Movie Tab II

Die Hard -

+
(John McTiernan, 1988)

Better than most action movies, Die Hard is an intense thrill-ride with one ass-kicking good guy. No super duper acting here aside from Reginald VelJohnson, who gave an excellent performance and maybe the best (oddly enough), but everyone is good enough and anyway that doesn't stop any of the characters from being awesome. John McClane is an insanely badass character, and Bruce Willis was meant for the role. Alan Rickman... well he was just as great in this as he always is.

Roman Holiday -

(William Wyler, 1953)

Just last week I gave Moulin Rouge! full marks (on a different forum), the first film I have done so since a while ago, and immediately wanted to add it to my top 10. This week, the exact same thing happened with Roman Holiday. For a day or two after seeing it, I had Roman Holiday and Moulin Rouge! competing for the #10 spot in my top 10. I eventually decided that I prefer Roman Holiday, so it won and it remains there now. Audrey Hepburn, my favorite actress of all-time, gives her first and probably best performance. Gregory Peck was as cool as ever, and Eddie Albert was perfect as his side-kick. It has a bit of a subtle ending that's not like most typical romantic endings, where the guy and the girl push all conflict aside and live happily ever after. But it worked perfectly.

Shakespeare in Love -

+
(John Madden, 1998)

A very memorable and entertaining romance, so much so that I'd call it somewhat of a modern classic. I still didn't think that much of it though. At least, I don't know when I will want to see it again. It simply had its own distinct identity, and - along with being well-made all around on at least a good-enough level - that's what defines a classic in my opinion. There's really nothing wrong with the film at all, it just has to have the right audience to work. It was a nice fairytale take on the making of Romeo & Juliet.

On the Waterfront -

(Elia Kazan, 1954)

Marlon Brando gives the best performance in a film filled with incredible performances. Seriously, this had so much great acting in it. After Marlon Brando, the title for best goes to the effing fantastic Lee J. Cobb. He wasn't all too different from Juror #3 (his character in 12 Angry Men) at first, but that quickly changed and honestly, he gave a much better performance in this. Martin Balsam (Juror #1) was also in this, albeit a minor character. I've have been seeing him pop up as minor characters in a few different movies lately, actually.

Sherlock, Jr. -

+
(Buster Keaton, 1924)

Fun little movie by the extra-great Buster Keaton. Short and sweet. It's probably my least fave Keaton flick so far of the four I've seen, but when you have someone like Buster Keaton you can't have a bad movie. I have a magnet for this film, which I bought for my dad ages ago when I was probably 10 or so (he's not a fan of Buster Keaton or silent films in general, and how was I to know one day I would become one?), so I guess I'm sort of the scaled-down version of a Buster Keaton fanboy. For now...

Dirty Harry -

(Don Siegel, 1971)

The good guy was a mean badass and the bad guy was a psycho who was really, really dumb. They made the perfect enemies. What can I say about Dirty Harry? It kicks total ass and everyone should see it at least once. It shows exactly what Clint Eastwood's reputation is all about. And it has one of THE best soundtracks for a 70's film.

Our Hospitality -

+
(John G. Blystone & Buster Keaton, 1923)

Another super enjoyable and amusing Buster Keaton film that I liked just about the same as The General, maybe a little more. I don't have much to say about it because, like all of Keaton's work, it was just fun to watch. Buster Keaton was a genius what he did, I think. He's making his way up my favorite actors list, and really quickly. In fact, right now he's got the #1 spot. That may eventually die down when I get burnt out on his work, but maybe not?

An Affair to Remember -

(Leo McCarey, 1957)

Captivating romance with one of the best romantic endings ever. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr had tons of chemistry, but I admit it was sort of unusual to have a ginger as the leading lady. That's okay though, because you quickly fall in love with her just like Grant did.

Guys and Dolls -

+
(Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1955)

Decent musical with an all-star cast, but not one of my favorites. I might say the first scene was one of the best things I've seen from a musical yet, though. Also, Marlon Brando. He effing rocks.

