Movie Tab II

I admit the three hour length definitely puts people off, but for me it was a very fast 3 hours. I hope they release a longer uncut version, but that is just me being an unashamed fan boy.

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Fear and Loathing in MoFo... The Gunslinger 45's Top 50 Favorite Films

In the 10 Ring: Gunslinger45's reviews

Touch of Evil-
I'll make this one short as I don't have much to say about it. I understand alot of you love it but I don't. The movie is a film noir from the 50's and is from the great Orson Welles. None of the characters in the movie interested me in the slightest, the movie moved at a sluggish pace and it just didn't grip me at any point whatsoever. I just didn't like it and i was left both bored and underwhelmed. To me its a .



Antichrist-
This is an Extremely strange,disturbing and at times sickening avant-garde film from director Lars Von Trier. The movie is extremely heavy and deals with dark subject matter. The movie's opening scene is a scene juxtaposing the sex of a man and a wife, while their young child dies. It automatically sets the tone for what's a deranged,difficult film to view. The movie is very creepy and it has a haunting aura around it. Antichrist's final 30 minutes are extremely suspenseful,deranged and quite brilliant in my eyes.

This is a very divisive film, and i can't say I love it. Nor do I want to rewatch it, but it is certainly unique and worth a watch if you want to watch something a bit surreal and different.There is a certain scene here that just might be one of the sickest images I've ever seen in a film, i think Von Trier went a little too far with some scenes of violence to the point of fetishizing it.The best way to describe Antichrist, is that it has a hint of Tarkovsky's style, the craziness of David Lynch and the excessive gore of a torture-porn film like Saw.I give it a positive review of though, as It is a solid film for what it is.



Hard Eight-
Thomas Anderson is one of my favorite film directors ever so I was certainly curious to see his directorial debut. Overall my thoughts on it are that it is a good film, but it isnt nearly as good as some of his later films.I do like it though, and I'll explain why. The performances are great here, and the small cast of characters are all well fleshed-out and realistic. They are all very flawed, and they are searching for either happiness or forgiveness. I can definitely see DNA from this film in his later films.The direction was solid, and some scenes look especially good. The story is quite good as well. It's a good film, but it never reaches the depth or ambition of something like Magnolia or There Will Be Blood.It earns a from me.



Her-
I loved this film. I think it's original, I think it is very clever, and it is extremely romantic. The movie is the relationship between a man and his Operating system, and this relationship feels more genuine and tender than 95% of romance films out there. It's such an insane premise, but it works extremely well. The acting is excellent, the direction is beautiful, and the script is innovative and fresh.It is so awesome to see original films like this, and this is another heavy-hitter from 2013 which has sneaked into my 10 favorite films this year.Definitely worth checking out.

"You can never have too much of a good thing."

Except maybe Quaaludes, hookers and money

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I agree, but more concerning some other movies.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Lucas: I think the main thing that I took from Sydney was Paul Thomas Anderson's focus on parenthood in his films. I would say that all his films are about parents, and in some it's massively obviously: Boogie Nights, Magnolia and There Will Be Blood, especially non-related parenthood - in all three of those films and The Master.

Oh yeah certainly, I noticed this as well. Recurring themes I frequently see in his movies is father/son relationships especially neglect(TWBB,Magnolia),and extremely flawed people who are searching for either happiness or success(TWBB,PDL,Magnolia,Boogie Nights) . His movies are very character-driven and I adore that. I have yet to see The Master(i will very soon though), and I can't wait until Inherent Vice next year.He's one of those dependable filmmakers, that you know will always put out a good film.

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Letterboxd

Sounds slightly better than most Swanberg output, it has better than sub-par (terrible) actors!

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Mubi

Sounds like my kind of love. Will have to watch it.

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Preserving the sanctity of cinema. Subtitles preferred, mainstream dismissed, and always in search of yet another film you have never heard of. I speak fluent French New Wave.

