The Flim-Flam Man (Irvin Kershner, 1967) 4-
There Goes My Heart (Norman Z. McLeod, 1938) 2+
Merrily We Live (Norman Z. McLeod, 1938) 2.5
Topper (Norman Z. McLeod, 1937) 3
Topper Takes a Trip (Norman Z. McLeod, 1938) 2.5
Topper Returns (Roy Del Ruth, 1941) 2.5
*Dodsworth (William Wyler, 1936) 3.5
Ball of Fire (Howard Hawks, 1941) 3
The Westerner (William Wyler, 1940) 3.5
Jungle Book (Zoltan Korda, 1942) 3
Lydia (Julien Duvivier, 1941) 2.5
One Man’s Hero (Lance Hool, 1999) 2.5-
The Four Feathers (Zoltan Korda, 1939) 3
The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949) 4-
The Fallen Idol (Carol Reed, 1948) 3.5
*The Private Life of Henry VIII (Alexander Korda, 1933) 3.5

[Daniel M]

Hotel Transylvania (Genndy Tartakovsky, 2012) 2.5

Decent animation that is by no means bad, but I definitely think this is one of those animations that children will enjoy far more than those who are older. Adam Sandler applies his comedic style to this film which makes for some cute and funny moments with a decent story which makes it watchable, but I did not find it particularly great or funny myself.

The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, 2006) 3

This is a film which I might try and watch again sometime soon, although its flaws are quite clear for me. The film spends so much time attempting to come across as something grand, sleak and stylish, with a mixture of darkness and class that make for a mysterious thriller, that what is at the centre of it is all a bit of a mess. Whilst the personal dual between Jackman and Bale's characters is interesting, there are just so many plot points that just seem stuck in to the film to make it work. Michael Caine's character outlines how a trick is made and how it can be divided into three parts. This film can be seen very much like a trick, it looks stylish and cool, and the first two acts are certainly enjoyable, but when it comes to the third act, The Prestige, where we want to be amazed, we are not with the a series of convenient details emerging to make for a neat ending.

The Cabin in the Woods (Drew Goddard, 2012) 3.5

Whilst not spectacular, this film makes for enjoyable viewing and I thought it was a very good and original effort in its genre of choice. Paying homage and giving a unique spin to the slasher/horror genre, this film is extremely strange, but also very funny in the way it mixes ancient/mythical elements with modern scientific age elements. I actually found that the film in a way reminded me of the TV show Lost, where the island's ancient powers/chambers/monsters are manipulated by modern day scientists, DHARMA.

Lincoln (Steven Spielberg, 2012) 4

First of all I am going to say that I have no idea how historically accurate this film is, so that does not play any part in my opinion. What I will say is that when it comes to making films as a piece of entertainment, Spielberg is one of the best and manages to do this for me even with what could of been a potentially dull and drawn out topic and a running time of two and a half hours. This film is a drama that very much relies on the performances of its cast, Tommy Lee Jones is great in his supporting role but it is the Oscar winning performance of Daniel Day-Lewis that really makes the film what it is, watching him feels like you are watching Lincoln. I enjoyed the smaller appearances in the large ensemble cast, such as Michael Stuhlbarg, with some scenes in particular working really well for me with a lot of emotion coming out through conflicting prejudice opinions on the issue of slavery.

The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012) 5

I have held off posting this in the Movie Tab for quite a bit now, I have now seen it twice, so why did I hold off initially posting? If you have seen the film (many have), then you will problem have an idea why, The Master is one of the most bizarre and mysterious films that I have ever seen, I could not stop thinking about it after first seeing it and simply had to give it another viewing.

My five star rating might be met with some controversy judging my member's opinions on it so far, I was initially going to go with a 4.5 rating but thought why should I hold back on one of the most memorable film watching experiences in recent time for me? When I first posted in this thread about watching Boogie Nights I recall awarding it a 4.5 rating, but since then it has become apparent that it's a 5 star film for me.

So what makes The Master deserving of such a high rating? Lets start with Joaquin Pheonix who gives a fantastic performance, even better than Daniel Day-Lewis for me, as the eccentric and lost Freddie Quell. In There Will Be Blood, Daniel Day-Lewis gave us a chilling performance of a man who was much more easier to comprehend, it was a film that was very formal in its approach and extremely cinematic, it had a beginning, a middle and the end and truly showed the transformation of one man in a haunting manner.

*Slight spoilers ahead*

The Master is almost the opposite, the film opens with Freddie talking about getting rid of crabs, and ****ing women made out of sand on a beach. This is then followed by Freddie's attempts to fit into a normal life, partaking in jobs such as photography. But by the end of the film you won't feel as if the character of Freddie has changed at all, the piece of story telling is not complete. The final scene in which Freddie is sleeping with another girl, is brilliant, and hilarious at the same time, almost mocking viewers that expecting a conventional story of a man who was going to be changed by the cause.

Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a performance we have come to expect from him, truly great as a man whose character seems like PTA is once again mocking Scientology and cult practises. But this man, who attempts to be a master, is far from it in this film, whilst he controls Freddie to a certain degree, Freddie is ultimately unpredictable, extremely volatile and at times even understandable. He is constantly haunted by his own failures and his sexual instincts, he is a man obsessed by sex, take the scene where he imagines everyone naked as an example of this. Freddie wants to exert control over others, he beats up others for the cause, he shares a number of tense scenes with a young member of the cause during the middle part of the film, and he eventually abandons those who have tried to help him, before imagining himself receiving a phone call from Lancaster Dodd who he believes is expecting him, he wants to be the dominant male and this is reflected throughout.

I have heard a lot of complaints about the wall and the window scene, I had no problem with it the first time, and I loved it the second time. The film really allows us to get in to the mind of Freddie, in fact the whole narrative structure acts a metaphor for his frustrating and unfulfilled life, this scene in particular feels painful and without reward, just how Freddie feels.

Right now, that's some ramblings and attempt at justifying why I thought this truly was a modern day masterpiece from Paul Thomas Anderson, possibly my favourite director right now (cue, you're being bias! comments). I will definitely right up a thorough and better written/structured review in the future.

Just remembered to make a comment on the score of this film from Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. Once again contrasting with the formal, cinematic style of the music in There Will Be Blood where it is very much used to dramatise particular scenes, the music here is used very differently, playing naturally as the film goes from one scene to another, you can here a mysterious ticking, fitting for Freddie's character as he attempts to find something, moving from one place to another in his life with little result.

[Monkeypunch]

Argo - How is it that Ben Affleck, of all people, became one of the most interesting directors of modern times? Argo is fantastic all around, it even seems like it was made in the era it's set. That's not an easy thing. Ben Affleck acquits himself nicely behind and in front of the camera, and Alan Arkin and John Goodman make an interesting duo, too. I'd watch a whole movie with those two guys just playing off each other.

[Sedai]

Sliding Doors (Howitt, 1998) 3

Lars and the Real Girl (Gillespie, 2007) 4_5

The Firm (Pollack, 1993) 4

The Prophecy (Widen, 1995) 3

Patriot Games (Noyce, 1992) 3_5

Clear and Present Danger (Noyce, 1994) 3_5

Married To It (Hiller, 1991) 2_5

Clue (Lynn, 1985) 4

The Towering Inferno (Guillerman, 1974) 2_5

Fire in the Sky (Lieberman, 1993) 3

The New Daughter (Berdejo, 2009) 3

His Girl Friday (Hawks, 1940) 4_5

[donniedarko]

My recent watches, ranked and rated

http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/3C81D6CB-BF59-4CBE-ACA2-CFFB9B07D3D0-5542-000003BD2AC6B770_zps0a5b6ada.jpg http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/4EE16450-8156-4772-A3C9-7E13CF8185BE-5542-000003BD29D6F7C8_zps61fb8526.jpg

Faces (1968)- Unratable

You Gotta Stay Happy 1
Four Rooms 1.5
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) 2+
City Lights 2.5 (harsh, I know)
On the Waterfront 3+
To this Day (Shortfilm) 3.5-
The Imposter (Documentry) 3.5
My Left Foot 3.5+
Rewarch Barton Fink 4

[teeter_g]

Films this week:

Zodiac 4

A Clockwork Orange 4

Mama 3.5

Reservoir Dogs 4.5

City of God 3.5

[Psychic Isaac]

http://cdn1.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Paranormal-Activity-4-Full-Trailer.jpg
Paranormal Activity 4 -- 4

Much better than Paranormal Activity 3.

