What is the last movie you saw? and rate it.

[Snowqueen]

I watched The Rescuers Down Under with my nieces yesterday. 7/10

A clip from the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN_6J1ee-B0&feature=related

[papayahed]

I saw the Avengers with my friend who hadn't seen all the other movies and knew little about them, during the break I tried to explain all the connections between the movies and the Tesserac and why Banner is Hulk and that Stark's dad knew Rogers and in Iron man II he looks at his dads diary and sees drawings of the tesserac. It's all connected.


Stark's Dad knew Rogers? OK, now I have to see Iron Man II again as well!!

[Alecia Stone]

Dark Shadows - 7/10. Humorous and highly entertaining.

[Helga]

Stark's Dad knew Rogers? OK, now I have to see Iron Man II again as well!!

well yeah, he was in the Captain America movie

just watched Transformers with my boy, saw it when it first came out and thought it was OK, now I think it's a bit better it's just, that Shia dude is kinda annoying

[Snowqueen]

Jerry Maguire - 6/10

[hawthorns]

Before Sunset--BORING beyond boring. Ridiculous script. Less than spectacular shots of Paris...

[Paulclem]

Watched all of The Ninth Gate last night. Because it had Johnny Depp in it, I was expecting it to get better all the time. It didn't, in fact it was like watching the Ladybird Book of Satanism in film.

I've seen loads of crap films, but never one where a premise has been so poorly exploited to the degree that at the end of the film you have no idea what the point is.

-25 for being a complete waste of time. Gah!

[MarkBastable]

Men in Black 3.

Immensely enjoyable nonsense.

[Emil Miller]

A stupid timewaster called Dragonball Evolution.

'Hey - let's put on show!'
'You mean make a movie..?'
'Or a movie...'
'Cool. What'll it'll be about?
'Who cares! We'll just make it up as we go along!'
'What'll be the hook to get people to watch it?'
'Um, explosions, special effects and-... how about Kung Fu!?'
'Kung Fu?'
'Yeah - and an evil demon who wants to take over the world and something about dragons because I like dragons.'
'I like dragons too.'
'Are we agreed we all like dragons?'
'All we need is some investment money and we'll be set!'
'I know a producer who likes dragons...'
'Excellent - we're halfway there!'

Pretty much par for the course.

I watched Accident, one of a string of Joseph Losey films in which nothing much happens at all. Set in Oxford and starring among others Dirk Bogarde and Stanley Baker, it tells how the arrival of a nubile young female student upsets the connubial and socially cohesive grouping of a don, his family, best friend and star scholar. The femme fatale in question was played by Capucine a former French model turned film star who plays off the men one against the other. Unless you like rather pointless shenanigans set in the beautifully photographed surroundings of an ancient university, don't bother. 5/10

[hazelk]

The Eye of the Storm...9/10

[Hawkman]

I watched Prometheus last night, my first visit to a cinema in about 5 years. I was somewhat taken aback by the price of admission and a handfull of nibbles! I think I might go back to waiting until films are released on DVD before I watch them. The 3D effects were subtle - not so much leaping out of the screen at you; more like peering through a window into a room. It was very loud. The film itself was very enjoyable though. As a devotee of Alien films I wasn't disappointed as I was able to make sufficient connections with the established mores of the series and the plot development of the new film. The story's diegesis was logical and I think Scott was right not to make the connections with the first Alien film too obvious.

So, was it worth driving around the carpark for 20 minutes looking for a space and shelling out £25 for a seat and some sweets? Hmmm, tricky. Yes, I enjoyed the film but I'd rather have only spent a tenner. I think I'll be buying the Blue-ray when it comes out. Definitely one for my film library.

8/10. I think it has to be at least that, if only for the cameo clip of Lawrence of Arabia in 3D :D

[TurquoiseSunset]

The amount of money you had to pay is shocking! If I pay full price for a movie ticket and get a drink, popcorn and a small pack of Astros, it will still cost me much less than ten pounds. That being said, the amount I have to pay as it is, is still quite expensive.

[Emil Miller]

I'm on a bit of a Dirk Bogarde kick at the moment and have watched The Spanish Gardener with Bogarde, Michael Horden, Cyral Cusack and a cast of British stalwarts from the days when scripts were well written and understated. Taken from the novel by A.J.Cronin it's central performance of the gardener, played by Bogarde, is overshadowed by Michael Horden's perfectly nuanced acting in the part of an embittered diplomat who is overprotective of his son and becomes jealous of the boy's friendship with the hired gardener.

Horden's performance alone is worth an 8/10 for this excellent adaptation, as is seen in the film's opening.

http://youtu.be/_5n3f73HqKE

[Lokasenna]

I saw Prometheus last night, and was rather disappointed with it, which surprised me as I had fully expected to find it brilliant. The cast was great and giving some incredible performances, but the plot made absolutely no sense - the film felt like it had no idea where it was going or what it was doing, and simply ended without tying up a huge number of plot points. Lots of things seemed to happen for no reason, and huge amount of technical stuff passed unexplained.

The shots of Iceland at the start were probably the best thing for me, even if it was supposed to be pre-historic Earth (I think? That wasn't explained either, come to think of it...). I've stood at the top of that waterfall (Dettifoss) myself.

[qimissung]

Sorry Qimi - meant to respond earlier.

The Thin Red Line is a philosophical war film that intersperses the action with the inner dialogues of the characters including the dead. It's quite an unusual film. it does have lingering shots - some of which are quite beautiful, but then there's the contrast of the war and the horror.

Watched Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Very good - understated, in that drab 50's British style. 7/10

I will need to watch it again as I was zoning in and out with fatigue, but - you know - when you want to watch something good...


Thank you, Paul. :)

New Year's Eve. It was on tv last night. Despite the fact that I have a high tolerance for average movies, this wasn't very good. 3/10

[Helga]

last night I watched Sin City, saw it a few years ago and thought it was time to see it again since they are gonna make another one. It is so good, so very good. So many great actors and so many bad bad guys. It's just wonderful. 9/10

I just finished watching Indiana Jones and the temple of doom and it's OK, not the best Indy movie but OK, now I am ready for number 4 and apparently they are gonna make number 5 soon.

[Buckthorn]

I just finished watching Indiana Jones and the temple of doom and it's OK, not the best Indy movie but OK, now I am ready for number 4 and apparently they are gonna make number 5 soon.

I've heard that as well. Apparently there is also going to be Ghostbusters 3 and a remake of Stephen Kings IT.

I just finished watching "It's a wonderful life". I've always loved it 10/10

[Emil Miller]

Today I concluded watching The Riddle of the Sands, a British film from the novel by Erskine Childers. Set a few years before WWI, it concerns a young British sailor who accidentally discovers a plot for the invasion of England by Germany using barges carrying thousands of troops that will land at a poorly protected part of the East coast of England.
It's pretty much a schoolboy yarn about Brits foiling the dastardly Germans, but quite well done and very well photographed on location along the North German coast.
Ironically, the author was involved in smuggling German weapons to Irish nationalists but was executed by the Irish Free State after he refused to support the partition of Ireland and continued to fight for the complete removal of British sovereignty.

7/10

[Emil Miller]

Just watched Zeppelin in which Michael York plays a British spy inserted into Germany during WW1 in order to discover German plans for the enhancement of airships to bomb British cities. The Germans are developing a giant ship to be used in a special operation to steal historic documents from a Scottish castle where they have been stored for the duration of the war. This unlikely premise gives rise to the usual explosions and gunfire associated with war films but as a 'ripping yarn' it has its moments.

6/10

http://youtu.be/mAjLzfKzXGo

[TurquoiseSunset]

I saw 'Super 8' last Friday. I loved it. I really liked the dialogue and the characters' interactions with each other. The kids who played in the movie were great.

9/10.

[Snowqueen]

I watched Shrink and I wasn’t disappointed with it. Performance of Kevin Spacy was absolutely brilliant. 8/10

[qimissung]

Die Hard for the gazillionth time. 10/10 It came on about 10 and I stayed up late to watch it. A perfect movie for a perfect summer activity when you don't have to get up the next day! Yippee-ki-yay!

[tonywalt]

I watched "A Woman under the influence" directed by John Cassavetes. Brilliant film.

[Jordan770]

Hamlet starring Kenneth Branagh. Honestly I wasn't a fan of Branagh's portrayal of the main character.

[Helga]

Paul - again, bought it today and my son hadn't seen it so we watched it very funny and Simon Pegg is always awesome.

[Buckthorn]

Paul - again, bought it today and my son hadn't seen it so we watched it very funny and Simon Pegg is always awesome.

I love Paul. Especially the girl who swears a lot.

[Emil Miller]

Paul - again, bought it today and my son hadn't seen it so we watched it very funny and Simon Pegg is always awesome.

Simon Pegg eh? They get obscurer and obscurer.

[Snowqueen]

I watched Disney’s Beauty and the Beast with nieces last night. Though I’ve seen it hundreds of times before but never got bored. I think it’s the best animation by Disney ever.

I love this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_lp1vEs5A4

[Emil Miller]

I watched Villain (don't ask) a typical piece of British 1970s rubbish about a sadistic (ho hum) vicious ( surprise surprise) homosexual ( yawn) gangster played by Richard Burton. Yes, that Richard Burton who went from being a potentially great actor to a Hollywood icon of such overblown nonsense as Cleopatra, The Robe, Alexander the Great etc. while partially redeeming himself in some fairly good roles along the way. Anyhow, Villain is one of a number of British films of the period, specifically designed to appeal to that section of the cinema going public that identifies with lowlife and thinks that its highly coloured depiction by miscast actors gives credence to the imaginative depiction of their own even more pointless existence.

2/10

[MarkBastable]

I watched Villain (don't ask) a typical piece of British 1970s rubbish about a sadistic (ho hum) vicious ( surprise surprise) homosexual ( yawn) gangster played by Richard Burton. Yes, that Richard Burton who went from being a potentially great actor to a Hollywood icon of such overblown nonsense as Cleopatra, The Robe, Alexander the Great etc. while partially redeeming himself in some fairly good roles along the way. Anyhow, Villain is one of a number of British films of the period, specifically designed to appeal to that section of the cinema going public that identifies with lowlife and thinks that its highly coloured depiction by miscast actors gives credence to the imaginative depiction of their own even more pointless existence.

2/10


The piles are giving you gyp again, I see.

[Emil Miller]

The piles are giving you gyp again, I see.

Thankfully I don't suffer from them but it's a cinch that you do judging from your picture.

[Calidore]

Got a Tremors project going. I'll be watching all four movies and the TV series. So far:

Tremors: A few clumsy bits where they had to hit buttons and a few bits where the low budget detracts, but this is still a tremendous modern B monster movie. 8.5/10.

Tremors 2: This, on the other hand, is just a B movie, and not a good one. Actors who look like they're acting (even Fred Ward and Michael Gross, who were both perfect in the original), the new characters are all generic, nobody has chemistry, and the script is purely by numbers. 5/10

Except now I can't find the DVDs with 3 & 4 and the show. So tonight was Battle Royale, which is still tremendous. 9/10

[qimissung]

I saw Prometheus this weekend. It was watchable, it just didn't leave me astounded or thinking, which was what I was hoping for. 5/10

Meek's Cutoff 8/10 What a beautiful movie. I have to admit that I watched this at home and my attention wandered. I'm not sure I could have happily watched this in the theater. I never would have thought that such an arrid and empty landscape could be so beautiful, and Michelle Williams is awesome, as usual. This movie is based on true events. The real wagon train had a thousand or so people, I gather, whereas in the movie the cast of characters is pared down to nine, the better to create psycological tension, I suppose.

Some of the usual western tropes are present-the lack of water, the presence of Indians, accidents and illness-but there is a complete lack of even the delicate beginnings of an infrastructure for civilization. Just these intrepid settlers, literally putting one foot in front of the other, and the hope that drives them.

[Buckthorn]

Except now I can't find the DVDs with 3 & 4 and the show.

I enjoyed 4 in a weird way. It was very nonsensical with lots of bad acting but its perfect when you're drunk.

[tonywalt]

I saw Prometheus this weekend. It was watchable, it just didn't leave me astounded or thinking, which was what I was hoping for. 5/10

Meek's Cutoff 8/10 What a beautiful movie. I have to admit that I watched this at home and my attention wandered. I'm not sure I could have happily watched this in the theater. I never would have thought that such an arrid and empty landscape could be so beautiful, and Michelle Williams is awesome, as usual. This movie is based on true events. The real wagon train had a thousand or so people, I gather, whereas in the movie the cast of characters is pared down to nine, the better to create psycological tension, I suppose.

Some of the usual western tropes are present-the lack of water, the presence of Indians, accidents and illness-but there is a complete lack of even the delicate beginnings of an infrastructure for civilization. Just these intrepid settlers, literally putting one foot in front of the other, and the hope that drives them.

Meeks Cutoff is a great movie. Also, Kelly Reichart' other great film is "Old Joy" with Will Oldham. Very quiet film similiar in feel to Meeks Cutoff - I would watch out for her, one of the best on the indy side.

[Calidore]

I like the way the Chicago Reader critic opened his review of Prometheus: "The plot of this Alien prequel was a carefully guarded secret—so carefully guarded, in fact, that not even the movie reveals it."

