Hey guys.

I'm hoping that I can revive this club which seems to of died off over the past few months.

First up, I finally saw The Godfather, just the first one at this point, but I hope to see at least Part II this week. I'm sure both of you have seen it, so I won't go into too much detail. It is a fantastic piece of cinema with a brilliant ensemble cast, and considering the shit Coppola had to go through to finish it, it's amazing that is nearly close to flawless.

Now, two Stephen Frears movies, High Fidelity and Office Space. Neither of these movies are laugh out loud hilarious from beginning to end, but regardless, both entertain thoroughly. There are some great characters in both of these movies, which both deal with, at a simple level, people hating their job and going through relationship troubles.

I did notice that in HFt some characters seem to arrive, leave for long periods of time, then return with a different relationship to John Cusack, in particular Liz. Regardless, both movies have enough charm to pull through and stay enjoyable.

A change of pace with City of God, after what you said all those months ago biteme, I finally saw it. And despite its obvious excellence at a film, I couldn't enjoy it. Whether it was the face that all the characters were relatively unappealing (the narrator less so, but still to some extent), the perpetual hellhole that was City of God or just the plight of those in the movie. Great performances from everyone, slick directing, the handheld camera here worked much better in this rather than Meirelles' latest, The Constant Gardener.

I finally saw The Seventh Seal in its entirety. A stunning piece of cinema, and as my first Bergman, it made me want to see more of his work. Beautifully shot, the images and thoughts that remain afterwards even overshadow the superb performances. A must see.

Now, two political movies; Syriana and V For Vendetta. Though the former has an especially complex plot, the latter is much more straightfoward. Syriana is complicated to the point of confusion, by the end of the movie I thought I had understood it but soon realised I had completely forgotten about certain sub-plots. V For Vendetta was a fairly average movie, which excelled in its action sequences and used Tchaicovsky's 1812 Overture sublimely for the terrorist attacks. The CGI in this movie was not overused, and therefore looked much more spectacular, particularly the explosions in London. Oddly enough, V seemed to be overly sappy and the ending was ridiculous.

The performances in both movies were consistently excellent with the exception of Natalie Portman in V, who really was appalling.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is quite possibly the best movie of 2005, up there with Downfall. Hilarious throughout, it also gives Kilmer and Downey the chance to show off their acting chops. It's brilliant use of narration, biting dialogue and glossy visuals make it essential viewing.

And finally for this post, Billy Wilder's The Apartment. Much darker than Some Like It Hot, it is less funny but a much better movie. All the characters have real emotional depth and you actually care what happens to Lemmon's and MacLaine's characters. I'm sure you've heard of this before, so I won't go on.

All right guys, that's all from me.

I hope someone posts soon or I fear the MVA will die off.

Later all.

Hey all

Just want to correct a mistake from my last post. Office Space was by Mike Judge rather than Stephen Frears. I don't know why I made that error.

Anyway,

Later guys

I apologize for leaving weeks and weeks behind in film reviews, but I will attempt to make it all up with several posts.

The Opposite of Sex - I was interested in watching this film not only because of the cast, but also because several film critics I read from mentioned that it was a touching, entertaining dark plot, but I thought it was half-decent and tolerable compared to what they mentioned. I for one didn’t find it as shocking or chaotic as other people said, but thing stands certain: Christina Ricci plays the bitchiest character I have see to date as Dede Truitt, who takes the advantage to seduce the boyfriend (Ivan Sergei) of her half-brother Bill (Martin Donovan), claim she’s pregnant off him, and escape while Bill and several others try to track him down. Sure, it does indeed make her half-brother’s life a living mess, but I’ve seen far worst situations of the kind. I’d recommend this film mostly for the acting, and probably the subject matter, but not much beyond that.

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead - Ugh. This film, which attempts to be a post-product of the 80s feel-good, Twinkie-filled cinema ends up becoming an annoying and terrifying plot lacks substance and realism the whole way through. Taking a plot of a fascist babysitter during summer vacation who ends up dying and the kids have to take care of themselves, seeing the main character, “Swell” (Christina Applegate) working in a fashion complex through copying a résumé and all of her siblings being the most generalized and drafted characters as well, this is a torturous watch (along with pseudo-romance to add on as well). The only great character of the film was the babysitter (Eda Reiss Merin), and her character happens to die in first 10 minutes, and that’s when the film goes downhill for the next 90.

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle - In my past experiences with most bland stoner flicks (other than Cheech and Chong’s first films), I attempted to avoid this film for some time, regardless of how funny many said it was. I stopped being an ass and took a shot at it, and what do you know, it’s one of the most hilarious films I’ve seen all year. It may seem average to say that the subject matter revolves around Harold (John Cho) and his pal Kumar (Kal Penn) get high and decide to drive to a local White Castle to eat a lot, but what happens between those points are unexpectedly hilarious. They meet some of the most eccentric characters, and bump into all sorts of escapades and issues that make this very enjoyable and can be watched over and over again if it’s what you like. Heck, even a cheetah which the main characters ride on was put in the middle of the film. How great is that?

The Pink Panther (2006) – I was dragged by some people to go watch this, despite of my disinterest towards it as I wanted to watch the version with Sellers’ brilliance in humor instead. Sure, you could call me a fan of Steve Martin’s humoristic talent, but I usually don’t watch remakes of something already good. As expected, it was very clichéd and overused the slapstick jokes to an exhaustive extent. However, the performances Martin and Kevin Klein show are good enough, had not they’re trying to be the protégés of the same characters in the original Panther flick of the 60s.

Robin Hood: Men in Tights - This film was made around the time where Mel Brooks started working more on spoofs than anything else more original as he did in the beginning of his carrier. Sure, there are many recycled jokes from films of his such as Blazing Saddles, and also by parodying the legend of Robin Hood he made many fans of the story angry, but I found it fun and with witty gags nonetheless. I’m never up to taking against entertainment films no matter what they’re parodying as long as I’m laughing and having a good time. And seeing that it’s directed and written by Mel Brooks, how could I not? Definitely not his best work, but probably one of the best spoofs that he made.

The Corpse Bride - I had not just been a fan of Tim Burton’s work in the past from Edward Scissorhands to Ed Wood, but also from the animation productions he worked on in flicks such as James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christmas. However, biteme was right about how bland the film’s plot was. Sure, I did appreciate the animation for the most part and the surreal zaniness presented in the characters and backgrounds, but the story was underdeveloped and songs came to be annoying. I think people were too over hyped about this, partially because it’s Burton’s work, or maybe because of the drafted romance factor.

Dogville - This was one film that completely blew me away emotionally and mentally. I had already wanted to see most of Lars von Trier’s works anyhow after reading his biopic and descriptions of the themes he used. Set in a fictional small town in America, with simple citizens except one introvert Tom Edison (Paul Bettany), everything changes when a fugitive young woman, Grace Mulligan (Nicole Kidman), appears at the town and she opts to help the citizens out as she can in order to stay in safety. However, as time passes on, they come to react and mistreat her every time more with more information put up about her past life.

Funny that many thought it was an anti-American film, when I consider that it just happens to be a story of darkness in the human soul passed in America. Experimental filming, emotionally driven, powerful acting, and with an amazingly eloquent script written the Danish director, I’m still trying to understand what it all really means in fragments, and not as a whole. Out of everything I’ve posted so far, this is the highest recommendation here by me.

Thirteen - Before willing to watch Harmony Korine’s Kids, I checked this film instead. Though I respect the conceptual value of the plot alone about a self-deprecating and experimentally open 13-year-old, I found it to be too pretentious and overrated with its presentation, script, and overall style. However, the impressive point for me was how the supporting actress Nikki Reed (who plays the girl Evie who pushes the main character Tracy (Evan Rachael Wood) into devastation) actually went through all things the main character in the film experienced. Holly Hunter's acting as Tracy's mother is shown strongly in this flawed mess, at least.

"Dogville" scene:

Oh hell. It figures that film school would be the only thing that could tear me away from my movie watching. As of late, I've become so embroiled in making movies that I've barely had any time to watch any. And even though I've been gone for three or four months, I can only claim to have seen 23 new films since New Year's. Really though, I'm terribly sorry for not dropping in earlier, but life gets in the way. I more or less had to put my life on hold for an entire month to squeeze out a ten-minute short with my girlfriend, Oriana. I directed and she did costumes and what came out at the end was 'Customer Service' (see below), a coming-of-age story in the same vein as Clerks or Waiting..., which I'll just review now, just because it's come up first. Don't expect much depth to any of the reviews this time either. It's hard enough cramming 23 reviews into one post, but I'm also trying to do it quickly. It's late and I need to be up at 6:45 tomorrow morning for my first class.

Waiting..., although obviously not a film to be critically acclaimed, is actually a much more intelligent flick than most teen comedies. However, it still doesn't consider itself above penile antics. Walking a fine line between gross-out humour and some actual insight into what it's really like to be stuck somewhere when everyone else you know is moving on to bigger and better things, it's a technical achievement -- watch for all those really subtle camera moves that are always there for a purpose -- and I still think it's hysterical how they took the "coming-of-age" motif to a literal degree with the character of Monty at the end. I watched it as research for 'Customer Service'. But I have no qualms about saying that I enjoyed it. Now, the first film I saw in 2006 turned out to be the painfully trite The Family Stone. Another dysfunctional family does Christmas, and really just a drawn-out, two-hour way of saying "Mother knows best". Just bad, and I disagree with it on moral grounds. I'm not going to go any further into that, but rest assured, it's not because I'm a prude. After all, I'm rather fond of Brokeback Mountain. Story comes off as a bit thin and at times, it was unintentionally hilarious, but it was exceptionally shot. Caught two recent Canadian films shortly after and I'm sad to say that I now know why no one is excited about Canadian film. Don McKellar's latest, Childstar, was a bore to sit through and Nathaniel Geary's 2003 film about Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, On the Corner, was nowhere near as awe-inspiring as people kept telling me it was. On par with a "Say no to drugs!" PSA. I'm all about supporting Canadian film; I just think that these two were grossly overrated. Open Water, though better, falls into the same category.

I think I just have a problem with films that try to be too serious these days. Perhaps it doesn't make sense that I'd be excited to go see Final Destination 3 when I downright hated On the Corner. Or maybe it was just because I knew exactly what I'd be getting: Girls, guts and gore. Sorry fellas, even film aficionados have their vices and mine is that I'm still a horror fan. If any of you guys see it though, that huge hill the truck loses control on and careens down? That's what is known as Suicide Hill here in New West and it's a mere two blocks from where I'm typing this now. Oh, and going back to teen comedies for a moment, the Final Destination franchise is more a comedy than a horror series now. I always find more people laughing than cowering in those flicks. And while we're on teen comedies again, I might as well mention that I also watched Say Anything and 10 Things I Hate About You, both on the recommendation of my girlfriend. Far from favourites, but better than most.

Did anyone watch the Oscars? I'm appalled that Felicity Huffman didn't win Best Actress for Transamerica. Very daring in terms of the subject matter, but it never once came off as heavy-handed. One of the best so far this year. Ditto for Capote. Hoffman deserved that Best Actor Oscar and even though the events in the film are fairly tame by today's standards, Bennett Miller's masterful directing made it "chilling". I quote Oriana, but I wholeheartedly agree. More mindless horror fun with George A. Romero's Land of the Dead, but it's not one of his best. Not even close. To me, a good zombie movie is more often than not cleverly disguised social satire, but to set it in a futuristic sci-fi world makes it too far removed from present day suburbia, thus diminishing its impact. Big budget, but bargain bin quality. Other horror geeks seem to love it though. Seriously, what's up with everyone loving bad movies and panning good ones lately? It's been going on for decades, but in the past few months, it's been outrageous. Robots is actually a pretty good show, Jarhead's 'message' might as well have been "Stories are for high-rises!" and though Flightplan's attempt at a Hitchcockian thriller was honourable, I was too distracted by how irritating Jodie Foster was and how expensive the visual effects must have been to really notice it. By the time they got around to revealing how Peter Sarsgaard's character actually fit into the story, I was already miles away. (Air Miles? Anyone?)

Another recent favourite is Liev Schreiber's directorial debut, Everything Is Illuminated. At first quirky, then ironic, then tragic, it almost falls into the same weird-for-weirdness'-sake category that Garden State and Napoleon Dynamite fall into, but manages to stay right out of it by setting itself in the alien world of the Ukraine. It amazes me that places like that really exist in the world and it's beautiful. Back to horror for a moment with Three... Extremes, a kind of Asian horror anthology featuring three prominent Asian directors, Takashi Miike and Chan-wook Park amongst them. They range from David Lynch-esque ("Cut") to classically artful ("Box"). Worth a rent.

As for the rest -- The Seven Samurai, The Squid and the Whale, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Love Me If You Dare, Slither and Crash -- maybe I'll review them later, maybe I won't. I'm out of room.

