Movie Tab II

Wanted (2008), Bekmambetov)




I like a silly, over-the-top action flick from time to time, but this thing was a bit too much. I sort of liked the central character, but most of the events/concepts were just too goofy.

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The Dark Crystal Test Workprint

This rather typical take on the story of Wyatt Earp has its highlights by far. They didn't do much different to the story make it stand out from other movies, but the cast is great and so is the script. Easily, my favorite part of this movie was Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday. His highly praised performance deserved all the boasting it gets. The screenplay included some great dialouge, laugh out loud lines, and was just overall entertaining. I felt the character development could've been better though for the great cast and characters. I did enjoy it, and you should check it out especially if you like westerns or the story of Wyatt Earp.

Tombstone:



This likable western is a super fun watch. Paul Newman flawlessly captures the spirit and humor of Roy Bean. He shows how he can beautifully transition from comedy to drama. The rest of the cast is enjoyable to watch as well. The script has great dialouge and plenty of funny lines. The story has some hilarious stuff to it, such as the laws about Miss Lillie and the pet bear. Sometimes, I even wished I was there. But it also has its sentimental and engaging moments too. Excellent film.

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean:


The two hours of this movie flew by. Danny Glover and Mel Gibson were ideal casting choices here, and they've got good chemistry. The script is pretty funny, and the storyline is a little confusing, but all clears itself up. The action is rather epic: plenty of stunts and exciting fight scenes to go around. If you're into Christmas action movies, Die Hard's better, but Lethal Weapon is worth a watch.

Lethal Weapon:


Maybe my expectations were a little too high for this one, but I think the best bits were in the trailor on this one, like so many others. Don't get me wrong, this was entertaining, and I wasn't exactly bored; but I wasn't laughing, which is what I had expected. The jokes and gags seemed to mostly fall flat. Some turned out to be chuckles, but some were just poor. The voice cast I think added a lot of character and the story, as I said, was interesting. I guess I just didn't get this one.

Fantasic Mr. Fox:


This medieval 80s action epic was a very different kind of flick, at least then what I am used to. It's hard to put my finger on, but there were some things I enjoyed, and some I didn't. Naturally, right? Well, the acting was good, from what I recall at the moment. Merlin was probably the best portrayed character. The script wasn't really corny or dull, but it wasn't very memorable. There were some moments of nudity and gore that I personally could've done without. But it was entertaining, and that's what movies are for. So, if medieval battles, a fair share of nudity, fantasy, or all of the above are your thing, go for it. Otherwise, I'd say you can skip this one. Not my cup of tea.

Excalibur:

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Out of curosity was this the directors cut or the original. I find the directors cut to be not as good, it has a stronger darker tone to it at the beginning. Also, I've never really looked or clumped this in as a christmas movie the ending has always been to me three things 1) Riggs has found a place in life, he's part of a family, a pack where if you mess with them you mess with him and visa versa. the sense of his suicidal tendencis or care free attitude has been replaced by something that matters something with true meaning and value, family. Hence the BULLET given to Murtaugh 2) possible sequel time there is an alternate ending and it was filmed were they say there good bys at the end and I beileve Riggs drives off in his truck. I think they were going to changed the ending with or without there being a possible sequel because of 3) the film gets progressively darker in tone in the third act and this was a great way to release all that tension and give more depth to the characters.

LB - you quoted Classicqueen's write-up about Fantastic Mr. Fox. For some reason she tabs in the following order - poster-review-title-rating. It's a little confusing at first, but you get used to it.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

Fixed! Thanks buddy.

Found the alternate ending on youtube



Here is another delated scene added back to the directors cut, I never really found it to be nessecary. Plus there's another scene where Riggs picks up a prositute because he's lonely and just wants someone to watch the three stooges with him that scene I did rather like.

&feature=related

Just saw New Moon with my girlfriend.

I'll have a review sometime later. I still need to wash the filth off me.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Any time.

Do I even need to guess whose idea it was?

I wasn't sure if it was the director's cut or not, but you answered that question for me. It was the one with these deleted scenes and the "family" ending.

Yeah defaintly not as good as the original cut IMO. most if not all the extra footage is either repeative or makes other scenes later in the film feel less nessecary. The Original Cut just feels right.