[Paulclem]

I saw Prometheus this weekend. It was watchable, it just didn't leave me astounded or thinking, which was what I was hoping for. 5/10



Same here. The usual special effects, alien landscape, inscrutable alien purposes and violence, with some predictable characters - including the cowardly Brit. (The geologist). I had hoped for a good film: the critics on the review show had panned it, but I had to agree with them. 6/10 I think all the Alien films were better.

[MarkBastable]

Thankfully I don't suffer from them but it's a cinch that you do judging from your picture.

From my picture? How do you come to that conclusion, Holmes?

[YesNo]

I saw Benny & Joon (1993) last night: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106387/

It was story of Benny, who was acting too responsibly, dropping his fear and and his sister Joon beginning to assume more responsibility for her life. Very well done.

I give it a 10 although IMDb gave it a 7.

[Emil Miller]

From my picture? How do you come to that conclusion, Holmes?

I once saw a film in which one of the characters was supposed to be a sufferer, and sitting with a lugubrious expression as though his mind were elsewhere was exactly how he was portrayed by the actor playing the part.

I watched Count Five and Die, a film about espionage. Set in London during 1945, it concerns a group of agents under the command of the excellent Nigel Patrick who plays a British Army major in control of a plan to fool the Germans into believing that an allied invasion will take place through Holland. Overlooking the fact that such a plan would have involved many more than is shown in the film, the authentic scenes of a bomb scarred London in the 1950s when the film was actually made, add realism to a story that starts out well enough but degenerates into melodrama as the film reaches its conclusion.

[Paulclem]

Transsiberian - a US couple meet a pair of dodgy backpackers and end up mixed up in a drugs cartel. An unusual story if a bit predictable. 6/10

The lives of others - about the surveillance of artists in East Germany. Thoughtful 6/10.

[qimissung]

I like the way the Chicago Reader critic opened his review of Prometheus: "The plot of this Alien prequel was a carefully guarded secret—so carefully guarded, in fact, that not even the movie reveals it."

:lol: That's funny.

And Paul-"inscrutable alien purposes..." so true! YOu know I like a bit of a mystery in a plot, but this was just poorly done. The one question that kept pounding in my head was whydid the robot put the whatever it was in the man's drink? And why did the alien try to kill them when one of his species had given us life (I guess; it was all a little confusing)? None of it added up, and as a narrative, some of it should have.


This was a really good review, and there were some excellent comments, although they're a bit lengthy. Obviously I've got some time on my hands. :D



http://www.juliansanchez.com/2012/06/11/whats-wrong-with-prometheus-a-partial-list/

[Buckthorn]

I watched the new Fright Night last night for the first time. It was OK, but not a patch on the original 2. 6/10

[Helga]

'Everything is illuminated', it was very good, I think I'd like to read the book when I have the chance too. I am not a big Elijah Wood fan but he was good in it, one of his best roles (his best being Sin City).

[MarkBastable]

I once saw a film in which one of the characters was supposed to be a sufferer, and sitting with a lugubrious expression as though his mind were elsewhere was exactly how he was portrayed by the actor playing the part.


Under any circumstances, drawing conclusions about life from the movies is a rather naive course of action. And, as we know, your interpretation of film and your appreciation of perfomance is quite often awry in any case. So you're probably going to something a bit more concrete, Agatha.

[Emil Miller]

With widespread flooding and lack of sunshine, the English summer remains out of sight. However there's still YouTube to brighten the day and so, instead of dutifully reading War and Peace, I took in Man Trap, a film made in 1961 that was quite good until, like so many others, it was unable to resist the barn storming ending that renders the whole enterprise null and void. However, I was hooked when I saw that Stella Stevens was in it because, although I don't usually go for glamorous blonds, no normal male could pass up on a woman who made Marilyn Monroe look like a vicar's daughter.

http://youtu.be/Joc9BnF0XQs


Under any circumstances, drawing conclusions about life from the movies is a rather naive course of action. And, as we know, your interpretation of film and your appreciation of perfomance is quite often awry in any case. So you're probably going to something a bit more concrete, Agatha.

So, 'as WE know', is a sure indication that 'YOUR' individual opinion is worthless without the support of those mythical 'others' who have had no input into your unwarranted personalisation of my observations on a thread that asks for individual comment. Unless of course you are among those referred to in my comment as being those who relate to lowlife: in which case, your attitude is understandable.

[Scheherazade]

~

R e m i n d e r

Please discuss the ideas, not each other.

Off-topic posts will be removed without further notice.

~

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I saw Prometheus. I thought it was really good. Smart story, amazing effects and cinematography, and a strong female lead. I thought it better than any of the Alien movies, the first of which I find extremely overrated. The connections to the Alien movies are subtle, and Scott said many times it wasn't going to be directly connected to any of the previous films, so the fans were, for some reason, disappointed when it turned out not to have a bunch if aliens running around eating people. 8/10.

[qimissung]

I'm glad you liked it Mutatis, but that's not why I was not enthused with it.


I watched the new Fright Night last night for the first time. It was OK, but not a patch on the original 2. 6/10

Hey, I just watched that tonight. It was better than I thought it would be. The weakest part of it, I thought, was that they didn't develop the Peter Vincent character as well as they did in the original. I noticed that they kept the oversized vampire fangs. I personally prefer a more understated look in fangs myself. :D

All in all, I'd give it a 7/10. The original is still the best for good campy fun.

[OrphanPip]

I like Prometheus, though it was seriously flawed, and it doesn't approach Alien or Aliens. Alien 3 and 4 are **** though, so it's better than them.

Of what I've seen recently:

Moonrise Kingdom 9/10
Quirky and beautifully filmed, not as good as Rushmore but another great production by Wes Anderson.

Rock of Ages 3/10
Tom Cruise is really good in it, but most of the film is painful.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer 2/10
This isn't even so bad its good bad, it's just bad.

Brave 7/10
Cute Pixar movie, and a princess movie where there finally is no prince charming! The film is actually about the mother-daughter relationship, which itself is rare in the generally male centred world of children's films.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I don't get why Alien and Aliens are lauded as being so good. The first one is so damn boring--an attempt to be artsy, I guess, but it seemed like Scott just needed to fill time. I've yet to watch it without falling asleep. And the effects aren't anything special. Then Cameron comes along with the sequel and overdoes it in the opposite way--macho guys with guns and tanks, plus an annoying little kid. "They mostly come out at night . . . mostly." Bleh.

I like the fourth one. At least it's fun.

/rant

As to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: I haven't seen it because it looks really stupid (if they just didn't have Lincoln spinning axes around like a ninja I'd give it a chance) but I have heard the effects and production are pretty good.


:lol: That's funny.

And Paul-"inscrutable alien purposes..." so true! YOu know I like a bit of a mystery in a plot, but this was just poorly done. The one question that kept pounding in my head was whydid the robot put the whatever it was in the man's drink? And why did the alien try to kill them when one of his species had given us life (I guess; it was all a little confusing)? None of it added up, and as a narrative, some of it should have.


This was a really good review, and there were some excellent comments, although they're a bit lengthy. Obviously I've got some time on my hands. :D



http://www.juliansanchez.com/2012/06/11/whats-wrong-with-prometheus-a-partial-list/

Prometheus spoilers ahead.

The reason he put the drop of alien-oil in the one guy's drink is because he was simply trying to find out what it did. In the scene before that, Theron's character confronts him to find out what their father told him to do, and his answer was "try harder," i.e., try harder to figure out what they were dealing with, so he did, at the expense of the man's life. Plus, he was sort of a dick to David. He supposedly has no feelings, but I doubt that was true.

As to why the aliens wanted to kill us--why they had that deadly stuff stockpiled and why we, as the human race were lead there--is a mystery, and was pointed out by the movie that it was. She even says at the end that that is what she is going to try and find out: why the engineers created us, and why they wanted to kill us. My theory is we were a genetic experiment that got out of control, and rather than chance us evolving to the point where we can navigate space, they decided to exterminate us. What went wrong with that plan is another mystery.

It's nota amazing movie, but I felt that the good outweighed the bad. The scene where she does self-survey was so intense, I haven't been on the edge of my seat like that in a long time.

[OrphanPip]

I don't get why Alien and Aliens are lauded as being so good. The first one is so damn boring--an attempt to be artsy, I guess, but it seemed like Scott just needed to fill time. I've yet to watch it without falling asleep. And the effects aren't anything special. Then Cameron comes along with the sequel and overdoes it in the opposite way--macho guys with guns and tanks, plus an annoying little kid. "They mostly come out at night . . . mostly." Bleh.

I like the fourth one. At least it's fun.


That's nuts, both those films revolutionized genres, horror and action respectively.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Meh, revolutionized or not, I didn't like them.

[qimissung]

I haven't seen "Alien" in a long time, but I do remember liking it a great deal. After all, in space on one can hear you scream! Creepy!!!

"Aliens"-I actaully saw that in the theater. I liked it until the end. When the little girl was killed, that was it for me.

As far as "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" haven't seen it, and have, um, no immediate plans to see it, but love this review from Andrew O'Hehir:



– A great killer Lincoln. Dazzling design and awesome action scenes can't conceal the joyous idiocy of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" ...

"joyous idiocy..":lol: The idea of the rather stolid Lincoln as a vampire hunter is absolutely hilarious. Still laughing.

[Calidore]

"Aliens"-I actaully saw that in the theater. I liked it until the end. When the little girl was killed, that was it for me.


That happened at the beginning of Alien 3, not the end of 2.

[qimissung]

That happened at the beginning of Alien 3, not the end of 2.

I was thinking that was the case, but it doesn't make any difference. It still ruins Aliens for me.

[Helga]

What about Bob? a funny movie, Murray is one of the best. I liked the baby-steps idea.

[Helga]

me and my boy are gonna spend 3 nights watching all 'Back to the future' movies. We just finished I and it's always good. He really enjoyed it and we are looking forward to number II.

[MystyrMystyry]

Last night a little gem called Kick-***. I'd pvr'd it a few weeks ago for a rainy day. Well lately it's always a rainy day, and regardless this would have been good viewing at any time - but last night was the night: rain and nothing much else going. It just sort of works, and well. Even though the premise and characters are off-beat, it builds tension throughout and strikes with a quite brilliant final scene and climax.

9/10 (tricky because it kept not doing what I'd expected it to - it may get a 10/10 next time I watch it)

[TurquoiseSunset]

I saw 'Midnight in Paris' and 'Safe House'.

For MIP I give 7/10. It's the first Woody Allen movie I've enjoyed. I did expect a little more, though that could be because people made such a fuss over it at one point.

And Safe House gets 7/10 as well. I wanted to watch it mainly because of the setting (Cape Town and surrounding areas), but I got so distracted by it! I wonder if people who live in New York (for example) and watch movies set in NY feel the same? I don't know. It was strange to see Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds driving around streets I've walked and driven down so many times. It made the movie feel a little fake. Anyhoo, that's not the reason for the 7. It's a VERY predictable movie, and just another spin on something that has been done a million times before. That being said, it wasn't that bad either.

[YesNo]

Since Nora Ephron died recently, the local library placed on display books and movies she worked on. I saw Hanging Up which I found entertaining. I think, however, it was her sister, Delia, who was mostly involved with this movie. In any case, Meg Ryan was great in it. I rate it 8/10. 7119 users on IMDb gave it an average of 4.4, but what do they know?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162983/

[TurquoiseSunset]

Since Nora Ephron died recently, the local library placed on display books and movies she worked on. I saw Hanging Up which I found entertaining. I think, however, it was her sister, Delia, who was mostly involved with this movie. In any case, Meg Ryan was great in it. I rate it 8/10. 7119 users on IMDb gave it an average of 4.4, but what do they know?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162983/

It's so sad that she's gone. I really loved her movies...Julie & Julia, You've Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle. I watched Heart Burn and wasn't so impressed though. I think I should maybe try reading the book instead.

[Helga]

Since Nora Ephron died recently, the local library placed on display books and movies she worked on. I saw Hanging Up which I found entertaining. I think, however, it was her sister, Delia, who was mostly involved with this movie. In any case, Meg Ryan was great in it. I rate it 8/10. 7119 users on IMDb gave it an average of 4.4, but what do they know?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162983/

I am not a fan of romantic comedies but 'When Harry met Sally' is one of few I can watch again and again. I didn't like 'Hanging up' but like I said I'm not a fan of movies like that. Meg Ryan though she is more like the everyday woman than most Hollywood actresses.

Anyway, 'Back to the Future II' very good, I think my son liked it more than the first one because of the hover-boards and the weird future. I got the feeling Pepsi sponsored the movie... don't know why...

only one to go now

[Emil Miller]

Yesterday I watched The Hill starring Sean Connery, Harry Andrews and other British actors from the mid sixties. Set in a North African British army prison camp during WWII, it concerns a fresh intake of five new arrivals who have been court martialed for various offences. The punishment meted out includes the repeated climbing in full kit, under a blazing sun, of a sand hill that has been constructed in the centre of the camp and that leads to the death of one of the prisoners.
Harry Andrews epitomises the megalomaniac officer in charge as do the various staff officers assigned to punish the prisoners comprising a mixed bunch of deserters, drunkards, thieves etc.
I had seen the film before but wasn't so impressed this time around as it seemed somewhat exaggerated in its relentless daily punishment routines and the constant barking of orders to the prisoners. There really wasn't a lot for the actors to do in a plot that was fairly weak anyway. Produced by MGM with the American director Sidney Lumet it nevertheless had an authentic British ambiance.

