Movie Tab II

This is a ridiculously riotous film. I just found it to be a very, very funny film. A true example of the 'screwball comedy'. The reason it works so well is due to the fact that Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers both really throw themselves into it. If they had tried to keep any dignity about themselves it wouldn't have worked, so thankfully they don't seem worried about looking daft.

Favourite moments include Gary Grant leading a group of young boys on a scalping mission against a man he thinks is interested in his wife and Rogers' character having a bit of a breakdown at the hotel where they went on their honeymoon. The film also stars Marilyn Monroe, and while her screentime isn't much she makes the most of it with a charming, entertaining turn.

Just great fun.





I think this is a wildly sexy and darkly funny movie. A dark romantic (of a sort) comedy which reminded me a touch of Heathers.

All of the young actors put in charismatic performances. I've never been a fan of Sarah Michelle Gellar (despite loving the show Buffy, she was always my least favourite element of it) but think she's terrifically entertaining here. I also think with her brunette hair she looks sexier than I've ever seen her. Her character is just devilishly delightful, a character of almost pure evil. And while it's never acknowledged I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out her character was actually a sociopath.

Surprisingly (and perhaps strangely) I found the courtship between Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe to be one of the more engaging and touching relationships I've seen in a while. A lot of this is down to Phillippe's performance. We really see the change that the character goes through, going from a complete douche to being someone we can actually care about and root for.

At times it's rather daft and over the top but done so glossily that it's really entertaining.





I found this to be a really engaging film, mostly down to the incredible central performance and the performances of the supporting cast.

Carey Mulligan is absolutely incredible as Jenny. She creates a character that I just fell completely in love with. Peter Sarsgaard is excellent as David, the sophisticated man who grabs her attentions. You can fully understand why Jenny and her parents are hooked in by him. He gives an incredibly charming performance, I found myself buying into what he was selling. Alfred Molina is...well Alfred Molina! Which means you are always going to get a solid, reliable performance from him; he's a terrific actor. And Rosamund Pike delivers quite a few laughs in her Marilyn Monroe-like role as a ditzy blonde.

The film is helped out by a very well written script by Nick Hornby. Each character is developed into a believable character in their own right, and some of the language in dialogue heavy scenes is very well done.

By the end I just found that I had become completely caught up in the story, just hoping for everything to turn out ok





Really broody, intriguing film. It kept me strongly interested throughout, trying to figure out how it was all going to work out. What had happened in Marnie's past that made her how she was now, and why was Sean Connery's character so desperate to help her

Unlike the true classics that Hitchcock produced however I'm not sure the film is good enough that it will hold up to repeat viewings now that the mystery will no longer be there. It's quite daft and cheesy to be honest when it comes to the story and the psychological element that it tries to portray. But fairly fun all the same

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Up front let me tell you that I've decided to respond to this post because I believe I can be courteous here. There are several posts out there right now where I just want to scream and cuss at what seems completely foolish to me, but I've kept my cool, at least I hope I have.

I'm glad that you liked Monkey Business, I guess. I can't give it any more than . It just seems like a silly Disney flick with very few decent laughs. It's one of those films I don't especially like which I do keep checking out though in the hope that it will somehow click with me. Unfortunately, it hasn't yet and I have little hope that it will ever rise above silly slapstick. I like screwball comedies a lot but I need some level of wit to go along with the outrageousness. I think that even Bedtime for Bonzo is better than this. Sorry, JD (but only if necessary).

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

No apologies necessary Mark. Although the fact I made you want to scream and cuss makes me a sad panda. Just different opinions and that's fine. I think I just happened to catch it in the exact right mood that day, was really in the mood for something extraordinarily daft. Wouldn't be surprised if I didn't enjoy it near as much when I return to it some day. And if I had been rating it down to just 'quality' it would probably have been a lot lower, but gave it such a high rating down to just my personal enjoyment of it.

And my exposure to screwball comedies has been very limited so far, so whenever I get round to seeing some of the acknowledged classics of the genre this may well pale in comparison. And I should probably think more about the actual ratings I give the films. A lot of the time I just go with an instinctual, gut feeling but a couple of weeks later think that it should not have been as high.

You didn't make me want to scream and cuss. It's the posts I don't respond to which "make me want" to do that.

Lawrence of Arabia -

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Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)
Cowboys & Aliens (Jon Favreau, 2011)
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1947)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Wyatt, 2011)

Great flick. I'm not terribly familiar with the originals, but this film smartly reinvents the wheel with some substantive storytelling to reboot the franchise. Andy Serkis and friends do a good job of investing us in Caesar and his plight, and the film never muddies itself by trying to make statements about animal cruelty (though the inferences can be drawn if you want to).

The pacing pleasantly builds to a pretty stellar climax and there are some genuinely thrilling scenes throughout. And I'm not just talking about the stunning CG, although that's certainly a plus point here. The film actually made me gasp during one particularly tense scene, and when that happens, you know you're in good hands.

I did take some issue with a bit of the editing at the end, conveniently skipping over limitations of the drug technology established earlier, but it's easy to overlook. This is a film about mistreated apes suddenly being given the means to do something about it, and the result is a lot of fun. I can't wait for more.

Lucky Number Slevin/The Wrong Man (2006)

Wow. The trailer made it look like a decent action-comedy. But this is something else. A cleverly constructed thriller, with some of the best performances I've ever seen and solid direction.

I can see why some wouldn't like it, but for the most part I loved it (except for the lack of laughs; I was expecting at least some comedy) and recommend it.

+

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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

Oh right, sorry for picking you up wrong.

Just out of interest how many times have you watched Monkey Business? Just if there was a film I wasn't daft on and couldn't rate more than 2 out of 5 I don't think I would keep revisiting it, waiting to see if it would finally work for me

Yeah, but mark's weird like that.

