woah loads of people coming back i see.

well again my weekend disappered in the distance and the only film i managed to watch fully was The Last Samurai again. lol.

started watching a film called Texas Rangers which wasn't too bad and then i watched to end of Armagedon (sorry for sp) which is again ok but you get want to hit your head when you hear Ben Affleck shouting "i love you harry" makes me sick lol.

i have never seen any of Hitchcocks films so i can't reply to that and as for Pulp Fiction great film as it has some of the best actors of that time in it.

anyways i'm off for a while talk to you all soon

At 5/21/04 04:08 AM, babydumdum wrote: cool i get be in the credits! My real name is Tracy btw. and i suppose i could put you in the thanks for my book, if it ever gets finished.

Oh, writing a book, are we? You never told me about that. What's it about? You have a story in mind or is it a non-fiction kind of thing? I'll remember to pick it up if I ever see it. And I'll be sure to look in the back to see if you remembered. But yeah, me and my friends seem to be taking this creative thing on all three angles. I'm helping a few friends of mine actually start writing a book, I'm working on that screenplay myself and I'm also the drummer for two bands that are thinking about writing their own stuff and recording a few demos. Teenage idealism. It never ends.

As far as movies go, however, I've only seen one in the past few days because I kind of spent my weekend off at a little place called Roberts Creek, camping with my friends and sucking back a few brews with them. Went to some college campsite party with two chick friends of mine, so I couldn't get too out of it. Needed to watch out for them, you know? Either way, it's not quite as noble as I make it sound. You know how some parties have designated drivers? I was just the designated "lead-everyone-back-to-the-campsite-safely" guy. But I digress. I just saw an awesome movie by the name of Better Luck Tomorrow. Some flick directed by a Justin Lin about five overachieving Asian-American students who become gang members. It's not much different than other crime drama flicks about teenagers, but the acting was pretty good in this one. You should check it out if you ever get the chance. It's not great, but it's the same kind of film I'd like to be able to pull off one of these days. Only, I never really liked the whole teen crime aspect. I'll leave that out in my work.

At 5/23/04 10:41 PM, TheDogPlayingPoker wrote: I agree completely. The Birds was spectacular. But I think Hitchcock's real masterpiece is Rear Window. If you like the birds, see that.

Been there, done that. And although I liked Rear Window, I still have to say that I liked The Birds more. Not to say that Rear Window is bad. I mean, even with the slow-paced storyline, there was still enough hilarious dialogue from John Michael Hayes to keep me interested. Just for the record though, if there's any dialogue you remember from that film, Hayes was the one who wrote it. But yeah, I love The Birds just because there isn't really a definite ending to it. At the end of the movie, you just find out that none of the protagonists are able to contact anyone outside of Bodega Bay and that military action is going to be called in. Throw in the fact that the guy from the diner proclaimed that it was the end of the world, and I think the message was clear. The birds had won. Now, how often do you get something like that in a story? Besides, great special effects for its time, and seriously, it had me on the edge of my seat. The Birds was everything a Hitchcock thriller should be. Timeless classic, that one.

At 5/24/04 04:21 AM, babydumdum wrote: well again my weekend disappered in the distance and the only film i managed to watch fully was The Last Samurai again. lol.

Funny you should mention that. Remember that camping trip to Roberts Creek that I was just talking to you about? While I was hanging on one of the beaches up there, I struck up a conversation with this woman who was looking after her kids as they ran around trying to find crabs and stuff. Turns out she actually knows one of the fight choreographers in that movie. Went to high school with him. The name escapes me at the moment but "Miyoshi"-something sounds about right. I trust her too. She seemed nice enough and there's really no reason for her to lie, so yeah, I trust her. But you know what? I'm going off on a tangent again, aren't I? I blame lack of sleep. It's past midnight over here. Oh wait, have I mentioned that I recently bought a copy of The Last Samurai? Scored myself a DVD copy of The Godfather too. What was that, 1972 Best Picture? Doesn't matter to me though. I'll be watching it sometime this week and you'll be getting my final verdict then. I've gone on for far too long tonight though. I've got a nice long night with my bed ahead of me. I'm going to need more sleep if I keep doing this every night. Oh well, Better Luck Tomorrow.

(Scene from "Better Luck Tomorrow", 2002)

Ok, I know I've been gone for a while and I know it's my own fault for missing this conversation, but I'm wondering what you guys all thought of Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. Personally, I absolutely loved it. I think it's by far Jim Carrey's best movie, and I'm not one of those people who doesn't appreciate comedic acting. The movie was everything it could and should have been. It instantly made it onto my favorite all-time list, and that's no simple task.

I could ramble some more, but I'll let you guys voice your opinions.

Hate to double post, but ya know what I just realized? I was member number TWO here. As in the SECOND MEMBER to join. That's crazy. I've never been that high on the member list of any club....

I OWN YOU GUYS!!! Except biteme, and the hatter, I OWN YOU ALLL!!!!
HAHAHHA!!! BOW DOWN TO ME.

j/k.

At 5/27/04 10:22 PM, TheDogPlayingPoker wrote: Ok, I know I've been gone for a while and I know it's my own fault for missing this conversation, but I'm wondering what you guys all thought of Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. Personally, I absolutely loved it. I think it's by far Jim Carrey's best movie, and I'm not one of those people who doesn't appreciate comedic acting. The movie was everything it could and should have been. It instantly made it onto my favorite all-time list, and that's no simple task.

