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I tried to watch Farce of the Penguins but didn't make it. I couldn't even watch March of the Penguins, so I don't know why I thought I could watch Farce of the Penguins. It was like watching a Saturday Night Live skit that has gone on way too long, but it was worse since it was a full length movie. In fact, they should have left this one to the good people at Saturday Night Live because a three to five minute skit would have been sufficient.
I don't know..... maybe 4/10.
I just saw "Requiem for a Dream". EXCELLENT film. It is so wrought with symbolism. It is the kind of film that continues to haunt you after the credits role; that stays with you as you go to bed that night. Way better than most of the crap being put out in recent years.
Monty Python's Holy Grail...10....Something about knights with no limbs & killer bunnies......
Debrasue
Hysterical - love this movie no matter how many times I see it, especially the holy handgranade and the killer bunny! 10/10 in my book - none like it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Debrasue
In the Bedroom ~ Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Nick Stahl, Marissa Tomei
This film was nominated for 5 awards including best picture. I can see why. The performances are extraordinary. In fact Tom Wilkinson won that year for Best Actor - I have never seen him in such an intense dramatic role and he was amazing. I love Sissy Spacek and there again she did a fine job in her role as his wife and very convincing. The whole film was so authentic it felt like watching real life and not a drama/film. This made it really difficult at times to watch, espeically the really emotional scenes - they will tear you appart. You could really feel for the characters and their situation was at times very uncomfortable and so sad.
This film is slow paced, but very thoughtful and the performances are quietly nuanced and subtle. If you don't have patience for this type film, then skip it, but I found it interesting enough to keep me watching and wondering what the outcome would be. I think that part may have been a little predictable and also another climatic moment - I won't mention either for fear of ruining this film for anyone.
This film really hit home for me, because my son in his early 20's, got involved with a woman somewhat older than himself with a child, (the woman in the film has two and she is not yet divorced). The father of the child my son knew came around and harrassed his estranged girlfriend and mother of his child, even when my son was there dating the young woman. I was afraid and very concerned at the time for my son, so this film sent chills through my spine at moments in the movie. It was a little too close to reality as I had known it, for comfort. Also, a family incident that ended tragically came to mind, involving martial harrassment that ended tragically.
I think this film was very well done and did not rely on special effects (refreshing for a change) and was actually a low budget film. But the message is in the words and the drama and it is a excellent script and performances, and very well directed. I really liked this film and would recommend it.
The Queen ~ directed by Stephen Frears, starring Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen
This film is excellent and well directed. The performances were very commendable and noteworthy. I can fully understand why Mirren won the Oscar for her wonderful portrayal of the Queen.
I really liked the structure of the film using old film clips from the time Diana was being aggressively pursued by the press, up until the fateful car crash in the tunnel, then the actual footage of those paying homage to her around Buckingham Palace after the death. The sheer volume of flowers was unbelievable, so were the crowds. This part of the film brought back that whole time painfully to my heart.
Michael Sheen played well his role as Tony Blair. I was not sure of him at first viewing but then I felt he fit himself comfortably and humbly into the role. Other supporting performances were also noteworthy. My only criticism might be that I did not care that much for the choice of actor for Prince Charles. He seemed too whimpy to me and too much in the background, but maybe that was just my opinion, and he was meant to play a minor role in the film.
This film dealt with very sensitive material and it never really took definite sides in any of it, it merely showed all people realistically and with their own concerns and points of view. It was handled quite well and respectfully - afterall it is dealing with people who are still alive!
I think that one would get a different view of Queen Elizabeth II after seeing this film. For instance, I would never picture her actually driving a vehicle on bumpy roads, would you? As in the film "Roman Holiday", you begin to understand what it must be like in the daily life of a monarch and what great lifetime responsibility they accept in dedicating their lives to serving their country. I came away with greater respect in that aspect. Early in this film it was stated that the Queen cannot even vote in elections. I thought that interesting. It was very eye-opening to see how the royal family lives behind closed doors and in various locations such as their huge estate in Scotland. The scenery is amazing!
