i am sam - Sean Penn & Michelle Pfeiffer: 9/10 - a must see.

It doesn't get much better than this IMO. If you want to see a movie about what's important in life, don't miss 'i am sam'. Touching, funny, brilliant, maddening, sad, rapturous. Sean Penn is brilliant as Sam Dawson, an adult father with the mental capacity of a seven year old. He obviously loves his daughter Lucy (played wonderfully by an amazingly mature Dakota Fanning) and she loves him. But with Sam's limitations, a social worker intervenes and the department of family services take Lucy away from Sam and leaves everyone questioning whether love is enough. Everyone except Sam and Lucy. Michelle Pfeiffer is fantastic in her portrayal of Sam's driven, obsessive, manic (and lying!) lawyer, Rita Harrison, "the lawyer who never loses". She's all that's tragic and wonderful about the corporate legal world. The way her high-powered, successful lawyer is juxtaposed against Penn's childlike simplicity highlights that life isn't about talent or intellectual, financial or corporate success. Sam and Lucy show, and Rita (et al) learn, that it's about love, honesty, consistency and slowing down enough and opening up to let people in, to care for one another, and to enjoy life together. The movie keeps you guessing right to the end. I love the camera work although some reviewers on other sites hate it - it is mostly hand held (I don't think they get that it is essentially trying to show the confusion of the world from Sam's view, and that we don't always see life from the view of a perfectly positioned tripod) and the Beatles covers are poignant and relevant. I gave it a 9 instead of a 10 because of its unabashed commercialism (Starbucks, Pizza Hut and IHOP get big wraps - I assume they contributed financially to this relatively low budget movie - 'relatively' given the stars involved) and the ending didn't quite work for me. Other than that, sheer enjoyable brilliance.

Kinsey DNF

You all are going to find this rather funny, but I on the weekend my wife and I rented Kinsey (it was her idea, not mine, for the record), and I pretty much knew what to expect, lots of very open very in your face sexuality. But I will admit to being surprised at what they did show. I know were in the new millenium and all that stuff is blase, no big deal, whatever. Well, to me it is. My wife and her sister and her bf were watching the movie with us, and I'd have to admit that they (my wife and sister-in-law) are pretty naive and unexposed to that kind of stuff. Well, that's not really true. They just felt like it was soft core porn, and didn't want to watch it. (secretly I think if they were by themselves they would have, but in front of an audience they wanted to act all holier-than-thou) So they shut it off, and I haven't seen the end of it. I think I'll rent it again sometime when they're out of the house, because I liked the first half.

the longest yard -- the adam sandler one -- i never saw the original. i thought this one was great. it had my ass laughing throughout most of the movie. i'd watch it again.

Assault on Precinct 13

I like actions movies. I like SWAT teams and police. Sadly, this moving fucking sucked.

Hey script writers! If you can right good dialogue between fight scenes, stick with the fight scenes!

5/10

Shaun of the dead.

Firstly, this movie didn't have a damned clue what the hell it was, humor, drama, peril, sadness, humor. It was meant to be a comedy, but i got up and took a leak half way through because i was bored.

Secondly most of the characters annoyed the fucking shit out of me (yes, lots of profanity, but it's deserved). Shaun and liz and the roomy that died are the best characters, the mother and ed i wanted to smack with that damned cricket bat.

However, the army had such cool guns, and it did have it's funny bits in some places.

5/10.


I'm just pissed off amazon charged me £15 for the damned dvd because i sent back hero instead of this one. Grrr :mad:

I need to watch the original again...just to see if it holds up.

I've never been a big Sandler fan(with the exception of "Punch Drunk Love")
But Longest Yard v.2 made me laugh in many places
:)

My only prob was distinquishing Goldburg from Steve Austin
heeeehaaa!

Nice Whiteboy soundtrack...kept me going.

Collateral

It was kinda bleh. Nothing too bad, nothing too good.

7/10

Saw High Tension last night. If you're into blood and gore then it's great. The plot itself was so-so and so is the acting. There's a plot twist at the end that a lot of people guessed (I didn't because I could stop focusing on the "ewww" factor). I give it an 8/10.

tale of two sisters. 8 / 10

freakin' sweet! korean horror. not really a chase you around Crystal Lake / Jason vs. Freddy type horror... more of a mental horror, although there are several frightening points and lots of general creepiness running throughout. it's beautifully shot and the sound design is a nice compliment.

it is subtitled. so for those of you who don't like to read, maybe this is not for you.

oh, and i have a thing for asians. i don't know what kind of thing yet, but it's something. (and latinas... and redheads... and ummmm, ok, i love everyone.)

Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Plot kinda bleh, good action, pretty funny, very mindless.

Angelina looks AMAZING in this one though, so 9/10

The Cooler with Bill Macy and Alec Baldwin......a most excellent Vegas movie.

