Just saw it last night and have to say I thought the musical numbers were actually the movie's saving grace. As I watched the movie I kept thinking how much it reminded me of Disney's Bolt (which I loved) similar plot, similar origin story, not to mention John Powell's (who did the scores for both) strikingly similar soundtrack. Good movie but certainly not up to Disney/Pixar standards.
Movies Seen in 2011
- Thread starter Starbreaker
- Start date
1. Alien 3 (assembly cut) - B
2. Let the Right One In - A
3. Inception - B.
4. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - B+
5. Lilo and Stitch - A
6. Despicable Me - B
7. Forbidden Planet - B+
8. Clerks - B
9. Metropia - C+
10. Brand Upon the Brain - B
11. Beltesassar Animation Festival 17 - A
12. Buried - B+
13. How to Train Your Dragon - A
14. Monsters - C+.
15. The Tune (Bill Plympton) - C
16. House (1977) - B
17. Institute Benjamenta - B-
18. The Triplets of Belleville (rewatch) - A
19. Lunacy (Jan Svankmajer, 2005) - B
20. Paradise Lost (1999) - C-
21. Daybreakers - C
22. The Wizard of Oz (rewatch) - A
23. Winnebago Man - A
24. The Social Network - B+
25. Book of the Dead (2005) - C
26. Megamind - B
27. North By Northwest (1959) - A
28. The Plague Dogs (1982) - B+
29. Burn After Reading - B
31. The Incredibles (rewatch) - A
32. Fire and Ice (1983) - D
33. Bad Santa - B
2. Let the Right One In - A
3. Inception - B.
4. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - B+
5. Lilo and Stitch - A
6. Despicable Me - B
7. Forbidden Planet - B+
8. Clerks - B
9. Metropia - C+
10. Brand Upon the Brain - B
11. Beltesassar Animation Festival 17 - A
12. Buried - B+
13. How to Train Your Dragon - A
14. Monsters - C+.
15. The Tune (Bill Plympton) - C
16. House (1977) - B
17. Institute Benjamenta - B-
18. The Triplets of Belleville (rewatch) - A
19. Lunacy (Jan Svankmajer, 2005) - B
20. Paradise Lost (1999) - C-
21. Daybreakers - C
22. The Wizard of Oz (rewatch) - A
23. Winnebago Man - A
24. The Social Network - B+
25. Book of the Dead (2005) - C
26. Megamind - B
27. North By Northwest (1959) - A
28. The Plague Dogs (1982) - B+
29. Burn After Reading - B
31. The Incredibles (rewatch) - A
32. Fire and Ice (1983) - D
33. Bad Santa - B
34. Twelve Monkeys (rewatch) - A. Still one of my favorite movies of this type that's ever been made. Also may very well be my favorite Terry Gilliam movie (though I need to watch Brasil again). In some ways it's not as ambitious or avant-garde as his other films, but the momentum it creates and the oddball performances of Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt are all a lot of fun to get caught up into.
35. Sweeney Todd - B+. Very good. Burton seems to be channeling the same visual style he'd used in Sleepy Hollow here, and it works very well. Musicals are hit and miss for me but I liked the score for this one. I wish Burton would take on more "R" rated projects in general, this and Sleepy Hollow are certainly my two favorite films he's done since his classic stuff.
Yeah Diesel has a bunch of sequels in development stages right now. Riddick: Dead Man Stalking is one of them.
"Annapolis" 2006 C + (guilty pleasure film
)
"Annapolis" 2006 C + (guilty pleasure film
)
James Mason is awesome. Check him out in "Lolita" and "The Boys From Brazil." There's other roles, but those are two of my favorite.
I caught "Defending Your Life" largely because I'm a huge Albert Brooks fan. I really liked it (for some reason the way everyone said "Good morning!" cracked me up every single time). I liked how casually the entire concept of "Judgment City" was handled. It didn't overwhelm the focus of the story.
