Movie Reviews

[The Big Pointy One]

I saw 'The Fountain' in theatres about a year ago, and I have to say, it thoroughly messed me up. Although it seemed pretty straight forward, there was just something about it. I didn't really think about it as artsy or anything, I just kinda saw it from the emotional standpoint. Granted, that's the viewpoint I try to see most movies from, but meh. I've also seen Pi, which is equally messed up, but on a low budget... you might wanna try seeing that before the fountain to see where the director is coming from. That, or you could find the graphic novel version of the fountain... that's definitely more artsy, but it might give more insight into the film? I'm not sure. Anyways, I guess it's a toss-up, because apparently not many people liked the fountain when it came out as it is.

 

~shrug~

[Elvina]

I think some people left the cinema I was in when I saw The Fountain with my husband. While it took us a while to get an idea of what was happening we weren't tempted to walk out - how would we ever know what was going on?

 

We saw it mainly for Weiz and Jackman - both of whom I thought were good in this. There was some confusion (check the IMDb threads to see just how much!) as to the timeline. Some brainiac had stated in a blurb that the story spanned a thousand years, but all but one timeline (the one in which his wife is dying and he can't save her) was metaphorical. The Conquistador timeline signified his desperate search to save his wife, while the journey into the stars signified his spiritual journey as he came to terms with her death and everyone's mortality.

 

It was a very roundabout way to put across a message, but I believe that's what this director is meant to be good at. Hubby and I both came out of the cinema feeling like our minds no longer fit inside our puny skulls and we kept looking up at the sky, the stars, and the moon on the way home. I couldn't say if we'd do that after watching other abstract metaphorical films - we don't make a habit of them. But we thought this film was very interesting and hadn't been a waste of our time, so that's something, I guess.

 

Even though we're all going to die...

 

J/k!

[Wyvern]

Mynx - that's a good point about "The Prestige" and "The Illusionist," as I did see "The Illusionist" first. :-) Still, there's the annoying clone machine factor of "The Prestige" that sort of detracts from the magician storyline for me... Neither of the movies blew me away, but I'd still probably side with "The Illusionist" overall.

 

I'm also glad to see that there are lots of people who've offered their differing perspectives on "The Fountain." Oddly enough, my main problem with the film was that I didn't feel that the imagery had enough depth to really leave an impression. It was pretty in spots, but just didn't really hold enough weight to grab me or move me in any way. I'll just echo my recommendation of "Inland Empire" for those who want a tour-de-force of abstract imagery, though I'm sure some of you would never forgive me for recommending it after watching it!

 

Attention, Wes Anderson fans! Mr. Anderson just released a 13 minute short film entitled "Hotel Chevalier," which is a prelude to his movie "The Darjeeling Limited" and stars Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman. The mini-flick is available exclusively for free download from iTunes, and will not be a part of the theatrical release. I've watched it, and found it pretty darn interesting in a signature Wes Anderson style. Apparently, this is also the first film that Natalie Portman has gotten naked for, though the nudity is PG-13 and not super-explicit or anything. Definitely worth 13 minutes of your time, especially given the price of admission. Looking forward to "The Darjeeling Limited" when it comes out next month!

[Wyvern]

So, I decided to trek out to San Francisco today to see Wes Anderson's new movie "The Darjeeling Limited," since its limited distribution hasn't made it available in Berkeley yet.

 

Wes Anderson has grown on me tremendously as a director since I first watched one of his films. Even the endeavors that I was previously unimpressed with like "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" definitely have defining quirks and qualities that are 100% his style. The coming attraction for "The Darjeeling Limited" didn't make it look terribly funny or impressive, plus I'd read a number of bad reviews of it beforehand and was kind of fearing the worst... But his mini-film prequel "Hotel Chevalier" (which can legally be seen for free here) restored my faith somewhat and motivated me to check out "Darjeeling Limited" in the theaters.

 

Anyway, I'm happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed "The Darjeeling Limited" from beginning to end, and that it ranks up there with "Grindhouse" as one of the better movies I've seen so far this year. From the hectic opening shot of a business man played by Bill Murray being driven along in an indian cab to the closing tune of "Au Champs Elysee," this film completely captured my attention and delighted me throughout. I don't know if it's just because I've become more adapted to Wes Anderson's deadpan style of humor, but I found myself laughing out loud a lot more than I have in his other films. "The Darjeeling Limited" is a story of three brothers (played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) who are taking a train ride through India in the hopes of spiritually bonding in some way... or at least one of them is hoping for that, and the other two are kinda stuck along for the ride. As is typically the case in Wes Anderson's films, the main characters all appear to be wealthy and all have some pretty bad emotional issues. The movie is beautifully filmed and visually arresting in a typical Wes Anderson style, with loads of bright colors and exotic Indian landscapes really making the experience stand out. Plus plenty of quirky details and eccentric supporting characters. Not to mention lots of clever dialogue and interesting character interactions. The only irky point of the film to me was the meeting with the mother, which was cleverly done but which felt almost meaningless to the development of the characters. Still, "The Darjeeling Limited" had me smiling the whole way through. Highly recommended.

