Movie Tab II

[Monkeypunch]

Duck Soup - The Marx brothers! Who doesn't love them? Clever, fast paced chaos, and one of my favorite movies.

[mark f]

And Then There Were None (Rene Clair, 1945) 3+ - The mystery is worth a 3.5 but I'll admit that it's one of those "fun" murder mysteries where the viewer doesn't really fear for anyone's life. Even so, Agatha Christie came up with an ingenious plot and this version is head and shoulders above all the rest in every single aspect, but especially in cast and direction. Maybe I should give it a 3.5. It's probably a 3.24. Bah!
http://gonewiththetwins.com/pages/archive/screenshots/andthentherewerenone/002.jpg

Time Bandits (Terry Gilliam, 1981) 2.5 - OK, this is the perfect Terry Gilliam film (at least for me) which will help me to generically explain why I like and have problems with and love the Lone American Python. Gilliam's imagination is awesome and he can cinematically create much with very little resources. On the other hand, he seems to need to edit the scripts he shoots a bit better. First off, almost all his films are incredibly episodic and often I find that they peter out in the second half. This flick starts out wonderfully and is very funny, but as it goes on and on, many scenes seem superfluous or just plain overdone. This film is lucky enough to have Ralph Richardson show up at the end to make fun of everything so I like it OK. Sometimes I think that Gilliam, for all his obvious sense of humor, takes himself way too seriously. I think he believes he's constantly remaking Hamlet when he should be happy with A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
http://cf.drafthouse.com/_uploads/galleries/2191/timebandits.jpg

Smokey and the Bandit (Hal Needham, 1977) 3 - OK, this is a counter example to Gilliam. No one could accuse Needham of knowing how to direct anything flesh and blood, and the stunts are all rather generic too, but I still find this thing to be good-natured and personality-driven, and whatever you can say about Burt Reynolds c. 1977, he was still very charming and hadn't become a self-caricature. Jerry Reed is also on the cool side and can sing a song pretty well. True, Buford T. Justice is a horribly racist character but since he's played by Jackie Gleason as the butt of most of the jokes, I think he serves a purpose, no matter how low-brow you think it may be.
http://image.automotive.com/f/images/9884581+pheader/0412_sccp_01_z+smokey_and_the_bandit_movie_scene+car_jumps_over_bridge.jpg

Excalibur (John Boorman, 1981) 4+ - I actually think I'm giving this a 4.5 currently but I usually give the first half a 4.5 and the second half a 4 and then end up giving it a 4+, but maybe because I've seen two people here recently give it a 2.5, I'm feeling protective of this. Without a doubt, this is the most thorough and the greatest depiction of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table on film. It's also probably Boorman's most-gorgeous film and that's saying something. Anyway, I find all the eccentricities in some characters wonderfully refreshing, the action and storytelling incredible, the soundtrack tremendous, the cast awesome, and did I mention I cried a lot on Father's Day, even though I never have before while watching this masterpiece?
http://extmovie.com/zbxe/files/attach/images/1193383/621/913/doom4.jpg

High School Confidential! (Jack Arnold, 1958) 2.5 - This is something resembling a late-'50s version of Reefer Madness except that it's truly funny because most of the younger members of the cast seem to be in on the joke even if some of the filmmakers/veteran actors think they're making some kind of cautionary tale. Any movie where Jerry Lee Lewis shows up at the beginning singing and playing the piano to "High School Hop" and Mamie Van Doren constantly tries to jump her "nephew" Russ Tamblyn has to have something on the ball. Besides that, Jackie Coogan (The Kid. Uncle Fester) plays the main drug dealer in town, and for honeykid, we have Drew's daddy in a key role.
http://michaelexile.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/0vandoren58.jpg?w=500&h=397

36 (Olivier Marchal, 2004) 3 - This is a solid French policier done much in the style of the later The Departed. I think it mostly suffers from a sense of repetition and predictability, but both Daniel Auteuil and Gerard Depardieu give good performances and make much of that recede into the background. Even though it's fast-paced, a thumbs up and worth watching, I can't help but feel it could have been better.
http://img.rp.vhd.me/4500329_l1.jpg

March or Die (Dick Richards, 1977) 2.5 - Idiosyncratic French Foreign Legion flick can't tell if it's satirizing the Legion or being a glorious tribute. The cast (Gene Hackman, Terence Hill, Catherine Deneuve, Ian Holm) is good, the photography is beautiful and the action finale is well-staged. But much of the earlier parts of the film seem humdrum and non-commital. I will admit though that it did seem better this time than when I saw it at the theatre 34 years ago.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SyVFoahsHdc/0.jpg

Young Guns II (Geoff Murphy, 1990) 2.5 - Look, I'm the first to admit that this turns into something resembling a self-congratulatory Male Brat Pack Western, but at least during the first half, Australian director Murphy knows how to stage a scene and he has a decent cast to work with. Hell, I haven't seen the first one for two decades, but it wouldn't surprise me if this one is better. So, no, this film is not the downfall of Western Civilization and not a complete waste of time, even if I can name a few hundred better westerns. If you like Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips or William Peterson, you may like this well enough.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vQHPA1eDRtE/TbP57ZevceI/AAAAAAAAKhA/8yfOQL10zhw/s1600/Emilio_Estevez_Young_Guns_II_1990_film.png

Knight and Day (James Mangold, 2010) 3 - This variation on James Bond/Mr. and Mrs. Smith from a few years ago is much better than anyone has a right to believe it would turn out. I realize that many people hate Cruise but he's really quite charming here and certainly buffed up for somebody pushing 50. The beginning is really very entertaining and of course, it only starts to lose something (generally called unpredictability) once the "plot" is revealed. Even so, I still found it above average for its genre and a generally fun movie. There are numerous jokes made at the expense of the pop group Hall & Oates, so maybe that explains some of my good feelings towards it.
http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/tom-cruise-cameron-diaz.jpg

The Fall (Tarsem, 2007) 3.5 - Check out some thoughts here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=738905).

[meatwadsprite]

Heh. Was the last one one on the list "this one"?

No, which made it worse.

[Sedai]

Why did Harry Lime leave?

[Deadite]

Okay, I'm a bit confused - was this a real documentary?

You scare the hell outta me.

[Yoda]

Not by any means exhaustive, but...


Swingers 4.5
Hysterical. Been meaning to see this for quite awhile; very glad I finally did. Way funnier and more perceptive than I'd have expected. Great stuff. It feels less like a movie and more like a collection of stories, anecdotes, and favorite quotes among a group of friends saved up for years, and then filmed into a "Best of."

Cropsey 3
A documentary about child abduction and urban legends. I like the overall idea and the way they weave the two together a lot more than I like the actual execution of it all. Good documentary, but I feel like there was a great one to be had with the material.

Unbreakable 5
Okay, I'm cheating. I've seen this like seven times already. I just watched it again on Blu-ray and wanted to use that as an excuse to reiterate that I friggin' love this movie.



And yes, I actually watched...

Ghost Rider 1
Oooo boy. Any Marvel movie is usually going to at least get a viewing out of me. How they managed to make a movie about a biker with a flaming skull boring is beyond me. They had the right general feel in that there's no way to make this movie genuinely serious or highly dramatic, but it's just not fun-loving enough, and it's too long.

Next 3
That's right, a Nicholas Cage double-feature! On back to back nights, at least. This one wasn't terrible. Decent concept, played very humorously at one point in a nice Groundhog Day tribute of sorts, and a few very cool visualizations of the main character's ability.

The ending'll probably annoy a few people, but I like it fine. I really would've liked to have seen this idea in more adept hands. But as it went I admit, I was fairly entertained.

[Deadite]

I'm ambivalent about Next's ending myself. On one hand, it felt like a cop-out; On the other, it seems consistent and even to be expected.

[MovieMan8877445]

You scare the hell outta me.

Huh?

[Deadite]

Huh?

Exactly.

[Yoda]

I'm ambivalent about Next's ending myself. On one hand, it felt like a cop-out; On the other, it seems consistent and even to be expected.
That's pretty much exactly my feeling about it. It was a fair ending that didn't feel fair. But since I expected so little and really just wanted it to be audacious and entertaining (since I felt it had no chance of being serious or thought-provoking), I'm quite happy with it.

That said, I dunno what the deal was with his fluctuating, unexplained powers. They were all over the place with that. As much as I hate expository dialogue, I'd have killed for a little in Next.

[Saully]

The Butterfly Effect - 7.7/10

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/43/Butterflyeffect_poster.jpg

[nebbit]

And Then There Were None (Rene Clair, 1945) 3+ - The mystery is worth a 3.5 Maybe I should give it a 3.5. It's probably a 3.24. Bah!
:laugh:

[Deadite]

That's pretty much exactly my feeling about it. It was a fair ending that didn't feel fair. But since I expected so little and really just wanted it to be audacious and entertaining (since I felt it had no chance of being serious or thought-provoking), I'm quite happy with it.

That said, I dunno what the deal was with his fluctuating, unexplained powers. They were all over the place with that. As much as I hate expository dialogue, I'd have killed for a little in Next.

I'm not crazy for it but it's an okay sci-fi action whatever.

I suppose it was logical enough for what it was (though overall pretty arbitrary), but it still feels a bit like a cheat. I feel like the movie should have been longer, continuing a ways past where it actually ends, and had a somewhat more traditional ending. Something more satisfying. But I can still see how how the ending it has works too. It just doesn't particularly work to my taste.

I am a big fan of Philip K. Dick's stuff, which the story was inspired from. I'd really like to see more of his stuff on the screen. A Scanner Darkly was probably the best adaptation of his work I've seen. Oh, and Blade Runner.

[MovieMan8877445]

Battle: LA (Jonathan Liebesman, 2011) - 1+

I saw this in theaters and remembering that I thought it was decent at least, but watching it on DVD completely ruined even that. The camera work is just incredibly awful, there were parts where I had absolutely no idea what was even going on. It also made it impossible to keep track of who was dying and who wasn't. Definitely the worst of the year so far for me, but I'm sure something will come along and top it.

Biutiful (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2010) - 4

Javier Bardem gives an incredible performance that even matches his performance as Anton Chigurh, if only the movie wasn't so slow paced. I thought it was a really well made film, but it just drags on forever. I liked the supernatural aspect to it, because it really added something to the film without ever really making it a huge part of the plot. Definitely one of the better films to come out last year.

http://screencrave.frsucrave.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/biutiful10-17-10.jpg

Scary Movie (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2000) - 3.5

I can't believe how long it'd been since I'd seen this, but I'm glad I decided to watch it again. This was back before spoofs weren't seen as horrible, which every spoof that comes out today pretty much is. But yeah, it's fun stupid humor and I enjoy it.

Scary Movie 2 (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2001) - 3

Oddly enough, I found this available in instant watch right after finishing the first one. It definitely lost some of it's charm that it had in the first one, but still had some decent laughs to deliver. Hell, I even enjoyed the third one. They didn't really get bad until the fourth one came out. I do miss the days of good spoof movies, though.

Just Go With It (Dennis Dugan, 2011) - 2.5+

My dad wanted to watch it on Father's Day, so I figured why not. The typical Adam Sandler type of comedy, and it had some laughs. It's incredibly predictable, but I'm sure all of you already know that just from watching the trailer.

Walkabout (Nicolas Roeg, 1971) - 3+

It was good, but it didn't really do much for me at all. The whole beginning made absolutely no sense - was it their intention to not make it clear why they were stuck in the desert in the first place? Though it did had some incredibly beautiful scenery and I liked all three kids well enough. It's a really well made movie, but like I said, it didn't really do much for me at all.

Monsters (Gareth Edwards, 2010) - 4

This one actually really surprised me, because I had been hearing some negative things about it before watching. For a low budget monster movie, it was done incredibly well. The effects were pretty amazing for a low budget movie.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Wes Anderson, 2004) - 4+

Okay, maybe I'm being too generous with this score, but I enjoyed the hell out of this. The weird type of humor really worked well with me, and I love Wes Anderson's style. There was a sense of epic-ness to it, with that huge cast, even in smaller roles. It's just something that I want to go back and watch again, just to see if it won't be as weird this time around. I think I'll give it a week or so before I come back and re-visit it, though.

http://www.theaspectratio.net/life%20aquatic%20SPLASH.jpg

I also watched Fish Tank a bit earlier tonight, but I'm not going to give it a proper rating. I understand it was well-made, but it just didn't interest me at all. I found it incredibly tedious to sit through, though I enjoy seeing Fassenbender in more movies. He's probably one of my favorite actors around today.

[Iroquois]

Haven't done a proper tab post in quite a while. Here's what I've seen this week:

Raw Deal (John Irvin, 1986) - 2

One of Arnold's lesser action movies. It's mildly enjoyable, but not on the same level as Commando, which is easily Arnold's best "trash" movie. There's some memorably awful dialogue ("You should not drink and bake" being the obvious highlight) but other than that it follows a fairly cliché "undercover cop" plotline and is for the most part pretty forgettable.

24 Hour Party People (Michael Winterbottom, 2002) - 3.5+

Ostensibly a biopic of TV presenter turned record mogul Tony Wilson but ultimately a depiction of the rise and fall of the Madchester music scene. Great soundtrack, surprisingly good performances and some surprisingly suitable verité filmmaking.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Philip Kaufman, 1978) - 4

Another entry in the books of movies whose endings have been completely and utterly spoiled by pop culture. Still very enjoyable (read: unnerving) regardless.

Labyrinth (Jim Henson, 1986) - 3.5

Charming little cult classic complete with brilliantly '80s vibes, well-executed effects work and puppetry, plus David Bowie's unforgettable turn as the goblin-king.

L.A. Story (Mick Jackson, 1990) - 3

Hyperrealistic rom-com starring Steve Martin in a weirdly affectionate caricature of Los Angeles, complete with all manner of recognisable characters and bizarre little details worthy of a Gilliam movie. I imagine it would make a good double feature with Joe Versus the Volcano.

[Saully]

Watched Laurel Canyone last night.

Laurel Canyon (2002):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/Laurel_canyon_poster.jpg

"She is so embarrassing," grimaces Sam (Christian Bale) to his fiancée
Alex (Kaye Beckinsale), shortly after arriving at his mother's home, only to find that her reputedly empty LA house they had been promised is still occupied. Begrudgingly, Sam moves in with Alex, while looking for another place to stay. Jane (Frances McDormand) proves the polar opposite to her son - dating Ian (Alessandro Nivola), the British lead singer for the band whose album she is producing, she likes nothing better than sucking a bong or two with the boys before slinking into their home recording studio to lay down some tracks. So far, so interesting.

Writer-director Cholodenko (High Art) offers McDormand the most intriguing part in her career since Fargo, and the actress responds well with an uninhibited turn. Bale, in a twisted reflection of his Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, is the straight man, ashamed by his mother's freewheeling sexuality and existing on a very short fuse. Meanwhile, Beckinsale returns to Last Days Of Disco territory with her preppy persona - a far more interesting work-out than Pearl Harbor gave her. As for Nivola, offering the fourth British accent of his career, he captures the Brit-rock swagger with ease. With such a promising set-up, where does it all go wrong?

Unfortunately, Cholodenko feels the need to make a statement about contemporary relationships, by testing the strength of Sam and Alex's union. The latter becomes intrigued by the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll on offer in the garden, while she slogs upstairs over her dissertation on fruit flies, soon falling under the hypnotic spell of Ian and Jane. Sam, as if by magic, meets a fellow medical resident named Sara (Natascha McElhone) and sparks soon fly all over the shop. All the good work that went before it is quickly ruined as the humour gives way to a portentous seriousness that cannot be sustained by the comic characterisations. With confrontations inevitable, but ultimately uninspired, Laurel Canyon rapidly loses its fascination-factor.

6.8/10

I do not recommend this movie.

[Sleezy]

Monsters (Gareth Edwards, 2010) - 4

This one actually really surprised me, because I had been hearing some negative things about it before watching. For a low budget monster movie, it was done incredibly well. The effects were pretty amazing for a low budget movie.

Monsters is wonderful. :) I've known about since it started making waves at various film festivals and was glad to finally see it about a month ago. Maybe I'm just a sucker for very real Indie romance flicks, but to frame one in the context of a monster-ridden zone is absolutely brilliant. The social commentary surrounding it stays pretty low key too, but still impactful, which was a smart move. Beautiful film.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Wes Anderson, 2004) - 4+

Okay, maybe I'm being too generous with this score, but I enjoyed the hell out of this. The weird type of humor really worked well with me, and I love Wes Anderson's style. There was a sense of epic-ness to it, with that huge cast, even in smaller roles. It's just something that I want to go back and watch again, just to see if it won't be as weird this time around. I think I'll give it a week or so before I come back and re-visit it, though.

I'm not a fan of The Royal Tenenbaums at all, and only marginally like Rushmore and The Darjeeling Limited. But I think the stars aligned for Wes Anderson's quirky style with The Life Aquatic. His script is the right amount of bizarre and delightful, and he finally found the right blend of dry humorists to make his style work (especially Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Cate Blanchett, and Willem Dafoe).

:D:up:

[meatwadsprite]

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSe92xo3snrhRmJZc4n3sM9Y52pGl9JbCbH1diFfLDAdN-Ul6ft http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRBiEZLGKoQAd26JaEfO172r6LF46mYHFGUtUdByV8jM57isPu8KA http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQcIDuuW6-hS-oxB5ZdgVwwlQ_sVVsVRmxo_NX--f38tx56dW3SxA

X-Men First Class 2011

This ended up being my first trip to the theater this year. Mathew Vaughn's follow up to last year's Kick Ass, could use a couple hundred lessons in subtlety. Magneto's character arc is that of an on/off switch. The same goes for everyone in the movie, the primary character themes are painfully stupid ones. The secondary ones are blown though so fast that they don't matter. Aside from the complete wackiness that ensues, it's a good time, Vaughn may not be a visual genius but there are some brilliant moments in here that take you to CGI heaven.

3

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT40nijySfL4a8cGJbvH8Ixs_kYnktOd3Z7_27ZHPYr2PAeZM-t http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR9prup_YiBaIFwKbThLP_EI1hBt6_e2VUv071swrowI5ZzlmRH http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRrW3OUC4VGfYhUmqPcX2vBEoGpTkSo9lrX2mwEfYgWEU3zd9y26w

UHF 1989

Not a good movie, or even an actual movie by a long shot, but it does feature several epic moments which completely redeem it. Such as Weird Al catching a bullet with his mouth, eating it, then shooting it like a machine gun out of his mouth, which in turns blows up the guy he is shooting.

3

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQZOzseas372suxLOWLOhiP7OEJD70Rh0RCxFZd_elE_g3hEwTo http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTzS3WZxgxk-I8WykGh3icGZdO9jMrPj72txyrR1-n7THxfsIxG http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTkIUrivLL2Rde8oj6QxhWgcRz2Kw-wfyBmN_3aBtXrbWHMUre8

The Assassination of Jesse James 2007

This is more praise for 2007, than this actual movie (one of the best from 2007 or any year). I've already said that '07 is my favorite year in movie makin, but I never quite realized just how many of my favorites came out that year.

Hot Fuzz
Ratatouille
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Bourne Ultimatum
Knocked Up
The King of Kong
Sweeney Todd
Zodiac
and this one

So there you have it. The champion of years.

4.5 (for the movie)

[Monkeypunch]

I liked UHF way more than I liked The Assassination of Jesse James. :D I dunno, I have very little patience for movies that meander and barely have any plot momentum.

Anyways:

Inception - Finally saw this, and it's really good, but maybe it's just my tv or a bad mix, but all the dialogue was soft, then the sound effects and music were thunderously loud. Didn't like that part of it. lol.

[MovieMan8877445]

I'm not a fan of The Royal Tenenbaums at all, and only marginally like Rushmore and The Darjeeling Limited. But I think the stars aligned for Wes Anderson's quirky style with The Life Aquatic. His script is the right amount of bizarre and delightful, and he finally found the right blend of dry humorists to make his style work (especially Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Cate Blanchett, and Willem Dafoe).

:D:up:

I've actually only seen this and Fantastic Mr. Fox as far as Anderson's films go. I have The Royal Tenenbaums waiting to watch next, so I'm looking forward to seeing if it lives up to the expectations I have. I just really love Anderon's style.

[meatwadsprite]

Inception - Finally saw this, and it's really good, but maybe it's just my tv or a bad mix, but all the dialogue was soft, then the sound effects and music were thunderously loud. Didn't like that part of it. lol.

That's funny, everytime I watch it I wish the music was louder.

[mack]

The Vanishing on 7th Street - 4/5
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313/theladycat/van.jpg
I saw this on Netflix instant play, so I imagine that it must not have done so well in overall ratings. However - I thoroughly enjoyed it. And what's not to enjoy? I was browsing for an atmospheric thriller/chiller about 3am in the morning, and this worked. Its not going to be horribly terrifying for people with a rock-solid view of the why's and wherefores of their existence and the afterlife, but in terms of apocalyptic - it'll do. It is NOT a religious film, and it goes to great lengths (I think) to establish that, but I still couldnt help but see the similarities between this film's "vanishing" and any other film's "rapture." The cast was also a home run for me, as Im a sucker for John Leguizamo and think Thandie Newton makes good overall acting choices. And Anakin Skywalker is really, really starting to grow on me.

[HollyG]

So lately I have watched alot of films lately because I am trying to catch up on the latest movie tournament and Plainview's working nights so I have the TV and DVD player to myself,so I pretty much get to watch whatever want and Ive really enjoyed alot of these films,Its been a good week.:)

Audition 2000 Takashi Miike
http://deadlymovies.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/deadlymovies_audition.jpg
2.5

Tootsie 1982 Sydney Pollack

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dPNDpbwXlWE/TG0MzpRXkjI/AAAAAAAAAso/jrR3cen5SHE/s1600/dorothy+and+julie.jpg
3

The Mirror 1975 Andrey Tarkovskiy
http://media.jinni.com/movie/the-mirror/the-mirror-1.jpeg
4

Akira 1988 Katshuhiro Ohtomo

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2008/02/25/Akira460.jpg
4

Persona 1966 Ingmar Bergman

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xCykdpQhXe8/Sh_6aGaa7GI/AAAAAAAABY8/LSf0udvQ1ok/s400/persona_pub02.jpg
4

Sucker Punch 2011 Zack Snyder (Plainviews pick)

http://static-l3.blogcritics.org/11/04/02/156087/sucker-punch-review.jpg
1.5

All About Eve 1950 Joseph L. Mankiewicz

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vZGsHiJ_KwU/Sz08DIXnH6I/AAAAAAAAAPA/1x-5Q-Incpo/s400/medium_all_about_eve_-_bette_davis.JPG
3.5

Un chien andalou 1929 Luis Bunuel
http://www.lilithgallery.com/arthistory/surrealism/images/SalvadorDaliLuisBunuel-UnChienandalou-1929.jpg
4

[Saully]

Terminator Salvation

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/95/Terminator-salvation-poster.jpg

Never really liked the franchise. But unlike Terminator 1-3, i liked Terminator Salvation. Don't think i ever watched through the whole movie of any of the first three Terminator movies. I don't know. Maybe if i would have fully appreciated the first three movies, then maybe i would not have liked Salvation.

7.4/10

[Plainview]

So lately I have watched alot of films lately because I am trying to catch up on the latest movie tournament and Plainview's working nights so I have the TV and DVD player to myself,so I pretty get to watch whatever want and Ive really enjoyed alot of these films,Its been a good week.:)
Glad someone is enjoying the night shift:D

[JayDee]

Just expanding on the scores I posted a week or two ago as well as throwing in a couple I've seen since


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Brick.jpg

Brick (repeat viewing) - A slick, stylish, almost unbearably cool film. An absorbing mystery which is littered with incredible, creative, hardboiled dialogue. Taking the classic film noir template of gangs, drug kingpins, a murder mystery, femme fatales etc and transposing it into a high school setting it really is a bit original this one.

With a convoluted, twisting story you really need to have your wits about you to enjoy this film. And perhaps with the virtue of repeat viewings you will enjoy and appreciate it ever more. The film has a lovely distinctive appearance and is directed with aplomb by first time director Rian Johnson. Throw in a powerful performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and you have a unique, intriguing film.

4+


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Rocketeer.jpg

The Rocketeer (first viewing) - This is a film that's been on my radar for a long while but which I still hadn't watched. With Joe Johnston's Captain America quickly approaching I thought it was the perfect time to see one of the main reasons he was given the job.

And on this evidence you can certainly see why he was given the job, as it appears both films will feature many of the same elements – action, adventure, fantasy, romance, special effects, World War II setting (well it's just on the horizon here) and a Nazi menace. If he is able to match this film Captain America should be a very enjoyable ride. If he surpasses it we could have a real cracker on our hands.

It really is just a wonderfully fun movie. It's very daft but in a really sweet, winning kind of way. Bill Campbell and Jennifer Connelly are solid although their romance is probably the weakest aspect for me personally. Alan Arkin is very good and Timothy Dalton is extremely entertaining as the dashing screen hero who is anything but a hero in real life. As he has also shown recently in Chuck Dalton makes for a pretty great villain. And the film has a very impressive finale as our hero battles the Nazis on top of a blimp.

4


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Sting.jpg

The Sting (first viewing) - While I was certainly able to appreciate the quality of this film I didn't find myself loving it. The 30s period is excellently recreated, every detail giving it a truly authentic, classy feel. And Redford and Newman are both very impressive and charismatic in the lead roles. While the cast is filled out by a lot of other talented performers

The film is very stylised, perhaps overly so for me. I usually find stories about cons are similar to those about jewel thiefs; they are usually very adventurous, romantic stories. But I didn't get that feeling from this. I think it was just so slick that it came off feeling a little cold to me.

3+


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Blood Simple (first viewing) - The Coen's debut film is an absolute triumph. While I wouldn't say it's close to Hitchcock's masterpieces, it is a film worthy of the comparison that is often made. It's an excellent, intricately weaved story that leads the characters and the viewer down one alley after another. Intelligently written it pits characters against each other, each believing the other is the one guilty of murder

While it is a very dark, grim film it also has some wonderful black humour splashed throughout. You can certainly see glimpses of those touches which would become trademarks for the Coen brothers.

