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i didnt think coraline was out yet, but just checked the dates for it. nevermind
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Yeah, they actually seem to have dropped that ball on the marketing campaign. The only preview I remember seeing for it was attached to Bolt and I haven't seen any on tv. What a weird move. And the rest of this weekend's releases are just killing them on the advertising front. Can't drive four blocks without seeing a bus, billboard, or bench that isn't pimping He's Just Not that Into You. Jeez.
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I've seen Milk and Frozen River, but I'm not quite ready to write those up yet. I've got some others to put up though.
Primer (Shane Carruth, 2004)
I've watched this film twice now, and although it has plenty of fans, I just don't seem to be one of them. It's an intellectual puzzle about time travel which was shot for $7,000, yet it won a major Award at the Sundance Film Festival. There are four central characters, all friends who have formed their own business and are also working on a machine for time travel to be able to make some big money by going ahead in time and learning the results of major events so they can return and lay some big bets to become rich quickly. This is essentially their motivation, although the majority of the film's dialogue involves a form of pseudo-techspeak, and especially in the second half, wondering aloud why something occurred and who may have been responsible. Yes, the premise of making a sci-fi home movie without F/X is laudable, but it's replaced with what seems to be an intentionally-obscure plot involving unsympathetic cyphers who, when they begin to try to tackle ethical questions, just come off as pretentious a-holes. Sorry, if you like the film, but it's just too dry and uninvolving for me.
Crimes of the Heart (Bruce Beresford, 1986)
Three Southern sisters reunite at their family home after the youngest, Babe (Sissy Spacek), shoots and wounds her husband. The eldest Lenny (Diane Keaton) has been taking care of their grandfather who has just gone into a coma, and the middle sis Meg (Jessica Lange) returns from another unsuccessful stretch in Hollywood littered with failed love affairs. The family seems to be dysfunctional, a point that their cousin and next door neighbor Chick (Tess Harper) likes to hammer home. Fond memories and recriminations fill out most of the plot of this adaptation of Beth Henley's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. The acting is top-notch and although the film fluctuates between dark comedy, melodrama and farce, the tone seems consistent enough to keep it from going off the deep end. Two additional pluses are George Delerue's beautiful music and the wonderful old family house for which production designer Ken Adam (the James Bond series) deserves credit.
To Die For (Gus Van Sant, 1995)
Here is another black comedy about young Suzanne Stone (Nicole Kidman) who will stop at nothing to become famous on television. She isn't the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but she has found something to drive herself to become successful. The film is told in a fractured style, from many different perspectives and time frames, yet it all ultimately shows how Suzanne married Larry (Matt Dillon) but got tired of him really quickly. Instead, Suzanne bulldozes her way into getting a job at the local public TV station and takes up time with three high schoolers (Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck and Alison Folland) she enlists to be the subjects of her video tape essay on the current state of teenagers. The Joaquin Phoenix character soon becomes her lover, and the three kids get mixed up in Suzanne's plot to kill Larry so that she can fulfill her destiny. One character I haven't mentioned is Larry's ice-skating sister (Illeana Douglas) who seems to know more about what Suzanne's up to than most. Buck Henry's satiric script helps give Kidman one of her juiciest roles ever, even if all the motivations aren't fully put into focus. However, I'm willing to cut the film slack since David Cronenberg has a terrific cameo at the end, and it does have one of the spookier and more poetic scenes involving a frozen lake I can remember.
Seven Days to Noon (John & Roy Boulting, 1950)
It's been awhile since I've seen this modest British thriller classic, but it still delivers tons of suspense. Britain's chief nuclear scientist, Professor Widdington (Barry Jones), disappears with one of his atomic bombs and sends a letter to the Prime Minister (Ronald Adam) informing him that if Britain doesn't stop their nuclear arms program, he will detonate the bomb at the Seat of government in seven days at noon. The letter is intercepted by Superintendent Folland (André Morell) of Scotland Yard, and he begins an investigation to try to find the scientist before things get too drastic. The film begins as a lowkey manhunt, using the Professor's family and working partner (Hugh Cross) to try to ferret him out of hiding, but when that fails, the authorities escalate their search by publishing stories and photos of the Professor in newspapers, on TV and throughout London. Eventually, the city has to be evacuated and the central part of the city searched by the military. This latter part of the film is where the film grips you by the throat. Seeing the real London looking like a ghost town and watching Big Ben inexorably move towards 12 noon still packs a wallop.
Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964)
Goldfinger certainly ranks as one of the best Bond flicks and definitely Sean Connery's best. I've gone back-and-forth in my thoughts about this through the years, but last night, it seemed REALLY good, with an incredibly fast pace, Bond's use and abuse of women almost gleefully on display, two terrific villains, Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) and his henchman Oddjob (Harold Sakata), and three great Bond girls, Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton), her revenge-seeking sister Tilly (Tania Mallet) and the enigmatic Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman). When you add in Shirley Bassey's exuberant version of the title song, you've got terrific escapist entertainment. What else could help make this the Best Bond? Well, 007 gets to use his super tricked-out Aston Martin for the first time, and Bond gets to piss off his adversary several times at the beginning of the film using wit and ingenuity before ever having to resort to violent action. There's also the first use of a real laser in film history when Bond just about loses his "shortcomings". I still think that for spectacular action set pieces that On Her Majesty's Secret Service may just top Goldfinger, but it's extremely close if it does because Goldfinger is almost wall-to-wall with action, whether it's by land, sea or air.
Primer (Shane Carruth, 2004)
I've watched this film twice now, and although it has plenty of fans, I just don't seem to be one of them. It's an intellectual puzzle about time travel which was shot for $7,000, yet it won a major Award at the Sundance Film Festival. There are four central characters, all friends who have formed their own business and are also working on a machine for time travel to be able to make some big money by going ahead in time and learning the results of major events so they can return and lay some big bets to become rich quickly. This is essentially their motivation, although the majority of the film's dialogue involves a form of pseudo-techspeak, and especially in the second half, wondering aloud why something occurred and who may have been responsible. Yes, the premise of making a sci-fi home movie without F/X is laudable, but it's replaced with what seems to be an intentionally-obscure plot involving unsympathetic cyphers who, when they begin to try to tackle ethical questions, just come off as pretentious a-holes. Sorry, if you like the film, but it's just too dry and uninvolving for me.
Crimes of the Heart (Bruce Beresford, 1986)
Three Southern sisters reunite at their family home after the youngest, Babe (Sissy Spacek), shoots and wounds her husband. The eldest Lenny (Diane Keaton) has been taking care of their grandfather who has just gone into a coma, and the middle sis Meg (Jessica Lange) returns from another unsuccessful stretch in Hollywood littered with failed love affairs. The family seems to be dysfunctional, a point that their cousin and next door neighbor Chick (Tess Harper) likes to hammer home. Fond memories and recriminations fill out most of the plot of this adaptation of Beth Henley's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. The acting is top-notch and although the film fluctuates between dark comedy, melodrama and farce, the tone seems consistent enough to keep it from going off the deep end. Two additional pluses are George Delerue's beautiful music and the wonderful old family house for which production designer Ken Adam (the James Bond series) deserves credit.
To Die For (Gus Van Sant, 1995)
Here is another black comedy about young Suzanne Stone (Nicole Kidman) who will stop at nothing to become famous on television. She isn't the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but she has found something to drive herself to become successful. The film is told in a fractured style, from many different perspectives and time frames, yet it all ultimately shows how Suzanne married Larry (Matt Dillon) but got tired of him really quickly. Instead, Suzanne bulldozes her way into getting a job at the local public TV station and takes up time with three high schoolers (Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck and Alison Folland) she enlists to be the subjects of her video tape essay on the current state of teenagers. The Joaquin Phoenix character soon becomes her lover, and the three kids get mixed up in Suzanne's plot to kill Larry so that she can fulfill her destiny. One character I haven't mentioned is Larry's ice-skating sister (Illeana Douglas) who seems to know more about what Suzanne's up to than most. Buck Henry's satiric script helps give Kidman one of her juiciest roles ever, even if all the motivations aren't fully put into focus. However, I'm willing to cut the film slack since David Cronenberg has a terrific cameo at the end, and it does have one of the spookier and more poetic scenes involving a frozen lake I can remember.
Seven Days to Noon (John & Roy Boulting, 1950)
It's been awhile since I've seen this modest British thriller classic, but it still delivers tons of suspense. Britain's chief nuclear scientist, Professor Widdington (Barry Jones), disappears with one of his atomic bombs and sends a letter to the Prime Minister (Ronald Adam) informing him that if Britain doesn't stop their nuclear arms program, he will detonate the bomb at the Seat of government in seven days at noon. The letter is intercepted by Superintendent Folland (André Morell) of Scotland Yard, and he begins an investigation to try to find the scientist before things get too drastic. The film begins as a lowkey manhunt, using the Professor's family and working partner (Hugh Cross) to try to ferret him out of hiding, but when that fails, the authorities escalate their search by publishing stories and photos of the Professor in newspapers, on TV and throughout London. Eventually, the city has to be evacuated and the central part of the city searched by the military. This latter part of the film is where the film grips you by the throat. Seeing the real London looking like a ghost town and watching Big Ben inexorably move towards 12 noon still packs a wallop.
Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964)
Goldfinger certainly ranks as one of the best Bond flicks and definitely Sean Connery's best. I've gone back-and-forth in my thoughts about this through the years, but last night, it seemed REALLY good, with an incredibly fast pace, Bond's use and abuse of women almost gleefully on display, two terrific villains, Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) and his henchman Oddjob (Harold Sakata), and three great Bond girls, Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton), her revenge-seeking sister Tilly (Tania Mallet) and the enigmatic Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman). When you add in Shirley Bassey's exuberant version of the title song, you've got terrific escapist entertainment. What else could help make this the Best Bond? Well, 007 gets to use his super tricked-out Aston Martin for the first time, and Bond gets to piss off his adversary several times at the beginning of the film using wit and ingenuity before ever having to resort to violent action. There's also the first use of a real laser in film history when Bond just about loses his "shortcomings". I still think that for spectacular action set pieces that On Her Majesty's Secret Service may just top Goldfinger, but it's extremely close if it does because Goldfinger is almost wall-to-wall with action, whether it's by land, sea or air.
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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page
Last edited by mark f; 02-08-09 at 12:45 AM.
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Colossus: The Forbin Project (Joseph Sargent 1970)
I'm rather embarrassed to say that I'd never even heard of this let alone seen it before. Yet in watching The Forbin Project I came to realize what a thrilling and clearly influential science fiction film it is.
Eric Braeden plays Doctor Charles Forbin, a brilliant scientist who builds a giant supercomputer (Colossus) capable of controlling America's defense system (sound familiar?). When they switch Colossus on however, it immediately tells them the Russians have a similar system called Guardian and demands to communicate with it. Before you can say 'Skynet' the two develop their own language and decide to make slaves of the humans. At first dismissive of the machine, Forbin and his associates soon realize the seriousness of the situation when Colossus threatens nuclear action if it's demands aren't met...
I love finding old gems like this, and Colossus: The Forbin project was an absolute treat (and instant favourite). I'm also a huge fan of Joseph Sargent's 1974 thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, and in terms of tense excitement Colossus has the same crackerjack pacing. Although extremely dated in it's aesthetic the film is intelligent and believable with a genuinely chilling downbeat ending; so if you liked Donald Cammell's Demon Seed, Robert Wise's The Andromeda Strain, and Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey then this may well be the movie for you.
The Green Slime (kinji Fukasaku 1968) +
Another film I probably should have looked at years ago, this came my way recently and went straight to the top of my must see list. The Green Slime has a terrible reputation for being a Z-grade turkey (just see the IMDB score) but I actually found the film to be highly watchable campy fun.
The film kicks off like Michael Bay's Armageddon with a group of astronauts intercepting and destroying (by drilling holes and planting nukes) an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. In the process one them gets some green goo on his spacesuit which proceeds to grow into a tentacled cyclops that reproduces by feeding on energy. Naturally this makes it pretty hard to kill and before you know it the pesky green blobs have overrun an entire space station. It's left to grumpy commander Jack Rankin (Robert Horton) to save the day in true B-movie style.
For a film labeled as garbage The Green Slime is remarkably entertaining stuff with plenty of kitsch 1960's action. Perhaps what surprised me most about the film was how eventful it really was with rarely a dull moment; even the talky scenes are full of hilarious hammy acting. This was a US/Japanese co-production (yes that's the same Kinji Fukasaku who directed Battle Royale) and the bright garish colors combined with a daft inappropriate theme tune really reflected the Japanese sense of comic book style. I loved it and didn't care that the monster suits made Space 1999 look like Star Wars or that sets and models looked like rejects from Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds. Nope this had space men fighting monsters with laser guns, and Italian beauty Luciana Paluzzi as the unbelievably wooden Dr. Benson; I was happy.
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100 Favourites From The Future: REWIRED
100 Favourites From The Future: REWIRED
Last edited by Used Future; 02-07-09 at 09:59 PM.
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I wasn't up on the Harvey Milk story, other than to know about the 'twinkie defense' that White's lawyers used to defend him, but I thought Milk's story was interesting and important.
I learned about the 'twinkie defense' in a criminology class, was it in Milk or something?
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The fall - Tarsem Singh
Whoooaaaawww.....just.....wow. Thank you Swedish...
