I enjoyed it. I didn't even know it's based on a TV show, so it's very accesible. I didn't really like paying $8 for a ticket, though. 

I dont rememer what was in b&w 

Dr.Stanley Buba
Chairman Foreign Contract Award Committee(NNPC)
17/10/2005
Maputo Street Zone 3
Victoria Island- Lagos-Nigeria.

Dear Sir ,

I SPAM THEREFORE I AM 

Dr.Stanley Buba
Chairman Foreign Contract Award Committee(NNPC)
17/10/2005
Maputo Street Zone 3
Victoria Island- Lagos-Nigeria.

Dear Sir ,

Is MC Frontalot for real? 

the american version seems too "clean" although I haven't yet seen all of it...
the russian version had some strange parts like the really long pointless car-driving scene.
I liked the book the most - on second reading. 

that car scene reminded me a lot of 2001 and its imagery. 

@ Nigerian scam posting on func_, and the "kept secret forever" on a public message board is pretty solid as well.

I actually liked Cinema Paradiso. But yeah, I tend toward the overly-sentimental if I'm not careful.

I get all choked up at the drop of a hat and am easily manipulated by tear-jerk tactics. So it goes. 

seen a lot of tv stuff over the last month or so :

24 Season 3 - easily the weakest of the seasons, some preposterous plotting and unecessary subplots. Given the scripting it had though, it made a decent fist out of it.

6.5/10

24 Season 4 - A welcome return to form. It's almost as if the writers finally acknowledged that the novelty had worn off and the show had become a slave to its format. So to combat this, they upped the ante in terms of action, twists and stakes. As good as if not better than Season 1, though for completely different reasons.

8/10

Six Feet Under season 3 - The show changed trajectory this season and the results were hit and miss. For every thing that was done well, something else was done poorly. The last 4 episodes are a knockout bunch though. Still, it was weaker than the much stronger first two seasons.

6.5/10

Six Feet Under Season 4 - The decline continues. Personally, I thought the show just turned into high grade soap opera by this point. Some good episodes (david and the hitchiker) but overall the weakest season I've seen.

5.5/10

Spooks Season 1 - competently made BBC spy series, nothing really wrong with it overall. But it's much too cliche for all the reverence it receives.

6.5/10

Entourage Season 1 - Decent series about the life of an up and coming movie star with not much talent, a killer agent, and some leechy friends. Sets up nicely and could be a real winner if the writing becomes sharper.

7/10 

you know, the John Carpenter Antarctica base scifi/horror movie. It was on telly last night. I didn't see it from the beginning, and I've seen it partly before, but it was pretty good to watch again.

They don't do such movies anymore. This is from 1982.
I don't know what is different... I guess the special effects here were still mostly to support the story and not an act itself, although they were a bit cheesy at a few places. Then also, the people acted pretty rationally feeling and felt reserved, and the surrounding base was very no-frills. No cheesy high technology there.

And there were no women in the film to distract the plot.

It's based on a fifties scifi story. I guess the whole thing is just that it's more "adult" than modern scifi movies. The plot had some sidetracks that were good, necessary and consistent, so it felt "realistic". Plus the hero, "Mac" played by the Snake Plissken guy was a good good guy - such actors with some peculiar character are not made anymore, but the casting just selects some generic hunks. 

...and while it didn't suck balls as badly as I was led to believe it would, it certainly wasn't what I would call a good movie. :)

Kinda cheesy and kinda predictable, cookie-cutter characters, an elite military team that continually does really stupid things, slow to get started, and with a "first-person-cam" sequence that actually embarrassed me in a dark movie theater.

The BFG effect was cool, and some of the fight sequences were fun. Meh. 

yeah, it actually had suspense and a script, that's the main difference. The effects were a bit hit and miss but it's a pretty nifty movie. 

That is a good one. So is the original The Fog with its slow, malevolent atmosphere. Has anyone seen the remake yet? 

The Fog with its slow, malevolent atmosphere

That was intentional, right? 

without a 'mal' to pre/fix things. 

Finally made it to the theatres here and it's fantastic even if the ending is too abrupt. Adorable characters and lots of really cool and weird designs. 

I forgot I went to see that.

Not as good as you know what but still nice fun film with, as the bear says, lots of cute designs and cool stuff, and a pleasing sense of dislocation. Ending was a bit weak though even if it was tongue-in-cheek, could have been a bit darker.

