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kiwiboy (Lighthouse_boy)
Movie Star
Username: Lighthouse_boy
Post Number: 3199
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2007 - 10:22 pm: | 
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currently, the worst film I have paid to see this year .. the new Fantastic Four ... luckily, yesterday I saw two top ten films: Once and Paris Je T'aime.
Going to Ireland and not just to kiss that stone
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3670
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2007 - 10:32 pm: |
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Speaking of which...
Blackmail (1929): Hitchcock's first "talkie" (although shot with the intention of being another silent film, hence the still-hammy acting styles) is also a welcome return to suspense after the melodramatic weepies of his silent era. A woman (Anny Ondra, indeed hysterical although the fact that her role was dubbed may have something to do with that) is accosted by a letcherous artist who she kills in self-defense (the first of many murders via knife in Hitchcock's filmography). Her Scotland Yard boyfriend (John Longden) tries to cover up her part in the crime, but a smarmy blackmailer (Donald Caltrop) who witnessed the crime threatens to expose her as the murderer. Juicy potboiler features Hitch playing around with the new tech toy of sound in amusingly sinister ways (I love the scene where Ondra is listening to a description of the murder the following morning, but her guilt-clouded mind only hears a Peanuts-style slush of white noise with the word "KNIFE!" occasionally jumping out) and staging one of the first of his quintisential chase scenes, with the blackmailer pursued by police through a British museum in scenes that seem to predict other chases through and on famous landmarks like the Statue Of Liberty in Saboteur and of course Mount Rushmore in North By Northwest. Despite the dodgy acting (hard to really criticize too much, as the actors shot the film with the intention of it being another silent), Blackmail really began to point towards Hitchcock's growing mastery of suspense laced with black humor and technical bravura. B+
And I didn't exactly rave about any of the silent Hitch pics, AdamL. Even the best of them, The Farmer's Wife, is pretty slight (if charming).
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3671
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, June 17, 2007 - 10:34 pm: |
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Do Jessica Alba's blue contacts in the new FF movie skeeve anyone else out? Christ, she looks like she should be starring in White Chicks 2...
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3679
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 - 11:25 am: |
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Juno And The Paycock (1930): A poor Irish family comes into a large inheritence in this abominally dull Hitchcock picture. Blah. C
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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Oh yeah? (Thezookieman)
Movie Star
Username: Thezookieman
Post Number: 5110
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 21, 2007 - 02:14 pm: |
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monty you mean you watched Jessica Alba in Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer going around in a skintight spandex suit, and all you could notice were her contacts? I don't know whether to commend you or tell you that you need professional help on getting your priorities straight! 
Standing in the shadow of the One True City...
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3684
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, June 21, 2007 - 03:26 pm: |
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First off, I haven't seen Rise Of The Silver Surfer yet (although, with Alba in the cast, it should have been titled Rise Of The [CENSORED]  ). Secondly, why did they cast a gorgeous Latina actress like Alba only to try their damnest to make her look as "white" as possible? If they wanted a hot, blonde, white actress in Alba's age range, they're a dime-a-dozen in Hollywood. I mean, she looks wierd enough with blonde hair, but add in the blue contacts, and she looks downright bizarre. And yes, I do notice what a pretty girl has going on above the neck. 
