What Movie Did You Just Watch? ...Rises

[Goliath]

^ Reminds me of something: have you finally read The Seven Cristall Bolls and Prisoners of the Sun, the best books in the 'Tintin'-series?

[jpanimation]

I'm getting to it

[Lazario]

The Tommyknockers (1993 / directed by: John Power)



Well, yet again the 90's proves itself to have been an underrated decade for horror. I actually never liked this mini-series as a kid. I thought it was boring and wooden. That certainly changed last night. The romance between Joanna Cassidy and John Ashton drags entirely, Robert Carradine as a "creepy" restauranteur and the actress playing his wife are more than a little off (as a matter of fact, Cassidy is infinitely creepier as a cop who collects dolls and talks to them), and the child actors are terrible. But apart from that, everything is spot on. Jimmy Smits and Marg Helgenberger give wonderfully sophisticated performances as a pair of addict writers living together. Cliff De Young, who usually plays comforting, nice guy father figures, gets to be the king of douchebag husbands here and also gives a more layered performance than one would expect. The biggest surprise is probably ex-porn star Traci Lords who is shockingly sexy (I thought so) considering how equally effective she is at being bitchy, sleazy, and downright scary (especially during the mind-reading scene at the post office). Allyce Beasley isn't as cute as her voice but, as the wife of De Young's cheating mailman, she's more than appropriately sympathetic and great with props. The talking TV scene wasn't quite as creepy as I remembered as a kid, though. E.G. Marshall (who played a villain in Stephen King's Creepshow) is the only other main member of the cast who doesn't always come through. But blame for that might belong on the fact that he does most of his work opposite the children. The running theme of green lights is cheesy but fun. The music and sound design should also be lame but somehow, they work very well - since the movie's about a cult, it makes sense that the scenes of them gathering and zombieing out are accompanied by a cheesy chorus. I also thought the alien aspect of the movie worked fine. Although, one question: if the horror of this idea is that the aliens use "us" as batteries, why doesn't anyone seem to die out from that? (Eventually, we're lead to a room where we see people encased in chambers and wired up like the batteries you plug into those volt pads with wires that stick into kids' toy cars. And everyone basically seems to be alive.) Regardless: the movie is intense and engrossing the whole way through (well, except for the kids' scenes; I think the Nostalgia Critic even mentioned something feels inherently wrong with that "warm and safe and toasty" line) with far better performances than TV-movies often get. And this offers still more than the vast majority of so-called horror films from the last 12 years have had to offer, remembering that atmosphere and tone are key.

[Dr Frankenollie]

...E.G. Marshall (who played a villain in Stephen King's Creepshow)...

A 12 Angry Men star was in a Stephen King miniseries?!



The Godfather Parts I & II (1972/1974)

I finally got around to watching these highly-praised films. The Godfather is the best crime film I've ever seen, a remarkable film which kept me hooked virtually from beginning to end despite being nearly three hours long. I was slightly surprised that the main character is not the Godfather, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), but his son Michael Corleone (Al Pacino); its Michael's story, a tragic character arc beginning with him telling his beloved Kay (Diane Keaton) that he doesn't want to join the family business, and then ending with him having become the new Don of the Italian-American mafia. The scene which is the beginning of the end for Michael is set in a restaurant with a gangster and a corrupt police officer (played by - another surprise - Winnie the Pooh!). It's the best scene of both Godfather movies, brimming with suspense. Will Michael kill them? Has a gun been planted in the bathroom or not?

Michael and the gangster's conversation is in Italian, but cleverly lacking in subtitles; my initial confusion with this gradually led to me realising that director Francis Ford Coppola was doing this to make us pay attention to the characters' body language, facial expressions and tones of voice rather than the conversation's content. It's a very clever method.

Stanley Kubrick once said that the cast of the Godfather is the best movie cast in cinema history, and it's not hard to see why. Al Pacino's multi-layered performance first full of innocence; Marlon Brando's ancient and wise Vito, giving off grand presence; James Caan's convincing portrayal of the hot-headed and impulsive Sonny; Robert Duvall's Tom Hagen, the curiously likable adopted son of Vito.

The sets, cinematography and editing are all quite exquisite, making great scenes better: there's the memorable juxtaposition of the bright, colourful wedding and the dark, tense office of Vito at the beginning; the bewildering sequence whereupon Vito is shot by rival criminals; the gorgeous home of the horse-loving director, full of beautiful sculptures and shimmering swimming pools; and the powerful montage at the end with Michael becoming godfather to his nephew while his men murder Moe Green and the heads of the other mafia families.