Some very real identifiable parts in it for me.

Team America: World Police- This movie was full of very mindless stupid humor, but who could honestly go without these types of movies?! Not me! Its a good movie to just sit back, turn your brain off, and laugh! And its the funniest thing to watch those puppets try to do the simplest things like walk! The music is also pretty funny, "America, Fuck Yeah!" Overall I would give it 7/10

I just rented Rushmore. It was pretty good...crazy as hell, with some really funny bits in it. 7/10

Batman Begins = 12 / 10

Most awesomest most bestest batman movie evar!

Batman Begins *** (out of ****):

The performances were all spot on, and we have the first convincing Batman in history. Gotham City looked right, the villain didn't control the piece, the story was interesting and plausible, and seamlessly integrated elements of Year One, The Long Halloween, and Blind Justice, and did it well. It's by far the best live action Batman ever.

However, it still falls short of the animated series, and is far from perfect. The big twist at the 2/3 mark is telegraphed ten minutes into the movie, and Christopher Nolan, skilled though he is at all of the other elements of directing, cannot direct a fight to save his life. Dang it man, you've got Christian Bale, who knows how to stage a fight scene, use him and get rid of the badly cut fights in which it's impossible to tell who's doing what. Here's a hint: Rent several of Jet Li's movies, and watch those. Notice how the fight scenes show the whole body, and show exactly who is hitting or kicking whom, and where, and how one move flows into the next? The MTV style of close-up shots cut every half second make for a terrible, confusing, difficult to understand fight scene. I could have been the one in the suit in those scenes and nobody would have noticed any difference.

Last of the Mohicans 10/10

For those of you that have seen my previous posts, I'm a tough rater and don't think I've ever given a movie a 10 before, even if it's a favorite. I use to watch this when I was younger and hadn't seen it in a long time. I came across it at WalMart and bought it immediately. It's just as powerful as I remember it and the story finally makes sence now that I'm not twelve years old anymore :) I consider it to basically be a perfect film as far as my preferences go.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Four and a half stars of five.

In 90% of the movie, Angelina did nothing for me. In the other 10% she was holding her body just the right way, or wearing just the right thing to make my vision go fuzzy.

And uh.. if you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about when I say that that would be the -best sex ever-.

And uh, oh. The movie existed somewhere in there too. The plot was passable for an action flick containing two of the hottest people around, and there was some arbitrary coolness (and hotness) sprinkled without.

Batman Begins. 15/10
They FINNALY got Batman movie right. I've heard a lot of poeple say they wish they would have done the fights sceans, but as it waspointed out to me, that made it feel MORE like a Frank Miller comic book. Think about it. how often do you see him in a full out fight in the comics? Not much. This film was meant to give the impression of Batman. And boy does it ever. Bale nailed the roll dead on. Great cast, great acting, great story.

I disagree.

First, the movie was based chiefly on Year One, drawn by Dave Mazuchelli, with elements borrowed from The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, (early days stories written by Jeoph Loeb) which were drawn by Tim Sale. I got out my Year One hardback (great book, very reasonable price) and checked the fight scenes, and they show pretty clearly what's going on, especially given that it's a comic with only still images.

Frank Miller did draw The Dark Knight Returns, and once again, it's pretty much the opposite of the rapid cutting that obscures the action. He revels in setting up the seminal moments of a fight. Look at the climactic fight between Batman and the leader of the gang; it's a series of clearly drawn moments. Even better, look at the movie Sin City, and at the fight scenes there. They're set up as a series of connected moments, cut together, true, but in such a way that it's pretty clear what's going on in the fight.

The fights in Batman Begins looked more like an early 90's MTV video--so many cuts made so rapidly that it's practically nasea inducing.

Maybe its a perception thing. Those of us who hold up Jet Li's Hong Kong action movies--clear linear presentation--as a basis for comparison are going to find the fights lacking. Those who are more used to MTV style music video cutting--a montage style of presentation--won't even notice that you can't tell what's going on in the fights because it's more familiar.

Me, I want to understand who's hitting whom and when and how, which is something you get in comics when they're well done. Look at the best martial arts books, Shang Chi, Way of the Rat, Batgirl, The Karate Kid*, and you'll see clearly presented confrontations. Montage doesn't really reflect the comic effect.

*Yes that was a joke. The Karate Kid is easily the worst martial arts comic in history.

That is is to understand. It's Batman hitting the bad guys a whole lot. :) I myself was kind of iffy about the fights at first, but what can I say, it grew on me. Mostly though, I think that it's just everything else about the movie so damn kick ass, I'm willing to over look it.

And the Karate Kid was horrible. Read two pages of it once, and have tried to foget it ever happened.

starwars iii
definately the best out of all the new star wars movies, its a shame the first two were not in the same league as this one.
8/10
ill actually watch this one again unlike the other 2.

