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Son Of... (Docscribe)
Studio Mogul
Username: Docscribe
Post Number: 8645
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 11:54 pm: | 
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Fave Basil Pouledouris score: The Hunt for Red Oktober
"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: 3816
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2007 - 11:57 pm: |
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That's a fine score. Too bad the CD is so short...
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3817
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Monday, August 27, 2007 - 12:21 pm: |
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Silverado (1985): Delightful Western about a pair of range-riding brothers (Scott Glenn and a shockingly skinny and likable Kevin Costner) who pal up with a pair of outcasts (Kevin Kline, Danny Glover) to take on a corrupt sherriff (Brian Dennehy). Director Lawrence Kasdan (who co-wrote the script with brother Mark) brings the same sense of giddy fun that he brought to his spendid screenplay to Raiders Of The Lost Ark, crafting a genre throwback that's bracingly corny in the best sense of the word. With an excellent supporting cast (Linda Hunt as a diminuitive barmaid, Jeff Goldblum as a sneaky card shark, many others), lush cinematography by John Bailey and a superb, rousing musical score by Bruce Broughton, Silverado is a remnder that Westerns used to be fun, instead of the introspective, pretentious character studies we've been bombarded with ever since Dances With Wolves and Unforgiven. A-
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3819
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 11:53 am: |
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The French Connection II (1975): Solid sequel finds Gene Hackman's NYC cop "Popeye" Doyle travelling to Marseilles, France, in order to hunt down the drug kingpin Alan Charnier (Fernando Rey) who eluded capture in the closing moments of William Friedkin's 1971 original. Director John Frankenheimer handles the cat & mouse suspense and gritty action sequences with his usual craftsmanly aplomb, and Hackman is dependably excellent, but one misses the engaging interplay between Hackman and MIA co-star Roy Scheider from the first film, and there's a pointless subplot about Rey kidnapping Hackman and forcibly addicting him to heroin(!) that eats up a good 25 minutes of screentime right in the middle of the film, dragging the film's momentum to a near dead stop. Despite Hackman's fine acting here as he goes cold turkey, it doesn't really pay off in any meaningful way later in the narrative. Still, French Connection II is a more than worthy follow-up to Friedkin's classic original. B+
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3820
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - 10:13 pm: |
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TMNT: Pleasant ressurection of the superpowered amphibians has the four turtles striking out on their own (Leonardo acting as the self-appointed guardian of a Central American village, Donatello as a tech phone operator, Michaelangello as a party mascot, Raphael disguising himself as a masked vigilante) but brought back together by their rodent sensei, Splinter (the late, great Mako, in his final performance) to help combat the ressurection of an ancient evil loosed upon New York City with the help of their old friends April O'Neil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Casey Jones (Chris Evans). Basically a pseudo-sequel to the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films from the early 90's, TMNT has nicely stylized character designs and slick animation, mildly engaging humor, and generally fine voice work (although the stilted Ziyi Zhang, here voicing the daughter of the late Turtle nemsis The Shredder, still needs some more English lessions), but it's also terminaly mild. Aside from a emotionally-charged showdown between Leo and Raph on a rain-swept rooftop, there's little sense of genuine peril or drama to be had, the film's relentlessly PG-vibe sure to make it appealing to the kiddies but also certain to leave adult viewers less than satisfied at it's goofy, lightweight narrative. I keep wishing to see at least one movie or TV adaptation of this franchise capture the elusive, seriocomic tone of the original, B&W Eastman and Laird comics from the 80's, but for what this is, it's an agreeable bit of nostalgia. Not enough pizza, though, dude. B-
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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Son Of... (Docscribe)
Studio Mogul
Username: Docscribe
Post Number: 8664
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, September 02, 2007 - 09:30 pm: |
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Collective catch-up:
Hairspray - the very definition of a 'toe tapper', with wall-to-wall shuffly ditties almost impossible not to move something to, and further energized by the likeable retro-munchkin lead. But...well...still...not so good. Actually, Travolta was downright awful. When he didn't speak or move, his odd drag was sort of amusing, but put him in motion with his lips flapping, and his performance was just embarassing.
