Movie Tab II

[Cobpyth]

When a film gets 3 from Mark F, I instantly add it to my watchlist, to be fairly honest. :p
Compared to his other general ratings that's a very good score!

[Cobpyth]

Are there ever 5 movies you DON'T like, or even downright hate, Mark?

Why would someone give a movie 5 if he/she didn't like it?

[Sane]

So-so movies have a lot to offer sometimes, so a lower rating from me shouldn't be taken as a slap in the face, for both the film and for those who love it. Sometimes, in fact, you might take my "low rating" as a seal of approval. Dallas Buyers Club is a good movie, not so-so. :cool:
I do. You give most of my favourite movies 2 or 2.5 :)

I find that with "most" movies having a similar rating it makes the odd ones that get more or less really stand out. Everytime I see Mark rate something below 2 or above 2.5 I look it up to see if it would be something I'm interested in.

[Mr Minio]

Why would someone give a movie 5 if he/she didn't like it?

Maybe some snobs would do that.

It's funny how I more like films that mark gives bad ratings to than those he likes very much.

[BlueLion]

I would say my ratings are quite similar to Mark's. I also give 3 ratings to movies that I think are good. 6/10 is a positive grade, even on Rotten Tomatoes anything rated 60% or above is considered fresh. And this is not movie related at all, but even in my uni, 6 is a passing grade (10 being the highest), and more often than not I've seen students content to receive such a grade. You get the idea...

And let's face it, a lot of movies should be rated 2.5 and 3, so Mark's ratings always seem right to me. Because, for instance, if you watch, say, 150 movies a year, how many of those would get a full rating, or a 4/5? Ten probably, maybe less. If you made a list of those movies, there would be many 3 ratings in there. I've been watching critically acclaimed films mostly for the past few months, and I rated probably 70% of those 6/10 or lower. Probably some of you are way too generous with your ratings.

[rauldc14]

So 3 stars is a good movie then, now I understand.

[mark f]

I love Fassbinder. I've watched 31 of his films and hope i can watch them all before I'm gone. However, some of his earlier films can be maddening, at least for me. He went out of his way to initially make films the way he subverted theatre. Sure, there's a power sometimes to his early work, and the experimental elements will actually appeal to more people today than when he filmed them. If you're interested in his work or like him, don't let my ratings here deter you. I chose images which would create interest in the films for those who might enjoy them. I just think most of his later films are better.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Why would someone give a movie 5 if he/she didn't like it?

Maybe it's technically very, very good? Or just a very good story, and yet, although you acknowledge how great it is, you still hate it? Strong objective praise combined with strong subjective hate.

If he says bad movies can still be good, then can't good movies still be bad?

[jiraffejustin]

Judging solely from the screenshot, the title, and my interest in finally seeing a Fassbinder, I think I may love Love is Colder Than Death.

[honeykid]

Rain Man (1988) - Barry Levinson
One of the many on screen examples of the greatness of Dustin Hoffman. Rest of the movie and performances don't quite match it but very good overall. 4
If this was your first viewing, I urge you to watch it again. Cruise is the heart and soul of this film and, as you seem to like it a lot, my guess would be that he's at the centre of everything you like about it.

[Sane]

If this was your first viewing, I urge you to watch it again. Cruise is the heart and soul of this film and, as you seem to like it a lot, my guess would be that he's at the centre of everything you like about it.

I've seen it three or four times. I've watched him in a number of 80s films lately and he's really always the same - just playing that brash, annoying guy. It is without doubt one of his better performances but I don't think, as an actor, he is capable of bringing too much depth to a character. His vulnerability is always depicted by him throwing a tantrum and, to be honest, behaving like he did on Oprah. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say it's just what the directors ask from him.

Overall, he was mostly good but not great IMO. He is, however, a very good comedic actor and he delivered some lines well. I always wish he'd do more comedic and character roles rather than always playing the same guy - that in later years is now brash, annoying ... and always the hero.

You are right though, he was at the centre of most things I liked as he had good chemistry with Hoffman. Unfortunately I didn't like his other scenes quite so much.

[Miss Vicky]

Dallas Buyers Club (Jean-Marc Vallée, 2013) 4.5+

Harvie Krumpet (Adam Elliot, 2003) 3.5+

The Dark Knight Rises (Christopher Nolan, 2012) 3-

Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933) 2-

The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967) 3.5-

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

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/harviekrumpet.gif

[Sleezy]

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/iusreview/10POPPY1-articleLarge_zps4e28adcd.jpg (http://s76.photobucket.com/user/iusreview/media/10POPPY1-articleLarge_zps4e28adcd.jpg.html)

From Up on Poppy Hill (Miyazaki, 2011) 4_5

See this film.

[Sane]

See this film.

Seen it :) It is very good.

[Pussy Galore]

Miss Vicky if you liked Dallas Buyers Club I suggest you C.R.A.Z.Y from Jean-Marc Vallée which is a really good film as well

[Cobpyth]

From Up on Poppy Hill (Miyazaki, 2011)

See this film.

I agree! Great film!

[Guaporense]

I love crap like the Mad Max movies, Road Games, Breaker Morant, Newsfront and a few other "turds". :cool:

Mad Max movies are crap? Since when? I think that the first two are considered iconic classics of cinema.

[Sedai]

Broadcast News (Brooks, 1987) 4

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion_images/current/current_1324_003.jpg

Ah, my favorite Albert Brooks film...that he didn't direct. Really though, even though his brother is at the helm, this is my favorite Brooks performance in front of the camera. Holly Hunter is great as the love interest, but this one wraps up a little bit differently than you would expect from a film of this nature. I find the ending refreshing and a bit more realistic when compared to your usual romantic comedy. One of my favorite films of the 80s. There is something about Albert Brooks that makes him endlessly watchable.

Savages (Stone, 2013) 2_5

http://www.slantmagazine.com/assets/house/lists/15famoussavages_16.jpg

Stone reaches back to his 90s style, dipping into surreal tones and editing tricks, ala Natural Born Killers. This was less over-the-top, but still somewhat of a mess. Savages is a fairly uneven affair, with a contrived set-up and an unbelievable ending. I was reminded of Soderbergh's Traffic at times, but while Traffic examined the effects of illegal drug trade on various sectors of society, Savages spins a rather naive, thin tale about a baked threesome getting in too far over their heads with the Mexican cartels that really fails to deliver in anything beyond style. Stone is a good director, and he can cut together compelling or exciting scenes, but I felt sort of ripped off at the end.

[Holden Pike]

Broadcast News (Brooks, 1987) 4

Ah, my favorite Albert Brooks film...that he didn't direct. Really though, even though his brother is at the helm, this is my favorite Brooks performance in front of the camera.
http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=12379&stc=1&d=1389104607

FYI, James L. Brooks is not related to Albert Broooks. They are friends and appear in each other's films and projects (Jim is the director Albert's editor works for in Modern Romance, Albert has voiced several "Simpsons" episodes, etc.), but they ain't related.

Albert's brother is Bob Einstein, a.k.a. Super Dave Osborne. Albert changed his name to Brooks for show biz. Yes, his birth name is Albert Einstein. And yes, his parents had a sense of humor. None of them are related to Mel Brooks. Please to study THIS THREAD (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=10237). There will be a quiz tomorrow.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=12378&stc=1&d=1389104528


But I agree that Broadcast News is fantastic, and that it may well be Albert's best performance.

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[Sedai]

I always just assumed they were brothers! Shows what I know!

[Miss Vicky]

Mad Max movies are crap? Since when? I think that the first two are considered iconic classics of cinema.

Since when are "iconic classics of cinema" immune to being called crap?

[Holden Pike]

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=12380&stc=1&d=1389106962 http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=12381&stc=1&d=1389107113

PAUL
It must be nice to always believe you
know better, to always think you're the
smartest person in the room.

JANE
No. It's awful.

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[honeykid]

Mad Max movies are crap? Since when? I think that the first two are considered iconic classics of cinema.

Firstly, mark was mocking my post. Secondly, he was wrong, because, thridly Mad Max is crap and has been since always.

That is all. :)

[Sedai]

Weird, I almost posted that exact quote from Broadcast News in my reply above!

Great minds... ;)

Watching Modern Romance again tonight....

[Frightened Inmate No. 2]

Broadcast News is good, but Lost in America and Modern Romance are much better.

and I didn't realize that Larry from Arrested Development is Albert Brooks' brother.

[Sedai]

I love all those flicks, but find myself re-watching Broadcast News the most. *shrugs*

[jiraffejustin]

I watched Modern Romance about a week ago. It's equal parts funny and sad, I think you will enjoy it.

[Sedai]

I've seen it twice - this will be my third viewing. I own most of the Brooks flicks...

[Sane]

Bird（1988) - Clint Eastwood
The best Eastwood directed film I've seen. Interesting look at Charlie Parker with a very good performance from Whittaker. Unfortunately I'm not much of a jazz fan so probably didn't appreciate all of the music as much as I should have. 4

Cinema Paradiso (1988) - Giuseppe Tornatore
The first hour of this is as good as anything I've seen. The rest of the movie is still good but doesn't reach those heights. It does tend to get overly melodramatic which I found a bit frustrating but the first hour and the final scene make this an excellent film. 4.5

The Dark Crystal (1982) - Jim Henson/Frank Oz
I love the look of this movie and the puppet work is amazing. The story is a bit basic and some of the voice acting is poor but overall it's a decent movie. 3

Stop Making Sense (1984) - Jonathan Demme
As with Bird above, appreciating the music will make a difference to what you rate a movie like this. I don't mind Talking Heads but was never too into them. An impressive concert movie. 3.5

Sans Soleil (1983) - Chris Marker
A fascinating documentary (?) about ... something ... I thoroughly enjoyed this but I have to admit when it got to the end I was actually unsure what it all meant. My rating is what I felt when it finished but as I write this I'm not really sure what it's actually worth - I could see it going up or down on re-watch. 4.5

[Skepsis93]

Catching up on some 80s movies, eh? ;)

[Sane]

Catching up on some 80s movies, eh? ;)
Yup, still got about 70 I want to see. Not sure I'll fit them in by the deadline :)

[Sleezy]

Albert's brother is Bob Einstein, a.k.a. Super Dave Osborne. Albert changed his name to Brooks for show biz. Yes, his birth name is Albert Einstein.

This is unreal and totally awesome. Mind blown.

[Holden Pike]

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=12393&stc=1&d=1389127577 http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=12394&stc=1&d=1389127888

The Einstein Brothers: Albert [Brooks], Bob, and Clifford. Clifford is the oldest, an advertising executive. Bob was famous first, long before Super Dave, he was a writer and performer on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour". His most famous recurring character was Officer Judy.

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[mark f]

Good Day for a Hanging (Nathan Juran, 1959) 2+
Nine Hours to Rama (Mark Robson, 1963) 2.5
The Shooting (Monte Hellman, 1966) 2
Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen, 2013) 3-
http://www.movie.com.tw/wonderful/images/pic/131220/3_s.jpg
Two for the Seesaw (Robert Wise, 1962) 3
Enduring Love (Roger Michell, 2004) 2.5
Strait-Jacket (William Castle, 1964) 2.5
El Sur (Victor Erice, 1983) 2.5
http://www.lacabecita.com/wp-content/uploads/38ElSur.png
The Giant of Norway (Edward L. Cahn, 1939) 2
Love Letters (William Dieterle, 1945) 2
Kid Blue (James Frawley, 1973) 3-
Simon of the Desert (Luis Buñuel, 1965) 3
http://i500.listal.com/image/1454445/500full.jpg
Moments in Music (Carey Wilson, 1950) 2.5
Sink the Bismarck! (Lewis Gilbert, 1960) 2.5
Lightning in a Bottle (Antoine Fuqua, 2004) 3
The Cranes are Flying (Mikhail Kalatozov, 1957) 3.5-
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3MFxancMTbA/UFXeMEyZ5aI/AAAAAAAAA1I/ff83ZUDwLkM/s1600/tumblr_lb0ba7HDGe1qzzxybo1_500.png
Letter Never Sent (Mikhail Kalatozov, 1959) 3
Man in the Middle aka The Winston Affair (Guy Hamilton, 1964) 2.5
Cover Girl (Charles Vidor, 1944) 2.5
Gilda (Charles Vidor, 1946) 3-
http://envebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/20131007-173840.jpg

[Cobpyth]

Gilda (Charles Vidor, 1946) 3-
http://envebeauty.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/20131007-173840.jpg


"There NEVER was a woman like Gilda!"

Rita Hayworth totally made that movie. Probably one of the best female perfomances in terms of charisma EVER.

Glad to see that you fairly like it too, Mark. The story definitely has its flaws, but it's a great example of how important the star can be for a film.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Eight of the twenty movies Mark F just reviewed were 2.5.

[bluedeed]

I just saw that El Sur came on Hulu, I'm planning on watching it soon. Have you seen The Quince Tree Sun, Mark?

[linespalsy]

I liked Cover Girl better than Gilda.

[donniedarko]

I highly urge people to watch Simon of the desert, I believe everyone can get something from it, a truly hilarious film satire of religious fanaticism

[Guaporense]

Blue is the Warmest Color - 67/100
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/La_Vie_d%27Ad%C3%A8le_%28movie_poster%29.jpg/220px-La_Vie_d%27Ad%C3%A8le_%28movie_poster%29.jpg

Given the past history of the festival, it was already expected that a porn movie would win the prize at some point. :D Anyway, this movie at least has some real eye candy and despite it's lack of complexity (given the 3 hour length) and elegance it works quite well as a heavy handed drama: highschool girl discovers she is lesbian after she has sex with her boyfriend and doesn't like it, she goes out and meets fellow lesbians, starts dating, becomes effectively married after some time, the marriage falls apart but she remains in love with her former partner until the end. Visceral, this movie focuses on the animal side of mankind: half of the movie are either sex scenes or scenes of people eating, which are filmed in a similar way to these nature documentaries when you see monkeys eating.

It's based on a comic book (notice how many recent movies are based on comics?, including some well received ones). I guess this is the first time a comic book movie wins the golden palm. Let's see how long it will take for a comic book author to win the nobel prize in literature.

[Mr Minio]

Porn? Lesbians? Arthouse? While I only wanted to watch it before, now I have to see it!

http://movieboozer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/toxic-avenger-2.gif

Stalingrad - 1 - if not the ending and decent cinematography, I'd rate it even lower; unlike his father Bondarchuk is a bad director.

Toxic Avenger - 3 - few loose thoughts:
- the beginning is lousy - even for such a bad movie
- didn't expect it to be so violent
- the whole scene where we see Sarah for the first time is pretty disturbing... until the hero arrives
- Leroy is a really creepy bastard
- ben who? bend OVER!
- the girl masturbating to that photo? it's way above my kinkiness level
- Sarah is adorable
- better than The Room, but not as good as Miami Connection when compared to other bad yet good films

Black Sabbath - 4 - Bava films are so entertaining and interesting to watch! The stories in here are quite cool and Karloff is a nice addition too.

[Sane]

Ghostbusters (1984) - Ivan Reitman
There are some funny moments, mainly involving Murray and Moranis, but most of the rest of the cast don't need to be there. I saw this at the movies when it came out and liked it a lot - now, not so much. 2.5

The Cook The Thief His Wife & Her Lover (1989) - Peter Greenaway
Beautiful ... disgusting ... brilliant. 5

The Falcon & the Snowman (1985) - John Schlesinger
Pretty poor spy drama. 2

Gandhi (1982) - Richard Attenborough
Excellent biopic. Only criticism is that I would have preferred to see more development of his family instead of some of the later scenes which felt a bit like they were just things that happened during his life rather than things he was involved in. 4.5

Ghosts ... of the Civil Dead (1988) - John Hillcoat
Disturbing prison movie. Hillcoat is a fine director and his talent shows in his debut movie. 3.5

[Sexy Celebrity]

Gunslinger and I did a commentary for The Toxic Avenger together on New Year's Eve. It was wonderful.

[Miss Vicky]

Wait, did I read that right? There's a scene in a non-porn movie that is too kinky for Mr. Minio?

*Adds The Toxic Avenger to her watch list. *

[jiraffejustin]

Sounds like Mr Minio should be stripped of his self-proclaimed title of "King of Kinkiness"

[Sexy Celebrity]

It's a woman masturbating to a picture of a dead kid she and her boyfriend ran over with a car.

[jiraffejustin]

Don't forget to mention how the kid's head exploded under the tire, then he was reversed over.

[Miss Vicky]

It's a woman masturbating to a picture of a dead kid she and her boyfriend ran over with a car.

That's it?

Man, what a lightweight Mr. Minio is.

[Guaporense]

Some rewatches, which helped me to remember the power of truly great movies:

The Mirror - 97/100
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2a/Zerkalo.gif/220px-Zerkalo.gif

My Neighbor Totoro - 100/100
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/02/My_Neighbor_Totoro_-_Tonari_no_Totoro_%28Movie_Poster%29.jpg/220px-My_Neighbor_Totoro_-_Tonari_no_Totoro_%28Movie_Poster%29.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQg-_gmGOIw

[Mr Minio]

That's it?

Man, what a lightweight Mr. Minio is.

Not keen on necrophilia. You have to know the difference between kinky and just plain disgusting. :)

[Miss Vicky]

Not keen on necrophilia. You have to know the difference between kinky and just plain disgusting. :)

It's a pretty thin line, though.

But whatever, my favorite movie has a scene with necrophilia - albeit one that is part of a dream.

[jiraffejustin]

I guess Minio had best stay away from Nekromantik then.

[Mr Minio]

I guess Minio had best stay away from Nekromantik then. It's not that bad if it's still warm...

Actually I have it ready to be seen for a few months now. Maybe I should give it a go. And still haven't seen The Pig Humping movie as if I have to choose between a highly-acclaimed piece of foreign arthouse cinema and zoophilia movie, I'd go with the first one. :D

[mark f]

The Banger Sisters (Bob Dolman, 2002) 2.5
Double Trouble (Norman Taurog, 1967) 2
Johnny Was (Mark Hammond, 2006) 2
Ballad of a Soldier (Grigoriy Chukhray, 1959) 3.5
http://aloredelam.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/11800575_p.jpg?w=800
Wild Bill (Walter Hill, 1995) 2.5
Krippendorf's Tribe (Todd Holland, 1998) 2
The Monitor (Pål Sletaune, 2011) 2+
Gandhi (Richard Attenborough, 1982) 3.5
http://img-ipad.24hstatic.com/upload/4-2013/images/2013-10-07/1381132880-gandhi10.jpg
Last Dance (Bruce Beresford, 1996) 2.5
Glimpses of Argentina (James A. FitzPatrick, 1951) 2.5
Gunman in the Streets (Frank Tuttle, 1950) 2
The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013) 3+
http://davethenovelist.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/the-wolf-of-wall-street-midget-toss.jpg
Backfire (Vincent Sherman, 1950) 2
Joe and Max (Steve James, 2002) 2.5
Green Light (Frank Borzage, 1937) 2+
Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995) 2.5
http://liztigt.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/beforesunrise-still1.jpg
Love & Basketball (Gina Prince-Bythewood, 2000) 2.5-
Outlaw's Son (Lesley Selander, 1957) 2
Whiplash (Lewis Seiler, 1948) 2
The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous & Christine Cynn, 2012) 3.5+ (160 min extended version)
http://www.kerubi.fi/images/upload/1378370541440.jpg

[honeykid]

Gravity 2.5 - I'm still not really sure how I feel about the film, however, it's too dark and the 3D is too distracting. It looks gorgeous, but I always felt I was peering at it through a dark film (which, of course, I was) which meant I was never in the film and always distracted. I was distracted everything. By the glasses (I don't wear glasses at all, not even sunglasses), by the light in the cinema (I swear cinemas used to be properly dark, as in black and not just dim) by the reflection of the exit lights in the glasses, by remembering Simon Mayo saying how George Clooney was Buzz Lightyear in this (he is), but mainly I was distracted by always thinking about the film. I was thinking how it would look in 2D. Would I prefer it in 2D? Would it feel more like a film? Would I be more involved? Would the weightless motion, especially on the ISS, seem as fluid? These questions and more. So many questions.

