MovieMeditation�s Diary Reviews // �Come and meditate with me!�

Friendo.

09-19-15

Originally Posted by False Writer

Yup! But it being my 2nd favorite movie and all, if it's not the rating I mentioned then I don't agree!

I did like the written part though.

But my dear False Writer, you are writing false information again!

"the written part" is what's commonly known as a review, while what you "don't agree with" is what people call a rating... End of today's lesson. You get an E for effort!

So isn't it the rating you don't agree with and not the review, unless of course there's something in my writing that bothers you?

But hey, screw all this, the fact is that you read my review, you repped it and you commented on it. I am eternally grateful because of that!

False Writer

NJPW: King of Sports

09-19-15

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

So isn't it the rating you don't agree with and not the review, unless of course there's something in my writing that bothers you?

But hey, screw all this, the fact is that you read my review, you repped it and you commented on it. I am eternally grateful because of that!

Hmm, interesting point, but how I see it at least the rating is part of the review. To me, a review comes in three parts: the title, the written summary, and the final verdict/score/rating

I don't think either of us are really wrong, let's just say that your review is awesome, but since it doesn't totally say that it's the best action film ever and it's masterful poetry written in bullets and blood is the reason that I don't entirely agree with it.

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

09-19-15

Poetry written in bullets and blood...
Damn, I should have used that. You got talent, FW!

For real though, it's all good. As I said the most important thing isn't anything of that matter, only that the movie is awesome and you liked my review.

honeykid

MoFo Whisperer

09-20-15

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

Hmm, whatever, exploitation, giallo it's all something within horror.

No. No, no, no. Giallo and horror aren't the same. There's an awful lot of crossover (or incorrectly categorised Giallo) but they're not automatically the same.... Unless you think Aliens, Se7en or Silence Of The Lambs are horror films.

I'd like to think that your enjoyment of The Killer will increase with further viewings. I think it's a fantastic film and, to reference a discussion on another thread, Woo's masterpiece.

__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.

CiCi

Survivor 5s #2 Bitch

09-20-15

I always thought giallo was just a sub-genre of horror, like exploitation, zombies, slasher etc?

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

09-20-15

Originally Posted by CiCi

I always thought giallo was just a sub-genre of horror, like exploitation, zombies, slasher etc?

It is, well it can be, but it can also be something else not neccessarily horror, like HK said.

Yes @honeykid I know, I was just slangin words there.

and I do personally think The Killer will increase with further viewings. I really liked the film but couldn't get all the way into it on first watch. That's why I gave it two '+', which is something I rarely do and should indicate that my thoughts of it are actually higher but at this time my rating can't be - it would only be unfair and I'd rather increase my rating with time than decrease it.

Thanks for checking in, HK!

honeykid

MoFo Whisperer

09-20-15

Originally Posted by CiCi

I always thought giallo was just a sub-genre of horror, like exploitation, zombies, slasher etc?

Giallo is Italian for yellow, which was the colour of the front cover of the pulp crime/mystery novels published in post-war Italy. For the most part they were murder mysteries, though the supernatural and horror elements were (often) added as time went on. They were greatly influential on US and UK horror in the late 60's and, especially, the early 70's, with Twitch of the Death Nerve (Bay of Blood) often being cited as being hugely influential on the American slashers of the 70's.

@MM - Whilst I'd obviously give it a much higher score, I was very happy to see that you'd enjoyed it.

I always try and read a reviewers thoughts rather than just look at a rating, which is why I'll sometimes query a rating if I've read what they've written and thought the rating seemed different to what I thought they'd said.

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

09-22-15

MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
241 .......................... 264
__________________________

August 4th

�� 2006 ��
L I T T L E
M I S S
S U N S H I N E
�� comedy ��

Everyone!
just pretend to be normal

This movie has been on my watchlist for years, but somehow it never truly interested me, apart from all the awarding praise shining down upon it. Somehow it just looked like one of those doubtful films about dysfunctional families, who tumbles around for the entire runtime, trying to appear comical in a confused kind of way. But before I begin to put this film in a good or poor light, how about we start examining the outer frame of this cracked family photo?

