8005 replies to this topic

[Red Rabbit]

Especially if you think the Bull is racing.

Or if you think the movie is actually about a bull.

[Pasi Tiitinen]

And I was good at spelling...


But I do like the rodeo

[Morlock]

Especially if you think the Bull is racing.

Or if you think the movie is actually about a bull.

Says he who thinks a rabbit is keeping good form.

[Red Rabbit]

Oh, what is that supposed to mean? Are rabbits not capable of keeping good form? Are rabbits just too stupid to do anything right? Is that it Morlock?

Not cool!

[robthehand]

Unless your that rabbit from The Holy Grail...

[Elmo Lewis]

Right.

So I checked out Purple Rose of Cairo. I'm not a big Woody Allen fan (quite the opposite), but I had to surrender to this gem. It was the right lenght, it had the right dialogue, the plot was spot-on and the performances were amazing - I'd rather not think this is the same Dumb and Dumber Jeff Daniels 'cause that's just depressing. And the ending was also spot-on - unpredictable, thought-provoking and yet so organic and coherent within the story. Kudos, Allen. I shudder at the thought of Charlie Kauffman dealing with this concept instead...

I also watched Little Miss Sunshine. Now I wish I had seen it before the Oscars, so I could be happy it won for Best Original Script. Now, I'm just not surprised it did. What a refreshing, non-pretentious experience this was. I mean, any movie carrying the message of "fuck the rest of the world" is cool for me, but this didn't just de-construct society - it actually constructed an alternative. I fear if I keep raving, it's just going to dissappoint future viewers, but I highly recommend this film. And the music added so much to it. So it was this kind of indie-film, folky kind of music, almost Tarantinesque, but it just gave the movie such energy. It wasn't very good music, but it was the soul of the experience. That's what film music does.

[Ray Barnsbury]

Completely agree about LMS...great film all around, and the (albeit simple) music does add a lot.

Ray Barnsbury

[robthehand]

I watched Airplane! for the first time in quite a while. No, it's not wearing off, it's just as hilarious as it ever was.

[Morlock]

So I checked out Purple Rose of Cairo. I'm not a big Woody Allen fan (quite the opposite), but I had to surrender to this gem. It was the right lenght, it had the right dialogue, the plot was spot-on and the performances were amazing - I'd rather not think this is the same Dumb and Dumber Jeff Daniels 'cause that's just depressing. And the ending was also spot-on - unpredictable, thought-provoking and yet so organic and coherent within the story. Kudos, Allen. I shudder at the thought of Charlie Kauffman dealing with this concept instead...

I liked the film a lot. Woody takes a gimmicky concept and makes something out of it. All too often you hear of a great gimmick that is totally runied in the film (One of the reasons I think Stranger Than Fiction was one of the best films of last year- you'd love it).

I also watched Little Miss Sunshine. Now I wish I had seen it before the Oscars, so I could be happy it won for Best Original Script. Now, I'm just not surprised it did. What a refreshing, non-pretentious experience this was. I mean, any movie carrying the message of "fuck the rest of the world" is cool for me, but this didn't just de-construct society - it actually constructed an alternative. I fear if I keep raving, it's just going to dissappoint future viewers, but I highly recommend this film. And the music added so much to it. So it was this kind of indie-film, folky kind of music, almost Tarantinesque, but it just gave the movie such energy. It wasn't very good music, but it was the soul of the experience. That's what film music does.

I wanted to hug the film. Wonderful film. Doesn't over do it, doesn't feel the need to scream, I just loved it. The cast was all excellent, but Arkin was particularly lovable.
And I also thought the music was terrific in the film. I love the melancholy main theme over the titles, and the Whisteling and mariachi touches were totally unexpected, but just right. Although I still have no idea what Mychael Danna did, the whole score seems to be DeVotchka's music.

[nightscape94]

My least favorite Scorsese film is probably The Color of Money, and one of only a handful that I don't feel work, such as New York, New York and Boxcar Bertha. But even his few failures, in a broad cinematic sense, are still decent efforts, even if they fall a bit flat.

Tim

[robthehand]

I watched A Clockwork Orange. Amazing film. I'll write some more a bit later, I need to think about it a bit first...

Let's just say I completely disagree with everything Roger Ebert wrote about this film. He seems to have completely missed the point of the entire movie...

[crocodile]

It's easy to miss Kubrick's point then. Most of his films had mixed reviews.

Karol

[Morlock]

I guess so. Although he has made at least a couple of un-contested masterpieces (Dr. Strangelove and Paths of Glory).

[robthehand]

I guess so. Although he has made at least a couple of un-contested masterpieces (Dr. Strangelove and Paths of Glory).