There was nothing complex about the whole thing. It was just a simple, funny story with good performances. The entire cast was great. I really liked Buck Henry and Rip Torn in particular.
MASH: 5/5
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams: 4/5
Crossing Over: 3/5
Roadside Prophets: 4/5
I've seen "Lolita" (both versions), but didn't remember Mason was in that either. Sounds like he's done a lot of supporting roles. This past weekend I saw "The Birth of Nation" mostly out of curiosity because I know it's a historically significant movie. Released in 1915, it's by far the oldest movie I've ever seen.
It was hard to watch because it's long for a silent movie and the story's a bit repetitive and simplistic (understandably, given its age). Nonetheless, it was fascinating for its technical influences and the blatant racism on display in it.
It wasn't a very enthralling watch, but I admired the craft of the thing. The scope of the battle scenes was damn impressive for a movie its age, as was the cross-cutting (innovative at the time) and the clarity of the storytelling.
What was most memorable was its depiction of black people. Particularly the grammar (it was REALLY weird seeing intentionally insulting stereotyping of the way they talk in a silent movie dialog card) and the shameless obscenity of the actors in blackface playing lecherous scumbags.
Even weirder was seeing the KKK rushing to the rescue (wtf?) of people terrorized by the blackface fiends and being identified by a title card as heroes worthy of a parade (DOUBLE WTF???). So yeah, not something I'd recommend for entertainment value, but it holds some intrigue as a historical curiosity.
On a lighter note, I needed a break from some of the more oppressive, serious historical cinema I've been watching, so I checked out "A League of Their Own". I really loved most of it.
Its screen writers (Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel) did a string of beautifully-written movies in the late 80s and 90s, including "Parenthood" and "City Slickers". I thought this movie was in the same "league", heh.
They really excelled at writing sweet, uplifting movies, with articulate characters and some impressively thoughtful philosophy and insight into life snuck into their dialog. They also had a way with one-liners. The famous "There's no crying in baseball!" line lived up to its reputation. It's funny on its own, but in the context of the movie, it was even funnier.
My only complaint is that I thought the last 15 minutes or so of the movie overdid it with the schmaltz. I didn't need to see most of the main characters getting together and reminiscing as old people. That was just cranking up the sentimentality too much for me.
I'm usually all for getting sentimental, but this was excessive. It reminded me of the bits in "Saving Private Ryan" with the old man. Ugh. I was already moved by the characters in their youth. It was completely unnecessary to see them all aged up so the filmmakers could try to make me cry.
It was hard to watch because it's long for a silent movie and the story's a bit repetitive and simplistic (understandably, given its age). Nonetheless, it was fascinating for its technical influences and the blatant racism on display in it.
It wasn't a very enthralling watch, but I admired the craft of the thing. The scope of the battle scenes was damn impressive for a movie its age, as was the cross-cutting (innovative at the time) and the clarity of the storytelling.
What was most memorable was its depiction of black people. Particularly the grammar (it was REALLY weird seeing intentionally insulting stereotyping of the way they talk in a silent movie dialog card) and the shameless obscenity of the actors in blackface playing lecherous scumbags.
Even weirder was seeing the KKK rushing to the rescue (wtf?) of people terrorized by the blackface fiends and being identified by a title card as heroes worthy of a parade (DOUBLE WTF???). So yeah, not something I'd recommend for entertainment value, but it holds some intrigue as a historical curiosity.
On a lighter note, I needed a break from some of the more oppressive, serious historical cinema I've been watching, so I checked out "A League of Their Own". I really loved most of it.
Its screen writers (Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel) did a string of beautifully-written movies in the late 80s and 90s, including "Parenthood" and "City Slickers". I thought this movie was in the same "league", heh.
They really excelled at writing sweet, uplifting movies, with articulate characters and some impressively thoughtful philosophy and insight into life snuck into their dialog. They also had a way with one-liners. The famous "There's no crying in baseball!" line lived up to its reputation. It's funny on its own, but in the context of the movie, it was even funnier.