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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Nicola_D (Nicola_d)
Key Grip
Username: Nicola_d
Post Number: 692
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 21, 2007 - 11:17 pm: |
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Rise of the Silver Surfer: I loved the titular character, not much else. I agree about Jessica's contact lenses. She looks totally unnatural. Two stars. |
Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3687
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, June 22, 2007 - 10:23 pm: |
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1408: Enjoyable supernatural spookfest features John Cusack as Mike Enslin, a jaded novellist who seeks out and spends the night in supposedly "haunted" abodes, hotels, and castles in order to debunk the myths that have sprung around them. When Mike gets wind of a room in a New York hotel with a particularly sordid history, the hotel's manager (Samuel L. Jackson) begs Mike not to enter room 1408 under any circumstances. But Mike scoffs at ghosts and things that go bump in the night...until the door swings shut behind him, and things start to get progressively stranger and stranger as Mike desperately tries to find a way out. Adapted (very loosely) from a short story by Stephen King by ace biopic scribes Scott Alaxander and Larry Karazewski (Ed Wood, The People Vs. Larry Flynt, Man On The Moon) and slickly directed by Mikael Hafstrom, 1408 is appealingly old-school in it's treatment of the spectres and unsettling occurances within that room, often evoking the style of classic ghost stories like The Haunting and The Innocents by using odd camera angles and creepy sound design in lieu of a barage of CGI effects. The film is also served well by it's refreshing brevity. In a summer when a pirate movie ran as long as a freakin' Sergio Leone film, 1408's brisk 94-minute running time is more than welcome. After a brief set-up of the room's history, the remainder of the film plays out in close to real time ("No one has ever lasted an hour"), and Cusack, with his sagging, middle-aged baby face, gives a believably rattled performance as Mike starts to go stir-crazy as the room begins to warp his senses. 1408 is hardly art, but in a summer filled with more sequels and remakes than any other in recent memory, it's also a goosebumpy good time, getting frights out of building mood rather than with torture-porn gore. Not a great film in the Stephen King filmography, but it delivers what it promises. B
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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kiwiboy (Lighthouse_boy)
Movie Star
Username: Lighthouse_boy
Post Number: 3200
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 06:40 am: |
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I concur with Monty .. it is a good, scary movie (which I have warned my female friends to pee before seeing the film) .. I would upgrade to a B+/A-
Going to Ireland and not just to kiss that stone
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Son Of... (Docscribe)
Studio Mogul
Username: Docscribe
Post Number: 8463
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 06:27 pm: |
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Sicko
Audacious. Incisive. Inspired. Alternately sick-funny, and sick-sad. Also the best damn thing - and possibly the most far-reaching in impact - that Michael Moore has ever done.
"Just when you thought it was safe to go see another PotC movie: AWE (3)"
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Chris Marti (Cmarti)
Movie Star
Username: Cmarti
Post Number: 5927
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 08:18 pm: |
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Sounds like a must see. So I will. |
AboutFilm host (Carlo)
Moderator
Username: Carlo
Post Number: 7161
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 10:11 pm: |
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Really. The best thing? How's the showboating factor?
AboutFilm President and Sugar Daddy (www.aboutfilm.com); OFCS Member (www.ofcs.org)
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Son Of... (Docscribe)
Studio Mogul
Username: Docscribe
Post Number: 8466
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 11:29 pm: |
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With Moore, 'showboating' is always a given element, but he's dialed it way back here - and in the case of his brilliant final third and climax - used his showman's instincts in a less smug, more ironic and openly inquisitive way...truly trying to understand and depict the nuances of his subject. Unlike his more strident Bowling for Columbine and especially Fahrenheit 9/11, there was a no less funny, but kinder-gentler-humbler Michael Moore 'vibe' here. And his use of vintage clips was just an A/V knockout on its own.
If Moore has succeeded even a tenth as well as I think he has, Americans will become so disgusted, alarmed, and even touched by what he has revealed - and how he has depicted it - to call for some sweeping changes in their health care system. After this, the HMOs are "mud", but will have to be dismantled as they were created...legislatively. Hopefully, this will serve as the clarion call.
On that note, Hilary Clinton certainly must be squirming a bit right now...
"Just when you thought it was safe to go see another PotC movie: AWE (3)"
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3690
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 - 11:32 am: |
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The Skin Game (1931): Two familes stoop to increasingly underhanded means to aquire a plot of land in this mildly watchable Hitchcock melodrama, helped by it's brief running time. B-
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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Rusty Shackleford (Dougfir)
Production Assistant
Username: Dougfir
Post Number: 325
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 - 01:26 pm: |
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Crossfire: Besides Gentleman's Agreement, this is the other 1947 Best Picture nominee to break new cinematic ground by tackling antisemitism (and more deserving of the big prize that GA ended up winning). Here, the themes of bigotry and post-WWII uncertainty are smartly packaged in a film noir style, with a pre-Father Knows Best Robert Young as a detective trying to solve a brutal hate crime.