Kung Fu Hustle 8.5/10
Kick-ass movie in every way, I'll probably buy the DVD.

daredevil - turned it off about 40 mins in, i couldn't stand it.

You made the 40 minute mark?

The Barbarian Invasions - rather brilliant.

Fat Albert.........bunch of kids here for the night. Great for them a nap for me.

ya, i don't know how. my roommate said it was a fabulous flick so i just knew it was going to get better, stupid me!

Alone in the Dark - 1/10

Wow, this has to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I was SOOOOOO let down by this horrible piece of trash. The acting was just terrible, the action sequences were brutal (with special mention to the one in Slater's house which is one of the worst action scenes in any movie I have ever seen). The only reason I even gave this a 1 instead of a 0 is the good design for the monsters. At any rate, avoid this movie at all costs...

Chungking Express - 7/10

Generally, I like Wong Kar Wai's films. I really liked In the Mood for Love a lot. It's one of the best films I have seen in recent memory. Happy Family was alright as well, but Chungking Express was disorganized. It seemed like an undergraduate research paper written the night before it was due. Two different, mostly unrelated stories. I did like the second story. If it was the whole movie, that would have been fine with me. The worst part of the viewing experience was Tarantino's introduction on the DVD. I like his films, but what an ass!!

War of the Worlds:

-Entertainment value: 9/10

-Storyline, presentation, etc: 7/10


Be sure to see this movie in theaters because it's amazing on the sences visually and even more sonically. It's a typical Spielberg movie in a good way, along the lines with Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan. Give or take a plot line that you're either into or not, I personally was able to enjoy it plentifully as I was able to put my numerous plot questions on the back burner and experience the warfare and emotion to the full extent. :thumbsup:

Just got the home theater back, so it was DVD time:



The Final Cut *** out of ****:

Robin Williams, in a another compelling but understated performance, plays Hakman, a "cutter", a man whose profession is to produce a movie of a person's life, taken from that person's lifetime of memories. Well not memories exactly, which is one of the movie's themes. About one person in 20 is given a Zoe implant, a device that is grafted onto the brain sometime in the womb, and which records all of a persons visual and auditory inputs. When the person dies, a cutter reviews all of the information that has been recored, every second of the person's life, and cuts it into a movie to be shown at a remembrance, and kind of funeral service.

An officer of the corporation who makes the Zoe implants has died, and the family wants Hakman to cut his movie. Hakman is well known as the best in the business, and always manages to produce a film that is satisfactory to the family, which is to say, everyone looks like a saint. Hakman is haunted by memories of a childhood event in which a friend may have been killed due to his negligence, and this drives his desire to symolically right other people's wrongs by cutting the sin from their lives.

Williams is always at his best when he's reined in, and his performance his is once again top notch, reminiscent of Awakenings.

The Jacket ** out of ****

Adrien Brody is an American soldier killed in the first gulf war. Or at least, he should have been, having been shot in the head at close range. He somehow manages to survive, but with retrograde amnesia, which sometime interferes with his ability to make memories. One day in 1992, while walking along the highway, he encounters a drunken woman and her little girl, and gives them some help. He makes the mistake of taking a ride from the wrong driver, and suddenly finds himself on trial for the murder of a policeman and then in an insane asylum.

Kris Kristofferson is the head psychiatrist who pumps him full of drugs, straps him in a full body straight jacket, and puts him in a morgue drawer for hours at a time, for no discernible purpose. Brody finds himself transported into the future, where he encounters a young woman with a troubled past, and tries to help her.

The machinations of what happens and why don't really make much sense, though they're certainly intersting as they're occurring. When it's over, however, I got a distinct sense of, "That's it?" Good performances, but too many holes to be convincing or compelling.

batman begins: top movie.. i want a sequel of the same quality. 90%
i LOVED the scene when the scarecrow is druged and he's seeing EVIL batman.

3 on ESPN. Pretty decent movie for a made for TV one. 7/10

"The Machinist," awsome movie.
4 Stars

Saw "War of the Worlds" last night. Overall I would rate it an 8.5/10. The cinematography was phenomenal. Daktoa Fanning was grating because of her character's screaming. Tom Cruise didn't do too much to add or detract from the film. While it did deviate from the original story written so long ago, the screenwriters didn't try to screw it over. It was interesting to see film about bad aliens from the perspective on one man.

went and watched war of the worlds also... 6/10 for me. just wasnt what i was expecting. they should have redone the ending it just didnt work imho.

I just saw Dark Water....I'm not much into horror flicks, but there was nothing else worth seeing (pathetic!!), and since it got decent reviews, we went. As far as horror flicks go, it was pretty good. Jennifer Connelly did a good job, and John C. Reilly was a great putz. No cliche bad guys jumping out at you, or stupid girl in danger who keeps on going to her death....etc. But, since it really wasn't my kind of flick, I'm giving it 2.5/5.