I understand completely. In fact, I made a little rant just like yours right here on page 19 of this thread. Just look around a little. You'll be able to tell where it is by the pictures. But yeah, even though I'm more knowledgeable about screenwriters than actors, I agree with what you said about Jim Carrey entirely. He really played his role well in that flick and right at the end, when him and Clementine (Winslet) start talking again at the end of the movie, I could practically hear my heart breaking. It's just such a great film. Well written, razor-sharp wit and one of the first movies I've seen in a long time where I actually cared about the ending. Aside from a few of the scenes in his apartment dragging on for just a little too long, that movie's perfect. And the people on IMDb.com seem to agree. Did you know that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the highest ranked movie on that site from 2004? Ranked #46 on the entire site. And you know why that is, right? It's because Charlie Kaufman is a freaking genius! So yeah, just for the record, it's one of my favourite films too. I plan on buying it on DVD, like, the first day it comes out. Can't hurt to add to the collection. Besides, my collection's pretty pathetic for that of a self-proclaimed movie expert. Only 23 DVDs right now. Stop giving me that look. Yes, that one.

At 5/27/04 10:26 PM, TheDogPlayingPoker wrote: Hate to double post, but ya know what I just realized? I was member number TWO here. As in the SECOND MEMBER to join. That's crazy. I've never been that high on the member list of any club....
I OWN YOU GUYS!!! Except biteme, and the hatter, I OWN YOU ALLL!!!!

HAHAHHA!!! BOW DOWN TO ME.

Actually, you can "own" me all you want. Technically, I'm still not a member here. I just hang out here because I love the people and the fact that I can make these long-ass posts about movies and not have people yell at me. It doesn't really matter though. In the end, I still refuse to bow. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, TheDogPlayingPoker! My God, that takes forever to type out. Do you have a real name that we can refer to you with? I'm Ben, by the way. See, isn't that much easier to type than "biteme2514"?

Anyways, speaking of long-ass posts about movies, I'm about to go off again. I've seen two flicks since I last posted here and both of them were awesome. First off, I watched The Godfather last night, which is actually ranked #1 of all time on the aforementioned IMDb.com. It's a great movie, just insanely long. I also seem to remember something about the first hour being really hard to get into. All these names kept coming at me and in the first hour of the movie, I really had no idea who was whom. I was able to identify Don Corleone, but that was about it. Everyone with their damn Italian names. However, at the two-hour-fifteen-minute mark, I was wholly riveted. Seriously, after main characters started dropping off, I couldn't get enough of it. And at the end of the movie, I was stunned by how great the last half hour was. It's definitely not something I'd watch again (I took like, what, six bathroom breaks?), but I'm really glad I saw it. I own it now too, by the way. Yeah, bought it three or four days ago. Oh, and I just got back from watching The Day After Tomorrow with three of my friends. Won two double movie passes off the local radio station up here so took a bunch of people who probably need to get out of the house more anyways. And although it was blatant Hollywood trash, it was visually-astonishing trash. Aside from a certain pack of wolves in that movie, it's got some of the better CGI that I've ever seen. And the effects were awesome. I mean, the characters lacked depth, there was little to no character development, but still, who watches a movie like The Day After Tomorrow expecting to get blown away by the "awesome" acting? No one! They watch flicks like this to see New York get shredded time and time again! And believe me, The Day After Tomorrow delivers and then some. The movie's hilarious too. They didn't really mean to put so much comic relief in it, but some of the lines are just so bad. Me and my friends were cracking up throughout the entire thing. But yeah, it's a great popcorn flick to watch with friends. Totally gets my recommendation. Just don't come back all pissed off that Dennis Quaid can't really act. He plays a very good confused guy though. You'd understand if you've seen the movie. Holy crap, this post turned out long. Oh well, just as long as no one yells at me.

(Scene from "The Day After Tomorrow", 2004)

ah dear where the heck are my weekends going! anyways yes biteme i am writing a book its kinda of a save the world but no one knows about it deal. this is only the first draft and even i'm getting excited how it ends lol and i'm writing it!

anyways thought i'd treat myself to lotr: the two towers and return of the king since they were on special but i still have NOT gone to see any films, but Shrek 2 Harry Potter and also The Chronicals of Riddick are on my must see list so i may have to buy some rope and drag my other half along.

good to see some more people coming back, like biteme said this isn't really a club just somewhere to come and talk about half decent movies. and to slate off any shit ones lol

cya all soon

At 6/1/04 05:35 AM, babydumdum wrote: ah dear where the heck are my weekends going! anyways yes biteme i am writing a book its kinda of a save the world but no one knows about it deal. this is only the first draft and even i'm getting excited how it ends lol and i'm writing it!

A "save-the-world" book, huh? Well, I have a book to recommend to you. Yes, as much of a movie geek as I am, I still read from time to time. Just not nearly as much as I should. But yeah, this is just a book that I actually started sometime last year. Still haven't gotten around to finishing it yet, but so far, the book is excellent and it seems to pertain to what you want to write about. The book is Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and it's basically this epistemological essay about how mankind's beliefs have gotten us into this mess of a world that we live in today. It's not boring as hell either. The entire thing is presented as a conversation between two people. Well, not quite. More like one person and, well, a gorilla. Don't ask. Just take my word for it. If you want to write a book about saving the planet, Ishmael will give you zillions of great ideas and open up your mind to a whole new way of looking at things. Between reading (most of) that and some of Schopenhauer's works over the past year, I think I've really gained a deeper understanding of how everything works. Not necessarily the meaning of life or anything like that, but the understanding is cool. Hopefully, when I see your book on store shelves a few years from now, you'll help me gain an even deeper understanding too.

anyways thought i'd treat myself to lotr: the two towers and return of the king since they were on special but i still have NOT gone to see any films, but Shrek 2 Harry Potter and also The Chronicals of Riddick are on my must see list so i may have to buy some rope and drag my other half along.

Oh yeah, I'm probably seeing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban the first day it's out. Even with all the things that I need to get done this week. Apparently, this Friday, I need to cram watching that movie, going to a youth arts festival (with free concerts!) and going to a friend's birthday party all into the last eight hours of my day. See, I still have school in the mornings so Friday's going to be pretty busy for me. Don't feel bad for me though, I'll be having tons of fun. I'm just going to have to do a lot of running if I want to catch everything. Still two months from being able to drive, you know what I mean? As for Shrek 2, I still say that the first one is much better, and as for The Chronicles of Riddick, I just don't know if that kind of movie would appeal to me. If it's good though, be sure to tell me. I always like being surprised when I go to the movies.