"Gee, I'm real sorry your mom blew up, Ricky."
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C.J. (Thief)
Movie Star
Username: Thief
Post Number: 3411
Registered: 07-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 - 08:57 pm: |
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Night at the Museum, a very entertaining film. Not one that makes you laugh histerically, but it sure kept me chuckling most of the time while never boring or tiresome. Nice turn by Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney. Grade: B
JUST MARRIED! -- If you see me posting, my wife must be working.
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Son Of... (Docscribe)
Studio Mogul
Username: Docscribe
Post Number: 8474
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 - 11:40 pm: |
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Quick show of hands here, has anyone seen more than a dozen 2007 releases this year? I still haven't. 9 total.
P.S. Monty sit down, everyone knows you'll pay to see a door open...and most likely give it a 'B'.
"Just when you thought it was safe to go see another PotC movie: AWE (3)"
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3692
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 12:19 am: |
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I've only seen about a dozen films this year in a theater.
And unless a film is noticably awful, I don't see much interest in kicking it around. If it keeps me mildly interested, it's worth at least a C+.
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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Kathy (Kk1024)
Cinematographer
Username: Kk1024
Post Number: 1876
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 12:41 am: |
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I've seen:
POTC, 300, Shrek 3, Spidy 3, Knocked Up, Zodiac, and Amazing Grace.
This is probably the least movies I've seen in any year to this point. |
Son Of... (Docscribe)
Studio Mogul
Username: Docscribe
Post Number: 8475
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 01:06 am: |
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By the half-way marklast year I think I was sitting around 30, so I'm w-a-a-a-y down. Here's my list so far (and FYI, some of the drops between digits are pretty steep):
- Zodiac
- Hot Fuzz
- Sicko
- 300
- Mr. Bean’s Holiday
- Black Book (technically 2006 I think, although it didn't open here until recently)
- Grindhouse
- Disturbia
- Pirates of the Caribbean AWE
Ironically, I think I've seen more movies in total than any previous year this decade, but they've all been on DVD.
"Just when you thought it was safe to go see another PotC movie: AWE (3)"
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Tim (Tim)
Cinematographer
Username: Tim
Post Number: 1167
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 09:50 am: |
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Doc, quick answer is; Not even close!
But my theater going endeavors have sucked for the last two years. After buying an HD TV (that you could land a helicopter on) the allure of going to the theater lost something.
I still make a point of going to see films by cetain directors (Lynch, Coen's, Scorsese, etc.), and there are types of movies that will sometimes get me out (Grindhouse, 300, etc.), but for the most part I rent/buy DVD's and stay home.
But the other reason is that I genuinely think the product sucks (on the whole). Maybe I'm becoming a grumpy old man, but I have ZERO interest in Spidy 3, Shrek 3, Pirates 3, This Film Bites 3, Thanks for your Money 3, and so on. More and more I find myself going back to earlier decades to mine for films I missed or to rewatch. |
Kathy (Kk1024)
Cinematographer
Username: Kk1024
Post Number: 1878
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 11:24 am: |
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I have a whole lot of problem with the product also, and I just figured I'm no longer the target demographic. This isn't just film either.
The stuff is aimed at the little kids or the young adult male. I liked Knocked Up, but every character spoke in the same every other word is an f-word vernacular. Good grief, Katharine Heigl was on-air E!, she could afford a decent car and place of her own.
The guys on the TV thread were raving about the quality of The Wire so I bought season one and it has completely left me cold. I see a bunch of completely unlikable, unrelatable characters on the screen who I cannot connect to or care about on any level.
Tim - I think your problem will get worse with time. |
AdamL (Adaml)
Cinematographer
Username: Adaml
Post Number: 2165
Registered: 08-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 12:49 pm: |
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Mine...
300
Blades of Glory
City of Violence (S. Korea)
Hot Fuzz
Music and Lyrics
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Tell No One (France)
Zodiac
Plus Black Book if it counts, although I saw it last year. Tell No One is excellent. IMDb says that it's on limited release in the States now so I urge you to check it out.
