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Is it bad that I can't remember? It was something after Brokeback Mountain... I guess it wasn't very good.. Now this is going to bother me all day.
What was the last movie you saw at the theaters?
Originally Posted by justdecent
Is it bad that I can't remember? It was something after Brokeback Mountain... I guess it wasn't very good.. Now this is going to bother me all day.
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Originally Posted by Holden Pike
Mission: Impossible III (2006 - J.J. Abrams)
A big, dumb action movie that I suppose delivers as a big, dumb action movie...at least until the final twenty minutes. I thought DePalma's original big screen Mission: Impossible was pretty lame, but John Woo's entry was exponentially worse. I'd have to say M:I 3 is the best of the three flicks, but I don't think that's saying much. TV superstar J.J. Abrams ("Alias", "Lost") and the script try to add a core of emotional character development this time by having Cruise's superagent Ethan Hunt semi-retired from the IMF and about to settle down with a new young bride (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang's Michelle Monaghan). Unfortunately there isn't much on-screen chemistry between the actors and their relationship, while deeper than anything in John Woo's silly flick, isn't really all that much to hang a movie on. The villain is recent Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, playing a ruthless and shadowy arms dealer. Hoffman's presence helps lend something interesting to the role, even if I often kept thinking it was basically his character from Punch-Drunk Love in a custom tux.
The IMF team Cruise works with this time is Ving Rhames, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Maggie Q, with an assist back at headquarters from Simon Pegg. The two superiors in charge at IMF are Billy Crudup as Hunt's handler and Larry Fishburne as the man running the entire agency. Thay're all fine (though I would have liked to see more of Pegg, who steals both of the main scenes he's in), but as usual this is the Tom Cruise show, co-starring pyrotechnics. The added emotional component must have looked good on paper, but in execution it is standard and clunky. As such, the finale doesn't have the power they're pretending it does.
Mission: Impossible III isn't bad, it's a watchable action movie. But compared to the high bars set by the smart Bourne movies and the all-out fun of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in recent years, it's definitely a step or two down...even if it is much better than the previous M:I entry.
GRADE: C+
well, i probably will eat my words because i'm seeing this tomorrow
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An American Haunting (Courtney Solomon)
Had I realized this was made by the same fella who brought us the craptacular borefest Dungeons & Dragons (2000), I might not have wasted my time. Based on a supposedly "true" account of supernatural goings on in early 19th Century Tennessee, this is a standard at best and annoying at worst cinematic ghost story. Purporting to retell a documented case of the period, and the only generally accepted event of a "spirit" being responsible for the death of a person in America (purported by folks who believe this kind of stuff in the first place, I reckon). Donald Sutherland stars as the patriarch of a fairly well-to-do family, the Bells, which also includes his wife (Sissy Spacek) and children, most specifically his favorite daughter, Betsy (Rachel Hurd-Wood, who played Wendy in the 2003 P.J. Hogan adaptation of Peter Pan). Sutherland's character is a learned man and a pillar of the community, but a dispute with a neighbor has him on trial for usury, which is basically charging more interest than Church doctrine allows. Sutherland doesn't really have a defense, just that the woman neighbor is of low character and has been known to fault on business dealings in the past. They find against him, but give him essentially a slap on the wrist for the day. But the woman curses him and his favorite daughter as his real punishment. Soon after, the family starts hearing strange noises at night, followed by unexplainable physical phenomena. Yadda-yadda, this escelates until the daughter is being ravaged and tortured by invisible spirits in her room at night, as the family and others stand by helpless. Oooooooooooooooaaaaahhhhhh.
It's all very standard, things we've all seen dozens of times. The spirits are generally represented by tracking shots where the camera's POV is that of the entity, and this becomes tiresome pretty quickly. By the second half of the movie, you also start to get a lot of elaborate sequences that, shock, are just dreams. As tired as all this stuff is, it qualified for watchable TV-movie quality anyway. Until the ending - which is just a frippin' stupid idea...plus executed in a hamfisted fashion. So after all this "haunting" that numerous people witness and includes things that are truly supernatural, it turns out...
