A dozen of his movies? That seems a little high. I can think of the two you've listed, plus Sleeper (his sci-fi masterpiece), but I'm having a hard time remembering others. Certainly none of his movies made in the past decade that I'm familiar with had sci-fi elements.
District 9 - A Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - B+ The Wrestler - B V for Vendetta - C+ Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone - C Corpse Bride - C Battlefield Earth - F There Will Be Blood - A Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - B The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - B Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - A Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - B- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - B Faust (1994) - A Night on Earth - B Schizopolis - B- The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes - B Primer - B I thought Piano Tuner was a pretty straightforward dream/hallucination allegory- for one thing, we never see the sky in the film, which is an indication that this place is false; another is that the main character Felisberto is said to have never been born- he was never born because he is a fictional person, a delusion, or a dream. Then I go online and see that the critics read it as some kind of riff on Dracula, which isn't how I saw it at all. Anyway, dreamlike (possibly hallucinatory) movie in the Quay Brothers inimitable style, combining stop motion with live action and making use of strange camera effects and lighting on some exquisitely detailed sets. Film could really use a new transfer though- contrast was poor throughout. Good film for those interested in surrealism. B Primer - I'll admit, this movie was a challenge to me. Beyond the technical jargon, which I understand is not in any way dumbed down as the movie was written by an ex-engineer, the plot moves at a frenetic pace in the second half. I had no problems following the plot until the last half-hour, when Thomas Granger shows up from the future- by that time, so much had happened that I'd forgotten who he was! A run to wikipedia afterwards cleared up most of the questions that I had. Really interesting take on time travel and an extremely smart film, in fact I can't think of a smarter film I've seen recently. In a way I wish that the film had a higher budget- seeing how things played out at the party, and what was done through the various iterations to solve the problem, would have been very interesting I think, but impossible on the films shoestring budget. On the other hand, maybe it is the things left unseen that make this film so smart and unique. I'll probably need to watch it again to get a full appreciation of some of the subtleties. B
Play It Again, Sam; some of the shorts in Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask; his segment of New York Stories; Love and Death; Alice; Mighty Aphrodite. Among others; it's fairly minor in some of these, but he makes use of supernatural or unexplained sci-fi elements a lot.
You've managed to list just about every Allen film I haven't seen yet there, except for Mighty Aphrodite. What was the supernatural plot device used in that film? My memory betrays me.In any event, it looks like I have some films to see.
All the Greek mythical characters. Speaking of Allen, another review: Radio Days [B ] - Chronologically the last film in the latest box-set (I jumped over Hannah and Her Sisters to save it for last, since it's the best reviewed one), this is an amiable nostalgia trip (basically, it's "Radio Ga-Ga" as a movie). It's completely plotless, so far as that goes, more concerned with just giving you a feel for the fictional household of the young Woody Allen stand-in (played by, of all people, a young Seth Green). The cast is a bit of a breath of fresh air after the last few films; Mia Farrow's here, of course, but she's not the main character, and most of the rest of the cast is new, the other main holdout being recurring Allen player Dianne Wiest (Diane Keaton also has a cameo). The most recognizable are kid-Woody's parents, played by Stuart from L.A. Law and the voice of Marge Simpson (which made her character somewhat hard to listen to on occasion because of how familiar the voice is). There's some borderline black humour in how disciplinary standards have changed over the years; everybody beats there kids, and the parents constantly complain about how the other is too soft. In one extended sequence, mom, dad, and the local rabbi all whack him a bunch of times to show they know what they're doing. Extremely pleasant to watch, though this is just the sort of film that box-sets exist for, because it's a fairly minor work, all things considered.
I was at the Mississauga Coliseum yesterday (BTW, what does "10-A" mean? 10 screens? If so, then, just to be nitpicky, I'd like to point out that there are actually 12, not including the IMAX ). I was there with my dad; he hasn't seen Avatar yet, so I was going to take him to see it on the IMAX (only way to go with this film!) Alas, they were sold out, so I guess we'll have to try again within the next week or two. We went to see The Wolfman instead. I was rather underwhelmed; it's not terrible, but the whole thing just felt kind of "meh" to me... very average, not to mention (as a remake) unnecessary. I'm not really planning to watch it again anytime in the near future.
The 10-A designation is used because there are two theaters named Coliseum (the one I call 10-A is the original Mississauga theater; 10-B is the Scarborough one). If you want to see Avatar in IMAX 3D, go to the Scotiabank Theater in downtown Toronto-you might have better luck seeing it there.
