I watched The Messengers last night on DVD. I love the Pang Brothers, The Eye1&2 are both great and completely different from each other. I suggest watching the originals before the Jessica alba remake comes out in October.

I had my reservations about watching the movie, I remember the Grudge 1&2 remakes and the Ring2.. American films with the original Asian directors didn't go so well. I enjoyed the movie though. It had a few creepy parts and it didn't take long for some really creepy stuff started to happen. The setting was bland, cellphones of course don't work, there's not another house for 116.8 miles, there's a crazy daughter than no one believes, a crazy dude you don't know if you should trust or not.. ya know all that stuff... I liked it though. Maybe I liked it because I wasn't expecting much, but honestly I don't care why I liked it, I just did :)

Jesus Camp 6/10

Fairly well-made documentary, but, even as an agnostic liberal, I think the links drawn between these lunatics and the Bush administration were pretty weak.

Like watching 90 minutes of psychological child abuse at the hands of other, larger (sometimes much larger) and sadly misguided children. It just left me feeling sad, not angry.

Of course, I predict that by the age of 15 most of these kids will either be totally disenchanted with this crap (at best) or drug addicts who fuck everything that moves (at worst).

Started watching Fur last night and I think I'm really, really going to like this one...review forthcoming.

Grandma's Boy 9/10

Simply one of the funniest movies I have ever seen.

Shrek 3 - 7.5/10
Like all of the Shrek movies, they are really cute and very well written. While nothing made me roll on the floor, I definitely did have a few good chuckles. I left the theater with a smile on my face, wanting to see what their next installment of the series brings.

Fur 8/10

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It struck a definite chord in my psyche. Nicole Kidman is thoroughly charming. Robery Downey, Jr. is sweet, if a little wide-eyed, which is understandable...considering...if you see it you'll know what I mean.

This is a fictional and kind of fantastic take on the artistic metamorphosis of Diane Arbus, so don't expect a biopic. It's a unique concept and very well performed and envisaged. It's not a perfect film, but how many films are perfect? Especially when they're reaching for something fairly inscrutable. Sometimes you just relate to them personally for one reason or another.

I recommend this one.

Ocean's Thirteen - 5/10
It was entertaining. I wanted to stare at the screen for 2 hours, be interested in what is going on, and be satisfied with a tricky finale. Well, I got 2 out of 3. The thing about the first two movies was that despite all of the planning, you never knew what was going to happen and you sat there trying to figure out until it actually happened. This movie does not stand on ceremony - it explains everything first and then you see it go down. Only a couple gags are dropped on you as "Ohhhh" moments and nearly all of the humor is useless without intimately knowing the first 2 movies.

As I sit here thinking about the movie (a movie I saw with the specific intent NOT to think about) I begin to realize how simple-minded it really was. Like a joke you laugh at and then a few seconds later realize it was about you. "Hey!"

Ocean's 13 - 5/10
Totally agree with the rating and review from Halx. It was too straight forward for me. I even liked the 2nd movie when a lot of others did not, just b/c of the twists and when they revealed what REALLY happens at the end, I had to even watch it a few times to understand everything and get the timeline right.

This movie is one you can wait to rent it or watch on cable tv (or even download it :) ).

The Good Shepherd - 8/10
Great spy movie with a strong cast. It's quite intricate compared to a lot of what we see today. Definitely worth watching.

Some stuff I've watched lately...

Factory Girl 2/10
Stupid and insipid. Only good for furthering my own controversial theory that the Andy Warhol scene was a shallow, crock of shit habitat for attention-starved guttersnipes. And I don't think much of his art, either. He was a fucking adman for chrissakes.

The Queen 7/10
Good, but ultimately forgettable. Eh...

Prairie Home Companion 8.5/10
I loved watching this film. I'm a huge PHC fan and I love Altman's style. Just a pure pleasure to watch.

and the big one....

All About Eve 10/10
I watched this film for about the 10th time last night. It's one of my all-time favorites. A brilliant character study starring Bette Davis (I can only aspire to be as cool as Bette Davis in this film - she is so fucking awesome!!), Anne Baxter, George Sanders (who makes my panties wet in the big, revelatory scene of this film :p), Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill and Hugh Marlowe. Don't want to reveal too much of the plot because it involves deception and the gradual unveiling of truth, but it is set among a group of friends in the NY theater scene (a writer and his wife and a director and his older, grand dame actress girlfriend) and the effect upon them and their relationships by a young ingenue who "stumbles" into their circle. The film is damn near flawless. Beautifully filmed in black and white. Written and directed with skill and acumen by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Some of the best onscreen banter ever. Sexual references that were probably a bit controversial for their day. And the young Marilyn Monroe has a bit part that is quite enjoyable. And a plus for me is how many times people say "the theatuh." :lol: I love that. I think this film was ahead of its time and that just about anyone would enjoy it...even if you don't like "old movies."

All About Eve is an excellent movie. I haven't watched it in ages, but I might just have to pick it up again. :lol:

3 movies this weekend.

Children of Men - I loved Pan's Labyrinth, so I picked this one up because it's directed by Alfonso Cuaron--a name often mentioned in tandem with Guillermo Del Toro these days. I was not disappointed. I'm usually not a big fan of Clive Owen, but this go round, he seems pretty damn solid, especially with the addition of Moore and Caine. The long shot sequences were brilliantly done and although, at times, he beats you senseless with the symbolism, such instances are few and far between. Just a great, great movie. 10/10

Curse of the Golden Flower - Boy, oh boy, where to start? This was a very pretty movie and the action sequences were top notch, as I expected. Unfortunately, even all that couldn't save this one. It just takes forever to start. How many hours can I be expected to sit and watch Chow Yun Fat stroke his goatee smugly while espousing the virtues of the great order of the Heavens? Just a very bland, boring movie--although I admit, the incest thing was kind of funny. The ending was horrible and even though I've been through it twice, I still have no idea what the point of the movie was...That is to say, the bad guy wins and although I can appreciate that philosophically, it's not something I look for in my movies, which are mostly about escapism. So, if you're looking for a pretty movie about China waaaay back when that will depress the shit out of you, then maybe this is right up your alley. 2/10

Bull Durham - Watched this with a group of friends. One of the best baseball movies....ever. Even with Kevin Costner as lead. 10/10

Just watched "Blood Diamond". Way more violent than I expected, but nicely filmed, moving and after a short while I realized Leonardo did okay with the S. Afrikan accent. It's an important little movie, esp. for those of us who like to purchase diamonds. Leo was much better than we thought he'd be in this, in fact. But in truth - Djimon steals the movie, however...he's such a fine actor!