Finally, there's the music by Nino Rota - operatic, sad, nostalgic, and powerful. I adore The Godfather.

However...the sequel is a different matter. Often said to be as great as The Godfather, and sometimes said to even be superior, The Godfather Part II is a great film with superb performances again. Nonetheless, I personally think it's not nearly as good as its predecessor. There are great sequences (the sad scene showing poor Fredo's fate and when a young Vito (Robert De Niro) kills a crime boss after watching him from rooftops), but for some reason, I don't think it entirely works.

Is it wrong of me to think that it may have been stronger if the story of the young Vito and the continued story of Michael should have been put in different films? There are dull moments in Michael's story, and I wish we could see the young Vito again; but there are also moments in Vito's story when I wished we could see what Michael was doing. Both stories have many interesting moments and feature incredible performances, but they never seem to entirely fit together.





All About Eve (1950) - Sublime classic Hollywood picture. Bette Davis, Anne Baxter and Shere Khan himself, George Sanders, all portray their characters with energy and numerous layers, and they share great bubbling chemistry with each other. The script is dazzling, chock full of literally laugh-out-loud lines:

"You have a point. An idiotic one, but a point."
"While you wait you can read my column; it'll make minutes fly like hours."
"I distinctly remember, Addison, crossing you off of my guest list. What are you doing here?"
"If my guests do not like it here, I suggest they accompany you to the nursery where I'm sure you will all feel at home."

...and also features more emotional, serious parts, like Margo's monologue and Eve's description of audience applause. It's just a really fun and witty classic.

[Goliath]

^ What I find great about The Godfather- Part II, is the juxtaposition between the two tales; one about a young man slowly rising to power out of nothing, the other about a corrupted man taking over the business he previously sworn he would never engage in. Michael really emerges as the kind of ruthless person he always vowed to never become, while the young Vito essentially starts out as a young version of Michael: somebody who, unwillingly, got forced into the life he would ultimately had to live, that of "Don" Vito. The two storylines and characters mirror each other and that's what ties them together.

Also make sure to watch The Godfather- Part III. It's a whole lot better than the bad rep it has gotten. I think it's a perfect solution to the Michael Corleone saga. It's very different from the first two movies, sure, and not as epic, but still good enough to revist time and again. And Sofia Coppola? Not that bad either.

[PeterPanfan]

I've decided to try and briefly review every movie I see this year. Here's a lot from yesterday and today.

Panic Room - I would rate this somewhere in the middle of David Fincher's usually great work. It was good, very thrilling... but something about it seemed almost cheesy. Jodie Foster always delivers and Kristen Stewart wasn't too annoying as the ambiguously gendered kid. I normally really like Jared Leto but he was annoying as hell. Overall, a decent thriller.

Happythankyoumoreplease - I loved this! I didn't know what to expect, especially since Josh Radnor wrote, directed, and starred in it, and I don't really like him on How I Met Your Mother. Sometimes it was awkward, but people are awkward so it worked in its own cute way. The highlights were Kate Mara and Zoe Krazan.

Ten Inch Hero - Another independent gem starring Jensen Ackles, Danneel Harris, Clea DuVall, and Elisabeth Harnois. (So basically most of the CW actors). It was different and it had a lot of heart... if it didn't, it would have been laughable and dumb.

Buffalo '66 - I watched this because Netflix always recommends it to me, and Christina Ricci starred in it. Despite her looking gorgeous in it, it was just alright. Vincent Gallo (the writer/director/main actor) came off as a douchebag, especially after reading about his major criticism of Ricci's acting. Mediocre film only worth viewing if you're a Ricci fan.

The Burning Plain - Again, I saw this based on the actors in it: Charlize Theron, a recent favorite of mine (I saw Monster on New Year's Eve and she was phenomenal) and Jennifer Lawrence, who will be playing Katniss in The Hunger Games in March. This was a great story, and although the execution wasn't fantastic, the acting made up for it. Great film!

[littlefuzzy]

I think my last post ended with Cobra, I'm going to try to get caught up, and then hopefully add a sentence for each new film when I watch it. I watched 366 movies last year (a personal record,) as part of a 365 in 2011 challenge. This year, I'm just going to watch whatever, whenever. If I don't even break 100, fine, if I watch 500, great!

The ratings are based on how much I enjoyed it, not necessarily how technically good I thought the film was. Asterisks (*) are titles I watched for the first time.