Second post, as promised (more to come soon):

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room - A good documentary which explains how the company Enron cheated and gained until their rapid and destructive bankruptcy occurred. A very informative film on its subject: many of the things mentioned in it about the company's past business are very scandalous and explain how companies fall apart; and how cruel people can be when your authentic stocks are for imaginative products.

12 Angry Men (1957) - I'm basically considering it one of my new favorite films on my list. Being basically a jury of twelve men that are taking part in a deciding a young boy's fate who was accused of committing a murder, all but one of the jurors (Henry Fonda) vote "not guilty", and starts convincing all of them one by one to change their votes and ideas about the case. It may sound simple, but the script and acting is astonishing and impressive, and the character development is so wholly rich for each individual of the jury that it stands what kinds of people are giving what thoughts on the trial. For those who like these kinds of films, such as Glengarry Glen Ross, will find the experience well-remembered and remarkable.

The Adventures of Robin Hood - After hearing for this classic for so long, I was interested to see why so many people praise it (and also bashed aggressively Mel Brooks' humorous parody of the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights). Even though I considered major aspects in story telling of the film cheesy, it still was an enjoyable find. It's good enough for any age group to appreciate it, through the colorful and energetic portrayal of the legend of Robin Hood. And just to think, the film was made so pure-hearted for its time that it looks innocent as a result. If it was re-made nowadays, I imagine it would be a much darker and colder version of the story seeing how films of that genre are made now. Note: Earl Flynn laughs more than anyone else on the sets, which warms up things a bit.

The Set-Up - A quick noir directed by Robert Wise, this was around the time he was beginning his carrier and starting with smaller productions. This short film focuses on a boxer Bill Thompson (Robert Ryan), who not has lost many fights consecutively and is crowd anti-favorite, but also shares a crisis with his wife Julie (Audrey Totter) on the matter. When Thompson’s coach puts a set-up with a kingpin on money that he has to lose the match as planned, things change on how his stands up and fights. Strong dialogue, fine noir acting and very appropriately paced, this a great flick if you’re lucky enough to find it. I never thought I’d see a boxing match into a film-noir style, but hey, things can surprise you if you look hard enough.

The Weather Man - When I think of this film, I sometimes can’t believe that many classified it as a comedy and “one of the most hilarious films of 2005”. Nicholas Cage stars as the weather man David Spritz in Chicago, where food is tossed at him and hates it when people recognize him. Busy in his work, he has a dysfunctional family that he tries to take care of, but keeps failing somehow. He never became the next generation his proper legacy his father was, and wonders what he’s doing with himself sometimes. This is a very adult film with the matters it deals with on family, finance, and successes in adulthood. There are many humorously shot-out scenes, but the storyline is so cold and abandoned that it’s really hard to laugh to most of the time. An interesting film, but half-decent overall.

The Constant Gardner - While I prefer other films of Fernando Meirelles, this wasn’t that great of a film that many claimed so compared to them, but it provided many new ideas for more complex productions that he could start on. I actually thought they took the subject of dying humans being tested, to be able to find a cure to diseases to save the rest of the world too much to sentimentality. One thing stands strongly to me, though: Ralph Fiennes and Rachael Weisz (as the couple Justin a Tessa Quayle respectively) show a very strong performance a couple with two different ideals strongly in a very believable performance together (not to mention with a strange morale about love and how the diplomat Justin loved his wife no matter how much she used him for political motives). By the way, I do indeed consider City of God way better than this film Robbo, but my favorite film of his is Domésticas (Maids). Good luck if you can find it, since it apparently is available in Australia.

V for Vendetta - Different from what you mentioned Robbo, I actually liked this film a lot for the most part with the eloquent script and development of a totalitarian nation. Hugo Weaving shows a good performance as the charismatic freedom fighter V, and I thought this was Natalie Portman’s best performance to date compared to the past bland roles she’s starred in. I also enjoyed how there was a small use of CGI and action scenes, and this at least is a step ahead from the Wachowski brothers leaving the Matrix phase in writing screenplays.

Night on Earth - Jim Jarmusch took his storytelling of several characters up a notch shortly after Down by Law, and took a different approach of indifferent characters around the world under a similar issue with Mystery Train. This next film following up that tells of five obscure (and sometimes humorous to sad) tales involving a case in a taxi in five different cities. It’s made in a typical Jarmusch style, but each story has each a unique approach to how the characters interact with one another and drift to their locations as the taxis move along. Any fan of his work (like me) should be able to check this out: human and surreal stories at the same time (well, maybe except for the dull “Los Angeles” segment).

Scene from "Night on Earth" (1991):

And I'm back for one more post. I finally got the chance to read a bit more of what you guys have been up to in here and I'm really sorry, LordRobbo, that you weren't able to enjoy City of God. I guess it's one of those films you have to be in the right mood for. I've still been meaning to watch The Godfather again to see if I'd enjoy it more upon a second viewing. Glad you loved Dear Wendy though. I still need to buy that on DVD. The shootout at the end is seriously one of my all-time favourite moments in cinema. Oh, and just one more note about my short, 'Customer Service'. I'd be glad to send out DVD copies of it to any MVA members interested. Just e-mail me an address and I'll try to get a copy out to you as soon as possible. Keep in mind, it's only a student film so even though I critique films all the time in here, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm the next François Truffaut. Besides, the faculty hated it. One of my instructors even went so far as to say it was "pathetic". I'll let you guys be the judge. Be honest though. I can take it.

So about those six movies that I didn't get to last time on account of me running out of space, let's kick it right off with The Seven Samurai, a film that I'm sure requires no introduction. I was lucky enough to renew my Pacific Cinémathèque membership just in time for their Samurai! film festival and I am so glad that I actually got to see this on the big screen. A Japanese epic of the highest order, I recently learned that Kurosawa pioneered the use of multiple cameras and the telephoto lens for this film's climactic battle in the rain. (It's probably a bad sign I didn't realize that right away just from watching it after spending so many months in film school.) And even though it clocked in at 208 minutes, I found it much easier to watch than many films half that length. For one, it's just a great action movie, but it's also funny and contains so much history! Only an hour in, it was already obvious to me what George Lucas took from this film to make Star Wars. What was up with the R2-D2 noises when the peasants first start talking about the bandits plundering their village though? I must've missed something. Either way, required viewing. You are not a man until you have seen this film.

Watched The Squid and the Whale with my girlfriend a few days after and though I liked it, it's becoming very apparent to me that I now have a very low tolerance for films that fall too easily into the indie category. Garden State was the first time. Then, Elizabethtown was the same movie, only set in Kentucky. Then came Shopgirl, Napoleon Dynamite and Junebug, another one my girlfriend made me watch. You know, just that whole 'eccentric characters deal with love, life and loss' thing. I'm not saying they're bad movies; I'm just saying that it's this particular decade's answer to the family drama and what comes out at the end is simply a bastardized version of the French New Wave. Melancholy has been replaced with forced quirkiness and ambiguity has been taken over by some bizarre need to teach a life lesson somehow. I just don't like it. Despite my biases, I am still not blind to the fact that these two films were amazingly well acted. To me though, it's a genre with very little new territory to explore. Before I leave Junebug, get this: Chip Signore, the 1st AD on Junebug, was also one of the executive producers on The Janitor. A world of difference between those two films.

Two outright goofy ones now; Ice Age: The Meltdown and Slither. The Meltdown was just great. Classic entertainment for all ages and you'd have to be one hell of a film snob to not enjoy it. Story's as thin as the ice when you compare it to the first one, but there's more Scrat and I haven't laughed this hard in a movie since the ending of Takashi Miike's Dead or Alive. Kids'll love it. As for Slither, I might have to get back to you guys on that just because the entire film is made up of esoteric cult horror film references, none of which I really know about. On its own though, it's been compared to Shaun of the Dead, but it's no match. Think of it as Cronenberg meets the Wayans Brothers. Saw a French romantic comedy called Love Me If You Dare recently as well and I must say I've never been quite so creeped out by a rom-com. Beginning with decidedly unlikable characters and ending in a suicide pact, the middle would probably be romantic if the story weren't quite so jumbled. I liked the film but I just don't really know what to make of it. Leave it to the French, eh?

All that leaves now are Crash (the non-Cronenberg one) and The 400 Blows. I have mixed feelings about both. Even with all I've said in this post alone praising the French New Wave, I must admit that it's not really my bag. Good film, very innovative, but my interest in it doesn't extend beyond the academic. As for Crash, I think it's an excellent film with a very confused message. It upheld far more stereotypes than it sought to break down and I found it very manipulative on the subject of racism. We all know racism exists and showing Matt Dillon molesting a black woman really isn't necessary to get that point across. In a sense, it's just too easy and shouldn't stand in for true social commentary.

That covers it then. You're all up to speed on what I've seen lately. LordRobbo, I'm serious about sending you a DVD of the short. Hell, you could send me some of your stuff and we could get this whole MVA filmmakers network going. Think of how cool that'd be. MVA members' films getting sent all over the world to be critiqued here, right in this thread. Let me know what you think when you get back. And NightCobra? Great to have another dedicated member here. Loving how informative the reviews are. Until next time, boys.

(Scene from "Crash", 2004)

Here comes the third post, and hopefully more:

Walk the Line was a pretty good enough film as being a portrait of Johnny Cash’s life, and Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon give strong performances both in their acting and authentic singing, but it somehow lacks the same element the recently made Ray has. Sure, both films may be strong portrayals of how the musicians were in their lifetime and what personal problems they faced, but as usual it lacks to give understanding on which these musicians really were at a human retrospect. Still, it’s really worth the put up talented performances and production at the most part.

Bubba Ho-tep was probably of the most random, yet equally entertaining storyline I’ve seen in a while. Prime cult actor Bruce Campbell puts up a quirky acting style as a man who claims to be the real Elvis Presley, which changed places earlier with his big impersonator to escape the life of fame as the real Elvis. Now in a retirement home, an Egyptian mummy is busy sucking souls of the “barely-living”, and Elvis and another man who claims he is JFK (Ossie Davis) team up to stop his deeds. This film, which gained an instant cult status, is a lot of fun with witty lines and eccentric acting the whole way through and can’t be missed if you enjoy this sort of thing.

Lola rennt (Run Lola Run), with experimental filmmaking at different degrees, tells the long story short of Lola (Franka Potente) running to stop her boyfriend Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu) from robbing a bank and trying to replace the thousands he lost in a test mob job he started. What makes it remarkable are not only the three different endings and happenings in each story that make it unique, but also how in-depth the character development is for the main and extras. By the end of the film, you’ll know more about every character that shows and their past lives than you ever cared to.

Phantom of the Paradise, De Palma’s cult horror musical, was better than I ever expected. Not only were Paul Williams’ music wonderful and suitable for the film, but also the storyline is exceptional as a spin-off of The Phantom of the Opera, despite the acting not being the best as seen in De Palma’s later films. Being among his first successful work, this is the early stage of De Palma well-defined when he worked more on horror films, such as Carrie. I also went to get the film’s soundtrack, which is a good selection filled with 70s rock nostalgia, gothic rock, and classical ballads.

Looking back at Good Night and Good Luck, I find it hard to believe that it didn’t win any Oscars in many of its main categories. I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve always considered George Clooney not only a great actor, but a talented director basing off his work on Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Here, he builds a claustrophobic and intelligent story in its theme, with eloquent writing and directing. Relating to the McCarthy’s blacklisting and Edward R. Murrow’s (David Strathairn) fight-back against his fear plans, and filmed only in an office complex most of the time, this self-defining film is neatly crafted and probably one of the most intelligent dramas from 2005.

Waiting…, just as you wrote biteme, is actually more intelligent and hilarious than expected. In fact, director and writer Rob McKittrick indeed used Kevin Smith’s Clerks as his number one inspiration to making the film. It never crosses the case-in-point of the workers’ annoyance and boredom at working in the restaurant, even with the gross (but amusing) stunts and antics they pull. Most of the time I was laughing when I shouldn’t have, but I guess it’s due to my love for the flick Clerks and plots of such, too.

Dog Day Afternoon, is not only one of Sydney Lumet’s and Al Pacino’s best work together (Serpico comes a close tie), but also an undying classic of unorganized bank heists which turn into total chaos. Despite being minimalist in its location and set, it leaps many barriers with strong acting by the cast and the provocative subplots involved. Wholly remarkable filmmaking here, and not to mention that it’s a rough watch the entire way through with how the main character reaches his demands and fights the whole time with justice in and outside the bank.

It only came later unexpectedly that I watched Spike Lee’s Inside Man on the same day. Being sort of an anti-plot of the aforementioned Lumet film, it was very unexpected and had many twists in which you don’t see in an average clichéd bank robbery flick. Despite being a Spike Lee film, I was appalled to see that it hardly contained any racial or discriminative comments normally seen in his films. Denzel Washington and Clive Owen put up great performances, and with Russell Gewirtz’s surprisingly first script, I can’t wait to see more that he will craft (same for Lee, also).