Have skipped films that I'd have seen in previous years. I suddenly realised I had better things to do that sit through a film that had little hope of making me feel anything better than 'meh' at the end of it (hello Spidey 3, Shrek 3, Ocean's 13).
Agree about The Wire Kathy. Ask Jeff for your money back! I didn't find any of the characters in the least bit engaging but I kind of fancy giving it another shot. |
R_Kane (R_kane)
Production Assistant
Username: R_kane
Post Number: 163
Registered: 03-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 12:55 pm: |
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Kathy, I've watched "The Wire" since its inception. I like it a lot, but I don't care for any of the characters on it. What interestes me is the detail and density of the writing. As the series progresses, you get a multi-layered picture of the cultural and political forces that result in the crime we have today. I find the series intellectually interesting, but have never found it emotionally involving. Also, much of the acting impresses me. Of course, when the actor is portraying a scumbag . . .
I also find that most of the movies I buy are older ones, such as "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: of even "The Godfather." I honestly think we have reached a new level of poverty in imagination in movie and TV product which I think is a result of the continued decline of the species intelligence.
Smart people! Start breeding! |
AdamL (Adaml)
Cinematographer
Username: Adaml
Post Number: 2166
Registered: 08-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 01:16 pm: |
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I have no doubt at all that the product is declining. Every year on IMDb since 1999 my 9 or 10 out of 10 films total declines (apart from a 2002 blip). We can't all be getting grouchier!
There's too many animated films, which are essentially all the same story but told from the perspective of a different animal (or car or robot...)
There's too many comic book films, which are essentially all the same film but told from the perspective of a different superhero.
There's too many sequels which are essentially the same film as the first one.
Trouble is even the independent films are starting to follow the same formula. Moderately successful indies are totally overpraised today when they may well have been dwarfed by better films a few years ago (e.g. Little Miss Sunshine - a film I enjoyed more than some of the detractors here, although I completely understand their criticism).
Even the most critically successful films are remakes of foreign films - e.g. last year's Best Picture.
I would absolutely love a complete ban on animated fare, comic book fare, remakes and both franchises and sequels for 2 years. To have to produce completely original work and still fill a summer slate would be fascinating.
Obviously never ever ever gonna happen though. |
AdamL (Adaml)
Cinematographer
Username: Adaml
Post Number: 2167
Registered: 08-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 01:19 pm: |
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Since I just urged you to see it...
Tell No One
This cracking French thriller is an adaptation of a best selling US novel and based on how successful this is, it's not hard to imagine the inevitable American adaptation of a French adaptation of an American story. It has everything a good thriller should have: an engrossing plot with multi-dimensional characters, plot twists, great direction, and a breathaking foot race through the streets of Paris. I was kept guessing all the way to the final act, which is where the puzzle is revealed. I've heard criticism of the latter stages, which I guess are a little expository, but I was engrossed until the credits rolled. A- |
Norrin44 (Norrin44)
Movie Star
Username: Norrin44
Post Number: 4793
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 01:51 pm: |
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quote:Have skipped films that I'd have seen in previous years. I suddenly realised I had better things to do that sit through a film that had little hope of making me feel anything better than 'meh' at the end of it (hello Spidey 3, Shrek 3, Ocean's 13).
Ditto. I thought it was merely creeping codgerdom on my part (is this worth leaving the house for?*), but now my viewing scale has gone even beyond "Wait and rent it" to "Wait and rent it if everything else good is out" or as the fourth filler for my video store's Rent-3-Get-a-4th-Free policy.
... *and if you think I couldn't get any lazier, I can pay the same to rent DVDs on demand through my cable company, since probably 85% of the ones I want to see wind up being offered there.
I'm old. I have a tripwire prostate that's enlarging with age. I need a pause button for any film that unspools for longer than 34 minutes, gol'durnit! |
AboutFilm host (Carlo)
Moderator
Username: Carlo
Post Number: 7166
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 02:36 pm: |
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Yeah, I've been filling gaps in my history of cinema... just saw Jules et Jim... like with most New Wave films (excepting the ones I downright hate) I think I appreciated it more on an intellectual level than an emotional one.
Anyway, I'm at a Baker's Dozen for 2007, and three of those were on DVD.