Now, as for the movies that I've been seeing lately, I've kind of been on a John Hughes kick for the last little while. I borrowed Sixteen Candles from the library a few days ago and I recently bought The Breakfast Club and added it to my DVD collection. Both those movies were great, but right now, I'm kind of pissed at myself that I bought The Breakfast Club instead of Sixteen Candles. For me, Sixteen Candles was way funnier. It doesn't matter though. I enjoyed both of them. Both those flicks really captured what it was like to be a teenager in the 80's though, huh? Not like I would know, but still. Besides, those two teen comedies are infinitely more tasteful than what passes for teen comedies today. I mean, Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club are going to be remembered. Road Trip isn't. But yeah, the old John Hughes stuff is classic. Right up until the 90's stuff rolled along. Because that's kind of when Home Alone and Flubber came out. Oh, and I also saw this other movie called The Blue Butterfly. Canadian art flick about some kid with brain cancer who wanted to catch a blue butterfly in the jungles of Costa Rica before he died. Unfortunately, the acting and the writing sucked in the film. Only thing that saved it was Pierre Mignot's evident skill in cinematography. Well, talk to you next time, Tracy.

(Scene from "Sixteen Candles", 1984)

I'm not super pumped about the summer movies coming out this year, but a few have caught my eye. I've basicly worked out a top four must ee this season have been Troy(Which I've already seen), The Chronicles of Riddick, King Arthur and Spiderman 2. Troy I thought was an above average movie and it was very entertaining from an action standpoint, but it wasn't as good as it could or should have been. With a story like The Illiad, they could have made an absolutely amazing movie, and Troy was not that.

I was a HUGE fan of Pitch Black, so I've been anticipating The Chronicles of Riddick ever since I first heard about it over a year ago. Pitch Black is one of my favorite action movies ever. I loved both of the principal characters, they were both very deep and interesting (for an action movie, at least), and I loved their interactions with each other.

Not to mention seeing Vin Diesel tear into a nocturnal alien with a futuristic version of a bowie knife is pretty fucking cool.

King Arthur I've been in love with ever since I first saw the trailer for it when I saw The Punisher(Which was directed rather poorly in my opinion, but I'll save that rant for later). I'm just praying that King Arthur is a legitimate movie that really tells the story of King Arthur, rather than some stupid battle-scene-galore flick(On that note,Jerry Bruckheimer's name scares me when it's in connection with this movie). King Arthur has the potential to be a truely great movie, I really hope the director was able to make it one.

Oh, and I want to see Spiderman 2 because it's Spiderman 2. Obviously.

At 5/28/04 03:15 AM, biteme2514 wrote: Actually, you can "own" me all you want. Technically, I'm still not a member here. I just hang out here because I love the people and the fact that I can make these long-ass posts about movies and not have people yell at me. It doesn't really matter though. In the end, I still refuse to bow. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, TheDogPlayingPoker! My God, that takes forever to type out. Do you have a real name that we can refer to you with? I'm Ben, by the way. See, isn't that much easier to type than "biteme2514"?

Most people who don't want to type out TheDogPlayingPoker just write TDPP. My real name is Ian, but I've never really liked Ian. You guys can call me Mike (My middle name is Michael) if you prefer.
Geez, I double posted twice in a week! I'm not on top of my game. Sorry guys.

I also saw The Day After Tomorrow. It had great effects. But no story or anything. It had a really cheesy death scene when one guy falls through glass and is hanging on by a wire. He cuts and really crappily falls 10 feet to his death. But overall it's a good flick to see once, just don't expect anything more than cool CGI.

At 6/3/04 12:15 AM, MickFoliac wrote: I also saw The Day After Tomorrow. It had great effects. But no story or anything. It had a really cheesy death scene when one guy falls through glass and is hanging on by a wire. He cuts and really crappily falls 10 feet to his death. But overall it's a good flick to see once, just don't expect anything more than cool CGI.

Oh, come on. Who watches a movie like The Day After Tomorrow expecting anything more than a bunch of CGI-effects wiping out a major American city? I knew it wasn't going to have much of a plot, but hey, I got my money's worth. Actually, wait a second. That last comment there doesn't really have any validity. Remember, I won my tickets to that movie? But yeah, it's all about Roland Emmerich's writing. See, he had a hand in writing both Independence Day and Godzilla (1998 version), so those ended up coming off as vacant spectacles more than anything else. But that's because Roland Emmerich is the kind of Hollywood filmmaker who loves special effects. He loves making big-budget movies and wowing his audience. But in the end, he's still a decent director. Just not that great a writer. Remember 2000's The Patriot? He directed that, but didn't write it. And that one turned out pretty well. The war scenes had Emmerich all over it and they looked spectacular. Yet at the same time, the story had enough depth to keep the audience really captivated. Not just waiting for the next humongous tidal wave to slam down on Manhattan.

Now, what exactly have I been watching lately? Well, four movies, but two of those I've already seen before. Yeah, I finally cracked open that copy of The Last Samurai that I bought a few weeks back and I just watched Clerks again at a birthday party last night, but as for the two new flicks, I'm liable to go off on another huge rant about them seeing as how I have so much to tell, but once again, I'm going to try to keep it short. Never works, but I'll try. The two new movies that I saw were Death Becomes Her (which I picked up at the local library) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. First off, I didn't think I'd really like Death Becomes Her just because Koepp had a hand in writing it (you know, the guy who wrote Secret Window, which, in my opinion, was one of the worst films to come out in the past ten years?), but at the same time, I knew that Zemeckis was a competent director so I decided to check it out. And it was hilarious. The special effects weren't great or anything but the movie was funny as hell. The writing still sucked because Koepp made everything in the movie just a little too convenient for the protagonists, but Zemeckis was great at pulling everything together. Writers get the ball rolling, but directors guide them to where they should go. It's just that some writers throw the ball straight into the gutter from the get-go. As for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, let's just leave it at "I was expecting more". The film just wasn't animated enough to be as good as the first two. I mean, Chris Columbus was doing a great job with the first two, so I have no idea why he decided to hand the directing reins over to Alfonso Cuarón, the same guy who directed 2001's Y tu mamá también. That movie's just so much more subtle and that style of directing doesn't really carry over to Harry Potter all that well. I still liked the movie though. It stayed just true enough to the first two to satisfy audiences but I still like the second Harry Potter movie the best. Just my personal opinion.