The scene in the ISS and the emotional scene near the end are the two key scenes, for me, where the 3D is concerned. I couldn't care less about the rest, in fact, I'll probably prefer it in 2D, but I worry that those two scene will really suffer in 2D. I fear the ISS scene won't look and move as beautifully and that the emotional scene just won't work as well.

After seeing Inception I described it as a heist movie set in someone's head. Gravity is a small, simple, cheap film made as large, complex and expensively as possible.

[Harry Lime]

The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous & Christine Cynn, 2012) 3.5+ (160 min extended version)
http://www.kerubi.fi/images/upload/1378370541440.jpg


Approval from Caesar!

[Mr Minio]

Ballad of a Soldier and Cranes are Flying both a high rating from mark? Glorious!

[mark f]

I've rated them that high for over 35 years! I never saw Letter Never Sent until this week.

So honey, if you rated the theatre, the glasses and the movie's cost 1, does that mean the actual movie was a 4? 1+4=5/2=2.5 :cool: <-- 3D glasses

[Mr Minio]

Does your equation mean she had to pay 2.5 a shade? xD

[mark f]

It's he, remember? 50% outside influences, 50% the film itself.

[Mr Minio]

It's he, remember?

http://i.imgur.com/S8sj4.gif

Why is that I confuse everybody's sex?

[Miss Vicky]

Why is that I confuse everybody's sex?

Because you don't pay enough attention. The membership here seems to be predominantly male, so when in doubt assume as such.

Of regular members, obviously, I am female. Goddogo, Nebbit, Thursday Next, Teeter G, eMilee and Soul Surfer are also female. I want to say that Deadite is as well, but my memory isn't great so don't quote me on that.

Obviously not a comprehensive list, but you might find that helpful.

[honeykid]

So honey, if you rated the theatre, the glasses and the movie's cost 1, does that mean the actual movie was a 4? 1+4=5/2=2.5 :cool: <-- 3D glasses
As I said, I'm still not sure how I feel about the film. At no point did I feel tense, worried, excited, etc by it. If it's a thriller, it's a thriller without thrills for me. If it's a drama, then I barely became involved with it.

At one point, I think it was during the first debris storm, my attention was on Ryan as she tried to get into the shuttle. Suddenly I realise that's what I'm doing and think "I should be looking at everything else. Even if I see this film a thousand more times I'll probably never see it in 3D again" This was one of the things I meant about the 3D being distracting. Frankly, I'd probably have been better off going to see one of those NASA IMAX films and enjoying the spectacle and then seeing this in 2D. However, as I said earlier, I think those two scenes I mentioned really do need to be seen in 3D to be fully appreciated and, for that reason if no others, I'm pleased I saw it in 3D.

BTW, this was my first experience of the new 3D and the trailer for the new Spiderman film was also in 3D. If that's what 3D usually looks like in movies, I won't be seeing any of them.

[Sexy Celebrity]

I want to say that Deadite is as well, but my memory isn't great so don't quote me on that.

Deadite is a man. I'm not sure how you'd think Deadite was female.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Don't forget Dorothy Michaels. Another female.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Also, Nausicaa is female. And Gabrielle947. And Destiny and Caitlyn, although they never show up anymore. And Ash_is_the_Gal. There's a lot of women. Mack -- another one you don't see often. WSSLover, the crazy member who goes on and on about The Town.

[Miss Vicky]

Deadite is a man. I'm not sure how you'd think Deadite was female.

I knew there was a MoFo that I thought was male and was surprised to find that I was wrong. Deadite was the first to come to mind, which is why I said "I'm not sure about that." Apparently it was a different MoFo.

Don't forget Dorothy Michaels. Another female.

No.

Also, Nausicaa is female. And Gabrielle947. And Destiny and Caitlyn, although they never show up anymore. And Ash_is_the_Gal. There's a lot of women. Mack -- another one you don't see often. WSSLover, the crazy member who goes on and on about The Town.

As I said, not a comprehensive list and I was naming only active members, hence no Destiny, Caitlyn, Mack or that psycho WSSLover. I hardly ever see Ash around and when I do it's almost always in the shoutbox. Nausicaa and Gabrielle947 were an oversight, which I figured I would do which is why I said it's obviously not comprehensive.

[The Gunslinger45]

The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013) 3+
http://davethenovelist.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/the-wolf-of-wall-street-midget-toss.jpg



:bawling:

I kid. That is a good enough rating for me.

[Daniel M]

Like I asked with American Hustle, why not higher Mark?

[mark f]

Quick first impression: Starts fast and funny (higher than my rating), but can somebody tell me why it's three hours? Quick bottom line: I think it's way too long. Yeah, now I should go home and get my ******' shinebox.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rXP9FAo3I9M/UHF2ZO-zvRI/AAAAAAAAN68/4HL7ImYKCGs/s1600/goodfellas-violent-gun-hit-made-man-billy-batts.jpg

[The Gunslinger45]

Quick first impression: Starts fast and funny (higher than my rating), but can somebody tell me why it's three hours? Quick bottom line: I think it's way too long. Yeah, now I should go home and get my ******' shinebox.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rXP9FAo3I9M/UHF2ZO-zvRI/AAAAAAAAN68/4HL7ImYKCGs/s1600/goodfellas-violent-gun-hit-made-man-billy-batts.jpg

I admit the three hour length definitely puts people off, but for me it was a very fast 3 hours. I hope they release a longer uncut version, but that is just me being an unashamed fan boy. :D

[Lucas]

http://sgtr.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/dietrich3.gif

Touch of Evil-
I'll make this one short as I don't have much to say about it. I understand alot of you love it but I don't. The movie is a film noir from the 50's and is from the great Orson Welles. None of the characters in the movie interested me in the slightest, the movie moved at a sluggish pace and it just didn't grip me at any point whatsoever. I just didn't like it and i was left both bored and underwhelmed. To me its a 2.5.

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Antichrist-
This is an Extremely strange,disturbing and at times sickening avant-garde film from director Lars Von Trier. The movie is extremely heavy and deals with dark subject matter. The movie's opening scene is a scene juxtaposing the sex of a man and a wife, while their young child dies. It automatically sets the tone for what's a deranged,difficult film to view. The movie is very creepy and it has a haunting aura around it. Antichrist's final 30 minutes are extremely suspenseful,deranged and quite brilliant in my eyes.

This is a very divisive film, and i can't say I love it. Nor do I want to rewatch it, but it is certainly unique and worth a watch if you want to watch something a bit surreal and different.There is a certain scene here that just might be one of the sickest images I've ever seen in a film, i think Von Trier went a little too far with some scenes of violence to the point of fetishizing it.The best way to describe Antichrist, is that it has a hint of Tarkovsky's style, the craziness of David Lynch and the excessive gore of a torture-porn film like Saw.I give it a positive review of 3.5 though, as It is a solid film for what it is.

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Hard Eight-
Thomas Anderson is one of my favorite film directors ever so I was certainly curious to see his directorial debut. Overall my thoughts on it are that it is a good film, but it isnt nearly as good as some of his later films.I do like it though, and I'll explain why. The performances are great here, and the small cast of characters are all well fleshed-out and realistic. They are all very flawed, and they are searching for either happiness or forgiveness. I can definitely see DNA from this film in his later films.The direction was solid, and some scenes look especially good. The story is quite good as well. It's a good film, but it never reaches the depth or ambition of something like Magnolia or There Will Be Blood.It earns a 3.5 from me.

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Her-
I loved this film. I think it's original, I think it is very clever, and it is extremely romantic. The movie is the relationship between a man and his Operating system, and this relationship feels more genuine and tender than 95% of romance films out there. It's such an insane premise, but it works extremely well. The acting is excellent, the direction is beautiful, and the script is innovative and fresh.It is so awesome to see original films like this, and this is another heavy-hitter from 2013 which has sneaked into my 10 favorite films this year.Definitely worth checking out. 4

[Daniel M]

Quick first impression: Starts fast and funny (higher than my rating), but can somebody tell me why it's three hours?


"You can never have too much of a good thing."

Except maybe Quaaludes, hookers and money :p

[mark f]

I agree, but more concerning some other movies. :)

[Daniel M]

Lucas: I think the main thing that I took from Sydney was Paul Thomas Anderson's focus on parenthood in his films. I would say that all his films are about parents, and in some it's massively obviously: Boogie Nights, Magnolia and There Will Be Blood, especially non-related parenthood - in all three of those films and The Master.

[Lucas]

Lucas: I think the main thing that I took from Sydney was Paul Thomas Anderson's focus on parenthood in his films. I would say that all his films are about parents, and in some it's massively obviously: Boogie Nights, Magnolia and There Will Be Blood, especially non-related parenthood - in all three of those films and The Master.

Oh yeah certainly, I noticed this as well. Recurring themes I frequently see in his movies is father/son relationships especially neglect(TWBB,Magnolia),and extremely flawed people who are searching for either happiness or success(TWBB,PDL,Magnolia,Boogie Nights) . His movies are very character-driven and I adore that. I have yet to see The Master(i will very soon though), and I can't wait until Inherent Vice next year.He's one of those dependable filmmakers, that you know will always put out a good film.

[seanc]

The Master: 4 This was a re-watch. I feel the same about as I did when putting it in my top 10 last year. Amazing performances by the leads, engaging script and characters that I don't feel I will ever unpack.


No Country For Old Men: 5 Another re-watch. This time of an all time favorite. This film is perfect.

Three Kings:3 Re-watch of something I have not watched in a long time. I have been on a Russell kick the past couple of years. Not as good as I remember but still solid. If Whalberg only did Russell films I think I would like him.

Drinking Buddies:2 A not so interesting premise or script with a couple of good actors. not much to see here.

Perks Of Being A Wallflower:2 An interesting premise with interesting characters. To say the script is clunky is probably an understatement. Really kept me from enjoying this one.

Taxi Driver:3.5 Another re-watch, but has probably been twenty years. I was really expecting to be blown away this time. Amazingly I felt the exact same way about it. It is really good but there is something that keeps me from calling it great. DeNiro performance is as good as I remember. His and Foster's scenes together are really good.

The Birds:5 Re-watch but has to be 25 years. I was blown away. I think when I was 12 or 13 I must have been caring way too much about the dated action sequences. The characters are perfect and the tension built off such an outrageous premise is other worldly. This is the sixth film from Hitchcock I have watched in the last two months. While I have enjoyed all but one and loved a couple others, The Birds is my favorite so far. Brilliant movie from a brilliant story teller.

[bluedeed]

Drinking Buddies:2 A not so interesting premise or script with a couple of good actors. not much to see here.


Sounds slightly better than most Swanberg output, it has better than sub-par (terrible) actors!

[Mr Minio]

Her- [...] The movie is the relationship between a man and his Operating system [...] Sounds like my kind of love. Will have to watch it.

[Guaporense]

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Touch of Evil-
I'll make this one short as I don't have much to say about it. I understand alot of you love it but I don't. The movie is a film noir from the 50's and is from the great Orson Welles. None of the characters in the movie interested me in the slightest, the movie moved at a sluggish pace and it just didn't grip me at any point whatsoever. I just didn't like it and i was left both bored and underwhelmed. To me its a 2.5.


Yeah, I also found it to be quite boring, because it wasn't anything fresh, and not as memorable and good as Citizen Kane. I think that Orson Welles' work suffers from excessive influence and repetition of the tropes he developed so that from a current perspective his movies appear dated.

[bluedeed]

Have you seen The Magnificent Ambersons, Guap? It's Welles' best and certainly would have been one of the greatest of all time if it hadn't been for studio interference.

[Iroquois]

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (Yuen Woo-Ping, 1978) - 4

Early Jackie Chan film that stars Chan as a guileless orphan who befriends a transient kung-fu master and ends up learning kung-fu to fight against his annoying employers and a rival master. I saw this in a double bill with Drunken Master with a very appreciative audience and this film definitely deserved it. Though it's not quite the classic that Drunken Master was, this film still holds its own with its blend of Jackie Chan-style action and humour. The best part was seeing it as a rare collector's print dubbed into English, which really made it one of the most fun cinematic experiences I had in 2013.

Dredd (Pete Travis, 2012) - 3.5

Film version of the cult comic character starring Karl Urban as the titular Judge as he takes on a rookie partner (Olivia Thirlby) and ends up being trapped inside a skyscraper controlled by Lena Headey's ruthless crime boss. Definitely a tautly-wound genre film with some great action even though it skimped a little on character development. Otherwise, it was very well-made technically.

City on Fire (Ringo Lam, 1987) - 3.5

This is notorious for being "that movie that Reservoir Dogs ripped off", but the story of Chow Yun-Fat as an undercover cop trying to infiltrate a gang of thieves is still pretty strong on its own. Though Chow's character can come across as a bit unsympathetic at times (ironically enough, when they're trying to establish the strain his job is taking on his personal life and make him sympathetic in the process) the action and characters are otherwise handled well, especially Chow's relationship with Danny Lee's thief. A minor classic in the Hong Kong action canon.

Full Contact (Ringo Lam, 1992) - 3

A surprisingly cartoonish action movie starring Chow Yun-Fat as a likeable street tough who takes part in a heist to help out a friend, but is betrayed by both the gang of thieves and the friend in question. A fairly stock-standard revenge tale that's made interesting by the wacky villains (a gay magician, a perpetually angry bodybuilder and his nymphomaniac girlfriend) and some prototypical bullet-time effects in one or two sequences. Worth it for the comical dialogue between Chow and the villains.

Police Story 3: SuperCop (Stanley Tong, 1992) - 3

This threequel involves Jackie Chan's goofy Hong Kong detective being sent to China to infiltrate a drug lord's operation. I saw this in a double bill with the original Police Story, and while the original Police Story is one of Jackie Chan's greatest films in just about every regard, Police Story 3 upgrades the scale of the setpieces and the result feels like a prototype for a lot of Jackie Chan's Hollywood vehicles. It's got its moments - Michelle Yeoh's hypercompetent Chinese soldier makes a good foil to Chan's goofy detective, plus the sequences in both the compound and on the train are both pretty good - but for the most part the movie is just okay.

Red Dawn (John Milius, 1984) - 2

The notorious film about the United States being invaded by Soviet forces and a group of high schoolers practicing guerrilla warfare in response may or may not work as far as social commentary is concerned, but as an effective drama/action film it leaves a lot to be desired.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (Tommy Lee Wallace, 1982) - 3

This may get a lot of flak for being the sole Halloween film that's not about Michael Myers, but for me it's actually a surprisingly decent horror movie (although maybe that's just because of low expectations). The story of a doctor investigating a mysterious line of Halloween masks and the creepy town from which they originate makes for a decent if none too original premise and while it won't challenge the original film as a classic, it's not exactly horrible either.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (Dwight H. Little, 1988) - 2.5

This Halloween film reintroduces Michael Myers as he chases after his young niece and all those around her. A pretty average slasher movie when all is said and done, but it's got a decent twist ending as well.

The Prodigal Son (Sammo Hung, 1981) - 3

Sammo Hung's comical take on Shaw Brothers-style wu xia films has its moments here and there, but they're spread too thin across the running time and the laughs are never that great nor are the stunts and fights all that impressive. Still, it's not terrible.

Ip Man (Wilson Yip, 2008) - 4

The based-on-a-true-story movie about the titular kung fu grandmaster coping with life under the Japanese occupation of China in the 1930s hits a lot of typical biopic notes, but it's worth it for the well-choreographed fight scenes (the one where Ip Man fights off ten attackers simultaneously is a classic) and some well-done performances.

Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster (Wilson Yip, 2010) - 3.5

The sequel to Ip Man takes place over a decade after the first film where Ip Man has relocated to Hong Kong and is trying to set up his own kung-fu school. It definitely feels like a sequel that attempts to build a franchise off the well-done first film, but it does have some good sequences (such as the scene where Ip Man fights his rival grandmasters on a table surrounded by upturned chairs) even if it does go a little Rocky IV in the end with Ip Man challenging a bigoted British boxer.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (Dominique Othenin-Girard, 1989) - 2

Another Halloween film, once again following Michael Myers as he goes after his niece and anyone else who gets in the road. Even less interesting supporting characters than the fourth film and not much good here.

The Grandmaster (Wong Kar-Wai, 2013) - 3.5

Wong Kar-Wai's take on the story of Ip Man differs vastly from the films mentioned higher up on this post - whereas the others are straightforward action/biopic films, this one has Wong's signature style all over it as the fights are shot with style and grace while equal flair is demonstrated in the more dramatic scenes. The introduction of a subplot detailing the unrequited romance that Zhang Ziyi's Gong Er feels for Tony Leung's Ip Man is handled well. A very different kind of film to Ip Man.

Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1966) - 4

Tarkovsky's three-hour take on the life of 15th-century painter Andrei Rublev as he spends decades wandering a wartorn Russia encountering all manner of oppressions both widespread and personal moves slowly, but not in a bad way. You usually know what you're in for with Tarkovsky and the stark monochrome photography combines with long takes to make some striking images, but it really helps to be patient with the lengthy diatribes about faith or lack thereof.

The Dance of Reality (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 2013) - 4

Alejandro Jodorowsky's first film in over twenty years is a biopic about his formative years growing up in a small Chilean village, though it's riddled with Jodorowksy's trademark surrealism that thoroughly blurs the line between fantasy and reality (hence the title, I guess). It's a little on the long side and often spends a lot of time following Jodorowsky's father through his own misadventures but it's full of striking images that may or may not be effective depending on how much you're willing to go along with Jodorowsky's left-field vision. Even at the age of eighty-four, Jodorowksy can still put out a film that at the very least grabs your eye with its bizarre images, and it's still good for that if nothing else.

Sharknado (Anthony C. Ferrante, 2013) - 1 (Camp rating: 3.5)

The notorious low-budget joke movie about a freak tornado that picks up a large number of sharks and rains them down on Los Angeles is surprisingly enjoyable despite knowing that at some point the powers that be decided to make it deliberately bad rather than unintentionally bad. Even so, it's still pretty enjoyable as far as bad genre trash goes. Logic and reason are thrown to the side in favour of laughably clichéd character development and scientifically impossible action sequences and while it probably doesn't deserve to be added to the so-bad-it-good canon due to its deliberate awfulness, it's entertaining enough for what it's worth.

The Internship (Shawn Levy, 2013) - 2.5

Passable enough film about Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as middle-aged former salesmen who try to win internships working for Google despite being twice as old as their competitors and not knowing how to use computers. A typical underdog narrative and tolerable PG-13 humour mean this isn't horrible but not a classic either.

Magnum Force (Ted Post, 1973) - 3

The first Dirty Harry sequel that follows Clint Eastwood's hard-boiled detective as he investigates a group of vigilante policemen who are dangerously gung-ho about killing criminals. Dirty Harry sequels aren't all that great, but this is at least one of the better ones and contains some unremarkable-yet-decent '70s-style action sequences.