Obviously it would be more if I was writing reviews right now, but I'm not, and I haven't been grabbed by much that's come out. Here's my list:
http://www.aboutfilm.com/yearinreview/2007/grades07.htm
Up next for 2007: Breach on DVD.
AboutFilm President and Sugar Daddy (www.aboutfilm.com); OFCS Member (www.ofcs.org)
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AboutFilm host (Carlo)
Moderator
Username: Carlo
Post Number: 7167
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 02:37 pm: |
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Oops, I'm at 14. I forgot to list Ocean's 13. Mostly because I forgot I saw it within a day. Probably give it about a C.
AboutFilm President and Sugar Daddy (www.aboutfilm.com); OFCS Member (www.ofcs.org)
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Tim (Tim)
Cinematographer
Username: Tim
Post Number: 1168
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 03:22 pm: |
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I'm glad to see it isn't just me! I'm sure its no coincidence, but the level of discussion/debate around here has probably gone down as well. How much can you say about Spiderman 3? Oh well.
1999 - You may not like all these films, but at least they were original, creative, and worth talking about;
Fight Club, American Beauty, The Sixth Sense, Magnolia, The Straight Story, Boys Don't Cry, Talented Mr. Ripley, Being John Malkovich, Election, Sleepy Hollow, The Matrix, The Insider... |
R_Kane (R_kane)
Production Assistant
Username: R_kane
Post Number: 165
Registered: 03-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 06:22 pm: |
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In fact, there's so little product out there that I just realized much of what I'm buying these days is a better version of a title I already own. "Gee, there's an anamorphic transfer of 'Goodfellas' on a one-sided disc! Oboy! They've got 'True Romance' in five-channel Dolby now! Time for to upgrade all my Bond titles, now that the Ultimate Editions are out!"
I'll get the third POC issue just to complete my set, but that's the only new thing I envision getting for some time. |
Nicola_D (Nicola_d)
Key Grip
Username: Nicola_d
Post Number: 693
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 06:48 pm: |
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Yeah, it's been a poor year thus far. I've seen a few good movies, including Black Book and Lookout, but nothing particularly memorable. I must admit, however, that I thought 28 Weeks Later was very good for what it was.
The best film I've seen thus far has been The Rape of Europa, a documentary about how many of the greatest Western art treasures of the millennium were stolen, hoarded and even destroyed as a consequence of the conflict with the Nazis during WWII. Agonizing, even gripping film if one considers art truly an important and integral part of human history. Four stars. |
C.J. (Thief)
Movie Star
Username: Thief
Post Number: 3412
Registered: 07-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 09:59 pm: |
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If I'm not mistaken, all I've seen this year are three of the 2007 third installments (Spidey 3, Shrek, and POTC 3). I think I haven't seen anything else. Bleh...
JUST MARRIED! -- If you see me posting, my wife must be working.
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Alex Dr_Evil (Drevil)
Cinematographer
Username: Drevil
Post Number: 1779
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 28, 2007 - 12:08 pm: |
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Zodiac
Grindhouse
Knocked Up
300
Ocean's 13
Shrek the Third
The Lookout
Smokin' Aces
Blades of Glory
Reno 911!: Miami
Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End
...And just rented Hannibal Rising and Alpha Dog but have not watched them yet. Looks like it could be a pretty shitty year, although my top 4 movies are all pretty great. |
Mistress Misanthrope (Scully)
Production Assistant
Username: Scully
Post Number: 456
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 28, 2007 - 09:13 pm: |
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The last new film in theaters I saw was Waitress, written and directed by and featuring the late Adrienne Shelly.. and I adored it. A very charming film. I'd been a fan of previous acting work of the leads, Keri Russell (in Felicty) and Nathan Fillion (in Firefly), and they took what was deftly written by Shelly and gave such vibrant characterizations to their roles, particularly Russell. The ending did seem a little...uh, light (for lack of a better term)... but I liked that it didn't go the predictable route. A nice little gem amidst all the three-quel summer blockbusters.
There are only 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't.