WARNING: "AN AMERICAN HAUNTING.." spoilers below
...this haunting was not caused by the nasty neighbor witch woman's curse, but created when poppa Sutherland started climbing into his daughter's bed in the middle of the night and performing some violent incest. See, her innocent "spirit" died the first time he raped her. She has supressed the incidents but now her lost innocence has come back to wreak havoc and restore justice to the family. How is this justice enfored? Mommy Spacek finally is shown the truth by the haunting, so she poisons her husband. That is the 'only known death attributed to a spirit' that the movie boasts about. OK. Whatever.
Not only is this handled badly and a let down, but there's also a stupid present-day framing device, where we see this same kind of haunting is taking place to another family and for the same reasons! If this is true, that such an event can give rise to poltergeists, then why aren't there millions of such reported cases from history? The end "twists" made an average and dull movie groan inducing and feel like a complete waste. Had this project been made for cable television, maybe the Lifetime network, it still would have been just as bad, but at least would have been where it belongs.
GRADE: D
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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
"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
Last edited by Holden Pike; 05-06-06 at 04:46 PM.
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Originally Posted by Holden Pike
An American Haunting (Courtney Solomon)
Had I realized this was made by the same fella who brought us the craptacular borefest Dungeons & Dragons (2000), I might not have wasted my time. Based on a supposedly "true" account of supernatural goings on in early 19th Century Tennessee, this is a standard at best and annoying at worst cinematic ghost story. Purporting to retell a documented case of the period, and the only generally accepted event of a "spirit" being responsible for the death of a person in America (purported by folks who believe this kind of stuff in the first place, I reckon). Donald Sutherland stars as the patriarch of a fairly well-to-do family, the Bells, which also includes his wife (Sissy Spacek) and children, most specifically his favorite daughter, Betsy (Rachel Hurd-Wood, who played Wendy in the 2003 P.J. Hogan adaptation of Peter Pan). Sutherland's character is a learned man and a pillar of the community, but a dispute with a neighbor has him on trial for usury, which is basically charging more interest than Church doctrine allows. Sutherland doesn't really have a defense, just that the woman neighbor is of low character and has been known to fault on business dealings in the past. They find against him, but give him essentially a slap on the wrist for the day. But the woman curses him and his favorite daughter as his real punishment. Soon after, the family starts hearing strange noises at night, followed by unexplainable physical phenomena. Yadda-yadda, this escelates until the daughter is being ravaged and tortured by invisible spirits in her room at night, as the family and others stand by helpless. Oooooooooooooooaaaaahhhhhh.
It's all very standard, things we've all seen dozens of times. The spirits are generally represented by tracking shots where the camera's POV is that of the entity, and this becomes tiresome pretty quickly. By the second half of the movie, you also start to get a lot of elaborate sequences that, shock, are just dreams. As tired as all this stuff is, it qualified for watchable TV-movie quality anyway. Until the ending - which is just a frippin' stupid idea...plus executed in a hamfisted fashion. So after all this "haunting" that numerous people witness and includes things that are truly supernatural, it turns out...
WARNING: "AN AMERICAN HAUNTING.." spoilers below
...this haunting was not caused by the nasty neighbor witch woman's curse, but created when poppa Sutherland started climbing into his daughter's bed in the middle of the night and performing some violent incest. See, her innocent "spirit" died the first time he raped her. She has supressed the incidents but now her lost innocence has come back to wreak havoc and restore justice to the family. How is this justice enfored? Mommy Spacek finally is shown the truth by the haunting, so she poisons her husband. That is the 'only known death attributed to a spirit' that the movie boasts about. OK. Whatever.