I saw 'Kick-Ass' the other day. While the majority of the time I thought it was quite funny and laughed aloud with the packed out cinema goers I couldn't help but be bored by the constant nods to super-hero films that have gone before. I wanted the film to stand up on it's own two legs once it built up the characters and universe but it kept relying on twisting clichés which got boring and ironically predictable.

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instrumental rock band that I am in.

Ringu (Hideo Nakata, 1998) -

Yup, that movie about a killer videotape. Entertaining enough, certainly surprising and of fairly solid quality. Probably not going to return to it, though.



The Five Venoms (Chang Cheh, 1978) -

I've been waiting years to see this particular film - of course it was never going to live up to the apparently legendary status it's accumulated over the years, but damned if it isn't kind of fun. It surprised me a bit by featuring an unusual flaw in having too much plot. Whether that's a legitimate complaint or not, I did go in expecting a fairly standard "obstacle-course" kind of plot - instead most of the film is dedicated to a murder mystery. The plot does allow for some decent fight scenes and stuntwork, especially the blistering conclusion.



Quick Change (Howard Franklin & Bill Murray, 1990) -

Enjoyable, fairly lightweight black comedy about a trio of bank robbers encountering all kinds of setbacks while making their getaway. It's amusing enough, somewhat unpredictable in places, more than a little intellegent, but it feels a bit disposable.



Poison (Todd Haynes, 1991) -

Haynes delivers an unusual if not totally compelling trio of tales, each one steeped in unique styles and very broad use of metaphors. The multiple storylines only serve to make a real love-hate attitude towards it. The intercutting can be badly-timed, the entire prison storyline is a dull, confusing little affair that doesn't stand up next to the film's other two (a mockumentary about a missing child and a 1950s horror-style story about a scientist), the filmmaking in general's actually pretty unremarkable.



Hardware (Richard Stanley, 1990) -

Trashy dystopia film about a killer robot. There's nothing quite as irritating as when you find a film that you should by all right at least like a little. I did like this a little, but for the most part it is pretty terrible. There's some half-decent cinematography here and there, despite the fact that the entire film is more or less washed out in red light. The acting's pretty lame, the soundtrack's kind of decent, the violence is at once brutal yet somewhat underwhelming, the tension's pretty mediocre. Overall, this feels like bad trash, not good trash, and actually feels like a strong incentive to lay off watching trashy movies altogether. Personal highlight: cameos by Iggy Pop and Lemmy.



The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (Peter Greenaway, 1989) -

Maybe this deserves a higher rating on the audacity of just about everything in the film. Incredibly vibrant use of colour, virtually every shot looking like a stunning tableau, a gleefully twisted farce of a storyline built on some strong performances (with Michael Gambon being the obvious stand-out as the thief). All in all, a pretty damned good film.

I watched this film recently again for what probably is my fourth viewing. I'm a shaw brothers nut and while there is always going to be a little give and take within the confines of these types of films. blending all types of genres fantasy, kung fu, martial arts, sword play, mystery, weird humor and costume drama. There films remind me a whole lot of what Hammer was doing in England around the same time and earlier. The reusage of sets, stunt men, directors and most important the actors with which the shaw brothers films have now become identifable with. You'll either look past some of the plot devices and dialogue because quiet frankly it doesn't make sense all the time or you'll have trouble getting through anyone of there films. There are better Shaw Brothers films then this but I quiet enjoyed it for it trappings. The Mystery plot really didn't matter or work quite well with the primary story and at the end it left you feeling a bit ripped off. I do give it credit for trying to be something out of the norm with which the shaw brothers films were producing at the time at an alarming rate. If you can get your hands on COME DRINK WITH ME you'll be in for a tasty treat. My rating for The Five Deadly Venoms.

The Five Deadly Venoms
67/100
Acting 5
Directing 7
script 6
themes and ideas 7
cinematography 7
music 6
Production value 14
General enjoyment 15

You really have to be able to sustain some kind of otherworldly disbelief while watching these films without laughing you butt off because, characters will start to fight then all of a sudden the next minute they decided to talk things over. With a simple question and simple answer both character without evidence will beileve each other for no real appearant reason and the next thing you know the two are trusting each others lives in serious battle.

Also, crazy things such as people as a last second ditch effort just before dieing will rip off there own hand and chuck it like a dart into there enemies back. Weird moments where characters out of the blue come in for a moment throw and wrench in the plot and then are never to be seen again. really zany stuff to be sure.