I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Next - 10/10

This film was just put together so well I thought, so many cool moments. I just got suckered into the whole idea. I'd can't put down just exactly what makes it amazing, just his power. The way Cage walks in this film, haha.

88 Minutes - 6/10

Pretty general detective story-eqsue film. I thought the acting by everyone but Pacino was terrible, and even now Pacino looks a bit of a mess and him being much shorter than all the women in this film, made it sort of comical. The plot was imo a bit silly, but some ok bits of dialogue and a few good ideas. Not a total mess of a film but I just guess I expected better when I saw Pacino was going to be in it.

Black Snake Moan 4/10

I only got this film because my gf likes Justin Timberlake, haha shame's he's in the film for all of 10 minutes. Another film which is dragged along by one good actor imo, Jackson. The plot is a bit crazy, its just not really that cool, its supposed to be a sort of touching story I guess. I'm not into touching stories.

Eating Out 2 1/10

My gf likes gay movies, so since I watched the first one with her and it was a little funny, she got me to watch this one with her. Man this film sucks if you're a guy especially, but all the actors are terrible, and its not remotely funny. At least she thought it sucked as well, but she still gave it a 4/10 probably because guys were kissing in it.

Pan's Labyrinth - 8/10

This movie was not what I was expecting. It was WAY more graphic than I thought it would be. Excellent story, and told very well. Sad film though. Overall I enjoyed it.

I just watched Ghost Rider. It woulda been better if Sam Elliot kicked Cage's ass at the beginning of the movie and took over as the star of the movie. I'll give it a 5.5/10 just to be nice because Ghost Rider is a badass Mofo.

The Philidelphia Story - 7/10

My Netflix queue is full of old classics right now... there's a bunch of Hitchcock movies coming up that I'm looking forward to... but this was the first really old movie I've watched in a while. Starting out, it seemed kinda slow and boring, but then it picked up... by the end I couldn't believe they made such a movie back then, it was quite scandalous. haha

Knocked Up:
Absolutely awesome movie. It surprised me on many many levels. I wouldn't describe it as a "feel-good" movie, although at the end of it I had the most stupid, happy grin when I got out of the seat.
Go see it. Go. Now!

EDIT: Turns out my original post wasn't deleted after all.

Knocked up - 5/10

I went and saw this in the theatre with my girlfriend and another couple. I thought there were funny parts to it, but it wasn't anything great. A pothead takes a girl home and gets her pregnant after a night of drinking, then drama drama drama...

I wish I had saved my money for Die Hard 4, Transformers, 1408 coming in the next couple weeks...


Shrek 3 - 6 / 10

This was by far the worst of the 3 Shrek movies. The first two I laughed my ass off throughout half the movies. To me, it's almost like they made this one too serious, and left out a lot of stuff that made the first two movies great.

Next - 9/10

Not much to say about this movie, except for that it was fun to watch,.

Hostel 2 - 4/10

Save your money. What a pile of crap that was. The first one was much better, and that's not saying much.

spiderman 2. god how i hated this movie. i tried to like it, then by about 10 minutes in i tried to tolerate it thinking ooo lookit the shit blowing up, but then, but then...then one of the characters would talk. by about a quarter of the way through this interminable piece of shit, i was making lists of the show i had seen the actors in...that seventies show, wings...then i started thinking that this was kinda like the love boat except stuff blew up and people flew around and hit each other. then i fell asleep for a while.

when i woke up, the pattern started all over again, but without the try-to-like-it part. i started thinking about driving tacks into my hands and how donig that couldnt be worse than sitting in the theater while this film played. then there was a sequence in which spidey, i guess, stopped for a second in front of an american flag and at that point it was only the fact that i was with other people that kept me from leaving.

THEN this film refused to end. blah blah blah this has to be it but no. blah blah blah i forgive you that has to be it but no. blah blah blah....

excrable. worst than that. a hellishly stupid day and a half spent trapped in a theater.
i would rather drink paint.

the chum scrubber: there are movies that involve comic or their derivates in gaming characters that do not make you think that drinking alot of paint would be better than sitting through this. chum scrubber is one of them. it's a dark film. i wont try to explain it--that's what imdb is for---i'll just say that it is a smart, diverting film. and there was some attention actually paid to the writing.
the cast is quite good: lots of big names in it, which is a little surprising given that its called chum scrubber.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0406650/

i've seen a few others lately. of them, the best was "mysterious object at noon" which is great and i would recommend that you drop whatever you are doing and go now--just drop it---and go find the film.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0269587/

Wickerman.....0/10.. I cannot begin to communicate how much of a waste of time this movie was. It started out kinda interesting and began to slide downhill from there. Despite Cage's bad acting and poorly edited story line, I was still kinda into it untill the last 20 min. or so.. Then I became bitter... very bitter at the ending... still after 4 days I'm bitter about it.

Last kiss - 8/10 I really liked this movie even though it was a chick flick and I usually gravitate towards lord of the rings, star wars, spiderman, ect.. I watched it mainly because I thought i'd share and idenify with some similar experinces. And I did, and loved it. Not sure i'd watch it with a SO as it won't really leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling towards relationships. But its a true to life movie.

Debbie Does Dallas

Okay exposition, but the ending was predictable.

(Letterman style drum crash)

Bridge to Terabithia

I'm getting too old for these movies i think. The previews are very misleading... theres not that much cool parts in the movie. The story is simply a boy living with his family on a farm, makes a friend(girl) and has a little imaginary world(tree house in a forest behind his house).