I really liked the film emensely and would recommend it highly. Helen Mirren perfectly captured the Queen in her performance. I applaud her!
i watched bend it like beckem last night. First movie i have watched in a long time. Willow, i also liked garden state!
I just saw The Prestige again :P...
You can watch it too if you like.
I watched the remake of the 80's movie The Hitcher.
It wasn't too bad, although it was somewhat predictable, having seen the original.
7/10.
OK........I know no one wants to hear it again...but here goes.......My favorite movie...and I just watched it. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera...can not get enough....even after 2 years.....10+ in my book...but then I am rather passionately biased...sorry 'bout that!........Dangerously handsome man in mask & cape, with drop dead eyes & sexy voice...........there's more...but....gotta go............!
Hi Adolescent, I watched "The Prestige" also. So now you have seen it twice, wow! The plot is so detailed and intricate I too want to see it again. So what did you think of it? I really liked it. I think the intricate plot far out did the other film about magicians/illustionists - "The Illustionist". I liked the title first off - really clever taking that as the title. I thought the movie kept you attention every minute and I loved the plot twist. It was quite a mind bender, which I really love. Some parts even reminded me of Hitchcock films. I thought the way they depicted the time was terrific and well done; city was sorid and realistic, the theaters were great. You really have to pay attention to a film as intelligent as this one. I can't wait to watch it again sometime. I am sure I will notice things I did not, on my first viewing. I thought that was David Bowie playing the scientist...interesting role. All the acting was top-notch I thought. Quite a show!Quote:
Originally Posted by Adolescent09
Spiderman 3. It was entertaining enough and the special effects were excellent. I don't know...it just seemed too slick and superficial. I know, I know, who goes to see movies based on comic books expecting depth? I did like the rather obvious themes of redemption, forgiveness and the importance of friendship running throughout the movie. I just wished they had been presented in a somewhat more subtle fashion. I know, I know, who goes to see movies based on comic books expecting subtlety? ;) This isn't a slam against comic books by the way...more a little slam at movies based on comic books.
Tobey Maguire has the cutest blue eyes though...and he did look rather fetching in his black spidey suit.
*edit*
Did you like the movie Niamh? I own that movie, I think it is quite good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Niamh
Deja Vu IS VERY GOOD. I recommend that anyone of you to watch it.
I saw Ginger Snaps last night. Werewolf film about two sisters. It was pretty interesting. Wasn't scary at all and the special effects were abysmal but I actually felt bad for the cute guy who was eaten at the end so I did care for the characters.
8/10
25th hour (2002) directed by Spike Lee
It centres around Edward Norton's character living his last day as a free man before he has to go to prison for 7 years for drug dealing and therefore trying to spend as much time as possible with the people he cares for, finding who framed him and contemplating his actions. But it's also about the thought and feelings of his friends towards him and their personal life, how even though they seem to have what they need it's not what they want.
Edward Norton was quite exeptional in his role as a man who knows that his life will be ultimately changed when he goes to prison.
8/10
Scent of a Woman (1992)
The plot of the story is not anything special: a poor college student, who finds himself at the risk of being expelled, decides to take care of a blind and bitter ex-army colonel for a weekend. Al Pacino plays the blind colonel and its his performance that gives the film a bit of an edge and doesn't render it too cliche' or overly sentimental. There are some very good shots, like the drive with the ferrari, the tango and Al's explanation of why he's reduced himself being so bitter and angry at everything.
7/10
"High Heels" by Pedro Almodovar. Although his extravagant movies don't appeal to me that much, this one was nice. 7/10
"Lola Montes" by Max Ophuls. This one was really good (but not as good as i expected it to be). 8/10
"The fugitive" with Harrison Ford. This one was fun but not my cup of tee, so i won't rate it.