4


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The Concert (first viewing) - A very sweet film this. It tells a fantastic, albeit slightly implausible, tale about these people who have their dreams crushed but have them revived through their passion and love for music. It's certainly one of the best films I've seen in a while in terms of getting across the magic of music. It has moments that are touching and moving but also rather humorous.

The acting throughout is impressive, especially from the two central characters, that just helps to make the film all that more engaging. This is a film I could really see myself growing to love over time and multiple viewings, so perhaps a little gem in the making.

3.5++

[Sedai]

I love both Brick and Blood Simple! Great choices!

[Harry Lime]

Sucker Punch 2011 Zack Snyder (Plainviews pick)


You wanted to watch it too. I'm a witness.

[meatwadsprite]

What a great new format I came up with.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT9k-o2Q-KbiGenxrsv02HY3CN071DCo69iXivFHdDTMna76Jhc

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975

Jack Nicholson is like Santa Clause, he's always got something for you. In this one he's a violent lunatic with a heart of gold. Although the ending was a little out of place, it's a fine piece of movie.

3.5

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Days of Heaven 1978

This one will probably be the first and last Mallick flick I enjoy. Unlike his other films (Thin Red Line and Badlands) it's all visceral, all about human interaction. It also does atmosphere and scenery better than his other films. We get a lot of variety out in the wheat fields, through snow and fire. Likewise (to the above) this movie has a mediocre ending.

3.5

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Scott Pilgrim vs The World 2010

A visual treat, with plenty of everything to go around everywhere
at all times. Also, an ending which is worse than the two crappy endings of Days of Heaven and Cuckoo's Nest. I mean this ending blows other bad endings away.
To top it off, it even had a finished alternate ending (which was the original). It's included on the DVD and it's 1000 times better than the one in the actual movie. Make some better endings people.

3.5


Good thing the ending only takes up a fraction of a movie, or in the case of Scott Pilgrim, a fraction of a fraction.

[JayDee]

What a great new format I came up with.



Hmmm. :suspicious:


:D

[meatwadsprite]

Uh oh, exposed.

[mark f]

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975

Jack Nicholson is like Santa Clause, he's always got something for you. In this one he's a violent lunatic with a heart of gold. Although the ending was a little out of place, it's a fine piece of movie.

3.5

Without "spoiling" it, what better ending could the film have and stay true to the point it is making?

[Deadite]

Without "spoiling" it, what better ending could the film have and stay true to the point it is making?

An inverse Shutter Island served with a straight up Identity and a dash of The Sixth Sense.

[meatwadsprite]

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTSNyGZBOImVU9SYOYpl2FD87hySVUCxFH6NhJ-wh-obLCJNsJ6ag

The Tree of Life 2011

A mash up of abstract universal creation and a coming of age
family drama set in the 50's (and then modern day). Yeah that's probably more than you should hope to combine, but Mallick's highly passive style is the perfect match for this story. After watching all of his movies over the past month, I'd put this one at the top. Of course I'll have to watch it on DVD to see if it holds up as well at home. Brad Pitt's outstanding, bla bla, what really seperates this one from the bunch is the sound design and musical soundtrack. It really ramps up during the segment where the universe is shaping, you see waves crashing against magma without a light in the sky. Very reminescent of stuff seen in 2001, just a lot prettier and with awesome sound effects. Best movie of the year so far (out of 4 movies I've seen).

3.5



1. Jack Nicholson escapes and chief leaves too.
2. We actually get some insight into the evil nurse after the actual ending happens
3. We don't find out what happens to Jack Nick and Chief doesn't break out.

Now this one is the masterpiece.

4. Chief sees Jack Nick's lobotomy scars, but right before he suffocates him - Jack Nick winks (flashback to Jack Nick cutting his own head to fool the doctor into thinking the procedure had already been done). Then they both lift the water thing and chuck it out the window, once outside they purchase a million guns and then they come back to the institution and have a giant shootout. The evil nurse being the end boss of course, gets into a giant robot suit. In a last ditch effort, Chief throws Nicholson into her glass eyes, he breaks through and fights the nurse in hand to hand combat. Right when all hope is lost as she charges up for the killing blow, the robot trips on a banana peel and falls down. In the wake of the epic robot crash, Jack Nicholson rises out the rubble and says to the dead nurse " Walk it off bitch ". Then they free all the inmates to the tune of "Get Down Tonight" by KC and the Sunshine Band.

[Sedai]

Meatwad's the best.

[John McClane]

http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/content/binary/wyld-stallyns.jpg
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - 4

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure was an excellent flick. It had me laughing so hard I was cracking up all over the place, man. :D

[Saully]

The Illusionist

http://hddb.net/ecs_covers/the-illusionist-blu-ray-396641-large.jpg

8/10

[linespalsy]

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Kiss Me Deadly (Robert Aldrich, 1955)

Chaotic film noir that stands out partly for just how detached it seems to be from having any desire to sympathize with its characters. In that sense it reminds me of Repo Man, which obviously tried to homage to this movie in at least one powerful image that I will not mention lest I travel into spoilersville.

3.5

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Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)

Decent morality play about the moralistic egotism and hypocrisy of a certain media personality, and the precarious fate of his young protege. Although I don't think the characters or performances of either of these men were as twisted and ironic as they were probably meant to be, James Wong Howe's black and white images of 1950s midtown Manhattan, and in particularly the lighting in this film are some of the best I've seen. It's a pretty easy watch.

3 (slightly higher than I gave it it in the movie trade-off tab. The cinematography alone is enough to recommend it)

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Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)

Visionary production design. I think the ending whitewashes a few too many differences, but I watched the 3-hour version and it moves along very smoothly and is fully deserving of its status as a classic.

3.5

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Honeydripper (John Sayles, 2007)

A fabulist portrayal of the birth of rock'n'roll in a small bar in rural Alabama circa 1950. Seems to have gone largely ignored which is a shame as writer/director/editor John Sayles manages to imbue this fable with a lot of humanistic warmth as well as creating a complicated picture of ethnicity and both constructive, and destructive exploitation. The music and cinematography are very good.

3.5

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Oedipus Rex (Julie Taymor, 1993)

Here's another allegorical epic with visionary set-design. This time staged as an opera with some kabuki-esque mannerisms thrown in. In spite of the fact that it takes place on a stage, the set, costumes, performances and camerawork all feel very alive and attuned to each other.

3+

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The King's Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010)

In a way I think this is a pretty small story (a man is embarrassed by his stuttering problem) exaggerated by context (this man is the king of England, and he's got to give a rousing speech on the eve of WWII), and that seems kind of queer to me (in the old fashioned sense). On the other hand I think the dramatic structure and style of this film is pretty engaging. The big idea is to take two characters who are failed actors (the king and his voice coach) and rub them together to polish their edges and tease out a number of leitmotifs and parallel associations (acting, speech, Shakespeare, "national character"). I love these performances, especially Rush. He's a gem.

3.5

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The Ape Man (William Beaudine, 1943)

Most people aren't going to watch this for anything but the camp value, but even in the realm of quirky genre-trash this stands out as quirkier than most. For one thing there's the fact that Lugosi plays a mad scientist who's drug-like experiments have caused him to turn into a half-man, half-gorilla. He has a full-gorilla sidekick and together they murder people and take their spinal fluid which he wants to use to stop his body and mind from transforming into an ape's. If you're familiar with Lugosi from Ed Wood this may be a somewhat poignant experience, seeing him reduced to an animal who has to shoot up to feel human. I think the (multiple) odd genre quirks -- as well as the explicit acknowledgment within the film that what you're watching is a trashy voyeuristic entertainment of people's destroyed lives -- only adds to the strange ickyness of this film. So yeah, the production and script are terrible, particularly the sound-engineering and dialog, but I think there's more here than "camp." I'm not sure what to base a rating on.

I also saw Paper Moon (Peter Bogdanovich, 1973) (2.5) and Three Crowns of the Sailor (Raul Ruiz, 1983) 4), which I may write up later.

[Harry Lime]

I also saw...Three Crowns of the Sailor (Raul Ruiz, 1983) 4), which I may write up later.

Have you seen anything else by Ruiz?

[linespalsy]

That's the first, and I saw it half by accident (the library record falsely claimed that it was a set that included the one I'd originally planned to see, Hypothesis of a Stolen Painting). I'd be interested in seeing more, especially if Sacha Vierny was the DP. In his films with Greenaway the camera is always so still; the shots here are still just as beautifully composed, but the way he choreographs the camera's eye in three-dimensional space in Crowns really blew me away. Which others by Ruiz would you suggest?

[Harry Lime]

I've only just gotten into his films in the last year or so, but I'm liking what I've seen so far. Hypothesis... is great and I'd also recommend City of Pirates, although a different DP worked on that one. I've seen a couple others but those three (including Three Crowns) are the standouts. I've heard his recent Mysteries of Lisbon is pretty good, and some of his earlier, more political films are supposed to be great as well. I have access to a lot of his films but unfortunately some are in poor condition. He has been gaining serious interest the last little while among cinephiles so I would expect almost everything will eventually be properly released.

It's funny, because I was wondering if you had seen anything by him a while back and was going to ask but it must have slipped my mind.

[linespalsy]

I'll check those out. I was actually wanting to recommend 'Crowns' to you while I watched it. Same with Taymor's Oedipus opera-film.

[Harry Lime]

Yeah, not the biggest Opera fan.

[ash_is_the_gal]

Wings of Desire 4.5

Touch of Evil 3

[Lennon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inGUZEDJllY
TITAN A.E. (Don Bluth, 2000)

God I hate reviewing movies I pretty much grew up with. I want to just give it a 5 out of pure sentimental value, and how many times I've watched this movie as a kid, and thinking it was the greatest animated movie ever. Sadly, at 17 I've realized it's not. The voice acting is very subpar, especially towards the end. The whole movie is very above par in the way it looks, especially for 2000, space just looks amazing. Bluth and co, knew this, and wanted to take full advantage of it, making some scenes just take to long. The writing can barely hold up even the scenes that make sense. The typical see-it-coming-a-mile-away teenage romance takes place of course, and besides one or two twists it was very predictable.


3 +

Great soundtrack though. You should watch it.

[HollyG]

So I have been watching alot films and I have been trying to catch up with the MOFO tournament but anyways the last couple of days I have watched alot of films that I didn't think I would quite like but I ended up up really enjoying them.

Lawrence of Arabia 1962 David Lean

I really thought I wouldn't enjoy this film but I found myself enchanted by it.Its a long film over 200 minutes and by the end of it I really found my self wishing it wouldn't end.Lawrence of Arabia is based on the life Controversial British Officer T.E. Lawrence and Lawrence is played by Peter O Toole,Toole was brilliant in his role as Lawrence and honestly his acting and his role just blew me away.Anyways to sum it up this is a brilliant film and I am really glad that I decided to watch it.

http://img.listal.com/image/953938/600full-lawrence-of-arabia-screenshot.jpg
"Ah, well, we can't all be lion tamers."
5

The Night of The Hunter 1955 Charles Laughton

I watched this film the other night and I really liked it,I loved the lullaby it has been stuck in my head for days.This is a Horror film about a false prophet who marries widows for money and then disposes of them.The film itself is great and full of surprise and one of the best villians I have seen in along time.I loved the images and the direction and the river scene was amazing.All in all its a really intense good horror film.

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" Not that you mind the killings! There's plenty of killings in your book, Lord" 4

Contempt (Les Mepris) 1936 Jean-Luc Godard

Another film that I absolutely fell in love with.This is my first Godard film and I cant really explain the film because it is one of those films you have to see for yourself . Contempt stars Brigitte Bardot and Michel Piccoli and they play a married couple who are struggling with their marriage.The whole film is about this wife who develops a hatred for her husband and he cannot for the life of him figure out why.This is a great film and not just for the Bardot nudity scenes(don't miss the beginning) but the Photography by Raoul Coutard is just beautiful and Fritz Lang playing himself was pretty cool.

http://newyork.timeout.com/sites/default/files/export_images/732/732.fi.4contempt_476x317.w480.jpg

"Jerry, don't forget. The gods have not created man. Man has created gods. " 4

Apocalypse Now 1979 Francis Ford Coppola

I have to say that I really liked this film as well.I'm lucky that I have seen so many good films in the last couple of days.Anyways this is a great war film totally not what I expected and Martin Sheen was amazing and so was Brando and Duvall.Its not your typical war film and they story and direction is great,If you have not seen this film I highly suggest it.

http://blog.colinhudler.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/apocalypse_now.jpg
"If that's how Kilgore fought the war, I began to wonder what they really had against Kurtz. It wasn't just insanity and murder; there was enough of that to go around for everyone" 4

[mark f]

Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming, many others, 1939) 4.5

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I've found myself falling into the trap lately of underrating this epic film because other people complain about it so much. However, rewatching it for the umpteenth time and liking it even better than before in a completely new way, has caused me to come to its "defense" and try to write something about it in the form of a rebuttal to most of the complaints raised about why it's supposedly outdated, a soap opera/chick flick, boring, racist, whitewashed, etc. So here goes.

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1. GWTW is old and doesn't present characters or events which people can possibly relate to anymore. - GWTW is certainly 72 years old at this moment and it's set in the Deep South from about 1861-1875, but the cinematics on display will never grow old. Sure, there are some fake blue screen shots here and there, but 99.5% of it is unparalleled cinema and I'm talking about right down to this present day. To start with, the acting is incredible, the dialogue sophisticated and the characters, almost right down to the smallest roles, seem to be people who are far more aware of their surroundings and those they live with than the idiot cyphers which pass for characters in most of today's movies. For example, Mammy (Hattie McDaniel) is easily the wisest character in the film. She may not speak the greatest English but when did she have a chance to go to school? What's certain is that she looks and listens and thus understands all the characters better than most of them do themselves. Melanie (Olivia de Havilland) is probably an example of one of the most "Good" characters ever, but once again, she isn't taken advantage of by others for being a true Christian. Rather, her simple goodness makes others want to be better, and yes, I'm even including that rascal Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) who gets many of the best lines in the film and delivers them wonderfully. The tragedy of GWTW, aside form the fact that life always ends in death, is that Rhett and Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) are so perfect for each other but always have some poor sense of timing where they can never actually be totally honest and happy with each other at the same time. Vivien Leigh gives one of the all-time greatest performances as a teenage brat without a heart who grows up and learns through the suffering of a defeated South and the fact that all who are close to her have major problems with her behavior and selfishness. The cinematography, art direction, sound, music, editing and costumes are all meticulous and could scarcely ever be reproduced in this day and age without spending something approaching $300 million.

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2. GWTW is a chick flick, so why would any guys want to watch it? - I would say that GWTW is a chick flick in the same way that The Godfather is a gangster flick. They both tell epic stories using wonderful cinematic techniques and have characters which any living person should easily relate to. Does the fact that The Godfather is a gangster flick mean that Women should hate it for what it is? Is that a rational thing for an intelligent film buff to do? Well, for the same reasons, nobody should really look down on "chick flicks" if they are done well and go far above and beyond whatever that cliched description seems to mean nowadays. Not only that, but if I was going to describe GWTW, I'd say that it's about equal parts relationship melodrama (not a soap opera - it's far too sophisticated), gothic horror film and war movie. The last time I thought about it, I believed that Guys in general like horror and war movies, so what's the big deal? And if you don't believe me about the horror part, then you honestly have not seen the movie and compared the lighting and sets, especially in the middle third, to that of Roger Corman, Mario Bava and Dario Argento. Trust me, it's all in there, along with thematic concepts concerning haunted houses and mad characters. Then, there are all the things which GWTW somehow got away with. It has the goriest death of any American film of its era and actually far past when a certain character is shot point blank in the face and we see the wretched aftermath of what used to be a human face. It has a woman taking her clothes off (no you don't really see anything but bare legs but even so, in the context of the film and the times, it's surprising). It even has a man raping his wife (if you believe that's possible and this film implies it certainly is), even if it's not explicitly shown. Then there's Rhett Butler's famous closing swear word.

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3. GWTW is blatantly racist and a whitewashed account of what slavery truly represented. - First off, I'm sure that everyone knows that GWTW is a fictional film based on a fictional novel. It has specific characters who act and believe the way they do because that's the way they're written. If you watch GWTW expecting to see slaves whipped or in chains, you won't see it. You will see white chain-gang workers who are the equivalent of slaves though. You never hear the "N-word" in the movie but you hear the words "darky" and "darkies" repeatedly. You also hear "poor white trash" quite often. The white trash certainly seem to be held in lower esteem than the darkies, and many of the darkies are treated as members of the family by Scarlett, Rhett, Melanie and Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard). As I said before, Mammy is the wisest character in the whole film, as well as probably the most honest and she stays with Scarlett and Melanie after the Civil War ends. The field slaves basically left the plantation Tara when the Yankees showed up but most the house servants stayed. Butterfly McQueen, as Prissy, is often cited as a character presented in a racist context, but that seems to be more because of McQueen's unique way of speaking and the fact that her character tells some "stories" during the film which end up not being true and potentially causing danger to some main characters. It's true that some of the older, paternal white characters seem to hold the darkies to be as inferior as the white trash but none of the main characters seem to, and if that's supposed to be a crock of BS, I don't see how anyone can prove that such things didn't happen. Besides that, the film does discuss slavery from multiple perspectives but only in passing since it's not really about slavery. What should they have done, just omit all the slaves? After all, Schindler's List and The Pianist show that certain "enemies" of the Jews did protect them during WWII.

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4. GWTW is three-and-one-half hours long and any film that long should not be watched because it's too big an investment of time and it has to be boring if it's that long - To me, this is ridiculous to even think of such things, but if based on your personal experience this is an axiom, I suppose I'd just have to say that there's always an exception to every rule, and where there's one, there are usually many others. There is no boredom at all in the film. It's witty, suspenseful, colorful, unpredictable, intelligent, cinematically-pleasing (the obsession with shadows is definitely a highlight for me), tense, filled with interesting characters and situations and many other positive things. True, it's long but the story and characters deserve the extra time. It is a true epic and not just one in name only. If you have to watch it in more than one sitting, that's not really a problem, especially since it has an intermission about halfway through.

I think that's enough for now, especially since it's getting so late. I've decided that when I put it at #50 in my Top 100 that I was off quite a bit, trying to somehow compensate and apologize for its alleged shortcomings. It should be closer to somewhere near #25, maybe along side something such as Richard Pryor Live in Concert. :cool:

[MovieMan8877445]

Observe and Report (Jody Hill, 2009) - 3.5

The dark humor just works so well for me. The odd editing just came off to me as being so funny. I can understand why some people don't like this, but I just love it. I can't believe that it took me so long to actually get around to buying it, but I'm glad I finally did. Seth Rogen just plays the part the part of the bi-polar security guard so well for me. I get so pumped every time I watch it.

The Art of Getting By (Gavin Wiesen, 2011) - 3+

I enjoyed it, but I don't know if it was enough to type up a full review for it. It's definitely a good film to watch, but it's been done before; actually it was done just a few months ago with It's Kind of Funny Story, which I enjoyed a lot more. Funny thing is, both movies featured Emma Roberts as one of the main stars and she virtually played the same character in both. Though, it's still something I'm probably going to end going back and watching again someday.

Cars 2 (John Lasseter and Brad Lewis, 2011) - 3

It isn't Pixar's worst effort yet, that title still remains to the first Cars. It's still just above mediocre and not something I've come to expect from a Pixar film. I hate Larry the Cable Guy too, so I'm surprised I even liked this at all seeing as how the entire movie focused on Mater. The animation is still really well-done, which is something that pretty much every Pixar film has to have. But like I've read from numerous reviews, the main thing Pixar missed on this one was emotion. Pixar has become known for their emotional kid films and that just didn't happen here. Hopefully it'll be improved for their next effort next year.

Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese, 2010) - 4

I hadn't seen it since I saw it theaters over a year ago, so I forgot how much I liked it. Though, I've come to expect nothing less from Scorsese. DiCaprio gives a excellent performance, but there's really no surprise there. It makes me want to go back and actually finish the book sometime, which I've only gotten about halfway through until I stopped reading it. As much as I did enjoy it, it still wasn't quite the follow up to The Departed as I was hoping, and I don't think his next film will be for me either. I just want to see Scorsese get back into the gangster films, because that's where I feel he really shines.

http://uponamidnightdreary.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Shutter-Island_l.jpg

Bottle Rocket (Wes Anderson, 1996) - 3

After my new found love for Anderson after watching The Life Aquatic, I decided to spend this week making my way through his movies. I enjoyed it, but it was just missing that signature Anderson style. I understand that this was his first film, so he was probably still getting ahold of his style when he made this. Still, I was just expecting something different than what I got. I'm sure if I re-watched it somewhere down the line with different expectations then I think I'd enjoy it more.

Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998) - 4.5

Anderson's style was definitely more noticeable in this one. I'm a big fan of Jason Schwartzman so I knew I was going to somewhat enjoy this one. I just love his quirky humor and it seems to work so well for him. Oddly enough though, this seems to be his film that I can't find anything to say about it really. It's just something that I really enjoyed.

The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) - 4+

The most similar to The Life Aquatic out of the bunch, probably because of it's ensemble cast. With so many big name actors in one movie, there is just a sense of epicness about it that you can't deny. I really love it when Anderson shows you the entire scenery in the middle of scene, it's more apparent in The Life Aquatic, but it's definitely noticeable here as well. His odd storytelling techniques work really well for him as well, and it's something I don't think all directors would be able to pull off.

The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson, 2007) - 4.5

My favorite out of the bunch, and probably his most mature film yet. Unlike the rest of this films, it didn't really rely on his quirky humor as much and that impressed me. I think Anderson should make more films like this one. It relied a lot more on the storytelling aspect of everything. Wilson, Brody, and Schwartzman all give incredibly good performance as well; I felt as though there was an actual connection between them. It's definitely something that I can see myself being able to go back and watch over and over again and learning a bit more about it each time.

http://www.filmjunk.com/images/weblog/2010/10/DarjeelingReview.jpg

Requiem for a Dream (Daren Aronofsky, 2000) - 3

Aronofsky is really a hit and miss director for me. There are some of his films like The Fountain, which I just love, but there are others like The Wrestler, which don't really do much for me. I'm not saying his films that don't really do much for me are bad, but they're certainly not something I can go back and watch over and over again. Speaking for this, this is pretty much the most depressing film I've ever seen. I honestly don't see how anyone can enjoy something like this. I'm unsure right now if I'll every go back and watch this again to be honest. I still don't want to give it a bad rating because this filmmaking aspect of it is actually quite good. The subject matter is just incredibly too depressing for my tastes.

Badlands (Terrence Malik, 1973) - 4+

Seeing as how excited I am to see The Tree of Life, I figured it'd be best for me to go ahead and watch all of Malik's other films first. This one was definitely my favorite out of the bunch. I just really love Martin Sheen, and this is no exception. He plays the role so perfectly, because you can tell he's not someone really bad, but instead just wants to be known. The ending kind of made me a little bit upset, because it's not really how I wanted it to end, but still a very solid film nonetheless.

Days of Heaven (Terrence Malik, 1978) - 3.5

What seems to be regarded as his best film, actually seems to be my least favorite. I mean it was good movie, yes, but not quite deserving of all the praise I think. It sure was a character piece though, which I enjoyed because it was something different than something I usually watch. I felt as though it dragged on for like the last fifteen minutes or so, though. I understand that there had to be closure on some of the characters, but I just felt as they were trying to drag it out.

The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malik, 1998) - 3.5

After twenty years away from the business, Malik comes back to the movie scene with an entirely new visual style. I actually prefer this new found visual style of his. The one thing I didn't really like about this, and caused my rating to go down a little bit, was the fact that there was like six different narrators. I don't think that really should've bothered me, but it did. I just think that one narrator works fine, and when you got such a big cast already with somewhat similar voices, you don't need that many narrators. With that said, for a three hour long film, it didn't feel like that at all. The time just flew by as I was watching it. There actually no parts at all throughout the film that felt slow to me at all. It's nice when a film of this length can do that.

http://www.eskimo.com/~toates/malick/trl/welshsea.jpg

The New World (Terrence Malik, 2005) - 3.5+

This is something that I didn't expect to enjoy at all. I even went into it with the mentality that I wasn't going to like it, but I did. The first hour or so felt like a different version of The Last Samurai to me, which is a movie that I really love. I feel as though it somewhat loses its way the final hour or so, but I think that's just because by that point I was already attached to one character when they suddenly changed the main focus to a different character. The had more than one narrator in this as well, but it didn't really bother me as much in this one. I guess because the cast wasn't quite as big. Also something else I realized about Malik's films - why does all of his movies start in a monologue? It's not really a bad thing, but I find it somewhat weird that he does it for every film.

Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003) - 3.5

Then out of nowhere comes this. It's just something that I've had waiting to watch and I was in the mood to watch something a bit more normal than most of what I've been watching these past couple of days. I liked it, quite a bit actually, but it just wasn't really something all that special to me. Maybe it'll do something more for me upon re-watches, but as of now it stands as this. Bill Murray gives a stunning performance, which is probably the most standout thing about the film.

[thracian dawg]

June, the month that was in film (* = rewatch)
　
1.5

Oliver Twist - (2005) - Polanski
A very strange brew indeed, things were just off here. Maybe it was too realistic? The first shot of Oliver in London, has him liyng in the street, without shoes, wearing rags; one feels in a couple more days, he would have starved to death there. The cast seems strangely inert. There's no introduction to the characters. The story developments seem truncated.

2

* Eulogy - (2002) - Clancy
Extremely passive narration. Since everyone was identifiable, The director could have thrown out all the character introduction scenes, and simply had everyone show up at the house. The grandmother's story is a drama, whereas the rest of the cast is in a farce, you could here the gears grinding when they shift between the two.

2.5

Last Night - (2010) - Tadjedin
This talky emo fest is helped along significantly by the doe eyed cast and the upscale locations; although Sam Worthington needs to work on his Australian accent. The two guys are sensitive manly men, and the two women are passionate girly girls---who know how to work a room or negligee for that matter, when they have to. It's absolutely gorgeous to look at. They contemplate temptation in chic restaurants, spacious lofts, swanky hotels and the cavernous emptiness of their own minds.

