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Oh I love that movie. Good escapism. It's quite fun and sweet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
So it's not just me...good to know I am not alone. I don't even recognise half the movies being discussed anymore. Are most of them foreign films?Quote:
Originally Posted by Shalot
Zombieland - 7/10 overall, 10/10 as far as zombie comedies go
Zombieland was great for what it was... a silly zombie movie. Every once in a while, it is great to watch a movie without having to think at all... just be entertained by zombies being killed with banjos, garden shears, etc. I'm not a big fan of the so-called horror zombie movies, but I love me a good zombie comedy. I haven't laughed this much about zombies (killing or being killed) since Shaun of the Dead.
The latest "Big Film EVent" for me was the new EMMA-Adaptation of JAne Austen´s novel by the BBC starring Romola Garai and Johnny Lee Miller. It is so great, funny, moving, entertaining. One of the best Period Dramas I have ever seen. (Well, and I have seen many.)
I would've given it more than 7. I saw this over Thanksgiving with the male side of my family, and thought I would hate it, but found it to be one of the funniest movies I saw all year. Bill Murray makes that movie for me :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Dustin
District 9
4/10 Being a person who's greatly interested in aliens, I thought I would have loved this film. The surprise was - I didn't. The conflict between aliens and humans were pointless and absurd. There were scenes that were supposed to be exciting and action-packed but I yawned through them. And this was a Peter Jackson film. Is there something wrong with me?
The Orphan
5/10 The actress who played the Orphan was enigmatic. The plot was enough to keep me hooked but overall, the film was forgettable.
On another note, I'm looking forward to watching Fight Club tomorrow evening.
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye!
A whole hour of lost footage has been found from Fritz Lang's science-fiction masterpiece Metropolis! Can be streamed live for one day only! Here's the information http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...TARY/100219992
This is something not to miss for all movielovers.
I saw the Orphan and there was something wrong with Esther. I probably won't forget that film. It was better than I thought it would be and most definitely disturbing. Not the best entertainment admittedly but it was okay.Quote:
Originally Posted by toni
Heh. I thought Orphan was great. One of the best horror movies I've seen in a long time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shalot
Esther was definitely disturbing and I liked how her history was presented in the latter part of the film. I was literally going :eek2: in one scene where she dressed up like an adult and tried to hit on her Dad. Haha, but, idk, some other scenes were a little cliched.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shalot
Aww, I'm sorry if you feel that way, Janine. I swear that if one of the films you posted are somewhat familiar to me, then I won't hesitate to reply or strike a conversation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
Fight Club 10/10 !!
Fight Club is such an insanely brilliant and darkly twisted film. Great plot and powerful performances by Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. Peppered with unforgettable dialogues, this film has a lot of subtexts and broadens your perspective on modern society. It's beyond anything I have ever seen.
"I'm breaking my attachment to physical power and possessions," Tyler whispered, "because only through destroying myself can I discover the greater power of my spirit."
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
7/10
Originally a novel by Patrick Süskind, the film Perfume is about an olfactory genius, Grenouille who is obsessed in mixing and producing the best scent.
The only flaw I could probably note in the movie was the character development of Richis (played by Alan Rickman) and her daughter Laura. I felt that their connection was rather weak.
But aside from that, I found the movie to be poetic, subtly moving and visually powerful.
Saw the 1994 movie "Dreamlover" with James Spader, directed by Elia Kazan's son.
very good acting and good plot, you know what's bound to happen, but when it does, you're completely caught up in it. Would make a terrific play ! I'd recommand it if you like femme fatale movies.:smile5:
7/10
Ahhh...you are so sweet and considerate, toni. Maybe I watch movies that no one else watches. I guess I felt like complaining that day. I don't have acess to many of these older foreign films, so I felt I hadn't recognised anything being discussed for a long while. I am also behind the times; maybe I am getting out of date.:lol: A few years ago, I did see "Perfume" though....so what did you think of that ending? Interesting film; well done I thought...but would probably not watch it again...so I agree with your rating.Quote:
Originally Posted by toni
I remember watching this for the first time when it came out and I was blown away. It is brilliant. I love the quote you included with your post. When he uses the word "myself" is he referring to his ego and a false, empty identity that is tied to material possessions?Quote:
Originally Posted by toni
And, as an added bonus, Where is My Mind Played at the end. I love the Pixies.
Ah, okay. Old, foreign films are indeed are a challenge to find, but if I had the choice, I'd prefer to watch them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
About Perfume, yes, wasn't it a very curious film! I personally thought the ending was magical and a little surreal. I mean, how could those villagers just consume his physical being to the point of disappearance? It was almost as if he evaporated. But I agree with you, it is well done and exquisite.
Perhaps we would enjoy the novel by Patrick Suskind better. :)
Yes, I believe so. Isolationism (specifically from material possessions) is one of the many themes in the film and Tyler believed that it is only when we isolate ourselves from it that we find out who we really are.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shalot
I thought it was performed by Placebo in the film. Hmm..maybe it is an original by the Pixies. :confused:Quote:
And, as an added bonus, Where is My Mind Played at the end. I love the Pixies.
But yeah, excellent song!
Yeah, toni, definitely a curious movie. The ending was pretty strange in my own opinion but it might have shocked people. I was not that shocked but then again it was unlike anything I had seen before. It definitely pushed the boundries.
hahah...I was cruising stations late tonight and came across this really corny old horror movie called "Donavan's Brain"....basically dr loses patient, but realises brain is still functioning so he removes it, against his better judgement, to study in the lab....the brain keeps growing and of course, eventually takes over the brain of the scientist dr by telepathy, who starts acting out commands from the deceased's brain....pretty corny stuff, but since it was a 60's B/W film, it was slightly entertaining and interesting to pick out old actors. Rating definitely a 4/10....haha
Please don't judge my movie taste by this film!
juno.... again, love it.... 8/10
Ahhh! I love that movie! I would tend to agree with your assessment, but I think it deserves at least an 8. While the relationship was slightly weak, I don't think overall it detracted from the movie. What makes me chuckle is when Richis is monologuing Grenouille when they're dunking him. The delivery was fine, but the speech itself is a bit cheesy in my opinion.Quote:
Originally Posted by toni
The Emperor and the Assassin. I love Chinese movies, especially those that Gong Li stars in, I just love her. As usual, the visuals were stunning, the colors and textures are almost hypnotizing. The storyline was somewhat reminiscent of Hero...and was better done in Hero but it was still a very worthwhile film. 8/10
I watched ‘Shutter Island’ last night and although I get slightly perplexed with many of Scorsese’s films I actually enjoyed it. It is very creative yet complicated in its storyline and in its technique but the detail is excellent because it sits very well with the plot of the story. Scorsese does a brilliant job in putting you into the shoes of the character because you begin to think like the protagonist, see what the protagonist is seeing and come to hate who the protagonist hates. It is a thinking film. I give it an 8/10.
Still in the Dark Ages here. I saw a number of old movies lately. Last night I watched the:
1932 version of "Midsummer Night's Dream" ~ Max Reinhardt's lavish production.
I really like this version a lot. It's b/w and truly the film shimmers with brilliance. The fairies are beautiful to watch. The early effects are pretty amazing. I especially loved the scene with Oberon leading and a billowing black fabric (his cloak), representing night clouds follows behind him encompassing all....that scene is truly awesome. The acting is quite good and very funny at times. The one main fairy is a famous figure who danced at the Ballet Russe. She is mesmerizing to watch; especially when she is conveyed to the heavens by a dark presence...her arms dance and as she goes further away the white hands blend into the stars....truly brilliant film-making. I think the sets were beautiful/elegant as well...the twisted columns in the Duke's palace are very beautiful and etheral...reminiscent of Maxfield Parish's work. Sure, the film is 'Hollywood', but somehow it's pulled off very well and it's a fun film to watch - very magical. Mickey Rooney as Puck is irritating at times; either you hate him or like him. I guess by now, I have just gotten used to his performance; I admit at first I was not sure if he was cast well for the part. I think since he was a hit on the stage with the role he overplayed it a bit for the screen...that is just my opinion. The comedy bits are pretty funny. James Cagney (who would think it?) plays Bottom and he is quite good at the role; I think more convincing than Kevin Kline. He was quite thin and rather handsome. Joe E. Brown is very funny...especially when he comes on stage dressed as Thisbie. The score is stunning, featuring Mendelssoh's Midsummer Night's Dream.