Steamboat Bill, Jr. -

(Charles Reisner, 1928)

My absolute favorite Buster Keaton film so far. For silent films, it had what I felt was the best and most beautiful female romantic character, not only in Keaton's work but in all silent films. But the real jaw-dropper here is the hurricane scene, which was the absolute best thing I've seen from Keaton yet. Instead of being just amusing, like the rest of his stuff so far, it was laugh-out-loud hilarious, and had some really good effects that still hold up today. You may have noticed I've been watching some Buster Keaton movies. I'm loving the dude. He's a comedic genius with tons of charisma.

Sabrina -

(Billy Wilder, 1954)

I was surprised to find out I've seen this, or at least some of it, before. It's an enjoyable romance starring the greats: Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. But both have done better work (did I mention I'm a Bogie fan now?). I loved the recurring tune "La Vie En Rose", because it's a great song and it's in WALL-E!

Breakfast at Tiffany's -

+
(Blake Edwards, 1961)

Not quite as good as Roman Holiday, but still one of the best romances I've seen with Hepburn's most vibrant character. I can totally see Breakfast at Tiffany's having great rewatchability. The ending was especially great (I'm seeing a trend with romances), and "Moon River"... do I even need to mention it? Of any scene from any movie I've watched this week, I was most captivated during the "Moon River" scene. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. It felt as though I had reached enlightenment.

The Manchurian Candidate -

+
(John Frankenheimer, 1962)

The Manchurian Candidate is an interesting thriller that reminded me of the old Twilight Zone series, thanks to the cinematography and the weird story. Frank Sinatra is no Marlon Brando (looooooooool), but you can't help but like him anyway.

Taken -

(Pierre Morel, 2008)

I really, really liked this. It's an intense thrilling revenge film stripped to the bare bones but amplified in awesomeness. It is so much more pleasing than most revenge flicks, because Brian, our main protagonist played by the perfectly cast Liam Neeson, is a no-games kind of guy who knows exactly what he's doing. He is out for his daughter and he'll let nothing get in his way. So he annihilates everyone. Man, it doesn't get better than this. If I had to recommend a revenge/action film to someone who has never seen one before in their life, I would recommend Taken. Not necessarily because it's the best, but because it's the quintessential in every sense.

There were some things I didn't like, though. For example Neesons ex-wife was a b*tch to him and his daughter was a spoiled brat who was a b*tch to him. Even in the end, after he went all out just to save her. I'm not saying they were mean to him, aside from his ex-wife in the beginning, they just didn't give as much respect as they should've. But I don't think that was any sort of reason for him not to save her or anything, because I understand he loved her with all his heart. I also don't like how - and this happens all the time in action movies - during the shoot-out scene near the end between the single main protagonist and a bunch of enemies, they could never hit him once (even though they had machine guns and he didn't), yet he nailed them all. Oh well, that does come with almost every action/revenge film that has a shoot-out scene, so a movie that's the most basic form of the genre should probably have it too, right?

Went on a bit of an Audrey Hepburn bender huh Swan? Roman Holiday is my favourite with her.

I'm not going to start a discussion as to how you can rate Breakfast at Tiffany's higher than On the Waterfront, Sherlock Jr, or The Manchurian Candidate though...

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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."

All three of those films require rewatches okay, and I liked Sherlock Jr. more than I gave it credit for.

Ah don't worry Swan, I was just bugging a bit.

Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

"No cause for despair."

A film in 13 parts and an epilogue. At 15 1/2 hours this is the longest film I have ever watched (actually I think it's the longest film ever), and it took me four days on and off to do so. Originally broadcast on German television and based on Alfred Doblin's novel of the same name, this is Fassbinder's magnum opus.

