The Mortal Instruments. Much of this didn't make any sense although I thought it was nice how she was able to hide the cup in a tarot card.
Score 6/10
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The Mortal Instruments. Much of this didn't make any sense although I thought it was nice how she was able to hide the cup in a tarot card.
Score 6/10
I watched "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".
I'd give it a 8/10.
I loved the soundtrack and the visuals, but I was quite disappointed by how the story actually turned out.
This film, based on a short story by Graham Greene, stands or falls by the acting of the leading character played by Rod Steiger who unfortunately gives a somewhat mannered performance as a crooked financier on the run from the British police.
The plot is ingenious in that it involves Steiger fleeing to Mexico from New York and assuming the identity of a fellow train passenger whom he drugs and throws from the train, only to find that the man is wanted for the assassination of the Mexican president. Using his victim's passport to get arrested and taken into Mexico, he reveals that he is in fact Carl Schaffner. He intends to travel to Mexico city where he has salted away a million US dollars but the corrupt police chief of the Mexican border town forces him to stay there unless Schaffner gives him 10% of his fortune. Rather than agree, he is reduced to sleeping rough and is threatened by the town's residents who regarded the assassin as a hero; his only friend being the assassin's pet dog that follows him everywhere. The British police officer who is sent to the town gets no co-operation from the police chief but catches the dog and ties it inside the US section of the bridge that links Mexico to the US. Unable to bear the dog's crying, Schaffner attempts to sneak over at night and free the animal but with tragic results.
In the hands of a more competent director, this could have been a great film on a par with Greene's The Third Man but Ken Annakin apparently fell out with Steiger during the filming and the result is a regrettable miss. 7/10
Watched the documentary 'Mansome' about men and it was very interesting and funny. Not very deep but interesting, also I love Will Arnett, his voice is just beautiful!
Drinking Buddies
Score: 10/10
This was considered a comedy on the library self, but it is more of a drama about guilt and four people who had different responses to it.
What starts out as a promising story about the hunt for a top Nazi official at the war's end, quickly degenerates into a Boy's Own Paper adventure in which the all-American hero defeats the villain and then settles down to a farmer's life in good 'ol Nebraska.
That being said, there was potential for a much better film based on the search for Martin Bormann (although that isn't his name in the film) by the US after WWII.
In this instance, the escapee arrives in Saigon to join the French foreign legion where Germans are welcome provided they have no evidence of a Nazi past. Under an assumed identity, he is drafted into the legion, unaware that an American secret service agent on his trail is also a draftee into what is colloquially called 'Rogues Regiment' on account of the number of men who have joined through being on the run for various crimes but are welcome because of the difficulty the French are having in trying to re-establish colonial rule in their former colony of Indochina.
As a picture of the French attempt to establish their former grip on Indo-China, this makes for some interesting viewing, but the overall impression is of a film trying to play both ends of German national socialism and Vietnamese national socialism against the middle. 7/10
Language of a Broken Heart
Score: 8/10
The message was a bit confusing, but the cover said it was a "sweet, romantic comedy" and that's what it was. I liked the cartoons introducing the sections of the movie. Violet got what she deserved. Nick should have treated his mother better, but he figured that out in the end. I don't understand why Nick even let Violet in the house, but it did lead to a nice ending.
I was looking for something different than the current stuff on the library shelves and this one, All My Sons, 1948 version, was available. My attention span is usually minimal unless I'm interested, but this movie did keep my interest and made me want to see more. I could predict the ending, but that kind of ending is the sort of things one gets in morality tales.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
Overall, I would agree with the score 9/10.
I saw Disney's new animated movie, Frozen and would rate it 8/10.
Glad you enjoyed it. I understand that it has since been remade, but in my experience remakes seldom live up to the originals.Quote:
Originally Posted by YesNo
The same is true of films such as The Glass Menagerie (1950) and All the KIng's Men (1949) both of which have been remade and fail miserably when compared to the originals where the acting and direction are outstanding.
