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
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
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past - The Great Gatsby
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice - Polonius (Hamlet)
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
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
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
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
Last edited by Emil Miller; 10-03-2012 at 08:25 AM.
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
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...
"He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn't need a word for that any more than for pride or fear."
-As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner
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
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
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
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
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
Last edited by SkyCetacean; 10-06-2012 at 03:55 PM.
"He had a word, too. Love, he called it. But I had been used to words for a long time. I knew that that word was like the others: just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn't need a word for that any more than for pride or fear."
-As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner
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.Originally Posted by SkyCetacean
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
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.
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.
I hope death is joyful, and I hope I'll never return -Frida Khalo
If I seem insensitive to what you are going through, understand it's the way I am- Mr. Spock
Personally, I think that the unique and supreme delight lies in the certainty of doing 'evil'–and men and women know from birth that all pleasure lies in evil. - Baudelaire
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.
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
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.
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
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!
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