Beale's Reviews

Well. That's interesting...how did this. -

turn into this-

?

Thank God for the editing tool.

In reply, however, sure I'm biased as hell, and I don't care if you think so. I give brief reasons as to why I love a film or why I hate it. If you disagree, write your own review. If I love a film, I'm not going to take special pains to dissect it and find flaw in it. I love it, and I don’t want to.

I don’t “just act like a fanboy writing his pants-wetting favorite parts of the film rather than breaking them down in a technical and rational manner.” I AM a fanboy etc, etc. I love film, and I love to enjoy film. To hell with being cynical and picking film apart. If that’s what you’re into, I’m down with it. Just don’t expect me to.

I can’t see how anyone can find Hellboy crappy. On a technical level, the sound is lovely, the editing is crisp and it’s beautiful to look at (much like all of Guillermo del Toro’s films thus far). It’s a wonderful, heartwarming film. But then again, that’s just my fanboy opinion. I love the film, and if you don’t, there’s no reason to further the conversation, because ya' aren’t going to change me' fanboy mind. *Thank God for Irish accents*

And, to clarify, I’m a fan of all genres. I didn’t like House of 1000 Corpses on any level. Genre or no genre. I thought it sucked. You, however, are perfectly entitled to think otherwise.

Maybe you’re right, though…I shouldn’t write reviews if it’s to be from a biased stance (which, if I love or hate a film, is the only stance I’m willing to take). In spite of the fact that the whole world is biased, I feel I shouldn’t pollute your opinions with mine. Henceforth, I resign from posting reviews.

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"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" - Howard Beale

Dude, don't be friggin' ridiculous! Don't let some new guy come in with a chip on his friggin' shoulder and ruin everything for the rest of us. You may think you're writing reviews for yourself, but you're not; you're writing them for those of us who know and respect you and your opinion.

I also don’t think it’s fair to bring up a post that has been edited and use it against a person. We’re all subject to rash emotional outbursts, what’s important is that this chap thought better of it and changed it. Haven’t you ever gotten irrational over somebody else’s hatred for a movie that you love? I know I have. Since this guy doesn’t know you from Fozzie the Bear, my guess is he was having the same emotional reaction, thought twice, and stopped the personal attack.

If you stop writing reviews, I will too.

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"Today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids."

Even if scitek had left his post as it was, I would urge you to reconsider. I've enjoyed your reviews so far and I think it would be a shame if you were to stop writing them.

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Let us go, Through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster shells

From The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S.Eliot

Thanks. I appreciate it.


That's true...I acted a bit rashly myself. Were it not for the contrast of going from "terrible biast reviews" to "nice reviews"...I dunno...in any event, it was under the belt, and I will refrain from such shady actions.


Well...it would be selfish of my to indirectly prevent you from posting, therefore, I shall continue my reviews.

Yay. Beale your opinion is apprecaited by me as well. I found you Ninja scroll review very inciteful. All your reviews are.

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i have just read all of your reviews and while i haven't seen some of these films, your writing is excellent..

Im s huge fan of Del Toro's style, The Devil's Backbone is easily one of my favourite movies. I have yet to see Cronos, but, you saying its better than Blade 2 (which I like) is good enough for me

Mimic is no way near as good as The Devil's Backbone, but its a fun watch, with a lot of distinct Del Toro style. This was probabl a film that persuaded the Execs to hirer him for Blade 2, there is simlarities in set design and overall feel.

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Nice job with your reviews Beale. I was particularly interested in Ninja Scroll. As you pointed out, it seems to be very popular and it's one of those anime's I keep thinking I should check it out to see what the fuss is about.

Thanks for pointing out it's flaws. Sounds like it was hard to get wrapped up in the charcters because of all the action. And, thanks for letting us know there are "....two rape scenes and one completely pointless sex scene." I really hate disturbing and graphic scenes...and when it's pointlessly thrown in it makes me angry and ruins a movie for me. I'll pass on this movie.

Nice review Beale. Keep it up.