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Another flick I've had on the shelf for months. I have so many movies to watch its not funny.
1408 (Mikael Håfström-2008)
Pretty enjoyable. Nothing really exciting but parts of it were pretty creepy. And Sam J. being Sam J. is always enjoyable.
"It's an evil f*cking room..."
Outlander (Howard McCain-2008)
Also pretty enjoyable. I like a good looking monster and this one was pretty effing cool, what with the glowing reds and blues and such. Good stuff.
1408 (Mikael Håfström-2008)
Pretty enjoyable. Nothing really exciting but parts of it were pretty creepy. And Sam J. being Sam J. is always enjoyable.
"It's an evil f*cking room..."
Outlander (Howard McCain-2008)
Also pretty enjoyable. I like a good looking monster and this one was pretty effing cool, what with the glowing reds and blues and such. Good stuff.
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We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...
We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...
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Fearless (Weir, 1993) -
Okay, I was rather underwhelmed by this. Don't know what I should've expected though - given the plot outline (Jeff Bridges is a plane crash survivor who, as the title obviously hints, develops a complete lack of fear as a result of his near-death experience on the plane), it almost sounded like it could've turned into something far more compelling, maybe along the lines of Unbreakable. Instead, it ended up being a rather light drama that was honestly rather boring in plenty of instances. Apart from a handful of scenes and the strength of Bridges' performance, it was a pretty mediocre affair that could've easily been cut down without incident. Totally not worth buying blind for $10.
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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0
I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
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I probably saw it almost decade ago, but I remember liking it Iroquois. I'm a Peter Weir fan though, maybe Australia's greatest film director.
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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."
"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."
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Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid - +
Now I don't know what it was about this, but before I had watched this I expected something totally different, so I guess you could say that when I watched this I basically had no idea what to expect. Actually the last half is sort of what I had expected, I still don't know if I like the first or second half more, I'm leaning more towards the latter though. I think that Western is slowly becoming my favorite movie genre, I mean I've really liked almost every western I've seen so far, but I've only seen about 10 of them so far, I plan to see A LOT more in the very near future though. Something I found out tonight was that for some reason, I really love the little sounds in western movies, like horses running or people walking, I have no idea why I like it so much.
Paul Newman and Robert Redford make an amazing team together, like I seriously think they could've been brothers in this. They're easily the best on screen duo that I've ever seen. I don't think I've ever seen any other duo that's seemed to have so much connection to each other. I guess the ending is sort of left up to interpritation on what happened, even though I think it's pretty obvious what happened. I really loved this, I was engaged in the entire movie, but it's the very last scene of the movie that just left me completely blown away. This is easily the best western that I've seen so far, The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly does come very close though. I can already tell that this is going to have better rewatches and it didn't nearly leave me as blown away as Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid did.
Now I don't know what it was about this, but before I had watched this I expected something totally different, so I guess you could say that when I watched this I basically had no idea what to expect. Actually the last half is sort of what I had expected, I still don't know if I like the first or second half more, I'm leaning more towards the latter though. I think that Western is slowly becoming my favorite movie genre, I mean I've really liked almost every western I've seen so far, but I've only seen about 10 of them so far, I plan to see A LOT more in the very near future though. Something I found out tonight was that for some reason, I really love the little sounds in western movies, like horses running or people walking, I have no idea why I like it so much.
Paul Newman and Robert Redford make an amazing team together, like I seriously think they could've been brothers in this. They're easily the best on screen duo that I've ever seen. I don't think I've ever seen any other duo that's seemed to have so much connection to each other. I guess the ending is sort of left up to interpritation on what happened, even though I think it's pretty obvious what happened. I really loved this, I was engaged in the entire movie, but it's the very last scene of the movie that just left me completely blown away. This is easily the best western that I've seen so far, The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly does come very close though. I can already tell that this is going to have better rewatches and it didn't nearly leave me as blown away as Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid did.
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I finally got to see In Bruges, excellent film - 4/5.
And MovieMan, glad you like Butch & Sundance, seeing as you like Newman and Redford together I'd recommend The Sting, also directed by George Roy Hill. In my opinion it's not as good as the film you just saw, but that doesn't mean it's not a quality film.
And MovieMan, glad you like Butch & Sundance, seeing as you like Newman and Redford together I'd recommend The Sting, also directed by George Roy Hill. In my opinion it's not as good as the film you just saw, but that doesn't mean it's not a quality film.
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I saw Slumdog Millionaire again yesterday. Still amazing.
After watching Groundhog Day, I decided to revisit two other past favorites of mine.
