Movie Tab II

Empire of the Sun - could have done without a scene or two, but otherwise a great movie. Amazing debut by Christian Bale. Some interesting faces among the supporting cast - Paul McGann and Ben Stiller, for instance. And Miranda Richardson and John Malkovich in leads - can't go wrong there. 4/5

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Review: Cabin in the Woods 8/10

Yay! I'm glad you liked it. Some people don't think it rates highly among Stevie's list, but I like it. It also has one of those memorable heart breaking moments; "I can't remember what my parents look like."

~sniff~

Get's me every time.

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"Today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids."

Yeah, what an amazing scene. What an amazing role for a 13 year old kid.
I would cut a good 20 min, I think, though. It really meanders for awhile there. Otherwise beautiful with some wonderful moments/scenes. The scene with Malkovich under the mosquito netting was wonderful.

Last Orders (2001, Fred Schepisi)

4/5

Great ensemble (or as Caine says in the interview, "Ensumbell") cast: Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Ray Winstone, Tom Courtenay and the late David Hemmings in a delicately interwoven story of love, life and regret.

Moving.



EDIT - that sounded like the blurb on the back of a DVD. I may have found a new career.

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

Something's Gotta Give (2003) - 3 ˝ /5
Beyond Borders (2003) - 3 ˝ /5
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1999) - 3 ˝/5
I put off seeing this one because Grant was in it… but it's not about him...
Alexander (2004) - interesting movie but I need to rewatch it before I grade it…

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War of the Worlds 4.5/5 Exhilarating in the way that only a Speilberg movie can be. This solidifies the notion that film is the best artistic medium, as it could not have been this damn good as anything but a movie.

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"Like all dreamers, Steven mistook disenchantment for truth."

Constantine - Some interesting scenes, with some cool ideas for shots. On the flip side, the plot and the characters left something to be desired. Gavin Rossdale as the baddy? Booooooo. He made Keanu look good, for crissakes... Hmmmm, won't be watching this one again, but it was somewhat entertaining once through...



The Limey - Interesting editing. I watched this one as more of a lesson on shots/editing. The script was good, but I felt stamp didn't have the acting muscles to carry the character in some places. Still, well crafted film. I kept wish Jean Reno was playing the lead.

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I think it would be a bit hard for Reno to play a limey. And one of the most interesting aspects of this film I think is how Soderbergh uses 60s icons Stamp and Fonda and shows how they've followed different paths in life. In Fonda's case there are obvious parallells drawn to his Easy Rider character and in Stamp's case there is even old footage from another older film with him used in The Limey (I don't remember which one). They were both "60s rebels" with one ending up in prison and the other one having a successful career. But who's failed the old ideals and who's the real bad guy?

I have to say that The Limey is probably the most thought provocing of Soderbergh's films I've seen.

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The novelist does not long to see the lion eat grass. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good".

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They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.

Right, I loved Peter Fonda's character. The scene in the convertible was clearly a thjrowback to his old work. The girl in the car even had the late 60s straight hair, parted down the middle. That scnene felt like a subtle time warp. I was wondering about that old footage, as it was clearly Stamp in it. Another solid entry by Soderbergh...

Jaws(first time) Second Speilberg film in a row. Awesome!

Ken Loach's Poor Cow (1967)

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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

Jackass the Movie 3/5
Underworld 4/5
Euro-Trip 5/5

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Midnight Run (1988, Martin Brest)

4/5

Buddy movie par excellence. Deniro and Grodin argue so convincingly that they could be, in fact, married...



Identity (2003, Jim Mangold)

4/5

It could have been a derivative no-brainer but the cast, script and Mangold's intelligent direction turn the movie into a darned enjoyable take on Christie's Ten Little Indians. Oh, and Amanda Peet's in it.

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, A
1999 - Jim Jarmusch

Hey Strum, be careful with the 'best' tag. If you're saying film can manipulate the senses the best (and you're talking about a master with Spielberg) then hell yeah . But are films better than books at representing and immersing you fully in an imagined inner world, for example? I'd say ni de cońo .

Films are damn good. But don't go so far as to say they're the be all and end all of that great big blurry social scythe they call art .

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Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here

hey, I meant that it was solid evidence in favor of film being the best medium for those who have that opinion (I have not formed an opinion on that yet myself.) I didn't say that opinion was correct. That said if someone wanted to argue that point I think this film would be a powerful example.

Hey...that's some fancy spinning. You should work for the President or Fox News.

It's been so long since I've last seen this flick, and it seems even more powerful now. I'm not the biggest fan of Stone, but he really nailed it here. This film has none of his trademark egomaniacal over-directing. It is a powerful motion picture that sticks with you long afterwords. Berenger, Dafoe & McGinley give the performances of their careers, the score is unforgettable, the cinematography is brilliant & and the realism is uncanny. I just flat-out love this movie.

maybe I do.... shhhh.

Brazil (Gilliam, 1985)