http://www.peppermelon.tv/projects/ela.html 

 

hm. Mixed bag. Really not the 9.2 kiddies give it at imdb :)

I loved the joker, the acting, the costumes, the way it was staged (?)/ directed.

The camera/looks style of the movie was good, but it had a few points that broke it. It didn't REALLY came off as something that follows a real concept though, too much generic action movie stuff in between. (shiny skyscrapers, please...)

Story was meh; only served to provide interconnections between action sequences. I (and i wasn't the only from of my group) was bored during most of the slower non-joker parts, because there wasn't really anything in the plot that was interesting to follow. You either cared for the guys in danger or you didn't, and i mostly didn't (only for the joker of course!).

Fights: hm, maybe i don't get it, but batman martial art always looks so stupid :)

There were some weird cuts. especially the 'WOW BATMAN GONE WHEN I CUT AND CUTBACK AND BACK AGAIN' ones; i srsly hope those were references to earlier movies.

I'd probably rate it a 5/10 or so, with the best action movie ever at 7 or 8. 

they never explained anything about how somebody would find out where or when to go or how to get inside a guarded building. That's why they couldn't really have any better stuff in the plot than 'next action sequence'. The only time they tried, all they got was that hilarious 'cell sonar' stuff.

Lazy dumbass scriptwriters. 

Loved it, loved it. Loved it. Probably the best Batman ever, in my prejudiced opinion. You can rank me in with the kiddies, I suppose ;D

It did eschew a solid concept for characters, and really they were even more like themes themselves. Like musical motifs within a broad piece of music. It had a rhythm to it, and a pace -- which kind of explains the lack of details at times. But the characters ruled the day, and they were wonderful. The Joker was a complete psychopath, and was simply relating to who he saw was a kind of kin -- the Batman. We got to see the painful descent of Harvey Dent into Two-Face, and his redemption at the hands of the one man who wanted him most to succeed -- Bruce Wayne.

But yeah, it's really hard to see Bat-fisticuffs and not think of Adam West and the old TV show, and the cellphone thing was pretty James Bond, but it looked trippy as hell.

My full fanboy splurge on it is here: http://biff.quaddicted.com/?p=20 

surely Die Hard 1 or Indy 1 get more than that :)

I've seen a whole bunch of stuff, will post more comments later but here's a few to start of with.

Redbelt (2008) - David Mamet's latest is a competent film, let down by a poor ending and a plot that doesn't quite coalesce together as well as it should. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Mike Terry, a jujitsu practitioner and teacher who lives by his own code, one which relies on purity and morality and is out of touch with both the modern world and the martial arts world which revels in the money grabbing exercise of staged championships for mass consumption. And when Emily Mortimer's attorney accidentally walks into his training centre, things take a dramatic shift, drawing Mike into a world he does not want to enter and one which contrasts with his beliefs.

For about an hour, Mamet keeps you riveted with his trademark sharp dialogue and a very strong central performance from the always reliable Ejiofor. Then, cracks in the story begin to appear and they only widen as the movie hurtles towards what can best be described as a very unlikely climax. A disappointing end to what was otherwise quite a good film.

6/10


Onibaba (1964) - brilliant japanese 'horror' film that's not really scary in a general sense but is always constantly unsettling due to a feeling of otherworldly creepiness in just about every frame. Set in medieval Japan, it focuses on two women, a mother and her daughter in law, who have to resort to a life of finishing off and looting participants of war in order to trade and survive. The opening sequences are absolutely spectacular in terms of setting the mood and establishing character, all achieved without any dialogue and relying instead on music, sound and imagery to convey it. Then, the story takes a dramatic shift when the friend of the women's son/husband returns and interferes in their relationship.

Its great stuff, the first 15 min and the last 15 min being some of the best cinema you will ever see and the remainder still being top notch stuff despite the last act being a bit rushed and parts of the middle section also being slightly perfunctory.

8/10


The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) - how much someone likes this is going to directly depend on how much they like musicals. I don't really like them at all, so I don't think this is a great film but even I could see that if you do, this is probably one of the best of its kind. Jacques Demy's famous film shows a director in complete control of his material, even if its peculiar material where every bit of dialogue is sung but no one dances. I thought that if you werent into musicals that maybe you got used to the whole singing thing after 15 or so min, but you don't. So having non-stop singing for 90 min is either likely to enthral you or annoy you, without there being much middle ground.

But, what can be said is that Demy knows how to do his stuff and it looks great. It also has Catherine Deneuve, who could do wonders with even the plainest of roles and her acting once again stands out, even amongst all the singing and colours.