Theres almost no special effects and most of the kids are super fucking annoying. Plus, it's full of morals about being polite and w/e. I hate those movies. I think kids under 10 would enjoy it because it is aimed at their level.

My overall rating is: 5/10 for adults. 7/10 for kids.



Hostel

I've finally decided to check out this movie. I got interested in seeing it when I saw a bit on TMN. Its interesting enough to keep you into it but don't expect a good story line. It's basically 3 guys backpacking through Europe. They meet someone who tells em about the beautiful girls of Slovakia. so they get to this hostel where theres hot girls everywhere. It gets interesting for them when 1 disappears and then another. We then realize that they're being killed off 1 by 1 by a butcher/killer. The story doesn't go much further in detail like Saw did.
So if you want to see a cheap horror movie, then check it out. But don't expect anything great. If you're a guy, you'll definitely enjoy all the girls! it's almost a porno for the 1st half.

My overall rating is: 6.5/10



The Last Kiss

Let me precise that this is not the usual chick flick even if it sounds like it.
1st of all, i just watched this because I didn't have anything to watch recently.

The story goes like this: This guy(Zach Braff) goes to his friend's wedding and there, he realizes that his life will be over once he has a baby(in less than 9months). So he starts hanging out with a young college girl without his pregnant gf knowing it.
In other words, this is about 30yr olds not dealing with commitment.

I really enjoyed the acting except for Rachel Bilson. she was a bit too fake for me. The filming was also pretty cool. I probably liked it more because I like Zach Braff. (from scrubs).

Finally, if you want to see a different kind of chickflick, that's not really positive, then I recommend this one for sure! I'll probably see this one again some day. If you get to watch this one and you like it, then I would recommend seeing "Horloge Biologique". It came out the year before and it's pretty much the same thing. It's a French movie so that's why I didn't review it. But you can expect the same thing mostly but with a funnier story.

My overall rating is: 7.5/10

Clerks 2: 9/10
This was such an enjoyable movie. It was funny, silly, and it has Rosario Dawson as the girl of your dreams.

Borat - 2/10

Mostly stupid, boring and definitely overrated. I gave it a score of two, which is one point for each of the two parts that were actually funny.

The Painted Veil - 7/10

I put off watching this for almost a week because I expected it to be rather slow and dull, but it was actually quite intriguing. It was worth seeing once, but I doubt I will feel inspired to watch it again... although it does have some rather beautiful scenery and music.

Night at the Museum - 4/10

I realize this is a children's movie, but that doesn't excuse it from being rather lame in the storytelling. There are plenty of children's movies that are clever enough to entertain both children and adults, but this is not one of them. The entire story seemed rushed and I suspect that they spent a LOT of time in the editing room cutting out a lot of scenes because none of the characters are very well developed and it honestly just seemed awkward.

Heh...I saw Borat a few days ago. All I can say is god bless Sacha Noam (!) Baron Cohen for overcoming an undoubtedly brutal childhood with that name. If only he would use his powers for good. Extremely retarded movie, I probably would have loved it in my 20s. Did they actually show his balls in the hotelroom scene? 4/10.

Jackie Brown (uncut) I could watch over and over and over. Kickass actors, kickass music, kickass dialogue, kickass movie. 8/10.

Just came back from Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

First, let me just say I was always more of a Spiderman or X-Men fan growing up. I never really did care about the F4.

That said, I definitely enjoyed the second movie a lot more than the first one. There was none of that "Ooh. We have powers. Look at our special powers. Aren't our powers really nifty? Let's spend another 90 minutes of the movie marveling at our magnificent powers" crap. It was just down to business, and all about the story telling.

Still, like I said, I was never really an F4 fan growing up, so this will probably bias my opinion in my rating. Still, it was a great movie and fun to watch.

8/10

Spoiler: Even though I said I was never really an F4 fan growing up, I did know a few things about the Silver Surfer story line. I was really disappointed at the end when you didn't get to see Galactus' face or form. I was curious how the producers would depict him in the movie. Turns out "ominous floating cloud" was the best they could come up with.

You, Me and Dupree 2/10

This film largely consists of Matt Dillon and Owen Wilson doing caricatures of roles they have played in other, better movies. Michael *edit* Douglas (not Michael Caine, lol) plays the most forgettable asshole ever and he looks like an iguana. The only saving grace is staring at whatshername, I can never remember her name - Goldie Hawn's daughter - staring at her prance around on the screen for she is truly adorable.

The Hitcher - 1.5/10

Terrible.

Catch a Fire - 6/10

Good concept, pretty moving, but I found myself not paying attention near the end.

ghost world

In this movie, I really didn't know what to expect. It's very basic but the characters are detailed enough. Its about 2 emo girls who graduate and then just hate everything and everyone. They pull pranks on people and bitch about life and everything that's not super obscure. Unless you're emo, odds are you'll hate this movie.
I couldn't like anyone in this because they were just so fucking annoying!!
The only thing I liked was the style of the movie. It looked like everything was from a different era. and steve buscemi played his character well.
So no, I Do not recommend this.

My overall rating is: 5/10


hard candy

I checked on rottentomatoes to see what the best movies of the years were and this one was in the users top 100 or something like that for 2006 or 2005.
And i don't know why.

It takes a while to understand where the story is going but once you see, its very boring. Spoiler: A teenage girl(14) goes on a date with a photograph(32) she met online. once they get to the guys place, she drugs him and then starts torturing him for apparently killing a girl that's been missing for a few days/weeks.

There's not really any good parts in the movie. Spoiler: The acting is just 2 people yelling at each other, the scene is just 1 house and the story drags on and on till the last 5min. I was starting to get extremely annoyed with both characters. Spoiler: the guy is supposed to be the bad guy but I kept wanting him to get free to kill the girl and the girl never does anything that makes me like her.

Even if you're a big fan of thrillers/horror/suspense movies, I really don't recommend this one. avoid it!