6/10

[Helga]

just finished 'Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the Chrystal skull' gotta say it's the worst indy movie!! I did like LaBeouf's Brando look though.

[Paulclem]

Watched The Green Lantern. Not bad if somewhat predictable. 6/10

[Helga]

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, it was good. Simon Pegg was awesome like only he can and Jeremy Renner was so great. Cruise kinda bugs me and the one thing that annoys me in all the MI movies is how he seems to be able to do everything, even with broken bones.

Renner is a big favorite of mine at the moment, can't wait for the Bourne Legacy and Hansel and Gretel...

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

The Amazing Spider-Man. Quite good if you're a fan of the genre. Much better than the horrible Tobey Maguire movies (aside from 3, he' the sole reason 1 and 2 suck). 8/10.

[tonywalt]

The Trip with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon was pretty entertaining. Alot of improv and pretty good script/plot.

I give it 7/10

[Helga]

The Ice Storm, it was good. Good actors and interesting plot, kinda liked the beginning cause it was similar to Wonder boys Maguire and Holmes in a class room.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Watched two movies today.

One was The Artist. It was really good, but not the amazing movie everyone was raving about. I think it got caught up in hype. 7.5/10.

The other was The Shawshank Redemption. In terms of pure story-telling, I think this may be the best movie ever made. There's literally no flaw. There's a reason it's the highest rated movie on IMDB. 10/10.

[qimissung]

Melancholia 10/10 I really liked it. I'm a sucker for a good metaphor and I adore intense human interaction. Lars Van Trier, I guess, wrote as well as directed this. He did not squander his talents.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World 10/10 Ah Hollywood. If only they could understand that we are actually hungry for thoughtful, well-written, well-acted material. This is what a romantic comedy (if such it is) is, or should strive to be. The final scene is sweetly affecting.

Prelude to a Kiss 10/10 This gets a high score for the sheer beauty of Alex Baldwin if nothing else. He actually does a pretty good job in it. Meg Ryan is decent, but really the weakest link. But what really makes the movie shine, apart from the screenplay (it was originally a Pulitzer prizewinning play), is Sydney Walker, a noted stage actor, as the old man. It's essentially one of a long string of movies in which two people switch bodies, so its plot is by now a highly cliched trope, but this one, unlike those other imposters, has a great deal to say about love, and what it is and what it isn't, and of course, how to live.

""Never to be squandered-the miracle of another human being," Alec Baldwin says as he leans in to kiss his bride.

[Helga]

The Amazing Spiderman- it was great! So much better than the other crap a few years ago! I did think the lizard was kinda badly done, it could have been done a whole lot better I think.

I liked Stan Lee's cameo, I heard he wanted a speaking role but didn't get it. Apparently he wanted to say something like 'Ah Dostoevsky, they say he's the Russian Stan Lee'

Oh he is always funny..

[Varenne Rodin]

I haven't seen the new spiderman, but I like that actor guy.

Source Code. 8/10. Much much better than I was expecting. From the director of "Moon," which I love (9/10), this was very engaging. As a conceptual film, its premise held up nicely. It was suspenseful and endearing. Not over the top actiony.

[Snowqueen]

I watched Johnny English Reborn, didn't really like it. 5/10

Johnny English was much better.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO9BK4X_38s

[Helga]

Saw 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' again. It's been a few years since I saw it and it's still one of my favorite Allen films. I also watched 'Annie Hall' the other day and it's great too!

[Darcy88]

Brokeback Mountain is one of the best films ever made and homophobes who hate on it are quite simply ignorant fools. Just had to put that out there.

[MarkBastable]

Brokeback Mountain is one of the best films ever made and homophobes who hate on it are quite simply ignorant fools. Just had to put that out there.

What about people - some of whom are gay - who dislike it for reasons other than homophobia?

[Shalot]

Ted.

Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, and Seth McFarlene as the voice of the stuffed bear. Poop, farts, sex, Flash Gordon, bongs, hookers, handicapped jokes, etc. Like Family Guy, but not. Not currently able to form complete sentence.

Oh, and Giovanni Ribisi gave a disturbing lip sync/dance/singing performance of Tiffany's "I think we're alone now." He is so good at being creepy.

I don't know how to rate it. The theater was packed, and there was a lot of laughing.

[Buckthorn]

I watched Paranormal Activity 3 on Saturday (on my own in the dark as I did with 1 & 2). It was OK but a bit disappointing, waiting around for things to happen - very similar to the first 2. 4/10

[Snowqueen]

I watched Woman in Black with my cousins last night. I’m not fond of watching horror films but enjoyed this one. To my surprise Daniel Radcliffe acted well. 7/10

[Adolescent09]

Melancholia 10/10 I really liked it. I'm a sucker for a good metaphor and I adore intense human interaction. Lars Van Trier, I guess, wrote as well as directed this. He did not squander his talents.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World 10/10 Ah Hollywood. If only they could understand that we are actually hungry for thoughtful, well-written, well-acted material. This is what a romantic comedy (if such it is) is, or should strive to be. The final scene is sweetly affecting.

Prelude to a Kiss 10/10 This gets a high score for the sheer beauty of Alex Baldwin if nothing else. He actually does a pretty good job in it. Meg Ryan is decent, but really the weakest link. But what really makes the movie shine, apart from the screenplay (it was originally a Pulitzer prizewinning play), is Sydney Walker, a noted stage actor, as the old man. It's essentially one of a long string of movies in which two people switch bodies, so its plot is by now a highly cliched trope, but this one, unlike those other imposters, has a great deal to say about love, and what it is and what it isn't, and of course, how to live.

""Never to be squandered-the miracle of another human being," Alec Baldwin says as he leans in to kiss his bride.

Wow qimi, you dish out 10's the way a pizza parlor dishes out pizza. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad you enjoy movies so much.

[Adolescent09]

Brokeback Mountain is one of the best films ever made and homophobes who hate on it are quite simply ignorant fools. Just had to put that out there.

Now this I concur with. RIP Heath Ledger. The last two movies I saw were Pulp Fiction and L.A. Confidential. Both are easy 10s

[YesNo]

I was watching a documentary about Richard Rodgers and learned that he thought Carousel was his best musical and so I watched the 1957 film version yesterday. I've never seen this before, but about 2/3rd of the way through it, I was totally enjoying it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049055/

Score: 10/10 (I know IMDb gave it 6.8)

A more modern version of the play which I think I would have found more entertaining is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVdI_9qTAuo&feature=related

As a comparison, here is the original version of the song from the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuHAh-2xGxw&feature=related

[Darcy88]

What about people - some of whom are gay - who dislike it for reasons other than homophobia?

Then they simple lack taste for fine cinema.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

The Dark Knight Rises. 6/10. So disappointing. My main gripe is there's not enough Batman. Anyone who sees it will understand.

[Desolation]

While I understand why you and others might not have liked it, Mutatis, I'd give The Dark Knight Rises an easy 9.5/10. I thought it was amazing. The best of the trilogy, in my opinion.

[Paulclem]

Watched Hancock last night. It was a good funny start, but then they went and spoilt it with poorly told, immortal humans guff. I don't mind stories about immortal humans, but it was done in such a superficial way as to add virtually nothing to the story except to inadequately try to explain why he had superpowers.

5.5/10 for a good start.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

While I understand why you and others might not have liked it, Mutatis, I'd give The Dark Knight Rises an easy 9.5/10. I thought it was amazing. The best of the trilogy, in my opinion.

I am definitely in the minority, but I honestly can't see how anyone could think its better than The Dark Knight. It was slow, the plot was convoluted and too far-fetched for the serious and realistic tone Nolan likes to set for his films, the action wasn't anything special, and there way too many little catch phrases and one liners that didn't at all fit the dark tone of the movie. I saw it a second time because I'm a huge Batman geek, and No,an fan to boot, and thought maybe I missed something. I liked it even less. After about two hours, I just wanted it to be over.

And I usually don't get pissed when they deviate from the comics, but this movie really screwed with too much. I won't go into specifics, but there was one thing in particular that really bugged me, because it seemed like they intentionally deviated from the comics more than they needed to for absolutely no reason.

And even when Batman was in the movie, he didn't even do anything aside from fighting, which seemed poorly choreographed--where we're the gadgets, the bat-hook and gliding with his cape? It was like a James Bond movie where Bond doesn't get any gadgets.

[MarkBastable]

Then they simple lack taste for fine cinema.

In which case, the movie and whether or not one likes it...


Brokeback Mountain is one of the best films ever made and homophobes who hate on it are quite simply ignorant fools. Just had to put that out there.

...is nothing to do with the ignorance inherent in homophobia, is it?

[YesNo]

I watched Sondheim! The Birthday Concert and realized I didn't recognize any of the songs. Some of the lyrics were witty, but I felt they lacked heart. However, the singing was well done.

Score: 3/10

Also, I heard that Bob Babbitt died recently, and Standing in the Shadows of Motown was in the library. I recognized every one of the songs on this documentary and I especially liked the Joan Osborne and the Funk Brothers version of "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBzuNZ9DlnI

Score: 10/10

[Helga]

Ice Age: Continental drift I think it was very funny, and my boy loved it. Unfortunately I saw it in Icelandic but I plan on watching it in English as soon as possible. I still think Ice age 3 is the best one, but that is probably because I love Simon Pegg.

I also saw for the first time Fantastic 4 the rise of the silver surfer it was good but I don't really know how to rate it...


We also watched Spaceballs the other night and it is still funny. My son found Pizza the hutt very funny and Yogurt. A very funny movie.

[YesNo]

The library has 2 for $1 movie rentals on Wednesdays. This is not only good because I am cheap, but there are more movies to choose from in the middle of the week than on weekends.

One of my selections was Bobcat Goldtwaith's God Bless America: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1912398/

The movie was entertaining. There was a lot of blood. It was a comedy.

Score: 8/10

[Emil Miller]

Having no desire to watch the Olympic ballyhoo, I decided to watch a film and chose 13 West Street after a preliminary look on You tube.
Starring Alan Ladd and Rod Steiger it deals with Ladd hunting down a gang of juveniles who attacked him when on his way home from the office where he worked as as a rocket scientist. Steiger warns him off the case as it's interfering with his own investigation so Ladd hires a private detective to carry on the hunt.
The youngest gang member commits suicide when he realises the police are after him and the private eye is killed in a car chase involving the rest of the gang before Ladd finally catches up with the ringleader and gives him a jolly good beating.
Formulaic with undertones of ' they're not bad kids really' , I wasn't taken with it and, although it was better than the embarrassment of watching the Olympic fol-de-rols, I would only give it 5/10.

[YesNo]

I can no longer remember the title of the second movie I picked out on the 2 for $1 on Wednesday library deal. It had Reese Witherspoon in it as a tester of consumer products that two spies were chasing while off-duty. One of the spies got her and the other went back to his wife who found him more attractive because she saw him on TV doing some spy-stuff that nearly killed him on an unfinished highway.

I think I dozed off during it a few times so I may have missed some critical parts.

The moral of the story as I remember it was: if you're a spy make sure your wife knows you're a spy so she will find you attractive and not leave you for someone else.

Since I don't recall seeing all of it, and can't even remember the title, the score would be 0/10.

[Emil Miller]

I can no longer remember the title of the second movie I picked out on the 2 for $1 on Wednesday library deal. It had Reese Witherspoon in it as a tester of consumer products that two spies were chasing while off-duty. One of the spies got her and the other went back to his wife who found him more attractive because she saw him on TV doing some spy-stuff that nearly killed him on an unfinished highway.

I think I dozed off during it a few times so I may have missed some critical parts.

The moral of the story as I remember it was: if you're a spy make sure your wife knows you're a spy so she will find you attractive and not leave you for someone else.

Since I don't recall seeing all of it, and can't even remember the title, the score would be 0/10.

:lol: What did you expect at 2 for $1 ?

[Emil Miller]

I decided to watch The Green Glove (1952). Directed by the reputable Rudolphe Matè and with Glen Ford in the lead role, it looked promising. But although it began well enough it simply fell apart as it went along so I abandoned it 3/4 of the way through.
Filmed on location in Paris and the South of France there was nothing to fault the scenery. The plot however, concerns an American soldier who returns to France after WWII to recover a jewelled gauntlet that he'd left in a chateau, but some crooks are also trying to locate it and the inevitable dust-ups ensue.
The Story was written by Charles Bennet who also scripted the film and on both counts his efforts were risible. It was painful watching a good actor like Glen Ford struggling with such an embarrassing script.

2/10

[Emil Miller]

Youtube is currently the entertainment centre of the world. Where else would I have found Pool of London, an early 1950s film directed by Basil Dearden and set in the bomb scarred docklands of London?
Filmed in sharp black and white in semi-documentary style, it tells the story of a gangland heist and the effect on some merchant seamen involved on its periphery. Here's the robbery sequence, surely worthy of a Jules Dassin film.

http://youtu.be/Gewc3Maw0Z0

8/10

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

You actually liked a film Emil? Good on you.