My only complaint is that I thought the last 15 minutes or so of the movie overdid it with the schmaltz. I didn't need to see most of the main characters getting together and reminiscing as old people. That was just cranking up the sentimentality too much for me.
I'm usually all for getting sentimental, but this was excessive. It reminded me of the bits in "Saving Private Ryan" with the old man. Ugh. I was already moved by the characters in their youth. It was completely unnecessary to see them all aged up so the filmmakers could try to make me cry.
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57. The Public Enemy (B-)
58. Black Swan (C+)
The Public Enemy: As one of the earliest examples of the gangster film genre, I can see why this film has endured, but I thought it often dragged. Cagney's performance is terrific, although I was surprised by how quick the iconic moment when he smashes his breakfast into his girlfriend's face came and went. It's barely on screen before the moment is over -- if the film was made today the moment would certainly be more belabored. I was also surprised by how the film handled his death -- we see the character in the hospital, we cut back to his family, and then his body is delivered to their doorstep. It's a surprising thing to not only leave off-screen, but to have so little build up towards. The way his corpse just stands in the doorway before falling over, however, is absolutely chilling.
Black Swan: For a psychological thriller -- and one nominated for several Oscars -- this was surprisingly shallow and simplistic. Well-shot, surely, and fairly well-acted (as best-performed as these empty characters could be, anyway), but far short of any of the high praise I've read directed towards it. It's a lot like Polanski's Repulsion, but with ballet, and a lead who is already half-crazy from the get-go. I could get caught up in the arguments that were hashed out in the discussion thread about what was real and what wasn't, but frankly, I care so little about the characters and the story that it isn't worth the effort.
58. Black Swan (C+)
The Public Enemy: As one of the earliest examples of the gangster film genre, I can see why this film has endured, but I thought it often dragged. Cagney's performance is terrific, although I was surprised by how quick the iconic moment when he smashes his breakfast into his girlfriend's face came and went. It's barely on screen before the moment is over -- if the film was made today the moment would certainly be more belabored. I was also surprised by how the film handled his death -- we see the character in the hospital, we cut back to his family, and then his body is delivered to their doorstep. It's a surprising thing to not only leave off-screen, but to have so little build up towards. The way his corpse just stands in the doorway before falling over, however, is absolutely chilling.
Black Swan: For a psychological thriller -- and one nominated for several Oscars -- this was surprisingly shallow and simplistic. Well-shot, surely, and fairly well-acted (as best-performed as these empty characters could be, anyway), but far short of any of the high praise I've read directed towards it. It's a lot like Polanski's Repulsion, but with ballet, and a lead who is already half-crazy from the get-go. I could get caught up in the arguments that were hashed out in the discussion thread about what was real and what wasn't, but frankly, I care so little about the characters and the story that it isn't worth the effort.
I saw 'Thor' last night and it's great fun. In fact, I think it may be my favourite Marvel comics Movie so far. Chris Hemsworth is fantastic, in fact the whole cast are really good. The movie is visually impressive, it has a great score, VFX, costumes; it all works. It's also quite funny but not in a silly way; Marvel seem to have set out to make a big, fun, exciting family movie and they've succeeded. Roll on The Avengers!!
Forbidden World (1982)
One of Roger Corman's various rip-offs of Alien, the film is actually pretty fun. While the acting was virtually non-existent, the special effects and set design more than made up for it.That and the shower scene between the two female leads. The make-up effects were done by John Carl Buechler of Friday the 13th part 7 fame and still hold up well. The few space ship effects however seemed to have been taken from Battle Beyond the Stars, another Corman classic that came out a few years earlier.
One of Roger Corman's various rip-offs of Alien, the film is actually pretty fun. While the acting was virtually non-existent, the special effects and set design more than made up for it.That and the shower scene between the two female leads. The make-up effects were done by John Carl Buechler of Friday the 13th part 7 fame and still hold up well. The few space ship effects however seemed to have been taken from Battle Beyond the Stars, another Corman classic that came out a few years earlier.