Big (1988) -
I really love this film. It has Tom Hanks (so you know it's good), and he gives a great performance. I love these kind of 'what if' comedies (like Groundhog Day). The only thing I don't like about this film is the ending. It just... didn't work.
This is Spinal Tap (1984) -
I believe this is my favorite comedy. I've seen it a bunch before and I really can't think of any other film that makes me laugh as hard (I don't really think of Harold and Maude as a comedy, even though it have some great humor in it). Tap just tops every other comedy I've seen, as far as I remember.
These go to eleven.
I also just finished watching this:
The Innocents (1961) -
Damn good movie. It had some spooky imagery and an even spookier tune (maybe even spookiest). It didn't scare me as much as Rosemary's Baby, but it did come pretty close - at least, closer than most films get. It might just be me, but The Others seems an awful lot like this film. Hmmm. Still not nearly as great. I can't wait to rewatch this when it's dark and I'm fully awake.
After watching Groundhog Day, I decided to revisit two other past favorites of mine.
Big (1988) -
I really love this film. It has Tom Hanks (so you know it's good), and he gives a great performance. I love these kind of 'what if' comedies (like Groundhog Day). The only thing I don't like about this film is the ending. It just... didn't work.
This is Spinal Tap (1984) -
I believe this is my favorite comedy. I've seen it a bunch before and I really can't think of any other film that makes me laugh as hard (I don't really think of Harold and Maude as a comedy, even though it have some great humor in it). Tap just tops every other comedy I've seen, as far as I remember.
These go to eleven.
I also just finished watching this:
The Innocents (1961) -
Damn good movie. It had some spooky imagery and an even spookier tune (maybe even spookiest). It didn't scare me as much as Rosemary's Baby, but it did come pretty close - at least, closer than most films get. It might just be me, but The Others seems an awful lot like this film. Hmmm. Still not nearly as great. I can't wait to rewatch this when it's dark and I'm fully awake.
Last edited by Swan; 02-08-09 at 03:29 PM.
Threads (Mick Jackson 1984 TV)
Peace Speaker at anti-nuclear demonstration: This time they are playing with at best the destruction of life as we know it and at worst total annihilation. You cannot win a nuclear war!
I was nine years old and fast asleep when this was originally shown on UK television. For once I'm glad my mum used to send me to bed early, because if I'd seen this at such a tender age I'd most likely have been scarred for life.
Threads is an ultra-realistic docudrama following the lives of two Sheffield families leading up to, during, and (for those who survive) years after a nuclear war. The film covers everything from the characters interpersonal relationships to local government contingency plans, hard statistics and scientific facts concerning the effects of a nuclear holocaust. Threads pulls no punches, seamlessly blending these elements together into a gritty, disturbing, highly informative and ultimately terrifying film.
Watching Threads I couldn't decide if showing such a television programme back in 1984 was deeply irresponsible scaremongering, or one of the bravest decisions in the history of the BBC. It really is masterful stuff with expertly drawn characters and early scenes of family drama that could've been plucked straight from Ken Loach's best work. Once we get to know, like and relate to these people the impact of nuclear war on their lives is unbearably distressing to watch. Threads may be twenty five years old, but let me assure you, it's lost none of its impact, with powerful graphic scenes more disturbing than anything made today. Most importantly though Threads has actually got something important to say and carries a nuclear warning that's just as relevant now as it was during the cold war. I won't say this is the best film ever made about nuclear war as I haven't seen Nicholas Meyer's 1983 film The Day After. One thing's for sure though, if it's anywhere near as good as Threads, then I don't think I want to. Essential viewing.
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Threads was pretty trippy, but I haven't seen it since it was first broadcast, and I was already 28 when that happened. I think it's much more visceral than The Day After, but there are two films which disturbed me even more. The first was Special Bulletin (1983), which is presented as a sort-of-homage to Orson Welles' radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, but the visual qualities make it even more intense, especially when the unthinkable happens.
The second film, even more in-your-face, is The War Game (1965), set in London, is also produced as reality, but this one seems to be the most violent and disturbing, even if it is the oldest.
The War Game (Scene 1):
The War Game (Scene 2): &NR=1
The second film, even more in-your-face, is The War Game (1965), set in London, is also produced as reality, but this one seems to be the most violent and disturbing, even if it is the oldest.