Also, is the following the link you meant to post? What you have up there only leads to an 8 minute clip.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mem_zb-YMCA

[Emil Miller]

You actually liked a film Emil? Good on you.

Also, is the following the link you meant to post? What you have up there only leads to an 8 minute clip.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mem_zb-YMCA

No I deliberately chose the robbery scene because it shows the inner city to greater advantage as the gang are forced to drive around police road traps in order to escape. It's interesting to note the amount of bomb damage still around seven years after the war's end. The buildings still standing are encrusted with the grime of years of coal fired home heating that led to the infamous London smog.

[Calidore]

Just watched The Woman in Black last night. Only downsides were a few loud-audio-sting jump scares (always a cheat, especially when the director shows, as this one did, that he also knows how to do it properly) and a long stretch in the middle with Daniel Radcliffe chasing and being chased by lots of creepy happenings in the house but no actual plot/character development of any kind.

On the other hand, the creators came armed with a good variety of creepy happenings, and except for the cheap jumps the movie was technically flawless. And by golly was it good to see "Hammer Films" in a credit sequence again.

Bottom line, a well-made and well-acted classical haunted house movie. If you like old-school ghost stories, don't miss it. 8.5/10

[Snowqueen]

I watched Red Dragon for the first time and really liked it. Anthony Hopkins gave a wonderful performance; Ralph Fiennes and Edward Norton were excellent too. 7.5/10


Just watched The Woman in Black last night....
Bottom line, a well-made and well-acted classical haunted house movie. If you like old-school ghost stories, don't miss it. 8.5/10

Yes, I enjoyed watching it.

[Emil Miller]

I watched Footsteps in the Fog, the lead roles being played by Stewart Granger and the gorgeous Jean Simmons. Made in 1955 it was a fairly routine Victorian poisoning tale in which a kitchen girl discovers that the master has killed his wife and blackmails him into allowing her to become mistress of the house. Granger gives a rather wooden performance but he didn't have a lot to work with.
The production values were pretty good with an authentic atmosphere created for a rather predictable story. 6/10.

http://youtu.be/UW0vYqw6ATg

[Emil Miller]

A couple of days ago I watched a film that I have waited an awful long time to see again. Some saintly soul has managed to get hold of a copy and has posted it on Youtube, albeit with a few slight sections blacked out for some reason. The film in question being The 1950 version of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Directed by Hollywood veteran Irving Rapper it's pure magic with wonderful performances by Arthur Kennedy, Gertrude Lawrence, Kirk Douglas and, above all, Jane Wyman who epitomises the crippled daughter Laura Wingfield.
Some viewers posted complaints about G.Lawrence's hectoring of her son and daughter but it's in the script that Williams had a hand in himself. i checked out the more recent remake and there simply is no comparison either in terms of direction and especially the acting. A great performance by Wyman that just breaks your heart. 10/10.

[Snowqueen]

I watched Emperor's New Groove with my nieces last night. I admit I enjoyed it more than they did. 8/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiTiAJRvo5o

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Two weekends back, I watched The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
My usual ranking for this one; 10/10.
Morricone's score is superb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AyxDVBX2o0

.

[Emil Miller]

Two weekends back, I watched The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
My usual ranking for this one; 10/10.
Morricone's score is superb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AyxDVBX2o0

.

When I worked in the architects division, there were a couple of guys and a woman who used to lunch together and that was their nickname amongst our disreputable gang in the general office. It's a good job they didn't know it, they made the ones in the film look like choirboys.

[The Truth]

Last movie I saw... I think it was The Beaver but I'm not certain, probably a 7/10, it was a black comedy but oftentimes you couldn't see the comedy and then it just seemed kind of stupid. Mel Gibson's performance was great though and the film did bring a tear to my eye at one point.

[Buckthorn]

I watched the Dark Knight Rises last night, I really enjoyed it. Not as good as the last movie but still pretty good 8/10.

I got home about 1am and watched the Devils Advocate, damn good movie as well 8/10

[Paulclem]

Last night I watched The Grey with Liam Neeson. A group of Canadian survivors of an air crash in the wilderness are menaced by a pack of wolves.

I didn't hope for much, but I was pleasantly surprised. The photography was great, and the story was made much more interesting by focusing upon the characters in the group. It was also a limited story, but enjoyable none the less. 6/10

[The Truth]

Watched the film adaption of McCarthy's The Road and went into not expecting it to impact me like the book and it surely did not but I still had a tear or two. Not a bad film at all.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I’m watching Sideways again, very enjoyable film and certainly the greatest mid-life crisis, Allenesque wine road movie there has ever been.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375063/

[Paulclem]

Watched The Island with Ewan McGregor and Scarlet Johanssun. Not bad - 6/10.

[qimissung]

"Friends with Kids" 8/10 I liked it. I like Jennifer Westfeldt, but I actually prefer a previous movie that she made, "Ira and Abby" which I think is funnier and says more about relationships. However, I did enjoy it.

[suprematist]

I finally got around to finishing Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, which was honestly a chore to sit through. What can I say, it's merely a reproduction of most of his films--Owen Wilson even does a remarkable job in impersonating him. 4/10

[YesNo]

I liked Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris.

Last night I saw Jay and Mark Duplass' Jeff, Who Lives at Home: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588334/

My score would be 9/10.

Jeff is a new age sort of guy. His brother is not. They answer the question: What is the greatest day in human history? If the answer is not obvious, you should probably see the movie.

[Emil Miller]

The Razor's Edge (1946)

This is a brilliant adaptation of WS Maugham's novel about expatriate Americans living in Paris after the Wall Street crash of 1929. Naturally, certain sections of the book had to be left out but the continuity is maintained and the acting from an all star cast is nothing short of outstanding. Special mention must be made of Gene Tierney and Anne Baxter as the two leading female characters who personify their respective fictional creations as crafted by Maugham's incisive imagination.
Here is the scene where the group run into the tragic Sophie MacDonald in a Bal Musette after she has gone to the dogs following the death of her husband and child in a Chicago car crash. Anne Baxter gives a towering performance of someone on the brink of self destruction.
A terrific film that deserves 10/10 for remaining as true as possible to the the book while allowing for its transformation into the medium of cinema.

http://youtu.be/IXId86uFMA4

[LitNetIsGreat]

I finally got around to finishing Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, which was honestly a chore to sit through. What can I say, it's merely a reproduction of most of his films--Owen Wilson even does a remarkable job in impersonating him. 4/10

I thought it was a below par Allen film but I would have given it maybe a 6/10.


The Razor's Edge (1946)

This is a brilliant adaptation of WS Maugham's novel about expatriate Americans living in Paris after the Wall Street crash of 1929. Naturally, certain sections of the book had to be left out but the continuity is maintained and the acting from an all star cast is nothing short of outstanding. Special mention must be made of Gene Tierney and Anne Baxter as the two leading female characters who personify their respective fictional creations as crafted by Maugham's incisive imagination.
Here is the scene where the group run into the tragic Sophie MacDonald in a Bal Musette after she has gone to the dogs following the death of her husband and child in a Chicago car crash. Anne Baxter gives a towering performance of someone on the brink of self destruction.
A terrific film that deserves 10/10 for remaining as true as possible to the the book while allowing for its transformation into the medium of cinema.

http://youtu.be/IXId86uFMA4

I have favourited the film as all of it appears to be available on youtube. I'll give it a go. I've not read the book.

Tonight's late film choice is Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanour's. It's a pretty good one with a good ending as I remember.

[Emil Miller]

I thought it was a below par Allen film but I would have given it maybe a 6/10.



I have favourited the film as all of it appears to be available on youtube. I'll give it a go. I've not read the book.

Tonight's late film choice is Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanour's. It's a pretty good one with a good ending as I remember.

Yes I too saw it on Youtube but I have to say that, having read the novel several times, I put off watching the film for fear of the film doing less than justice to the book. Anyhow, I was so pleased that whole chunks of the Maugham's dialogue is incorporated into the screenplay and the acting is as good as could be expected. I did feel a bit sorry for Herbert Marshall, who plays Maugham, as he has to be both involved and at the same time an outsider recording the events; a difficult role to play.
I think you would find it instructive to read the book, if only for comparison's sake, but it will cerainly give you quite a lot to think about.

[Paulclem]

Tonight I watched Stalingrad - a German made film dubbed into English.

It was very good, and seemed to reflect events and conditions around the battle itself that I recognised from other reading. 6/10

[Emil Miller]

Last night I watched 'They Who Dare' a WWII story that was principally a vehicle for Dirk Bogarde as the leader of a group of commandos and Greek resistance fighters on a mission to destroy enemy aircraft on a Greek island. I was expecting a Boy's Own Paper yarn but it didn't even measure up as that. The commandos were more like Boy Scouts than hardened soldiers and the whole thing resembled a wizard wheeze to upset the enemy rather than a machine like operation to cause maximum damage to the enemy's aerial capability. 0/10

[Emil Miller]

Tonight I watched Chicago Deadline (1949) starring Alan Ladd in a remarkably ill-fitting suit in which he plays a reporter on the trail of addressees listed in the notebook of a girl found dead in a seedy hotel room. The plot lines are so convoluted that I honestly didn't know what was going on or why. The film had a kind of consistent ghastliness that kept one watching but on any objective assessment it must be 0/10

[Emil Miller]

I have just finished watching Night People ( 1956 ). The cast includes Gregory Peck and Broderick Crawford in a story set in Berlin during the cold war in which an American soldier is kidnapped and taken to the Eastern zone as a hostage for two people that are wanted ostensibly by the Russians. As the plot unfolds, it transpires that it's actually an undercover group of Nazis working for the Russians who are responsible for the kidnapping who, without he Russians knowledge, want to settle old scores with two members of the 1944 Hitler bomb plot.
Peck plays an American intelligence officer using a female double agent to effect a transfer but there's a double-cross ending that's quite well done.
Good performances all round and an intriguing story gets this 6/10. It would have been more but the script is rather overstated.

[Helga]

Just finished 'Jeff, who lives at home' and I simply loved it. very very good and funny. I really like Jason Segel and Ed Helms was very cool in a role so different from his 'Office' character

[LitNetIsGreat]

Oh dear I am finding myself watching Hannah and Her Sisters yet again (8/9th viewing?) this really is one of my favourite Woody Allen's, brilliant stuff. It's such a musical piece as well with some great jazz (as ever) and other songs + Bach. Not a perfect film but a solid 8.75 out of 10 I would give it! I think it would make a good stage adaptation as well, I could see it as that anyway. Michael Caine is a bit stiff in it but he is quite funny for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieoFkuu_aNM&feature=related

[Paulclem]

Watched Star yesterday night. it is a Russian made account of a patrol behind German lines in WW2. i didn't like it much and turned off after half an hour. I could see where it was going - clumsy I would call it - and a bit dated. 4/10

[hazelk]

Watched "In Bruges"10/10 great movie, lots of everything.
http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq255/winhows/bruges.jpg

[Helga]

Just watched 50/50 and I really liked it. funny and not too serious.

[Paulclem]

Watched "In Bruges"10/10 great movie, lots of everything.
http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq255/winhows/bruges.jpg

Caught it last year by accident - and it was very good. One of the best modern films I''ve seen for a while.

[hazelk]

Hi paulclem,
I taped it quite by chance as a late movie, I missed out on some of the very Irish dialogue plus it was full of adds so yesterday I hired it from my DVD store and this time I will watch it with subtitles for a rewatch.

I told my husband about the movie and he was quite surprised that I (a very senior viewer) enjoyed it so much!!!

Hazel

[hazelk]

A rehttp://i534.photobucket.com/albums/ee344/franse60/Zorba.jpgwatch of an old and wonderful movie 10/10

[cacian]

Mirror Mirror with Julia Robert

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTExMjU4MTUwNTVeQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU3MDk2MzkwMjc@._ V1._SY317_.jpg



Not bad for a fairy tale.

7/10

[Buckthorn]

Big trouble in Little China. 10/10 as usual

[Emil Miller]

Harry Black and the Tiger (1958).

Stewart Granger plays Harry Black, a big game hunter called in by an Indian provincial governor to hunt down a man-eating tiger that is terrorising villagers.
Black lost a leg during WWII as a result of one of his men's cowardice and it's a tricky situation when the man turns up as the manager of a plantation in the region. To make matters worse, Black and the man's wife had a love affair in Scotland before the husband was released from a German POW camp.
Despite the eternal triangle part of the film, the scenes involving the tiger and it's instinctive realization that Black means to kill it make for highly watchable film making. I don't know how they got the tiger act as it did but it's uncanny how felines seem to sense when their prey is vulnerable and the danger that they face from people trying to kill them.

7/10

[qimissung]

Just finished 'Jeff, who lives at home' and I simply loved it. very very good and funny. I really like Jason Segel and Ed Helms was very cool in a role so different from his 'Office' character

I want to see this-and also maybe "In Bruges," which I've heard is good.

I watched "The Five Year Engagement" with Segal the other night. It was funny. I think he co-wrote the screenplay, too. 8/10

Tonight I watched "Incendiary" with Michelle Williams and Ewan MacGregor. 10/10 I had never heard of it before, and Netflix recommended it, based on things I've watched. I've never even watched anything they've "recommended" but this was good. I love Michelle Williams; I think she is one of the best of the younger actresses out there. And Ewan MacGregor is also very good. I had never paid much attention to him before, but I saw "Salmon Fishing in the Yeman" last week, and while it was a better than average rom-com, nothing really original, something about his understated performance caught my eye. I appreciate that he is understated on screen as well as in how he lives his life. He undertakes a variety of roles, and he's good in all of them.