Yeah, I also found it to be quite boring, because it wasn't anything fresh, and not as memorable and good as Citizen Kane. I think that Orson Welles' work suffers from excessive influence and repetition of the tropes he developed so that from a current perspective his movies appear dated.

Have you seen The Magnificent Ambersons, Guap? It's Welles' best and certainly would have been one of the greatest of all time if it hadn't been for studio interference.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (Yuen Woo-Ping, 1978) -

Early Jackie Chan film that stars Chan as a guileless orphan who befriends a transient kung-fu master and ends up learning kung-fu to fight against his annoying employers and a rival master. I saw this in a double bill with Drunken Master with a very appreciative audience and this film definitely deserved it. Though it's not quite the classic that Drunken Master was, this film still holds its own with its blend of Jackie Chan-style action and humour. The best part was seeing it as a rare collector's print dubbed into English, which really made it one of the most fun cinematic experiences I had in 2013.

Dredd (Pete Travis, 2012) -

Film version of the cult comic character starring Karl Urban as the titular Judge as he takes on a rookie partner (Olivia Thirlby) and ends up being trapped inside a skyscraper controlled by Lena Headey's ruthless crime boss. Definitely a tautly-wound genre film with some great action even though it skimped a little on character development. Otherwise, it was very well-made technically.

City on Fire (Ringo Lam, 1987) -

This is notorious for being "that movie that Reservoir Dogs ripped off", but the story of Chow Yun-Fat as an undercover cop trying to infiltrate a gang of thieves is still pretty strong on its own. Though Chow's character can come across as a bit unsympathetic at times (ironically enough, when they're trying to establish the strain his job is taking on his personal life and make him sympathetic in the process) the action and characters are otherwise handled well, especially Chow's relationship with Danny Lee's thief. A minor classic in the Hong Kong action canon.

Full Contact (Ringo Lam, 1992) -

A surprisingly cartoonish action movie starring Chow Yun-Fat as a likeable street tough who takes part in a heist to help out a friend, but is betrayed by both the gang of thieves and the friend in question. A fairly stock-standard revenge tale that's made interesting by the wacky villains (a gay magician, a perpetually angry bodybuilder and his nymphomaniac girlfriend) and some prototypical bullet-time effects in one or two sequences. Worth it for the comical dialogue between Chow and the villains.

Police Story 3: SuperCop (Stanley Tong, 1992) -

This threequel involves Jackie Chan's goofy Hong Kong detective being sent to China to infiltrate a drug lord's operation. I saw this in a double bill with the original Police Story, and while the original Police Story is one of Jackie Chan's greatest films in just about every regard, Police Story 3 upgrades the scale of the setpieces and the result feels like a prototype for a lot of Jackie Chan's Hollywood vehicles. It's got its moments - Michelle Yeoh's hypercompetent Chinese soldier makes a good foil to Chan's goofy detective, plus the sequences in both the compound and on the train are both pretty good - but for the most part the movie is just okay.

Red Dawn (John Milius, 1984) -

The notorious film about the United States being invaded by Soviet forces and a group of high schoolers practicing guerrilla warfare in response may or may not work as far as social commentary is concerned, but as an effective drama/action film it leaves a lot to be desired.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (Tommy Lee Wallace, 1982) -

This may get a lot of flak for being the sole Halloween film that's not about Michael Myers, but for me it's actually a surprisingly decent horror movie (although maybe that's just because of low expectations). The story of a doctor investigating a mysterious line of Halloween masks and the creepy town from which they originate makes for a decent if none too original premise and while it won't challenge the original film as a classic, it's not exactly horrible either.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (Dwight H. Little, 1988) -

This Halloween film reintroduces Michael Myers as he chases after his young niece and all those around her. A pretty average slasher movie when all is said and done, but it's got a decent twist ending as well.

The Prodigal Son (Sammo Hung, 1981) -

Sammo Hung's comical take on Shaw Brothers-style wu xia films has its moments here and there, but they're spread too thin across the running time and the laughs are never that great nor are the stunts and fights all that impressive. Still, it's not terrible.