Wild Zero (Tetsuro Takeuchi, 1999) - 3

The members of Japanese rock band Guitar Wolf play themselves in this homage to old-school exploitation films where a bunch of oddball characters are thrown together in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Some cheesy effects work and the typical attempts to be awesome mean this is pretty watchable but as far as cult zombie movies go it could go a little better. The soundtrack is pretty good, though.

Wreck-It Ralph (Rich Moore, 2012) - 4

Surprisingly excellent and I'm disappointed I didn't see it in theatres. The story of the titular videogame character getting tired of being treated as a villain makes for a great story and the film's visuals are brilliant as well. Definitely rewatchable.

The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012) - 3.5

I was kind of let down by this one, to be honest. Phoenix and Hoffman put in some good performances (as befitting your typical P.T. Anderson film) but there's not enough material here to justify running over two hours nor are the visuals especially startling like they were in There Will Be Blood. Still a decent film by all accounts, but high expectations are a bastard.

American Hustle (David O. Russell, 2013) - 3

I was initially rather impressed by the story of con artists being forced to conduct scams for the FBI against corrupt politicians in the 1970s but further reflection hasn't exactly improved my opinion of it. Sure, it's shot well and the main characters have a decent level of depth but it doesn't quite encourage me to care who comes out on top for the most part. Decent soundtrack, though.

The Fighter (David O. Russell, 2010) - 3

It seems like all the David O. Russell films I've seen in full are technically competent but not all that compelling. The Fighter is the true story of an up-and-coming boxer and the complications getting in the way of his road to greatness, chief among them his screw-up brother/trainer. Decent enough to watch, but not enough here to guarantee a second viewing.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Adam McKay, 2013) - 3

The follow-up to the widely-quoted cult classic about incompetent news reporters is not a thoroughly awful disappointment but it's hard to see it having the same lasting impact as the original. A lot of gags are deliberately recycled from the first film, for better (the completely random fight scene is brought back) or worse (Steve Carell's incredibly stupid weatherman is given way too much screentime and for the most part it's terrible, to say nothing of Kristen Wiig as his female counterpart) but the new gags are surprisingly decent and there's a bit of ham-fisted social commentary thrown in for good measure.

Pacific Rim (Guillermo Del Toro, 2013) - 3

Giant robots fighting giant monsters, huh? Sure, I'll roll with it. Some gaps in the film's internal logic, sure, but the visuals alternate between the impressive (even on DVD the film looks great) and the disappointing (some of the actual fights look kind of blurry). As far as blockbusters go, it's decent enough.

Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, 2013) - 4

The hype was strong as this was being considered the best of the Before... series and fortunately it was brilliant enough to warrant it. Once again, it's mostly Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) talking to each other, though in this case the severity of the conversation escalates considerably and the entire climax of the film was amazing to watch. I'd probably pick it as the best 2013 I've seen yet (though as far as subjective favourites go I'd still give it to The World's End).

Sudden Impact (Clint Eastwood, 1983) - 2.5

The fourth Dirty Harry film is a bit hard to judge. On the one hand, it's still continuing the kind of silliness found in the previous movies, but the decision to make the subject of Callahan's investigation a gang-rape victim systematically murdering her tormentors makes it a bit more complex than corrupt cops or crazed freedom fighters. That complexity is especially jarring in contrast with comical scenes such as Callahan chasing a perp in a bus full of seniors or tough-talking a mob boss into having a heart attack. It might deserve a 3 more than the previous two films, but something about the way it handles its material doesn't sit right with me.

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_]

Hotel! 2

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Despite being only 75 minutes, this feels pretty long. It's essentially a spoof of a spoof (Airplane!). Initially, the appalling bad humour is actually quite funny, in a surreal sort of way. You enjoy the awful puns of everything in this hotel being literal- when chef Gary Rhodes asks the hotel manager (Peter Capaldi) if he likes the taste of the menu, he licks the menu!- but after half an hour, you kind of want something different.

To be fair, that's not the only type of humour- there's some surreal gun-smuggling and code-words from Bosnian terrorist Art Malik (better known as Hari Kumar in seminal ITV miniseries The Jewel in The Crown, or the Afghani criminal in The Living Daylights). There's even some film allusions, some intentional, some maybe unintentional. And it's a hell of a lot better than Death at A Funeral.

If you're a Doctor Who fan, you'll love the fact that we have two Doctors in this film! Peter Capaldi (i.e. The Twelfth Doctor) is the cowardly hotel manager and Paul McGann (i.e. The Eighth Doctor) is an ex-soldier who works at the hotel (I guessed maybe a deputy manager?) and still has memories of the war in Bosnia...

My favourite character is Brian Conley's policeman, Inspector Cochrane, who's the local village policeman but has delusions of being a hardboiled LA cop. His insistence on making up Italian-American sounding surnames for everyone he talks to is hilarious.

Why do I give it two stars? Well, I've been a bit too nice recently and it's hard to argue that this is really worth seeing, unless you want the novelty of watching two Doctors working together. Eight even has the hair!

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_]

Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, 2013) - 4

The hype was strong as this was being considered the best of the Before... series and fortunately it was brilliant enough to warrant it. Once again, it's mostly Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) talking to each other, though in this case the severity of the conversation escalates considerably and the entire climax of the film was amazing to watch. I'd probably pick it as the best 2013 I've seen yet (though as far as subjective favourites go I'd still give it to The World's End).

I definitely agree that it is the best in the series, by far, as it felt more natural and Hawke and Delpy knew their characters much better.

[Cobpyth]

@Iroquois: Great post! I don't agree with your thoughts on The Master, though, as I thought it was one of the best looking films of recent years and because I personally thought there was a great amount of material that needed to be explored and ultimately was executed on a nicely fitting and laid-back pace.

It's also a film that becomes better and better with each rewatch.

[Iroquois]

@Iroquois: Great post! I don't agree with your thoughts on The Master, though, as I thought it was one of the best looking films of recent years and because I personally thought there was a great amount of material that needed to be explored and ultimately was executed on a nicely fitting and laid-back pace.

It's also a film that becomes better and better with each rewatch.

I do get the feeling I may have missed something the first time around, but it'll probably be a while before I watch it again.

I definitely agree that it is the best in the series, by far, as it felt more natural and Hawke and Delpy knew their characters much better.

I'll see how I feel a few years down the line. I still haven't re-watched Before Sunset so I'm not sure how I'd even rank them (though I imagine Sunset would be my least favourite in any case - not that it's a bad film, just my least favourite).

[Mr Minio]

Touch of Evil - 4

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/touch-of-evil-gal-opening.jpg

I didn't expect it to be such a good movie! It starts off well and only gets better and better from this point, reaching its peak during the final sequence. The cinematography is astounding and I love the use of deep focus in this! The visuals make for a great atmosphere, but another great thing about the movie are performances. Welles is great and I think I don't have to say why. He was pretty huge in the film. I wonder what was his weight at the time. I was quite surprised when I saw Dietrich in that movie. :) The fact Hitchcock was probably influenced by Touch of Evil is pretty cool as well.

The Blood and Black Lace - 3

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That was the worst Bava movie I have seen, but I really enjoyed it nevertheless. I really should have rated it higher, but unlike others of its kind, the film left me rather cold. As goes for other Bava color films the hues in here are very deep and detailed scenery and richness of colors make for a nice set-up. The camera movement had its brilliant moments as well. It's one of the first giallo films, which is cool. You know what? I change the rating to 3.5. Because I can.

Lady Blue Shanghai - 3.5

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Lynch made an advertisement? What a sell-out! No way. It's still our old, gruesome and moody Lynch as we love him! This short feels like an excerpt from Inland Empire, only it's not. Some flickering colors, ambient soundtrack, constant mystery and Cotillard as the lead. The two Chinese guys just standing there, gawking and talking slowly is 100% Lynchian cinema. Every Lynch fan has to see it.

[bluedeed]

Touch of Evil - 4

http://www.virginmedia.com/images/touch-of-evil-gal-opening.jpg

I didn't expect it to be such a good movie! It starts off well and only gets better and better from this point, reaching its peak during the final sequence. The cinematography is astounding and I love the use of deep focus in this! The visuals make for a great atmosphere, but another great thing about the movie are performances. Welles is great and I think I don't have to say why. He was pretty huge in the film. I wonder what was his weight at the time. I was quite surprised when I saw Dietrich in that movie. :) The fact Hitchcock was probably influenced by Touch of Evil is pretty cool as well.


Though welles was very fat in his later life and was certainly big by the time Touch of Evil was made, his weight in that film was faked, he wasn't at that point yet.

[Sane]

Nostalghia (1983) - Andrei Tarkovsky
Another stunning Tarkovsky movie visually - with characters I didn't care about and, to be honest, have already forgotten. 3.5

Back to the Future (1985) - Robert Zemeckis
Still fun. 3.5

Kagemusha (1980) - Akira Kurosawa
I think I've decided that regardless of whether or not Kurosawa is considered a "master", he is just not going to be one of my favourite Japanese directors. This is the ninth film of his I've seen and rated them all between 3 and 4. This was another very good movie that didn't reach greatness in my eyes. 4

Ghostbusters II (1989) - Ivan Reitman
Mostly watchable but the last 20 minutes is pretty bad. 2

[Harry Lime]

Red Dawn (John Milius, 1984) - 2

The notorious film about the United States being invaded by Soviet forces and a group of high schoolers practicing guerrilla warfare in response may or may not work as far as social commentary is concerned, but as an effective drama/action film it leaves a lot to be desired.
http://highoctanegrowler.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Red_Dawn_Avenge_Me.jpg

Avenge me!

[BlueLion]

Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) 3.5-


http://i.imgur.com/0wQMI5w.gif

[mark f]

I'm taking that down. That was a mistake. It's not ready. That was just for me to judge the screenshots. Get your hat ready though. :o

[Miss Vicky]

Mirror, Mirror (Tarsem Singh, 2012) 3-

Goodfellas (Martin Scorcese, 1990) 4

Mary and Max (Adam Elliot, 2009) (Rewatch) 5

Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003) 3-

Mary and Max (Adam Elliot, 2009) (Rewatch) 5 *

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

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/maryandmaxfatpeople.gif


*This is not a mistake. I have absolutely fallen in love with this movie since watching it for the first time about a week ago. I have rewatched it twice in the last couple of days.

[Monkeypunch]

Kick Ass - Best superhero movie ever? I almost wanna say yes. Dave is a nerdy teenager who dreams of becoming a superhero, much in the same mold as Spider-Man, which a lot of this film directly satirizes. But mostly he gets beaten up. And maimed. And knifed. And it's painful to watch. And it's morally reprehensible. And it's hilarious. I just love this movie.

Kick Ass 2 - Not by the same director, Kick Ass 2 is actually shot brighter and more like a traditional comedy film, and yet it's darker tonally, and plays out more like a tragedy. Our "superheroes" from the first film have changed the world with their idealism...only they've made it a worse place to live. Plus there's a damn funny send up of teen movies. I think it's of a piece with the first film, though it's missing the moody style of Matthew Vaughn's direction.

[mark f]

The Sisters (Anatole Litvak, 1938) 2+
The Best of Times (Roger Spottiswoode, 1986) 2.5+
Soul Surfer (Sean McNamara, 2011) 2.5
Stoker (Chan-wook Park, 2013) 2.5+
http://www.guiadasemana.com.br/system/pictures/2013/6/79672/cropped/sangue-c.jpg
Forsaking All Others (W. S. Van Dyke, 1934) 2.5
This Modern Age (Nick Grinde, 1931) 2
Yours Sincerely (Roy Mack, 1933) 2
Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) 3.5-
http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_460w/Boston/2011-2020/2013/12/13/BostonGlobe.com/ReceivedContent/Images/HER-FP-0764.jpg
No More Ladies (Edward H. Griffith, 1933) 2
The Gorgeous Hussy (Clarence Brown, 1936) 2+
Hollywood - The Second Step (Felix E. Feist, 1936) 2+
Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron, 2013) 4 (rewatch)
http://french.people.com.cn/mediafile/201310/21/F201310211756045583107127.jpg
Or (My Treasure) (Karen Yedaya, 2004) 2.5
13 Frightened Girls! (William Castle, 1963) 2
Backflash (Paul Jones, 2002) 2+
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller, 2013) 3+
http://pic.pimg.tw/vivianna25/1389114083-1636613215_m.jpg
Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow (Sophie Fiennes, 2010) 1.5
Utah Blaine (Fred F. Sears, 1957) 2
Psychic Experiment (Mel House, 2010) 1.5
if…. (Lindsay Anderson, 1968) 3
http://i2.listal.com/image/1603780/450full.jpg

[honeykid]

Her more than If...? Now I'm a little more interested.

[Miss Vicky]

Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) 3.5-
http://c.o0bg.com/rf/image_460w/Boston/2011-2020/2013/12/13/BostonGlobe.com/ReceivedContent/Images/HER-FP-0764.jpg



Finally going to see this tomorrow. Really looking forward to it.

[BlueLion]

Get your hat ready though. :o

http://24.media.tumblr.com/75e37ed46ef465c1fc4679a76be876a8/tumblr_mllgsakLXp1rp68cjo8_r2_500.gif

[Godoggo]

Carrie (1976 Brian De Palma) 3 +

http://imageshack.com/a/img542/9118/75my.jpg

Carrie (2013 Kimberly Pierce) 2

http://imageshack.com/a/img43/8610/hbf5.jpg

I didn't like the first Carrie as much as I remember liking it, but it's also the better of the two Carries in every possible way. One of the major problems I had with 2013 Carrie is the casting of Chloe Moretz. She is certainly more than a capable actress but she exudes self-assurance from the inside out. That's a great quality to have and I admire her for it, but it's hard to believe that she is as vulnerable as Carrie needs to be. Sissy Spacek on the other hand; is Carrie. It would be hard for any actress to play her as well as she did, but I think there are actresses in that age range better suited to the role. When Spacek starts to find new found confidence because of her powers, it seems a natural progression. When Moretz does, it seems so natural for her to be in that state that her previous tortured shy-girl thing looks like it was all just an act.

Brian De Palma's prom scene is so much better. We need to be with Carrie almost forgetting what we know and believing she is having the magical night she thought impossible to have. Only to have it snatched away in one moment and in that moment we need to feel Carrie break. De Palma & Spacek get it right. Pierce & Moretz get it so wrong that the ending comes off as overwrought and a little goofy.

Piper Laurie is far better as Carrie's mother than Julianne Moore's vacant eyed, chatter-mumbling version of her. It seems that's Moore standard way to play crazy. I'm disappointed she didn't pull something else at of the hat and really fill out the role the way Laurie did.

I have a problem with both movies in the second act. It seems a lot of filler and not enough tension delivered before we get into the prom scene. Too bad Pierce didn't at least try to fix that.

Other than bringing in social media and something in the novel that was left out in the original and was the right decision to leave it out, the 2013 is just another inferior copy-cat remake. Too bad, because I do think there was room to reinvent Carrie and improve on the first.

Triangle (2009 Christopher Smith) 3.5

http://imageshack.com/a/img703/9025/n1zt.jpg

Triangle is a taught really well done mystery that will have you wondering what the heck is going on even after the ending is over. I love movies like this in the rare cases when they actually work.

Runner Runner (2013 Brad Furman) 1.5 -Now that's how you make a dumb movie.

[Sane]

Beetlejuice (1988) - Tim Burton
I'm not the biggest Burton fan in the world but this is a really good movie. It's pretty funny, thanks largely to Keaton, and looks great. Even Winona Ryder was good :eek: 4

Brazil (1985) - Terry Gilliam
Way too long but very funny in parts. Gilliam created an amazing looking world. 4

The Goonies (1985) - Richard Donner
Corey Feldman doing Groucho Marx impressions and some fat kid yelling all the time. Awesome. 1.5

Time of the Gypsies (1988) - Emir Kusturica
Kusturica again manages to mix absurd comedy with characters and a story with great depth. Haven't seen much by him yet but this is my favourite so far. 4.5

Spaceballs (1987) - Mel Brooks
I like Brooks but he doesn't really deserve credit for one in 50 jokes being funny. This would probably be quite entertaining if I was drunk but, sadly, I wasn't. 2

City of Sadness (1989) - Hou Hsiao Hsien
Fantastically acted drama about a family struggling to get by as Taiwan was going through huge changes after WWII. In particular Tony Leung Chiu Wai (as always) and Xin Shufen were great - the latter in what appears to be her third and final film (all of them directed by Hou). It's very slow but fascinating. 4.5

[bluedeed]

City of Sadness was my second Hou, and I still think it's the peak of his cinema, which showcases all of Hou's early career talents (primarily, his outstanding compositions and intricate staging) as well as (along with The Time to Live and The Time to Die) his purest and most interesting analysis of the collisions of personal and historical identities. I haven't seem Flowers of Shanghai yet, but I think regardless of that film, City of Sadness will be his supreme masterwork.

[Sane]

I rated City of Sadness marginally higher than A Time to Live, A Time to Die (88/100 v 86/100) and quite a bit higher than Dust in the Wind but that's all I've seen so far. Flowers of Shangai, Cafe Lumiere & Three Times are next. I'm actually looking foward to seeing his more modern films and seeing him tackle some different subjects.

[rauldc14]

My last 3 films watched

Her 7/10- I have to give props to Jonze, Phoenix, and Johannson. The film had its weird moments but it was original, well acted, and overall a very solid film.

American Hustle 8.5/10- the quartet of Adams, Bale, Cooper, and Lawrence were all fantastic. The story was great especially the ending. In a battle with Gravity as my favorite from this year.

Blithe Spirit- 6/10 Particularly enjoyed the ending, but there were lulls though the dialogue kept a film where not much happens at least somewhat interesting.

[bluedeed]

I rated City of Sadness marginally higher than A Time to Live, A Time to Die (88/100 v 86/100) and quite a bit higher than Dust in the Wind but that's all I've seen so far. Flowers of Shanghai, Cafe Lumiere & Three Times are next. I'm actually looking forward to seeing his more modern films and seeing him tackle some different subjects.

Like I said, I have Flowers of Shanghai but have not seen it yet, maybe this week, but I have a lot of films waiting to be seen. Cafe Lumiere is a wonderful film, possibly the best and most thoughtful tribute to Ozu. I've posted my thoughts on Three Times (as well as several other Hou) here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=9906&page=923), a mixed bag for sure.

[The Gunslinger45]

Finally going to see this tomorrow.

That makes two of us.

[honeykid]

The Goonies (1985) - Richard Donner
Corey Feldman doing Groucho Marx impressions and some fat kid yelling all the time. Awesome. 1.5
I see you've seen the same version of this as me. There must be a great one that I've yet to see, because people love this crap.

Spaceballs (1987) - Mel Brooks
I like Brooks but he doesn't really deserve credit for one in 50 jokes being funny. This would probably be quite entertaining if I was drunk but, sadly, I wasn't. 2
One in fifty? That's a lot higher than his other films. :D

[bluedeed]

That makes two of us.

Probably the only two because my influence is deterring everyone from seeing it.

[The Gunslinger45]

Probably the only two because my influence is deterring everyone from seeing it.

To be honest I am not expecting much.