3

* The Fall - (2006) - Tarsem
* Manners of Dying - (2004) - Allen
* A Guy Thing - (2003) - Koch
What can I say, I like Jason Lee and Julia Stiles. Seamless set-ups and at times, very humorous pay-offs.
X men: first class - (2011) - Vaughn
Since it's a prequel, the narrative expands to the prescribed limits of the franchise and works backwards. Would have liked to have seen the scene where Mystique throws off her silly human clothing and struts around: born a mutant and damn proud of it. Yeah!
Good Neighbors (2010) - Tierney
Potiche - (2010) - Ozon
Interesting for the overlay of contemporary ideas like media burn, sexual identity and the cult of the celebrity placed onto a story situated in the French town of Lille; circa 1977 when these ideas were just beginning to simmer. A rebooted stage play.
Service Entrance -(2011) - Le Guay
Bit of a history lesson. Fashion has turned against born and bred French maids, and now Spaniards are all the vogue with the upper rich. Slightly laid back and unhurried with it's revelations. A rich man and financial investor (Patrice Lucchini) discovers another world which turns out to be only a couple of paces from his own spacious apartment Some interesting things, like casting actual Spanish actors in the service roles. Sandrine Kiberlain is squandered as the bored trophy wife.
The Baader Meinhof complex - (2008) - Edel

3.5

* Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - (1969) - Hill
For adjusted gross, the 100 mill it made in the last 3 months of 1969 translates into 500 mill today. The originial title was The Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy until Steve McQueen dropped out, then top billing reverted back to Newman. At times, the banter seemed a little flippant.
* Midnight Cowboy - (1969) - Schlesinger
A study of saying the long goodbye to tightly held fantasies with down and out characters. It's suggested they could get gainful employment at anytime, but actually prefer the nightmare of homelessness. Kind of liked that the incompleteness of their characters was used in the set design. Posters and advertising for ironic comment. The thing they need is mony, all their problems are mony based---until someone tells them, what they really need is money.
* The Last Seduction - (1994) - Dahl
* The Verdict - (1982 ) - Lumet
Great use of the locations. Loved the outsized rooms and ornate corridors, Gaven (Newman) always looks a little puny and overwhelmed in these places. Excellent detail: When Newman and Rampling first embrace, the only thing we hear in the clinking of ice cubes in their gin glasses.
Swimming with Sharks - (1994) - Huang
The relationship between the hotshot producer and his assistant slightly strained credulity. There's a rough patch where Spacey exults in abusing him, which I found a little difficult to believe someone would take that much humiliation. Needed a minor editing fix. Bringing forward the scene where he goes to the producer's home---trusses him up---then lets go a stinging slap across his face---then cut to the same story would have removed some of the problems of disbelief.
The Moral Storm - (1940) - Borzage
Nice little drama about the rise of the ultra Nationalism in a sleepy little German village circa. 1933. Kind of fun to see all those American actors playing all those krazy krauts.
The Invisible Man - (1933 ) - Whale
I remember Spike Lee offered Denzel Washington his choice of both parts in "Inside man" and he scoffed and said: "Are you nuts? The Bank robber character spends half the movie with a hood over his face! Nah, I'll take the police Detective." Poor old Claude Rains, he spent the entire film either invisible or bandaged, then on his death bed, they moved in for a single close-up. This has lots of sly comic wit for a creature feature.
Female agents - (2009) - Salomé
Starts out as a kind of war movie but morphs into a kind of terse little espionage film in the streets of Vichy Paris. Sophie Marceau usually bullies her way into the forefront, but here she's strangely restrained.

4

* A heart in Winter - (1992) - Sautet
The Age of Stupid - (2009) - Armstrong
Great ironic situations. Another good addition to the burgeoning list of extinction films.
The Power of Nightmares - (2004) - Curtis
Three part documentary from the BBC, that advances an interesting idea that the rise of religious zealots, based in the east and west, rather than being diametrically opposed are actually mirror images of one another and follow the same agenda ... hastening the rapture. Their great drive and import comes the absolute certainty of true believers. And murder and duplicity is perfectly acceptable since, if one thinks about it, the Godless vermin have no chance whatsoever, of making it into kingdom come.
In the Year of the Pig - (1968) - Antonio
Black and white documentary and Oscar winner from 1969. A brief history lesson about the struggle for Vietnamese independance, in context with the (then) current invaders. Without the risk of a sound bite going viral and the complicity of the journalists, a lot of the pronouncements seem to be dripping with contempt.
　
　
Highlight reel (Re-watches ineligible)

"Astonishngly limpid and honest"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/Intheyearofthepig.jpg

Best film: In the year of the Pig
Best scenario: The Baader-Meinhof complex
Best Director: Emile de Antonio
Outstanding set & costume design: Potiche. The phone cozy---not to mention all those bitchin' skinny belts.
Best supporting actor: Potiche. Fabrice Lucchini really chews up the scenery as the nefarious factory owner/thoughtless husband.
Best actress: Johanna Wokalek as Gundrun from The Baader Meinhof complex
Best supporting actress: Natalia Verbeke as Maria from Service Entrance
Creepiest scene: Good neighbors. The teacher adopted a cat in China. It's been in Quarantine for the last couple of weeks. When it arrives, the gal (he's kind of sweet on her, but she's been kind of standoffish) immediately jumps onto his bed and starts spooning with the said cat. Eww!
Best scene: Year of the pig. A General responds to a reporter about why the Destroyer Maddox and the USS Ticonderoga were patrolling in the Golf Of Tonkin. "We were looking for submarines". "Sir, Vietnam doesn't have any submarines". The General grins broadly.
Number of good films I avoided seeing because of a misleading title: 2. "The age of stupid" I honestly thought for some reason that this was a dumb ass comedy. And "In the year of the pig", Good grief, who wants to see a film set on a pig farm?

[Monkeypunch]

Casino - Billionth time, it seems like, but it's probably my second favorite Scorsese pic, after the Departed.

Full Metal Jacket - It's weird how most people I know who have served have a totally different take on this than civilians do. I find it hilarious.

[mark f]

For thracian dog (and I respect ALL your opinions):

Just for the hell of it, in another year or two watch two of my fave "westerns" again: the flippant Kid and the underachieving Cowboy. I mean, you're "young" (sorry, I know it's a cliche, but they often are true), but those movies have two sets of the most-complete characters ever presented on film...

[thracian dawg]

Have no worries Mark. Both Butch Cassidy and the Midnight Cowboy are great films that I certainly won't hesitate to revisit many more times.

What I can't promise is whether or not these films will resonate more deeply in the future---or more to the point, will they appreciate in my esteem? That depends on so many things.

I'd be the first one to agree that my "cinematic insights" are somewhat laughable, but I do know it's motivated in an attempt to understand and articulate these flickering moments of film. I'd like to grow as a cinephile, but maybe that's ultimately out of my hands.

[Lennon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qFe0nBHJng
Senses Fail: The Fire Concert DVD (Adam Rothlein, 2010)

A small little concert film I got with the CD, The Fire doesn’t fail, but doesn’t wow me either. The band itself is a tricky thing for me, I like the music they make, not so much on them as people. Buddy (their front man) is such a pr*ck some days, and I’m indifferent to the others. Still, they’re more intellectual than about 87% of the bands out there, and lyrically, I’ll put them toe-to-toe with any other modern Hardcore band. Still, great energy from their shows and I hope to catch one live someday. Weird they didn’t have any of their new album performed though.

2.5+

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYUQKm2nZNE&feature=channel_video_title
Suits (Various, 2011)

To be honest, I was very much looking forward to this show, the commercials made it look like Psych goes to Law School and I was down for that. This show does come short of the greats USA has, but it can stand on it’s own two feet.

Coming from a drug deal turned bad, genius with a photographic memory Mike Ross (Patrick Adams), scores an interview with big-time attorney Harvey Spector (Gabriel Macht), and through a bit of luck and knowledge, gets the job and with that a new life. The writing isn’t much to write about, it’s just not good, the dialogue is just unrealistic to me, and the plot asks you to suspend disbelief a bit to much. However, the two do play off of each other well, Gabriel being the mentor, and Patrick being the cocky, and smart, newbie, make this show at least something to watch if you catch it late at night or something. I’ll defiantly finish out the season to see where this is going.
2+

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjxHdNxvySU&feature=related
Romeo + Juliet (Luhrmann, 1996)

I freaking love this movie. So energetic and full of life (yes, I did pun there.) Just a beautiful looking movie, and a great modern update along with the classic script. Good performances all around, not even does great but good, and I just love it so. I'd write more, but I do feel a full on long review coming soon.... maybe.

4

[Sedai]

Sexy Beast (Glazer, 2000) 3_5

http://scatt.bilegrip.com/sexybeast.jpg

Kingsley was excellent. I had trouble understanding some of the dialogue here and there, due to heavy accents, but overall, a really well done flick.

[Sleezy]

I like that one a lot, Sedai. :yup: +1

[honeykid]

I had trouble understanding some of the dialogue here and there, due to heavy accents, but overall, a really well done flick.
Ya koodn't un'dastaaaand the aaaksent? You sllaaaaaaaaaaaaagg! :D

[Sedai]

Come on you slagssssssssssssssssss!!

[meatwadsprite]

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSF1MSRA3XQAR7zG_7ql-pkV7Pp_lprimquq9qvDNHTg2_BrwQ_ http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTVNVLC8dh63spFZGiDWdUAxziZrJGVcLd9H1tTOopoKsKQKCzy

Click 2006

For whatever reason I have this on DVD. It actually starts out with a lot of energy and fun. Walken gives Adam Sandler time control remote, then the remote breaks and bad crap happens. The first half where Sandler is abusing the remote for whatever he wants is the good part, the second half is overlong by 30 minutes with not nearly enough material or decent performances to keep it afloat.

Bonus points for a scene where Adam Sandler is having a heart attack while Christopher Walken dances in a sparkly purple suit in front of a bubble machine.

2.5

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSVI3SMbqVaCuy9kZ2whZkfRWhtbp8-4q9abjtLTwCVvbA80Lp6 http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQb8OPP32pqKOwAkC97pt_dQy0p0lm60MvOfNgMFkLh-PcYuLpy

2001 : A Space Odyssey 1968

I probably watch this movie more than people who love it. This will likely be the last time for a good while. To cut down all the talk of it's high philosophical content, 2001 is simply a special effects showcase. An old special effects showcase. This movie is dated in a lot of ways, but even still looks great. Just not good enough to warrant the dead crawl pace it runs at. What's worse is that it runs out of momentum at such a rate, it's hard to make it through the final act. The acting performances are unnecessarily withdrawn, a man calls his daughter from space and hangs up without even saying "I love you". Another guy has his whole team killed and gets locked out of his own ship, does he get angry ? Hardly. That's what Kubrick didn't see coming. Once all the flair of the effects wore off, you have a very weak story behind it.

It still maintains it's very own aesthetic of still space. Things move slow in the stars. It takes patience to watch 2001 and believe me I know what I'm getting into when I watch it. Often times, great films that move slow build monumental tension. This one is just too, too slow. With the payoffs being the special effects. My favorite acts are the first two, but I do enjoy the third as well, as slow and dully acted as it is.

I actually ended up hating the finale even more this time. It really is grand canyon footage with stupid color schemes put to it. I guess they ran out of money ? Those idiots shots really are far out of place. The "star gate" effect is actually brilliant to this day, probably the best effect from the whole thing.

I'm not gonna bother with what it's about. It's widely open to interpretation, a fact not open to interpretation. Some themes are much more prevelant than others : isolation and exploration. It's probably the coldest, scariest rated G movie on the market. It's methodical timing provokes you into overthinking the scenes. This backfires when I think about how they could be better.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSlGgGtSuRTyYztcursLuINOAe6WqGqOSiDfw1Iuh692o47P1Xe

"Awesome"

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR5RdAmGDt76WaCcvqffor7qjZ9-xvl2vDOqtCukGzhkoVH73aR

"Not awesome"

3

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ69TTBM8C7Bg1GwdJiA5yPFuDsaAh6dEAKb9JOKi5c47Iy4Fkl

American Gangster Extended Cut 2007

I'll knock off half a point for this cut. I assume the theatrical version is Ridley Scott's preferred cut, because all the added scenes in this version are completely pointless. One scene is even a remake of an earlier scene. All the others completely and utterly pointless. A half hour of pointless scenes no less. Still a good movie with or without dumb parts.

3

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTmajIdgayDphsl7HAABhlTwt2IcJjCiheFGPymYXZbRhH1ORh2 3 http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQ2K5mO8MBHPSh0FLz2LvQ1OE9dN6uYgefi-CzocPUIyIcmu3k 3

[mark f]

The only new comment I can make about your latest discussion of 2001 is that I find it to move about 5-10 times "faster" than your recently-discussed The Ass of Jesse James by the Cow Bob Ford, but now that I think a little, it must be because Jesse's Ass is in a sling.

[rufnek]

2001 : A Space Odyssey 1968
I probably watch this movie more than people who love it. This will likely be the last time for a good while. To cut down all the talk of it's high philosophical content, 2001 is simply a special effects showcase. An old special effects showcase. This movie is dated in a lot of ways, but even still looks great. Just not good enough to warrant the dead crawl pace it runs at. What's worse is that it runs out of momentum at such a rate, it's hard to make it through the final act. The acting performances are unnecessarily withdrawn, a man calls his daughter from space and hangs up without even saying "I love you". Another guy has his whole team killed and gets locked out of his own ship, does he get angry ? Hardly. That's what Kubrick didn't see coming. Once all the flair of the effects wore off, you have a very weak story behind it.

It still maintains it's very own aesthetic of still space. Things move slow in the stars. It takes patience to watch 2001 and believe me I know what I'm getting into when I watch it. Often times, great films that move slow build monumental tension. This one is just too, too slow. With the payoffs being the special effects. My favorite acts are the first two, but I do enjoy the third as well, as slow and dully acted as it is.

I actually ended up hating the finale even more this time. It really is grand canyon footage with stupid color schemes put to it. I guess they ran out of money ? Those idiots shots really are far out of place. The "star gate" effect is actually brilliant to this day, probably the best effect from the whole thing.

I'm not gonna bother with what it's about. It's widely open to interpretation, a fact not open to interpretation. Some themes are much more prevelant than others : isolation and exploration. It's probably the coldest, scariest rated G movie on the market. It's methodical timing provokes you into overthinking the scenes. This backfires when I think about how they could be better.


Right on, meatwadsprite!!! Never saw anything particularly scary about 2001, but I hate it for all the other reasons you mentioned. I do like the soundtrack--came out wishing I'd bought the album instead of the movie ticket. I liked the opening scenes with the apes and the docking of the space craft with the space station in time with the musical background was kinda interesting. But it quckly ran downhill from there. Never could understand why people were thrilled by those weirdly colored negatives at the end of that movie. Slow?--like watching paint dry! Dull paint.

[Monkeypunch]

Cars - Ok, so this movie was adorable. I loved it, it put a HUGE smile on my face. (though it's weird, how can there be an entire world only inhabited by sentient cars? And how can the one hippie bus guy be listening to Hendrix? Was Hendrix a car in this world? And if so, can cars really play guitar like that, or at all? and who's painting all the signs in car world? Cars don't have hands, they can't paint! Woah. Now my head hurts...)

[honeykid]

Never could understand why people were thrilled by those weirdly colored negatives at the end of that movie.
Because they were off their ****, that's why. That, and they hadn't sat there and watched the film. They'd get stoned, then go in for the last 20 minutes.

[Sexy Celebrity]

A sample from my review thread (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=13118). I figured, it's Die Hard, I want more people to see it:

DIE HARD
(directed by John McTiernan, 1988)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n3Y0WSRP_LA/TdUrDGchJrI/AAAAAAAABXA/mC_5cpzeOs4/s1600/190511.jpg

Die Hard is probably the best bad movie ever. I don't really think this film is all that realistic and staged correctly with how people behaved and how the events transpired, nor do I believe a character like John McClane (Bruce Willis), an NYPD cop visiting Los Angeles and getting caught in a building taken over by terrorists and defeating them all, could really pull off such a stunt and make it out alive. But Die Hard is one hell of an action movie - beautiful on Blu-ray - full of adrenaline and testosterone and that big ape man himself, Bruce Willis, strutting around in a wife-beater and talking smack through a walkie talkie to the bad guys.

You all know the story - and if you don't, let me introduce you: It's Christmas Eve and Bruce Willis has just arrived in Los Angeles to visit his wife and kids -- his wife, played by Bonnie Bedelia, lives apart from him and they don't see each other often - I think it's been six months since they last saw each other when this film begins. She got a great job at this Nakatomi Plaza building, but he wants to continue working as a cop in New York. Now... this is a part of the movie I do not understand. Bruce Willis... and Bonnie Bedelia... together? And he's not cheating on her? One of the sexiest men of the world in 1988 ... is married to Bonnie Bedelia ... and, I guess, is faithfully not having sex with other women for months and months at a time ... because he wants Bonnie Bedelia?

http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsB/1236.gif

I don't get it.

I don't think the film gets it, either, because there's a lot of shots of John staring at bimbo blondes strutting around him (you know, earlier in the movie before he's real busy) and there's even random Playboy centerfolds hung up around the building just to tease John as he's roaming about with his machine gun. All that man -- and it's to be celibate inbetween visits with Bonnie Bedelia? No wonder he survived this movie -- God must think he's the biggest saint ever.

Anyway, there's a big party going on at Nakatomi Plaza when John gets there to see his wife -- they get separated and then the terrorists arrive and take over and John ends up running around the building everywhere, in vents and things sometimes, hiding from the terrorists (the leader is brilliantly played by Alan Rickman), trying to get the police to help him, and, most bizarrely...

http://www.theraffon.net/~spookcentral/cast_crew_reginald_veljohnson.jpg

Chattin' it up hard with Officer Carl Winslow from Family Matters... ?????

Yes - Die Hard is a strange, mysterious concoction that seems to have otherworldly forces coming together to complete the picture and give it a throne to sit its hot Bruce Willis ass on. I really don't know what all to say about this film. I think - and I hope its already been done - that you could delve deep into this movie and do a huge analytical study on it. It has a lot of game pieces sitting around its playing board -- issues about America, issues about cops, issues about terrorists and foreigners and black people, the media, immigration, masculinity, New Yorkers, women in power, stupid Americans, stupid men, codependency and transferences, Vietnam, religion, the government, entertainment. It's quite a soup. I'm not sure where to even begin -- this is only my first viewing of Die Hard in about... oh, I'd say five years. And even then I think it was my first time.

Die Hard isn't perfect. There's way too much footage of the terrorists or the cops or somebody doing boring things - things like showing us what they're doing to get their jobs done and all that. It's a little unnecessary and boring - there's times where it seems like John McClane has been offscreen for far too long and he's really the heart and soul of this movie. I think Die Hard, which runs at 131 minutes, is a little bit too long. Sometimes events we expect to happen - like when the terrorists learn that Bonnie Bedelia is John McClane's wife - don't really pack as much of a punch. Besides all of these casualities, Die Hard is still one of the greatest blockbuster movies ever -- dark and shimmering, ageless, big breasted, and bona fide bedazzling super supreme pizza sure to keep any hungry, starving spirit of the wind nourished and conscious.

http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/5box.gif

[ash_is_the_gal]

i read it!

[Deadite]

I read your reviews, sexy.

[ash_is_the_gal]

well, i tend to only skim reviews on movies I haven't seen. to be fair.

[HollyG]

So heres some films that Ive watched in the last week and I gotta say Ive watched some really good stuff all thanks to the mofo movie tournament.:p
Manhattan 1979 Woody Allen
http://gothamist.com/attachments/arts_cinecultist/2007_07_arts_manhattan.jpg
" I think people should mate for life, like pigeons or Catholics"

What I learned from film is that Woody loved 17 year olds,Ha ha I'm just kidding. Manhattan is a film about a group of neurotic New Yorkers and their struggles with love and dating.I did like this film but its defiantly not my favorite Woody Allen film but its a fun comedy and somewhat entertaining and I like the black and white.
3

Solaris 1972 Andrey Trakovsky
http://openguys.org/films/image/Solaris-1972.jpg
" Man was created by Nature in order to explore it. As he approaches Truth he is fated to Knowledge. All the rest is ********."

Solaris is a wonderful sci-fi flick and I have honestly never seen anything like it.This is a wonderful film and I'm really developing a huge fondness for Tarkovsky.I don't really wanna go into the plot because I don't really wanna give anything away but for it was one of those films that just blew me away.I loved the imagery,the acting,the dialouge and the story.It really is just a great film.
4.5

Dr. Strangelove or; How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 1964 Stanley Kubrick

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nXgCezLQ3jk/TbWUILO--rI/AAAAAAAAAH0/ppolq1f1bCY/s400/dr_strangelove.jpg
" I know how it is, baby. Tell you what you do: you just start your countdown, and old Bucky'll be back here before you can say "Blast off!"

Another great film I watched this week.I totally fell in love with this film.Honestly I don't think I have laughed so much in my life.This probably my favorite Kubrick film that I have seen so far and it definitely is on of the best dark comedy's I have seen.
4.5

K my kids are starting to go crazy so heres the rest Ive watched and if I have time Ill let you know what I think later.

The lady from Shanghai 1947 3.5

Dial M for Murder 1954 Alfred Hitchcock 4

The Warriors 1979 Walter Hill 3.5

Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf 4

[MovieMan8877445]

Hard Eight (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1996) - 4

For knowing absolutely nothing about this before watching it, I was pretty surprised. I had no idea Anderson's first feature film would be one of my favorites from him. It was a rather interesting film to say the least, unlike anything I've really seen before. You were kind of thrown right into the plot without really knowing much about it all. The ending was very rewarding, though.

http://auteurs_production.s3.amazonaws.com/stills/143417/hard-eight-1996.jpg

Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997) - 3.5+

It was definitely a good movie, but I don't know if it's something that can stay consistently good. I just feel like my rating is going to drop more with re-watches. I had seen most of it before, but I never watched the ending for some reason. It probably has one of the biggest ensemble casts that I've ever seen in a movie before, and that's always a good thing to see in movies. I understand that there was a lot going on, but I did feel like it dragged in parts, and it didn't really need to be two and a half hours long. Still though, I did like it.

Punch Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002) - 2.5+

I feel I'm actually being slightly generous with this rating, and that says something. I don't know what happened here really, because I enjoy all of Anderson's films other than this one. The first hour was a complete waste of my time and I even considered to stop watching it at some points there, but it did get a little bit better once Hoffman finally came into the film and the whole phone sex sub-plot was a little bit watchable. It still wasn't enough to save the film overall and it's not something that I'm going to be going to watch again sometime soon.

The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton, 1955) - 4

Incredibly simple compared to some of the things I've been watching lately, but it was a good thing. It was a nice relief from everything else I've been watching. I really enjoyed it, and I can see myself coming to like it more and more upon re-watches. Oddly enough though, right now I'm at a blank for what else I can say about it really.

The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson, 2008) - 3.5+

I love Brick so much that I just had to watch this sooner or later. I enjoyed it very much, even though it wasn't quite on the same caliber as Brick for me. I love the brief cameos from Levitt and Haas, it made me chuckle. I've been growing more and more of an appreciation for Adrian Brody lately, and I enjoyed him quite a bit in this as well.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009) - 4.5

If The Darjeeling Limited hadn't left such an impact on me after watching it, then this would be my favorite film from Wes Anderson. I love it so much. The animation is done perfectly for Anderon's style of film, and all the characters are just so unique as with every film Anderson does. The soundtrack is no exception either, though it's not as strong as some of the other soundtracks.

http://savvy-cafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/fantastic_mr_fox.jpg

Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 1999) - 3+

Quite possibly the weirdest film I can ever remember watching. I really don't know what to say about it. I liked how unique it was, but I'm not really sure if I liked it all to be honest. I've just never seen anything like it.

Adaptation (Spike Jonze, 2002) - 3.5

A little more on the normal side, but still one of the weirdest films I've ever watched. I definitely enjoyed this one a lot more, which is a plus. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending, but it wasn't horrendous. Nic Cage did a really good job at playing the crazy guy, but I imagine that wasn't much of a stretch for him.

http://phoenix.metromix.com/content_image/full/582318/560/370

No Strings Attached (Ivan Reitman, 2011) - 2.5

Your traditional run of the mill romantic comedy. There were some funny moments throughout, but it wasn't even laugh out loud type of humor other than at like 3 different scenes. The most predictable ending ever, but everyone saw that coming. Natalie Portman is always a joy to look at, but as far as her recent films goes, I'll stick with Black Swan.

Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance, 2010) - 3+

It's not at all like I had expected it to be, so maybe that's why my scores a bit on the lower side. Gosling and Williams both give very incredible performances though, even if the story wasn't at all like I was expecting it to be. The fact that the entire score was instrumental versions of Grizzly Bear songs also had a huge part in my rating. I guess it's somewhat sad when the music in a film has such a big effect on the rating, but I really love listening to Grizzly Bear.

[Fiscal]

The Nines (2007) John August

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I went in to this film knowing absolutely nothing about it. I just happened upon it on Netflix and this was probably the best way to watch this film - with no perspective at all. The Nines is a very ambitious film and I give John August a lot of respect for his execution. Some awesome themes that are right down my alley of interest and some great acting across the board. I would say the first act was the strongest with some crazy creepy horror elements.

4

Slap Shot (1977) George Roy Hill

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The Hanson brothers had me in stitches. Great sports comedy, with some rather important messages sprinkled in. I can see myself re-watching this one many times down the road.

3.5

[mack]

Went on a movie bender trying to catch up over the last few weeks:

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows #1 - 1.5/5
Harry has been incredibly underwhelming these days. I'd been skipping over it and finally was bored enough to give it a go. Shouldnt have as it was ...meh.

The Mechanic - 4/5
I like Jason Statham, and as far as his kill-em-up movies go, I'd say he's getting better at it. Maybe theyre just getting better at writing tightly woven stories that make a modicum of sense, OR maybe its just that this one at least had Donald Sutherland. Still in all, his co-star really held his own, and mightve even stole the show if he hadnt been so morbidly violent. I admit that was rooting for him at certain points during the film - quite entertaining.

Iron Man 2 - 3/5
I think they shouldve gone ahead and paid Terrance Howard the money because he lends the story and the role a certain comedy and lightheartedness that Cheadle couldnt do on a sunny day. Plus I think Howard had a certain chemistry with RDJ's offbeat quirky humor that worked....better. No matter. Cheadle was a servicable Rhodie, and other than that the film was quite a bang. Nice to see Mickey Rourke, and for awhile there, I WAS rooting for him.

