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cant be bothered. These shortish ramblings are easy to come up with, I couldnt be arsed doing more than this.
what I have seen recently though:
Children of Men Film set in the future where all the women are sterile and the human race is slowly dying out. Extremely engaging style of shooting to this is quite noticeable, makes the film seem almost first person, and very convincing, especially as it's technically a sci-fi film. If you've heard of this film at all, you'll have heard people praising how realistic it's version of the future is, and I agree. Nothing fancy, it's pretty much the UK as it is now but a bit dirtier and with slightly better computers and cars. Clive Owen is pretty good, but plays it quite subtle. Overall I liked this as it didn't try and force a moral conclusion or message on you, it just told a story, and made it very exciting. Great action scenes too, go watch it. Severance You'll only really be able to see this if you're from the UK i think, but don't worry if you're from elsewhere, it's not that good. It's a horror/comedy combo in the vein of the excellent 'Shaun of the Dead', but this goes down the route of trying to be more scary, and fails in the task of being funny. It's about a business team-building trip a group of generic office workers take, going into the woods (in Slovakia maybe?) and killings by ex-military crazies ensue. It's really let down by Danny Dyer in the lead role. The guy is a total cock, and the film is constantly attempting to make you think he's cool. Fuck, they keep making him pull out random drugs from his jacket to prove what a rebel he is. Wow, you're smoking weed?! Get over it. Everyone else has. Except rappers in the US for some reason. Don't bother seeing this. children of men, yeah I heard about that and Cuaron's visual style is very distinct, looking forward to it. But who knows when the hell it will come out here in oz.
The Long Goodbye (1973) - Some sort of 70's filtered, post modern film noir by Robert Altman which is a parody, homage and an update on the genre at the same time. Elliot Gould plays the Raymond Chandler character Phillip Marlowe in a very laconic, non caring sort of way and complteley different to how the character was played earlier in the The Big Sleep and Murder My Sweet. Altman also updates some ideas, for example he gets rid of the voiceover that is normally a staple of the genre and replaces it with a character trait where Marlowe likes to talk to himself.
It's all reasonably entertaining, especially a cameo from a gangster owed money (which is the type of scene Tarantino is known for now), but the breezy style is a bit too meandering and I'm still unsure about the (presumably) changed ending. 7/10 Unbreakable - Rewatch, I remember hating this at the movies, but decided to give it another go. Anyway, this time around I didnt think it was terrible but its still fairly underwhelming. Its reasonably well directed by Shymalan but the script is poor. The general plot itself is fine but the pacing is way off and there is too muc preoccupation with the 'twist' ending. The themes and ideas were there to explore if so much emphasis was not placed on the twist, Samuel L Jackson's character coming off th worst in the current script. And some of the scenes were incredibly contrived. 5.5/10 The Rules of the Game (1939) - Rewatch as well, since I saw Gosford Park not too long ago I thought I'd give this another go too, especially considering Gosford Park is virtually a remake. Originally, I thought this was the better movie, mainly because it didnt have that dodgy second hlf with the too cute self conscious murder mystery. This time around, I would say they're both about the same, I couldnt care less about any of the charactes here and so didnt care one bit about their dilemmas. Its well made, but I just dont see why its one of the greatest films of all times. 6/10 Always Sunset on Third Street (2005) - Very popular Japanese film from last year and its not hard to see why. It's a nostalgic and unashamedly sentimental & melodramatic depiction of post war Tokyo, whent he whol nation was trying to rebuild. Normally, I dislike overly sentimental stuff but its exceedingly well made and itgenerally doesnt feel too contrived or forced. There's no real plot, it just follows te life of a group of people on a street in Tokyo 1958. Cliche upon cliche is pile on, but piled on well. Worth a watch, even though its all very predictable. 6.5/10 The Departed - Although a vastly different movie in tone, style and focus, albeit with the same general plot, it is as good as Infernal Affairs. I thought the original was a pretty decent and entertaining film, nothing more, and I think the same of Scorsese's remake.