We follow the Hoover�s, who are a very dysfunctional family living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sheryl is the overworked mother of two children, the first being Dwayne, her unhappy fifteen-year old son from a previous marriage, who has taken a vow of silence until he can accomplish his dream of getting into the US Air Force Academy in order to become a test pilot, the other being the beauty pageant determined contestant, Olive, who Sheryl shares with Richard, her arrogant and goal-obsessed husband, who is striving to build a career as a motivational speaker and life coach, which often causes further depression of Sheryl�s gay brother, Frank, who is temporarily living at home with the family after a suicide attempt, which is often openly being brought up due to Richard�s foul-mouthed father, Edwin, and his curious straightforwardness, who is also living with the family, after he was kicked out from a retirement home for snorting heroin, which was his new wild way of life after he finished his serving as a World War II soldier.

I would like to think that it is hard to come up with a company of characters, who are more dysfunctional than this one is. Portraying a weird and widely dissimilar family is clearly what this film builds itself upon, but that doesn�t mean it isn�t a fun time to follow them down the road to a potential failure. I would agree that it seems like there is an underlying layer of deeper emotions present, which moves this mess of a family into a more measured frame of reality. I personally don�t think that this film dives deep enough into its characters� cracks and bumps, which is a shame, since I feel like it is mostly just riding the surface of things and thereby fails to be more memorable than the movies of its kind. Furthermore, this entire feature felt very predictable throughout, even stealing a couple of hilarities from other films, which made for some recycled fun, coming off a little less funny, since they were both anticipated and experienced beforehand.

That said, I wouldn�t deny that I had a fun time with these strange characters and their journey cross country, but I just wish there was a little more to it than a few hints and squints here and there. This is a quasi-comedy with a curious blend of drama and comedy, resulting in a very likable though less daring routine road movie, which is running away in a controlled tempo, missing enough bumps and wrong turns to be the deeper and darker movie it should have been � or the lighter and more amusing comedy it could have been. Nevertheless, �Little Miss Sunshine� is a fun time with fearsome actors, fitting costumes and some fairly solid writing and direction.

__________________________

Last edited by MovieMeditation; 09-22-15 at 08:57 AM.

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

09-23-15

MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
241 .......................... 265
__________________________

August 5th

�� 1998 ��
RUSH
HOUR
�� comedy ��
REWATCH

I can�t even count how many times I have seen these films, especially the first two,
which I�m pretty sure is the most fun I ever had during rush hours

But somehow I have had a hard time putting my thoughts to words, which would only make the review seem lost in translation to you, if I don�t deliver this review in the right way. First off, you could definitely say that I know these movies like the back of my own hand, just like Jackie Chan knows his backhand as well, when using it to slap the crap out of people and how Chris Tucker can talk the ***** out of people throughout the entire film. �Rush Hour� builds itself on a mismatched couple of cool characters, who are totally different from each other, yet they totally fit together like hot sauce on Chinese food... or something like that�

You can say what you want about the sequels and how the characters may have found themselves stuck in these rush hours with time, opposed to chatting and slapping their way out of there, but the first film somehow flows fantastically despite of its flaws. The first �Rush Hour� had the perfect mix of martial arts amusements and American action entertainment, which worked so well for a tired genre of buddy cop comedy flicks coming out within that same decade. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan might act like complete caricatures from their respective cultures, but that doesn�t make this film any less entertaining to watch. Although the plot is overused to the action genre and unimportant to the success of the film, the characters still build themselves around the plot, opposed to later entries in the series, where particularly �Rush Hour 3� had the plot constructed around the characters instead, which made the movie seem like a collection of scenes and not a collective narrative like with the first film. The plot in these films don�t have to be absolutely perfect, but they have to work as a fundament for other elements in the film, without seeming totally incoherent or out of place. I think �Rush Hour� succeeds in that.

