Movie Tab II

Yes?

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

Yes, what?

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If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.

Johann von Goethe

OK. When I posted, the mini-review wasn't in place, just the title and year.
"Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!"

I loved it.

One of my favourite Ealings.

Anyway...

There Will Be Blood (2007, Paul Thomas Anderson)

3/5

Citizen Cain & Abel?

I'm ambivalent to most of Anderson's prior work (Magnolia aside, which I think is a spectacularly awful movie) and therefore approached There Will Be Blood with a certain amount of trepidation, considering the ballyhoo surrounding it from the Kermodes of this world.

What I found was neither one of the great American movies nor a directionless and overblown exercise in shouting.

Shame.

Everyone's favourite Anglo-Irish shoemaker, Daniel Day-Lewis, is pretty good, it has to be said. Yes, he spends 80% of his screen time grandstanding - reminding me a little of consummate old ham Tony Hopkins' portrayal of that Kellogg bloke in Alan Parker's The Road To Wellville - but I'd counter that this is because Plainview spent most of his life doing exactly that. It works here.

There's a shred of humanity, however warped it might be, running through DDL's Plainview that pulls the performance back from the brink. It's better than, say, his equally shouty and moustachioed Bill the Butcher...

Paul Dano (does anyone else get the urge to shout "Book 'em!" whenever they read his name? Oh ) is also more than adequate. I'd heard differing views on his performance but thought he captured the young charlatan that was Eli pretty well.

The film, like a lot of modern Hollywood productions, is beautifully shot. The screenplay by Anderson is probably the best I've seen from him.

That said, I don't think that There Will Be Blood is a great film, far from it. There are too many 'so what?' moments - Kevin O'Connor's Henry, for instance - for it to be so. Strangely, for someone with this particular gripe, I didn't mind the movie's length...

There are powerful forces at work here, witness the double (almost) fratricide and the baptism scene. They're spread a little thin, though.



Oh brother, where art though?

PS - Top drooling by the boy Lewis!

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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

Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End

Overly complicated story but I love this movie simply for the levels of production design. The sets are incredible and the costumes are perfect.




Plot wise there are two many double crosses and just too much information crammed together but poorly explained. Im not keen on some of the performances, keira knightley for the most part closely followed by Orlando 'baby face' Bloom. I also prefer Jack Sparrow a la curse of the black pearl, here he is too weird and annoying.

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Undercoverlovers 100 REDUX

Twister

I can't recommend this film enough. If you've seen it before, most likely some years ago - watch it again! Fantastic stuff!

I agree with the first 5 words of the above post!

Sorry.

Watching The Mutant Chronicles tonight.

Operation Petticoat (1959) Directed by Blake Edwards

My man Cary Grant has his hands full trying to get his sub back into the war when he gets new man Nick Holden on board (Tony Curtis). He sees the man has certain talents, if no real sub experience, and makes him the supply clerk. Holden makes deals, steals, and otherwise cadges goods wherever they dock. He brings 5 female naval nurses on board to Captain Sherman's dismay, but the crew's delight. You can imagine the hijinks that follow. Not my favorite Grant comedy, but worth a watch.

Cidade de Deus

This story is narrated by Rocket, a young man living in 'The City of God' slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He tells the story over two decades of the young hoodlums grown to men that run the slums where they live. Rocket largely stays out of trouble because he's smart and he wants to become a photographer, but the Tender Trio, who we meet when they're teens, have already begun a life of crime. As par for the course, some of those that choose a dangerous lifestyle pay the ultimate price, but some make it to adulthood and have made a name for themselves selling drugs and terrorizing the locals. Rocket tells the story of their lives, and how they're all connected in the place they call home. A good film that shows how violent and tragic the lives of young males can be in the slums.

As Good As It Gets (James L. Brooks - 1997)

This flick is almost perfect, to me anyway. I have my own mental stability issues that I deal with from time to time though so maybe it's crap and I just relate. Are these not funny lines though?

"Never, never, interrupt me, okay? Not if there's a fire, not even if you hear the sound of a thud from my home and one week later there's a smell coming from there that can only be a decaying human body and you have to hold a hanky to your face because the stench is so thick that you think you're going to faint. Even then, don't come knocking. Or, if it's election night, and you're excited and you wanna celebrate because some fudgepacker that you date has been elected the first queer president of the United States and he's going to have you down to Camp David, and you want someone to share the moment with. Even then, don't knock. Not on this door. Not for ANY reason. Do you get me, sweetheart?"

