What is the last film you watched?

[Luke Skywalker 1,794]

"Dark Superman"?

Isn't that what they already did when they had Lucas and his cronies kick the crap out of Supes on a rainy, bleak, Kryptonian island at the end of Superman Returns?

Lucas

Man the hate is strong with you as to attach all evils to the poor (TCW exception) man!

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Wow. Now there's a Freudian slip.

[Luke Skywalker 1,794]

Wow. Now there's a Freudian slip.

Lucas really raped you childhood

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The bastard!

[odnurega1 0]

The Machinist- I have to say, I'm not really into these types of films, however you want to classify it. But, I enjoyed it, and a severly underweight Christian Bale was haunting in his role.

The Rocker- I did not expect to like this. I went into it because I wanted to see a movie that was marketed to make me laugh, and I actually really did enjoy it. Rainn Wilson was funny, and musician-turned-actor Teddy Geiger was not actually that bad.

[crocodile 7,999]

The Machinist- I have to say, I'm not really into these types of films, however you want to classify it. But, I enjoyed it, and a severly underweight Christian Bale was haunting in his role.

Given the fact what he did to himself, I'm not so sure I want to watch this.

Karol

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Machinist is a great film, a little unknown notch in Bale's filmography. It's hard to talk about it without giving things away, so I'll just say you should see it.

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

The Machinist- I have to say, I'm not really into these types of films, however you want to classify it. But, I enjoyed it, and a severly underweight Christian Bale was haunting in his role.

Given the fact what he did to himself, I'm not so sure I want to watch this.

It's brilliant, one of the best films I've discovered over the past few months.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Continuing with watching my TV DVD's, I watched Extras Seasons 1-2. I realized that I never got the series finale on DVD, and I still have yet to see it. Robert DeNiro's surprise cameo in the Season 2 finale was hilarious. I find it funny that Gervais' character's dream is to be in a movie with DeNiro, while he did star with him in Stardust.

Now I need to pick a new show to watch. I'm not in the mood for South Park, and I only have Season 2 of Dr. Katz. Hmm, I might watch Curb Your Enthusiasm or Scrubs.

[Bryant Burnette 654]

And speaking of its popularity at box office... Well, I have this strange feeling it has little to do with the quality of film itself.

Karol

I don't entirely know what you mean by that, but it seems like a snobbish thing to say. Do you think people are simply deluded...?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Those Pirates movies made crap loads of money and they're nothing to write home about.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I also think that there is some weird phenomenon with this film. Ledger's death is a part of it, but I don't think it's all of it. Why The Dark Knight, why this film? Begins couldn't have had that big of a fanbase to call for this kind of response. It's weird.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Mysterious forces are at work here....

[A24 4,331]

It's become too powerful to be kept alive.

[indy4 155]

I also think that there is some weird phenomenon with this film. Ledger's death is a part of it, but I don't think it's all of it. Why The Dark Knight, why this film? Begins couldn't have had that big of a fanbase to call for this kind of response. It's weird.

Extremely good word of mouth (masterpiece was stated in multiple reviews), Ledger's demise, Ledger's performance, BB fans, and it was released at a time when most of the big competition had worn down so it had virtually no big competitors. I also have a feeling that many people saw it in theatres only so they could be a part of the big discussion that was circulating around the film. And it was a great film, with tons of stuff to chew on. So I could totally see how someone would want to see it more than once in order to clarify certain things.

[A24 4,331]

Hm, there really was a lot of media attention regarding Ledger's death and Ledger's last role. The really weird thing was that everyone in the world, even the people who barely know Al Pacino, knew who he was ... except me. And I have a special interest in movies. Word to mouth? Indeed, everyone talked and 'grieved' about this actor of whom they knew little or nothing about.

Alex

[indy4 155]

Still, his demise caused a big increase. Mostly because he was so young, I think.

He's appealed to all ages--he's been a teen heartthrob as well as a dramatic and serious actor.

[crocodile 7,999]

And speaking of its popularity at box office... Well, I have this strange feeling it has little to do with the quality of film itself.

Karol

I don't entirely know what you mean by that, but it seems like a snobbish thing to say. Do you think people are simply deluded...?

You misunterstood me. I do really love this film. I've seen it four times already. But this the thing I just do with many just a tad overblown. I can't quite figure out why that happened. It's not the kind of story an/or approach that usually makes loads of money, you know.

Karol

[Red 75]

People must be really liking the movie, its' success can't just be based on hype.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The Dead Pool

Clints fifth and final outing as Dirty Harry.

I suppose it is a bit formulaic, and does not exactly look cinematic (it looks like it was made for TV actually, It had the visual style of an 80's cop drama).