Inherit the Wind, was not only one of the most moving courtroom dramas I’ve seen yet, but also one of the most thought-provoking in its theme, considering the era it was made in. Telling of the true court case of the Scopes Monkey Trial, in which the fundamentalist Matthew Brady (Fredric March) debated against the teacher’s layer Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy), who [the teacher] was willing to add evolutionary theory to public schools. With a powerful and beautifully written script adapted from the play, and equally powerful acting, this is the prime source on how a human being can choose to be a thinker and individual, and opt to choose to not abide by laws that tell them to think in one way.

And alas with a bigger blockbuster film, Peter Jackson’s version of King Kong (2005) is quite dull halfway. There are many great ideas put into it and a strong production overall, but the film could have been cut down by nearly an hour with many of the overdone and excessive action scenes et al. By the last half-hour, I was too exhausted with the film’s length and content to appreciate it. I’ve never seen the ’33 version, but I’m sure it will be way better than this. At least Jackson respected the original work and added many main scenes of the first film to it between the long stampedes of gargantuan creatures and dinosaurs.

Scene from "Bubba Ho-tep" (2003):

Another post, granted.

A title mentioned just recently, but I came to also watch The 400 Blows, and was the first Truffaut film I’ve seen. Being his debut feature film, and also an initiation to a saga of childhood themed films he would make later, I though it was gorgeous in the technical multiplex of all kinds, but I felt something missing towards me in its message. Maybe I watched it when I was too tired to figure, but I’ll give the credit that it is one of the most remarkable films about childhood I’ve seen (especially with Jean-Pierre Léaud’s strong acting to help). On the Criterion version of the film, it comes with Truffaut’s shorts Les Mistons, and Antoine & Collette, (a continuation of The 400 Blows) which help add a bit more insight on the childhood story theme.

After hearing about Swedish filmmaker Lukas Moodysson through Lilja 4-ever, I was eager to find and watch everything he offered. It took a while to find the girl-love flick Show Me Love, but it was everything I had hoped for: a very half charming, half heavy film about a small town with an unpopular girl who has a crush on a popular girl. Sounds average and overdone, but it in fact is a fine example of how adolescence films should be done and keeping within realism, and keeping the issues of adolescence true to its word.

Another hard film to find, Motor Psycho was another art-house film I saw, by the one and only Russ Meyer. Okay, to me, his fans, and people who worked with him such as Roger Ebert would consider the same thought as him being one of a kind. And once you can find a get into his work about sexual escapades, violence in men and women, rampages of fit and destruction, and D-sized cups, you’ll get my point. This was bit more of a “serious” flick of his, but later was developed for the storyline of one of the most awesome movies ever, Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.

Blow Out, was one of the far better films I’ve seen of De Palma with his mystery and action signature style, but I’m starting to feel that it’s been gravely misunderstood. Just as many call him a “Hitchcock rip-off”, many say he ripped off the film Blow Up to make this, and therefore they can find an excuse to call this ‘garbage’. Regardless of whether he covered that film or not, he still does a fantastic job at his covers. Striking and gripping to the very end, John Travolta and Nancy Allen’s characters tangled up in love and in the murder of a politician at the same time is put through formidably the whole way through, in this twisted and retched-based storyline.

Many “bad” film buffs who hardly watch that many cult B-films or any trash flicks at all most of the time say that Plan 9 from Outer Space is the worst film ever made. They’ve hardly come close to ’Manos’: The Hands of Fate. Even watching this with the MST3K crew, it gave me a splitting headache and everything that can possibly be wrong in a film is wrong with this movie. Terrible acting, atrocious set design, and on top of all dubbed (since there was no microphone used), this is so bad it’s awful. However, Torgo (John Reynolds) stands as one of the most memorable characters to me on screen (maybe because of his big knees). This is what happens when a fertilizer salesmen (Hal P. Warren) tries to make it big with Sci-Fi.

After that terrible experience, I went to relax with Black and White in Color. Despite it winning an Oscar for best foreign language film, this almost seems to be a film that time nearly forgot. Taking place in the Ivory Coast during WWI and the conflicts that upraise between the Germans and French, this is an intelligent and somewhat cynical film in its multitudes. Short, but full of debt, this is a great film – and pushed Jean-Jacques Annaud to begin his carrier as more mainstream with fantastic films he would make in the future.

Moving on, I saw Miyazaki’s newest feature Howl’s Moving Castle. Despite not being as original as other films he and his studio worked upon, it still is very solid and wondrous animation and work. Surreal as usual, I enjoyed the feature wholly; just as I have enjoyed nearly all other films I’ve seen of his. If there’s one kind of innovative and wonderful form of storytelling in Anime films, it’s Miyazaki’s work.

Finally ended up watching another Coen brothers film, this time being The Hudsucker Proxy. Being a bit hysterical, and also a bit dramatic, this is one of their least violent films, and deals with a lot of adulthood to business matters. It’s also well cast and written as usual, and has one of the most outstanding cinematography I’ve witnessed. Tim Robbins acting is appropriate for the clumsy but new company owner Norville Barnes, and how he is pushed around by the board and becomes power-hungry relates to a lot of things in the corporate world.

A newer film that only came out in mainstream theaters recently, Brick is strong standing as a film-noir and suburbia reversion. It may feel a bit drafted and too quickly outspoken at certain moments, but it still works as a charm at the most part. Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a non-pressured student who stays away from all bigger compressed groups, until his girlfriend disappears and he embarks to face all the people he avoided to figure out what is going on and which led to his girlfriend’s loss. It uses an interesting use of vocabulary and treats the different groups of people as different tribes, hence crafting a different world from reality with its locations and characters. This is a fine example of how neo-noirs should start flourishing again, as they can be made in a modernistic sense that approaches all without entirely loosing the noir touch.

Scene from "Brick" (2005):

I hope some member will pass around soon to read some to all of this stuff I'm writing (on a side note, I'm still not finished writing off every film I've seen to date since I started posting again).

Primary Colors, in my opinion, is a deeply underrated film seeing as much of how well directed and how exceptional the acting is gets lost in between its theme. Adapted from Joe Klein’s novel which is supposedly an opposition on former president Clinton, I think the political satirical elements and such information expressed made bad impressions on the film. It’s a shame, really; John Travolta and Emma Thompson’s acting (along with basically the whole main cast from Adrian Lester to Billy Bob Thornton) is some of the best I have seen out of them, and not to mention how well crafted this film is. I’d say to ignore the main faults and enjoy the comedic movie, if you any of you get around to it.

Watched a Kubrick film after a while (as each of his take time to digest and understand individually from apart), this time being Barry Lyndon. Simply put, it is one of the best films I have seen which tell through a pre-Victorian era storyline. Poetic, elegant, but ominous, it tells the life of Barry Lyndon (Ryan O’Neil) from its beginning, his large struggles, to his peak of successes, and down to his collapse in lifestyle and wealth. It’s strange that this Kubrick film isn’t more overlooked than it should be. It’s not my favorite work of his, but it is undeniably one of his greatest and near perfected productions (and then again, there are very few Kubrick films that don’t seem or look “perfect”).

Came around to seeing another Mel Brooks film, Spaceballs. Made during the later stage of his carrier with genre spoofs, this has also become a popular by Brooks’ and Sci-Fi fans. I also wouldn’t consider this one of his great achievements, but I enjoyed many of the witty gags (as usual), insults, and parodies it had to offer. Good stuff, with many memorable quotes, too.

Then, I proceeded to watch a western (a genre I intend to get more into), the successful and acclaimed Unforgiven. In my experiences with Clint Eastwood’s work as a director, I find most of it to be overrated and somehow with all the right keys in the wrong places when crafting a storyline (except maybe for his minimalist films, such as The Bridges of Madison County). However, Eastwood’s primary signature style in film is and always was with westerns. For such matters, he directs with a very dark and cold mood in this solid film. With talents such as Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Eastwood tangled in it, a relatively original plot, this is strongly Eastwood at the best of his carrier as a filmmaker.

Now a large favorite screenplay of mine, belonging to the offbeat drama Network, is a masterful and genuine film. Dealing with issues of sensationalism to propaganda, and a network exploiting an angry reporter Howard Beale’s (an astonishing Peter Finch) rants over humanity mix in altogether in this fabulous film. Definitely deserving of being considered one of the finest screenplays written in a recent research, every quote somehow is meaningful in its socio-political critique, and Faye Dunaway and William Holden’s acting holds the plot in a perfect ring.

Festen (The Celebration), created by Thomas Vinterberg (a name probably looked up before here of his work on Dear Wendy), was a nearly perfected film following the Dogme ’95 'Vow of Chastity' and its desired style. With basically nothing to it other than the overwhelming and emotional acting and a well written story involving a tragic family secret at a party, this is a theatrical display at great points. I really enjoy what the founders Vinterberg and Lars von Trier have brought out to revive what cinema used to be as major part many dacades ago – no special effects, nothing flashy or highly produced, just excellent theatrical acting and story telling. This was the first successful Dogme ’95 film that was made, but later others (but not as popular) such as The Idiots, and Julien Donkey-boy were made under the same style.

Gun Crazy, a popular cult pick for a while, was sitting around a film noir collection I own, and I was interested. Sure, Peggy Cummins and John Dall’s acting aren’t the greatest, but it remains suitable for the noir style within the plot. This actually impressively good considering it being a B-film (not that I mind, but you usually expect less on the technical factors in such films), and also happened to be the primary source to later films of its kind (couples in love that commit violent acts), such as Bonnie & Clyde, Wild at Heart, and Natural Born Killers. AKA: Deadly is the Female.

And finally, we come down to the recently made remake Pride & Prejudice. I really tried giving this film a chance on so many levels, but the adaptation of yet another Jane Austen novel is a quite tiresome product in the end. If I recommend it for anything, I guess I would say the acting and sets and costumes decorum (you really won’t be missing anything, unless you like these sorts of romantic films).

Scene from "Barry Lyndon", (1975):

At 5/13/06 01:54 AM, NightCobra wrote: I hope some member will pass around soon to read some to all of this stuff I'm writing (on a side note, I'm still not finished writing off every film I've seen to date since I started posting again).

Oh, I've definitely been reading them. I'm just hard-pressed to find time to reply or really to watch many movies on my own. I'm currently trying to find work for the summer and since I've now decided to forgo getting a job somewhere like Rogers Video or HMV in favor of volunteering on set until I can find a paying job, I've been getting calls left and right. I just finished a 6-day gig as the gaffer on a friend's project by the name of "Shampoozled", I did one day as a locations PA on a festival short called "Coffee Diva", I'm gaffer again for two days starting tomorrow on a college project called "Lila" and as soon as those two days are up, I'm on the electrics and lighting crew on a 16mm DGC Film Kickstart short named "L'Oiseau Mort". And here's the kicker: Khene Tan, the LM on "Coffee Diva", thinks there might be a spot for me as a PA on the set of Fantastic Four 2! You guys just might see me in the credits.

So guys, sorry I can't be like NightCobra here and give excellent review after excellent review. Frankly, I have to say that ever since I started spending more time on set, I've become much more interested in filmmaking and film lighting than film-watching. (Or maybe I'm the only one here who gets obscenely excited seeing an 18K HMI for the first time in real life.) In any case, I'm still watching films; I just, in some small way, care less. Which is probably a bad thing. It's just that that might account for me not being here as often as I probably should.

Now for the next slew of movies. Short and sweet, as always. Up first is the post-apocalyptic comedy-thriller, A Boy and His Dog. Going by the movie's tagline -- 'a rather kinky tale of survival' -- I seriously thought it'd be a favourite of mine, but by the end of the movie, after our human and canine protagonists have escaped the Stepford-esque and quite literally underground society that they were running from, the change in aesthetic was too much for me. From Lawrence of Arabia desert shots to brightly and flatly lit Stepford Wives. All that and I was just expecting it to blow me away so much more. I first heard about this movie about four years ago and it's strange in a way, but seeing it almost ruined it for me. Don Johnson plays a fun role though. As does Steve Martin in The Jerk. A cult classic and I can see why, but it's not a favourite of mine. It's such a sporadic story too, but that's not to say that sporadic stories can't be extremely well done. Look at Forrest Gump. Saw Serenity a bit after that and though I'm not a fan of the television lighting -- there I go with the lighting again! -- I actually very much enjoyed it. Not particularly thrilling, but the witty writing won me over in the end. I've also very recently become quite the fan of Nathan Fillion, by the way. I saw him last in Slither. And while we're on Slither, I might as well bring up Shivers, one of Cronenberg's earlier horror films having been made in 1975 about parasitic slugs that enter human hosts by any means necessary and turn them all into sex-crazed maniacs. It's one of the films that Slither references -- the bathtub scene -- but what I'm most interested in here is how Cronenberg has evolved as a filmmaker. Shivers, though in some ways a social commentary, is also just as easily softcore porn. Contrasted with A History of Violence and his refusal to oversaturate that film with an even higher body count and more bloody close-ups to match, I just think it's fascinating to be able to trace a filmmaker's progress into his craft over three decades. Not so for Eli Roth, who has only really been on the horror scene since 2002's Cabin Fever. Yet, I liked Hostel and before you all rip me to shreds for liking Hostel and not Shivers or even The Jerk for that matter, let me tell you why. Japanese horror cinema is years ahead of its time and I'm glad that someone finally recognized that and fearlessly brought it into the American mainstream. What we have here with Hostel is simply an American horror story (chock full of topless women, as the genre demands) with Japanese horror gore conventions. With the second to last death in the film, I was pleasantly reminded of Shion Sono's Suicide Club.