Ocean't Thirteen - I'll still be seeing these things when the 27 co-leads are all in walkers. Although it didn't quite follow through with its daffy setup for the first 'Irwin Allen'-style caper-disaster movie, and the logistics of the caper itself were impenetrably dense, I still found it an enjoyable romp. Real tasty look and sound too. Classy fluff.
Something Else I've Already Forgotten - Yeah, real swell time at the movies. Please don't jog my memory of what recent movie it might have been.
"Just when you thought it was safe to go see another PotC movie: AWE (3)"
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Nicola_D (Nicola_d)
Key Grip
Username: Nicola_d
Post Number: 706
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Monday, September 03, 2007 - 02:28 pm: |
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3:10 to Yuma: I did not see the original, but intend to because of the quality of this remake. Not a great film, but very entertaining nonetheless. Some serious lapses in logic and character motivation distract from several interesting characters and excellent performances. I'm not certain if the Western is truly dead among post-baby boomers, but it's important to remember good storytelling always transcends genre. Three stars
Halloween: For some odd reason I sincerely believe Rob Zombie has talent as a filmmaker! Other than providing an interesting backstory to the Michael Meyers mythology, the film doesn't have anything exceptional to offer other than the verisimilitude offered by the director. Two stars.
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kiwiboy (Lighthouse_boy)
Movie Star
Username: Lighthouse_boy
Post Number: 3219
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Monday, September 03, 2007 - 06:49 pm: |
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No End in Sight - a great documentary on the total lack of planning for the Iraqi people by the Bush Adminstration from shock and awe until early 2007. Maybe GW will see it to figure out just how total lack of planning comes back to bite the US troops in the ass.
Going to Ireland and not just to kiss that stone
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3840
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 11:30 am: |
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Night Watch: Impenaterable hodgepodge of vampire hooey and sub-Tony Scott visual incoherence. I dint understand a second of this. C-
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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C.J. (Thief)
Movie Star
Username: Thief
Post Number: 3460
Registered: 07-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 11:53 am: |
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I saw that one in theatres and I basically agree with you.
The second part (Day Watch) is supposed to open sometime this year.
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: 3841
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 12:35 pm: |
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No thank you to a sequel. If I want kinetic vampire nonsense with a modicum of visual panache, I'll watch those enjoyably silly Underworld movies again...
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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AboutFilm host (Carlo)
Moderator
Username: Carlo
Post Number: 7191
Registered: 07-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 02:23 pm: |
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Glad to hear 3:10 to Yuma is decent.
AboutFilm President and Sugar Daddy (www.aboutfilm.com); OFCS Member (www.ofcs.org)
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C.J. (Thief)
Movie Star
Username: Thief
Post Number: 3461
Registered: 07-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 02:32 pm: |
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Carlo, Berardinelli gave 3 out of 4 stars to 3:10 and his review was pretty good. Made me want to see it.
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: 3842
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 03:34 pm: |
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It's been ages since the last decent big screen oater (okay, four years), so I'm excited to see 3:10 To Yuma, especially with that excellent cast.
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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Oh yeah? (Thezookieman)
Movie Star
Username: Thezookieman
Post Number: 5283
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 - 11:38 am: |
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3:10 To Yuma is a remake? Really?
Standing in the shadow of the One True City...
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Jeff Vorndam (Jeff)
Cinematographer
Username: Jeff
Post Number: 1061
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 - 11:42 am: |
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The 1957 original is an underrated and suspensful film with an excellent performance from Glenn Ford (in the role that I think Russell Crowe has in the remake).
You want to be fooled.
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Oh yeah? (Thezookieman)
Movie Star
Username: Thezookieman
Post Number: 5288
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 02:50 pm: |
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Thanks for the information, Jeff.
Standing in the shadow of the One True City...