But it has Clint eastwood in his most famous role, doing what he does best, shooting a 44 Magnum that sounds like a canon, while having either a disaproving squint or charming smile on his face.

It also has Liam Neeson in a good, pre-Schindlers List role, Jim Carrey gets murdered and Patricia Clarkson is rather fetching as in the Renee Russo type role as love interest/damsel in distress. (I am still not sure though if Dirty Harry should have a love interest)

It also has a very nice and original car chase.

The score by Lalo Schifrin also sounds like an 80's cop show score, dated but works well in the film.

A bit of a guilty pleasure perhaps, but a good one.

*** out of ****

[Koray Savas 2,251]

But it has Clint eastwood in his most famous role, doing what he does best, shooting a 44 Magnum that sounds like a canon, while having either a disaproving squint or charming smile on his face.

I'm pretty sure he is more known for his westerns than Dirty Harry, and his westerns are what he does best.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Young man, you are obviously mistaken.

Although his westerns with Leone made him a well known actor, it was Dirty Harry that made him a super star.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Stefan is correct, ahh newbies

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Do you not know the definition of a newbie?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

JoeinAr has been here since before the reign of Henry VIII, so for him you are new.

For me also, actually.

[Morlock 11]

The Hunt for Red October. Sum of all Fears put me in the mood for this film. It's something of an oddity. It's pacing really shouldn't work, but it does. It's story-telling should really make less sense than it does, but it's not hard to follow. The film works quite well, with some really fantastic pieces to it. Alec Baldwin, being a far better Jack Ryan than Harrison Ford was. Sean Connery, who seems to be making almost no effort with little interest in the material, but still pulling it off. Scott Glenn, terrific. James Earl Jones, Fred Dalton Thompson, Richard Jordan, Courtney B. Vance, Joss Ackland- all excellent in their small roles. Jan De Bont's cinematography is extremely convincing, and obviously complemented by the production design. I happen to think that Basil Poledouris's score is only really good in 4 scenes. But in those four scenes, his work is positively thrilling. Particularly the evacuation of the October. The rest of the time the scoring is either wallpaper or qutie horrendous 80's electronics.

The effects work on the film is variable. I think that a lot of the model stuff comes off really well, with some imaginative and effective shot designs. On the other hand, any time you have more than one submarine, or any object near a submarine (particularly counter-measures and torpedos), the processed elements are quite an eye-sore. And the processing of the penultimate scene of the movie, with Ryan and Ramius on the lake, is a serious blight on the movie, leaving a bad taste. They don't even seem to be trying to get the background to look convincing. At one point, you can actually see the background through Alec Baldwin's hair!

Still, a terrific thriller that really has no reason for being so watchable. Certainly miles better than the mediocre Noyce-Ford films. (Although I think that Alden-Robinson's film is not that far behind. It is similarly a film that has no reason being as watchable as it is).

[Jamesyboy 3]

Watched 2 films last night. The Ringer (with Johnny Knoxville) and Timeline. Both OK. The Timeline novel was FAR superior to the film. I did have fun watching the last third for a second time with headphones on dubbing in Goldsmith's music. And I do believe that Tyler's music actually did work better in the film. Both versions of the score are fantastic in their own rights.

Jamesyboy

[Hitch 57]

Richard Donner became severely unstuck with TIMELINE. I think he's getting a little too old for all this pooe.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Proposition (**1/2 out of ****)

on Blu-Ray

It didn't really do anything for me, I was bored at a point where I forgot what the plot of the movie was. I still don't know. Nonetheless, it had some decent acting and some really good cinematography, the score was great too.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Jaws: The Revenge.

on video tape!

Ah well, at least it was more entertaining than Deep Blue Sea. What would the shark have done if it had run out of Brodys to eat? Seems like one hell of a supernatural super-intelligent sentient fish! Sure it wasn't a whale in disguise? Lorraine Gary is so hammy, you just want the shark to swallow her whole.

Not a bad score by Michael Small though.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Deep Blue Sea is a stupid movie, but a fun movie nonetheless. Sure it's physically impossible for a shark to swim backwards even if it's brain mass is tripled, but overall it was entertaining. I actually enjoyed LL Cool Jay's character, and I liked the fact that a horror movie ended with 2 guys surviving instead of the girl. Decent score by Trevor Rabin, and a stupidly funny LL Cool Jay rap that he wrote for the end credits.

[A24 4,331]

The Proposition (**1/2 out of ****)

on Blu-Ray

It didn't really do anything for me, I was bored at a point where I forgot what the plot of the movie was. I still don't know. Nonetheless, it had some decent acting and some really good cinematography, the score was great too.

The Proposition is almost as bad as Blueberry.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

What didn't you like about it?