Even my spirit guide got so scared that she hid under the covers (which is where I wanted her :randy:)

[HitchFan97]

Faces (1968)- Unratable

I've only seen A Woman Under the Influence from Cassavetes and I thought that was pretty mind-blowing, but I'm guessing you're not a fan :D

[donniedarko]

I've only seen A Woman Under the Influence from Cassavetes and I thought that was pretty mind-blowing, but I'm guessing you're not a fan :D

Well actually I'm watching A Woman Under the Influence tommrorw, and my expectations are not low. Faces is my first Cassavates, and while the acting was phenomenal I completely missed the point.

[Brother Blue]

Not an especially busy week as far as film watching goes:

[Short] Dimensions of Dialogue (Švankmajer, 1982) 5
Broken Flowers (Jarmusch, 2005) 3*
The Royal Tenenbaums (Anderson, 2001) 4.5*

[* = rewatch]

[mark f]

* Oscar-Nominated Best Picture

Mr. 880 (Edmund Goulding, 1950) 2.5+
The Moon is Blue (Otto Preminger, 1953) 3
The Man With the Golden Arm (Otto Preminger, 1955) 2.5
The Cardinal (Otto Preminger, 1963) 3+
*The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967) 4.5
The Producers (Mel Brooks, 1968) 3.5
The Day of the Dolphin (Mike Nichols, 1973) 2
The Circus (Charles Chaplin, 1928) 3.5
Five Weeks in a Balloon (Irwin Allen, 1962) 2
I Married a Witch (Rene Clair, 1942) 3
Brewster’s Millions (Allan Dwan, 1945) 2.5
The Southerner (Jean Renoir, 1945) 3-
Charade (Stanley Donen, 1963) 3.5+
Monsieur Verdoux (Charles Chaplin, 1947) 3.5
Red River (Howard Hawks, 1948) 4
*Witness For the Prosecution (Billy Wilder, 1957) 3.5+
Rubber (Quentin Dupieux, 2010) 2.5
*Elmer Gantry (Richard Brooks, 1960) 5
The Bounty (Roger Donaldson, 1984) 3.5-

[donniedarko]

[Short] Dimensions of Dialogue (Švankmajer, 1982) 5


This is my all time favorite short film, :up:
If you haven't seen any other Svankmajer I'd reccomed Food and Light,Darkness, Light


Mark F, Rubber is a guilty pleasure of mine.

[donniedarko]

La Haine (1995)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_basF6R3syis/TPGH25C1wUI/AAAAAAAAAIk/dGyjV2aua4w/s1600/small_103331.jpg
La Haine is by far the greatest crime film I've ever seen. Three minorities in the French projects vow revenge on police after there friend is brutalized. The group of friends a Jew (played by Vincent Cassel), an Arab, and a black cause havoc where ever they go. Especially the Jew (Vinz) who has a new gun that he picked up at a riot. The film follows these testosterone filled characters for a mere 19 hours, and despite having no character development, you feel like you know them piece by piece. The film is true realism, shot in black and white, and never does more than it can handle. Yet it is raw to the core. I view this film as a more brutal version of City of God. The director and writer Kassovitz does perfect at both of his jobs. The film editing made this film heart pounding, and the movie never had a dry moment. Filled with anecdotes and witty conversations, it's successful in making you think. During the concluding scene I was sitting with my mouth wide open in shock with the excellence I just witnessed. In the wrong hands the whole movie would have collapsed right there, but instead I was mesmerized by it. La Haine was endlessly awesome, and is a film I will never forget. I don't give five stars much, but I'd be dammed if I wouldn't do it for this true gem. One of the greatest movies ever filmed, high in artistic and entertainment value.

5

[mark f]

I know this is getting old from me, but I don't understand why it's so good, and I don't think very much of it (2.5).

[linespalsy]

http://thelooksee.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/henson_timepiece_head.png
Time Piece

The Decade of Destruction: Killing for Land (tv) (Adrian Cowell, 1990) 4
Twin Peaks pilot episode (tv) (David Lynch, 1990) 3
Follow the Fleet (Mark Sandrich, 1936) 3+
Despicable Me (Chris Renaud, 2010) 3.5-
Deadline at Dawn (Harold Clurman, 1946) 3.5
Time Piece (short) (Jim Henson, 1965) 3.5
Toy Story 2 (Ash Brannon, 1999) 3
Aparajito (Satyajit Ray, 1956) 3

[honeykid]

Wow. Despicable Me more than Toy Story 2? I've not seen Despicalble Me, but with the ridiculously high esteem that the Toy Story trilogy is held in, I can honestly say I wouldn't expect to see Despicalbe Me above it.

Arachnoquake - 2 If you don't like this kind of thing, there's nothing for you here. If you do, then this'll provide 86 minutes of entertainment and a stupid ending. :D

[Miss Vicky]

Despicable Me is much better than Toy Story 2.

[Daniel M]

Despicable Me is much better than Toy Story 2.

Disagree. Toy Story 2 is the strongest film of the Toy Story trilogy for me and one of the best animated films there is, a 5 for me.

Where as Despicable Me I would give a 3 and that's being generous, whilst I enjoyed it initially and would have gave it 3.5 (I enjoy almost all animations), after subsequent viewings I found it to be quite weak overall and definitely no where near the quality of any of the Toy Story films.

[Mysticalunicornfart]

http://www.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2012722/reg_1024.TheMaster.mh.082212.jpg
The Master
7.5/10

http://pic2.sc.chinaz.com/files/pic/pic9/201212/xpic8653.jpg
Life of Pi
7/10

http://media.timeout.com/images/resizeBestFit/138397/660/370/image.jpg
Antiviral
7/10

[Monkeypunch]

A Good Day to Die Hard - Enjoyed it, kinda knew I would, but it seemed...off. All the action was there, and Bruce Willis making wisecracks, but I felt like the people who wrote it made it a bit too serious. It didn't always have that Die Hard sort of craziness...Thumbs up, but not my fav of the series.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - The Good: Lots of explosions and robot fights. The Bad: For whatever reason the female lead in this was played by an inflatable sex doll. Did the director not think we'd notice? Also, Shia Le...however the hell you spell it's parents are just the WORST characters EVER in any movie.

[honeykid]

Transformers: Dark of the Moon -The Bad: For whatever reason the female lead in this was played by an inflatable sex doll.

How's that any different from the previous female lead? At least this one is hot.

[Mysticalunicornfart]

A Good Day to Die Hard - Enjoyed it, kinda knew I would, but it seemed...off. All the action was there, and Bruce Willis making wisecracks, but I felt like the people who wrote it made it a bit too serious. It didn't always have that Die Hard sort of craziness...Thumbs up, but not my fav of the series.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - The Good: Lots of explosions and robot fights. The Bad: For whatever reason the female lead in this was played by an inflatable sex doll. Did the director not think we'd notice? Also, Shia Le...however the hell you spell it's parents are just the WORST characters EVER in any movie.

I'd like to commend you for be able to sit through Transformers: Dark of the Moon, I only lasted about 30 minutes.

[Monkeypunch]

I'd like to commend you for be able to sit through Transformers: Dark of the Moon, I only lasted about 30 minutes.

It's not bad, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, explosions and robots are what just hits the spot for me. :D The crazy actiony second half makes up for the stupid first half.

[Monkeypunch]

How's that any different from the previous female lead? At least this one is hot.