Set during a desperate Berlin in the late 20's, we start out the film with our everyman protagonist Franz Biberkopf being released from prison after serving a four year sentence for murdering his mistress in a blind rage of fury. Franz is determined to go straight by living a good and decent life, to atone for his sins. As he moves from job to job, and from woman to woman it is only a matter of time before he falls into his old ways and gets involved with the shadier side of Berlin's population. He may not want to forgive himself, or be forgiven, and becomes the sacrificial lamb to those around him, always with the excuse that he is going straight to justify it. I could get a lot more into detail on this film, but will leave it to just a basic plot outline.

Berlin Alexanderplatz has the traditional look to it one would expect from a Fassbinder film, with soft images and light shining through brilliantly, intensely angled shots and full frames. It's a film that deals with humanity and its nature, society and being isolated within, sacrifice for the sake of finding truth of oneself, and all with a cynical but philosophical attitude. With exceptional performances from the majority of the cast, especially Gunter Lamprecht as Franz, who as an audience one can't help but wish nothing but the best for him as we really get to know his character through Fassbinder's excellent script.

A rewatch is probably not going to happen but one day I'll watch the insanely surreal but still brilliant epilogue again, to which I won't say anymore just in case anyone ever feels the urge to set aside 15 hours and watch this film. Although, if you haven't seen a Fassbinder film this isn't the one to start with (that would be Ali:Fear Eats the Soul - in my opinion), you either like his style or you don't.

It's a film or a mini-series ?

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I discussed the film/mini-series here, there, and everywhere. I also briefly discussed an early film version of the novel too.

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

So I guess we disagree a bit on the epilogue, which I didn't find pretentious but rather fitting due to the situation Franz was in. As for the symbolism I found it throughout the film, mainly in the narration of Fassbinder's but also in small parts here and there, the birds in the cages for example. It is a great 15+ hours though, and as far as whether it's a mini-series or a film, Fassbinder makes it known in the credits for each installment that it is "A film in 13 parts and an epilogue".

Still if anyone is thinking of setting aside some time for a mini-series/lengthy film such as this one I would be compelled to recommend Kieslowski's The Decalogue first and foremost. And HBO's The Corner, directed by Charles S. Dutton and released in 2000, deserves to be mentioned.

Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - Extended Edition

Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers - Extended Edition


I like the full versions quite a bit more than the theatrical releases, especially where The Two Towers is concerned, which I felt was incomplete in the short form.

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Factotum (Bent Hamer, 2005)

Lowkey telling of incidents in the life of L.A. poet Charles Bukowski's alter ego Hank Chinaski (Matt Dillon), a man who works at many jobs but each one just long enough to support himself and get drinking money. There are several women who cross Hank's path, but his main one is Jan (Lili Taylor), who tries to help him with the central passion of his life, his writing. Bukowski's story was portrayed earlier by Mickey Rourke in the better Barfly. Factotum isn't bad; it just doesn't add up to much.

Death Rides a Horse (Giulio Petroni, 1967) +

I know that many MoFos enjoy this revenge spaghetti western, and although I didn't think much of it when I was younger, I'm warming up to it in my old age. It really is a standard tale of a boy whose family is murdered and when he grows up to be played by John Phillip Law, he seeks revenge on the murderers. He's also aided by a mysterious outlaw (Lee Van Cleef) who has it in for the murderers too. What separates most spaghetti westerns are the eccentric ways the protagonists try to take out each other and the smartass dialogue exchanged. Death Rides a Horse isn't up to the heights of a Leone film but it is more clever than several I could name.

Blame it on Rio (Stanley Donen, 1984) -

This flick is largely forgotten nowadays and may qualify as a guilty pleasure, but it still packs plenty of laughs due to the chemistry between Michael Caine and Joseph Bologna, as well as some hilarious dialogue penned by Larry Gelbart and Charlie Peters. It tells the story of how the two male best friends take a vacation in Rio de Janeiro with their two teenage daughters, and how Bologna's daughter (Michelle Johnson) seduces Caine. The film can be seen as un-P.C. since Johnson spends much of the movie naked (or at least topless), but there's just something both humorous and suspenseful in daddy Bologna trying to figure out who made it with his daughter while using Caine as his fellow detective. Demi Moore also stars as Caine's daughter and has a topless scene but her long hair seems to be glued in front of her pre-implant body (for those who care about such things).