Ip Man (Wilson Yip, 2008) -

The based-on-a-true-story movie about the titular kung fu grandmaster coping with life under the Japanese occupation of China in the 1930s hits a lot of typical biopic notes, but it's worth it for the well-choreographed fight scenes (the one where Ip Man fights off ten attackers simultaneously is a classic) and some well-done performances.

Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster (Wilson Yip, 2010) -

The sequel to Ip Man takes place over a decade after the first film where Ip Man has relocated to Hong Kong and is trying to set up his own kung-fu school. It definitely feels like a sequel that attempts to build a franchise off the well-done first film, but it does have some good sequences (such as the scene where Ip Man fights his rival grandmasters on a table surrounded by upturned chairs) even if it does go a little Rocky IV in the end with Ip Man challenging a bigoted British boxer.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (Dominique Othenin-Girard, 1989) -

Another Halloween film, once again following Michael Myers as he goes after his niece and anyone else who gets in the road. Even less interesting supporting characters than the fourth film and not much good here.

The Grandmaster (Wong Kar-Wai, 2013) -

Wong Kar-Wai's take on the story of Ip Man differs vastly from the films mentioned higher up on this post - whereas the others are straightforward action/biopic films, this one has Wong's signature style all over it as the fights are shot with style and grace while equal flair is demonstrated in the more dramatic scenes. The introduction of a subplot detailing the unrequited romance that Zhang Ziyi's Gong Er feels for Tony Leung's Ip Man is handled well. A very different kind of film to Ip Man.

Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1966) -

Tarkovsky's three-hour take on the life of 15th-century painter Andrei Rublev as he spends decades wandering a wartorn Russia encountering all manner of oppressions both widespread and personal moves slowly, but not in a bad way. You usually know what you're in for with Tarkovsky and the stark monochrome photography combines with long takes to make some striking images, but it really helps to be patient with the lengthy diatribes about faith or lack thereof.

The Dance of Reality (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 2013) -

Alejandro Jodorowsky's first film in over twenty years is a biopic about his formative years growing up in a small Chilean village, though it's riddled with Jodorowksy's trademark surrealism that thoroughly blurs the line between fantasy and reality (hence the title, I guess). It's a little on the long side and often spends a lot of time following Jodorowsky's father through his own misadventures but it's full of striking images that may or may not be effective depending on how much you're willing to go along with Jodorowsky's left-field vision. Even at the age of eighty-four, Jodorowksy can still put out a film that at the very least grabs your eye with its bizarre images, and it's still good for that if nothing else.

Sharknado (Anthony C. Ferrante, 2013) - (Camp rating: )

The notorious low-budget joke movie about a freak tornado that picks up a large number of sharks and rains them down on Los Angeles is surprisingly enjoyable despite knowing that at some point the powers that be decided to make it deliberately bad rather than unintentionally bad. Even so, it's still pretty enjoyable as far as bad genre trash goes. Logic and reason are thrown to the side in favour of laughably clichéd character development and scientifically impossible action sequences and while it probably doesn't deserve to be added to the so-bad-it-good canon due to its deliberate awfulness, it's entertaining enough for what it's worth.

The Internship (Shawn Levy, 2013) -

Passable enough film about Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as middle-aged former salesmen who try to win internships working for Google despite being twice as old as their competitors and not knowing how to use computers. A typical underdog narrative and tolerable PG-13 humour mean this isn't horrible but not a classic either.

Magnum Force (Ted Post, 1973) -

The first Dirty Harry sequel that follows Clint Eastwood's hard-boiled detective as he investigates a group of vigilante policemen who are dangerously gung-ho about killing criminals. Dirty Harry sequels aren't all that great, but this is at least one of the better ones and contains some unremarkable-yet-decent '70s-style action sequences.