I just watched Hildago.

Yeah, it's a little campy and certainly predictable, but you just can't help rooting for Viggo and that horse of his.

Good stuff. Certainly better than 85% of the other movies to rent out there right now.

I'll give a 3.5/5

Batman Begins -- hella good.........4.890989897657786/5

War of the World 8.5/10

Not a big movie watcher but the ads for this one had me pacing like a crack addict to see it. The movie was good itself, the effects were awesome, but the constant screaming of the little girl and the effing repeat repeat repeated attempts of the boy to join the cause was a bit much. I would have left him long ago for putting them at risk so often. The ending sucked as noted before.

fantastic four 8.7/10
high tension 7
rebound 8
(we were bored! :) )

living in dvd/video land...

hotel rwanda: i don't know...i glad teh film was made and the narrative was interesting--but the movie music they used everywhere because they wanted to make it a "mass market" film was intrusive and horrific. the dvd as a whole is interesting--the documentaries featuring the actual paul are good, and the footage of his visit to a memorial to victims of the genocide really pretty horrifying.

east side story: a compilation of east german/soviet musical comedy films. how could you not want to watch this?
i when you do, i suspect that you will also want to find every last one of the east german films--they are too cool.

realm of the unreal: henry darger is fascinating. even this kind of crappy documentary with unnecessary animation of darger's stuff does not wreck anything about how cool his work is. fortunately there is alot of it in the film...though it kinda sucks to notice that his landlady now owns the rights to his lifetime of work. an argument for some kind of public trust, she is. o yeah--watch it a second time with the sound off. much better with substitute sound.

War of the Worlds - I had a few problems with it. The ending was just silly I thought, but I was kept on the edge of my seat through most of it and the relationship between Tom Cruise and his kids kept me interested. 4/5

Cinderella Man - I thought this movie was almost perfect. My only problem was how they portrade the man Russell Crowe fights at the end of the movie. I hate when sports films give the other team or other opponent an asshole personality. It's so cliche. 5/5

Mr. and Mrs. Smith - A surprisingly good movie. It was very funny and I had a very good time watching it. It was one of the best comedies I've seen in a long while. 4.5/5

Batman Begins - OMG! A Batman movie that's actually good! Zoinks! 4/5

I just got back from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was..well...sweet. (ya, ya, I know that's a bad pun) I'd read that Johnny Depp's mannerisms in the movie were a little over the top, but I thought it was funny. The only detraction was the Oompa Loompa's songs...they were just too cheesy for me. I'd say 4/5

War of the Worlds was good until the end, even though the end was just as the book was. 6/10
The Jacket was excellent (on DVD). It's a psychological/science fiction thriller. I really liked it. 7/10

Charlie and the chocolate factory- Awsome
Luther the Geek- Troma horror movie about a killer who likes to bite the head of chickens and dink their blood.(I know)

Lord of The Rings - ROTK Extended WOW 9.9/10

the extra scences really helped the storyline and filled in some blanks. great movie.

High Fidelity - An interesting film starring John Cusack, Jack Black, and a couple other inconsequencials, including Catherine Jones, better known as Catherine Zeta-Jones, in what might have been an upstart role, but I don't know. The best part of this film is the brilliant script which was well acted by Cusack, but might well have been acted as well by a lesser actor, Stephen Baldwin perhaps or maybe that other guy from 'Threesome'. Not to take anything away from Cusack; clearly the man is adept at his craft. What I'm merely saying is that I believe this script is so well written that it can more than compensate for someone whos acting chops may not be Brando-esque. My favourable criticism of this movie is due in part to the movie being about music, something I'm rather passionate about. It is also about heartbreak, and 'not getting the girl', which I can also relate to. All in all I thought this movie was 'good' but not 'great'. The script was really good, but the rest of the movie didn't pull me in the same way. I give it a 6.8/10

XXX - state of the union

just got thru watching it and all i can say is ... wtf where they thinking? the first one was tolerable so i thought the 2nd would be better... negative. 4 of 10 for me mainly because of the terrible acting.

I just watched The Wedding Crashers. It was actually pretty damn funny, although it got a little drawn out at the end. 7/10

Last Days was interesting. Put into perspective, Sant does a great job of showing the pathetic last days of someone physically/psychologically numb from years of drug abuse. Nothing glamorous about it, just the lonely existence in exile followed by the sudden yet inevitable death.

Of course, i didn't know any of this going in, so I kind of just sat there waiting for something to happen. And nothing did. No dramatic climax, no fantastic hallucination inspired breakdown, just the gradual degradation of Blake's character. It makes sense now, but it was really annoying upon first viewing. My biggest complaint is that too much time was wasted on the supporting cast, who really don't add anything to the film. It's not romantic, not dramatic, not a tear-jerker by any means.