As the endless dialogue droned on and on, I had a Bill Swerski's Superfans moment.



Lucia Bosé...



...Death of a Cyclist... polish sausage... Crown Royal... Da Rams...

Wanted (Bekmambetov, 2008)

Pretty bad. James McAvoy is likable enough, but I didn't find myself taken with the story at all. Lots of sensationalism and no substance. Really, we all know the draw of the film is the ridiculous gun play, but that's all it was... ridiculous. I hear the film is nothing like the Mark Millar comic, either.




Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)

Very sharp film. Lots of chemistry and charisma among the characters, including even the deadpan Anna Kendrick, who's awkwardness is both endearing and significant. The story is quite heartfelt and not altogether predictable... it's nice to see Jason Reitman putting out incredible work. I have some issues with the end, as well as some backtracking in character motivation, but all minor stuff. See it.




The Gate (Takacs, 1987)

Hell yeah! Somehow I missed this when I was a child, which might have actually been a good thing... I'm not sure I could have handled seeing a man's head collapse in on itself or a Barbie leg get stabbed into someone's eye. Though the film drags a bit in the beginning (and feels eerily Kubrickian, actually), it takes a turn for the crazy and remains unapologetically awesome for the duration. Seriously, this is supreme 1980s kid horror and well worth your time. The forced perspective visual effects alone make this a gem.




Dog Soldiers (Marshall, 2002)

Not great, but would have been much worse if they had taken themselves more seriously. Surprisingly, this schlock genre picture nabbed a few notable British actors, as well as some of the best werewolf costumes I've ever seen. Too bad both were underused, thanks to a mediocre, unpolished script. Really, everything here is par for the course, including some sizable plot holes. But hey, werewolves!




Away We Go (Mendes, 2009)

I like Mendes a lot, and I think this is one of his finer films... not necessarily because it's a better story, but because it feels the most genuine. Mendes likes to let his films wander, and this is no exception. But that property works best here, I think, because it lets the characters unfold and be real without always being a slave to the narrative. Maya Rudolph is astoundingly good in this because she's delightfully subdued and believable. I hope we see more of her in the future.




The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008)

Yeah, I watched this again. It's always on HBO, so it's hard to even miss it. I don't know, I think the Joker was obviously the imperative here, and Ledger pulled it off wonderfully. But the rest of the film still just seems so bland. And Bale has got to go. His Batman is laughable, and there's absolutely no charisma, intelligence, or motivation behind his Bruce Wayne. Which, come to think of it, really isn't his fault. Why is David Goyer still getting paid to co-write these films? Does no one remember that he's responsible for Nick Fury: Agent of Shield? Why can't Chris Nolan just hire Paul Dini and be done with it?

Hero 2002

The whole concept irks me, flashbacks that aren't true - told at an incredibly slow pace. The worst part of telling the story like this, is that the main characters reset too much. It looks nice, but I couldn't care less about the story, or the characters I never came to know.





Spy Kids 3D : Game Over 2003

I rarely ever watch a movie on TV , but instantly I was drawn into how horrifying and disrespectful this movie truly is. It's a train wreck of epic proportions and I loved every minute of it.





Midnight Run 1988

Yeah there's probably a lot of stuff like it, but Midnight Run spins a lot further out of control than others, with a lot more laughs and better twists than 'em too. Deniro with Grodin work beautifully.





The Box 2009

A really bad script calls for some really bad acting. Watch it if you wanted to know what Richard Kelly's career crashing into a brick wall and dying looks like.





How to Train Your Dragon 2010

The action scenes are a lot of fun, but I can only endure hundreds of clichés, not thousands.

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Sorry you didn't like Hero, meaty. The concept of the false flashbacks is actually a highly regarded form of story telling that Kurosawa first hit us with in Rashomon. That was the whole point of the film then, and Hero "borrows" from the earlier masterwork. The court system has actually adopted the term "The Rashomon Effect" when talking about the fact that different people remember things in a different way. Hero spins it differently in that stories are being told incorrectly on purpose, and not due to memory or perception issues.

Also - I do agree that the film is a bit distant at times, but I definitely liked the characters and was moved by the final scenes.

Meanwhile:

Freebie and the Bean (Rush, 1974)




Arkin and Caan play good cop/bad cop (they trade off constantly) in this fun romp that leaves politically correct at the door. An odd duck of a film that plays like a comedy broken up with some questionable moral play and some great car action. They don't make em like this anymore!