Oh, and Ian? About King Arthur, have you seen Keira Knightley in that Guinevere costume? Damn!

(Scene from "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", 2004)

At 5/23/04 10:52 PM, MickFoliac wrote: At 5/23/04 10:43 PM,noir wrote:

Pokemon: the movie!!!!

Dissapointing. It didn't live up to the hype. AND IT HAD REALLY SHITTY MUSIC. So umm I didn't like it that much

Ha. I was joking...

I just saw Kill bill and it was really great.

At 6/5/04 02:21 PM, biteme2514 wrote: Oh, and Ian? About King Arthur, have you seen Keira Knightley in that Guinevere costume? Damn!

Oh god yeah. *drools*

But I hope they don't try to drive the movie solely on that and giant actions scenes. Obviously, those factors are going to be part of the film, but the most important aspect should be the story. I want to know the story of King Arthur, not how hot Gweniviere(sp?!!?) looks.

hello one and all

I'm looking forward to seeing King Arthur as well just as long as it's not americantised or hollywoodtised (made up those words by the way). that story is very close to our hearts over here in england so its good to see all english actors in it. espically Clive Owen.

as for Death become Her that goes on my rainy sunday pile, funny and stupid its great for a no brainer.

I started watching "Master and Commander" for an hour and it wasn't too bad actually, again wish it had more english actors in it but what can you do. I suppose i kept expecting Russell Crowe to break out with it "Husband to a dead wife" speech. anyways worth looking for.

anyways hope all is well and i'll hopefully be back with more news.

At 6/7/04 06:04 AM, babydumdum wrote: I'm looking forward to seeing King Arthur as well just as long as it's not americantised or hollywoodtised. that story is very close to our hearts over here in england so its good to see all english actors in it. espically Clive Owen.
as for Death become Her that goes on my rainy sunday pile, funny and stupid its great for a no brainer.
I started watching "Master and Commander" for an hour and it wasn't too bad actually, I suppose i kept expecting Russell Crowe to break out with it "Husband to a dead wife" speech. anyways worth looking for.

Yeah, King Arthur looks to be great. I'd love to see it first day but I'm going to be going away for the summer. For the first two weeks of July, I'm going with my mom and a friend of hers to cruise along the Eastern Seaboard, and since King Arthur is getting released on July 7th, 2004 (according to Movies.com), I won't be able to see it until I get back. Actually, that's not entirely true. As soon as I get back, I still have tons of things to do. I still have Warped Tour 2004 to worry about (huge music festival that me and my friends go to every year), my birthday's going to be coming up, I'm still planning on going camping with my chick friends and whoever else they intend on dragging along and I have a bunch of stuff to do with my screenplay, my band and my internet friends. In fact, I barely have time to watch movies these days, what with all the schoolwork and the studying that I've been having to do. Just today, I had to study for a major Chemistry test that I have tomorrow, I had to write out five pages of what I have to say for this presentation that I need to do for my CAPP class (Career And Personal Planning) next week, I had to type out a short essay that I wrote last night and I had to write another short essay today, all for some geography project about Madagascar that I have due next Tuesday and all that is just one bloody day!

Oh well, at least I managed to catch one movie. Just a little something else I picked up from the library. Ever heard of a little film by the name of Pleasantville? I swear, that just entered my Top 10 list for my favourite movies of all time. I'm fairly certain that you've heard about it, Tracy, but for all the people that haven't, Pleasantville is about these two modern day teenagers that get sucked into an old 50's television show called, well, "Pleasantville". Doesn't sound too interesting, but if you give that movie a chance, you'll really see a whole new layer of depth there. In just two hours, the movie makes statements on racism, sexism, the illusion of perfection, the fear of being judged by our peers, pop culture, family values, preoccupation with physical appearance and modern day society. I've never seen a movie with such depth to it. And yet, at the same time, the movie's hilarious. Like when the two kids start changing things in Pleasantville and all these crazy things start happening? The basketball team starts to suck, people start figuring out that there's a world outside Pleasantville and all the teenagers start going out to Lovers' Lane to have sex? I was cracking up all throughout the thing. But yeah, it's an awesome movie. If you haven't seen it yet, you should definitely check it out. I highly recommend it to everyone here. And I don't say that about just anything. This time, I mean it.

(Scene from "Pleasantville", 1998)

hello

well i finally watched the whole of Master and Commander and it wasn't too bad actually, a bit slow at times but i good one to watch if you wanna be lazy. I also started watching Cypher but feel asleep near the end, again looked promising so can't wait to see the end of that.

i'm outta the country next week so i won't be watching any films unless i learn croatian very quickly but might be able to see some when i come back hopefully.

also has anyone seen the new Batmobile. its crazy, i still prefer the old black one but this one is massive, i'm sure it's bigger than the old one.

anywho hope all is well

I'll join.. maybe you guys might appreciate some of the Hollywood gossip and insight i might have to share... also, if i get to go to a free screening ill tell you about it...

At 6/9/04 02:31 AM, biteme2514 wrote: Review of Pleasantville

I've seen some of it, I really want to watch the whole thing. It's a really cool concept, and yes, it definately has it's share of commentary on society, which is something I don't think you see enough of in film

At 6/14/04 04:22 AM, babydumdum wrote: I also started watching Cypher but feel asleep near the end, again looked promising so can't wait to see the end of that.
i'm outta the country next week so i won't be watching any films unless i learn croatian very quickly but might be able to see some when i come back hopefully.

