Movie Tab II

Alien 3. Is "Meh out of 5" a real ranking?

Theater Cut? That gets maybe from me. I may add half a box depending on mood. The Assembly Cut is far superior and like, makes sense and stuff. I hate how they cut part of the narrative out of the theatrical cut...Did you find yourself asking just why some of the prisoners would just randomly switch locations, or be doing tasks that made little sense? When the full story is told in order, the prisoner's actions make a lot more sense.

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I saw the Assembly Cut; I was pretty torn on which to watch but I went with the longer one, figuring it probably was more addition than actual change (which seems to have been the case).

Anyway, nothing to compare it to, but I can't say I loved even the superior cut. Sounds like the theater version would've been worse, though.

That said...

Care to elaborate on what didn't work for you? Yeah, the theatrical cut is incomprehensible.

And ultimately, this thing is always going to place 3rd in the series no matter what, as the first two films are just too good to top in their own right, and the 4th is pants.

Sabrina - Loved it. Love Wilder and Bogie and this was actually my first audrey film but she was awesome in it. I read that this film is mediocre but I was really impressed. I love Bogart so much


Scarface -So, I missed a little of the beginning but I still really liked it. Not my favorite of Pacino (good thing I'm not a rapper I guess) but still excellent. Not a lot of people can deny that young Pacino was unstoppable in his hay day. Also enjoyable- he looks like my dad exactly when he was younger so part of the film was spent laughing at that.

Bah. I felt like popping some trash in yesterday, and I noticed Metalstorm : The Destruction of Jared Syn was available to stream. Well, I got what i asked for, which was probably one of the worst films ever made. At some point in time, a group of people thought this film was a good idea. I just can't fathom it!

Metalstorm : The Destruction of Jared Syn (Band, 1983) TRASH



Almost the entire film is shot in a rock quarry, with endless POV shots from a bumper camera while some ******* wearing an old motorcycle helmet drives a dune buggy around in circles. At one point, a guy in a plastic hat shoots green water from a tube on his plastic, errrr, metal arm and then...hell I dunno, someone starts up a fog machine and everyone starts moving in slow motion. That's pretty much it. At no point during the film is any sort of plot attempted. It;s just a collection of half-assed sci-fi scenes tacked together in succession. At one point, Jared Syn (who never gets destroyed, sorry) talks about how once they hand out these red crystals to all the troops, no one will be able to stop them. The only issue is that we never find out what anyone would try to stop. Was there some plan? Some sort of coup or takeover of...something? There aren't any buildings. No one has anything, and there are no locations to seize or control. Will everyone just swap dune buggies or metal hats as a sign of conquest? Syn talks about opening a portal to the realm of the Lord Set, but what demonic lord in his right mind would come through the portal to rule over what amounts to 9 half-wits in a sandbox? These are the endless questions one has as they ponder the mysteries of this introspective gem! Oh, it was in 3d. That's why that chode in the plastic hat kept sticking his arm out at the camera.

The Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian (Adamson, 2008)



Ok, I know I am in the minority here, but I liked this one a bit more than the first. I liked the premise of the fallen kingdom in ruins and the idea that hundreds of years had gone by, and i feel like the kids did a better job with the roles here. I understand that this film seems less magical and fantastic when compared to the first, but i was fine with that, as this film seemed more focused on intrigue, which I like.

I agree that Prince Caspian was pretty decent but still my least favourite of the series so far. Mostly (as you say) because it wasn't as magical or adventurous as the other two or as I was expecting. Maybe a second viewing knowing what I'm getting beforehand would change my opinion

Paris - So some more Bogart eh? You've not had a chance to see any more Hitchcock then?

I'm with you, actually. The first film was definitely well-done and faithful to the book, but felt hurried and suffered from "bad kid actor" syndrome like the first couple Harry Potter films did.

In the second, it seemed like there was just more room for everyone involved to stretch their legs. I thought the magic was still there, it was just a darker and more grown-up story, which was a nice deviation from the token fantasy classicism of the first film.

I watched the third film last Sunday and actually liked it more than the critics did. On Blu-Ray, the effects are astoundingly good and the sense of wonder and adventure, I think, worked better in this one than the first. I remember thinking it had a very Myst/Riven quality to it, which I really liked. And Eustace damn near stole the show.

This is one of those instances where I'm forced to admit that my reasons are very vague and not really of the empirical variety, but insofar as I can explain them in objective terms:

1) I think the prison planet idea is awesome, but was very poorly realized. I'm sure you've read all about the massive script changes and redone (or reused) sets, and I think that confusion really shows through.

2) Not really a horror film, but not really an action film. I'm fine with the series dispensing with the slow horror of the original; Aliens rightly recognized that you can't do that forever, particularly after everyone knows what the alien looks like, so it emphasized bigger, sprawling battles a little more. I feel like Alien 3 sort of took a half-step back, to the point at which the film wasn't slow and scary or fast and raucus. And I'm surprised we didn't get it, because the setup of dumping the alien on a planet full of inmates seems to lend itself to the idea so very well.