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3850
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 10:18 pm: |
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Perfect Stranger: Balki's Revenge: Leaden whodunnit about a plucky reporter (Halle Berry) investigating the murder of a close friend, bringing her into the life of an advertising executive (a waxen Bruce Willis) who had some online flirtations with the deceased girl. Predictable, sometimes ugly thriller has the usual red herrings and plot reversals, plus the now-obligitory "surprise" ending that's anything but. Giovanni Ribisi adds a dash of amusement with one of his typically bizarre performances as Berry's skeevy hacker bud, and Berry looks fab, but director James Foley doesn't give us anything we haven't seen before many times, and falls prey to the assumption that seeing people sitting at keyboards typing (while, of course, saying what they're writing out loud at the same time for the benefit of slow readers in the audience) is somehow visually compelling. Never quite terrible, but not a thing to genuinely recommend aside from Berry's figure-flattering wardrobe. C
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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AdamL (Adaml)
Cinematographer
Username: Adaml
Post Number: 2201
Registered: 08-2001
| | Posted on Friday, September 07, 2007 - 11:20 am: |
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quote:Try Zelig.
I did. I loved it. Thanks Sanboy.
Best 'mockumentary' I've ever seen and that includes Spinal Tap. Hilarious. |
Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3854
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, September 07, 2007 - 10:14 pm: |
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3:10 To Yuma: Crackerjack, beautifully-produced and acted Western featuring Christian Bale as a financially desperate farmer who agrees to join a party escorting a tersely charming bank robber (Russell Crowe) to his appointment with the hangman for a fee of $200 dollars, but having a devil of a time running the gauntlet set up by Crowe's ruthless gang of desperados (with a frighteningly feral Ben Foster as the nastiest of the wild bunch), who are determined to spring their boss before he's put on the 3:10 to Yuma train. Director James Mangold's ingariatingly old-school oater (a remake on an unseen-by-me 1957 film of the same name, both based on a short story by Elmore Leonard) is a bracing reminder of just how pleasurable a good Wesern can be, especially in a current cinematic climate that's become incredibly barren to the genre. Bale and Crowe are superbly-matched antagonists, Crowe's natural charisma making his baddie a perplexingly likable cad and Bale making his quest to provide for his wife (a wasted Gretchen Mol) and two young sons (the elder of which tags along for the ride against his wishes) into a quietly moving expression of phychological redemption for past misdeeds. And hey, is that a grizzled, nearly unrecognizable Peter Fonda? Full of taut, expertly-choreographed bursts of violence (set to a spangly, Morricone-esque score by Marco Beltrami) and with a surprisingly emotional conclusion, 3:10 To Yuma is a terrific surprise following a particularly lackluster summer movie season of brainless, heartless blockbusters. A-
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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Yeah! (Sanboy)
Cinematographer
Username: Sanboy
Post Number: 2868
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Friday, September 07, 2007 - 10:35 pm: |
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My pleasure, AdamL. Perfect, right? A brilliant heightened microcosm of psychiatric potentials & behavioral modes. I absolutely believe it's his masterpiece.
Why is “abbreviation” such a long word?
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Kathy (Kk1024)
Cinematographer
Username: Kk1024
Post Number: 1896
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, September 08, 2007 - 12:48 am: |
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3:10 to Yuma - Hated the ending. |
AdamL (Adaml)
Cinematographer
Username: Adaml
Post Number: 2202
Registered: 08-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, September 08, 2007 - 09:09 am: |
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Sanboy,
I would probably still rank it behind Hannah and Her Sisters, but it's an absolutely brilliant film.
Loved a couple of those signature one liners:
"I have to get to town. I teach an advanced masturbation class at the University, and if I'm late they start without me."
"I worked with Freud in Vienna. We broke over the concept of penis envy. He thought it should be limited to women."
Thought it absolutely amazing how he created a film so engrossing despite the least amount of moving footage I've ever seen in a feature film. Much of it was newspaper headlines and still photos. Credit to the editing and cinematography but most of all to a screenplay that makes you feel totally inadequate about anything you've ever written. Totally unique, intelligent, hilarious. I have Broadway Danny Rose up next. Hope it's somewhere near as good! |
Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3859
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, September 08, 2007 - 11:40 am: |
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The Number 23: Here's some creepy numerology...remove the "3" from the title and you have the perfect description of this ludicrous, sleazy, overcomplicated mind-f*ck thriller. Jim Carrey, Virgina Madsen (continuing to bungle her post-Sideways career comeback) and cinematographer Matthew Libatique deserve better than working with perrenial hack Joel Schumacher. Not scary, not compelling, murkilly visualized, unintentionally amusing...skip it. C-
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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Yeah! (Sanboy)
Cinematographer
Username: Sanboy
Post Number: 2871
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, September 08, 2007 - 12:51 pm: |
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AdamL, Danny Rose is Hi-larious! Quite different from Zelig, but you won't be disappointed...