Hardly uncontested. While Strangelove was a huge hit with the public, the critics didn't exactly all praise it. One review at the time said that "Moscow gold could not have produced better propaganda", and another said that Kubrick should be physically harmed for making the film.

[Red Rabbit]

That was then, this is now. People have more sense when it comes to that subject. A Clockwork Orange was a pretty controversial film when it came out, mostly due to the violence and disturbing nature of it.


Rabbit--who finds it funny that Ebert's wife loves Orange, while he hates it.

[robthehand]

The thing about A Clockwork Orange is, it makes the viewer feel very uneasy - not so much because of the violence, but because whichever side they take (the ultraviolent Alex, or the highly corrupt police and government), they are essentially siding with the "bad guys". There are no "good guys" in the film, no moral heroes to side with, and some people just don't like that.

[Justin]

The thing about A Clockwork Orange is, it makes the viewer feel very uneasy - not so much because of the violence, but because whichever side they take (the ultraviolent Alex, or the highly corrupt police and government), they are essentially siding with the "bad guys". There are no "good guys" in the film, no moral heroes to side with, and some people just don't like that.

Holy crap I just understood the movie!

Justin

[Stefancos]

Rob is correct, even though he's pointing out the bleedin' obvious. I don't know how the actual depection of violence was seen in the year of it's release. But by today's standards, It's rather tame (though highly stylized)

[Morlock]

I don't think it's tame. The beating up of the homeless guy, the scene on the river bank, them assaulting the house, those are very disturbing to me. Modern violence is rarely disturbing.

The thing about A Clockwork Orange is, it makes the viewer feel very uneasy - not so much because of the violence, but because whichever side they take (the ultraviolent Alex, or the highly corrupt police and government), they are essentially siding with the "bad guys". There are no "good guys" in the film, no moral heroes to side with, and some people just don't like that.

Holy crap I just understood the movie!

Justin

What I love most about the film is how it practically dares you to stop watching. It's saying 'Yeah, the violence is bad. You can stop it by leaving the theater. But if you stay, you're just as guilty as I am. You want to see this violence, you want to see this character.' By having that narration, where we are always hearing McDowell's POV, we are made his confidants, his accomplices....a one of a kind film.

I saw the Frankenheimer Manchurian Candidate. Very good movie. Great perfromances by Harvey, Lansberry (one of the greatest villains ever), and especially Sinatra, which was surprising, as in the last calssic film I saw him in, he was bad, just like the rest of the film. Looks great, love some of the camera angles. Score was good (although I am rather fond of Portman's score to the remake). Excellent politcal thriller/satire. Not as glossy as the remake (which was not bad), and has some outdated elements, but still, very good. ***1/2/****.

[Wycket]

I just don't like that he left out the ending of the book. It was far more impacting for me than what Kubrick did, and I will always enjoy Burgesses' work more than Kubrick's on A Clockwork Orange.

[nightscape94]

The Prestige for the second time (once at the theater, this time on DVD). Liked it even more the second time around, because it was more fun to watch Bale's performance after knowing the ending. I really like this movie.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Nothing fantastic, but it's fairly decent fun. A lot of cool gremlin moments, with new types of gremlins and some neat deaths. The second movie is basically poking fun at itself more so then the first one. The sequel is really, really self-aware and pretty much breaks down the wall between movie reality and its audience. I haven't seen this film since the early 90s. I was also taken aback with Jerry Goldsmiths cameo, as I didn't realize that he was in the film, albeit for a brief moment.

Tim

[Mr. Breathmask]

Goldsmith was in Gremlins 2 as well?

I thought he was only in the first one.

[Stefancos]

Shows how much you know!

[robthehand]

Which is the one where he looks at the camera?

[Mr. Breathmask]

Well blah.

At least tell me where in the second one he appears then.

[publicist]

Well blah.

At least tell me where in the second one he appears then.

He's a customer at the ice-cream parlor, showing up around 45 minutes in the film...'Did he say 'Rats'?' is his by-now-classic line...

[Marian Schedenig]

What's going on here? Did she say there was a rat?

[Alexcremers]

I don't think it's tame. The beating up of the homeless guy, the scene on the river bank, them assaulting the house, those are very disturbing to me. Modern violence is rarely disturbing.

The Morlock is right. In Munich, however, some of the violence was extremely disturbing. Many words have been written about the assassination of the female assassinator.



Rocky: Beautiful! There are so many touching scenes in this movie ... It's incredible that Sly himself wrote this stuff. A classic!


Alex

[Mr. Breathmask]

What's going on here? Did she say there was a rat?