The original was more focused on its central two characters and the merging of their identities, whereas this gives more screen time to Jack Nicholson's mob boss and is essentially more concerned with the plot and keeps a distance from the Damon and DiCaprio characters. There's a lot more humour in this one, which is a welcome addition, but its also a little bloated and self indulgent. Acting wise, everyone does well without really being great, Damon being as good as Andy Lau from the original and DiCaprio also doing well but below Tony Leung's performance. Then again, Tony Leung is one of the great current actors in the world, so it's a bit of a harsh comparison. Scorsese's flamboyant style suits the tone of his version, a complaint I had against the original where the overstylized direction detracted from the more serious tone of the movie. In the end though, if you like one, you should like the other about the same. 7/10 Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut) - It's a shame that this version is not what will generally be associated with this film, because the theatrical cut was one extremely poor movie. It had horrible pacing and terrible editing that also gave the impression that it was poorly shot. On top of all that, there was absolutely no sense of focus or direction.
This is a massive improvement, taking the movie to almost great territory. It adds 50 min of footage, and none of it appears to be battle scenes. You can work out within the first 10 min that this is a completely different movie with a different sense of rhythm and tone. The pacing is much much better, I honestly cant say I felt the 194 min running time. The poor editng that plagued the theatrical cut is gone (although I still maintain that the battle scenes are far too quickly cut and not hugely effective), and the visuals this time have breathing room to deliver their impact. It still falters a bit towards the end because Orlando Bloom is average-above average in his role, and doesnt have the necessary presence to carry off the final act. Apart from that though, the rest of it is very impressive. 8/10 ok, saw a few this weekend :
Downfall (Der Untergang) - Almost great movie about Hitler's last days in his bunker, when it was only a matter of time before the allies broke through to Berlin. Bruno Ganz puts in one of the great cinema performances, capturing the normal, meglomaniacal, delusional and monstrous sides of Hitler all at once. The movie has copped some criticism for 'humanising' Hitler, which is rubbish because by showing him as a person, and not just a one dimensional caricature, it makes his actions (and also those of the people close to him) all the more horrifying. It stops short of greatness because of two things I think. Firstly, Ganz's amazing performance outacts everyone else on screen, making them look a bit second rate. Secondly, the movie and the pacing dont quite work after Hiter's death and it seemed a little directionless after that part. Still, very good movie and well worth watching. 7.5/10 The Ghost and Mrs Muir (1947) - Corny, if sincere, movie about the relationship between a widow, who moves away to the seashore after her husband's death, and the ghost that haunts the house she moves into. Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison are adequate as the two characters and its quite well shot but I just found it to be very dated and silly. However, it does contain one of the great endings, which is really as corny as the rest of the movie, but is nevertheless very effetive. 4/10 Joint Security Area (2000) - The movie that put Chan Wook Park on the map before his trilogy of Vengeance, and its a pretty decent, if heavy handed, film about a shooting on the north/south korean border that gets the tensions running. It then follows the investigation by a neutral country into the matter, and of course, to what really happened. It has well written characters and is reasonably well acted, but there are scenes which really needed proper english speaking actors. Also, its a little simple in its philosophising and there are a couple of plot points that didnt need to be twists, but on the whole its an entertaining watch. 7/10 The Virgin Spring (1960) - A heavy handed effort from Bergman, but still well made enough to be a good movie. Set in a very authentic looking and feeling 14th century Swedish village, it is, general plot aside, about the dichotomy between paganism and christianity. And Bergman does hammer you with this point, with some blatant (if sometimes clever) symoblism. What still makes it work is the authenticity mentioned above, and the work by the actors, especially Max von Sydow as a lord, who is clearly more Pagan than christian despite his own best efforts. 7/10 Unbreakable: i love the pacing - it's not an action movie. What's bad about it?
and i think the samuel l jackson characters comes off like it does on purpose - it's so one dimensional because comic characters usually are. It reflects nicely what comic chars are about, having a small, dramatic backstory/history, and a clear intent. megaman,
no it's not an action movie, it's a 'realistic' verson of a comic. Bit of a paradox in my opinion, but that's another issue. To me, the pacing from willis realising his powers to using them to save the family to the final confrontation with jackson's chracter seemed rushed compared to the earlier part of the movie. but i think it's good - finding out about his powers is much more interesting than using em to me ;)
i hated all other realistic comic movies i've seen so far. spiderman 2 and batman begins at the top of the comic book pile for me, for different reasons.