Spiderman 3 10/10 Fantastic Job on Sandman and Venom! http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1.../spiderman.gif
Ok that part you said about reminding Hitchcock caught my interest. I have to see it. Is David Bowie starring? I like him as an actor tooQuote:
Originally Posted by Janine
Hi Manolia, well, the little detailed things reminded me a bit of Hitchcock. Bowie has a small part, but significant. I kept looking at him in period costume and thinking - that looks like David Bowie. Then the more I looked, the more I thought so, but he has picked up a few middle-age pounds (he used to be so so thin) and so his face is a bit rounder and he is older, of course. I was impressed with how good an actor he is. On the features the director mentioned that it was Bowie playing the inventor.
Manolia, hope your allergy is better. I am sorry you can't enjoy those beautiful orange tree blossoms. It has been blossom tree time here also but actually that season of spring is getting over with, unfortunately. Now with my allergies under control I can again enjoy it and it has been so pretty out. Don't give up hope. Will email you soon. J
Have you seen David Bowie in the movie "Labyrinth"? He plays the bad guy and he is so good at it (and very handsome since he is much younger in this film.) And he sings a lot too (and i like him very much as a singer. He's one of my favourite).Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
Thanks for your concern Janine. I am far worse today. I had the stupid idea to do some cleaning today (i had to. I could almost draw pictures on my floor) and you can imagine the consequences (lots of sneezing). Sping is about to end here too (which is absurd) thank God for me.
Manolia, I have never seen "Labyrinth" but everyone on here keeps raving about it. I must put it on my lists. Did it just come out on the DVD, yet is is an older film? I bet Bowie was great in it. Interesting too that he sings in it as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by manolia
:bawling: I am feeling so bad for you. I wish you could get the remedy I suggested. It is easy to get here in US, but you might have to go to a healthfood store or maybe try buying it online. It is not normally expensive at all, since it is from a food. Maybe you could just devour tons of alfalfa in salads. I happen to like it myself. Do they have it there? I used to hate spring, too, but now I love it. So sorry - I can relate to that floor you could draw pictures in - I have the same problem.:lol: Dust still does make me sneeze often. I need to clean, too. A necessary evil of life.
I saw a movie called Opal Dreams where the gist is that a little girl creates imaginary playmates to amuse herself with while she is stuck living in the Australian outback.
The story kind of dragged on, but I liked the unity displayed by her brother. He is also a little kid, and he is a very honorable lad -- I thought that he played his role very well.
Probably about a 4/10 because after a while the movie doesn't really go anywhere and there is a bit of a hokey (nonsense really) ending that I actually found annoying.
Anyhow, that was what I saw last night. I am hoping to see the new Shrek movie this up and coming weekend with my girlfriends... :)
Last King of Scotland ~ Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy
Wow - really first rate! This is a very good film and keeps your interest every minute. Strong performances. Whitaker was amazing, but also McAvoy impressed me. His eyes are great. Whitaker was so convincing with his half madness and his quick switches in mood and character. I like his acting normally, but this film really showed the range he could get. No wonder he was so acclaimed for the role. I liked the story - quite a thriller type and partly based on truth. The young doctor's role was fabricated, but the role of Amin was mostly based on truth. Good stronge screenplay and great interaction between the two actors. They made this film work. I would probably watch this again someday, but not immediately. Some scenes are a little hard to take, but nothing ever went unrealistically over-the-top. Thrilling movie!
An Affair to Remember
1957 starred Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.
I watched this several years ago and thought it silly, sudsy and kind of dumb. They had it on AMC channel last night....and I was bored...so I watched it again.
You know what? It still is sudsy, but for some reason I liked it so much more than previously. The movie has a lot of charm, plus I guess I am a sucker for a sweet and sentimental ending.