Cypher, huh? From what I just read about it on IMDb.com, it sounds like another one of those science fiction thrillers. Probably not going to be something I'm going to watch anytime soon. It's not really that I have anything against them, I've just seen too many of those lately. Especially real stinkers like Paycheck, but even some of the average ones like Total Recall. It's really just the same stuff over and over again. In fact, the only one that really stands out in my mind as being one of the really great ones is Minority Report. It's actually ranked #237 on IMDb.com and that's the only one in the genre that I actually like, just because the ending's so damn good. Seriously, that flick ended half an hour after I thought it would and in that extra half hour, the plot twists were great. There's two separate climaxes in that movie, you know. And just about anything that subverts conventional story structure and makes it work is genius. That's why Minority Report is actually in my DVD collection. But enough about that, I want to tell you about all the movies that I've been seeing now.

First off, I saw Monster at a friend's house about a week back. I don't know if you've ever heard about it, but it's the movie adaptation of the true life story of Aileen Carol Wuornos, this highway prostitute who was executed for killing seven men in the state of Florida during the 1980's. The writing doesn't have that much depth to it -- at times, it almost seemed as if the additional dialogue in the movie was really just to link together all the murder scenes -- but I'll give Monster one thing and it's that it has sensational acting. I mean, I know a lot of people still think that the only reason that Charlize Theron got Best Actress of 2003 for it was because she made herself "ugly" to fill the role, but that's only a fraction of what she brought to the screen in that movie. I seriously forgot it was her halfway through the flick. You should check it out just for that reason. See, I'd give the movie three-and-a-half stars out of five but for Theron's performance, her score's perfect. She was just amazing in that movie. Had the swagger down and everything. But I digress. I also saw a little movie by the name of Sex, Lies and Videotape. A little overrated, I thought, but still good, I suppose. There were a lot of really great lines in it ("Men learn to love the person they're attracted to, and women become more and more attracted to the person they love"), but lines don't make a movie. The acting was decent but something about the story seemed lacking to me. I'm sure that there are some who might disagree but I just don't see what all the fuss is about. I also saw a flick by the name of Saved! over the weekend. I'm not totally sure it's something you even have over where you are, but it's basically a movie about these kids who attend a Christian high school and have to deal with the typical Christian views on teen pregnancy, promiscuity and homosexuality. It's a comedy and over here, it's starting to get just a little controversial because, as always, the good churchgoing folk are trying to create a huge ruckus over it, but overall, it made some good points and it made me laugh so thumbs up to it, you know what I mean? Oh, and I also watched Chasing Amy again earlier today. Still love that movie. Anything by Kevin Smith, you know?

By the way, weird question here, but what's your last name? The thing is, I just hit a point in my screenplay where I need a random name and I figured that this would be the perfect spot to include a subtle reference to you in my work. I know your first name's Tracy, but I can't remember whether or not you gave me your last name. Just for the record, my last name is Luk. And my middle name's Franklin. Benjamin Franklin Luk. God, I sound like a bloody accountant.

(Scene from "Monster", 2003)

my last name Walpole, but i'm not related to Robert Walpole who was a prime minister or Horace Walpole who is a writer and shares my birthday, which is kinda freeky actually. I have to admit, i don't think Cypher compares to Minority Report and it is still one of my fav movies at the mo.

Have you ever seen a film called Brassed Off it about mine workers in sheffield who start a brass band. it one of my fav comedies and alot of people can relate to that film. it the same league as The Full Monty both great english comedies if you've got a spare afternoon.

has anyone noticed that games always come out before films? why is that, it kinda spoils the antisepation on seeing a film, why can't they just wait til the film comes out and then bring out the game. i knew what was going to happening in the Two Towers because of the game.

anyways this post is getting long which is unusual for me.

cya all soon

At 6/15/04 04:28 AM, babydumdum wrote: my last name Walpole, but i'm not related to Robert Walpole who was a prime minister or Horace Walpole who is a writer and shares my birthday, which is kinda freeky actually.
Have you ever seen a film called Brassed Off it about mine workers in sheffield who start a brass band. it one of my fav comedies and alot of people can relate to that film.
has anyone noticed that games always come out before films? why is that?

Tracy Walpole? Done. If I ever get that screenplay of mine made into a movie, you'll be mentioned as kind of an outside character. You know, one that never appears onscreen but one whose name comes up every now and again. About sharing birthdays, however, I happen to share my birthday with Alex Trebek, David Spade, Don Henley, William Dafoe and Bob Dole. Not only that, I'm also exactly a year younger than some girl named Amanda in my class. Weird stuff. Oh, and I just looked up Brassed Off on IMDb.com, and I must say, I am actually very interested in seeing that movie now. The reviews make it sound really good and it looks like the kind of heartwarming comedy that I start to crave every year around this time. It's a bit of a long story, but I just like watching sappy, romantic stuff during both the summer and winter months. Long days during those times, you know what I mean? I should really do something about this whole being single situation. As for the video game thing, sorry I can't relate to that. I don't think I've played a video game since I quit playing those damn internet RPGs about two years ago. All movies, all the time.