[Cobpyth]

One in fifty? That's a lot higher than his other films. :D

Oh come on, you have to admit that this is at least creative, if not HILARIOUS:

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

[Lucas]

Eh what the heck two short reviews from me:

The Wolf of Wall Street-Drugs.Hookers.Quaaludes.Drugs.Hookers.Quualudes.Deplorable behavior,deplorable behavior,sex,sex,sex....

This movie is just awesome. DiCapro is awesome. The script is awesome. The movie is hilarious. The movie is made by Martin Scorsese now go watch it!! I always loved Scorsese's films although I haven't fallen in love with one of his recent pictures. I thought The Departed was solid,Hugo was okay and Shutter Island really good..but very flawed. WOWS is His best since Goodfellas, or at least Casino. Superbly entertaining and energetic, I would easily watch this movie a few more times. Easily a 4.5 from the Lucas.

http://rubinolaw.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Oxycontin.jpg

http://b-i.forbesimg.com/briansolomon/files/2014/01/original.jpg

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21 Grams-A dark film about strangers whose lives become connected in a way. This film features incredible and I mean incredible performances by Naomi Watts,Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn. The story is good too, but its not great. I was just left wanting a bit more, I thought that there would be a moment of catharsis but maybe that was just my expectations. The movie is a hard watch and deals with dark themes and human despair. It reminds me of films like Traffic,Crash and even Magnolia. 21 Grams is a good movie, but it just lacks something that a truly great film has. It's very good for sure, just not great.3.5

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkOweXns1n1OfZIt2c2gWBDwmjFyXcArupheesy5agdVZ9zkATVg


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[mark f]

The Naked Maja (Henry Koster, 1958) 2
Penguin Pool Murder (George Archainbaud, 1932) 2.5-
I Was a Male War Bride (Howard Hawks, 1949) 2
The Law (Jules Dassin, 1959) 3-
http://nafotki.ru/uploads/posts/2012-02/thumbs/1329323136_retro-g4.jpg
Black Caesar (Larry Cohen, 1973) 2.5
Descendents (Jorge Olguin, 2008) 1.5-
Seven Men from Now (Budd Boetticher, 1956) 2.5
The Kid Brother (Ted Wilde & J. A. Howe, 1927) 3.5
http://www.hpvf.com/catalog/75_1_b_3144_1.JPG
Ride Lonesome (Budd Boetticher, 1959) 2.5
Sunnyside (Charlie Chaplin, 1919) 2.5
The Big Hit (Che-Kirk Wong, 1998) 2.5
The Idle Class (Charlie Chaplin, 1921) 3
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/reviews/81/1083876395.jpg
The Wild and the Wicked aka The Flesh Merchant (W. Merle Connell, 1956) 1.5
Chained for Life (Harry L. Fraser, 1952) 1.5
Child Bride (harry J. Revier, 1938) 2
Lady for a Day (Frank Capra, 1933) 3+
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd504/danielregie/Lady_For_a_Day_1933.jpg
I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (Richard Shepard, 2009) 3+
Right or Wrong? (No Director Listed, 1951) 1.5
People of Russia (James A. FitzPairick, 1942) 2
Detour (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1945) 2.5+
http://fandangogroovers.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/detour.jpg

[Guaporense]

You Don't Mess with the Zohan - 38/100
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/You_Dont_Mess_with_the.jpg

Children of Paradise - 40/100
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Children_of_Paradise.jpg
Found it almost impossible to watch.

The Beautician and the Beast - 43/100
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/The_Beautician_and_the_Beast.jpg
So bad, but so bad, it's actually watchable. Also, watched it dubbed in Portuguese.

Kwaidan - 77/100
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Kwaidan.jpg
The only really good movie watched over the past week. The only flaw would be it's extremely slow pace (given the film's simplicity).

[Sane]

The Constant Husband (1955) - Sidney Gilliat
All a bit silly but ok overall. 2.5

The Fly (1986) - David Cronenberg
Of all the 80s films I've watched lately this has been the biggest surprise. I remember liking it when it came out but didn't think it would be anything special when I re-watched. Well, I was wrong, this is an excellent horror movie. Great special effects and great performance from Goldblum. 4.5

First Blood (1982) - Ted Kotcheff
I'm all for suspending disbelief in movies but I can't stand scenes or plot elements that are just stupid. So, we'll ignore how Stallone gets arrested to begin with, it's just what happened, but then the cops decide to give him a shave ... Skip to Stallone trying to turn himself in saying "I didn't do anything" after beating up six cops and causing the death of one. This is a remarkably stupid film ... that manages to get worse with that horrible song that plays over the end credits. Still, it deserves credit for everyone trying to punch David Caruso in the face ... 1.5

Batman (1989) - Tim Burton
This should really have been called The Joker as Nicholson is clearly the star. It's decent enough without being overly memorable. 3

Valmont (1989) - Milos Forman
Adapted from the same book as Dangeous Liaisons less than a year later. Seems like a strange decision and it suffers in comparison. It is, however, quite a good move in it's own right. 3

Die Hard (1988) - John McTiernan
I wrote this somewhere else on this forum so sorry for repeating myself but making a good action movie isn't rocket science - it the same as making a good any other genre movie. The action is the easy bit. To be good it needs a good script, interesting characters, good story, quality acting and so on. That's why Die Hard in an excellent action movie - because it has a good script, creates interesting good and, importantly, bad guys, is well acted and so on. 4.5

Airplane (1980) - Zucker/Zucker/Abrahams
A surprising number of the jokes still work. 3.5

[Mr Minio]

Children of Paradise - 40/100
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/Children_of_Paradise.jpg
Found it almost impossible to watch.



why?

[Frightened Inmate No. 2]

because the cinematography wasn't as good as 2001 or stalker, apparently.

[TheUsualSuspect]

American Hustle 4

The Wolf of Wall Street 4

12 Years a Slave 4 *wish it could overcome some problems*

Grudge Match 2.5

[Mr Minio]

Snow-White (1933) - 2.5

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/aDATXtewPrg/0.jpg
Trippy stuff, bro!

A mediocre animation short. In the end it gets trippy and much better.

Steklyannaya garmonika - 3.5

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/1497/vlcsnap2010012823h03m55.png
The visual style is breath-taking!

Kill all the petty bourgeoisie! Seriously, it's beautiful.

Statues Also Die - 3

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Statues-Also-Die.jpg

"When men die they enter into history. When statues die they enter into art. This bothany of death is what we call culture."

I can't say it isn't good and daring, but I expected much more from a cooperation of Resnais and Marker.

Tenebre - 4

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvby5qnBwn1r73lylo1_500.gif
"Let me ask you something? If someone is killed with a Smith&Wesson revolver... Do you go and interview the president of Smith & Wesson? "

I feel like rewatching Suspiria and Deep Red now, because I can't believe I enjoyed it more than the most appreciated Argento films. It's got everything a good giallo needs: mysterious killer with black gloves - Argento's trademark, bloody death scenes, Goblin's soundtrack and a fair amount of kitsch put for a good mixture! The aforementioned films all got these, yet it's Tenebre I loved the most. It's got some fine cheesy dialogue as well. The way Peter Neal says "jailbait" is really funny. :)

School of the Holy Beast - 3.5

http://horrorhappyhour.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/tumblr_l9074e3Hpe1qcvdh0o1_500.jpg
"A place, in which woman is no longer a woman."

Not only is it both my first pinku and nunsploitation movie, but also a great surprise. I expected it to be just a kinky story of nuns doing filthy things in the convent and it is, partially, but it's way more deeper than that. It's a very vast film thematically, but a relatively short running time blends the hilarious scenes with those disturbing, then come anti-church messages spiced up with some beautiful visuals (and I'm not only talking about breasts, but they're nice too!), some more perverse, changing into sadism and eventually vengeance. And although being sacrilegious it's realistic and makes you think about many things. Highly recommended. I love how the movie, despite its themes, isn't pornographic and the ideas that make it a non-porn film. The viewer still knows what's going on, of course. For example a nun licking the gap between her fingers and other nun moaning with other girl's head between her legs. It's not graphic, yet very eloquent.

[Sexy Celebrity]

The Beautician and the Beast - 43/100
http://www.criticker.com/img/films/posters/The_Beautician_and_the_Beast.jpg
So bad, but so bad, it's actually watchable. Also, watched it dubbed in Portuguese.

I would have liked to have done a movie commentary to this with you.

[seanc]

Busy last few days trying to finish off some 2013 movies between playoff games. Still a few to go but I made a dent. Some good stuff.

Short Term 12: 2.5 Worth a watch but when in some directions that just didn't work for me.

Her: 3.5 Was expecting so much more with all the critical praise. Certainly above average with a really good script. Phoenix's performance was great. The relationship simply didn't carry enough emotional weight to engage me enough to elevate it to fantastic in my opinion.

Blue Jasmine: 4 This will probably go down as one of my favorite Allen films. Blanchett is as good as advertised in no small part due to a sensational script. All the usual Allen stuff is here, but Blue Jasmine has some of the best characters he has created and that is what makes it a step above.

August: Osage County: 4 I did not expect to like this as much as I did as it seems even more Oscar baity then most. It is one of the better written movies of the year. A couple of the scenes are absolutely devastating. If only they could have gotten a couple name actors to star in their movie.

[Mmmm Donuts]

I would have liked to have done a movie commentary to this with you.

Guapo and Sexy doing a movie commentary together? Interesting...

http://www.freefever.com/stock/meme-face-full-hd-wallpaper-funny.jpg

[Guaporense]

why?

Dialogue, cinematography, direction and acting. Did not find the movie interesting but arid instead, since now I have reduced patience compared to a year ago or so.

[bluedeed]

since now I have reduced patience compared to a year ago or so.

Hadn't noticed in the slightest

[bluedeed]

Went to New York yesterday and in the process (meaning including rides) watched three films.

Bringing Up Baby by Howard Hawks
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HWhYup01zdk/TEplYzcN4qI/AAAAAAAAAcE/ThKy7hDX-Cg/s1600/Bringing%2BUp%2BBaby.png

Someone over at RKO decided Cary Grant would be wonderful, or hilariously misplaced, as a clumsy nerd-type. The end where Katherine Hepburn climbs over the dinosaur and is saved by Grant feels like a slip up as he hoists her up easily with one arm. Setting that aside, with the exception of some less than interesting complications that occur midway in the film, the picture is brisk and delightful, a great way to spend a bus ride.

Make Way for Tomorrow by Leo McCarey
http://www.classicmoviegab.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/make_way_4.jpg

It's impossible, given the description of the film provided by criterion, to consider this film without thinking of the film, and director, it inspired. It's a shame that it will live in the shadow of Ozu's works for me because it heightens the film's shortcomings and eases its effects on me. It remains, because of the master, an imperfect film to me, but nonetheless a film that compelled and moved me and the final half hour of the film is wonderful, unforgettable cinema.

Il Sorpasso by Dino Risi
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PBYPcPwiTRU/TiMLH0NYfHI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/qLdQLurHIKc/s1600/il-sorpasso-11.jpg

This one I saw at the Film Forum in New York, where I had previously seen Ozu's Late Autumn. The Antonioni inspired road movie's delights bordered on annoyances at some parts (that godd*mn car horn too!), but I found it overall to be compelling and enjoyable. The ending came off as a very heavy-handed (even my girlfriend, who loved the film a lot, agreed about that) attempt to add gravitas to a film that already had gained it in a quieter manner. It was a massive event that came on the cusp of cinema where nothing (everything) happens that didn't work with the film's prior logic or tone.

[Monkeypunch]

Duplex - Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore as a young couple who purchase their dream home, only to find it comes with a tenant...a nearly 100 year old Irish woman who ruins their lives. I don't know what I thought about this film. I didn't like Stiller and Barrymore all that much because they come off as snobby and "Oh we're so much better than everyone else," even though the film wants us to sympathize with them. It's okay, but not great.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Duplex. When I worked at a movie theater ten years ago, I remember watching the ending to that movie there about 10 million times.

[mark f]

That’s My Boy (Sean Anders, 2012) 1.5
Raw Deal (John Irvin, 1986) 2.5
Play Girl (Frank Woodruff, 1941) 2
Foolish Wives (Erich von Stroheim, 1922) 2.5 (143 min)
http://www.dvdclassik.com/upload/images/critique-folies-de-femmes-von-stroheim8.jpg
Paradise: Faith (Ulrich Seidl, 2012) 1.5
The Astronaut's Wife (Rand Ravich, 1999) 2
In Vanda’s Room (Pedro Costa, 2000) 1.5
Anastasia (Anatole Litvak, 1956) 3.5
http://www.tvsa.co.za/blogimages/movietrivia_anastasia2.jpg
My Life to Live aka Vivre Sa Vie (Jean-Luc Godard, 1962) 2
The Journeyman (James Crowley, 2001) 2+
Stolen Holiday (Michael Curtiz, 1937) 2.5
Man of Steel (Zack Snyder, 2013) 3-
http://woxter.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/83f5f_man-steel-sequel-superman-lois-lane-470x260.jpg
Women Are Like That (Stanley Logan, 1938) 2
Women in the Wind (John Farrow, 1939) 2+
It’s a Date (William A. Seiter, 1940) 2.5
The Place Beyond the Pines (Derek Cianfrance, 2013) 3-
http://moonwolves.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/the-place-beyond-the-pines-02_thumb.jpg%3Fw%3D484%26h%3D208
Buried (Rodrigo Cortés, 2010) 2.5
Allotment Wives (William Nigh, 1945) 2
Divorce (William Nigh, 1945) 2
A King in New York (Charles Chaplin, 1957) 2.5
http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/a_king_in_new_york.jpg

[honeykid]

Duplex - Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore as a young couple who purchase their dream home, only to find it comes with a tenant...a nearly 100 year old Irish woman who ruins their lives. I don't know what I thought about this film. I didn't like Stiller and Barrymore all that much because they come off as snobby and "Oh we're so much better than everyone else," even though the film wants us to sympathize with them. It's okay, but not great.
I understand your feelings about this and them, however, I have to point out that Drew Barrymore is much better than everyone else. :D

[Mr Minio]

I wonder if someone was to make a top of people who've seen the most films, what place would mark take.

[Sane]

Drowning By Numbers (1988) - Peter Greenaway
Visually fantastic but I struggled with the story. Need to re-watch it. 3.5

Fanny and Alexander (1982) - Ingmar Bergman
Masterpiece. 5

Platoon (1986) - Oliver Stone
Very good war movie. A lot of people put in their best ever performance in this movie - Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Kevin Dillon, John C McGinley, Johnny Depp (;)). 4

[Lucas]

http://anotherplotdevice.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/the-warriors.jpg

The Warriors-
This movie is okay. I mean it's certainly "cool", and it is entertaining but I just wanted a little bit more from what's considered one of the best cult classics ever made. The movie feels very gritty, and sleazy too in a way.A dark grimy city filled with numerous gangs. I like the movie's look and feel, it is very unique.The action scenes are good too. But nothing blew me away though. It gets a 3 from me.It's worth a watch though.

http://i863.photobucket.com/albums/ab198/smalltimeinc/library_gifs/funny_games_gif_06_08_11.gif

Funny Games-
This movie by Michael Haneke takes a firm stance against violence in films. It makes the viewer a part of the experience, and makes us feel guilty for liking movies that deal with violence. It wasn't done in heavy-handed way, but I'm not quite sure I completely agree with the director's ideologies. It seems he has this belief that we are messed up animals for watching deaths for entertainment. The story of the film is two psychopaths hold an innocent family hostage and they psychologically torture them,and obviously blood ends up being spilled as well. It's hard to watch, and the movie's bleak subject matter might not be suited towards everyone.It's well-made, and very well acted.It's a good film,but the message behind it I don't agree with completely.I give it a 3.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYEFkMwf8rnwg3nHSIAoczaTcOVR0gR6OQ-GC4sEV2WzNqzazz

American Graffiti-
I really enjoyed this film as it captured a bygone era so perfectly. This movie transports you into the 60's and I love that. The music,costumes,jargon and overall look of the film is incredible,a very immersive experience.This is a classic slice of an American Life that has long passed by,seeming so innocent and beautiful in the process. The movie made me really nostalgic.The soundtrack is fantastic as well,one incredible song after the next. love me some oldies'. 3.5+

[Monkeypunch]

The Illusionist - Edward Norton plays a stage magician in this film, set in 1900's Vienna. Paul Giamatti is great as a police inspector tasked to prove Norton is a fraud, and Jessica Biel is lovely as the woman Norton loves but who's engaged to the jealous, violent crown prince. I loved this movie. Absolutely loved it.

[Miss Vicky]

Kalifornia (Dominic Senna, 1993) (Rewatch) 4

Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) 4.5+

A Time To Kill (Joel Schumacher, 1997) (Rewatch) 4

Ladder 49 (Jay Russell, 2004) (Rewatch) 3.5+
(This was a lot better than I had remembered it being)

Fargo (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1996) 4

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/Heranimatedgif.gif

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

[Brother Blue]

Her (Jonze, 2013) 4.5
Coming to America (Landis, 1988) 3-*
Bastards (Denis, 2013) 4
Dogma (Smith, 1999) 2-*
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (McTiernan, 1995) 3.5+*
The World's End (Wright, 2013) 2.5-*
Museum Hours (Cohen, 2012) 4
American Hustle (O'Russell, 2013) 3.5
Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002) 2.5-*
King Lear (Godard, 1987) 4*
Medium Cool (Wexler, 1969) 4.5
Lone Survivor (Berg, 2013) 2-
Drive (Refn, 2011) 4*
You're Next (Wingard, 2013) 3
Training Day (Fuqua, 2001) 2.5*
Blade (Norrington, 1998) 2*
Love Streams (Cassavetes, 1984) 5*
Ms. 45 (Ferrara, 1981) 3.5

*-rewatch

[Miss Vicky]

Her (Jonze, 2013) 4.5

I'm loving all the praise this movie's been getting around here. Well deserved.


Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002) 2.5-*


Why so low? :(

[bluedeed]

I'm loving all the praise this movie's been getting around here. Well deserved.

1


King Lear (Godard, 1987) 4*

Would love to hear what you have to say on it, I need more discussion on later Godard

[Miss Vicky]

1

I was talking about the people around here with good taste. :p

Have you even seen it or are you just trying to provoke me?

[mark f]

Would love to hear what you have to say on it, I need more discussion on later Godard
The less said about Notre musique and In Praise of Love the better. :)

[bluedeed]

I was talking about the people around here with good taste. :p

Have you even seen it or are you just trying to provoke me?

Seen it, ranking stands

The less said about Notre musique and In Praise of Love the better. :)

Hater

[Miss Vicky]

Seen it, ranking stands

Why did you hate it, then?

[mark f]

Hater
The less said about Notre musique and In Praise of Hate the better. :)
OK. I fixed it.

[christine]

All Is Lost. Strange film. Quite uncomfortable for me as I'm really scared of the sea, but some things seemed quite unlikely even to me who's never been on a yacht. Those things made me a bit unbelieving while I was watching it so takes you out of the moment a bit.

The sea is a dangerous place, just stay away!