Two that are out in theatres right now that caught my attention were United 93 and Akeelah and the Bee. The former of the two, as I'm sure you've all heard from the critics, was very tastefully done and the unfolding drama was all appropriately understated considering its subject matter. However, the documentary-style camerawork, just like it did in The Bourne Supremacy, annoyed the hell out of me. Indeed, the director of both those films, Paul Greengrass, spent the first ten years of his career working for the documentary series, World in Action. As for Akeelah, it's just a smart, funny family flick. Yes, it's predictable but you have to give it some credit for bringing words like 'appoggiatura' to the surface of the English lexicon. So now, who remembers Jean-Pierre Jeunet? You know, the director of Amélie? I finally got around to watching his 1991 flick, Delicatessen, after knowing about it for years and just like A Boy and His Dog, I was very much disappointed. It's probably no coincidence that both are post-apocalyptic comedy-thrillers about cannibalism either. (The last time I was shocked by anything of the sort was after I finished reading Jonathan Swift way back in Lit 12.) I just found it rather boring really. I knew how it was going to end and neither of those two films went far enough to shake things up for me. I'm desensitized, what can I say?

You know what? I still have another eight films to go before I'm all up-to-date on my posting and I think I'll just put it off for now. There's no way in hell I can cram in another eight films anyways. I'm almost out of room as it is. So in a week, after I'm done with "L'Oiseau Mort", I'll be back to catch you all up on what I've seen and what I've worked on. Until then, God bless.

(Scene from "Serenity", 2005)

Wow, good to see that some posts have been made in the recent past, I've finally got something to review again.
Cowboy Bebop: Tengoku no tobira(Japan, animated, color, 2001)
A.K.A. Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door or Cowboy Bebop: The Movie thanks to Bob Dylan's lawyers and the lackwits at Columbia TriStar Films
Cast(French dub):
Bruno Muellenaerts(Spike Spiegel)
Arnaud Leonard(Vincent Volaju)
Stephane Flamand(Edward)
Shinichiro Watanabe's 1998 series Cowboy Bebop is considered by many to be a classic of animation on television, oozing style, violence and a great jazz-based score from every pore of it's existance. After a somewhat lengthy absence(long enough for Cartoon Network to release an Englsih dub), the Bebop crew return in this fabulous film(released in North America in 2003 to some quite positive reviews from art house critics) that takes an enteresting story and expands it in a way the series coudln't, there's some SERIOUS philosophical depth here, not as much as, say, End Of Evangelion, but enough for your average action flick.

Opening with an insanely cool convience store robbery sequence(replete with memorable dialogue and a cool "fish-eye" framing technique) and not letting up until it's VERY METAPHORICAL and beautifully animated ending. CB:TNT packs on humor, drama, thrills and DEEP THOUGHT by the crateful. You'll laugh, you'll scream, you'll shout "THAT WAS FUCKING COOL!!!!". you'll have the distinct urge to crash a lecture on the human psyche! This movie has it all!

Our protagonists are Spike(lazily voiced by a bored-sounding Muellenaerts), a slacking loser of a bounty hunter who harbors an "interesting" past, Jet(I coudln't find a voice credit for the French dub on IMDb), a ex-cop and master of vegitarian cooking, Faye(same as last note), a problem gambler with amnesia and Edward(given a soulfully bizarre lilt by Flamand), an androgynous female hacker with zero attention span and an unholy amount of flexibility(which she spends most of the film demonstrating). After a search for a local hacker with a five million dollar bounty on his head goes horridly wrong, the gang are left in pursuit of Vincent Volaju(Who Leonard lends an inherent amount of spookiness to), a bioterrorist with a military history who supposedly has been dead for the past three years., and really is!

After close to two hours of comedy, violence and mind-fuck plot developments, the end credits roll and you may wedge your way from the edge of your seat. The film entertains on many a level and will more than certainly please fans of the series as well as newcomers. Despite me having the desire to watch it French, the film is best experienced with the English dub(close to flawless, expect minor characters are wooden and there are a few agitating accents) or the original Japanese(despite the "authenticity", I never enjoyed the Japanese voices for the Bebop crew, except Jet) with subtitles in a language of your choice.

Verdict: 98/100

Greetings all,

I apologize for the long time between this and my last post, I've had a history assignment which has been gnawing away at my time.

Biteme, I wouldn't want to put you to all that trouble sending the movie over, I'm sure I'll end up seeing one of yours at a film festival some time. Speaking of which, I have been selected to be part of a youth jury for an international film festival over here. I'll be able to meet some directors and critics as well as take part in some film workshops. Oh, and I have my shorts online, I just need to get the link of my friend and I'll post sometime in the future.

Now, on with the movies.

I'll start with the disappointing Godfather Part II, an uneven, borderline dull film whose reputation does it far too much justice. I'm sure both of you are familiar with the plot, so I won't bother talking of that. What a let down. I've heard so many reports of how it was better than the original and how it was the best American movie of all time, it was going to be have pretty damn brilliant to live up to the hype. And it was just good. Sure, it was multi-layered and deep but that doesn't mean anything if the movie was tedious and boring.
I thought the flashback scenes with Robert DeNiro were superb and were the film's saving grace, however. But, it just didn't work in many areas. It's worth seeing so you can make your own decision though, I personally know several people who can't believe I didn't think it was as good as the original.

Change of tone now, with Who is Cletis Tout? A shockingly bad comedy about a film buff hitman (Tim Allen, playing one of the worst characters in any film I have ever seen) who is going to kill Christian Slater, until he starts trying to talk him out of it, by selling his story (through flashbacks) as a movie. None of the characters are appealing and it always seems like none of the actors want to be there, but don't have anything better to do. Don't see this stinker.

Now, for number two on the IMDb Top 250, The Shawshank Redemption. Perhaps a tad overrated, but still, a great watch. It creates such an intimate atmosphere that even when it gets sappy, it's still great. All the actors are pitch perfect and there are so many memorable moments that it's essential viewing. However, despite all these positives, it didn't blow my mind and this is fine, it never aimed to.

Oldboy. The Korean movie which is soon to be rui...I mean remade in America. It is about a man, Oh Dae Su, who is kidnapped suddenly of the street and put in solitary confinement for 15 years, only to be released as abruptly as he was captured. Falling into a hole which is becoming more common nowadays, it's first act is so good, that the second pales in comparison, although, the final scene is so shattering that it more than makes up for it. Speaking of which, Oldboy has one of the most evil characters of all time in it, Woo-jin Lee, played to perfection by Ji-Tae Yu. It truly does take one hell of a bastard to make Oh Dae Su, who performs dentistry on another man with the end of hammer, look like a worthy man. The violence in this is particularly brutal, so be warned. A must see, otherwise.

Again, another change of tone with Happiness. A truly disgustingly hilarious film, it is handled brilliantly by Todd Solondz. And it would have to be, especially if you want to get laughs from a character who thinks he is improving mentally because he doesn't kill himself at the end of his violent dreams. A multilayered plot, constantly crossing over, it details the lives of different people in the one extended family.

All the actors handle their difficult material marvelously, and the only times the movie falls flat are when it crosses over to the older couple, who I found uninteresting, and not at all funny. The dialogue is sharp and believable and is generally as tasteful as it can be in the situations it revolves around, for example, the scene with the boy and his father as he explains what he did to his friend. Also, pay attention to the elevator music, which works excellently with the dirty dialogue and visuals. Obviously it's not for all tastes, but try it out if you think you have the stomach.

The Last Waltz is a documentary based on the last concert of The Band, one of my favourite bands. It is good, but not as great as I thought it would be. Sure, most of the songs are pretty good and the interviews are interesting and revealing, but it just didn't work as well as it should. See Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense for a truly great concert film.

The Magician is an Australian film which was made for $3000 and still manages to be better than the majority of Hollywood blockbusters. It is a mockumentary supposedly following a hitman over the course of one day in his life made as a film project by his Italian neighbour. The dialogue is funny and convincing and, considering he has very little prior experience, Scott Ryan, who plays the hitman and also directed, is excellent. As are the other five or so people in the film, who are all plausible victims. You may not find it off the festival circuit overseas, but it's worth checking out.

Now, a bit of a disappointing comedy in His Girl Friday. Sure, it had a few good lines here and there, but Howard Hawk's 1940 Cary Grant vehicle was nothing out of the ordinary. The actors do a fine job, and they would have to, but it just isn't that funny, and that's all it ever tried to be. Don't bother.

I still have another seven movies after this, so I'll fix those up soon, but I'll finish this off with Serenity. I largely ignored this movie as the trailer is one of the worst I have ever seen, but several of my friends began raving about it, so I finally got around to it. I haven't seen a single episode of Firefly, and this isn't good enough to make me want to sit through a 12 hour season, but it was a good way to pass two hours. Dialogue is sharp, action is well handled, some of the characters are a little uneven, there are some very cool shots in it and Whendon does a good job of catering to the newcomer. Don't go out of your way to see it, but it's not a bad little movie.

Well, I'll be back soon with the rest.

Later guys

Hello again guys,

First up, a Takeshi Kitano double. I've only seen two of his films so far, and neither are among his highest regarded, but his talent is already clear. If you haven't discovered him yet, check out some of his work.

Violent Cop is a bloody, straightfoward detective story with a few little twists added here and there to mix things up. It follows a police officer, played by Kitano, who goes on a destructive rampage when his friend is killed and his disabled sister is kidnapped. This is Kitano's first film and therefore lacks the polish of his later work and it isn't until the end of the movie that you really see his skill (Kitano's cop's last scene is brilliant, easily the highlight). I actually thought he could of amped up the violence in certain scenes, but he'd make up for the lack of realism in Boiling Point.

BP is another solid Kitano film that only breaks the mould in certain tweaks to characters. When a young baseball player gets mixed up with the local gangsters and his coach is injured, he and his friend head to Okinawa to buy a gun to take revenge. There they meet and befriend an ex-Yakuza member (Kitano, on the other side of the law this time around) who is planning some revenge of his own. Once they have met him, the film drops to a snail's pace but it remains engaging until the climatic ending, in which much is left to the viewer.

A classic science fiction movie now in The Omega Man, famously parodied on The Simpsons. It's pretty slow, but camp enough to remain enjoyable, the acting is typically B-Grade and the Christ allusions are laughably obvious *SPOILER* His blood effectively saves the world, he dies in a fountain his body crumples into a crucifix position *End of Spolier* and there are far, far too many zooms, but it's a good watch. Don't go out of your way to see it but it's decent 70's sci-fi fodder.

Now, a Dustin Hoffman double with The Graduate and Midnight Cowboy, both of which are very good but a little disappointing. The Graduate had some nice moments but was fairly uneven and there are some ridiculous developments. While watching it, I did suddenly get a whole heap of references from other movies and shows. The ending is hilarious, but I'm not sure if the film deserves the regard it is often awarded.

Similar complaints about MC, it is uneven throughout and there are some ridiculous developments but it still remains a great watch. Far too slow in parts, it has some absolutely fantastic scenes (the black and white dream sequences are brilliant) and some crap (those bloody Warhol parties, they can kill a movie for me). The small time country boy corrupted by the big city is a little cheesey nowadays, so it may of lost some of its power.

Silence of the Lambs is easily one of the best detective stories I have seen. I'm sure you are familiar with the movie, so I won't elaborate, I will just say though that all the actors are superb, Hopkins obviously always the highlight. Some of the characters are a little underdeveloped (the token black FBI trainee character is completely unnecessary) but others are fully rounded people that are easy to like or hate. A must see.

And finally now, Lars Von Trier's Dogville, the third film I have seen which Von Trier's been involved with (Dear Wendy, The Five Obstructions) but the first I have seen which he has directed. John Hurt's calm narration perfectly setting up the story of betrayal and mistrust. Exceptional performances from nearly all involved, in particular Kidman and Bettany, however Caan seems to fall a little flat, his dialogue just doesn't feel right and I think this is more to do with his delivery. I have a new fondness for Dogme, and I'm eagerly awaiting Manderlay.

That's all from me now, I hope to post again fairly soon, until then, good day.

At 5/24/06 10:42 PM, LordRobbo wrote: Godfather Part II, an uneven, borderline dull film whose reputation does it far too much justice.