Yeah, I went back and looked up the bit. I didn't recognize him without the ponytail, although I always wondered who that guy was with the big white hair. He didn't seem to fit with the style of the rest of the movie.

[Marian Schedenig]

At his concerts, he always used to tell that the producers were so impressed with his performance in the first movie, he got a speaking part in the sequel.

The Robe (Alfred Newman)

[Morlock]

I don't think it's tame. The beating up of the homeless guy, the scene on the river bank, them assaulting the house, those are very disturbing to me. Modern violence is rarely disturbing.

The Morlock is right. In Munich, however, some of the violence was extremely disturbing.

One of the successful elements in that film (which, IMO, was unsuccessful as a whole). Each assassination scene is gut-wrenching, disturbing, and leaves an impact on you.

[Mark Olivarez]

Casino Royale

After the Brosnan 007 films got progressively worse with each film I personally thought that it was time to retire the franchise.

I'm happy to say I was wrong, Daniel Craig is the best Bond since Connery and this is the best film since OHMSS. The only thing I didn't like is the title song, while it has a good Bond melody I felt they could have found someone better to sing it. Judi Dench gives her best performance out of the 5 films she's appeared in. The endig feels a bit tacked on but it doesn't ruin the film.


Predator

A good solid action film. I was a bit disappointed in the DTS track although Silvestri's music benefited from it. The cinematography is excellent, McTiernan gives the film a very clausterphobic feeling within the jungle.

[Red Rabbit]

Predator is maybe one of my favorite action films of all time. Love the final fight between Ahnuld and the Predator.

[Mr. Breathmask]

Casino Royale

After the Bronson 007 films got progressively worse with each film I personally thought that it was time to retire the franchise.

Bronson?

[Mark Olivarez]

You mean you haven't seen the little known "You Only Make A Death Wish Once"?



Oops, got the N and the S backwards.......

[Stefancos]

The B-man would not have bothered with playing cards, he would have shot Le Chiffre and anyone in that Casino for good measure. That Daniel Craig is a pussy!

[Morlock]

At last I saw the last major 2006 release: Pan's Labrynth. I really have to see it again to properly gauge it. Not because anything it did wrong (I didn't find anything big), but because I was expecting something very different. I was expecting a film more like, well, Labrynth. I'm not at all dissapointed, I admire the movie, but I was geared up toward somethin that is more fairytale. I wasn't expecting something far deeper and fascinating.
I cannot propely judge the film based on this viewing. It's already out on DVD, so I'll check it out in the coming weeks/months.
I can make observations about the technical aspects of the film, however.
Acting was very good. The girl was very striking, as was the Captain. Mercedes was good, but she was part of the film I wasn't expecting, so I'll be better informed after the second viewing.
Cinematography was excellent. While I still think that Children of Men is the best shot film of 06' (with The Illusionist not far behind), it's hard to complain when you get work of this caliber. I do think that there was overuse of cutting while panning, but, in general- a great looking picture, with terrific cinematography, which always seems to be intent on telling the story in the most interesting and involving way possible. Beautiful colors, very vivid.
Production design is excellent. I liked that the set of the labrynth didn't look like it was built last week with intent to look ancient- it really did look ancient.
Music was okay, but I did not feel was excellent. The lullaby is nice enough (I don't understand why so many people hear The Eiger Sanction in there so strongly...the resemblance is so minute), but I felt a few scenes in the film was overscored and/or inapropriately scored.

In general, I admire Del-Toro for making this film, I was surprised by the gentleness of it, and I greatly appreciated it. Hopefully, after another viewing, I'll also love it.

And on the same note....I also saw The Naked Gun for the first time in a few years. I was in a Leslie Nielson mood. The movie is aboslutely review-proof, you either laugh or you don't. Myself, I laughed a lot. ***/****.

[Mr. Breathmask]

Week 11.

57. Almost Famous (2000)
I really enjoyed this. It has a great cast, and Cameron Crowe's films seem to have a tendency to give me a warm fuzzy feeling. Kate Hudson shines in almost every scene she's in, and every other castmember is excellent as well. I'm curious about the Untitled director's cut. Good stuff.

[Morlock]

Cameron Crowe's films seem to have a tendency to give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

Yeah, that's what I love about Vanilla Sky.

Wonderful film. I've got the Untitled cut. I don't think I've ever seen the original cut, so I couldn't tell you the difference. Hudson, McDormand, Crudup and, of course, Phillip Seymour Hoffman were all terrific.

[Mr. Breathmask]

I haven't seen Vanilla Sky (although I have seen Abre los ojos). As a matter of fact, I've only seen this and Jerry Maguire, but both left me warm and fuzzy (hence "seem to have a tendency").