[Mynx]

The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D

 

For the 13 years that this movie has existed, it has remained one of my absolute favorites. In fact I believe it was this movie that started me on my somewhat lengthy and ongoing study of the horror genre - and it probably helped me appreciate musicals more too.

I think it's safe to say that most people already know the plot of this claymation gem inspired by a poem from Tim Burton: Skellington Jack the Pumpkin King of Hallowe'en Town becomes disenchanted with his job, and after discovering the magic of Christmastown decides he wants to have a try at running the holiday himself. But oh, how beautifully it translates to 3D! There are no blatent "this is a 3D movie look what we can do" moments, and the times that something does jump out in front of you don't feel nearly as cheesy as they might have.

Fans, even if you've seen this movie a dozen times before, if you can ever get an opportunity to see it on the big screen, with the added bonus of 3D, trust me when I say it's well worth the money.

Non-fans....I think you're crazy

And if you haven't seen this film before, I highly advise you change that

[Wyvern]

I've been seeing loads of films recently in the hopes of writing a larger collective post about my impressions of Cronenberg's earlier work and my thoughts on some horror flicks as well, but for now I wanted to comment on a few other films that stood out to me recently.

 

"No Country for Old Men" - The latest opus from the Coen Brothers, who brought us such great films as "O Brother Where Art Thou," "Fargo," and "The Big Lebowski." Many people are arguing that "No Country for Old Men" is their best movie to date, and I think I might have been a bit overhyped for it when I went to see it in theaters. It's a very good movie, with lots of interesting characters, an unpredictable plot progression, and quite a bit of visual umph... but at the same time, it's not quite as good as the other three films I mentioned in my opinion. This is the darkest Coen Bros. movie in a while, dealing with a drug bust gone wrong and a man who decides to walk away with a huge bag of money at the risk of being hunted and killed. The highlight of the movie to me was probably the hitman, played by Javier Bardem, who had lots of great psychotic details, like the way he carries around an oxygen gun used for killing cattle to break the locks off people's doors. Things definitely didn't play out the way I expected they would in the film, which is a good thing for the most part. Definitely worth seeing, though you could probably wait to see it on DVD and wouldn't miss out on much.

 

"Shortbus" - The strangest film I've seen in a minute, and probably the most overtly sexual film I've ever seen. The first 15 minutes of this film were in fact so loaded with explicit intercourse that I ended up pausing it and moving on to something else, and it wasn't until later that I decided to revisit it and watch it from front to back. After you give it some time, the open sexual content of the film starts to make sense, which leads to a strangely touching ending and quite an interesting examination of the role that sex plays in people's lives from a variety of different perspectives. Not all of the elements of the movie are as mature as they could be, and I was a bit sad that they didn't tie together the story of the emotional dominatrix more, but overall it was pretty interesting and held my attention. Not essential viewing, but definitely an oddity if you want to go for something different.

 

"Requiem for a Dream" - Finally got around to watching this, and I really don't get the hype. :/ I wanted to give Aronofsky another chance after "The Fountain,' but thought that this was a pretty bad movie in every regard. My criticism of this movie is actually almost identical to my criticism for "The Fountain," as I thought that the flashy imagery of this flick was ultimately hollow and conveyed a very shallow message with little depth. What's frustrating is that there was some potential for development with the character of the mother and her diet pills, but ultimately all of the characters ended up seeming like cardboard cutouts meant to drive across the message of "Don't Do Drugs." This played out like an extended anti-drug advertisement to me, only more over-the-top... the best thing that I can say for it is that I found it slightly better than "The Fountain," but not by a very large margin. Needless to say, I won't be checking for "Pi."

[Patrick]

American Gangster - went to see this at the cinema last Saturday with some friends. Russel Crowe and Denzel Washington both deliver great performances and the film is altogether very well done. I'd definitely recommend it.

[Appy]

Recently saw Boondock Saints, and all I can say is "I want to watch it again!"

It's way old probably (no idea really) but here's finally a movie about christians gone wild without the religious holier-than-thou infliction that you usually get. They (the brothers the movie is about) don't think they are better than the people they deal with, no, the people they deal with are simply a lot worse and as such deserve their fates. *grin*

Loved the action, loved the actors *purrs, Irish accents!* and loved the story. My only pity is that it was REALLY late already when we started watching it and I was distracted by the people I watched it with. Although this is indeed a movie you can talk through I do feel like I missed some of the magic because of that.