A sub-point here is that, if it wanted to do something new, it could've easily eschewed both horror and action and gone in a more cerebral direction. It sort of tries to do this in the big twist, and in the attempts to "trap" the alien by luring it and closing a series of doors, but that sequence was confusing beyond belief. I had no idea what was happening or where, and thus wasn't able to appreciate whatever cleverness might have been involved in the scheme.

The more I think about it, the more I like that idea: I wanted to see a chess match between Ripley and the alien using the different sectors and cells like the board, moving inmates around like pieces. And then...


Granted, it's not always fair to fault a film for not being what you wanted it to be, but I don't feel it really had a coherent direction to begin with. Gah, getting mad just thinking about the missed opportunity this film represents.

Agreed. Which is kind of why I wish it had done something new. It was never going to out-scare Alien, or out-do the fighting in Aliens. Ripley outsmarting the alien rather than outgunning it would've been a really great way to cap off her development and the series. In retrospect, the whole thing would've been about...


Now I've gotten myself all worked up. Wanna go halvsies on writing an alternate, puzzle-like screenplay?

Haha more Bogart But sadly no more Hitchcock I'm low on movie funds and Sabrina was only 5 bucks. Once I get a decent job I'm gonna get Netflix so it's probably gonna have to wait until then :/

I'm really happy that you thought of me while watching this. I don't know if I mentioned it here before, but my best friend and I co-wrote our own Thor "screenplay" when we were 8 (not based on the comic, Norse Mythology was part of the 4th grade curriculum at Waldorf School). I also played Loki in the school play, who was probably my favorite character from the mythology at the time.

As to the Branagh movie I guess where I disagree is that I didn't really find it whimsical or fantastic enough to embrace as pure fantasy. Thought it looked okay (good cg lighting, dynamic, if not particularly daring use of the camera...) but stuck mostly to a forumulaic and safe design philosophy, borrowing elements from Peter Jackson and some others without really adding anything new. Likewise thought the acting was okay but the character arcs and plot played out predictably, and the fantasy world-building aspect felt kind of flat and not complicated or deep enough for me to get engaged with or forget myself and escape into. I think you may have been right that it could have been better if it had more time to unfold and elaborate on stuff. Any of that make sense? I also feel like my ratings have been getting harsher lately, but in this case I couldn't think of a good reason to recommend it to anyone over a dozen or two other blockbusters from the last ten years.

I liked the class dimension of the romance. Greatly overshadowed the anti-Semitic overtones.

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"Loves them? They need them, like they need the air."

Fair enough. I thought it was a refreshing departure from the more and more workmanlike comic films we have been getting as time wears on. As fantasy films try more and more to fasten themselves to realistic anchors, this seemed like a breath of fresh air, even though I am usually the loudest voice in the room clamoring for more realism in comic films, or I have in the past, anyway. I guess to me, this felt like a quintessential comic movie - no genre blending and very little focus on ancillary narrative.

I am all for films like The Dark Knight going all real on us, and I usually prefer that style when compared to misses like The Spirit or Batman and Robin. Still, with Thor I think Branagh took material that most likely would have blown up in a lesser director's face and made it work in spectacular fashion.

Sunset Boulevard - A truly wonderful film. Considered to be one of the all time classics and certainly worthy of that accolade. It is a biting, darkly funny film that rips apart the golden dream of Hollywood.

It is a truly sad, slightly haunting story as the once famous star, Norma Desmond, descends into desperation, depression and finally madness. Along the way she drags down Joe Gillias along with her as he is trapped in her web

The main cast are universally excellent. Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond is incredible, perfectly capturing the desperation of the faded star and the unshakeable belief that she is still 'big'. And her descent down the stairs has to be one of the great scenes in film. William Holden convinces fully as the screenwriter who knows he should leave but just can't bring himself to

The film does also have some real heart in the shape of Erich von Stroheim's role as Norma's butler. While everyone else has deserted her he has stuck with her throughout, now doing all he can to protect the diva's fragile mind.

A true masterpiece with so many great, quotable lines of dialogue





Shadow of a Doubt – Inspired by the true 1920s case of the serial killer known as “The Merry Widow Maker” this film is not amongst Hitchcock's most famous but is considered by the master to be his own personal favourite.

I found the film a bit slow to get going, the first half mainly setting up a killer in a small, gentle community and drip feeding clues for his niece. As the film progresses however the tension ramps up. Young Charlie begins putting the clues together that seem to point to her visiting uncle (also Charlie) as being a serial killer. Young Charlie has always idolised her uncle however so will not turn him in even after confronting him. From then on Charlie suffers a series of 'accidents' which put her life at great risk. All leading up to tense, thrilling finale on a train

My favourite little element of the film was the morbid conversations on murder that Charlie's father would have with a neighbour. It's very entertaining and is probably the closest that this little community ever thinks it will get to murder

So this is Alfred Hitchcock's favourite of his own films, and while it's not that close to being mine it is still very entertaining




Paper Moon - A very sweet, funny little film. It tells of the relationship between two characters thrown together; Ryan O'Neal's travelling conman, Moses Pray, and Tatum O'Neal's little Addie who has been left alone after the death of her mother. At the pressing of fellow mourners at the funeral Moses agrees to take the little girl to her aunt's home in Missouri.