So rather than making some extravagant Rock-u-mentary, Sant puts out an honest depiction of death. A man's pathetic last days, trying to keep himself occupied before he gets snuffed out. I just wished there was some tension to keep me interested. 7/10

The Island: won't go into details just this:

Great movie, special effects were somewhat generic, the actor who played Flox in Enterprise was hilarious as the comic relief.

Overall a great movie...... think of it as Logan's Run meets the Matrix meets Soyent Green

charlie and the Chocolate factory.. was a whimsical joyride. Johnny depp once again playing a role so vastly different from any other in his past. charlie was well cast, and Mike TeeVee reminded greatly of a 12 year old Barry Pepper.. which was weird.

7 oot of 10.. maybe even an 8

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory....

I read the book not so long ago. I loved the first movie as a kid; but after reading the book I was shocked how much the book blew the old movie away. So, when I found out about this new movie and it was going to follow the book more closely, I was very happy.

Tim Burton lived up to the task and much more. The casting was great, the acting was great, and the musical parts that are in the film.... two big thumbs up. Deep Roy was great as all of the Umpa Loompa's.

Danny Elfman has done it again with another wonderful score. His music only added to the film.

The only thing I was weary about, was the subplot of Wonka's father; but in the end it really added to the movie. The movie seemed shorter than it was; but I take that as a sign of a good movie.

I was so entertained; that time flew by. That hasn't happened since the last good movie that I got to see called Batman: Begins.

My rating: Five Everlasting Gobstoppers ( out of five )

I just saw Ray for the first time; it was awesome. I now know why Jamie Foxx won the Oscar; he WAS Ray Charles in the film. I don't know how true to life it was, but it had me in tears a couple of times, which actually doesn't happen too much with me. Loved, loved, loved it. 10/10

The Island: 6.5/10

Of how much I hate Scarlet Johanssen and of how many Matrix-y stories have been made, I thought the trailers looked well directed and I always love an Ewan McGregor flick. All in all I was entertained. It had a few ups and downs, but if you see it, keep in mind that it's rather legnthy. There were a few times that I started scrutinizing it because I thought it was going to end early but it successfully got out all it seemingly had to say. The plot was decent, the acting and script was both good and hideous at times, the action scenes were awesome, and the direction and cinematography were pretty nice. Remove the unnecessary humor and use a few less cheesy lines and it could have been a really well rounded movie, whether it's an original idea or not.



Mild/hot spoiler warning:

The only thing that bugged the F out of me was all the obvious but supposed-to-be-subliminal anti-stem cell idealism.

mission impossible 1, ill give it an 8 good action , some parts confusing. over all good movie and soon to see MI2

Pretty old, but i just watched Alive for the first time. You know the canibal rugby team who's plane crashed in the Andes. Anyway, i read the book a while ago and it was a 9/10. The movie was good, but a let down from the book. I would definitely reccommend it though. 7/10 for the movie. Hard to rate a movie after reading the book first, except for maybe lord of the rings which is 10's all around.

8/10 <it was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which I enjoyed rather a lot - along with all the other children in the theater>

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)

A French film from 2001. It's about an exceptional musician/instructor who does not know how to love. She has dedicated her life to her music, and now begins to feel the emptiness caused by what she's missed. She makes some VERY strange choices. It has some cringe-worthy "Irreversible"-type moments in it, but it will certainly stimulate discussion afterward.

The star of the movie has a short interview in the special features. Her description of her role makes it almost seem like she's talking about the wrong movie.

7/10

Another French film, 'La Haine' (hatred).
A portrayal of the tension between those living in the Parisian suburbs and the police.
It's a shocker. Full of insight, objective - somehow it stops just short of taking sides. Superbly acted, hard-hitting; real, real, real.
Highly recommended.

just watched mission impossible 2 and i would rate it a 8.5/10

Watched White Noise with Micheal Keaton, and it had a few creepy touches but didn't make a huge impact. It tried to be somewhat Hitchcock like except it felt like it sort of fell apart at the end. ...Though the premise had some interesting spooky points to make and "supposedly" the phenomenon does occur more than people wish to admit. 7/10. (but then I've always liked Keaton).

You decide. - Me, I like the weird and paranormal.

slc punk - actually entertaining, but i like matthew lilliard. it had it's weird, trippy moments but i'd recommend to people that like lilliard.

sleepaway camp 2 -- cheezy wanna be horror flick, but some nice boobies!

Clerks - first time I have seen it. Great flick.

So I am a little behind.........