 

So yes, I will definitely watch this one again first chance I get, and so should you

[Wyvern]

So, inspired by the comments of Mynx and others, I've been playing catch-up with a lot of classic horror cinema, which has never really been a genre of film I've looked into until now. For the record, Stanley Kubrick's rendition of "The Shining" is still the scariest film I've ever seen by a pretty long shot, but I found some of these flicks pretty damn creepy as well:

 

"Halloween" - I thought this movie was very well done, particularly in its use of the stalker perspective. The camera work and music were used brilliantly throughout, especially in the first half when the killer is hunting the girls and we view it from his perspective. Knowing that the protagonist and her friends were being watched and carefully followed really created a lot of tension and suspense, and there were lots of brief glimpses of the killer that made me jump. The unlocked insane asylum that the psychologist and his accomplice visit near the beginning was also very creepy and unsettling. Things got a little more straightforward once the actual killings started, but the mood was still quite well done. The only part of this film that I wasn't completely sold on was the ending, which felt like a bit of a cop-out, although it did add to the creepiness of it all I guess. Definitely worth watching, it hasn't lost much of its potency since 1978.

 

"A Nightmare on Elm Street" - Freddy Kreuger is possibly one of the most terrifying visions of a horror movie villain ever. It's not just the concept of being killed in your nightmares that makes him scary, it's all the horrific details that surround him. A killer who took children down to his boiler room and murdered them with a glove of knives, only to be burnt to death by a mob of angry parents... yet who still haunts and kills children in their dreams. The vivid details of his character give him almost a kind of realism, like Wes Craven could have taken a real news story and ran with it to make it terrifying. Having said this, "A Nightmare on Elm Street" did play out like an 80s movie to me, and did show some of its age in its low budget acting and rather poor plot progression. Kreuger more or less drove the picture and made it interesting (and pretty scary), but the rest of the film played out like a bad teen drama with a number of outdated and corny elements like the rather ridiculous ending. It seems like a campy B-movie looking back at it, and it probably was, but it's a campy B-movie with a really original and horrific villain. Not bad, overall.

 

"Child's Play" - And here's an example of an 80s horror film that hasn't aged well at all! I regret to say that I found the film that originated the psycho-doll Chucky into the world of horror corny through and through. Granted, there were a few hilarious moments of campyness, especially the intro to the film which involved a chase through a toy store that ended in satanic verse and a large number of 80s explosion effects. I didn't find Chucky a very effective villain though... his size and the sheer desperation in his attempts to kill people made him a little too easy to take. The one part of the film where he became at least a little frightening was when the family thought they'd killed him with fire and he came back all charred and ready to do some cleaving. Still, this film had really bad acting and stilted characters... I missed about 20 minutes in the middle of it due to the free online version of it that I was watching, but I can't say I really regret not having wasted another 20 minutes on this one. Not recommended.

 

"Alien" - I can't believe that I spent such a long time without having seen this one... "Aliens" was one of my favorite films back in the day, and I watched all of the other films in the Alien franchise back then except for the original that started it all. And now that I've watched it, I can safely that it's possibly the best in the series, with the only possible contender being "Aliens." I found the first half of "Alien" incredible. The setting of the huge spaceship that the crew flies in is seriously creepy and unfamiliar, and sets the mood from the get-go. What's also really creepy is that it's hard to figure out what genre the film fits into in the beginning, since it seems like a space exploration sci-fi flick with a kind of noir feel that's hinting at the horror to come. The examination of the face-hugger and the first entrance of the alien were both incredibly well done, though once the alien is loose on the ship it becomes more of a standard horror film. Then again, the death of the android was also a very unsettling element that was well-incorporated. Certainly one to watch... and I'd still argue that "Aliens" is one of the best sequels of all time.

 

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" - Hmmm, a bit difficult to judge this film. This is generally the kind of horror cinema I tend to avoid, as I have a certain aversion towards watching people being tortured... you can flash some grisly murder at me and I won't mind, but there's a difference between watching someone murdered and watching someone undergo painful torture, even if that torture is mainly mental. Having said that, this film did strike me as being well done, and the last thirty minutes of it pretty much creeped me out. For the most part, the film followed a predictable format of one kid searching a house and getting killed, and then another kid searching for him and getting killed, and so on and so forth. Not a fan of that sort of plotline. But, the details and characters of this movie were so twisted and bizarre that the finale was a quite a memorable and horrific thing to behold. I mean, leatherface was a pretty screwed up character to begin with, but having his demented family together in one dining room was something else. I'm not really sure if I can give this film my seal of recommendation since it's not my style of movie, but I will say that there were parts of it that creeped me out and that it struck me as being well done for its genre.

