Jersey Girl...

Made me want to KILL... or perhaps DIE, I haven't decided...

Actually probably KILL, then DIE, then rise again to KILL...

in the mirror of maya deren

this docunentary is a kinda primer to/saints life of maya deren--it is like most such primer/saints life features--while most of the talking heads are annoying, some arent--the film clips are fascinating, but too short and often talked-over--but you do get a taste of her work, and for that the film is absolutely worth watching.
and if you can find her films about haiti (there is a collection out there, called "divine horsemen" i think), you'll watch them differently for having seen this.

the dvd has a stan brakhage tribute to deren, which is quite lovely as well.

Frankenstein...

The original 1931 James Whale version, no shitty remake...

Freaking brilliant...

I just finished watching Big Fish. It had me crying at the end, something I havent done in years. That must say something about it... 9/10.

Pieces of April - A surprisingly moving film about how terrible and wonderful family can be at the same time, and a good reminder to always help out those in need. 8/10.

i just saw collatoral with tom cruise. the acting was excellent. a very different movie for tom cruise. i'd give it an 8.

monsieur ibrahim.
sentimental crap.
omar sharif was good in it, though
so it is sentimental crap in which omar sharif is good.

Following. Fist movie from Christopher Nolan. Chronologic it's a mix between Memento & Pulp Fiction. Real good story. Only a budget of $ 6 000 but this just shows that you don't need money to make a great movie :thumbsup: .

Like Memento you need to watch it multiple times to completly get it. :D

I Capture the Castle -

It looked to be a small, independent film, but had a few familiar faces. The story was relatively predictable, but the girl who plays the main character was interesting to watch as she developed and grew mentally older through the course of the film. 6/10.

the pilot for "the prisoner"--i havent seen any of this series for years--it is smarter than i rememebred...which is a fine thing.
the yes yes response.
dale carnegie says this is the best we can hope for from any interaction.

Bubba Ho-Tep
very funny :)

Mystic River - 7/10
I wanted to see this because of all the hype. Sean Penn is really good in this, Kevin Bacon is too, but overall not as good as the sum of its parts. You can't figure out whats going on until all these revelations are revealed at the end.

I liked 21 Grams better.

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT- 5.0 to 8.0

I just saw this movie without any biases or expectations (except knowing that a few of my friends liked it).

I must say that the first 1/3 of the movie was almost unbareable to watch. The acting was horrendous and I 'realized' that the movie was made for young teenagers as everything was ultra-dramatic and such. I found a hole in the story line about every five minutes (and I wasn't trying to!).

After this fist 1/3 of the movie passed, it finally picked up. I feel that there are still some major holes in the story, however it was plenty entertaining from there on out. I still feel that some parts were ultra-dramatic, but I enjoyed it by the end.



RIDING GIANTS- 8.5

Documentary from the director of Dogtown and the Z-Boys (Stacey Perelta) about the history of surfing and of big wave surfers (20-80 foot waves). Very interesting movie. Not as good as Dogtown, but a must see if you're into this kind of thing.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

9.5/10..could have made it longer :D

Truly a great of our times.

Garfield The Movie. Definitely a kids movie, and not too good in my opinion. 5/10.

monster
good acting, well written: poor music (again--i should not pay attention so much to it)

So you liked it? :icare:

Hmm... the last movie I watched was "Love Actually"

Still love it. I could watch it every day and not get sick of it.

Monster
 

So I decided to watch a pay-per-view on Comcast. Charlize Theron -- c'mon how bad could it be, right?

Well this was certainly not the same Charlize I remember. She gained about 30 pounds for this role (roll should be more like it). But in spite of that the movie itself was gripping enough to keep me from changing the channel. She put on one hell of a performance. I'm going to give this one one and a half thumbs up...

Just finished the new Harry Potter movie. Wasn't too fond of it, too much plot changes and it was just too intense and shortened. I know that making a movie of a book like that is tough but I just couldn't help thinking how many scenes were missing or different. I'll give this one a 6/10.

Touch of Evil - 8/10
Orson Wells is outstanding as a menacing, shady, border-town cop. Cinematography is nice also, stark high-contrast black & white. A very hot Janet Leigh, complete with torpedo bras and satin lingerie. Charlton Heston as Wells' moral nemesis. The acting is a little hokey and bombastic, but overall enjoyable. See it if only for Wells' performance - he owns the film.

Chicago - 9.5/10

True excellence in movie-making. True to it's theatrical roots at every turn, perfectly cast, gorgeously filmed, brilliantly designed. A true joy.

Knocking on Heaven's Door - Cowboy BeBop

This is one damned impressive anime. An excellent plot on several levels. Excellent film noir as cartoon.