I mentioned earlier how the characters are complete caricatures of their cultural backgrounds, which is definitely true and typical for these type of films, but I think it fits within the universe of which the movie creates. The later films began to lose sense of reality and rationality, but the first film found a fine balance between crazy comedy and semi-serious thrills. Chris Tucker and the character of Carter is definitely very rough around the edges, but he seems to be able to deliver humor that is a little over the top, but never falls completely outside of the simple set-up of the film. Jackie Chan and his stunt work compliments the film nicely and it never feels overused or completely wasted. �Rush Hour� is full of fast fighting and top tuned talking, which all comes together in a film that is great fun to watch and succeeds in being just what it wants to be.

__________________________

__________________
/watching movies for mark f/
MovieMeditation's Cinema Reviews // Film Diary 2015 // Letterboxd Profile // MovieMeditation's Top 50 Horror

Last edited by MovieMeditation; 09-23-15 at 10:13 AM.

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

09-23-15

MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
241 .......................... 265
__________________________

August 5th

�� 2001 ��
RUSH
HOUR
2
�� comedy ��
REWATCH

Rushing in from the success of the first film, comes a fun and fast-paced follow-up
to the popular buddy cop comedy flick from the late 90s!

In the past I have mentioned how most successful sequels are structured and stitched together and how they basically remake, reinforce and reinvent the previous formula to make a new film on familiar grounds. 'Rush Hour 2' is not a better film than the first, but it is a very solid sequel that does everything a new entry should do in a movie series, but it doesn't explore much new ground or depart too far from the style and approach of the first film. Like I said, it lifts the bar for what already exists and creates something exciting and entertaining out of it, without having it feel too familiar or too far away from the spirit of the original 'Rush Hour'...

The story is a step down for the series, which was to be expected when putting in effort everywhere else except the plot. This sequel is arguably funnier than the first, but also a little sillier, which takes away from that beautiful balance I talked about in relation to the first 'Rush Hour'. The action aspect is driven out through the roof with many memorable scenes, like the super awesome spa fight, while the plot gets more convoluted but with a stronger focus on coolness and creativity rather than continuation and consistency. That said, there are actually better character development in this one, with a plot that is more personal for Lee and some turning points for both of the characters as well. The overall story may be so and so, but the general fun is more like oh and wow, and as silly as that may sound it is quite a fitting description actually.

'Rush Hour 2' is pure and simple entertainment that enforces the eternal troubles for our team-up of caricature characters and dumps down everything else around it. Nevertheless, this sequel seems to successfully carry on with the amusements from the first and we as an audience gets carried away within the second. This is a surprisingly well made sequel that doesn't fall too far from the original and what it set out to be.

__________________________

edarsenal

Women will be your undoing, P�p�

09-23-15

HUGE HUGE fan of The Killer. It was my introduction to Woo back in the nineties. Great write up. You found the heart of it along with the gun hand, and yes, False, "poetry written in bullets and blood" is a fantastic description of it. A perfect tag line. Reps for that.

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

09-23-15

MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
241 .......................... 265
__________________________

August 6th

�� 2007 ��
RUSH
HOUR
3
�� comedy ��
REWATCH

Rush Hour has turned Into
Flush Hour by this time�

I would say this sequel was totally unnecessary, but with the previous popularity of the two other films, obviously there was going to be one. I just thought the franchise was fine without a third film, especially since they didn�t seem to bring anything new or exciting to the universe except for universal appeal, which automatically made it lose a little personality. I saw �Rush Hour 3� in the cinemas, which is the only entry in the series I have seen on the big screen. I loved it back then, but that was only because I was young and still dug dumb humor and senseless stupidity without weight or matter. I see now why this third film just doesn�t come near the two first in the franchise, though there is still fun to be had here�

I guess you could say the third time wasn�t the charm with this franchise. The people behind definitely made an effort to elevate the entertainment to even higher levels, but in place of a flavorful blend of badass action scenes and spiced-up comedy gold, the whole silly scenario just seems to be burning out by this point. As stated in my prior review, the third film constructs its plot around the characters and not the other way around, which turns a plot with thought into a selection of scenes that mostly play out like a Chan and Tucker skit show, missing both coherence and context.

