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Slumdog millionaire My First Indian Movie And before this movie i know nothing about indian cinema But After i thought i think they are doing good job I Really like all chreacter of The movie Specially kids Are Simply awesome i can say that was good last watch on theater. 3.5/5
What was the last movie you saw at the theaters?
My Bloody Valentine 3D -
I didn't get the chance to see it in 3D, though. If I had, I feel that my enjoyment for the movie would have been somewhat higher, and thus my rating could have potentially reached a solid .
I didn't get the chance to see it in 3D, though. If I had, I feel that my enjoyment for the movie would have been somewhat higher, and thus my rating could have potentially reached a solid .
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John Milton, Paradise Lost
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The Wrestler - Still can't get over the emotional ending. Next film will be The Dark Knight this Friday at the BFI IMAX. It will be my 2nd time watching it on IMAX. I'm thinking of it as a little **** you to the Academy Awards.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop, laughed a few time but not as much as i thought i would. i love KOQ and kevin James but they should have bumped up the rating and gone a little more extreme with some of the Jokes....not a horrible movie but worth taking your kids to go see
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I saw Waltz with Bashir last night. Very unsettling film, but recommended.
Next on my list for movies to see: Trouble the Water.
Next on my list for movies to see: Trouble the Water.
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"It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men." -- Samuel Adams (1722-1803)
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Waltz with Bashir
2008, Ari Folman
Haunting, beautiful, horrible and powerful, Ari Folman's film is a unique blend of animation styles trying to uncover the nature of memory and the horror of war. It tells the true stories of Folman and some of the young men he served with in the Israeli Army during the first Lebanon War in 1982. The film opens with a nightmare, a recurring nightmare of an old friend he hasn't seen in years, who is plagued by visions of vicious dogs coming for him. He realizes these are the same dogs he was ordered to shoot and kill during his patrols during the War and is stunned to find out Folman has almost zero memory of anything that happened over twenty years ago in that combat zone. But he starts to try and reassemble his experiences by interviewing others who served or witnessed, ending with the infamous genocidal massacres at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, where the Lebanese Christian Militia systematically slaughtered upwards of a thousand men, women and children while their Israeli allies, including Ari Folman, stood nearby and did nothing to stop it.
The animation, which is a new combo of flash, 3D and classic cell, is striking and very effective in its stylization of the beauties and abominations of the world, but the final images are actual filmstock and need no translation or commentary in their devastating power and pain. Despite the arresting and unusual animated recreations this is, essentially, a documentary...and a potent one at that.
GRADE: A
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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra
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It was really something. I wonder when or if the Academy will ever try to stop being "so American"? What I mean by that is this movie is obviously a documentary and an absolutely amazing one at that, with a very intriguing way of telling a story. I'm positive this will take home the best Foreign film this year and that's fine, it is a foreign film, but since it isn't done in English it somehow doesn't qualify for Best Doc? For that matter this is one of the Best films of the year. Wouldn't you agree?
I guess I sort of wish the Best Doc was a little more 'all inclusive' and that the Best Foreign film category held more weight. Maybe when you achieve the Presidency Holds you can address this.
I guess I sort of wish the Best Doc was a little more 'all inclusive' and that the Best Foreign film category held more weight. Maybe when you achieve the Presidency Holds you can address this.
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We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...
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The Reader and Frost/Nixon
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Expect to see a lot more of these…
The Last House
on the Left
(Wes Craven, 1972)
Wes Craven's notorious debut feature was banned in Australia for several decades after its initial release, only coming onto DVD a few years back, never enjoying a proper theatrical release. Until now...
The plot's simple enough - a pair of young girls, Mari and Phyllis, head out to a rock concert. On their way, they cross paths with a bizarre family unit - escaped convicts Krug and Weasel, their woman Sadie, and Krug's son Junior. Unfortunately for Mari and Phyllis, Krug and his "family" are sadistic sickos who have their own plans for the two girls that've wandered into their midst...and it's at that point where I think I should leave the plot alone. I had the plot spoiled for me beforehand, and this did make the film a bit less shocking than it already was, but yeah, if you haven't yet had the "pleasure" of seeing this, I'll leave it at that. Needless to say, you could probably predict it rather easily as The Last House on the Left doesn't really have much priority thrown into its plot. The priority seems to be on the behaviour of the various individual characters as they are put through a simple yet no less horrifying ordeal.
As with a lot of the movies I've seen at the theatres recently, The Last House on the Left was an incredibly hilarious film for both the audience and I. The banal dialogue, pantomime acting and incredibly cheesy selection of soft rock from the era (late-1960s/early-1970s) set a surprisingly different tone to what I was expecting from this supposedly terrifying product of one of modern horror's best-known auteurs. Even when the film moved into more controversial territory, the fact that the filmmakers still utilised very corny audio cues made it quite interesting to watch. I wasn't entirely sure whether to be shocked to my core or laughing my arse off when Craven decided to lay a sugary pop single over the coercion of the two girls into a variety of humiliating acts such as intentionally wetting themselves. I didn't really feel strongly one way or the other, funnily enough. If I had been amongst the initial crowds who laid eyes on this film during its theatrical run back in the 70s, who knows how I'd have felt about such a bizarre juxtaposition of joy and horror - it invited comparisons to a certain scene in Reservoir Dogs. It makes me wonder what Craven was going for here.
The story's third act is probably the best, where Mari's parents find out about the quartet's actions and decide to take revenge in a variety of nasty ways (which I really feel tempted to spoil as it's quite a climax to the story). It all comes to a conclusion that is your average bittersweet revenge ending, where the parents have avenged their daughter at the cost of their humanity, and then cuts to a ridiculously bouncy pop song playing over the credits - a decision that caused everyone in the theatre to crack up. It was a gut laugh that was needed after the brutal climax of the story (which had various parts that caused the audience to collectively groan as one). I wonder if this makes the feeling of The Last House on the Left rub off at all - I'm sitting here now and I have to admit, I'm not really losing sleep over the events of the film. The tagline does tell you to think that "it's just a movie" as a means of lessening its effect on you, although considering the constantly humourous vibe of the film (intentional or not), maybe the film doesn't really need this kind of advice. Perhaps it didn't have this effect because I'm desensitised to this kind of thing, but I can imagine it having that kind of effect on somebody. Oh, well. In that case, I just have to enjoy what I felt - a laughably trashy yet still somewhat poignant exploitation film that's lost quite a bit of its impact, but not really much of its entertainment value.
GRADE: B-
The Texas Chain
Saw Massacre
(Tobe Hooper, 1974)
Unlike the previous film, I've seen The Texas Chain Saw Massacre before (this marks my third viewing) and had a better idea of what I was getting into. You should all know the drill for this film - a handful of youths are on a trip in Texas when they come across a house. Living in the house is a family of slaughterhouse workers turned cannibalistic serial killers, the most iconic of which is Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) an oversized manchild who wears masks made of human flesh and chases his prey with a chainsaw that never runs out of petrol.
First things first - Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a superior film to The Last House in the Left. They share various similarities (grainy amateur look, a crazed family, use of a chainsaw, etc etc) but when it comes to being an effective horror, the Saw is king. While there were still quite a few moments where, by the filmmakers' intention or not, the audience were compelled to laugh at how ridiculous the onscreen action was, these were few and far between and, even though I'd seen it before, it was still very scary. Hell, maybe even scarier. I think that's the mark of a good horror film - one that not only manages to scare you well the first time you watch it, but on repeated viewings as well. Watching it in a theatre (as opposed to a TV screen that's only about a foot or two wide) also puts the film's distinct jarring style directly into your face (the same goes for the film's unusual sound design, which wreaks havoc on one's nerves). Whether that's to your delight or not is up to you, but I found it really did work in the film's favour, making it just that little bit more unnerving.
And unnerving it is. While it's pretty easy to see each kid's death coming from a mile off (even on first viewing), it still does nothing to stop tension building up. Not being able to tell exactly when Leatherface is going to lash out from around a corner (or even being able to predict the actions of the crazed hitch-hiker closer to the start of the film) works a treat for the film. The film maintains its edge the whole way through, right up to its incredibly abrupt conclusion (with the unforgettable image of Leatherface's frustration-filled "chainsaw dance" against the piercing orange sunrise).
I realise that Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a real "love it or hate it" proposition - I know members feel one way or the other around here, and you'll just have to put me in the former category, for I reckon that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a damned fine film. Feel free to point out whatever problems you have with the film - lame acting, irritating style, whatever - for I take them in stride when I lock myself in for a trip into the film's gritty world, where a roaring chainsaw motor is never far off in the distance...
GRADE: B+
The Last House
on the Left
(Wes Craven, 1972)
Wes Craven's notorious debut feature was banned in Australia for several decades after its initial release, only coming onto DVD a few years back, never enjoying a proper theatrical release. Until now...
The plot's simple enough - a pair of young girls, Mari and Phyllis, head out to a rock concert. On their way, they cross paths with a bizarre family unit - escaped convicts Krug and Weasel, their woman Sadie, and Krug's son Junior. Unfortunately for Mari and Phyllis, Krug and his "family" are sadistic sickos who have their own plans for the two girls that've wandered into their midst...and it's at that point where I think I should leave the plot alone. I had the plot spoiled for me beforehand, and this did make the film a bit less shocking than it already was, but yeah, if you haven't yet had the "pleasure" of seeing this, I'll leave it at that. Needless to say, you could probably predict it rather easily as The Last House on the Left doesn't really have much priority thrown into its plot. The priority seems to be on the behaviour of the various individual characters as they are put through a simple yet no less horrifying ordeal.
As with a lot of the movies I've seen at the theatres recently, The Last House on the Left was an incredibly hilarious film for both the audience and I. The banal dialogue, pantomime acting and incredibly cheesy selection of soft rock from the era (late-1960s/early-1970s) set a surprisingly different tone to what I was expecting from this supposedly terrifying product of one of modern horror's best-known auteurs. Even when the film moved into more controversial territory, the fact that the filmmakers still utilised very corny audio cues made it quite interesting to watch. I wasn't entirely sure whether to be shocked to my core or laughing my arse off when Craven decided to lay a sugary pop single over the coercion of the two girls into a variety of humiliating acts such as intentionally wetting themselves. I didn't really feel strongly one way or the other, funnily enough. If I had been amongst the initial crowds who laid eyes on this film during its theatrical run back in the 70s, who knows how I'd have felt about such a bizarre juxtaposition of joy and horror - it invited comparisons to a certain scene in Reservoir Dogs. It makes me wonder what Craven was going for here.
The story's third act is probably the best, where Mari's parents find out about the quartet's actions and decide to take revenge in a variety of nasty ways (which I really feel tempted to spoil as it's quite a climax to the story). It all comes to a conclusion that is your average bittersweet revenge ending, where the parents have avenged their daughter at the cost of their humanity, and then cuts to a ridiculously bouncy pop song playing over the credits - a decision that caused everyone in the theatre to crack up. It was a gut laugh that was needed after the brutal climax of the story (which had various parts that caused the audience to collectively groan as one). I wonder if this makes the feeling of The Last House on the Left rub off at all - I'm sitting here now and I have to admit, I'm not really losing sleep over the events of the film. The tagline does tell you to think that "it's just a movie" as a means of lessening its effect on you, although considering the constantly humourous vibe of the film (intentional or not), maybe the film doesn't really need this kind of advice. Perhaps it didn't have this effect because I'm desensitised to this kind of thing, but I can imagine it having that kind of effect on somebody. Oh, well. In that case, I just have to enjoy what I felt - a laughably trashy yet still somewhat poignant exploitation film that's lost quite a bit of its impact, but not really much of its entertainment value.
GRADE: B-
The Texas Chain
Saw Massacre
(Tobe Hooper, 1974)
Unlike the previous film, I've seen The Texas Chain Saw Massacre before (this marks my third viewing) and had a better idea of what I was getting into. You should all know the drill for this film - a handful of youths are on a trip in Texas when they come across a house. Living in the house is a family of slaughterhouse workers turned cannibalistic serial killers, the most iconic of which is Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) an oversized manchild who wears masks made of human flesh and chases his prey with a chainsaw that never runs out of petrol.
First things first - Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a superior film to The Last House in the Left. They share various similarities (grainy amateur look, a crazed family, use of a chainsaw, etc etc) but when it comes to being an effective horror, the Saw is king. While there were still quite a few moments where, by the filmmakers' intention or not, the audience were compelled to laugh at how ridiculous the onscreen action was, these were few and far between and, even though I'd seen it before, it was still very scary. Hell, maybe even scarier. I think that's the mark of a good horror film - one that not only manages to scare you well the first time you watch it, but on repeated viewings as well. Watching it in a theatre (as opposed to a TV screen that's only about a foot or two wide) also puts the film's distinct jarring style directly into your face (the same goes for the film's unusual sound design, which wreaks havoc on one's nerves). Whether that's to your delight or not is up to you, but I found it really did work in the film's favour, making it just that little bit more unnerving.
And unnerving it is. While it's pretty easy to see each kid's death coming from a mile off (even on first viewing), it still does nothing to stop tension building up. Not being able to tell exactly when Leatherface is going to lash out from around a corner (or even being able to predict the actions of the crazed hitch-hiker closer to the start of the film) works a treat for the film. The film maintains its edge the whole way through, right up to its incredibly abrupt conclusion (with the unforgettable image of Leatherface's frustration-filled "chainsaw dance" against the piercing orange sunrise).
I realise that Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a real "love it or hate it" proposition - I know members feel one way or the other around here, and you'll just have to put me in the former category, for I reckon that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a damned fine film. Feel free to point out whatever problems you have with the film - lame acting, irritating style, whatever - for I take them in stride when I lock myself in for a trip into the film's gritty world, where a roaring chainsaw motor is never far off in the distance...
GRADE: B+
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I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
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More old-school horror as things take a turn for the professional...
The Thing
John Carpenter, 1982
This marks the first time I'd ever seen a John Carpenter film in a theatre. As you may or may not know, Carpenter is one of my favourite directors, and The Thing is definitely among the better films he's made over the course of his long and eclectic career. I'm starting to think that objectively it may be his greatest film (although I still think I'm due for a re-watch of his other major classic, Halloween - expect a review soon.) I think this may be viewing number five or six - not entirely sure, but it definitely deserves to be seen on as large a screen with as great a sound system as possible. For there was nothing quite as overwhelming as the sound of the film's heartbeat-like synthesiser music thudding throughout the theatre as the film opened onto the Antarctic wasteland where it takes place. From that point on, I got totally wrapped in the film - a film as cold, bleak and unforgiving as its setting.
If you're not familiar with it, the plot is as follows - a team of Americans posted at a research station in Antarctica find their everyday routine interrupted when a dog enters their camp with a pair of crazed Norwegians chasing it in a helicopter. Before long, it is revealed that the dog is actually an alien lifeform that is capable of perfectly imitating other lifeforms. When the alien starts taking over the humans one by one, paranoia sets in and the characters find they are unable to trust one another. Who's human? Who's not? How will it all play out?
To me, The Thing borders on flawless. It's a brilliant example of how to re-invent a genre - a lot of hard work was invested in this film by cast and crew alike, and it shows. To begin with, I think I should mention Rob Bottin, the man responsible for the design of the Thing and the multitude of forms it takes over the course of the film. Bottin relies on the animatronics and puppetry of yesteryear, and even in an age where CGI has become the favoured choice for special effects wizardry, his work in The Thing not only holds up against modern technology, it also manages to trump it. Each of the Thing's transformations manages to be more shocking than the last, and even though one of the film's most infamous scenes - which I won't spoil other than by using the phrase "spider head" - actually caused the audience to laugh at just how incredibly absurd it was (not to mention David Clennon's unforgettably deadpan punchline - if you know the scene, you should remember the line), it's still no less impressive on a technical scale. If I'm going to mention the technical skill demonstrated in the film, I should probably give a mention to Dean Cundey's cinematography. He's worked with Carpenter on some of his best films and his work on The Thing is no less impressive, with the cold whites and blues of the icy location contrasted greatly by the use of hot colours like the pink glow of the ubiquitious flares and orange glow of fire and explosions.
Not only do the special effects on offer in the film manage to be damned impressive, so too do the characters. While plenty of horror films tend to feature one-dimensional characters that serve only as fodder for whatever menace is threatening to kill them all, The Thing actually manages to create a well-rounded cast of characters. This serves the film brilliantly as The Thing wouldn't really be The Thing without the amazing interplay between characters. The actors assembled are all excellent picks - none of the characters feel underdeveloped at all. It's hard to pick a highlight - like trying to pick the best actor in 12 Angry Men, it's too damned hard to bother trying and really, what purpose would it serve? Suffice to say, it's one of the best ensemble casts I've ever seen in action.
I think I've covered just about everything great about the film - The Thing works incredibly well as a basic scary movie, a compelling thriller and as an amazing piece of workmanship. I may just end up giving it the highest grade of all the horror movies I'll be seeing this month. It's that good.
GRADE: A+
Jaws
Steven Spielberg, 1975
Surprisingly enough, this isn't the first time I've seen Jaws on the big screen - the first was a little over two years ago. I'm not entirely sure how many times I've seen it in total, but it's sure to be quite a few, and yet it still hasn't lost its edge. I don't think I should have to bother with a plot explanation, or even with a particularly lengthy review packed full of praise for the film (I honestly don't think that I could do the film justice in the wake of that epic review Mark F wrote up for his Top 100 list, for I am nowhere near as great a Jaws fan as he is). Needless to say, looking back over the review I just wrote for The Thing, I don't think I really need to change too much. To flat-out copy the final lines of that review, Jaws works as both a scary thriller and a technical achievement. The music's great, as is the acting (especially the lead trio, of course) and the actual filmmaking, and of course, it's still really scary. The only real problem I have with this or The Thing is trying to figure out which one I personally prefer.
GRADE: A+
The Thing
John Carpenter, 1982
This marks the first time I'd ever seen a John Carpenter film in a theatre. As you may or may not know, Carpenter is one of my favourite directors, and The Thing is definitely among the better films he's made over the course of his long and eclectic career. I'm starting to think that objectively it may be his greatest film (although I still think I'm due for a re-watch of his other major classic, Halloween - expect a review soon.) I think this may be viewing number five or six - not entirely sure, but it definitely deserves to be seen on as large a screen with as great a sound system as possible. For there was nothing quite as overwhelming as the sound of the film's heartbeat-like synthesiser music thudding throughout the theatre as the film opened onto the Antarctic wasteland where it takes place. From that point on, I got totally wrapped in the film - a film as cold, bleak and unforgiving as its setting.
If you're not familiar with it, the plot is as follows - a team of Americans posted at a research station in Antarctica find their everyday routine interrupted when a dog enters their camp with a pair of crazed Norwegians chasing it in a helicopter. Before long, it is revealed that the dog is actually an alien lifeform that is capable of perfectly imitating other lifeforms. When the alien starts taking over the humans one by one, paranoia sets in and the characters find they are unable to trust one another. Who's human? Who's not? How will it all play out?
To me, The Thing borders on flawless. It's a brilliant example of how to re-invent a genre - a lot of hard work was invested in this film by cast and crew alike, and it shows. To begin with, I think I should mention Rob Bottin, the man responsible for the design of the Thing and the multitude of forms it takes over the course of the film. Bottin relies on the animatronics and puppetry of yesteryear, and even in an age where CGI has become the favoured choice for special effects wizardry, his work in The Thing not only holds up against modern technology, it also manages to trump it. Each of the Thing's transformations manages to be more shocking than the last, and even though one of the film's most infamous scenes - which I won't spoil other than by using the phrase "spider head" - actually caused the audience to laugh at just how incredibly absurd it was (not to mention David Clennon's unforgettably deadpan punchline - if you know the scene, you should remember the line), it's still no less impressive on a technical scale. If I'm going to mention the technical skill demonstrated in the film, I should probably give a mention to Dean Cundey's cinematography. He's worked with Carpenter on some of his best films and his work on The Thing is no less impressive, with the cold whites and blues of the icy location contrasted greatly by the use of hot colours like the pink glow of the ubiquitious flares and orange glow of fire and explosions.
Not only do the special effects on offer in the film manage to be damned impressive, so too do the characters. While plenty of horror films tend to feature one-dimensional characters that serve only as fodder for whatever menace is threatening to kill them all, The Thing actually manages to create a well-rounded cast of characters. This serves the film brilliantly as The Thing wouldn't really be The Thing without the amazing interplay between characters. The actors assembled are all excellent picks - none of the characters feel underdeveloped at all. It's hard to pick a highlight - like trying to pick the best actor in 12 Angry Men, it's too damned hard to bother trying and really, what purpose would it serve? Suffice to say, it's one of the best ensemble casts I've ever seen in action.
I think I've covered just about everything great about the film - The Thing works incredibly well as a basic scary movie, a compelling thriller and as an amazing piece of workmanship. I may just end up giving it the highest grade of all the horror movies I'll be seeing this month. It's that good.
GRADE: A+
Jaws
Steven Spielberg, 1975
Surprisingly enough, this isn't the first time I've seen Jaws on the big screen - the first was a little over two years ago. I'm not entirely sure how many times I've seen it in total, but it's sure to be quite a few, and yet it still hasn't lost its edge. I don't think I should have to bother with a plot explanation, or even with a particularly lengthy review packed full of praise for the film (I honestly don't think that I could do the film justice in the wake of that epic review Mark F wrote up for his Top 100 list, for I am nowhere near as great a Jaws fan as he is). Needless to say, looking back over the review I just wrote for The Thing, I don't think I really need to change too much. To flat-out copy the final lines of that review, Jaws works as both a scary thriller and a technical achievement. The music's great, as is the acting (especially the lead trio, of course) and the actual filmmaking, and of course, it's still really scary. The only real problem I have with this or The Thing is trying to figure out which one I personally prefer.
GRADE: A+
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You're seeing all these flicks in the theater, Iroquois? Is there a horror festival going on or something?
Friday and Saturday nights I went back to the theatres for second viewings of Waltz with Bashir and MILK. Hadn't been to the movies for six whole days. Strangely enough I went to see Bashir at the same theater where I had spent most of the past few weeks with the Portland International Film Festival. It felt odd to be there with only ten other patrons instead of a full house.
Friday and Saturday nights I went back to the theatres for second viewings of Waltz with Bashir and MILK. Hadn't been to the movies for six whole days. Strangely enough I went to see Bashir at the same theater where I had spent most of the past few weeks with the Portland International Film Festival. It felt odd to be there with only ten other patrons instead of a full house.
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Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss - Fassbinder
I barely made it till the end. I'd recommend watching Sunset boulevard instead. All the points go to the photography.
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You're seeing all these flicks in the theater, Iroquois? Is there a horror festival going on or something?
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