Watched Dawn of the Dead remake last night. Considering pretty much all "horror" movies have been utterly crappy (I think the exception being House of 1000 Corpses), this one was pretty good.

Much better than 28 Days Later. I'm a HUGE fan of zombie movies, and 28 Days Later is... eh. It's ok, but it wasn't scary. It's one of those movies you never feel like seeing again, like if it was on HBO, you'd most likely skip over it. That and the ending was confusing: was it isolated, or not? They never really say.

Dawn of the Dead wasn't really scary either, but everything just flowed together better, and the beginning was jaw dropping. Best beginning to a horror flick ever, with the exception of the original Night of the Living Dead.

Since the horror genre has been reduced to utter crap lately, I give this one 9/10, because honestly, this is probably as good as it'll get.

I love zombies.

Interesting review Stompy. I'll be sure to check it out. I too hated 28 Days Later. ;)
-T

downloaded Without A Paddle 2 nights ago, it was freakin hilarious, people have to see this movie

goodbye lenin.

almost a very good film.

Matchstick Men - 7/10

Nicholas Cage, whose very listing on the DVD rental case would normally dissuade me from renting the video, actually was okay in this movie. Probably because he didn't have to fake a southern accent (i.e. "Put the bunny back in the box"), and was actually a likeable character. Twisty bits in the movie made it interesting, but tragic somehow. Anyway, I was surprisingly entertained by the film. I'd recommend it as a rental.

rented The Last Samurai - 9/10

What struck me about this one was the locations they chose and the props in the movie. I thought they were very well done, as well as an excellent story. I recommend it, but only when you have 2 1/2 hours to spare for a movie.

Eat, Drink, Man, Woman - 8/10

I liked this one quite a bit.
Widowed, Taiwanese, master-chef father cooks fabulous multi-course meals for his 3 daughters to make up for his lack of verbal communication with them.

Rashomon - 9/10

Spectacular. Much more accessible than Seven Samurai (due mainly to that fact that it's half as long), tremendous acting, brilliant direction, clever story.

kadath--i disagree with you on seven samurai (maybe a kurosawa thread sometime...) but am with you on rashomon...
anyway, you should check out derzu uzala--the least kurosawa-like of his films.

The Exorcist: Beginning. After seeing all of the horrible sequels to arguabally the greatest horror movie of all time, I was releived to see that this movie was decent. It kept with the directing and writing of the original movie, though it will never be quite as good. I would roccoment it to anyone who enjoyed the original.

Star Runner. If you don't mind subtitles over Chinese, this will be a sure favorite. Vanessa Wu, Kim Hyunjoo, Andy On and Roy Chow give an outstanding performance in this drama/boxing movie. Directed by Daniel Lee (Black Mask)

21 Grams. Pretty good film, interesting format with everything being all jumbled around the film, but it easily makes sense at the end. Also, I actually enjoyed Sean Penn's acting in this one, it just seemed much better than anything else I've seen of his recent work. Great acting from the rest of the cast and pretty nice cinematography. It also gives a sort of acurate view of transplants, but is a little outlandish. Overall, it works out pretty well. 8/10.

Godsend. 3/10. Wow, I can't believe I actually sat though this steaming pile of shit.

life and debt.

a fine fine film--documentary about the effects of imf policies on jamaica--one of the better docs about globalization i have seen yet--it made me really really angry, which rarely happens from a film and which in this case is good.

50 First Dates

4/10 -- Not even close to as cool as The Wedding Singer. The brother in this movie is so annoying.

With an excellent Magnetic Fields soundtrack!

Saw The Bourne Supremacy last night, I can't get over how clever and bad ass Jason Bourne is! The original was a fantastic film, the sequel lived up to it perfectly. I can't wait for The Bourne Ultimatum to hit the screens.

(****`)/(*****)

Pi

8/10

I've seen better weird movies, but it wasnt bad nonetheless. Pretty artsy, kinda freaky, I would recommend if you like weird movies.

The Prince & Me

had a free rental and just got it because nothing else grabbed me. it wasn't to bad actually being a "chick flick." had some funny moments along with a few moral points. 6.5 out of 10

visitor q

incest, physical abuse, abjection, murder, necrophilia, extended lactation jokes, people being hit with rocks, reality tv. it sounds better than it is.

man of marble

excellent film, a sort of pseudohistory of high stalinism 1950-53 in poland....smart, funny high recursive complete with lovely faux newsreel stuff.

Alien vs. Predator

3/10

Utter crap. Decent special effects, but that doesn't make a movie.