But going back to the romantic movie thing for just a second, I was a little disappointed with something "romantic" that I watched earlier today. You know how everyone used to herald Sleepless In Seattle for being one of the greatest romantic comedies of our time? It's not. Not in my opinion anyways. Then again, it may just be because I'm working off a typical guy perspective in all this. Now, I don't know if you've seen Sleepless In Seattle, but the movie's not so much about any romantic relationship as it is about one woman, played by Meg Ryan, trying to pursue a relationship with some guy all the way across the country just because she heard him talking on a radio show and sympathized with all his stories about his dead wife. Might seem romantic to some women (and I mean that in the least sexist way possible, I assure you), but guys like me just don't get that. How can a movie be romantic if the couple doesn't even meet up until the last five minutes? For a movie to be romantic to me, I need to see the couple in action (and I mean that in the least sexual way possible, I assure you), and I need to see them interact, you know? But yeah, I'm actually a bit of a sucker for romantic movies. The good ones, anyways. Which is why I'm kind of planning on seeing The Notebook when it comes out. Just don't tell my guy friends. They'll think I joined the "other side" or something. You know. But that's not the only movie I saw today. I also managed to catch the new 2004 version of The Stepford Wives. Unfortunately, that wasn't too good either. You can see the happy ending coming a mile away and you just can't have a good thriller with something like that hanging over the script. However, I also looked into the old 1975 version while I was doing some research on the new flick and I have to say that that one actually seems quite promising. The new one just seems too -- and I shudder to say it -- Hollywood. I'm really beginning to wonder about Hollywood and all the new anti-materialistic movies that it's been putting out lately. It's just so unconsciously hypocritical, you know? Hilarious really.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to a singles bar to try and do something about my romantic movie renting. Knowing me, I'll probably just come home with some other Nora Ephron movie. Ugh.

(Scene from "The Stepford Wives", 2004)

woohoo i'm gonna be kinda in a film lol.
i think its cool you like some romantic stuff, i mean personally, i don't mind it but it has to be good to keep me interested. and as for the single situation i'm sure someone will come along, you seem like a really nice person just make sure that she likes films too lol.

anywas just so you know i won't be here for 2 weeks so i'll be posting back on the 5th july, just in case you think i've gone missing. like poor LiveCorpse, you know i've been in that situation where you just feel like saying fuck it all, but then i remembered how much pain my family would go through. it 's because of them and my other half i'm still here.

well see you all soon

At 6/17/04 04:24 AM, babydumdum wrote: woohoo i'm gonna be kinda in a film lol.
i think its cool you like some romantic stuff, i mean personally. as for the single situation i'm sure someone will come along, you seem like a really nice person just make sure that she likes films too lol.
anywas just so you know i won't be here for 2 weeks so i'll be posting back on the 5th july, just in case you think i've gone missing. like poor LiveCorpse, you know i've been in that situation where you just feel like saying fuck it all, but then i remembered how much pain my family [and "other half"] would go through.

I'm thinking I might find someone when I finally make my way into university and start majoring in Film Studies. I've decided that I really want to have at least a BA in Film Studies and besides, what better place to find a girlfriend who's really interested in film? Granted, she'll probably know much more about movies than I will and for once, I'll probably be the guy giving the blank stares, but hey, maybe this way, I might finally be able to get somewhere with a movie date. By the way, it really blows that you'll be gone for two weeks. The worst part of it is, even though you get back on the 5th, I'll actually be hanging along the Eastern Seaboard with my mom and brother until, like, the 11th. Kind of depressing to think I won't be able to talk to you for so long. Be sure to leave a post as soon as you get back though. I'll see if I can get to you through an internet cafe or something. But yeah, about Livecorpse, he was a cool guy. I actually talked to him a few times on Newgrounds. I mean, I didn't know-him-know-him, but at the same time, it's weird knowing that I once talked to someone who's now, well, gone. I'm glad that you would never do something like that though. I remember around a year-and-a-half ago, I started thinking about it too. Something stupid really, just girl troubles, but I'm really glad I never did anything about it. I wouldn't want to miss all this, right? High school's going to be the best five years of my life and I just have to enjoy it. Even if I do hit a few girl-shaped snags along the way.

As for movies that I've been watching, I haven't really been able to catch any good ones. The only one I've seen since last talking to you was actually Terminator 2: Judgment Day and, well, it's really just an action film. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it, it's just not the kind of thing that I'm usually into. That having been said though, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the better action movies that I've seen. Actually ranked #116 on IMDb.com if you can believe that. I don't disagree either. It really is a classic when it comes to action films. In some parts, the action was really intense! When you really stop and think about how many bullets they must have fired, how many cars they must have blown up and how many millions of dollars they must have spent on all those special effects explosives, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is just a big movie. Combine that with some humor, enough science fiction mumbo-jumbo to cover up some of the more obvious plot holes and enough special effects to make Roland Emmerich blush, and you really have a classic on your hands. Sure, it's not the kind of classic that pretentious movie "connoisseurs" will admit to liking but what the hell, they're all pseudo-intellectuals anyways. I happen to like films for what they are and for what they were always meant to be: Entertainment. Seriously though, I normally despise action movies, so if I actually kind of like one, it's a big deal. So yeah, if you're just looking for something to do with your "other half" on a hot summer day, maybe think about picking up Terminator 2: Judgment Day again and just watching it with a huge tub of popcorn on your laps. I know I'm going to be watching something with my "other half" tomorrow. See, it's my cat's first birthday and I intend on just sitting around with her all night and watching Back To The Future: Part III just because it was the only thing I could find at the local library. Doesn't matter to me though. I needed to finish off that trilogy either way. And besides, I figure I need to spend more time with my cat, Chloe. Seeing as how I'm so busy, I see so little of her nowadays.

Oh well, at least summer's coming up soon. Have fun on your trip to wherever-the-hell-you're-going though. What was it again, Croatia? Take lots of pictures, all right? I need to see them when you get back. See you in three weeks. Oh, and if this counts for anything, I'll miss you. Later.

(Scene from "Terminator 2: Judgment Day", 1991)

Personally, I loved T2. It's clearly one of the best action movies ever. The entire Terminator Trillogy is really good. Sure, they're action movies, but at least they have a message.

Oh man, I've got another movie I can't wait for this summer. And you guys are going to laugh when you read this: Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid . I know what you're thinking. "It's just a generic monster movie, it won't be anything special." Well, ya know what? You're right. There will be nothing special at all about this movie. It will probably be a below averag film. But ya know what? I'm going to love it. I remember when I saw the first Anaconda movie, that was when I started to love monster movies. After that, I started seeking out other similar such as Jaws and Deep Blue Sea(Both of which were spectacular), Lake Placid(Which was quirky, funny, and at the same time a legitimate monster movie) and, regrettably, Piranhas 2the idea of a creature that's bigger or more aggressive or smarter than it should be, putting it in an environment with humans and seeing how everyone deals with the situation. To me, this is very entertaining and interesting.