Beale,

This weekend, I had a chance to check out a couple episodes from two different series. Watched a couple Last Exile and a couple Full-Metal Alchemist segments. Both series were well done, with exceptional animation, FMA being hand drawn with some computer enhancement, while Last Exile is fully CGI. Check them out if you get a chance and keep up the good work!

_S

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Awesome. The only series I've checked out thus far is Trigun, which I enjoyed quite a bit. I've just caught up with some Asian cult cinema and Sofia Coppola's The Vigin Suicides. I might be cracking off a few reviews before tonight.

The Virgin Suicides



Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation is one of the best films I’ve ever seen (one of my favorites anyway). I’ve heard of her other picture, The Virgin Suicides, for a while, but for some reason or another I’ve put off seeing it. That’s changed, however, and today I viewed her haunting debut.

The Virgin Suicides is a tragedy concerning (you guessed it) suicide. The events are viewed and examined through the perspective of a group of boys (featuring excellent narration by Giovanni Ribisi), the events being the suicides of the Libson girls (the most alluring of which is played by Kirsten Dunst). The boys question the reasoning behind the suicides, such as “Did their oppressive parents drive them to it?” or, more broadly, “Why do people kill themselves?”. (I don’t have the heart to give away specifics in the story, as, while the film is well done, virtually all of the magic lies in how the events unfold)

With this film, Sofia Coppola reinforces herself as a major new talent. The script she wrote is witty, funny, longing, and ultimately, disturbing (in a ‘wake-up call’ way). Her talents behind the camera can be seen in every frame. The actors, too, are at the top of their game. Kirsten Dunst shows, yet again, she is much more than just a pretty face, and James Woods and Kathleen Turner are perfect in their roles as the Libson girl’s parents.

The clothing and housing give off an aura of Middle American suburban bliss. The musical selection features 70’s records, the likes of which give off a fuzzy hum when played. All this (and more) makes for a genuinely nostalgic movie.

Despite all of this, the overall message of the film is what stays with me. It’s the classic loss of innocence: Splendor turns into tragedy, and the certainty of bliss the young boys had in regards to the Libson girls is turned into uncertain chaos. The Virgin Suicides takes a surrealistically reminiscent look at the tragedy of suicide, which, in terms of the film’s overall impact, is a double edged sword. The detached feeling of dread and confusion is well communicated, but the sadness involved with the loss is missing due to the lack of definitive answers. That may not make sense to you at this point, but I believe if you’ve seen the film, you’d understand what I’m saying. Maybe not feel the same way, but understand.

In the end, this is a film I believe everyone should see to draw their own conclusions and experience whatever deep message the film has in store for them. This is the kind of film that’s ambiguous in a good and bad way. While it isn’t conclusive, it allows for a wide range of views and emotions to be drawn from the film. The emotion I drew was bleak depression, and the tragedy’s portrayal left me little more than morally lost (which, in this case, is somewhat of a good thing).

While this film wasn’t really my cup of tea, I strongly urge you to see it, because only my personal taste hinders me from loving it. I firmly believe some of you would “sing this movie’s praises,” so to speak. This is a film, for better or worse, that asks questions about youth and life choices in such a way that it ends as a mystery without a solution, a smoking gun with only the viewer to decide who was holding it, if anyone.

***1/2 out of ****

Swimming Pool



Alfred Hitchcock once said “One must never set up a murder. They must happen unexpectedly, as in life.” This, as well as Hitchcock in general, plays as celluloid law in the film Swimming Pool.

Swimming Pool is about a mystery writer (Charlotte Rampling) in search of a mystery. She stays at her publisher’s vacation house and, in-between snacks and writing, wanders around the estate in search of something suspicious. Her publisher’s daughter (Ludivine Sagnier) unexpectedly arrives, and so does intrigue and shady occurrences….or is this all in the writer’s head?

The acting in this film is quite daring. Rampling and Sagnier delve into their sexually explicit and often challenging difficult roles. Rampling plays the writer as quietly devious, and Sagnier plays the daughter as flamboyantly suspicious.