Did you not like Begins as well ? The Weather Man
With Nic Cage. Thought it was a good movie, I enjoyed it's humor even if it's just abrupt and smackdown at it's finest. Cage's character just gets shat upon and while I'm empathetic, I'm also amused. It's a bit of an intertwining comedy/drama look at the rather average life of a not-so-average guy trying to get back his focus and well, not be such a dick anymore. I guess. seen a few lately :
Children of Men - Very good portrait of a future world on the brink of collapse, but not quite willing to cave in just yet. The script is a little flawed with a bit too much character exposition and coincidence, but thankfully leaves out details to certain questions. Alfonso Cuaron directs the material with great skill and flair though (with only his choice of background music being a bit questionable), using complex long takes which is a nice break from all the quick cutting going on elsewhere. Clive Owen does well and the movie avoids ramming too much moralising down our throats and is primarily focused on its storytelling. 7.5/10 Ali - rewatch, and its still a disappointment. The opening 20 min are brilliant but it nosedives stongly after that. The script is credited to five people and it certainly is very messy. Perhaps Mann took on too long a period on Ali's life for a 2 1/2 hr film or perhaps he didnt quite know how to adapt the events so that it would highlight the character, but as it is there is zero flow and its very directionless (after the first 20 min), just bouncing along from major event to major event without ever fully managing to evoke what he was all about. Will Smith does well with what he's given, for once his personality not owerpowering the role but becoming part of it. Apart from the actual interest of Ali's story, Smith is perhaps the only other reason this works even to the extent that it does. A disappointing one from Mann, which will be more enjoyable the more you know about Ali in general. 6/10 The Hills Have Eyes - Alexandre Aja's High Tension is arguably th best horror/slasher in recent years, till it self implodes via its poor ending. Anyway, it showed Aja had great skill and I was hoping some of the came through in his remake of this movie. Unfortunately, this is by the numbers Hollywood horror mulch with annoying lead characters who you're more than happy to see die as quickly as possibl, characterless vilains and a glossy look that goes against what its trying to depict. There's plenty of gore, but someone should seriously realise that gore alone does not equate to scary. Aja directs with no skill and this is a verytedious 100 min to sit through. 2/10 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - I really liked Rushmore and am a big fan of The Royal Tenenbaums, but this was very very disappointing. Made in the same style, except this one probably stretches it to the extreme and I found it dull, overlong and porly paced. Some nice bits courtesy of Willem Dafoe, but generally not worth watching. 2.5/10 Ray - Very average film about the rise of Ray Charles and his music. Like every other generic biopic, it just simply depicts the events of the time period it is trying to cover without bothering to concentrate on the person in the middle. At least Walk the Line, as flawed as it was, attempted to do that. Jamie FOxx puts in a very good imitation, but its nothing more than an imitation. He never really gets in what Ray is all about, although the script is probably more to blame for that than him. 5/10 Casablanca - rewatch, and I still think this is one of the greatest scripts of all time, especially dialogu wise. I would change one scene, a heesy flashback sequence, and one actor, that is all. 9.5/10 Heaven (2002 - Krystof Kieslowski was due to make another trilogy after the Three Colors trilogy called Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. He only managed to script them partially before dying but two of them, Heaven and Hell, have been made by other european directors.
How much of Kieslowski's screenplay for this one was finished I dont know, but apart from the genral themes, this is far removed from the quality and style of his work. This is a downright tedious, aimless and extremely pretentious film that has nothing to offer apart from some nice cinematography, but even that is not in line with the rest of the movie. It is also extremely inplausible, and borderline silly in its plot. Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi try way too hard and are very unconvincing. 2.5/10 Lord of War - Tedious, overbusy, extremely disjointed movie about gun running with Nicolas cage playing Nicolas cage. It stops working as a drama with something to say after the credits sequence, as an action entertainer it never really takes off, and as a satire it is very hit and miss. And it is far less clever than it thinks it is. 2/10 The Passenger (1975) - And this is completely the opposite. Sparse on plot, but very interested in character, mood and atmosphere. Michelangelo Anotnioni's film is slightly overlong, pretentious and not entirely convincing but it is never less than interesting. Jack Nicholson puts in a great performance as an alienated, burnt out reporter who is unhappy with his life and who makes a decision early in the film to take on another dead man's identity, a decision that basically hovers over the rest of the movie and his character. Its very well shot and the landscape pretty much becomes another character in the movie. The soundtrack also contributes to this with no background score, and heavy emphasis on the use of location sound. It's definitely not for everyone but it's well worth checking out. 7.5/10 not even bothered to watch it. i think ive seen a min or so of it when a friend of mine was skipping through it, and what i saw (some car chase) didn't interest me at all ;)
it's worth checking out (asuming oyu were talking about BB), it's very genre and very hollywood, but very good regardless.