I've seen "Lolita" (both versions), but didn't remember Mason was in that either. Sounds like he's done a lot of supporting roles. This past weekend I saw "The Birth of Nation" mostly out of curiosity because I know it's a historically significant movie. Released in 1915, it's by far the oldest movie I've ever seen.
It was hard to watch because it's long for a silent movie and the story's a bit repetitive and simplistic (understandably, given its age). Nonetheless, it was fascinating for its technical influences and the blatant racism on display in it.
It wasn't a very enthralling watch, but I admired the craft of the thing. The scope of the battle scenes was damn impressive for a movie its age, as was the cross-cutting (innovative at the time) and the clarity of the storytelling.
What was most memorable was its depiction of black people. Particularly the grammar (it was REALLY weird seeing intentionally insulting stereotyping of the way they talk in a silent movie dialog card) and the shameless obscenity of the actors in blackface playing lecherous scumbags.
Even weirder was seeing the KKK rushing to the rescue (wtf?) of people terrorized by the blackface fiends and being identified by a title card as heroes worthy of a parade (DOUBLE WTF???). So yeah, not something I'd recommend for entertainment value, but it holds some intrigue as a historical curiosity.
On a lighter note, I needed a break from some of the more oppressive, serious historical cinema I've been watching, so I checked out "A League of Their Own". I really loved most of it.
Its screen writers (Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel) did a string of beautifully-written movies in the late 80s and 90s, including "Parenthood" and "City Slickers". I thought this movie was in the same "league", heh.
They really excelled at writing sweet, uplifting movies, with articulate characters and some impressively thoughtful philosophy and insight into life snuck into their dialog. They also had a way with one-liners. The famous "There's no crying in baseball!" line lived up to its reputation. It's funny on its own, but in the context of the movie, it was even funnier.
My only complaint is that I thought the last 15 minutes or so of the movie overdid it with the schmaltz. I didn't need to see most of the main characters getting together and reminiscing as old people. That was just cranking up the sentimentality too much for me.
I'm usually all for getting sentimental, but this was excessive. It reminded me of the bits in "Saving Private Ryan" with the old man. Ugh. I was already moved by the characters in their youth. It was completely unnecessary to see them all aged up so the filmmakers could try to make me cry.
I need to see "Birth of a Nation" someday. Largely for the reasons you mentioned. Scorsese has mentioned it several times as essential viewing for its technical achievements (which would really only make sense if you're interested in the history of filmmaking) and not so much its story.
The life and times of Griffith in general is something I've been meaning to look into more. I'd like to find a good biography on him someday. I'm sure they exist.
My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done?: 4/5
Middlemen: 2/5
I picked this up on Blu-Ray a few weeks ago for dirt cheap. I'm glad you enjoyed it--I've thought about putting it in a few times, but haven't had the guts (or the proper quantity of alcohol). The trailer definitely made it look better than Corman's Star Crash, but, then again, his trailers were never exactly honest representations of the movies they were advertising.