It just seems like the movie constantly moves from one place to another only to act out amusing or confusing joke material. Instead of having the humor come naturally, the director seems to set up every scenario perfectly for some kind of pointless joke, which makes it appear like they just try so hard to make us laugh. Look at the nun scene for example, it isn�t even that funny and first she is scared out of her mind because somebody is about to die and then she high fives Chris Tucker the second after and says �anytime, brother�. Like what the hell is going on? These movies have never exactly been relying on realism, but I haven�t seen them depart so far from reality and believability just to crack a joke.

The scene with the nun isn�t even the only one worth an unworthy mention, there is also the French taxi driver turned secret spy and the Roman Polanski cameo butt inspection and the musical stage sequence, which by the way worked better the way it was executed in �Rush Hour 2�. Everything about this sequel seem to be taking a step back, while rehashed scenes and trash talk nonsense takes the front seat. Some of these jokes and set ups also appear more family friendly than previously, which makes it seem like the director had very low standards with this one, wanting to make everything more universal opposed to special.

When you think about how silly this film is, I don�t think it is fitting how old these actors have become � especially Jackie Chan. Not that you really notice it too much in the film, but if you examine it, you will see his age having an effect on his stunt work, which comes off a little less daring, sometimes relying on stunt doubles for the more intense scenes. Things are also less inventive this time around, where Chan even copies some of his earlier stuff. I can accept these facts though, since the action element are still one of the best things about this film, which makes the comedic failures in between worth the one and a half (rush) hour runtime. But after all this is still 'Rush Hour' with more or less the same characters we know and love and not all comedic scenes fall flat. I like the wordplay scene, the misinterpreted sex scene and the opening. But it is too unbalanced overall and just not as good as the first two films.

__________________________

Last edited by MovieMeditation; 09-23-15 at 06:58 PM.

CiCi

Survivor 5s #2 Bitch

09-23-15

Zhang Ziyi>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>whoever appeared in this

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

09-23-15

Originally Posted by CiCi

Zhang Ziyi>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>whoever appeared in this

You repped the third film, she appeares in the second.

And yes I know how you know, you posted the fight in your bartle of the sexes thread, between her and Chris Tucker from the climatic ending at the casino from the second film.

CiCi

Survivor 5s #2 Bitch

09-23-15

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

You repped the third film, she appeares in the second.

And yes I know how you know, you posted the fight in your bartle of the sexes thread, between her and Chris Tucker from the climatic ending at the casino from the second film.

I do agree with your review though! I vaguely remembers seeing this and not liking it very much at all.
And besides, she's one of my favourite actresses ever

Also MM, can you review Mean Girls sometime?

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

09-23-15

Originally Posted by CiCi

I do agree with your review though! I vaguely remembers seeing this and not liking it very much at all.
And besides, she's one of my favourite actresses ever

Also MM, can you review Mean Girls sometime?

Thanks for the comments and yeah the third film is really not up to par. The first two a good fun though! Zhang Ziyi was great in the second film too.

Uhm, sure I can, don't even think I have ever seen it except maybe a long time ago. It will be a while though, because first I need to catch up on my diary thread, which is neverending work!

and then I need to find time for watching it. But I will, I promise.

CiCi

Survivor 5s #2 Bitch

09-23-15

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

and then I need to find time for watching it. But I will, I promise.

No problem! Yeah, the first two weren't exactly the best comedies, but like you said, they were pretty fun!

