One Movie A Day Review Thread

DAY 1: September 1st, 2008.

Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam





Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam is exactly what the title suggests. Even though the documentary sounds like it could get very tiresome very fast, Couturie has enough skill and passion for the subject to keep the audience interested in what these soldiers are writing back home to loved ones.

I don’t think a film like this can happen today because the media controls what we, the viewer, see and hear. Back then it was all broadcasted for everyone to see. This is why the film works as well as it does, it doesn’t try to hide anything, it shows us who these young soldiers are and what they feel about the war.

For so long we politicians and citizens argue over the war and if they support it or not, this is the first time we hear it from the soldiers themselves. The sound track is powerful enough to set you back into the time era. We are listening to what these soldiers listened to; these songs were their way of getting out of the war and being back home with their family.
Dear America shows us skillful editing and careful attention to detail, not only are all the song choices good, but they serve the scene well. With the skillful editing and song choice the viewer is thrown into this war themselves and they connect with each soldier there.

The one complain I have would be having Hollywood actors read the letters. It took me out of the experience because I would recognize some of the voices, then I would realize that it’s not this soldier reading it to his family, it’s Robert De Niro or William Dafoe.

This film is touching and real. You can see the passion are care that was put into making this film and you will leave with respect for the young people who lost their lives in the time of war.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Nice thread is it for anyone to post reviews?

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
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DAY 2: September 2nd, 2008.

It's All Gone Pete Tong




With It’s All Gone Pete Tong, director Michael Dowse gives us a funny, original and heartwarming mockumentary. It’s All Gone Pete Tong tells the story of a DJ who is addicted to drugs and alcohol, yet people call his music brilliant. Years and years of playing next to speakers have done considerably damage to his ears leaving him deaf. His career ends and he secludes himself in his house. People think he has gone insane, until he meets a young woman who is also deaf, who teaches him how to read lips. They fall in love and he gets his career back by using the vibration of sound to record new music.

The film is character centric, as we follow the main character from stardom to his falling and rise again. When we are first introduced to Frankie, the main character, he is an egocentric drug user. Qualities that usually are liked in people, but as the film goes on he loses all of these things and he get to know Frankie on a more personal level.

The scene involving his kick of his drug addiction is both hilarious and frightening. Michael Dowse disguises a lot of dramatic tension and themes under a comedic tone. Drug addiction, disability and infidelity are all present in this film, but Dowse uses them in a comedic way that it doesn’t seem out of place with the rest of the film.

Paul Kaye is tremendous as Frankie. The entire film rests of his shoulders and he pulled off a comedic and depressing performance all in one. The entire soundtrack, with the exception of some classic scores, is mainly techno. It fits the theme and story of the film well. I believe the use of classical was a creative choice by the filmmakers because Frankie uses vibrations from the sound to create music, much like Beethoven did with his piano. I immediately saw a connection between the two and when classical music began playing it confirmed it.

It’s All Gone Pete Tong is a comedic film that not only has laughs, but life lessons as well. Many of its themes are multi-layered as are the main character’s conflicts. I had never seen or heard of this film before, but am glad that we were able to watch the entire film.

Well, I made a thread in which I stated that I would watch one movie every single day for a year.

Lennon and Filthy are also doing this task in their own separate threads.

But Nebbs, I would greatly Appreciate it if you would suggest some films for me to watch.

nice review of It's All Gone Pete Tong i am going to add it to my bigpond list

Me recommend what about a few Aussie movies

DAY 3: September 3rd, 2008.

Dark Days



Marc Singer’s (no, not the beastmaster) Dark Days is an amateur filmmaker creating a visually and emotionally powerful film experience. The lives of the people living underneath our world in a community of their own near the train tracks is horrifying, yet their community and respect for each other is tremendous.

The main attraction I had to this film were the characters living in this world they created. You become a part of their lives; you live in this world with them. You see them living in these conditions and their addictions you just want to help them yourself. You hope and pray that they can make it out of there and make a living outside.

To make a film like this takes dedication and it’s apparent that these filmmakers had good intentions and were dedicated to this project. Their passion and energy are shown in the film. The use of black and white emphasizes their living conditions. It’s cold and dark down there and we see this through the black and white.

Even though I believe it was not their intention to shoot in black and white because of the inexperience of the crew, it worked to their advantage. If everything were in colour, the film would give off an entirely different emotion and would seem that it was just a guy with a camera shooting stuff. The music itself is powerful and moving. It fits perfectly with the style, characters and emotions of the film.