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3699
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, June 29, 2007 - 10:40 pm: |
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Ratatoullie: Delightful Pixar cofection about a Parisian rat named Remy (voiced by King Of Queens co-star Patton Oswalt) who, tired of feasting on garbage with the rest of his rodent colony, takes to haunting the kitchen of a formerly famous restaurant fallen on hard times. He quickly makes the aquaintence of a garbage boy named Linguini (Pixar animator Lou Romano), and Remy quickly works out a system to teach his human friend the ropes of cooking, as well as helping him pitch woo at the comely fellow chef Collette (an unrecognizable Jeannine Garofalo) even as the two try to hide their unusual friendship from the kitchen's half-pint head chef (Ian Holm). Directed by brilliant animator Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles) from a story conceived by Pixar vet Jan Pinksva (who dropped out of the director's seat in pre-production), Ratatoullie doesn't quite attain the heights of those films, yet even "very good" Pixar kicks the tail of any other animation studio working today, with ample visual dazzle, excellent voice work, and equal doses of heart and humor (plus a delightful score by the talented Michael Giacchino). A real summer charmer. A-
-Live Free Or Die Hard: Despite my misgivings over the film's PG-13 rating (and you can tell where stronger profanity has been ADR-ed over, especially the franchise's abbreviated catchphrase), LFODH delivers the goods, with Bruce Willis in fine form as John McClane, now essentially stalking his estranged daughter Lucy (cutie-pie Mary Elizabeth Winstead, last seen rocking a cheerleader outfit in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof) whn he gets the call to bring a hacker (Justin "Hi, I'm a Mac!" Long) in for questioning when a series of computer malfunctions bring the country to a virtual standstill. Seems a techno-terrorist (the bland Timothy Olyphant) has seized control of all communications, transportation, and power grids, and before you can say "Yippie-kie-yay", McClane finds himself once again up to his ass in terrorists scumbags as he and his annoying "Wow, lookit that!" sidekick face one attempt on their lives after another. Following the disappointing Die Hard With A Vengeance, Live Free..., while still not "feeling" much like a Die Hard film, offers some fine escapist thrills, with director Len Wiseman (the Underworld movies) choreographing a series of of action setpices that are crisply-edited and thankfully lacking in the seizure-cam nonsense of recent franchise pictures like Batman Begins or The Bourne Supremacy. There's a killer scene with McClane and Olyphant's second-in-command (sexy M:I-3 star Maggie Q) doing battle in an elevator shaft, and the climactic showdown between McClane, driving a big rig, and a harrier jet under an overpass, is great fun (even if it strongly recalls True Lies). If the fourth Indiana Jones movie is as much fun as this, I'll be perfectly happy. B+
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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Son Of... (Docscribe)
Studio Mogul
Username: Docscribe
Post Number: 8487
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Friday, June 29, 2007 - 11:27 pm: |
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Hmmmm...another CGI movie (no dearth of those) with a title I can't spell, much less pronounce (at least with a straight face), vs. one I cannot fathom even existing (family-friendly rating or otherwise).
More passes until video...and even that's a mayyyyy-be.
"Just when you thought it was safe to go see another PotC movie: AWE (3)"
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3700
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, June 30, 2007 - 10:52 am: |
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Number 17 (1932): Early Hitchcock thriller (about a gang of crooks hiding a priceless necklace in an abandoned London flat) features some exceptionally nice photography by Joel J. Cox and a terrific climax aboard a speeding train (with some impressive-for-their-time use of miniature models), plus dashes of Hitch humor. B+
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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kiwiboy (Lighthouse_boy)
Movie Star
Username: Lighthouse_boy
Post Number: 3203
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, June 30, 2007 - 05:44 pm: |
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I saw both Ratatouille and Sicko. I would give both an A. Ratatouille is the most adult of the Pixar films (hence the grade it got) and with Sicko, it will make you wonder just what your HMO/health provider knows about you and how to figure out how to deny your care at their benefit.
Going to Ireland and not just to kiss that stone
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C.J. (Thief)
Movie Star
Username: Thief
Post Number: 3413
Registered: 07-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 01, 2007 - 05:31 pm: |
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I loved the Ratatouille trailer I saw awhile ago, but I don't know if I'll get around to see it in theatres.
