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Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
I think that
is right on for The Grapes of Wrath, and by the way, both you guys will only think more of the John Steinbeck/Ford flick the more you watch it... You just have to balance out your ratings. Most
movies are as good as it gets...
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I think that
is right on for The Grapes of Wrath, and by the way, both you guys will only think more of the John Steinbeck/Ford flick the more you watch it... You just have to balance out your ratings. Most
movies are as good as it gets...
Being a film starring Henry Fonda (who I like as an actor very much) and hearing so many good things about it from the Internet and friends/family alike, my expectations were set considerably (and perhaps even unrealistically) high for The Grapes of Wrath. Upon watching it, getting something--anything--less than that is where the slight negativity came from in my previous post.

I agree with you concerning
-rated films.
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My Movie Review Thread | My Top 100



I watched Hot Rod earlier today. It's a pretty solid
for me. I love it. I've seen it five times and it never gets old. In fact, I find myself laughing more and more with each viewing. It's incredibly stupid but I don't think it would be as hilarious if it wasn't. This gets my vote for 'funniest stupid movie ever'.

Anyways, I just finished watching...

Pillow Talk (1959) -




That was a fun movie. I didn't expect to like it so much. I'm glad I did. Rock Hudson and Doris Day were both great together. And that song...

Pillow talk! Pillow talk!



Welcome to the human race...
I love the stuffing out of Pineapple Express, but I will concede it had a bunch of lines that completely fall flat. A lot of the dialogue that didn't work for you, though, was probably some of the improvised stuff. Like "It smells like a whale's vagina". I think those kind of nonstop complete non-sequiters have become so ubiquitous in comedy these days that it can get awfully tiring awfully fast. But, yeah, Pineapple Express is still one of my favorite films of the year.
i think the line you're thinking of actually goes "God's vagina", but yeah. I always got the feeling that the reliance on pothead humour dragged the film down a bit and it didn't get especially interesting for me until the actual murder scene, and from that point on I actually found the film much more watchable. And despite the relatively low rating, I also reckon Pineapple Express is one of my favourite 2008 films.

Anyway...



RAN (Kurosawa, 1985) -


It's been a while since I've seen anything that could genuinely be considered "epic", but then I found myself with a few hours to kill on New Year's Eve and decided to finally finish Ran once and for all. Quite simply, Ran is brilliant, and I honestly can't remember why I didn't watch it in full sooner. Cast of thousands, painfully elaborate art direction, engaging power struggles galore, etc etc. It's just brilliant, with the only real flaw being that some parts of it drag slightly. Other than that, it's amazing.

On one somewhat personal note - this film has a PG rating in Australia. It is easily the bloodiest PG-rated movie I've ever seen. Kudos.

(edit post)



Amélie (Jeunet, 2001) -


I think my rating for Amélie is at least a popcorn box or two lower than virtually everyone else's rating. What can I say? I'm not easily charmed. In the film's favour, I will admit that its unique photography was definitely a treat (especially the fact that every frame seems to have a weird yellowy-green hue to it). I think my main problem with Amélie is that, in all honesty, I'm not much of a fairytale person. As good as the film may be (and I will admit, it's good) but it just doesn't agree with me. The wackiness of the characters and story felt a little too forced at times, although the plot did develop and wrap up neatly rather well. (one other thing I liked about the film was Dominique Pinon's small but hilarious role as the creepy tape-recorder guy)

So...yeah.

(edit post...again)



Dead Man (Jarmusch, 1995) -


Given another viewing or two, I'll probably bump the score up to
(as it stands, I give it a very high
). Seriously, I can't quite find the words to express just how much I like Dead Man. I wouldn't say it's the best movie ever, but damned if it doesn't hit all the right notes for me. The performances are brilliant - as mild-mannered accountant turned "killer of white men" William Blake, Depp gives a superbly understated performance, which only serves as a fine contrast to the bizarre cast of characters, both good and bad (mainly bad) that he comes into contact with over the course of his journey. I'm also extremely fond of Robby Müller's fluid black-and-white photography and Neil Young's hypnotic use of distorted guitars on the film's soundtrack. All of this centres around a strangely compelling odyssey through the wilderness to the spirit world that awaits a dying Blake - and the parallel journey of the simply evil trio of bounty hunters on his tail.

It's not often that I feel this way about a film, but when I do - damn.

Do you know my poetry?
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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0



Let's try to be broad-minded about this
i wanna see Dead Man so bad...

The Wild Bunch (1969) -




I reeeally enjoyed it, the last shootout was one of the best scenes in a movie i've ever seen

Deliverance (1972) -




It was pretty good not one i'd want to see multiple times though



Ok then, now we're talkin'.

Frost/Nixon (Ron Howard-2008)


I was waiting to be blown away and blown away I was by the most unlikely of candidates. I despise most politicians. I can't stand the entire process and I really dislike how out of touch most politicians are with the average joe. To say that I was ignorant about the happenings during Watergate and the cover ups and all the rest of the goings on during Nixon's Presidency doesn't really cover it. I knew virtually nothing about it except rumor and innuendo.

I still know very little about it. I've done a little reading as I often do after a film like this one moves me and I also watched the actual interview that Frost held with the former President. And I must say that while I still at the core feel the same way about the political landscape I think now at least I know where some of that started. This man abused his power and he knew it. He took it upon himself to make up policy as he went no matter the cost and claimed he believed he was doing the right thing.

Only it wasn't the right thing. And perhaps its a testament to the kind of man that Nixon was that he actually admitted it. Maybe all politicians aren't evil and selfish. Maybe they are just as human as everyone else. Look, he's certainly not a saint. He may in fact have been a really bad guy. But at least he broke down and told the American people he was wrong and that he was sorry for it. I saw his eyes, I watched his movements, I believe him.

I usually can't stand movies like this... I'm a little lost as to why it moved me so. I felt this huge wave of emotion rolling over while watching the film and that's obviously a credit to little Ronnie Howard. I love most of his films, but I gotta say this one really took me by surprise. Thank you Ron, you really opened my eyes.
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You're a Genius all the time
Hmmmmm, the Frost/Nixon trailer looked pretty lame to me, but I should probably see the actual movie before I pass judgment. You know, I say that, but, in reality, I've already passed judgment and I have no desire to see it.

Originally Posted by Iroquois
i think the line you're thinking of actually goes "God's vagina", but yeah.
Guess I've got whale vagina on the brain. Anyway,




Let the Right One In (John Ajvide Lindqvist, 2008)

This is a very good movie. It's about vampires and whatnot, yeah, but somehow it's also one of the most honest and real preteen love stories I've seen in a film. If I had been a cool enough twelve year old to have had a girlfriend, this is exactly how I'd imagine it'd have gone down (minus the vampire stuff). Equally amazingly (spoiler alert), one of the two preteens in question is secretly androgynous. And, again, she murders innocent people to feast on their blood! Those zany Swedes!

So, yeah, there are a lot of reasons to see this movie. It's a different spin on a few well-spun genres and it's very deftly made. But I'd say THE number one reason to see Let the Right One In are the performances by the two lead kids. Tremendous work. Especially Lina Leandersson (bloody chick in the pic above). Best female performance I've seen this year.

a high





The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

First off, Mickey Rourke is every bit as fantastic in this as everybody's saying he is. There is literally no one on the face of the earth who would more perfectly embody this lovable, juiced-up lug named Randy. The bummer is that, outside of Rourke, this is more or less a by-the-numbers sports flick. It's a tough sport (staple guns aren't used as God intended) and actually, it isn't even a real sport. But there's definitely a been-there-done-that aspect to the whole thing.

The good news is that it's still a very impressive generic sports movie. It's got a lived-in, authentic, down to earth quality to it and there are enough sweet moments to offset the cliches and scenes with Evan Rachel Wood being upset. And Marisa Tomei's really good, too.




I also rewatched Wall-E, which is another high profile flick I've seen this year that doesn't hold up as well to multiple viewings for me. I think I gave it a hasty
before, but now I'd give it a solid
and it's gonna stay there dang nabbit.





Let the Right One In (John Ajvide Lindqvist, 2008)

This is a very good movie. It's about vampires and whatnot, yeah, but somehow it's also one of the most honest and real preteen love stories I've seen in a film. If I had been a cool enough twelve year old to have had a girlfriend, this is exactly how I'd imagine it'd have gone down (minus the vampire stuff). Equally amazingly (spoiler alert), one of the two preteens in question is secretly androgynous. And, again, she murders innocent people to feast on their blood! Those zany Swedes!

So, yeah, there are a lot of reasons to see this movie. It's a different spin on a few well-spun genres and it's very deftly made. But I'd say THE number one reason to see Let the Right One In are the performances by the two lead kids. Tremendous work. Especially Lina Leandersson (bloody chick in the pic above). Best female performance I've seen this year.

a high
I'm glad you liked it. I watched it recently as well, and thought it was great.

At first I gave it a full rating, but after a while I realized there were some things in the film I didn't like. More than anything, I didn't like Eli's questionable gender. That one particular shot (you know which one I'm talking about) was very quick, so when I was watching the film I didn't really see what it was. When I came onto the computer after finishing it, and learned what it was, I was kind of upset. I really connected with Eli, but I connected to her... not him. It's hard for me to feel the same way about the relationship Eli and Oskar shared as I did while watching the film for the first time.

The bed scene was extremely powerful, I'm sure you agree with me. But I don't think it would have been as powerful had I known about Eli's true self. Or maybe it would have, just not in the same way.

I know I'm rambling about this one little issue, but every time I am reminded of the film I can't get that it out of my mind. I don't want to say it ruined the film because I still like the film a lot. It just sort of lessened the emotional connection I had with it at first. I still think Eli is a great character, and perhaps when I rewatch it I can accept Eli as not being a female.

Anyways, I definitely agree with you about the acting. Both kids did a great job, especially Leandersson. It really was some of the best acting of the year.

Let the Right One In is a great flick that blows Twilight out of the water.





The ascent - Larisa Shepitko (1976)

One of the most moving films I've ever seen. The last film of what appears to be an insanely talented Russian filmmaker. She died in a car accident a few years later while making another film which was subsequently finished by her husband, Elem Klimov. Maybe it will surprise some, but I'd say this film is superior to the much more famous work of her husband, Come and see, all the more significant seeing as how it was obviously made at the fraction of its budget. It doesn't rely on pyrotechnics or schizophrenic violence to show the harrowing nature of war. The cast, the photography, the score, everything is flawless. It's a damn shame such a talent was cut short at the height of her powers...



You're a Genius all the time
Originally Posted by Swan
At first I gave it a full rating, but after a while I realized there were some things in the film I didn't like. More than anything, I didn't like Eli's questionable gender. That one particular shot (you know which one I'm talking about) was very quick, so when I was watching the film I didn't really see what it was. When I came onto the computer after finishing it, and learned what it was, I was kind of upset. I really connected with Eli, but I connected to her... not him. It's hard for me to feel the same way about the relationship Eli and Oskar shared as I did while watching the film for the first time.

The bed scene was extremely powerful, I'm sure you agree with me. But I don't think it would have been as powerful had I known about Eli's true self. Or maybe it would have, just not in the same way.

I know I'm rambling about this one little issue, but every time I am reminded of the film I can't get that it out of my mind. I don't want to say it ruined the film because I still like the film a lot. It just sort of lessened the emotional connection I had with it at first. I still think Eli is a great character, and perhaps when I rewatch it I can accept Eli as not being a female.

Anyways, I definitely agree with you about the acting. Both kids did a great job, especially Leandersson. It really was some of the best acting of the year.