Yeman: 8/10

[LitNetIsGreat]

Over the last couple of days I have been watching Rocky I, II and III. I just fancied it, good fun. I love this scene in Rocky III, totally class:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJnKm6ftPu0

[zoolane]

' The Birds' By Alfred Hitchcock 10/10 obvious

[Snowqueen]

I watched Wall E; it was a waste of time. 3/10

Other movie that I’ve seen is Crazy Hearts. It was a brilliant performance by Jeff Bridges. I didn’t know he is so into music. 8/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grP22coLFhw&feature=related

[MystyrMystyry]

Sicko, a documentary by Michael Moore. I'm beginning to really like this bloke. He looks at how The U.S. medical system is the most inside out and back to front in the entire world, resulting in no insurance policies being payed out on people who need urgent treatment, how they're basically worthless for anyone who wants to live a full life. A case in point about having a 'pre-existing condition': everywhere else for the sufferers it means more treatment. while in the good ol' USA it means thanks for supporting your money grubbing Insurance Company, now Piss Off!

Good bit at the end contrasting Great Britain's Free Medicare for all - even the poorest have a life expectancy three years longer than the wealthiest American.

And whose fault is the mess? None other than everyone's favorite Tricky Richard M. Nixon.

9/10 (bit slow in parts)

[Brielle92]

Dead Poets Society 11/10

[Calidore]

Just got back from Premium Rush. Excellent, no-fat chase movie. 9/10

[Emil Miller]

This film directed by Henry Hathaway is an outstanding example of what Hollywood could do when it wanted to.
The cast is perfect for the task of presenting a gripping story taken from a true life incident and has a terrific script that perfectly matches the action. James Stewart is superb as the cynical reporter who is directed by his editor, played brilliantly by Lee J Cobb, to follow up an 11 year murder of a police officer. Everyone concerned in the making of this film created one of the USA's best crime stories ever filmed.

Here's the opening:

http://youtu.be/P1YYgkfoFBE

[LitNetIsGreat]

This film directed by Henry Hathaway is an outstanding example of what Hollywood could do when it wanted to.
The cast is perfect for the task of presenting a gripping story taken from a true life incident and has a terrific script that perfectly matches the action. James Stewart is superb as the cynical reporter who is directed by his editor, played brilliantly by Lee J Cobb, to follow up an 11 year murder of a police officer. Everyone concerned in the making of this film created one of the USA's best crime stories ever filmed.

Here's the opening:

http://youtu.be/P1YYgkfoFBE

That looks OK actually, and the youtube comments below it are interesting, for once.

I do fear that another session of Hannah and Her Sisters might be upon me tonight.:ack2: It's absolutely worth watching just for the music alone. 10/10*.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTQVWtSvwUE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=Rb2pmh7ZYm4&NR=1

[byquist]

"Hunger Games" -- since I don't need to see it again for maybe 20 years, so-so. She did a good acting job, though. Stanley Tucci was funny. Sort of combo of Brazil, Blade Runner, that man in a bubble movie with Jim Carey, yea the Truman Show by great director Peter Weir. Plus good costumes. Best scene: when the little girl is shot by an arrow and dies in the heroine's arms -- very poignant.

[Emil Miller]

That looks OK actually, and the youtube comments below it are interesting, for once.



If you decide to watch Call Northside 777, you cannot watch it except in sections, when you should click on CN part 2, CN part 3, etc etc the posters name to look for is mbarac88. It's a bit of a nuisance but well worth it. There are other people who've posted bits and pieces but they won't match up.

[YesNo]

Ceremony: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1341341/

Score: 6/10

It's a movie about a guy who was "twenty-three and a half" years old who crashed a wedding with his friend to try to win back the older bride who was only interested in him as a fling. I thought it would be a nice chick flick for my wife and I to vegetatively enjoy together, but it was a bit wierder than that. My wife ultimately didn't watch it. At first I wondered why I was even watching it, but I had nothing better that I could motivate myself to do.

When it was over, I kind of enjoyed it.

[Calidore]

Tale of Two Sisters: Korean film about two sisters coming home from a mental hospital to their father and stepmother, and the strange things that start happening in the house. 8.5/10, subject to change on rewatching depending on how clean the mindscrews end up being.

Reincarnation (Rinne): A film is being made about a "real-life" (in the movie) murder case. The lead actress starts seeing things, but she's not the only one. Excellent time-bendy ghost movie by the writer/director of the original Ju-on/Grudge films, which I also loved. 9.5/10

Drag Me to Hell: Gypsy-curse movie by Sam Raimi; very disappointing considering. Had nice bits, but that's about it. Needed more gung-ho energy from everyone, and more organic wackiness rather than just hitting a few Requisite Raimi Beats. 6/10

Unknown: Liam Neeson wakes up from a four-day coma to discover that someone else is now him. Some logical holes ignored (and introduced to sell the situation), but a decent Hollywood thriller overall. 7.5/10

[YesNo]

Middle Men: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1251757/

Nice story. It kept me interested throughout. The two genius-idiots who kept getting into trouble were well portrayed.

Score: 9/10

[richardshelton]

watched The Dark Knight Rises it was good movie and want to watch again .....

[YesNo]

Up in the Air: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/

Although it is not the main plot of the movie, Anna Kendrick plays the role of a 23 year old female relating to people over 25 with her youth being the contrast to their relative age. The other movie was 50/50. It makes me think that maturity doesn't happen until 25 or so.

Another good story well portrayed.

Score: 9/10

[Helga]

I saw the tv movie 'Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D'

Oh it was so much fun and so bad in a very great way. One of the best bad movies. Hasselhoff, I don't really know what to say about him, just that he was not the worst actor in it!

[Emil Miller]

The Lady From Shanghai (1948)

Directed and scripted by Orson Welles, this film has been much talked about over the years but it didn't live up to expectation. Starring Welles and Rita Hayworth, it was one of those stories involving murder without actually pinpointing who was supposed to be murdering who or why. The whole film had a surrealistic atmosphere and was totally unbelievable. I got the impression that nobody knew what they were supposed to be doing even though the production values were above par for a crime thriller. The ending in a fairground hall of mirrors was simply ridiculous.

5/10

[Emil Miller]

Night of the Eagle (1961)

British horror story with Peter Wyngarde as a college professor of psychology who discovers that his wife is a witch involved in voodoo practices.
Infantile rubbish made for the younger (very younger ) segment of cinema goers. I must have had a brainstorm watching it in the first place.

0/10


http://youtu.be/_lFSl9BIZ8Y

[hazelk]

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg115/deecon1966/200px-Urban_Cowboy.jpg











I have just watched the above, it was great 8/10 great country music.

[Emil Miller]

I have just watched Thérèse Desqueyroux, a French film version of François Mauriac's great novel of the same name. Made in 1962, this acclaimed film stars Emmanuelle Riva as the eponymous heroine and Philippe Noiret as her overbearingly complacent husband in performances that are the essence of great acting. Riva IS Thérèse and Noiret IS Bernard. There was an extraordinary sense of déjà vu in watching this film as I hadn't read the novel for some years but it all came flooding back exactly as I had imagined it. When I read that it had been filmed on Mauriac's own estate near Bordeaux and that he had collaborated on the script I understood why this is the definitive film version of the book.
It has just been remade with Audrey Tautou in the title role and has been received with mixed reviews. Not surprising really, why bother trying to improve on the perfect?

10/10

[YesNo]

To Rome With Love: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1859650/

There were 4 stories situated in Rome in this movie. Outside of location, there didn't seem to be any other connection between them. Two of the stories seemed too absurd to take seriously.

Score: 5/10

[Emil Miller]

The Killer is Loose (1956), with Joseph Cotten and Rhonda Flemyng.
This is an obvious precursor to Cape Fear in which a convicted criminal, whose wife was accidentally shot by a police officer, escapes from prison and goes in search of the wife of the policeman who was responsible for his own wife's death. It wasn't bad even though slightly implausible and Joseph Cotten, who was usually given meatier roles to play, looked a bit lost in his part as the policeman desperately trying to protect his wife. Directed by Budd Boetticher, known for his B pictures, it showed a similar lack of directorial control but was still watchable. 5/10

[YesNo]

My daughter told me that we have all the Harry Potter movies and so I spent the past 8 days watching them in order, one each evening. Once I got to the 4th one she started watching them with me.

She said they get "darker" and more interesting and she's right. The last two are the best in my opinion. The first two are entertaining, but I get a little annoyed with Harry winning everything and the good guys and the bad guys are too clearly divided. In the last few movies, as Voldemort leaves everything in a mess, the good and bad get complicated, Harry isn't the only one saving the day and the final ending is perfect.

Overall score: 10/10

[Emil Miller]

This evening I watched Twisted Nerve a nineteen sixties film staring Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett in the lead roles. With all those mini-skirts the film looks peculiarly dated and while well-made it doesn't come off as the pseudo medico/horror it was intended to be. There is a notable cast of supporting actors including the ubiquitous Timothy West who usually overacts but gives a very convincing performance as a police inspector. One of a number of British shockers along similar lines to Peeping Tom, Blowup and The Collector, it comes across as a typical piece of 1960s excess.

4/10

http://youtu.be/KmqGOXMUmjY

[qimissung]

I used to love Haley Mills when I was a child.

I saw The Phantom of the Opera recently, a home viewing in someone's personal screening room. It was actually the 25th anniversary production of the play that was filmed. At the time it was streamed around the world.

Anyway, while I've enjoyed the music for years, I'd never seen the play for some reason. It was wonderful. I loved it. So over the top romantic. It's kind of nice to indulge in that sort of thing occasionally. The three young actors in the lead roles did a marvelous job of sing, acting, and emoting in general. 10/10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb1kzpCtmqs

[Emil Miller]

I used to love Haley Mills when I was a child.



She was absolutely brilliant in her first film Tiger Bay, filmed when she was only twelve-years-old. The whole cast were exceptional but John Mills (her actual father) despite his magnificent performance, was acted off the screen by his daughter who gave one of the greatest child performances in screen history.

http://youtu.be/oyio8ZtlVys

[Calidore]

The horrorthon continues.

The Abandoned: An adopted woman inherits her birth family's old abandoned farmhouse, and strange occurrences occur. Very good haunt movie with some time-bendy sauce on top, though not nearly to the extent Takashi Shimizu uses in his movies. 8.5/10

Gravedancers: Three yuppies dance on some graves while drunk and strange happenings happen. A classic case of a low-budget movie trying to look big-budget with its little money. Result: Bad CGI and obvious rubber masks. Also, bland script and cypher characters. Next time try to do a few things well and buy a writer with what's left. 5/10

Scarecrows: Haven't seen this since on VHS back in the day, and have always wanted to see it again. Another low-budget (almost certainly much lower than Gravedancers) C-movie, but doesn't try to do more than it can. Not much in the way of characters or acting, but gets points for good look-and-feel, the occasional bit of truly oddball humor, and not feeling the need to give more than a bare-bones, throwaway explanation for the scarecrows. 6/10 if you don't like this kind of thing, 8/10 if you do.

[Emil Miller]

The Frightened City (1961) a tedious film about protection racketeering in London starring Sean Connery before he became a big noise playing James Bond.
Although I usually find something about these old British black and white films to hold my interest, in this instance I did not.

0/10

[qimissung]

You know, I'm not sure I've seen Tiger Bay, Emil. I'll have to give that a look. I saw her in Pollyanna, a movie that affected me quite deeply at the time.

I have seen Abandoned, Calidore, and it gave me the chills.

DayNightDayNight. This came out in 2007. I saw it on my cable channel. I really, really liked it. It's about a young girl who agrees to be a suicide bomber. The title refers to the 48 hours leading up to the event. 8/10

Vivre Sa Vie. What can I say? It's Jean Luc Godard and the French New Wave. 10/10

[LitNetIsGreat]

I have just watched Thérèse Desqueyroux, a French film version of François Mauriac's great novel of the same name. Made in 1962, this acclaimed film stars Emmanuelle Riva as the eponymous heroine and Philippe Noiret as her overbearingly complacent husband in performances that are the essence of great acting. Riva IS Thérèse and Noiret IS Bernard. There was an extraordinary sense of déjà vu in watching this film as I hadn't read the novel for some years but it all came flooding back exactly as I had imagined it. When I read that it had been filmed on Mauriac's own estate near Bordeaux and that he had collaborated on the script I understood why this is the definitive film version of the book.
It has just been remade with Audrey Tautou in the title role and has been received with mixed reviews. Not surprising really, why bother trying to improve on the perfect?

10/10

I've nearly finished watching this film and it has been most enjoyable.

[Emil Miller]

You know, I'm not sure I've seen Tiger Bay, Emil. I'll have to give that a look. I saw her in Pollyanna, a movie that affected me quite deeply at the time.



Please check it out it's absolutely stunning but you will probably need to keep the Kleenex to hand for the ending.