If you like fake plastic women she's hot..:p

[Skepsis93]

Since my last update:

Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975) 4.5
Life of Pi (Ang Lee, 2012) 4+
Kind Hearts and Coronets (Robert Hamer, 1949) 4
Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944) 3.5
Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004) 3.5-
The Simpsons: The Longest Daycare (Short, David Silverman, 2012) 3.5
Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957) 3+
Laura (Otto Preminger, 1944) 3

http://lincolncen.3cdn.net/b80bd27e0fb61afd93_k7m6b5iu2.jpg

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/culture_test/life%20of%20pi%20blue%20615%20fox.jpg

[mark f]

*Best Picture Oscar Winner

Inherit the Wind (Stanley Kramer, 1960) 3.5+
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992) 2.5+
The Fortune Cookie (Billy Wilder, 1966) 3
Killer Joe (William Friedkin, 2012) 3
*Around the World in 80 Days (Michael Anderson, 1956) 3.5
The Train (John Frankenheimer, 1964) 4
Phone Call From a Stranger (Jean Negulesco, 1952) 3-
The Sweet Ride (Harvey Hart, 1968) 2
Secret World (Robert Freeman, 1969) 1
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Stanley Kramer, 1963) 3+
The Pink Panther (Blake Edwards, 1963) 3.5
Benny’s Video (Michael Haneke, 1992) 2.5
*Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977) 3.5+
*Argo (Ben Affleck, 2012) 3.5+
Heaven’s Gate (Michael Cimino, 1980) 3
Pin Up Girl (H. Bruce Humberstone, 1944) 2.5
My Pal Gus (Robert Parrish, 1952) 2
Let’s Make It Legal (Richard Sale, 1951) 2
That’s What I Am (Michael Pavone, 2011) 3
Kiss Them For Me (Stanley Donen, 1957) 2+

[Yoda]

Only one film breaks 4! I dub this post "Mark French is not impressed." :D

[mark f]

My 3.5+ is pretty impressive.

[Gabrielle947]

Towelhead / Nothing Is Private (2007) - that's quite an uncomfortable film about a teenage girl who is discovering her maturity.Good performances from Aaron Eckhart(he proved me that he is quite a versatile actor) and Summer Bishil but I think this films lacks something in content as I found it boring at times. 3

Doctor Zhivago (1965) - Although,it's an American film,I was really impressed how well Russian culture was portrayed.The story was quite interesting,costumes, cinematography and sound are just great,it is also historically accurate.However,the biggest problem was that film at the same time develops three stories - one character story,second character story and historical background and considering that Russian names are difficult to remember,it was really hard to follow the plot and that takes some enjoyment away. 3.5

Flight (2012) - good beginning and good acting but towards the end this film seemed sentimental,predictable and some scenes were made for fun when,I think,they are quite sad. 2.5

L'instinct de mort / Mesrine: Part 1 - Killer Instinct and L'ennemi public n°1 / Mesrine: Part II - Public Enemy #1 (both 2008) - it's a film about French gangster Jacques Mesrine.It could have been a great film but it lacked character drama for me because basically there's only one character throughout the films and others just keep coming and going.I also found the plot in the first part way too fast.Despite all that,it is quite interesting and crime fans should check it out.I preferred the second part,so 3+

The Great Escape (1963) - I wasn't disappointed,it was an interesting film and also quite realistic since it is based on a true story.I just didn't got what the mood of the film is - beginning is quite fun but the ending is the opposite. 4

JFK (1991) - Whenever I watch Oliver Stone films,it's always something that I dislike about them but I can't point what it is.With this one is the same.It was really interesting,even captivating since I don't know anything about Kennedy and I didn't even realized that there is such a conspiracy towards his death.Loved the ending speech and I was very surprised with Gary Oldman,he really is great.However,it got a bit monotonous at times and there's just too much information to handle for me. :D 3.5

Dumb and Dumber (1994) - Just disliked it. 1

[Harry Lime]

Dumb and Dumber (1994) - Just disliked it. 1
Ban her.

[Used Future]

* = re-watches

Scarecrow (Jerry Schatzberg, 1973) 3+
The Quiller Memorandum (Michael Anderson, 1966) 3.5
Mickey & Nicky (Elaine May, 1976) 3
Z.P.G. aka Zero Population Growth (Michael Campus, 1972) 2-
Fear Is The Key (Michael Tuchner, 1972) 2
Blue Manhattan aka Hi, Mom! (Brian De Palma, 1970) 3+
Hard Eight (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1996) 2.5
Take An Easy Ride (Kenneth F. Rowles, 1976 Short) 2.5+
The Langoliers (Tom Holland, 1995 TV) 1.5
Ginger Snaps: Unleashed (Brett Sullivan, 2004) 3
Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (Grant Harvey, 2004) 2
Walking Tall (Kevin Bray, 2004) 2
Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid (Dwight H. Little, 2004) 1.5+
Prince Of The City (Sidney Lumet, 1981) 3.5
* Deathtrap (Sidney Lumet, 1982) 3
* Q & A (Sidney Lumet, 1990) 2.5+
* The Stepfather (Joseph Ruben, 1987) 3.5
* Kotch (Jack Lemmon, 1971) 3+
* Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story Of Ozploitation! (Mark Hartley) 3

[Thursday Next]

All Quiet on the Western Front 3.5
The American Friend 4.5
Night of the Living Dead 3
Peeping Tom 4
Blow Out 3-
Despicable Me 3.5
Short Cuts 3
Fanny and Alexander 4.5
The Passion of Joan of Arc 3.5
The Lady Vanishes 4

[Sinny McGuffins]

Dead Man
1995, Jim Jarmusch
4

Magnolia
1999, Paul Thomas Anderson
3.5

Barton Fink
1991, The Coen Brothers
4

Stoker
2013, Chan-wook Park
3.5

[Brodinski]

Last week's update:

Swing Time (1936, Stevens): 3+
The Crooked Way (1949, Florey): 3
I Hired A Contract Killer (1990, Kaurismaki): 3.5
The Man From London (2007, Tarr): 3
Angels With Dirty Faces (1938, Curtiz): 4.5 (rewatch)
Night of the Demon (1957, Tourneur): 3.5+
Passport to Pimlico (1949, Cornelius): 3
Union Station (1950, Maté): 2.5+

[Mingusings]

Night of the Living Dead (1968): 3
Straw Dogs (1971): 3_5
Weekend at Bernie's (1989): 2
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984): 3
Matador (1986): 3
Persona (1966): 4
Black Dynamite (2009): 3

[mark f]

Miracle (Gavin O’Connor, 2004) 3
The Boxer (Jim Sheridan, 1997) 2.5
The Red Badge of Courage (John Huston, 1951) 3
Reflections in a Golden Eye (John Huston, 1967) 2+ (gold-tinted w/ color placement)
Remember? (Norman Z. McLeod, 1939) 2.5
When Ladies Meet (Robert Z. Leonard, 1941) 2.5
Pride and Prejudice (Robert Z. Leonard, 1940) 3
The Mechanic (Simon West, 2011) 3
Adventures in Babysitting (Chris Columbus, 1987) 3
My Pal, Wolf (Alfred L. Werker, 1944) 2
It’s a Dog’s Life (Herman Hoffman, 1955) 3
Goodbye, My Lady (William A. Wellman, 1956) 2.5
Ten Inch Hero (David Mackay, 2007) 3.5
Old Yeller (Robert Stevenson, 1957) 3
Masters of the Congo Jungle (Henry Brandt, Heinz Sielmann, 1958) 3
Berlin (Julian Schnabel, 2007) 3 Lou Reed Fans: 4
The Hard Way (Vincent Sherman, 1942) 3-
Limelight (Charles Chaplin, 1952) 3.5-
Black Death (Christopher Smith, 2010) 3
Billy Jack (T.C. Frank [Tom Laughlin], 1971) 2.5
Land of Plenty (Wim Wenders, 2004) 2.5
City of Industry (John Irvin, 1997) 2.5
Touchback (Don Handfield, 2011) 2.5
The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012) 2
Picnic (Joshua Logan, 1955) 3
Toast (SJ Clarkson, 2010) 2.5
Real Steel (Shawn Levy, 2011) 2.5

[Gabrielle947]

My 3.5+ is pretty impressive.