Xmen 3 - this didnt turn out nearly as bad as I thought it would. It's unfulfilled potential, but I feel the same about the first two films. Thankfully this one doesnt get bogged down in the half baked seriousness that permeated the first two films, and moves with bullet like speed throughout its 99 min.
It is, however, perhaps the one with most unfulfilled potential given that the phoenix storyline was one of the best. Then again, with brett ratner at the helm, it could have turned out much worse. 6/10 I deeply enjoyed The Maltese Falcon. And now I want more.
Reading through the posts nearby the mention of The Maltese Falcon I spotted Belle de Jour, Out of the Past - Double Indemnity , Petrified Forest, The Triplets Of Bellevue. Anything else I should watch? Thanks! recommendations if you liked The Maltese Falcon (ignore the ones you found, not all of them are similar genres at all) :
Chinatown The Big Sleep Out of the Past Double Indemnity The Killers Night and the City The Third Man Touch of Evil LA Confidential In a Lonely Place Le Samourai although the last four are probably the least similar out of this list. Fallen Angels - rewatch, and I still dont like it. Perhaps the most schizophrenic of Wong Kar Wai's work, it's an interesting watch but ultimately not all that successful. A loosely structured, arty gangster film mixed with an existential love story, I found it to be an uncomfortable meld of the two. It is, however, an incredibly moody film thanks to a well selected soundtrack and Christopher Doyle's atmoshperic cinematography.
4.5/10 The Sting (1973) - another rewatch, and this one I change my mind on. I didnt like this on initial viewing, cant quite remember why, but this time around I found it to be quite a smooth, suave and entertaining film. It's still not as good as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Newman and Redford were much more terrific in that one, but as far as sheer entertainment goes it's very effective. The air of lightness does detract from certain parts of the film and there's a couple of major plot holes, but overall very impressive. 7.5/10 Mission Impossible 3 - Every review I read of this was not actually a review of the film but about Tom Cruise. So I wasnt quite sure of what to expect. It turned out to be an absolutely terrible movie, with some of the most poorly shot action scenes in recent memory. There is a bridge assault that's not badly staged but everything else is ruined by shoddy camerawork and editing. And since the movie is basically a string of action scenes stuck together, the failing of its main attraction doesnt leave much else to focus on. Tom Cruise actually acquits himself fairly well, but more screen time needed to be given to other people, espcially Phillip Seymour Hoffman's much more interesting villain. 3/10 The Searchers (1956) - John Ford is one director whose reputation I just do not understand. This is regarded as his masterpiece and is revered by many filmakers, being in Martin Scorsese's top 5 films of all time and its final scene basically imitated by Francis Ford Coppola in the final scene of The Godfather. There is definitely some undeniably great moments, the cinematography is brilliant and John Wayne is excellent as Ethan Edwards, a lonesome, embittered and racist character who embarks on a 5 year search for his niece who has been kidnapped by a tribe of red indians. The themes, such as the reason why Ethan keeps on searching for his niece, are dark and work well to an extent, but unfortunately the rest of the cast isnt upto Wayne' standard and John Ford ruins the material by injecting a couple of unnecessary subplots and moments of inane humour that severely detract from the main themes. 4.5/10 I feel like i should respond to that one. I like this movie a lot, but I have mixed feelings about the segments where he has returned home to the ranch. The tone and quality of those scenes does not seem to be suited to the rest of the movie, true. However, I think the existence and juxtopisition of a "family life" to Ethan's endless wanderings is one of the central themes. You could argue that racism drives his choices throughout most of the movie, but I think also his restless nature prevents him from enjoying the comforts of home, and drives him towards things like the civil war, and the hunt for Debbie, which are a means rather than an end.
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