oliver9184

Factotum 8/10 stars Matt Dillon as the eponymous man of many jobs. He's a slacker of a type we don't see very often: thoughtful, weary, slow-moving, deep-thinking. He'll eventually be distinguished, assuming he lives long enough. He goes around getting menial job after menial job, often getting fired on the very same day that he was hired. It's funny and touching and entirely true to the spirit of the book it was based on, by Charles Bukowski.

Stay 7/10 is an ambitious and odd mystery/thriller starring Ewan McGregor and (yes!) Ryan Gosling. It's twisty-turny and intriguing, playing with and unsettling previously rock-solid notions of identity and cognitive reality, at its best reminiscent of a waking ketamine nightmare, but doesn't end up making a lot of sense. McGregor as an American never genuinely convinces (though his yellow trousers are excellent) whereas Gosling is excellent at the kind of character he plays here - menacing, enigmatic, dynamic - relentlessly pacing the line between charismatic and insane.

Breakfast at Tiffany's 5/10 - everyone knows what this is. I didn't like it at all and I can see why people took offense at Mr Yunioshi. Holly reminded me of Phoebe out of friends, and is almost as irritating. And who the fuck cast George "Stiffboard" Peppard? We're supposed to believe that he's a writer - a Bohemian writer!? The least crazy "crazy" party (yeah why not leave ALL the lights on?) in the hisory of filmland is thrown. Nobody has realized it's the sixties now. Bloody hell. I always thought Tiffany's was a diner or something. Turns out it's a massive Jewellery store. They don't even have breakfast there. Wait, how could they? It makes no sense. Maybe it's a metaphor.

Poltergeist 9/10 is more like it! At least there's some special effects and stunts in this one. It's said in the dialogue that the mother, Diane, is 31 and the daughter, Dana, is sixteen. How does that work? She started a family when she was fifteen? If she's a stepdaughter that's never mentioned. Anyway Dana's already at it, teasing the builders and knowing about the Holiday Inn (expert misdirection by Dana saves her from what could have been a nasty lecture on promiscuity and/or contraception). The dog's name is E-Buzz! What?! Whose idea was that!? There's lots of glib humour in this that I really like and, though it doesn't have the stark raw horror of The Exorcist or the grandiosity of The Omen, Poltergeist holds its own through that familiar Spielbergian domesticity and an abundance of giddy shocks and scares.

The Missouri Breaks 7/10 even though it was only slightly above average, reminded me how good Westerns can be and how much I like watching even mediocre ones. This one would be that were it not for it's two showboating stars (Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando - two very non-Western actors). Nicholson leads a gang of horse poachers and Brando is the 'regulator' hired to stop them. Nicholson plans and schemes, and slides into a prickly relationship with the rancher's daughter, Brando does grunting and mumbling instead of acting and Little Todd (poor Randy Quaid, always the tragic figure!) - gets drowned in a river.

Open Range 8/10 is another Western along more classic lines but also set in Montana: Kevin Costner (also directing) and Robert Duvall are proper cowboys: honest freegrazers who make the mistake of grazing their cows on grass that's too near to Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). The climactic gunfight is one of the biggest and best in Western (maybe even cinema!) history.

The Quiet American 8/10 is a very good adaptation of a Graham Greene novel starring Michael Caine and (ahem!) Brendan Fraser. It's set in French Indo-China/Vietnam in nineteen fifty something and there's a lot of war, reporting, espionage, old-fashioned politeness and simmering love rivalry going on.

Toy Story 8/10 was always one of my least-liked Pixar films. Andy the kid is a horrid little wretch. I want to throw ALL his toys into the sea then watch him cry. Sid the "bad" child has much more going for him. Woody is a reactionary and a coward and not very likeable or identifiable. I suppose it doesn't help that I don't like Tom Hanks or children at all. The humans look fucked up in this film. And the dog runs funny. The finale is pretty good. I saw a home-made clip on Youtube once that bleeped the "falling" out of Buzz saying "This isn't flying, this is falling with style" and omitted "with style", so it was like, "This isn't flying, this is f*cking!"

Shooting Dogs 9/10 tells the story of the 1994 Rwandan genocide from the point of view of an old missionary priest (John Hurt) and a young English teacher (Hugh Dancy), who are both British. Anyone who still thinks that humanity isn't doomed should see this film, Hotel Rwanda or either of the Shake Hands with the Devil adaptations.