It's a thoroughly enjoyable movie if you just go with it and know it's from a different era of film-making. I can see where many directors have gotten ideas from this early film of 'trick photography as it was once known. If Reinhardt was alive today, I wonder what use he would have made of CGI. Now that would be interesting.
Definitely a classic for alltimes. 10/10
4 1/2 hr. "Che" as a revolutionary angel. Interesting character study of a team effort at overthrowing governments.
"Amreeka" a sweet lady and when she slips in the White Castle, it takes your heart away. Wait for that plot event; great film moment.
The last movie I watched was District 9 and I absolutely loved it. I think it was a better overall movie than Avatar, because I really cared for the characters; brilliant and unique sci-fi, what could be better? 9/10
Death Proof
7/10
The story is about a psycho stuntman Mike who stalks beautiful women then staging car-chases that leads to murder. The film was off to a weak start but got a lot more interesting as it progressed. It is definitely not one of Tarantino's finest, some scenes (girlie chats) could use some editing and the script wasn't very well-crafted. The climax of had to be the car-chase in the end; it had me at the edge of my seat.
Not my favorite of Tarantino but it was an enjoyable ride.
:)
Oh yeah, I suddenly remembered that bit and think likewise. Alan Rickman and those corny lines were quite painful to watch. :shocked:Quote:
Originally Posted by skib
Hopefully my opinion of the film didn't bias you :pQuote:
Originally Posted by toni
Pulp Fiction! Pulp Fiction mademmoiselle!
Well, just a little biased. :p I was skeptical while watching it. I know, can't wait for Pulp Fiction!Quote:
Originally Posted by DanielBenoit
Sleepy Hollow
3/10
There was nothing new about it but was good for killing time.:)
I saw Zombieland - it was much better than I thought it was going to be.
I also watched Sex Drive and Ms. March...these were my husband's choices. They were both pretty stupid.
"Dressed to kill" by B. de Palma.... not his best but there are some nice moments. :smile5:
The Birth of a Nation - Well, after a few weeks of being away from the silver screen, I decided to return for a brief period of time yesterday to re-watch D.W. Griffith's controversial and influencial epic masterpiece, The Birth of a Nation. It's somewhat funny what a great contradiction this movie is, for right up to the hour and thirty minute mark, the film is a masterpiece of its time and a powerful work of art, making the famous James Agee quote not too far-fethced: "[D.W. Griffith] achieved what no other known man has achieved. To watch his work is like being witness to the beginning of melody, or the first conscious use of the lever or the wheel; the emergence, coordination and first eloquence of language; the birth of an art: and to realize that this is all the work of one man." Oh how these words ring true in the esquisitley epic first half of this film, even with its racial undertones (which become extreme overtones in the second half). The first half of the film, taking place in the south before and during the Civil War in which two families from opposite sides befriend and fight each other in war. As almost any cinemaphile knows, this film was revolutionary in its filming techniques and along with Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin, virtually defined film grammer. There are some moments of such mastery and such historicity, such as the infamous battlefield charge sequence, which, despite being filmed almost a century ago, is unlike anything I've ever seen. There is also a particular shot on the eve of the war in which many of the characters are in a dance hall, and the camera looms out from the middle of the floor into a great long dancing crane shot. To the average viewer this shot is nothing very special, but to one who knows the near-impossibility of a shot with that movement and held that long with those heavy primitive cameras, one cannot help but be left in awe.
Not only is the technique masterful, but one actually cares for the characters, and there is a sense of total epiphany when a wounded confederate soldier coincidentially meets the girl whom he's been in love with for so many years, and yet has only seen her picture.
All of this, all of this supreme work is thrown away exactly at the hour and a half mark in which the narrative turns to the Reconstruction era in which Griffith makes one of the most extreme perversions of history and paints the south as a landscape terrorized by newly freed slaves. At this point the tone of the film changes completely. From great and sophisticated historical epic, to close-to-unbearable racial slur in the style of a vile minstrel show. We go from supreme epic and historical events, such as the masterfully directed and edited re-visioning of the night Lincoln was killed, to a disguising anti-abolitionist vaudeville. The characters which I so cared for in the first part, I hate in the second for there racial intolerance, portrayed heroically by Griffith. More sickening than anything else, is that African Americans are portrayed as friendly helpless teddy bears when slaves, and yet turn into savage sexually-charged animals when free. The portrayals are almost sickening. I find it funny how Griffith didn't use a single black actor in the film, instead putting white actors in blackface, for what self-respecting African American would reduce himself to such a sick film?