 

"Children of the Corn" - "Corn" is right. Wow, this film was just awful in every regard! For starters, this movie had absolutely terrible casting, as the kid actors used to play the Children were pretty much hilarious in appearance and diffused any sense of menace from the flock. Isaac, the leader of the bunch, had a vocal tone and appearence that sort of ressembled Cartman from "South Park," which is hardly fitting of a supposed religious child leader. On top of that, there were no real scares, no suspense, bad dialogue, outdated tropes, and a couple of laughably bad special effects to boot. Unfortunately, I can't recommend this as a B-movie to laugh at either, as most of it was pretty much boring and devoid of indeliberate humor. Although, I have to admit, seeing someone put up on a cross and then watching that cross blast off like a rocket into the sky had me dying. Oh, and whoever had the idea of having corn husks attack the protagonist near the end needs to be shot for the sake of horror cinema as a whole. I mean, I guess I could see it scaring farmhands who don't get out much, but otherwise I think that corn is about the least menacing plant imaginable. Avoid this film.

 

I still need to see "The Exorcist," but have it on my list. I'm also gonna be doing a big review post for David Cronenberg's earlier films some time soon, and those tend to be pretty twisted and horrific as well...

[Elvina]

"Alien" - I can't believe that I spent such a long time without having seen this one... "Aliens" was one of my favorite films back in the day, and I watched all of the other films in the Alien franchise back then except for the original that started it all. And now that I've watched it, I can safely that it's possibly the best in the series, with the only possible contender being "Aliens."

I did the same thing not long ago!! Did you watch the extended version? I watched that one and thought it was a great movie, though I do still admit to liking Aliens better. I talked about this with my dad who saw the original and he mentioned that he thought most people in his time were pretty confused by it all because the version they saw wasn't the extended edition, and apparently there were some scenes in there that would have helped add to their comprehension.

 

I remember thinking as I watched Alien recently how much Sigourney Weaver's Ripley reminded me of heroines like those of authors I know like Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Moon. Ripley was playing by the rules with her refusal to let them in before the quarantine period was over, even with Kane all face-hugged by an alien. I was a little shocked to see Veronica Cartwright and Tom Skerritt in it, and I couldn't believe I'd never realised Ian Holm was in Alien, and that he was Kane! I guess I just didn't know my actors as well when I first saw Alien.

[Zadown]

Saw "The Golden Compass" in a theater yesterday. Pretty big disappointment, though I had not read the book(s) so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. The movie mostly looked good but was hollow and besides the refreshing idea of souls outside us there wasn't much originality in the world or in the plot. Especially the big revelation near the end made me laugh, not because it was funny but because it was so crude cliché. Might work for younger audience as a "whee! adventure!" movie but I'm sad the potential it might've had for wider audience wasn't realized.

 

Two sad pandas out of five.

[Mynx]

Some quicky reviews of the films I've watched tonight...

 

Fido

A heartwarming tale about a boy and his pet zombie. Played by Billy Connolly. Yes. That's right.

And it's SO FREAKIN ADORABLE!

Set in a 50s, post zombie war era, this film depicts humans co-habiting with "trained" zombies that perform all manner of chores. The main focus is around one family of a zombie fearing father, an ignored wife and mother, and the lonely sometimes bullied son. Against the father's wishes, the mother gets a pet zombie who turns out to be a better friend, father and husband than the living one.

It's like Lassie meets Pleasantville meets Night of the Living Dead. It's dorky and cheesy and somehow one of the best zombie movies I've ever seen because it's just so gosh darn lovable!!!

 

Haute Tension

I've heard a lot of good things about this French film and in general I have to say I agree with them. Two girls visit the family of one out at a farm and in the middle of the night have a killer break into the house and dispatch all but the girl and her friend (who was hiding). Most of the film follows the friend as she stalks after the car which has the killer and her friend trapped inside in a bid to save her. The kills are messy, the acting good, and the atmosphere is spot on...I just didn't 100% agree with the twist. Not to say it wasn't clever and well thought out...there were just a couple of moments that had me going "Really?"

Having said that, it was a good movie, and I'd recommend it. I guess I just overthink these things too much...

[Wyvern]

Elvina - That's cool that you saw "Alien" recently as well! I'm not sure if the version that I watched was the extended one or not since I actually checked it out via available online sources (*cough*) but it was definitely well done with the first half standing out in particular. I totally know where you're coming from with your slight preference for "Aliens," though, and think that I may be on the same boat in the end... I wonder how much of it has to do with having seen "Aliens" a lot earlier on though? Maybe if we'd seen "Alien" first, we would have ended up preferring the original. :-)

 

Zadown - I went with Rhapsody from the Mighty Pen to see "The Golden Compass" in theatres recently as well. I agree with you that it was nothing special, but I went in with really low expectations and was moderately entertained by it. It's definitely more of a kids movie, but I agree with you that some of the concepts that the book sets forth are very original, plus I love the cowboy actor that plays that aeronaut captain guy. And Eva Green's still gorgeous to look at, regardless of how short an appearance she makes and how fully clothed she is (I was admittedly a bit disappointed when she asked the girl to identify her past lover on the ship and it went into a flashback but skipped all the good stuff). If nothing else, I'm interested in reading the book after seeing this, and will be checking it out shortly.