Dead Poets Society (Peter Weir, 1989) 3.5

then I'm glad you like Dead Poet's Society. :))

[linespalsy]

Twin Peaks season 1 (tv) (David Lynch, 1990) - 3
The World of Apu (Satyajit Ray, 1959) - 3
The Killers (Don Siegel, 1964) - 2.5
Backfire (Vincent Sherman, 1950) - 2
The Princess Diaries (Garry Marshall, 2001) - 0.5

[teeter_g]

This week's movies:
Goodfellas 4.5
Pulp Fiction 4.5
Snitch 3.5
Final Destination 5 2.5
Citizen Kane 2.5
Donnie Darko 3.5
Twelve Monkeys 4
Leon (The Professional) 3
Pan's Labyrinth 3.5
American Psycho 4.5

[mark f]

The Seventh Continent (Michael Haneke, 1989) 1 Art House Rating: 3
Two Hands (Gregor Jordan, 1999) 2+
Oscar (John Landis, 1991) 3
Valley of the Giants (William Keighley, 1938) 2.5
American Heart (Martin Bell. 1992) 2.5
Sealed Cargo (Alfred L. Werker, 1951) 2.5-
Man on the Train (Mary McGuckian, 2011) 2+
Love Me Tonight (Rouben Mamoulian, 1932) 3.5+
Roberta (William A. Seiter, 1935) 3
Dial 1119 (Gerald Mayer, 1951) 2
Stage Fright (Alfred Hitchcock, 1950) 3
Tension (John Berry, 1949) 2
The Narrow Margin (Richard Fleischer, 1952) 3
Split Second (Dick Powell, 1953) 2
Man in the Attic (Hugo Fregonese, 1953) 2+
The Time That Remains (Elia Suleiman, 2009) 3
Rome, Open City (Roberto Rossellini, 1946) 3.5
Germany Year Zero (Roberto Rossellini, 1948) 3
Wild Guitar (Ray Dennis Steckler, 1962) 2 Cult Rating: 3
The Sadist (James Landis, 1963) 1.5 Cult Rating: 3

[Sexy Celebrity]

Mark, do you watch all of those movies in the course of two days?

[mark f]

Yes, although I started watching The Seventh Continent last Saturday but it froze up. I had to send it back to Netflix but I was able to finish it when they sent me another copy. I'm watching more than usual because I'm still recovering from my stroke and don't have much else to do since I'm left alone from about 7 AM to 3 PM M-F and have the TV on all night although I'm sleeping better than I used to.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Good lord, that's like a month's supply for me on a good month.

[Used Future]

Good lord, that's like a month's supply for me on a good month.

*tuts* I thought you knew Sexy; Mark is really a robot with a photographic memory who watches all his movies on fast forward.

[donniedarko]

My past week, in movie watching, a pretty good one too.

Tampopo (1985)
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/712C33F1-0E25-4884-AA5A-8DE9098C0B8A-17290-00000BF6B8530FC0_zpsf7318eaf.jpg
2+


Hotel Monterey and La Chambre (short) (Both 1972)
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/B2C3E11B-BA33-4956-9C2B-27B725AAE88B-17041-00000BE3B01E122F_zps9561ad3d.jpghttp://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/137AA253-EC4E-4903-80A0-CFC6E0D69D2B-17290-00000BF2AAAF0FC1_zpse3683687.jpg
1.5 and 2--


The Boy In The Striped Pajamas (2008)
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/1CF46E26-00BE-4D54-A8EE-389659FE935F-16651-00000B8C80696999_zps3236758a.jpg
3


Forrest Gump (1994)
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/27677674-6247-4755-85EF-16F3FE0C06C1-15841-00000B49A13F34AA_zps1248f373.jpg
3.5

Yes this is the first time I've seen Forrest Gump, and the best picture winner is certainly enjoyable. I found though that the most famous parts, were the least significant from my eyes. I don't care for the two famous quotes at the beginning, or really the war scenes, I thought the political parts were the most enjoyable. The D.C. visit most notably, also the ping pong sequence is a whole lot of fun. I didn't find it emotionally strong, but I did laugh quite a bit. The greatest overall theme of this film was the social and historical references, those brought true laughs. I felt that it got somewhat repetitive towards the last fourty minutes, but overall entertaining


Rewatch: La Haine (1995)
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/35590E73-77EA-4DD9-A03D-5A0EF8BEAED5-14906-00000AC8BC7E7C51_zpsf6ffd254.jpg
5


Raising Arizona (1987)
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/8DE787D7-B488-460D-9C05-ABD6BF047F45-14906-00000AC8BA2CF8B2_zps4b731683.jpg
2-


A Woman Under The Influence (1974)
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/247E90C3-CAD2-421E-B001-455D775E1F91-14906-00000AC8B77BCB0D_zpsfdc16486.jpg
2


Rubber Johnny (Short) (2005)
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/BCD279BB-ED5A-4FF9-9101-462FB21D2009-14906-00000AC8B81E3A8C_zpsf9d02c69.jpg
2

Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/E028901F-DA5E-44BF-AEEF-7AE56BAFCFC2-14906-00000AC8B936BBC1_zpse3ba22a6.jpg
3.5+


Miller's Crossing (1990)
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/5747BDA3-3F2B-4C2B-B0FA-F3FF213AFA56-14906-00000AC8B675B47F_zpsc5681ac1.jpg
4

Miller's Crossing is the second best Coen Brothers film I've seen, following True Grit. It's comparable to The Godfather in style, but it's no cheap rip off, if anything it's better. I found the plot much thicker, and the dialogue was rich. But really much like the reason I love True Grit is the technical surroundings. The production design, makeup, costume, it's all brilliantly laid out. I especially saw this when Caspar's nephew came to visit. As I mentioned the screenplay is genuine, and there were plenty of twists. Great scenery and a more than unique plot, great film.

[meatwadsprite]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ--pjRyM1Esfh120bOo4_Qw-v4Bma8m4mCIWPqHlCpfOPgdNA

An interesting look into some theories about the symbolism laced in Kubrick's The Shining as well as some of his other films. Something I've heard a lot when people talk about Kubrick's movies, that the symbolism interwoven is what the movie is really about. The theories are very intriguing ramblings of people who have completely over-analyzed it.

Although I still firmly disagree that The Shining is "about" indians or the holocaust. Kubrick has a very meticulous style and likely did litter his movie with all sorts of intentional stuff like this.

3

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYfZMGgGhVJ9Y2AemKaGLIv8N1jXo5zPmd9HTyT7KRSU0NBFGD 3.5

[donniedarko]

Watched two romances yesterday. The write ups were gonna be a little longer but firefox crashed in the middle my second one. It's a piece of ****, from now on only chrome.

Ali: Fear Eats The Soul
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e5/Alifeareats.jpg/220px-Alifeareats.jpg
This is my introduction to Fassbinder and I will be watching more of his films. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul revolves around a romance between an elderly widow and an Arab foreign worker. It's filmed and set in Germany. Much like interracial marriages were looked at in the US it was frowned upon. The story is simplistic, the film never moves out of a realistic view point. While the ideas were depressing I never actually felt any emotion. I don't know why, the acting was genuine enough, and the story had me gripped. Even during the family meeting I didn't feel anything, emotionally I wasn't present. While I liked what the ending thirty minutes did, I don't think it was executed perfectly. It was to sudden, I wouldn't have minded an additional thirty minutes of footage to make it more evened out. This is still a phenomenal film considering how little it revolves around. Tension was always boiling, and the story had me gripped. You don't have to be adventurous to enjoy this, so I recommend it to everyone.
3.5+

As Good as it Gets
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/dc/As_good_as_it_gets.jpg/215px-As_good_as_it_gets.jpg
As Good as it Gets revolves around three individuals in Manhattan. Melvin (played by Jack Nicholson) a writer who suffers from OCD and puts on an ugly attitude in the morning. Carol (played by Helen Hunt) a Manhattan waitress who has an ill son and has her mother living with her. And Simon (played by Kinnear, who you might know from television) who is a gay painter who has recently been robbed and beaten. Evidently enough they all come together, in none other than a road trip. This is the main problem of this film, it's all so obvious. Just from the opening fifteen minutes and the poster I knew where this was heading. Nicholson and Hunt won Oscars for there performance, and as expected they do there jobs well. The screenplay has plenty of good quotes that are shot at you one after another. I still had many questions about Melvin after this was done though. Was he always like this, is Carol his first love, why does he have a need to act mean? None of these are answered, and while I understand why many find this touching, I didn't get enough out of it. I'm sure romance fans are on there knees when they watch this, but it felt predictable for me.
2.5

[linespalsy]

As Good as it Gets and Miller's Crossing are the first ratings I've agreed with you on since Cube.

[honeykid]

I still had many questions about Melvin after this was done though. Was he always like this, is Carol his first love, why does he have a need to act mean?
He's Jack Nicholson being Grumpy Jack. That's all the explaination needed for this p.o.s.