District 9 - A Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - B+ The Wrestler - B V for Vendetta - C+ Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone - C Corpse Bride - C Battlefield Earth - F There Will Be Blood - A Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - B The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - B Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - A Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - B- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - B Faust (1994) - A Night on Earth - B Schizopolis - B- The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes - B Primer - B Ryan (2005) - B Lost Highway - C+ Ryan is a computer animated short-form documentary (2005 Academy Award winner) about the burned-out animator Ryan Larkin who made some influential animations in the late 60s - early 70s. The short itself is brilliant, as are the original films of Ryan Larkin himself which are also included on the disc. The documentary about the making of the short-form documentary which is also included, is also very good. Excellent DVD with a wealth of material. Of interest to documentary fans, and animation fans. B Lost Highway - The first Lynch film I've seen aside from his two most iconic films Blue Velvet and Eraserhead (well, Elephant Man too I guess, but still haven't seen that one). Obviously not as innovative or as brilliant as either of those films. The first 45 minutes or so are very good but then after the lead gets transmogrified or whatever happens we are treated to some of the most hackneyed mob stuff I've ever seen put to film (and I've seen a lot of mob films!). The most interesting part of the film is the role of the mysterious stranger- ghost, devil, warlock? Who knows? Pretty good film when it moves towards the strange, boring when it doesn't. PS- I think there's at least a half hour of Bill Pullman looking intensely off into the distance in this film. C+
Sherlock Holmes [B-] Men in Black [A] Up in the Air [A] Star Trek: The Motion Picture [D+] I'm Not There [A] Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) [D-] American Violet [B ] Inglourious Basterds [A] Death at a Funeral [B ] A Serious Man [A] The Hurt Locker [A-] Mad Max 2 (AKA The Road Warrior) [C] The Book of Eli [C-] Elegy [B+] Close Encounters of the Third Kind [A] The Invention of Lying [B-] Gamer [C] Timecrimes [A] Metropolis [A] Pandorum [B ] Raiders of the Lost Ark [A] Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [A] Moon [A] Fun with Dick and Jane [C] Sunshine [C] Stanley Kubrick's The Killing [B+] Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1964) [A-] Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1946) [B+] Glengarry Glen Ross [B-] Gattaca [A] The Big Chill The Producers [A] Rent [C+] Blade Runner [A] My Cousin Vinny [B-] Zombieland [ B] Infernal Affairs [A] The Walker [F] It's pretty clear from the short, three-minute making-of fluff piece included on this disc that the actors in this picture got involved because of Paul Schrader's past work, not because of Schrader's script to this film. Because it is a dull and lifeless one. Set in the world of Washington politics, these politics are so vague, save for the occasional anecdote that seems like it was lifted from a trivia book, that they ring absolutely false. The Walker also suffers from a conventional and ultimately boring look (complete with a lot of flat images and cheap-looking production design that has no place in a film with a cast like this), with a couple of flourishes that elicit laughter instead of joy because they are so out of place. Most of the dialogue feels very written, and unreal. The best thing about it all might have been Woody Harrelson's aggresively one-note performance, but in the end even it is too much for this viewer to handle. I have no qualms about issuing an F-grade to this film.
I've seen Piano Tuner of Earthquakes three times and I still can't really follow anything. Most of the dialogue is very difficult to hear, and even with subtitles on I still can't follow it. Very creepy film, though.
Updates: Armored Trooper Votoms: Big Battle (7) Armored Trooper Votoms: Roots of Ambition (8) Armored Trooper Votoms: The Last Red Shoulder (8) Boondock Saints (10) The Book of Eli (8) Cencoroll (8) District 9 (8) The Edge of Darkness (9) G-9 (6) Inglorious Bastards (7) Law Abiding Citizen (9) Oldboy (9) Pandorum (7) Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen (8) The Uninvited (7)
Sherlock Holmes [B-] Men in Black [A] Up in the Air [A] Star Trek: The Motion Picture [D+] I'm Not There [A] Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) [D-] American Violet [B ] Inglourious Basterds [A] Death at a Funeral [B ] A Serious Man [A] The Hurt Locker [A-] Mad Max 2 (AKA The Road Warrior) [C] The Book of Eli [C-] Elegy [B+] Close Encounters of the Third Kind [A] The Invention of Lying [B-] Gamer [C] Timecrimes [A] Metropolis [A] Pandorum [B ] Raiders of the Lost Ark [A] Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [A] Moon [A] Fun with Dick and Jane [C] Sunshine [C] Stanley Kubrick's The Killing [B+] Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1964) [A-] Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (1946) [B+] Glengarry Glen Ross [B-] Gattaca [A] The Big Chill The Producers [A] Rent [C+] Blade Runner [A] My Cousin Vinny [B-] Zombieland [ B] Infernal Affairs [A] The Walker [F] Starship Troopers [A] I have a hard time understanding how the film's satirical tones were lost to anyone when this film was released, but, apparently, they were. When Doogie Howser shows up in an SS uniform, for example, it's not exactly subtle. This is the second time I've seen the film, and I liked it even more with a second viewing. But I imagine the infidelity to Heinlein, the camp, the soap opera, and all the rest are positively maddening if you don't get what the film is trying to do. And I suppose the flurry of kid friendly toys upon release might have had something to do with audiences having trouble with the film.
