Movies Seen in 2011
- Thread starter Starbreaker
- Start date
1. The Fighter: B-
2. Batman(90's saga): A-,B-,C-,D
3. Star Wars OT-Special Edition: B+, A, B
4. The Green Hornet: B
5. True Grit(1969): C+
6. Lord of the Rings saga: (A,A,A)
7. The Machinist: A-
8. Season of the Witch: B
9. Frozen: A-
10. Due Date: B+
11. Planet of the Apes(2001): B-
12. Faster: C
13. Romance: D (French film, subtitled)
14. YPF: C- (YPF=Young People F*&^ing)
15. The Beautiful Truth: B-
16. Strictly Sexual: C+
17. DOOM: C
18. Brothers: B+
19. Men In Black II: B-
20. The Crow: Wicked Prayer: C-
21. The Soloist: C
22. Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love: C+
23. I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry: B-
24. Battle in Heaven: C+ (Mexican film, subtitled)
25. Legion: B-
26. Battle: LA: B+
27. Righteous Kill: B
28. Dracula II: Ascension: B-
29. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li: D
30. You Don't Mess With the Zohan: C+
2. Batman(90's saga): A-,B-,C-,D
3. Star Wars OT-Special Edition: B+, A, B
4. The Green Hornet: B
5. True Grit(1969): C+
6. Lord of the Rings saga: (A,A,A)
7. The Machinist: A-
8. Season of the Witch: B
9. Frozen: A-
10. Due Date: B+
11. Planet of the Apes(2001): B-
12. Faster: C
13. Romance: D (French film, subtitled)
14. YPF: C- (YPF=Young People F*&^ing)
15. The Beautiful Truth: B-
16. Strictly Sexual: C+
17. DOOM: C
18. Brothers: B+
19. Men In Black II: B-
20. The Crow: Wicked Prayer: C-
21. The Soloist: C
22. Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love: C+
23. I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry: B-
24. Battle in Heaven: C+ (Mexican film, subtitled)
25. Legion: B-
26. Battle: LA: B+
27. Righteous Kill: B
28. Dracula II: Ascension: B-
29. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li: D
30. You Don't Mess With the Zohan: C+
32. Dracula III: Legacy: B-
33. Tangled: B+
34. Paul Blart Mall Cop: C-
35. Chloe: B
Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried star in this tale of love, betrayal and lust. This movie hit my radar after discussions of Amanda Seyfried's latest movie Red Riding Hood.
I was prepared for the idea of Amanda showing lots of skin but didn't know Julianne would also be getting in on the act. Discussion of the movie didn't really delve into just who the "lovers" were for Chloe.
The movie didn't really offer much different on this type movie other than who really was doing the cheating. I give it a 'B' score though because the performances were still very well done. Didn't feel like anyone 'phoned' it in.
The Complete Metropolis (2010)
This is the latest restoration of Fritz Lang's 1927 film and the third version of it I've seen. The last was the 2001 restoration that was still missing about 30 minutes of the original film. This version restored an additional 25 minutes found in a museum in Argentina.
I enjoy the film though I think the message it presents is simplistic at best. The new footage adds a lot of material and fleshes out the narrative. My brother and his girlfriend did spend much of the film laughing at the amount of overacting taking place.
Rob Roy (1995)
While the film was far from historically accurate, I enjoyed it nonetheless. The plot was simple but well written, the acting was excellent and the film made Scotland look fantastic. It is too bad they didn't expand upon the Jacobite uprisings but that side plot wouldn't have contributed much to the plot the film had in mind.
Commando (1985)
This is probably my favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger film and one of the best action films of all time. The film has no ambitions beyond its simple premise, does not take itself seriously and it delivers on everything it promises.
My favorite scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMkXY6MN96E&feature=related
This is the latest restoration of Fritz Lang's 1927 film and the third version of it I've seen. The last was the 2001 restoration that was still missing about 30 minutes of the original film. This version restored an additional 25 minutes found in a museum in Argentina.
I enjoy the film though I think the message it presents is simplistic at best. The new footage adds a lot of material and fleshes out the narrative. My brother and his girlfriend did spend much of the film laughing at the amount of overacting taking place.
Rob Roy (1995)
While the film was far from historically accurate, I enjoyed it nonetheless. The plot was simple but well written, the acting was excellent and the film made Scotland look fantastic. It is too bad they didn't expand upon the Jacobite uprisings but that side plot wouldn't have contributed much to the plot the film had in mind.
