At 10/1/04 04:24 AM, babydumdum wrote: anywho hope you are all well with the bad luck of natural disasters over the pond there.

Oh, I'm a West Coast kid. No natural disasters going on for me over here. Not unless you count my love life anyways, but that's a different story entirely. By the way, sorry for leaving things so quiet in here. I've been busy lately. School's been back in and in addition to that, I'm also trying to catch up on my reading -- I've been trying to finish Joel Bakan's The Corporation -- and my writing, not to mention the fact that me and one of my bandmates are working on some new songs for our band. Things are going well though. The last week has been productive. I think that's more or less all I can say and really mean. However, the 2004 Vancouver International Film Festival is in town. Which is one of the reasons that I've seen seven films since I last posted in here. So, without further ado, let's get into it.

Now, the first one on the list is a bit of an odd one. I won't go into it too much, considering the fact that this film is so obscure, it's practically a guarantee that no one else here will ever be able to find it, but it's a film called Say I Do. It's a documentary on Filipina mail order brides in British Columbia if you can believe that, and the only real reason I was able to catch it was because there was a free screening of it at the Vancouver Public Library and me and my friends had nothing better to do. You can find a short synopsis of the film here, just to prove that I'm not out of my gourd. It's fairly well done though, but like I said, you'll never be able to find it, so let's move on. Next up, Mean Girls. I actually had to watch this one twice, but it was for purely social reasons. It's better than I would have expected from a Lindsay Lohan film, but that's not really saying much. I enjoyed it once though, but the second time was trying. It had its moments; I'll give it that. Number three would be Animal House. Once again, purely social reasons. It's overrated garbage. At least, I think so. Still, I'm glad I watched it. You would not believe how many allusions there are to it in other films. The fourth one was a film by the name of Stella Street. I actually saw it as a part of the 2004 Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) and it was hysterical. Perhaps you might know something about it, Tracy. It's a movie based off the 1997 British TV series of the same name and it's all about these Hollywood celebrities who move into the same street. All the celebrities are actually being impersonated by comedians John Sessions and Phil Cornwell, but the acting was dead on. I could hardly tell them apart from the real celebrities. The Pacino and Nicholson impersonations were the best though. Man, that movie's hilarious. We need more good British comedy over here.

Whoa. Things are starting to get kind of cluttered. On to a new paragraph. Number five is my pick for the post. It's another British film, except this one is a spoof on American zombie films. I take it you all know of a film by the name of Shaun of the Dead? I've been waiting for it for months now and I finally caught it last Saturday. That is, by far, one of the most entertaining films that I have seen all year. Being not only a fan of British comedy, but also American zombie films as well -- I know all about Romero's work and I love the Evil Dead films -- Shaun of the Dead was like a dream come true for me. I was almost giddy in that theatre. And it was exactly what I expected. I loved that movie so much, it kicked The Corporation out of the Favorite Films section in my profile and the first day it's out on DVD, I plan on buying it. It's just a great film. Funny, satiric and with surprisingly good acting in the last half hour of the movie, Shaun of the Dead is my favourite movie released this year. Hopefully, that should mean something. Watch it now. You know you want to. The next one is yet another VIFF film. And yet another documentary that none of you will ever see. It's a film called ScaredSacred and put simply, it's a film all about finding hope in disaster. The maker of the film visited places like post-9/11 New York, Bhopal and Afghanistan and interviewed people, discussing things like religion, family and love along the way. That movie dragged like a lame dog for the first half hour, but the end result was still a good one. Wouldn't watch that movie again though. Maybe if you paid me. Oh, and I just got back from watching a movie called Take the Money and Run at a friend's place. It's the very first film that Woody Allen wrote, directed and starred in. I think I've said enough about that. Ugh.

Well, that's it. Seven films. I think that's still the record for the amount of new movies I've talked about in a post. As far as movies that I've already seen goes though, let's try and keep track of this. I watched Lost In Translation again so I've now seen it four times and I just bought a DVD copy of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for my collection. Watched that again last night too, so I've seen that one twice now. Not that anyone cares. Just figured I'd mention it. Until next time.

(Scene from "Shaun of the Dead", 2004)

100th Post Hazaa!

Now that's out of the way, I saw a Sharks Tale(ST) recently (it's just come out in Australia, I don't know about anywhere else) and I found it more enjoyable then Finding Nemo. I doubt many small children would get many of the jokes ,and the movie referneces, I found at least eight direct quotes from other movies including Scarface, Goodfellas, Gladiator, Jerry Maguire, A few Good Men and The Godfather. Although they may enjoy the loud noises, the colour and some of the characters voices but most of it will go over there heads.