The Dilemma - 4.5/5
Gots to love Vince Vaughn. Seriously. This film is supposed to be a comedy, but you end up watching it thinking, WHAT IN GODS NAME IS THIS TRAIN WRECK? Id say it drags on in the beginning as more relationship drama rather than rom-com, but just when you get to that point where you think Vaughn may have lost his touch, he does what he does best (which is run his mouth ;)) - I admit that I was laughing so uncontrollably that I had to rewind the toast to watch it several times. Channing Tatum is hilarious as well. Not sure I agree with the conclusions the film makes, but for anyone who's ever been the person who knows someone they love is being cuckolded(?), this one's worth at least a once thru.

Sanctum - 1.5/5
I was into the whole diving/caving thing, so I got this film. Bad idea. Its a B movie and fails to accomplish any real goal, which is a shame for one of the actors (the guy bankrolling the dig), who I was certain was A-list. The only thing I could think while watching the film was "So THIS is what has become of him!" or alternatively, "I KNOW he can act better than that!" The movie is by no means scary or terrifying in any way - its as though the writers werent sure which bang they wanted for their buck, so the deaths seem unnecessary and even almost cavalier, the decisions made by the supposed "brightest and best" in the business seem to show little thought, and actual, wanton disregard for personal saftey. And some things made no sense. I literally spent an entire sleep-hazed morning randomly wondering how they reconciled a certain decompression problem.

Cross - 1/5
This. This is what has become of Brian Austin Green. And he was so good in Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles. This is a clear C level or below movie (if there is such a thing), and the only way I can reconcile it is to imagine that they intentionally made it look that bad or that cheesy. It was awul. And I sat thru it. Miss it if you can.

Unknown - 3/5
A good film, if youre into psychological mysteries. The setback for me was that this concept has already been done before, and better. The approach is also so formulaic that I had already figured out the plot 1/3 the way thru the film, so most of it was just waiting for the big reveal. So all during the film, I was naming off films in my head that had done this plot - and I was right. Nice if youre a Liam Neeson fan.

I Am Number Four - 2/5
I must say I cant believe I waited for weeks to get this from Netflix before finally getting it myself from BB - and I wished I hadnt been so impatient. It was a cute little film that I'd chalk up more as a family movie of the teenage Disney variety (though of a truth, the folks they had playing "teens" were clearly grown, save for probably the nerd). Its like watching Superman - unrealistic, and without any real backstory. Its as if someone decided to cash in the superhero movie craze and created the fascinating story out of whimsy. That said, it IS a well-done film, beautifully acted, beautiful scenery and just the right mix of violence and romance for the sedate. Reminded me of Under the Mountain.

Battle: Los Angeles - 3.5/5
This one gets a bump down, because for some strange reason I expected it to be more than it was - probably because it was so hyped. Always best to undersell and overproduce, I maintain. I liked it, but then, I like things that go "BANG!" However, I couldnt help but think it was one huge advertisement for the Army, and I was like "Since when did Hollywood start openly doing PSA's for the government?" I liked seeing Michelle Rodriguez show back up kicking butt and taking names, endured the tired but true lesson of "old guy is wiser than young guy," and other than that the best part was the Trailer music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lHTsyVHT3Q).

[Saully]

Lord of War

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/Lordofwar.jpg

Good movie. Nothing special. Had it been any longer though then i might have fell asleep.

7/10
3.5

[linespalsy]

Ballpark ratings.

The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011) 3
Amadeus (Milos Forman, 1984) 3
The Village (M. Night Shyamalan, 2004) 2-
Soap Dish* (Michael Hoffmann, 1991) 3.5
Easy Rider* (Dennis Hopper, 1969) 4
Sailor Moon Super S - the Movie: The Black Dream Hole 0.5
Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003) 2.5-
Last Exit to Brooklyn (Uli Edel, 1989) 3+
Transformers 3 (Michael Bay, 2011) 2.5-
Kyodai Makes the Big Time (Aryan Kaganof, 1992) 0.5
Super 8 (J.J. Abrams, 2011) 3.5+
Yi Yi (Edward Yang, 2000) 3.5-
The Player* (Robert Altman, 1992) 4-
Dances With Wolves (Kevin Costner, 1990) 3-
Little Big Man* (Arthur Penn, 1970) 3.5
The Magnificent Ambersons* (Orson Welles, 1942) 3.5
Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975) 4-


* re-watches.

[Justin]

Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962) 5

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Oliver Stone, 2010) 1

Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011) 3.5

The Adjustment Bureau (George Nolfi, 2011) 2

Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933) 5

Super 8 (J.J. Abrams, 2011) 3.5

X-Men: First Class (Matthew Vaughn, 2011) 2

Submarine (Richard Ayoade, 2011) 3.5

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_]

Longest version of this review and some other reviews are to be found here: http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=24883&page=2


The Greengage Summer 3_5

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"What can a mere mortal do for a nymph?"

Called The Loss of Innocence in the US, which sounds rather like it could be a sexploitation film from the sixties, The Greengage Summer tells the story of four children who are taken to the Champagne region of France by their mother, who on arrival is forced to go into hospital when she has a bad reaction to a horsefly bite. Luckily at the hotel they get an unofficial guardian- charming Englishman Eliot (Kenneth More). The second eldest, thirteen-year-old Hester (Jane Asher) befriends him, but Eliot has his eye on the eldest- the blossoming sixteen-year-old Joss (Susannah York), much to the annoyance of his French mistress and co-proprieter of the hotel, Mademoiselle Zizi (Danielle Darieux). As Hester and Joss both get glimpses into the adult world as well as going on jolly jaunts with Eliot in the lush French countryside, they learn that it can be as dangerous as it is exciting.

At times the film is a little twee but most of the time it is a charming reminder of that moment when a girl finds that she is attractive to men.

[Monkeypunch]

Amadeus - This was a fantastic movie, totally engrossing, funny, and tragic. I loved it, and wonder why it took me so long to get around to watching it. The actors were all perfect, but F. Murray Abraham was so good at being vile, I honestly hated him.

[TheUsualSuspect]

The Dilemma - 4.5/5
Gots to love Vince Vaughn. Seriously. This film is supposed to be a comedy, but you end up watching it thinking, WHAT IN GODS NAME IS THIS TRAIN WRECK? Id say it drags on in the beginning as more relationship drama rather than rom-com, but just when you get to that point where you think Vaughn may have lost his touch, he does what he does best (which is run his mouth ;)) - I admit that I was laughing so uncontrollably that I had to rewind the toast to watch it several times. Channing Tatum is hilarious as well. Not sure I agree with the conclusions the film makes, but for anyone who's ever been the person who knows someone they love is being cuckolded(?), this one's worth at least a once thru.

What a terrible movie this was. It wasn't funny and I can't believe the rating you just gave it.

[Justin]

Biutiful (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2010) 4

[JayDee]

There is also a review for The Bridge on the River Kwai which can be found here -
JayDee's Movie Musings (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=25468//) As you'll see I'm also posting it in my little reviews threads, trying to decide which is the best place for it.


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The Odd Couple

I found this film to be absolutely hilarious! One of the funniest I have seen in quite some time. I can certainly see why it became a sitcom, as at times it can feel like you're just watching 5 episodes of a sitcom back to back rather than a film, but wonderfully so.

Adapted from his own stage play Neil Simon's script is a piece of genius, wonderfully witty and with a number of cracking one-liners. And it is performed beautifully by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, each man having their individual moments of glory as well as coming together with great chemistry for some wonderful back and forth interaction.

I have to say I kinda love Jack Lemmon! This is now the 5th or 6th film featuring him that I've seen and I like him more every time. He's just about perfect here as the neurotic, hapless, cleanliness-obsessed Felix, who has just split from his wife and nothing in his life is going right; he can't even commit suicide successfully. And when you team him up with Matthau's classic slobby, guy's guy, they make for a classic mismatched pair as they become a makeshift marriage of sorts.

In terms of directing this has to be one of the easiest, laziest gigs of all time. Gene Saks pretty much just seems to point the camera at Lemmon and Matthau, then walks off and just leaves them to it.

Performance wise there are also no failures amongst the support cast, with all the actors portraying the fellow card players and the two English sisters all bringing the goods when called upon. Great fun.

4.5


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The Incredible Shrinking Man

This is a cracking film! Fantastically entertaining. It is extremely cleverly made, with the special effects and inventive tricks a real joy to behold. They are what give the film a large degree of its charm, making it much more engaging than any new CGI-heavy remake would likely be. The director, Jack Arnold, deserves a lot of credit for this. One scene that deserves particular applause is the fight between the now minuscule Scott Carey, and the spider who has become his great nemesis. Considering it was made in 1957 it is a fine achievement, one that still created a real buzz of excitement for me

Richard Matheson's scipt does a great job of realising the sheer horror and terror such an event would create. It also shows however mankind's great will to survive in a world that we have no control over. It's just that in this world those obstacles include cats and spiders. And I really admired that it didn't just drop into a piece of schlocky fun, but aimed for much more in terms of intelligence and being thought-provoking. As a result it reminded me a touch of a Twilight Zone episode.

And after praising the director and writer, I can't end this without paying tribute to Grant Williams. He puts in an excellent performance. All these elements come together to create an excellent piece of science fiction.

4+


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The Seven Year Itch

I found this to be a highly enjoyable and at times hilarious film. Like How to Marry... it's very light and fluffy but on a different level from that film, much funnier and much more enjoyable.

Tom Ewell is magnificent as Richard Sherman, a man whose imagination is too large for his nerves to cope with. The fantasy sequences that his mind creates are wonderfully entertaining and provide the large majority of the laughs. From imagining his potential flirtations with Monroe, to the nightmare of his wife coming home they're very amusing.

While Tom Ewell is the main player here Monroe is also excellent. I have to say this is the first time that I really 'got' Marilyn Monroe; the first time I really saw the great appeal of her and why she is still the icon that she is. She is very charismatic as the dim, naïve object of Ewell's affection. Just insanely sweet and likeable.

While it's perhaps not one of Billy Wilder's truly iconic films (Sunset Blvd, Some Like it Hot, The Apartment etc more fit that bill) it is still an extremely funny and well done film.

4


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Niagara

To call this film Hitchcock-lite; while perhaps an accurate description, would also be a tad harsh as it's rather enjoyable in its own right. With a sensual, brooding look to the cinematography and some nice twists its good fun.

Up until this film I had only seen Marilyn Monroe in full on comedy mood in her classic dumb blonde role, but here she is the slinky, sexy femme fatale. And she is rather glamorous at it! The performances of Monroe and Joseph Cotton, combined with some impressive location shooting were the definite highlights for me.

The film actually reminded me a touch of Hitchcock's own Vertigo. Both films feature a mentally unstable man who is obsessed with a beautiful blonde femme fatale, both prominently feature a bell tower as a large element of the film and its finale, and even just the aesthetic look of both films seemed rather similar.

3+


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How To Marry a Millionaire

An old fashioned and dated film but fairly enjoyable all the same. The film has a trio of huge, legendary names (Monroe, Grable and Bacall) at its disposal, and as a result it's a little disappointing that the final product isn't better.

Bacall and William Powell make for an engaging duo (Powell particularly is very good), but for me the main thing it has going for it is definitely Marilyn Monroe's turn as Pola, the lovably ditzy blonde who is almost completely blind without her glasses.

A lot of the humour does feel quite dated but there are still a few good laughs sprinkled throughout. It's very light, fluffy and forgettable; but in it's own way a 'classic' piece of old Hollywood, showcasing some of the biggest stars the big screen had ever seen.

3


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Russian Ark

My main interest in seeing this film was to see the fabled, single 90 minute take for myself. And while it is impressive that was about the only element that really caught my attention whatsoever here. It is a real artistic accomplishment, I'll give it that. You just stop and look at what's going on at times and it's amazing. There are hundreds of extras on screen, all decked in wonderful costumes, and the whole things is skilfully orchestrated and choreographed.

However I found the film to be a bit of a trial to get through, and came close to giving up a few times. I thought this may be down to my pretty much complete lack of knowledge concerning Russian history. However I talked to a friend of mine who is Russian and he felt the exact same way about it.

As a technical achievement this perhaps deserves a score of 3 or 4, somewhere in there. But my ratings are based on their entertainment value to me, and on that basis I can't bring myself to go any higher than a...

1.5
and even that is perhaps a little generous.

[planet news]

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Bay, 2011)

deep wang/10

[mack]

What a terrible movie this was. It wasn't funny and I can't believe the rating you just gave it.

That's it? You're not giving me much to go on here.

True that it wasnt funny in the slap-your-thigh-ROTFL funny, or Rodney Dangerfield/Leslie Neilsen funny - but I think these days the rom-com genre is getting intensely serious and dealing with relationship situations that are far more myriad than your bread and butter cinderella-type "everything works out in the end" stories that existed back in my younger days. Then they throw in a few laughs to try and even it out and justify calling it comedy. Honestly? They should label them dramas and let it go at that.

Maybe its just me?

I liked it, but then I watched it right after someone I cared about straight out randomly admitted to me they were sleeping with someone else other than their spouse, which was also someone I cared about - and I spent 2 wks or more debating with myself whether to keep the information from the person getting cheated on, so as not to hurt them, or if keeping it from them would hurt them worse, or if the cheater was such a coward that they had intentionally told me so I WOULD tell the other person so they wouldnt have to. Kind of a screwed up situation, but the person found out anyway with no interference from me and took it pretty well - (what a relief! :facepalm: )

That said. I liked it. Like I said before - not largely appealing, but probably understandable for people who've been placed in that position.

[meatwadsprite]

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcROLSJslb4nN0YzjUFJ8yGJj8wSvoNNZA0ha9U_SHzaWQLYUoJN

Transformers 2007

For some reason I gave this abomination another chance, with horrid results. It chucks about 10 characters at you, all without any reason for being in the movie. Then it has some short robot fights scattered around, the main villain is a little dinky piece of crap robot. By the time you get to the explosions and missiles, you're already worn down by the mundane suicide tempting story. There is no script, you can talk yourself into thinking there was, but there wasn't. Michael Bay arrived on set, told people to "wing it" and did coke while the cast and crew tried to make it coherent.

0.5 for Bernie Mac

[Saully]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bf/Transformers_dark_of_the_moon_ver5.jpg

Just seen it at the cinema. In 3-D.
It was okay. Better than Revenge of the Fallen. Am i the only one who thinks that the fight in Chicago was dragged on for too long?

I don't want to write a full review of it...

7/10
3.5

For me, the first one is the best in the trilogy.
Did anyone else feel sad when Ironhid died? :(

[meatwadsprite]

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 2001

Gonna try and get through these real quick, I think I've seen about half of them completely out of order prior to this run through. This one I actually have had on DVD since it came out, looking back on the effects (and a lot of other CGI heavy movies from back then), you immediately tell when someone becomes 3D and ceases to do so. Not to knock the animation, it's outstanding, as is the visual design in general. It's got a bunch of goofy characters, but it does care about them regardless. Once the movie lands up in Hogwarts, Hermoine will say something snobby and then Ron will go "What a bitch" every two seconds. She is a bitch though, good going Ron. I also never realized how much twisted humor is in this movie, like Harry's cousin who kicks him into the stairs and slams the door, or how Slytherin is solely associated with everything bad and Dumbledorf completely ruins their trophy ceremony at the end.

3

[TheGirlWhoHadAllTheLuck_]

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) 4

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"But war starts at midnight!"

It’s surprising that I’ve taken so long to get round to this film, considering how much I admire The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is counted amongst Powell and Pressburger’s classics, though Winston Churchill hated it, for reasons which will become clear.
The film follows the life of General Clive Wynne-Candy (Roger Livesey, in some impressive make-up and prosthetics), told in flashback from the Boer War to 1943. Each war (the Boer War, World War One, and World War Two) marks an important change in the life, though not outlook, of Clive. Each war also brings a new woman (all of which are played by Deborah Kerr). Though the nature of the wars change rapidly, Clive’s friendship with the German Theo Schuldorff-Kreutscher (Anton Walbrook) is a constant.
‘Colonel Blimp’ represents the sort of sportsman chivalry that is so typically British, and the film is both a celebration and critique of it. Churchill wasn’t keen on Wynne-Candy as a representative of Britain, or perhaps the sympathetic portrayal of a German. For anybody who likes war films, this is a must-watch, and it’s more proof that Powell and Pressburger changed British cinema forever. This film is typical of the duo and so is a good introduction to their work, although I confess that I prefer the non-war films. I can’t fault the performances but the film is a little slow to get going. It only really kicks in just after the WW1 segment but once it has kicked in, whether you watch many war films or not, you will discover themes that still resonate today.

[Used Future]

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Stake Land (Jim Mickle, 2010) 3.5-
Take a generous slab of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, add a pinch of Ruben Fleisher's Zombieland, The Hughes' The Book of Eli, and the Pastors' underrated Carriers, then throw in some vampires and give it all a whirl. Yup Stake Land is as derivative as horror gets, but it's also a compelling, unrelentingly gritty, yet suprisingly tender hotchpotch of ingredients that come together beautifully. Well made, and extremely well acted by a cast of virtual unknowns (unless you count the almost unreconisable Kelly McGillis) the film pretty much delivers on all levels; just a shame it all feels so familiar.

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Hobo With A Shotgun (Jason Eisener, 2011) 2
This began life as a fake grindhouse trailer which ended up winning an amateur competition created by Robert Roderiguez. I loved watching that trailer on Youtube, and ever since a movie spin off was announced with no less than Rutger Hauer in the lead I was positivley drooling with anticipation. Unfortunately Jason Eisener's finnished product is such an over-the-top excercise in ineptitude; my inevitable opening night visit to the local multiplex was one of crushing disapointment.

Imagine an ultra-crass mixture of J. Michael Muro's Street Trash, and James Glickenhaus' The Exterminator pumped full of amphetamines in a crime infested city that makes the old Detroit of Verehoeven's Robocop look like a teddy bear's picnic...got it? Well you're still only half way there. Shot on the cheap in Canada, Hobo is intended as jet black comedy that attempts to glean laughter from sheer gratuitousness. Nearly every scene is a ridiculously extreme, expletive packed orgy of violence, torture and depravity that would never have got past the censors if it wasn't so exaggerated and fake looking. Complete with leering pop video camera work, and token 70's colour saturated visuals (though overall stylistically the film plays more as 80's homage) Hobo substitutes any semblence of satirical substance for sheer ironic excess. Still, if a school bus full of kids being flamethrowered to death by rayban wearing goons to the tune of The Trammps Disco Inferno sounds like your cup of tea...then you may well be inclined to disagree.

[meatwadsprite]

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2002

SPOILERS

It hasn't been two seconds and already the first mis-step ! This sequel tries to up the sense of dread in Hogwarts up a notch, while forgetting to delve more into the characters I liked from the first one. Harry hears voices and follows them to petrified children and then the dumb groundskeeper keeps going "I'm telling on you" because he gets there right when it looks like Harry Potter did it. Voldemorts plan in this one is a lot more confusing this time around. The snake has to go around freezing people so that Voldemort can become real again ? What happens to the other crappy ghost Voldemort ? Why does he bring Harry Potter down right before his plan is about to work and he'll come back ? I almost fell off my seat laughing when he sorted Tom Riddle into "I am Voldermort".

It's got a lot more of that twisted humor I was talking about. Except it just goes completely overboard. In the first one Malfoy was a dick and Snape would troll the kids. Now in this one, Malfoy's dad is the biggest dick of all time and Alan Rickman looks like a good guy in comparison. Malfoy's dad literally goes up to kids, calls them offensive wizard swear words, goes up to Dumbledorf and tries to kick him out of his own school. Then at the end he tries to literally beat the crap out of Harry Potter. I mean Voldemort is no longer an issue here, with this loose cannon racist pedophile running around.

One thing I did like is how the assumption that everytime you say Voldemort he gets a nickel, is debunked. In the first one I think they spent at least a half hour going "oooooo you said Voldemort, I'm telling on you !". In this one Dumbledorf just sets up a megaphone and yells Voldemort into it a hundred times everyday in the lunch room.

2.5

[mark f]

Yi Yi (Edward Yang, 2000) 3; Art House Rating 4
http://www.thefilmyap.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/yiyilede.jpg

Stand-In (Tay Garnett, 1937) 3
Made in USA (Jean-Luc Godard, 1966) 2; Art House Rating 3
http://thephoenix.com/blogs/blogs/outsidetheframe/10usacurrent_1309_085.jpg

Lion of the Desert (Moustapha Akkad, 1981) 3
Yankee Doodle Dandy (Michael Curtiz, 1942) 4
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Innocent Blood (John Landis, 1992) 3
Hobson's Choice (David Lean, 1954) 4
The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (Brett Thompson, 1995) 3
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Everything is Illuminated (Liev Schreiber, 2005) 3
British Agent (Michael Curtiz, 1934) 2.5
Spitfire aka The First of the Finest (Leslie Howard, 1942) 2.5
To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962) 4
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Zorba the Greek (Michael Cacoyannis, 1964) 3
After Hours (Martin Scorsese, 1985) 3.5
Vision Quest (Harold Becker, 1985) 3
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Jaws 2 (Jeannot Szwarc, 1978) 3
The Murder Man (Tim Whelan, 1935) 2.5+
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (D.A. Pennebaker, 1973) 2.5
http://www.wastedtalent.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/165628__ziggy_l.jpg

Battle Cry (Raoul Walsh, 1955) 2
THX 1138 [Director's Cut] (George Lucas, 1971) 2; Art House Rating 3
http://www.illuminedillusions.com/thxwq.jpg

The Conquest of the Air (Five Directors, 1936) 2
Betsy's Wedding (Alan Alda, 1990) 3+
Curse of the Golden Flower (Yimou Zhang, 2006) 3
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Monster (Patty Jenkins, 2003) 2.5
Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson, 1986) 3
Metropolis [restored version] (Fritz Lang, 1927) 3.5; Classic Rating 5 - See here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=746078#post746078) for further details.

[Deadite]

Just rewatched Night of the Creeps for the first time in a long time...

Great little B-horror spoof! Cool old-school effects, nice performances.

I give it 8/10

[Monkeypunch]

Drive Angry - So bad it's awesome?

[meatwadsprite]

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. David Thewlis and Gary Oldman ? 1 and 2 came out in 2001 and then 2002, so this one was more of a wait. The kids have noticably aged up a bit, as have the little kids behind the scenes. The visual style gets kicked up a notch and thankfully we don't have to endure through Voldemort's anything again. It moves in a widely different direction than the previous two, playing a lot to humanizing the more outrageous characters. Even that jag Malfoy is reduced from Nazi status to troll status, and when he does something really out of place - he gets punched in the face. How fitting.

Something I do miss from the original and to a lesser extent Chamber of Secrets, is the exploration of Hogwarts and all the wild, magic stuff. This one has werewolves and people turning into animals, which is kind of up that lane, but not at all. My biggest complaint is that Prisoner of Azkaban has been stripped down by an half hour, from it's predecessors - but that doesn't stop it from having a 40 minute ending like they do.

3

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005

In this one they just say screw it. Have the ending where Harry Potter has to conquer all these weird magic puzzles, just be the entire movie. This idea turns out to make Goblet of Fire the best of the series so far. By now it's formula, Harry Potter is coming back for another year of Hogwarts - uh oh, it's not safe at all at Hogwarts ! It likely has Harry missing his Uncle Vernon, every single year something trying to kill him. Oh yeah, we're downright robbed of another sequence with his Uncle and Aunt. It starts off with him staying with the Weasel family, so I'm assuming he just refuses to go back to his old home.

In usual fashion, Potter bumps into clues that tell him how to defeat his opponents ... yeah yeah yeah. This one steps up to the plate a bit, with more character exposition than ever before. There's like a prom thing and Hagrid gets it on with this giant woman, Dumbledorf has like this memory pot. Oh yeah and Voldemort comes back, yeah who can forget that old crackpot. Oh crap Voldermort comes back ! What was he doing in the third movie ? I thought we we're done with that character. I was.

Notice how the color got sucked out the posters in the third one.

3

[meatwadsprite]

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007

In this one the ministry of magic takes controll of Hogwarts and sucks all the magic out of it. Dumbledorf is kicked out his own place again and some annoying pink woman makes all these stupid rules. It hints all the while at Voldemort using political corruption as a weapon, while secretly Harry Potter becomes the new defense against bad guys teacher.

Alright it only took five movies to have an actual sequel, but now they've got it going. Previously I said Goblet of Fire was the best, well now this one is the best. In the last one, it perfected the formula established in the first two films - while setting up an actual continuing storyline that would run on into this one. In this one they take a different route with the plot, and finally confront all the stupid links between Potter and Voldermort.

The links really don't have any actual puzzle piece value, so they deal with it in a way I thought was brilliant, purely visceral. We get some more brief insight into Snape, who has evaded pretty much all story twists thus far and still does. The best bits are the montages of the young wizards training their combat skills and we get a pretty looking wand shootout.

If you make it this far in the series, you're probably hooked into seeing the rest of em. Like I am.

3

[Sexy Celebrity]

http://eng.cinemacity.org/media_lib/files/brazil1.jpg
Brazil 4.5
Never saw this movie before until just now (the 132 minute cut.) Thought it was great - and funny. Not sure why the lead character's beautiful, long blonde haired fantasy woman is a short haired mannish lesbian in real life and why she was worth chasing after. Not sure why this movie is called Brazil -- where were the Brazilians?

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/img/music2/wiseguysdevito.jpg
Wise Guys 3
Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo in an old 1986 comedy about guys trying to steal from the mafia. Not very funny, but still a pretty decent film. Biggest laugh was seeing two old Italian women working out to Richard Simmons.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WUrb1JGbFeM/S0JQFwyLwJI/AAAAAAAAAOU/-wAEIIJviy0/s320/Particlesoftruth.jpg
Particles of Truth 2.5
An artsy fartsy vehicle from 2003 starring Gale Harold (Queer as Folk) as a germaphobic author who spends most of his time in his car. Meets a visual artist (Jennifer Elster) suffering from childhood issues and whose father is currently dying of AIDS. Not bad, not great.

[Saully]

Horrible Bosses

Saw it yesterday. Liked it very much. Better than Hangover Part 2. I'll do a full-written review of the movie today.

4

[HollyG]

The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane 1976 Nicolas Gessner

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_WT296Ycwut8/SeK9M3S_hBI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/2Ejja1O7LYQ/s400/topten_rynn.jpg
"School is having people tell you what life is and never finding out by yourself"
I have to say that I really enjoyed this film,Its a dark and kind of twisted tale of a little girl trying to make it on her while have to hide alot of secrets. Its a good movie,Its well written and well directed and I loved the acting.
3.5

How to Steal a Million 1966 William Wyler

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4wOiQmrRymE/SfWhLM1JmGI/AAAAAAAADR8/AoLpvxqZcgQ/s400/How-to-Steal-a-Million-1203177062.jpg
"American millionaires must be all quite mad. Perhaps it's something they put in the ink when they print the money"

A great funny comedy and very entertaining.Watching this film just reminded me how much I love Audrey Hepburn,She was lovely probably my favorite part of the film was her performance.
3.5

A boy and His Dog 1975 L.Q Jones
'http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/spotlights/2008/boy1.jpg
"A cautous young fellow named Lodge / Had seatbelts installed in his Dodge. / When his date was strapped in / He committed a sin / Without even leaving the garage. That's clever, isn't it?"
3.5

Heat 1995 Michael Mann
http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/images/2010/02/heat-large-tm.jpg
"Well ya know, for me, the action is the juice."
3.5

Platoon 1986 Oliver Stone
http://imstars.aufeminin.com/stars/fan/willem-dafoe/willem-dafoe-20050819-63635.jpg
"You talking about killing? Hmm? Y'all experts? Y'all know about killing? I'd like to hear about it, potheads."
3

Heavenly Creatures 1994 Peter Jackson
http://www.solarnavigator.net/films_movies_actors/actors_films_images/Kate_Winslet_Melanie_Lynskey_in_Heavenly_Creatures.jpg
"Mummmmy! "
4

[Miss Vicky]

True Grit
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vmv6IdBoL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
3+

Couples Retreat
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512zpW-vgkL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

2.5

Open Range
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5166e3Ia3aL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

3.5

Vertigo
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ekc2obPNL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

3+


Rango
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ya5Hdu7SL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

3+


Lost in La Mancha
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51a4hKgkjnL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

3

[Saully]

The Mist

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/The_Mist_poster.jpg

Second viewing.
Good movie. This could have become a good film trilogy i think. But instead they took a cheap ending to the film.

3.5

[Monkeypunch]

Harry potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Good first film, but the later ones were better. I kind of wish that the director of the last few excellent Potter films had directed the entire series.

[urkillinmesmalls]

How to Eat Fried Worms- pretty funny but don't watch if you have a weak stomach.

http://content8.flixster.com/movie/10/91/74/10917454_det.jpg

[linespalsy]

Live Free or Die Hard 3
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 2.5+
Fast Five 2.5- Unrepentantly trashy and bombastic and more entertaining for it.
Soul Surfer 1.5
Captain America 1.5
Skyline 1
24 Hour Party People 3.5- Cleansed my cinematic pallet after a week of movie lard.

[Saully]

127 Hours - 4
Eating his contact lenses, drinking his own piss, begins to see things that are not there, cuts of his arm. Just epic. They got the best out of this movie.
Had it been me, then i would not have survived. So, respect to Aron Ralston.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 2.5+
Captain America 1.5

Wauw.

[linespalsy]

2.5+ is just above average for me, and I'm one of those reprobates who still enjoys an "average" movie, I just rate them lower than most people. I liked the earlier entries that had a bit more horror, adventure, and mystery to go with the central Voldymort/War of the Wizards storyline. I would give those (particularly Chamber and Prisoner) a 3.5, which is an unmitigated good movie in my books.

Captain America is just dull. The one remarkable effect the movie has (the transformation from nottie to hottie) isn't enough to recommend it and just about everything else about it is borrowed, unimproved, vague and poorly thought out (ooh, mind-controlled laser weapons that are... equally effective to traditional hand-fired projectile weapons in every way).

I agree with you about 127 though, excellent movie.

[Sexy Celebrity]

I would write a few reviews, but I just haven't been feeling it.

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Amarcord (Federico Fellini, 1973) 5

http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/Crumb_movie_image-6.jpg

Crumb (Terry Zwigoff, 1994) 5

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Ride With The Devil (Ang Lee, 1999) 3

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From Dusk Till Dawn (Robert Rodriguez, 1996) 4

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The Doom Generation (Gregg Araki, 1995) 4.5

http://latimesherocomplex.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/source-code1.jpg?w=575&h=290

Source Code (Duncan Jones, 2011) 5
** Source Code is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Go get it! **

[Kitsch]

The Mudge Boy. An enjoyable film about an apparently gay boy coping with his mother's death. There were a few too many awkward moments - something which few films get right - but besides that I have no complaints. 4.5/5

Malefique. Not enough of a "horror" feel for me, but still a pretty good French film. 4/5.

Autumn Sonata. Most of the film takes place in one house - a rather cozy looking house, I must say - but the story and dialogue are top notch. Excellent acting by Liv Ullman and Ingred Bergman, masterful direction by Ingmar Bergman. 4.5/5

Let Me In. Decent-enough horror film, though definitely not deserving of the praise it received. Never really liked Smit-McPhee, but Chloe Grace Moretz is the best child star around. I just wish there had been more killings and more blood. Those are the things that make vampire movies great (take the hint, Twilight Saga). 3.5/5

Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man. People get killed, people have sex. The usual for Eureo Sleaze like this poliziotteschi. 3.5/5

Imaginary Heroes. I didn't like Emile Hirsch in this film, which is disappointing because he was starting to become a favorite of mine. Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels were wonderful, as always. The story was almost alright, if a little absurd, but it was - like nigh any other movie - fun to watch. 4.5/5.

Penn & Teller Get Killed. I wouldn't say this film is even up to the level of Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man. The worst movie I've seen in a while, I'll give it a 2.5/5 just because the first twenty minutes were wonderful.

Guarding Tess. Not exactly what I expected, but I've lightened up on Nicolas Cage lately. He's far better at making movies than his uncle Francis. I was expecting something more similar to Driving Miss Daisy, so I was pleasantly surprised by this one. 3/5.

The Lost Boys: The Thirst. The last of the series for me to see. Nowhere near the level of the original, but far better than The Tribe. I just wish there had been more vampire-fighting and killing. 3.5/5

[meatwadsprite]

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Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince 2009

Alright the sense of dread is pretty strong for these kids movies by now. Voldemorts out there blowing up stuff, Malfoy is finally realized as a major character and is truly the star of this chapter. Half Blood Prince is likely the darkest, bleakest one of the series. Everything turns out bad ... ouch. The majority of it is actually business as usual though. Harry Potter finds some book that helps him do good in his potions class, they play broomball, and Hogwarts isn't a safe place to be at all.

3

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 2010

Not since Chamber of Secrets did I come away disappointed from one of these films. I'll nominate this one for worst of the series, because what happens ? Nothing. Nothing happens. Since Goblet of Fire, however sidetracked the films got, they were still moving an overall arc forward. Deathly Hallows is the one where they don't go to Hogwarts, it's all over. Unfortunately, by doing this they run out of stuff to do quickly. It wants to play to the relationship between Harry, Hermoine, and Ron. What happens though ? Ron gets mad for a second, leaves, and then comes back. Lesson learned, what an epic film.

2.5

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 2011

Well at least the first part did something right, which was set up for the final and best movie of the series. This is very much going out with a bang. Harry must race against time to destroy Voldemorts stuff that keeps him alive (see also : videogame logic). Who knows what relevance the items have to Voldemort, Harry Potter just has to destroy them. Everything is all out explosions and big effects laden fight scenes.

The limitations of this movie are ones only that the series has already put on it. Who is Voldermort, why is he so evil ? After eight movies, we should know the characters a lot more than we do. Even so, this chapter rattles the cages so much that it is gripping and the people in it are important.

A big chunk of the fun in the series is watching the actors grow with the films. Wondering what it was like to spend 8 to 9 years. All of them do grow a lot as actors which is the brilliant part. The star of the show turns out to be Alan Rickman as Snape. We've only gotten small tastes of him throughout the series, but the choice of Alan Rickman for this role was never realized until now when they let him really flex his muscles. Yeah Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson and Rupert Grint and every British actor, you all did great - but you just kind of got destroyed by a master.

3.5

[Kitsch]

Broadcast News - 4/5
Into the Mirror - 3.5/5
Swimming Pool - 4/5
The Black Cat - 4.5/5
Vampyr - 3/5
Persona - 4.5/5

[Tyler1]

Russian Ark - 3/5
Red Desert -2/5

[Iroquois]

The Expendables (Sylvester Stallone, 2010) - 2

Hype is a dangerous thing, especially with something like this. I'm late to the party here, plus it's not like I had high expectations for this anyway - I don't really dig on modern action movies. Stallone's attempt to make a sort-of-throwback to action movies from the 80s feels kind of misguided. Plot and characterisation almost feels completely meaningless (and not in a good way - yes, it's possible), the action's not especially impressive and it ultimately feels rather empty. I'll probably end up giving it a second chance anyway.

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (Sam Peckinpah, 1973) - 3

So it's about lawman Pat Garrett pursuing his old friend, outlaw Billy the Kid. That's about as far as the plot stretches, really. Some fine photography and the Dylan songs were not only good, but they fit the movie perfectly (too bad the guy's acting wasn't so great), but the film just felt kind of empty. It almost bears comparison to The Wild Bunch in being about two friends forced into a movie-long chase by forces beyond their control, but at least there was more meat to that film in both action and storyline. Here, it just feels like treading familiar ground with little invention. Still, worth watching at least once or twice. Will probably watch this one again as well.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (David Yates, 2011) - 3.5

You should know the drill with this movie. Defied my expectations. Don't intend to watch again.

Jackass 3D (Jeff Tremaine, 2010) - 3

As I've mentioned before, I've tended towards altering my viewing habits and summarily my expectations from films. There's no way this film was really going to get a high rating, but I gave it a rating that accurately reflected the middling quality (if that) and the stupid fun associated with watching these dudes take their foolishness to new heights.

Straw Dogs (Sam Peckinpah, 1971) - 3

I seem to be giving out a lot of 3-star ratings nowadays. It's like it's replaced 3.5 as my go-to rating for a good film that I recognised but ultimately didn't care for. Like Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid above, Straw Dogs definitely deserves a second viewing, though I'd probably consider it a better film than Garrett, if only because it feels more immediate. Great exercise in ambiguity and the climax is a stunner forty years on.

Hard to Kill (Bruce Malmuth, 1990) - 2

Think this might be the first time I've watched a Steven Seagal movie all the way through. It's about what I expected - hackneyed, cheesy, and the action isn't even that good. It's still mildly entertaining, though I have no idea how long it's going to be before I bother with another Seagal movie.

The Rock (Michael Bay, 1996) - 3.5

Guilty pleasure? Maybe. As far as high-concept blockbusters full of explosions and whatnot go, it's surprisingly rewatchable and well-made. Plus Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery make one very entertaining double-act.

[mack]

The Way Back - 3/5
Nice siberian escape film set in WWII era. Nothing really new, but well done.

Season of the Witch - 3.5/5
These days I really do not like Nicolas Cage, but given that the film had Ron Perlman and Claire Foy, it was still good. I thought it was quite bold of them to make a movie (these days anyway) where the supposed "british" protagonists do not even have an accent. In fact, few of the actors were even british, save the Altar boy from Misfits, and Claire Foy, that I could tell. Is it me, or do they seem to be doing a lot of these dark age/black death/pagan evil vs. the catholic church films? I mean, you have Black Death with Sean Bean, Season of the Witch, and The Eagle that I've seen so far, and I have Witchville in my que to receive soon. Apparently Centurion was much the same, with a witch as the nemesis, so The Eagle my even be a rip off of that film - who knows? I grant you that going in, I thought the film would end up being yet another uneducated and trite condemnation of the things done by men in God's name.....(and therefore, of God - because I find few people are willing or able to separate the two)...and so I sighed because I thought it would be simplistic and tiresome. All I can say is - to Nick Cage's credit, it wasnt.

The Eagle - 3.5/5
Yet another pagan evil/barbarians vs. the establishment/established church film, but I thought they did this one well. I have no comment on the whole slave helping the oppressing authority destroy the slave's hope/lands/etc., save that I thought it was trite. Perhaps they were going for the whole "honor before all, even countrymen" ideal, but given the circumstances I found it hard to believe. I was more impressed with the concept that a small group of people could manage to stop a massive advancing army from entering into their territory and destroying them by simply debilitating and humiliating them - essentially making it too costly to stay there, or come any further. Amazing. Im not learned enough in the history to know if the story is literally accurate or simply whimsical fiction, but the idea that the Romans, who we know at one time took over the known world, were terrified enough to leave a certain geographical area alone - well that is quite a feather in the cap of the defending army, and speaks volumes to the worth of a psychological campaign of terror on your enemies. In order for me to survive, I need to break your mind - and I have. Now why in the world would one slave help you undo that??? One man's hero is another man's traitor. :shrug: Best quote: "See you in the afterlife, Roman!"

[Justin]

Serenity (Joss Whedon,2005) 5

[linespalsy]

The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967) 3.5
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958) (cinema) 4
Pitch Black (David Twohy, 2000) 2.5
The Dead and the Deadly (Ma Wu, 1982) 2.5

[Yoda]

Serenity (Joss Whedon,2005) 4.5
Aw yeah.

I think you might have accidentally left that last half-star out, though.

[Saully]

Little Fockers - 2.5
Slither - 3.5

[Justin]

Certified Copy (Abbas Kiarostami,2010) 4

Once again, Kiarostami proves he is one of the most interesting directors working today.

Pickpocket (Robert Bresson,1959) 3.5

Feels more like a minor work of Bresson's when compared to his other films. Nevertheless, a good film.

[Sleezy]

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/iusreview/Steam_of_Life.jpg

Steam of Life (Berghäll/Hotakainen, 2010) 5
The gf and I caught this powerful documentary last night on PBS. Apparently, there's a very prominent sauna culture in Finland, where people gather in makeshift steam rooms to converse and bond. Told entirely through vignettes and devoid of any exterior narration, the film captures several groups of Finnish men as they sit "in sauna" and talk about highly emotional moments in their lives.

It's easy to see that the film's real goal is to get to the heart of Finnish men and expose the dichotomy between their tough, hardy nature (the staple of Finnish masculinity) and the emotional twists and turns of life that cause that nature to crumble. The men tearfully speak about their greatest joys or deepest sorrows, and although they're less apt to really embrace and comfort each other, the silent but genuine camaraderie is there.

I probably related to this better than my gf did, being of the male variety, but there's a fascinating culture and internal human pulse here that is perfectly set against the cold, rugged backdrop of Finland. Highly recommended.

[planet news]

I just want to warn people. The live-action Death Note film is simply awful. 5/10

[Iroquois]

If 5/10 is "simply awful", I have to wonder what 1/10 is.

[mark f]

Probably about 20% as "good" as "simply awful".

[Iroquois]

Naturally, but I'm just wondering how creative his terminology would be.

[MovieMan8877445]

"Dreadfully awful"?

[Iroquois]

"Dreadfully awful"? Sounds like a very redundant exercise in redundant redundance.

[Holden Pike]

How about fu*kin' sh!tty?

[Justin]

Captain America: The First Avenger (Joe Johnston,2011) 2

[Justin]

Red Desert -2/5

Not a fan of Antonioni, or just this particular film?

[under0ath777]

Boogie Nights (P.T. Anderson, 1997) 5
M (F. Lang, 1931) 4.5
Princess Bride (Reiner, 1987) 4.5
The Searchers (Ford, 1956) 4.5

[under0ath777]

The Untouchables (Brian de Palma, 1987) 5

[mack]

The Lincoln Lawyer - 4/5
You gotta love Matthew Mconnaughy. Well, I guess you dont, but I dont mind the guy. Anyway, I thought that they might have chosen him for this role because of the stint he did for the John Grisham movie - and good choice! I normally cannot STAND legal films or tv shows because most of them overly glamourize the profession. Conversely, I always love the ones that show the gritty, sloppy, disheveled underside ..... and this one does. And how! ;) If you liked My Cousin Vinny (which I loved even before I went to law school - but I like Joe Pesci and as far as Marisa Tomei goes, she can do no wrong imo), you'll adore this film. I'd say this is a primer on how to put your client in jail, despite attorney-client privilege. For you, the viewer, there needs to be a 'lil suspension of disbelief, but .... plausible.

[linespalsy]

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Macbeth (Roman Polanski, 1971) 3.5+

I may be underrating this because the disc I had skipped pretty badly in several areas and it kind of turned down my enjoyment, but this is a really great film. Polanski's version (which was executive-produced by Hugh Hefner!) is really cruel and bloody, and it has a clever and original take on the Witches, and Macbeth's hallucinatory episode in their lair is fantastic, as is the lighting and frame composition throughout. It also made Ross out to be much less of a sympathetic person than I thought he was when I re-read the play last month.

If you want Shakespeare you have to have access to the words, and to get the words, nothing beats the intimacy of reading the plays on your own, without visual distractors. But this film/play is so cinematic that it's pretty easy to follow just visually (unlike, say the film versions of The Tempest or Hamlet), so it gets a high recommendation on those counts alone.

[Monkeypunch]

Dragnet - I haven't seen this in ages. It's a good example of two comedic talents rising above the mediocre material handed them. Dan Aykroyd is great as straight arrow cop Joe Friday, and Tom Hanks is really funny as his free-wheeling partner. I prefer funny Tom Hanks to serious actor Tom Hanks.

[Kitsch]

I watched each of the following films on August 5, 2011:

The Unknown Woman. An amazing Italian suspense drama. Great acting, great filmmaking. A+.

Mon Oncle Antoine. I was quite bored until the last half hour, at which time it began to pick up the pace (if you can even call fifteen minutes with barely any dialogue spent in a horse-drawn carriage "pace"). B-.

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. I was hoping, during the first ten minutes, that this movie might even be better than the original! Such a great death that was! The opening animated sequence was also pretty good, even though I am usually no fan of those. Unfortunately, after than animated sequence, the film went from enjoyable to stupid. All too common for this genre. B-.

A Home at the End of the World. I had no idea that this was a gay movie until the gay scenes. Needless to say, I was taken by surprise when the two boys start masturbating each other! Despite that, the movie wasn't very bad, and I think it deserves what I shall rate it. B+.

Somewhere. Oh, the family Coppola. How I loathe them! Only Nicolas has any skill whatsoever, and that skill isn't even anything to boast over. Francis has, as far as I am concerned, never made a good film, and his daughter has only made one good movie: The Virgin Suicides. It would seem, unfortunately, that each Sofia Coppola movie is worse than the last. Hopefully she either gives up filmmaking or starts working for Troma, in the latter case her lack of skill will be put to good use. This movie goes nowhere. It would seem that she was trying to make you see life through his eyes. Too bad nobody ever told her that that saying wasn't meant literally. But I digress. . . C+.

Breathless. An interesting French film. B.

Bachelor Mother. A hilarious David Niven-starring comedy from the late '30s. A-.

Northville Cemetery Massacre. I really enjoyed the beginning, latter half of the middle, and the ending to this one. I can overlook the maybe half hour that I didn't like so much and give this a B.

The Last Starfighter. Oh, how I miss the '80s. I tell you this, the second a "holodeck" comes on the market, I am going to learn and relearn everything there is to know about programming and construct a replica of the '80s. All I want is a suburban neighborhood and a movie house with two screens: one to play the new movies (Terminator, Stand By Me), and the other to play cult and B movies. I can think of nothing I wouldn't sacrifice for such a Heaven! A.

The Raven. Bela Lugosi was awesome, as one can expect. From today's standards, it seems kinda clichéd a movie, but it probably wasn't back when it was released. A.

Mothra vs. Godzilla. I saved the worst for last. Such an intolerably, mind-numbingly stupid movie! The worst of the Godzilla series I've seen yet. Perhaps I'm just not cut out for these movies? Gamera was far, far more enjoyable that this stupid Godzilla BS. D-.

[zakajzakaj]

Hi there, if you want to watch something different i would recommend this movie. It's something like Balkan version of Trainspoting in short. Best thing about movie is that is 100% real and authentic, this is just how things are, allthough it may not look like that to those who not share this part of world.

This movie follows 4 guys without job, without future, perspective. They spend their time on drinking, fighting, fanatically cheering for their football club, lift shopping, stealing, drug smuggling etc. But movie is not really about them, movie is about lost generation being raised and part of war, and transition into modern society. People are looking them with disgust now, but I think the author wants to say that life never offered them a single chance, and it's pretty sad.

Not sure weather most of You can fully understand the depth of movie, but maybe it would be interesting to see how You would probably end up if you were unlucky to be born in Zagreb in 70-80. :)
youtube.com/watch?v=HnZqPQ31tD4

[JayDee]

Pleasantville

full review here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=752170#post752170)


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/MonkeyBusiness.jpg

Monkey Business

This is a ridiculously riotous film. I just found it to be a very, very funny film. A true example of the 'screwball comedy'. The reason it works so well is due to the fact that Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers both really throw themselves into it. If they had tried to keep any dignity about themselves it wouldn't have worked, so thankfully they don't seem worried about looking daft.

Favourite moments include Gary Grant leading a group of young boys on a scalping mission against a man he thinks is interested in his wife and Rogers' character having a bit of a breakdown at the hotel where they went on their honeymoon. The film also stars Marilyn Monroe, and while her screentime isn't much she makes the most of it with a charming, entertaining turn.

Just great fun.

4+


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/CruelIntentions.jpg

Cruel Intentions

I think this is a wildly sexy and darkly funny movie. A dark romantic (of a sort) comedy which reminded me a touch of Heathers.

All of the young actors put in charismatic performances. I've never been a fan of Sarah Michelle Gellar (despite loving the show Buffy, she was always my least favourite element of it) but think she's terrifically entertaining here. I also think with her brunette hair she looks sexier than I've ever seen her. Her character is just devilishly delightful, a character of almost pure evil. And while it's never acknowledged I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out her character was actually a sociopath.

Surprisingly (and perhaps strangely) I found the courtship between Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe to be one of the more engaging and touching relationships I've seen in a while. A lot of this is down to Phillippe's performance. We really see the change that the character goes through, going from a complete douche to being someone we can actually care about and root for.

At times it's rather daft and over the top but done so glossily that it's really entertaining.

4


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/AnEducation.jpg

An Education

I found this to be a really engaging film, mostly down to the incredible central performance and the performances of the supporting cast.

Carey Mulligan is absolutely incredible as Jenny. She creates a character that I just fell completely in love with. Peter Sarsgaard is excellent as David, the sophisticated man who grabs her attentions. You can fully understand why Jenny and her parents are hooked in by him. He gives an incredibly charming performance, I found myself buying into what he was selling. Alfred Molina is...well Alfred Molina! Which means you are always going to get a solid, reliable performance from him; he's a terrific actor. And Rosamund Pike delivers quite a few laughs in her Marilyn Monroe-like role as a ditzy blonde.

The film is helped out by a very well written script by Nick Hornby. Each character is developed into a believable character in their own right, and some of the language in dialogue heavy scenes is very well done.

By the end I just found that I had become completely caught up in the story, just hoping for everything to turn out ok

3.5++


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Marnie.jpg

Marnie

Really broody, intriguing film. It kept me strongly interested throughout, trying to figure out how it was all going to work out. What had happened in Marnie's past that made her how she was now, and why was Sean Connery's character so desperate to help her

Unlike the true classics that Hitchcock produced however I'm not sure the film is good enough that it will hold up to repeat viewings now that the mystery will no longer be there. It's quite daft and cheesy to be honest when it comes to the story and the psychological element that it tries to portray. But fairly fun all the same

3

[mark f]

Up front let me tell you that I've decided to respond to this post because I believe I can be courteous here. There are several posts out there right now where I just want to scream and cuss at what seems completely foolish to me, but I've kept my cool, at least I hope I have.

I'm glad that you liked Monkey Business, I guess. I can't give it any more than 2. It just seems like a silly Disney flick with very few decent laughs. It's one of those films I don't especially like which I do keep checking out though in the hope that it will somehow click with me. Unfortunately, it hasn't yet and I have little hope that it will ever rise above silly slapstick. I like screwball comedies a lot but I need some level of wit to go along with the outrageousness. I think that even Bedtime for Bonzo is better than this. :cool: Sorry, JD (but only if necessary).

[JayDee]

Up front let me tell you that I've decided to respond to this post because I believe I can be courteous here. There are several posts out there right now where I just want to scream and cuss at what seems completely foolish to me, but I've kept my cool, at least I hope I have.

I'm glad that you liked Monkey Business, I guess. I can't give it any more than 2. It just seems like a silly Disney flick with very few decent laughs. It's one of those films I don't especially like which I do keep checking out though in the hope that it will somehow click with me. Unfortunately, it hasn't yet and I have little hope that it will ever rise above silly slapstick. I like screwball comedies a lot but I need some level of wit to go along with the outrageousness. I think that even Bedtime for Bonzo is better than this. :cool: Sorry, JD (but only if necessary).

No apologies necessary Mark. Although the fact I made you want to scream and cuss makes me a sad panda. :( :p Just different opinions and that's fine. I think I just happened to catch it in the exact right mood that day, was really in the mood for something extraordinarily daft. Wouldn't be surprised if I didn't enjoy it near as much when I return to it some day. And if I had been rating it down to just 'quality' it would probably have been a lot lower, but gave it such a high rating down to just my personal enjoyment of it.

And my exposure to screwball comedies has been very limited so far, so whenever I get round to seeing some of the acknowledged classics of the genre this may well pale in comparison. And I should probably think more about the actual ratings I give the films. A lot of the time I just go with an instinctual, gut feeling but a couple of weeks later think that it should not have been as high.

[mark f]

You didn't make me want to scream and cuss. It's the posts I don't respond to which "make me want" to do that.