Good to see I'm not the only one who thinks that...

At 5/25/06 06:50 PM, -RadicalEdward- wrote:

At 5/24/06 10:42 PM, LordRobbo wrote: Godfather Part II, an uneven, borderline dull film whose reputation does it far too much justice.

Good to see I'm not the only one who thinks that...

Yeah, the first was one was a little disappointing, but not nearly as much so as that one. It was well made, of course, but it was just boring.

Another film to add, David Lynch's Blue Velvet. It was nice to see some more Lynch, and this wasn't a bad film or anything, but it wasn't the classic I was expecting. It felt long at 90minutes and*SPOILER* the ending felt unusually happy and out of place *End of Spoiler*. However, the acting was universally good, many of the characters picking up the 50's sitcom style acting mood that Lynch tried to create with his white picket fence town of Lumberton. Dennis Hopper, as Frank Booth (an allusion to John Wilkes Booth), was easily the highlight and the movie always got better when he was onscreen.

The story is interesting too, a young man (Kyle MacLachlan) befriends a detective's daughter (Laura Dern) and begins an investigation into a human ear he found in a field near his house. Some of the dialogue is hilarious ("That's a human ear all right") and the music is superb but it wasn't as disturbing as I was led to believe and as evil as Frank Booth was, he just wasn't as manical as I was hoping.

Still, it's worth seeing to get your own appreciation of it.

And I go again. Good day

I apologize for the large reviews, but they are for great films (and I'll start posting more, as I have many).

Honest and raw to its setting, The Ballad of Cable Hogue was probably one of the best westerns and most accurate to its era I’ve seen to date. Crafted none other than the one of the brilliant re-inventors of the genre (along with Sergio Leone), Sam Peckinpah, it tells the tale of Cable Hogue (Jason Robards), a loner of a past era in the West who neglects with the changing and newly modernizing era. When he finds a spring and makes business with it, he encounters a lowly priest (David Warner), an indifferent whore (Stella Stevens), and many other fascinating characters who build up the unfamiliar era to Hogue through uncovered ways; going from the drinking, sex, political differences, social changes, and many others which accurately build what the Wild West in the post-20th century could have been. Peckinpah is mostly credited in changing westerns’ styles through The Wild Bunch, but this masterwork of his still uses similar ground-breaking techniques, information, and a ride that’s worth many times to believe.

I went to watch Office Space again (a film I love so much), and then saw another comedy, this time Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part I. Looking back, I regret what I wrote about Robin Hood: Men in Tights being one of his greatest spoofs (it’s actually quite mediocre when comparing to his previous work). In fact, History marks the beginning of a small decline in his creativity, but still marks itself as a fun film if you’re open enough. Mel Brooks basically steals the show as being the main character in nearly all its segments parodying events in history, but you can tell he’s having the time of his life with it. It also features one of his best musical scenes after The Producers songs, “The Inquisition”.

Dead Man Walking, based on the memoirs of the nun Helen Prejean on her case on counseling and ‘saving’ an inmate on death row charged of sexual assault and murder on a couple in quiet town, is mostly remarkable in the phenomenal acting of Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn together. Just on the remarkable and human acting alone of the two and the surprisingly good writing and directing of the actor Tim Robbins, this is a very cohesive and excellent adaptation from the book. May not be the most stunning film of its genre, but definitely recommended if you’re searching for the specific aforementioned elements in a movie.

Bringing Nicolas Cage back in a more compatible role for him (other than his brilliant performances as obsessive compulsives in Adaptation, Matchstick Men, and Leaving Las Vegas, for instant), Lord of War was formidable film and a grand surprise. Not only was it critically honest and meaningful to civil warfare in developing nations and the independent contribution of arms in between, but also it revealed many sad truths and flaws in the world in a comical and smart sense. Well cast and cleverly written, this is one newer film to check out if you haven’t.

Probably less heard of amongst the lot of you, but Hard Candy is a difficult, but worthwhile watch of a meeting over the internet of a young teen Hayley (Ellen Page), and a much older adult, Jeff (Patrick Wilson). Just like Miike’s Audition, Hayley manages to turn against the pedophile at his home and uncover his past cruelties and character flaws as she uncovers him scene by scene. What’s strong is the use of ambivalence director David Slade and writer Brian Nelson use with the characters on how the viewer feels towards them, and how one cannot sympathize with any of them during the discussions they both make and physical and mental torture used towards the aggressor. With such a neutral thought, the film stays in a restraining mood for the most part of the film. Only 19 years old in the film in a terrifyingly believable role, Page is probably going to leap many new levels in acting with her talent.

Back to a more cult film, Donnie Darko was not only an exceptional story explaining the time continuum, but also very thought-provoking overall. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as the main character, an awkward and abrupt adolescent who has encounters with Frank, a man in a bunny suit (James Duval), and is manipulated by him to commit crimes after escaping an odd accident. Dealing constantly with the matters of time and psychology, this is a more sophisticated film then it looks, but it’s obvious why it would have such a large cult following.

Watching another portrait on WWII, the acclaimed Saving Private Ryan. As it merited a lot of credit in the Oscars, I wasn’t sure what to think of it at first, and already at the first five minutes I was very surprised with the production and acting. Firstly, it stands as one of the most realistic war films I’ve seen with the portrayed warfare, setting, and the despair faced by the troops. Secondly, it was hardly clichéd or coated with the conclusive endings many war films tend to show, especially to thank with the grand acting of Tom Hanks to Matt Damon and a dozen other names. Along with Schindler’s List, Spielberg has really contributed to making films on WWII with honest and realist approaches to its tragedies, dilemmas, and unforgettable events.

Pink Floyd: The Wall, a rock opera, is basically an entire music video for nearly the entire album’s length, but there is so much more to explain about it then that. As I am a big fan of the band (and many fans can call me insane for what I will write), I’ve never liked The Wall alongside other albums they have recorded, as I feel Roger Waters was starting to lead the band in a different, weaker phase against megalomania (it’s a great album, but I like earlier works more of the band). The movie definitely filled out the lyrics’ meanings of the album, with Gerald Scarfe’s twisted animation, impressive cinematography and production, and the entire life of Pink and his struggle, which was the main character of the album’s story. With the psychedelic approach in imagery and rock playing in the ambience, this film stands as a definite work of art.

Scene from "Pink Floyd: The Wall", (1982):

After re-watching Jared Hess' Napoleon Dynamite, I have come to realize it does not hold up well after more than two viewings, and the fools who incessantly quote it make me want to burn churches. This made me fear for Hess' next film, Nacho Libre, which I can safely say KILLS Napoleon Dynamite and throws its horrid corpse in a dank bog.

The writing is spot-on, Jack Black and Hector Jimenez(forgive the lack of accents, I can't be bothered to remember the alt code) have a fantastic amount of chemistry, the wrestling scenes are more entertaining than watching pro wrestling on Pay Per View and the overall visual and audio asthetic of the film has a kitschy-cool 70's-gone-wrong feel. That said, the story has some flaws and the ending was bollocks(I won't say anything other than it's savagely disappointing for those who rooted for Black's character to suceed in his personal life as well as his wrestling and work life).

8.5/10

(More.)

After watching the ‘mockumentary’ This Is Spinal Tap and enjoying it a lot, I decided to watch another film of its genre that the Spinal Tap co-creator and main actor Christopher Guest made, Waiting for Guffman. This humorous story tells of a flamboyant theater director Corky St. Clair (Guest), who decides in the town of Blaine – the country’s capital of toadstools – to make a musical tribute to the town’s founder by hiring several town citizens to do the job. Quirky and humorous, it features a great cast of comedians which demands to be noticed how they’re acting well as their characters, and not acting badly on purpose. As usual, Guest makes magic in ‘mockumentaries’ with such wittiness, in a film that becomes more entertaining in each newer watch.

The Princess Bride, which was coincidentally directed by Rob Reiner (who made This Is Spinal Tap), seemed to be great as a popular favorite and I was interested. Other than the fact that it was entertaining and contained a fun classic cast Reiner usually chooses, it also was a well adapted version from the book, along with various parodies of fairy tale stories. As it looks light-hearted, it has more depth in dark moments to it than it seems.

For those of you who enjoy animal documentaries, try to find The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. It tells the story of Mark Bittner, a homeless musician in San Francisco who decides to make a favor and create a bond between the local wild parrots which live in the ecosystem, by feeding and cherishing them. Just like March of the Penguins, it’s treated that the parrots also contain emotions similar to humans, and their cycle of adaptation in the urban area. Very beautifully shot, and a good film if it’s what you like, it is also wonderful to see that there are gentle people as Bittner out there in such contact with aiding nature.

X-Men: The Last Stand, reviewing it as a movie, it’s not great at all. I hardly look for action/entertainment films most of the time, but in my opinion, this film is one of the fine popcorn films under that category, as it is a fun spectacle of action and power. It features the great, usual acting of Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, and even presents Ellen Page (who I just mentioned) in a minor role, but that’s about it other than the somewhat fun fighting and destruction scenes. Whoever is familiar with the comics, the story development is poorly done and does not deploy the accuracy as seen in the previous two films.

As I have been overlooking Peter Weir’s work (and enjoying every inch of it thus far), I watched Dead Poets Society. What’s better than his direction is Robin Williams’ great acting as a progressive poetry teacher in a conservative school in the 50s. What’s even better than his acting is Tom Schulman’s inspiring and inebriating screenplay, which attacks conformism and praises the idea of individualism. Not only does it stand as a marvel of its kind, but its messages are meaningful and everything from the excellent cast and production flows together neatly. This is highly recommended.

The Wedding Crashers features two of the most annoying actors (in my opinion) in Hollywood today: Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. However, I was told by many (even people that hate teen films) that this was one of the hilarious surprises of 2005 along with The 40-Year-Old Virgin. I gave it a shot, and as a movie, it’s not great at all, and yes, it’s corny. Yes, it’s clichéd. But is it worthwhile in humor? Most definitely. The two of them have never been funnier as they play two womanizers who crash weddings, and end up having a bad time at a senator’s (Christopher Walken) home, where unexpected things are upraised. I still repeat some of the best quotes with fans. Only watch this if you’re up to relaxing and forgetting for a moment about criticizing it at sophisticated point of view. Not all films were made for that, you know.

Back to more sophisticated and artistic cinema, The New World. Words cannot describe how poetic and gorgeous this film was. This is a lot more than the tale of Pocahontas and John Smith. With incredible imagery, a mesmerizing screenplay, and a breathtaking production, I would have to write pages over pages to describe how I felt about this film, and what it symbolized to me. You have to see it to believe it. I’m craving now to see more work of Terrence Malick, such as The Thin Red Line, and Badlands.

I was interested in watching Ghost World mainly because of its theme. I had no idea it was adapted from a graphic novel, but Terry Zwigoff took good care in transferring the story to film. Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson play Enid and Rebecca, two vagrants who despise their dull surroundings in their small, esoteric town. They decide to pick on a middle-aged geek, Seymour (Steve Buscemi), which leads to more antics that Enid takes on with him. Lots of odd characters and cynical events of all sorts occur here, so much that it becomes a product that looks a bit like, say, Napoleon Dynamite, only less overrated and lame and with a unique and fresh quality of its own. Check it out to see what I mean.

Scene from "The New World", (2005):

At 7/1/06 06:30 PM, NightCobra wrote: Probably less heard of amongst the lot of you...Hard Candy

I've been looking foward to Hard Candy for awhile, but it's been given an R18+ rating here so I'll have to wait until a DVD release before I can see it.

Pink Floyd: The Wall... this film stands as a definite work of art.

When I saw The Wall I was a bigger Pink Floyd fan, before I began to tire of their self-indulgence (particularly with Waters, I agree). Besides the brilliant animation and some moments (the pieces with him as a child and the post Comfortably Numb section of the film were the highlights) it didn't do much for me but was still cool to see on a big screen at a showing at the local arthouse theatre.

Anywho, I apologise for the long break between my last post but I've been trying to rack up a few films to do. I don't have a huge amount as I did a few repeats (I watched the original Rollerball again, now one of my favourite films, I watched Goodfellas again, which was just as good as I remembered and I saw The Devil's Rejects twice).

First off, Candy, an Australian drug film, to put it simply. Candy is about two junkies in love (Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish, who are both so good they convince that they are not simply passing time between Hollywood jobs) who are so loyal to both themselves and heroin they fall deeper in a hole they can't get out of. Geoffery Rush is a scene-stealer as their dealer/father figure. The film itself is pretty good, a little too pretentious with titles "Heaven" "Hell" and "Earth" and those standard underwater public pool shots that are in every drug movie nowadays. It's never particularly moving but the plot develops at a steady pace so you'll never be overly bored. It's a good movie, I doubt it'll get an overseas release, but you're not missing out on much.

I agree with pretty much everything you said about Donnie Darko, NightCobra, so I won't say much. However, I think you were more taken with it then I was.