Good to watch a straight up plain fun film really. 

I was quite depressed and detached from reality before I went to see this movie but it changed my mind.
First it annoyed the hell out of me when the audience was laughing at every crappy cliche joke, but then the movie started rolling and it was so nice to notice so many small details in the scenes and sets that were so funny.

I had read a few lines of a "critique" in some newspaper and it had already spoiled half of the plot, but the movie worked nevertheless. I always hate such articles.

I really wonder how they do all those sets to be so good-looking. Computer game makers could learn from that - some things were so cute and lively animated too that it was impossible to think of them as clay - even if you often saw the fingerprints on Gromit's forehead. 

Stay makes my head spin. Cool scene transitions, though. 

Alias Season 3 - contrary to popular belief, I thought the show had already started its decline in the much loved season 2. That decline continues further in this season, with the whole rambaldi thing going way out of control, and a major twist that doesnt seem to have been thought through. And they relegated the best asset they had, ron rifkin's Arvin Sloane to a lesser supporting role.


Scrubs Season 1 - Maybe it was a case of too much expectation, as this came highly recommended, but I thought this was trying way too hard (eg voiceovers outlining everything braff is thinking/feeling when sufficient acting and comic timing would have done the same) and is only psuedo-witty.

Some nice bits, but lacking overall.


A Very Long Engagment - I've always found Jean Pierre Jeunet to be an extremely self-indulgent director who is as shamelessly and forcefully manipulative in his sentimentality as the more heavily criticised Spielberg.

He is a fine visual artist but the rest of his director's canon has a rather scattershot approach.

Amelie was a good film, mainly because he had Audrey Tatou, but she is badly miscast in this movie. Not that her character is given much to do apart from appearing sad and smile very now and then.

The script is an absolute mess, there are plenty of subplots and chracters but it seems as if Jeunet decided that giving his characters unique idiosyncracies sufficed for character development.

On top of all that, the visual style of the film, although gorgeous in its own right, does not fit well with the content of the film.

The one aspect that works is a well realised ending, which although predictable, is pulled off well. 

Lost Season 1 - pretty good overall but the shot in the kneecap pacing is evident even on dvd.

I didnt mind the flashbacks but its *extensive* use as a storytelling device was lazy writing.

More interestingly, now that the characters are pretty well built, if season 2 continues with the same flashback orientated structure, that's a sign the show doesnt really know where it's going. If they have it laid out, then the pacing can afford to pickup as characters are well established. 

Some sick sunday morning i watched telly and it showed "country girl". Black & white, from 1956 or so, with grace kelly, william holden and bing crosby. Funny how those old movies are so much based on the strong characters and everything else is just a blurry background. Very much contrast to newer movies. And the old actors have strong peculiar character and charisma, I think it's mainly since they had live performance and theater backgrounds, but I might be wrong.

Maybe that kind of powerful acting wouldn't work in modern day movies. Every scene starts with someone lighting a cigarette. 

Serenity - entertaining sci-fi, definitely felt like part of a series, which is good as it feels like it has a strong background, but bad because it has a bit of that "soft" Star Trek feel to it, kinda weak technological spectacle too. Still, a good film overall, quite good characters in it, and a nice sense of mystery.



Night Watch - another entertaining film (Russian fantasy thriller thing), although this time because of the style and OTT effects and camera work (sometimes too OTT). Really a load of nonsense, but entertaining and stylish nonsense with a decent atmosphere. Again, had a "part of a series" feel, which added to the background. 

Broken Flowers by Jim Jarmusch feat. Bill Murray.

Well, being a fain of the JJ i liked thjis movie too. I liekd the main idea of it and the excellent play of the Murray. Being good Don Juan in the past and end up being lonely old fart sucks ;) 

I believe nightwatch is the first part of a three movie series.

And vondur, I've been hanging for that one to be released here in australia. 

I usually hate westerns but this couldn't be further from the good guys vs bad guys scenario that makes me hate 'em so much. It is much closer to a mafia show actually. I've seen all 24 episodes and it's brilliant stuff. Perhaps I like it so much because it's so extremely cynical. Violence, betrayal, illegality lurking behind the appearance of the law, corruption, prostitution, drugs - it's all there. For some reason the new season doesn't come out until next september, and I don't think season 2 is on DVD yet, but check out season one. Dark, adult, psychological drama.