[A24 4,331]

I don't remember. I really did my best to forget this movie. The title didn't even ring a bell with me at first.

Oops, you're actually asking about Blueberry, right?

Alex

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I remember discussing it with you before, and I think Morlock didn't like it as well.

[A24 4,331]

Blueberry (Renegade) I do remember because it's one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I laughed at the performances, the non-characters, the non-story and the embarrassing drug trip.

and I think Morlock didn't like it as well.

You think? I can tell you that most people don't like it.

[Morlock 11]

No, there are some critics who love it. I can't fathom it. I hated just about every minute of the film.

[A24 4,331]

I did say 'most' people don't like it. Tomatometer scores a meager 27%.

[Morlock 11]

I think we're on different tracks here. The Proposition is at a respectible 86% as Rottentomatoes.

[A24 4,331]

I think we're on different tracks here. The Proposition is at a respectible 86% as Rottentomatoes.

I'm taking about Blueberry (Renegade).

[Morlock 11]

Never seen Blueberry.

Movies I've seen recently:

Son of Rambow. Didn't really work for me. Sure, some charming stuff in it, but generally, felt way too familiar. Particularly, the famous Raiders remake thing. It felt cobbled together from so many different school films...The History Boys and Charlie Bartlett, the strange Amish home-life element (which was shot in a far too stately manner), the obviousness of the film at every stage. Didn't do it for me. The excitment of filmmaking didn't come through nearly strongly enough.

Love in The Afternoon. Finally, I've seen a majority of the Billy Wilder's films. 13 down, 12 to go. Although I've seen all the established classics already. I liked this one quite a bit. Took some time to get going, but this tale of Audrey Hepburn trying to make Gary Cooper jealous worked for me. Some very nice comedic bits, and I really felt for the characters. And Maurice Chevaliar is wonderful as Hepburn's father.

M. I've been wanting to see this Fritz Lang classic for a while, but I never got around to it. Last night, the Cinemateque here was showing it on their grand screen. I'm glad I waited. The print wasn't great, and I understand that the subtitles were lacking (reading the changes made for the most recent restoration of the film, there are some rather significant changes in the subtitles).

On a narrative level, the story is quite frightening. The story of a panicked city looking for a child-murderer, for the most part plays like a procedural, with the juxtaposition of the police and criminal enterprises of the city's efforts to find the murderer. The film obviously stresses the point that the two organizations work in a nearly identical fashion, inspiring one of the best montages I've ever seen (in a film with many striking visual/aural montages). The murderer himself is seen only rarely throughout the film, until the striking and horrifying finale, when he is given the only continuous monologue in the film. Throughout the film Lang, shows a distinct dislike for the city, for this society. Even the mother waiting for her child to come home is shown in a pathetic light, not a particularly sympathetic one. The crowd's descent to lynch-mob mentality is also striking. The concept that the city is devided into "organizations" further depersonalizes the city. I think these caracterizations are almost impossible to separate from the climate of the early 1930's in Germany. The empathy, the horrifying empathy with the murderer, coupled with the dislike of the society upon which he wreaks havoc, makes for one of the most unsettling movies I've seen.

Also saw Patton again. It's something of a mystery as to why a movie with such deep structural problems as this is so good. I guess it's the best example of how great acting, directing and scoring, and a phenominal script dialogue-wise can sensationally overcome a very problematic structure.

[John Crichton 4]

I've never noticed structural problems in Patton. Could you elaborate?

[Morlock 11]

Certainly. At a number of points we are shown Patton's ambition seemingly overshadowing his worries about loses for his men. However, in the aftermath, he is generally shown as being smart and victorious, without any real mention of the human cost. Was he just acting careless, and they were fine? Did he get by through luck? Was he really as smart as he made himself out to be? The movie does not give us enough information to judge. You do see Bradley's forces being pinned down due to Patton's orders, but the scene is diffused by a joke.

Another serious problem with the film is in it's treatment of anyone except for Patton. Monty is shown as an incompetent foppish fool. The Germans obsess over Patton as if he were the entire allied forces, to the point of the final image the film gives us as they abandon their command center is that of Patton's picture. Bradley has a general 'aw, shucks' air about him, as if he won the war through being nice and understated. A far more compelling portrait would be a great general without Patton's prima-donna personality, but Bradley isn't allowed even that much. He is a swell guy, who is just swell abotu everything, gosh-darn it.

Also, the film does dwell on nice looking images for so long that there are a great many of them that are utterly pointless.