Stealth......
Save your money and your time, and don't waste it on this garbage. The audience was laughing at the special effects.....

mystery, alaska - damn good hockey movie

The Upside of Anger - Starring Kevin (Please Stop Making Movies) Costner and Joan (MILF) Allen plus four young women who are trying to break into the Hollywood scene (Christensen, Russell, E.R. Wood and some other chick) but will have to work a lot harder after this movie to prove themselves again.
This movie was a piece of shit. A detestable, pointless, aimless script with far too few moments of humour to be called comedic, far too few moments of drama to be called drama, but plenty of moments of pure shit, so I call this movie a shitty movie. Allen has to drink a lot in this movie, and act drunk which she does poorly. She yells a lot and Costner drinks a lot and swears and tries to tap Allen, which he does get to eventually. The girls try to grow up in their disfunctional family, seemingly untouched by the absence of their father, seemingly happier with the Coster-dad than their real one.
It would be pointless to try to make sense of this film, so I will not. I will not further berate this film because I think what I have written will suffice. It sucked, I hated it. Kevin Costner is a terrible actor. (rating -10/10

der boot-12/10
one of the best movies made about ww2 german submariners
it also got a 8.5 on imdb

Garden State - I was expecting a chick flick, but instead it was a really funny movie. One of those comedy/drama/romance movies. Very little in the way of the typical romance moments until pretty much the very end of the movie. Up until then there was just so many moments that were hilarious. I was VERY surprised by this movie, 9 / 10.

I saw two movies this weekend.

The first was Finding Neverland, starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslett. At the time when I watched it I liked it, but since then I have begun falling out of love with it. At the time of watching I was in the mood for a slow paced character driven drama, which this was. I thought both Depp and Winslett did okay jobs, not great. I didn't really get to feel too much sympathy for either character, or to be honest the young boy who plays Peter. I didn't get swept up in the "anything is possible if you just believe" message, so I guess the movie didn't work on me. I had wanted to see this film because it received Oscar nods. I was a good film, but not great. 6/10

The second film I saw was a neat little film called Dear Frankie. It was about a deaf boy who writes letters to his dad. The mother has been writing her son back pretending to be the dad, who in actual fact she had been running away from for years. When Frankie decides he wants to meet his dad, the mom puts an add in the paper for some guy to come along and pretend to be the dad. This all happens and the make believe dad starts to fall in love with Frankie and the mom. Towards the movies end we find out that Frankie's dad is alive but dying of cancer. The mom has to make a decision whether or not to tell Frankie that his real dad is alive and wants to see him. In the end Frankie and his mom learn a lesson in acceptance of their lives and each other. I thought it was a pretty good movie. I liked the acting, I loved the Scottish scenery and accents, and was pleased with the overall presentation. I wished they'd done a little more background on the new dad character, but I realize they wanted him to appear out of nowhere and to not have a history. I'd give Dear Frankie an 7.5/10

Wicker Park - 6/10


The convoluted story was attempting to be artsy by jumping back and forth in time and perspective, but there was no solid connector to even keep you in the loop, in my opinion. I kind of kept watching just because I was too lazy to get up and hit STOP on my DVD player.

Skeleton Key **/5

It wasnt horrible and I could actually see my self liking it if I was say 10 years younger (IE in my mid-teens) but it was on the whole pretty boring and predictable.

Remember The Titans on ABC Network TV last night.

I hadn't intended to watch it again--I saw it a few years ago--but I made the mistake of seeing the first few minutes and three hours later, I was finishing it.

I give it 4.5 on a 5 scale.

Hubby and I saw The 40 Year Old Virgin today. It was funny as hell, although a bit drawn out and the ending was dumb. There were a few parts that had me laughing minutes after the scene though. Pretty good comedy. 3.5/5

the notebook with ryan gosling and rachel mcadams.. dam good movie.. i was crying and yea.. lol i would rate it a 10/10!!!!!

The last movie I saw was "Dukes of Hazzard".

I grew up watching the series, and knew the movie would be somewhat corny. It was, but I also thought it was very fun, and well done for a series remake. :) It's not going to garner attention from the Academy, but someone looking for a lighthearted way to spend the evening is well served by checking it out. Especially if they have a taste for Jessica Simpson, or old muscle. :cool:

Repulsion - Roman Polanski.

Holy shit, this movie is scary as hell.

The 40 year old virgin one of the funniest movies ive seen in years. i have to give it 9.5 out of 10. Have to check this one out

The Aristocrats was hilarious, especially to see people squirm in their seats. Gilbert Gottfried, Bob Saget and Cartman's version are my faves.

Hard to rate documentaries, but 4 out of 5 for some good laughs.