The Girlfriend Experience 6/10. This film doesn't have a proper plot. It's "about" very rich people who pay a top-end escort for company and sex. It turns out that such people are all deeply unpleasant after all (QUELLE SURPRISE). She tries to have a "proper" (i.e. not paid for) relationship with a guy who's even more of a dickhead than her clients. Ho-hum!

Tenebrae 5/10: "One is made all the more aware of the director's [Dario Argento] inability to match visual flair with anything worth watching" (Philip Strick, MFB)

Dressed to Kill 6/10 is an unremarkable end to a sometimes great series: Universal's updated Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. It's a feeble story about printing plates being stolen from the Bank of England... and that's all I can remember about it.

Jove

Kick Ass 8/10: A super violent super hero film where an average socially awkward high school student with no fighting abilities decides to become a super hero known as Kick Ass. His first attempts to fight crime end with negative results, but he encounters a father daughter super hero duo known as Big Daddy and Hit Girl, who have super ninja assassin skills and are not afraid to use it.

KellyC

Kick Ass - 8/10. Lots of funny scenes from the beginning to end. What stands out though, is the ass kicking foul mouth little girl.

How to Train Your Dragon - 8/10. I would've given this a 9/10 but the I don't like how whiny and wimpy Hiccup/Jay Baruchel sounds. Even though I didn't see his face, I can still picture him as he was in She's Out of My League. I would've preferred seeing/hearing Michael Cera. The voice acting wasn't that impressive overall for me, with the exception of Gerard Butler. But I did enjoy the storyline, comedy, scenes and 3D. Lots of good stuff in here. I don't get why they all sound Scottish though.

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Ishmal

The last two movies i watched???

Bill & Ted!!!

I watched these two adventures for the first time.
The first one,
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure was great.
Made me laugh out loud watching what the historical figures get up to.
The second one,
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey wasn't AS good.
But it was still kinda fun.
I liked the bit where they challange the Grim Reaper.

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gump

Avatar - 9.9 - 10. Just finished it and have to say one of the best I've ever seen. Such a beautiful film and how cool would it be to visit that planet (if it were real). Overall great great movie watch it if you have not.

Surrogates 6 - 10. Pick it up from Redbox worth the dollar but bout it.

Blind Side 8 - 10. Very touching movie well worth watching.

Frosstbyte

Kick Ass: Nicolas Cage being tolerable? The little sister from (500) Days of Summer kicking serious ass? McLovin' as a supervillian? This movie has it all and then some extra on the side. The advertisements DO NOT do this movie justice. I've heard the red band trailer is better, but I didn't catch that one. Very much worth a watch if you're into highly stylized, ultra-violent movies. 9/10

The Losers: This movie was basically like watching the A Team before the A Team movie came out. It was still cool and had some fun moments, but don't go expecting anything too amazing. The scene with Bradley Cooper going into the corporation while listening to Journey is brilliant. 7.5/10

KellyC

That's exactly my thought about him. Spoiler: He didn't have to die though. Can't wait for the sequel.

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Him: Ok, I have to ask, what do you believe?
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Vaultboy

Iron Man: 10/10. Better than any Marvel sequel to date, but I still dont see why Terence Howard had to make way for Don Cheadle.

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MichaelFarker

District 9 - two out of five stars

I really did not like District 9. I love science fiction movies that make you think. I seek out movies that help you see real life from a new perspective. I usually like brutal action movies. And I really tried to like District 9.

About the only things it had going for it were a few humorous moments and a single decent action scene.

District 9 completely failed to present a single likable character. The acting was atrocious. There were no surprises or suspense; seriously, there could not possibly be a spoiler for this movie because it is so obvious. Most of the cinematography was wretched; as much as I have liked this style in other movies I hope noone ever does it this badly again. The dialogue was dull and poorly delivered. And somehow the violence managed to be both gross and boring at the same time except in one short scene.

Second opinion from my wife ... zero out of five stars.

In summary, District 9 might be a decent way to pass some time if you have nothing else to do.

cdwonderful

Tooth Fairy--- 7 out of 10

better than expected, worth watching if for nothing else Billy Crystals role as the fairy Armourer and Julie Andrews as the head fairy godmother is a crack up, make sure you watch the credits.........