[Saully]

Lawrence of Arabia - 4

[linespalsy]

Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976) 4
Cowboys & Aliens (Jon Favreau, 2011) 2.5
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1947) 3.5

[Sleezy]

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/iusreview/Rise_of_the_Planet_of_the_Apes-101.jpg

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Wyatt, 2011) 4

Great flick. I'm not terribly familiar with the originals, but this film smartly reinvents the wheel with some substantive storytelling to reboot the franchise. Andy Serkis and friends do a good job of investing us in Caesar and his plight, and the film never muddies itself by trying to make statements about animal cruelty (though the inferences can be drawn if you want to).

The pacing pleasantly builds to a pretty stellar climax and there are some genuinely thrilling scenes throughout. And I'm not just talking about the stunning CG, although that's certainly a plus point here. The film actually made me gasp during one particularly tense scene, and when that happens, you know you're in good hands.

I did take some issue with a bit of the editing at the end, conveniently skipping over limitations of the drug technology established earlier, but it's easy to overlook. This is a film about mistreated apes suddenly being given the means to do something about it, and the result is a lot of fun. I can't wait for more.

[TylerDurden99]

Lucky Number Slevin/The Wrong Man (2006)

Wow. The trailer made it look like a decent action-comedy. But this is something else. A cleverly constructed thriller, with some of the best performances I've ever seen and solid direction.

I can see why some wouldn't like it, but for the most part I loved it (except for the lack of laughs; I was expecting at least some comedy) and recommend it.

http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif+

[JayDee]

You didn't make me want to scream and cuss. It's the posts I don't respond to which "make me want" to do that.

Oh right, sorry for picking you up wrong.

Just out of interest how many times have you watched Monkey Business? Just if there was a film I wasn't daft on and couldn't rate more than 2 out of 5 I don't think I would keep revisiting it, waiting to see if it would finally work for me

[honeykid]

Yeah, but mark's weird like that. :D

[under0ath777]

Shaun of the Dead. I've seen this years ago but only a part of the last half so I decided to check on it. Honestly, I was a bit surprised. I did not really know it was this funny coz all I can remember was those intense scenes. One of the best comedies I've seen. LOL
4.5

[Miss Vicky]

http://fullfileserve.com/i/f7c82c8/2319-black-swan-2010-brrip-xvid.jpg

Well, I tried. I did. But I simply couldn't bring myself to care at all about any of the characters. The acting was good, I suppose, and the costumes were impressive, but none of that matters if I can't connect. And I couldn't. I didn't care for either of the other two Aronofsky films I've seen (Requiem For A Dream, The Wrestler) either. I think he's just not the director for me.

2-

[Godoggo]

Well, I tried. I did. But I simply couldn't bring myself to care at all about any of the characters.

Yep, same here. Actually, I was bored to extreme irritation. I don't care much for Aronofsky either. I liked Requiem for a Dream a lot when I was younger, but my tastes have changed and I'm not a big fan now.

[Saully]

Full Metal Jacket - 4 (second viewing)

[Tacitus]

Senna (2010, Asif Kapadia)

3/5

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/f1senna.jpg

Damn.

Amongst my Petrosexual friends, the new documentary on Ayrton Senna has been discussed in hushed tones. I'd held off seeing it but finally caved in to their recommendations.

Thing is, I don't think I'd count any of my Petrolhead friends as much of a movie fan and this was confirmed to me after I'd finished watching 'the best documentary ever made'. *cough*

To the outside world, Ayrton Senna had it all - Handsome, charismatic and a 3 time world champion. How much more of his life would we experience?

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/ayrton2Bsenna.jpg

The film's not in any way bad - It charts Senna's career with its fabulous highs and its maddening, saddening low as well as any I've seen but doesn't give me any insight into what made this most driven (pardon the pun) of racing drivers tick. All we get is a little exchange between Senna and his friend Dr Sid Watkins in the hours before his death.

I'm paraphrasing here:

Watkins: Why don't you just walk away from it all Ayrton? I'll quit too and we can go fishing.

Senna: I can't stop, Sid.

That's about it.

Sure, we get some great insight into the semi-secretive world of pre-race drivers meetings but that's interesting to me as much for seeing Nigel Mansell wearing a cloth cap (Formula 1 is so romantic!) and chatting away to Prost as if they were best buddies as it is experiencing the frustration Ayrton was having with the sport's rule-makers.

Some fabulous racing is shown, especially the on-board footage, but you can get it all on YouTube.

Interviews with the likes of his sister, Frank Williams, Ron Dennis etc are not much more than functional PR stuff. Nothing revelatory.

The final part of the film, dealing with Senna's death is what enable the film to jump ahead of whatever made-for-TV doc you've seen about the man. We see the crash (as well as Roland Ratzenberger's fatal accident and Martin Donnelly's almost-tragic one) and the resultant swarm of medical staff and marshals but it's not overdone.

I'd deliberately not watched footage of Ayrton's death since seeing it live, TV dinner in lap, back in 1994. I'd seen plenty of motor racing crashes, both at circuits and on TV, but none which made me think to myself so quickly: That's it. Senna's dead.

It'll live with me forever.

Sadly, Senna the movie won't. He was a driver I was in awe of for his speed and craft but as a man I found him to just be a bit too obsessional.

This documentary isn't obsessional enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lydp4y2O4Y

Personally, this is how I'll remember Ayrton - One of the best displays of (road) car control I've ever seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFDHvqd0ICM

And fabulous brown loafers. :D

[nebbit]

Went to a John Ford day at Sydney Uni today :) we watched

The Prisoner of Shark Island
http://pixhost.me/avaxhome/00/4e/00174e00_medium.jpeg

Young Mr. Lincoln
http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTg5NDc4NTE4MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzY4MTkzMQ@@._V1._SY317_CR5,0,214,317_.jpg

Stagecoach
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HLN_s4D9M5Y/TK1RVDB4hoI/AAAAAAAAAAQ/cLtjGdkc6tI/s1600/stage-coach-movie-poster.jpg

The Grapes of Wrath
http://docublogger.typepad.com/.a/6a00df351efabe8833014e604f4d17970c-800wi

[Monkeypunch]

Hall Pass - Silly, dumb Farelly Brothers film starring Owen Wilson and Jason Sudekis as two knuckleheads who's relentless sexism make their wives give them a free week off of marriage to follow their hormones. Though I must say, if Jenna Fischer were MY wife, I'd NEVER look at another woman ever. She's like my dream girl. LOL.

[linespalsy]

http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/best_years_of_our_lives.jpg

The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946) 3
It's All True (Orson Welles et al. 1993) 3 (Documentary parts: 2.5, Orson Welles parts: 3.5)
Sisters (Brian De Palma, 1973) 3.5

http://www.gadflyonline.com/11-26-01/invasion3.jpg

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956) 3.5
The Limey (Steven Soderbergh, 1999) 3.5
Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997) 3.5
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt, 2011) 3

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_94wGm5Prdv0/Sgn7MH6Fd9I/AAAAAAAACtw/PVWQnJv1zy4/s400/Annex+-+Cotten,+Joseph+(Journey+Into+Fear)_01.jpg
Journey Into Fear (Norman Foster, 1943) 2.5
Soy Cuba (Mikhail Kalatozov, 1964) 4.5+

[Wrongboyo]

If.... (1968)

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh11/RubberSoul28/if-poster.jpg

My personal favorite film of all time, If takes place in a British boarding school, where Mick Travis (played by Malcolm McDowell, who is fantastic as usual) and his fellow "degenerates" revolt against the "whips" (seniors of the school who dominate their classmates) and the authorities of the school.

If is a very fascinating and unique film. The style is most noteworthy in the way the film switches between black and white to color, seemingly for no reason.

A very dark and surreal film, highly recommended.

-10/10

Days of Heaven (1978)

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh11/RubberSoul28/DaysOfHeaven_US1.jpg

Days of Heaven tells the story of Bill and Abby a couple posing as brother and sister in beginning of the century America who travel south to Texas to escape poverty. They find work in the fields and harvest crops, on the farm of a wealthy man who falls in love with Abby and sets off a chain of violence and jealousy.

Directed in a visually stunning way by Terrence Malick, Days of Heaven has some of the most breathtaking poetic cinematography in film history.

-9/10

Down by Law (1986)

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh11/RubberSoul28/3277551020A.jpg

One of the first films I've seen by Jim Jarmusch, I was very pleasantly surprised by this little gem.

The story is pretty simple, three men (two of which were set up, and one of which murdered a man in self defense) are sent to prison in Louisiana, and plan to escape to freedom.

A very idiosyncratic ensemble (Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni), a very minimalist approach, and the melancholy mood throughout make this film a very interesting viewing experience.

-10/10

[honeykid]

If.... (1968)

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh11/RubberSoul28/if-poster.jpg

My personal favorite film of all time, If takes place in a British boarding school...

If is a very fascinating and unique film. The style is most noteworthy in the way the film switches between black and white to color, seemingly for no reason.

A very dark and surreal film, highly recommended.

-10/10

A couple of things. One, if If... is your favourite film, why isn't it #1 on your list?

Two, the changing from b&w to colour was simply due to budget reasons.

A brilliant film, though. :)

[nebbit]

If.... (1968)

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh11/RubberSoul28/if-poster.jpg

A very dark and surreal film, highly recommended.

-10/10
:love: this movie I saw it at the theater when it came out :blush:

[HitchFan97]

Strangers On A Train (1951)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--EbMSynvgkw/TZFlBngWazI/AAAAAAAABcI/cFZnv5nlOog/s1600/strangers-on-a-train%255B1%255D.jpg

Being the Hitchcock fanatic that I am, it was only a matter of time before I checked this one out. The premise for the film is interesting, and under the Master's guidance it becomes something extraordinary. Robert Walker gives a particularly great performance as psychopathic Bruno Antony. I give it 4, another solid thriller from Hitchcock.

[Tacitus]

-10/10

Hey now! I'd mark Down By Law a bit higher than minus ten out of ten!

Especially since you liked it so much. ;D

[HitchFan97]

The Beguiled (1970)

http://www.movieposterdb.com/posters/05_11/1971/0066819/l_66731_0066819_c836cc61.jpg

Between Dirty Harry, Coogan's Bluff, and Escape From Alcatraz, I've become a big fan of the Don Siegel/Clint Eastwood collaborations. As such, I had relatively high hopes for this thriller, which stars Eastwood as a Union soldier in the Civil War who finds himself injured and bedridden in an all-girls school. I found it very similar to "Play Misty For Me", as both psychological thrillers are sexually driven and feature Clint in an unusually vulnerable role. Though "The Beguiled" does not build suspense as masterfully as "Play Misty For Me", it is much more disturbing, as Clint Eastwood becomes romantically involved with everyone from a 12-year-old to the school's incestuous headmistress, played by Geraldine Page. Though it's probably my least favorite of the Siegel/Eastwood collaborations, "The Beguiled" is still a dark, sinister thriller worth a watch for any Clint Eastwood fan.

3.5

[linespalsy]

Carnegie Hall (Edgar G. Ulmer, 1947) 2.5 (Watchable melodrama interspersed with filmed classical and jazz performances)
The Designated Mourner (David Hare, 1997) 3.5 (Filmed Wallace Shawn play featuring Mike Nichols doing a fun Shawn-impersonation in the lead role, as well as Miranda Richardson).

Also watched a few cartoons from the Popeye collection:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-E4sOqPhL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

The Two-Alarm Fire (Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky, 1934) 2
The Dance Contest (Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky, 1934) 2.5
We Aim to Please (Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky, 1934) 2.5

[Wrongboyo]

A couple of things. One, if If... is your favourite film, why isn't it #1 on your list?

Two, the changing from b&w to colour was simply due to budget reasons.

A brilliant film, though. :)

I don't update my favorite films lists because they change so much. I have a notebook that I write all of the films I see in, and my thoughts on them and oftentimes I'll look back on a film I've seen and kick myself for not including it on such a list. So, yeah I'm tired of keeping up with lists haha.

I've heard people say before that the reason they switched to black and white was for the budget, but I've also read that the reason was the DP couldn't guarantee the director color consistency in a lot of the chapel scenes, so the director decided to shoot it in black and white, and liked the aesthetic and choose to include throughout the entire film.

Either way, I'm glad it turned out the way it did, definitely enhances the atmosphere.

[HitchFan97]

Something Borrowed (2011)

http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/something-borrowed-poster-405x600.jpg

Last night, I watched Something Borrowed, a romantic comedy about a woman who sleeps with her best friend's fiance. That's about the bulk of the plot right there, along with some lame subplots that turn the film into nothing more than a cut-rate soap opera. Aside from that, I highly doubt that such a story line hasn't been done a thousand times in the past, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. The characters, believe it or not, were probably the worst thing about the movie, as all of them come off as either snarky, or slutty, or backstabbing, or any such combination of these characteristics, and there were many times when I found myself questioning which of these people i'm supposed to identify with. But then again, it doesn't really matter what the characters are like when the actors aren't very good at their jobs either.

Something was borrowed, indeed. 112 minutes of my life, and I'll never get them back.

1.5

[Monkeypunch]

Conan the Barbarian (2011) - Not really as joyfully insane as the original film was, but a passably fun night at the cinema. The actor who plays Conan is the best part of the film, he genuinely LOOKS like the comic book character from Marvel, and he can swing a mean sword. I kinda wish it were more EPIC, but I had fun anyways.

[Ðèstîñy]

Dressed to Kill (1980)

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a249/nunions/dressed_to_kill-.jpg

Michael Caine
Angie Dickinson
Nancy Allen
Keith Gordon
Dennis Franz
David Margulies


Dead and Buried (1981)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WHYFHYYVL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

James Farentino
Melody Anderson
Jack Albertson
Dennis Redfield
Nancy Locke
Lisa Blount
Robert Englund


Exposure (1991)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Y0tosNQAL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Peter Coyote
Tchéky Karyo
Amanda Pays


Sketch Artist (1992)

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a249/nunions/SA.jpg

Jeff Fahey
Sean Young
Frank McRae
Drew Barrymore
Tchéky Karyo


Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal (1982)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XMMF%2BJO7L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Marsha Mason
Bob Gunton


Fight for Life (1987)

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a249/nunions/fight-for-life.jpg

Jerry Lewis
Morgan Freeman
Jaclyn Bernstein
Gerard Parkes
Patty Duke

[Brodinski]

Update of what I've watched over the course of August (what I can remember)

http://media.sundancechannel.com/UPLOADS/blog/wordpress/images/2011/03/last_picture_show_ver3.jpg

The Last Picture Show (1971, Bogdanovich): 3.5

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6f/Enduring_Love_movie.jpg

Enduring Love (2004, Michell): 2.5+

http://criterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com/release_images/593/219_box_348x490.jpg

La Strada (1954, Fellini): 3.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Hall_Pass_Poster.jpg

Hall Pass (2011, Farrelly brothers): 2

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/29/Das_Experiment.jpg

Das Experiment (2001, Hirschbiegel): 3+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/Some_Like_It_Hot_poster.jpg

Some Like It Hot (1959, Wilder): 4

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/lk/f/F/c09271f48d36488862177a61dc01f4c4/3043597.jpg

Lina Braake (1975, Sinkel): 3

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Kings_speech_ver3.jpg

The King's Speech (2010, Hooper): 4+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ce/ThreeMenAndACradle.jpg

Trois Hommes et un couffin (1985, Serreau): 3+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f5/A_Double_Life.jpg

A Double Life (1947, Cukor): 3.5+

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b5/LeDivorce.jpg

Le Divorce (2003, Ivory): 2

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6ecSfk-wl5U/S7PV8EIDgwI/AAAAAAAAAOk/65YUKxn3-eY/s1600/TULPAN+-+2008%5BRUS,KAZAKH%5D%5BCOMEDY,DRAMA%5D1.jpg

Tulpan (2008, Dvortesvoj): 3+

[linespalsy]

Sunset Blvd. (Billy Wilder, 1950) 4
Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988) 4.5
Gentlemen Broncos (Jared Hess, 2009) 3.5-
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (Fritz Lang, 1933) 4

[mack]

Blitz - 2.5/5
Lionsgate UK film with Jason Statham - it almost felt like a UK answer to Hollywood's using their actors in balls-out action films. Statham was as stoic and *bad boy* as has come to be expected from his movies, so in that way it was very cookie cutter. Also the music was so....eurosynth. I dont even know if I'm correctly identifying it, but it is the main reason I've downgraded this movie. People accuse me of preferring that kind of music, and I get that they used to make the film seem edgier and maybe to give it identity? Whatever it was, it was too much - felt like they used insanely upbeat music to drag out boring scenes.

Miss Palfrey at the Claremont - ?/5
Im in the middle of this DVD, and it wont get past the 9th scene (about midway thru the film), so I'll probably have to send it back. :( Unfortunately, because this is a slow film that builds over time, it was just getting traction with the plot. Now I have all kinds of ideas about what's really happening, but I guess I'll never know! :eek:

[honeykid]

http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/something-borrowed-poster-405x600.jpg

You may already know this, but I'll pass on some advice, if I may? The words "starring Kate Hudson" almost always lead to a poor film. It also stars someone who can't spell Jennifer. Neither of these things are good and should both be seen as warning signs.

[MovieMad16]

Currently Watching Food Inc on TV. Really loving this documentary. May be giving it a review soon.

[Deadite]

I watched the Piranha remake last night. Pretty decent, goofy fun. I really liked the acting in it, especially Shue and Jerry O'Connell as a sleazebag.

[Brodinski]

Been brushing up on my essential 2011 releases lately:

La Piel Que Habito (2011, Almodovar)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/Theskinilivein-poster.png

The main character fits perfectly in the increasingly larger gallery of strange Almodovar characters : Robert Ledgard is a brilliant surgeon who made it his life’s work to develop an artificial skin that makes one immune to burn wounds and insect bites. The good man also appears to have a bit of a macabre edge, as he keeps a woman in capitivity in a remote villa. Her identity will be revealed to us in a long, ingenuous flashback that is vintage Almodovar.

What I liked about La Piel Que Habito is that at times, Pedro has re-found that kitschy poetry of his older work. On the aesthetic level, it’s all good too with a nice soundtrack, flawless performances and eye-blinding images. The problem is that the film doesn’t really drag its viewer in. Much as it was the case in Los Abrazos Rotos, I got the feeling that it was more about craftsmanship and (albeit terrific) style than about inventiveness and passion. I guess what I’m trying to convey is that Almodovar is playing it safe here, whereas I’d rather see him bounce off the wall.

3+



Essential Killing(2011, Skolimovski)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Essential_Killing.jpg

In Essential Killing, consummate madman Vincent Gallo crawls into the skin of a Taliban soldier, who after a horrible round of waterboarding is taken to an undisclosed East-European country. When the prison van crashes in the snow, Gallo jumps out like a terrified beast and runs straight into the wilderness, thus beginning a struggle for survival of biblical proportions. And I can guarantee you, Taliban warrior or not, you will start rooting for this guy after a while.

Essential Killing is a film unlike any survival flick I’ve ever seen (First Blood, Into The Wild, Touching The Void) in the sense that it’s much purer. Skolimovski doesn’t offer any explicit commentaries about the war on terror or human rights, doesn’t give any more information about the identity of the main character, instead limiting himself to the pure registration of this man’s endeavors in the wild. And in doing so, he makes good use of the elements of nature at his disposal, so that you’re really drawn into this, as if you’re experiencing it yourself. Gallo himself went in full-on method mode again, as he actually ate termites, walked barefoot through snow and demanded actual breast milk for one particular scene. Aye, brilliant insanity indeed.

3.5+


Melancholia(2011, Von Trier)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e1/Melancholia_Poster.jpg

With a dreamy beauty and an almost comforting irreversibility, Melancholia’s plot slowly unravels in a surprisingly calm manner (unlike Antichrist). This is one of the most poetic and gracious films he ever made.

3.5+


And some others:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2: 3
Bridesmaids: 2.5+
Rango: 3+
The Hangover, Part 2: 3
The Rite: 1.5
Kung Fu Panda 2: 2.5+

[HitchFan97]

Friday The 13th (1980)

http://images.wikia.com/headhuntershorrorhouse/images/2/22/Friday_the_13th_(1980).jpg

The original Jason Voorhees movie... even though (SPOILER ALERT) his mom is the killer in this one. Friday The 13th may lack the originality and artistry of, say, Halloween, but it makes up for this with a great eerie setting. A wickedly violent slasher that no fan of the genre wouldn't love.

4.5


Scream (1996)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9vVZCqmz224/TcuBH6iiGhI/AAAAAAAAAGY/3DDdGcedJgY/s1600/scream_1.jpg

Yes, I had a slasher movie double feature last night. Neither film disappointed, but Scream was nothing less than a MASTERPIECE of horror. I loved the mystery, I loved the performances, I loved Wes Craven's undeniable ability to build suspense, I loved the self-referential tone of the whole film. I loved this movie.

5

[honeykid]

Thanks for the reviews, Brodinski. I'm really looking forward to seeing the first two and your reviews whetted my appetite even more. :up:

A great double bill there, Hitch. Love both of them and agree totally with you about Scream.

[ash_is_the_gal]

My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) 4.5

http://oishiianime.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/My-Neighbors-The-Yamadas.jpg

Arrietty (2010) 4

http://www.spinetv.net/media/uploads/karigurashi-no-arrietty.jpg

Incendies (2010) 5

http://www.reelingreviews.com/incendiespic.jpg

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011) 3[rating]

http://s2.daemonsmovies.com/mov/up/2011/03/the-greatest-movie-ever-sold-poster-550x820.jpg

Rango (2011) [rating]3.5

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2011/03/rango_2011_a_l.jpg

Harry Potter 7, part 2 5

[HitchFan97]

Thanks for the reviews, Brodinski. I'm really looking forward to seeing the first two and your reviews whetted my appetite even more. :up:

A great double bill there, Hitch. Love both of them and agree totally with you about Scream.

Scream was fantastic; probably my third favorite slasher, behind Psycho and Halloween. :yup:

[HitchFan97]

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

http://blog.contentsafari.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/the_shawshank_redemption.jpg

A moving and inspirational prison drama; even if it does feel just a bit cliched. Morgan Freeman's performance stands out as the best, and that's quite a feat considering the entire cast shows great talent.

4

[HitchFan97]

Peeping Tom (1960)

http://lh4.ggpht.com/weirdposters/R-LXamsbE5I/AAAAAAAACKo/40gcHuwWcfk/peeping_tom_poster_04.jpg

The story of a psychopath who films the women that he murders, Peeping Tom has often been compared to the works of Hitchcock, and I can certainly see why. Featuring a nutjob with parental issues and a theme of voyeurism, the movie feels like a combination of Psycho and Rear Window. While the pacing lags a bit at times, Peeping Tom is a chilling and sinister thriller that dares to examine the darkest corners of film.

4

[FanaticFilmFan]

Just got finished watching Let Me In. It is the U.S. remake of Let The Right One In. I liked it better than the original and even though its another vampire love story, I think it has a little more depth to it than most vamp movies made recently

[sreenathpktr]

King Arthur....boring movie

[christine]

The Guard. Haven't laughed so much for ages

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/land/376/t/the-guard-poster_07,11.jpg

[Wrongboyo]

Stranger than Paradise (1984)

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh11/RubberSoul28/STRANGERTHANPARADISE.jpg
Stranger than Paradise is a very simple story (or maybe more appropriately scenario) which follows a young New York hipster’s interactions with his recently moved Hungarian cousin.

The entire film is incredibly minimalistic in almost every aspect. The simple lighting and significant use of static wide shots give off a very empty, and lonely atmosphere.

There is very little dialogue (and where there is it doesn’t seem to reveal any necessary information) Jarmusch relies almost soley on the images to convey the theme and story.

Depending on your expectations going into this one you may or may not be disappointed. A lot of the acting seems flat at times, and it certainly isn’t Jarmusch at the peak of his abilities but all in all, for being his first film it’s pretty damn good.

8/10

[Tripod]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b3/The_Dreamers_movie.jpg
I thought this was a good flick, however it's chalk-full of nudity.

[honeykid]

Would there be any other reason to watch it?

[Tripod]

Well Eva Green has a great body, so that's a plus and since I have the Unrated version the nudity was no surprise but nonetheless I liked how the relationships in the movie were passionate and alluring and that's whats in store for the characters.

[HitchFan97]

Kill Bill (2003, 2004)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JGgzOkYhIb0/TP-vM-avhsI/AAAAAAAAHcw/WZD7hHxyuLc/s400/l_266697_42fb368f.jpg

Uma Thurman plays The Bride, an assassin after her former teammates who have killed her fiance, in this wonderfully stylish action movie (or should I say movies?). Believe it or not, this was my first Tarantino film, and it was certainly a unique one. Tarantino's obvious skill as a filmmaker sets this movie apart from other action flicks, and Uma Thurman's performance is to be commended as well. The movie seems to slow down occasionally, but Kill Bill is nevertheless a true epic.

4


The Breakfast Club (1985)

http://cache2.allpostersimages.com/p/LRG/20/2045/FZL4D00Z/posters/the-breakfast-club.jpg

The concept of a single set has long been a favorite of mine, but it's normally reserved for suspense thrillers like 12 Angry Men or Hitchcock mysteries like Rear Window or Dial M For Murder. But The Breakfast Club is an 80s teen drama directed by John Hughes, and shares a kinship with Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Sixteen Candles. So it comes as something of a surprise that the movie pulls off the single set very well, and its all thanks to the characters. Each one is interesting, from the brain to the athlete to the princess to the criminal to the basket-case, and it's an entertaining and poignant ride as we see them pour out their hearts to each other. Perhaps the greatest of all high school movies.

4.5

[Sinny McGuffins]

Kill Bill (2003, 2004)

Believe it or not, this was my first Tarantino filmWas this your first viewing of Kill Bill then? If so, I'm quite surprised you haven't seen Pulp Fiction yet. It was the movie that got me into films when I was about your age, get it watched soon and let us know what you think.

[HitchFan97]

Yep, it was the first time I saw Kill Bill, and Pulp Fiction is one that I've been meaning to watch for a while. I'll check it out and post my thoughts here very soon :yup:

[HitchFan97]

Marnie (1964)

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/191844.1020.A.jpg

Alfred Hitchcock's most blatantly sexual film; as a matter of fact, I'm quite surprised he was able to release this film through a mainstream studio in 1964. Connery and Hedren have excellent chemistry, and Hitchcock does a great job as usual at directing. "Marnie" lacks the suspense of some of the filmmaker's finest, but few of the master's other films create such a vivid psychological profile.