[Guaporense]

Some of the stuff I watched in the last week (half of those movies were re-watches) (a very "productive week" lol):

The Mirror (1975) (fourth time) 5 +
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/The_Mirror.jpg

A Man Escaped (1956) 4
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/A_Man_Escaped.jpg

Django Unchained (2012) 4
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Django_Unchained.jpg

Skyfall (2012) 3_5
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Skyfall.jpg

Sanjuro (1962) 4_5
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Sanjuro.jpg

Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star (2011) 0 (for those that are able to "get" this stuff: 4)
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Bucky_Larson_Born_to_Be.jpg

Wood & Stock (2006) 3
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3a/Wood_%26_Stock_Sexo%2C_Or%C3%A9gano_e_Rock%27n%27Roll.jpg/220px-Wood_%26_Stock_Sexo%2C_Or%C3%A9gano_e_Rock%27n%27Roll.jpg

House Bunny (2008) 0 (complete crap, unable to finish)
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/The_House_Bunny.jpg

Summer Wars (2009) 5
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Sama_wozu.jpg

Mind Game (2004) 4
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Mind_Game.jpg

Split Second (1992) 2_5 (very meh movie)
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Split_Second.jpg

Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011) 5
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Children_Who_Chase_Lost_Voices.jpg

Love exposure (2008) 4 +
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Ai_no_mukidashi.jpg

Millenniun Actress (2001) 5
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Millennium_Actress.jpg

Eraserhead (1975) 5
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Eraserhead.jpg

Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984) 3_5
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4e/Macross_do_you_remember_love_dvd.jpg/220px-Macross_do_you_remember_love_dvd.jpg

Fantastic Planet (1973) 4
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Fantastic_Planet.jpg

Sunrise (1927) 3_5 +
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Sunrise_A_Song_of_Two.jpg

[honeykid]

How can you be unable to finish a film with Kat Dennings in it?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eiIhHnttkYg/TcU68S19IQI/AAAAAAAAAMA/k81KOK0kwjs/s1600/4fzu61.jpg

Nothing for The House Bunny and only 2.5 for Split Second, while giving 4/5 for Fantastic Planet? I wouldn't recommend fun films, for you. :p

[TokeZa]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/The_Thin_Red_Line_Poster.jpg/220px-The_Thin_Red_Line_Poster.jpg
The Thin Red Line (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Red_Line_(1998_film)) (1998) by Terrence Malick 4.5

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e6/Badlands_movie_poster.jpg/220px-Badlands_movie_poster.jpg
Badlands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badlands_(film)) (1973) by Terrence Malick 4

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f4/House_obayashi.jpg/220px-House_obayashi.jpg
House (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_(1977_film)) (1977) by Nobuhiko Obayashi 3.5

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bc/PathsOfGloryPoster.jpg/220px-PathsOfGloryPoster.jpg
Paths of Glory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paths_of_Glory_(film).) (1957) by Stanley Kubrick 4

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a5/Grave_of_the_Fireflies_Japanese_poster.jpg/220px-Grave_of_the_Fireflies_Japanese_poster.jpg
Grave of the Fireflies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies) (1988) by Isao Takahata 3.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e0/Close_Up_DVD_cover.jpg/220px-Close_Up_DVD_cover.jpg
Close-Up (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-Up_(film)) (1990) by Abbas Kiarostami 5

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Werckmeister_Harmonies.jpg
Werckmeister Harmonies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werckmeister_Harmonies) (2000) by Bela Tarr 5

Room 666 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_666) (1982) by Wim Wenders 2.5

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/08/Schreck.jpg/170px-Schreck.jpg
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosferatu_(film)) (1922) by F. W. Murnau 3.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fd/Mondo_cane_poster.jpg/220px-Mondo_cane_poster.jpg
Mondo Cane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondo_cane) (1962) by Paolo Cavara 2.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/09/Deepredfilmposter.jpg/220px-Deepredfilmposter.jpg
Deep Red (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profondo_Rosso) (1975) by Dario Argento 3

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fc/Kanal.jpg/220px-Kanal.jpg
Kanal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanal_(film)) (1956) by Andrzej Wajda 4

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/30/Haine.jpg/220px-Haine.jpg
La Haine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Haine) (1995) by Mathieu Kassovitz 3.5

[Cream]

Guap, what did you think about Love Exposure?

[mark f]

Kit Carson (George B. Seitz, 1940) 2
To Rome With Love (Woody Allen, 2012) 3
Tough Guys Don’t Dance (Norman Mailer, 1987) 2.5 Cult Rating: 4
Suspect Zero (E. Elias Merhige, 2004) 2.5-
Breakaway (Robert Lieberman, 2011) 2.5
The Harvey Girls (George Sidney, 1946) 2.5
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Michael Cimino, 1974) 3
The World According to Garp (George Roy Hill, 1982) 3.5
Heaven Knows, Mr Allison (John Huston, 1957) 3
The Ace of Hearts (Wallace Worsley, 1921) 2
Made in U.S.A. (Jean-Luc Godard, 1966) 2
The Hot Spot (Dennis Hopper, 1990) 3
Hard Contract (S. Lee Pogostin, 1969) 2.5
Dick Tracy (William Berke, 1945) 2+
The Horn Blows at Midnight (Raoul Walsh, 1945) 3
The Light Touch (Richard Brooks, 1952) 2+
5 Days of War (Renny Harlin, 2011) 2+
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (Martin Ritt, 1965) 3.5
Random Harvest (Mervyn LeRoy. 1943) 3
Bullet For a Badman (R.G. Springsteen, 1964) 2

[Sedai]

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

http://cdn1.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/X-Men-First-Class-Characters-570x209.jpg

Second time seeing this, and I liked it even more this time around. I REALLY enjoy the more traditional approach used, with very few rapid edits, classic set design, and the 60s era James Bond homage. Fassbender really is a better fit for the Magneto of this time period, and he just knocks it out of the park here. Jennifer Lawrence is always a pleasure to watch, and the rest of the cast do a fine job, for the most part. I am getting pretty psyched for Days of Future Past. Because what is better than an X-men film with Jen Lawrence and Michael Fassbender? One that also has Patrick Stewart, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, and Alan Cumming in it.

[meatwadsprite]

Alan had better wear protection in that case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frd53vbCHLg

[Sedai]

Touche? ;)

[Daniel M]

Couple of repeat viewings:

Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986) 5 (previously 4.5)

Done a review of this before and gave it 4.5, would be even higher now and I'd rank it above Mulholland Drive. One of my very favourites definitely.

Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick, 1987) 4.5 (previously 3.5)

Wasn't too sure about this when I first saw it, I wanted to love it but as a whole it didn't all come together for me, I liked it a lot more this time and think I 'got' more of the film, especially the latter parts, better.

then...

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt, 2012) 4

My second favourite animated film of the year, only behind Frankenweenie. I know some will rate it lower and call it 'decent/average' but I really found myself enjoying this one, what you would expect from Aardman but reminded me a lot of when I first saw Chicken Run with delightful characters and a good story to go with it too, feels a lot like Chicken Run with it's quite dark plot towards the end.

Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000) 3.5

Nothing too great, but a whole lot of fun and an enjoyable film definitely. About time I watched this, despite being fun it has an epic/action type feel to it that works with it's long run time, it was fun to see Phoenix in this as well after recently watching him in The Master.

The Pianist (Roman Polanski, 2002) 5

Simply brilliant, brilliant direction, cinematography, sets, acting, music etc. Haunting film but beautifully made, wrote more in the trade off tab here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=884592).

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (Marina Zenovich, 2008) 4.5

Decided to watch this after seeing The Pianist. Because it's a documentary and I haven't seen many at all, I wouldn't take the rating too seriously in terms of how good it actually is. But in terms of enjoyment and how well made it was, I thought it was great, really well put together documentary of Roman Polanski's controversial life, well edited with lots of interviews and very informative, I enjoyed how it incorporated his real film material and music as well.

[Sexy Celebrity]

[quote=donniedarko;884690]
Rubber Johnny (Short) (2005)
http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u576/donniedarko6/Movie%20Tab%20March/BCD279BB-ED5A-4FF9-9101-462FB21D2009-14906-00000AC8B81E3A8C_zpsf9d02c69.jpg
2

Is that what I think it is? DonnieDarko, OMG.