One of my favorite monster movies is Deep Blue Sea. It took a different approach the the genre, which I found quite appealing. Instead of just picking an random animal and making it huge, Deep Blue Sea explores the idea of making a creature smarter than it normally is. The result is what is, in my opinion, a brilliant movie, featuring one of my favorite monologues ever, performed by one of my favorite actors ever, Samuel L. Jackson. I highly suggest anyone here check this movie out if they havn't already.

At 6/27/04 10:51 PM, TheDogPlayingPoker wrote: One of my favorite monster movies is Deep Blue Sea. [Deep Blue Sea] is a brilliant movie, featuring one of my favorite monologues ever, performed by one of my favorite actors ever, Samuel L. Jackson. I highly suggest anyone here check this movie out if they havn't already.

Monster movies are great though. I mean, The Birds is still one of my favourite movies of all time and even though Species isn't exactly critically-acclaimed, it's a movie that you can really sit down and watch with your friends. You know; mindless, yet fun. Old horror movies are great that way too. Me and one of my chick friends have actually seen all the Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday The 13th and Halloween movies. That's, like, twenty-five films between the three of them. They're all kind of plotless and even I'm not sure why I like them, but I do. As horrible as any new sequels to those films may be, I'm probably still going to go see them first day. As for the Samuel L. Jackson monologue, you mean the one right before he gets ripped in half by that shark, right? I still remember seeing that in theatres. I laughed pretty hard at that, actually.

Now, about the movies I've been watching, I've been seeing quite a few of them. I only wish that I had seen better ones. You'll see what I mean when I start listing them off. Let's get started on the right foot though, shall we? You know that new movie, The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks? It's good. It's everything you expect it to be and more. The concept of subtlety is completely lost on Spielberg though. He constantly feels the need to tell his audience exactly what is going on through the egregious overuse of dialogue. You almost start to miss the quiet, yet somehow meaningful lack of dialogue in 2000's Cast Away, you know? All things considered though, The Terminal's still worth your money. It's heartwarming in a way that very few films are nowadays. Next up, Garfield: The Movie. Horrible. I think that's all that really needs to be said. Number three, Big, also starring Tom Hanks. Cute, but there's something just a little disturbing about the thought of a thirty-something-old woman having sex with a thirteen-year-old boy trapped in a thirty-year-old's body. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Fourth up, Back To The Future: Part III. Just like all the other ones, nothing spectacular, but I wanted to see it anyways just so I could say that I've now seen the entire trilogy.

Now, number five's a little weird for me. I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I've always been somewhat of a sucker for chick flicks. So, when I went to see The Notebook by myself, I did it entirely of my own volition. I wanted to see it! I just really haven't seen a good romantic movie in ages now, and The Notebook looked like just what I needed. It was great too, by the way. Both Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams were sensational as the onscreen couple and they really had some great chemistry together. The movie was sexy, romantic and passionate all the way through and personally, I don't think it hit on real melodrama for the entire 121 minutes of the movie. The performances were convincing, sweet and by the time the movie ended, I was actually kind of pissed off at the world because I hadn't found a love like theirs yet. Stupid, I know, but what can I say? I've always been a sucker for chick flicks. Number six was a flick called Two Brothers and I can honestly say that I have not been more bored in a movie theatre in the past three years. The human acting was horrible, the animal acting was uneventful at best and the writing was riddled with cliches in only the way a true family film can be. I just feel bad for the tigers in that movie. See, they don't know that they were in a bad film. It's a pity. Oh, and I just got back from Fahrenheit 9/11. It's overrated beyond belief. All it did was tell me information that I already knew, only this time, it took them two hours to do it. It's interesting in terms of new footage, but well, that's about it.

So yeah, seven movies I've seen since last posting here. That's quite a bit, isn't it? By the way, you may have noticed how I spaced out this post. I just did that so the movies that I liked are at the top of those paragraphs. I still say The Notebook was great though. It's just kind of sad that I went to that movie alone. Guess I'll always be the romantically-hopeless hopeless romantic around here, huh? Oh well, I can live with that.

(Scene from "The Notebook", 2004)

hello managed to nick my bf internet connection. my holiday was FAB definitly going back there when i get some more money and recommend it for anyone.

so as you can guess i haven't seen any films yet. so i'm just gonna comment on ones you've talked about. Deep Blue Sea is a good film to watch, Anaconda made me feel like i wanted to hit my head against a wall. terminator 2 isn't as good as the first one but better than the third. the notebook isn't one i particularly want to see.

anyways i just realised i didn't respond to your post after mine.

aww that's soo sweet. 2 weeks isn't that long trust me i've only got 1 day left. and as for liking romance films i think its cool, i only like certain ones but at least you'll watch them.

anyways i'll be back on again in a couple of days.

At 7/1/04 03:41 PM, babydumdum wrote: anyways i'll be back on again in a couple of days.

You know when you go on a trip by tour bus and they just won't stop playing crappy movies when the tour guide has run out of interesting things to say? On this trip, I saw movies that I would never have seen otherwise. But I'll get to that in a bit. First, I want to talk about the trip. Not that I remember much about it though. They made me get up at, like, six every morning, so I was doing more sleeping than anything else. But I do remember hitting the CN Tower, Niagara Falls, Ground Zero, Times Square, the Washington Monument and I even managed to swipe a cracked piece of the sidewalk from the park right outside the White House. I saw quite a bit on that trip. But as with all bus tours, all I really got to see were the nation's finest rest stops. We must have seen around thirty of those. Bus tours are like that. They take you everywhere, but you get to see so little, you know what I mean?