Commando (1985)
This is probably my favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger film and one of the best action films of all time. The film has no ambitions beyond its simple premise, does not take itself seriously and it delivers on everything it promises.
My favorite scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMkXY6MN96E&feature=related
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)
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)
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+)
Another of the famous musicals, again by Lerner and Loewe (who are much less famous as people than Rodgers and Hammerstein, even though their movies were much bigger awards successes at the time), and directed by George Cukor.
A lot of older musicals are excessively cheery or otherwise lacking in dramatic conflict; this is a definite exception, and that's not surprising, given that it's based on one of the more famous works of George Bernard Shaw. The dialogue is exceptional, and though the movie ends on a much more ambiguous note than its source, I give it credit for not going for a full-on happy ending. Rex Harrison is superb as the snobby male lead; Audrey Hepburn's Cockney act is a little grating in places (though I imagine it's supposed to be), but she's also very good. The supporting players are all well-done. The film meanders a bit (Eliza's dad is funny, but has a couple of fairly long sequences that don't have anything to do with the rest of the movie), but it's still easily my favourite of the 50s/60s musicals that I've seen.
40. Hanna (A-)
The first 2011 film I've seen in 2011. Joe Wright's fourth feature (I haven't seen his 2009 The Soloist, as with most people, but Pride & Prejudice and Atonement were both terrific, and his Anna Karenina sits atop my most anticipated films of 2012) stars Saorise Ronan, who was so wonderful in Atonement (and may also be in Anna). I would say this is the thinking person's teen girl assassin movie; it leaves the backstory somewhat vague in places, but it's all quite well-handled, and the plot is both tense and tight. The characterization is nicely handled; again, it's not a character piece by any means, but you care about the people involved.
Directorially, the look is a lot more "modern" than Wright's other films; lots more flashes and stuff to give people seizures. There's also a couple of one-take sequences, which Wright clearly loves, though nothing nearly on the scale of the Dunkirk beach tracking shot. There's a one-take fight between Eric Bana and four guys in a parking garage that is excellent and flows very well. Actually, that's one thing I really liked about it: in a really good action film, there's weight and a sense of risk to every confrontation. Here, every one of the mooks feels dangerous; there's no scene where the good guys mow through twenty guys effortlessly.
One of the best action films I've seen in recent years.
I'm surprised you give it an a "A+" despite saying that. I thought "A+" means a movie is pretty much perfect. I liked this movie, but there were parts where it really dragged and to use the same word you did, Hepburn was VERY grating at times, to the point where it made me cringe.
It's very uneven, but Rex Harrison never falters and I love that ending. It's my favourite kind of ending with one of those perfect lines that lets you know everything's going to be roses, only implying rather than showing a 'happily ever after' (like the endings of a few Billy Wilder pictures).
CC, what did you think of the ending of "Chloe"? I thought it was pretty hilarious how it was going for tragic and disturbing...it was so over-the-top I couldn't take it seriously. In fact, I think the whole thing is a case of a movie taking itself too seriously when it lacks the subtlety to really deserve that, but yeah, fine performances.
Amen to that. They don't make action movies like this anymore. I love the gleefully obnoxious, vicious, menacing, and vile villains, the excessive violence, and the plethora of very, very funny one-liners. I'll never forget that scene where Arnold and one of the baddies are fighting and this woman watching them exclaims, "These guys eat too much red meat!". I laughed SO hard.
For me, A+ movies can still have flaws (I don't think there's a single movie out there without a few), so long as the strengths are strong enough.
One thing I have noticed in my old movie viewings lately is how long all these old BP winners are; three hours is routine, and a lot of these (like MFL and The Sound of Music) are "family" films.
This was directed at the other CC, I imagine, but I saw this movie last year, so I'll say it was a pretty odd conclusion. It's not Egoyan's best film by any means.
On the subject, if you haven't seen The Sweet Hereafter, see it right now. Amazing movie.
I found the ending to be telegraphed, at least as far as Chloe was concerned.
You just knew Chloe was going to die. Frankly with all the emotional instability with Catherine(Julianne) I half expected her to somehow, with some instrument perhaps stab Chloe. The whole hairpin to the throat moment made me go there I suppose. Chloe letting herself die though was a bit hollow. What did she the result of that would be?
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'
Took my sister & her two sons up to D/FW yesterday mornin' for a free screenin' of Rio.