A stellar dark comedy from France, The Ax follows a man (José Garcia) who has been jobless for two years. After going to interview after interview, he decides he must take more drastic measures : eliminate the competition. He sets up a fake ad for that same job in a newspaper and finds those who would be as worthy as he for the job. He thens sets about picking them off, one by one. The acting in this movie was universally solid, the script sharp and creates people who are more than just caricatures. It is slightly episodic but still flows together fairly well. Although not essential viewing, it is a solid little movie that isn't particularly remarkable.

Another Kitano film, Brother, only works because of the director's immense talent. It follows an ex-Yakuza member (played by the Kitano himself) who, after being abandoned by his Yakuza brotherhood, goes back to America to meet up with his half brother, who has his own gang of "homies", I believe the DVD case put it. He soon makes friends with the gang and settles back into his old habits. The ensemble cast work well together and the contrasting personalities of the group keep the movie interesting (I find that's where Godfather Part II fell down, after losing Sonny and seeing less of Tom, it all got a little dull). The violence is extreme and nearly constant, but very well handled. I wasn't put off by it but one of the people I watched it with found it ruined it for him. It's the most polished and most interesting Kitano movie I've seen so far, so if you're interested in him, check this one out.

The best early horror movie I have seen yet, Bride of Frankenstein is also one of the best 30's movie I have seen. It does look a little dated, but the story of Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) creating a mate for his monster (played brilliant by Boris Karloff), whom all thought to be dead at the end of the first movie, is both a sad and funny film. The sets and cinematography are impressive and the director, James Whale (the subject of Gods and Monsters), does a fantastic job of setting up real tension and emotion. The Bride itself is a wonderous creation and the scenes with her and the Monster are painfully sad. A true wonder of cinema, you really have to see this.

Dinner Rush is a good movie; it never breaks the great barrier and yet, it never falls into mediocrity. I saw it twice and neither time did I pick up on anything particularly special. It creates the mood of a busy restaurant nearly flawlessly and the entire cast do great work and the close to real time story is interesting but it seems to lack focus. Dinner Rush is about one night in a busy Italian restaurant in New York owned by a mobster who watches over the place, acting as a father figure to one of the chefs who suffers from a gambling addiction and arguing with his real son, the head chef. It's not a complete waste of time but it's not a movie you should go out of your way to watch.

Un Chien Andalou. There is no way to describe this short film created by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí (my favourite artist). It is not a film but more of an experience. It is simply a series of surrealistic images. It contains the famous eye slitting scene, which I knew about and was prepared for, unlike my friend who freaked out at it. You really have to see it but still there is no way you could recommend this to someone and know they would like it.

Now, a real bloodbath, The Devil's Rejects is Rob Zombie's follow up to his debut flick, House of 1000 Corpses. It is a much better movie than that, more polished, more interesting and possibly more sadistic. After a raid on their house, where at least 75 murders have been recorded, the Firefly family (minus Father Firefly, who is killed, and Mother Firefly, who is arrested) escape through a storm drain leading from the back of their property. Baby Firefly and Otis B. Driftwood (siblings, played by Rob Zombie's wife, Sheri Moon Zombie and Bill Moseley) meet up with their partner, Captain Spaulding (a perfect performance from Sid Haig) and continue on a road trip to meet up with Spaulding's brother. A particularly violent and sadistic movie, it is not for all tastes. Rape, graphic violence and the highest quotage of 'Fuck' in any movie, this is not light-hearted viewing. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but watch at your own risk.

Bye guys, back later with 14.

At 7/3/06 08:58 PM, LordRobbo wrote: Besides the brilliant animation and some moments (the pieces with him as a child and the post Comfortably Numb section of the film were the highlights) it didn't do much for me but was still cool to see on a big screen at a showing at the local arthouse theatre.

Well, many scenes (probably the silent ones cutting to young Pink's antics) aren't worth watching individualy, true, but the film as a whole is greatly done.

I agree with pretty much everything you said about Donnie Darko, NightCobra, so I won't say much. However, I think you were more taken with it then I was.

At first I wasn't taken so much by it, but then I wanted to really understand main key points to the film I couldn't figure out on my own. I did some small research to get it, but I didn't try to overanalyze at any greater point. Maybe I overpraise certain films too much without showing their cons (if any). What do you think? (More reviews below.)

Derailed was a fast popcorn thriller, with a somewhat hard story dealing of a businessman (Clive Owen) having an affair with another (Jennifer Aniston), and ends up becoming blackmailed and tormented by a criminal in the process. The script does take everything to certain clever levels - and limits itself to being overly outdone in the plot - but the acting thrown on-screen of Owen and Aniston don’t match entirely as their characters become too predictable. Of course, it can be a thoroughly exciting ride, but it ends up pretty plain when judging it.

Now, I have seen plenty of films about events in WWII, but don’t think I could find one better which captivates the human suffering of certain legion as Downfall. Told from information obtained of one of Hitler’s secretaries, it shows the last days of Hitler’s life (and Nazi Germany’s final moments) along with his main powers deep inside his bunker. The astonishing element of the film which dares is how it shows an overall human distress which all the aforementioned faced, and how their goals and ideals subtly changed to their defeat; with a huge production and amazing acting to credit. Mostly emotionally distressing and thoughtful in the enemy’s reaction, it manages to show this all without using sympathy or judgment, but more so captivating the Nazis as troubled human beings instead of horrific figures of war.

As I have been exploring Woody Allen’s work more and more, I chose one of his most successful works, Annie Hall. Now I can see how much he repeated himself about relationships throughout his carrier in further films, but starting with this film as the first base. Telling more than his character’s relationship with Annie (Diane Keaton), he also twines his character’s lifestyle, youth, attitude, and philosophy of, well, basically anything (from the shrinking of the universe to Jewish households to happy couples which talk about nothing). This an Allen stage in its prime of all things he’s best at, and one of the finest and more cynical works I’ve seen so far of his.

Though Pretty in Pink is written by John Hughes (who has written some of the only intelligent and humorous teen comedies I like in the mediocre genre), it ends up being a pretty dull 80s chick-flick. At least Molly Ringwald does a proper job in her role just as she did in Sixteen Candles. It may be joyful at some moments, but it represents most of the things I hate in the 80s pop generation. I don’t think I need to start ranting about that.

I sort of watched Hoodwinked by mistake, but then again, I don’t need to remind myself why. At a glance, Hoodwinked looks like a fun, satirical spin-off of the story of Little Red Riding Hood in some decent cartoonish animation, but it drags on far too long with many attempting jokes and even sappy songs in between. It might be great to watch with younger audiences, but it’s about as a boring animation film since Madagascar.

Back to a film with more quality, Christopher Nolan’s debut Following. Clever and creepy, this already shows the beginning highlights of Nolan’s talent in psychological thrillers. It tells of a story of Bill (Jeremy Theobald), who enjoys following people he finds peculiar outside, as a hobby to know more about them. Once a man he was following, Cobb (Alex Haw), notices him and reveals himself as a thief, he brings Bill into an obscure and undesired profession and world. Even though the whole cast is non-professional and it’s very unpolished in technical aspects, all that matters here is the grand morale Nolan crafts in order to make and minimalist and elaborate first thriller.

Lars von Trier instantly became one of my favorite directors with his founding on the Dogme project and his work on Dogville. Normally I would wait and watch more to give such a remark, but I know I stand corrected after watching Breaking the Waves. It tells the tragic story of Bess (Emily Watson in her eeriest role to date), whose husband Jan (Stellan Skarsgård) tells her to fulfill their sexual activities with other men after he becomes paralyzed in an accident at the local rig. Although various parts of Bess’s suffering and sacrifice as this ‘saint’ are excruciating in some moments, most of it is very difficult to watch with the emotional and ground-breaking performance she gives, and it wraps up strongly and questioning in the end. Made in a pure von Trier style, I’m looking forward to watching more in his concept trilogies (“Europe”, “Golden Heart” & “USA – Land of Opportunities”), among other films as well.

Scene from "Breaking the Waves" (1996):

I wonder when my list will end.

I just started exploring P.T. Anderson’s acclaimed work, and I decided to do so by firstly watching his debut, Hard Eight. It tells the story of John (John C. Reilly), who has lost all his money in Vegas and is aided by a lowly man named Sydney (Philip Baker Hall) to help him stand up again by teaching him better ways to gamble and live. Also featuring Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson, this neo-noir works because of the elements in the script which build up the characters appropriately and the main conflict each of them face throughout. Looking at the script literally, it’s nothing special, but on the other hand, the informal writing and the lines are the exact highlight of the story and the human characteristics it has. The acting is very memorable of the four, especially of Hall’s perfection as playing Sydney. AKA: Sydney.

I watched The Ring with several people just for the hell of it, as it was just lying around. Now, although there were some high points of mystery to the film, I pretty much despised it overall. I understand that it wasn’t about the script or acting (and the overuse of lighting effects didn’t matter), but at least it working on those categories would have made the remake more interesting. I personally think it’s ridiculous that many Japanese (and other foreign films) in the horror genre keep being remade just so audiences can watch it in English or even in a westernized version. Even though the genre is mostly targeted for teenagers, they could at least add some intelligence into the dull macabre content now and again.

Starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, The Blues Brothers was one of the best smashing times I’ve had in a while. It tells of Jake (Belushi) and Elwood (Aykroyd), who go on a ‘mission from God’ to reunite their band and save the catholic home they were raised in. They get into the biggest trouble in all ways possible and do all they can to fulfill their mission. Hilarious gags, excellent music featuring famous musicians, some of the best car chases ever made on screen, and probably the most destruction seen in a film of its kind, I loved this cult classic throughout the whole ride.

Hellboy was yet another terrible film I had to watch in the same week, among the same reasons I saw The Ring. Being among the lot of awful adaptations of comic book super-heroes, not even the action brings proper justice for the film (the film is actually more boring with the portrayed action scenes). John Hurt’s acting as Hellboy’s (Ron Pearlman) father is wasted among other cast members in the horrid camera filters. On top of that, they even tried to make the film funny with lame jokes and bizarre romance ties.

The biggest problem with the work of director/writer M. Night Shyamalan is not the themes he gives or even some of the ideas in his past films, but how he usually concludes his stories disappointingly overall. That said, I watched The Village in a very concerned mood to begin with. It tells of a small community who is aggravated by fear of beings which wear red, and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, William Hurt, and Adrian Brody as the main characters in strong performances. Although I don’t think the ending (for those who saw it) was the best idea and it should have stuck to its surroundings, the ironic conclusion about fear and its harsh feeling actually worked in the end. I was surprised with it, and this is his most solid and less obvious detail-oriented work so far.

I don’t know if many will agree with me, but The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is deliberately well adapted film from the book, it its mood, sense, and structure. C.S. Lewis’s book series may look as children’s stories, but there is a large presence of obscurity underneath. The film captivates that clearly, but at the same time it can be treated as a nice family epic.

21 Grams, telling the story of three different characters (Sean Penn as an ill mathematician, Naomi Watts as a grieved mother, and Benicio Del Toro as a clean ex-con-man) which - while facing their main personal problems - become enthralled and mixed up into a huge dilemma altogether in nasty ways. All three of them play their terrifying roles incredibly well to become characters filled with ambivalence, and the aggressive plot of the film is hard to forget. 21 Grams is yet another difficult and depressing ride of the director González Iñárritu and Guillermo Arriaga who both created also the similar plot-based film Amores perros, and it stands as an excellent piece.

I found a way to watch Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon), a monumental classic short from 1902. With its innovative and fresh effects for its time, and playful screenplay based off Jules Vern’s novel, it’s a dazzling experience. Be sure to find it once you have the chance as well.

Now, biteme has already given a huge overview on The Squid and the Whale, but I had mixed feelings about it that I should write. First off, I agree with what you said about these films falling into the ‘indie’ category easily. Many of these kinds of films become very pretentious or overrated just because they were made outside of Hollywood. The problem is with festivals such as the Sundance are becoming less independent-oriented by showcasing these kinds of films which become known widely instead of more rigid and closed work. However, The Squid and the Whale was a more drifted film away from that system, and stands as a human film with great acting of Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, and Jesse Eisenberg, and others. I can’t say anything else other than I enjoyed it, also probably because I don’t watch too many films under its theme.

Scene from "Hard Eight" (1996):

Sorry some of the reviews are a tad long (but I really enjoyed some of the titles here, including Taxi Driver), and this may be the of the last posts to complete my delayed list.

Night of the Living Dead (1968), directed by the horror film veteran George A. Romero, was the first innovative film to begin exploring zombie films and one of the first to create the contemporary horror genre. With lots of fresh information for its time about them and practices against a swarm, it also the first real film I’ve seen in the zombie genre. Although it’s dark, claustrophobic, and several times unnerving with its characters in distress, it also has a huge comical and humorous side to it, more over the dark aspects. In any case, it was an entertaining, ghastly, and somewhat educational film as well. You can’t miss it.