"Where do they teach you to talk like this? In some Panama City "Sailor wanna hump-hump" bar, or is it getaway day and your last shot at his whiskey? Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here."

"Think white, and get serious!"

Ahhhh Melvin, I love ya buddy.


Born to Kill (Robert Wise - 1947)

This was really good. One messed up poohbah of a lady. I don't want to spoil it for you, just go and track it down. If you're a fan of the darker noir's then this one is for you.

Tae Guk Gi (Je-gyu Kang - 2004)

On a roll the last few days, this is a very good Korean film about the Korean war. Although I hesitate to call any movie about war good. But still, this is a pretty damn good one. I guess you could say this has a Hollywood feel to it, and there were many times I found myself thinking and comparing this to Saving Private Ryan while watching it. There are worse movies you can be compared to I says. It is a heartbreaking story though as most "good" war movies are, so don't watch it if you're looking for a happy ending.

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We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...

The Glass Slipper (Charles Walters, 1955) - This is a somewhat skewed adaptation of the Cinderella tale which actually makes it play out with a little extra charm and entertainment. Leslie Caron teams up with her Lili director and seems born to play Cinderella, and Michael Wilding is surprisingly good as the Prince. Estelle Winwood steals the movie as the cracked, yet wise incarnation of the Fairy Godmather, Madame Toquet. Although it's often called a musical, there's only one song and a fantasy ballet scene at the ball.

Les Miserables (Lewis Milestone, 1952) - The Victor Hugo classic has been turned into many films, and even though this is one of the lesser-known versions, it's still solid. Michael Rennie does well as the convict Jean Valjean and Robert Newton is appropriately heartless as Inspector Javert. Although this version is truncated and doesn't have a truly epic sweep, it keeps all the important plot points and still manages to hold your interest. Of course, with that plot, it'd pretty much have to engage the viewer.

Undertow (David Gordon Green, 2004) - I don't know why I have such a problem with critically-acclaimed director Green. Here he tells the story of a rural Georgia family of two sons and a father trying to stay together after the death of the boys' mom. Then that story transitions into some lousy variation on Night of the Hunter. I suppose I just don't like the director's faux naturalism and the way his characters seem, at least to me, to act and speak as if they're from another planet.

The Racket (Lewis Milestone, 1928) - This Howard Hughes-produced crime saga was thought to be lost for 70 years, but it's now restored, so I finally got to see this, the last of the Best Picture nominees at the first Academy Awards of which I've seen. It shows corruption in politics and the police department and focuses on bootleggers, all at the time it was going on in real life. In fact, the lead criminal, played by Louis Wolheim, is named Nick Scarsi and is obviously inspired by Al "Scarface" Capone. Although this silent film has a few stylistic flourishes and paved the way for the classic gangster flicks of the following years, it doesn't reach the heights of those later talkies (Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, Scarface). Note: Scarface (1932) was also produced by Howard Hughes.

Scaramouche (George Sidney, 1952) - This riproaring, romantic, action-adventure plays loose with the Rafael Sabatini novel, but it's crammed with plenty of style, wit and nonstop entertainment. Stewart Granger is terrific, whether he's romancing Eleanor Parker or Janet Leigh, trying to avoid being captured for treason or skewered by France's best, yet extremely-unlikable, swordsman (Mel Ferrer). Granger is also very funny when he hides out with an acting troupe and plays the fool Scaramouche on stage. This film, set during the reign of Marie Antoinette's France with the winds of revolution stirring, contains much swordplay, and, in many ways, is reminiscent of The Three Musketeers. The plot is extremely strong and the pace is extremely fast. The only thing which could top the beautifully-staged final duel is the actual final scene which will not be revealed here.

The Dark Knight -

Full review may or may not be coming. Needless to say, I enjoyed it a lot. It also looks like I'm the first person to have seen it.

Groovy.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

Well, you asked for it MoFo's and I shall deliver. What? You didn't ask for this? Somebody did. Oh well, I'm already here so just enjoy the ride. I have a whole bucket full of horror flicks that I'm going to be watching for the foreseeable future and wouldn't you know it? This is where you're forced to read my every word and share them right along with me.

I'm thinking I'll be going back to my Eek rating system for these because I don't think I'm smart enough to rate these like "normal" (what does normal mean anyway?) movies, so for the record, the more Eeks or 's the better.

First up:

Black Sheep (Jonathan King - 2006)

You know to truly appreciate a movie like this I feel I should point out to the uninitiated that you really must first watch at least 50 Zombie movies. Then my friends you come to a flick like this and all of its glory. Technically this is not a Zombie sheep movie but why split hairs. The friggin' sheep are eating people and that's pretty much good enough for me. Mmmmmm hmmmmm.