Wild Zero (Tetsuro Takeuchi, 1999) -

The members of Japanese rock band Guitar Wolf play themselves in this homage to old-school exploitation films where a bunch of oddball characters are thrown together in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Some cheesy effects work and the typical attempts to be awesome mean this is pretty watchable but as far as cult zombie movies go it could go a little better. The soundtrack is pretty good, though.

Wreck-It Ralph (Rich Moore, 2012) -

Surprisingly excellent and I'm disappointed I didn't see it in theatres. The story of the titular videogame character getting tired of being treated as a villain makes for a great story and the film's visuals are brilliant as well. Definitely rewatchable.

The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012) -

I was kind of let down by this one, to be honest. Phoenix and Hoffman put in some good performances (as befitting your typical P.T. Anderson film) but there's not enough material here to justify running over two hours nor are the visuals especially startling like they were in There Will Be Blood. Still a decent film by all accounts, but high expectations are a bastard.

American Hustle (David O. Russell, 2013) -

I was initially rather impressed by the story of con artists being forced to conduct scams for the FBI against corrupt politicians in the 1970s but further reflection hasn't exactly improved my opinion of it. Sure, it's shot well and the main characters have a decent level of depth but it doesn't quite encourage me to care who comes out on top for the most part. Decent soundtrack, though.

The Fighter (David O. Russell, 2010) -

It seems like all the David O. Russell films I've seen in full are technically competent but not all that compelling. The Fighter is the true story of an up-and-coming boxer and the complications getting in the way of his road to greatness, chief among them his screw-up brother/trainer. Decent enough to watch, but not enough here to guarantee a second viewing.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Adam McKay, 2013) -

The follow-up to the widely-quoted cult classic about incompetent news reporters is not a thoroughly awful disappointment but it's hard to see it having the same lasting impact as the original. A lot of gags are deliberately recycled from the first film, for better (the completely random fight scene is brought back) or worse (Steve Carell's incredibly stupid weatherman is given way too much screentime and for the most part it's terrible, to say nothing of Kristen Wiig as his female counterpart) but the new gags are surprisingly decent and there's a bit of ham-fisted social commentary thrown in for good measure.

Pacific Rim (Guillermo Del Toro, 2013) -

Giant robots fighting giant monsters, huh? Sure, I'll roll with it. Some gaps in the film's internal logic, sure, but the visuals alternate between the impressive (even on DVD the film looks great) and the disappointing (some of the actual fights look kind of blurry). As far as blockbusters go, it's decent enough.

Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, 2013) -

The hype was strong as this was being considered the best of the Before... series and fortunately it was brilliant enough to warrant it. Once again, it's mostly Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) talking to each other, though in this case the severity of the conversation escalates considerably and the entire climax of the film was amazing to watch. I'd probably pick it as the best 2013 I've seen yet (though as far as subjective favourites go I'd still give it to The World's End).

Sudden Impact (Clint Eastwood, 1983) -

The fourth Dirty Harry film is a bit hard to judge. On the one hand, it's still continuing the kind of silliness found in the previous movies, but the decision to make the subject of Callahan's investigation a gang-rape victim systematically murdering her tormentors makes it a bit more complex than corrupt cops or crazed freedom fighters. That complexity is especially jarring in contrast with comical scenes such as Callahan chasing a perp in a bus full of seniors or tough-talking a mob boss into having a heart attack. It might deserve a 3 more than the previous two films, but something about the way it handles its material doesn't sit right with me.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

Hotel!

Despite being only 75 minutes, this feels pretty long. It's essentially a spoof of a spoof (Airplane!). Initially, the appalling bad humour is actually quite funny, in a surreal sort of way. You enjoy the awful puns of everything in this hotel being literal- when chef Gary Rhodes asks the hotel manager (Peter Capaldi) if he likes the taste of the menu, he licks the menu!- but after half an hour, you kind of want something different.