Not only is this handled badly and a let down, but there's also a stupid present-day framing device, where we see this same kind of haunting is taking place to another family and for the same reasons! If this is true, that such an event can give rise to poltergeists, then why aren't there millions of such reported cases from history? The end "twists" made an average and dull movie groan inducing and feel like a complete waste. Had this project been made for cable television, maybe the Lifetime network, it still would have been just as bad, but at least would have been where it belongs.
GRADE: D
Was this supposed to be based on the "Bell Witch" legend? If so, I don't remember anything about the info in your "spoilers" in the actual legend... Hollywood?
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Originally Posted by Caitlyn
Was this supposed to be based on the "Bell Witch" legend? If so, I don't remember anything about the info in your "spoilers" in the actual legend... Hollywood?
First of all, you don't have to quote my entire long post. Secondly, yes, this is a version of the Bell Witch. The "theory" they offer is from a book, a novel by Brent Monahan, which made the same assertion.
Though I think it's all horsepucky and I don't see why that explanation is any less valid than witchcraft or demonic possession or whetever else one wants to offer? My gripe wasn't so much in the twist itself and the underlying theory of the poltergeist's origin, rather how it was executed in the movie. I could give a crap where one thinks the ghost came from, I want to see a well made flick. An American Haunting ain't it.
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Originally Posted by Holden Pike
First of all, you don't have to quote my entire long post. Secondly, yes, this is a version of the Bell Witch. The "theory" they offer is from a book, a novel by Brent Monahan, which made the same assertion.
First of all, get off my toes… you're too damn heavy… Second of all, thank you for the info. I've only seen one trailer for this and had no idea it was supposed to be connected to the Bell Witch legend… also, thank you for the warning... I think I'll pass it by and stick with the original legend...
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The Proposition [2006 - John Hillcoat]
Generally enjoyable post-modern western romp through Australia; Proposition was penned by gothic balladeer Nick Cave, who, if any of you read his novel, has tried his hand with mild success at the Wild West before.
It's interesting, dirty, poetic, dirty, occassionally touching and incredibly dirty.
As in unclean. Which I guess is an effort to bring realism into the Western mythos, what in its presenting a generally unclean time in unclean places and all. But if it is, it's a selective presentation; try as it might to subvert them with all sorts of modern grotesqueries, this film affirms quite a few classical expectations of the Western genre.
But it's definitely worth seeing. The Proposition has grand performances from everyone involved (yes, including a good turn by Guy Pearce); especially standing out are those of Danny Huston (who appeared at the screening if any of you saw this at the Nuart on Friday, where he did a pitch-perfect impersonation of his father as he compared this film to Treasure of the Sierra Madre) and an old old old-looking William Hurt.
Ultimately The Proposition is a fairly fun and satisfying movie going experience; you know, in the Haneke sense of "fun".
A-
Generally enjoyable post-modern western romp through Australia; Proposition was penned by gothic balladeer Nick Cave, who, if any of you read his novel, has tried his hand with mild success at the Wild West before.
It's interesting, dirty, poetic, dirty, occassionally touching and incredibly dirty.
As in unclean. Which I guess is an effort to bring realism into the Western mythos, what in its presenting a generally unclean time in unclean places and all. But if it is, it's a selective presentation; try as it might to subvert them with all sorts of modern grotesqueries, this film affirms quite a few classical expectations of the Western genre.
But it's definitely worth seeing. The Proposition has grand performances from everyone involved (yes, including a good turn by Guy Pearce); especially standing out are those of Danny Huston (who appeared at the screening if any of you saw this at the Nuart on Friday, where he did a pitch-perfect impersonation of his father as he compared this film to Treasure of the Sierra Madre) and an old old old-looking William Hurt.
Ultimately The Proposition is a fairly fun and satisfying movie going experience; you know, in the Haneke sense of "fun".
A-
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"We'll hunt for a third tiger now, but like the others this one too will be a form of what I dream, a structure of words, and not the flesh and one tiger that beyond all myths paces the earth."
"We'll hunt for a third tiger now, but like the others this one too will be a form of what I dream, a structure of words, and not the flesh and one tiger that beyond all myths paces the earth."