Bringing Up Baby



I know this is considered one of this duo's best, but i think I prefer Russell and Grant in His Girl Friday. This was clearly a good film, but I didn't find it as fun or engaging. Still worth watching, of course.

Broadcast News (J. Brooks, 1987)




I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, or maybe I didn't want anything dethroning Lost in America as my favorite film with Albert Brooks in it. Alas, this did just that. By far my favorite Brooks film so far - the script was fantastic, and all three leads nailed their parts, especially Hunter. Brooks is always a pleasure, and he was his usual self here. Hurt played his part perfectly, as well.

I watched something else....but can't seem to recall what it was. Hopefully it comes back to me soon!

Ok - I remembered!

Barton Fink (Coens, 1991)




I dropped my rating slightly on this one this time round because I was a bit frustrated by some of the more obtuse elements in this film. I can usually work through stuff like this and come up with some decent theory about a film, but I am starting to think that perhaps this one is a bit beyond my level of education or something. This is great film but I had to knock a box off for making me feel like an idiot at times. I understand certain elements of metaphor and allegory in the film, but other aspects have me pretty befuddled at this point.

The Old Fashioned Way (1934)
I've just read a handful of reviews for this movie which somehow interpreted it as a loving tribute to vaudeville and W.C. Fields's stage roots. I guess they're talking about the juggling performance at the end, which everyone really should watch.



There's that, but first you have to sit through a drawn out and not particularly funny parody of 19th century didactic and early 20th century romantic melodrama. I'm not exactly sure why these were shoehorned into the film. The play in question - The Drunkard - is an apparently famous 19th century pro-temperence drama, so its placement within the Fields' framework has some irony but the staging/commentary tires immediately and anyway may have lacked some of the bite it would have had were the film not released a full year and a half after prohibition ended...

A bit more incisive are Fields' last "performance" and his reactions to a really tacky pantomime song routine/audition about picking up sea-shells at the sea-shore. I almost want to caution people away from a movie with a couple really slow scenes but it has overall a pretty solid narrative structure and a great singular performance.


Which is, for those who are counting, I think half a grade higher than I rated You Can't Cheat an Honest Man a couple months ago...



Wanted (Bekmambetov, 2008)
Has a loony toons ending with a really thuggish punch to the gut and an energetic chase near the beginning. Those parts are worth noting. Morgan Freeman gives the same lazy performance as every other movie he's ever been in, and the sooner he retires, the better. A lot of the stuff that they probably pitched the movie on - Jolie's role, the hints of romance, super-powers, curved bullet-paths - never coalesce. The workings of fate/deception-and-revenge and the narration I thought were solid but not strong or unique enough to be major selling points.

I'm torn between a 2 and a 1.5 (a just passing and a just failing grade)...



The Informant (Soderbergh, 2009)
This is one that I may watch again at some point. Damon is really strong and as I'm sure others have noted his internal monologues are really funny and all over the place. I want to show it to my girlfriend and see if she gets as much of a kick out of Damon's mustache and all the wheedling and double-talk misdirected at his lawyers and everyone else who seems to have his best interests at heart.

I'm going with a grade that seems kind of low to me, for now.

The Hurt Locker

Doughty fare alright. It is mainly a succession of set pieces, as many have said, with one central idea screwing the blocks together, but both aspects are solidly sold. I found some of the dialogue a bit unintelligible at times, but the character clashes came across fine anyway. Liked the use of unknowns as stars.

+(+)




The Lady Vanishes

A cheeky and charming propaganda flick suffused with Hitchcockian confidence and control. You do get hit over the head with the archetypal characters by the end (the cowardly pacifist, and on), but they're brought to life first, even if with well-timed broad strokes in the case of the cricket-loving comedy duo. The budget hurts it a little, but they still evoke a swish and engrossing Swiss conundrum.

++




Grumpy Old Men

I haven't seen The Odd Couple etc so no idea whether Lemon & Matthau were riffing on past history, but they were fun as the grizzled adversary-friends. The script was mainly undistinguished, with spikes of glee ('Pull your lip over your head... and swallow'), and I didn't really buy the 'wacky love interest' device, but the old recalcitrants mainly make it worth the watch.

+

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Iro - you'd be surprised

Meat - The Box is at least better than Southland Tales.