Sample dialogue: While walking along a semi-nude beach,
Caine: "We can't. They're practically naked."
Bologna: "Try to picture them with clothes on."

L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997)

Slam-bang action mystery with thoughtful acting and terrific scripting and direction which tells a story of 1950s police corruption and how the L.A.P.D. interacts with the entertainment business. The cast is crammed with solid performances by Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, James Cromwell, David Straithairn, and others. The atmosphere is almost as thick as Chinatown, but this film is more of a mainstream entertainment than a personal statement. As mainstream entertainments go, this is one of the best.

Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh, 2008)

Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is a 30-year-old elementary school teacher in London who projects happiness in the face of everything. This attracts her to several people (my best friend wants to marry her), but it also can drive some people up the wall, including Poppy's serious driving instructor Scott (Eddie Marsan). This seemingly-lighter-than-usual Mike Leigh film follows Sally's adventures at work, at home, with her family and friends, and her weekly Saturday "lessons" with Scott. What it adds up to is open to your interpretation, but you have to watch it to interpret it.

Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) -

I've seen Taxi Driver about ten times now, and I still find it to be extremely-flawed, but its pure cinematics have finally won me over enough to raise my rating up to what it is here. For every scene which I find extended or overkill, I'm rewarded with some spectacular visual/aural pyrotechnics, often something as simple as a taxi driving down a neon-lit night-time street set to the jazzy Bernard Herrmann musical score. Robert De Niro's performance is quite incredible even though he remains an enigma. I believe the most-controversial scenes in the film are the entire rescue bloodbath at the end and the way it's perceived by the press and allegedly the filmmakers. Taxi Driver is definitely a film to be seen, and I'm only now after 30 years, begrudgingly allowing myself to come to almost admit that I can "like" or "enjoy" it. One thing's for sure. Compared to all the other vigilante-type flicks which have come along since, Taxi Driver is much more complex and compelling.

The Picture of Dorian Gray (Albert Lewin, 1945)

Oscar Wilde's novel is presented by a narrator (Cedric Hardwicke) who tells the story of attractive young Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) who seems to live a good life, but a sinister portrait painting of him shows the corruption of his soul even while his body remains youthful and vibrant. The people with whom Dorian surrounds himself include a debauched nobleman (George Sanders), an East End singer (Angela Lansbury) and the lovely niece (Donna Reed) of the portrait's artist. The sins of Dorian are presented in an off-hand and mostly off-screen manner, but you can still tell that it involves sex, drugs, suicide and various other ungentlemanly behavior. The film is shot in black-and-white but some of the highlights are the displays of Dorian Gray's portrait in vivid Technicolor.

Downfall (Oliver Herschbiegel, 2004)

While the Battle of Berlin rages outside and the German Army and people are being slaughtered by the Russians, Hitler (Bruno Ganz) and his women, children and close advisors stay "safe" in the bunker while Der Fuhrer plots to maintain some viable position as a world leader. Downfall is fascinating on several levels. As a straight-up war movie, it delivers action, suspense and history in equal measure. As a look at Hitler's dementia and thought processes, it goes into more depth than probably any other film. It also hits home at the depiction of Hitler as a kind of "family man" and some of the hardest-hitting scenes involve what happens to the children in the bunker. Watching these scenes, I couldn't help but think of the various cults down through the years which ended in tragedy. Bruno Ganz fully personifies Hitler; his performance seems more to resemble a possession than simple acting.

This Man Must Die (Claude Chabrol, 1969) +

Chabrol's direction is more methodical and serious here than it is in some of the films surrounding this one in his filmography. True, this was his heyday (the late '60s through the early '70s), so it's easy to take this as more of a personal statement than some of his more playful Hitchcockian homages. This story is about a boy who's killed by a hit-and-run driver at the start, and his father Charles (Michel Duchaussoy) will stop at nothing to find the murderer and kill him. Charles has absolutely no clues but he uses his intuition and intelligence to get close to the perpetrator by dating Helene (Caroline Cellier) who was a passenger in the hit-and-run car. When he goes to spend a weekend with Helene's family, Charles can easily see that her brother-in-law Paul (Jean Yanne) is one of the most dastardly humans conceivable and must be the murderer. What follows are several intense scenes involving a cliff, a sailboat, a diary, a bottle of poison and all manner of cat-and-mouse activity between the two men and the police.

As far as the spaghetti westerns I've seen so far go, I'd give Death Rides A Horse a solid +. I found it highly entertaining, if a little unoriginal.

To put things in perspective, I give The Great Silence and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly , so I'm a hard-ass heathen. Just raise my spaghetti western ratings +1/5 and that might give you a better idea of what I think you might think of them. (I know, I'm also scary.)

I find rating films the hardest part of writing a review. I'm probably a little on the generous side, but I always try to rate each film as a genre piece (granted this isn't always possible). It might explain why I give Dario Argento's Inferno the same score as Don Seigel's Charlie Varrick (which on the face of things sounds ludidrous), and why I scored Rolling Thunder so highly. That's why there are two ratings in my 80's thread, one for sensible people, and the trash rating for childish bumklings like me.

Pleasentville

You would never guess where this is going from the goofball introduction , it's a movie that wants to take on the weight of the world and for it's curiosity and pleasing visuals - one worthwhile to stay with even if what it does worst , is entertain.

The acting performances were my main draw for this one ...





The Godfather

It's a character study , a portrait of American life versus life in other countries , the deterioration of culture , a truthful assessment of honor and what it means to criminals. There's good reason to why this is the most popularly regarded "best film".





After my last viewing of this , I had no idea I would ever have to see it again ... unfortunately it was the fourth movie in my "history through film" class. As much I love to watch Don Cheadle play a character - the movie is excessively dull showing little attachment to the people it wants to save.

It's not completely educational either , only giving you a glimpse of what's actually happening in Africa - rather than the whole thing. So I had to see Blood Diamond and this one - but at least I have an understanding for the constant civil war of the country.





Solaris

This one left me very unsatisfied , not because it was a poor movie - but because it had incredible potential. The first half was flawless putting you right into the mystery of Solaris with a romantic , very well done background story being told at the same pace. Then , the second half comes which does have some interesting moments - primarily it's time bending , but is completely bogged down in an effort to explain itself.





Grindhouse

It took me awhile to find the theatrical cut of this one (unfortunately still not released in the U.S.) - very entertaining double-flick although I will say it's more the ultimate theater experience than stand-alone film. Much of the atmosphere you get seeing this in the theater is lost on viewing at home , but still a very enjoyable 3 hours.

and a on the big-screen with a fun audience

Also , I had to go on a Pixar rampage before seeing Up this weekend.



Toy Story

Pixar's debut , yep parts of the animation have become extremely dated - but it's actually pretty fun to look at the shortcomings and still be entertained because of the heart provided by the cast. Randy Newman also narrates a couple parts





A Bugs Life

Great follow-up to Toy Story , an entirely new - but brilliant voice cast , visual style , and original musical score.





Toy Story 2

Here are the characters of Toy Story admist a complex existential backdrop , the animation has come a bit further and the same simplistic bad-guy plot comes into play - still an enjoyable one to watch. I really love the scene where the guy fixes up Woody.

As for Toy Story 3 (the next Pixar project) , I really don't support the idea at all. If they could bring the same recent Pixar maturity of Ratatouille and Wall-E to the brilliant cast of characters you have with the Toy Story franchise it could easily be the best one. I really doubt that it would turn out this way though and likely be the biggest misstep of the studio so far.





Monsters Inc.

John Goodman's best role since he got ashes all over The Dude's face. Inventive and funny , of course by now I'm noticing the trend the villains play in the past 3 movies ...





Finding Nemo

Quite a leap in the animation quality of their flicks and also disposes of the essential bad-guy. The story is almost completly boiled down to it's characters - which some are annoying and one sided , some are very entertaining/funny , and some make sense.





The Incredibles

What happened !? Pixar jumped off the deep-end with this superhero ordeal. The animation quality jumped back quite a bit from Finding Nemo and while the story was essentially family-Watchmen (pretty good idea) - the family it focuses on is one of the most clichéd annoying group of characters ever assembled.





Cars

Defintly the weakest idea behind a Pixar movie , but the much more apparent attention to detail and production values still make it an enjoyable one.





This one pretty much overshadows all of their previous work now , scene after scene of fantastic visual flair and top notch characters with belivable emotions (although Linguine is the obvious nod to the sillyness you've come to expect).





... and what a great follow-up !

The Boondock Saints (1999)

4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007, Cristian Mungiu)

A realist film typical of the Romanian New Wave about a young university student helping her friend get an illegal abortion in Communist Romania. Long takes and excellent acting add to an unflinching realism already present in the resolute subject matter. My opinion is it's both pro-life and pro-choice, but others may disagree.

Winner of the Palm d'Or at Cannes in 2007.

I love how Pleasantville is able to take a seemingly arbitrary genre (1950s wholesome family television), and use it as a loudspeaker to say a little something about the beauty of self-expression and opening oneself up to new things. It channels real-world issues in a brilliant way, the most notable being racial prejudice by literally depicting its characters as "people of color." Great film.


I know Solaris is pretty thick, but I think it was intended to be an experiential film more than anything else. It's like a song: there's certainly an intended meaning, but sometimes it's just the current of the music you should close your eyes and follow. I've also found that this film makes more sense the more times you view it, but not in any objective way; it's the kind of film that will ultimately mean something specific to you. Glad you still liked it, though.

I've seen this about twice now. First time was shortly following it's release, and second just last night. I wasn't impressed with it nearly as much as you were. My two cents:

The Boondock Saints (1999)
Unfortunately, I saw more "bad" than "good" in The Boondock Saints. Apart from Dafoe the acting was horrid, the sense of humor failed miserably, and the violence was seemingly done for the hell of it.

The film is about two brothers killing off the evil in Boston while a brilliant detective chases them down. And while the plot sounds like a simple homage to Death Wish, the two films could not differ more. The film has a somewhat annoying sense of humor that it could very well do without, and over the top blood and violence that, while not difficult to watch, is completely disposable.

Willem Dafoe, who plays the detective on the trail of the vigilantes, is the best part of the film as well as a treat to watch. The action scenes weren't at all bad, and actually had a chance of being good if not for the out of place humor thrown into them. An example would be the trick they do with the rope.

The films characters differentiated from each other quite a bit. While that is a formula that normally works in film, the characters in the Boondock Saints were unrealistic and uninteresting. The score sounded like a cross between a b-movie actioner and a spy flick, which fit the movie rather well.

Overall, it was difficult for me not to turn the damn thing off within the first 30 minutes. I'm fairly glad I didn't because it turned out to be mildly entertaining, but I could've spent my time wiser.

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Capote

The birth of a new form of US novel, some horrible acts, duplicities & moral conundrums, and PS Hoffman in a starring role. Good stuff. An honest depiction of the limits on how honest we can really be. Lost some popcorn for me in the slow 'dampness' to the much of the first hour, which though fitting, and providing some psychological payoff later on, dragged a touch - and met a tricky counterpoint in one emotional Truman scene (which apparently the director insisted on, and didn't quite work for me). Still, a far from quixotic stab at some ongoing concerns, played out in some tense territory.

+

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Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here

I agree on Boondock - A pretty mediocre film, for the most part, and... I hated that asshat with the beard!!