Since its from the creators of Ice Age, there's a Scrat-centric short before the movie, which was a pretty funny way to explain continental drift.
And the movie itself was pretty cute...a few too many musical numbers (the movie opens with one, the bad guy gets one, there are two to get the blue birds interested in each other, and then another at the end that mirrors the first one), but quite a bit of humor, too.
The boys liked it, my sister agreed it was cute. And, ya know, ya just can't beat gettin' into a 3D movie for free.
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+
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. Nicely absurd dark comedy in the typical Cohen Brother's style. A ridiculous amount of star power here, and it's fun to watch them in what are mostly atypical roles for the actors. Was not the film I was expecting- in a good way.
30. Spirited Away (2001) - A. This movie is one of the best reviewed Anime films to date, and I can't argue with that. Where this movie excels is in the bizarre universe it creates and in the wildly inventive design of the characters. A fable along the lines of The Wizard of Oz, and maybe the best movie of that type I've seen in many years.
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+)
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+)
41. The Godfather (A+)
We meet at last. I debated assigning this a grade other than "A+" just to be controversial, but while this film has probably lost a lot of its impact through endless imitation and parody, one can see why it's as praised as it is.
The main victim of the film's success is Marlon Brando; I found it very, very hard to take him seriously. Conversely, Al Pacino's performance is much, much more low key than you would expect, given how his acting style has evolved over the years. Everybody else is in good form too. If there's one niggle from a story perspective, everything to do with Michael's relationship with Kay feels very underdeveloped.
Recently I've seen:
Sucker Punch F
Paul B-
Scream 4 B+
Source Code A-
Your Highness B-
Sucker Punch F
Paul B-
Scream 4 B+
Source Code A-
Your Highness B-
Really?
This was the horror franchise of my late H.S./College years and despite what I've seen there is no building sense of "gotta see it" for me.
I feel like it's become a parody of itself with the whole "rules schtick" it used to mock the genre and now years later here is another.
As far as dormant franchises resurrected goes how do you rate it? Die Hard, Indy, Rocky, Rambo for instance.
The Fighter 3/4
I liked several movies better than this in 2010. Christian Bale is great, but I really think calling the movie a best picture Oscar nominee was a stretch.
Oh, and I heart Amy Adams
I liked several movies better than this in 2010. Christian Bale is great, but I really think calling the movie a best picture Oscar nominee was a stretch.
Oh, and I heart Amy Adams
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+)
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+)
41. The Godfather (A+)
42. The Godfather: Part II (A+)
There's always been a lively debate about which of the films is better: after first viewings, I would say I'm in the "Part II is better" group, albeit with a caveat; namely, Part II has the considerable advantage these days of being far, far less familiar to audiences before they even watch it. Had I been there in theatres in 1972 and 1974, I might think differently. But we'll never know.
Pacino continues to be much more low-key here than in later movies, though he gets a few chances here to explode in the manner we're all familiar with. Despite the occasional cutaways to Robert De Niro as a young Vito (De Niro doing a good job of imitating Brando's accent), I think the movie benefits from a much clearer-cut focus on Michael. The scenes with Michael's dissolving immediate family are much better-developed here, and the various parallels with the events of the first film are artfully done. Whereas the first film ends with a montage of deaths done essentially out of desperation, this one ends with a montage of deaths that are all utterly unnecessary and motivated solely by Michael's spite and vengefulness.
Up next: is Part III as disappointing as so many claim?
I can't tell ya, I fall asleep every time I try to watch it.
Just saw "White Heat". Hell of a gangster movie. Brilliantly written, performed, and acted. Loved James Cagney's ruthless mama's boy character and the rivetingly suspenseful 'cop undercover in a gang' plot line.
It reminded me of "Heat", "The Departed", "The Untouchables" and my favourite movie "Scarface" '83 all at the same time, and I'd venture to say it's as good as any of them and maybe even better than some of them. Just a magnificent piece of entertainment. Better paced and written than most movies I see these days.
Regarding the Godfather movies discussion, I like the first one most because I thought Brando was just captivating in his role, and while the second one is great too, it's just not the same without him. From the very first scene with him stroking his cat, I thought he was just so magnetic...just an endlessly fascinating performance with its understated body language and such naturalness to the delivery of eloquent words and subtle playing of deep emotions and convictions.