QUOTE=Neely;1171248]I've nearly finished watching this film and it has been most enjoyable.[/QUOTE]

I'm glad that you have enjoyed this film, because it epitomises rural French upper middle class life perfectly. The feeling that appearances must at all costs be maintained even when attempted murder is revealed in the family.
The uncanny thing about it is that the ending at the Café de la Paix in Paris is exactly as described to the last detail in the novel; it's almost as though the scene leapt out of the book and transplanted itself to the screen.

[Emil Miller]

Yesterday I watched The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit. Made in 1956 it was taken from a best selling novel and had the hallmark production values of a Darryl F Zanuck film and starred Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones in the lead roles.
Basically it's a story of the advertising business in Madison Avenue but there is a supplementary story told in flashback about how, returning from the war, Peck is unable to settle into his married life because, among other things, he had an affair in Rome that resulted in the woman having a child.
The performances were good with a special one from Frederic March as the head of an advertising agency whose own marriage has failed because of his pursuit of success. It is a long film lasting over 2.5 hours but it kept me interested to the end. The one thing that didn't convince were the children who, even by American standards, were too precocious to be believable.

7/10

[qimissung]

Volver, directed by Pedro Almodovar and starring Penelope Cruz, who was fabulous and gorgeous.

The plot revolves around a woman who covers up a crime to protect her daughter, and her mother, whose ghost returns to comfort her. There's much more to it than this, of course. The movie takes its time revealing the core conflict and developing the relationships among the women. I really appreciate Almodovar for making a movie that does more than relegate women to the roles of girlfriends, wives, mothers. They are these things, of course, and in the course of their relationships with each other, so much more.

[Emil Miller]

I went out on a limb and watched a western called Last Train From Gun Hill (1969). With Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn it should have been better but they can only work with what they are given and this was a cliché ridden film with Marshall K.Douglas trying to arrest the son of an old friend for the murder of Douglas's wife. Anthony Quinn played the friend who was the local Mr Big who with an army of sidekicks was trying to save his son.
Stock characters and situations ( was there ever a western that didn't have a saloon ?) made for what was pretty much a waste of time.
There was some good scenic photography at the start so it gets 4/10.

[Desolation]

The Rum Diary - 4/10...I don't know what went wrong, but it was so boring it almost hurt.

Sunset Boulevard - 8/10...It's a tried and true classic. I love how bizarre, creepy, and cheesy these older movies were.

[Emil Miller]

As it rained for most of the day, I decided I was in need of a bit of sunshine and watched Boy on a Dolphin. Directed by Jean Negulesco it had the hallmarks of his direction, i.e. a glamorous and colourful location and an easy story.

Set in Greece, there are some really beautiful shots of the Peloponnese islands and some exceptional photography of Athens. The story concerns the discovery by a peasant woman ( Sophia Loren ) of an ancient Greek statue on the sea bed when she is diving for sponges. She contacts an American archaeologist ( Alan Ladd ), who is working in Athens, and convinces him of the importance of her find. However, having scented that something's afoot, there arrives a collector of ancient artifacts who sells them on to the highest bidder rather than returning them to their natural place of origin which is Ladd's priority.
Played by Clifton Webb at his most urbane, the collector, who has become extremely rich, intercedes and gets the woman to lead the archaeologist away from the spot where the statue is located. Needless to say, all's well that ends well and the statue is eventually returned to the Greek people.
Sophia Loren doesn't convince in her role but she is a very decorative addition to the scenery for those who like women that seperate the men from the boys ( see video comments below ), and though Alan Ladd doesn't exactly strain himself in his part, Clifton Webb is exceptional and makes a likable villain.

7/10


http://youtu.be/d4nc5GXC0Is

[Emil Miller]

Scouting around for a film worth watching I came across an absolute gem called The Man Who Cheated Himself. Made in 1950 it stars Lee J. Cobb in the lead role and he gives a great performance as a San Francisco detective who tries to cover up his girlfriend's murder of her husband. Cobb is assigned to the case with a a junior officer who carefully unpicks Cobb's cover up. But here's the rub: the junior detective is Cobb's own brother who gradually begins to think the unthinkable, that his own brother is involved in the killing.
The ending at the San Francisco bridge is superb film making of a kind rarely seen in films of this genre. Tautly scripted and running at less than 1.5 hours, every scene fits perfectly into a scenario that's totally believable.

http://youtu.be/dUWnbAYXD0c


10/10

[LitNetIsGreat]

Scouting around for a film worth watching I came across an absolute gem called The Man Who Cheated Himself. Made in 1950 it stars Lee J. Cobb in the lead role and he gives a great performance as a San Francisco detective who tries to cover up his girlfriend's murder of her husband. Cobb is assigned to the case with a a junior officer who carefully unpicks Cobb's cover up. But here's the rub: the junior detective is Cobb's own brother who gradually begins to think the unthinkable, that his own brother is involved in the killing.
The ending at the San Francisco bridge is superb film making of a kind rarely seen in films of this genre. Tautly scripted and running at less than 1.5 hours, every scene fits perfectly into a scenario that's totally believable.

http://youtu.be/dUWnbAYXD0c


10/10

Sounds good. I watched Razor's Edge the other day that was good, great acting and script (made me pick up and start reading Cakes and Ale which got lost amongst my bookcase somehow). There's a great amount of older films available on Youtube which comes in handy.

[Emil Miller]

Sounds good. I watched Razor's Edge the other day that was good, great acting and script (made me pick up and start reading Cakes and Ale which got lost amongst my bookcase somehow). There's a great amount of older films available on Youtube which comes in handy.

Despite frequent reference in the media to the film of The Razor's Edge over the years, I was very wary about the ability of Hollywood to film the book minus the usual hype attached to American films and, being aware that the author was indifferent to what happened to the filming of his work once he had been paid, I put off seeing it until recently. There have been many films of famous novels that have fallen flat or been mediocre in their handling of a story but, in this case, the end result was spot on.
Cakes and Ale was reputed to be Maugham's favourite of his novels and it's a good example of his own experience in the literary field.
I agree that the number of films on Youtube is good but it's necessary to be choosy unless you want to spend a couple of hours watching something bland and unsatisfying.

[Buckthorn]

I just went to my brother in laws for a Kung Fu/Alcohol afternoon and watched Drunken Master. It was pretty good 7/10

[RicMisc]

I watched Die Hard 4.0 the other night. I had seen it before but it stays good entertainment. A lot of action, some humor and a decent entertaining storyline. 8/10

[Emil Miller]

This evening I watched Lola (1960). This film directed By Jacques Remy is a sweetie. Set in the French port of Nantes, it stars Anouk Aimee as a cabaret dancer who for 7 years awaits the return of the father of her son after he disappeared to travel the world. This runs counter to another young man who also wants to travel and was a schoolfriend with a crush on Lola when she was simply Cecile. When they meet by chance, he wants to revive the romance but she has only the thought of her original lover's return. There are a number of other cross-relationships that interweave in a kaleidoscopic fashion brilliantly realised by the director. Wonderful black and white photography of Nantes make the use of colour totally redundant in a film that is both wistfully charming and also sad.

!0/10

[Snowqueen]

I watched American Dreamz last night and enjoyed it. I’ve never seen Dennis Quaid playing such a role before and he was hilarious.
I wish I could share some clip form the movie, but don’t have access to YouTube.

7/10

[Emil Miller]

From the opening tracking shot of Jeanne Moreau walking along the seafront in Nice, La Baie des Anges ( 1963 ) looks like another winner from Jaques Demy, but although it's shot in gleaming black and white photography, this film doesn't come off as expected. The story about an addicted female gambler and the young man who tries to counterbalance her addiction by accompanying her to the gaming tables along the Riviera and betting sensibly as opposed to her rashness, doesn't convince. Whether at Enghien, Monte Carlo or Nice, one casino is much like another and watching the roulette wheel spin for other people isn't nearly as exciting as playing for oneself.

Outstanding photography gets this 7/10

[SkyCetacean]

I think the last movie I was was Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. I thought it was very interesting in how it twisted the Little Red Riding Hood story to make a broader point about how humans are frequently consumed by their pasts, or rather, once you choose to go a certain path there is no escaping the consequences.

That said, it is also considerably lacking in humanity and pathos, like all Mamoru Oshii movies. I'll give it an 8/10, but it's not exactly the most enjoyable movie...

[Emil Miller]

La Peau Douce (1964)

Directed by Francois Truffaut this story of a famous Parisian publisher and literary authority who strikes up a relationship with an air hostess while flying to Lisbon for a lecture on Balzac is convincing in its portrayal of adultery and the terrible consequences that can arise when an intelligent man of substance who is already married becomes obsessed with a young woman.
It is also a treat to see, not just the actors, but also the passers by in the streets looking neat and well dressed. Where did it go wrong?

7/10.


http://youtu.be/DwDle8khMcE

[Emil Miller]

I waited a long time to see The Key until someone loaned me a copy that has recently been released on DVD. With Carol Reed directing and two of my favourite actors, Trevor Howard and William Holden, I was hoping for a great viewing experience but it didn't quite come off. The story concerns the Royal Navy tug boats that brought in stricken merchant ships that had been attacked by enemy submarines during WWII. Sophia Loren matched both leads for acting as the woman who shares her flat with each Captain until he is killed and who passes the key of the flat to the next skipper before going out on a particularly dangerous mission. The action sequences were impressive but there was a curious disjointedness between the sea and shore interludes that slightly irritated. However, the acting was first rate even down to the smallest parts and well worth watching.

8/10

[SkyCetacean]

Just saw Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock) for the first time. It being my very first Hitchcock movie, I thought it was very nice, very atmospheric and creepy. I think it's the first time I've been genuinely a little freaked out by a movie in a while. (Due in no small part to the excellent score and flawless performances) I like the whole theme of obsession and how that was executed. Also those camera angles were darn sexy. Overall a very good movie, don't have much else to say about it. 10/10

[Emil Miller]

Just saw Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock) for the first time. It being my very first Hitchcock movie, I thought it was very nice, very atmospheric and creepy. I think it's the first time I've been genuinely a little freaked out by a movie in a while. (Due in no small part to the excellent score and flawless performances) I like the whole theme of obsession and how that was executed. Also those camera angles were darn sexy. Overall a very good movie, don't have much else to say about it. 10/10

It was a very good film and I have seen it three times. It recently replaced Citizen Kane as the best film of all time by Sight and Sound magazine. I don't know what got into them but it's hilarious to see such silliness being displayed by the British Film Institute.

[Mr.lucifer]

It was a very good film and I have seen it three times. It recently replaced Citizen Kane as the best film of all time by Sight and Sound magazine. I don't know what got into them but it's hilarious to see such silliness being displayed by the British Film Institute.

I don't what know what silliness got into the critics of sight and sound in the first place to vote Citizen Kane the greatest film. There are many other choices for greatest: Tokyo Story, Mirror, Sans Soleil, The Rules of the Game, Sansho the Bailiff,Shoah, The Emperor's naked army marches on,Maborosi , Floating Clouds, Abraham's Valley, etc.

[Helga]

Transformers:Revenge of the fallen it's decent, a lot of action and would have been soooo much better if they had left out the parents and the annoying girlfriend stuff.

[Emil Miller]

I don't what know what silliness got into the critics of sight and sound in the first place to vote Citizen Kane the greatest film. There are many other choices for greatest: Tokyo Story, Mirror, Sans Soleil, The Rules of the Game, Sansho the Bailiff,Shoah, The Emperor's naked army marches on,Maborosi , Floating Clouds, Abraham's Valley, etc.

I would concede that Tokyo Story and The Rules of the Game might be contenders but the rest of your choices are unknown to me as I suspect they are to most discriminating film goers.

[Mr.lucifer]

I would concede that Tokyo Story and The Rules of the Game might be contenders but the rest of your choices are unknown to me as I suspect they are to most discriminating film goers.

Actually, I discovered the rest of those films from discriminating film goers. Sans soleil and Shoah are considered to be two of the greatest documentaries of all time. Floating clouds is a film by Mikio Naruse, who is considered by Japanese film scholars(as in scolars who specialize in the study of japanese cinema, not exactly film scholars who are japanese) to be the equal to Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Ozu.

Have could you could not heard of Sansho the bailiff? Its the masterpiece of Mizoguchi, one of the big three of Japanese cinema. Anyway, the Sight and Sound poll is nothing but a glorified intellectual popularity contest. Every one of the critics who participated were mostly giving put down their personal favorites.

[MystyrMystyry]

I watched the first half of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince last night, and it seemed quite well made (especially the sound - I didn't have to keep flipping the audio up and down as happens a lot lately), but alas I just couldn't keep awake to the end. An online review informed me it was a good film, but had a clause that it would have been better if they stuck close to the book which is apparently better, but I have yet to read. It seems to be quite sizable so whether to borrow it and get the full story, or wait until the second half of the movie returns, or both, only time will tell

[Buh4Bee]

The Avengers 8/10. It was a really fun movie with a lot of one liners and good action. The special effects were well done. Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. were more memorable than the rest of the cast. The relationship between the two characters of Loki and Thor was well developed. Overall, I think Marvel Studios did a good job bringing all these movies together into the present film. A great film to watch with your family or a group of friends. It has something for everyone to enjoy. Robert Downey Jr. does it for me. Always an Ironman fan!