Graphics wise Finding Nemo kicks its ass. While some of the images in Finding Nemo wouldn't of looked out of place on a postcrad, A Sharks Tale is big, bright and comical. The voices in both are excellent while ST has an all star cast, Finding Nemo's voices were just as good. Animation in both was flawless.

What sets a Sharks Tale apart from the other animated films is the fact it has a bit more of an adult theme.

This movie gets 84/100 from me. I recommend a viewing particularly if you're an avid movie goer.

Lord Robbo

Couldn't be stuffed writing whole review on this so I'll do a quick summary.

New York Minute. Worst. Movie. Ever.
I mean that at least Plan 9 from Outer Space was entertaining, this has no redeeming qualities.

7 films! woah i think you deserve a medal lol.

i got through 2 and 2 1/2s this weekend (it'll make sense later)

So the first film i saw was The Omega Code basically its a film about the Bible code, quite good, bit lacking on the acting front and a rather parcular ending. yes i know its a religious film of sorts but i quite enjoyed it.

Second film King of New York starring Christopher Walken as a gangster who got out of jail and starts killing off his opponents and tries to help the neighbour by selling drugs, go figure. again good, not anything to shout about but if it free get comfy and watch.

now i watch 1/2 of a film called Ivanhoe basically this knight tries to save King Richard from his evil brother Prince John, set around Robin Hood times. you should watch this for comical value, it was done in the 70's and the sword fighting is laughable, but again good one to watch if its free, i didn't see the beginning and end so it may of got better lol.

the other 1/2 a film i watched was The Pianist which was brilliant what i saw of it, again didn't see the beginning and end but i'm definatly gonna see the whole thing, i was totally engrossed.

Ben, i don't remember a TV series called Stella Street, it may have been before my time. as for Shaun of the Dead i haven't seen that either although a lot of my friends have and said it was hilarious, go British comedy lol.

LordRobbo thanks for posting, i loved Finding Nemo so i may see Shark Tale once its comes out over here.

anyways i'm off now, gotta go sort out a few things. hope all is good. tata

At 10/4/04 04:01 AM, babydumdum wrote: LordRobbo thanks for posting, i loved Finding Nemo so i may see Shark Tale once its comes out over here.

Thats ok.

Now I will review Garfield. I saw this movie about two weeks ago, and I'll say this now. I am definitley not a huge garfield comic fan but i am not anti garfield. Now for the movie. The movie uses a mix of CGI (Garfield), real animals , Odie (among others0 and humans.

Garfield looks alright but nothing special, the trained animals are ok but i think the creators should of stuck with either plain CGI or real animals as the mix looks tacky in parts. The acting is predictably average, but Bill Murray does a sufficient job as the big cats voice (thoughts).

This movie is incredibly predictable playing out like most childrens movie. ie. Garfield hates Odie, Garfield sends Odie outside Odie, Odie runs away, Garfield misses him. It is obvious this is not intended for anyone over 9 years old but I know many parents will be dragged along.

The difference between this and other CGI films is this makes no attempt to direct any of its jokes at adults. This is its main fault.

Do not waste your money on this, I did becuase it only cost me $5.50 AUD

I give it 45/100. Coming soon. More stuff

Ok well, I recently saw Around the World in 80 days (80days) and I had extraordinarily low expectations for it. But I found it to be a quite enjoyable experience.

The plot is basically an invenotr who wants to get into an academy run by some guy who doesnt like him. The inventor, Phileas Fogg, makes a bet that he can travel around the world in 80days. If he loses he is never allowed to invent again.

Another lead character, Jackie Chan, has just reclaimed the Jade Buddha which was stolen from his village. He is on the run from the police and runs into Fogg and becomes his valet. So off they go around the world.

This movie is a movie that'll be ruined under scrutiny but can be enjoyed by the relaxed viewer. The fight scenes are well done in typical Chan style.

The acting is ok, the plot can be a bit silly (The part with Arnold Schwarzenegger in particular, though it's quite funny).

I give this movie 79/100 but I must mention one thing, do not pay full price to see this movie unless you're a big fan of Jules Verne, I got in cheap so it was ok.

Doesn't anyone like movies anymore? I'm the only one psoting

At 10/10/04 04:54 AM, LordRobbo wrote: Doesn't anyone like movies anymore? I'm the only one psoting

Note: Originally, this was only one post, but because I unknowingly surpassed the apparent character limit of 6500 characters, it had to be cut into two. However, I have kept all the text the same as it was before. Sorry for the, er, inconvenience.