Francois Ozon gives this film a definite Hitchcockian feel throughout. One is always certain a dead body or discarded murder weapon will show up, and this is the films problem. It builds and it builds, and provides nothing in return. The requisite twist ending is quite bizarre though. Some feel its too confusing, and others feel it’s a breath of fresh air. I belong to both factions, as, while I don’t fully understand it, it gives the movie some substance, some reason to be viewed. I challenge you, those who wish to watch the movie, to figure out what really happens at the end…much less what has happened throughout the movie!

This is not a film for everyone. Some will be wowed by it’s attention to detail, performances, mood and overall look and feel. Others will be left cold: Left cold because nothing really happens in the movie. Or does it?

*** out of ****

You just keep getting better and better, bro. I haven't seen either of these yet, but will soon because of you.

*clap*clap*clap*clap*clap*clap*clap*

More good stuff man

I watched The Virgin Suicides once, and am having trouble recollecting how I felt about it. I think I'll give it another go, as it seems she is quite the director.

_S

I haven't seen Swimming Pool, so I can't say anything about it, but I loved The Virgin Suicides, which IMO is superior to Lost in Translation.
Looking forward to reading more of your excellent reviews.

Cool. Thanks for the input!

Great job Beale…. My “to see” list is getting longer and longer…

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The Circus



I watched three movies yesterday. The first was the ultra-violent Riki-Oh, the second was the blaxploitation film Truck Turner, and the third, (and my favorite), was Charlie Chaplin's The Circus. Before I go on further, I will note that this is the first films of Chaplins that I've seen all the way through. Rest assured, however, this will change VERY shortly.

The Circus is the continued tale of ‘The Tramp’ (Chaplin), who, in this movie, gets picked up by the circus as a comedic performer. While at the circus, the Tramp falls for a performer (Merna Kennedy) and finds himself at odds with her abusive dad, (Allan Garcia), who also happens to be the circus ringleader.

This film contains several hilarious set-pieces, notably a hall of mirrors escape and a training sequence. The film itself is absurd, but in a wondrous way. Chaplin has designed his character to be intensely devious while at the same time infinitely naïve, and, as this works to comedic effect in several sequences, I will not go into further detail.

The performances are great in this movie. Virtually every frame has Charlie in it, and every frame is coincidentally hilarious. From his mannerisms to his schemes, I can’t help but laugh. The rest of the cast has considerably less screen time, but I will note that Merna is quite charming and Garcia is frightening in their respective roles (and Chaplin manages to use both of these to comedic effect).

Possibly the best part about the film is you get all of this in 75 minutes. I’ve never been a fanatic about time either way, but it’s nice to have such a wonderful movie clock in at such a short time. Take The Whole Ten Yards. It was two hours of (in my opinion) unrewarding drivel. Here, even if you don’t enjoy it (although I highly suspect you will), you haven’t wasted much time.

I noted three films I watched yesterday, and its interesting to see how each of them deals with dialogue. Riki-Oh uses bare dialogue as basically plot device to connect the many fights and murders the film contains. Truck Turner uses racial slang which is offensive when it isn’t boring (I also feel compelled to note that this movie has an overlong and convoluted plot). The Circus is a silent film, but, in spite of this, it utilizes dialogue infinitely more effectively than the other two films. You very rarely know what the characters are saying, but you always know what they’re saying. It’s great physical acting, and, as Hitchcock once said, “A great film is one which could be silent and the audience could follow perfectly.” I paraphrased a bit, but Chaplin has done just that, a silent film which can be understood and loved by all audiences. This is a great movie, and I urge anyone who loves film to check it out.

**** out of ****

Great review Beale… Chaplin has always been a favorite of mine…

Nice review. I have to admit, that I hardly ever found Chaplin silents fun to watch, and I still prefer Harold Lloyd or Buster Keaton, but maybe I should take the time to watch some of his old films again to find out if I was wrong in my initial judgement.
Thanks for sharing.