[mark f]

It's just a coincidence that almost everything is rated 2.5, again. :)

Strike Me Pink (Norman Taurog, 1936) 2.5
Battleground (William A. Wellman, 1949) 2.5
Play-Girl (Ray Enright, 1932) 2.5
August: Osage County (John Wells, 2013) 2.5+
http://www.buffalo.com/images/made/images/remote/http_www.movienewsletters.net/photos/159484r4_450_300.jpg
The Tenderfoot (Ray Enright, 1932) 2.5-
Man Wanted (William Dieterle, 1932) 2.5
Tugboat Annie (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933) 2+
Carnal Knowledge (Mike Nichols, 1971) 3.5-
http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p659/fpfilms/Films/CarnalKnowledge.jpg
The Nuisance (Jack Conway, 1933) 2.5
Lazy River (George B. Seitz, 1934) 2+
Johnny Green & His Orchestra (Joseph Henabery, 1935) 2.5
Mad Love (Karl Freund, 1935) 2.5+
http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j344/empirehorrorlist/MadLove2.jpg
Public Hero #1 (J. Walter Ruben, 1935) 2.5
The Children's Hour (William Wyler, 1961) 3-
Islands (Ruben Gevorgyants, (1987) 2.5+
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Sergei Parajanov, 1964) 2.5+
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Tg7p_ReoYvM/THu-YuHpbFI/AAAAAAAAJ1U/-6okELX_FT4/s400/bscap0250tf3.jpg
Desk Set (Walter Lang, 1957) 3-
A Woman of Paris (Charles Chaplin, 1923) 2.5+
Time Without Pity (Joseph Losey, 1957) 2
Marlowe (Paul Bogart, 1969) 2.5
http://www.retrohound.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Marlowe.jpg
You're light on your feet, Winslow (Bruce Lee). Are you just a little gay, huh?

[Sane]

Akira (1988) - Katsuhiro Otomo
Nice animation and a very complex story but it's missing something - basically a heart. Lots of action but not too much in the way of characters with depth. 3

Lethal Weapon (1987) - Richard Donner
Today I watched a movie with Arnie, Carl Weathers & Jessie "The Body" Ventura ... and the acting in that was far better than this. Mel, Danny, if you read this, you should be ashamed. 1.5

Predator (1987) - John McTiernan
Decent enough action movie. 3

Cobra Verde (1987) - Werner Herzog
It pains me to say this but I didn't particularly enjoy this movie. Herzog's movies often don't follow traditional rules for telling stories but this went from being interesting, like most of his other films, to being a bit pointless. The acting of Kinski makes it worth watching though. 2.5

Scarface (1983) - Brian De Palma
Of all the movies loosely called classics that I've watched over the last year, this is the worst. Shallower than any three hour movie has a right to be, poorly directed (De Palma manages to suck the "art" out of almost every shot) and it has horrible music (Giorgio Moroder tinkling on his synthesizer everytime something dramatic happens). Has some iconic scenes but outside those this is just a poor movie IMO. 2

[Monkeypunch]

Iron Man 3 - Stan Lee once said that his comics were about the people behind the masks more than the masks themselves, and Iron Man 3, written and directed by Shane Black (who is awesome), definitely fits that description. It brings Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark back to basics, forced to innovate after all of his technology is stripped away from him by a Terrorist called The Mandarin (Ben Kinglsey) and an old rival (Guy Pearce). It's Downey's charisma and lightning fast and hilarious line delivery that make this action/comedy film so much fun to watch. I know comic book fans hated it's plot twist, but I thought it was genius. Let's face it, The Mandarin was the worst sort of "yellow peril" racial caricature, and needed updating. Thumbs up for me.

[Cobpyth]

Carnal Knowledge (Mike Nichols, 1971) 3.5-
http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/p659/fpfilms/Films/CarnalKnowledge.jpg


I seem to remember you saying that it was a 3+ film for you, so I'm very glad you rate it even higher this time. :up:
I love this film!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vys2K_18uk

[mark f]

Valmont (Milos Forman, 1989) 3.5+
Gremlins (Joe Dante 1984) 4.5
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958) 4
Spartacus (Stanley Kubrick, 1960) 4
The Duellists (Ridley Scott, 1977) 3.5
Carnal Knowledge (Mike Nichols. 1971) 3.5


Actually, I gave it the same (slightly lower today with the minus) when I posted it a year ago to the day. I rated a few others mentioned recently in that post too. :cool:

[BlueLion]

Such a high rating for Gremlins! Do you love everything Spielberg is involved with? :D

[mark f]

I wouldn't kick him out of bed. (Paraphrase of Nicholson's character's line from Carnal Knowledge) :cool:

[Monkeypunch]

Such a high rating for Gremlins! Do you love everything Spielberg is involved with? :D

Gremlins is just that good. :D

[Cobpyth]

Actually, I gave it the same (slightly lower today with the minus) when I posted it a year ago to the day. I rated a few others mentioned recently in that post too. :cool:

My memory must have failed me then. :p
Oh well, it's still a very good rating for you.

[BlueLion]

Gremlins is just that good. :D

not really, 2.5. Maybe a three

[mark f]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad175/thelostview1/Criticas/Especiales/TheLostView_Gremlins_11.jpg

[honeykid]

Lethal Weapon (1987) - Richard Donner
Today I watched a movie with Arnie, Carl Weathers & Jessie "The Body" Ventura ... and the acting in that was far better than this. Mel, Danny, if you read this, you should be ashamed. 1.5

Scarface (1983) - Brian De Palma
Of all the movies loosely called classics that I've watched over the last year, this is the worst. Shallower than any three hour movie has a right to be, poorly directed (De Palma manages to suck the "art" out of almost every shot) and it has horrible music (Giorgio Moroder tinkling on his synthesizer everytime something dramatic happens). Has some iconic scenes but outside those this is just a poor movie IMO. 2
You appear to've gone mad. :dizzy::D

I'm not a fan of Lethal Weapon and, while I disagree, I'm not bothered about the rating, but what you said about it was a disgrace. :p

[BlueLion]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad175/thelostview1/Criticas/Especiales/TheLostView_Gremlins_11.jpg

http://31.media.tumblr.com/7176df47d871446022269a75b3b7651e/tumblr_ms5e6cT3h21rqy4l0o1_500.gif

[linespalsy]

Gremlins 1&2 are better than any films Spielberg directed himself, not that I mean it as a slight. Well, I guess Jaws might be better than The New Batch, but it's still pretty great, and particularly delicious in how it satirizes its executive producer.

[BlueLion]

Gremlins 1&2 are better than any films Spielberg directed himself

No. Even Catch Me If You Can, which I feel is probably his weakest film, is better than Gremlins.

[Daniel M]

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/1/20/1295523440302/Young-Frankenstein-005.jpg

Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, 1974) 3+

Only my second Brooks film, there's quite a few laughs in this film - and when there are, they're great. However I didn't find myself laughing consistently enough to give it a higher rating, but I feel it may be a film that will grow on repeat viewings. A nice array of oddball characters is one of the films strong points, I am a fan of Gene Wilder and then there is the perfectly cast Marty Feldman, with many other fun supporting characters such as Gene Hackman who I did not even recognise until the end credits.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2013/11/7/1383843883965/Jack-Nicholson-in-Batman--001.jpg

Batman (Tim Burton, 1989) 3-

I missed a bit of this, but from what I did see I thought was good enough but not great. Jack Nicholson is undoubtedly the highlight of the film, with every scene with him in being hilarious in a ridiculous, campy way.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2009/9/25/1253884210077/Jeff-Goldblum-in-The-Fly--001.jpg

The Fly (David Cronenberg, 1986) 4+

One of the greatest horror films I have seen. A simple but brilliantly executed story, with a sensible human story fulfilled with strong performances. I have only seen a few of his films but I already love Cronenbergs graphic style, the effects/make-up employed here are top notch and really add to the horror.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2009/8/14/1250266174749/Al-Pacino-in-Scarface-198-001.jpg

Scarface (Brian De Palma, 1983) 3.5

Okay, at times this film is heavily over the top and ridiculous - such as the immediate Al Pacino facial close up and bombastic music as soon as his sister is mentioned/seen, but its the type of film that is just pure entertainment and I can't say I didn't enjoy it. Whilst it does not compare to a film like Goodfellas, especially in some departments, it does manage to take a story told over quite a long time period and show it to us in a way that keeps you gripped from start to finish, there are a lot of great scenes, I personally thought that the camera work and direction was impressive, and enjoyed the music even though it may have been overused.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2010/8/3/1280848779232/FIVE-EASY-PIECES-005.jpg

Five Easy Pieces (Bob Rafelson, 1970) 4.5

The type of film that I often like, much like Easy Rider it is an enjoyable and interesting slice of America that has a certain offbeat style about it that makes it fascinating. Nicholson is fantastic in the lead role, as we look into his life. The film itself is similar to its title in the way that it seems to be a collection of 'pieces' that we put together in our study of the main character, with lots of fantastic and memorable individual scenes, in particular I thought the ending was the perfect fit to a great film. This scene (possibly the best) with its 360 degree camera movement perfectly captures part of what the film is trying to show us about Robert's life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN4af-wzjak

Unfortunately, 'they don't make them like this any more'.

[mark f]

Buchanan Rides Alone (Budd Boetticher, 1958) 2+
The Loss of Sexual Innocence (Mike Figgis, 1999) 2
Transamerica (Duncan Tucker, 2005) 2.5
12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957) 4
http://bythedarkofthemoon.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/12-angry-men-1_437o.jpg
You, John Jones! (Mervyn LeRoy, 1943) 2.5
Glory (David Butler, 1956) 2
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (Troy Nixey, 2010) 2
A Kid for Two Farthings (Carol Reed, 1955) 3-
http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx70/bazza4338/Unicorna-kid-for-two-farthings.jpg
Death Force aka Fighting Mad aka Vengeance is Mine (Cirio H. Santiago, 1978) 1.5 Camp Rating: 3
A Time to Kill (Jill Schumacher, 1996) 3
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (Roy Rowland, 1945) 2.5+
A Tale of Two Sisters (Kim Jee-Woon, 2003) 2.5
http://www.devon-cornwall-film.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/images6.jpg
Double Talk (Lloyd French, 1937) 2
The Big Year (David Frankel, 2011) 2.5
Journey for Margaret (W. S. Van Dyke, 1943) 2
The Great Train Robbery (Michael Crichton, 1978) 3+
http://cdn-premiere.ladmedia.fr/var/premiere/storage/images/cinema/photos-film/photos-acteur/images/la-grande-attaque-du-train-d-or-the-first-great-train-robbery-1979/29902350-1-fre-FR/LA-GRANDE-ATTAQUE-DU-TRAIN-D-OR-THE-FIRST-GREAT-TRAIN-ROBBERY-1979_portrait_w858.jpg
State's Attorney (George Archainbaud, 1932) 2+
Blood on the Moon (Ronert Wise, 1948) 2+
Gypsy Colt (Andrew Marton, 1954) 2
Bulworth (Warren Beatty, 1998) 3+
http://www.filmkrant.nl/callback/resizeimg/447/-/siteimages/main/stills/A-B/bulworth.jpg

[Upton]

Mark since no one has ever been more qualified to answer this question than you - which non TCM TV channel shows the best movies on average?

[mark f]

It's hard to say concerning "best movies". HBO and Showtime play the best newest but they also play crummy ones, plus I recently got rid of them. Other formerly good channels, like Sundance, have switched to playing commercials, albeit some only 12 hours a day. So I just try to watch the best from my commercial-free channels (mostly Encore, Fox, Flix), often at the last minute, as well as free on-demand, rentals and Roku. Plus lately there are lots of screeners around. :)

[Guaporense]

The best movie channel is the shuffle function of the ones I have on my 2 tera external HD.

Amistad - 75/100

Haters gonna hate but despite his xenophobia, Spielberg makes really effective movies.

Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it White - 62/100

Some very bad stuff mixed with some great jokes. The contrast between gramdpa Rome and Italy is amazing.

[Guaporense]

Akira (1988) - Katsuhiro Otomo
Nice animation and a very complex story but it's missing something - basically a heart. Lots of action but not too much in the way of characters with depth. 3

I agree with it's lack of emotional depth. However, it is a great movie for other reasons, basically, it's visuals. Even today very few movies can compare to it and perhaps, in terms of hand drawn animation, it is the best work ever made on a technical level.

The manga is superior since it has the time to develop all it's score of characters. A movie version of such huge manga demanded for the cutting of it's psychological depth.

Predator (1987) - John McTiernan
Decent enough action movie. 3

I love it because it is so memorable. Basically, it's one of those movies you will notice it's great years after watching it.

[rauldc14]

Mark, out of curiousity yet again, how many films do you consider 5 popcorns?

[mark f]

Eleven. :o

[Pussy Galore]

From your top 10 I've seen 6 films and they are all pretty good, but I have to admit that I'm curious to see why do you think The Incredibles is a 5 popcorn if I take in consideration the number of movies you seem to have watched in your life

[mark f]

I'm curious too, but I tnink it reflects the film's artistry and my massive enjoyment of it.I've never actually given it anytning but 4.5, but maybe I should make it official.

[Skepsis93]

Last couple of weeks. Catching up on 2013 for the most part.

*rewatch

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Robert Zemeckis, 1988) 3.5
Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985) 4.5+
Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen, 2013) 4
Five Easy Pieces (Bob Rafelson, 1970) 3.5
Stories We Tell (Sarah Polley, 2012) 3.5+
Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) 4
Inside Llewyn Davis (Coen bros., 2013) 4
Dallas Buyers Club (Jean-Marc Vallee, 2013) 3-
Saving Mr. Banks (John Lee Hancock, 2013) 4
The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013) 4+
Hannah and Her Sisters* (Woody Allen, 1986) 4+
12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013) 4+

[Daniel M]

Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) 4
Dallas Buyers Club (Jean-Marc Vallee, 2013) 3-

Comment from Sexy Celebrity in 3... 2... 1...

[donniedarko]

http://images.moviefanatic.com/iu/t_xlarge_l/v1364991705/bruce-greenwood-denzel-washington-flight.jpg
Flight

Tattooed Tears (1979)- 2.5
Flight (2012)- 3+
Do the Right Thing (1989)- 2.5
Elysium (2013)- 1.5
We're the Millers (2013)- 2
Red Dawn (1984)- 1.5
Dreams of a Life (2011)- 2.5
Brain Dead (1990)- 2.5+
Friday Night Lights (2004)- 3


Even though it's been some time since my last tab, this is all I've been able to watch, and the first four are distant from my memory. My favorite film here was Flight, which kept my entertained for the full 138 minutes even though the first sequence was by far the most intense. Tattooed Tears is s documentary about the poor conditions in a juvenile center, my other doc is Dreams of a Life which is a story of a woman who died and was only discovered 3 years later. The director has a clear obsession with the subject, Joyce Vincent, resulting in plenty of unnecessary interviews, but the case is peculiar. If anyone has questions about my ratings I'd be more than happy to answer.

I will be directing my attention at finishing my viewing for the MoFo hall of fame, and doing some desperate catch up for the Oscar nominations, since I was to busy to watch these last year.

[bluedeed]

I'm curious too, but I tnink it reflects the film's artistry and my massive enjoyment of it.

Pure artistry
http://media.theiapolis.com/d4/hEU/i1TXS/k4/l1UGI/wZK/the-incredibles.jpg

[Miss Vicky]

Dallas Buyers Club (Jean-Marc Vallee, 2013) 3-


I know you have no love for Matthew McConaughey, but what didn't you like about it?

[Monkeypunch]

Decided to have a triple feature:

Spider-Man - Sam Raimi really did give us the first truly great super hero film with this one...Tobey Maguire is perfect as Peter Parker, a socially awkward teenager from Queens who, thanks to a bite from a genetically altered spider, gains super powers...and his life goes straight to hell. I love that about the film. Being Spider-Man would kind of suck. He can't be with the girl of his dreams (Kirsten Dunst who is adorably dorky in this one), he can't have a normal life without fear that a crazy man in a green suit (Willem DaFoe in a friggin awesome bad guy role) will attack out of nowhere, and for all the good he does, he still gets attacked in the press by a muck raking tabloid editor (J.K. Simmons who steals every scene he's in)...This movie is just awesome. But actually the best was yet to come.

Spider-Man 2 - Ups the ante in every way possible. Spider-Man faces a new villain called Doctor Octopus, an angry, disgraced scientist (Alfred Molina in a brilliant, operatic performance) who lost everything during a failed experiment and blames it on Spider-Man. But it's more about character than moving along the plot, which is rare for a movie like this one, and that makes it shine even brighter than the first one. The film teems with emotion and humor and awesomely corny comic book dialogue that Stan Lee could have penned himself. Plus some really epic set pieces like Spidey and Doc Ock fighting on a moving subway...I still think this is the best super-hero movie ever made.

Spider-Man 3 - and so immediately this one would be a let down in comparison. But watching it again, it is not a bad film. Sam Raimi famously fought with the studio who insisted that Venom be introduced into a story that was already jam packed with plot threads from the first two movies, and yes, his story is really truncated and seems forced in. But it does a good job of wrapping up the plotlines from the previous two, with Peter Parker finally tasting success and fame, and becoming kind of awful because of it. Thomas Haden Church is good but given a bit too little to do as classic comic bad guy The Sandman, and Bryce Dallas Howard is gorgeous but completely unnecessary as Gwen Stacy, who's set up as a rival to MJ but then is abandoned after a few scenes. Topher Grace is also in this as Peter's rival, an unscrupulous photographer, but like I said he's not given enough time to develop as a character. All in all, this is decent, not as good as the first two, but still not as bad as it's been suggested. I had a fun time with it.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Comment from Sexy Celebrity in 3... 2... 1...

Looks like Miss Vicky's trying to steal my thunder (and my movie).

Woman, go back to your Her house.

[Sane]

Piranha (1978) - Joe Dante
It appears as though the military trained Piranhas to rip bikini tops off ... or something like that ... wasn't really paying attention. Actually is mostly OK but got put off by how incredibly stupid the people were once the Piranhas attacked. 2

Late Chrysanthemums (1954) - Mikio Naruse
First Naruse film I've seen. It's a very Ozu-esque story of the lives of four former Geishas. Stars Haruko Sugimura who was in Tokyo Story and Late Spring. Nice movie. 3.5

Unbeatable (2013) - Dante Lam
Hong Kong MMA action movie. I'm a sucker for sports films and this follows the formula (which is basically that every sports film, regardless of the sport, is a remake of Rocky). Hard to rate this movie because parts are great whilst some of it really does suck. The Good? The precocious little girl and her relationship with the star. The Bad? The injection of ridiculously melodramatic plot elements - something which has always been a "feature" of Hong Kong action movies. 2.5

A Fish Called Wanda (1988) - Charles Crichton
I was never a big fan of this movie. Not sure why but upon re-watching it my opinion has changed - it's pretty funny. 3.5

Captain Kidd (1945) - Rowland V Lee
Decent pirate movie with Charles Laughton & Randolph Scott. 3

Went the Day Well? (1942) - Alberto Cavalcanti
Ridiculous British propaganda movie with terrible acting and a bad script ... but somehow it kind of works. A platoon of German soldiers tricks a village into thinking they are British (their accents were very convincing!) and takes over. Fortunately it appears that they are of the same standard as the German soldiers who run the prison in Hogan's Heroes. Good fun now but was probably scary for people of that era. 3

[Mr Minio]

Arsenic and Old Lace - ???

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyiutm6RXQ1qm89nq.gif

One of the craziest films I have ever seen - more f*cked up than Serbian Film and Salo combined YET it does not portray anything horrific (well, not in a graphic way, that is). I laughed once, maybe twice and the only laughable moment I remember was the Karloff situation. On the other hand, I remember a lot of scenes that were extremely awkward, weird, and even hysterical! And that sane yet insane situation, oh dear. :)

No idea how to rate it! The movie suffers from the same issue most films from these times have. Too much speaking. Well, it's a thing I'm personally not too fond of, as I like when visuals tell the story, but the too- much-dialogue rarely bothers me and neither did it this time. So I can't really tell any other flaws, but then again I can't say I loved it. I feel like, had I seen the movie 10 times, it could have become one of my favourites. It's really maddening.