Suspiria (Dario Argento - 1977) 1/2

Damn good stuff and what a magnificent building they filmed this in. Very creepy and I loved the sound effects that several other flicks promptly ripped off, Friday the 13th namely. The soundtrack by Goblin was pretty damn good too. A must see for horror fans.

a candle in the dark (Richard Poche - -2002)

I believe this may have been a school project film of some sort, it was only about 38 minutes long and it was pretty terrible and yet I enjoyed parts of it. Totally amateur production but I applaud them for diving in and trying.

More to follow Mofo's, more to follow...

Taxi Driver - First viewing. It was good but not as supposedly iconic as I was lead to believe. And Jodie foster was hardly in it, i thought she had some big role and she was only onscreen for about 10 minutes

Not that I'm trying to give Sly anymore ideas, but . . .

Chato's Land (1971)


Charles Bronson ~ Pardon Chato
Jack Palance ~ Quincey Whitmore

5/5

Mad City (1997)


John Travolta ~ Sam Baily
Dustin Hoffman ~ Max Brackett

4/5

Close enough, anyway. I'd never heard of this film, and it wasn't what I expected. It kept my attention the whole way through. I have no serious complaints, so what the hell!

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I must have only watched 49 Zombie movies, then.

There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Andersson - 2007)

I saw the film last night and I'm finding myself thinking about it all the time. There are so many things I like about it. How the absence of love and something meaningful blacken us. I think it was a spot on depiction on what capitalism is really about. All the "best" capitalists are those who really don't give a damn about the money but are driven by the ackumulation of it. Not what you do with it. And the hypocrisy of religion.... it's all there.

I could talk about it forever...

Daniel Day Lewis is fantastic - of course. And the last scene with Eli in the bowling alley. Allready a classic. Right?

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

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

Phenomena (Dario Argento - 1985)

Is this better than Suspiria? Probably not. However Suspiria doesn't have Jennifer Connelly in it and Phenomena does. So it rates a half an higher in my book. I'm weird like that so don't try to make sense of this. She was just 13 years old when she did this flick and she was already a beauty. I watched a bunch of the extras and apparently they almost had to lie to the family just so they could talk to Jennifer and try to recruit her to do the movie. I guess America was going through a soft and fuzzy phase and most actresses didn't want to do violence or horror. Well I'm glad they got her to do it. She was really good for basically being a kid with very little experience at the time.

Anyway, the movie was really good and I'm already pretty happy with my choice to pick up this 5 movie set of Dario Argento's movies.


Do you like Hitchcock? (Dario Argento - 2005) 1/2

Not really a horror movie, more of a Hitchcock revival tour. I guess this was actually a made for TV movie and yet there was a bunch of nudity in it. I guess they have better TV over there. I found it pretty enjoyable nonetheless and I can't wait to get to the next one tonight.

Agitator- not Miike's best in any sense, artistry or depravity nor does it compare to the obvious aspiration of The Godfather. Still, enjoyable for fans with some nice touches but watch Dead or Alive instead.




Kung Fu Panda- not a bad film but if ever there was a film crying out for some referential humour, this is it. At the least they could have implemented varying styles of fighting for the varied characters, it seemed almost in inherent in the design. It's still enjoyable and amusing but i just wished his father could've said something about green eyes.




Motorcycle Diaries- it starts of as a fascinating film that showing the beauty of Latin America. I could forgive the misleading title (they loose the bike before the halfway mark) but spending the last half in the Leper colony was an abrupt change to the road movie in generic and pacing sense. Gael Garcia Bernal continues to prove himself as one of this generations greatest actors as a young Che Guevara, the journey informing several elements of his future revolutionary career. Unfortunately it doesn't explore it enough to seem much more than a gimmick yet is underhanded enough to seem natural. Whet me appetite for Soderbergh's Che though.




The Hunger- i'm a sucker for Bowie and anything he's in, with this perhaps being my favourite. I love the way it's all shot and the use of colour, music, editing and casting. One of the least traditional takes on the vampire mythos and nicely subtle and extremely sexy, which is what you get with Catherine Denevue- the sexiest woman alive, David Bowie- the coolest man alive and then even Susan Sarandon surprises me with her sexiness.




Rocky Horror Picture Show- what a shock, i absolutely adored this film. From its songs to its camp craziness it all fitted perfectly in a rickety and gloriously explosive film. Straight into my all-time Top 20!

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