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boink

Well, speaking of movies that make you think... I just saw Avatar and if there ever was a movie that hit you over the head with it's themes and morality lessons... not to mention flagrant display of techno-bling, Avatar is it. I mean, it's all good and pc cheerleading, but it screams Cameron from beginning to end and the story is tired as can be.

RuralJuror

How to Train Your Dragon (3D) - 9/10. While somewhat predictable, the story was pretty much everything you want in a computer animated children's film. The characters were well-conceived, and the humor was very modern and relatable. Also, there were dragons. Lots of different types. It made it fun. I did find the visuals to be a bit here and there at times, though.

blahblah454

Baraka - 9.5/10

Great movie. Kind of made me wonder what the point of it all is at times though. Stunning picture quality! Watch this on Blu Ray

Kill Bill - 7/10

Decent movie to turn your mind off to, but why on earth does anyone find Uma attractive?

Ferngully - 8/10

Yay cartoon avatar! This was a childhood favourite and I had to watch it again.

Dawn of the Dead(2004) - 8/10

Love this movie! Great zombie flick. The scene where the girl gets the chainsaw through her shoulder still makes me absolutely cringe.

warrrreagl

Before the Fall – 10/10

Whatever you must do to see this movie, do it. This is the most incredible movie I have seen in a very long time. It is a 2008 movie with the original title of Tres Dias, and has been renamed Before the Fall for American audiences. It is a Spanish movie set in a small village in Chile, and the version we saw has English subtitles.

There is not any way possible for me to convey the breathtaking suspense of this movie. I imagine that if Stephen King and Alfred Hitchcock could see this movie together, they’d probably both look at each other and say, “Holy shit, this is one suspenseful motherfucker of a movie!”

The incredible premise of the movie explains all you need to know: the world learns that a meteor near Earth has broken into several planet-busting pieces, and all of humanity only has three days left to live before impact and the total annihilation of all life. During the ensuing global chaos, a prison breaks down near a small Chilean village, and a horrible serial child-killer escapes and makes his way back to the village that caught him and ended his spree several years earlier. And he wants brutal revenge on the family of the boy that turned him in. The family knows he’s coming, and the adults try to prepare to defend their isolated home out in the sprawling countryside while making the decision to NOT tell the children that the world is ending and that a madman is on his way.

The unbelievable dichotomies in this movie are so juicy that you won’t be able to turn away. On one hand, there’s all the drama associated with the impending apocalypse, and all the tragedies associated with a total breakdown of society while this poor family is trying to hide and disguise everything going on around them from their children. The kids clearly notice all the goofy lights in the sky, the odd pillars of smoke rising from the nearby village, and the fact that TV and radio reception is fucked up, but the adults somehow maintain the illusion that everything is perfectly normal. And then on the other hand, there’s the weird situation of people fighting a killer with tooth, nail, and claw for their very lives while knowing that they’re all expected to die anyway within three days.

It’s just a mind-blowing, intensely powerful movie experience.

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Seer666

I enjoyed the hell out of District 9. I loved the fact that the main character was pretty much spineless scum through most of it. It was fun watching his back bone grow for me. And well, the Pig Of Death will forever stand out in my memory as a great improve fighting move.

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Sherlock Holmes - 6.5/10
Entertaining, but below the threshold of what I would consider worthy of $12. Good thing I saw it on a plane for free. Though the excessive extrapolation of tiny clues was amusing, I found this to be just another Hollywood Star Vehicle. Amateur CG animation.

Big Fish - 9/10
Tim Burton's best film besides Nightmare Before Christmas. Full of imagination and great storytelling. Maybe it struck a nerve with me, as I constantly think about becoming a father, but I was totally into everything this film had to say.

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noodle

Dear Kick-Ass,

I want my money back. You sucked. I love violent movies, I thrive on them, and I love good comic-based movies. This ranked worse than Daredevil. The main actors were so annoying that I left to go pee. Four times. On purpose. Twice I didn't even have to go, I was just irritated. Pre-pubescent girls spouting foul-language and shooting men in the heads from atop their shoulders could have been awesome. However, your movie sucked. So it wasn't awesome. I don't want to give you any stars. Just on principle because I think Kick-Ass was that stupid. it's like the producers of Glee, Elektra, and National Treasure joined forces with the crew of Idiocracy.