[BienvenuJDC]

Lawrence of Arabia
12/10

Amazing film...the character development was superb. I'd have much more to write about it, but I'm tired and have a terrible headache.If you haven't seen this one...don't wait too long.

[qimissung]

I watched the first half of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince last night, and it seemed quite well made (especially the sound - I didn't have to keep flipping the audio up and down as happens a lot lately), but alas I just couldn't keep awake to the end. An online review informed me it was a good film, but had a clause that it would have been better if they stuck close to the book which is apparently better, but I have yet to read. It seems to be quite sizable so whether to borrow it and get the full story, or wait until the second half of the movie returns, or both, only time will tell

You can't go wrong by reading the book, Mystyry. Granted, it's long, but while a fun and engaging read, it's not difficult. Your local library probably has a copy of it, if you don't want to buy it.

Is there no way you can rent the movie, if it interested you?

[Sophia21]

The last movie that I saw was Hunger Games and I enjoyed watching it. I would rate it 6/10.

[Emil Miller]

Actually, I discovered the rest of those films from discriminating film goers. Sans soleil and Shoah are considered to be two of the greatest documentaries of all time. Floating clouds is a film by Mikio Naruse, who is considered by Japanese film scholars(as in scolars who specialize in the study of japanese cinema, not exactly film scholars who are japanese) to be the equal to Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Ozu.

Have could you could not heard of Sansho the bailiff? Its the masterpiece of Mizoguchi, one of the big three of Japanese cinema. Anyway, the Sight and Sound poll is nothing but a glorified intellectual popularity contest. Every one of the critics who participated were mostly giving put down their personal favorites.

Well as I said on another loosely related thread, I don't watch films post 1960s for the reasons stated and it's interesting that none of the films listed in the poll was less than forty-years-old . I do recognise the importance of Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi in world cinema but, notwithstanding the importance of such films as Ugetsu Monogatari, Rashomon and Tokyo Story etc etc., the innovative use of the camera and the superb acting of everyone in Citizen Kane sets it above its challengers, which is why it held its position for 50 years as the best film.
Welles was only twenty-five-years-old when he produced,directed, co-scripted and acted in it, which I doubt any other film maker in the history of cinema could have done.
I have just watched a clip of Sansho the Bailiff and agree that it does look very good and I hope to be able to watch a complete version in due course.

The BFI's decision to award best film to Vertigo just happens to coincide with their launch of 'The Genius of Hitchcock ' season. Hitchcock was a very good director but most of his films fall within the same genre i.e. suspense; his best being, in my view, Rebecca.
.

[Volya]

The new Resident Evil film.
7/10 - I was exactly what I expected. An hour and a half of mutants, explosions and sexy women with guns. There is no question that the dialogue was awful, and the plot really didn't make that much sense. But when has Resident Evil ever been about the dialogue. :p

[Mr.lucifer]

Well as I said on another loosely related thread, I don't watch films post 1960s for the reasons stated and it's interesting that none of the films listed in the poll was less than forty-years-old . I do recognise the importance of Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi in world cinema but, notwithstanding the importance of such films as Ugetsu Monogatari, Rashomon and Tokyo Story etc etc., the innovative use of the camera and the superb acting of everyone in Citizen Kane sets it above its challengers, which is why it held its position for 50 years as the best film.
Welles was only twenty-five-years-old when he produced,directed, co-scripted and acted in it, which I doubt any other film maker in the history of cinema could have done.
I have just watched a clip of Sansho the Bailiff and agree that it does look very good and I hope to be able to watch a complete version in due course.

The BFI's decision to award best film to Vertigo just happens to coincide with their launch of 'The Genius of Hitchcock ' season. Hitchcock was a very good director but most of his films fall within the same genre i.e. suspense; his best being, in my view, Rebecca.
.

Um, BFI just host the poll. It invites critics and scholars from around the world to vote.

You're making a huge mistake limiting your to certain decades. There have been a ton of new masters since then focusing of regular people. From japan, we have kore-eda and Hara. In China, there is Jia Zhangke, Liu Jiayin, and Wang bing. Taiwan, despite being a minor power, has finally contributed in world culture by giving us three grandmasters in Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, and Tsai Ming-liang. South Korea has Hong Sang Soo and Lee Chang-dong. Even Thailand has an acknowledged master in Apichatpong Weerasethakul(yes he had a long and unpronounceable name).

From Iran, we have Abbas Kiarostami, whom some say in the greatest living director. But Iran has other greats beside Kiarostami , there is Asghar Farhadi and Jafar Panahi.

If you don't like mainstream american films, then try alternative film directors like John Cassavettes and the duplass brothers. They don't make films about the antics of quirky characters, but regular people with real problems.

Germany has two post-war masters beside Hergoz, there is also Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Wim Wenders. I don't much about France, but The Mother and the Whore and The Green Ray are among the greatest French films period.

Have you heard of Tarkovsky? He always have always been considered one of the greatest directors. I'm not kidding, he was always put there with Goddard, Jean Renoir, Chaplin, John Ford, Fellini. He made his best films aster the 60's. Only made 7 films, every one of them was declared a masterpiece. Bergman thought he was the greatest.

[Emil Miller]

Um, BFI just host the poll. It invites critics and scholars from around the world to vote.

You're making a huge mistake limiting your to certain decades. There have been a ton of new masters since then focusing of regular people. From japan, we have kore-eda and Hara. In China, there is Jia Zhangke, Liu Jiayin, and Wang bing. Taiwan, despite being a minor power, has finally contributed in world culture by giving us three grandmasters in Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, and Tsai Ming-liang. South Korea has Hong Sang Soo and Lee Chang-dong. Even Thailand has an acknowledged master in Apichatpong Weerasethakul(yes he had a long and unpronounceable name).

From Iran, we have Abbas Kiarostami, whom some say in the greatest living director. But Iran has other greats beside Kiarostami , there is Asghar Farhadi and Jafar Panahi.

If you don't like mainstream american films, then try alternative film directors like John Cassavettes and the duplass brothers. They don't make films about the antics of quirky characters, but regular people with real problems.

Germany has two post-war masters beside Hergoz, there is also Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Wim Wenders. I don't much about France, but The Mother and the Whore and The Green Ray are among the greatest French films period.

Have you heard of Tarkovsky? He always have always been considered one of the greatest directors. I'm not kidding, he was always put there with Goddard, Jean Renoir, Chaplin, John Ford, Fellini. He made his best films aster the 60's. Only made 7 films, every one of them was declared a masterpiece. Bergman thought he was the greatest.

Yes but the critics who voted don't seem to have agreed with your selection despite the fact that some of the films have been lauded in recent times. I have heard of Tarkovsky and also watched some extracts from some of his films but he doesn't strike me as being particularly good, I think weird is a word I would apply to his films and it's no surprise that Bergman identified with him because, for all his excellence there is also something offbeat about his work.
As for Cassavetes, he is all about urban angst and of those films that I saw, I got the impression that he was trying too hard because they were rather laboured.
Fassbinder and Wenders never registered with me as their films seemed too arty crafty and, in any case, they didn't have much to build on as the German cinema lost many of it's best directors to Hollywood when Hitler came to power and it never fully recovered.

[Mr.lucifer]

Yes but the critics who voted don't seem to have agreed with your selection despite the fact that some of the films have been lauded in recent times. I have heard of Tarkovsky and also watched some extracts from some of his films but he doesn't strike me as being particularly good, I think weird is a word I would apply to his films and it's no surprise that Bergman identified with him because, for all his excellence there is also something offbeat about his work.
As for Cassavetes, he is all about urban angst and of those films that I saw, I got the impression that he was trying too hard because they were rather laboured.
Fassbinder and Wenders never registered with me as their films seemed too arty crafty and, in any case, they didn't have much to build on as the German cinema lost many of it's best directors to Hollywood when Hitler came to power and it never fully recovered.

The Sight and Sound Sight poll is a intellectual popularity contest. The veteran film critics focus too much of the old classics and thats why most of the the directors I mentioned don't receive as much attention. I am not saying the original classics are outdated or overrated, but there are still a lot of masterpieces still being even today.

Most of the filmmakers I mentioned aren't that obscure in the art film scene, Abbas was considered by Kurosawa to be the greatest living director. Scorsese shares the same opinion. A lot of their films are in the criterion collection. Honestly I am more influenced by a circle of peers who are very knowledgeable in the art of cinema. I do believe that the grand masters are overrated, but I believe that are other greats worth watching.

[Volya]

I just watched Sinister.
It is
very
very
sinister.

I shall not sleep tonight.

[BienvenuJDC]

The new Resident Evil film.
7/10 - I was exactly what I expected. An hour and a half of mutants, explosions and sexy women with guns. There is no question that the dialogue was awful, and the plot really didn't make that much sense. But when has Resident Evil ever been about the dialogue. :p

Sexy women with guns?

[YesNo]

The Avengers has a couple of sexy women with guns along with other superheroes making a mess of NYC while saving the world from Loki. It was definitely entertaining with some good lines.

Score: 10/10

Here's one of my favorite scenes when the Hulk takes on Loki: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8sLAJ1R9RU

[Emil Miller]

Witness to Murder (1954) is a well made thriller with Babara Stanwyck, George Sanders and Gary Merrill in the lead roles. Stanwyck plays a woman who sees a murder being committed in a building opposite to where she lives. The murderer, played by George Sanders, covers his tracks so well that the police believe that the woman is mentally unbalanced when she won't leave the case alone. George Sanders plays his part with all his well known suavity but gets his just deserts at the end.
As a footnote, Sanders was the inspiration for Hercules Grytpype-Thynne the super suave villain played by Peter Sellers in the BBC Goon Show. In this clip he uses his perfect diction to good effect.
Apologies for the poor and unnecessary German though. 8/10

http://youtu.be/2LtfH8j5po8

[Volya]

Sexy women with guns?

Indeed.

[tonywalt]

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7424704n&tag=segementExtraScroller;housing

Great documentary on Sixto Rodriguez - bizarre and interesting.

[Helga]

[QUOTE=YesNo;1176181]The Avengers has a couple of sexy women with guns

I preferred the sexy men with all the power, Loki's smile just melts me, one of the best villains in Marvel.

I just saw Frankenstein from 1931 it was OK, more funny than scary, maybe because of years of violent movies.

Also saw 'Land and freedom' pretty good, I didn't know that much about this war so this movie and a lecture were both very interesting.

[YesNo]

I preferred the sexy men with all the power, Loki's smile just melts me, one of the best villains in Marvel.


I've often wondered what women think of those female figures who kick butt in these action movies. I didn't expect Loki to melt anyone, but he is a great villain.

I recently saw Hot Tub Time Machine. It was 2 for $1 day at the library. That's my only excuse, but it was entertaining. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1231587/

Score 6/10

[Helga]

I've often wondered what women think of those female figures who kick butt in these action movies. I didn't expect Loki to melt anyone, but he is a great villain.



in this particular movie I loved Cobie Smulders, she was awesome, Black Widow was cool too but Smulders was a surprise.

My son tells me I always like the bad guys in movies, guess it's the young girl in me or something...

That first seen with Loki where he appears in the SHIELD headquarters he looks up with the most evil and awesome smile... I kinda liked that I guess

[Emil Miller]

The Heiress is a filmed version of Henry James's Washington Square. Directed by William Wyler, it stars Olivia de Havilland as the timid daughter of Ralph Richardson who, since his wife died, keeps her tied to him by making her emotionally insecure. Montgomery Clift is the fortune hunter after her money. Richardson knows instinctively that Clift is only really interested in her inheritance but she is convinced that he wants her for herself. The acting is first rate and Olivia de Havilland won that year's Academy Award for her part.

Here's a scene that's at the heart of the story. 10/10

http://youtu.be/VV3M5R9JIMw

[YesNo]

in this particular movie I loved Cobie Smulders, she was awesome, Black Widow was cool too but Smulders was a surprise.


I liked Cobie Smulders. She did not get a large enough role. Of course, Scarlet Johansson made a lovely Black Widow. Even my wife was amused when the bad guys were forced to give her the phone while they were supposedly interrogating her at a secret location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OJqPJRjHkE

Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) is the only one that seemed a bit too small, but when he aimed the arrows he became convincing.

Last night I saw The Tree of Life: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478304/

It was unusual the way the scenes portrayed prehistoric life and then went on to tell the story of a family whose eldest son died. I liked the contrast between living by "grace" and living by "nature".

Score: 8/10

[Helga]

I liked Cobie Smulders. She did not get a large enough role. Of course, Scarlet Johansson made a lovely Black Widow. Even my wife was amused when the bad guys were forced to give her the phone while they were supposedly interrogating her at a secret location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OJqPJRjHkE

Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) is the only one that seemed a bit too small, but when he aimed the arrows he became convincing.



Oh yes, my six year old loves female heroes and he loved that scene cause she hits them with a chair (I sound like a bad mom now)...

Hawkeye was the best 'good' guy in it, even though he was a mindless drone half the time, he will probably get a bigger part in the new Captain America movie and in the next Avengers.

I saw 'Kick ***' yesterday and liked it, I can't stand Nicolas Cage but he was almost cool in this one.

[qimissung]

In Time. A rather novel take on the Robin Hood theme. I enjoyed it. 7/10

[Snowqueen]

I watched Disney’s Hercules with my nieces and didn’t really like it.