My overall rating is: 3/10

If you ever want to discuss my reviews or the movies I review, then leave a comment. I love talking about movies.
spoiler tags added by request. sorry if i ruined the movie for anyone!

thank god for you. I would have wasted money and time on this horrid movie just to see Galactus'. Glad you did that for me.

Watched Monster House last night. Very good movie. 7.5/10. Rated PG-13, but stuff in it even scared me a bit, but it's very funny and extremely well done.
Ghostrider we watched tonight. Some of the dialogue was a tad cheesy at the end, but a motorcycle of fire and Sam Elliott? 7/10

Major spoiler alert!
The Constant Gardener

I thought this movie was gonna be fucking awesome but after 10, 20, 30, 40, 50min it never picked up. It's a story thats not well explained and i don't feel like explaining all the flashback crap that goes on in the movie.
It's set in africa for the most part and the acting i guess is good but it's still not enough to keep me interested.
If you want to see a GOOD thriller with an african setting, check out Blood Diamonds, not this.

My overall rating is: 4.5/10


Primer

Another one of my weakness in movies: Time travel! I wasn't sure what to expect of this movie for the 1st 20ish minutes. Its a story of 4 friends who build technology in their garage but 2 team up to try and make something a bit more than what they were used to. I can't say much more about it without ruining the story.

But expect to have your brain ON when you watch it. this is not a stupid movie. It's best to watch it with someone so you can discuss it afterward.
Please make it through the 45min(somewhere there) mark or you'll miss the real start of the movie!
This is a definite REWATCH for me. it's just under 1hr20min so you could watch it twice in a row to catch all the details. If you have any interest in science, I highly recommend it. Just don't expect a dumb Hollywood movie.

My overall rating is: 9/10

edit: don't forget to check out my ratings to know how I rate my movies.
Click here! or in my signature

Breach
This was the best movie I've seen in years. Very suspenseful and great acting by Chris Cooper.

I give it 5 out of 5.

I re-watched Annie Hall last night. God, I still laugh at that film. And to me, it really is a good relationship film, even 3o + years later. I think its Woody's best.
The scene where he's visiting Annie's family and the anti-semitic grandmother keeps seeing him as a Hasidic Jew is classic.
9.5/10

I used to be a heroin addict, now I'm a methadone addict.

I'm into leather.

:lol:

Man I love that movie, too.

And the scene where Annie's brother (the young Christopher Walken) is driving them to the airport after his telling Alvy that he has fantasies of driving into the headlights of cars on the other side of the road...his face huddled there in the car while they drive in the dark through the pouring rain. :lol:

And the lobster scene where one of the lobsters runs behind the refrigerator and he says they should put a dish of melted butter on one side of the frig so the lobster will run out the other. :lol:

Oh god, I love that movie...

closer

Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law

WTF do the characters keep doing to themselves with the drama about love???? I didn't like it.

Pan's Labyrinth - 10/10

I loved this film. I've seen lots and lots and lots of movies, but every once in a while I see one that reminds me of how much I love them. This movie reminded me of being young - when my parents would take me to the movies and it was a magical and exciting event. I wish I would have seen it in the theater.

Sexy Beast - 9/10

This was a new one for me. The psychotic feel-good movie. If I ever met Ben Kingsley, I would bow down and kiss his feet for his performance in this movie. Never have I seen an actor make a character stretch of this caliber for a role. People have tried - but Ben Kingsley WAS Don Logan. And it totally blew my mind. I really enjoyed this film overall, as well. Great writing and concept. Inventive cinematography. Bravura performances by all. Only thing was I had to use the subtitles, because I could only understand about 1/2 of what they were saying. :lol:

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I have a bunch of old Hitchcock movies in my Netflix queue... and I will be adding more of them soon, they are absolutely fantastic. These two coincidentally both starred Grace Kelly... and I must say that after watching these, she has a significant chance of dethroning Kate Beckinsale as my image of the "perfect woman". :)

Rear Window - 10/10

This movie was nearly perfect. The very end seemed a little rushed, but I won't hold that against this truly great film. I was amazed by how much of the story was told without using any dialogue... you simply had to watch what was happening just like the main character did. This created an enormous amount of suspense and depth to the characters because you were forced to analyse all of their non-verbal cues and emotions.


Dial M for Murder - 10/10

This movie was equally brilliant, although ironically it was almost the exact opposite of "Rear Window" in that there was a LOT of dialogue. Every line was perfectly scripted, and you had to pay very close attention to what was being said in order to keep everything straight and so you could view the situation from each character's perspective. Very, very cool movie.

A Scanner Darkly
4/5

Basically I would say this. Do you like Phillip K. Dick? If the answer is yes, then you will love this movie. If the answer is no, then you wont. I really enjoyed this, it's the best thing that Keanu Reeves has done in a long time (yes better than the Matrix) and his performance shines through the animation. The rest of the cast also does an amazing job.

Absolutely classic moments in comedy.

Evan Almighty
9/10

A wonderfully funny movie that has you leaving the theater with a nice warm feeling and big smile. This is one I will be buying when it is released on DVD.

Curse of the Zodiac - 0/10

About the Zodiac killer in the Bay Area in the 60s/70s...I guess.

This was so horribly made and pointless. I did not enjoy it one bit.

Just saw Babel. I won't give it a grade, because I don't like giving grades.
All in all, pretty odd movie. I mean, Inarritu has done the "different people's lives intersect in unexpected ways" thing before, but in Amores Perros it was better achieved, IMO.
The acting was good, overall. I have nothing against Brad Pitt. I think the part that interested me the most during the movie was the "Japan" part, for some reason.
I guess my review is pointless, because I don't even know what I thought of the movie, myself. If you like most of Inarritu's work, you should be fine with this film.

M by Fritz Lang 12/10

This is the first sound movie made in Germany, but Fritz Lang treats this new dimension of filmmaking like a seasoned pro. A lot of tension is made by sounds or lack of sounds. Shooting, narrative, acting, everything is top notch.

Dead Silence 6/10

Sadly enough, Donnie Walberg was the comic relief in this movie. There are some thigns you should obviously NOT do in a horror situation, but our young hero seemed to like to do them all. This left me to do much eye rolling and think to myself... no dumbass. I felt it was quite predictable, but the end... I liked the end.