--jaded

The Corporation: Documentary filmmaking at its best! Slightly dumded down, but still articulate and ruthlessly inquisitive. Great use of stock footage and some brilliant shots mixed with pertinent and comprehensive investigation.

Rear Window: Hitchcock... um, dispute it's brilliance and you will be smote down...

Nosferatu: Herzog's second greatest film. Kinski is absolutely brilliant as the haunting, monstrous Dracula, and the direction and cinematography is superb!

Hero - 7/10. This movie would've gotten WAY higher if Jet Li had just slaughtered the fuckin' army. I don't care if that lines up with the style, or if it even makes sense to the story, but I would've enjoyed this movie way more if he had performed "Death Within Ten Paces" on EVERY soldier in the entire castle.

Two!
Yojimbo - 8/10. It's funny that I watched the three in reverse order, but I think I liked FoD best. Last Man Standing was, of course, crap, and Yojimbo was excellent, but somehow Clint was just more my style.

Taking Lives - 2/10. Horrendous! We laughingly predicted plot twists that all came about, to our horror. One scary moment in the whole film, as well a hilariously awkward sex scene during which Ethan Hawke is fully clothed. Angelina has lovely breasts, though. An utter waste of time, though fun to lampoon.

The Girl Next Door - 6/10 - I laughed at it and actually enjoyed the movie. Made me wish I had done something like that in high school.

The Manchurian Candidate. Not so good. I've heard the original is much better. I hope so. 3/10

Office Space - 7/10
Hardest I've laughed during a movie in a while. The slo-mo scene where the guys are beating the poor copy machine to pieces (to gangsta music LOL!) is hysterical.

28 Days Later - on 8/28 - one of the best movies I have seen in a long time

A Man Apart - on 8/29 - typical action movie, Vin Diesel and Larenze Tate were watchable

The Village 5/10 - Fealt rather let down, but it wasnt a complete waist of money.

Watched a bunch of movies today ... its what i do with my day off.

do the right thing- absoultely amazing. spike lee is masterful. dunno what else to say except see this classic now if you havent already. 8.5/10

bully- odd movie from the director of kids and gummo. based on a true story, which kept me interested but the script was a little bland. the actors were great, everyone fit their part wonderfully for a young ensemble cast. 6/10

garden state- zach braffs debut is wonderful. acting is top notch but it takes odd plot twists that arent really neccesary. more like he was trying to add time to the movie. i cant wait to see what he has next, he shows a great deal of potential. the music is great too 7/10

touching the void- holy shit this was intense. it was kinda like a re-enacted documentery. yeah yeah it made me suspicious at the start too but just keep watching. absolutely amazing what the human body is capable of under strenuous conditions. the guys tell their stories as though it was their first time. you find yourself catching your breath wating for whats next. 8/10

Jersey Girl....lets start with 10/10

-5 for Ben Affleck
+2 for George Carlin
+2 for Liv Tyler
+1 for the little girl (cute)
-5 for J. Lo

Total = 5/10

How about Jersey Girl, crap crap crap crap crap.

Anyhow, sorry about that people I'm a snob...

Aguirre: Wrath of God - Holy shit, Herzog is a frickin legend, Kinski is brilliant, the shots, the music, the lines, the lack of Ben Affleck, the everything. Masterpiece - 10/10

Suspect Zero. About 5 or 6 out of 10. A really cool idea, with a decent performance by Ben Kingsley, but fails miserably in the end.

Hero. 8.5/10

Really good and a breath of fresh air from the typical Hollywood stuff, but would have been better without the subtle undertones of Chinese Propaganda.

The Conversation - Francis Ford Coppola is a God amongst men...

elephant- im a big fan of gus van sant but this one was wierd. i liked it though. wonderful long, trance-like shots (im talking like 5 minutes) got me so into the movie it was crazy. check it out if you want a different perspective on the columbine shootings.

Hollywood Homicide

8/10 - It was a comedic action moive - two detectives juggling second jobs and life during a murder investigation. Harrison Ford stars. It has a great car chase.

It seemed like the pilot for some TV police show, but was very enjoyable and has some good laughs. I'd watch it again.

Taking Lives- 3/10

Taking lives was one of the worst movie ive seen in a while. A lot of dialogue was really corny, the acting wasn't that great, and the end failed miserably. When I was watching I was thinking, "That guy can't be the killer, if they did that the movie would be retarded." As you can guess, it was that guy. The first 15min of the movie was pretty decent, when it showed the killer as a kid. At one point a plot twist came up that was so dumb me and my friend just kind of stared in awe for a moment and then started laughing. I'm just glad I didn't have to see it in the theater.