Adios,
Noodle

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hunnychile

Sherlock Holmes. The new one with Robert Downey Jr.
Boy was this a total bore and a huge letdown. The plot developed too slowly & needed edited better and I would rate it a 3/10. It was a Guy Ritchie Film BTW.

(Glad it was almost free from good old Netflix).

Blind Side. Loved it way more than I expected. Hard to believe it's a true story, it was so touching and nicely portrayed. Gotta say I'd give it an 8 outta 10. Interesting view of wealthy white southerners, and Sandra Bullock was wonderful. The actor who played her young son in it was a hoot!

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Gina_

Rachel Getting Married. Harrowing and gritty movie about a young woman who leaves rehab to attend her sister's wedding. Her background story is delivered in little snippets that flow naturally. I like that. Exposition in a film is always a tough maneuver. Anne Hathaway is very good in the role of the young woman. At turns she elicits great sympathy but also anger as real addicts do.

The rest of the cast is mostly unknown to me, but they are wonderful in their supporting roles. I'll rat it 8/10.

oliver9184

Mystic River 8/10 is a solid crime/mystery drama full of top actors doing very good work. Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney all do unspectacular but rock-solid acting leaving the histrionics and granstanding to Tim Robbins and Sean Penn, who won best lead and best supporting Oscars respectively. The story's compelling if somewhat contrived; thankfully director Clint Eastwood managed to steer clear of the trite sentimentality he's often prone to indulging in.

The Beyond 4/10 - video nasty #11. I'm slowly coming to realise that most of the video nasties, especially the Italian ones, are pieces of shit. The Beyond is fairly standard Lovecraft-inspired zombie horror from Lucio Fulci who had previously made the best zombie film so far, another nasty called Zombie Flesheaters (in which you see a zombie fight a shark - for real. Not a real zombie but an actual real-life, alive shark) so I had reasonable hopes for this film. They were dashed within minutes: it's extremely tedious and the effects are utterly appalling. You haven't ever seen tarantulas eat a man's face so badly as here.

Inside 8/10 would have definately been a nasty if the BBFC hadn't lightened up. It's a French horror from 2007 in which a deranged woman tries to steal a pregnant woman's almost-born baby right out of her stomach. This isn't for the feint-hearted. The blood-letting on display here is copious, very convincing and shown in great, lingering, close-up detail. People die more horribly in this film than anything else I can immediately bring to mind, though the tone is slightly lighter than something like Hostel and the context isn't as wretched so (for me as least) it wasn't QUITE as hard to watch.

Blood Feast 3/10 is video nasty #12, made in 1963 apparently on a budget of less than twenty five thousand dollars. I can believe that. It's more of a joke than a proper film, even if it supposedly was the first ever splatter (not slasher) film. Look to Night of the Living Dead for how to make a good, frightening horror film (and kickstart a genre for that matter), not this awful, crass waste of time.

Back to the Future Part III 10/10 does absolutely EVERYTHING exactly right. If BTTFPII was as good as this and the first, this would be the best film trilogy going; as it is it comes a close second to the Godfather trilogy. As ever there's huge lapses of reason and logic and, I guess, time travel but if you care about all that perhaps you should watch Primer instead.

Toy Story 2 8/10 is a lot of fun - more so than the first probably, since the little bastard Andy isn't in it as much. New character Jessie is almost as irritating as Woody but Woody himself doesn't seem as bad away from all the other (better) toys who are, in this sequel, trying to rescue him. Their adventures on the street, in Al's Toy Barn and so on are easily the best thing about this film. I'm looking forward to Toy Story 3 but I can't think how it's going to end, unless lots of time passes and Andy (the college-age Andy seems much more tolerable) ages and ends up passing all the toys onto his grandkids. That's the only feasible "out" I can envisage for the franchise but somehow it doesn't seem likely.

Bay of Blood 4/10: nasty #13. Italian. Was supposed to be an important influence to the slasher (not splatter) genre, particularly Friday the 13th. The resemblance is duly noted, as is the fact that both films feel like the opposite of entertainment (which is a CHORE or even a PUNISHMENT) to a modern audience.

Anywhere But Here 6/10 seemed like it was going to be a female equivalent to This Boy's Life at first but it was not to be. It's similar to that brilliant film only in that it's a coming of age story in which a mother and child make a road trip across America. In This Boy's Life it was Ellen Barkin and Leonardo DiCaprio who ended up in Concrete, Washington; in Anywhere But Here it's Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman ending up in Los Angeles. It's a film clearly aimed at simple-minded and easily pleased females; anyone else won't get much out of this at all.