Their journey makes for some entertaining stuff, full of debacles and colourful characters, as the little girl proves a willing and capable partner in many of the cons. The performances and relationship between the two O'Neal's is excellent. Tatum O'Neal is particularly special as the smoking, cursing 9 year old girl.

The film also looks absolutely beautiful; wonderfully photographed. A charming film full of warmth, humour and heart




Laura - A classy, mysterious film noir. It's quite an unusual story. A detective investigating the murder of a beautiful girl slowly finds himself falling in love with the dead girl, just from hearing about her and looking at a portrait of her. Then she turns up alive!

You can throw so many words at this film to describe it - taut, intense, tight, perfectly plotted. It is an excellent and intriguing mystery. And Clifton Webb is an absolute treat as Waldo Lydecker, throwing out one acidic put-down after another

Yes...yes...YES! Sunset Boulevard is SO good. I just adore that film. I am also a HUGE fan of Shadow of a Doubt, which has grown to be one of my favorite Hitch films. It's definitely one of the darkest. Did you catch the scene where the family is waiting for Uncle Charlie to arrive at the train station, and when the train pulls in, it brings this thick black cloud that roll in and casts darkness over the area? So well done!

I would have loved to have seen the original idea for Alien 3 realized on screen. The whole monk aspect seemed cool to me.

I hated the hybrid alien that was half dog, it was an interesting idea, but the technology wasn't there yet.

The one story I love, behind the film is how Weaver signed on. She met with the Producers and Fincher, a nobody at the time. She turns to him and asks him one question, which would determine if she signed on or not.

Weaver: "How do you picture Ripley in this one?"

Fincher: "I don't know....bald?"

Weaver: Awesome.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Sunset Boulevard really is wonderful. I actually feel I've underrated it by not giving it 5 stars. Couldn't believe that didn't make the last MoFo 100 list when looking back at it

Didn't really notice that bit and register it. As I said somewhere before (might have been this thread) I will sometimes miss little elements like that on a first viewing. At the end of the film, even though I enjoyed it I did think that with a repeat viewing I might appreciate it more

High and Low (1963) -

Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953) -
A 50's homage to silent slapstick films. The pacing seemed laggy every now and then, but some of the hilarious bits easily made up for it.

Mon oncle (1958) -
I was actually disappointed by this following Hulot's Holiday, even though this is generally considered the superior. Some of the gags are still pretty funny, and it's a much more poignant film than its predecessor, but the extremely exaggerated 'ultra-modern' lifestyle and subtler humor didn't have too much of an effect on me.

Play Time (1967) -

Werewolf of London (1935) -
A notable precursor to The Wolfman. Not one of the most entertaining classic Universal horror flicks, but good nonetheless. One thing that might make The Wolfman stand out more to most is the sympathetic lead in Chaney Jr, whereas the overly-obsessive and seemingly selfish lead in this is more akin to the likes of Dr. Frankenstein.

Virtuosity (1995) -
Has a promising virtual reality-driven premise and some good acting, but I think it was pretty mediocre overall.

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total amount of Bette Davis films seen so far: 22

The Cabin in the Cotton
Michael Curtiz, 1932




A Marked Woman
Lloyd Bacon, 1937




In This Our Life
John Huston, 1942




Scream 4
Wes Craven, 2011




Monsters
Gareth Edwards, 2010




Forbidden Games
Rene Clement, 1952




Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog
Joss Whedon, 2008




Quills
Phillip Kaufman, 2001




Great Balls of Fire!
Jim McBride, 1989




Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Martin Scorses, 1974




Water Lilies
Céline Sciamma, 2007

The Shining I just posted my thoughts on this film in another thread but I'll repost it here too to see what everyone here thinks. I'll probably add a few comments here too.

I have to say I was a little disappointed. I was so excited for the hype and Nicholson and Kubrick combo. but the film only gets interesting when Torrance goes ape ****. I nearly shut the film off twice but I stuck it out. If the whole film were more like the ending, I think it would've been a better film. I also read somewhere that King disagreed with the casting of Nicholson and I can understand why. It felt like Jack was just a crazy man going even more insane rather than a good man, battling alcoholism, & going insane. The film felt similar to Amityville (sp?) Horror (old or remake- but more the remake). I gotta give props to the kid though- what an amazing talent. All the acting was great actually but...just the story itself (I am an aspiring screenwriter so this is what I look for the most) was kind of boring. The camera shots, like the maze or the view of the child on the bike- really did blow me away and made me remember that this was Kubrick but...it just didn't have the same effect on me that Strangelove (probably my favorite of his) did. Again a good film but not a great one. It was not close to Kubrick's Strangelove, 2001, or Full Metal Jacket.

On another note- Duvall was an amazing actress and she really nailed the vulnerability of Wendy. But- I couldn't believe Nicholson would actually marry her. No offense to Duvall of course I love when normal looking people get into acting, especially with such a major role. It gives me hope.