1. In the Heat of the Night (A)
2. The Passion of Joan of Arc (B)
3. The Passion of the Christ (A)
4. Mamma Mia! (B)
5. All About Eve (A)
6. Looking for Anne (B-)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (B+)
8. The King's Speech (A)
9. How Green Was My Valley (B-)
10. Black Swan (B+)
11. Made in Dagenham (B)
12. Gentleman's Agreement (A-)
13. Barney's Version (A-)
14. Out of Africa (B)
15. The Social Network (A-)
16. The Sound of Music (B+)
17. Pulp Fiction (A)
18. Forrest Gump (A)
19. The Shawshank Redemption (A+)
20. The Illusionist (B)
21. The French Connection (B+)
22. Network (A+)
23. Incendies (A+)
24. Mrs. Miniver (A)
25. A Fistful of Dollars (B+)
26. For A Few Dollars More (B)
27. WALL-E (A+)
28. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A)
29. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (B)
30. Gigi (B-)
31. I Love You Phillip Morris (B+)
32. How To Train Your Dragon (A)
33. Tarzan (B+)
34. Oliver! (B+)
35. Gosford Park (A-)
36. The Princess Bride (B+)
37. All the President's Men (A-)
38. Oliver Twist (B+)
39. My Fair Lady (A+)
40. Hanna (A-)
41. The Godfather (A+)
42. The Godfather: Part II (A+)
43. The Godfather: Part III (A-)
44. Dog Day Afternoon (A)
45. Taxi Driver (A-)
46. Great Expectations (B+)
47. The Last Airbender (D-)
48. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (A+)
49. Raging Bull (B+)
2. The Passion of Joan of Arc (B)
3. The Passion of the Christ (A)
4. Mamma Mia! (B)
5. All About Eve (A)
6. Looking for Anne (B-)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (B+)
8. The King's Speech (A)
9. How Green Was My Valley (B-)
10. Black Swan (B+)
11. Made in Dagenham (B)
12. Gentleman's Agreement (A-)
13. Barney's Version (A-)
14. Out of Africa (B)
15. The Social Network (A-)
16. The Sound of Music (B+)
17. Pulp Fiction (A)
18. Forrest Gump (A)
19. The Shawshank Redemption (A+)
20. The Illusionist (B)
21. The French Connection (B+)
22. Network (A+)
23. Incendies (A+)
24. Mrs. Miniver (A)
25. A Fistful of Dollars (B+)
26. For A Few Dollars More (B)
27. WALL-E (A+)
28. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A)
29. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (B)
30. Gigi (B-)
31. I Love You Phillip Morris (B+)
32. How To Train Your Dragon (A)
33. Tarzan (B+)
34. Oliver! (B+)
35. Gosford Park (A-)
36. The Princess Bride (B+)
37. All the President's Men (A-)
38. Oliver Twist (B+)
39. My Fair Lady (A+)
40. Hanna (A-)
41. The Godfather (A+)
42. The Godfather: Part II (A+)
43. The Godfather: Part III (A-)
44. Dog Day Afternoon (A)
45. Taxi Driver (A-)
46. Great Expectations (B+)
47. The Last Airbender (D-)
48. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (A+)
49. Raging Bull (B+)
51. Spartacus (A+)
52. The Deer Hunter (B+)
The film that made Michael Cimino the visionary auteur of a new generation, right before the film that bankrupted a major studio and severely restricted directorial control over all movies.
I had a hard time assigning a grade to this one: B+ or A- would both fit. The characters are all well-drawn and well-acted, and there are a lot of good scenes (which, particularly the nature ones, are quite well-photographed). But it would have been pretty easy to edit this movie down from 3 hours without losing anything; any number of scenes dwell on trivialities in a way that seems like real life, but this isn't real life, it's a movie. It also feels to me like Cimino's extreme naturalism in filming is at odds with a story that becomes progressively more allegorical and less character-based the longer it goes on. The Vietnam scenes are almost entirely about allegories (the recurrences of Russian Roulette, for instance, which could at first have just been an isolated case of sadistic POW-torture, but then there are whole underground rings dedicated to it, so it's obviously not intended as that), and Christopher Walken's character, in particular, becomes way less believable as a person than as an allegory for America. Likewise, you've got the French dude who's obviously representing France itself, and Vietnam isn't really Vietnam so much as an allegory for all war (becoming literally an orange hellscape in the final visit).
All the same, I admired quite a lot about the movie, and could have given it an A- for its strengths, notwithstanding the flaws. In particular, I'd single out the aforementioned Christopher Walken: Walken has become culturally ubiquitous, but this is one of the few major roles of his I've seen where it felt like he was doing a real performance rather than a routine (Catch Me If You Can being the other major example). But those roles show that he's a great actor, and, as enjoyable as his persona is, it'd be nice to see him stretch himself more.