Why is “abbreviation” such a long word?
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AdamL (Adaml)
Cinematographer
Username: Adaml
Post Number: 2203
Registered: 08-2001
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 11:58 am: |
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Atonement opened here Friday. You guys across the pond get it in December I think. Obviously they've got awards in mind with this.
Headline grabbing reviews in the UK that proclaim this as an instant classic and ponder whether Joe Wright is Britain’s best director so it's bound to fail to live up to that sort of hype. The first 50 minutes is terrific though. Believe it or not (I'm not sure if we're Keira fans here?), Knightley is excellent as is McAvoy and the chemistry between them is wonderful. Why then stick 600 miles between them? The film didn't have the same interest for me after that great opening. It recovers in the final act a little, especially with Vanessa Redgrave, but I left disappointed that the A+ first act couldn't be sustained. B |
Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3867
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 11:38 am: |
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King Of New York (1990): Violent gangland drama about an aging kingpin, Frank White (Christopher Walken), released from prison after several years and determined to kill his way up the crime ladder again, earning the ire of a pair of cops (David Caruso, Wesley Snipes), who are determined to take Frank off the streets at any cost, sparking a savage personal vendetta. Director Abel Ferrara (Body Snatchers) handles the film's violence with a terse, serrated edge, and the film's excellent cast, full of now-familiar faces in bit roles ("Larry" Fishburne, Theresa Randle, Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito), chews on the film's profane tough-guy dialogue with relish. The film's overall narrative arc is pretty standard, but the sleek presentation and shades-of-gray moralizing give it the edge. B+
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3870
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 11:28 am: |
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L.A. Story (1991): Enchanting romantic fantasy set against the backdrop of early-90's Los Angeles, with "wacky weekend weatherman" Harris K. Telemacher (Steve Martin, who also penned the screenplay) falling hard for British Sara (Martin's ex Victoria Tennant) whilst juggling a relationship with free-spirited clothing store employee SaNdeE* (a bubbly, daft Sarah Jessica Parker)...as well as taking advice from a riddle-spewing traffic sign! Like Field Of Dreams, L.A. Story's sense of whimsy is never leavened by explaining it's magical elements, and in today's thuddingly literal cinematic climate, the film's airy sense of goofiness feels like a tonic. Granted, sixteen years after the fact, much of the film's satire of the then-current L.A. scene now feels dated (in an era when anyone can own a cell phone, the concept of only the super-affluent owning "car phones" now seems positively archaic), but director Mick Jackson finds just the right mixture of tenderness and random insanity ("What's that ringing sound?" ~ "Oh, bloody bother...it's my damn testacles") in scene after scene. One of Martin's very best films. A
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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Oh yeah? (Thezookieman)
Movie Star
Username: Thezookieman
Post Number: 5298
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - 04:20 pm: |
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Funny that you should be reviewing L.A. Story (with the crazily-named SaNdeE* presaging the misspelled-company-name boom and bust of the dotcom era, and that dinner scene during the earthquake tremor) in a week in which it was announced that
1) Steve Martin is slated to be given a Kennedy Center Honor and
2) Oscar-winner (!) Jennifer Hudson is joining the cast of the upcoming film version of Sex and The City as Miranda's assistant.
Standing in the shadow of the One True City...