The War Game (Scene 1):
The War Game (Scene 2): &NR=1
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The Wrestler (Aronofsky, 2008)
This film is exactly what I wanted it to be. It might be made up, but there's nothing fictional about Mickey Rourke. It's pretty obvious that Randy "The Ram" parallels, insofar as he can, Rourke's own self-indulgent, troubled history. But I don't think it stops there. This film is his penance, and he knows it. You can see it on his face, and over the course of the film, you understand that he means everything he says. For himself. I'm inclined to say that I've never seen an actor disappear so believably and so painfully into a role, but I don't think Rourke disappeared into anything. He was already there. And come Oscar night, I'm going to be pulling for him.
Also, I think it bears mentioning that it's nice to see a non-documentary film come along that tells the story of the professional wrestler. This story is true for so many, seen as gods of their time and industry to the point that they're incapable of being regarded as anything else. I can't say I admire the lifestyle, but it's hard not to tip your hat when you're forced to see the person living underneath.
This film is exactly what I wanted it to be. It might be made up, but there's nothing fictional about Mickey Rourke. It's pretty obvious that Randy "The Ram" parallels, insofar as he can, Rourke's own self-indulgent, troubled history. But I don't think it stops there. This film is his penance, and he knows it. You can see it on his face, and over the course of the film, you understand that he means everything he says. For himself. I'm inclined to say that I've never seen an actor disappear so believably and so painfully into a role, but I don't think Rourke disappeared into anything. He was already there. And come Oscar night, I'm going to be pulling for him.
Also, I think it bears mentioning that it's nice to see a non-documentary film come along that tells the story of the professional wrestler. This story is true for so many, seen as gods of their time and industry to the point that they're incapable of being regarded as anything else. I can't say I admire the lifestyle, but it's hard not to tip your hat when you're forced to see the person living underneath.
Last edited by Sleezy; 02-09-09 at 12:27 AM.
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Nick And Nora's Infinite Playlist -
This is around the rating that I had expected to give it, my hopes really weren't anywhere near being good. It was just really, really average to me, I do think that some of it just tries to be another Juno too much, and I didn't even really like Juno all that much. I wasn't even supposed to watch this, I was supposed to watch Once Upon A Time In The West, but of course my sister started this, so I was basically forced to watch this because they wouldn't let me take it out and put my movie in.
I felt like no connection between Cera and Dennings, and that's like the main thing this movie had going for it. Kat Dennings is really hot though, I've always thought that, and this just showed me it more. I guess another reason that I really didn't like it was because I don't like indie music, which is like the biggest thing in the movie. I guess for people wanting to see it, they should give it a shot, but if you don't, I suggest that you just don't. There's like nothing special to this movie whatsoever.
This is around the rating that I had expected to give it, my hopes really weren't anywhere near being good. It was just really, really average to me, I do think that some of it just tries to be another Juno too much, and I didn't even really like Juno all that much. I wasn't even supposed to watch this, I was supposed to watch Once Upon A Time In The West, but of course my sister started this, so I was basically forced to watch this because they wouldn't let me take it out and put my movie in.
I felt like no connection between Cera and Dennings, and that's like the main thing this movie had going for it. Kat Dennings is really hot though, I've always thought that, and this just showed me it more. I guess another reason that I really didn't like it was because I don't like indie music, which is like the biggest thing in the movie. I guess for people wanting to see it, they should give it a shot, but if you don't, I suggest that you just don't. There's like nothing special to this movie whatsoever.
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Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (Leonetti, 1997) -
Okay, so Annihilation probably deserves less than what I gave it and I understand that. I just seem to be a little forgiving when it comes to truly bad movies because I have to admit I do get a little bit of enjoyment out of them, and isn't that what people watch movies to do?
But yeah, there is a lot wrong with this movie. I know that the first movie had plenty of flaws on its own (bad CGI and some lame fighting, for instance), but Annihilation takes whatever problems the original had and amplifies them, then throws in a few extra problems such as re-casting quite a few major characters (especially in the case of mystical thunder god Rayden - replacing Christopher Lambert with James Remar is comparable to casting Jack Nicholson as Gandalf the White). I also have to give a mention to Brian Thompson as lead bad guy Shao Kahn, who easily gives the most shockingly awful performance in the film. I think in future I'll just stick to the original, because despite all its problems, the original just doesn't fall as flat as this one does.
Batman (Burton, 1989) -
As someone whose first real introduction to Batman (unless you want me to count Batman and Robin, and you don't want that, do you?) was through Nolan's films, I have to admit that watching Burton's Batman was a real change of pace. While I didn't really think it was bad, I didn't think it was overly great either. Not quite sure how I can explain it - it's a decent adaptation of the comics and it's filmed reasonably well, but for some reason it didn't feel that engaging. Then again, I'm not much of a comic-book movie lover, but still. seems like a fair rating for it, though.