Trust me. It would take a lot to get me and Tracy to stop liking movies. She's just busy with her work and I'm just busy with, well, my social obligations, which I'm sure Tracy has her fair share of as well. Not to mention the fact that I'm spending a considerable amount of time actually watching the movies I'm going to be talking about in this post. I tend to sort of build them up so I have more than one movie to talk about each time. And since I don't usually watch more than one movie a day, I only average around one post a week in here. Sorry to keep you waiting, but patience is a virtue. Besides, can you really blame me for not having anything to say about New York Minute?

As for deserving a medal, Tracy, I like the idea but I don't think it'll be happening anytime soon. In any case, if I deserved a medal last time, what do you think I deserve this time for watching eight new films? Maybe a nice statue outside my local video store in my likeness. Yes, I rather like that. I'll get the contractors on that immediately. But first, some quick news. Remember the Vancouver International Film Festival? It ended two days ago, so I doubt I'll be seeing any decent foreign films for a while. Also, recently I've taken to trying to watch as many movies on the IMDb Top 250 list as possible. Last I checked, I've only seen around sixty of them -- a pitiful 24% -- and I really want to get that number up to a hundred of those films by next summer. Guess I'll be keeping you all posted on how that goes. But enough crap from me. Let's get into the movies I watched.

The first one I saw this time was something I caught at a friend's house last Saturday. Something one of his parents rented by the name of Swimming Pool. I can't really even begin to describe it, but the movie is all about a British mystery author who runs off to her publisher's home to try and work on her new book. Enter the publisher's promiscuous daughter and suddenly, sex, murder and scandal are thrown into the mix. Sounds almost Hollywood, yet strangely enough, the movie has a really minimalist approach to it. I mean, the whole murder aspect doesn't even kick in until three-quarters of the reels have been shown. But hey, with a French director like François Ozon at the helm, can you really expect anything different? It's a great M.F. flick though. I think I'll leave you guys to figure out exactly what it is I mean by that*. Now, on Monday, I saw another movie at another friend's house. See, this friend of mine is currently taking an English Literature course and she just so happens to be studying Shakespeare's "King Lear". Seeing as how Akira Kurosawa's Ran is supposed to be loosely based on Shakespeare's "King Lear", it was only natural for her to use it as a sort of study guide. And she invited me along to watch the movie with her. Put simply, Ran is now one of my favourite Japanese movies of all time. With numerous battle scenes of epic proportions and a story deep and rich in only the way Shakespeare and Kurosawa can make it, Ran is just the kind of thing that will appeal to film connoisseurs and action junkies alike. It's #75 on IMDb.com too. My only advice would be to go out and rent it. Now. The next one was just something I decided to pick up from the library for lack of anything better to do. I'm sure you've all heard of Good Morning, Vietnam so I'll keep it brief. I personally think that Robin Williams is kind of defined by that role. That movie's not great on story, but still, it's one of the best movies for one-liners there is. The day after that, on Wednesday, I went out with one of my chick friends to catch my third and final film for VIFF 04: Machuca. Machuca tells the story of the 1973 Chilean coup through the eyes of an eleven-year-old boy. I'll be blunt; chances are, you're never going to find this movie. Still though, for what it is, it's fantastic. Five stars in The Vancouver Sun and I just found out that the film took home this year's AGF People's Choice Award. Believe me; it's all well-deserved.

*I'll give you a clue. The M stands for "mind".

Continued from the post above.

Guess this is the halfway point. Might as well split this up a little to make it easier to read. The fifth one I saw this week was an old VHS tape I borrowed from yet another one of my chick friends. A lot of people find it slightly odd that I had never seen this movie before in its entirety, but on the other hand, I suppose I have no excuse. I'll admit it though: Up 'til last Thursday, I had never before seen The Princess Bride. It's now my favourite family film though. If I ever need to babysit a bunch of kids, that's the movie I'm using. Oh, and did I mention that it's #102 on IMDb.com? Inconceivable! (Well, not really.) Number six was another library movie. Anyone ever seen a parody of the now-infamous scene where someone's running through a corn field while being chased by a plane trying to gun them down? Yeah, that's from Hitchcock's North By Northwest. That's a classic Hitchcock thriller, you know. As a matter of fact, it's #22 on IMDb.com! For me though, it wasn't really the action that got me hooked in; it was the humour. That movie's just rife with innuendo. It's hysterical really. Movie number seven was kind of along the same lines. Ever heard of a movie called Down With Love? It's just a delightfully cheesy romantic comedy reminiscent of those crazy little sex comedies of the 60's. Just insanely suggestive. If romantic comedy's your kind of thing though, I recommend Down With Love fully. Oh, and just so you know, I would never recommend a film if I didn't enjoy it myself. Last but not least is a film that I actually just got back from seeing: The Yes Men. It's a documentary on these anti-corporate activists who impersonate WTO officials and start going to lectures and conferences. The pranks are really hilarious -- everything from giving talks about the capitalist benefits of auctioning votes to lecturing about "solving" the world hunger crisis by feeding Third World countries recycled food -- but about halfway through, I suddenly lost sight of the entire purpose of this film. Sure, I laughed, but looking back on it now, did I learn anything from this film that I didn't already know before? Was it anywhere near as insightful and inquisitive as, say, The Corporation or even Super Size Me? Was it even worth the $8.95 I paid to see it? I don't think so. But seeing as how this is another one of those films that I doubt any of you here will ever get the chance to see, I guess it doesn't really matter. Just think of it as the Jackass of documentaries. It's entertaining, in some kind of sick and twisted way, but don't spend your hard-earned money on it. That's all I have to say about that. Until next time, guys. (Good enough for you, LordRobbo?)