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Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3874
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Friday, September 14, 2007 - 10:29 pm: |
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The Brave One aka Dirty Jodie: Bluntly effective revenge thriller with Jodie Foster as a NYC radio columnist who's violently attacked in the park one night, losing her boyfriend (Lost's Naveen Andrews) in the process. Waking up three weeks later, she's understandably devastated, and despite physically mending, cannot put her mental demons to rest. She buys a gun for personal protection, and through sheer happenstance (a narrative crutch that occurs throughout the film), finds herself in a convenience store when a robber enters and blows away the cashier, only to get blown away himself by Jodie. She's shaken by what she's done...at first. But then she caps a pair of street punks harrassing her on the subway, not through neccesity, but because she's starting to enjoy herself. Soon, her eye-for-an-eye vigilante actions begin to surface in the media, earning her a host of reactions ranging from you-go-girl support to unmitigated disgust, even as she continues to hunt for the specific group of gangbangers who killed her man and a homicide detective (Terrence Howard) starts putting the pieces together and realizing he has a serial murderer on his hands. Without a doubt, the involvement of Foster and director Neil Jordan in a feminist remake of Death Wish produced by Joel Silver(!) is the weirdest filmic pedigree I've seen all year, replete with Schwartzenegarian one-liners (including the immortally bad "I want my dog back!") barked out by the increasingly sinewy, hawklike Foster, her fiercely intelligent eyes welling up with rage and determination as she dishes out violent justice. I have no idea how to take this film, which is undeniably well-crafted (beautifully shot by Phillipe Rousellot and elegantly scored by Dario Marienelli) and taut, yet incredibly one-sided in it's depictions of all those who earn Jodie's vigilante ire as cartoonish, one-note ciphers. One could have made a powerful film about an ordinary person violently snapping under the pressure of big city living (in fact, it was made 30 years ago with Foster...Martn Scorsese's Taxi Driver), but that would require a modicum of soul-searching on Foster's part as she doles out two-fisted vengenace. Instead, this plays like a Batman movie where the Dark Knight has no compunction whatsoever in killing people. The Brave One certainly "works" in it's B-level suspense asperations, but, considering the talent involved, it can't help but feel like a sell-out. B-
I'll buy that for a dollar!
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Nicola_D (Nicola_d)
Key Grip
Username: Nicola_d
Post Number: 707
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, September 15, 2007 - 12:38 am: |
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The Brave One: I agree mostly with Monty's comments regarding the overall craftsmanship.
It reminded me a lot of last year's preposterous and overrated Notes on a Scandal, insofar as they are both essentially potboilers made to look more sophisticated than they really are.
Unlike the Blanchett character, however, I found Foster's motivations not all that far-fetched. Having been the victim of a violent crime myself, I can tell you from experience she got a lot of the emotions just right. I'd give it three stars.
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Oh yeah? (Thezookieman)
Movie Star
Username: Thezookieman
Post Number: 5306
Registered: 06-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, September 15, 2007 - 03:17 pm: |
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I agree with monty. That was the vibe I got solely from watching the trailers to the movie, and it was on the basis of that that I've decided not to bother going to watch the film.
Standing in the shadow of the One True City...
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Son Of... (Docscribe)
Studio Mogul
Username: Docscribe
Post Number: 8697
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 03:33 am: |
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1408
...continues the odd tradition of unusually good movie adaptations from Stephen King's novellas and short stories. Dude's sprawling, plot-by-the-pound novels have pretty much all sucked on the big screen, but there's something about his slight, clever, and poetic little throwaway yarns that has consistently provided filmmakers with workable fodder.
Here we have quite the muligatawny stew of Wise's The Haunting, blended with Raimi's Evil Dead II, simmered in Polanski's Repulsion, and spiced with some generous dollups of Kafka. The result is a spooky-strange-funny broth, but nevertheless satisfying - especially the well-blackened humour throughout. Not a perfect movie - I think they pushed the cyclical hell idea a little too far in the final act, plus a few too many interesting but sort of irrelevant A/V diversions along the way, and a performance by Samuel L. Jackson that veered dangerously close to him blurting out "I want these motherf#cking ghosts out of this motherf#cking hotel." - yet overall, it was a dandy piece of supernatural entertainment...genuinely creepy, nerve-janglingly suspenseful, and perversely witty.
Has anyone else even seen this thing? If not, it should be a no-brainer grab when it hits DVD rental shelves. And be sure to pop some extra corn.