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Favorite Movies
Ladyhawke (Richard Donner, 1985)
Ladyhawke is one of those films which will probably mean more to you the older you are. I could be wrong, but it does have Matthew Broderick as a wise-cracking teenage pickpocket in medieval times who's thrust into the middle of a romantic mystery which is the thing of legends. Right off the bat, it's got hip humor, the John Hughes teenage audience would be attracted to it, the sword-and-sorcery crowd which was popular in the '80s, and even fans of the prog rock band The Alan Parsons Project may get into it. Alan Parsons composed the anachronistic score which does tend to scare off some younger viewers, but the film also has Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer just about to reach the heights of their popularity in mainstream entertainments, so, as I say, it's got a lot going for it for people who like '80s films. I've never had a problem liking a film from any era, at least if it's entertaining and/or artistic, so sure, Ladyhawke is a winner. I'm sure the plot must not be completely original, but just in case it is, the plot about cursed lovers who are turned into animals at the exact same time their beloved becomes human, is one of the better I've ever heard of, so that's good enough for me.
Sahara (Zoltan Korda, 1943)
This is one of the films Bogart made to help "win WWII", and it's amazing to watch today as a way to get into the mind of Americans during that war. Bogie is a Sergeant in charge of one lone tank, and he's got only two American soldiers (Dan Duryea and Bruce Bennett) left in his crew when he receives orders to head south to escape the Nazis who have just overrun Tobruk. Along the way south, the tank encounters some English/South African soildiers whom they pick up, as well as a Sudanese Muslim, a Frenchman, an Italian prisoner, and eventually, a Nazi. Meanwhile, a German battalion approaches the same dying well where the American tank tries to extract as much water as possible. It's really interesting to hear how all the Allies can get along with each other, and in this case, the Italian renounces any fascist leanings he had to advocate, even in the face of the "controlling" Nazi. It'a also prescient to hear an American talk to a Muslim about how he's able to have multiple wives, but both men have only one, and it's because they've found the right one and wouldn't ever want to upset her! In between the believable character development and dialogue, there are plenty of exciting action scenes, so this Sahara is well worth anyone's time. Besides, Bogie plays a character with the cool name of Joe Gunn.
Milk (Gus Van Sant, 2008)
I watched Van Sant's To Die For just after I watched Milk, so I tried to reconcile how I felt about both films since, aside from Good Will Hunting, they are probably the director's most mainstream films. What I noticed was that both To Die For and Milk tell their stories from multiple perspectives, yet from a mostly-linear way of storytelling. I was a little taken aback, since I'm well aware of the Milk story, not only from the media of the time, but from the Oscar-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, to hear Sean Penn speaking into a tape recorder in the first five minutes predicting his own assassination, but hey, that was apparently Harvey. I have to admit that I also had a little bit of difficulty getting into the early scenes because of the different perspectives, but eventually things turned into something easier to grasp as a person's life, not only as a personal journey but as one set in the big picture.
As the film progressed, I tried to measure Sean Penn's performance against Mickey Rourke's in The Wrestler. I have loved Sean Penn ever since I saw Taps, but when he played Jeff Spicoli, I thought that he deserved an Oscar right there. I was sure he'd win one for Dead Man Walking, but it didn't happen. Instead, he got his Oscar for Mystic River, a film I find watchable but mammothly overrated. It's only Clint Eastwood's skill as a storyteller which makes this totally-predictable and surprisingly-overracted film as good (average, at best) as it is. But who am I to say? The people I thought gave the worst performances in Mystic River all got Oscars or at least nominations. So being the human who I claim I really am, I'm watching Penn very closely in Milk with a "C'mon, show me what you've got" attitude. During the first half, I just don't see Penn being as believable a human being as Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, and trust me, I don't really have any reason to tell you that I lionize Rourke, no matter what he's done in the past. Anyway, eventually, and I realize that most of this started to kick in during the last 15 minutes of Milk, but I started to really see Penn as THE MAN Harvey Milk. Maybe it's because most of the tragedy and triumph occurs at the end of the film, but I actually started to believe that Penn wasn't just acting, but that he was living and that somehow what he had to say, in the context of last year's election and Proposition 8 (as opposed to the earlier Proposition 6 in the fllm Milk) was perhaps more important in the Big Picture than what Mickey and Aranofsky were attempting in The Wrestler. Then again, the Golden Globes and BAFTA seem to contradict SAG. Let's see... what am I talking about here? Oh yeah, it's going to be a Bee-ach to pick Best Actor this year.