Thanks again for your concern Janine. I feel much better today :) . Since it is already summer here, the symptoms of my allergy will stop. I am sure that i will find the alfalafa tablets eventually, but i'd have to search a bit. I am sure that they come with a different name here. We have this stupid habbit to change names in everything.Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
As for 'Labyrinth', it is an old movie. I own it on DVD these 5 years so it won't be difficult for you to find it.
manolia, So glad that summer is there now and you will get relief from those terrible allergy reactions at last. I don't know what else they could call alfalfa but alfalfa, unless they marketed it under 'allergy cure' or something likewise as silly. I hope you can find it. It takes a while to build up in your body, so don't expect immediate results.Quote:
Originally Posted by manolia
Maybe my library has 'Labyrinth' or maybe it comes in periodically. I will check their website and the county's also. If it is an older film they should have it somewhere. Thanks for the information. I will track it down.
Hello kathycf, This is a great film - a total classic! I can't believe you were mediocre about it. All old films are a bit corny and 'silly, sudsy' at times. I would never call this film dumb. It does have so much charm, not to mention great performers and performances. I loved it and have even thought of buying it sometime soon for my own collection. I love old films. I love the ending and the way they met on the ship.Quote:
Originally Posted by kathycf
You are the first person I have come across that has watched that movie besides me. I actually watched the whole trilogy of them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dorian Gray
Ginger Snaps
Ginger Snaps 2
Ginger Snaps back: The beginning.
They aren't classics, but surprisingly good for "b-movie horror". I like the fact that the protagonists are female and the connections drawn between Ginger experiencing the throes of puberty along with becoming a werewolf were kind of funny to me. She got the "curse" in more ways than one! :p IMO the first and the third were the best.
:lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
I think it had something to do with Cary Grant getting on my nerves. While I enjoy his work, he always seemed to be playing the same guy over and over again. Mr Suave. This time around I payed more attention to Deborah Kerr (and the supporting cast....those kids were very cute and talented) and I think it is why I liked it better. Some old films are more "sudsy" then others...I felt very manipulated the first time I watched "Affair"...about several things. As I say, I like it a lot better now. I like old movies too.
Hi to you too.:wave: :)
:wave: back!Quote:
Originally Posted by kathycf
kathycf, I will buy that - I know what you mean about Cary Grant and his Mr. Suave persona. I suppose that was his charm back then and why he got cast. I love Kerr so her role always fascinates me most. I would concentrate on her performance more. I don't recall the kids - guess I will have to re-watch it soon. Glad you like old films, too. They do have a certain something. Glad "Affair" got better on additional viewings. Often with old films that is the case.:)
Yesterday, i watched the Painted Veil, i finished reading the book recently and thought the comparison might be interesting. Well as a movie the flick was good, but only as a movie with a separate plot and all not as something based on the actual book because that way it was disappointing. Kinda like the way Memoirs of a Geisha was. Stuff like that shouldn't say "based on the book" by so and so, but "General idea taken from" whatever. So misleading.
The movie i watched today, Match Point, well, i was playing solitaire through most of the movie. That ought to say something.
The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983) - A+
Ok last night i saw "Rebecca" by Hitchcock again, 8/10
and "Pierrot le fou" by Jean- Luc Godard. This is one of the films i have in my personal collection and i have seen plenty of times. A beautiful film full with references to books and other films, against war (among other things), which mocks our way of living (the film is full with sayings which look like tv spots). It is also Godard's version of Bonnie and Clyde in a sense. An excellent film from one of the best european directors. 9/10 (i save the 10/10 for his other film "Breathless")
:wave: Good-day manolia, How's the sniffles? I hope you are better by now.Quote:
Originally Posted by manolia
I love the Hitchcock "Rebecca" . I love Hitchcock films, period! But the one thing I never did like about Hitchcock's version of "Rebecca" was the fact that the second Mrs. Winter is depicted quite a bit older than she was in the book. I recently looked at a newer version of this great book in a miniseries production, so that it is much more expanded and detailed. I really liked it. Also, the actress playing Mrs.Winter is much younger and more as the book describes her, more innocent minded. Charles Dance plays Maxim and I was not too sure about his image at first, but then I felt he fit the role perfectly. He made a really great Max. The young woman playing Mrs. Winter was very believable, as well. I think this film version made the story more realistic. It is worth viewing sometime.