I just watch Shooter and suprising it was alot better than I expected. I'll give it an 8/10 because it was a fun action movie.

a beached whale movie marathon yesterday.

factotum:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417658/

i do not care about bukowski but found myself enjoying this film based on one of his novels. except for the editorial asides about writing. matt dillon is a good bukwoski-but-not-quite. the entire film is suffused with hangover. since one of our number was deeply hung over (not me) it seemed an almost cruel choice.

viva cuba: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477916/

i don know about this film. equal portions of the interesting and the cheesy in terms of writing--kinda cool refusal to maintain an adult viewpoint which means that the film shifts into and out of the subjective space of the 12-year-old main characters--interesting as a road film that takes you across northern cuba. but in the end, i found it very easy to wander away and cook dinner.

fantastic planet.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070544/

but this. o my. go thee hence and get the dvd. this is an amazing animated sci-fi film from the early 1970s. the plot is straightforward but the animation/design and sound are fabulous and make for a deeply hallucinogenic hour and a half. the dvd also includes some of laloux's short films, of which "the monkey's teeth" is the best--just incredible---must see--you, that's right you, must see this.

darwin's nightmare
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424024/

hubert sauper directed this documentary and says in the interview attached to the dvd that he was interested in shooting something on the fishing industry on the shores of lake victoria in tanzania as an index of the "madness of our times"--and he catches that i think--so the film is complex and grim and kinda overwhelming---lake victoria is overrun with this huge predator fish released into the lake by someone about 30 years ago--the fish have eaten everything else in the lake and are not eating themselves--but europeans like them for dinner--so there is a huge industry that has arisen around the fish who are destroying lake victoria. the film is mostly about some of the towns that have grown up in the context of this economy. you watch a detailed and well-crafted portrayal of the sprung rationality of neo-colonial africa. you find that the huge cargo planes that arrive seemingly continuously to pick up loads of fish arrived in tanzania sometimes full of weapons that filter their way to the congo or angola...you watch planeloads of fish taking off for the eu as a famine breaks out in the same region--cargoplanes on fish taking off, un planes of food aid arriving on television. it is crazy, it is depressing, it is, like the director said, the madnes of our times. it is not fun to watch, but it is an important film.

there is a short about the war in eastern congo as well but i was afraid to watch it. it was late and i was sleepy and did not want to dream of massacre with my head already full of the surreal and brutal logic of globalizing capitalism...again...

I'm surprised you're just now seeing this film, roachboy. It's been a favorite around our house for years. It's quite a trip.

Ratatouille - I liked it

I really liked it. Technically, the raging water graphics were superb. The story was good and held my attention. No complaints except for the multitudes of miserable and I'm too-young to be here that were present.

We watched Ghost Rider last nite, and while I absolutely cannot stand Nicholas Cage, I rather enjoyed it. Probably because Im such a Sam Elliot fan hehehe

I knew nothing of the story as I'm not a "comic book" person but I still liked it. The only real problem I had with it was when he did the "stare" on blackheart we saw the evil deeds he'd done during the movie, I was under the impression we should have seen deeds the other souls had done since Blackheart had no soul, thus the explanation he gave JB when he tried it on him the first time. I fail to see how other souls inhabiting him would make his evil deeds the ones we saw. To me it would have been much more compelling if he was paying for the souls he'd been trying to get thru out the entire movie

Sicko - 6/10

Moore leaves out a lot of details and paints a pretty optimistic picture of the non-American health care systems. The basic message is a good one but the point he is trying to make would be much stronger if he gave a more complete and thorough look at the health care systems of England, France, Canada and Cuba. He should not have delved into the more extravagant socialist programs of France because, whether or not they should, many Americans (at least the ones I know) still fear anything that immediately brings socialism to mind. Including these bits will only serve to distance Americans who would have otherwise been on the fence about the issues discussed in Sicko. Moore offers no real solutions to the problems outlined in the movie, offering instead some vague garbage about thinking as "we" instead of "I."

Shooter - 8/10


Usually on the border with whether or not I like Mark Wahlberg, but this was a pretty darn good movie, and it was nice to see Danny Glover out of his usual nice guy role.

but aren't you now afraid of all those things that can be purchased at the local hardware store and used to blow stuff up???? :eek: that was the only thing I had issue with, but I'd give it the same rating. It was fun and a good time.

I finally watched "The Departed." It was great! I can't even quantify as to why. I'm not a huge fan of hardcore mobster movies.

This movie is chock full of the f-bomb, and so much blood. Oh, and I never get those complicated "Pulp Fiction-like" lines in movies. My sense of humor is more juvenile.

Still, I like the movie so much that I've watched it three times. I believe I've crossed over genres lately.

last night healer and I watched Next... definately a movie to be seen...

really awesome...i'd give it a 10. nicholas cage was just the shizz nizzle!

sags a bit for story line, i'd go for a 7...but events leading up to the end takes it up to 10 for me.

the movie before that was fracture with anthony hopkins

i'd say it was more of an 8 because it was not really anthony hopkins worthy but he did a good job.

10 for story line...GAAASH! sneaky, cunning, i know what the fuck i'm doing...

it sags a whole lot or the ending though...i'd go for 7.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer 7/10

It's not the greatest movie ever. It's in the same vein as the first one as far as quality. It is what it is. It's a fun comic movie that entertains and has absolutely no redeeming value.

Jackie Brown - 10/10

Yeah I am late on this :)

I finally got around to watching it. I love Quentin Tarantino. Serious man crush going on over here. That guy is such a brilliant filmmaker. Least I think so.