The last one I saw was City of God, about a kid (who wants to be a photographer) growing up among hoods in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Subtitled; pretty good, and that takes you by surprise. 4/5 stars

I've been asking friends for recommendations of lesser-known movies. In the last few weeks I've seen:

All The Real Girls 3.5/5 stars
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 5/5 stars (I know, not so lesser-known, but I hadn't seen it yet)
Fast Cheap and Out of Control 3/5 stars
Seven Samurai 5/5 stars Make sure youi give yourself 4 hours to watch it

All were pretty good. Tonight I'll watch The Professional, annother recommendation.

red eye:
pretty decent thriller with a good story. i wish they woulda talked more about the "target" a bit more but over all, 75%

Sin City:
once again, a 95% for me... i love that movie!

Family Guy movie
for a strait to DVD movie, it's quite good. it felt like a very long very funny 3part episode. i wish they didnt make it so long for the intro and outro...
Overall stewie story is REALLY good! all the family guy stuff should be this good.

It's quite true to life - Ray Charles helped make the film before he died and was able to "see" the final product and approved of it.

Recent movies I've seen:

Baise Moi: 7/10
The film itself isn't that compelling, but it's a fun watch. It's a French movie about two women from lower class France who, after having terrible things happen around them, go on a spree of sex and violence. (Note: the stars are French porn stars and, while the movie is not porn, it has hardcore sex) As one reviewer called it: Thelma and Louise on crack.

Family Guy movie: 8/10

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: 7/10
Funny movie, but not as good as I expected from Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, and Willem Dafoe

The Machinist: 9/10
Excellent movie. Christian Bale looks absolutely haunting at 120 pounds. Quite a lot of symbolism.

I just watched 35 Up last night...I'd give it a 7/10, but the whole series is most definitely a 10/10 when viewed as a single concept. Its a great documentary unlike any other documentary. Check it out. Search for Michael Apted.

Watched another movie tonight:

Akira Kurosawa's Ran: 9/10
Excellent adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear to feudal Japan. (Note: film is in Japanese)

The Zebra Lounge. Not my cup o' tea. It began as slightly amusing, if demented. It ended in full-out dementia and left me feeling more paranoid and neurotic than I am used to. If you enjoy suspense movies with the emotional equivalent of sour milk, I recommend this movie for you.

Donnie Darko - 7/10, good, spooky in places. Tries to hard to be cult.
The Royal Tennebaums - 9/10, loved it, great humor. Want to watch The Life Aquatic now.
Going to watch Sideways tonight, heard it is *great*.

40 Year Old Virgin: 8/10. With crude and blantant sexual banter, but at the same time not crossing the line of being sophomoric or trite. Steve Carrell Does a damn good job in the title role. The only minus was that it felt there were a few parts in the middle that seemed to be unecessary and detracted away abit from the story at hand. Plus, I would have liked to see Seth Rogen's character developed in more detail, as Jay and David was.

2nd best movie I've seen so far this year at the sub-par movie theater [ < work there ] [1st is Crash]

Network: 9/10 - Despite its 1976 release, this movie is prophetic of the times of television - when this movie was created, 24/7 news networks didn't even exist, nor did reality TV. Diana's call for 'reality TV' isn't far off from what will hit the airwaves in the recent future.....
A very pleasant surprise. Felt the love affair/side plot took up a bit too much of the movie, although the subplot's message was finally delivered near the end.

*next movies on the queue from the public library: <I> American history X </i> and <i> startup.com </i>

catcha back on the flipside,
will.

Man On Fire
 

Most recently watched "Man On Fire" with Denzel Washington....
Great flick!!!! Give it a well deserved thumbs up! :thumbsup:

Sin City
Usually I like sexy action movies, anti-heroes, film noir, and comics on the big screen. I hated Sin City. It lingered hungrily over the torture of innocents. Almost as bad: good people did cruel things that destroyed themselves and those they loved out of stupidity. It wasn't the worst movie I have ever seen, but I wouldn't watch it again (in spite of the briefly seen, magnificently hot chicks).

4/10


Shaun of the Dead
It would be hard to make a better dark comedy. If you want to laugh at a zombie movie, this one will have you rolling on the floor. This is doubly true if you appreciate British humor or making fun of the British, both of which are present. It was romantic, full of action, and had great characters. It made me laugh and rejoice at human nature, by turns. I highly recommend it.
9/10

A Mighty Wind for not the first time, because I really enjoy this movie. I saw "Best In Show" before I saw Spinal Tap, so it was my first introduction to the mockumentary, and I loved it. So I knew when Might Wind came out that it was going to be good. Admittedly, it has a few dull spots (the Mickey and Mitch plotline has just enough humour, even though Levy's character almost exaspirates, and some of the other minor characters parts are a little lacking) but the rest of the characters performances make up for it in my opinion. I loved Fred Willards character as the radio DJ "WHA HAPPENED?" and the rest of the bands and their backstories. I love the genius of this film. These actors are true geniuses and experts at their craft. This movie is very funny, and I know I'll pick it up again in a year or so to buy it again.