Mutant 3/10 is another shitty horror film that wasn't even a nasty. Two brothers on a road trip get lost and waylaid by rednecks and then... I guess a monster kills some people, probably. NEXT!

How to Train Your Dragon 9/10 - whoever said this is for adults as well as children is bang right. It's exhilerating as well as endearing, and never patronising. No surprise that the guys responsible also did the most surprisingly good Disney animation of recent years, Lilo & Stitch, and you can see the same distinct stylings in the design of the slick black Night Fury dragon. This is the best of the non-Pixar CG animations by a long way.

Naked Lunch ?/10 is one of those WTF (What The Fuck) films. The main guy is Robocop before he got killed doing some bewildered, very reserved and quiet yet effective acting. Amity Chief of Police Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) cameos as an urbane drug dealer of crazy pretend drugs made out of massive insects. It's the 1950s and somehow, for some reason, the setting shifts to Morocco. Ian Holm shows up and somehow, for some reason talks different words to those that his mouth is saying. Typewriters attack and kill other typewriters. Everything is very sombre and serious and everyone acts like they're in a dour film noir. After about 40 minutes it became absolutely impenetrable. I wish I could have got into it better than I did; I'm really glad that there are films like this and minds capable of making them, and I only wish I could understand and enjoy them more than I'm currently able to.

dd3953

Why Did I Get Married: 8.5/10 - I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. Nice story, even if it was a little predictable in a spots, but, for the most part, there were very good plots twists.

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Punk.of.Ages

Avatar 6/10

It's a decent movie. The story's old and tired, but, at least, it was a story that, no matter how many times you see it, you can still get into. Visually, though, it was a pretty rad flick.

Sherlock Holmes 9/10

I understand what some people are saying about the cliches present in this movie, but, honestly, I kind of expected that out of a Sherlock Holmes movie. I really enjoyed this rendition of Sherlock Holmes. The scenes between him and Watson, alone, makes this a very watchable movie, in my opinion. I found their interactions to be very believable, intelligent, and witty. One of my favorite movies I've seen in a long time.

Kick-Ass 3/10

Refer to noodle's post above. I feel pretty much the same way about this movie.

Moon ??/10

I just finished watching this about 20 minutes ago and I'm not sure how I feel about it, yet...

I mean, I feel like I just watched a really good movie. The story was highly intriguing, the acting was superb, the graphics were incredible, and overall it seemed to have everything a really good movie should have. The problem is that I'm left wondering a lot of things. Spoiler: Why were they using clones instead of robots? They clearly have the technology to have robots do that job if they can create the likes of GERTY. More importantly, if they're going to use clones, why give them false memories and make them believe they had led a life that they didn't? That really doesn't make sense to me.What did Sam do once he got to Earth? I kind of want some closure...

Perhaps the viewer is meant to be left wondering these things. Perhaps that's the point of the movie and I missed it somewhere along the line. I really think I'll have to watch this movie again before I can make a call here...

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oliver9184

To Punk of ages, re Moon: Spoiler: I don't agree with your reasoning that if they could make Gerty, they could make a robot cabable of doing Sam's job. Gerty's a clunky old-fashioned robot and it was Sam's job to do tricky intricate stuff only a person could - my interpretation was that it's set in a future where cloning technology has taken off and been perfected but robotics is still pretty primitive, hence Gerty and those semi-autonomous trucks that gather all the moon stuff outside.

oliver9184

Centurion 8/10 is like if the first battle in Gladiator had been extended to fill up the whole film. A film of proper Roman brutality and bloodshed. It's a few years AD and Roman forces are trying to push north through Britain to occupy the whole island. Opposing them are the Picts, who use guerilla warefare and sneak tactics agains the Romans' superior technology. It's really good to see a rock-hard Roman general get drunk, lead a massive barroom brawl, then get back to soldiering the next day - all the while bantering with his men and doing proper modern swearing.