By far the best cameo of the century now belongs to The Band's Levon Helm as the Tennessee firearms expert.

got 2

Ratatouille : i dont really know what to classify this as, be it comedy or something else, but in general i thought it was an alright movie, and just that... nothing brand new, nothing exciting... i suppose its because all of the dreamworks and pixar studio's cranking out high quality animation movies that the standard's been set too high. its a nice movie if you've got an afternoon to kill with the kids or something. 3.5/5

Bio-Dome : this is definently in my favourite top 5 movies... pauly shore does a great job of acting exactly like a retarded teenage guy... its amazing how well this movie actually captures exactly how a retarded 16 year old guy would act... definently recommend this to the guys who've got an afternoon or at least a few hours to kill. me and the guys rave about this movie :P
5/5 for me, however others seem to think its crap... after all, pauly shore did win worst actor award for it :D

Transformers - 10 out of fucking 10!!!

Sorry for the profanity but wow was it awesome!

Agree with Church. Transformers was pretty sweet. Corny in parts, but funny and the effects were good.

Now if I didn't have to deal with the annoying kids behind me saying "Niiiicce" every single time a car is shown on the screen (and this is often :) ) it would have been perfect

Sicko - 10/10
This was a good experience. It probably wasn't a movie that was meant for the theater, but it was just a real good experience. Very effective, though-provoking and heart-felt.

Live Free or Die Hard 9.1/10

I usually dislike action movies because I don't like violence but this movie had enough funny lines and funny parts that it was really good. The plot moved along at a decent pace. Justin Long is adorable and Bruce Willis isn't too old to have played this part again.

Ratatouille - 9.5/10 - Great movie, great story, great characters, yay Pixar.

Transformers - 9/10 - A little slow and cheesy in some parts, but wow on the action.

Live Free or Die Hard. I've never seen the others. But this movie kicked serious ass. I'll just leave it at that and call it a 9.8/10.

Transformers : 9 / 10. This was an amazing movie. Much better than what I was expecting. It was extremely well done.

Transformers - 9/10

The flick actually ROCKED! Loads of action and they even make you care a little about the tinheads.

Lady Sage and I watched the old Logan's Run movie. I hadn't truly watched it since I was a kid (and I loved it) and LS had never seen it.

The movie was what I remembered, fast paced, a good way to enjoy 2 hours without having to think too hard. Michael York and the cast were pretty believeable and seemed to have good chemistry. This was also Farrah Fawcett's first movie...... and trust me it shows she was a horrid actress. While this was supposedly a special effects movie, the acting and most definately the storyline were fantastic. (Although if people are supposed to get killed when they turn 30, it would stand to reason, the actors should all be under 30.)

I was amazed at what passed for "state of the art" special effects in 1974. Pre-Star Wars Logan's Run was supposedly the greatest special effects movie ever. I can also see why the big movie studios left sci-fi to cheap low rate B movies. Think Buck Rodgers, original Battlestar Gallactica, etc. type special effects.

I mention the special effects because to enjoy the movie you have to free your mind of todays special effects and accept these. Which in this case is not that hard as you can easily immerse yourself into the story and the character development.

I always see this movie as I did when I first saw it, in awe and with the wide open eyes of a little kid, same as with Buck Rodgers and the original Star Wars trilogy.

Overall, I'd strongly recommend giving it a shot, if for no other reason than to see how far special effects have come in the last 30+ years.

For me the movie reminds me of a distant past, a past that in and of itself plays like a badly acted B movie in my head. Yet, it reminds me of Saturday Mornings when our elementary school had movies for the kids that cost 50 cents (and included the popcorn). A past where being wide eyed and looking at the world as something wonderous and beautiful existed. And a past where on Friday and Saturday evenings you would spend the night at a friends to watch the cheapest lowest rated sci-fi/horror movies on the GHOUL, Houlihan and Big Chuck, and so on.

I miss those days, that innocence and wonderment.... this movie brings it back for awhile....

10/10

the squid and the whale
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367089/

o i dunno.
well first thing is that jeff daniels is great in this film, and his performance (and the writing) managed to creep me out in a rather deep way (must've been the beard and the academic-speak). the cast and writing are excellent, the film kind of icky in its close-up view of divorce and its impact on the two sons. (there's a family. i hate plot summaries.) the music became irritating after a while, particularly the insistence on running the tangerine dream music from "risky business" over and over and over.

we get it, noah.

definitely worth an hour and a half of squirming...

beware, however, of the crap ending, the sort of thing that makes you want to throw things at the screen and say bad words loudly.
fucking cheesedog, for example.
even at 2 am.

Transformers: 8/10

The action was fantastic, the acting was great, the witty dialog was an added bonus and Megan Fox is fucking, unbelievably, out of this world hot, in this movie.

I was checking out her pictures last night and was a little annoyed at the same pose she gives out and has some strange tattoos, and is dating 90210 douche bag (Brian Austin Green), but other than that, still hot.

Green Street Hooligans: 8/10
If you want to see a bunch of futbol fans fighting other futbol fans, you have to see this film. And Elijah Wood can fight!

Black Snake Moan - 8/10

Nice odd movie. Miss Ricci was too stinking skinny, though I suppose it fits the part.

Fun seeing samuel l. jackson looking all scraggly.

Also to see Jenny Agutter nekkid. :thumbsup:

saw 3 movies in 3 days

Die Hard 4 - 8 of 10
Transformers 8.8 of 10
Godfather III 8 of 10

The Lady in the Water

I liked it but Grancey pronounced it "too weird" and fell asleep on it. Certain topics resonate in the primitive side of me, and the notion of ancient bedtime stories being rooted in fact is high up there.

8/10

The Believer 9/10
Too incredibly intense to have watched at 8 am in the morning when we couldn't go back to sleep. But, unlike the other moives with similar foci (American History X, Romper Stomper and another I can't remember the name of at the moment), the focus was less on the intense violence and more on the internal struggle. As hard as it was to stomach Ryan Gosling spouting anti-Semetic "wisdom" and sounding intelligent, I appreciate the story and how they were able to humanize and delve deeper into the psyche of a kid who challenged the Torah and became violently opposed on the outside. The dialogue was amazingly intelligent and it freaked me out a bit to see him make a teeny bit of sense at one point...