Ladyhawke is one of those films which will probably mean more to you the older you are. I could be wrong, but it does have Matthew Broderick as a wise-cracking teenage pickpocket in medieval times who's thrust into the middle of a romantic mystery which is the thing of legends. Right off the bat, it's got hip humor, the John Hughes teenage audience would be attracted to it, the sword-and-sorcery crowd which was popular in the '80s, and even fans of the prog rock band The Alan Parsons Project may get into it. Alan Parsons composed the anachronistic score which does tend to scare off some younger viewers, but the film also has Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer just about to reach the heights of their popularity in mainstream entertainments, so, as I say, it's got a lot going for it for people who like '80s films. I've never had a problem liking a film from any era, at least if it's entertaining and/or artistic, so sure, Ladyhawke is a winner. I'm sure the plot must not be completely original, but just in case it is, the plot about cursed lovers who are turned into animals at the exact same time their beloved becomes human, is one of the better I've ever heard of, so that's good enough for me.
Sahara (Zoltan Korda, 1943)
This is one of the films Bogart made to help "win WWII", and it's amazing to watch today as a way to get into the mind of Americans during that war. Bogie is a Sergeant in charge of one lone tank, and he's got only two American soldiers (Dan Duryea and Bruce Bennett) left in his crew when he receives orders to head south to escape the Nazis who have just overrun Tobruk. Along the way south, the tank encounters some English/South African soildiers whom they pick up, as well as a Sudanese Muslim, a Frenchman, an Italian prisoner, and eventually, a Nazi. Meanwhile, a German battalion approaches the same dying well where the American tank tries to extract as much water as possible. It's really interesting to hear how all the Allies can get along with each other, and in this case, the Italian renounces any fascist leanings he had to advocate, even in the face of the "controlling" Nazi. It'a also prescient to hear an American talk to a Muslim about how he's able to have multiple wives, but both men have only one, and it's because they've found the right one and wouldn't ever want to upset her! In between the believable character development and dialogue, there are plenty of exciting action scenes, so this Sahara is well worth anyone's time. Besides, Bogie plays a character with the cool name of Joe Gunn.
Milk (Gus Van Sant, 2008)
I watched Van Sant's To Die For just after I watched Milk, so I tried to reconcile how I felt about both films since, aside from Good Will Hunting, they are probably the director's most mainstream films. What I noticed was that both To Die For and Milk tell their stories from multiple perspectives, yet from a mostly-linear way of storytelling. I was a little taken aback, since I'm well aware of the Milk story, not only from the media of the time, but from the Oscar-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, to hear Sean Penn speaking into a tape recorder in the first five minutes predicting his own assassination, but hey, that was apparently Harvey. I have to admit that I also had a little bit of difficulty getting into the early scenes because of the different perspectives, but eventually things turned into something easier to grasp as a person's life, not only as a personal journey but as one set in the big picture.
As the film progressed, I tried to measure Sean Penn's performance against Mickey Rourke's in The Wrestler. I have loved Sean Penn ever since I saw Taps, but when he played Jeff Spicoli, I thought that he deserved an Oscar right there. I was sure he'd win one for Dead Man Walking, but it didn't happen. Instead, he got his Oscar for Mystic River, a film I find watchable but mammothly overrated. It's only Clint Eastwood's skill as a storyteller which makes this totally-predictable and surprisingly-overracted film as good (average, at best) as it is. But who am I to say? The people I thought gave the worst performances in Mystic River all got Oscars or at least nominations. So being the human who I claim I really am, I'm watching Penn very closely in Milk with a "C'mon, show me what you've got" attitude. During the first half, I just don't see Penn being as believable a human being as Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, and trust me, I don't really have any reason to tell you that I lionize Rourke, no matter what he's done in the past. Anyway, eventually, and I realize that most of this started to kick in during the last 15 minutes of Milk, but I started to really see Penn as THE MAN Harvey Milk. Maybe it's because most of the tragedy and triumph occurs at the end of the film, but I actually started to believe that Penn wasn't just acting, but that he was living and that somehow what he had to say, in the context of last year's election and Proposition 8 (as opposed to the earlier Proposition 6 in the fllm Milk) was perhaps more important in the Big Picture than what Mickey and Aranofsky were attempting in The Wrestler. Then again, the Golden Globes and BAFTA seem to contradict SAG. Let's see... what am I talking about here? Oh yeah, it's going to be a Bee-ach to pick Best Actor this year.
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Favorite Movies
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