Theatre: Avatar [ B] Precious [A-] Invictus [ B] A Single Man [B-] Crazy Heart [A-] A Serious Man [A-] DVD: Adventureland [B+] Samaritan Girl [C+] 3-Iron [A] The Hurt Locker [A-] Citizen Kane [A] Planet Hulk [B+] High Society [B-] The Philadelphia Story [A-] The Pianist [A-] Murder By Decree [A-] A Man For All Seasons [B+] A Patch of Blue [B+] Broadway Danny Rose [B+] The Departed [A] The Purple Rose of Cairo [B+] Zelig [B ] Radio Days [B ] Hannah and Her Sisters [B+] One of Woody Allen's most acclaimed movies (and the source of one of his three Oscars, the other two being for Annie Hall), this is another of his relationship dramas, with this one being about how Mia Farrow's significant other is cheating on her with a member of her family (I suppose it's lucky that Allen didn't opt for the Michael Caine role here or the irony would probably sink the film). There's a ton of familiar faces (or voices) here in minor roles, including Julie Kavner, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The Daily Show's Lewis Black, and Sam Waterson. There are a few different plots going here, though, for most of it, Allen's own character's seems really unconnected to everything else, though it comes together in the end. It's a good, quiet drama; I don't know if I thought it was noticeably better than Purple Rose of Cairo or Broadway Danny Rose, though it's got considerably more acclaim than either of those. The conclusion is a somewhat odd contrast with Purple Rose, where Woody is snapped out of his nihilism by a Marx Brothers movie (the ending of this one being altogether more genial).
Just got around to seeing Doubt (fiiinally) Really really liked it, I'd say a strong B+. Great performances from everyone in the cast and the bigger issue that was hinted at through Streep vs. Hoffman of the changing ways that the church was engaging people was very well executed
Theatre: Avatar [ B] Precious [A-] Invictus [ B] A Single Man [B-] Crazy Heart [A-] A Serious Man [A-] DVD: Adventureland [B+] Samaritan Girl [C+] 3-Iron [A] The Hurt Locker [A-] Citizen Kane [A] Planet Hulk [B+] High Society [B-] The Philadelphia Story [A-] The Pianist [A-] Murder By Decree [A-] A Man For All Seasons [B+] A Patch of Blue [B+] Broadway Danny Rose [B+] The Departed [A] The Purple Rose of Cairo [B+] Zelig [B ] Radio Days [B ] Hannah and Her Sisters [B+] Gone Baby Gone [A+] Damn, Ben, I would never have guessed. Why did you waste years making mediocre blockbusters when you could have been doing films like this? On the surface you might take this for a bigscreen procedural, but it turns into a magnificent neo-noir (one that I would rank above The Departed). You've got your private investigators, tension with the cops, and more then a modicum of trouble; and, in the end, the lead has to do what he thinks is right, even if that leaves him walking alone. Great performances all around, and the film is interestingly structured (halfway through there's what for most movies would be the wrapup, but that's just the jumpoff). It's also, for something that's superficially a thriller, not overly concerned with laying out all the clues prior to the character solving it (though most of the big stuff is there), but I don't think that's important. This makes me really excited for Affleck's 2010 picture.
District 9 - A Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - B+ The Wrestler - B V for Vendetta - C+ Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone - C Corpse Bride - C Battlefield Earth - F There Will Be Blood - A Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - B The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - B Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - A Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - B- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - B Faust (1994) - A Night on Earth - B Schizopolis - B- The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes - B Primer - B Ryan (2005) - B Lost Highway - C+ The Seventh Seal (1957) - A Metropolis (1927) - A The Seventh Seal - First, a review of the Blu-ray transfer. This film looks amazing. Detail and contrast is so vivid that the characters seems to pop right out of the screen. If you're curious how good a B&W movie can look on Blu-ray, this would be a good film to watch. Second, the actual review- I picked this movie up from googling "Criterion" to see what popped up on Amazon.com, and picked the title that sounded the most interesting to me. Prior to that I'd never heard of it (obviously I'm not much of a film historian). A knight returns from the crusades to find his people dying from the plague and challenges Death to a chess match while seeking answers to questions of the eternal. You've no doubt seen the chess match parodied before even if you haven't heard of this movie. Brilliantly acted, beautifully shot, and poses some interesting questions. As good as it's reputation. A Metropolis - What can you say about a 80 year old science-fiction movie? In the context of modern films, really, a lot of better stuff has been made since then. Taken in context, it's absolutely amazing. Some of the visual effects and in particular the art direction in this movie can still impress after all this time. A
In the Theater: Shutter Island On DVD: I Love You, Man Watchmen (500) Days of Summer Monsters vs Aliens The Ugly Truth District 9 Paper Heart The best of the bunch, so far? (500) Days of Summer. I enjoyed it so much I bought it on DVD.