I like Paul Giamatti but I thought his performance was dull, and Bryce is clearly riding daddy's coat tails. Her scenes consisted of posing on the floor of the tub and elsewhere with a "what next" look on her face. My guess is that Red liked this film as it relates to his abnormal fear of bears.

2....maybe

Idiocracy - 6/10

I really wanted to like this movie, but it just fell pretty flat. The idea is clever and there's some funny stuff (the collapsing buildings tied together, the Costco so huge it's not convenient anymore), but it was often the same joke over and over again (violence and profanity indicate stupidity). Still, it deserved more marketing than it got.

^ Ugh, I hated that movie, Kadath.


Transformers kicked ass. I love the CG. My SO and I were walking out trying to remember the first movie that we'd each seen as kids where the effects were pretty important and how far they've come.... mine was The Terminator, so you can guess how that coversation went. There was so much I enjoyed about this movie, I'm not even going to get into it. It was a blast and I was so entertained that I didn't slap the guy with his kid who kept pulling down on the empty seat in between us and letting it thwang!!! back into the upright position. But, I almost did. :lol: 9.5/10

Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire
Oh no! another over-hyped movie! I was expecting something so great from this movie but i got almost no character developpement and no sense of time in this story.
Without ruining the movie, i'll explain what I mean: like every other HP movies, it starts off in the real world just before the school year and ends after the school year is over. It never seems like the movie is aging. Characters never talk about the time of year or anything like that. they never go to classes apart from 1 day. so overall, it's pretty bad for that. Also, they introduce 2 other schools and we barely see any character developpement from any of these new characters.

The story also drags a bit. there are some cool special fx but i feel like it was all done in the previous movies. this is getting to be an old serie that needs a spark to bring it back.

My overall rating is:6.9/10

I am a Harry Potter nerd, and just watched Goblet of Fire last night too (we own it...not the first time watching it)...but I loved it. 10/10
eh.

Also watched Les Miserables...the one with Claire Danes, Uma Thurman, etc. It was ok. I actually don't know the story or anything so I didn't know what to expect. decent though.
7/10

do you also read the books? My mom who usually hates movies loved it because she reads the books. she gives it around 8 or 9 out of 10

for your consideration

a new christopher guest extravaganza.
it isnt really funny.
there are lots of great comedians scurrying about doing things, but in the end, the film just kinda lay there, twitching to life every once in a while than resuming its previous laying there.

ah well. a crappy record by a band you still like.

Yeah I read them. I am sure that is why I like it more, since you see it all come to life and are already connected to the characters.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 7/10

Interesting but what was expected after reading the books. If you didn't read the book there are a few points that seem to not make sense, or maybe you don't miss it at all. I'm not quite sure.

I guess you didn't notice the fact that he created a tornado with his chain.

Lady in the Water is the only movie I've seen which contained a character that made fun of how bad it was, and yet still -- somehow -- got some positive reviews.

Evil Dead. being in a generous mood, I give it a 1/5.

It plain blows. I guess after I watch The Brain That Wouldn't Die following JetStream's recommendation, I'd prolly give Evil Dead a better rating.

Shooter - 9/10.

Kinda like Bourne Identity movies. Pretty fun.

I guess I could understand that review if you watched Evil Dead in a vacuum and don't appreciate how campy, ridiculous and influential it was. Other than that, I think it deserves a better rating if for no other reason than it gave a platform for Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, which are amazing camp horror films. Also, I'm pretty sure that's the only mainstream movie you can see where a tree rapes a girl, so that's gotta count for something.

P and I have been watching a lot of movies together...

Little Children 6.5/10
A pretty interesting film but, yet again, I found myself sitting there thinking to myself, "I don't like any of these people and I don't give a damn what happens to them." Perhaps that was the intention. But it doesn't make for impactful filmmaking. An extra :thumbsup: for hot sex.

Tender Mercies 10/10
Seen this many times, but re-watched it the other night. It is a perfect film. Robert Duvall is fucking transcendent. The camerawork is so subtly skilled that you can easily miss the fact that this is art film. And it gratifies the human condition on so many levels that you come away from it feeling like you just spent the last two hours practicing insight meditation. I really like this movie, can you tell? :lol:

Antonia's Line 7/10
I could tell this was a pretty good film, but I just couldn't get into it. Must have been all that groping...those hands, those wonderfully intrusive, beloved hands. :)

The Virgin Suicides 9/10
P hadn't seen this one so I put on my Netflix queue and watched it with him. Sofia Coppola's first feature-length film. I really like her. She has very subtle, yet deliberate and confident style. Visually she is very eloquent...hypnotic. I look forward to following her career...she's the most promising young filmmaker to come along since Wes Anderson...in my not-so-humble opinion.

Transformers
mostly everyone saw the preview so i won't go in detail.
it's a visually awesome movie. the story is also pretty solid.
theres a few plot holes but nothing to destroy the movie. The biggest
problem i had with it was the extreme amount of characters! I mean, the robots are fine but to have over 20 human character is too much. every time someone talked, i was thinking: should i remember their name for later or are they just gonna get killed in 1 min?

and the other point that I really hate in most action movie is the close up shots. I need to be able to understand the action so when all i see on the screen is a mix of robots parts, it's distracting. since these are not the classic blocky robots with very bright colours, it gets a bit confusing.

but overall, I liked it.
My overall rating is:8/10 I'm probably gonna buy or rent it so i can pause or FF the good and bad parts.

A few more movies I've seen recently:

Die Hard 4 - 9.9/10
I absolutely loved this movie. The story line was great, the acting was excellent, and the action scenes were unbelievable.... I have recommended this movie to everyone I know.

Mr. Brooks - 8/10
Kevin Costner did a great job, as always, in this movie. The movie seemed to drag a little bit, but overall, it's one to see.

Idiocracy - 5/10
Just plain out stupid. I usually enjoy most of Mike Judge's work, but this movie did not keep my interest at all. It seemed like it was a rated R movie meant for immature 14 year olds.

1408 - 8/10
This movie was pretty creepy, and enjoyable to watch.