The third one gets a bad rap because it's such a huge drop in quality from the first two, but it's not a total disaster. It has a few plots and some are good, while others aren't. I like Michael's arc, but the plot with Andy Garcia and Sofia Coppola's characters is a pathetic fiasco, despite Garcia's fine acting and I found the climax and ending pretty limp. It's the kind of movie that leaves you thinking "that's it? that's all?" at the end, which is very disappointing after how resonant the endings of the first two movies were.
It reminded me of "Heat", "The Departed", "The Untouchables" and my favourite movie "Scarface" '83 all at the same time, and I'd venture to say it's as good as any of them and maybe even better than some of them. Just a magnificent piece of entertainment. Better paced and written than most movies I see these days.
Regarding the Godfather movies discussion, I like the first one most because I thought Brando was just captivating in his role, and while the second one is great too, it's just not the same without him. From the very first scene with him stroking his cat, I thought he was just so magnetic...just an endlessly fascinating performance with its understated body language and such naturalness to the delivery of eloquent words and subtle playing of deep emotions and convictions.
The third one gets a bad rap because it's such a huge drop in quality from the first two, but it's not a total disaster. It has a few plots and some are good, while others aren't. I like Michael's arc, but the plot with Andy Garcia and Sofia Coppola's characters is a pathetic fiasco, despite Garcia's fine acting and I found the climax and ending pretty limp. It's the kind of movie that leaves you thinking "that's it? that's all?" at the end, which is very disappointing after how resonant the endings of the first two movies were.
1. The Fighter: B-
2. Batman(90's saga): A-,B-,C-,D
3. Star Wars OT-Special Edition: B+, A, B
4. The Green Hornet: B
5. True Grit(1969): C+
6. Lord of the Rings saga: (A,A,A)
7. The Machinist: A-
8. Season of the Witch: B
9. Frozen: A-
10. Due Date: B+
11. Planet of the Apes(2001): B-
12. Faster: C
13. Romance: D (French film, subtitled)
14. YPF: C- (YPF=Young People F*&^ing)
15. The Beautiful Truth: B-
16. Strictly Sexual: C+
17. DOOM: C
18. Brothers: B+
19. Men In Black II: B-
20. The Crow: Wicked Prayer: C-
21. The Soloist: C
22. Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love: C+
23. I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry: B-
24. Battle in Heaven: C+ (Mexican film, subtitled)
25. Legion: B-
26. Battle: LA: B+
27. Righteous Kill: B
28. Dracula II: Ascension: B-
29. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li: D
30. You Don't Mess With the Zohan: C+
31. Finding Bliss: C
2. Batman(90's saga): A-,B-,C-,D
3. Star Wars OT-Special Edition: B+, A, B
4. The Green Hornet: B
5. True Grit(1969): C+
6. Lord of the Rings saga: (A,A,A)
7. The Machinist: A-
8. Season of the Witch: B
9. Frozen: A-
10. Due Date: B+
11. Planet of the Apes(2001): B-
12. Faster: C
13. Romance: D (French film, subtitled)
14. YPF: C- (YPF=Young People F*&^ing)
15. The Beautiful Truth: B-
16. Strictly Sexual: C+
17. DOOM: C
18. Brothers: B+
19. Men In Black II: B-
20. The Crow: Wicked Prayer: C-
21. The Soloist: C
22. Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love: C+
23. I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry: B-
24. Battle in Heaven: C+ (Mexican film, subtitled)
25. Legion: B-
26. Battle: LA: B+
27. Righteous Kill: B
28. Dracula II: Ascension: B-
29. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li: D
30. You Don't Mess With the Zohan: C+
31. Finding Bliss: C
33. Tangled: B+
34. Paul Blart Mall Cop: C-
35. Chloe: B
36. Kung Fu Panda: B-
Knowing the sequel was coming out and having had an interest in the first I thought it time to see this. Even accounting for it being a kids movie I didn't find as much 'adult hidden' humor in this. It was just good enough to hold my interest but not good enough for me to care about the sequel, at least theatrically.
Dolores Claiborne from Stephen King. Got the DVD for my birthday. Wonderful! I'm a huge King-fan.