 

Anyway, I mentioned earlier that I'd write a summary of my thoughts on a bunch of David Cronenberg's films, and I've been procrastinating on it but think that I'll give it a whirl now. One trend that I've noticed and have come to appreciate in Cronenberg's movies is that they have very original concepts that are extremely dark and twisted, to the point where one wonders just how warped Mr. Cronenberg's imagination has become. I've also noticed that his films always have at least one truly gruesome image in them, which usually goes hand-in-hand with the subject matter. In terms of execution, Cronenberg's movies are more of a mixed bag... some of the concepts are handled brilliantly which can make for a great film, while others are experimented with but fall flat by the end of the movie. I still need to see his adaptation of William S. Burrough's "Naked Lunch," which is apparently very good, but here are my thoughts on some of his other works:

 

"Videodrome" - An exec of a sleazy television network picks up a signal through pirate broadcasting of a show that essentially depicts pure torture and sadomasochism, and becomes obsessed with the show unaware of the effects that the frequency of the signal can have on his brain. The film started off in a very promising and unsettling manner, with the original concept providing a couple of chills and making for a pretty damn disturbing progression. The plot of the film went off the deep end by the end of it, however, and in my opinion the film didn't hold itself together well. The last twenty minutes of the version that I watched didn't have sound for some reason, but I found the plot twists pretty over-the-top and convoluted before the sound even went out, so I'm fairly confident in my assessment. I think this is an example of a Cronenberg film with a brilliant twisted concept that started off well, but lost its footing in the film's execution. It's a decent oddity, but nothing spectacular.

 

"The Fly" - A scientist develops a matter transporting device and successfully tests it on himself, only to discover that a house fly was in the transporter device when he used it. Grisly genetic chaos ensues. I rented this one for Halloween, and can't say that I was a big fan of it overall. To the film's credit, it had a couple of truly horrific images in it, like that of the deformed Brendel-Fly vomiting corrosive acids on a man's arm to harm him. Ultimately, I think the film was more sad than it was scary though, as you feel a pang of sympathy for the former scientist by the end. The gore factor of the movie felt a little excessive to me, and at times I didn't feel like it was striving for anything more than being disgusting. I guess it's not a bad movie and in some ways it's executed pretty well, but it's not my cup of tea overall.

 

"Scanners" - A group of people with the ability to tap into other people's nervous systems rebel against ordinary people, causing the government to send out a special nervous system tapper of their own to stop them. It's crazy to think that this film originally came out with an NC-17 rating in the US for gore, as it's probably the least adult film in Cronenberg's body of work. Having said this, while the film shows its age through its acting and some of its special effects, I think it's held up pretty well over the years and is quite an entertaining flick to watch. It's less of a horror film than most of Cronenberg's stuff and falls more along the lines of a sci-fi action/adventure with a few nerve-straining mind battles thrown in for tension. The scanners of the film are all very bad-ass with their abilities, which makes it a fun film to watch. This movie's oddly gotten a reputation amongst critics for its depictions of people causing each other's heads to explode through scanning, but I only spotted one scene where this actually occurs (which is what I'm guessing got it an NC-17 rating originally, despite it being a lot tamer than most of Cronenberg's material). Pretty good overall, worth a watch if you're into original sci-fi and aren't bothered by a few outdated elements.

 

"The Brood" - An insane woman undergoes a new treatment called Psycho-Plasmic Therapy while her sane husband worries that she's hurt their daughter when she last visited the institute. And then the murders start. Whoa. This film is about as dark and twisted as they come, and is horrific in a frightening and unforgettable way. Things seem screwed up from the start with some of the relationships between characters, and they continue to get more and more twisted to the point of slipping into an abyss of darkness. This is an excellent horror film in my opinion, full of dark and original visions, tense pacing, and grotesque imagery. There's a somewhat infamous scene in this film involving a woman giving birth to a child which I won't spoil for you here, but which I think I'll never forget having watched... horrifying. And to top everything off, there's a disturbing twist at the end. Recommended if you feel like watching a really good horror movie.

 

"Dead Ringers" - Two twin gynecologists who specialize in the field of fertility tangle themselves with the wrong woman, which results in their co-dependency driving them to madness. This is a mature and excellent suspense movie with some superb acting on behalf of Jeremy Irons, who plays both of the twin brothers and does a very convincing job of making them two different people. More than just a tense and disturbing film, it's a fascinating psychological study of the mentality of twins who rely on one another for many aspects of their lives. It's also a film about drug addiction, and the abuse of drugs by those in the medical field. There weren't as many gruesome images in this as there are typically in Cronenberg flicks, though there was one really grotesque image in a nightmare sequence and the "medical instruments for women with mutant bodies" that one of the brother's develops were pretty disturbing to behold. Highly recommended to those who enjoy psychological thrillers and appreciate good acting.