4


Friday The 13th (2009)

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/photosizer/upload/friday13th120308.jpg

I didn't go into this "Friday" expecting much, but what I really wanted was to see hockey mask Jason on screen. I got that, but not much else. Jason is the saving grace of a film that displays gore for gore's sake, and this half-sequel-half-remake lacks the tense and suspenseful atmosphere of the original. The viewer gets, instead, a stomach-churning exercise in terror.

3

[Monkeypunch]

Coraline - Trippy animated film by Henry Sellick, based slightly on Neil Gaiman's frightening YA novel of the same name. The film sands down some of the sharper edges, but it's a fun, surreal adventure in it's own right, about a blue haired little girl who finds a seemingly perfect "other" world within the crawl space of her new home.

[TylerDurden99]

http://toirock.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/eastern-promises-poster.jpg

I finally secured a copy of David Cronenburg's Eastern Promises, and I ended up really enjoying it. The bathhouse sequence is easily one of the best scenes in recent history, and Viggo Mortensen's restrained performance remains chilling and intense. My only complaint is that I felt it was a bit short. Other than that, I very much liked Eastern Promises.

http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4box.gif

[TylerDurden99]

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/c/images/children-of-men-poster-1.jpg

It was definitely a well made film. but I found a bit to be a bit overrated. The reviews I read praised it to be one of the finest sci-fi films ever made, and I don't think it even makes a dent in that genre. I really liked Alfonso Cuaron's camerawork during the war sequences, and Clive Owen was solid as usual, but I didn't find anything extraordinary about it.

http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3.5box.gif+ (I feel like I'm being a bit generous with this rating).

Note: I saw this exclusively for my best of the year thread.

[akatemple]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JNHWn%2B1UL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
In Tokyo on a large rubbish pile, there are some hazardous radioactive waste that have been bringing the dead back to turn including turning people into flesh-eating creatures. Enjoyable and sometimes funny Japanese horror-comedy from the writers and stars of the cult classics "Gozu" and "Ichi The Killer". It's not too gory even though there are good gore effects in this movie and the performances by the cast is OK but the movie is like a cartoon brought to life.

3

[HitchFan97]

Taxi Driver (1976)

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/170448.1020.A.jpg

Taxi Driver, the story of a New York cabbie's descent into madness as a result of the urban decay around him, is a film that has spent quite a long time on my watchlist. So with high expectations, I finally sat down last night to watch it. To say that these expectations were satisfied would be an unbelievable understatement. I have never in my entire life seen a film that paints such an engrossing character study, or one that so brutally displays the violent effects of alienation. Scorsese's New York is the grittiest rendition of the city I have ever seen, and the director now easily ranks among my favorites.

This is Robert DeNiro's best performance. It is the best movie Martin Scorsese ever made. Considering the other work these two have done, that is no small accomplishment.

5

[Godoggo]

The Host (2006)-Joon-ho Bong

http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a476/ashafer_bucket/the-host-film.jpg

Equal parts monster movie/political satire/family comedy-drama The Host is about a young girl who gets kidnapped by a monster and her family who comes together to rescue her. The family reminds me somewhat of the family in Little Miss Sunshine. They're a bit wacky but well intentioned. Her father is a bit of a bumbler and this is both used to comedic value and some of the more sadder scenes in the film. And really there are some heartbreaking moments as well as being laugh out loud funny at times.

I certainly want to check out more of Bong's stuff after watching this. I was really pleasantly surprised at how good it was. B +

Super 8 (2011) J.J. Abrams

http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a476/ashafer_bucket/elle-fanning-super-8-pics.jpg

It was not my intention to watch two movies so alike back to back. There are a lot of similarities though but I'm not going to compare them other than to say that this is a feel good movie where as The Host is not.

I was really happy watching this. Sometimes you just need the band of misfit kids on an adventure feel good movie and you can only watch The Goonies so many times. Elle Fanning is a really capable child actress and the rest of the cast was good as well. Even if Charles is no Chunk. ;)

As an homage to Spielberg I think it does him justice. While it may lack the magic of some of his films, it certainly is extremely likeable. B

[akatemple]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/40/Animal_kingdom_poster.jpg

This film is strictly for people who thought "The Departed" was too optimistic. Animal Kingdom makes plain from the opening shot. Once J's mother dies of a heroin overdose, he has nowhere to go but the home of his "Grandma Smurf" (Jacki Weaver) and uncles, a violent group of career criminals. It is a frightening tale of crime and corruption, of one family of criminal sociopaths both pitted against and partnered by the police in Melbourne, Australia. The film is dark and disturbing, I highly recommend it.

4.5/5

[Godoggo]

^ I agree. Great movie.

[Saully]

Just watched

Hostel - 3
Hostel 2 - 2.5

[Monkeypunch]

Orgazmo - A Mormon becomes a reluctant porn star, and then a super hero, using the power of...okay, i'll let you discover that on your own, this is a family site? lol. From the guys that created SOuth Park, so you kind of know what you're getting into. Weird, proudly low budget, raunchy fun.

[akatemple]

Dark Star: Hyperdrive Editidion: Directors Cut

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/98/DarkStarposter.jpg

This movie is so BAD that is is GOOD, this is a very low budget movie. John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon made this while still at college (USC). At the beginning of this version (not sure if it is on the other versions as this is my first time seeing this film) it has a Star Wars scrolling dialog with Dan explaining the film and that this was released as a comedy but no one was aware of that. Dan O'Bannon goes on to say that there were no people in the theaters so he said that if he can't make people laugh then he would scare them. Dark Star went onto become ALIEN with just a few tweeks :D.
If you are a fan of ALIEN and you haven't seen this film (which I think I'm the last person to see it) then you have to watch this.

A lot of interesting facts about this movie at....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Star_%28film%29

Oh and the Alien in this movie is hilarious, kinda a red beach ball with some weird feet attached to it..... Awesome!!!

http://thethunderchild.com/Movies/1970s/1974/DarkStar/Photos/darkstar-beachball.jpg

4/5 just for being so BAD

[thracian dawg]

The Artist (2011) - Hazanavicius
There's two groups of viewers on opposite ends of the spectrum who are going to enjoy this. Viewers with no exposure to silent films are going to be thrilled with the novelity of the exercise, and viewers with a solid knowledge of silent film. George Valentin (French actor Jean Dujardin) is a kind of Douglas Fairbanks character---Hollywood's biggest star just before the talkies will revolutionize the industry. There's a wide array of in-jokes and cinema winks. For example, the pooch is a wink at Strongheart and Rin Tin Tin. The breakfast scene is a wink at Citizen Kane, where we watch the disintegration of their marriage. I loved the wicked jibe at the end, commenting on film distrubution.
2.5

Attack the Block (2011 ) - Cornish
B movie creature feature with some cleverness in the writing and the extremely simple yet effective special effects.
3

One Day (2011) - Scherfig
From the poster I assumed this was going to be a flat out love story. On the surface, this was about the simmering friendship/romance between the two main characters, however it's actually a character study of one man's emotional maturation from a shiftless pretty boy into a decent, caring individual.
3

[Pyro Tramp]

I'd have liked Attack the Block a whole of a lot better if the protagonists hadn't been introduced as absolute c*nts, there's a level of anti-hero and then there's irredeemable.

[Used Future]

^ What he said, but I thought the black fluffy Aliens looked rubbish too.

Anyway...

The Last Circus aka Balada trieste de trompeta (Àlex de la Iglesia, 2010) 3

Jackson County Jail (Michael Miller, 1976) 3.5

Kill List (Ben Wheatley, 2011) 4.5

Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (William Crane, 1976) 2.5

*For anyone who's interested I've reviewed the films fully in my thread here (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=762423)

[akatemple]

Your Highness (2011)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Your_Highness_Poster.jpg

With enough dick jokes to make anyone blush, this was still a really funny film. The movie is like a mix between Pineapple Express and Clash of the Titans. The action scenes are great and the blood and gore would not let any horror film fan out in the cold. I think that the characters are meant to play the roles they’ve been given. The pot smoking and dick jokes fit perfectly with the cast, the one exception being Natalie Portman, you would not normally see her in a film like this, but she fit in perfectly.

Plus Natalie Portman is quite often very scantily clad and that makes the movie even better.

3.5

[exiled1]

Bourne Supremacy. First time since i saw it in theatre.

Yep, that WAS a good one, now if only I can get my bro to watch it. He's being annoying and not watching what I recommend... Any ideas?:mad:

[Sedai]

Any ideas for.... ?

[Golgot]

http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/A-Clockwork-Orange-1971.jpg

[ash_is_the_gal]

My Brilliant Career
1979, Gillian Armstrong

This old-fashioned, turn-of-the-century movie reminded me in many ways mirror of Anne of Green Gables (the 1970's Megan Follows PBS version, at least; I haven't seen any others). I usually like period piece, sappy love story type bullcrap, though this one was a slightly different experience than your typical period piece drama. As soon as I finished watching it, I looked it up and found out it's based on a novel which was written by a young girl in the early 1900's, and apparently, it was something she wrote "for fun" just for her friends. That explains a lot, I thought.

I'll admit that I had a hard time taking this movie seriously; however, that isn't exactly an insult, because to my mind's eye it was intentionally done tongue-in-cheek.

It's like this: The year is 1890-something, and you're a young woman. For what you don't have in grace and beauty, you more than make up for with a high-spirited, rambunctious personality. You come from a poor family; nearing 30, you are mostly seen as a burden to your parents, who are just itching to ship you off to be governess to another man's family, where you'll at least be of some service. But you're a dreamer. You can't stand the thought of being tied down to monotony, especially the typical feminine duties of a woman from the 1890's. You want to make it big someday, maybe have a career in one of the arts, such as painting or writing or music.

This is how the story opens up; we see a young girl playing her piano with a faraway look on her face; her hair is unruly to match her temper. In the background her mother calls for her to help bring the laundry in (or some other such womanly chore) and she willfully ignores her.

This opening scenes sets up the rest of the movie, basically. You watch this young woman (Sybylla Melvyn) trot around, willfully dismissing every turn of advice she is given, with a hard determination to "stand out". Judy Davis's performance as Sybylla was easily the most brilliant thing about this movie. I felt that all the other performances were intentionally muted to bring out her character even more, and the contrast was really great. I love how contrary she was, even to herself. She wanted so badly to stand out and do something non-traditional, but over the course of the movie you begin to realize how badly she really wants to fit in. In one particular scene, she sits in a tight ball on her bed, crying, and when her cousin asks her what is the matter, she says she hates that she's not pretty enough for anyone. To me, this was the most important scene in the entire film, because you finally get some insight on what this girl is going through. She wants to stand out because she can't fit in. That, to me, is a brilliant move, and I'd lie if I didn't admit that I do the same thing in many ways.

I guess you could say that the main reason I liked this movie, if I was forced to pinpoint it, was that I can relate to the character immensely; relate and respect, that is.

Also, it's really entertaining to watch her waltz around and be absolutely ridiculous for an hour and 39 minutes. :D OH, also! There's this one scene that distracts you from all the dialogue due to this funky thing the horse keeps doing with its mouth, and well... oh heavens, I'll just post a screen shot-

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a44/ashisthegal/Misc/mybrilliantcareer.jpg

i was like, "tee-hee-hee-hee!" all throughout this part.

Anyway.

golden out of 10, better known as 3.5

[linespalsy]

My Brilliant Career is good but I need to see it again, glad you liked it. Maybe check out High Tide by the same director.

Sunrise (F.W. Murnau, 1927)
Saw a really awful transfer of this well regarded film, which was not only completely blurry but appeared to be cropped. I'm not gonna try rating it until I see it again.

Get Carter (Mike Hodges, 1971)
Decently entertaining revenge flick that seemed a little too tame for the effect it wanted.
3-

All that Heaven Allows (Douglas Sirk, 1955)
An offbeat Hollywood romance. There's some mild camp value in Rock Hudson's performance and how broadly the selfishness of society is drawn, but much of its point rings true and the cinematography is better than average.
3+

Trans-Atlantic Tunnel (Maurice Elvey, 1935)
Could-be epic story about a man with a grand vision of uniting "the English-speaking world" with a tunnel from England to America. I really felt like I was visiting a world that doesn't exist at all -- the dream that ambitious engineering projects are going to bring about world peace -- and that's about the nicest thing I can think to say about this otherwise somewhat dull drama.

2

Boarding Gate (Olivier Assayas, 2007)
Solidly acted (especially Asia Argento), suspenseful little film that I found pretty hard to peg down (I really like that about it). A little ambivalent about the ending but it's worth checking out -- a pretty lucky find in the Netflix streaming library.

3.5

A Knight's Tale
The action/jousting scenes in this were pretty engaging, much more-so than the gimmick of transporting classic rock and modern fashions to the middle ages. With a young and glib Goffrey Chaucer I suspect that the main reason it got green-lighted was because Shakespeare in Love won big at the Oscars the previous year but that's just a lame guess. I liked it more than I thought I would (which still isn't that much unfortunately).
2+

Windtalkers (John Woo, 2002)
Probably not anyone's favorite John Woo film but I liked it better than several others (including The Killer).
2.5

Rage of the Master
Run-of-the-mill Kung Fu revenge film with some colorful Thai Boxing villains for Jimmy Wang Yu to beat up.
1.5

North by Northwest (Hitchcock, 1959)
I still feel that this is lesser Hitchcock. Some of it is pretty funny (Roger Thornhill's mother, who looks the same age as him) but for every clever or elegant cinematic idea there's a nonsensical plot twist or scene of clunky exposition. Everyone should give it a chance though, maybe I just don't relate to Hitchcock's sense of humor consistently because I also rated Strangers on a Train pretty low.

2.5+

Tootsie
I've seen parts of it before, nice script and ensemble.
3.5-

The Naked Gun
3.5-

Fearless Hyena
2.5

Bad Boy Bubby (Rolf de Heer, 1993)
Another odd Netflix streaming find, their recommendation-a.i. seems to be getting smarter based on this and Boarding Gate. I watched it with headphones and loved the amazingly rich sound-design as well as some nice cinematography. The plot's a bit thin but that's because it's about immersing you in the emotional reactions of a guy who spent the first 35 years of his life in a bomb shelter being molested before being suddenly thrown out on the streets of Adelaide. Golgot take note -- this is by the same guy as Ten Canoes.

3.5

The Black Swan (Henry King, 1942)
Lush-looking and romantic golden-age swashbuckler.

3

Plus some animated short films:

Nocturna Artificicialia (1987)
Mary's Little Lamb (1935)
The Village Barber (1930)
The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer (1987)

[akatemple]

Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Directed by Peter Jackson
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Heavenly_Creatures_Poster.jpg

Juliet Hulme and Pauline Rieper (later revealed in the trial to be Pauline Parker, as her parents never married) quickly become best friends when Juliet's family moves to Christchurch in 1952. They are both very creative and imaginative, they seem to use there imagination when they are dealing with harsh situations in there lives. They start to become lost in there fantasy and start to see Pauline’s mother as the enemy. The two girl’s parents try to separate them but the girls will do anything to stay together. Juliet and Pauline start thinking up a solution for this.


http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/heavenly-creatures-2.jpg



I am very new at writing reviews for films, but I think that’s all I can say without giving away to many spoilers. I really enjoyed this movie a lot which kind of surprised me as I am not the biggest fan of Kate Winslet, so I was very pleasantly surprised by her acting in this movie which I believe was her first actual film.



http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/heavenlycreatures_01.jpg



Melanie Lynskey (aka the stalker from Two and a Half Men) played a very scary and believably disturbed girl.


http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/10688025_gal.jpg



The fact that this is based on a true story adds a lot to the film while you are watching it wondering how anyone can be this disturbed. In my opinion there punishment was very weak, maybe that is just the law in New Zealand.


I really enjoyed this movie and would recommend this to anyone who has not seen it.


4

[Tacitus]

http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/A-Clockwork-Orange-1971.jpg

I always find that I need chloroform, a dentist's chair and some rope before even getting to that stage.

[TylerDurden99]

Babel (2006) http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif

There were parts that dragged, and the Japanese moments weren't as great as the rest of the film, but overall, it's a very emotionally sincere, solidly written drama that has some great cinematography, excellent music and admirable performances all round, especially Adriana Barrazza as the Mexican nanny who you can't help but be sympathetic to.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4.5box.gif

Finally got around to seeing David Fincher's acclaimed drama, and I ended up loving every moment of it. The performances and visuals are believable, but's it's to David Fincher's credit that it isn't drenched in sentimentality and predictability.

Miami Vice (2006) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/3.5box.gif

Other than being relentlessly overstylised and noticeably long, it was a decent watch, with likeable leads and some good soundtrack choices.

Note: Babel and Miami Vice were watched specifically for my Best Of The Year thread.

[akatemple]

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/166085.jpg

Sukiyaki Western Django (2007)
Rated R
Runtime 98 min

A gunslinger rides into a 19th century Nevada town inhabited by 2 feuding gangster clans, the Heiki and the Genji. The gunman (Hideaki Ito) offers himself to whichever clan will give him the biggest share of the rumored hidden treasure. The sheriff is in the pockets of the Heiki clan so the law in this town is nonexistent. The leader of the Genji clan (Masanobu Ando) has a holstered six shooter on one hip and a sheathed katana on the other. All the weapons in the movie are old-school, but the facial piercings and the emo haircuts bring a modern look to the characters. The story can be difficult to follow and demands that you pay attention to it. I had to re-watch several parts of the film because I was distracted by the bizarre nature of the film itself. The opening scene is amazing, Piringo (Quentin Tarantino) in front of a obviously painted background telling a animated story about a gunfighter while holding a blood red egg just removed from a snakes stomach while being held at gunpoint. It is hard to pay attention to the dialogue when the film is throwing these curve balls at you. This is not a complaint but just an observation.

Takashi Mike (Audition, Ichi the Killer, 13 Assassins) does a great job of Directing this Japanese take on the classic spaghetti western, the title actually refers to a classic Japanese dish called Sukiyaki, and Sergio Corbucci’s spaghetti western film Django.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif

[akatemple]

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Ninth_configuration_ver1.jpg

The Ninth Configuration (1980)
(also known as Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Kane)


Written by William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist)
Directed by William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist)

The plot is a good one, and people who enjoy thrillers and mysteries will find enough action and plot twists in the film. But what makes this movie so special are the terrific performances (by Stacy Keach, Scott, Wilson, and Ed Flanders), the witty dialogue, and the religious undercurrents. Too often movies treat religious belief with sentimentality, but the Ninth Configuration deals with faith and doubt in with a dignity that isn't patronizing to either side.



http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/TheNinthConfiguration5.jpg



It’s Vietnam and a number of soldiers have gone psycho, during the film you will find yourself trying to figure out if they are faking or are they really crazy. The soldiers are being held in a abandoned castle in a remote forest, top USMC Psychiatrist is sent in to investigate. For his part Kane is determined to help the men, especially their leader Capt. Cutshaw. The film has many confrontations between Kane and Cutshaw. There debates are mainly about the impossibility of a God with so much evil in the world.

Cutshaw: " You're on your way out! I'm acting on orders so to inform you. "
Kane: " Who ordered you Cutshaw? "
Cutshaw: " Unseen forces far too numerous to enumerate."


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[Kitsch]

Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key

I don't really have much to say about this movie; I simply love typing out and reading the title. The film itself was mediocre - definitely not the best Italian film I've ever seen - but, as always for Italian horror films, it was fun to watch. B-.

After.Life

Liam Neeson has long been a favorite of mine; Taken and Unknown are two of my favorite films of the last five years (which really is not saying much). This film simply extends this tradition to the horror genre. Though somewhat confusing and rather bizarre, it was not so in a bad way (ie. Santa Sangre), which is an extreme rarity when it comes to this genre. However, in a way I disagree with labeling it as "horror", rather than as a mystery, for there were no elements of fear that I picked up on. Perhaps as a play on people's fear of being buried alive, a fear from which I, being a claustrophile, do not suffer.

[TylerDurden99]

Con Air (1998) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4.5box.gif

Many people I know hate this film, for John Malkovich's over-the-top villian, the corny guitar theme and Nicolas Cage's terrible hairstyle, but in truth, I love it more for these elements and more. One of the most played DVDs in my collection.

Serenity (2005) http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif

Now I haven't watched Firefly yet. My friend bought a copy of this around and insisted we watch it. I wasn't really interested in it, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Humourous, exciting and at moments scary, Serenity was a pleasant surprise. What I loved the most about it was Nathan Fillion, he provided a likeable, complex hero in Malcolm Reynolds.

[HitchFan97]

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

http://turbo.indyposted.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Night-of-the-Living-Dead.jpg

A classic B-movie and one of the most well-renowned horror films of all time, Night of the Living Dead is exactly what its title says. The film starts off slow, but things finally get interesting when a group of townsfolk find themselves trapped inside of a small house in order to avoid the zombies. The characters play off of each other well, and at this point the movie starts to feel like an extended, gory episode of The Twilight Zone. Here the tension mounts until each encounter with the titular Living Dead, but it's diluted by somewhat cheesy (albeit influential) special effects. Nevertheless, Night of the Living Dead manages a few scary moments, chief among them are the scenes of cannibalism.

3

[Deadite]

Trick 'r Treat, the Pulp Fiction of horror anthologies. Has a fun old school feel, great FX, perfect cast, genuine chills and thrills, and some clever twists to keep it from being a mere gorefest. Highly recommended.

http://horrorsnotdead.com/images/trick_r_treat_poster.jpg

[ash_is_the_gal]

i watched that on Halloween night a couple years ago or so. it really captures that Halloween-y feel.

[lundy1026]

i liked it too.

last movie for me was X-MEN origins of wolverine

[akatemple]

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Sleep_Dealer_3.jpg

Sleep Dealer (2008)

Directed by Alex Rivera
Written by Alex Rivera and David Riker

Memo (Luis Fernando Pena) has always dreamed of leaving his small farming village, he accidently tunes into the wrong signal on his radio which turns out to be some kind of Top Secret government signal. The government finds out and kills Memo’s father accidentally. Memo runs to Tijuana to hide, he uses his time there to make money and send it back to what is left of his family. He gets a job as a plugged in worker, plugged in workers use a virtual headset to control machinery from south of the border with only a few side effects mainly blindness. Memo is contacted by a guilt ridden man who turns out to be the controller of the weapon that killed his father, the man is seeking redemption so they start planning the next move together.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/sleepdealer4.jpg

This is one of those Sci-Fi movies that I can really see happening not to far off in the future. The use of machines being controlled from far away by people desperate for money seems like a very realistic future.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/3box.gif

[Fiscal]

I went to the local arthouse theater tonight and caught back to back films.

Midnight in Paris Woody Allen (2011)

http://millenniallemons.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/midnight-in-paris.jpg?w=640&h=392&crop=1

A movie full of humor, nostalgia, love, and beauty - Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris is my favorite film of the year thus far. I was laughing constantly and couldn't help but feel nostalgic for something I haven't even necessarily experienced before. It's this feeling that Allen was able to implant in myself as an audience that really made this one special. LOVED this film!

5

Le nom des gens Michel Leclerc (2011)

http://cdn1.tabletmag.com/wp-content/files_mf/15.jpg

This one was strangely charming, often times funny and had nice direction. The relationship between the polar opposite leads was the most interesting part of the film with a standout performance from Jacques Gamblin. I really enjoyed this one!

4

[HitchFan97]

Sister Act (1992)

http://movies.maxupdates.tv/wp-contents/uploads/2010/01/Sister-Act.jpg

In this comedy, Whoopi Goldberg is a singer in her boyfriend's casino (a mobster played by Harvey Keitel) who witnesses him killing someone. Forced to testify against him, the police hide her in a convent. The movie is worthwhile just for seeing the Whoop dressed as a nun, but it also has enough other laughs to be a very enjoyable comedy.

3.5


Zodiac (2007)

http://thecia.com.au/reviews/z/images/zodiac-poster-0.jpg

Based on real case files about a serial killer in the late 60s and 70s, Zodiac stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. as two reporters, as well as Mark Ruffalo as a police officer, who investigate the Zodiac murder case. The film seems to capture the time period extremely well, and the extreme detail of the plot shows that David Fincher may have been just as obsessed with this mystery as Gyllenhaal's character was. Superbly acted and shot, Zodiac is, essentially, a perfect thriller.

5

[akatemple]

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/stay.jpg

Stay (2005)

Directed by Marc Forster
Written by David Benioff

This movie did terrible at the box office and a lot of people still have not seen this film. The marketing and advertising for this film were almost non existent, what advertising there was does not do the film justice. The trailer that was released made this movie look like some kind of supernatural thriller, this film is not a supernatural thriller so the people that did go to the theaters to see the film were very disappointed.

Stay is a movie with really three main characters, Dr. Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor), Henry Letham (Ryan Gosling), and Lila Culpepper(Naomi Watts). The movie starts with Henry going to see Dr. Sam, Henry tells him that he is going to kill himself in 3 days. Pretty much from this point on you have to try and figure out for yourself what’s real and what’s not. About halfway through the movie scenes start melting together in a almost dreamlike way, this can get confusing and annoying.
I thought this was a great movie, I would not buy this but it is deffenitly worth renting and watching a couple times.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/35box.gif

I know some people on this site do not like Ewan McGregor but even they should give this movie a shot.

[ash_is_the_gal]

Bye Bye Birdie
George Sidney, 1963

http://houseofmirthandmovies.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/vlcsnap-00025.jpg




mirrorSo after watching a certain season 3 episode of Mad Men the other night, I got a strong hankering to finally see what the fuss with this musical was all about. The episode in question shows the copywriting team of Sterling Cooper sitting around a table watching the opening scene with Anne Margaret, who "looks 25 and acts 14" dancing about with her shrill voice and apple-cheeked face. I was kind of star struck after watching that scene. Her voice was shrill and it went right through you. I really liked it.

I'm a little iffy on musicals to begin with. There's usually no middle ground for me. I usually sit to one side of the extreme, which is to either be smitted with them or despise everything they stand for. I was smitten with Anne Margaret in the opening scene of Bye Bye Birdie. Her dancing and her voice and her face and her dress and the wonderfully blue technicolor background, it was one of the best opening songs in a movie I've ever seen.