To be fair, that's not the only type of humour- there's some surreal gun-smuggling and code-words from Bosnian terrorist Art Malik (better known as Hari Kumar in seminal ITV miniseries The Jewel in The Crown, or the Afghani criminal in The Living Daylights). There's even some film allusions, some intentional, some maybe unintentional. And it's a hell of a lot better than Death at A Funeral.

If you're a Doctor Who fan, you'll love the fact that we have two Doctors in this film! Peter Capaldi (i.e. The Twelfth Doctor) is the cowardly hotel manager and Paul McGann (i.e. The Eighth Doctor) is an ex-soldier who works at the hotel (I guessed maybe a deputy manager?) and still has memories of the war in Bosnia...

My favourite character is Brian Conley's policeman, Inspector Cochrane, who's the local village policeman but has delusions of being a hardboiled LA cop. His insistence on making up Italian-American sounding surnames for everyone he talks to is hilarious.

Why do I give it two stars? Well, I've been a bit too nice recently and it's hard to argue that this is really worth seeing, unless you want the novelty of watching two Doctors working together. Eight even has the hair!

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You cannot have it both ways. A dancer who relies upon the doubtful comforts of human love can never be a great dancer. Never. (The Red Shoes, 1948)

I definitely agree that it is the best in the series, by far, as it felt more natural and Hawke and Delpy knew their characters much better.

@Iroquois: Great post! I don't agree with your thoughts on The Master, though, as I thought it was one of the best looking films of recent years and because I personally thought there was a great amount of material that needed to be explored and ultimately was executed on a nicely fitting and laid-back pace.

It's also a film that becomes better and better with each rewatch.

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

I do get the feeling I may have missed something the first time around, but it'll probably be a while before I watch it again.

I'll see how I feel a few years down the line. I still haven't re-watched Before Sunset so I'm not sure how I'd even rank them (though I imagine Sunset would be my least favourite in any case - not that it's a bad film, just my least favourite).

Touch of Evil -



I didn't expect it to be such a good movie! It starts off well and only gets better and better from this point, reaching its peak during the final sequence. The cinematography is astounding and I love the use of deep focus in this! The visuals make for a great atmosphere, but another great thing about the movie are performances. Welles is great and I think I don't have to say why. He was pretty huge in the film. I wonder what was his weight at the time. I was quite surprised when I saw Dietrich in that movie. The fact Hitchcock was probably influenced by Touch of Evil is pretty cool as well.

The Blood and Black Lace -



That was the worst Bava movie I have seen, but I really enjoyed it nevertheless. I really should have rated it higher, but unlike others of its kind, the film left me rather cold. As goes for other Bava color films the hues in here are very deep and detailed scenery and richness of colors make for a nice set-up. The camera movement had its brilliant moments as well. It's one of the first giallo films, which is cool. You know what? I change the rating to . Because I can.

Lady Blue Shanghai -



Lynch made an advertisement? What a sell-out! No way. It's still our old, gruesome and moody Lynch as we love him! This short feels like an excerpt from Inland Empire, only it's not. Some flickering colors, ambient soundtrack, constant mystery and Cotillard as the lead. The two Chinese guys just standing there, gawking and talking slowly is 100% Lynchian cinema. Every Lynch fan has to see it.

Though welles was very fat in his later life and was certainly big by the time Touch of Evil was made, his weight in that film was faked, he wasn't at that point yet.

Nostalghia (1983) - Andrei Tarkovsky
Another stunning Tarkovsky movie visually - with characters I didn't care about and, to be honest, have already forgotten.

Back to the Future (1985) - Robert Zemeckis
Still fun.

Kagemusha (1980) - Akira Kurosawa
I think I've decided that regardless of whether or not Kurosawa is considered a "master", he is just not going to be one of my favourite Japanese directors. This is the ninth film of his I've seen and rated them all between and . This was another very good movie that didn't reach greatness in my eyes.

Ghostbusters II (1989) - Ivan Reitman
Mostly watchable but the last 20 minutes is pretty bad.

Avenge me!

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"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."