 

"Crash" - A man discovers a group of people who have a sexual fetish for watching car crashes after a car accident leaves him aroused, and decides to join iup with them. This is another Cronenberg movie that was deemed highly controversial when it came out and was almost banned in the US before receiving an NC-17 rating. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of this one... The concept is once again very twisted and original, but I don't feel that much is done with it aside from showing the human depravity associated with perverse sexual fetishes. I feel like the film needs to make more of a statement when tackling material like this, rather than just showing how people can get into it... it almost feels like an excuse to show car wreck scars, or like a means of sympathizing with those that have fetishes for violence. Not recommended, though the final lines of dialogue in the movie are quite memorable.

 

"Eastern Promises" - This is Cronenberg's most recent film, based on the Russian mafia. Though the concept of the movie is not as original as some of his earlier works and some of the plot elements are predictable, Cronenberg more than makes up for it with the amount of atmosphere that he infuses into the film. The acting, backdrops, costumes, and imagery of the movie all flow with a very dark and exotic feel that really makes this an exceptional film in my opinion. Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts both deliver in their performances, and despite the simple plot the film has an excellent direction and pacing. Very highly recommended, probably one of the better films of '07.

[Nyarlathotep]

Wy, I can understand your feelings about Videodrome. But I will try to justify the ending by saying that Cronenberg's intention was to show that James Wood's character had become completely unhinged and could no longer differentiate between reality and this video world.

 

Paprika

Though visually stunning, I felt that there was almost no substance to the story. I am aware that was the intended purpose, but if that was the case, I feel they director should have gone the full mile and just made a experimental visual film.

 

Ocean's 12

Though the cast and level of acting was just as superb as the first, the screen play is was really hurt this sequel. It just didnt have the punch, totally surprising turns or "cool" factor(for lack of a better term) as the first.

 

Star Trek: Insurrection

By far the weakest of the TNG era Star Trek films. The fact that this was the follow up to the best of the TNG movies(First Contact) did not help matters. It suffers from the same issue as Nemesis: it was like a long episode. There just wasnt that feeling that there was a lot at stake. The dialog was stilted(even for a Trek film) and to be blunt, not enough really happend.

 

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets

Look, I'll make this simple. Do you love historical conspiracies(no matter how unrealistic)? Is your wet dream to discover some lost treasure trove of ancient knowledge(like it is mine)? Did you love the first one(raises hand)? Then you will enjoy this movie. Otherwise, the shoddy headache inducing camera work and rushed story telling will immediately turn you off.

Edited December 27, 2007 by Nyarlathotep

[Wyvern]

I went and saw "There Will Be Blood" in theatres the other day. Good movie that details the rise and fall of a wealthy oil tycoon who tends to only view people as competition, loosely based on a novel by Upton Sinclair. The film is pretty dark for the most part, detailing the sorts of accidents that occur during oil drilling with a Western noir atmosphere somewhat remiscent of 'No Country for Old Men." The film stars Danny Day-Lewis as the oil tycoon and Paul Deno as an annoying church minister turned prophet, and both of them deliver in their respective roles, with the movie's 10 minute finale standing out in my mind in particular. On the downside, the film's a little long at 2 hours and 40 minutes in length, and it does drag at certain points, though the lag is worth enduring for the ending. I thought it was well done, overall.

 

I also finally got around to watching Soffia Coppola's first movie, "The Virgin Suicides," which I thought was awesome. It's not quite on par with the brilliance of "Lost in Translation," but the aura of mystery and intrigue that Coppola strings through the lives of five sisters and their overly protective religious mother is nothing short of excellent. The story is narrated from the perspective of the boys that used to ponder over and long for the girls, and their frame of reference offers an interesting interplay between genders that makes the story all the more intriguing. As tragic as the general plot premise of the story is, it delivers quite a few different moods and emotions during the course of its duration and envelopes you with beautiful cinematography and sound. Kirsten Dunst is perfectly cast in the role as one of the sisters, and it's got a very brief cameo from Danny DeVito as a shrink as well. Highly recommended.

 

On a side note, my favorite flicks from 07 were: "The Darjeeling Limited," "Grindhouse" (both films), and either "Eastern Promises" or "No Country for Old Men."

[Mynx]

Aliens vs Predator: Requiem

 

I have a confession to make. I didn't hate the first installment of this franchise. Sure, the storyline was weak, the effects weren't fantastic and it was all a bit far fetched...but I had fun.