53. Reservoir Dogs (A)
I've been working backward through Tarantino's catalogue since I saw Inglourious Basterds in 2009 (though I skipped over Jackie Brown, though I get the sense a lot of people do that). You can tell this was a minimally-budgeted effort, but it never feels like it's missing anything, which is the sign of a good hand. Tarantino rolls out a lot of what would become his standard narrative devices for the first time, and they all function quite effectively. I actually thought there was a much stronger sense of character identification than I had while watching Pulp Fiction - the final moments with Harvey Keitel and Tim Roth have believable dramatic weight to them.
Updates (in Bold):
The Adjustment Bureau (8)
Arashi no Yoru ni (One Stormy Night) (7)
Armored Trooper Votoms: Finder (8)
Black Swan (9)
Broken Blade 3: The Mark of the Assassin's Dagger (9)
Broken Blade 4: The Land of Disaster (9)
Drive Angry (7)
Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance (9)
Godkiller (6)
I Am Number Four (8)
Infernal Affairs (7)
Kamui (4)
The Garden of Sinners Movie 8: Epilogue (9)
Loups=Garous (8)
The Mechanic (2011) (9)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Awakeening of the Trailblazer (8)
Munto: The Movie (6)
Musashi Miyamoto (6)
Outlander (8)
Source Code (9)
Time of Eve (10)
Unknown (7)
Your Highness (3)
The Adjustment Bureau (8)
Arashi no Yoru ni (One Stormy Night) (7)
Armored Trooper Votoms: Finder (8)
Black Swan (9)
Broken Blade 3: The Mark of the Assassin's Dagger (9)
Broken Blade 4: The Land of Disaster (9)
Drive Angry (7)
Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance (9)
Godkiller (6)
I Am Number Four (8)
Infernal Affairs (7)
Kamui (4)
The Garden of Sinners Movie 8: Epilogue (9)
Loups=Garous (8)
The Mechanic (2011) (9)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Awakeening of the Trailblazer (8)
Munto: The Movie (6)
Musashi Miyamoto (6)
Outlander (8)
Source Code (9)
Time of Eve (10)
Unknown (7)
Your Highness (3)
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...
A glorious masterpiece of filmmaking. I literally explode in my pants with joy every time I watch it with my eyes practically jammed into the screen.
Horror Hospital: 3/5
Rabid: 4/5.
I can't say that everybody will like the film, it's more of a so bad its good kind of thing. However if you've seen some of Corman's other films then you know what you're getting into.Some are good and others are crap. I appreciate the film for trying to be a scary alien on the loose type of story that doesn't quite succeed at all levels.
Random Hearts: 3/5.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief - HBO
Tron Legacy 3D - theater
Clash of the Titans (2010) - HBO on Demand
Take Me Home Tonight - free screenin'
Sanctum - free screenin'
The Green Hornet - free screenin'
Green Zone - HBO
Fantastic Mr. Fox - HBO
True Grit (1969) - AMC
Ringu - DVD
Black Swan - Alamo Drafthouse (its not just a movie theater)
Unknown - free screenin'
The Losers - HBO
The Sunset Limited - HBO on Demand
Starsky & Hutch (2004) - Cinemax
Kick-Ass - DVD
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - DVD
The Adjustment Bureau - free screenin'
Rango - theater
Red (2010) - DVD rental
Hot Tub Time Machine - DVD rental
Harry Brown - DVD
Faster - DVD rental
Jonah Hex - DVD rental
Battle: L.A. - theater
The Girl who Played with Fire - DVD
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - DVD rental
Leaves of Grass - DVD
Whiteout - Cinemax on Demand
Sucker Punch - free screenin'
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - DVD
Paul - theater
Tron Legacy 3D - theater
Clash of the Titans (2010) - HBO on Demand
Take Me Home Tonight - free screenin'
Sanctum - free screenin'
The Green Hornet - free screenin'
Green Zone - HBO
Fantastic Mr. Fox - HBO
True Grit (1969) - AMC
Ringu - DVD
Black Swan - Alamo Drafthouse (its not just a movie theater)
Unknown - free screenin'
The Losers - HBO
The Sunset Limited - HBO on Demand
Starsky & Hutch (2004) - Cinemax
Kick-Ass - DVD
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - DVD
The Adjustment Bureau - free screenin'
Rango - theater
Red (2010) - DVD rental
Hot Tub Time Machine - DVD rental
Harry Brown - DVD
Faster - DVD rental
Jonah Hex - DVD rental
Battle: L.A. - theater
The Girl who Played with Fire - DVD
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - DVD rental
Leaves of Grass - DVD
Whiteout - Cinemax on Demand
Sucker Punch - free screenin'
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - DVD
Paul - theater
Rio - free screenin'
The Fighter - DVD rental
Invictus - Cinemax
Scream 4 - theater
Flippin' channels yesterday, found Invictus about ten minutes into the movie. Had only seen the trailers before, don't know anything about rugby & very little about South African politics.