Now, New Police Story happened to be picked out by some other viewers without me checking on them, and boy, was it remarkable in its bland elements. Not only is it the most westernized Eastern film one could find (also note the classy Hong Kong production), but they even had the nerve to juxtaposition a fearless gang of kids killing police officers for fun, while they staged it as a video-game. It tends to be ignorant of all Chinese culture and its true society by only putting money into the action scenes, but the only true Chinese cinema aspect of it is the cast (including a wasted Jackie Chan), the martial arts, and tragic aspects we usually see in their storytelling.

I don’t know what you guys think (since other members here are more experienced in horror film than I am), but I consider The Shining to be a horror epic masterpiece in all ways possible. Kubrick does more than shape up the characters to their most horrific forms (a terrifying Jack Nicholson as the inn keeper, a queasy Shelley Duvall as his wife, and the concerned Danny Lloyd as their son with the gift to match out past events), but he also creates a state of claustrophobia and fear in the large inn where the story is told. Think not of the film as freighting, as it manages to unravel disturbing sequences and portraits, and sound effects which challenge the viewer psychologically. This is more than a film filled with surprises and challenging aspects, it also demands to be classified as art in the genre.

With Broken Flowers, you can tell that Jarmusch is heading to a more mainstream style which inevitably garnishes a larger audience. Now, it still has his usual style of showing the cynical and surreal things in the normal events people encounter daily, but it seems a bit more forced than his previous work. Many humorous (and sad, as usual) things occur to Don (Bill Murray) as he tries to find his son through his past girlfriends, but I thought it was a bit apathetic in several parts (Murray’s character was strong throughout). It wasn’t a bad film, and it’s a nice watch, but it’s definitely not close to Jarmusch’s best.

Another film with Jack Nicholson, this time his more recent, Something’s Gotta Give. It ended up being a savvy adult comedy (rather than jumping into a ridicule of romantic sappiness half of the time), but the most humorous part is how this seems to an auto-biography of Nicholson when it comes to his life with women. Diane Keaton and him both through a neat show together, despite of their grave differences on how they work on-screen individually. Also, Keanu Reaves is colder than ever in his dialogue in this film, which kind of ruined some of the moments unintentionally.

De-Lovely, a romantic musical telling of Cole Porter’s successes and downfalls both in his musical carrier and love life. Although it isn’t very effective as a musical, Stephen Endelman’s songs and composition give an appropriate route and feel to Porter’s life and a lot more. Although it’s wholly a biography of the composer, there are many things in the story and in the music which can be related to how people can act and feel in their relations with anything relative to the film’s story. The final product isn’t the greatest you’ll see on screen, but maybe one of the more intelligent in its genre.

I enjoyed Scorsese’s Taxi Driver so much, I watched it twice in the same day in order to understand it better. Realistic and obscure, it tells the story of Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), an uninformed but vulnerable man who decides to take taxi driving with the lack of sleep. The more he works and exposes himself to the then-degenerate state of the New York streets and the horrible kinds of people which walk upon it, the more insane and furious he becomes. After he meets a young, teenage prostitute (Jodie Foster, sixteen at the time), he decides to make up time to be someone protective of the innocence on the streets. Also starring Harvey Keitel, the character development is the most remarkable part of the film along with the dark script and off-beat acting. For those matters this is probably Scorsese’s best film, and ties up being along my favorite of his with Goodfellas.

Adapted from Stephen Jeffreys’s play by Jeffreys himself, The Libertine contained not only the most eloquent, intelligent dialogue I’ve heard in a while, but Johnny Depp brings a tour de force performance as the Earl of Rochester. I could hardly recognize him in the comically and ghastly devious role, but he played it out perfectly. Also starring John Malkovich as the king and Rosamund Pike as an unpopular actress also play their roles appropriately, and the whole scenario is an excellent image of what the screenplay portrays.

Scene from "Taxi Driver" (1976)

Here's the last post of never-ending list for a short while. Now I hope someone reads some to all of it while I sit here and await a post of theirs.

As I love Kevin Smith’s work, I really enjoyed his drama Chasing Amy. After critics bashed him after crafting the oddball (yet fun) Mallrats, he took a more serious and mature turn with this film. Ben Affleck and Jason Lee star as collaborated two comic makers, Holden and Banky. The moment Holden falls in love with another comic creator, Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams) - who also turns out to be a lesbian - things start becoming complicated for the three of them, as she is just looking for a best friend and not a lover. Smith’s crude jokes that we all know and love are present in certain moments, but there is a large ditch to more mature dialogue and profound story-telling. Of course, Jay and Silent Bob weren’t left out, but when can they ever?

Pretty Persuasion is yet another one of those pseudo-indie dramas, containing a plot with drastic results. I never thought Evan Rachel Wood could be so irritating since Thirteen, but she really hit the spot of nuisance on her character here. Rachel Wood stars as a manipulative teenager who happens to be good looking and intelligent. She lives in a broken household, along with a discriminative (yet funny) father (James Woods). And what to do when her and two colleagues decide to sue one of their teachers (Ron Livingston) that he allegedly molested them? Overall, the film is too tacky; many of the performances are quite boring, which ruins many of the would-be fun quotes, and (on top of that) I’m also already vowing myself not to attempt to watch anything with her again.

Just as you said along with many lists, LordRobbo, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one 2005’s best films. Making juxtaposition between violence and comedy, I saw it more as a satire of action flicks than anything else. There were very few scenes where I wasn’t laughing, as the dark comedy and sarcasm were the best elements. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer give a hilarious show together in this murder mystery, and it stands as an excellent film. Also, the reason it is so humorous and elaborate in action sequences probably is because director/writer Shane Black has been a experienced pioneer writer in many action films, such as the Lethal Weapon series.

Shown to me by a friend, The Secret Garden was none other than a charming, refreshing film. It shows a young British girl return from India after her neglectful parents die in an earthquake. She returns to her uncle’s castle in England, where she has to work things out for herself, and ends up discovering other characters her age there, including a gardener and her cousin who is sick at the time (and a forgotten garden her late aunt used to go into). Made in the early 90s, there aren’t too many G-rated family films like this anymore, especially including careful script the gorgeous scenario this movie has.

Minimalist and on an extremely low budget, Primer was a complex and difficult sci-fi drama about time travel. It’s pretty much focused more on the screenplay than anything else, and I have no way to explain what this film is about (even though I do understand the overall concept now). Of course, after I watched it many fragments and plot moments looked too unclear, so I did some small research on how the logic of the time travel works in the film, and it happened to be pretty original. Another astonishing part is how professional the film looks despite of the low budget. Check it out if you’re curious for a smart, yet challenging film at a first glance.

Although Miami Vice is well-made and realistic, the story and screenplay are both very weak and go off topic or to unnecessary scenes many times (especially during the romance moments). Even the people who came in the theater to only watch the action were pulling sighs. Also, Colin Farrell and Jaime Foxx's acting don't help either. I'd say this is Michael Mann's (I only watched this because he directed it) weakest film since L.A. Takedown, which is a shame since he's directed and written excellent films such as The Insider, Heat, and Collateral. Avoid this.

I’ll admit that Saw had one of the best-structured horror film plots and original ideas in its execution in ‘04, but it was a bit too unnerving for me (I guess that’s the expected impression, but you what I mean). With its ending, I think that the sequels are completely unnecessary and probably were created only because fans of the first whined for a better conclusion (or more torture and gore, maybe). I’m not your biggest fan in grotesque horror plots as this one, so I’m pretty much ambivalent towards it in my critique. That’s pretty much all I have to write.

Moving on to a fun documentary, Block Party. With Michel Gondry in direction and Dave Chappelle presenting a concert with many popular hip-hop to R&B artists, this way an overall three-dimensional documentary other than just a performance. As it is very humorous, it also has the performers give the importance of collaborating and expressing music together, rather than exploiting their art to the masses for profit. It also has many politically correct messages that many of the musicians mention in between. Overall, it’s a great and nice piece, even if you’re not a bit fan of the music played such as myself.

And ending it all here, John Frankenheimer’s action marathon Ronin. Starring Robert De Niro and Jean Reno (along with a largely talented cast), it tells of a team of professional assassins from the world to ambush and capture a suitcase with unknown content. This film has gained fame from its highly realistic and electrifying car chases, but the plot stands very original as it uncovers more into the story. By the final moments the viewer can’t tell who is on who’s side anymore, let alone what the actual purpose of the suitcase is. Great popcorn viewing covered with witness and sharpness.

Scene from "Chasing Amy" (1997):

I thought I'd give this a shot.

A film that brings together some of the most unique minds in filmaking, Enemy of the State will leave you breathless. Starring Will Smith, John Voigt, Gene Hackman, and Tom Seizemore, it is the story of Washington DC labor lawyer Robert Dean (Smith) who secretly has a tape with themurder of a congressman passed to him without his knowledge. When the killer (Voigt), who is head director of the National Security Agency, finds out Dean has the tape, it becomes a dangerous manhunt for Dean. Dean gains the assistance of the strange and incredibly knowledgeable Brill (Hackman) and together they try to escape the NSA. Directed by Tony Scott and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film's look and feel is an amazing hybrid of Scott's tell-tale cinematography and Bruckheimer's unparalleled sense of drama and action. With music by Harry Gregson-Williams and Trevor Rabin, the score is a thrlling blend of Gregson-Williams' technical perfection and Rabin's modern rock-star flair. Overall, the movie is a captivating mix of unique elements brought together to create a psychological action-thriller you won't forget!

Hey guys,

I am here. I just have an overwhelming amount of work to do at the moment but when I return I have well over 40 movies to do. Great reviews, by the way, NightCobra.

Bye all

Oi. The worst possible thing that could have happened to a member of this club happened to me just a few short weeks ago. I completely lost track of the movies I've seen since my last post here. But is it any wonder? It's been months. And I've actually seen a lot. In fact, much more than I could ever hope to give decent reviews for given the fact that I'm now always busy on set doing one thing or another, whether it be adjusting a 1.2k HMI to light Chloe Sevigny the one day I was a 2nd unit lamp op on the soon-to-be released Sisters or cheering at Andy Samberg's stunt double jumping buses in a motorcycle when I was an extra in next year's Hot Rod.

I mean, I've seen The United States of Leland, The Machinist, Mission: Impossible III, I Am A Sex Addict, Grave of the Fireflies, Hoodwinked, American History X, The Tale of Zatoichi, The Da Vinci Code, X-Men: The Last Stand, Match Point, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Over the Hedge, The Break-Up, the remake of The Omen, Cars, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, She's All That, Dick, Nacho Libre, The Goonies, My Date with Drew, Oldboy, Click, The Guru, Superman Returns, The Devil Wears Prada, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Little Miss Sunshine, Clerks II, Lady in the Water, Miami Vice, The Descent and Snakes on a Plane! And those are just the ones I wrote down. There's no hope. The best I can do is get you guys to tell me which ones you'd like to hear more about, whether it be what I thought or what it even is and knowing me, I'll get back to you in a couple of weeks. I've been ridiculously busy lately but it does come with its benefits. For instance, I recently landed myself on IMDb as Ben Luk (II) for lamping a TV movie called Under the Sycamore Tree. I'm actually off to set later today to do my job well into the night.

So without any real desire to start plugging away at reviewing the movies I've seen since last (made only the more difficult by the fact that the earlier ones I mentioned are now a good three months off in my memory banks), I'm just going to respond to some of what you guys have said in your last few posts. Amazing really, that you guys have kept it up as well as you have. LordRobbo and NightCobra, kudos to both of you.

At 7/3/06 08:58 PM, LordRobbo wrote: I've been looking foward to Hard Candy for awhile, but it's been given an R18+ rating here so I'll have to wait until a DVD release before I can see it.

I tried going to this a few months ago but I had the same problem you had. Having only turned 18 less than a month ago, when I went, they turned me away because I didn't have proper government ID that said I was allowed in. Before, I'd been able to get into 18A movies because I somehow conned my way into getting a VIFF membership (which only 18+ cinephiles were allowed to get) and a membership to a local repertory cinema called the Pacific Cinematheque so whenever I was asked, I just flashed one of those memberships and waltzed right in. When I tried getting into Hard Candy though, some new teenaged employee was in the booth and demanded government ID as proof of my age. Not that I blame her -- she was only doing her job -- but it still irks me when I'm kept from seeing the movies I want to see by people who don't even really know what a 1st AD does. Especially when I've already seen much racier films like The Dreamers and Breillat's Anatomy of Hell. Not that that'll be a problem anymore. Been 18 since July 22nd. No one's going to keep me from anything anymore. (I almost miss the challenge.)

At 7/28/06 05:24 PM, NightCobra wrote: Now, biteme has already given a huge overview on The Squid and the Whale, but I had mixed feelings about it that I should write. First off, I agree with what you said about these films falling into the ‘indie’ category easily...