(Scene from "The Princess Bride", 1987)

At 10/11/04 12:39 AM, biteme2514 wrote:

:Trust me. It would take a lot to get me and Tracy to stop liking movies. She's just busy with her work and I'm just busy with, well, my social obligations, which I'm sure Tracy has her fair share of as well.............

I know I wasnt directing it at you, I just mean there are over 600 000 users on Newgrounds and no one was posting? But I do appreciate your work here, if that makes sense. But I digress.

Couldn't think of a movie I could quickly review so see y'all soon

ben your putting me to shame. i think you definatly deserve a statue lol. well i started to watch a film but we had to go out, and i can't for the life of me remember what it was called lol.

anyways we are going to see Hero i think over the weekend, since you said it was better than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon i definatly want to see if it is.

and i just want to give a shout out to Christopher Reeves, may he rest in peace. hope they dedicate the new Superman to him.

well that's it for now, if i remember that film i'll talk about it lol.

tata for now

On Saturday I saw Team America: World Police.

This movie is soooooo fucking funny. It's better than the South Park movie. There aren't many political jokes, most of it is just Matt Stone and Trey Parker's silly humor. It's soooo good.

This movie makes fun of SO MANY people! Kim Jong Il, Michael Moore, Alec Baldwin, Susan Surandin, Matt Damon, Sean Penn, Samuel L. Jackson, Helen Hunt, Martin Sheen, Osama Bin Ladin, Liv Tyler, and much much more.

all using puppets.

Best film of the year.

I also saw Shaun of the Dead which I loved!

but Team America is better.

Both movies kick ass, see them both!

I've got some work to do so I'm just going to post some movies with scores and very brief review.

Hellboy-81% Good entertainment, bit long

Bourne Supremacy- 86% Very cool spy movie

Mean Girls- 51% Average, very predictable

SPiderman 2- 85% Very good, better then the first

Shrek 2- 78% Over rated, gave too much away on possible funny bits on the ads, took away those moments in the movie

Walking Tall 72%- Ok, some cool stunts, short

To be and to have - 91% Excellent French doco, look for full review later

King Arthur- 73% Ok some scenes better then other not as good as Gladiator

That is all

At 10/11/04 10:53 PM, MickFoliac wrote: On Saturday I saw Team America: World Police.
This movie is soooooo fucking funny.

Yeah? I was planning on watching that one. I was going to watch that and I Heart Huckabees this Tuesday by buying tickets for only one of them and then sneaking into the other one right after, but I couldn't find a theatre that was playing both of them at the same time. So, because I'm going with a friend and we agreed that I Heart Huckabees was still our first priority, it doesn't look like I'll be watching Team America: World Police until next Tuesday. I'll be going with the same person on both occasions though. We appear to have settled into a weekly routine where we both go out and catch a movie every Tuesday. Cheaper movie tickets. You know how it is. In any case, I haven't had too much time to watch movies lately. I've had to spend more time on my schoolwork as of late. There's a huge Chemistry test looming over me right now and I still need to actually buckle down and study for it. Can't just watch movies all the time. As a result, I've only seen a paltry four films since my last post. At least I know I can fit all four into one post this time though. I still can't believe I made it over the character limit of 6500.