I was so impressed withthis film that I did research on it immediately after I had seen it and learned that the director himself had lived down there for months before he decided to film. This fact adds more emotion to the film for me. It’s not about a guy filming these people down here; it’s one of their own shinning the light on their own situation.

The fact that everyone on the crew had no prior filming experience increases the enjoyment of the film as well. It is so well made that it gives me, as a film student that anything is possibly. I never imagined this film being inspirational but that’s the way it turned out for me. Aside from some pacing issues that film is near perfect.

We follow one of these people down into their world and we live down their, with everyone throughout the film. We see how they interact with each other, how they take care of their homes, how they find food and shower. The film ends with their victory in overcoming homelessness. It plays out like a dramatic film. The bottom line is I cannot reccomend this film enough to you. Please, do yourself a favour and find a copy.

Thanks i will

DAY 4: September 4th, 2008.

Kill Bill Vol. 2.



Kill Bill Vol. 2. is the continuation of the revenge soaked first half, in which the Bride goes on a "roaring rampage of revenge". This time the targets are Budd (Bill's brother), Elle (Bill's current girlfriend), and our course Bill himself.

If you watch this film and expect to have as much fun as the first, or expect to see as much blood and guts, then I'm sorry to say you will be disappointed. Vol. 2 seems to have more control, substance and in an odd way seems more mature. Vol. 1 was Tarantino having fun with a genre, Vol. 2 is finishing a crafted story, in a totally different genre. So it's safe to say that these films both seem completely different. I enjoyed Vol. 1 for the entertainment value and Vol. 2 for it's craft and finish.

Bill is a top class villain, played perfectly from Carradine. He manages to look frail, but sound strong. This is more his film then Thurman's. We followed her through the blood soaked first half and know we want to see the man who pulled the trigger. I was sort of disappointed in the way Budd bit the bullet, he is the only one who beat The Bride, and goes out like a chump. Although, the scene in which Elle is reading the 'facts' of the Black Mamba is indeed hilarious and downright evil.

The fight scenes have more substance here. The first film seemed like eye candy, here it is more hard hitting. Maybe because more is at stake, we now know something she doesn't know.

The film moves at a slower pace, and is heavy on the dialogue, but these characters, this story and the way the film reveals itself is something to enjoy. I sure did.

DAY 5: September 5th, 2008.

Introducing....Janet

I Do Not Want To Display A Picture

Now, I never put this film on my worst list...at least I don't think
I did, I could be wrong though. I don't really consider this a film....at all. I don't know what to call it really. It is probably one of the worst things I have seen in my entire life. Do not bother to watch it.

The "film" goes by two names....Introducing Janet and Rubberface. Why Rubberface? I have no idea. If you notice it at a movie store, it will most likely have Jim Carrey's huge mug plastered on the front cover. He is in the film for about ten minutes. Not very long right? Well, it is pretty long for this film, the total running time is 48 minutes. I sit on the toilet longer then that.

Last year while I was in class my teacher told me he had wrote a screenplay with his sister and it became a movie. He never told us what it was about, so I did the whole IMDB thing......this movie came up. I couldn't believe it. The guy teaching me about film is responsible for this trash? I seriously reconsidered my current education. Then I realized, we all make mistakes sometimes. So I decided to stay in school, isn't that what all those 80's cartoons told us to do anyways?

The audio is horrible, you have to have your television up to max to hear anything, the video quality is poor...I know this is an amature film shot on an amature budget, but the eyes can only take so much...

There is nothing in this movie that gives it any mark, Just as bad as BELLY, ENVY or House Of The Dead. Do not watch this unless you want to do serious harm to yourself.

I was beginning to think that you forgot about us man.

I enjoyed your review of Introducing Janet, it made me laugh. I might watch it just to corroborate and to see how bad it is.

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The totally awesome and soul consuming TFH One a Day Reviews.

DAY 6: September 6th, 2008.

The Machine Girl




A young boy and his best friend is murdered by the son of a Yakuza gang. His sister decides to take revenge on him and his family. On first first attempt he is taken hostage and has her arm chopped off. After escaping she teams up with the mother of the friend who died and both of them take their revenge on the gang.

I was first introduced into the Asian Extreme Cinema with Battle Royale and I absolutely loved it. So I decided to broaden my range and watch more of what America deemed "extreme". My experience has been 50/50. When I watch a film like Story Of Ricky, I enjoy it for the stupidity and obscene amount of gore. Nothing in it is serious and everything is over the top. Then there are films that take themselves too seriously. Miike's Ichi The Killer is one of these films. I would enjoy it a lot more if it weren't so serious. Enter The Machine Girl. A grotesque, in your face blood splatter of a film. The film is competently directed and the violence is cartoonish.

The film opens with the revenge murder of 4 boys by the Machine Girl. Who has a machine gun on her arm. Think Ash from Army of Darkness minus the chainsaw. Even though said chainsaw shows up at the end of the film. While watching it I kept laughing at the crappy dialogue, but most of it was probably intentionally bad and the acting is what is expected from a film like this, bad and over the top.

The violence is over the top as well, it has to be when the lead character has a gun for an arm. Faces, limbs and everything else get blown off. After a ninja attack, who wear red track suits for some reason, the machine girl blasts his face away with the gun. After the mayhem we see that she has blown a hole into his face. This man has no face, just a hole and yet he still screams in pain and agony. How someone can still scream when they have had their entire face blown away is beyond me, yet you roll with it.

If you want a comparison to what this film is like, the house of blue leaves scene in Kill Bill is basically all over this film. Buckets of blood gush out of missing arms and heads. I can't recommend this film because it is garbage. But it's the type of garbage you can forgive because it doesn't try to be anything other then that. There are cheap CGI effects throughout. This is a type of film you watch when your drunk with a bunch of friends and you need to have something to laugh at and just basically have a good time. As a film with a narrative, characters to care about and complex problems it fails, but it does et a good laugh out of you.

I seriously need to get that suggestion list posted for you.

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Mmmmmm will give both of those a miss

I know!!!

Hurry

DAY 7: September 7th, 2008.

The Man With The Movie Camera




The Man With The Movie Camera shows fragments of life transformed into film. It was a film about a film and a kaleidoscope of daily life of people in Russia.

The film is constantly moving, showing snippets of people in this town and how they live. The music, which was composed by Dziga himself, is fast paced and flows perfectly with the images.

At one scene the film begins to slow down, much like a train does when it arrives at a station, the music that accompanies these images begins to slow down as well, until we come to a complete stop. The film then transforms into still images, only to start up again. Dziga even uses the train as a way to connect the pace of the film and music to the still images and back again. The train slowly arrives and departs, the music slowly stops and starts up, the images become still and then back to the quick paced editing.

It’s a master of cinematic techniques; the way the film was shot was very dangerous. The camera operator stands in a moving carriage while he films, supported by nothing. It’s easy to see the influences this film has on what we see today, many people use this quick editing style and we’ve become accustomed to it. Just look at films like Run Lola Run or your average Michael Bay blockbuster.

DAY 8: September 8th, 2008.

Run Lola Run




In Run Lola Run a young woman has twenty minutes to save her boyfriend by bringing a large sum of cash to settle a debt.

What makes this story interesting is the fact that the filmmakers tell the same story three times, with a different outcome each time. Run Lola Run is an action packed film and all it has is Lola running.

It's great filmmaking to keep the audience interested, when you are telling the same story three times and the main character is doing the same actions over and over again, with a tweak here and a tweak there. The film has animation in it as well, which adds to the unique aspect that the filmmakers were going for.

The main element the filmmakers use to keep us concentrated on the main character is colour. We see her red hair running through the streets and we know it’s her. She is able to stand out in a crowd of thousands. Red is used numerous times in this film. The first time we see the colour red is the phone that Lola answers, she is delivered bad news, the bag that Lola carries is also red, as well as the ambulance.

One of the recurring themes in the film is choice. We see how our choices affect our lives and the lives of others in the matter of seconds. The choices that Lola makes create different outcomes in each of the scenarios

The film reminded me of Man With A Movie Camera (see above), both films have the same quick paced editing style. The film is constantly on the move. The film also uses a cartoon sequences in each story, which adds to the unique and fast paced style of the film.

I highly enjoyed this film because it managed to keep my interested despite it telling the same story numerous times.

OK, I could easily suggest 100 movies to you, but I will start with these. Let me know what you've already seen.

In alphabetical order . . .

Absence of Malice
The Accidental Tourist
Arthur
Body Heat
The 'Burbs
The China Syndrome
Clue ~ All endings
Dead Again
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
The Dead Zone
Fatal Attraction
Firestarter
Fletch
Midnight Run
Missing
Ragtime
Raising Arizona
Sea of Love
Silkwood
The World According to Garp

Thanks for the review Sussy, I love Run Lola Run

Sounds great. I'll have to give it a watch.

I need to get my hands on a copy of this ASAP.