The end of 2011 (~August to December):
Commando (1985) - 8
Batman (1989) - 8
Batman Returns (1992) - 7
Batman Forever (1995) - 6
Despicable Me (2010)* - 7
Batman and Robin (1997) - 5
Dragnet (1987) - 7
Topper (1937)* - 8
Topper Takes a Trip (1938)* - 7
Topper Returns (1941) - 8
Easy Money (1983)* - 5
Gremlins 2: the New Batch (1990) - 7
Dark Avenger (1990) - 7
God of Gamblers (1989)* - 7
All for the Winner (1990)* - 7
God of Gamblers II (1991)* - 7
God of Gamblers III: Back to Shanghai (1991)* - 7
The Top Bet (1991)* - 6
God of Gamblers' Return (1994)* - 7
The Saint of Gamblers (1995)* - 6
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)* - 7
Operation Petticoat (1959)* - 8
The Flirting Scholar (1993)* - 7
Exorcist Master (1993)* - 6
The Bullfighters (1945)* - 6
Enchanted (2007) - 7
Father Goose (1964)* - 8
God of Gamblers 3: The Early Stage (1997)* - 7
Ri¢hie Ri¢h (1994) - 7
Defendor (2009)* - 8
Ri¢hie Ri¢h's Christmas Wish (1998)* - 7
Ip Man (2008)* - 8
Kung Fu Dunk (2008)* - 8
March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934) - 7
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (2004)* - 7
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006)* - 7
The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice (2008)* - 7
Meteor Man (1993)* - 7
The Private Eyes (1981)* - 7
The Cat and the Canary (1939)* - 7
Pom Pom (1984)* - 7
Jack Hunter and the Lost Treasure of Ugarit (2008)* - 5
Jack Hunter and the Quest for Akhenaten's Tomb (2008)* - 5
The Noose Hangs High (1948)* - 7

2012:
01. - Scared Stiff (1953) - 7
A fun little Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis flick, where the duo goes off to bust ghosts at a haunted castle.

02. - Blankman (1994)* - 7
Damon Wayans stars as a superhero obsessed character who fights crime with his inventions made from junk.

[SillySymphony]

Ratings based on a 5 star method.
[Blue = 1st time rating and/or viewing]

Star Trek (2009) ✰✰✰✰
Super 8 (2011) ✰✰✰
(Liked the kids. Didn't get into the alien storyline.)
The Adjustment Bureau (2011) ✰✰✰
(Interesting concepts, but none felt fully explored or developed.)
The Rocketeer (1991) ✰✰✰1/2
(Well crafted, slightly cheesy comic book tribute.)

[littlefuzzy]

I just finished The Road to Hong Kong (1962,) with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. I watched the 6 earlier "Road" films in May and June of last year.

This time they are skewering the spy genre, as they get mixed up with a slinky secret agent (played by a young Joan Collins.) She's looking for a secret rocket fuel formula that gets wedged in Hope's memory, so her maniacal leader can wipe out the worst parts of humanity and reshape the world according to his wishes.

Dorothy Lamour, who was in the previous "Road" pictures as the love interest between Hope and Crosby, shows up close to the end of the film to do a musical number with the boys.

Frankly, I'd take Dorothy Lamour at ~45 over Joan Collins at ~24.

[slave2moonlight]

Just watched Scott Pigrim vs. the World. I guess this is one of those movies you either love or hate (or just don't feel anything about, like CinemaSnob). It's been described as pure 90's nostalgia/hipster stuff. Maybe it's because of the total randomness of it, maybe it's that I was in high school in the 90's, or maybe it's just that Knives is too, TOO adorable, but I am among those who love it. Even though I agree with others who complain about the plot, and all the, "Why does he have to do this again?" (fight the girls 7 evil exes). Not that it isn't explained, just a little silly. I also remember, when initially watching it, I kept thinking, "Why do these people have super powers?" "Why is Scott a good fighter?" and other unexplained stuff like that. Then, I learned to just enjoy it for what it is, a very good time with some very cute girls and awesome visuals, and a lot of really funny stuff, though you have to find Michael Sera funny. But, frankly, I think this is a thousand times funnier than his other films (the ones I've seen, that is). Anyways, like I said, I like this one a lot.