Don't mind me. I was just a wee bit bitter when I wrote that. I think my main problem was with Junebug at the time. Bored me to tears for most of the movie, then tried to make a poignant leap into melodrama near the end. I personally didn't feel that that particular plot point worked with the rest of the film but at the very least, it was well acted. Looking back on it now, I didn't mind The Squid and the Whale that much. I'm also rather fond of the fact that I can name that as one of the few movies where a parking spot isn't always readily available for the principal cast. Heh. Oh, and I mentioned Little Miss Sunshine earlier before and though it's guilty of everything that could have it fall into that godforsaken 'indie' category, it's also one of my favourite films of the year so what does that tell you? I'm a fickle bastard. See that if you can though. If you liked The Squid and the Whale, you'll love Little Miss Sunshine.

I watched The Ring with several people just for the hell of it, as it was just lying around. Now, although there were some high points of mystery to the film, I pretty much despised it overall.

Gosh, film critiquing is subjective. I loved The Ring. I even felt it was an improvement on the original Japanese version. And "dull" though it may be, I found that not injecting jump scenes every ten minutes in the film made the ending that much more climactic. Furthermore, by basing the story not so much around that drowned chick popping out of television sets and more around Rachel and Noah being brought together again after a less than satisfactory separation, it tacked on a much more adult perspective to this particular horror flick than anything else I've seen in a good decade. Not to mention it scared the bejeezus out of me. I own a copy on VHS. That's right: VHS. Any horror film about a cursed videotape would lose all its post-film paranoia on DVD.

All right, guys. I'm out for now. Don't forget to bug me for more specific film reviews. See y'all soon!

(Scene from "Snakes on a Plane", 2006)

Hey guys,

Congratulations on your addition to IMDb, Biteme.

I think I will have to steal your idea and simply list all the movies I have seen.

Oh, by the way, I haven't managed to see Hard Candy yet, but I did manage to get into several of the films at the International Film Festival that's been in town which were restricted to 18 year olds. As I mentioned awhile ago, I was one of the juries for the youth section of the festival which was pretty swell.

Anyway, I have seen way too many movies to do a full review of each, here are the films: Night of the Living Dead, Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing, Colour Me Kubrick, Gallipoli, Shinobi, Cunnamulla, Bowling for Columbine,Trainspotting, Fitzcarraldo, Eraserhead, Lost Highway, Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Garden State, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jaws, Munich, This is Spinal Tap, The King of Comedy, Farenheit 451, The French Connection, Ghosts... Of the Civil Dead, Clerks, Se7en, Chasing Amy, The Maltese Falcon, Shadown of a Doubt, Bête humaine, La, Romeo and Juliet (1968), Tideland, Kiss Me Deadly, Le Samourai, Mallrats,
Cannibal: The Musical, A Short Film About Killing, Zatoichi, A Short Film About Love,
Meet the Feebles and Mean Streets.

Just ask if you'd like to know anything about any of those.

Biteme, I was wondering, what were Miami Vice, The Descent and Snakes on a Plane like?

Anyway, I'm off. Bye guys

At 8/22/06 09:29 PM, LordRobbo wrote: Congratulations on your addition to IMDb, Biteme.
Biteme, I was wondering, what were Miami Vice, The Descent and Snakes on a Plane like?

Update on the IMDb listing: Instead of 'Ben Luk (II)', I requested it be changed to simply Benjamin Luk. There's more to being named #2 than just second place. So I changed it. Heh.

Also, I may have more credits up there soon. I've started to break through a bit in the film lighting world and I'm earning some decent money from it now. At least, for a student. I just got paid for my services on two country music videos I worked on and tomorrow, I'm doing some rigging for a TV series called "Blood Ties", assuming I heard correctly on the phone this morning after being woken up from five hours of crap sleep. Spent all weekend on Under the Sycamore Tree and I didn't get back until four in the morning last night. In any case, all this lighting stuff will have to go on hold pretty soon. I'm back at film school in exactly a week.

So, seeing as how these remaining few days may be the only chance I have to catch up in this thread, I would love to go off a bit on the three movies you mentioned, LordRobbo. And I might as well get started with Miami Vice. Now, I never exactly watched the 80's television series so there's no way I can compare the two, but from what I hear, there's really no way to compare the two anyway. The new Miami Vice is grittier and it even shows up in the cinematography. I personally don't like watching grainy shots -- ever since I got spoiled by DVD quality, I only go back to VHS now to revisit childhood classics (Disney) or the occasional horror flick (like The Ring, as mentioned before) -- but I suppose it's a style choice. I know Dion Beebe, the DOP on Miami Vice, can shoot better. After all, Memoirs of a Geisha was all about the cinematography. So it's Mann, who thinks that if he's going to make a movie that's supposed to be hard-hitting and "realistic", he's going to shoot it like a Cops episode. That was the first thing that bugged me. The second thing that bugged me was that the film also had about as much character depth as the average Cops episode. All we need to know as an audience is that one's white, one's black and they're both badass! So instead of actually caring about either of the characters, you're just stuck there trying to figure out the convoluted plot, which I suppose keeps you occupied enough but why do that when you can just sit back at home and tune in to Cops? (That show's hilarious, by the way. The cameraman's the real hero.) And what's with the student film SPFX in that truck scene? The 1st Year kids in my film program can do that and with less of a budget too. I've been told it's a love-it-or-hate-it flick. I don't hate it just yet but I'm getting there. On to The Descent. Before I get started here, let me just say that I love symbolism. Antonioni's Blowup is a personal favourite. But what I found with this movie was that there was plenty of symbolism and not much of a horror film. A few good jump scenes, about an hour of browsing its IMDb message boards going "Oh, that's kinda clever" every time someone brought up a good point and that was it. Hyped to death but disappointed me personally. I mean, why does everyone love this and call it brilliant when something like Hostel is written off as juvenile? Surely there's something symbolic in that film's theme of the rich and sadistic using sex and power to prey on the unwilling with most everyone else turning -- no pun intended -- a blind eye. Not to mention its bravery in taking Asian horror cinema and transporting it to the mainstream. Ah hell, I'm just ranting now. If none of that makes sense, bug me again and I can explain. I'm probably just desensitized to all hell. As for Snakes on a Plane, I liked it and I didn't. Probably just frustration of expectation, I imagine. More violent and less funny than I thought it would be. But really, what's there to tell? It's bloody snakes on a plane. And yes, it's all cheap laughs. Imagine every place on your body where you'd hate to be bitten, then imagine watching it on a 50' screen. Go see it if you want to but if you were sitting on the fence anyways, I just saved you ten bucks.

I also went to see two other movies since my last post and I'll start with the one out in theatres right now: Accepted. I don't know what it is with my fascination with (supposedly) bad teen comedies as of late -- you're watching Kieslowski, for Fulp's sake -- but I have to say, I very much enjoyed this. Sure, it's got all the story problems of a bargain bin movie, which might prompt the average film-savvy cinephile to ask "Where did these kids get the funds to renovate an entire mental hospital before anyone even showed up with tuition money?" or "What is it about crowd mentality that can have hundreds of people's opinions swayed in the space of two film minutes?", but like Desert Blue, it's so quotable and funny that you just kind of accept it as Hollywood BS and move on. Between Justin Long's almost uncanny charisma and Jonah Hill's improvised lines (that totally make the movie), it's a winner. I love the little nod towards Battle Royale especially. Finally, we have Brick, a neo-noir detective story set in a high school. If you loved 40's film noir and indie experimental filmmaking, it's a must-see. Not for everyone though. It's fairly dialogue heavy and tough to follow, even when it has your full attention, which is often. The single most stylish film this side of Y2K and a film that has you at every frame, even when it's just a static shot of Brendan looking down at the dead body of the one person he got to too late.

I'm told I'm playing with 10k Fresnel lights tomorrow. One hundred times the power of your average household lightbulb. That doesn't worry me. It's the idea of fixing them to a studio ceiling without adequate rigging experience that worries me. Here's hoping I don't brain myself. I'm quite fond of the way I look.

(Scene from "Accepted", 2006)

At 9/28/06 04:28 PM, mofomojo wrote: Is there a decent collection of old movies around?

I just finished watching my collection of james bond dvd moves ranging from roger moore to s connery and some new ones aswell...

~X~

I guess I’m going to make things a bit short while describing them, partially since I’ve too lazy to write any detailed reviews since the end of summer. I’ve been busy, sorting out things here and there, with either studies or work. I’m amazed I have plenty of time to watch dozens of movies every weekend, especially circling my usual schedule to analyze any film thoroughly before watching it…Anyhow, enough of my rambling and onto the movies.

Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Tim Burton’s first film, present’s Paul Reubens’s character in a long journey to find his bike. The scenery is exciting and lots of quirky things happen to him, but Reubens is about as unfunny as Carrot Top in many of the scenes. I pretty much don’t dig him like my ex did, and Burton’s artistic talents are only merely starting to flourish here.

I don’t know about you guys, but I only heard about Rainer Werner Fassbinder the moment I chose The Merchant of Four Seasons. Fassbinder was a radical, overtly controversial filmmaker who became a staple in German cinema. Although this film has garnished plenty of attention, I think the dimmed acting had an appropriate tone to the story. Yes, it’s depressing as it shows the tale of a man crumbling apart as he keeps loosing what he wants or wanted for himself. However, months later after I saw Lola (which I’ll explain about later), I changed my mind of the structure of his films and saw that he could sophisticate much better than what seen in this film.

I’ve loved Luc Besson’s work, and even more after La Femme Nikita. I’m amazed they actually remade this stunning film here simply because the original was in French. Anne Parillaud is Nikita, a rough, tom-boyish, convicted (and hazardous) felon who is trained to be an assassin after showing potential. Humorous and intelligent, this film never looses track on her character.

Like I said earlier about Jarmusch, Cronenberg is also entering a very mature phase with A History of Violence. The film definitely has his less usually seen sexual references (more violence this time) and a mainstream look, but he still manages to maintain his style while wearing a new suit. Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello were given very cold roles, and the same definitely goes for Ed Harris and William Hurt. Makes me wonder too if more Canadian directors will rise up as noticeable as Cronenberg some day; as for now, he’s still my favorite Canadian director.

Bus 174, a documentary which discusses of the event in Rio de Janeiro: where a man held a bus hostage and one of them was unnecessarily killed by a police member controlling the situation. Though the premise shows the system of justice is flawed and degenerate in Brazil, it manages to reveal that the conditions and treatments for convicts are non-rehabilitating as well, especially when arriving to the problematic social structures in the country. This happens to be a somewhat close event to me, as I lived in Rio at the time the crime occurred, and I’ve lived between the social problems in the country. I haven’t seen since Eduardo Escorel’s work such a grueling, dark, and honest portrayal of the country’s system as in this documentary.

There was a Harry Potter film marathon at my house, and though I vowed not to watch any newer adapted films after the terrible first two, I took the opportunity at the time to do so. Turns out both The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire live up to the hype, as they are darker, better developed, and mainly more honest adaptations to the book. The acting, animation, and sets all improved, and they are the only two so far worth a peek, though The Prisoner of Azkaban was my favorite version so far.

More French New Wave cinema ahead, and yes biteme, it’s a Truffaut film. Okay, I had high expectations for Shoot the Piano Player, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. The satire Truffaut pokes at gangster flicks and romance comedies is great, but its concept and dialogue feel a bit outdated. I loved The 400 Blows as much as his early work fascinates me, but I think I’ll start checking out later works of his, just to see what style I can adjust to more.

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story was a gigantic mess. If adapting Laurence Stern’s impossible-to-read novel into a movie isn’t already enough, imagine watching it about a whole cast and crew trying to help make the movie. Steve Coogan is trying too hard at being funny here, although the film does have its humorous moments. The highlight is the actual adapted parts of the novel, but the other part of the concept deteriorates wholly, especially with the modern discussions at the cast’s parties.

If there’s one film group of followers I’ll never understand, it’s of the fans of The Boondock Saints. Two religious Irish twins (Sean Patrick Flanery & Norman Reedus) decide after being attacked by the Russian mob to start killing everyone evil in Boston, while an FBI agent (Willem Dafoe) tracks them down. The story starts out promising, and had terrifically sophisticated action scenes, but the senseless violence of the characters becomes quickly unnecessary with no route at all. At that point, the only thing that had me going to the end was still Dafoe’s acting, the rest need not apply.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, is just like Adam McKay’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy: it stars nearly two hours with Will Farrell yapping his head off in an original concept flawed by the sappy jokes (though this did attack rednecks, the French, and racers in a fun way). McKay’s stories and scenarios are great parodies of systems within America so far, but many of the dumb humor his work has just don’t make the cut. It’s fine with to give your brain away for a short time and enjoy the film, but the juxtaposition of intelligent concepts with dumb jokes unfortunately appalls me.

Scene from "The Merchant of Four Seasons" (1972):