- 01/01 Black Swan (2010) ✭✭✭✭ [Download]
- 01/03 Winter's Bone (2010) ✭✭✭½ [DVD]
- 01/22 Buried (2010) ✭✭✭✭ [Blu-ray]
- 02/05 The King's Speech (2010) ✭✭✭✭ [Theater]
- 02/07 Catfish (2010) ✭✭✭ [DVD]
- 02/09 The American (2010) ✭✭ [Blu-ray]
- 02/09 Frozen (2010) ✭✭½ [Netflix]
- 02/10 Dinner For Schmucks (2010) ✭✭½ [DVD]
- 02/10 Case 39 (2009) ✭✭ [DVD]
- 02/11 Cyrus (2010) ✭✭✭✭ [Blu-ray]
- 02/11 Piranha (2010)✭✭✭ [Blu-ray]
- 02/11 Julie & Julia (2009) ✭✭✭½ [Netflix]
- 02/11 From Here to Eternity (1953) ✭✭✭✭ [Netflix]
- 02/12 Over Her Dead Body (2008) ✭✭ [TV]
- 02/12 Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) ✭✭½ [Blu-ray]
- 02/12 The Kids Are All Right (2010) ✭✭✭½ [Blu-ray]
- 02/13 The Last Exorcism (2010) ✭✭✭✭ [Blu-ray]
- 02/14 The Other Guys (2010) ✭✭½ [DVD]
- 02/14 Saw 3D (2010)✭✭ [Blu-ray]
- 02/14 Nowhere Boy ✭✭✭✭ [Blu-ray]
- 02/18 Due Date (2010) ✭✭ [DVD]
- 03/16 Goldfinger ✭✭✭ [Blu-ray]
- 03/26 Thunderball ✭✭✭ [Blu-ray]
- 03/26 The Bride of Frankenstein ✭✭✭ [Netflix]
- 03/27 Phantom of the Opera (1925) ✭✭✭ [Netflix]
- 04/02 A Single Man ✭✭ [TV]
- 04/03 Big Fan ✭✭✭ [TV]
- 04/04 Grimm Love ✭ [TV]
- 04/05 Stolen ✭✭✭ [TV]
- 04/10 The Fighter (2010) ✭✭✭ [DVD]
- 04/11 Spartacus (1960) ✭✭✭ 1/2 [Blu-ray]
53. Young Frankenstein (A)
54. The Producers (B+)
Mel Brooks introduced this double feature a week ago (or was it two?) at the Aero Theatre in Los Angeles, in honor of the late Kenneth Mars, who co-stars in both films. It was a lot of fun and Brooks was pretty lively for a man of 84 years.
I like them both -- they're top tier when it comes to Brook's filmography -- but I definitely like Young Frankenstein the most out of the pair. It models itself off of the already campy Bride of Frankenstein and then dials things up even further. As far as the Monster goes, Peter Boyle is second only to Karloff when it comes to on-screen depictions of the character. The rest of the cast is equally good (especially Marty Feldman and Madeline Khan), and Gene Hackman's unbilled (in the main titles, at least) cameo is still a treat. "Werewolf!" "There, wolf." "There, castle." Positively brilliant dialogue by Brooks and Wilder.
I shouldn't discount The Producers, though. Wilder is a stand-out (his business with his baby blanket is hilarious), but it's the supporting characters who lift the movie towards becoming a comedic masterpiece (L.S.D., Roger, Carmen Giya, and Franz Liebkind). I like the musical (although the film adaptation of it was a bit of a dud), but this original version is still my favorite. "Springtime for Hitler," of course, is a hilarious musical number in any language.
54. The Producers (B+)
Mel Brooks introduced this double feature a week ago (or was it two?) at the Aero Theatre in Los Angeles, in honor of the late Kenneth Mars, who co-stars in both films. It was a lot of fun and Brooks was pretty lively for a man of 84 years.
I like them both -- they're top tier when it comes to Brook's filmography -- but I definitely like Young Frankenstein the most out of the pair. It models itself off of the already campy Bride of Frankenstein and then dials things up even further. As far as the Monster goes, Peter Boyle is second only to Karloff when it comes to on-screen depictions of the character. The rest of the cast is equally good (especially Marty Feldman and Madeline Khan), and Gene Hackman's unbilled (in the main titles, at least) cameo is still a treat. "Werewolf!" "There, wolf." "There, castle." Positively brilliant dialogue by Brooks and Wilder.
I shouldn't discount The Producers, though. Wilder is a stand-out (his business with his baby blanket is hilarious), but it's the supporting characters who lift the movie towards becoming a comedic masterpiece (L.S.D., Roger, Carmen Giya, and Franz Liebkind). I like the musical (although the film adaptation of it was a bit of a dud), but this original version is still my favorite. "Springtime for Hitler," of course, is a hilarious musical number in any language.