Bicentennial Man 8/10, A.I. Artificial Intelligence 8/10...
I still can't choose between these two. After ten years, give or take, A.I. seems somehow more credible but also more distant, vague, abstract and more whimsical and dreamlike. Bicentennial Man is warmer, more tangible, funnier (if you can take Robin Williams), a lot more coherent and watchable and eventually more humane. You can see Bicentennial's ending a mile off (well, a half hour off) but that doesn't stop it being very effective, affecting and satisfying - on a narrative and emotional level if nothing else. A.I.'s ending is weird and daring and for those reasons should be applauded but I don't think I'm alone finding it difficult to properly engage with. The film's initial concept is Stanley Kubrick's but the movie's execution is recognizably Spielberg, up until the ending which seems like more Kubrick than anything he really did do when he was living. Re acting, David (Haley Joel Osment) does the only acting I really like in this film. Everyone else takes a back seat to the boy robot which I suppose was the intention, and necessary. Similarly Williams is the main draw for Bincentennial, and he makes a fine robot; but the real unexpected treat of this film and its moral anchor is assured, mild-mannered man of the world Sam Neill as the family's patriarch.

Freeway 8/10 wasn't quite as spectacular as I had remembered and the ride is bumpier but young Reese Witherspoon still gives an unblinkable performance as a disadvantaged teenager who refuses to become a victim of Kiefer Sutherland's psychotic but ostensibly respectable killer. Things get very out of hand very quickly - but remain a lot of fun - as the film turns into an all too literal metaphor for Little Red Riding Hood.

Q: The Winged Serpent 8/10 is a low-budget monster movie from 1982 inspired by earlier Japanese monster films and inspiring in turn the 1998 Godzilla remake. The film features the best helicpoter shots of Manhattan I've ever seen, bar none, as the camera emulates the POV of the flying beast. All the street-level scenes look totally authentic to the location and, knowing writer-director-producer Larry Cohen's reputation, were probably shot unofficially, on the fly, with no permission and with real crowds instead of extras. The scope and scale of the story is WAY out of proportion to its $1.2m budget but it works brilliantly by keeping up a quick pace throughout and efficient use of its monster.

KellyC

Iron Man 2 - 9/10
A really, really fun flick. Robert Downey Jr. delivered more of his likable-asshole performance. But in this one, he's shown to be much more vulnerable than he is in the first movie. Lots of other fun stuff that I won't spoil for y'all. I enjoyed the hell out of it. Period.

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Reno

I loved the dynamics of the relationship but the ending left me wantin some solution.

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Honesty

I love these movie threads because I usually watch a new DVD every night at bed time.

The last good movie I saw was The Lovely Bones and that movie, in my opinion is 10/10.
I often judge the quality of a movie by how many times it makes me teary-eyed.

Now I'm glad I never went to see it in the theaters because I wept through the entire movie.

Gabbyness

Legion -- 2/10

As someone who really digs the whole Archangel/Apocalypse/Badassfest, I found this movie utterly boring, and felt it really took itself far too seriously. Anyone else feel differently? Maybe there's something I missed!

---------- Post added at 02:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:08 PM ----------

Shutter Island -- 8.5/10

I really dug this movie. Visually, cinematically, really cool. Visceral, but sometimes kind of over the top . . . I loved the "flashback" scenes. I don't know if it's my love of the book that may have helped up the ol' score.

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Titan_Uranus

shutter island 8-10
the lovely bones 9-10 ,awesome
edge of darkness 8-10

m0rpheus

Iron Man 2
3 1/2 out of 5.

Not as good but not bad at all. It really served more as a true prequel to the Avengers than the first Iron Man.

Also comic fans - stick around after the credits.
Non-comic fans - ask your comic fan friends Spoiler: why a hammer in the desert was worth sticking around after the credits for.

I was geeking out huge, my GF was like "I don't get it".

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Honesty

I watched Ondine with Colin Farrell and Alicja Bachleda, on pay per view before it opens in theaters.
It's everything I look for in a movie 10/10.
Absolutely beautiful.

Punk.of.Ages

Get Him to the Greek 6/10

I laughed a lot, but in the end I was laughing at the same damn things I was laughing at in every other Jud Apatow movie, just set to a different (not great) story...

It's fine if you'd like to see another movie that will make you laugh your ass off at cock joke after cock joke, but don't expect much more.

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oliver9184

to Honesty: did you watch pay per view Ondine online or via your TV? If online, can you give some details? Thanks.