I mean, I wasn't expecting a serious film, I didn't get a serious film, there was enough shiny to keep me happy and the fact that I hadn't seen any of the original films for either franchise (I know, I know, I'm working on it) didn't matter in the slightest.

So when I saw the trailer for the sequel, I was all geared up to see another gory comedy...

This one though...eeeeeenh.

The movie starts where the first one ended, with a dead, pregnant Predator birthing an Alien-Predator hybrid that proceeds to take out everyone on the ship, forcing it to crash somewhere in Colorado.

A signal from the ship attracts a lone Predator who sets out to clean up the mess like the industrial Alien garbage man he seems to be.

Now at this point, I'm still happy.

It's when we bring in the human characters that I started to have problems. Unlike the first one, where everything revolved around the big things that bled acid and/or made creepy clicky noises before killing you, this movie decides to hit the breaks, and change tracks into some weird teen romance...thing. It was at this point that I got bored. Really, really, REALLY bored.

Then the Aliens hit town and I got confused (partly because it was dark things attacking in the dark and I had no idea who was living or dying or what). By this point it was a bit of a shiny mess.

There were amusing moments, I will admit, and I've grown a soft spot for the Predators because like the old school Batman they seem to have a tool for everything. But the sheer, stupid ineptitude of the human characters (especially the cops and/or military) just made me grind my teeth.

Having said all that, I know I was alone in my annoyance watching this movie with two guys who enjoyed the thing, so I guess you'll have to take this with a grain of salt.

I went there expecting shiny death and comedy. I just got shiny confusing boredom.

Oh well. Maybe the third one will be better...or at least explain itself...

[Gryphon]

AVP:R (Aliens vs Predator : Requiem)

 

What can I say, I was one of the guys who saw it with Mynx and I loved it.

 

Shiny new examples of Predator technology while not discarding the traditional. Aliens doing what Aliens do best (killing things - lots of things) and who cares what the stupid humans did in the movie, they were really only there as a side effect of the movie being set on earth... which again is kind of traditional for both the Alien and Predator franchises.

 

This isn't a movie like Doom where you needed to check your brain in at the door, but if you're the type who likes a movie that you can sink your mental teeth into or you find yourself complaining that a movie was shallow (read not deep and meaningful) then don't see AVP:R or you'll join the ranks of those who hate it. If you just want to see more Alien / Predator movies because you love the franchise then you should have fun with this installment.

[Nyarlathotep]

Cloverfield

I understand some people's issues with it(especially some of my friends who live in the city) but I felt the movie did what it set out to achieve: a fast, dark, sharp, slightly witty humanized disaster/horror film with a low budget(blair witch) feel. It grabs you, knocks you around, then leaves you to bleed out. This is in no way a happy or uplifting.

 

Oh yeah and most recent movie cliches were pleasantly absent.

[Wyvern]

Two films that stood out to me recently:

 

"Be Kind Rewind" - Finally, a Michel Gondry film that delivers in full. Don't get me wrong, both "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "The Science of Sleep" were very good movies with original ideas and directions, but neither of them quite lived up to the massive hype that was built around them in my book. "Be Kind Rewind" is Gondry's third film, and is his best to date in my opinion. The plot premise alone should clue you in to how delightfully original this movie is: an employee put in charge of a VHS video store panics when his electro-magnetized friend accidentally erases all of the tapes in the store, and they decide to cover it up by re-enacting the films and recording them when people request to rent them. What results is not only an hilarious and quirky homage to films like "Ghostbusters" and "Driving Miss Daisy," but also a strangely touching commentary on the film-making process and the way that we can personally associate with movies. With a cast like Jack Black and Mos Def, you wouldn't exactly think that this film would amount to more than a simple comedy, but it does. And those who liked Gondry's unique brand of cardboard cut-out special effects in "Science of Sleep" will be pleased to see the motif revisited here, this time in the form of makeshift film props. Anyway, I laughed and shed a few tears in this movie, and it dazzled me with its originality and execution... I've only managed to see it via online bootleg so far, but plan to revisit it in the theater next weekend. Recommended.

 

"Gone Baby Gone" - An interesting and thought-provoking movie. It's not extraordinarily well-acted or directed, but it's far from amateur film-making and has a very interesting story and plotline. The movie revolves around the kidnapping of the 6 year old child of a crackhead mother living under her brother in a low income neighborhood, and the police and private eye that go out investigating her kidnapping. It has its shares of twists and turns, and presents a haunting moral dilemma near the end. I have difficulty deciding whether the protagonist made the right choice at the end, really too hard to call... the concept has stuck with me because of that. Having Morgan Freeman as the chief of police and the excellent Ed Harris as one of the police investigators certainly didn't hurt the movie's rep either. This film is also apparently the directorial debut of Ben Affleck, and while it's not exactly a work of vision on the directorial front, he didn't muck it up either as it stands on its own amongst other Hollywood flicks. Way better than "American Gangster," in my opinion, though a little depressing. Check it out

[Mynx]

Ring (Japanese version)

 

You all know the story. Watch the weird video, get a phone call, die in 7 days.