The rest of the movie didn't have the same affect on me, I'm afraid. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, and i LOL'ed a few times (mainly at the Paul Lynde one-liners/facial expressions). I also enjoyed a couple of the musical numbers quite enough that I'll probably download the soundtrack at some point in the near future. However, the rest of the movie didn't "speak" to me at all. I didn't care about any of the characters - ugh, Conrad Birdie was so, so, so awful. Actually, both of the young male leads were pretty bad.

Overall, though, it was fun and pretty-looking and never boring, therefore...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t3cBTb3xPc

3

[Saully]

Duplicity - 2.5
True Grit (2010) - 4
The Fighter - 4.5

[akatemple]

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Theodessa.jpg

The Odessa File (1974)

Directed by Ronald Neame
Written by Frederick Forsyth (novel), Kenneth Ross (screenplay)

1963, President Kennedy has just been assassinated, Egypt has missiles posed to annihilate Israel. Egypt is missing one part, the guidance system for the missiles. They turn to the Germans for the part they need.

Peter Miller played by a very young Jon Voight (does he ever look young), is a freelance German journalist. Peter gets a journal that the police took after a man is killed. The man who was killed turns out to be a Jew that survived the Nazi concentration camps, his journal is filled with horrific about what happened to Jews in these camps, also in the journal are the names of Nazi officers that were behind all this violence.

As Peter keeps digging deeper into the man who died and the names in the journal he uncovers a secret Nazi group still in existence called The Odessa. Peter must go under cover and try to gain access to this secret group so he can stop them and prevent the guidance systems from getting into the Egyptians hands.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/the-odessa-file-thumb.jpg

This movie was really good, I have been avoiding watching this for a long time and I don’t know why but I wish I had of watched this years ago. I was worried that this would be a slow moving film, and maybe it was a bit but not enough to bother me in the slightest because I was really caught up in the story. I deffinatly suggest that anyone who hasn’t seen this movie should give it a shot and give your own opinion.

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[under0ath777]

HowlHowl' Moving Castle (Miyazaki, 2004)
(Based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones)
http://www.watchcartoononline.com/thumbs/Howl--s-Moving-Castle-English-Dubbed.jpg
Sophie, an 18-year-old girl, is turned into an old woman who cannot talk about the spell cast by the Witch of the Waste. She tries to figure out how to restore herself. She leaves home and happens to find the moving castle of Howl, a powerful wizard. She gets inside and meets Calcifer, a trapped fire demon who powers the castle. Calcifer agrees to help her break the spell if she'll help him get free of Howl. She works as a cleaner, and she falls in love with Howl.

This is the first Miyazaki film I've seen, and it was beyond my expectation. This is not your average cartoon drama. The animation is a breathtaking artwork in Japanese style. It is completely unlike any of Disney's or even Pixar's animated features. This one is just plain magical. The plot is a unique and mysterious blend of fantasy and reality, with a strong anti-war message. Although there is a bit lack of human emotion, the characters are very likable, and you will definitely care for them. I am normally not a fan of this genre, but I really enjoyed this particular one. Hope to see more of Miyazaki.

4

[Godoggo]

Winter's Bone (2010 Debra Granik)

http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a476/ashafer_bucket/WintersBone07.jpg

Winter's Bone is a really good movie with a solid break-through performance by Jennifer Lawrence. My only criticism would be that we see the story through the eyes of Ree and only see what she sees and only know what she knows. It puts limits on how much we get to know about other key characters and I felt the movie could have been elevated to a great movie had we been able to have more access to them.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011 Joe Johnston)

http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a476/ashafer_bucket/Captain-America-movie-17-600x375.jpg

A paint by numbers super hero movie. Meh.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011 Rupert Wyatt)

http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a476/ashafer_bucket/rise_of_the_planet_of_the_apes_bridge_2011_a_l_thumb.jpg

This is a far from perfect movie but one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I just forgave everything wrong with it because I was so invested in Caesar's story. Power to the apes!!

Sympathy for Delicious (2010 Mark Ruffalo)

I was lured into watching this by a somewhat interesting premise and Juliette Lewis. I always liked her. She's gutsy and a weirdo. I wanted to turn it off after 10 minutes and I should have. Almost everything sucks about this movie from the writing to acting to the ridiculous stereo types. A definite must not see.

Movies I've recently rewatched because they're darned good.

The Apostle
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Wild Strawberries

[TylerDurden99]

Pan's Labyrinth (2006) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4.5box.gif+

A near perfect tale of harsh reality vs. imaginative fantasy, superbly told with excellent makeup and art direction, wonderful development of characters and themes, and Sergi Lopez's Vidal. Lopez's performance is appropriately chilling, but also complex and fascinating. Much like the rest of the film. Definitely one of the top contenders for the best of 2006.

A History Of Violence (2005) http://www.movieforums.com/images/popcorn/4.5box.gif

Watched it again, still great. Viggo Mortensen is superb, the cinematography is excellent and the writing is fantastic.

[akatemple]

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/the-thin-red-line-1.jpg


The Thin Red Line (1998)


Directed by Terrence Malick
Written by James Jones (novel), Terrence Malick (screenplay)


I went and saw this movie in theaters when I was 18 and I hated this movie. I watched this again about a month ago and have a whole new take on the movie. When I was 18 I think I was expecting a super action packed movie instead of beautiful cinematography, a great story, and amazing acting from the insanely huge and great cast. Nick Nolte, James Caviezel, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Jared Leto, John Travolta, George Clooney, Elias Koteas, and many more.



http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/thethinredline2.jpg



This is the battle for Guadalcanal Island, Nick Nolte plays a intense career officer not seeming to care about how many of his men die but just caring about getting the mission complete on his superiors time table. Nolte's anger is so convincing that you are sitting there waiting for him to stroke out in one of his yelling rants. The cinematography is amazing, every shot is a masterpiece. The scenes that stuck out the most to me were the shots of the sloping fields with the tall grass, those shots made me really not want to look away from the screen.


http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/5box.gif

[Sedai]

Con Air (1998)
Serenity (2005) http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/4box.gif

Now I haven't watched Firefly yet. My friend bought a copy of this around and insisted we watch it. I wasn't really interested in it, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Humourous, exciting and at moments scary, Serenity was a pleasant surprise. What I loved the most about it was Nathan Fillion, he provided a likeable, complex hero in Malcolm Reynolds.

Well...bummer. Now you've gone and ruined the show for yourself! All those spoilers! Tsk tsk...

I would watch it anyway, though...totally worth it.

I also watched Serenity this weekend, btw.

Serenity (2005, Whedon) 4

http://www.moviesonline.ca/movie-gallery/albums/Serenity//River.jpg?0.9870299633161099

A friend that was staying with us over the weekend had seen the show, but had never had a chance to catch the final film to tie everything up. This is such a fun, well-paced flick with excellent writing and a few really impressive sequences. I especially love the multi-reality opening that leads into a 5 minute steady-cam shot that introduces the crew. Brilliant.

Stop Making Sense (Demme, 1986)

A dark stage...a single figure emerges. He sets a old boom box on the ground and presses play while a lone spotlight begins to glow. The first notes ring out from his acoustic guitar, and the man doesn't stop gyrating and moving about the stage until film's end. The energy builds and builds as the other members of the band set their gear up slowly and join the fray.

This film perfectly captures a Talking Heads show while they were at the height of their popularity. The show is funky, energetic and Byrne is absolutely brilliant. Demme uses intimate shots and harsh shadows and this thing just oozes style while still maintaining a stark, intimate symbiosis with the band. Really well done.

http://history.sffs.org/i/GMPHOTOS/Stop_Making_Sense.jpg

[mark f]

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2010) - 2.5; Art House Rating: 3.5

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RvtUEY2b-mI/TRa4JuDRb_I/AAAAAAAACuU/qiCHM76GtzM/s1600/Uncle+Boonmee+Who+Can+Recall+His+Past+Lives+Screen.jpg

Uncle Boonmee is just as fascinating as it is frustrating, but even if you find it slow-moving and difficult to grasp, it's episodic enough to come to a scene you will totally get in to, and it certainly expresses universal human emotions even while filtering them through a Thai cultural and historical perspective. Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul has degrees in architecture and film so his keen eye is apparent at all times. He's also something of a pop culture junkie who is well aware of most all of Thailand's TV and film history and intermingles that with his love of movies as diverse as Star Wars and La Jetee. However, he's a long way from Quentin Tarantino, even if he plays tricks with time and has the guts to basically make a G-rated film where a princess gets it on with a catfish.

The film begins rather slowly in the jungle following a buffalo getting stuck in the mud. It resembles a leisurely documentary or the equivalent of someone taking a hike in the forest to try to get away from it all. The movie does take you to a different world and culture so it will undoubtedly split audiences between those who find it a breathtaking work of art and those who think it's a fractured film looking for a story and wanting a faster pace. I'm probably in the middle somewhere. The next major scene reminded me of my vacations in New Zealand and Alaska where we rented a car and my daughter Sarah videotaped most of our trip from the backseat. This section in the car introduces Auntie Jen (Jenjira Pongpas) who is coming to visit her brother Boonmee (Thanapat Saisaymar) at his tamarind farm before he dies from kidney disease. The director does include many autobigraphical details since his own father died from kidney failure.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b9Ccfbq-Xjg/ThkH5vbt3BI/AAAAAAAABDw/8JUH5xWURmk/s1600/Uncle-Boonmee-Who-Can-Rec-006.jpg

The film picks up with the introduction of Boonmee's dead wife's ghost appearing, followed shortly by his long-lost son turning up but he's been transformed into a "monkey ghost" who looks like a cross between a Jawa and a naked black Wookiee, both characters from Star Wars. I believe that Apichatpong knowingly made this character that way to reinforce the audience's perceptions on how seriously to take his fantasy. Although most of the movie seems deadly earnest, the monkey ghost and catfish scenes do show the director to have a playful side. The son's story about why and how he disappeared and changed is the film's highlight, at least until we come to the Princess/Waterfall scene. That scene, shot with a filter at a lush, beautiful waterfall which John Boorman would die for, moves the film into an even farther-out fantasy level and introduces a character which seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the film, unless you consider it one of Boonmee's past lives. There are some good old school F/X here too involving mirrors passing as reflections seen by the Princess in the lake. Needless to say, the Princess's hook-up with the catfish must be seen to be believed.

There are other beautiful and bizarre scenes but I don't want to take away the mysteries revealed and created as the film progresses to its inconclusive conclusion at a karaoke bar. But I will say that the scene inside the cave is really quite spectacular and reminded me of my trip to Carlsbad Caverns, but here the interior of the cave also sometimes resembles a starry night sky although it's the sparkly reflection of the cave's ceiling. Just when the film seems to come back to the "real world" with Uncle Boonmee's funeral, things get almost Lynchian in their weirdness. Auntie Jen acts like she barely knew Boonmee although we saw her share quality time with him throughout the entire film. Then Boonmee's medical assistant turns out to be a totally different character than we ever knew. To top it all off, some of the characters are able to see themselves doing other activities as if there are two of them "living" at the same time. This bright world away from the mysterious jungle turns out to be as bizarre as the world full of dead wives and monkey ghost sons. It certainly makes the Thai culture seem vibrantly alive; either that, or they're massively deluded, but who am I to say such a thing since it's normal for them.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/post_images/1704/nyffboonmee718.jpg?1285448826

As usual, some will have a problem with my rating. I watched it three times and will probably seek out some other films from this director. I'm sure that some here will love it while others will think it's boring and pretentious. I enjoy it the most by thinking of it as a cultural compendium of Thai history, family life and pop culture, being conducted by an expert with an artist's eye. What it lacks in cohesion and comprehension, it makes up for originality and strangeness. Besides, it's a nice way to take an exotic vacation without the hassle of planes and cars. To give you a taste, here's the trailer.

Trailer (http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2773654041/)

[Harry Lime]

Wow. When I was talking with HollyG about what to recommend to you (since you've seen almost everything and she wanted to have actually seen the film herself) I was certain that you'd hate Uncle Boonmee, or at least not like it. Shows what I know...and you watched it three times! Great review.

[ash_is_the_gal]

Wow. When I was talking with HollyG about what to recommend to you (since you've seen almost everything and she wanted to have actually seen the film herself) I was certain that you'd hate Uncle Boonmee, or at least not like it. Shows what I know...and you watched it three times! Great review.

OH SO THE TRUTH COMES OUT!!!

so really it was mark f and Lime. mmm-hmm. i can never trust another thing Holly says now. you've tainted her in my eyes. how do i know it hasn't been flavored with Lime? huh? huh? HUH!???!!

[ash_is_the_gal]

(for cereal, though, dude. you should participate next round).

[mark f]

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Theodessa.jpg

Peter Miller played by a very young Jon Voight (does he ever look young)...

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/the-odessa-file-thumb.jpg


http://imgmovie.naver.com/mdi/mit500/0102/A0272-12.jpg

[Harry Lime]

OH SO THE TRUTH COMES OUT!!!

so really it was mark f and Lime. mmm-hmm. i can never trust another thing Holly says now. you've tainted her in my eyes. how do i know it hasn't been flavored with Lime? huh? huh? HUH!???!!

No, no...More like she was wondering what the heck do you recommend to a guy that has almost all of his lists at 100%. At first I suggested Bela Tarr's seven hour Satantango...heh heh. But she hadn't seen it.

(for cereal, though, dude. you should participate next round).

Nah. I'm currently deeply immersed in "The Great Rewatch of 2011".

[ash_is_the_gal]

Splendor in the Grass
Elia Kazan, 1961
warning: spoilers!
mirrorI don't usually do this, but I'm actually writing this review just moments after I've finished watching it, so forgive me if it sounds rushed or irrational. I actually saw the first hour of this movie several months ago when it was on TV and always meant to finish it (I couldn't then because I had to go somewhere). This may be part of the reason why I'm already ready to say something about it yet. I've thought about this movie on and off since I first started it, and now that I've seen the last hour - well, those who have already seen it will understand this - my mind went into overdrive and I really have the urge (no pun intended) to jot these thoughts down right here and now.

This is a story about two young lovers who have to deal with raging emotions that they are too immature to handle... and sexual repression. They are so repressed they probably aren't even allowed to use the word 'sexual', actually (every time someone refers to sex in the movie, they usually say like "staying pure", "being a good girl", "where's your pride?", "getting too serious", and "that horrible surgery" is apparently code phrase for abortion). Here we have young lovers Deanie and Bud (played by Natalie Wood and a tantalizing young Warren Beatty) as high school sweet hearts who can't seem to keep their hands off of each other. At the same time, they have their parents breathing down their backs - or more specifically, Deanie's mom and Bud's dad - not to mention their teachers, doctors, and neighbors keeping constant watch for "signs" that they have done the dirty little deed. In fact, it seems every stinking character in this film at one time or another judges or reprimands these two in some way or another. The whole first hour or so you just feel totally suffocated and frustrated, much like Deanie and Bud are feeling. Eventually, Bud finds sexual healing in the arms of the "easy" girl in their class, which leaves Deanie's heart and mental state in shambles. Eventually, their parents intervene on their relationship, Bud is shipped off to college, Deanie to an institution, and then the madness really begins.

The movie is made in the 60's but takes place in the 20's - I feel that is a key variable that comes into play when considering what the "message" of this film is. I mean, it isn't called the slutty 60's for no good reason, amirite? (actually, I have no idea if anyone has ever called the 60's slutty, but I'd like to think so). I like to think that the main message William Inge (the writer of the screenplay) was trying to convey was simply this: repressing emotions to the point of sacrificing one's well-being, (Natalie Wood does go crazy, ya know, and she plays an amazing hysterical woman in all her shrieking madness - reminded me a lot of Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer) even those ones we feel when we're all young and juvenile and not even quite sure what the hell it is we're feeling - is a seriously unhealthy thing to do. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that Inge may have even been knocking old-fashioned parenting styles for their severity. The downfall of these children is a direct result of their parents - I couldn't see it any other way.

mirrorThe other major theme of this movie is about "the hour of one's youth" .... I have no idea why I'm putting that in quotes cause I just made that up, but it's probably been said before anyway. The ending of this movie is what moved me the most.

Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower, we will grieve not; rather find strength in what remains behind.

Natalie Wood's character recites this poem early in the film right before a major climax, which I didn't much appreciate the significance of until she restates it in the last lines of the film. In the end, Deanie and Bud see each other again after having been apart for several years (due to their parents keeping them apart and also Deanie having been in an institution). Bud is married with a kid and lives out in an old farmhouse and Deanie has met someone new, who when asked if she loves him she says (roughly), "I'm not sure, I mean, yes, though not like I loved him, but yes." Right up til the end of the film, you sense their frustration is still there - only this time I think they are both too beaten down by life to do anything about it. Both of them admit that they never think about being happy anymore. "You just take what you can get because that's how life is," according to Bud.

I think this is still applicable today. People are always reminiscing about their youth and realizing all that they had and didn't appreciate until it was too late. This may not always be the direct result of repressed emotions, but it's obviously the direct result of something. If anything, this movie reminded me that none of us live forever - and we are young and free for a very, very short amount of time. It isn't just circumstances that change our priorities in life - we ourselves change, how we feel and think about things change. And more often than not, life does have a tendency to give you a major ass-whooping.

4

[akatemple]

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/dogtooth.jpg

Dogtooth (2009)

Directed by Giorgos Lanthimos
Written by Giorgos Lanthimos, and Efthymis Filippou

The director said that the idea for this movie started out as a science fiction movie about how in the future there would be these groups of people who would want to keep the idea of a proper family alive.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Dogtooth-001.jpg

Living in a house with no contact to the outside world and not being able to leave. A father and mother who appear to be psychotic in there methods of punishment and reward. The father brings a woman home who he has payed to have sex with his son to satisfy his sexual needs. But that was not enough for this director, the amount of incest and sexual awkwardness was hard to watch.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/dogtooth2.jpg

The part that bothered me the most was thinking that somewhere in the world there might be a family like this. The scene with the cat being disemboweled, or maybe the fact that the father and mother teach the children that cats are the most evil animal in the world and will brutally kill you if given the slightest chance was bizarre(so deffinatly watch this movie if you are a cat lover, you can thank me later) as were all of the ways that the parents made there children to scared to even try to leave there fenced in property. I thought the film Castaway taught all of us a good way to remove a tooth, but this movie one ups Castaway and teaches an entirely new technique in how to safely remove that annoying little thing.

I loved the part showing the correct usage of a VCR during a fight. Also some good tips on what to do with those old VHS tapes laying around as long as you have some good duct tape.

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[Harry Lime]

I like how active this thread has been lately.

[mark f]

As far as Splendor in the Grass goes, it certainly is an indictment of parents trying to prevent their own kids from achieving happiness. This is a timeless concept so it doesn't matter if it happens in the 1960s or the 1920s or the 1860s or the 1720s. No matter what happens, prying minds want to know. I really want to know what's going on with my daughter at college, but it's not because I want to "micro-manage" her life. It's because I want to know what she's doing and why I shouldn't know if she's hiding things from me and my wife. So far, I'm on top of it (I believe) or being lied to up the yinyang (don't believe that). I love you, Sarah.

[ash_is_the_gal]

i doubt you're being lied to up the yingyang. you seem like a pretty chill dad, nothing like the super-strict parents from SitG.

[ash_is_the_gal]

This is a timeless concept so it doesn't matter if it happens in the 1960s or the 1920s or the 1860s or the 1720s.
yeah, true, but i think what i was trying to get at (and i actually forgot to mention it in my super long review, somehow) was that the 60's was a time of change. "the sexual revolution" and "we don't need no education" - wasn't that the 60's? i did make reference to "the slutty 60's" as a bit of a joke, but that's basically what i meant. i think the time in which the film was made does hold some significance.

also, i guess the accusation on the parents in this film is a pretty obvious thing to point out, but i did actually read somewhere else on the web where someone said "the point of this film is that being horny makes you go crazy, so try to control it" and i was like "um wat."

[linespalsy]

I reserve the right to hate "splenda in the @ss" for its suffocating and goofy sentimentality and the fact that it rudely shot its message up my ying-yang like a reverse turd.

Sorry if I'm cranky and disgusting. I just spent the last few hours solving integration-by-substitution problems and now it's past my bed-time.

[ash_is_the_gal]

I reserve the right to hate "splenda in the @ss" for its suffocating and goofy sentimentality and the fact that it rudely shot its message up my ying-yang like a reverse turd.

i really think the message being pushed so hard is meant to be intentional. i mean, the parents were extremely severe in their methods of thinking and punishing and teaching their children the "right" way to be - and this is how it really was then, i'm sure. it's like the writer was trying to say, "this is what happens when one extreme faces another."

since this movie came out before my time, i have no idea how seriously this film was taken when it first came out. i have a feeling everyone had revolution fever which may have swayed opinion somewhat. i for one didn't take this film very seriously, but the message itself is a good one.

[mark f]

I remember lines' hating Splendor but I don't remember a rational explanation. The '60s was certainly a major part of the sexual revolution, but I believe that 1961 more closely resembles the '50s than say, 1967, the Summer of Love. Either way, ash, your review is totally on point.

I also want to say, although you already know, that the parents' fears are that their kids will act EXACTLY as they did. They don't actually want their children to be like they were. They want them to be BETTER!

[Monkeypunch]

Baseketball - I loved this. Screwball scattershot comedy about two slack-asses (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) who invent a game that literally anyone can play, and become famous "athletes." Sometime before fall ends, I am actually going to have a baseketball game with friends. Should be a good time.

[akatemple]

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/bob_dylan2.jpg

Bob Dylan: DON’T LOOK BACK (2011)

Directed by D.A. Pennebaker
Written by D.A. Pennebaker

DONT LOOK BACK is a fly on the wall point of view of both the private and public life of Bob Dylan. When documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker (Monterey Pop, The War Room) filmed Bob Dylan during a concert tour of England in the Spring of 1965, I do not think that he knew he was going to give everyone such a personal and intimate look into a very young Bob Dylan.

The scenes with Dylan and the reporters are my favorite parts, it must be so hard for someone to just get asked the same questions all the time and Dylan just throws it back at the reporters and makes them answer the questions often tripping up the reporters, some of the scenes I do not understand what point he was trying to get across other then he was tired of being called a folk singer. One of the best parts is after one of Dylan’s shows a reporter is phoning in his report and sais that Dylan is sermonizing rather than singing, but the people are so caught up on seeing Dylan that all they hear is the singing and not the sermon.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/bob_dylan.jpg

Personally I am not a huge Bob Dylan fan however I really enjoyed this film, the concert footage and the sound quality is excellent especially since this was filmed in 1965. You can see the change in Dylan’s music, starting in the beginning as Folk music and starting to progress more towards Rock and Roll by the end of the film.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/3box.gif

[mark f]

You may be interested in watching I'm Not There, a "fantasy bio" of Dylan with many stars taking turns portraying a part of his personality. Cate Blanchett is amazing playing Dylan during his Don't Look Back phase. Coincidentally, I watched I'm Not There last night.

http://cdn.mos.totalfilm.com/images/8/84-cate-blanchett-jude-quinn-i-m-not-there-2007--630-75.jpg

[akatemple]

Thanks, I just put it on my Netflix Queue. Looking forward to it.

[akatemple]

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/Cold_Fish_Quad1.jpg

Cold Fish

Directed by Shion Sono
Written by Shion Sono and Yoshiki Takahashi

THIS MOVIE IS INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS. The movie does not even have an innocent beginning, from the start you realize that something is wrong. When Shamoto’s teenage daughter is caught shoplifting they meet a man who is very cooperative in helping them out. A man who owns an exotic fish store driving a Ferarri, that was a red flag to me. The man offers to let there daughter work at his store and help put her on the right track in life, at first the Shamoto is all too happy that someone is going to help her. Very soon in Shamoto discovers that all is not right and then finds himself too far in to get help, the man uses Shamoto’s family to get him to help with his dirty work.
When someone is killed and all evidence is destroyed they call it making the person invisible, the man offers take Shamoto as an apprentice and teach him how to do this, let the killing begin.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/cold_fish_movie_image_01.jpg

This is not a Japanese ultra gore movie, there is plenty of blood in this film but not enough to put people off of watching it. To think that this is based on a true story is enough of an upset, they do not need to add all of the extra gore.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/akatemple/cold-fish-still11.jpg

This film is well made and the story is very strong, basically a story of a week willed person versus a strong willed person and the week usually crumble under the circumstances. If you don’t mind sub-titles, and you enjoy a very suspenseful film then I strongly suggest watching this.

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[Brodinski]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/Beatsposter.jpg

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011, Rapaport): 4


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/Player_ver1.jpg

The Player (1992, Altman): 4


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/Walkaboutposter.jpg

Walkabout (1971, Roegg): 3


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Cabaret (1972, Fosse): 3.5+


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La Règle Du Jeu (1939, Renoir): 3.5+


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/Thor_poster.jpg

Thor (2011, Branagh): 2


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Fast Five (2011, Lin): 1


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/33/GrandeIllusion.jpg

La Grande Illusion (1937, Renoir): 3.5


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/What%27s_Up_Doc_poster.jpg

What's Up, Doc? (1972, Bogdanovich): 2


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3a/UlzanasRaid.jpg

Ulzana's Raid (1972, Aldrich): 4+


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/96/Shootist_movie_poster.jpg

The Shootist (1976, Siegel): 3.5


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/29/Monte_Walsh_VideoCover.jpeg

Monte Walsh (1970, Fraker): 3


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f9/The_Lincoln_Lawyer_Poster.jpg

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011, Furman): 3.5

[Matcat]

I watched Born On The Fourth of July yesterday.
http://www.westzilla.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/born-on-the-fourth-of-july.jpg

[MovieMad16]

Going to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in an hour. Looking forward to it.

[Sedai]

Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy was a Star Trek : Voyager episode... cute little play on the title there...

Meanwhile:

Something Wild (Demme, 1986) 3_5

http://criterion_staging.s3.amazonaws.com/stills/1/SOMETHING_WILD_3_REASONS_STILL.jpg

A fun little road movie that bangs a hard left and blasts off into darkness at the halfway point. Not sure how I missed this one on my way through the 80s...