[Lazario]

The Temp (1993 / directed by: Tom Holland)



Fairly unremarkable all around except for being an exhibition for really bad hair styles, colors (poor Maura Tierney practically looks like she just crawled out of a fireplace), etc. For the women, that is. The men look great (professional). The story weaves all over the tried and trodden "erotic" thriller map- Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct conventions (going out for drinks, hints of bi-sexual affairs, he's seeing a shrink, he's got a kid, she offers him gifts) are well in-check. Although this thing is a way bigger tease. (He catches her masturbating in one scene but there's no skin anywhere except for a couple Timothy Hutton shirtless scenes. Um...yay? Personally, given his charmingly displaced psychosis, I'd have preferred Dwight Schultz go bare instead. And, of course, Wings' / Single White Female's Steven Webber has never been this cute.) It's even afraid to say "fuck" more than once. Which would make you think it's angling for an R-rating. Except that the one they chose would of course be qualified by the MPAA as a "sexual" "fuck" () and there's an interesting amount of blood. Maybe not as much as Attraction or Instinct but it's easily more creatively morbid with the death and dismemberment scenes. Not surprising, since director Tom Holland became a horror master in the 80's with Fright Night and Child's Play (and then was prompty never heard of again, except in circles of infamy since he directed 2 of Stephen King's worst adaptations- Thinner and The Langoliers). Tobe Hooper would out-nasty a hand-in-the-machine sequence with 95's The Mangler (another King adaptation) but this one has good build-up. And, most noteworthy is a sequence in which unsuspecting supermarket taste testers start coughing up blood. Which goes projectile. Suspense is nil. One obligatory jump scare. And what passes for drama - the movie's whole "pity me" (the poor workaholic executive clinging to his job at a workplace where almost everyone is abusive to him) "even though I'm rich, because... uh, gimme a second... uh... um... I got a kid who I'm currently forming an estranged bond with(?)" - is pathetic. The movie does have 1 good idea, which is to try to make the audience question whether Hutton's character is being paranoid and putting 2's together that don't fit while the level of Lara Flynn Boyle's evil intent wavers on the Guilt-O-Meter. Meaning: the movie sets up some other cast members as red herrings. But the out...cum of the masturbation scene just removes all reasonable doubt: Boyle's the killer. This makes the (small) factory climax (as though Final Analysis's lighthouse finale weren't weak enough- this one puts in half that effort) entirely pointless. And the "you're fired" ending... well, the last thing I wanted to see. I actually expected more. That'll teach me.


Oh, yeah... I also watched Teen Wolf Too but like a moron forgot to get a pic before Netflix took it down from Watch Instant. Oh, well. What do you need to know there? Jason Bateman is a nerd whose wolf persona has him mistaken for a jock upon arrival by his fellow nerds, alienating him in some scenes while in others he's a savant casanova. With the hugest dorky-glasses I have ever seen. And this is all before John Astin and his very large dog resort to intimidation tactics (one of them resulting in a horrendously tasteless image which even I don't have the guts to show you) to get him to go wolf on their boxing team and tear the competition to shreds. See, here's the joke- everyone already knows Michael J. Fox is related to him and that he's a werewolf, blah blah blah: bad story continuity, awkward transformation sequence, headache-inducing musical number and multiple teen movie montages. Messages bouncing off the walls. Your mind is beautiful, the body is beautiful, but that annoying trait that really makes you stand out turns everyone else off. I dunno: the wolf thing was stupid in the first movie, here it's downright intolerable. But what's the point? Werewolf movies typically link lycanthropy to adolescence. This one would appear to be far more clueless. Bateman doesn't use his looks get him popularity, he uses something inside. Something portrayed as bad, except in scenes so freakishly indescribable they make Teen Witch look like the underrated kinda-classic it is (you heard right). But he stops using his brain. So, there's a war of the insides. Even though being a dork is viewed by the movie as being at the very least unattractive and no matter how he does it, when he wins a boxing match- he's still the cool guy and the glory of communal victory is viewed as the greatest accomplishment. What the...

[jpanimation]

and a corrupt police officer (played by - another surprise - Winnie the Pooh!).

lol I can see where the confusion is coming from. Sterling Holloway is the fella with the distinctive voice that you find in Winnie-the-Pooh and many other Disney classics. Sterling Hayden is the fella in The Godfather, who I mainly recognize from Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove and The Killing and Huston's The Asphalt Jungle (he's kind of a one-note actor).

I’m glad to see you finally got around to The Godfather and that it did not disappoint. It’s only gotten better with each viewing for me. I happen to agree with you on Part II and it seems to be a 50/50 split on this. Some people like it even more then the first and then there are others (like us) who kind of find it a letdown when compared to the original. To me, it feels like two good movies instead of one great one but others feel they compliment each other.

[Flanger-Hanger]

(nobody, and I mean nobody, is buying these character being nearly 40 years old).

Agree 100%. I'd looked really bad to me.