Anyway, recently I've seen...
Little Children Almost excellent drama about what happens in common suburbia (in a vein similar to American Beauty). The performances are nearly excellent and the way the plot build up is credible. The director takes time to walk us to the events without rushing things. If anything, I found the scattered narration here and there a little out of place... Grade: A-
An Inconvenient Truth Al Gore's documentary draws you convincingly into his turf and makes you worry about what we are doing (or not doing) and what we can do to fight against the effects of global warming on our planet. Despite how in-your-face the snippets of the 2004 election might feel, Gore's knowledgeable narration grasps you and doesn't let you go. He also manages to intercalate events of his life (his sister's death, his son' near-fatal accident, the aforementioned failed election) into the point he is trying to make to us. Grade: A-
JUST MARRIED! -- If you see me posting, my wife must be working.
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Space_dog (Space_dog)
Key Grip
Username: Space_dog
Post Number: 947
Registered: 09-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 01, 2007 - 06:10 pm: |
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Sicko- Well I'm just about sick about this country's healthcare system and how they operate in order to make or save a quick buck. I work in the business office for a local radiology clinic and I see a lot of patients whose healthcare services will be denied. Now I know why. I'm sick to my stomach just thinking about our healthcare system  .
The Motorcycle Diaries - This is one of my favorite films from the past five years. I love watching the personal transformation of Ernesto "Che" Guevero. A beautiful and well written/acted film.
Dead is the new alive
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3701
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, July 01, 2007 - 10:32 pm: |
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Sabotage (1936): Tight Hitchcock thriller about a terrorist (Oskar Homolka) wreaking havok in London, and how his unsuspecting wife (Sylvia Sydney) turns on him when she learns of the terrible personal cost his criminality has wrought. Plenty of suspense in this tidy exercise (particularly a sequence with an unsuspecting character delivering a bomb hidden in a film cannister, which Hitch milks for all it's worth), and Hitchcock's visual eye continues to be honed. Not to be confused with the director's later film Saboteur. B+
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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Steven Watchorn (Watchorn)
Movie Star
Username: Watchorn
Post Number: 3998
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 02, 2007 - 09:29 am: |
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re: Space dog
quote:Well I'm just about sick about this country's healthcare system
Sorry, that's a pre-existing condition. Your claim is denied.
Incidentally, I like the connection in the films you mentioned, since Guevara's daughter is interviewed in Sicko.
I'm somewhere where I don't know where I am
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C.J. (Thief)
Movie Star
Username: Thief
Post Number: 3414
Registered: 07-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 02, 2007 - 05:18 pm: |
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Yesterday I caught Gladiator on TV. Now, this is a film that, as much as I enjoyed seeing in theatres, I've never felt much compelled to see again or to praise it. However, upon seeing it again, it just felt much better than the first time. Performances worked better, the whole arch of the plot felt better. A great film. Grade: A- as opposed to a B or B+ I might have given it the first time.
And right after that, I rented Ladder 49, which is pretty much on the far end of the spectrum when compared to Gladiator. It's not that it's downright bad, but it's just too sappy, too melodramatic and cliche-ridden. The whole plot works no purpose other than to glorify the image of firefighters and try to make you cry and bawl. Travolta and Phoenix (as opposed to Gladiator again) feel just like on auto-pilot. In the end, I didn't feel nauseuos... but just meh. Grade: C
JUST MARRIED! -- If you see me posting, my wife must be working.
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3704
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Monday, July 02, 2007 - 07:14 pm: |
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You should check out the extended cut of Gladiator on DVD, C.J.. While not as revelatory at the extended version of Scott's Kingdom Of Heaven, there's a lot of additional background detail that fleshes the movie out nicely.
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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AboutFilm host (Carlo)
Moderator
Username: Carlo
Post Number: 7173
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 02, 2007 - 09:26 pm: |
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I'd been wondering if that's worth checking out.