The other movie that I happened to see was Thor. My young cousin who is 13 had a crush on Loki and she wanted me to see her favourite film. It was good and we both enjoyed it. 7/10

[Themis]

I just watched "Happythankyoumoreplease" and I loved it. Good story, great actors and an overall optimistic tune. Very, very nice!

[Desolation]

On the Road...6/10. Meh.

[YesNo]

The other movie that I happened to see was Thor. My young cousin who is 13 had a crush on Loki and she wanted me to see her favourite film. It was good and we both enjoyed it. 7/10

I thought Helga might have been an exception, but it looks like Loki has more appeal among females than I gave him credit for.

I saw Due Date: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1231583/

Score: 8/10

[fleaaaaaa]

The Lavender hill mob

10/10

Utterly classic Ealing Comedy starring Alec Guiness and Stanley Holloway about a cunning way to "get away" with stealing a million.

[Snowqueen]

I thought Helga might have been an exception, but it looks like Loki has more appeal among females than I gave him credit for.





Haha… I’m not a fan of Loki’s though; he is good looking man, but not my type of guy. :smilewinkgrin:

[Emil Miller]

I have just watched Leave Her to Heaven with Gene Tierney, Jeanne Crain and Cornel Wilde in what must be the 'Woman's Picture' to end all women's pictures. The technicolour is outstanding and everyone is in top melodramatic form. Of its type, I would have to give it 10/10 and I think all the ladies would agree that they really don't make endings as romantic as this anymore.


http://youtu.be/lo2mXwiH4FU

[qimissung]

Martha Marcy May Marlene-an independent film. A suspenseful film about a young girl trying to leave a cult. 8/10

Baghead-spoof of horror movies. Hilarious. 8/10

[YesNo]

Tamara Drewe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamara_Drewe_%28film%29

Score: 10/10

There was a scene when the sophisticated 15-year old Jody (Jessica Barden) exclaims, "Oh!--My!--God!," which I thought was a charming way to expose her ultimate naivete about the adults around her. Jody and her companion reminded me of Oberon and Puck.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Cloud Atlas. 10/10. One of the best movies I've ever seen.

[SFG75]

Paranormal IV; -4/10

A meh Halloween treat.

[YesNo]

Carnage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnage_%282011_film%29

Score: 10/10

This is portrayal of how arguments get started and keep going. Four adults find themselves in a heated argument, ultimately each one against all the rest. Individually they sporadically try to reconcile their differences, perhaps when they are feeling temporarily good, but then they get pulled back into the argument when those good feelings disappear and they need to project the temporary bad feelings onto one of the others.

I guess the moral is that silence or courtesy is best when one is in a bad mood.

[Calidore]

Cloud Atlas. 10/10. One of the best movies I've ever seen.

I had high hopes for a Wachowski/Tykwer collaboration (especially if Tykwer was able to rein in the Wachowskis' excesses), but upon reading some write-ups, it seems more like an Art Film that one is expected to inspect more than watch, and either find layers of meaning or invent some so as not to appear lame. Did you enjoy it as a narrative or mostly as Art?

[YesNo]

Damsels in Distress: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1667307/

Score: 7/10

It was a little weird and it ended as a musical, but it was entertaining.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I had high hopes for a Wachowski/Tykwer collaboration (especially if Tykwer was able to rein in the Wachowskis' excesses), but upon reading some write-ups, it seems more like an Art Film that one is expected to inspect more than watch, and either find layers of meaning or invent some so as not to appear lame. Did you enjoy it as a narrative or mostly as Art?

Narrative, definitely. I'm not a huge fan of most art films. Cloud Atlas is fast paced, never boring, and even throws in some cool action. It's deep and makes you think, bit an art film? I wouldn't categorize it as such at all.

[qimissung]

I had high hopes for a Wachowski/Tykwer collaboration (especially if Tykwer was able to rein in the Wachowskis' excesses), but upon reading some write-ups, it seems more like an Art Film that one is expected to inspect more than watch, and either find layers of meaning or invent some so as not to appear lame. Did you enjoy it as a narrative or mostly as Art?

Tut tut boys. What is wrong with an art film? I love them. Having said that, however, I do think "Cloud Atlas" is a fun, accessible movie. It's definitely a movie on a grand scale, but it works,without making you work overly hard to "get" it if all you want to do is sit back and enjoy.

I've read the book. It's better, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the movie tremendously! 8/10

[YesNo]

A Girl Walks Into a Bar: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1682246/

Score: 3/10

After watching this movie I am beginning to see a difference between creativity and just one odd thing happening after the other without much point.

[Snowqueen]

I really enjoyed watching Match Point directed by Woody Allen. The ending was just superb. 8/10

[Helga]

oh yes it is one of the best of his 2000 something movies!

I watched Apocalypse Now, saw it years ago but had forgotten a whole lot. Many great scenes and it's shot in a great way using lights and sound in way that make it even better. My favorite scene is when Sheen kills the lady that is wounded on the river boat.

It's a ten!

[YesNo]

I have just watched Leave Her to Heaven with Gene Tierney, Jeanne Crain and Cornel Wilde in what must be the 'Woman's Picture' to end all women's pictures. The technicolour is outstanding and everyone is in top melodramatic form. Of its type, I would have to give it 10/10 and I think all the ladies would agree that they really don't make endings as romantic as this anymore.


http://youtu.be/lo2mXwiH4FU

This one turned up in the library. It was an interesting story, but the dialog did not seem realistic. I did like how the courtroom scene reached a climax and then the movie swiftly ended going back to the attorney explaining what finally happened and then the final scene. It was enjoyable.

It occurred to me that I had a hard time distinguishing Ellen from Ruth. They looked too much alike. Of course, they had quite different personalities. I recall Ellen did look particularly wicked when Richard's brother was drowning.

Score: 7/10, but I actually have no basis on which to score these. 5+ is good. Below 5 just means I had no clue what was going on.

[Emil Miller]

Build My Gallows High stars Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas. Once Mitchum appears in trench coat and snap brim trilby, you know you're back in the world of films noire with their complicated plots including double and triple crosses and dangerous femmes fatales . In this one the femme is truly fatale with her killing of the hero at the end of an exercise in fatuity. It's always a pity when good actors are handed the wooden spoon by directors like Jacques (I Walked With a Zombie) Tourneur but he couldn't do much with this adaptation from a typical piece of pulp fiction of the period.

http://youtu.be/dn8EImlkRV8

[OrphanPip]

Narrative, definitely. I'm not a huge fan of most art films. Cloud Atlas is fast paced, never boring, and even throws in some cool action. It's deep and makes you think, bit an art film? I wouldn't categorize it as such at all.

Some critics have made it out to be far more of a pastiche than it is. I agree that it does get bogged down in parts, I admire its ambition more than its execution. Sin City is probably a better example of parallel narratives being executed in film, but the anthology structure is a bit easier to convey than the intertwining narratives in Cloud Atlas.

I liked the movie but it is flawed.

[tonywalt]

I really enjoyed watching Match Point directed by Woody Allen. The ending was just superb. 8/10

Me too, it really flew under the radar critically and box office. Woody Allen films get a polite applause nowadays - at best.

[Emil Miller]

The Stranger (1946) is directed by Orson Welles and stars Welles, Edward G. Robinson, and Loretta Young.

The plot, which is one of the first post-war Nazi hunting stories, details the tracking down of a suspected ex-Nazi living in a small US community under the anonymity of a pseudonym and a position as professor at a local school for boys. Edward G Robinson plays the US government agent who traces his quarry ( Orson Welles ) and exposes the truth behind the respectable facade that Welles has built up among the townspeople.
I remember being impressed by the film when I first saw it on TV years ago but this time round it seemed rather flat and unconvincing, but it's not bad and gets 6/10.

[Eiseabhal]

Film is a type of narrative I suppose. Here are some I've enjoyed.
BicycleThieves
The Cow and I
The Big Lebowski
Les Infants du Paradis
Withnail and I
Once There were Heroes
Trees Lounge
Andrew Rublev
The Seventh Seal
Lacombe Lucien

In general I detest war films and silly fantasy stuff

Probably that was damn all to do with the conversation but that is life - it diverges.

Probably that was damn all to do with the conversation but that is life - it diverges.

Oops. "Posted" twice. Bodach's prerogative. What are the best Nicholson films? The Pledge, The King of Marvin Gardens and The Postman Always Rings Twice

[Buckthorn]

I watched Poltergeist last night (have seen it before but not at midnight on my own in a haunted house). 9/10

[Calidore]

Oops. "Posted" twice. Bodach's prerogative. What are the best Nicholson films? The Pledge, The King of Marvin Gardens and The Postman Always Rings Twice

Don't forget Chinatown.

[jajdude]

Bang the Drum Slowly -- pretty good, about a baseball player, played by De Niro, who is dying. 7/10

House of Sand and Fog - Tough to watch, great acting. 8/10

Awakenings -- based on book by Oliver Sacks. Patients "wake up" for a while. Great movie. 9/10

The Illusionist -- Fantastic

(all on you tube)

[Joreads]

The Perks of being a wall flower - I loved it five stars

[Snowqueen]

I watched Carnage, a film by Roman Polanski. It’s a nice, funny movie with a good cast. 7/10

[hannah_arendt]

Recently I have gone to the cinema to watch "Lawless". To tell you the truth, I wasn`t astonished. It was a quite good movie but I wouldn`t recomment it.

Shia LaBouf as a gangster, it`s not a good idea in my opinion.

[YesNo]

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Killer, or something like that.

Technically, I suppose it was well done. There were ugly vampires running toward you with their mouths open wide. However, I didn't like the portrayal of the south in the US Civil War as being overrun by vampires.

Score: 3/10

[Emil Miller]

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Killer, or something like that.

Technically, I suppose it was well done. There were ugly vampires running toward you with their mouths open wide. However, I didn't like the portrayal of the south in the US Civil War as being overrun by vampires.

Score: 3/10

Wow vampires! Whatever next!( could it be vampires?) the words total bollocks spring to mind.

[Snowqueen]

I saw Bel Ami and was disappointed with it. Robert Pattinson was a poor choice for the lead role. He kept on playing a vampire throughout the movie. 2/10

[Emil Miller]

I saw Bel Ami and was disappointed with it. Robert Pattinson was a poor choice for the lead role. He kept on playing a vampire throughout the movie. 2/10

Given the absolute rubbish that's foisted onto dumbed-down audiences these days, I'm not sure whether you are joking or not.

[YesNo]

Wow vampires! Whatever next!( could it be vampires?) the words total bollocks spring to mind.

Yeah, I'm getting tired of vampires myself. Maybe Abe Lincoln Alien Killer will come out next.

That movie was a rent 2 for $1 deal at the library. The other movie was "Margot at the Wedding". Score 5/10.

In some ways these were both technically competent, but I didn't understand why the characters were acting the way they were. Even nutty characters have an inner consistency. For example, Jack Black was using a chain saw to cut down a rather large tree while arguing with the woman he was planning to marry the next day. She was standing only a few feet from him while the saw was cutting into the tree. It didn't make sense. Why would anyone approach someone doing something like that? Of course he would leave the tree partially cut down. That made sense, not that anyone in their right mind would do something like that, but these characters were not in their right mind.

Black Narcissus was an old move (1947), but the visual display was amazing. It is worth seeing just for that. Score: 8/10

[Emil Miller]

Yeah, I'm getting tired of vampires myself. Maybe Abe Lincoln Alien Killer will come out next.

That movie was a rent 2 for $1 deal at the library. The other movie was "Margot at the Wedding". Score 5/10.

In some ways these were both technically competent, but I didn't understand why the characters were acting the way they were. Even nutty characters have an inner consistency. For example, Jack Black was using a chain saw to cut down a rather large tree while arguing with the woman he was planning to marry the next day. She was standing only a few feet from him while the saw was cutting into the tree. It didn't make sense. Why would anyone approach someone doing something like that? Of course he would leave the tree partially cut down. That made sense, not that anyone in their right mind would do something like that, but these characters were not in their right mind.

Black Narcissus was an old move (1947), but the visual display was amazing. It is worth seeing just for that. Score: 8/10

What I don't get about film viewers nowadays is the total lack of a critical faculty when choosing what to watch. I mean, any film with vampires, aliens, zombies etc. etc., is by definition a lot of crap. Anyone who doesn't agree with the idea that there has been a dumbing down of the masses must be blind, given that what was once a niche part of film making has now become the norm.
However, the scenario with the woman standing a few feet away from someone using a chainsaw isn't so far-fetched, as there was a case in England a few years ago where a woman interrupted her husband while he was standing on a ladder using one when he fell of the ladder and the chain saw actually decapitated her.
Black Narcissus is a much respected British film made by the then famed team of Powell and Pressburger and starred, among others, a very young Jean Simmons. I saw it some time ago and would also have given it 8/10

[YesNo]

You're probably right about film viewers. The dumb part is not so much in the initial choice. That might be an innocent mistake. The dumb part is in watching the movie to the end which I actually did with Abe Lincoln and the vampires. I mean I was only out 50 cents and I didn't even have to walk out of a theater. I just had to turn it off.

My wife has more taste than I do. If a movie doesn't start making sense to her early on, she's off doing something else.

[cafolini]

I just watched Bronson/Fonda Once upon a time in the west. I thought it was a verygood one of the oldies.