The Mist 9/10 is an excellent modern horror with plenty of monsters, gore, scares, suspense and above-average acting. The story, which is both not what it seems and refreshingly simple and gimmick-free, comes from Stephen King and the film's directed by Frank Darabont who had previously seen success with the 1994 adaptation of King's story The Shawshank Redemption.

A River Runs Through It 6/10 is a pretty tedious early 90s family saga from Robert Redford and starring Brad Pitt. In that respect it's a little like Legends of the Fall, except no Anthony Hopkins doing big stroke acting, no Elliott from E.T. and no WWI sequence in which Pitt goes feral and manually kills a lot of enemies. Not much fun at all, in fact, and doesn't feel as epic as it should: even the funnest part of this film, which is the two brothers racing down rapids on a little boat, isn't a lot of fun.

Blindness 7/10 poses the question: what if everyone went blind for no reason? Then acts out the awful consequences in squeamish detail and total solemnity. Unluckily for us but perhaps luckily for everyone in the film, the ragtag band of blindies that the story is about features two of Hollywood's most prosaic and dullest actors, Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore. What a couple they make! Anything that comes out of either of their mouths sounds like the start of a lecture, and it often turns out to be just that, most often shittily moderated to make it sound like a suggestion instead. Mark Ruffalo's type, particularly in Blindness but elsewhere too, is the educated middle-class guy who definitely does think he's better than everyone else, despite huffy and dismissive protestations to the contrary. Snooty and and snide and sneering and so SMUG, always ready to stifle a laugh or a derisive smirk at all the stupid, little, ridiculous shitheels that surround him all day every day and don't use throwaway words like "etymologically" over breakfast (as he does in Blindness). Neither Ruffalo or his wife are capable of genuine humility or humour which could account for why this film's so dour why you're likely to side with the baddies for a while, and why the last quarter of the film feels so detached and unreal. The fact that this pair are probably more like what people might really be like in a situation like this as opposed to what characters are like in movies makes the film a gruelling experience but an unusually credible-feeling, Danny Glover and his little radio notwithstanding.

Four Christmases 6/10. Because of BS but necessary high-concept plot contrivances a young urban couple, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, have to visit both of their fathers and mothers, all of whom live apart, on Christmas Day, when they (the couple) would prefer to be on holiday in Fiji, like they have been for the last three years. The fathers are Robert Duvall and Jon Voight and the mothers are Sissy Spacek and someone else. Slightly funny comedy, including slapstick, happens at each house. In between, the couple falls out over what they want from each other and the future. By the end, after Reese has been handling HUNDREDS of different infants throughout, and is exposed to A WHOLE CASTLE of them at one point, you can guess what happens. A one-idea seasonal comedy like this will rarely score very high and this isn't an exception (Bad Santa is all I can think of that is), but it isn't TOO bad - it's not Deck The Halls. Questions: Why does Reese look so haggard in this film? Watching her wasn't as pleasant as I expected. Why wasn't any comedy made about the ridiculous height difference between her and Vince except on the poster? Why did Jon Voight bother, for the sake of a couple of lines? Is he afraid we'll forget about him if he doesn't regularly pop up and pretend to try to act like he did in the old days? (We won't forget about you Jon!)

The Emperor's New Groove 9/10 is almost my favourite Disney animation even though I just saw it for the first time. If I enjoy it as much when I watch it again it's getting 10. It's the lightest and fastest-paced one I can remember with a simplified, stylized and somewhat abstracted geography consisting of just three elements (palace - village - jungle/river) in which all the action takes place. Much of the story is about getting from one place to another, characters' dialog and their motivations are concerned with places other than those they are in and this sort of setup makes for an addictively compelling yet easy-to-follow narrative. A young child could see this and get a lot of enjoyment out of it. The opposite of this can be seen in other fairly recent Disney features such as Atlantis: The Lost World, Treasure Planet and of course all three Pirates of the Caribbean films (all seven and three-quarter HOURS of it), in which there's an overblown quest with lots of locations and characters - all of whom have individual allegiances and motivations - which the audience is expected to remember, and care about. Nobody cares about that. They just want to see Johnny Depp saying funny stuff, Keira Knightley looking nice and Orlando Bloom being a dick. As POTC shows step by step how to do it WRONG, The Emperor's New Groove should serve as a touchstone for original Disney stories - animated or otherwise - of how to do it RIGHT.