Oh I can't wait to see your thoughts on that

I might review it soon as well sometime, it's been far too long since I've seen it as well

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

09-24-15

MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
241 .......................... 266
__________________________

August 8th

�� 1982 ��

�� family ��
REWATCH

Somewhere in this world there exists some odd inhumane beings who hate the movie �E.T.�
Seriously what kind of planet are they from anyways?

�E.T.� is easily the most extra-ordinary adventure in the world of cinema that I ever had the pleasure of witnessing in my childhood. I hadn�t revisited the film in a long time and I was very afraid it wouldn�t hold up for me today, but I don�t think any movie has held up better than this one did. Why it took me so long to revisit this enchanting extra-terrestrial creature I really don�t know, but I think I�m just glad that I finally did. Steven Spielberg is a man who knows his movies and his magic, which when combined creates something completely out of this world� and I�m just glad this magic ended up in our world just for a short period in time� and in space.

Everything about this film is more or less perfection. The way we are introduced to the mysterious monstrosity, which eventually ends up being the most endearing piece of mechanical plastic ever in the movie world, is handled with a calm hand of great cinematic control � a hand, which sends this miscreation out into the dangers of earth, where it bumps into these coldhearted human beings during the beginning and end, who have no intention of protecting or assisting this thing back to where it came from. I especially love how Spielberg chooses to focus on this one family home, more precisely the kids who live there, which makes everything outside of that appear either distancing or detached from our main characters � especially the adults who are almost always filmed from the waist down, like this unknown or threatening object that is either more dominant or downright insignificant to these kids and their understandings. This helps to implement the pure innocence of the story and the wonders within our childhood, putting this space tale down to earth and in kid�s eye view. Spielberg continues to invite us into this familiar world of unfamiliar findings, where the meeting between Elliot and E.T. makes for some amusing sequences, which also enforces children�s tendency to explore the unknown terrains of existence � both their own natural evolution and all the mysteries which are still to be discovered.

In many ways, this movie is all about maintaining the spirit of believing in something and keeping it alive, always making sure that little spark of magic is forever shining and only grows stronger with time � E.T. is that unadulterated image of pure magic and mystery, which puts up an off-screen tale of man versus monster and how man alienates himself from the unexplained magic of our world, rather wanting to perform scientific tests to make everything within a closely calculated reach. Thankfully, the children have a wider and more open understanding of how things should be approached and there are many scenes that can bring out your inner child and emotions. Some say that Steven Spielberg often makes very sentimental pictures, which is something I won�t deny completely, but the question is if sentimentality or building your movie on a strong emotional core is a bad thing in any way? A sentimental or emotionally expressive approach can definitely be a good thing if done right and I think Spielberg is one of the few who can get away with it because he knows how to introduce his story properly, slowly developing it with great control and then have it all pay off in the end.

In my opinion, most of Spielberg�s movies just don�t aim for that low-leveled lashing for explicit emotional pounding, but instead he makes us know exactly how he wants to evoke our emotions and we trust his methods mainly because they aren�t cheap. The sentimental side of things is fully earned by the end of it and further enforced by the beautiful soundtrack in this film. If you don�t find �E.T the Extra-Terrestrial� to pull your heartstrings or invest your mind in the matter of these emotions, you are simply born without a heart� that glows� and calls for home� MM phone home and call mommy and daddy because he suddenly feels nostalgic and homesick. Yes, �E.T.� just does that to you, there is nothing you can do except step on board, hold on tight and fly away on this amazing cinematic journey!

__________________________

Last edited by MovieMeditation; 09-24-15 at 12:51 PM.

seanc

Lone Wolf

09-24-15

I love E.T. Like you I went a long time without revisiting it, scared it wouldn't hold up. It does in spades. Beautiful movie that really feels like it has all the great things about Speilberg. Good review. Now go rep mine from last year.

__________________
Letterboxd

MovieMeditation