But going back to the Tuesday Night Movie thing, last Tuesday, me and my friend went down to Tinseltown Cinemas to go catch Gael García Bernal's latest, The Motorcycle Diaries. Having watched Y Tu Mamá También, we kind of wanted to see if Bernal could pull it off again. Which he did admirably. But as great as Bernal's portrayal of the young Ché Guevara was, the movie was all about the cinematography. For those of you who have no idea, The Motorcycle Diaries is the story of the road trip that a young Ché Guevara took with his best friend, Alberto Granado, all the way back in 1952. Travelling through Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Peru, The Motorcycle Diaries is a coming-of-age story in the most classic sense of the term; through something as unassuming as an innocent little road trip, the protagonists' destinies and lives take on a much greater meaning and maturity, ultimately leading Guevara to become the leader of the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Yet somehow, The Motorcycle Diaries is not likely to inspire revolutionaries. Rather, it is more likely to inspire aspiring world travellers. As I mentioned before, the cinematography is gorgeous. And we have Eric Gautier to thank for that. The shots of Argentina and especially Peru were exquisitely photographed and looked to have come out of some sort of travel brochure. But there is not a shred of politics. Not one. Not that I mind; it's just different for a movie featuring such a prominent political figure. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant experience for me and I recommend it fully. The Motorcycle Diaries is my pick for the post.

The second movie I saw this week, however, was just an old classic that for some reason or another, I just never got around to watching. But now that I've been busy trying to watch as many movies off of the IMDb Top 250 as possible, I finally found the time to pop 12 Angry Men into my DVD player and give it the attention that it deserves. It's actually extremely interesting for being filmed in only one room. Just like Rear Window, it manages to create a level of tension that even huge Hollywood blockbusters like the God-awful I, Robot can't compare to, using an extremely limited amount of space. It's quite possibly my favourite B&W movie now, now that I think about it. If you haven't already seen it, it's a must-see. The best example of how to effectively use French scenes too, if you want to become a playwright or screenwriter like I do. Oh, and I'm not going to waste any time typing out a synopsis of the damn thing. If you don't already know, look it up on your own time. Movie number three is another one of those documentary films you're probably never going to be able to find: Army Of One. It documents the lives of three American youth as they sign up for the army and go through two years of hell doing it. It's not exactly edifying like all those other documentary films that I've been watching, but it is quite insightful, not to mention entertaining. Army Of One is one of the most interesting documentaries that I've ever seen. From one of the kids talking about a dream that he was having about his drill sergeant making him chase a chicken around because he thought that it would make a great pet to one of the kids actually being shipped off to Iraq, Army Of One was never boring for me. I hear that it's actually going into limited release in some parts of New York next week. All the people in that area, keep your eyes peeled. Oh, and the fourth and final movie I saw this time was Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys. One of those crazy travel-back-in-time-to-save-the-world type flicks. This one's not bad though. It's already somewhat of a sci-fi classic in most circles.

So, that's it for now. Guess I'll be back here in a week to keep you all posted on the next chunk of movies that I plan on watching. Just to let you all know though, I'm now up to having seen 66/250 of the movies on the aforementioned list, which just so happens to come out to 26.4%. I'm getting up there. Hey, why don't all of you go check out the list and see how many of those movies you've seen? There must be at least one person in here beating me.

(Scene from "The Motorcycle Diaries", 2004)

hello.

i quite like 12 Monkeys, that is the one with Bruce Willis right? anyways it took me a while to figure out what was going on but still enjoyed it.

well i managed 3 movies. first was the one i couldn't remember for the life of me, it called The Prophecy of the Tiger and lets just say that its not the worst film i seen but i think it should stay on the shelf.

Second film Hero i have to agree with you ben much better than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon however some people may not think there's enough action, but there is enough costume changes, my god! and it shows Jet Li in the light he deserves.

Third Film Baby Boy basically Tyrese plays a black man who has two children by two different women and can't keep his trousers on despite it. it directed by the guy who did Boys in the Hood so it on the same level, the odd funny part but with a tale to tell. one to look out for if its a rainy day.

well that's it oh and ben i got 49/250 so you are winning, actually i was hoping for more that that but never mind

At 10/11/04 12:41 AM, biteme2514 wrote: (Good enough for you, LordRobbo?)

Yes much better thank you.

I saw To be and to have ages ago. It is a great little documentary set in a tiny school with about a dozen kids, it just shows the day to day life of the children at school but goes into many of their lives a bit deeper.

It is a charming very entertaining doco that may not sound like much in this review as it is hard to put into words.

I give this movie 93/100 and reccomend that all see it.

It is subtitled

The Triplets of Belleville is a beautiful piece of art. It is an animated French film that is so unique, graphically brilliant and in many parts freakin' hilarious.

Words cannot explain the talent neccesary to make this, it IS a masterpiece. It is about a old lady who trains her grandson up to compete in the Tour De France. When he goes missing during it she gets the help of The Triplets of Belleville to find him.

Let's get something out of the way. 99% of western animated films are all about morals and boring predictable tosh. This can be fine if the execution is good, but it rarely is in 2D films when you think about them. This is not the case with The Triplets of Belleville it is clever, often unpredictable and the conclusion consists of a fantastic car chase that puts the Matrix Reloaded chase to shame.

