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The People's Republic of Clogher
Aye, I remember you embarking on a mini Clarkefest a while back.

My favourite has long been Elephant (double bill with The Firm on an R1 DVD I bought) and I know you're not mad keen on it. Have you seen Christine?

That's pretty darned good as well.
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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan



Xich lo (Anh Hung Tran,1995) -


Brilliant -- Anh Hung Tran is without a doubt one of my favorite directors. The cinematography is perfect, combined with the score somewhat reminiscent of what Tōru Takemitsu did for Teshigahara on Woman in the Dunes. One of the greatest uses of Radiohead's song "Creep".

I'm a big fan of gritty realism, so this really speaks volumes in that department. Also, one of my favorite performances by Tony Leung Chiu-Wai -- which is also one of my favorite actors.

Thank you for this masterpiece. Highly, highly recommended.
I'm a big fan of Tony Leung as well, thanks for post- gonna check this on out. What's it English title as i'm sure that's what HMV will have it listed with
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Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (Gibney,2008) -


Very good -- I enjoyed the inclusion of the archival footage, Depp's narration and readings. Plus, anything about or with Thompson is bound to be good.



In Bruges (McDonagh,2008) -


I enjoyed it quite a bit. A very funny film, but also a dark one -- it was a very unconventional look into the lives of two hitman. It could just as easily of resorted to clichés , but fortunately it did not. Some very nice acting to accompany the nice cinematography.

Recommended.

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (Schrader,1985) -


Stunning visuals with an absolutely fantastic score. A complex look into a complex individual; one of my favorite writers, Yukio Mishima. Everything is perfect.

A must see.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
OK, I will admit that this is insane, but these are the films I saw In Alaska, along with the ratings. I'll admit that I didn't watch ALL of all of 'em, but the ones I'm rating I've watched all (or most of for certain ones) of them before.

A Good Year (Ridley Scott, 2006)

You Kill Me (John Dahl, 2007)

Coneheads (Steve Barron, 1993)

Sweet and Lowdown (Woody Allen, 1999)

Witness (Peter Weir, 1985)

Big (Penny Marshall, 1988)

Blades of Glory (Josh Gordon/Will Speck, 2007)

Back to the Future Part II (Robert Zemeckis, 1989)

Escape From New York (John Carpenter, 1981)

The Fugitive (Andrew Davis, 1993)

License to Wed (Ken Kwapis, 2007)

Sleeping Beauty (Clyde Geronimi, 1959)

The War Lord (Franklin J. Shaffner, 1965)

The Notorious Landlady (Richard Quine, 1962)

The Lost Continent (Michael Carreras, 1968)

5 Against the House (Phil Karlson, 1955)

Real Genius (Martha Coolidge, 1985)

A Canterbury Tale (Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger, 1944)

Pickup on South Street (Samuel Fuller, 1953)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (Sam Wood, 1939)

They Came to Cordura (Robert Rossen, 1959)

Burden of Dreams (Les Blank, 1982)

The Pursuit of Happyness (Gabriele Muccino, 2006)

Chinese Roulette (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1976)



Welcome to the human race...
Interesting combination of films you have there, Mark. I'm wondering how exactly you ended up seeing such a variety. Take them with you? Someone else's choices? Nothing better on TV?



In Bruges (McDonagh,2008) -
In Bruges is my favorite film of the 2008 so far. I loved how it constantly shifted the tone from funny to dramatic to suspenseful, without ever alienating the audience. Characters are superbly written and Farrell's performance is probably his most accomplished one to date.
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The real travesty is that mark rates Coneheads the same as Blades of Glory, that's just wrong on so many levels.
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We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...



A system of cells interlinked
Old School (Phillips, 2003)



You know, I try to like these movies, I really do, and, to be fair, I chuckled quite a bit at this one, but I just cannot STAND Will Farrell. This just seems like yet another goofy also-ran. If you want to watch a flick like this, just watch Animal House.

I added a star for Snoop Dog. That cat cracks me up.
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“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
It rains a lot in Alaska?
Yes, it does, but we apparently brought the warm, dry weather with us. We had some movies with us, and we had HBO sometimes, as well as TCM, and yes, I'll admit that I even watched AMC for the first time in years. It's truly amazing how many movies you can watch waiting for people to get ready for each day or trying to stay up all night to try to see the Aurora Borealis.



Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (Murnau,1927) -


I am kicking myself for not seeing this earlier. An absolute masterpiece; I was wondering throughout the film how Murnau managed to pull off the various techniques and visuals that made the film so mesmerizing. Murnau seems to have an affinity for creating elaborate environments, juxtaposing the lights and darks -- he created a very eery night scene that stood out as one of my favorite scenes in history.

The score was also very nice, it accompanied the film quite nicely. I am a pretty big fan of silent films and this is definitely one of my favorites, along with City Lights. Some hilarious moments mixed with almost Dreyer-esque moments (think Vampyr). The film's ending was wonderful.

Highly recommended.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.


Even if I don't give Sunrise as high a rating as you, I bet I enjoy it just as much. It's incredible how much Murnau can convey by blending expressionism with impressionism. For every horrific scene, there's a romantic one. For every bit of suspense, there is just as much comedy (as you mentioned). In fact, it seems much funnier every time you watch it because you can't believe that something so dark to start can be so warm, fun and loving by the end. The overall visuals, editing, sets, subtitles and photography are borderline nonpareil. I recommend it to everyone. In fact, thinking about it, it does have a scene concerning a dog in the water just as awesome as the one in No Country For Old Men.





i'm SUPER GOOD at Jewel karaoke
i don't know why i don't keep up with this place a bit better than i do. sometimes i get so aggravated with life!

anyway, here is some stuff, and then i'm off to bed.

the Bourne Identity (2002) 3.5 out of 5
the Dark Knight (2008) 4.5 out of 5
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) 2.5 out of 5
Caged (1950) 5 out of 5
Ratatouille (2007) 4.5 out of 5
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