[Monkeypunch]

Arsenic and Old Lace - ???

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyiutm6RXQ1qm89nq.gif

One of the craziest films I have ever seen - more f*cked up than Serbian Film and Salo combined YET it does not portray anything horrific (well, not in a graphic way, that is). I laughed once, maybe twice and the only laughable moment I remember was the Karloff situation. On the other hand, I remember a lot of scenes that were extremely awkward, weird, and even hysterical! And that sane yet insane situation, oh dear. :)

No idea how to rate it! The movie suffers from the same issue most films from these times have. Too much speaking. Well, it's a thing I'm personally not too fond of, as I like when visuals tell the story, but the too- much-dialogue rarely bothers me and neither did it this time. So I can't really tell any other flaws, but then again I can't say I loved it. I feel like, had I seen the movie 10 times, it could have become one of my favourites. It's really maddening.

I love that movie!!! I think it was smart of the fimmakers to not let visuals tell the story in this instance, because would anyone find this movie funny if we saw all the death described or hinted at in the film? It would be horrible! LOL.

[mark f]

Teddy loves digging the Panama Canal. :)

[linespalsy]

Ninja Checkmate aka The Mystery of Chess Boxing (1979) 3.5
It (Tommy Lee Wallace , 1990) 0
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller, 2013) 2.5
Stand By Me (Rob Reiner, 1986) 3

[honeykid]

King Kong Escapes 4 - I. Bloody. Loved. This. It's been nearly a week since I saw it and I'm still tempted to bump that rating up to a 5 because I'm sure that's where it'll end up. Four more viewings are needed and, I think, it has a good shot at making my 100. As for the film, it's men in monster costumes fighting, being shot at, terrorising the military, small models being wrecked, a woman who seems to make about 10 costume changes throughout the film, a MechaniKong, Kong being kidmapped by Dr. Who (no, not that one) and being forced to dig for element X at the North Pole and more. Yeah, I loved it. :)

[mark f]

It's got nothing on The X from Outer Space. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpdpPdoQpDw

[linespalsy]

So is King Kong actually Frankenstein's son or what? Guess I'll have to watch and find out.

[honeykid]

mark, I started that clip and had + repped the post before the titles made it to screen. :D However, I feel it might be a bit too sci-fi for me to really love. I'd still watch it, though for the small model crushing, monster-man-stomping action.

This, however, is brilliant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrUFlFD4Lvo

[Lucas]

Dancer in the Dark-
Dark,painful movie about human suffering. A very bleak watch thats rather unconventional. The performance by Björk I thought was fantastic. She bring a vulnerability and sincerity to the character,that really makes you character for the film's protagonist. The film looks almost like a documentary, and this helps to make the film feel very realistic. This is a very divisive movie, and it can turn alot of people off. I can definitely understand that, but for me it works. The ending is bone-chilling.

http://cdn.hitfix.com/photos/2991988/Dancer-in-the-Dark-2000.jpg

Inside Llewyn Davis-
Another great Coen Brothers film, thats less a dark-comedy(although there is humor here) but more of a character-study of a young musician who can never get out of the repetetive routine of his life. It's a "dark" film I suppose, as it plays upon our fear of always living in mediocrity, and never succeeding even though we want to oh so much.Visually the film is stunning, and I mean stunning. It's cold,dark, and beautifully lit. Very atmospheric movie. The performances are great, and so is the folk music. It reminds me of O' Brother where art thou in that regard. Overall, i think its great and it reminds me why I anticipate viewing Coen Brother films.4


http://content.internetvideoarchive.com/content/photos/8212/563911_044.jpg
Rosemary's Baby-
This is probably the best horror movie I have ever seen...other than The Shining. This movie is a psychological horror about paranoia,fear,suspicion and pregnancy. During the film's opening credits I knew that I was in for something special. I'll just list in order what I loved about this film.

First of all the movie is immensely entertaining,gripping,thrilling and suspenseful.You are glued to the screen from beginning to end. The performances are great, especially Farrow's. She gives one of the best female performances I have ever seen, she is just incredible here.She's vulnerable,scared,panicked and you can relate to her every step of the way. The film looks fantastic, and the Ost is great as well. The film's main theme is sure to haunt the viewer for days, it is hypnotic to say the least folks.

The movie has a permeating sense of dread and paranoia throughout, and the film's chilling finale is inevitable but incredible all the same. I definitely recommend this film to everybody, I give it a 4.5. It reminds me why I love watching films in the first place.

http://cdn.bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Rosemarys_Baby_6_25_12.jpg

Three Colors:White. Good film with stellar acting,good cinematography and a good script. But it didn't really leave a big impact on me personally,neither did Blue. Oh they're certainly good, but I'm not seeing anything great.3+

http://ruthlessculture.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/tcw1b.jpg

[mark f]

Wine, Women and Horses (Louis King, 1937) 2
Suck (Rob Stefaniuk, 2009) 2.5
Pride of the Blue Grass (William McGann, 1939) 2
You’ve Got Mail (Nora Ephron, 1998) 3+
http://media.tumblr.com/9d71a55783860f6a2394b1eb71bb0dcb/tumblr_inline_mtopf4BKwB1s8dykf.gif
Redemption: For Robbing the Dead (Thomas Russell, 2011) 2
La moustache (Emmanuel Carrère, 2005) 2+
Coming Home (Hal Ashby, 1978) 2.5
Inside Llewyn Davis (Coen Bros., 2013) 3+
http://31.media.tumblr.com/818a6735691d05ed733f8d476e2e48cc/tumblr_my5d40hiyy1qg4blro1_500.gif
Birdsong (Albert Serra, 2008) 2 (gorgeous oblivion)
Leningrad Cowboys Go America (Aki Kaurismäki, 1989) 2.5+
Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (Aki Kaurismäki, 1994) 2.5
Total Balalaika Show (Aki Kaurismäki, 1994) 3
http://www.worldfilmbkk.com/images/film_photo/film_img_564_3.jpg
By Dawn's Early Light (Arthur Allan Seidelman, 2000) 2.5
Susan and God George Cukor, 1940) 2
The United States Service Bands (Jean Negulesco, 1943) 2
Despicable Me 2 (Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud, 2013) 3+
http://aliefworkshop.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/despicableme2_11.jpg
Winchester 73 (Herschel Daugherty, 1967) 2+
Ski-Flying (Heinz Scheiderbauer, 1956) 2.5
American Hustle (David O. Russell, 2013) 3+ (rewatch)
Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009) 3
http://getoveritpeopleareirrational.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/tumblr_llkd19qd6w1qkuwpjo1_500.jpg

[Pussy Galore]

Rewatch
Do The Right Thing 4.5
Castle in the Sky 4.5
Both of them were even better that I remember.

La Haine 4 ++ fantastic film a mix of Do The Right Thing and Dazed and Confuzed.

City Lights 3.5 pretty good, the boozing scene was fantastic
Das Boot (5 hour version) 3.5 fantastic film, but not really entertaining

[BlueLion]

Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009) 3

Glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't love this film.

[rice1245]

Hey mofos, I'm sorry I ask this literally every time I disappear for a year and come back but how do you do the popcorn ratings again? Last time I ask I promise! It has been a while since i've done this lol

[The Gunslinger45]

5

Just quote this post to see how it is done.

[mark f]

Halves are done like this 3.5 and if you need to give a zero, use 0. Quote this. :)

[Miss Vicky]

Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000) (Rewatch) 5

Frozen (Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, 2013) 2-

The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorcese, 2013) (Rewatch) 4.5

Behind the Candelabra (Stephen Soderbergh, 2013) 3.5+

My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988) 2.5

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/totoro02.gif

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/joaqdisapproves.gif

[Sane]

Back to the Future II & III (1989/1990) - Robert Zemeckis
Not really my kind of movies. If someone loved the first one they would like these I would imagine. I only liked the first so these were poor. Actors putting on bad wigs and talking with "funny" voices to play older/younger versions of their characters - as I said, not my thing. 2 (III is marginally the better of the two)


Battle in Heaven (2005) - Carlos Reygadas
Like when I watched Von Trier's Antichrist, I went into this without realising there was "unsimulated" sex scenes. I really need to do more research before watching movies :) On that issue, I don't find it offensive but I do think it's probably unnecessary - however, if a Director thinks he needs to use it to tell his story then that's fine with me. In this case I was in two minds but I think overall it probably helped the director deliver what he was after. On the movie as a whole, it's kind of weird, depressing, shocking and so on. Overall I liked it and look forward to seeing more of Reygadas' movies. 3.5

Good Morning (1959) - Yasujiro Ozu
Like other Ozu movies ... except with fart jokes. 4

The Evil Dead (1981) - Sam Raimi
Good horror movie. Not overly scary watching it now but has some pretty gross moments. 3.5

The Collector (1965) - William Wyler
Really interesting movie about a guy who kidnaps a girl ... just to have some company really. Pretty much only two characters and little dialogue for much of the movie. Great ending. 4

[bluedeed]

Good Morning (1959) - Yasujiro Ozu
Like other Ozu movies ... except with fart jokes. 4


The only great director to have an adept ability to make fart jokes, talent.

[rice1245]

Captain Phillips - 3.5

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-quSHLjIZvis/UgNQaGaRs2I/AAAAAAACJi8/FqsUDotKkUY/s400/CAPTAIN+PHILLIPS+-+Tom+Hanks+Detail+%233.jpg

I read recently that Americans voted Tom Hanks as the most trustworthy person in America. I'd imagine it's probably due to roles like this. Anyway! I really enjoyed this movie, I liked the fact that there were no subtitles for when the Somalis spoke. To me it sort of tapped into an inherent and universal language composed only of tone, facial expression and body language. Even without being able to understand what they were saying I could follow what was happening. I found that it humanized the pirates more by tapping into this universally understood form of communication. And holy crap I forgot how intimidating warships can be. Just their silhouette...geeze. This movie actually put me in the mood to rewatch Das Boot for some reason.

The Wolf of Wall Street - 4
http://qctjpdtgffky5c24.zippykid.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/The-Wolf-of-Wall-Street-Official-Trailer.jpg

Just pure entertainment! If this wasn't a comedy I would have been bored and way less okay with the long run time. But luckily I didn't ever get the feeling that Scorsese liked this character at all. So I really don't understand why people have been so offended, saying that Scorsese was glamorizing this bad behavior. That type of criticism tends to come along with any film that is relative to this subject matter anyway but I seriously believe that this is a fairly accurate depiction of how billionaire drug addicts would behave. The stormy yacht scene towards the end was my favorite. Who knew that Leo had such a talent for physical comedy? Now I must watch The King of Comedy just to round out my Scorsese-watching. Also I'm slowly but surely becoming a huge Jonah Hill fan. He was my favorite character in This is the End playing himself.

EDIT: I also feel like some of the amazing quality of the comedy is due to writer Terence Winter who also wrote for my favorite show of all time The Sopranos which is also a lot funnier than you would think.
Dallas Buyers Club 4

http://screenfury.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/dallas-buyers-club4.jpg

I've now only seen two of the movies with Best Actor nominations so far, this and Leonardo Dicaprio and between those two I'd have to give it to Matthew McConaughey. I started out with such little hope for his character and by the end of the film he's a completely changed man. It almost seems ironically that aids was the best thing that happened to this man because it gave his life a purpose as opposed to the even bleaker future he had before. How dare Jared Leto be so good at everything he does. I must use this opportunity to declare that Jared Leto is the hottest 42 year old ever.

http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-01/enhanced/webdr07/13/16/enhanced-buzz-3187-1389650184-21.jpg

FOURTY TWO YEARS OLD PEOPLE. Okay i'm done, is it hot in here?

[Mr Minio]

Battle in Heaven (2005) - Carlos Reygadas I rate it the same. :)

Watch Stellet Licht next!

http://images.popmatters.com/film_art/s/silent-light-02.jpg

[Sane]

I rate it the same. :)

Watch Stellet Licht next!

http://images.popmatters.com/film_art/s/silent-light-02.jpg
Will do. Have you seen his others? Japon looks interesting too.

[The Gunslinger45]

Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000) (Rewatch) 5

Frozen (Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, 2013) 2-

The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorcese, 2013) (Rewatch) 4.5

Behind the Candelabra (Stephen Soderbergh, 2013) 3.5+

My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988) 2.5

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/totoro02.gif

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/joaqdisapproves.gif

Plus rep for Wolf of Wall Street and Gladiator. You know how I feel about Frozen.

[Mingusings]

Mama (2013): 2
Her (2013): 4
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013): 2-
Dallas Buyers Club (2013): 3_5+
Nebraska (2013): 4-
Team America: World Police (2004): 4
Se7en (1995): 4+
Raging Bull (1980): 4+
American Psycho (2000): 4-
Boogie Nights (1997): 4_5

[Mr Minio]

Will do. Have you seen his others? Japon looks interesting too. Haven't seen Japon, but have his newest one. :D

[rauldc14]

Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000) (Rewatch) 5

Frozen (Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, 2013) 2-

The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorcese, 2013) (Rewatch) 4.5

Behind the Candelabra (Stephen Soderbergh, 2013) 3.5+

My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988) 2.5


http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/totoro02.gif

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/joaqdisapproves.gif

I almost watched Totoro today too

[bluedeed]

Will do. Have you seen his others? Japon looks interesting too.

His first two (Japon and Battle in Heaven) are far more provocative and radical than his recent two. One of them starts with a simulated blow job right away.

[Godoggo]

Her (2013 Spike Jonze) 4 +

http://imageshack.com/a/img713/9733/zymk.jpg

I've always liked Joaquin Phoenix, not like Miss Vicky likes him, but I've always thought he was a really good actor. I think this may be his best work yet. He was really impressive.

It's a really good script from Jonze. He always has something interesting to say and I thought he wrote Samantha so realistically that it felt real and natural. I loved the way the movie explores relationships and what makes us human by putting a human in a relationship with a non-human being with very human tendencies.

My only small criticism is that I didn't love Johansson's performance as much as a lot of people seemed to. I thought she did an alright job, but it seemed a bit forced to me at times. I don't imagine it would have been an easy role to do. I would love to be able to see it voiced with Samantha Morton who originally had the role.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 Martin Scorsese) 3.5

http://imageshack.com/a/img534/914/j6mt.jpg

I had planned on seeing 12 Years a Slave, but my friend insisted on seeing this even though he had already seen it. He loves this movie; I like it a lot.

It's at times hilarious; Leonardo DiCaprio is perfect for the role, Jonah Hill was great and I have nothing bad to say about it. It's just that as much good as I can find to say about it, I didn't think it was great. A whole lot of fun, though.

[rauldc14]

I think ScarJo did better than Morton would have, mainly because I think she has the nicer voice, since it is a voice part after all.

[Godoggo]

I think ScarJo did better than Morton would have, mainly because I think she has the nicer voice, since it is a voice part after all.

Scarlett has one heck of a sexy voice, I get that. And obviously Jonze didn't think Morton's voice worked, but I'm still very curious as to what that would have been like.

Like I said, Scarlett did fine, I just wasn't completely sold on her performance.

[Daniel M]

I think it would have been interesting if the voice was more plain instead of lovely, soft, sexy etc. that it is, like feels too real for what it is, but I guess that's the point, I dunno.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Well, if you ask me, Scarlett's voice WAS too plain.

[rauldc14]

Blasphemy. She did fine.

[Miss Vicky]

Her and The Wolf of Wall Street are my top two favorites of last year. So glad you enjoyed them both.

[meatwadsprite]

http://i42.tinypic.com/wt6lo5.jpg

Wolf of Wall Street

Not a complete rehash like I was expecting. Very flashy and energetic, a lot of explicit sex scenes for a rated R movie. Something you don't expect a 71 year old man to be making.

3

http://i40.tinypic.com/1p83tc.jpg

Once Upon a Time in America

I didn't know I was getting into a 4 hour flick when i started this one, and I didn't really start to notice the enormous run time until the final act. By the time we get to the end, the movie has already set up on such an epic scale that the coolest ending in the world would be mediocre. This did not have the coolest ending in the world, this had some soap opera goofball ending.
I also felt it was very out of place to keep using Morricone's one song throughout the whole thing or The Beatles "Yesterday" for multiple scenes.

A very ambitious final film for Sergio Leone, but one that deserves a better finale.

3

http://i40.tinypic.com/2iw4w76.jpg

12 Years a Slave

A real-world answer to Django as "the slavery" movie. The main character Solomon serves as a perfect embodiment of the audience, he's living in this state of maybe semi-ignorance and is forcefully subjected to the horribleness of slavery. Queen's no nonsense film making style reminds me of David Fincher's matured style. Crisp photography and actors taking center stage. Like Once Upon a Time in America, throughout the film we mostly hear the same song, but it feels a lot more appropriate here.

The semi-final scene is very powerful stuff.

3.5

http://i40.tinypic.com/20psb52.jpg

Broadcast News 2

http://i43.tinypic.com/sg01s5.jpg

Gremlins 2

http://i41.tinypic.com/2qtg38z.jpg

Her

I should relate to this movie more than the average computer slave, not only because I'm on the computer pretty much all day every day, but because I've had relationships with girls where all I could do is hear their voice over the computer. Scarlett Johansson's voice even sounds just like one of my ex-women. Phoenix gives another great performance, the music and photography are up to Jonze's high standards, and it does have an intriguing twist. Still I don't know what this movie really has to offer me that wasn't already said better in The Social Network back in 2010 (4 years ago that came out already?).

Also, videogames really suck in the future.

3

[Mr Minio]

Once Upon a Time in America

this had some soap opera goofball ending.

I beg to differ. I can't think of a better ending to such an epic grandiose story.

[Skepsis93]

The only great director to have an adept ability to make fart jokes, talent.

I disagree.

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

[Daniel M]

I beg to differ. I can't think of a better ending to such an epic grandiose story.

Yeh the ending is one of the best things about it, the very final scene is perfect. And the score and use of actual music is brilliant too.

[philip12]

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
8 Seconds (1994)

[Daniel M]

Some paragraphs copied from over threads: think of this as a compendium as the 2013 films I have seen so far.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2013/12/18/1387388699520/American-Hustle-Christian-010.jpg

American Hustle (David O. Russell, 2013) 3.5

Very stylish and fun film, filled with humour and colourful characters. Whilst its story never seems to give the viewer time to catch up with what's going on for most the part, its worth the viewing for the performances which see the various characters come together for a enjoyable finale. Another hit from David O. Russell.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/1/8/1389174324903/2013-THE-WOLF-OF-WALL-STR-009.jpg

The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013) 4+

Almost definitely the most over the top, crazy, and just pure entertaining film I have seen in a while. This film is a hilarious look at human over indulgence, and whilst the main character has been largely criticised in some parts for being a criminal, that does not prevent him and the film from being enjoyable. There are many great scenes, both funny and tragic in the film, such as the Lemmons scene everybody talks about, whilst at times you can not stop laughing, there are moments of sheer horror within these scenes which display the tragic side for an at times pathetic 'protagonist'. The supporting actors are brilliant, Jonah Hill is well worthy of his Oscar nomination, and Matthew McConaughey gives a fantastic memorable performance for his limited screen time, then you have some of the strangest but most genius casting choices of the year such as a Neighbours star as the female lead (she plays it well beyond her age) and a few film directors in key parts: Rober Reiner in a particularly great part as 'Mad Max', Spike Jonze and Jon Favreau, and then there's the casting of Jean Dujardin in a perfect role.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2013/11/28/1385655984245/Joaquin-Pheonix-in-Her-Sp-008.jpg

Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) 3.5-

A very good look at human relationships and how they work, is it possible to be in love with a computer? Whilst I certainly enjoyed it, and thought certain parts were executed well, I think it had some flaws. I'm not sure if this film would have been more suited to a short film or being even longer, whilst its concept are done well, there are certainly elements of it that the viewer must just accept and go along however dramatic the changes, I am not sure about the ending.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/1/16/1389891435616/Inside-Llewyn-Davis-Oscar-011.jpg

Inside Llewyn Davis (Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, 2013) 4.5

Over twenty years ago the Coen Brothers’ created Barton Fink, a film in which its titular character is at times his own worse enemy, unable to see that it is himself that prohibits him from success, unwilling to compromise and accept help from those around him.