Let the Right One In is a great flick that blows Twilight out of the water.
If you weren't bothered by the fact that Eli was actually hundreds of years old and that she murdered innocent people so she could slurp up their blood, then why were you bothered by the fact "she" didn't have an easily identifiable gender? Just another wrinkle, really, in my book and since Oskar didn't mind, I didn't either. The shot you're talking about actually made me laugh and, yeah, the scene in the bed was wonderful. Considering that they're twelve year old kids, I give the movie a buttload of credit for not making that bed scene too weird.

I haven't seen Twilight and I know virtually nothing about the books, but I'd guess that, yes, it would get blown right out of the vampire water when compared to Let the Right One In.



If you weren't bothered by the fact that Eli was actually hundreds of years old and that she murdered innocent people so she could slurp up their blood, then why were you bothered by the fact "she" didn't really have an identifiable gender?
Both of those - the age and the killing - are always aspects of any vampire on any vampire movie or book or whatever. I assumed they would be part of her character from the start, because she's a vampire.

I'm sure when I see it again I can come to peace with that problem. I guess it just came as a shock at first. Oh well.



Okay, don't all tackle me at once, but...

Citizen Kane -

(FIRST VIEWING)



After seeing it for the very first time earlier tonight, I'm left in wonderment at how so many can consider this the "greatest film of all time." It's claimed that its visuals were ahead of its time, and maybe that's true, but I found myself almost completely uninterested with the story...and pretty much everything else with and about the film. A couple of performances were pretty strong (mainly Orson Welles' himself) and the filmmaking was innovative, but I failed to actually get into the movie at all. And the twist-ending; the "Rosebud" thing? I thought it was pretty lame, for lack of a better word.

Did I miss something?



I wanted to like and enjoy Citizen Kane, but I really didn't. If you can offer anything at all as to something I may have missed--some underlying message or something--then I would appreciate it. Among the other good half-dozen true classics I've recently watched for the first time each, this has been my one disappointment, and a big disappointment at that.



Dom, I think you're being a little too generous with a
, based no your feelings about it. You gave Scream - a movie you like and rated 8/10 on CMF - a
.

I think
or
fits your opinion better.

Not that your opinion is a bad thing, I'm just.... talking...............

.............



What are you talking about, Swan? I gave Scream a 6.5/10 on the CMF.

Scream - 6.5/10.



A pretty average horror (ish) teen/younger adult slasher with some pretty interesting film references and comedy mixed in. I haven't seen it in years and thought it was nice to revisit it.
You love trying to make me look bad/stupid, don't you?



WHOA okay so much for a memory.

No, I'm not trying to make you look bad or stupid. I don't think anyone here thinks you are stupid because of anything I've said about you before.

DOES ANYONE ON HERE THINK DOM IS STUPID?

See Dom? No one thinks you're stupid.



Methinks Swedish and I have been watching movies from the same site recently...

Let The Right One In (Tomas Alfredson-2008)


I am on a pretty good roll today. Its no secret that I love horror films and when they turn out to be good or even really good its a serious double bonus. This flick is quite good in a lot of ways as Swedish Chef already mentioned. I would love to see this flick take home Best Foreign film at the Oscars this year. And Yeah, the two leads in this flick were just both excellent. Creepy, but excellent.

Twilight (Catherine Hardwicke-2008)


I was so ready to just take a big nasty crap all over this flick and I have to admit I kind of really dug it. It was a little high on the schmaltz but it was still a pretty good little story.

Milk (Gus Van Zant-2008)


This was also just dynamite. Sean Penn may very well be vying with Mickey Rourke in a coin toss for Best Actor this year and I'm so in the bag for both of them that I won't be disappointed if either man wins. Damn good stuff.

Oh and I also saw these two clinkers in the last few days as well...

Journey To The Center Of The Earth (Eric Brevig-2008)


The Day The Earth Stood Still (Scott Derrickson-2008)


Two very good reasons to not remake classic films. More to add to the bad remake pile I guess. *sigh*



You make these kinds of remarks at me all the time, Swan. I mean, it's right here, half-way down the page:

http://www.cloverfieldmovieforum.com...t=123&page=357

I have no idea where your above idea came from, that I gave that movie an 8/10 score.