"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: 3882
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 08:44 am: |
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Doc:
quote:1408 continues the odd tradition of unusually good movie adaptations from Stephen King's novellas and short stories. Dude's sprawling, plot-by-the-pound novels have pretty much all sucked on the big screen, but there's something about his slight, clever, and poetic little throwaway yarns that has consistently provided filmmakers with workable fodder.
Quite true. Two of the very best King movies, Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption, have sprung from short novellas in his Different Seasons collection (which also birthed the interesting Apt Pupil). Then again, there have been real stinkeroos based on his short stories as well, like Graveyard Shift and The Lawnmower Man. I'm really looking forward to Frank Darabont's adaptation of King's fantastic horror novella The Mist in November.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogarsEW8Lrk
quote:Has anyone else even seen this thing?
I did. The movie is slight (King's story ran all of 20 pages), yet enjoyably spooky and "old-school" in it's approach to it's frights. John Cusack was great.
He lied to us through song! I hate when people do that!
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Alex Dr_Evil (Drevil)
Cinematographer
Username: Drevil
Post Number: 1783
Registered: 05-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 02:19 pm: |
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I think The Mist looks incredibly underwhelming. |
Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3883
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 04:43 pm: |
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Have you read the story? It's great. Plus, Darabont's track record a la King is impeccable, and the cast is impressive.
He lied to us through song! I hate when people do that!
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C.J. (Thief)
Movie Star
Username: Thief
Post Number: 3471
Registered: 07-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 08:50 pm: |
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Darabont is a great director (Hey, I adore Shawshank) but The Green Mile was mostly ho-hum, IMO. I'll have to check what that new one is about.
As for King's adaptations, I think he's had half-and-half of good-to-great adaptations and stinkers. Dolores Claiborne was excellent, I loved Storm of the Century, The Stand was pretty darn good despite its obvious made-for-TV-ishness, whatever that means... Apt Pupil is extremely underrated... Heck, even The Running Man was great fun.
JUST MARRIED! -- If you see me posting, my wife must be working.
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C.J. (Thief)
Movie Star
Username: Thief
Post Number: 3472
Registered: 07-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 08:53 pm: |
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Speaking of... I just found out that there are plans to remake It. Check it out.
http://www.filmjunk.com/2006/06/07/the-sci-fi-channel-to-remake-stephen-kings-it/
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news04/040520g.php
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: 3885
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2007 - 11:17 pm: |
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While It would be much better with an R-rating instead of the toned-down ABC version, I can't imagine a better Pennywise than Tim Curry. He still creeps me out...
-Face/Off (1997): Operatic, thrilling action film about an FBI agent named Sean Archer (John Travolta) who loses his young son the the sniper's bullet of his hated criminal rival Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage). Six years later, Archer finally captures Troy after a spectacular airport shoot-out. Left in a coma ("He's a turnip"), Archer finally feels free...until he learns that Castor and his brother, Pollux (Allesandro Nivola), have planted a bomb somewhere in L.A. Having no other options, Archer agrees to a radical surgical procedure, wherin Castor's face is lopped off his slumbering body and swapped with Archer's own! Now looking in the mirror and seeing the hated visage of the man who killed his, Archer goes undercover in the futuristic prison that holds Pollux in an attempt to discover the whereabouts of the bomb...until Castor suddenly awakens from his coma and forces the doctors to sew Archer's face onto his noggin. With nobody left alive to confirm that it's really Archer in prison, Castor insinuates himself into Archer's life, wooing his brittle wife (Joan Allen) and making secretly pervy time with his jailbait daugther (former Lolita Dominque Swain). But when Archer escapes from his incarceration, the stage is set for a battle of wills over their inextricably-linked fates. Director John Woo's best American film, Face/Off is crammed full of his trademark, balletic bursts of ultraviolent actions setpieces, white doves, dripping machismo, and surprisingly emotional storytelling. Cage and Travolta are both fantastic in their dual roles, mimicking each other's outsize vocal inflections and physical mannerisms with unnering, gleeful precision and delivering four performances for the price of two. One of the best American action films of the 90's. A
He lied to us through song! I hate when people do that!