Girl Next Door- 6.5/10

This was a good teen comedy. I personally think I would have been more pissed off if my girlfriend didnt tell me she was a porn star and I had to find it out myself. It was my own personal views on things that bothered me throughout the movie. However, it was not enough to wreck the movie in anyway though, it was still a pretty good movie and worth renting.

Ali G. brit paki hip hop satire. funny. 8 outta 10. funnier if you´re flying air jamaica.

S.W.A.T. - good cast, weak script, but enough action to keep it fun. keep the expectations low and you can have a fun time watching this one. 5/10

The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind.

9/10 damn good....Jim Carrey like you have never seen him before.

I needed to hibernate this afternoon so watched some movies...
1. 7/10 The Girl Next Door - the unrated version - -I (shame on me for saying this) expected a lot more t and a. For a teen comedy, it had a plot, it was a pretty good movie, I was entertained.

2. 6/10 - Love, Actually. Good cast, a bit long. For a comedy, the end of the movie just really kinda depressed me. But it was pretty good.

3. 2/10 - Wild Orchid. If a young, extremely hot Mickey Rourke wasnt in it, the movie would have been a complete waste. Bad plot, Carrie Otis is quite pretty, and has a very nice rack, but the movie itself was so bad. But damn, Mickey Rourke is just so hot... I mean really hot. Did I say that Mickey Rourke was hot? 9 1/2 Weeks was better, and he was equally hot in that.

storytelling- what a fucked up movie, but awesome. think of any taboo subject and todd puts it in there meanwhile making fun of himself while doing it. good good flick. 8/10

400 blows - heartbreaking story of a misunderstood child shunned by parents and schoolteachers. shows how fucked up some people are when theyre not willing to try and be understanding and shove their problems on other people. 7.5/10

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
7/10

It was funny and the end caught me by surprise. Michael Caine and Steve Martin.

I'd watch it again and would consider buying it if I found it on the $10 table.

Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back

First time I'd ever seen it and it happened to be pretty damn decent. Or was that
Shannon Elizabeth? Doesn't matter. :)

Kaena: The Prophecy

Not a big release movie. Used computer animation. Had some awsome visual scenes, but the plot was subpar and the script sucked. didn't explain enough of what was going on. 3/10, I wouldn't suggest watching unless you just want to see some good scenery.

Seven Samurai - 9.5/10

It doesn't get much better. Toshiro Mifune is such a great actor, it doesn't seem like he is acting at all. Takashi Shimura, as the leader of the Seven Samurai, is a force of nature - rock solid performance. Very accessible, easy to watch and understand, this is an awesome action movie.

Hellboy - 8/10

This was a cool flick. I liked the humor and the dark undertone this movie had. Very cool visuals and story. It could have been better with an R rating but I guess that's just my bloolust. Out of the ordinary so I do recommend :thumbsup:

Resident Evil Apocalypse

6/10

Hero

8/10

Very beautiful Hong Kong movie. Wonderful story, great action, bit of a twist at the end. My only complaint would be that it was a bit slow. Running time is only about 1.75 hours, but seems like it was 2.5 hours. All that not with standing, I will probably buy on DVD.

Fistful of Dynamite

Leone's poorest outing. Thrown together for the benefit of studio fat cats, it lacks the poetic haunting qualities of his masterpieces and comes across as a vulgar stream of hackneyed images. Steiger does his best and shines on occasion, but can't take the tarnish of the overall quality of the film. Sloppy editing, and a distended and confusing storyline leave only the quality acting and undeniably brilliant action sequences to hold the whole thing up...

4/10

Kagemusha

Not Kurosawa's best work, but still well and truly above the realms of mortal film makers. Visually stunning, the mise en scene is incomparably brilliant. Words and ratings cheapen this film.

Open Water is the last film I have seen. I must say I quite enjoyed it, its nice to see a good film that doesn't need to use the magic of hollywood and still have an affect on the viewer. Great movie.

I give it an 4.5/5.0

Harold and Kumar! 9/10. Thought the movie was HILARIOUS! Was laughing nearly the whole way through. :D

william s burroughs: commissoner of sewers

it was cool to see burroughs, but the film was done late in his life, after he was being burroughs more than being interesting, and the film itself is tiresome.

I saw AvP today.

I threw up.


El Fin

Saw Good Bye Lenin! today on DVD.

Great flick, from germany so subtitle warning for the unwary.

A defenite rental for most people, I plan on buying it sometime soon.

withnail and i

i hadnt seen this until last night.
i dont know what i was thinking
what a fine fine film.

dogville

excellent film.
technically amazing, given the constraint (sets) von trier work within.
and i think he is right.

THX 1138.