Frozen- 8/10
A phenomenal come back for Disney. Didn't enjoy the newer stuff they've put out but this took me back to my childhood and is somewhat comparable to the classic Disney movies we all loved as kids.
Secret life of Walter Mitty- 3/10
I'm not much of a daydreamer and couldn't really sympathize with Ben Stiller's character. The end was a nice twist and that's the only reason why I'll give it a 3.
Wolf on Wall Street-4/10
Although borderline porn- more nudity then I ever would care to see, I did enjoy learning about the real life Jordan Belfort and his story. A good message is portrayed although I was disappointed in Scorsese for directing such a trashy movie.
Saving Mr. Banks- 5/10
An interesting but sad tale. Why is it Colin Farrell is always playing a shade-y character?
The Hobbit 2- 6/10
Too much action, and a terrible representation of the book, but standing alone it wasn't so bad and my only complaint was it could've been an hour shorter and accomplished the same thing.
Hi there Lykren. Yes, I've just watched 'Blue is the Warmest Colour' and thought it was excellent (9/10) in most respects, but not without controversy and an avoidable imperfection that has tended to taint people's view of the film as a whole. I'll try to explain my feelings without giving too much away about a great piece of cinema that I would recommend without hesitation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lykren
I personally can't remember watching a movie where I felt such empathy with the central character since Krzysztof Kieslowski's Blue from his celebrated Three Colours Trilogy produced in 1993 and starring Juliette Binoche.
I think that this has a lot to do with the film's intimacy. It is achieved through the marvellous close-up camera work of the director (Abdellatif Kechiche), and his concentration on the central character Adèle (played by the actress Adèle Exarchopoulos), although that changes somewhat during the second half of the film, returning again towards the end.
A lot of people I have talked to seem to regard the first half of the film as better than the second. I tend to disagree, feeling that the change, and there is one, is necessary as the camera pulls back to encompass the social and cultural pressures that affect any relationship over time. It's worth considering too, that Blue is the Warmest Colour was originally to be billed as La vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2 (The life of Adele, chapters 1 & 2)
Before mentioning the movie's, for me anyway, controversial imperfection, it's worth mentioning also that there has been a lot of bad press associated with the film due to the director's treatment of the cast and crew during production. I firmly believe that those are separate issues, and should have no bearing on any critique of the film as a piece of artwork.
Now back to the movie itself, and what I see as it's imperfection, which is partially linked to the above comment...
Some of the sex scenes in the film, but not all, could have, and I believe, certainly should have been softer, more sympathetic to the tone of the rest of the film. Instead they appear to be more a portrayal of a male fantasy of lesbian sex, and are so out of character with the rest of the film that they become almost uncomfortable to watch - because you know the director is unwittingly destroying what could have been an almost perfect film.
Whilst I hesitate to label any piece of art as pornographic, a majority of those I have discussed the issue with - especially women - lean towards this label. It is also worth mentioning that Julie Maroh - the female author of the original French graphic novel - criticized the director's view/portrayal of lesbian sex.
Having said that, It's important to point out that we are talking about a couple of scenes, that are no more than a few minutes long, in a three hour film. if you haven't already, make sure you go and see this film. Blue is the Warmest Colour didn't win all those awards for nothing - and I, like Lykren, would also love to hear your views on the film! :coolgleamA:
Two other 'World Cinema' films that are very much worth seeing if you get the chance. Both are on the shortlist for an Oscar in the 'Foreign Language' category this year.
The Broken Circle Breakdown, Belgium :cool:
Lovely little film with a cracking 'Bluegrass' soundtrack!
The Great Beauty, Italy :cool:
A visual feast!
Prince Avalanche- very good and based on a movie from the ice. Not a role you normally see Paul Rudd in but he was great. About silence and solitude, I think the first word spoken by a character in the movie was about 4 or 5 minuets in and it's often silent. I give it 8.5/10
The Family: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404311/
A family is placed under a witness protection program and has to be moved often because none of the family members behave themselves. Too many collateral good guys got killed in the final shoot out, but overall it lived up to its comedy listing.
Score: 9/10