Now I'm sure the film's lover won't be convinced, but I positively love this film. I return to it very, very often. I think it it brilliantly directed, very-well scored, is one of the most joyously quoted films ever, and has a one of a kind performance that I have rarely seen the likes of. It is one of my absolute favorite films. And it's all of that after these problems, ones that even the most well-made films would generally be crippled by. This one manages to largely transcend such matters (although I do think the true balance of this Patton's ruthlessness and brilliance as soft-peddled).

[nightscape94 965]

Dark City - Director's Cut Blu-Ray, effing fantastic movie.

X-Files: I Want to Believe - I'm apparently one of the few that really like it. I may be my X-Files bias, as I'm a nutball about the series, of which I'm going back over via DVD.

Pineapple Express. Nice little Apatow romp.

[Ollie 1,059]

Certainly. At a number of points we are shown Patton's ambition seemingly overshadowing his worries about loses for his men. However, in the aftermath, he is generally shown as being smart and victorious, without any real mention of the human cost. Was he just acting careless, and they were fine? Did he get by through luck? Was he really as smart as he made himself out to be? The movie does not give us enough information to judge. You do see Bradley's forces being pinned down due to Patton's orders, but the scene is diffused by a joke.

Another serious problem with the film is in it's treatment of anyone except for Patton. Monty is shown as an incompetent foppish fool. The Germans obsess over Patton as if he were the entire allied forces, to the point of the final image the film gives us as they abandon their command center is that of Patton's picture. Bradley has a general 'aw, shucks' air about him, as if he won the war through being nice and understated. A far more compelling portrait would be a great general without Patton's prima-donna personality, but Bradley isn't allowed even that much. He is a swell guy, who is just swell abotu everything, gosh-darn it.

Also, the film does dwell on nice looking images for so long that there are a great many of them that are utterly pointless.

Now I'm sure the film's lover won't be convinced, but I positively love this film. I return to it very, very often. I think it it brilliantly directed, very-well scored, is one of the most joyously quoted films ever, and has a one of a kind performance that I have rarely seen the likes of. It is one of my absolute favorite films. And it's all of that after these problems, ones that even the most well-made films would generally be crippled by. This one manages to largely transcend such matters (although I do think the true balance of this Patton's ruthlessness and brilliance as soft-peddled).

Well the film IS about Patton and a good portion of it was taken from Omar Bradley's personal accounts. Bradley came across as that "aw shucks" type to quite a few.

[Jacob 0]

The Karate Kid, Part III. Not as bad as I was led to believe. Although a big step down from the first two (how many times has that been said?) it has it's share of awesome moments, such as Mr. Miyagi kicking Kreese's butt (accompanied by appropriate Miyagi Kick Butt music). But even then those parts have a been-there-done-that quality to them -- training montages and such.

But perhaps the worst aspect was the new villain Terry Silver. Ridiculously over the top, and a polluter no less!

Conspiring with Kreese to make Daniel "suffer" I just can't buy that these two men would be that vengeful toward a kid.

The score is good. It's more of the same but Conti mixes it up enough to keep things interesting.

The first movie is a classic of course. Part II is my favorite -- almost epic (though that whole drum-technique thing was a bit weak). The stakes have been upped to a life and death level and there's some great character development for Mr. Miyagi.

Part III is a very weak retread of Part I and pretty much ignores everything that happened in Part II. Daniel hasn't developed or matured at all it seems (except his weight) and Mr. Miyagi has apparently forgotten all about the love of his life. The more I think about it Part III really does crap all over the first two.

Damn. Why do second sequels to great movies always suck?

[A24 4,331]

Superman II: Almost feels like watching an Ed Wood movie. Man, is this dated or what?! Those three Kryptonian villains are just laughably bad. To think that back then some reviewers thought this one was better than the Superman The Movie, which is also quite dated, of course, but stil has the beautiful photographed Smallville sequences.

Alex

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I don't get this whole "dated" complaint. Isn't there any interest or curiosity on the styles and approaches of different eras?

[Bryant Burnette 654]

You and I are back in agreement, Alex. I really kinda hate Superman II; it's borderline inept in places.

I do think the Richard Donner cut is a substantial improvement, though.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Death Race (**/****)

First off, it was free, so I have no regrets. I was quite entertained by this one, I knew what to expect going in, and it delivered. The races were fun and some deaths funny. Oddly enough, the story was pretty solid, not necessarily making it good, but it didn't have any plot holes. Jason Statham is Jason Statham, and he's so bad in a way that you enjoy watching him. I hate to say it, but Paul P.O.S. Anderson actually had an overall style for this one, and I thought the panning zoom ins were interesting and effective. Haslinger's score met what I expected, and I actually rather liked one cue that played at times, the rest was uninteresting though. From this review, I really haven't said anything bad about the film, maybe I should give it more than 2 stars, hmm... nah.