[Godoggo]

I was wondering the same thing.

[donniedarko]

It's this

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

[mark f]

Marathon Man (John Schlesinger, 1976) 4
About a Boy (Chris & Paul Weitz, 2002) 3
Main Street (John Doyle, 2010) 2
Dodge City (Michael Curtiz,1939) 3+
Bottle Shock (Randall Miller, 2008) 3-
Billion Dollar Brain (Ken Russell, 1967) 2.5
Sleepless (Dario Argento, 2001) 2.5+
Tall in the Saddle (Edwin L. Marin, 1944) 2
Continental Divide (Michael Apted, 1981) 3
Duck You Sucker (Sergio Leone, 1971) 3+
The Fugitive Kind (Sidney Lumet, 1959) 3
Love & Sex (Valerie Breiman, 2000) 2+
Straight Talk (Barnet Kellman, 1992) 2.5
Holy Motors (Leos Carax, 2012) 2.5
Come Back, Africa (Lionel Rogosin, 1959) 2.5
An American in Sophiatown (Earl Lloyd Ross, 2007) 2.5
Pete Seeger: The Power of Song (Jim Brown, 2007) 3
Good Times, Wonderful Times (Lionel Rogosin, 1966) 2.5
The Faculty (Robert Rodriguez, 1998) 3
Untamed (Henry Hathaway, 1955) 2
The Forger (Lawrence Roeck, 2012) 2.5
The Big Empty (Steve Anderson, 2003) 2.5
The Way West (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1967) 2.5
Way Out West (James W. Horne, 1937) 2.5

[TokeZa]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/Brand_upon_the_brain.jpg/220px-Brand_upon_the_brain.jpg
Brand Upon the Brain! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_Upon_the_Brain) (2006) by Guy Maddin 3
Lowbudget, B/W art movie. Pretty remarkable if you consider the costs.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/The_Bridge_on_the_River_Kwai_poster.jpg/220px-The_Bridge_on_the_River_Kwai_poster.jpg
The Bridge on the River Kwai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_on_the_River_Kwai) (1957) by David Lean 3.5
A classic war movie

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Poster_of_the_movie_Remember_My_Name.jpg/220px-Poster_of_the_movie_Remember_My_Name.jpg
Remember My Name (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remember_My_Name) (1978) by Alan Rudolph 2.5
An ok stalker film with a bit of a twist.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fd/The_Embryo_Hunts_In_Secret_%28French%29.jpg/220px-The_Embryo_Hunts_In_Secret_%28French%29.jpg
The Embryo Hunts in Secret (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Embryo_Hunts_in_Secret) (1966) by Kōji Wakamatsu 4
Japanese exploitation film. It was pretty :eek::eek::eek:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Stereo%2BCrimes_of_Future.jpg/220px-Stereo%2BCrimes_of_Future.jpg
Crimes of the Future (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimes_of_the_Future) (1970) by David Cronenberg 0.5
A silent sci-fi film with commentary... only viewable by hardcore DC fans imo

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f6/City_of_Sadness.jpg/220px-City_of_Sadness.jpg
A City of Sadness (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Sadness) (1989) by Hou Hsiao-hsien 3.5+
My first encounter with Hou Hsiao-hsien and it was a pleasant one. I already have Flowers of Shanghai on my watchlist, but if anyone can recommend some of his stuff, i would be happy.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d4/Stalker_poster.jpg/220px-Stalker_poster.jpg
Stalker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalker_(1979_film)) (1979) by Andrei Tarkovsky 5
Nothing less than a masterpiece

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f7/La_Jetee_Poster.jpg/220px-La_Jetee_Poster.jpg
La Jetée (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jet%C3%A9e) (1962) by Chris Marker 4
B/W Sci-fi made out of photo stills. This is the inspirational source for Terry Gilliams Twelve Monkeys

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/53/Blade_Runner_poster.jpg/220px-Blade_Runner_poster.jpg
Blade Runner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner) (1982) by Ridley Scott 5
My favorite Sci-fi of all time!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e8/Akira_movie_poster.jpg
Akira (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_(film)) (1988) by Katsuhiro Otomo 4.5
My favorite movie as a teenager, still holds up imo.

[Mingusings]

Team America World Police (2004): 4
Funny Games (2007): 2_5
The Truman Show (1998): 4
Born on the Fourth of July (1989): 4
Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969): 3_5
Hausu (1977): 2_5
Sorority Party Massacre (2013): 1
The Godfather (1972): 4_5

[Guaporense]

How can you be unable to finish a film with Kat Dennings in it?

Nothing for The House Bunny and only 2.5 for Split Second, while giving 4/5 for Fantastic Planet? I wouldn't recommend fun films, for you. :p

Didn't you like Fantastic Planet? It is pure fun.

I watched The House Bunny for the actresses but the rest was so bad that I couldn't continue.

[Cream]

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987)

http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/images/film/the-emperors-naked-army-marches-on/w448/the-emperors-naked-army-marches-on.jpg?1334949191

Crazy documentary, crazy. 4

[donniedarko]

Shorts: The Skeleton Dance and Minnie The Moocher
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6b/Uncle_Tom_and_the_skeletons.png/220px-Uncle_Tom_and_the_skeletons.pnghttp://daily.greencine.com/archives/minnie-moocher.jpg
I watched these because Lines stated that they were on Youtube on a separate thread and put them on his top ten of the month, both are very interesting and enjoyable short films. The classic animation is far more eye appealing than pixar for me. I enjoyed the simple craft, and the musical numbers in both. I even laughed a few times during Minnie The Moocher.
Both: 3.5+

Scarface (1932)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Scarface_1932.JPG
I can't compare the original Scarface to the De Palma version, since I haven't seen that one, but I can say that I was underwhelmed by this film. It was one of the weaker gangster I've seen, which is a genre I typically enjoy. I felt that the acting got over the top at points, and the film had no consistency. At some points I was very engaged, while at others I was in my own world. For example the secretary scene was classic, I was wearing a big grin the whole way through. Then a scene not to long after, The Dance hall scene, had me bored as all hell. The ending wasn't touching for me, and I was always expecting more. It has its classic strong suits, but not comparable to later gangster movies.
2.5

The Master
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2012/10/31/1351699789041/The-Master-010.jpg
Will review upon a later viewing.
2.5

The Weather Underground
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7d/Theweatherunderground.jpg/220px-Theweatherunderground.jpg
This Oscar nominated documentary gives a look into The Weather Underground anti-Vietnam radical group.It interviews members of the group and FBI investigators who were trying to destroy it. This terrorist group included the likes of Bill Ayers, who you might recall Rush Limbaugh speaking of when addressing Obama. This film is not for the close-minded, if you have a strong opinion on the issue you have nothing to gain here. It's really more of a documentary that would be shown in a high school history class, except for the orge tape. It never gave full facts though, just opinions. I didn't learn if the bombs killed someone, or any of the vital information. No one on either side is asked a difficult question, and they just allow the people to blab on.
2+

The Crow
http://thecrow-movie.com/film/3.jpg
"Review" (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=885400)
1.5

[teeter_g]

I can't compare the original Scarface to the De Palma version, since I haven't seen that one

What?!?!?!:eek::skeptical::confused::facepalm:

[honeykid]

Didn't you like Fantastic Planet? It is pure fun.
TBH, I don't remember a great deal about it. I think I watched it a year ago and I just waded through it. It was odd, but I wouldn't call it enjoyable.

I watched The House Bunny for the actresses but the rest was so bad that I couldn't continue.
Now that I can understand. Its the main reason I watched it too.

Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film - 4.5 I just loved this. 4 hours of bliss for a fan such as myself. I knocked half a box off because I don't think I learned anything new, but, there again, I've seen and read a lot about Warhol, so that's not the filmmakers fault and there was certainly plenty of infomation in this.

[teeter_g]

This week in movies.

