My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Beautifully shot, acted and directed. Very deep plot, one of those films you'd have to watch a few times to catch everything.
-9.5/10
“Life is the farce which everyone has to perform”
-Arthur Rimbaud
Good to see another Gus Van Sant fan on the forum - one of Portland's most prized possessions.Have you seen any of his other films - Finding Forrester, Milk, Good Will Hunting, Psycho, Paris, je t'aime, Drugstore Cowboy?
I just finished watching Taken; when seeing previews about it, weeks ago, I had a good feeling about it, especially that it starred Liam Neeson, and my inuition only led to good. Neeson has never disappointed me, but nearly every part of this film impressed me, balancing well an amazing plot, the never-failing most important part of a movie, action-packed and careful directing, and meditative and goal-oriented writing. This film featured the sensitive topic of parenthood to a teenager, particularly of fatherhood and abandonment, intelligence, and still encorporated a theme of heroism, while maintaining an incredible storyline, somewhat reminiscent of 8 mm in Paris, France. In terms of more directing than writing (one of Luc Besson's few triumphs), a few parts of the movie felt rushed and hurried; at just over 90 minutes, specific, seemingly unimportant, parts of the film could have received more emphasis - backgrounds, relationships, perhaps some flashbacks - otherwise, I felt impressed! Watch it, watch it!
Rating: 9/10.
Gus Van Sant is one of my favorite directors of all time. Gotta say I kind of hated Psycho though, it was sort of just EXACTLY like the original. Which is okay I guess, But I was hoping he'd take Hitchcock to a new level, moreso. But Good Will Hunting is my favorite movie of all time. It's the one movie I can watch on mute and recite all of the linesI think it's kind of underrated, although it won an Oscar, a lot of people don't recognize or remember the film or see it as worth serious consideration. (mainly Matt Damon/Ben Affleck haters)
I'm losing all those stupid games
That I swore I'd never play
Mathor, Good Will Hunting is one of my favorites, too. I have loved that film for a long time. I think the acting was top-notch and really intense. Good taste in films, M!
islandclimber, I like the films you mentioned with Adrien Brody; especially The Thin Red Line and Bread and Roses. I also liked him in Harrison's Flowers....now some of his older movies are coming back to me. I think his best film was The Pianist; he truly excelled in that fine film. Love the movie...and his performance.
"It's so mysterious, the land of tears."
Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I watched The Boys in the Band tonight, and I must say, it was an interesting film...the acting was quite good, and Leonard Frey in particular was just splendid... and although the movie seems to make somewhat of a powerful statement, it seems to drag a little at times and become monotonous, although this is hardly the case on the whole, just at certain points in the film... also there seems to be something unpleasant, even perverse about the way it seems to exploit the stereotypes it portrays but maybe I am just over-analysing... it is moving though I will say.. 8/10
UP - It had it's funny moments but the beginning was quite odd to be in a kids movie, they could have dispensed with a good deal at the beginning and still would have made perfect sense. 7/10
High School Musical 3 - Campy Disney teen movie, my cousin loved it, me not so much. Hokey plot. 6/10
Hotel for Dogs - Cute, cute, cute. A couple of orphans try to keep their dog secret from their 80's throwback parents. In the mean time they find an abandoned hotel and some friends to help them take care of stray dogs they find along the way. 8/10
Bruno - I still don't know what to make out of this one. It had a few funny moments but it seemed like it was just a string of scenes meant to shock for no real reason. Most of the movies I was like "Really?" 6.5/10
Last edited by papayahed; 07-22-2009 at 08:16 AM.
Do, or do not. There is no try. - Yoda
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
I dont care what half the folk here think, but i really really enjoyed it! the best one since Prisoner of Azkaban. It was dark, serious and funny. And i cried at the end.![]()
8/10
"Come away O human child!To the waters of the wild, With a faery hand in hand, For the worlds more full of weeping than you can understand."
W.B.Yeats
"If it looks like a Dwarf and smells like a Dwarf, then it's probably a Dwarf (or a latrine wearing dungarees)"
Artemins Fowl and the Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer
my poems-please comment Forum Rules
It was my day off yesterday so I like putting on movies sometimes while I do housework. Yesterday I watched
Some Like It Hot which is quite funny and always enjoyable to watch. Marilyn's adorable, of course, but it seems like she's typecast in all of her movies. Kinda like Sharon Stone.
The Watchman- I really wish I'd gotten an opportunity to have seen this in the theatres. First of all, it's a fantastic story. The cinemetography and effects are astounding. There were a couple of parts that seemed a little cliched and corny, but I think it may have just been because of movie time constraints. Watching this made me want to read the graphic novel. I'm sure it goes into more detail.
There were lots of surprises...it is a well developed story with interesting characters. What I also found striking was the fine line that was drawn between good and evil. The "good guys" did appalling things and were shockingly human, and yet not, at the same time (if that makes sense) It was a scary mirror of human nature and the ironically destructive path that progress often leads on us.
This movie is well worth buying and I am intrigued to read the story now 10/10
Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
10/10
When all is said and done, and Harry Potter is but a vision of the past, film reviewers will look back and see that this movie was so good that it pretty much overshadowed all that is Harry Potter. Another genius picture from Alfonso Cuaron: The director of Children of Men, Pan's Labyrinth, Y Tu Mama Tambien
Bruno
6/10
Not quite as funny as it really was a great social commentary. It did what it set out to do, quite brilliantly. The fact that one viewing is all any viewer would ever want to see of this movie, is partly where it fails. Decent documentary (with some fairly original pranks, I particularly found the scene in the CBS drawing room to be most amazing.).
The Hurt Locker
10/10
I won't be surprised when this picture takes the cake at the Oscars this year, simply the best war film I've ever seen. Brilliant. The fact that it is also the best-reviewed movie of the year is quite fitting.
Last edited by Mathor; 07-22-2009 at 05:33 PM.
I'm losing all those stupid games
That I swore I'd never play
the entire thing was an attempt at exposing the homophobia of the average American, in a slightly comical way. He puts average people, like Ron Paul, in situations so bizarre that they react in the first way they know how: to shout "that ****ing queer!", in rage. It was a bit tasteless, I completely agree, and I can understand why it outrages and offends a lot of people, but there was certainly a message behind it all. In the same way he did with Borat (which was a million times better), Sasha Baron Cohen does a great job at getting the real "human" to come out of people. The fact that he throws himself into situations where he may get only one take, or he may get no take at all (or even get arrested), shows a lot of courage as an actor.
I'm losing all those stupid games
That I swore I'd never play
See, and I think he just makes things worse. Some people will understand that he is portraying a completely over the top stereotype while the flip side is that the people he is trying to reach are just turned off by his antics and use that as just another reason to hate.
And really, I felt sorry for Ron Paul. He went in to do an interview and he has a jack *** trying to seduce him in a hotel room? What exactly was he suppossed to say? I mean he was playing a queer, no? Was he not suppossed to be upset?
Quite honestly, at least in Bruno, I think Sasha Baron Cohen is more concerned about shock value rather then any social commentary.
Do, or do not. There is no try. - Yoda