Here, Oscar Isaac’s lead character shares a lot in common with John Turturro’s as he attempts to become a folk singing success in 1961 New York. Llewyn Davis (I delightful Welsh name, I must add) is not a particularly likeable or sympathetic character, he is uncaring of those around him and does not see the pain and suffering he causes for others: he impregnates his friend’s partner and without hesitation offers an abortion, he carelessly loses another friends cat, and he rudely insults other artists for a variety of reasons. More here. (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=1018551)

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/GUARDIAN/Pix/pictures/2014/1/7/1389120530628/12-Years-A-Slave-011.jpg

12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013) 3+

I thought it was good, but I really don't get what is so 'great' about it, I think it's because it has strong production values, everything looks realistic and some of the scenes are quite graphic, although not as graphic as I was expecting.

I agree with most of what Mark posted in the Movie Tab. This movie is supposed to represent 12 years of this man's life and it feels nothing like it? There's nothing really to indicate such a long period of time has taken place but for the title and end scene. Without that I would have guessed it would have been a year perhaps.

Once he leaves Benedict Cumberbatch's plantation it kind of goes down hill for me, I thought it was very strong before then. Michael Fassbender's character seems like he is purely created (I know... it's based on a book) and used to showcase how poorly slaves were treated, it gets repetitive after a while when its just abuse after abuse by the same character. Lupita Nyng'o is the character used to be on the receiving end of Fassbender's character's horrible treatment, and she does it very convincingly, I was impressed with her performance and would say that she displays suffering much great than Ejiofor who I didn't care about as much once he reached Fassbender's plantation.

The ending was good, but could have been better had we actually felt him suffering for 12 years better. I felt some of the earlier scenes were the best (not most enjoyable, but well done/effective) - his initial capturing, on the boat with Michael K. Williams, the guy getting freed after the boat journey, the fight between Ejiofor and Dano, and a lot of the scenes with Cumberbatch.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, I dunno, it just wasn't as powerful as I think it could have been despite what everyone's saying, maybe if I saw it in better conditions I would enjoy it more, will have to watch it again in the future.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/audio/video/2013/7/24/1374655176948/Matthew-McConaughey-in-Da-011.jpg

Dallas Buyers Club (Jean-Marc Vallée, 2013) 3+

I liked this movie, yes, but once again its one that I don't think was great, I think the easiest way to do this would be to do pros and cons.

Matthew McConaughey does gives a good performance, I wasn't blown away by it though, he loses weight and acts like a scumbag, not much emotion/skill required as some make out.

Jared Leto also gives a good performance, but what is a concern is that this is a fictional character, created purely to dramatise the situation and make it as Hollywood as possible, not only does he act as the character that helps transform Ron into the 'good guy', but he also acts as the needed character for the scene:

Where Rayon dies and Ron goes mental at the hospital calling them murderers

It feels like everything is exaggerated because it is a movie, Ron is a hero, the hospital are the bad guys. When in fact AZT because an important drug against AIDS as stated in the end credits, and I also read online that it was not as bad as the movie depicts and actually did help.

Whilst in terms of dealing with moral and legal problems, interesting points are raised about not just AIDS but the healthcare system in general. Unfortunately certain overblown parts ruin this again, we have the FDA (or whoever he is) guy telling him he will ruin his business or something like that, countered by Ron helping some police officer by giving his father drugs that will help is Alzheimer's.

It just at times felt all too forced and extreme, we have a character introduced to turn Ron from bad to good and then he is everybody's hero who saves everyone from the evil hospitals. I think that the Ron Woodroof character didn't really portray much to evoke an emotional reaction from myself as a viewer, it was an interesting, and at times uplifting story, but never that powerful/compelling.

So yeh, good performances and some good scenes, I liked the overall feel aided by the cinematography which was interesting, the editing was hit and miss, some places it worked, some places it didn't. I just didn't really like the writing and how one-dimensional and clichéd these characters and their arcs were.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2013/6/10/1370861279716/Blue-Jasmine-film-still-010.jpg

Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen, 2013) 3-

I have mixed thoughts on this film. Whilst it certainly has a number of good performances with two great ones from Cate Blanchett and Sally Hawkins, I felt that as a whole it left a lot to be desired. Although not a particularly long movie, it was boring in parts and the characters began to become repetitive as Woody tries force home a number of different points he tries to make about human nature. It's a very dark, depressing movie at times, and the main character is not very likeable at all. Whilst its an interesting character study and a brutally honest look at the negative side of human nature - greed, lying, revenge, it didn't have enough dramatic power to have any type of emotional effect, a movie that seemed to have one point (character) that is displayed constantly for one a half hours.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2013/5/16/1368717475397/A-scene-from-Fruitvale-St-010.jpg

Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler, 2013) 3-

I am unsure how to rate this film at the moment. Whilst it was very good and impressive in some areas, its not without its flaws which are extremely obvious. The main problem is the truth. What of this story is true? Real amateur footage is used to force home the reality of the protagonist's tragic fate at the beginning of the film, and it claims that the rest of the film is based on real events, but a lot of the film feels over dramatic for the sake of making the character more likeable. What happened on 2008 New Years Eve was definitely wrong and disgusting, especially from a police perspective, but its difficult to portray this in a film without exaggerating certain characters for the sake of dramatic effect. This film feels like it is trying to make you angry. I thought the lead performance from Michael B. Jordan was very good, he was convincing in his character more so than some other actors, and is the main reason why I give this film a positive rating, he really carries the film through convincingly.

[mark f]

The Beginning or the End (Norman Taurog, 1947) 2
Lake Mungo (Joel Anderson, 2008) 2
Murder on the Blackboard (George Archainbaud, 1934) 2.5
A Colt Is My Passport (Takashi Nomura, 1967) 2.5+
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i33/shannymaldonado/STILLS/ACOLTBEST2.jpg
Dream a Little Dream (Marc Rocco, 1989) 2
Willie and the Mouse (George Sidney, 1941) 2.5
The Substitute Wife (Peter Werner, 1994) 2.5
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Coen Bros., 2000) 3
http://mimg.ugo.com/201012/3/5/8/160853/cuts/obrotherwhereartthou_528_poster.jpg
City of Angels (Brad Silbering, 1998) 2.5
Prince of Central Park (John Leekley, 2000) 2
Pretty Baby (Bretaigne Windust, 1950) 2
Take Aim at the Police Van (Seijun Suzuki, 1960) 2.5+
http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/5674/takeaim03.jpg
Comic Book Villains (James Robinson, 2002) 2
Life Stinks (Mel Brooks, 1991) 2+
Die! Die! My Darling! (Silvio Narizzano, 1965) 2
Tyrannosaur (Paddy Considine, 2011) 2.5
http://i500.listal.com/image/4736667/500full.jpg
Skidoo (Otto Preminger, 1968) 2
Daughters of Wisdom (Bari Pearlman, 2007) 2
Maytime (Robert Z. Leonard, 1937) 3-
Portrait of Jennie (William Dieterle, 1948) 3
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iw9kKd_RgI0/TiOezeUvflI/AAAAAAAABYI/p5c2yObwxHE/s640/jennie1.jpg

[Sane]

Piranha Part Two: The Spawning (1981) - James Cameron
Cameron's first film. It sucks, as you'd expect considering it's a low budget horror movie - but he actually makes it worse be trying to create characters when he only had terrible actors at his disposal. Only one "horror" scene in the first half hour? WTF? 1

The White Ribbon (2009) - Michael Haneke
The second Haneke movie I've seen. Like with Cache it's about a lot more than the story shown on screen. Didn't enjoy it as much as Cache but it's vey good. 4

Modern Romance (1981) - Albert Brooks
I don't mind Brooks and most of his movies are pretty funny. This was also but it suffered slightly from an issue I often have with him - his character isn't likeable. You would hate to have that guy as a friend. This means I have trouble really caring what happens to him and, in this one, focussed more on hoping his girlfriend would just dump him for good. 3

Rocky IV (1985) - Sylvester Stallone
I have made a commitment to myself to watch every movie in the 80s top 100 - no matter how much pain it causes :) The only positive thing I can say about this movie is that it's got Brigitte Nielsen in it ... and she's not the worst part! 0

Like Someone in Love (2012) - Abbas Kiarostami
Kind of a clichéd story about an old guy and a young prostitute forming a friendship but Kiarostami sure does make it work. I loved the mix between Japanese culture and many of the Director's usual trademarks. This is his second movie outside Iran and not only is it better that the previous one, it's one of the best movies he has made IMO. 4.5

Paco and the Magical Picture Book (2008) - Tetsuya Nakashima
I don't think there is a more imaginative director anywhere in the world than Nakashima. Visually, his movies are mind blowing. This one verged on going too far - the colours were distracting for the first 20 minutes. Essentially this is a kids movie about a girl who loses her parents and her memory - and the people who look after her in "hospital". The story is relatively basic but the characters and the visuals make it, at worst, an interesting experience. 4

Cat People (1942) - Jacques Tourneur
Very good thriller/horror. First half is a touch slow but once it gets going it's very good. Great use of shadows makes it pretty scary in parts. 4

[bluedeed]

Like Someone in Love (2012) - Abbas Kiarostami
Kind of a clichéd story about an old guy and a young prostitute forming a friendship but Kiarostami sure does make it work. I loved the mix between Japanese culture and many of the Director's usual trademarks. This is his second movie outside Iran and not only is it better that the previous one, it's one of the best movies he has made IMO. 4.5

Is it another great film from Kiarostami? Yes! Is it better than Certified Copy and among his best films? I'd strongly disagree with that.

[Mr Minio]

Majid Majidi is better. <trollface>

[Sane]

Is it another great film from Kiarostami? Yes! Is it better than Certified Copy and among his best films? I'd strongly disagree with that.

I felt it was much better than Certified Copy. When directors make a movie in a new culture there can be a tendency to change their style too much - not that it has really happened that often. An example is Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights - he made an American movie rather than a Wong movie set in America so there was far too much talking and it didn't work as well as it could have.

With Certified Copy I felt that Kiarostami made a "European" movie. It was good but I thought it was weaker than most of his Iranian movies. With LSIL he made a Kiarostami movie - set in Japan. For me it worked much better.

But, as they say, each to their own. At least we agree it was great :)

[Sane]

Majid Majidi is better. <trollface>

Solid filmmaker. I honestly believe he will put out a film to rival Kiarostami's one day :)

[Mr Minio]

Solid filmmaker. I honestly believe he will put out a film to rival Kiarostami's one day :) He already did. The Willow Tree. I'd like to try Like Someone in Love, but given I didn't like The Wind Will Carry Us and Taste of Cherry, I'm not completely sure if I wanna risk another disappointment. It's weird as I like both minimalistic and slow cinema yet can't get into Kiarostami so far.

[bluedeed]

I felt it was much better than Certified Copy. When directors make a movie in a new culture there can be a tendency to change their style too much - not that it has really happened that often. An example is Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights - he made an American movie rather than a Wong movie set in America so there was far too much talking and it didn't work as well as it could have.

With Certified Copy I felt that Kiarostami made a "European" movie. It was good but I thought it was weaker than most of his Iranian movies. With LSIL he made a Kiarostami movie - set in Japan. For me it worked much better.

But, as they say, each to their own. At least we agree it was great :)

The translation of Wong to America certainly didn't work, I think because, unlike Buenos Aires, we've been exposed to a long history of film culture on these places. He was able to find Hong Kong in Buenos Aires, but he wasn't able to, and it's far more difficult to, make the US his home. Maybe if Wong made a film in France instead it would work.

Certified Copy is certainly a more European movie than any of Kiarostami's works in the 1990s and 2000s in that it lacks the attention to and exploration of Iranian tradition that was seen in his many great works of the time. Where I deviate from you is that I think Kiarostami's films were also very European before his international work. For at least the past 20 years, art cinema around the world draws a lot of its roots from Europe. Wong Kar-Wai is clearly heavily influenced by Jean-Luc Godard, Hong Sang-soo is Korea's Eric Rohmer, Edward Yang is Taiwan's Antonioni. Kiarostami draws upon a number of European filmmakers from Tarkovsky, Fellini, Angelopuolos and Bresson. The transition to Italy made complete sense to me because I already saw Kiarostami as a fairly European filmmaker.

Meanwhile, I'm a bit dubious about how much he knows about Japanese cinema. His Five: Dedicated to Ozu is far less straightforward dedication than Hou Hsiao Hsien's Ozu tribute. On that matter, he's said:

His long shots are everlasting and respectful. The interactions between people happen in the long shots and this is the respect that I believe Ozu felt for his audience . . . In his mise-en-scène he respected the rights of the audience as an intelligent audience. His films were not usually very technical, which would make them appear nervous and melodramatic in the manner of today’s montage facilities.

This contains several common misconceptions about the director, and ones that one would be shown false pretty quickly if you watch an Ozu film. This quote seems more applicable to Mizoguchi than it does to Ozu.

[bluedeed]

He already did. The Willow Tree. I'd like to try Like Someone in Love, but given I didn't like The Wind Will Carry Us and Taste of Cherry, I'm not completely sure if I wanna risk another disappointment. It's weird as I like both minimalistic and slow cinema yet can't get into Kiarostami so far.

The difficulty I found initially in Kiarostami is that his films through the 1990s, following Close-Up, are all predicated on one another. Literally between Life, and Nothing More and Through the Olive Trees, but also between those and the two you've mentioned. Through the 1990s, Kiarostami formed his own personal language of cinema, and it's not entirely evident what that may be if you drop yourself into one of the more cryptic (and very best) films like The Wind Will Carry Us. I'd recommend watching Close-Up first if you're still interested, and then Life, and Nothing More and Through the Olive Trees, which I think illuminate a lot of what Kiarostami's cinema is.

Michael J. Anderson also has some insights on The Wind Will Carry Us (http://www.reverseshot.com/legacy/spring04/wind.html) that I found enlightening.

[Guaporense]

My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988) 2.5


Did you watch it with subtitles?

[Miss Vicky]

Did you watch it with subtitles?

Yes, I did. I don't ever watch foreign films in English dub. The mismatch of the sounds and the movement drives me nuts so I always use subtitles. In fact, I had originally intended to watch Spirited Away but the copy I found was English dubbed so I settled on Totoro instead.

I didn't care much for the story and didn't like the style of the artwork. I thought the totoros were cute at first, but then the big one smiled and it was just damn creepy. So was the cat bus. They were both like cheshire cats from hell. But mostly I found the voices of Satsuki and, in particular, Mei really grating, like to the point I almost stopped watching it.

[Holden Pike]

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=12622&stc=1&d=1390196721 http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=12619&stc=1&d=1390196270
The Visitor
1979, Giulio Paradisi/Michael J. Paradise

Woah. I had never seen this flick. While I noticed it crop up in the filmographies of John Huston and Sam Peckinpah (who both appear in the film as actors), other than vaguely remembering the eyeball on the poster and VHS box, I had never bothered to track it down. I'm kind of glad I didn't rent it on tape at some point, long ago, or catch it at 3:00am on a local UHF channel, because that meant I got to see it with fresh eyes when I went to a screening of the restored print on Saturday morning. It is nuttier than squirrel *****.

An awkward apocalyptic sci-fi/horror blend of The Omen (or probably more properly The Exorcist II: Heretic), The Parallax View and maybe, I dunno...Jesus Christ Superstar?!? It's worse than you imagine, but gleefully so. I guess the name actors in it, like John Huston, Glenn Ford, and Shelley Winters, were just there cashing paychecks, in this late '70s cycle of disaster movies and horror flicks routinely casting some big stars of yesteryear? I dunno, but it is a trippy mess that makes almost zero sense, yet it is good for many, many unintended laughs if you watch it in "MST3K" mode. Which, really, I don't know how else one could watch it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qw_g2qG38s

[Sane]

Body Bags (1993) - John Carpenter/Tobe Hooper
Three short horror stories - two filmed by Carpenter, one by Hooper. Really lazy stuff. I hope with a movie like this that they will be short, sharp stories - each with something interesting to tie them together. These felt like they were conceived about five minutes before filming began. 1.5

Urga (1991) - Nikita Mikalkov
Fantastic movie about the culture clash between a Russian truck driver and a family of Mongol farmers living in northern China. Really funny at times - often with scenes that come about because of specific cultural situations but that we can still relate to. The only thing that stops this being 5/5 is it gets a bit "The Gods Must Be Crazy" at times - but it doesn't last thankfully. 4.5

Stranger Than Paradise (1984) - Jim Jarmusch
Self involved people choosing to live the same lives every day regardless of what city they are in. The first Jarmusch film I've seen. For some reason I always thought he was German - weird. 4

Big (1988) - Penny Marshall
Nice ... but shallow. The concept is interesting but then it's really just a series of set pieces that rely on the same joke over and over. The choice to have a child (mentally) have sex was interesting but like most things in the movie it wasn't investigated further. 2.5

The Human Condition II: The Road to Eternity (1959) - Masaki Kobayashi
I had a few issues with the first one and they continued in this. It's mostly very good but some of it is too simplistic. 3.5

American Hustle (2013) - David O Russell
The "Oscar Bait" genre is perhaps my least favourite - and this is a great example of the species. Not an overly good script, not overly well acted, not an overly interesting story directed by an academy favourite, starring academy favourites and with a soundtrack made up of lots of "old" songs that, in this case, were oddly unrelated to the time the movie was set. Good to see both lead females got their teary close-ups to ensure their nominations ... Anyway, seriously, this is an OK movie :) 2.5

[mark f]

Sleepless in Seattle (Nora Ephron, 1993) 3+
Intimidation (Koreyoshi Kurahara, 1960) 2.5
Shutter (Banjong Pisanthanakun & Parkpoom Wongpoom, 2004) 3
Manhunter (Michael Mann, 1986) 3
http://whysoblu.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Man-on-fire-www.whysoblu.com_.jpg
The Trouble with Angels (Ida Lupino, 1966) 2.5
Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! (James Neilson, 1968) 2.5-
Cruel Gun Story (Takumi Furukawa, 1964) 3
Souls for Sale (Rupert Hughes, 1923) 2.5+
http://pixhost.me/avaxhome/f1/f7/0023f7f1_medium.jpeg
Endless Desire (Shohei Imamura, 1958) 3
Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987) 2 Art House Rating: 4
Movie-Mania (Joseph Henabery, 1937) 2+
I Married a Witch (René Clair, 1942) 3
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/bonbon229/imgs/a/6/a60e7a43.jpg
High Gear (George Stevens, 1931) 2.5
The Joe Louis Story (Robert Gordan, 1953) 2.5
The Jackie Robinson Story (Alfred E. Green, 1950) 2.5
Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989) 3.5+
http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/229/files/2013/08/tumblr_mhv8jqNXIV1qbyat1o1_500.gif
The Learning Tree (Gordon Parks, 1969) 2
They Made Me a Fugitive (Cavalcanti, 1947) 2.5+
Duel at Diablo (Ralph Nelson, 1966) 2.5
Cronos (Guillermo del Toro, 1993) 2.5
http://thecinemamonster.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/the-cronos-device1.jpg

[Lucas]

Thief-
Michael Mann's crime thriller is decent, but it never goes beyond that however. The performances are good, and the film's neo-noir visuals are sleek and crisp but the movie's story never takes off. The film's story is a bit derivative, a crook wants to get out of his life of crime, but just when he thought he was out..they pull him back in.I was only moderately entertained watching this movie, until the final 20 minutes or so. I just kind of knew the course the movies was going to take from the get-go. I give it a 3, because it is a solid piece of filmmaking. There's nothing inherantly wrong with it, I've just seen it too many times before. Heat will always be Mann's magnum-opus.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTBj301OVeVVmbluBXkXTeHbR6lFKPCEfHDfdB8jjmgkNkp1StSQg

Jackie Brown-
This is probably Tarantino's least Tarantino'esque film if that makes any sense. I personally love Inglorious Basterds,Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs so I suppose I am a fan of his films. Jackie Brown has elements of his other movies, but this is probably his most...tranquil film If that's the right word for it. The performances in this film were great,and we see the likes of Samuel L. Jackson,DeNiro,Robert Forster,and Pam Grier. The story is interesting, often sweet and very well-handled. The soundtrack as usual is incredible,and the movie is quite entertaining. I think people that hate Tarantino's movies might find alot to enjoy here ,as will hardcore Tarantino fans.3.5

http://31.media.tumblr.com/227fa1451360843296f3534bb35b9934/tumblr_mt6ny0Rz3U1rw7rajo1_500.gif

The Master-
Very challenging film that I am still thinking about, after viewing it just yesterday. This is a hard film to describe in terms of story, but I will say that I think The Master is great. My eyes were in heaven viewing this movie due to the stunning cinematography. I mean the shots were fantastic, some of the best cinematography of this decade I'd say. The performances are....exhilarating. Joaquin Phoenix IS Freddie Quell. The other performances were exceptional as well including Phillip-Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. This is some of the best acting I've seen in recent memory.