Originally Posted by TygerTyger
The Proposition [2006 - John Hillcoat]
Generally enjoyable post-modern western romp through Australia;
It's interesting, dirty, poetic, dirty, occassionally touching and incredibly dirty. A-
Generally enjoyable post-modern western romp through Australia;
It's interesting, dirty, poetic, dirty, occassionally touching and incredibly dirty. A-
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mission impossible three...mindless action and good escape film..not much more...
as everyone says it's better than 1 and 2
as everyone says it's better than 1 and 2
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I saw The Sentinel the other day. I was unimpressed. The acting was decent, but I thought the script left much to be desired. It was a good idea, but the script didn't follow through
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Just caught Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance at the Picturehouse. So boring, can't hold a candle to Oldboy. Still, the girl (I don't mean the six year old) is pretty fine, and when the vengeance comes it lives up to its reputation, but what felt like an hour and a half was spent waiting for something to happen.
The scene where the green-haired moron wakes up after going to see the organ guys made me squirm a little though, which is quite an achievement.
The scene where the green-haired moron wakes up after going to see the organ guys made me squirm a little though, which is quite an achievement.
Originally Posted by Alvin
I saw MI3 last night, good fun, but in parts a bit lame. Most notably Simon Pegg's explanation of the concept of the 'Anti-God' nearly made me strangle myself, and any scene where Mr Whackjob himself Tom Cruise expressed his love for 'Jules' was similarly appalling, but the killing was fun. And Maggie Q is pretty fine. I can't believe it takes 30 seconds to charge a defibrillator though, seems like a major design flaw, and surely their little implants would just blow up instead of giving you a headache for 5 minutes, what was the point in that? Overall, it's probably worth 3/5, but as I was in the mood for junk last night, it felt like a 4.
Well, I can't say much about the 'anti-god' but I can say that the defribrillator takes thirty seconds because there is a stupidly high amount of electricity running through it, and it just takes a while to charge. Then about the implant just blowing immediatly after being activated, well I would certainly feel better about myself knowing my enemy would have to writhe in pain then die a really stupid-looking, dishonorable, and lets face it REDICULOUS death; or hook a car battery to his boys in order not to die ultimatly killing himself.
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I saw Eight Below this weekend, I loved it, any movies with animals in them has won me over even before it starts
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Originally Posted by Holden Pike
Mission: Impossible III (2006 - J.J. Abrams)
A big, dumb action movie that I suppose delivers as a big, dumb action movie
but as usual this is the Tom Cruise show, co-starring pyrotechnics.
Mission: Impossible III isn't bad, it's a watchable action movie.
A big, dumb action movie that I suppose delivers as a big, dumb action movie
but as usual this is the Tom Cruise show, co-starring pyrotechnics.
Mission: Impossible III isn't bad, it's a watchable action movie.
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Last movie I saw was MI:III. I'm giving it a 7.5/10 strictly on enjoyment factor. A few silly parts like why did the helicopter stare at Cruise with a perfect shot at first but veer off to the left before it started shooting and missing. Still thought that entire sequence in general was sweet, along with the Vatican scene and the copter chase fight scene early on in the film. Wasnt disappointed at all actually. The first was still the better one to me buy not by much.
Saw MI:III last night as well. I enjoyed myself immensley- but we have to remember- the bar was set with MI:II, so it wasnt hard to beat my expectations. I chalk it up to the fact that Woo didnt have his grubby little paws on this one. 
Opening copter chase was sweet. The rest felt like some kind of middle ground between Bourne Identity and Oceans 11, but failing to capture the real feel of either of them.
Yeah- my expectations exceeded. (but again, not hard to do.)
Opening copter chase was sweet. The rest felt like some kind of middle ground between Bourne Identity and Oceans 11, but failing to capture the real feel of either of them.
Yeah- my expectations exceeded. (but again, not hard to do.)
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