Hot Fuzz - 9/10
I loved this movie. I'm starting to really enjoy british humor again, since I think american movie humor has hit the bottom of the barrel.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Prince of Space 10/10

Oh my gawd, this has to be the funniest MST3k ever. I laughed so much and so hard I thought I was going to lose my mind. The flick is an old b&w Japanese sci-fi film about an "invasion" of the planet by a handful of pointy-nosed aliens wearing "spacesuits" inexplicably decorated with tulle whose dastardly plans are thwarted by, yes, the Prince of Space.

Not only did P and I thoroughly enjoy this, but the little boo, although skeptical at first, sat and laughed with us through the entire thing. Not only that, but she also watched it in her room while she was going to sleep and again this morning while getting ready for daycare.

It's fun for the entire family!! :lol:

I wish this show was still on...but Netflix has 30 or so of them!

the transporter 2: 7/10

well, I preferred the BMW in the first one over the Audi in the second one. I also preferred the Mediteranean over Miami.

But the movie plays like a Western kung-fu movie. It was also just long enough, 1:27

I had an Evil Dead marathon. Watched all 3 movies, and took a break from even figuring out what the story line was. I just sat there with my fist in my mouth wondering "WTF?!".

And, at the tree-rape scene, I was like this > :eek:

Watched an animated movie called the 12 Months. It's an old movie, which goes on about a kind-hearted young orphan girl, Anya, who lives with her step mother and her daughter. It also tells the tale of a rich, stubborn Queen, who is as old as Anya. She sends her Court during winter in search of a flower that blossoms in the Spring. Anya goes in search of them, and meets the human embodiments of each of the 12 Months. Spring gives her a ring and tells her to call him when necessary. Involves the step-sister stealing the ring, and everyone going in search of the place where the flowers grow. To cut a long story short, the step sister and her Mother are turned into dogs on account of their greed. The Queen learns a marvellous lesson.

Sounds cheesy? You bet.

But, watch the movie, and you wont find it so. The work isn't along the lines of 300, but inclines towards Snow White and the other classics. watch this movie if you can. I watched it from a VHS tape. :thumbsup:

I saw two movies in the theater this past weekend. Woo-hoo! It's rare that I even catch one. I loved both of them.

Once 10/10

This is an Irish film that takes place in Dublin about a street musician and a Polish immigrant who find in each other a remarkable musical intimacy and friendship. It's filmed in a cinema verite style which makes the very natural and unassuming performances of the two leads all the more immediate and realistic. And the music is fabulous! I loved it. I've already purchased the soundtrack and the two stars of the film also have a group and have released an album with some of the songs from this film. If it's playing in your area, I highly recommend seeing it.

Here's the trailer:


La Vie en Rose 10/10
Another music film...this one about the life and career of the French chanteuse, Edith Piaf. It is an incredible film all around. Not only is it a completely gorgeous cinematic experience but the performance by Marion Cotillard as The Little Sparrow is jaw-droppingly sublime. I didn't know much about Edith Piaf before this film, but now I am totally enamored of her music. She led a quite an amazing, if often tragic (and tragically short-lived), life.

Here's the trailer for this one:

Marie Antoinette - 6/10

Visually arresting but dull. Certain casting choices (Rip Torn? Molly Shannon?) were distracting.

Transformers: The Movie (1986s version)
If you haven't seen the transformers(animation) and you think: I'm gonna check it out to see what was so great; well don't.
This is laughable animation. The story doesn't explain anything so it's clear you HAD to have watched the cartoons before seeing the movie. There is no suspense or sense of time in this movie. from earth to their home planet is about 20mins in ship. when a hero dies, they just go on without anything happening. "oh no! jimmy's dead!, oh well, let's keep fighting."

so overall, if you wanted to see the hype of the serie, you're 20years too late.

My overall rating is:4.9/10



Amores Perros (2000)
Even though i saw this movie many times when it came out 7yrs ago, I still wanted to buy the DVD to show to my gf. And just like I thought, she loved it just as much as me.

This movie is in the same line as 21grams, crash, babel, etc.. where it's a mix of stories where everyone affects the others. but made so much better in my opinion!

It follows the story of 3 groups of people. all centered on a car crash. And like the name mentions, (amores perros = love's a bitch or love dog), it also has dogs as the theme for all 3 stories.

If you enjoyed any of the movies i mention in the start of this review, and if you like great, well acted, well directed movies, I highly recommend this one.

It is subtitles but the DVD i bought had the french audio but to get the full effect, watch it in spanish. it's a whole lot better.

My overall rating for this movie is: 9.5/10



Jackie Brown (1997)
Even though I'm a big Tarantino fan, I had only seen this movie once.
So on my 2nd viewing 10yrs later, I remembered why. It's not that the movie is bad or anything like that, it's just that its a generic movie.

The characters don't interest me as much as in his other movies and the story line is good but not great. once you seen it, theres not that much to see again. It's probably because the start is so great that towards the middle, i get kinda bored.

I will say that if you enjoy the movie style and dialogue of pulp fictions and other movies like that, then you will definitely enjoy this movie atleast once.

I won't say a single thing on the story because it might ruin it. All i'll say is, when you watch it, remember it's called JACKY BROWN, not Samuel L Jackson.

My overall rating for this movie is: 7.5/10

andrei tarkovsky: stalker.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079944/

mind blowing.
there is so much going on, especially in the set design, that this film requires ALOT of concentration. but the payoffs are remarkable.

Gattaca (1997)
Interesting movie. But not as sci-fi as I would have liked. Its set in a distant future but i'm thinking more Alternate universe. its got the 50s cars and a lot of old technology but the world has space flights and bio engineering.

The story: A boy is born from real parents(in-valid) and not engineered like everyone else so his fate is predetermined. (like Futurama). He's interested in space flight so he has to take on the identity of a valid(engineered) to achieve his goal.

the acting is good and the story develops in a good way, and theres not that many slow scenes.

But overall, theres a few plot holes but nothing to destroy the movie. For a good sci-fi, this is it. but don't expect ANY special FX of any kind. this is more of a talking movie than anything.

My overall rating for this movie is: 7.5/10