This is easily my favourite animated film and is a must see. It was nominated for two Academy Awards : Best Animated Film and Best Original Song. Being beaten by Finding Nemo and LOTR:ROTK in that order. It IS better then Finding Nemo. Return of the King is too different for comparison.

I give this movie 97/100 and it gives a good kick in the crotch to most other animated films

See it

heylo i would like to join the MVA, and a movie i think we all should benifit from is American History X

I just saw Equilibrium for the first time. My my, what a swell movie. I loved it. Too clear things up, its NOTHING like the matrix in any way other than dress sence. The movie has a fantasic plot line and great fight scenes. I must say, i recomend this fine thing to anyone.

I just finished picking and watching five movies off my rack of about two hundred DVDs:
The Big One[1997,USA]-One of Michael Moore's early films, funny, offensive and ultimatley has a message about big-bussiness corruption, plus the TWA scene is a classic, LOL!
93/100
Canadian Bacon[1995,USA]-A critically -acclaimed but rarely watched John Candy classic, a good, but very politcal plot makes this a must-watch! A little too sweary for a PG rating
98/100
Stealing Havard[2002,USA]-A little on on the stupid side, 'cause it has Tom Green, but Jason Lee's whiny, fed-up performance as John, a pissy thirty-something who needs 27,569 dollars for his niece's college education.
76/100
Lost in Translation[2003,Japan]-The first good movie with Bill Murray, a brilliant story of a washed-up film star[which he is] who spends the week of his life in Tokyo, fantastic!
100/100
Wayne's World[1992,USA]-A slacker classic, may seem stupid, but the Sell-out scene will leave you laughing yourself stupid!
81/100

At 10/18/04 04:24 AM, babydumdum wrote: well that's it oh and ben i got 49/250 so you are winning, actually i was hoping for more that that but never mind

Still though, I'm sure someone in here is beating me. I happen to know of someone who's seen over two hundred of the movies on the list. It's ridiculous really. On the other hand, she's much older than I am. I figure that by the time I actually make it to adulthood, I'll have seen at least two hundred movies on the list too. Only one way to find out though, right? I actually printed out a copy of the list and now, I update it regularly. I'm now up to 69/250, by the way. And if I'm lucky, by tonight, it should be at seventy.

Just for the record, I have kind of been going out of my way to watch the movies on this list. I'm unofficially competing with a friend of mine who, last I checked, just so happens to have seen 69/250 of the movies on that list as well. So, my renting of The Philadelphia Story might have a little something to do with that. I'll be honest with you. Under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn't go out and rent a movie from 1940 without having any idea what it was about. All I knew was that Cary Grant was in it, and well, I loved him in North By Northwest, so I figured, "Why not?". It turned out to be quite good though. Plenty of 40's-style humour; all suggestive, all the time. The plot's simple enough: A wealthy woman's ex-husband (Grant) and a reporter (James Stewart) show up right before her second wedding and she ends up falling for both of them at the same time. Oh, and did I mention that this "wealthy woman" is played by none other than Katharine Hepburn? The film's surprisingly funny though. I mean, I'd put it down in my Top 10 List for Romantic Comedies any day. Not that I actually have one, but you know what I mean. Anyways, moving on. It's definitely worth a look at. Next up, I Heart Huckabees. Yeah, I know. But despite its somewhat corny-sounding title, I Heart Huckabees is another great film for laughs. The plot of this one is, a Napoleon Dynamite-esque environmental activist suddenly starts questioning the deeper meaning of this "coincidence" that keeps occurring to him; he keeps seeing the same tall African man everywhere he goes. So, he takes it upon himself to hire a pair of self-proclaimed Existential Detectives. As if that wasn't bizarre enough, this activist fellow then comes to meet up with a local firefighter, who just so happens to spurn the use of petroleum products. Throw in the CEO of Huckabees Corporation, who's trying to get said activist off his back by infiltrating his coalition and you have a crazy cast of characters that make up one of the most insane movies I've seen in a while. Remember how I thought Swimming Pool was an M.F. movie? This one has M.F. written all over it, capitalized and italicized. I really can't explain much more without giving the whole movie away, but just take this into consideration. In my profile, it managed to bump off Good Bye, Lenin! on my Favorite Films list. I haven't decided whether or not that's permanent yet, but Good Bye, Lenin! is a good movie. I Heart Huckabees, in my opinion, is right up there. Especially if you love Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Kaufman didn't work on this one, but it seems to me that he might finally have some competition.