Honesty

I watched it on my TV, comcast.
It cost me $9.99 but was totally worth it.





I liked The Mist too, but I'd give it 7/10.
A River Runs Through It, same 7/10. I love that sort of dry adult drama.

Manic_Skafe

Exit Through The Gift Shop 10/10

I couldn't write a review that'd come to close to giving this movie/documentary the credit it deserves. Avoiding the insane amount of reviews and hype that come along without any Banksy project is no feat but I faired well enough to enter the theater with any expectations or clues as to what the film was about. Yeah, it's a documentary by Banksy about the birth of street art but essentially it's the life story of a guy that took it upon himself to capture all of this culture from it's inception onward. It's hilarious, insightful and generally enjoyable. If you've ever felt anything about art then go see it.

Climate of Change 7/10

Nice and poignant but too much like every other climate change movie I've seen. Learned a bit about strip mining but I'd have been bummed out had I paid to see it.

William Vinent 5/10

I'm sure James Franco did the best he could with such material but he was so mechanical, the film was shot so annoyingly with such little depth of field and the overall story delivered nothing. It was interesting enough but I wouldn't see it again.

Metropia 7/10

While the movie is worth seeing for the visuals alone, the story was critically flawed and failed to deliver. I found it no surprise that the director spoke to no end about the animation process but hardly at all about the writing process. Juliette Lewis is just as beautiful in person as ever but hardly so in the film.

Sex, Drugs & Rock & Roll 7/10

Hilariously funny and entertaining throughout. Very well played.

My Own Love Song 9/10

Before this movie I'd have bet my life savings that there'd never be a Renee Zellweger movie I'd ever enjoy or want to watch more than once but she along with Forest Whitaker, Madeline Zima and Nick Fucking Notle delivered incredible performances. Add a soundtrack chocked full of new Bob Dylan tracks and it's a no-brainer.

A Brand New Life 10/10

Easily some of the greatest child acting I've ever seen. This movie stands entirely on the brilliance of the performances and it's really quite incredible. So much about life, love and loss is communicated through these young actors.

Dream Home 8/10

I don't like horror movies but the incredibly artful murders were quite brilliant. I've never laughed so hard or seen a mid-coitus couple murdered as artfully as when an erect penis is severed via sword and continues ejaculating while the resulting bloodspray lands across her back like a money shot...

...

__________________
"Porn is a zoo of exotic animals that becomes boring upon ownership." -Nersesian

Honesty

Thanks!
I just watched the trailer, it looks awesome.


I saw Innocence (2004) 10/10
Maybe one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.
The commentary by the filmmaker is wonderful as well, she's an amazing person, Lucile Hadzihalilovic.

blahblah454

Fist of Legend (Jet Li) - 7.5/10

Great fight scenes in this one!

District B13: Ultimatum - 9/10

So the story is pretty weak, and the dialogue even weaker. But hot damn there is some serious martial arts and insane displays of agility in this movie. The two guys in this just blow my mind. I rewound several parts of this and watched them over and over.

KellyC

Robin Hood - 4/10

NOT what I expected. Detracted from popular legend that made Robin Hood cool. Really, really slow pacing and a bunch of other stuff that I won't bother get into. The only thing they got right was King John was still a major douche. But I hear this film is the first of a series, in which case, it would make a lot of sense.

__________________
Him: Ok, I have to ask, what do you believe?
Me: Shit happens.

Vaultboy

I give it 8/10.

I liked the reimagination. I always found the "popular legend" of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men too heavily romanticized - I feel the same about many Victorian-era movies.

I also didn't find it slow - the exposition was well timed, and well executed. Sorry, but comparing it to movies like Clash of the Titans, which skipped character development and plot exposition entirely, just to give you a 90min formula action flick, to be a complete waste of time. I reckon Scott timed it this perfectly at 140mins.

And John is not the only thing they got right. Excellent acting throughout, a great "new" villian in Godfrey (Mark Strong ftw), some great vistas, and nice taut battle scenes made this a good movie for me.

__________________
"Failing tastes of bile and dog vomit. Pity any man that gets used to that taste."

Honesty

I watched The New Daughter 6/10.
Not a terrible movie but it's geared toward teen girls of divorced parents.
I found it boring.


Also saw Henry Darger: In the Realms of the Unreal. 10/10
A documentary narrated by young Dakota Fanning. Very informative & beautiful.