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C.J. (Thief)
Movie Star
Username: Thief
Post Number: 3473
Registered: 07-2001
| | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 01:38 pm: |
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Face/Off is great, but they could've trimmed down the boat chase at the end.
JUST MARRIED! -- If you see me posting, my wife must be working.
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Dominic (Dominic)
Production Assistant
Username: Dominic
Post Number: 144
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 05:37 am: |
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Broadly agree with Adam about Atonement, which looks beautiful, and is excellently paced, but the second hour struggles to match the first. Laud the director for having the guts to be restrained (the film/performances could have featured more actorly histrionics than it does), and laud the score which was fantastically unobtrusive. I wasn't a fan of the Redgrave ending, maybe if the film had been bookended with her (like Titanic?) it would have worked better.
Oscar-worthy? I don't know about that, but people have surely won for worse, and haven't for better.
na na na nanana 1969 baby
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AdamL (Adaml)
Cinematographer
Username: Adaml
Post Number: 2205
Registered: 08-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 01:17 pm: |
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Dominic
quote:Oscar-worthy? I don't know about that, but people have surely won for worse, and haven't for better.
Agree but I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Academy goes ga-ga and throws nominations (and maybe wins) at it.
quote:Laud the director for having the guts to be restrained
Whilst I agree he was for the most part - and he certainly dealt with Knightley very well, she delivered a restrained performance and an extremely effective one - one scene really irritated me and that was the long steady-cam shot that seemed like it came from the cutting room floor of Children of Men. His restraint went out the window then - I didn't think it worked at all but have read praise elsewere. What did you make of it? |
Monterey Jack (Monty)
Movie Star
Username: Monty
Post Number: 3892
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 10:39 pm: |
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Death Proof Extended Cut: As irritated as I am that the two halves of Grindhouse are being split up for their DVD releases, at least it will allow Quentin Tarantino's bafflingly underrated Death Proof to get a much-needed reassessment now that it's been divorced from close proximity with Robert Rodriguez's hyperbolic Planet Terror. Hopefully people will be able to better appreciate the film's slow-burn pleasures now that the film has to stand on it's own two feet. Of course, the burn is even slower in this newly-rejiggered version sporting an additional 27 minutes of footage, and those who groaned at the long dialogue scenes with those "stupid bitches" will probably hate the movie even more now, but, personally, I don't give a crap. Anyone who watches a Tarantino movie without anticipating a lot of erudite, profane speechifying that often veers off in seemingly odd directions isn't a Tarantino fan in the first place. There are lots of little dislogue extensions studded throughout the film, but the two major new setpieces are the infamous "missing reel" with Vanessa Ferlito giving Kurt Russell an outrageously sexy lapdance and a more artful cut between the film's two halves, with a title card announcing "14 Months Later" followed by a B&W sequence with Russell's Stuntman Mike crossing paths with the second gang of girls (Rosario Dawson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Tracy Thoms) at a convenience store and licking his fingers before running them across the oblivious Dawson's feet (ew!). I've always adored Q's dialogue patterns, and the actresses all have a great deal of fun with it, particularly Sydney Poitier in the first half and the amazing, adorable Zoe Bell in the second half. And I've yet to see a crunched-metal action sequence this year to top the film's deleriously exhilarating car chase climax, with Russell showing his true stripes in hilarous fashion after his would-be victims turn the tables on him. One could quibble about why the intentionally horrible print quality of the first half in inexplicably abandoned in the second, and the inside-joke casting of Marley Shelton and Micheal Parks reprising their roles from Planet Terror isn't as funny if you're not watching both films back-to-back, but it's a minor annoyance. Death Proof is an absolute blast, and will no doubt earn a number of my AFFA nods come next year. A-
He lied to us through song! I hate when people do that!
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Dominic (Dominic)
Production Assistant
Username: Dominic
Post Number: 145
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 06:46 am: |
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Hey Adam, remind me which steady-cam shot that was? I guess if I can't recall it, it didn't bug me, but it's possible I am willing to overlook incidental flaws just because it was so good to see a film that wasn't bombastic, histrionic, or over-acted, or subjugated by its soundtrack/score.