The next two, I'll only talk about in brief. I watched them and all, but they don't really deserve as much space as the previous two. First up, This Is Spinal Tap. I actually added this one to my DVD collection prior to watching it and while I don't regret buying it, I'm still thinking that maybe I should have just used that money on, like, an Oasis CD or something. The only real reason I bought it was because someone gave me a $10 gift certificate for HMV and I was anxious to see if it still worked. The gift certificate was from all the way back in 2002, you see. Still though, I watched it last night and while I was able to check it off the list, out of all the Christopher Guest movies I've seen, I still think A Mighty Wind was the best. This Is Spinal Tap is funny, it's just not especially funny. Let's move on. Oh, The Grudge. Just watched that about two hours ago. Big on scares, low on smarts. Jump scenes galore, but horrible ending. For those of you who don't know, The Grudge is just another American remake of a Japanese horror film in the same vein as The Ring. The Ring is still better though. One of my favourites as far as American horror films are concerned anyways. (I've seen it seven times.) But The Grudge? Well, it's good if all you're looking for is a night of cheap scares, but the way I see it, horror films are like sexual encounters: It's always better when they leave a lasting impression on you. Pass.

By the way, somewhere in all this, I also finally got around to watching The Wizard of Oz in its entirety. I was never sure if I ever watched the whole thing when I was a kid, but now, I know. Oh, and CoachDante? Good on you for giving Lost In Translation full points. You've earned my respect. Until next time, all.

(Scene from "I Heart Huckabees", 2004)

What list are you talking about?

I'm confused and scared.....and wet

At 10/18/04 12:56 AM, biteme2514 wrote: I finally found the time to pop 12 Angry Men into my DVD player and give it the attention that it deserves.

In Australia, an Australian play version of that is currently touring, using big name Australian TV actors. I went and saw it and it was bloody fantastic, oh and by the way I found that list so fear no more.

Thanks for saying you respected my review, I respect all of you movie lovers!
Right now I got back from Survivng Christmas, which I'd give a 80/100 'cause it's funny, but I went for my sister's birthday and it was too offensive for her and her friends, so it kinda ruined the experience.
And I'm watching Supersize Me! right now, it's good, expect a full review tomorrow, bye, guys!

hello all old and newcomers.

well i managed to see 1 film called Double Tap a chinese film about a guy who kills a cop and become obessed by killing. very good and quite odd since it's subtitled but they speak english in some parts.

also started watch Predator of course a classic alien-type film but because of this damn horrible weather i lost signal on my sky to see the end.

i think i might be seeing Alien vs. Predator just out of pure curiosity.

well that's all for now. hope you all had a good weekend.

tata

At 10/25/04 04:19 AM, babydumdum wrote:
well i managed to see 1 film called Double Tap a chinese film about a guy who kills a cop and become obessed by killing. very good and quite odd since it's subtitled but they speak english in some parts.

Sounds good, I may rent it if I can find it. If you haven't seen L.A. Confidential see it. Same goes for Goodfellas.

Two new reviews and some news:
Supersize Me![2003,USA] Morgan Spurlock's pain thirty-day Mickey D's binge ruins his body and shows us how shitty fast-food is, hilarious music and the "Mc"-in front of evey word scene make this film easier to chew,[pun intended] great DVD bonus features, you'll probably keep eating out after seeing this, but no more double Big Macs or fattening salads.
95/100
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest[1975,USA]The Jack Nicholson classic, it's the drama that makes you laugh, literally the funniest movie I've seen all month, I'm going to Team America on friday, the scene where McMurphy loses it and snaps Nurse Ratchet's neck like a twig is sadistically satisfying, early performances by Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd and Brad Dourif are pleasing.
100/100
George Burns "Oh My God! " is being remade, guess who plays God, of all people, Ellen DeGeneres! It might be good, the new movie about the cartoon classic, Fat Albert, looks okay, expect a review of t and Team America soon!

At 10/26/04 05:15 PM, CoachDante wrote:

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest[1975,USA]

Yeah that movie was really good

Wow. Goodfellas, L.A. Confidential and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest all mentioned? Why, all those movies are on my list. Sadly though, I still have yet to actually watch those three films. Depressing, is it not? A self-proclaimed movie lover, yet somehow, I've managed to miss out on all the classics. Oh well, I'm working my way up there. With the IMDb Top 250 to help me. And this time, I'm up to 72/250. I've seen four films since my last post here and three of them were listed. If all goes according to plan this week, I'll have another four under my belt by this time next week.