After viewing this film I have now completed my viewing of Paul Thomas Anderson's filmography. He really is one of my favorite directors ever, and it seems that the further he goes into his career the more ambitious and mature his films become. The Master is a complex piece of work, and I can see why it is so divisive. I too am not quite sure what I think its about in terms of meaning. Thats not a criticism, in fact I think it's the biggest compliment I can give it. This is a perfect example of why Cinema in the future can continue to grow and evolve, and that's because of talented filmmakers like PTA. I rate it 4. I am very open to viewing it in the future again, I cannot wait for Inherant Vice later this year. I am 150% certain it will be superb.

http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/starcrush.com/files/2013/02/master-1.gif

The Hunger Games:Catching Fire-
The first Hunger Games was mediocre.Thats the best way to describe it, this film improves upon the failures of the first in every way imaginable. The direction is better,the social commentary is improved, the performances are better and the movie is much more entertaining than the first. This is a solid blockbuster, and I was amazed at how engrossed I was watching it.Usually when viewing films like these, you have to turn off your brain but I respect the fact that the movie doesn't treat the viewer like a complete idiot. Its not a great film, but its a perfectly adequate piece of pop entertainment. I'm interested to see the conclusion.3.5

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTOnSsWSRMlbcxiKvBIZI8YuIQLEPqlY8FKVwW0c8JohHbF27ttng

La Jetée-
This film is very interesting and a cinematic triumph because it is only a series of still images for the most part. This short film runs under 25 minutes and it feels more accomplished than many full-length films I've seen(yikes). It is very engaging and quite haunting. Everyone should check this one out, you wont regret it.4

http://thefunambulistdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/lajetee01.jpg

[Lucas]

Woah, that might just be the longest MovieTab post I've done so far. Took me 30 minutes to write lol.

[seanc]

Five Easy Pieces:4 Very interesting character driven film. I already want to see it again.

Psycho:4 More masterful Hitchcock story telling. I am enjoying my time with his films more than I can say. Perkins performance is my favorite in a Hitchcock movie so far and that is saying something. This was a re-watch but it has been twenty years.

Small Time Crooks:1 Felt like a Woody Allen film the other night after all the talk in the 80's thread. Man do I wish something else would have been available. By far the worst Allen movie I have watched thus far.

Inside Llewyn Davis4 I loved this character study. Another great Coen brothers film.

The Trouble With Harry:2.5 Recommended by some fellow MoFos to add to my Hitchcock viewing. Pretty disappointing. Simply too much silliness for me. Good dialogue at times and Maclaine elevate it just a bit.

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty:2 Can't decide whether it wants to be serious or a comedy. Some of the characters are ludicrous, especially Adam Scott. Decent visuals and the central relationship is okay.

[bluedeed]

The Long Day Closes by Terence Davies
http://b.vimeocdn.com/ts/375/811/375811507_640.jpg

Davies' follow up to the supreme Distant Voices, Still Lives is a more radical work of far more subdued emotions. It revolves around an exploration of Davies younger childhood rather than DVSL's stunning time-hopping portrait. It develops far more clearly analogous material with Davies' own life: his love for cinema, his homosexuality, reverence in the three pillars of his childhood (the church, school and the cinema). Less emotionally affecting but nonetheless a magical piece of filmmaking.

The Last Picture Show by Peter Bogdanovich
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HnXuFJt60Po/UFLTNye-D6I/AAAAAAAANRE/oMBWMKGbces/s640/sonny-staring-the-last-picture-show1.png

Bogdanovich infuses his film about slow and subtle change with an extraordinary sense of place. The small town in Texas, more than anything else, drives the narrative at a painfully elegiac pace. The film showcases a subtle and well-refined craft, with deep focus, planar cinematography reminiscent of Bogdanovich's friend, Orson Welles, and interesting use of ellipsis.

The Quince Tree Sun by Victor Erice
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/731/38623931.jpg

One of only three features directed by Victor Erice, the master of Spanish cinema, The Quince Tree Sun is a contemplative and astoundingly subtle documentary about Spanish painter Antonio Lopez Garcia. What begins as a simple documenting of Garcia's painting of a quince tree becomes a stunning and harrowing film about the nature of art. As the weather disrupts his work and his weights continually lower the branches and fruit on the tree, Garcia struggles to maintain and capture his vision. His final failure results in an astounding inability for him to reconcile his visions with his temporal and spatial limitations. Watching Garcia stare at his last unfinished attempt which he calls a map of the tree is both extraordinarily complex and deeply affecting. Erice's brief oeuvre, including the equal masterwork, The Spirit of the Beehive, is one of cinema's richest.

[Daniel M]

More 2013!

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2013/12/9/1386588896686/Frozen-Disney-008.jpg

Frozen (Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee, 2013) 3

An at times delightful animation that although pretty good, is not great. I liked the aesthetics of the film, the world - filled with snow - looked charming, and so were some of the characters such as the snowman Olaf. The story felt like a rehash of other similar fairytales, and whilst some of the songs were good, I thought others were weak, the lyrics were not memorable or meaningful but instead just seemed like a weird way of characters talking.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2013/9/6/1378485735415/Prisoners-film-still-008.jpg

Prisoners (Denis Villenueuve, 2013) 3.5

A gripping psychological thriller that keeps you thoroughly entertained and on the edge of your seat for its whole two and half hours running time. As with all good thrillers, Prisoners succeeds in painting a dark pessimistic world where you can really feel the evil that lives there. Roger Deakins does a fantastic job as director of photography, although it feels needless to make such a comment nowadays with his always consistently fantastic work.

Whilst I do not think Hugh Jackman or Jake Gyllenhaal were particularly 'great' (they are good, just not great), I liked the casting of Paul Dano. Whilst he seems to be now constantly cast as slimy unlikeable characters (There Will Be Blood and 12 Years a Slave), it works here in arguably the films most important role, and it is his character who becomes the centre of what made the film fascinating to me as we look at a number of moral and legal issues. The story is complex, and especially in the second half of the film we seem to be given a lot of information to keep up with, but when pieced together it makes the characters and their actions that we have just seen even more powerful.

https://static-secure.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Observer/Pix/pictures/2013/9/12/1378979472537/Rush-008.jpg

Rush (Ron Howard, 2013) 3.5

A film that like Senna succeeded in making a sport that I do not normally watch/follow so interesting and entertaining. There is a lot to like here: the two lead performances are great, their characters are fascinating and you can really feel the relationship between them, how Niki Lauda must have felt going up against James Hunt, not just as a racer but a person. The cinematography and editing is top notch with some of the best race scenes I have seen, and the relationship is developed well enough so that certain scenes (I had no knowledge of either driver prior to the film) feel very powerful emotionally.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2013/5/10/1368197788291/All-is-Lostfilm-still-010.jpg

All Is Lost (J. C. Chandor, 2013) 4

Honestly, if someone rated this film one or two stars, I could completely understand why. A near silent film where nothing much happens for one and a half hours, I was surprised by just how much I loved this. I put it on early hours in the morning, lying in bed watching, I expected my tiredness to see me turn it off to complete following my sleep, but instead the opposite happened, this film made me sit up and watch it with my full attention, really gripping me to the screen.

There is just something about the silence of the whole thing that makes it so beautiful. The start scene where we see the boat collide with a container is not dramatic at all, we can not really see panic on the face of Redford and can not really comprehend the real consequences of what has just happened. Redford IS the film, of course, he carries it, for a man of 77 years this is a great performance. It was not as dramatic or angry as it could have been, under the wrong hands this could have been something much more 'Hollywood', if you like. He only actually says one word in the whole film but an opening voice over of a letter he writes. In his face we see a man who seems to know but not know what he is facing, as soon as we the boat hits the shipping container we know what is going to happen from there on in, and his character trying to battle but also at times accepting of his fate makes for a fascinating image.

There has been a lot said about the ending, I thought it was perfect, really capturing what made the film so great, the face of Redford at the end is a wonderful one in the circumstances, and that is not really spoiling anything.

Also, the score was absolutely wonderful, very subtle yet powerful, much like the film itself. At the beggining of the film the screen is black yet we hear sounds from inside the boat, I immediately thought to myself that this is great sound editing, turns out it was nominated for an Oscar for it.

Give this a listen, then watch the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrxWfy2U5LI

[Mr Minio]

Band of Outsiders - 4

http://mmimageslarge.moviemail-online.co.uk/BandaPart5.jpg
"A minute of silence can last a long time... a whole eternity."

It's been a long time since I've seen something by Godard, so I couldn't let it go like this for long! That's an excellent little film and has Anna Karina in it. Also, cool dancing style!

We Need to Talk About Kevin - 2.5

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/9/2/1314980429940/We-Need-to-Talk-About-Kev-007.jpg
"There is no point. That's the point."

I should've liked it a lot more, but I didn't and I really can't say why. Good cinematography, by the way.

The Backwater Gospel - 3.5

http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120405191126/creepypasta/images/thumb/b/bd/The_Backwater_Gospel/500px-The_Backwater_Gospel.jpg
"Father, you have brought this upon us!"

Interesting visual style in this mix of western and horror short.

The Marriage of Maria Braun - 4

http://skymovies.sky.com/image/unscaled/2012/03/20/svod-l-The-Marriage-of-Maria-Braun.jpg
"I prefer making miracles than waiting for them."

Hanna Schygulla is great in this, adding a lot to the already pretty good movie. The ending blown me away. (pun intended)

Pulp Fiction - 4 (increased from 2)

http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/17854-Pulp-Fiction-The-Twist-Gif.gif
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and have a heart attack."

Yet another example on how a period of time can change your view on something. I didn't remember much of the film, so at the end I was really worrying (can't find a proper word) about Jules. And what an ending. :)

[Daniel M]

I love you Mr Minio! Glad you enjoyed Pulp Fiction, very cool film that I have seen way too many times, I had a feeling you'd like it after seeing it again. Need to see Band of Outsiders too, I've liked all Godard films I've seen so far.

[Mr Minio]

I love you Mr Minio!

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view1/1753517/pulp-fiction-kiss-o.gif

[Pussy Galore]

They were all very interesting films!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ms/thumb/c/cc/Audition_%28film%29.png/200px-Audition_%28film%29.png
52.5
I loved the film, but the last act was a little to violent for my liking (It's a horror movie so it's made that way, but I guess that doesn't do anything for me) I didn't understand the ending as well all these flashbacks seemed weird to me, but I was still captivated

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Thank_you_for_smoking_Poster.jpg/220px-Thank_you_for_smoking_Poster.jpg
53
That's a great movie and probably the best of his genre. (American comedy)
Great satire about how society constantly use rhetoric to convince people and that it works.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c0/Chungking_Express.jpg/220px-Chungking_Express.jpg
53.5
That was a huge surprise! I usually don't love romantic movies, but it was so different with such great and original characters that I really loved it

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2a/Gilda.jpg/220px-Gilda.jpg
52

Rita Hayworth shines, but the story itself is not that good. I'd say it's the weakest film noir I've seen yet (Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, The Killing, Sunset Blvd, Touch of Evil, all of Hitchcock and Ace in the Hole) being the other ones I've seen. It's still a great movie and I love to see a movie from the 40's and the different perspective that we had and how that the relation between man and woman has evolved since then !

[The Gunslinger45]

Pulp Fiction - 4 (increased from 2)

http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/17854-Pulp-Fiction-The-Twist-Gif.gif
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and have a heart attack."

Yet another example on how a period of time can change your view on something. I didn't remember much of the film, so at the end I was really worrying (can't find a proper word) about Jules. And what an ending. :)

Great... so now it is me and Nostromo.

[Sane]

They were all very interesting films!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ms/thumb/c/cc/Audition_%28film%29.png/200px-Audition_%28film%29.png
52.5
I loved the film, but the last act was a little to violent for my liking (It's a horror movie so it's made that way, but I guess that doesn't do anything for me) I didn't understand the ending as well all these flashbacks seemed weird to me, but I was still captivated
Takashi Miike is a unique director. Check out more of his films - considering he's made about 70 there is something interesting in his catalogue for everyone :)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c0/Chungking_Express.jpg/220px-Chungking_Express.jpg
53.5
That was a huge surprise! I usually don't love romantic movies, but it was so different with such great and original characters that I really loved it Never be surprised that a WKW film is great - most of them are ;) Chungking Express is an all-time favourite of mine.

[jiraffejustin]

HELL YES! Mr Minio you are a beautiful man. You have just joined the fight for good with your newfound love of Pulp Fiction.

and of course Band of Outsiders is brilliant.

[Thursday Next]

Clerks.

I hated Chasing Amy and Dogma so I was fairly sure I'd hate this too. But actually, it was pretty funny.

3+

[Sane]

The Untouchables (1987) - Brian De Palma
Too many bad scenes - which seems to be a trademark of De Palma. This has a good cast and is a great story - if it was made by Scorsese or Coppola it would be one of the 80s best. But with De Palma too often things are just dumb. Nice horse riding skills for a bunch of city cops ;) 2

The Meaning of Life (1983) - Terry Gilliam/Terry Jones
Not as great as Holy Grail or Life of Brian but consistently funny. 4

Visitor of a Museum (1989) - Konstantin Lopushansky
Visually great but left me a bit cold in regards to everything else. I have this issue with Tarkovsky movies as well. 3

Platform (2000) - Jia Zhangke
The first film I've sign from this independent Chinese director. The style was more similar to Hou and Yang from Taiwan than it was to any other mainland Chinese directors I can think of. Focusses on a group of young people going through the changes that China went through after the cultural revolution in the late 70s. Is about half an hour too long but I enjoyed it. 3.5

Frozen (2013) - Chris Buck/Jennifer Lee
I mostly enjoyed this but the continual plot problems hurt it - along with the fact I hated most of the music. 3

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988) - David Zucker
Leslie Nielsen still makes me laugh. 3.5

[bluedeed]

Great... so now it is me and Nostromo.

I've still got your back

[The Gunslinger45]

I've still got your back

Oh thank God...

[Cobpyth]

Pulp Fiction - 4 (increased from 2)

http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/17854-Pulp-Fiction-The-Twist-Gif.gif
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and have a heart attack."

Yet another example on how a period of time can change your view on something. I didn't remember much of the film, so at the end I was really worrying (can't find a proper word) about Jules. And what an ending. :)

Nice! I'm glad you liked it the second time around.

[Miss Vicky]

Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2013) 3+

The Croods (Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders, 2013) 3

Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) (Rewatch) 5

Over the Hedge (Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, 2006) (Rewatch) 4.5-

Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, 2013) 3.5+

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/joaqhertongue.gif

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h83/miss_vicky/hammy.jpg

[Godoggo]

American Hustle (2013 David O Russell) 3 -

Aside from Jennifer Lawrence's wonderful performance this was nothing more than an enjoyable mediocre movie. I was underwhelmed, especially after last year's fantastic Silver Linings Playbook .

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013 Francis Lawrence) 2 +

Much better than the first one, but still pretty silly. A lot of it doesn't make sense if you give it more than a passing thought.

[The Gunslinger45]

Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2013) 3+

The Croods (Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders, 2013) 3

Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) (Rewatch) 5

Over the Hedge (Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, 2006) (Rewatch) 4.5-

Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, 2013) 3.5+

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoPics/joaqhertongue.gif

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h83/miss_vicky/hammy.jpg

Damn a perfect 5 for Her? Can I guess it is your favorite movie of the year?

[Miss Vicky]

Damn a perfect 5 for Her? Can I guess it is your favorite movie of the year?

You guessed correctly. :D

I liked it a lot the first time I watched it. I absolutely loved it the second time.

[The Gunslinger45]

You guessed correctly. :D

I liked it a lot the first time I watched it. I absolutely loved it the second time.

Well I am glad someone loves it! Have ya pre ordered the Blu Ray yet? :D

[mark f]

Cria Cuervos (Carlos Saura, 1976) 2
Buck and the Preacher (Sidney Poitier, 1972) 2.5
Cutter’s Way (Ivan Passer, 1981) 2
In the Heat of the Night (Norman Jewison, 1967) 3.5+
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Odds Against Tomorrow (Robert Wise, 1959) 2.5
Absolute Quiet (George B. Seitz, 1936) 2
The Angel Levine (Jan Kadar, 1970) 2.5
The World, the Flesh and the Devil (Ranald MacDougall, 1959) 3
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Desert Sands (Lesley Selander, 1955) 2
The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrmann, 2013) 2.5+
Gung Ho! (Ray Enright, 1943) 2
The Goodbye Girl (Neil Simon, 1977) 4
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Strange Testament (Sammy Lee, 1941) 2
Prefontaine (Steve James, 1997) 3
Voice in the Wind (Arthur Ripley, 1944) 2
Lilies of the Field (Ralph Nelson, 1963) 3+
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That Midnight Kiss (Norman Taurog, 1949) 2.5
Bannerline (Don Weis, 1951) 2
Guns at Batasi (John Guillermin, 1964) 2.5
Filth (Jon S. Baird, 2013) 3
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