After watchin' it, I still don't know anything about rugby & very little about South African politics.
Seems to be that it was tryin' to be both a feel good sports movie and a historical look at a leader, and kind of fails at both.
On the plus side, at least it Morgan Freeman didn't narrate it...
Went out to the theater last night for Scream 4. I missed the first one in theaters, on purpose, but caught the second & third on the big screen. Even owned the trilogy on DVD for awhile.
I didn't care for the fourth one that much. When the best bit of your movie is in the first ten minutes (the Kristen Bell/Anna Paquin cameo), ya should know your movie has problems.
Also, the endin' took fuckin' forever...and it still didn't end after that.
May be goin' to a midnight screenin' of Fast Five tonight...
My favorite Tarantino movie!
A couple of years ago, I got to meet Tim Roth when he was signin' autographs at a preview screenin' of The Incredible Hulk and got him to write a Reservoir Dogs quote on my miniposter.
Inception - Best sci-fi movie in decades. Incredible special effects that, even in the age of CGI, seem to defy the laws of physics. Watch it more than once and you may change your idea of what actually happened at the end. Definitely sparks conversation afterward.
The King's Speech - Best of the best. Shows how a character/dialogue driven film without any sex, violence, car chases, explosions, and almost no bad language (and the language is not gratuitous, it actually serves a purpose) can still be captivating and wonderful.
Winter's Bone - Disturbing but poignant film that makes one think "there but for the grace of God go I." Paints a very alien landscape of drugs and family dysfunction in America.
The King's Speech - Best of the best. Shows how a character/dialogue driven film without any sex, violence, car chases, explosions, and almost no bad language (and the language is not gratuitous, it actually serves a purpose) can still be captivating and wonderful.
Winter's Bone - Disturbing but poignant film that makes one think "there but for the grace of God go I." Paints a very alien landscape of drugs and family dysfunction in America.