The first time I saw this film, I was able to watch it all the way through. That may be because I was a little indifferent towards the first half, and then paradoxically was able to tolerate the second half. But on this viewing, after being so awed by the supreme art of the first half, it felt like a spit in the face to watch the sickeningly amateurish and dull second half, which admittingly did have some of the technical mastery the first half did, but whose content was so immature, so disguising, that it just seeped into the art of the film and lowered it down into a sick piece of white supremacy. Eventually, the sickening racism became so unbearable and made me feel so unclean, that I just had to turn it off for the sake of my stomach. This is the most racist film I have ever seen.
But what is The Birth of a Nation today? Was Griffith's choice in cutting the vile latter half of the film in its re-release a good idea? Well no, because the film is what it is, and to hide what is already in it is just an act of dishonesty. But what are we to make of a film like this today? Yes the first half alone ranks it among one of the greatest films ever made, but the second half tugs it down to a work of out-dated silent cinema. If the second half was the film on its own, I would gladly call it one of the worst films I had ever seen. But what of it? Battleship Potemkin and October are far more than bearable and are masterpieces I enjoy watching again and again, despite the fact that they are works of Soviet propiganda. Why are these films tolerable? Because of the way they are directed. Because of the fact that if we treat them as "movies" they become supreme and powerful works of art. But Griffith's film, for my tastes that is, is far too explicit in its bigotry to be bearable, it openly embraces racism and portrays the Klu-Klux-Klan as cinematic heros. The thing that divides the mastery of Griffith's film and Eisenstein's propaganda pieces is that the immorality of the work is so explicitly there, that it destroys any merits the films may have. Whilst watching Battleship Potemkin one isn't all that much aware that one is watching a film displaying the heroism of Leninism in so much as we are thinking "what a great and powerful film this is!" The Birth of a Nation brings itself down to the level of the ideas it expresses, and thus does not hide its sins. 5/10
Also, here's one of Godard's best films, a cinematic poem of post-WWII.
Short Film
Ultraviolet: 8/10.
Milla Jovovich is superb, both as kick-*** assassin babe and as caring mother.
I watched "Shutter island" yesterday at the theater. Didn't like it much. I have seen this plot so many times. I also think it lacked atmosphere.
However there was some good acting.
I disagree. Thought it was a very fine noir horror/thriller. 8/10.Quote:
Originally Posted by manolia
I saw "The Hurt Locker" yesterday, I thought it was really good actually. 8/10 I'd say.
"Bella" -- Rotten Tomatoes gives it 45% - insane. This is a really fine film -- only about 4-5 plots/themes; characters with real problems. Very subtle film, very sensitive. Apparently, RT reviewers show that they have lost the ability to feel anything.
My favorite movie! It's the best.Quote:
Originally Posted by DanielBenoit
I just watched The Hangover. I saw it on the big screen but it was just as funny the second time around. Great story, great acting, just all-around funny, fresh, and original. I couldn't ask for a better comedy. 9/10
I just recently re-watched Casablanca for maybe the millionth time. Here's a review I posted a while back and one that I'm quite proud of.
Casablanca. Oh how those syllables seem to echo throughout the collective memory of film audiences. Its lines, phrases and characters have become virtually commonplace and this work of art is just as likely to settle into the collective unconscious of Western civilization just as Hamlet or The Sistine Chapel has. Let's admit it, this is one of the most popular movies of all time, so popular and so well loved, that it has become almost a cliche to call it the greatest film ever made. Every filmgoer who has seen it, loves it, and we all know that it is one of the three or four greatest films ever made, what's the point of even stating something that is common knowledge?
But Casablanca is more than just some great film. It's passion and love is unlike anything ever made in Hollywood, or anywhere for that matter, all thanks to the two immortal performances of two immortal actors, backed up by probably the finest cast of all time along with The Godfather and Citizen Kane. Every inch of this film is perfect.
I probably won't even bother with a synopsis because this film is like a piece of music that we've all heard and look upon with memory. It's like whistling the opening chords of Beethoven's 5th, it resonates inside every filmgoers head.