9/10

This is what science fiction is all about, a social statement. It's very clear that this movie set the stage stylestically for the vast majority of science fiction movies that followed. It's one of the best realized science fiction worlds of the 20th century.

Did you see it in theaters or on DVD? I keep on forgetting to check it out.

Garden State- 8. 99/10. I recommend seeing it.

The Hidden Fortress - 9/10

Royalty & peasantry work together to save an entire Clan in this great Japanese civil-war era flick. The equivalent of a star wars film circa 1960. Huge sets, thousands of extras, expansive cinematography.

hero - 3/5

cool fighting scenes and costume design
seemed longer than it actually was
perhaps the best movie in the cineplex right now?
(wouldn't mind seeing The Yes Men but it's not playing here...)


kill bill v. 2 - 3/5

caucasians are slower ninja-types
the action sequences were cut repeatedly to show single attacks close up
this method made the fight sequences less exciting than those in hero
but the dialogue and morricone music made up for it
end credits were pretty cool, but tarantino has lost a little spice
"based on the bride character by Q & U" awww, how sweet, they DO belong together

Ran - Akira Kurosawa.

This movie is so good I almost soiled myself.

Popeye-With Robin Williams

Its a kitchy flick back from the early 80's, but its a lot of fun to watch.

5.5/10.

V.

Ghosts...of the Civil Dead
John Hillcoat
features music and acting by Nick Cave

This is a jail movie, but its main focus is the changing nature of power. Set inside a "new-generation" prison (like that in the tv series Oz), It follows the true story of a prison neglected by the state which led to overcrowding, violence between inmates, and an eventual lockdown (being confined to your cell) that lasted in excess of 6 months.

The movie starts cautiously, but the tension is built very well, and the real turning point of the movie is when the prisoners' drugs and personal belongings are confiscated, pushing them to the edge of sanity.

The movie looks great, clever camera angles give a real sense of claustrophobia, not to mention outstanding acting. Nick Cave's soundtrack is equally as twisted as the film.

This is an Australian movie, and so might be harder to find, also you need to suspend your disbelief to get over the accents if your not an aussie.

9/10

NB: not for the kiddies, there are a couple of violent scenes.

Careful
7/10
An interesting visual style, probably my favorite part of the film. It's funny and worth at least one watch, but probably not one of the best movies ever made. Overall, an interesting and weird ride...

the shining
8/10
id hoped for some horror but didnt get any
only suspense
jack nicholas rocked in it(like he always does)
his wife was scary looking hto :p

eternal sunshine of the spotless mind -- 10/10

i just got done watching this for the first time. i bought it tonight b/c i heard it was good and it was by far the best $20 i've spent in a long time. it's so incredibly well written and complex, it's just amazing. i guess it helps that im a sucker for movies that really make you reflect on your own life and appreciate everything you've gone through. anyway, if you havent seen it, you should.

Envy - 2/5

Jack Black, Ben Stiller and Christopher Walken made the movie, I love those guys.. too bad the script sucked balls..

Dodgeball 1/10

stupid movie, I hate the ever repeating kind of comedy. Stupid old stereotypical jokes. Japanes dressed as Sumo wrestlers, German team named "Blitzkrieg" .... new jokes ... really ...

Hellboy 8/10

cool movie, the movie is nor too serious about itself. very enjoyable.
but I'm biased because I love Hellboy :)

White Chicks 1/10

same as Dodgeball: stupid, 08/15 comedy

Big Fish - 7/10

I somehow was hoping for more. It was charming, but charm alone doesn't cut it for me. The ending saved it for me, as otherwise I thought a lot of it was clever for the sake of cleverness.

AvP - Shitty, but unintentionally hilarious.

Some highlights: A whaling station a few miles inland.
A giant laser which bores a tunnel which doesn't have smooth sides.
Predators and Aliens both, (as far as they have been portrayed in other films) are susceptible to the cold, that's why the whole thing goes down, in Antarctica, at night.
A woman in a tank top in Antarctica at night.
Apparently Antarctica was inhabited back in the old days.
Inhabited by people who spoke Egyptian, Cambodian and Aztec...

The list goes on and on.

Still, pretty funny.

mystic river.

crap. i was surprised at how bad the directing and soundtrack were.
just before the end, the dvd jammed.
i did not care.

amelie - 3.25/5

nice stylistic feel, similar to wes anderson stuff
i got impatient 3/4 of the way through
obviously she was going to hook up with the guy but it was dragged out too much
"meet me here. when you do so, i'll tell you another place to meet me."
after three or more iterations, i was ready for the payoff

Throne of Blood - 9.75/10
Not too shabby. Tad short.