1. In the Heat of the Night (A)
2. The Passion of Joan of Arc (B)
3. The Passion of the Christ (A)
4. Mamma Mia! (B)
5. All About Eve (A)
6. Looking for Anne (B-)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (B+)
8. The King's Speech (A)
9. How Green Was My Valley (B-)
10. Black Swan (B+)
11. Made in Dagenham (B)
12. Gentleman's Agreement (A-)
13. Barney's Version (A-)
14. Out of Africa (B)
15. The Social Network (A-)
16. The Sound of Music (B+)
17. Pulp Fiction (A)
18. Forrest Gump (A)
19. The Shawshank Redemption (A+)
20. The Illusionist (B)
21. The French Connection (B+)
22. Network (A+)
23. Incendies (A+)
24. Mrs. Miniver (A)
25. A Fistful of Dollars (B+)
26. For A Few Dollars More (B)
27. WALL-E (A+)
28. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A)
29. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (B)
30. Gigi (B-)
31. I Love You Phillip Morris (B+)
32. How To Train Your Dragon (A)
33. Tarzan (B+)
34. Oliver! (B+)
35. Gosford Park (A-)
36. The Princess Bride (B+)
37. All the President's Men (A-)
38. Oliver Twist (B+)
39. My Fair Lady (A+)
40. Hanna (A-)
41. The Godfather (A+)
42. The Godfather: Part II (A+)
43. The Godfather: Part III (A-)
44. Dog Day Afternoon (A)
45. Taxi Driver (A-)
46. Great Expectations (B+)
47. The Last Airbender (D-)
48. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (A+)
49. Raging Bull (B+)
2. The Passion of Joan of Arc (B)
3. The Passion of the Christ (A)
4. Mamma Mia! (B)
5. All About Eve (A)
6. Looking for Anne (B-)
7. 2001: A Space Odyssey (B+)
8. The King's Speech (A)
9. How Green Was My Valley (B-)
10. Black Swan (B+)
11. Made in Dagenham (B)
12. Gentleman's Agreement (A-)
13. Barney's Version (A-)
14. Out of Africa (B)
15. The Social Network (A-)
16. The Sound of Music (B+)
17. Pulp Fiction (A)
18. Forrest Gump (A)
19. The Shawshank Redemption (A+)
20. The Illusionist (B)
21. The French Connection (B+)
22. Network (A+)
23. Incendies (A+)
24. Mrs. Miniver (A)
25. A Fistful of Dollars (B+)
26. For A Few Dollars More (B)
27. WALL-E (A+)
28. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (A)
29. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (B)
30. Gigi (B-)
31. I Love You Phillip Morris (B+)
32. How To Train Your Dragon (A)
33. Tarzan (B+)
34. Oliver! (B+)
35. Gosford Park (A-)
36. The Princess Bride (B+)
37. All the President's Men (A-)
38. Oliver Twist (B+)
39. My Fair Lady (A+)
40. Hanna (A-)
41. The Godfather (A+)
42. The Godfather: Part II (A+)
43. The Godfather: Part III (A-)
44. Dog Day Afternoon (A)
45. Taxi Driver (A-)
46. Great Expectations (B+)
47. The Last Airbender (D-)
48. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (A+)
49. Raging Bull (B+)
51. Spartacus (A+)
52. The Deer Hunter (B+)
53. Reservoir Dogs (A)
54. A Clockwork Orange (A)
Another Blu-Ray I picked up as part of a really good three-pack (with Dog Day Afternoon and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest).
As opposed to the earlier-reviewed Spartacus, Kubrick's clearly working his own distinct style here. Sterility is the order of the day (weirdly paired with a lot of oversexed background decor). Quite a good movie, with Kubrick's expectedly cynical twist on the morality tale: spending a bunch of time victimizing Alex to make the audience feel sympathy for him, only to remind us at the end that he doesn't actually deserve it. Malcolm McDowell is excellent in the title role, which is really his only significant one before he started playing the villain in every Hollywood B-movie (in fact, I suspect he's dropped below B-movie at this point). A largely wasted talent. Patrick Magee as the writer is really the only flaw; his performance goes insanely over the top in the final quarter.
"Little Shop of Horrors" (1986) - Not all of the songs and jokes work, but when they do, they work big time. Highlights were Steve Martin's psycho biker dentist character, Bill Murray's too short but hilarious-for-every-minute-it's-on screen dental patient who loves pain, and the amazing puppetry on the monster plant.
The "Somewhere Green" ballad was surprisingly gorgeous and moving in the midst of such a wacky movie, and the love story was truly heartwarming. As ridiculous as its lyrics were, I think Martin's song about how he became a dentist because he loves to inflict pain on people should have won an Oscar for best song.
The "Somewhere Green" ballad was surprisingly gorgeous and moving in the midst of such a wacky movie, and the love story was truly heartwarming. As ridiculous as its lyrics were, I think Martin's song about how he became a dentist because he loves to inflict pain on people should have won an Oscar for best song.
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