Meantime, I'll look at some reviews...
na na na nanana 1969 baby
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Dominic (Dominic)
Production Assistant
Username: Dominic
Post Number: 146
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 07:48 am: |
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[Dominic reads 2 reviews, both of which praise that steady-cam shot.]
Ok, that scene/shot actually worked for me, for several reasons:
1. I love long shots, and more and more loathe overuse of NYPD Blue-style rapid cutting (eg Paul Greengrass' output), so it's a relief to be indulged by a director with some lovely, long takes. More please.
2. Even though it was utterly unlike the style of direction in the rest of the film, I think in that way it mirrored Robbie's presence in France in 1940, and its giddy sweep managed to capture the enormous chaos of Dunkirk and Robbie's reaction to it.
3. On a personal level, my granddad was one of the wounded left to the mercy of the Germans at Dunkirk, and although he made it back he never talked about it, so when it became apparent that what we were seeing was the Allied evacuation at Dunkirk, I was just trying to take it all in.
At the end of the day, I think that the style of shot worked contextually.
By the way, can you remember seeing a recent film with so much smoking in it?
na na na nanana 1969 baby
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AdamL (Adaml)
Cinematographer
Username: Adaml
Post Number: 2206
Registered: 08-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 02:10 pm: |
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Cheers Dominic, nice to read your take and I'm not sure why it bugged me since I agree with you. I really hate the rapid cutting style employed by Greengrass and much prefer the long takes - I guess it just jarred with the film a little too much in this particular case for me. I loved it in Children of Men though.
Have to say I didn't notice the smoking too much. Guess neither of us are very observant! |
AdamL (Adaml)
Cinematographer
Username: Adaml
Post Number: 2207
Registered: 08-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 02:18 pm: |
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Couple of quickies - saw two films this weekend - both A- level and very impressive.
Superbad best comedy of the year in a year that's had more than it's fair share of fair fare. Hot Fuzz was great as was Knocked Up but this wins hands down. Not perfect - a little too much downtime here and there - trim 10 minutes and I believe it would have been stronger. That said I enjoyed it immensely and I'm giving McLovin' a Best Supporting Actor nom come hell or high water. He was amazing.
3:10 to Yuma was also a great piece of filmmaking. Wonderful throughout. Really love Russel Crowe in everything he's done (bar Beautiful Mind obviously, which was crap, but that wasn't his fault - not seen A Good Year btw) and he's very strong in this as well. A few liberties taken with realism but overall very entertaining up to and including the ending which I thought was ace. Why are people down on it? Please explain! |
Dominic (Dominic)
Production Assistant
Username: Dominic
Post Number: 147
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 02:35 pm: |
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quote:Have to say I didn't notice the smoking too much. Guess neither of us are very observant!
I'm not going to rule that out!
Looking forward to Superbad & 3:10 too. Talking of people being down on things, why was everybody so hostile to James McAvoy's character in Last King of Scotland? I mean, yes he was kind of objectionable, but that didn't taint the movie for me as much as it seemed to do for others. (I know I am about a year out of date on this, but I am only just catching up. Something more recent tonight: This is England.)
na na na nanana 1969 baby
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AdamL (Adaml)
Cinematographer
Username: Adaml
Post Number: 2208
Registered: 08-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 07:03 pm: |
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{Last King of Scotland Spoilers in white}
He tried to have an affair with Gillian Anderson, he did have an affair with Kerry Washington, he left Washington in the lurch whilst pregnant causing her to have a back street abortion which ultimately then got her killed, he was directly responsible for the death of the Minister of Defense, he was pretty much responsible for the death of the black doctor (who's job he also stole) and he turned his back on the charitable mission which he went over for in the first place. The guy was a walking disaster, wreaking havoc wherever he went! |
C.J. (Thief)
Movie Star
Username: Thief
Post Number: 3476
Registered: 07-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 07:47 pm: |
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Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we have to hate a film only because we hate a character. Even if it's the lead one.
I had read pretty harsh reviews here dissing McAvoy, and I ended up thinking the film was pretty good. Has a lot of flaws, yes, but still a good film.
JUST MARRIED! -- If you see me posting, my wife must be working.
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