This review will be in two parts - a brief what-did-I-think-of-it to follow below, and a copy of my chatlog with Wyvern while watching the film can be found here

 

I have to say, when the American remake of this film came out I was hideously disappointed by it. While the premis of the film wasn't bad, the US version seemed slow to me, and had this horrible habit of making me think it was wrapping up and about to end, only to stagger on for another 20 minutes. But hey, I'm an avid believer that all good films should be shown in their original format and not remade a million times over by Hollywood. Yes Scorsese, I'm looking at you, you thief.

 

So when I finally got a copy of the Japanese original of this film, I didn't exactly have high hopes, as I knew the US version was meant to be a "scene for scene remake", but I was hoping for some form of entertainment. I got my entertainment, but probably more from the act of reviewing it in a mix of allcaps and random references than from the film itself.

 

It wasn't bad, it just kind of left me feeling a little underwhelmed. It probably didn't help that I knew the story backwards and was watching it with a cynical eye, but there you go. It's like how those movies with the big "OMG YOU'RE THE KILLER" revealing moments are never quite as good the second time around. It's a shame really, I would have liked to have come across this film without prior knowledge to see what I thought of it.

 

Because I hadn't, though, I'm kind of left wanting. Although I'm sure if you watched this film on a big screen in the dark you'd get your jumps, it wasn't great enough that I'd insist people watch this one over the US version.

 

All in all, about average, really

[Mynx]

Scanners

 

Despite the incredibly sarcastic tone of my RT review, I do have to admit that this movie isn't awful. The music is cool, and the concept is awesome, it was just the execution that I had trouble with.

Scanners is about, well, scanners. People with telepathic skills which enable them to read minds and (somehow) blow people up and set them on fire. The film follows one scanner as he tries to thwart either the mean scientists who keep tying him up and running tests on him, or as he tries to defeat an 'evil' scanner. I never actually figured out what was happening at this point because I was too busy cheering at the brief moments of gore or begging the film to hurry up and DO something. Personally I blame Cronenberg. The guy makes some interesting films, but they are so. freaking. slow. that I usually lose my will to live or pay attention while watching them.

Hence the overdose of snark.

 

Also, it was 1am.

[Mynx]

Seed of Chucky

 

Fifth installment of Child's Play series. RT Review here.

I'm sorry...I have no words to describe the awful that is this film...

[Zadown]

Just saw Rambo.

 

Whoa. For most of the "movie" length I was expecting a "Sponsored by Rotten.com" (or wherever you can go to watch pictures of people mauled by bears and hideous car accidents these days, I'm no expert). The dialogue is horrible and unrealistic and there's only caricatures instead of characters, but it doesn't really matter anyways given the whole first hour or so is only a pretext for showing us the last 30 minutes of endless bloodbath. The screen drips gore as 50 cal bullets punch fist-sized holes into hapless soldiers, landmines pulverize peasants, old WWII explosives detonate with the force of half a dozen Fat Boys and AK-47s sing.

 

One landmine out of five as far as movies go, but five exploding heads out of five if all you want is a high (and messy) bodycount.

[Ozymandias]

I Am Legend

 

This one was actually very refreshing. Worked as a good horror movie (not scary to me more than once- Those damn mannequins!!!!)- it had plenty of really nicely executed tense moments in the grand ol' Night of the Living Dead tradition...it was a very good action flick (you can always tell a crappy post apocalyptic yarn when it has NO gripping action)...and it was NOT MATHESON'S STORY, BUT WAS STILL VERY GOOD.

 

Wtf? Hollywood mutated a great novel into something almost entirely other (seriously- the movie had three, count 'em, THREE plot points in common with the book), and made a good story????????

 

These are the end times, my friends. XP

 

Oh, speaking of end times and apocalypse and all- eagle eyed comic book geeks should keep a lookout as our hero walks through times square. You'll find a fun and cruel little joke that the filmmakers played on us in the background. :>)

 

My only complaint? The rewrite of the story left the title having next to nothing to do with the plot.

 

Can't win 'em all, I guess.

 

 

P.S.-

If you're easily scared, you'll be screaming at least twice in this movie. Loudly. If you've a delicate stomach, be wary of the lab scenes. That's all I will divulge for fear of spoiling. It's amazingly empathetic violence though. No, I do NOT mean in the adrenaline rush way.

[Mynx]

I know it's been reviewed to pieces here and I don't think I need to add any further insult to it (although it is entertaining)...

But here's a RT Review of Snakes on a Plane if anyone's interested...