"There's a mighty wind a-blowing, across land and across the sea /
It's blowing peace and freedom, it's blowing you and me!"

8.5/10

Sin City..1/10 this movie totally blew ass IMO. Best part for me was seeing the parole officer naked..She has nice tits.

Yes! watch it if you can find it. I love the way this is filmed. It's sort of like the french "Boyz n da hood"...only different. It displays the problem of the ghettoes differently.

Color of Night * (out of ****)

Terrible script. Horrendous overacting. Every character is a stereotype. One of the characters gives away a secret crucial to the resolution in the first ten minutes of the movie, then everyone acts as if they don't know the secret. A ten minute soft core porn scene. A resolution that depends upon so fundamental a lack of understanding of basic psychology that it appears to have been written by a misinformed 10 year old.

Scott Bakula isn't a bad actor by any means. However, when his performance is the best, most understated in a movie, you know it's it trouble.

Gilda

I loved this movie - one of a kind. And yes, WICKED scary.
Polanksi has made some nasty little movies. I'm a big fan.

---

Underworld - 8.5/10

Solid, entertaining movie. Lots of style, lots of action. Fine acting by all. Cool, sophisticated Vampire clan forced into war with their nemesis, the savage and ferocious Werewolves. Kate Beckinsale stars as an enforcer vampire who discovers something sinsister going on between the two warring sides. Great special effects, too. Huge, gothic landscapes. The fight between the Vampire Ancient and the mutant Werewolf was awesome. Thought this was going to be pure schlock. Not at all - a pleasant surprise.


Constantine - 8/10

Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, Netherworld Detective. Filmed, stylized and photographed in the Matrix fashion, which, to me, is a good thing. Much of the movie is filmed in an odd, yellowish cast that works well to give a larger-than-life appearance. Special effects over the top at times (as in the Matrix), but effective, entertaining, and some scenes just took my breath away, especially the scenes in Hell. A few years ago, I re-adjusted myself to appreciating Reeves not as a great actor, but as a very effective one. He does whats needed to carry the movie and nothing more. He fits in perfectly with his movies. I've grown to enjoy his acting of late (where he was unwatchable in the past), and I really enjoyed Constantine.

I totally agree...I always hear people making fun of Keanu Reeves' acting... I think it always fits the character he plays...
Nobody needed an overly dramatic demon fighter in Constantine, the role of the cold, always serious guy is acted out perfectly. Really cool movie.

Word Wars

A documentary about Scrabble tournaments. What seems like a possibly dull film is well-done with a lot of personality. The film tracks 4 people as they vie for the title of Scrabble Champion.

What gets me is how these people are able to see anagrams and 7 letter words at the drop of a hat.

Believe it or not, there is tension and suspense - albeit minor - in this film. Not the greatest film ever made, but definitely worth watching.

4/5

Napoleon Dynamite - 8/10

Possibly the best film to come out of Sundance since El Mariachi, Napoleon Dynamtie chronicles the misadventures of an archetypal high school loser and his pals Pedro and Deb. Also known for having spawned the now ubiquitous 'Vote For Pedro' tshirts and several quotes, a very entertaining film all around. The humour, unfortunately, seems to be lost on a lot of people.

The Bourne Identity - 7.5/10

A gripping thriller that I'd been meaning to see since it's debut. The Bourne Identity sets up it's intrigue very early on, featuring a Matt Damon who seems to know the spy game in and out but is hindered by not knowing who he is. Although a bit predictable (I'd picked up on the 'twist' about 10 minutes into the film) it liberally mixes espionage and intense action to great effect. It also includes a car chase involving driving a Mini through narrow European streets, which seems quite close to The Italian Job, despite being several years older. Perhaps a nod to the original before the remake? All in all a great film, although it doesn't think as much as they hype would have you believe.

Get Shorty - 9.5/10

After seeing this film I seem unable to pass an Oldsmobile Silhouette without blurting out "the Cadillac of minivans". Last night was my fourth viewing of this quirky comedy in which John Travolta is perfectly cast as Chili Palmer, a mobster who just wants to make movies. The whole thing plays out a bit like a Guy Ritchie film, interweaving several simultaneous plotlines and a host of characters with conflicting motives to great effect. Don't put this one on in the background, even paying full attention it took me more than one viewing to grasp the whole plot.

The Brothers Grimm. I should have stayed home and cleaned out my closets. Definitely the worst movie I've seen this year. I'm trying to think of something ...decent to say about it, but I don't want to waste any more braincells on it. Stupid plot, bad acting, absolutely nothing going for it. I even considered walking out (which I've only done one time), but hubby seemed slightly engrossed, so I endured. 0/5 stars.

Shawn of the Dead... saw it again and it rocked again....

National Treasure... it was OK but nothing to get excited about. Nick Cage was sorely miscast.