The first one I saw this time was an obvious listed one. I'm sure you're all familiar with A Streetcar Named Desire? Well, I finally got around to watching it last Saturday. Invited over a few friends, plunked them down on the couch and popped in the DVD I borrowed from the library. Now, if you're like me and always forget to look up what some of these classics are actually about, you might need the synopsis here. The movie starts with Blanche DuBois, a fragile and neurotic woman who, for an unknown reason, decides to shack up with her sister, Stella, in New Orleans. However, she did not expect to find her sister married to a man like Stanley Kowalski; a man as far from chivalrous as one can be. In fact, he's almost downright misogynistic. Yet for some strange reason, Stanley and Stella are still deeply in love. Then, one day, one of Stanley's poker buddies, Mitch, comes over and finds himself falling for Blanche. But as him and Stanley find out more and more about Blanche's dark past, Blanche becomes more and more desperate to keep the truth buried. That's the gist of it. Only thing is, what I just described there is the whole movie. There's really no layer of deeper meaning or anything, but I must admit, the characterization in this movie is amazing. The film itself isn't bad though; I just think I would have appreciated the story more had I seen it as a play rather than in B&W on a small TV screen in a room where most of my friends were falling asleep. Either way, it's still a classic. Brando pulls off one of the best performances of his life in this one. Now, let's completely switch gears. I caught Team America: World Police with my lady friend on Sunday. And I can tell you right now, I laughed through the whole damn thing. Of course, I vaguely remember wondering why I was actually laughing at some of those jokes -- sight gags involving projectile vomiting and male-male fellatio abound -- but you have to admit, the jokes that weren't egregiously crass were hysterical. And the songs! The songs make the movie. With catchy little tunes like "Everybody Has AIDS!" and "The Montage Song", I was humming to myself for days after watching the film. I can't say much more without giving away all the really good jokes, so I'll just get straight to the point. Bottom line: If you're just looking for a good time and appreciate a dumb joke every now and again, this movie's worth your money. But if you're the type that gets offended by, say, someone identifying you as the type that's easily offended, stay the hell away. Oh, and just one more thing. Don't expect to find this as funny as you first did a few months down the line. It's just cheesy, forgettable humour all the way through. What sets this one apart from the others, however, is that this is cheesy, forgettable humour done right.

Now, to completely switch gears once again. Me and my lady friend actually watched two movies together last Sunday. And believe you me, we found the transition between Team America: World Police and Amadeus even weirder than you do now. Amadeus tells the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri and the jealousy that eventually led to Mozart's untimely death. Salieri is the court composer, Mozart is a much more talented composer and Salieri's envy and animosity towards Mozart for his God-given gift drives Salieri into madness. And ultimately, towards murder. You know, for years, I have not seen a movie as rich as this one. The music, completely untouched, is the exact same as it was in the 1700's when it was composed and the story is remarkable to every intricate detail. Shaffer took a legend and made him real, giving him more personality than even some of the people I know. Amadeus is a must-see, people. That is why Amadeus is my pick for the post. And now, the final movie for this little rant of mine. I take it you all know 2001: A Space Odyssey? Good. I'd be very worried if none of you had ever heard about it. The thing is, 2001: A Space Odyssey is probably going to be one of the slowest movies you're ever going to watch. Clocking in at 148 minutes long, only one hour of that -- sixty minutes -- actually contains dialogue. The rest is pure imagery. Yet somehow, this was one of the most enthralling movies I have ever seen. My friend, Danny, and my brother obviously didn't feel the same way. Both drifted off about forty-five minutes in. But if you have the patience, 2001: A Space Odyssey is extremely rewarding. I just can't describe it though. It's one of those things you need to see for yourself. Hell, I watched it and I still can't describe it. All I can tell you is that it involves extraterrestrial life, a supercomputer called the HAL-9000 and a guy named Dave. Watch it though. You'll be glad you did. That's all, folks. I'm off like a prom dress.

(Scene from "2001: A Space Odyssey", 1968)

At 10/27/04 02:11 AM, biteme2514 wrote: With the IMDb Top 250 to help me.

I disagree with a lot of the stuff on that list, how can they have Kill BIll Volume 2, a mediocre movie at best and not include Scarface, the classic tale of Tony Montana (Al Pacino) and his rise to brief fame and fortune. And come on The Sixth Sense ahead of the piece of comedic genius Duck Soup created by the Marx Brothers. If you have not seen any Marx Brothers films or even if you have see Monkey Buisness and Duck Soup. I have not seen A night at the Opera, though I hear it's very good, but fortunately it comes out on DVD in Australia early November.

Speaking of Scarface I got a copy (new) of it for $10 AUD which is roughly $7US I think. And by the way I have seen 38or39 of those movies on the list but I have stuck a list of movies I want to see on the back of my door. If any of thse are crap please say so and I might think twice before renting- The Godfather, The Professional, Igby Goes Down, Blade Runner, Raging Bull and Citizen Kane. I'll probably see most even if people say they're crap though but I would appreciate it.

Thanks, and stay classy (Yes, I just saw Anchorman and it was pretty good, not as good as Duck Soup)