Now I could waste an entire review saying how great everything about it is, when I can just say what everyone else has said in a single sentence: This is a perfect film, perfect script, perfect acting, perfect atmosphere. Done.
There are just so many characters to love, down to the corrupt French police offical Captian Renault, who's probably the most lovable. His subtle bisexuality and amorality is so amusing that he seems to steal every non-serious scene in the movie. Bergmen and Bogart's performances are both great, and probably the greatest to ever be found in a Hollywood romance, or any film for that matter. Sam is the wonderfully charming piano player, who, despite his minor performance, made Casablanca what it was with the perfect pitch of jazzy music. Paul Henried as the heroic Victor Laszlo is probably the most stiff romantic hero of all time, but who's banality sets just the right tone so that his political heroism doesn't outshine the far more interesting and troubled Rick.
But what is it that draws us to it? Why is it so well loved? It is, in my opinion, along with Singing in the Rain, the greatest thing Hollywood has ever produced. Now of course Hollywood produced Citizen Kane and The Third Man, but those were films made by directors more free from the constraints of the studio system. They are works by their directors; Casablanca is not. It is a purely studio production if there ever was one, and it is an achievement on their part.
What I must say, upon many viewings from over the years, the explanaition of Casablanca's effect sinks in with time. The movie is about time and memory, and the love which seems to go along with it. Observe the nostaligc flashbacks of Paris and the end result; what we see is love, innocence and joy, pitted against the modern world, however can two lovers keep their innocence in a bloodstained world, seems to be what the film asks. Out of this comes Rick's despiar; nostaliga, apathy, memory. And yet, how beautiful it is, that through Paris to Casablanca, that we still hear Sam play "As Time Goes By", strumming the keys as if winding a clock. 10/10
Also, I just re-watched Persona for the third time and still feel as if I'm not worthy enough to review such a great and mysterious film. If anything it is a masterpiece of cryptic modernism in film. One of the all time greats, and Bergman's finest.
Speaking of Bergman (the Swedish director not the actress, lol), here's a review that I attempted to write when I first saw Cries and Whispers. It was just too hard for me to go on, because even words do injustice to the film and trivialize it.
However, I did finish it, but it is terribly unorganized and not one of my best at all:
Clocks tick away in a silent house in early morning. A women awakes in great pain. We can almost hear the sounds of her insides. She takes a glass of water and it harshly goes down.
Cries and Whispers - Taking place at the turn-of-the-century this film inhibits the most deepest, darkest and most intense array of human emotion between three sisters. Each one seems to have done little with their life, and have begun to loathe themselves for it. One of them is in the final stages of cancer, leading to the most painful death scene I have ever seen. We can hear sounds from her stomach, her breathing becomes intensely acute and her voice sounds animalistic and humanly unrecognizable. Ingmar Bergman presents death, in contrast to his most famous masterpiece The Seventh Seal, not in an abstract or theatrical way, but in a cruelly physical and naturalistic way. He presents it as the death of the body. The sister's inevidible death forces us to turn to the other two sisters, as well as the servant as they prepare the funeral.
Flashbacks are shown of the other two sister's life. The two flashbacks further present the extremes of human emotion and how these two women became who they are today. This film isn't a decent into despair, in so much as it is an atmosphere of despair, that is, these induviduals are already wounded in one way or another.
But in a film so filled with narcissism, cruelty and coldness from its characters, there is the greatest love to be found in the servant Ana, who has been treated as a sister and is the one who comes to the dying sister's side when she is screaming in pain and lays her next to her breast like a mother calming her sick child. Bergman films this like a Reinissance painter, so spiritually, so painfully. There is one particular shot in here of Ana holding the dying sister that is so powerful and so heartbreaking, that it is without a doubt one the best in all of cinema.
The two sisters don't know how to express emotion, and in a scene of the most deepest and stunning emotional intensity that the cinema has ever seen (you will know it when you see it, for it is beyond words) their most deepest personal insecurities and insticts all come out.
In the end, what Bergman presents in the final heartbreakingly beautiful scene, is that life is dark, short, tortuous, deceptive, indifferent and infinitley cruel. But there are those moments, just those little moments of joy, that make it all worth it. To quote Dostoyevsky; "My God, a whole moment of happiness! Is that too little for one man's life?"
Knowing with Nicholas Cage
Rather disappointing...predictable ending.
4/10 (and I'm being generous)