Man on a Ledge 5
The Fifth Element 4
Hollow Man 4
The Departed 3
The Hurt Locker 3.5
Dark City 2.5
Dawn of the Dead (1978) 4
The Thing (1982) 4.5
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo 5
12 Angry Men (1957) 4
Silent Hill:Revelation 3.5
Citadel 3
Argo 5
Jack Reacher 2
The Silence Of The Lambs 3.5
Taxi Driver 3
Oldboy 4
Prometheus 3.5

[Skepsis93]

* = Rewatch

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Kramer, 1967) 4.5
Has to be considered firmly within its historical context to be appreciated today, I think, and appreciate it I did. Not for its liberal message, outdated as it is, but for its unexpected approach to its subject. What I really liked was that the issue of race is secondary to a much more relevant, emotional through-line touting the virtues of love, passion, and following your heart over oppressive practicality. Hepburn, Poitier and Tracy are all wonderful, the latter's closing speech one of the most beautiful monologues committed to film, I think.

Network* (Lumet, 1976) 4.5
Rashomon (Kurosawa, 1950) 4
Marathon Man (Schlesinger, 1976) 3.5 Review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=886455).
Three Colours: Red (Kieslowski, 1994) 3.5
The Philadelphia Story (Cukor, 1940) 3.5
Once Upon a Time in the West (Leone, 1968) 3.5-
Black Book (Verhoeven, 2006) 3+

http://blog.ctnews.com/meyers/files/2011/03/guess.jpg

[rauldc14]

Sometimes I feel a bit harsh, but I'd go 6.5 for Guess who's coming to Dinner. Probably the same for Network.

[linespalsy]

I don't think I could give Guess Who's Coming to Dinner more than a 2.5. Feels too stiff and boringly respectable to this meany.
Love Network and Rashomon and Once Upon a Time in the West though.

[Monkeypunch]

Back to the Future - This is an expertly plotted and designed movie, everything about it works, and the cast is fantastic. I notice new things (acting, subtext) every time I watch it. It's a classic.

[Brother Blue]

Goodbye South, Goodbye (Hsiao-Hsien, 1996) 4
There Will Be Blood (Anderson, 2007) 4.5
Winter Light (Bergman, 1963) 5
Dogville (von Trier, 2003) 5
Drive Angry (Lussier, 2011) 1.5
Skyfall (Mendes, 2012) 3.5
Colossal Youth (Costa, 2006) 2.5
Bottle Rocket (Anderson, 1996) 3
Au Hasard Balthazar (Bresson, 1966) 4.5
Body of Lies (Scott, 2008) 3

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck x]

The Aviator 3

http://www.thefancarpet.com/uploaded_assets/images/gallery/2322/The_Aviator_29418_Medium.jpg (http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=the+aviator&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=VJmYvKiOZyACiM&tbnid=-lMlmvLREBo8AM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefancarpet.com%2FFilmGalleryPicture.aspx%3Fmg_id%3D22947%26m_id%3D2322&ei=pWdEUZWHK4nG0QX3xoBo&bvm=bv.43828540,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNFsNcZsh_wF1mNZXsbMDoi036sliw&ust=1363523852846180)


Fans of Leonardo DiCaprio should definitely watch this biopic about film director/aviation innovator Howard Hughes as he puts in a brilliant performance. Hughes became an obsessive compulsive in the thirties, exarcebated by a near-fatal crash in the forties. His behaviour is so odd that it's funny and yet DiCaprio doesn't let it slide into parody. It's a sort of tragicomedy- deeply tragic.

Cate Blanchett does a good imitation of Katherine Hepburn which won her an Oscar but the film doesn't really go into her character. The film's downfall is that it tries to cover two very big themes- golden age Hollywood and pioneering aviation- but never has a steady focus until the end, when Hughes descends into madness. It's really interesting to see faces you know playing Hollywood figures but they're there for such a short time that they're just sort of thrown in. No one actually looks like the person they're meant to be either. I found these sections entertaining but they were a little bit superficial- Baz Luhrman-esque. They were really just there to acknowledge the fact that Hughes was a film director.

The aviation stuff was more interesting than I thought it would be and perhaps if the film had just focused on this aspect, as well as Hughes' decline, it would have been better. The ending is interesting but there was still a lot left about Hughes to tell. A straightforward cradle-to-grave biopic might have allowed Scorsese to balance the two world of Hollywood and aviation much better, making a tighter film (it's two and a half hours).

It's worth watching for a superficial entertainment in Hollywood, an interesting take on aviation, and DiCaprio's searing performance as Hughes, but the film ultimately has too much material and conseqently leaves out a lot.

[TokeZa]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a4/Ascent_poster.jpg
The Ascent (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ascent) (1977) by Larisa Shepitko 4.5+
One of the best war movies i have seen this year.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a2/Days-of-being-wild-poster.jpg/220px-Days-of-being-wild-poster.jpg
Days of being Wild (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_being_wild) (1990) by Wong Kar-wai 3.5+
First part of WKW's informal trilogy, next up is In the Mood for Love and 2046

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/44/Killer_of_sheep.jpg/220px-Killer_of_sheep.jpg
Killer of Sheep (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_of_Sheep) (1977) by Charles Burnett 3
A glimpse inside the ghetto Watts in LA

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/Strangerthanparadise.jpg/220px-Strangerthanparadise.jpg
Stranger Than Paradise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_Than_Paradise) (1984) by Jim Jarmusch 3.5
Jim Jarmusch's breakthrough film.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e5/Alifeareats.jpg/220px-Alifeareats.jpg
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali:_Fear_Eats_the_Soul) (1974) by Rainer Werner Fassbinder 5
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1a/Sleeper_ver1.jpg/220px-Sleeper_ver1.jpg
Sleeper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeper_(1973_film))
(1973) by Woody Allen 2.5
A lighthearted sci-fi comedy

[Mr Minio]

http://i50.tinypic.com/sosufr.jpg
21 Grams - 10/10
Yeelen 7/10
Sleepers - 9/10
The Believer - 9/10
Pan Tadeusz - 5/10
The Hunter - 9/10
The Candy Shop - 8/10
Misery - 8/10
Valhalla Rising - 9/10
Sleeping Beauty - 9/10

[Sinny McGuffins]

Short Cuts (1993, Altman) 4
Lost Highway (1997, Lynch) 3.5
Pi (1998, Aronofsky) 4
Three Colors: Blue (1993, Kieslowski) 4
Point Break (1991, Bigelow) 1.5
La Haine (1995, Kassovitz) 3
Sonatine (1993, Kitano) 3

[mark f]

Wow. I Thought Point Break was the best of those, by far. :)

[linespalsy]

Second best for me (after Sonatine), and I thought Pi was the worst.

[Miss Vicky]

1.5 for Point Break? That hurts my heart.

Love that movie. May I ask why you disliked it so much, Sinny?

[Harry Lime]

Sonatine (1993, Kitano) 3
Watch it again in a few months. I did and for some reason liked it a lot more the second time around. Or don't.

[Harry Lime]

And the best part of Point Break was the scene in Hot Fuzz.

edit: Post #6000!

[linespalsy]

Watch it again in a few months five years. I did and for some reason liked it a lot more the second time around. Or don't.

Same thing happened to me.

[linespalsy]

And the shooting into the air thing isn't even the best part of the chase scene in Point Break (that would be when Keanu gets the rottweiler thrown at him).

[linespalsy]

And how does Harry have more posts than me?

[Harry Lime]

And how does Harry have more posts than me?
Because either you're slacking or I'm awesome. Probably the former, but for the sake of my delusions I'll go with the latter.

[donniedarko]

La Haine is by far my favorite of those, then Lost Highway, and then my least favorite is Pi, by far.

[Sinny McGuffins]

1.5 for Point Break? That hurts my heart.

Love that movie. May I ask why you disliked it so much, Sinny?The last time I saw Point Break was about ten years ago when I was around 15. I remember liking it then. But watching it the other night, I was literally laughing out loud and shaking my head at how bad some of it was. I thought Keanu Reeves was bad in The Matrix, but man, in Point Break his acting is horrendous. His character is also, by far, THE worst FBI agent I've seen in film history. Johnny "Utah" is a ridiculously naive character who IS as stupid as he appears. Many people die in the film just because of his stupidity and recklessness. Apart from Reeves, the script was weak, it was way too cheesy, and John C. McGinley was completely miscast.

[Miss Vicky]

Did you not remember anything about it from when you were 15?

For me, the cheese factor is what makes it great. I mean, we're talking about a movie starring Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze and Gary Busey. I repeat, STARRING GARY BUSEY. You have to expect a lot of cheese. This is not heavy drama. It is not some deep, thought provoking character study or morality play. You should judge it for what it is and adjust your expectations accordingly.