:wave: Hi Janine!Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
Yes i am much better but i have turned insomniac due to the stupid pills i take..oh well. The first weeks i take those pills i am sleepy and the rest time i am insomniac :eek2: .
I haven't read the book (it's on my list though) so i can't judge if it is a good adaptation. As a film i think it is nice (but of course not one of Hitchcock bests). Then again, it is very hard for me to find fault with any Hitchcock film (i even liked the most obscure ones :D ).
Hi again manolia, glad your allergy is better. Probably the medication builds in your system and now it is at a higher level. Antihistimines do that to me right away...the insomnia part and make me hyper, too...more like the dancing banana :banana: I have banned myself from them forever!Quote:
Originally Posted by manolia
Yes, I agree, even obscure Hitchcock films and not up-to-par Hitchcock films are great, probably better than other films by directors of today. I watched something recently in B/W - really early film - it just came to me - "The Lady Vanishes". It was so corny and yet it worked. I think later he re-made the film, not sure.
You know I was on here earlier when I wrote the reponse to your post and I wrote up another post on a film I watched last night; then someone phoned me, and I lost the whole thing somehow. :bawling:I was quite annoyed since I copied a bit of it off the DVD case. Will have to do it later. No time now. This film I was commenting on was not that exciting, anyway.
Yes, you must evenutally read "Rebecca". It is a very good book!
See you later ~ J
Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
Yes i know what you mean about Antihistimines. I haven't slept properly for 3 days. And at noon when i eventually did it the phone rung and there was this incessant talker of a salessman :sick: and goodbye sleep:(
I love "The Lady vanishes". I own the film too.:)
manolia, you sure answer fast - I was still playing around on my post and revising it. Yes, you must be hyper! Read last few lines added when revising just now.
I hate that when the phone rings and I am sleeping, so I just let it go to the recorded message. Then I can usually fall back asleep with no problem...well, unless I am having insomnia. I hate that - only had it a few times in my life...awful.
Yes, I love the film, too. You have good taste liking Hitchcock. Have you seen "Rope"? That is also an more early one. I have a bunch of early B/W H films on DVD's I got for only $1 at a discount store, mostly they all play fine. I have "Rope" on tape though. It is a really interesting film. I like the films in a single appartment format, such as "Rear Window", "Dial M for Murder" and "Rope". I am attempting to collect all or most of Hitchcock's films.
Lady in the water-- 6.5/10
It just didnt live up to expectations of M. Night Shyamalan movie, and was rather slow to start, but just had a look on Imdb andthats seems to be the pattern with him a great film then a so great one then a great one etc. So looking forward to 2008 and his next work
But the thing I did like about this film was the people, the little charcter sketches almost were amusing I especially enjoyed 13b's monologue.
so though it wsnt his best work still a fan :nod: I like the idea of bed time stories beng real, and possible connotations of the importance of children :nod:
While Rear Window is great, Rope is one of Hitch's worst films IMO. The only point was to make a single-shot film. The result ressembles a filmed play more than a film. The concept is gratuitous and the plot isn't really suited for cinema.Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
'The Piano Teacer' -- I can't think of the director offhand, but Isabella Huppert plays the lead.
This is such a sexual film that I don't actually know how much I can say about it...
I should like to issue a warning: This is not a film about music! By no means would I advise watching this under that impression. It is about a woman with very particular...needs. Um, needs that I should think any man would have a good deal of hesitation in indulging. Besides all that, though, the musical aspects of the film are actually very well-written - perhaps we have the novel to thank for that. The woman is an extremely strict teacher, quite opinionated about certain composers, and it seems to me that the writer must actually know a good deal about music.
I must credit the film with being, in spite of all its eroticism, actually quite (and I hate using this word, but there's no other) tasteful. And very well-written. I cannot say much for the delivery of the lines, however, as I do not yet have a very good ear for French... Won some awards, though, if I'm not mistaken - at Cannes and so forth.
9/10
Certainly worth seeing once, at least.