Shaun of the Dead. I've seen this years ago but only a part of the last half so I decided to check on it. Honestly, I was a bit surprised. I did not really know it was this funny coz all I can remember was those intense scenes. One of the best comedies I've seen. LOL

Well, I tried. I did. But I simply couldn't bring myself to care at all about any of the characters. The acting was good, I suppose, and the costumes were impressive, but none of that matters if I can't connect. And I couldn't. I didn't care for either of the other two Aronofsky films I've seen (Requiem For A Dream, The Wrestler) either. I think he's just not the director for me.

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Yep, same here. Actually, I was bored to extreme irritation. I don't care much for Aronofsky either. I liked Requiem for a Dream a lot when I was younger, but my tastes have changed and I'm not a big fan now.

Full Metal Jacket -

(second viewing)

Senna (2010, Asif Kapadia)

3/5



Damn.

Amongst my Petrosexual friends, the new documentary on Ayrton Senna has been discussed in hushed tones. I'd held off seeing it but finally caved in to their recommendations.

Thing is, I don't think I'd count any of my Petrolhead friends as much of a movie fan and this was confirmed to me after I'd finished watching 'the best documentary ever made'. *cough*

To the outside world, Ayrton Senna had it all - Handsome, charismatic and a 3 time world champion. How much more of his life would we experience?



The film's not in any way bad - It charts Senna's career with its fabulous highs and its maddening, saddening low as well as any I've seen but doesn't give me any insight into what made this most driven (pardon the pun) of racing drivers tick. All we get is a little exchange between Senna and his friend Dr Sid Watkins in the hours before his death.

I'm paraphrasing here:

Watkins: Why don't you just walk away from it all Ayrton? I'll quit too and we can go fishing.

Senna: I can't stop, Sid.

That's about it.

Sure, we get some great insight into the semi-secretive world of pre-race drivers meetings but that's interesting to me as much for seeing Nigel Mansell wearing a cloth cap (Formula 1 is so romantic!) and chatting away to Prost as if they were best buddies as it is experiencing the frustration Ayrton was having with the sport's rule-makers.

Some fabulous racing is shown, especially the on-board footage, but you can get it all on YouTube.

Interviews with the likes of his sister, Frank Williams, Ron Dennis etc are not much more than functional PR stuff. Nothing revelatory.

The final part of the film, dealing with Senna's death is what enable the film to jump ahead of whatever made-for-TV doc you've seen about the man. We see the crash (as well as Roland Ratzenberger's fatal accident and Martin Donnelly's almost-tragic one) and the resultant swarm of medical staff and marshals but it's not overdone.

I'd deliberately not watched footage of Ayrton's death since seeing it live, TV dinner in lap, back in 1994. I'd seen plenty of motor racing crashes, both at circuits and on TV, but none which made me think to myself so quickly: That's it. Senna's dead.

It'll live with me forever.

Sadly, Senna the movie won't. He was a driver I was in awe of for his speed and craft but as a man I found him to just be a bit too obsessional.

This documentary isn't obsessional enough.



Personally, this is how I'll remember Ayrton - One of the best displays of (road) car control I've ever seen.



And fabulous brown loafers.

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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

Went to a John Ford day at Sydney Uni today we watched

The Prisoner of Shark Island


Young Mr. Lincoln


Stagecoach


The Grapes of Wrath

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

Hall Pass - Silly, dumb Farelly Brothers film starring Owen Wilson and Jason Sudekis as two knuckleheads who's relentless sexism make their wives give them a free week off of marriage to follow their hormones. Though I must say, if Jenna Fischer were MY wife, I'd NEVER look at another woman ever. She's like my dream girl. LOL.

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"You, me, everyone...we are all made of star stuff." - Neil Degrasse Tyson

https://shawnsmovienight.blogspot.com/

The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
It's All True (Orson Welles et al. 1993) (Documentary parts: , Orson Welles parts: )
Sisters (Brian De Palma, 1973)



Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956)
The Limey (Steven Soderbergh, 1999)
Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt, 2011)


Journey Into Fear (Norman Foster, 1943)
Soy Cuba (Mikhail Kalatozov, 1964) +

If.... (1968)



My personal favorite film of all time, If takes place in a British boarding school, where Mick Travis (played by Malcolm McDowell, who is fantastic as usual) and his fellow "degenerates" revolt against the "whips" (seniors of the school who dominate their classmates) and the authorities of the school.

If is a very fascinating and unique film. The style is most noteworthy in the way the film switches between black and white to color, seemingly for no reason.

A very dark and surreal film, highly recommended.

-10/10

Days of Heaven (1978)



Days of Heaven tells the story of Bill and Abby a couple posing as brother and sister in beginning of the century America who travel south to Texas to escape poverty. They find work in the fields and harvest crops, on the farm of a wealthy man who falls in love with Abby and sets off a chain of violence and jealousy.

Directed in a visually stunning way by Terrence Malick, Days of Heaven has some of the most breathtaking poetic cinematography in film history.

-9/10

Down by Law (1986)



One of the first films I've seen by Jim Jarmusch, I was very pleasantly surprised by this little gem.

The story is pretty simple, three men (two of which were set up, and one of which murdered a man in self defense) are sent to prison in Louisiana, and plan to escape to freedom.

A very idiosyncratic ensemble (Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni), a very minimalist approach, and the melancholy mood throughout make this film a very interesting viewing experience.

-10/10

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Touching from a distance, further all the time.

A couple of things. One, if If... is your favourite film, why isn't it #1 on your list?

Two, the changing from b&w to colour was simply due to budget reasons.

A brilliant film, though.