AboutFilm President and Sugar Daddy (www.aboutfilm.com); OFCS Member (www.ofcs.org)
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Kathy (Kk1024)
Cinematographer
Username: Kk1024
Post Number: 1882
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Monday, July 02, 2007 - 09:54 pm: |
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The boys have talked me into 11 something PM Transformers (another product not aimed at me), but I used to catch some of the cartoon when my son was watching it years ago. |
Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3705
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Monday, July 02, 2007 - 10:36 pm: |
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God help me, I'm actually considering paying money to see a Michael Bay movie at the theater...
-Secret Agent (1936): Solid Hitchcock thriller about a British novellist (an very young John Gielgud) hired to track down a murderer in Switzerland, given a comely fellow agent (Madeleine Carroll from Hitch's crackerjack The 39 Steps) and a dirty-tricks man (Peter Lorre playing an unfortunately stereotypical Mexican caricature) to carry out his orders to assassinate his quarry. Decent Hitchcock film, well-made and performed, can;t quite attain the suspense of his best pictures. Still, "good" Hitchcock is still pretty damn good. B
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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Oh yeah? (Thezookieman)
Movie Star
Username: Thezookieman
Post Number: 5142
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 03, 2007 - 12:56 pm: |
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monty, supposedly John Ratzenberger is the only actor to have had a role in every film Pixar has ever made. You'd think with a name like Ratzenberger, he'd be a shoo-in to be in Ratatouille (the most annoying film title since Gigli IMO). Yet I didn't see him in your synopsis. 'zup wit dat? I didn't think I'd want to watch that film but since I saw a seven-minute snippet of the thing on "The Wonderful World of Disney", I have changed my mind. Like you say, even the worst of Pixar is better than the best of most other CGI-film studios output these days. This might be the first film I will go and watch in the theatres this year, since I missed out on watching Spider-Man 3 during the Tribeca Film Festival.
re:Live Free or Die Hard: not having McClane get to say his catchphrase in full, unexpurgated glory is a faux pas equivalent to not seeing Indiana Jones use his bullwhip. The world asks, "Why?"
Standing in the shadow of the One True City...
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3707
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 03, 2007 - 10:43 pm: |
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Yeah, Ratzenberger has his obligitory Pixar cameo in Ratatoullie, but I couldn't really pick him out.
Anyways, had a giant robot double feature today (although some giant robots are cooler than others)...
In Theaters:
-Transformers: Okay, as a child of the 80's, I have nostalgia for the original Transformers cartoon series and toys, so I went into this new movie with fingers crossed, hoping that it might capture the few good elements of the original series and add some new twists.
Fat chance.
Director Michael Bay is at it again, and Transformers, despite a handful of decent robot smackdowns, it crammed full of his seizure-inducing editing tricks, lame, vulgar sense of
"humor" (robot urination jokes anyone? How about Anthony Anderson delivering a shrill performance that makes his turn in Kangaroo Jack seem subtle and nuanced? A sub-SNL dig at President Bush involving Ding Dongs? A chihuahua with a cast on it's leg? Painful, PG-13 Masturbation references?) and ugly orange camera filters. And why do people keep shoving Shia "Where's The Beef?" LaBeouf at us when he clearly has no charisma or screen presence whatsoever? He's a handsome kid, but he's as sharp as a plateful of wet spaghetti, and I'm now dreading seeing his as Indy Jr. in the next Indiana Jones flick. I got a few geek tingles hearing the familiar transformation noises from the cartoon (chee-chee-chee-CHOO-CHOO-CHOO-chee!) and the velvet vocal stylings of Peter "In A World..." Cullen reprising his role as Autobot leader Optimus Prime, but Transformers is every bit as ugly and ungainly as the film's incredibly confusing robot designs (which makes the characters complete indiscernable from each other during fight scenes). If I were still ten years old, I'm sure I would have thought it was the "Best Movie Ever!!!", but I just sat there groaning throughout the entire movie's typically bloated running time. C-
-On DVD:
-The Iron Giant (1999): Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that's more like it... Brad Bird's exquisite animated fable about a boy named Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) and the hulking extraterrestrial robot (the electronically-processed monotone of Vin Diesel) he finds in the forest behind his small New England town is none of the most elegant "cartoons" of the past decade, a haunting tale of the end of childhood that still makes me well up with tears every damn time. A masterpiece. A
There are few things as fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.
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