The Help (2011) 7.5/10 - I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. It shows the struggles of blacks in the segregated south brought on not just by racists but by laws our own government had in place prohibiting equal treatment. You’d think with such a touchy subject that this might be a downer but it’s actually a fairly upbeat movie (so don’t expect a sullen atmosphere throughout like The Color Purple). For the characters, there is no real grey, as they seem to be either good or bad. Even so, they’re appealing and well developed, important since this movie depends almost entirely around you liking them. I was also surprised at how funny parts of this movie were, as I found myself with a grin cheek to cheek with satisfaction when you find out about Minny’s “chocolate pie”. I just found it to be pleasant, I’d probably even label it a feel good movie.

I finally got around to seeing the movie version, which I liked, but it did leave alot out from the book (which was more enjoyable for me). If you liked the movie, I'd recommend the book.

[Mooky]

...The scene which is the beginning of the end for Michael is set in a restaurant with a gangster and a corrupt police officer (played by - another surprise - Winnie the Pooh!)...

Actually, Sterling Holloway was never in The Godfather. You must have been thinking of Sterling Hayden.

[Dr Frankenollie]

^ What I find great about The Godfather- Part II, is the juxtaposition between the two tales; one about a young man slowly rising to power out of nothing, the other about a corrupted man taking over the business he previously sworn he would never engage in. Michael really emerges as the kind of ruthless person he always vowed to never become, while the young Vito essentially starts out as a young version of Michael: somebody who, unwillingly, got forced into the life he would ultimately had to live, that of "Don" Vito. The two storylines and characters mirror each other and that's what ties them together.

I kind of understand what you mean, but it sometimes felt uneven. There were points when I was irked when we went back to the young Vito, because I was more interested in what Michael was doing, and occasionally vice versa. I wasn't certain on what Coppola wanted to make us focus on - the flashbacks or the present.

Another thing that I didn't like about Part II was that I was frequently confused; for example, Michael tells Roth that Frankie was responsible for the attack on his bedroom. Then Michael tells Frankie that Roth was responsible. Frankie and Roth are both new characters who didn't appear in the first film, so I didn't know enough about either of them to work out which one was the true antagonist. Perhaps it was Coppola's intention for the viewer to be mislead, but I was a little annoyed by it.

lol I can see where the confusion is coming from. Sterling Holloway is the fella with the distinctive voice that you find in Winnie-the-Pooh and many other Disney classics. Sterling Hayden is the fella in The Godfather, who I mainly recognize from Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove and The Killing and Huston's The Asphalt Jungle (he's kind of a one-note actor).

Silly me.

[yamiiguy]

City of Life and Death

There are a lot of war movies, many good, many bad but few have been as epic as this. Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death tackles what must rank as one of the worst atrocities in human history, atrocities which were denied by the Japanese authorities for decades - the Rape of Nanjing.

In the film's 130 minute running time, Chuan's manages to concentrate more raw emotional power than some directors can manage in their entire career. Believe me, this is no easy watch. The film plays out as a feature-length nightmare, it's horrific from beginning to end in both the violent scenes and the emotional ones. The director shows these atrocities through the eyes of individuals on either side, clearly inspired by the Spielberg war movie, in particular Schindler's List and Empire of the Sun.

One more thing of note is how well the film is composed. There's some beautiful black and white photography featuring some stunningly choreographed shots with impressive juxtaposition.

[Goliath]

Modern Times (1936)

Chaplin's best? I don't know; The Great Dictator and The Circus are strong contenders for that title, too. I'm not going into detail here, but I loved every minute of this film. Chaplin cleverly mixes slapstick with social commentary (which seems eerily relevant today) and melodrama (with an endearing Paulette Goddard), the way only he can.

[jpanimation]

Frankie and Roth are both new characters who didn't appear in the first film, so I didn't know enough about either of them to work out which one was the true antagonist.

Frankie was conceived when Castellano declined to reprise his Clemenza role for Part II. Frankie's role in the plot of the film was originally intended for Clemenza's character. So yeah, it could get a little confusing and this didn’t help.

Modern Times (1936)

Chaplin's best?

I like to think so

[PeterPanfan]

Some recent watches:

21 Grams - The script and direction was pretty good, but the acting - especially on the part of Naomi Watts - was phenomenal. I'm still stunned that she hasn't won an Oscar yet, for either this or [Mulholland Dr.. Highly recommended for her performance alone.

Pretty Persuasion - I didn't really like this, but Evan Rachel Wood was fantastic, and Elisabeth Harnois was great too.

Wristcutters: A Love Story - I had been wanting to see this for a while since i like Paul Dano and the storyline seemed unique. It was good, albeit a little too self-involved... I think the writer knew he was making an "indie" (not independent) film while he was crafting the script.

[yamiiguy]

For me, Chaplin's best is between City Lights, Modern Times and The Great Dictator.