Now, about the movies I've seen since my last post, it looks like there are another seven. Three of them I saw before leaving on my trip though, so I'll just split this off into sections again. So yeah, movies I saw before leaving. First up, The Corporation. Without a doubt, the best documentary that I have ever seen. See, it's based off a book written by a professor at UBC and it's all about the origins and evolution of the modern day corporation. From the film's wholly engrossing case studies to its in-depth examination of the profound threat that the corporations of the world present to us, the movie had me riveted at all times. Much better than Fahrenheit 9/11. Or at the very least, I thought so. I also managed to find a copy of The Accidental Tourist at the local library just a few days before I left. Really, the only reason I borrowed it at all was because there were so many references to it in that Robert McKee book I've been reading on screenwriting. But yeah, The Accidental Tourist was nothing spectacular. I don't get how everyone thinks that William Hurt is a great actor. I saw him in The Blue Butterfly just a few months ago and as far as I can see, he plays the same expressionless character in all his movies. Pass. Oh, and I also caught Spider-Man 2. It's good if you liked the first one, but just as I had anticipated, the writing was horrible. But Koepp wasn't the screenwriter for it, which was surprising for me. Instead, it was Alvin Sargent, who penned 2002's Unfaithful and even 1973's Paper Moon. Sargent just kept looking for dumb excuses to unmask the protagonist throughout the entire movie and it was horrible. Combine that with the mediocre acting -- from all except Molina, who was fantastic -- and Spider-Man 2 becomes that pile of crap that for some strange reason, sits in everyone's DVD collection. It's good for what it is though. What it is just doesn't constitute a good movie.

As for the movies I saw on the trip, I'll keep it nice and brief. I caught The Prince & Me on the plane to Toronto, and all I can say is I'm glad I didn't have to take time out of my day to watch it. I mean, I'm 35,000 ft. in the air, right? What else could I possibly do? On the tour bus, I finally got around to seeing My Big Fat Greek Wedding and while it is overrated, I still found myself laughing along with everyone else on the bus. That's one that's worth your time. Next up, Kangaroo Jack. It's a bad movie, but a watchable one. Provided you didn't have to spend money on it. And finally, on the plane ride back to Vancouver, I watched Laws of Attraction. It's nothing special. Instantly forgettable. Wait, what was it about again?

Oh, and I also watched The Bourne Identity and Catch Me If You Can again. Not like it matters. And I also added The Butterfly Effect and Y tu mamá también to my DVD collection. I'll be watching both of those later. Seen the former, but not the latter. So yeah, I'd say that about covers it. Sorry for the unsettlingly long post again though. Having fun in Croatia or wherever the hell you are right now?

(Scene from "The Corporation", 2003)

lol i wish i was still in croatia but i back in england with the lovely rain. well i haven't seen any films, only parts of them. i watched the end of To Kill A Mockingbird and it was really good for an old black and white film. i think A Time to Kill is based on the story coz they're pretty much the same in the story.

Anywho i haven't seen most of the films you mentioned except for The Bourne Identity which is good. there's another one coming about but i can't remember what it's called now. all i know is that it has Bourne in the title lol.

you know i really hate critics. and i mean really hate. this guy said how flat and boring Shrek 2 was and that as usual all the evil middle class people had english accents and all the hero's had american/hispanic accents, and this showed that english people are evil. okay first off Shrek has a scotish accent, he's a good guy and secondly it's a film a piece of entertainment. why oh why do people take stuff seriously like they did with The Passion of Christ its something to take your mind off all the stuff that is going on in the world.

sorry just had to air that makes me mad. anyways i'm gonna go and meditate or something to calm down. glad your trip was good, know what you mean about the bus tours, lucky you got a film to watch.

talk to you soon

Well I recently got a Month long unlimited movie rental pass to Blockbuster. So far I've rented a lot of movies. And I saw some in theatres. so now... here's the low down

Donnie Darko
Excellent. Just amazing. This is deffinatly a must see film. It's awesome. It's... hard to explain, but you'll like it, it's also pretty funny at times.

Fargo
Oh yeah sure jeez. This movie was AWESOME!!! The acting was great, William H. Macy was awesome, same with Steve Buscemi. It's a really good... drama.

Monster
Wow... good movie. Awesome acting. Charleze theron had to gain 35 pounds for this movie... wow. It's pretty good.

The Butterfly Effect
This movie is probably one of the best of 2004. It's a bit like Donnie Darko. I thought this movie was going to suck. But I was wrong... Watch the Director's cut version on DVD. It's soooooooo good. Really really fun idea for a movie, and it's pulled off excellently. Deffinatly a must see.

Eurotrip
LMFAO. This movie was sooooooo funny. I saw the Unrated version. This movie had a lot of laughs in it. It's hilarious. Especially the german sex club scene. Very clever for a teen comedy,

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Pretty funny... it's kinda like Snatch. 4 guyd need 200,000 dollars by the end of the week. How do they do it? Pull of a robbery. Vinnie Jones was excellent in it as usual. Not as good as Snatch though...

Cold Creek Manor
It's advertised as a horror movie... it's not. This "thriller" is probably one of the worst movies ever made. It's sooo crappy. And I'm suprised that Sharon Stone is in it. This thriller has a lame bad guy, action scene, and laughably bad music. Definatly a miss....

Paycheck
Alright... Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman star in this mediocre action film. It's kinda cool, but you'll forget about it in a week. Nothing big...
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I think that's all for now....

and recently I saw 2 movies in theatres.

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Ha, this was really funny. Vince Vauhn and Ben Stiller were hilarious in this. Watch this movie, and stick around after the credits for a hilarious scene.

Farenheit 9/11
Wow... this was really really good... It's funny, and moving at the same time... You should definatly see it. Very powerful movie...

That's all for now!

whoops, forgot one.

The Cooler
William H Macy once again does an amazing performance. Alec Baldwin is also good in this one. It's a bit slow at times, but it's really fun. The ending is awesome