Also, Lori Petty looked pretty damn hot in it. So there's that.

[linespalsy]

I agree that Keanu's character probably wasn't cut out to be an FBI agent but I don't think the film has massive delusions about that (it also seems to have a somewhat dim view of those who are cut out for it). I also think it's one of Reeves's better performances, partly because it's just good casting. The way I look at it is, Johnny Utah is basically "cast" to play a dumb surfer because he fits the stereotype (same as Reeves), rather than because he's the Marlon Brando of FBI agents.

[Gabrielle947]

I thought Pi was the worst.
my least favorite is Pi
woah,didn't expect people here to dislike Pi. :)

[mark f]

"For what it is" - massive entertainment which knows exactly what it is. Busey was non-cheese in The Buddy Holly Story, Big Wednesday and Barbarosa.

[Miss Vicky]

Oh I agree that it is massively entertaining. Actually it was a contender for my list for the MoFo's Top 100 of the 90's. I'm just saying that I don't think Sinny's complaints about it are really fair considering the movie's genre and cast. You can't hold all films to the same standards.

[Sinny McGuffins]

Did you not remember anything about it from when you were 15?

For me, the cheese factor is what makes it great. I mean, we're talking about a movie starring Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze and Gary Busey. I repeat, STARRING GARY BUSEY. You have to expect a lot of cheese. This is not heavy drama. It is not some deep, thought provoking character study or morality play. You should judge it for what it is and adjust your expectations accordingly.

Also, Lori Petty looked pretty damn hot in it. So there's that.I didn't remember it being this bad when I was 15, no. I forgot most of it, to be honest.

I suspected a lot of people might like it for its cheese factor. But for me, it didn't feel like it was self-aware, so therefore wasn't enjoyable cheese (like, say, Evil Dead II). It was played straight, and ended up becoming a joke to me. Busey and Swayze were actually the best parts of the film, I didn't have a problem with either of them. And yeah, it sure ain't no thought-provoking character study, but it's also not an entertaining action movie in my opinion, which is exactly what it was trying to be. And Lori Petty was quite annoying, if you ask me.

[linespalsy]

Lady Vengeance (Chan-wook Park, 2005) 4 - Not really a "revenge" film in the sense that that label usually implies, though it certainly has revenge and suspense. There's also real plot and character development and a lot to think about afterwards, and the visual assembly's pretty varied and wonderful as well (kind of reminds me of Ang Lee's Hulk).
The Rum Diary (Bruce Robinson, 2011) 2.5 - I might have rated this slightly higher on another day. I just got annoyed at how trite the ending was.
Pygmalion (Anthony Asquith & Leslie Howard, 1938) 4 - Fantastic performances, dialog, cinematography in this scathing satire of British class and sexual politics. Looking at it again I think it has to top My Fair Lady.
The Big Clock (John Farrow, 1948) 3.5 - Starts out with a brilliant introductory scene and a classic noir setup, then somewhere along the way the dangerous hard edges morph and it becomes another jaunty entertainment (which is still darn good, but I thought it was going to be amazing after that beginning).
The Judge (Elmer Clifton, 1949) 3 - Little known b-movie that has one of the darker and more insane noir plots I've come across. It's confusing enough that I'll probably have to watch it again before I really decide on a rating, but I liked it.
Jubilee (Derek Jarman, 1978) (re-watch) 3.5 - For a certain type of film-watcher I can't recommend this enough, while there's another type that I can't warn off enough. Part documentary of the then-nascent punk/new wave scene (that shows just how hard it can be to separate the two), part apocalyptic fashion show, part historical romance (loosely inspired by Frances Yates's Shakespeare scholarship, I would guess). It's a slow mess but there are some great bits in almost every scene, especially if you don't mind flamboyant British sarcasm or archness.
The Cube (tv) (Jim Henson, 1969) 3 - A one-hour teleplay about a man trapped inside a white room trying to figure out why, while a revolving series of television-like scenarios collide and spark self-referential reflections on consciousness and reality. I think it could have used a couple more script-revisions maybe, and a little more money, but it's worth seeing as-is.
A Page of Madness (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1926) 3 - This is another place-holder rating. It's stylistically striking but the extant version of the film is clearly incomplete and it needs to be contextualized.

[Yoda]

Lady Vengeance (Chan-wook Park, 2005) 4 - Not really a "revenge" film in the sense that that label usually implies, though it certainly has plenty of suspense. There's also real plot and character development and a lot to think about afterwords, and the visual assembly's pretty varied and wonderful as well (kind of reminds me of Hulk (2003)).
Agreed. And if you or anyone else is interested, we had a Movie Club discussion (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=30337) about Lady Vengeance very recently.

[linespalsy]

Ah yeah, that's actually why I watched it... I was sorry I got around to it so late though, since when I finally read the thread last night I didn't have anything new to add (although I did get a few things that I missed while watching it). I'll probably be re-watching it and thinking some more about it at some point, so maybe I'll post something eventually.

[mark f]

Housewife (Alfred E. Green, 1934( 2
Front Page Woman (Michael Curtiz, 1935) 2.5
Mighty Joe Young (Ron Underwood, 1998) 3
Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975) 3.5
Navajo Joe (Sergio Corbucci, 1966) 2
In This Our Life (John Huston, 1942) 3
Wild At Heart (David Lynch, 1990) 2
The Awful Dr. Orlof (Jesus Franco, 1962) 1.5
Carson City (Andre De Toth, 1952) 2
Tootsie (Sydney Pollack, 1982) 4
Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995) 2
John and Mary (Peter Yates, 1969) 3
Three Cheers For the Irish (Lloyd Bacon, 1940) 2
Finian’s Rainbow (Francis Ford Coppola, 1968) 2.5
Why Stop Now (Phil Dorling, Ron Nyswaner, 2012) 2
Shake Hands With the Devil (Michael Anderson, 1959) 3
Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr, 2000) 3
The Quiet Man (John Ford, 1952) 4.5
The Two of Us (Claude Berri, 1967) 3.5+
The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit (Nunnaly Johnson, 1956) 3
No Down Payment (Martin Ritt, 1957) 2

[Yoda]

Ah yeah, that's actually why I watched it... I was sorry I got around to it so late though, since when I finally read the thread last night I didn't have anything new to add (although I did get a few things that I missed while watching it). I'll probably be re-watching it and thinking some more about it at some point, so maybe I'll post something eventually.
No sweat. Would love to hear whatever thoughts you have at some point, to be sure, even if some of them have been said already. :)

[Guaporense]

Housewife (Alfred E. Green, 1934( 2
Front Page Woman (Michael Curtiz, 1935) 2.5
Mighty Joe Young (Ron Underwood, 1998) 3
Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975) 3.5
Navajo Joe (Sergio Corbucci, 1966) 2
In This Our Life (John Huston, 1942) 3
Wild At Heart (David Lynch, 1990) 2
The Awful Dr. Orlof (Jesus Franco, 1962) 1.5
Carson City (Andre De Toth, 1952) 2
Tootsie (Sydney Pollack, 1982) 4
Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995) 2
John and Mary (Peter Yates, 1969) 3
Three Cheers For the Irish (Lloyd Bacon, 1940) 2
Finian’s Rainbow (Francis Ford Coppola, 1968) 2.5
Why Stop Now (Phil Dorling, Ron Nyswaner, 2012) 2
Shake Hands With the Devil (Michael Anderson, 1959) 3
Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr, 2000) 3
The Quiet Man (John Ford, 1952) 4.5
The Two of Us (Claude Berri, 1967) 3.5+
The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit (Nunnaly Johnson, 1956) 3
No Down Payment (Martin Ritt, 1957) 2

Mark f is trying to beat the world record for most movies watched in a lifetime. :) How many movies do you think you have watched?

I think Roger Ebert has watched around 20,000 movies in his lifetime. Since he said he watches around 7-8 movies per week and he is has been critic for 46 years, that means he watched ca. 17,500 movies since he became a critic. Add a couple thousand from film school and from before he turned 18, and we have 20,000 movies.

I think I have watched around 2,000 movies or less (at my critiker I remembered about 1,200 movies).

[mark f]

He's way behind. :cool: