Movie Tab II

I actually got those two, along with QoS, in the mail. I didn't watch them online. Now I'm just waiting for my next set of DVD's to come in.

Knowing (Alex Proyas - 2009)

Meh, pretty mediocre. I liked parts of it fine. Overall though it was incredibly average. I'm not a Cage hater but I will admit he seemed pretty out of place in this role. Its weird, at times this flick felt sort of like an M Night flick. It had a lot of the same atmosphere that several of his flicks have had. Oh well, can't win em' all.

Duplicity (Tony Gilroy - 2009)

Really enjoyed the majority of the flick. I'm not sure what it is about Julia Roberts but I sure do like her a whole lot. The movie jumped around a lot and it lost me a little but it made up for it at the end. Nice little twist, I liked it.

Far North (Asif Kapadia - 2007)



Well this was interesting. I had no real idea what the movie was about and when it started up I saw Michelle Yeoh's name roll by and since I have a bit of a thing for her as well I said to myself, "Self", this may be worth a watch. And it was.

Basically a woman and a girl who appears to be her daughter are living way up in the middle of nowhere up "Far North" (get it?), and they try to avoid contact with anyone and everyone if they can. A few flashbacks reveal the reasons why this is and its not really explained how she ended up there in the first place, she just is I guess. Tramp should be happy to hear that her favorite Sean Bean is not only in this movie but for a fleeting second you get to see his junk! So run right out and get this if you haven't already Trampster...

Anyway, the end of the movie suddenly turns down the horror road and I didn't see it coming. I thought it was a pretty terrific way to end it. If you like closure and neat tidy packages then this flick will infuriate you. But if not then do check it out won't you?

__________________
We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...

Secretary (Shainberg, 2002) -

Secretary is not really a film I would've sought out if it hadn't been so fervently recommended to me, but yeah, I still decided to check it out. Technically, it's a decent film but I don't know, I guess I just put it down to the fact that I just couldn't quite get into the story. The voice-over narration seemed largely unnecessary, and I couldn't really find much reason to sympathise with Maggie Gyllenhaal's character (or even anyone else in the film). I also wonder if the fact that the film's plot took some rather unpredictable turns is a good thing or not, because just because it was unpredictable didn't make it much more interesting for me.





American Splendor (Berman/Pulcini, 2003) -

Now this was a rather interesting film. Based on the life of file clerk turned underground comic writer Harvey Pekar, it's an imaginative blurring of reality and fiction, filled with some ingenious comic-book stylings and animation, brilliant performances that really capture the people they're based on (who also appear in the film, so you can really tell how good the actors are), and quite simply it's an ingenious piece of work.



Funny Games (Haneke, 1997) -

I put off watching Funny Games for ages because I was a little apprehensive about watching such an allegedly disturbing film. Funnily enough, I never actually felt particularly disturbed by it (I felt the same way when I saw The Fly last month - also, a movie with a reputation for being extremely disturbing, but which didn't make me feel anything). I reckon that's weird how I watch a movie expecting to be tangibly upset by the content, yet when I watch it, it's nowhere near as bad as I expect and for some reason I feel disappointed by the lack of an impact it has on me. Weird. Anyway, back to the film - yeah, as the rating suggests, I was vaguely unimpressed by it. Of course, I have to give it some credit for keeping me at least somewhat engaged for most of the film, but yeah, to invite yet another comparison to The Fly, I already knew what was going to happen the whole way through the film and so there weren't really any surprises to be had. Quite simply, I didn't really care for it.

__________________
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

You Can't Take It With You
Frank Capra, 1938

I basically had no idea what this even was until this afternoon, but since it stars James Stewart and is directed by Frank Capra, I decided to add it to my instant queue. I'm really glad I did, because it turned out to be a really good movie. I think the whole movie is basically just a message. I'm not really sure how to explain it per say, but it basically shows being rich isn't everything. I'm sure everyone's seen this message used in movies before, but it seemed to work much better in this than the other places I've seen it before. The story is very well written, but that's not a surprise because it's from a play. We all know how well movies that are written from plays can turn out - 12 Angry Men.

I love watching James Stewart in movies, he's such a great actor, but I just started getting into him recently. You can tell that he was really young when he made this movie, but it really shows. I'm so glad that I decided to watch this, because this was a huge surprise to me. I really think that this deserves a full perfect score, but for some reason, I just didn't seem to connect with it per say. I'm not even really sure that's it, but I really don't feel much of anything after watching it. Maybe with re-watches this'll improve, but I guess for now I'll just stick with the rating that I gave it.

Right on. I'm glad you liked American Splendor, Iro. It's a little seen gem of a film that really impressed me the first time I saw it.

__________________
"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."

Persona (Bergman, 1966) -

Wow. My only real complaint is that it gets confusing towards the end, but eh, I should've guessed this would not be an easy film to understand in the space of a single viewing.

It is a bit of a challenge huh? I've seen it a few times and I'm still not too sure. It's similar to Mulholland Drive, which also focuses on two females, deals with issues of identity, is very psychological and has an ambiguous ending. I like films like that though, they really get you thinking. If more Bergman is something you might be interested in, (I see you've already watched The Seventh Seal) but others I like alot are Wild Strawberries, Fanny and Alexander, and Cries and Whispers.

Yeah, after watching Persona I was contemplating finding more Bergman - the real question is whether I can make time for it (seeing as today's a public holiday I could).

Stand By Me

Not really much i can say about this movie that hasn't been said before.
It's an amazing insight into the life of four kids who go on an adventure to view a dead body.
From the off set the film drags you in with the fine directing, powerful acting and simple yet really effective story line (thanks to Stephen King as the film was based on his book) and doesn't let you leave until those credits role.
You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll find yourself wanting to play it again as soon as it's over. Wonderful film, just brilliant!!!!!

__________________
Oh leggie blonde you got it goin on
wanna see you wearin that thong thong thong,
see you get it on till the break of dawn
mermermer... panties on.

Teenagers From Outer Space 1959

A old 'B' movie that was innocuous, and forgettable. We had picked up some old movies on VHS a million years ago, and decided to watch it again. Some aliens land here in America with the purpose of raising gorgons for their food supply, since our planet has what they need to grow enormous. The gorgons were just lobsters, but no one in the film admitted that. They were always called the monsters or some such. And one did grow as big as a building and terrorized people. One of the aliens, a teen, fell for a local girl and decides to help rid our planet of the horror. Ah, true love.

Warning: The picture below may be too graphic for some younger viewers.




The Woman in the Window 1944

This was a fast little film-noir that had Edward G. Robinson in it as a professor left to his own devices when his wife and kids go to visit family. He sees a portrait of a pretty lady in the shop next to the men's club he frequents and he and his cronies have a few laughs over their fantasy gal.



As the professor leaves the club, he runs into the woman in the portrait. they have a few drinks, and suddenly, a man bursts into her home and a struggle between the professor and he ensues. The professor kills the man in self defense, but instead of calling the police, he and the woman decide to dispose of the problem themselves.

After the body is dumped, professor and the woman live their lives until his friend at the club, a police inspector, tells the story of finding a man's body. Then things get interesting!

The rest of the story is tense moments as they uncover clues and evidence which point to the professor, but he manages to keep them off his trail, or does he? It sounds routine, but it was entertaining. The ending is a surprise, yet the idea was something that crossed my mind briefly when he first sees the woman's reflection in the window behind him and they speak to one another.

__________________
If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.

Johann von Goethe

The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008) -

__________________
"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said, "I hear music", as if there is any other way you can take it in. You're not special, that's how I receive it too. I tried to taste it but it did not work." - Mitch Hedberg

Sneakers (Robinson, 1992)



Highly enjoyable espionage flick with some great chemistry between Robert Redford and his cohort of tech and security spooks. The "world domination" plot is a little hokey, and the action stutters a bit at the end; but even for 1992, the technical swagger and creative problem-solving that these guys employ throughout the film, even under the threat of swift death at the hands of very scary people, makes for a supremely enjoyable romp.


The Last Starfighter (Castle, 1984)



For 1980s schlock sci-fi, this one holds up fairly well. It's interesting to me that, as the art direction appears more and more iconic of the 1980s (and not so much identifiable of them), the film seems to become more timeless in the process. The video game hokiness is certainly part of the enduring fun (though perhaps not as much of a selfish indulgence as The Wizard (1989), but the behavior of "Beta Alex" back home is by far the most rewarding fun of the whole film for those of us now old enough to appreciate smartly written, cloak-and-dagger comedy.

Diary of the Dead -

I was really, really trying to take the movie seriously, but some parts involving the zombies and the characters' reactions to them were just too silly-looking. That being said, though, the film contained some genuine scares, but mostly, I found it too "hokey" and the plot really seemed to drag. A disappointment; the trailers made Diary of the Dead seem as though it had the potential to be something truly great, but it didn't achieve its trailers' glory by a longshot.

The Mothman Prophecies -

+



An excellent supernatural thriller that I've seen time and time again. As a few of you guys know, I'm getting closer and closer to posting my Top 100 Favorite Films list, and I wanted to give this film one more rewatch before I did so. And yep; glad I did, because it's moving up a notch or two from where I had it previously. Indrid Cold--the "Mothman"--is an insanely cool character (if you can call it/him that) and strikes great intrigue in me. The true story boggles my mind nearly as much as the film.

The Prince & Me -

-



A romantic comedy with some heartwarming moments and a few good laughs, but a considerably unbelievable story toward the film's end. It makes you feel good, but you're left saying to yourself "That really wouldn't have happened." In other words, I would have liked a bit more realism, but for what it was, The Prince & Me was a decent movie that I liked perhaps a bit more than I thought I would.

Cruel World -

+



Another off-the-beaten-path movie bought and watched by me, but I only payed $7 for this one--on Blu-ray (there was a good Blu-ray sale earlier in the week online I found). The story was pretty decent: a group of college students get chosen to star in a reality TV program, which, little do they know, is a murderous trap. But otherwise, the film was riddled with mediocrity. So-so acting with a very so-so script. Just unmemorable all-around.

When a Stranger Calls (1979) -

A suspenseful thriller with a main character that's easily likable and an antagonist that's truly awe-inspiring, but with a plot that just seemingly drags on in places with little or no direction. Despite those few slow points, though, When a Stranger Calls is an overall success of thrills and intrigue, and miles upon miles better than its horrid remake.

__________________
"The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven."
John Milton, Paradise Lost

My Movie Review Thread | My Top 100

Observe And Report
Jody Hill, 2009

I had originally planned on doing a full review for this, like I do for every movie I see in theaters, but after having to wait like 6 hours to get on here since seeing it, I sort of forgot a bunch of what I had wanted to say. I saw so hyped to see this from the trailer, I mean this seriously had like best comedy ever potential from the trailer, but sadly it didn't quite do that for me. It sure is going to make it up there for me, though. Every couple of years we get another true epic comedy, and I think this is the first true epic comedy we've gotten since Anchorman came out back in 2004. While I'm already talking about it being epic, it makes we want to bring attention my next thought of the movie. This movie, by far, has the most epic climax that I've ever seen. Even though it got pretty sick watching, mostly guys, but I'm not even sure girls would like this guy either.

This had like some amazingly well done action sequences to it, as well. I seriously didn't think that this was going to have so much action in it. The action in it is insanely awesome too, like Seth Rogen fighting like 15 cops alone with just a flashlight. How cool is that, well it may not sound as cool saying it, but when you actually see it done, it's really great. That's not the only great action scene in the movie, but that's the main one that really sticks out to me. There also seemed to be a bunch of shock moments in the movie, like the last moment in the epic climax before things start calming down. There was a lot of quick cuts in the movie, though, which I usually don't like it when movies do this. Somehow it seemed to work for me, but I that's just my opinion.

It's no secret that Seth Rogen is my favorite comedian, so there was no doubt that I'd at least like him some in this. He seemed to get pretty dedicated for this role, because his acting in the last 15 minutes of the movie really shined for him as an actor. I'd rank it with about his acting in Knocked Up, but I still hope he'll improve even more by the time Funny People come out. Michael Pena is beyond awesome in this, but that's how his character was supposed to be. I don't really like the direction that they ended up going with his character, though. His character had so much more potential than he got. Ray Liotta is such a dick in this, but he's supposed to for his character, so I guess he did an okay job.

I think that this is going to make it very high on my favorite comedies list, maybe even in my top 5 favorite comedies. My expectations for this weren't quite met as much as I had hoped, but I still freaking loved it. This is a definite must for any Rogen fans, and even for people aren't fans of him should try it out. This really isn't as much as a perverted comedy as some of Rogen's other movies, but it's more of a dark comedy. It's great to be seeing Rogen do something different. This is still easily the best movie of 2009 so far, but we still have awhile to go before 2009 ends.

And this was...not a full review?

Mirrors (2008) -

Well, I wasn't planning on it to be, but I guess it sort of turned out to be one. I guess I'll quote it and add it my review thread now.

Knowing (2009 - Alex Proyas).


I liked it more than I expected. An actual decent action thriller starring none other than.. NICHOLAS CAGE! Le gasp! Let's just say it's something I would be a little willing to buy on DVD, and that means a lot.

7/10.

If you haven't read John Keel's book, on which the film is based, I highly recommend that you do so. The true story is so much more bizarre and interesting, and if you're like me, you'll fly through it. I've read it several times, as well as some companion literature on the phenomena highlighted in the book. The MIB stuff is particularly alarming.