One Movie A Day Review Thread

DAY 146: January 26th, 2009.

American Splendor



Giamatti is one of the best character actors around, it wasn't until his breakout hit in Sideways, did the general public really take notice of him, even if the Oscar's haven't. With American Splendor he proves to us again why he is the go to guy for lovable pathetic sad sacks.

I never heard of Harvey Pekar until this film, but having him in the film in a kind of narrator role gives the viewer insight on the character they might not have ever known. It's interesting to see him in the film and see how Giamatti plays the character as well, it was a nice addition.

The film is really well done and an interesting bio pic. It's not all flash and style, it's full of substance and real life situations. This might be stressful on some viewers who want a little more from their films, but the performances are good enough to keep your attention.

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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

So, do you like type these reviews after you've seen them? Or do you just make one right when you post it?

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I used to be addicted to crystal meth, now I'm just addicted to Breaking Bad.

I write them on paper while watching/right after.

Then I type it all out when I post them.

I have a notebook full of stuff, just don't find the time to type it all and post.

Ah, okay, sounds good. Was just wondering.

It wouldn't really make sense if I were just writing them up now.

I know, that's why I asked.

Suspect, do you have a backlog of reviews to post here from January 26th to today?

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

Yes.

And with school done, I have more time to post them.

Cool, looking forward to them.

DAY 147: January 27th, 2009.

The Negotiator



I really like this film and it's probably because of two people, Sam Jackson and Kevin Spacey. It's one of those films where you just can't help but like it. Two of the best hostage negotiators are going against each other, one with hostages, one trying to save them. Of course it has one of those framed for murder, must clear his name plots, but it works well here.

Jackson is the one taking the hostages to clear his name and he asks for Spacey to be on the other end. Both actors are veterans and know that the plot itself is far fetched, yet they play it straight, as does the film. It works in their favour.

Jackson and Spacey play well off each other and are given great pieces of dialogue to work with. The film itself is nothing new, but the actors inject that freshness to it. The result is an intelligent thriller that is above the cookie cutter ones that seem both dull and uninspiring.

DAY 148: January 28th, 2009.

The Royal Tenenbaums



My favourite Wes Anderson film, supporting by an astounding round up cast and characters.

I'm not the biggest fan of Rushmore I found it boring and the lead character just rubbed me the wrong way, so much to my surprise I ended up loving Anderson's next film, The Royal Tenenbaums. Narrated by Alec Baldwin, we are thrown into this world and the character introductions are on the way, I was immediately hooked.

Everyone is unique and strange, they all fit into this absurd family. Anderson's directing style complements the family themselves, both off the wall and comedic.

The film holds a special place in my heart for introducing me to my all time favourite singer/song-writer, Elliott Smith. Needle in the Hay playing during the attempted suicide scene, beautiful music, beautifully shot and my favourite part of the film.

It's tearful and honest, yet will make you laugh. Without a doubt, in my top 20 films of all time. It's not everyone's cup of tea though, it's a certain taste and one I love.

My favourite Wes Anderson film used to be a three way tie between The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore and Bottle Rocket, and then for a while it was Rushmore (it didn't bore me and I thought the lead character was supposed to rub people the wrong way, that was the idea of the film). But after recently watching Bottle Rocket (which I hadn't seen for ages prior) I'm thinking that it's the best of the bunch. I'll have to give the other two another rewatch and see if this still stands.

DAY 149: January 29th, 2009.

Akira



Here's a film that has inspired countless others, yet I failed to really get into the entire experience. The final climax had me yawning more then anything and the running time is something that needed to be trimmed down a bit in order for me to enjoy it more. I won't deny that Akira is a landmark film, but I will say that I don't care for it that much.

I'm not a huge fan of anime/manga but I do like the occasional film that I see Ninja Scroll being my favourite, and after hearing praise for Akira, the so called mother of all anime films, I had to see what all the fuss was about. Not too impressed, although it does have all the ingredients for a winning film in my books. It just didn't click with me.

The action sequences are really neat and there's tons of blood and gore for those interested. The use of the animation allows for complete freedom and the animators use this very well, the world and everything/everyone in it is under their control.

The film has some strong language and adult themes, like rape, and I thought I was honestly going to give this film a thumbs up, but by the end of it I was waiting for the credits to roll. Just too much of everything I guess. Is the film too epic?

I can recommend seeing the film, just like I can recommend seeing Citizen Kane, not necessarily to enjoy yourself with some entertainment, but to see again what people are talking about, where the films you watch today get their influence from, so on and etc.

And they succeeded, but just like with Lynch's Eraserhead, if you succeed at annoying your audience, good job, but it doesn't mean they'll like the film.

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone , I'm not even sure how highly reguarded it is outside of the U.S. - there are tons of better anime films out there.

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There are tons of better sci-fi films than Star Wars too. Doesn't make it a bad film, though.

I'd recommend it to anyone.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

It didn't annoy me having an obnoxious protagonist. The traditional likeable character is good for most films, but I like a change and find it somewhat refreshing to have a main character that crosses the line that divides what is appealing to the masses and what is not. But it has to be done right, and I think it was done so in Rushmore.

And while I don't think there are 'tons' of sci-fi films that are better than Star Wars (maybe one), I do like Akira .

I was half-joking about the "tons" thing - I'd say there are actually rather few in both cases.

Finally got around to reading your latest reviews Thanks

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