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Nice review. Although my thoughts here seem to disagree with you, in the case of Antonioni I believe that there is plenty of room for common ground even if the ratings drastically differ.
Thanks for your comments Mark.

Antonioni has been know to divide opinion. Anybody with even a modicum of film knowldge will note Antonioni's interest in the breakdown of communication in relationships. I think the appropriate phrase is...easy to understand, difficult to appreciate. His images just seem to resonate with me; they compel me, exhaust me, entertain me, enchant me. The beginning of L'Avventura accounts for forty of the most breathtaking minutes i've ever experienced in film.



Your comments on the ending of L'Eclisse are very interesting. Likewise, I thought Antonioni was merely departing into a pretentious, ambiguous for the sake of being ambiguous ending. However, Antonioni continued to enchant me despite my immediate reservations. Looking back, the ending was overly artful; it probably does debase the viewer from the action. This is something which usually bothers me but to be honest, I just cant get past the beauty of it all.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah.



You're a Genius all the time


Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008)

Yikes, this movie kind of sucked. I don't wanna reduce myself to just throwing around a bunch of critic buzz words here, but I'd say contrived, predictable, silly and ridiculous would all do the trick in accurately pinning down this one. If you can think of a sterotypical bad movie trapping, Slumdog's got it and it's got it bad. Cookie-cutter characters? Yep. A dumb, single-minded plot that weaves through time frames a lot less expertly than some of these reviews would have you believe? Yep. Unbelieveable coincidences that M Night Shyamalan would have a hard time fitting into a movie? Oh yeah.

I mean, come on, how can you have a fairytale romance featuring two leads (at least in their teenage and young adult incarnations) who have about as much chemistry together as two people who have zero chemistry together? Seriously. And what is the purpose (I know there isn't a purpose, but I'm asking anyway) of the brother's crime syndicate subplot? It's a lame, modern, Indian take on Dickensian fluffery. Fine. Why does it feel it also has to be City of God 2: Return to the City of God? I have a lot of other complaints, but this is getting boring and if you want to get bored, I'd suggest you just go watch Slumdog Millionaire.

Now, okay, I did mildly enjoy some of the flashbacks of main character Jamal's childhood, but it's nothing your average moviegoer hasn't seen before. I also dug some of the choices Boyle made, like foregoing a clumsy narration as well as some pitch-perfect soundtrack selections. And, yeah, I give Boyle credit - Slumdog's a technically very well-made movie that's shot superbly. But for a film that's banking so much on hitting you in the gut and winning over your heart, technically well-made isn't gonna cut it. How is the movie "winning" and how is it even remotely a crowd pleaser when it's this flippin artificial? And soooooo predictable? And, for the love of God, how many rhetorical questions can I fit in this post?!

Guess I'm in the overwhelming minority on this one, but sheesh, I don't get it.




RIP www.moviejustice.com 2002-2010
Vampire's Kiss (1989, Robert Bierman)



Here's a vampire movie without a vampire in it, and it's a gem of a film to tell the truth. Basically it's a one man show of Nic Cage showing off his less serious and more neurotic side. He's invokes Chaplin with his physical humor, but there's a dark underbelly to his humor which is clear when he hassles, stalks, and rapes his secretary (Maria Conchita Alonso). The premise is a bat flies into the room while Cage is having sex with a girl he's picked up. The bat bites him and he starts to think he's a vampire. He already has a fragile mind as he's visiting a psychiatrist (Elizabeth Ashley).
This is a very bizarre film and one of a kind. It's a cross between Office Space and American Psycho with a few vampire legends thrown in for good measure. Some of the scenes between Cage and Alonso are so off the wall they must be viewed as no amount of words could do them justice.

Grade: B+
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Children of Men

"Sweet baby Jesus" defines this film in more than one way.

The Shop Around the Corner

I have a feeling this classic is a new favorite of mine. James Stewart is the man, man.



Let's try to be broad-minded about this
Chinatown (1974) -

[first viewing]



perfectly comprised mystery, it kept my attention the whole time

Dead Man (1995) -

[first viewing]



yay i finally saw this! I'm not sure how i felt about that guitar playing loudly and randomely all the time, sometimes i thought it was really annoying and other times i liked its stylistic presence. I loved Johnny Depp too as usual.

Princess Mononoke (1997) -
[hadn't seen it in a looong time]



I looove this movie! I can't figure out what to rate it because it's another childhood movie that i'll love no matter what and it's so whatchable! I watched it yesterday for the first time in a long time then i watched it today with my friend who i used to watch it with a long time ago so it was nice to hand out with her again brought back memories!

For a Few Dollars More (1965) -




I loved this one almost as much as i love The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Which is saying something. I still haven't seen Fistful of Dollars because it was checked out at the movie store and something tells me you don't have to watch these in any order...Clint Eastwood is my hero i love him.



Sergio Leone movies are great. You definitly need to see Fistfull of Dollars. You might also want to see Fistfull Of Dynamite and Once Upon A Time In The West.





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Let's try to be broad-minded about this
She doesn't know either, but she's working on it!

Very true! i've watched more Westerns in the past couple of months than i have in my lifetime and i will continue on because i'm really liking them so far but mostly Sergio Leone's stuff is always so appealing. I think when i next go to the movie store i'm getting My Neighbor Totoro and then Once Upon a Time in the West. But i am an Eastwood fan i love almost everything i've seen of his whether it's his acting or directing



Jeez... Westerns.... there are so many I need to see.

I have Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Magnificent Seven ready to watch, too. Butch Cassidy especially looks awesome.



I like what im hearing rice. Very hard to find somone your age and let alone a woman that likes westerns. Your a very rare breed! Your a pretty chick!



Let's try to be broad-minded about this
i just watched Butch Cassidy and Josey Wales very recently and One-Eyed Jacks was high on my list of next ones to watch, thank you though! i actually keep a list of westerns specifically that are high on my want to see priority list and i just added the ones you recommended because i trust you lol

Apache
Barbarosa
Dead Man
Django
Fistful of Dollars
For a Few Dollars More
High Noon
High Plains Drifter
Little Big Man
Magnificent Seven
Once Upon a Time in the West
One-Eyed Jacks
Open Range
Ox-bow Incident
Professionals
Searchers
Treasure of Sierra Madre
Wild Bunch


the bold ones are ones i've seen since the time of me making this list which was a couple of weeks ago, it's really satisfying to cross them off of word i have lists like these for tons of other genres too but who doesn't?



Let's try to be broad-minded about this
Awe thanks guys! My interest was peaked by my mother because she absolutely loves westerns

we have other pretty women who love westerns around here...
definitely true, with way more cinematic experience than me but hey, i'm working on developing a cinematic palette lol



Of course she is, but we have other pretty women who love westerns around here...
Awwww, shucks: you really think I'm purtee?
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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra