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I couldn't believe people believed Ghostwatch when it aired. That was also when I found that, as much as people complain when they don't like something trivial, they're downright vicious if they're tricked by something trivial.
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Aye, it looks very tame and homely (and patently not 'real') when viewed through 2010 eyes, doesn't it?
In defence of those who swallowed it, I can't remember an earlier time where the national broadcaster forced us to believe something such as this for an entire programme slot. The only other things my sleepy brain can dredge up were those quaint April Fools jokes like the spaghetti trees on Tomorrow's World in the 60s, and I'm pretty sure there were complaints about those too, just not of the 'Outraged in Farnham' variety.
I was 19 and pretty well schooled in the basic techniques of drama when it came out but still spent the opening portion of Ghostwatch at least giving The Beeb the benefit of the doubt (the heavy rotation of trailers leading up to it probably helped) only for it to become a bit too stagy a bit too quickly.
In defence of those who swallowed it, I can't remember an earlier time where the national broadcaster forced us to believe something such as this for an entire programme slot. The only other things my sleepy brain can dredge up were those quaint April Fools jokes like the spaghetti trees on Tomorrow's World in the 60s, and I'm pretty sure there were complaints about those too, just not of the 'Outraged in Farnham' variety.
I was 19 and pretty well schooled in the basic techniques of drama when it came out but still spent the opening portion of Ghostwatch at least giving The Beeb the benefit of the doubt (the heavy rotation of trailers leading up to it probably helped) only for it to become a bit too stagy a bit too quickly.
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Capitalism: A Love Story
Liberal bawler Michael Moore lets the big capitalists have it in this documentary. I found this more enjoyable than Sicko, as there are less obtrusive images of people crying, little annoying jokes accompanied by telling songs, but more enlightening ideas. I had already heard most of the facts in this movie, but the way in which Moore lists all of them is cleverly done. This does not take away that Moore goes off the road again during the last 15 minutes or so, which makes me wonder if he is not looking after his personal interests in the same way as the people he so fiercely denounces.
Terribly Happy
A Danish film about a policeman who was degraded to spending his days in Skarrild, a remote village. One of the inhabitants summarizes life for him: mud, cows and rubber boots. But as you would expect, things are not what they seem. The villagers like taking care of their problems in their own way. And those problems range from domestic violence to murder. Tense, slightly absurd noir thriller that is enjoyable but nothing more.
The Men Who Stare At Goats
Film about a paranormal unit in the American army. For his debut effort, director Heslov had the unfortunate idea of to turn this into an absurd war comedy starring George Clooney in full-on comedy mode, Ewan McGregor as his indecisive partner, lots of slapstick (which often borders on being downright silly) and –last but not least- Jeff Bridges in a variation on The Dude. It has its moments, but I can’t help wondering what the result would’ve been had the Coens helmed this project.
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Sita Sings the Blues 2009
Any hatred I could have for this movie is absolved by the fact it's free to download. As a no-budget animation film, it's ambitious - as a fully fledged motion picture ... it's nothing. This is animation that a child can do (in their sleep), it just doesn't look good moving. It's not detailed enough either when it's at a still. Maybe this wouldn't be a problem if it really pushed it's look and sound (which is much better) so much, it's got almost nothing else backing it.
Also, If you weren't comfortable with the animation style, I suggest you try watching the trailer first.
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& since you mentioned any child can do this in their sleep ....
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It was a fairly churlish comment about a 'zero budget' art project meaty. Fair play if it didn't work for you, but the director should probably be cut some slack for making it in her own time etc.
I've seen sections of it from the early days and found it pretty charming - thought the the stylised 2D anim worked pretty well with the old-school music. Especially the 'Who's that knocking at my door' scenes.
I did wonder how it would hold up as a full feature tho. Guess I'll have to find out
. Am intrigued to see if she hit the female-emancipation/commiseration & folk-tale-rework angle she was aiming for too.
I've seen sections of it from the early days and found it pretty charming - thought the the stylised 2D anim worked pretty well with the old-school music. Especially the 'Who's that knocking at my door' scenes.
I did wonder how it would hold up as a full feature tho. Guess I'll have to find out
. Am intrigued to see if she hit the female-emancipation/commiseration & folk-tale-rework angle she was aiming for too.
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Are you going to follow this up at a later time ?
It is a blend of indian miniature art style blended with popular indian puppetry. That's why the animation stands out for its subject.
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I don't really appreciate any context it could fit because the animation itself is lazy. For the most part is pursues the style with really undetailed, flat characters, that are animated with nothing but tweens. For the small sections Indian miniature style, the only thing that moves are their mouths.
She animated the entire thing by herself and that deserves some recognition, but it's just a giant mistake on her part trying to showcase the artwork as king.
She animated the entire thing by herself and that deserves some recognition, but it's just a giant mistake on her part trying to showcase the artwork as king.
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Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Woefully misguided adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Whilst it is expected that the novel will change in translation to film, the point of the novel- witty social commentary- is entirely missed. It has been incredibly oversimplified so it's just your average soggy melodramatic romance. It is for the most part humourless- the humour is sort of tacked on by having the sisters laugh a lot and having some pigs walking around. Mr Collins was reduced from a comicly boring figure to a dull creep. It gets one star for how it was shot- looks very pretty- and half a star for MacFaddyn's portrayal of Darcy. Although the interpretation is not really justified, he does commit to it.
Woefully misguided adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Whilst it is expected that the novel will change in translation to film, the point of the novel- witty social commentary- is entirely missed. It has been incredibly oversimplified so it's just your average soggy melodramatic romance. It is for the most part humourless- the humour is sort of tacked on by having the sisters laugh a lot and having some pigs walking around. Mr Collins was reduced from a comicly boring figure to a dull creep. It gets one star for how it was shot- looks very pretty- and half a star for MacFaddyn's portrayal of Darcy. Although the interpretation is not really justified, he does commit to it.
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You cannot have it both ways. A dancer who relies upon the doubtful comforts of human love can never be a great dancer. Never. (The Red Shoes, 1948)
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Robin Hood (Scott, 2010)
I'm really drawing a blank on what to say about this movie, I had pretty much the same reaction during the last Ridley Scott movie I saw on the big screen (American Gangster), they're competent enough, they look really nice. This certainly isn't as bad as some of the reviews I've read would have it be. In fact it's pretty pleasant. I just couldn't find anything to hold on to and think about afterwards.
The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (Hara, 1987)
This is a good documentary about a fascinating subject. A camera crew follows a veteran of Japan's New Guinea occupation - along with anyone he can find to drag along - all around Japan while he beats up his old war buddies to try and get them to confess to the murder and possible cannibalism of two of their fellow soldiers during the war. Convicted murderer Kenzo Okuzaki is a crazy old coot in his sixties, by turns dangerous ("as long as I live I'll resort to violence when I need to, to help humanity"), sympathizing, reflective, and often brazenly condescending ("finally after all these years, even though you had a higher rank during the war, I can truly say I'm a much better person than you"), he'd resort to almost anything to get these evasive old guys to repent. Throughout the film, the guy gets into numerous fist fights with geriatric veterans (sometimes losing), ostentatiously mocks the emperor and viciously condemns Japan's practices (which included eating it's own and others during the war - using euphemisms like dark and light pork to refer to natives of New Guinea and Allie prisoners.)
I don't want to give away too much, it's a pretty amazing film that people should see for themselves.
I'm really drawing a blank on what to say about this movie, I had pretty much the same reaction during the last Ridley Scott movie I saw on the big screen (American Gangster), they're competent enough, they look really nice. This certainly isn't as bad as some of the reviews I've read would have it be. In fact it's pretty pleasant. I just couldn't find anything to hold on to and think about afterwards.
The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (Hara, 1987)
This is a good documentary about a fascinating subject. A camera crew follows a veteran of Japan's New Guinea occupation - along with anyone he can find to drag along - all around Japan while he beats up his old war buddies to try and get them to confess to the murder and possible cannibalism of two of their fellow soldiers during the war. Convicted murderer Kenzo Okuzaki is a crazy old coot in his sixties, by turns dangerous ("as long as I live I'll resort to violence when I need to, to help humanity"), sympathizing, reflective, and often brazenly condescending ("finally after all these years, even though you had a higher rank during the war, I can truly say I'm a much better person than you"), he'd resort to almost anything to get these evasive old guys to repent. Throughout the film, the guy gets into numerous fist fights with geriatric veterans (sometimes losing), ostentatiously mocks the emperor and viciously condemns Japan's practices (which included eating it's own and others during the war - using euphemisms like dark and light pork to refer to natives of New Guinea and Allie prisoners.)
I don't want to give away too much, it's a pretty amazing film that people should see for themselves.
Last edited by linespalsy; 05-20-10 at 08:16 PM.
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So lines, can you give us an example of a "nice-looking, pleasant" empty entertainment filmed in the English language which you perhaps give something in the - range?
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I wouldn't quite say Robin Hood is empty. It's a bit different from other Robin Hoods I've seen, it certainly has a more ambivalent hero and I suspect it's not quite so hollywood-romantic as older versions, maybe a bit more ideological... so maybe in that sense it's a little bit artsy. I wouldn't have much of a problem rating it a half-grade higher.
Of recent Riddley Scott "entertainments" as of now I would argue that A Good Year is a better movie by a little bit.
The most recent movie that I liked in spite of finding it a little bland story-wise was probably How To Train Your Dragon in IMAX 3-D. I gave that one 3 stars, and similarly couldn't find all that much to think about afterwards, but it was pretty exciting while it lasted.
Of recent Riddley Scott "entertainments" as of now I would argue that A Good Year is a better movie by a little bit.
The most recent movie that I liked in spite of finding it a little bland story-wise was probably How To Train Your Dragon in IMAX 3-D. I gave that one 3 stars, and similarly couldn't find all that much to think about afterwards, but it was pretty exciting while it lasted.
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OK, I certainly don't expect folks to give me what they used to for these posts, but they don't anymore, anyway. Somebody can write up two or three movies while I write up 15, but they get more points. That's fine, so don't post me any goodies because I post anything since it's mostly all B.S. Just remember, that if you think I post something which is the opposite of BS, then I will totally be totally appreciative of everything you give me, whether it's up or down.
Mini-Comments:
Woman Obsessed (Henry Hathaway, 1959) - This is basically a soap opera/action adventure but the fact that it's half and half makes it difficult for either sex to really care about it. It's OK, but basically pointless.
Cleopatra (Joseph L. Mankiewicz + Others, 1963) - Considering that this is four hours long, it's really a major embarrasment. There are a few good performances (Rex Harrison being the only damn good one) and the enormous production cost is mostly lost on screen although there are a few gargantuan highlights involving sea battles. Other than that, I recommend that if you're interested, watch the beginning, but once you're bored, fly it soon enough... This flick is basically known for two things: it was the most expensive film ever made up to that point ($43 mill) and it was the first time that Liz and Dick fell in love.
The Spikes Gang (Richard Fleischer, 1974) - Western flick made the year after American Graffiti with two stars from it (Ron Howard and Charlie Martin Smith) working with the ostensible young lead (Gary Grimes) and a solid Lee Marvin as a banged-up outlaw who gets aid from the youths, teaches them the ropes and then turns the tables on them.
Scorpio (Michael Winner, 1973) + - Despite the cast of Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Paul Scofield, this is mostly a snoozefest. It gets a bit better towards the end but not enough, darnit.
The Unknown Man (Richard Thorpe, 1951) - Thoroughly-competent yet totally-predictable courtroom "mystery" which has almost nothing unpredictable to share with the viewer. The professionalism involved only makes it worse, ultimately.
Modesty Blaise (Joseph Losey, 1966) - Idiotic Swingin' 60s hodgepodge which tried to beat to the punch something as pathetic as the original Casino Royale. How can you make something so pathetic with sexy Monica Vitti and Terrence Stamp (well, obviously, they had no clue what they were doing) and the humorous, blatantly-gay baddie Dirk Bogarde? Bogarde is basically the only reason to watch the movie. He's worth about .
The American Soldier (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1970) - No matter how pretentious this is, it's better than poor Dirk Bogarde could handle by himself. It's too bad that Fassbinder didn't cast Bogarde as a "Flamin' Fag" before they teamed up with Despair. I think the two of them could have explored the gay psyche better than anything we've had since. As far as this movie goes, it has lots of reference points but very little resonance. The homemade soundtrack is certainly cool though.
Crazy Heart (Scott Cooper, 2009) - This is a low-key flick about the death rattle of a country-rock star (Oscar winner Jeff Bridges) who has to choose between loneliness, vomit and unsteady income and relationships on one hand and attempting to plan out a life which actuially includes other loved ones. Yes, it's reminiscent of last year's The Wrestler, but it's probably slightly weaker. Even so, it's probably easier for many people to digest and therefore an open door to The Wrestler which some would probably ignore otherwise.
The Baader-Meinhof Complex (Uli Edel, 2008) - - Yep, it's on the low side so that still makes it one of the Top Ten flicks of its year. It's mostly a series of episodes, but what do you want when the R.A.F. spent so much time refining the template of modern-day terrorism? It's an exciting history lesson concerning the last 50 or so years of Germany and goes a long way to establish why foreign governments believe that the United States is responsible for every single terrorist act in the history of the world.
Mini-Comments:
Woman Obsessed (Henry Hathaway, 1959) - This is basically a soap opera/action adventure but the fact that it's half and half makes it difficult for either sex to really care about it. It's OK, but basically pointless.
Cleopatra (Joseph L. Mankiewicz + Others, 1963) - Considering that this is four hours long, it's really a major embarrasment. There are a few good performances (Rex Harrison being the only damn good one) and the enormous production cost is mostly lost on screen although there are a few gargantuan highlights involving sea battles. Other than that, I recommend that if you're interested, watch the beginning, but once you're bored, fly it soon enough... This flick is basically known for two things: it was the most expensive film ever made up to that point ($43 mill) and it was the first time that Liz and Dick fell in love.
The Spikes Gang (Richard Fleischer, 1974) - Western flick made the year after American Graffiti with two stars from it (Ron Howard and Charlie Martin Smith) working with the ostensible young lead (Gary Grimes) and a solid Lee Marvin as a banged-up outlaw who gets aid from the youths, teaches them the ropes and then turns the tables on them.
Scorpio (Michael Winner, 1973) + - Despite the cast of Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Paul Scofield, this is mostly a snoozefest. It gets a bit better towards the end but not enough, darnit.
The Unknown Man (Richard Thorpe, 1951) - Thoroughly-competent yet totally-predictable courtroom "mystery" which has almost nothing unpredictable to share with the viewer. The professionalism involved only makes it worse, ultimately.
Modesty Blaise (Joseph Losey, 1966) - Idiotic Swingin' 60s hodgepodge which tried to beat to the punch something as pathetic as the original Casino Royale. How can you make something so pathetic with sexy Monica Vitti and Terrence Stamp (well, obviously, they had no clue what they were doing) and the humorous, blatantly-gay baddie Dirk Bogarde? Bogarde is basically the only reason to watch the movie. He's worth about .
The American Soldier (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1970) - No matter how pretentious this is, it's better than poor Dirk Bogarde could handle by himself. It's too bad that Fassbinder didn't cast Bogarde as a "Flamin' Fag" before they teamed up with Despair. I think the two of them could have explored the gay psyche better than anything we've had since. As far as this movie goes, it has lots of reference points but very little resonance. The homemade soundtrack is certainly cool though.
Crazy Heart (Scott Cooper, 2009) - This is a low-key flick about the death rattle of a country-rock star (Oscar winner Jeff Bridges) who has to choose between loneliness, vomit and unsteady income and relationships on one hand and attempting to plan out a life which actuially includes other loved ones. Yes, it's reminiscent of last year's The Wrestler, but it's probably slightly weaker. Even so, it's probably easier for many people to digest and therefore an open door to The Wrestler which some would probably ignore otherwise.
The Baader-Meinhof Complex (Uli Edel, 2008) - - Yep, it's on the low side so that still makes it one of the Top Ten flicks of its year. It's mostly a series of episodes, but what do you want when the R.A.F. spent so much time refining the template of modern-day terrorism? It's an exciting history lesson concerning the last 50 or so years of Germany and goes a long way to establish why foreign governments believe that the United States is responsible for every single terrorist act in the history of the world.
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Cleopatra (Joseph L. Mankiewicz + Others, 1963) - Considering that this is four hours long, it's really a major embarrasment. There are a few good performances (Rex Harrison being the only damn good one) and the enormous production cost is mostly lost on screen although there are a few gargantuan highlights involving sea battles. Other than that, I recommend that if you're interested, watch the beginning, but once you're bored, fly it soon enough...
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Originally Posted by lines
Throughout the film, the guy gets into numerous fist fights with geriatric veterans (sometimes losing), ostentatiously mocks the emperor and viciously condemns Japan's practices (which included eating it's own and others during the war - using euphemisms like dark and light pork to refer to natives of New Guinea and Allie prisoners.)
Originally Posted by markyf
It's mostly a series of episodes, but what do you want when the R.A.F. spent so much time refining the template of modern-day terrorism? It's an exciting history lesson concerning the last 50 or so years of Germany and goes a long way to establish why foreign governments believe that the United States is responsible for every single terrorist act in the history of the world.
). That looks like another edifying scratch through forgotten underbelly territory tho. Nice one 
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Hey, MovieForums! I have been so inactive here lately, and thought I would get back into it with some recent movies I watched.
Iron Man 2 (2010, Favreau) -- 59/100
The Birds (1963, Hitchcock)-- 76/100
The Thing (1982, Carpenter)-- 78/100
Knife in the Water (1962, Polanski) -- 77/100
Rififi (1955, Dassin) -- 89/100
Ed Wood (1994, Burton) -- 68/100
A Nightmare on Elm St. (1984, Craven)-- 71/100
His Girl Friday (1940, Hawks) -- 83/100
Iron Man 2-- The first Iron Man film really surprised me last summer, and it still remains one of the best superhero films I have seen. Even so, I was doubtful going into seeing the sequel even with its star studded cast and the return of Iron Man. Overall, the second installment (yes, there will be more) was about what I expected. A lot of pointless subplots that never get resolved, some goofy if not unnecessary characters, and some really bad scenes that just don't go with this movie or the first one (the party scene in particular). With that aside, the second film improves with its villain who is introduced from the start and Mickey Rourke does a good job as Whiplash. There really isn't that much action in the film but it still remains very entertaining with its quick dialogue, and then when there is action it is promising. The "send off" for the villain was weak and it just didn't feel like the end, I had myself saying "That was it?" after it was supposedly over, It's an alright movie I guess, but it was worth it to see Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.
The Birds-- Can't believe it took me so long to watch this film. Hitchcock is my favorite director, but to be honest I was skeptical about this film. What a mistake that was. This movie is so effective even with the whole concept of it all and the bad bird effects. Sometimes this movie is labeled as cheesy and to today's viewers, laughable, but the birds can really get under your skin after a while. I do think this movie has its share of ridiculous moments, but generally I think it works very well. I don't think this is close to Hitchcock's best but it is still a very good film. The movie title delivers.
The Thing-- This is a great movie. Unbelievably creepy and mysterious, The Thing is unpredictable and delivers a great ending.
Knife in the Water-- I had heard good things about this film but hadn't realized that it was Roman Polanski's debut film. And I am so glad I watched it. The only other Polanski film I have seen is Chinatown, which is probably in my Top 50. I think it is a character study of the three main characters and how they react to certain situations and focuses heavily on relationships. The film is also very suspenseful in situations you wouldn't expect it to be. Seriously, check this film out if you haven't, and it will definitely encourage me to watch a lot more Polanski.
Rififi-- Simply incredible. This movie has a 33-minute sequence of a group of guys carefully robbing a jewelry store. Need I say more?
Ed Wood-- It's one of those movies that I felt like I had to rewatch it immediately after I finished it. Maybe I was disappointed because I expected something different? I don't know but everyone loves this film and I just thought it was decent. Depp is pretty great and Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi was very enjoyable to watch, but there is just something about this film that just made it... average to me. I'll definitely rewatch it, and have a better feel of what the movie is like.
A Nightmare on Elm Street-- Yes, this is the original film. I was reading a lot of reviews for the new film and how terrible it was and how much better the original was, so I decided to watch the original. I always thought that horror really wasn't my genre but this surprised me, so maybe I need to try out more horror films. It is so iconic, and Freddy is awesome. The acting is pretty bad at times but the lead girl is a lot better than your typical horror star and I thought she did a good job. I just love the concept to this film, it just feels naturally frightening instead of a typical slasher film. Humans are most vulnerable when they are sleeping and it is the perfect time to strike for a murderer. Every scene with Freddy is great and to the films advantage, he is not used too often which makes his appearances more scary. So, I really liked this movie especially considering its genre, and if you like this movie I suggest you watch Treehouse of Horror VI from The Simpsons.
His Girl Friday-- This movie is hilarious, and charming which should be expected in pretty much every Cary Grant movie. I like his antics in this one more than usual, and the snappy dialogue makes this movie so entertaining. An absolute blast to watch.
Iron Man 2 (2010, Favreau) -- 59/100 The Birds (1963, Hitchcock)-- 76/100 The Thing (1982, Carpenter)-- 78/100 Knife in the Water (1962, Polanski) -- 77/100 Rififi (1955, Dassin) -- 89/100 Ed Wood (1994, Burton) -- 68/100 A Nightmare on Elm St. (1984, Craven)-- 71/100 His Girl Friday (1940, Hawks) -- 83/100Iron Man 2-- The first Iron Man film really surprised me last summer, and it still remains one of the best superhero films I have seen. Even so, I was doubtful going into seeing the sequel even with its star studded cast and the return of Iron Man. Overall, the second installment (yes, there will be more) was about what I expected. A lot of pointless subplots that never get resolved, some goofy if not unnecessary characters, and some really bad scenes that just don't go with this movie or the first one (the party scene in particular). With that aside, the second film improves with its villain who is introduced from the start and Mickey Rourke does a good job as Whiplash. There really isn't that much action in the film but it still remains very entertaining with its quick dialogue, and then when there is action it is promising. The "send off" for the villain was weak and it just didn't feel like the end, I had myself saying "That was it?" after it was supposedly over, It's an alright movie I guess, but it was worth it to see Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.
The Birds-- Can't believe it took me so long to watch this film. Hitchcock is my favorite director, but to be honest I was skeptical about this film. What a mistake that was. This movie is so effective even with the whole concept of it all and the bad bird effects. Sometimes this movie is labeled as cheesy and to today's viewers, laughable, but the birds can really get under your skin after a while. I do think this movie has its share of ridiculous moments, but generally I think it works very well. I don't think this is close to Hitchcock's best but it is still a very good film. The movie title delivers.
The Thing-- This is a great movie. Unbelievably creepy and mysterious, The Thing is unpredictable and delivers a great ending.
Knife in the Water-- I had heard good things about this film but hadn't realized that it was Roman Polanski's debut film. And I am so glad I watched it. The only other Polanski film I have seen is Chinatown, which is probably in my Top 50. I think it is a character study of the three main characters and how they react to certain situations and focuses heavily on relationships. The film is also very suspenseful in situations you wouldn't expect it to be. Seriously, check this film out if you haven't, and it will definitely encourage me to watch a lot more Polanski.
Rififi-- Simply incredible. This movie has a 33-minute sequence of a group of guys carefully robbing a jewelry store. Need I say more?
Ed Wood-- It's one of those movies that I felt like I had to rewatch it immediately after I finished it. Maybe I was disappointed because I expected something different? I don't know but everyone loves this film and I just thought it was decent. Depp is pretty great and Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi was very enjoyable to watch, but there is just something about this film that just made it... average to me. I'll definitely rewatch it, and have a better feel of what the movie is like.
A Nightmare on Elm Street-- Yes, this is the original film. I was reading a lot of reviews for the new film and how terrible it was and how much better the original was, so I decided to watch the original. I always thought that horror really wasn't my genre but this surprised me, so maybe I need to try out more horror films. It is so iconic, and Freddy is awesome. The acting is pretty bad at times but the lead girl is a lot better than your typical horror star and I thought she did a good job. I just love the concept to this film, it just feels naturally frightening instead of a typical slasher film. Humans are most vulnerable when they are sleeping and it is the perfect time to strike for a murderer. Every scene with Freddy is great and to the films advantage, he is not used too often which makes his appearances more scary. So, I really liked this movie especially considering its genre, and if you like this movie I suggest you watch Treehouse of Horror VI from The Simpsons.
His Girl Friday-- This movie is hilarious, and charming which should be expected in pretty much every Cary Grant movie. I like his antics in this one more than usual, and the snappy dialogue makes this movie so entertaining. An absolute blast to watch.
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Shutter Island (2010, Wee Marty)
4/5
Crikey! The little fella pulled this one from his oxter, didn't he?
I can remember writing on here about The Departed and saying that it was enjoyable enough but not great. I said that it was as good as Scorsese could do at this stage of his lengthy career.
Wrong. And boy am I glad about that.
For a film cracking on for 2 hours 20 there's not a lot of fat on it. It's like a Noir miniseries.
DiCaprio's maturing into a fine actor (albiet one who'll always, I suspect, look 16) and I don't think there's a better supporting actor around at the moment than Mark Ruffalo. John Carroll Lynch is always a joy to watch and Ben Kingsley has become the new Donald Pleasence.
You're always gonna get a confident and stylish looking piece from Scorsese but Shutter Island seems more comfortable in its skin than anything he's done since Casino. There's none of the studied drear of Bringing Out The Dead, the "Oh Lord, this is a bit of a dog's breakfast but we'll have to release it anyway" of Gangs of New York or the routineness of The Departed.
There are maybe a couple too many camera shots which are an obvious homage to the genre (including one from a 2ft tall cameraman who's not worked since the 50s which just made me giggle) but it's not gratuitous. In fact only the trite ending was a proper letdown for (and I don't suppose Marty could have done it differently given the source material) but the rest was so decent that I'm inclined to give Shutter Island a pass on that one.
Easily Scorses's best film since Casino, for me.
Marty offers to lend Sir Ben one of his eyebrows to use as a wig when he's auditioning for Sinatra. Ben politely declines.
4/5
Crikey! The little fella pulled this one from his oxter, didn't he?
I can remember writing on here about The Departed and saying that it was enjoyable enough but not great. I said that it was as good as Scorsese could do at this stage of his lengthy career.
Wrong. And boy am I glad about that.
For a film cracking on for 2 hours 20 there's not a lot of fat on it. It's like a Noir miniseries.
DiCaprio's maturing into a fine actor (albiet one who'll always, I suspect, look 16) and I don't think there's a better supporting actor around at the moment than Mark Ruffalo. John Carroll Lynch is always a joy to watch and Ben Kingsley has become the new Donald Pleasence.
You're always gonna get a confident and stylish looking piece from Scorsese but Shutter Island seems more comfortable in its skin than anything he's done since Casino. There's none of the studied drear of Bringing Out The Dead, the "Oh Lord, this is a bit of a dog's breakfast but we'll have to release it anyway" of Gangs of New York or the routineness of The Departed.
There are maybe a couple too many camera shots which are an obvious homage to the genre (including one from a 2ft tall cameraman who's not worked since the 50s which just made me giggle) but it's not gratuitous. In fact only the trite ending was a proper letdown for (and I don't suppose Marty could have done it differently given the source material) but the rest was so decent that I'm inclined to give Shutter Island a pass on that one.
Easily Scorses's best film since Casino, for me.
Marty offers to lend Sir Ben one of his eyebrows to use as a wig when he's auditioning for Sinatra. Ben politely declines.
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Vargtimmen (Hour of The Wolf)
A minor Bergman film, it starts off incredibly slowly. Later there are some surreal images which torture the protagonist (Max Von Sydow) that work quite well. However there is no real story or point that would compel anyone to watch. Try and YouTube some scenes but not recommended as a film.
A minor Bergman film, it starts off incredibly slowly. Later there are some surreal images which torture the protagonist (Max Von Sydow) that work quite well. However there is no real story or point that would compel anyone to watch. Try and YouTube some scenes but not recommended as a film.
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I was expecting Rambo to be a little more...memorable. It was intense, well-acted, well-written, and definately full of action, but I just didn't quite understand the reason behind its fame. I don't believe First Blood has aged quite as well as some other action staples either. But there's plenty of good things to say about it. It's impressively cast with Stallone certainly proving that he could be more than just Rocky Balboa. The script is entertaining as well as the plot. Plus, one man winning entirely against the odds is always pretty cool. So, I'll probably revisit this one day and perhaps I'll be more impressed.
First Blood:
This movie is somewhere between light and dark. I can't help but feel like it had some meaning in a deep sort of way but it was a pleasant, easy watch. This gets dramatic but it has enough comedic touches, some rather silly, to make you laugh throughout. The script is good, and surprisingly to me it didn't get corny. There's a little suspense as well with the impending murder plot, and I thought the ending was perfect. The cast is more than capable with plenty of familar faces. Overall very entertaining quick watch.
Heaven Can Wait: +
This is kind of difficult to describe. To describe it in one word, I'd have to use absurd. Some of the action is just so ridiculous, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to laugh or just roll my eyes. The script had a few good lines spread out, but I'm not sure I honestly laughed out loud. Not much can be said for the overall quality of the film. A few of the farces are funny in themselves, but this probably looked a lot better on paper or in someone's imagination than when it was actually on screen. The only part I think I'll remember is "You Clowns!" moment that I couldn't believe actually happened.
Real Men:
A pleasant surprise if you don't set your standards too high. You really can't expect much when you look at it. I, however, laughed plenty throughout this average buddy comedy. Candy was a very funny man and the writers were quite witty. The screwball antics were just enough for me, and if you want a quick laugh, I'd say go ahead and give it a try.
Armed and Dangerous:
I've always heard mixed reviews about this movie, but I've sided with the ones who give it a thumbs down. At first, I found it just plain boring with jokes falling flat (more so crashing down). Fact of the matter, I don't find a cat using the toilet funny or grandma's ashes scattered on the floor during dinner humorous. Call me what you will! Then, I grew just plain annoyed at how everything went wrong to the point of insanity. (I can't say that everything that could go wrong went wrong because there is no way all that could happen). This sucked more pity out of me than laughs. This was beneath Deniro's acting ability but maybe not the rest of the cast...
Meet the Parents:
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Faith doesn't make things easy, just possible.
Classicqueen13
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Robin Hood (Scott, 2010)
Make no mistake: historical fiction this film isn't, although Ridley and crew would like you to believe that it is. Marketed as the "real" origin of Robin Hood, this latest iteration is concerned primarily with a whole lot of stage-setting, and plenty of clandestine dealings bookended by two brief (but intense) fight sequences. I'm a sucker for anything Robin Hood, so I'm probably being too kind. But aside from a few too many minutes on the runtime and a surprisingly relaxed Russell Crowe, I liked it.
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