6/10


Scarlet Street (1945) - Fritz Lang's greatest american film and I personally even rate it above M. Lang utilises the same team as his earlier Woman in the Window, namely Edward G Robinson, Dan Duryea and Joan Bennett, but this time the movie is not compromised by a studio attached ending complying with the production code. Robinson is terrific as middle aged Christopher Cross, a self pitying working class cashier who is stuck with the most annoying wife imaginable and is hoping that someone else apart from her looks at him before he dies. Enter the characters of Duryea and Bennett who decide to use the situation to their advantage by stringing Cross along and swindling him in the process.

Its beautifully scripted, tautly directed and extremely well shot film noir.

8/10


Breaking and Entering (2006) - Anthony Minghella's most poorly received film and I don't really know why, I much prefer it to his more epic but hollow stuff. It's a very interesting look at multicultural England, in fact theme wise its much similar to Paul Haggis' Crash, but executed far more thoughtfully and convincingly. Its pacing is a bit off, the first 2/3 is a bit slow (despite always being interesting) and the last 20 minor so a bit rushed, but otherwise the screenplay is fairly well penned by Minghella with rich characterisations and interactions. Most the principal actors (jude law, juliette binoche and robin wright penn) acquit themselves fairly well but the casting for the smaller roles is also spot on with Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga and Martin Freeman also putting in excellent and memorable work. Farmiga and Winstone also provide some welcome humour to counter an otherwise serious narrative.

7.5/10 

Yeah, and I'd give The Predator a 10!

Nitin, will get Onibaba and Scarlet Street. How on earth do you get through so many movies Nitin? I try to watch a bit of a movie everynight before I go to bed, but usually only cover 2 or so per week. Just watched 3 J-Horrors, New Blood, Suicide Circle & Uzumaki.

New Blood
Quite scary for the first half, but the ghost came into the movie too often by the end and there ended up being some major holes. The big twist at the end was surprising, but left a bitter taste.

Uzumaki
Had some quite scary moments, take note Hollywood, but the main plot was poor; everyone wants to become a spiral. What the hell? Lame ending aswell.

Suicide Circle
Some of the scenes in this were quite memorable - in particular when several high school students suddenly decide, out of the blue, to commit suicide and they all jump off a school building. That's a scene I'll not soon forget. Interesting movie, and best of the bunch, but the plot was a little far-fetched. It was made at a time where suicides in Japan were occuring more and more often.

Currently trying to sit through the 3-hour slog of Kubrick's Sparticus. #211 on IMDB, but I'm not sure it really deserves that. 

9.3, word. 

I dont watch regular tv, just dvds. So in one night of about 2 hrs viewing, I get through either one film or 1-2 eps of a tv show (depending on the length).

And IMHO Spartacus is pretty average, heaps better Kubrick than that. 

Yeah Eyes Wide Shut and Dr Strangelove are masterpieces. 2001 I enjoyed twice, but would be a big undertaking to watch again - it's pretty long and dull by todays standards. Paths Of Glory & A Clockwork Orange were also very good. Hmm what else. The Shining & Full Metal Jacket I felt were a little overated but still decent. Barry Lyndon was one of the most boring movies I've ever seen. 

agree on strangelove and The Shining. Also rate 2001 and Paths of Glory very highly. Full Metal Jacket's terrible IMHO.

I recommend The Killing, brilliant stuff. 

Yeah The Killing is good too, though not very Kubrian. The sudden abrubt ending was interesting, and frustrating. I liked the lead characters performance in it. 

Mini reviews of last week's worth of viewing:

Persepolis (2007) - the abrupt ending stops it from being an instant classic but otherwise this is brilliant stuff. Equal parts funny and touching, Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical tale of growing up in (and out of) Iran during the 80's is a very distinct and personal film. The animation is technically adequate but the stark, expressionistic black and white style is used very very effectively to mesh with, and highlight, the material. You can also enjoy it on many levels, which is not something you can say about most films with a theme like this one.

7.5-8/10


Rogue (2007) - Greg McLean has a great horror film in him and although he hasn't quite got there yet (Wolf Creek,/b> just missed that mark due to second half predictability), the signs are good. This never attempts to be anything more than an entertaining B movie australian version of Jaws, and on that level it succeeds pretty well. Extremely well shot and with some very effective suspense sequences, one only wonders what can be done if McLean sets his aim a bit higher than simply making a genre picture.

6.5/10


Port of Shadows (1938) - Marcel Carne is most famous for the brilliant Children of Paradise, but that is reputedly only the last of what is considered a sequence of 6 classic films. This is the second in that series and while I cant say I thought it was anywhere near 'classic' level, it is an undeniably entertaining film despite some stilted scripting and acting.

6.5/10


Not One Less (2000) - Zhang Yimou's attempt at a neo-realist docudrama, complete with non professional actors and only location shooting, and its quite good. The movie follows the story of a 13 yr old girl who becomes a substitute teacher in rural China when the previous teacher has to leave for a month. What follows is an effective, if sentimental, look at the hardships and motivations in a survivalist world where your first instinct is just to watch out for yourself.

7/10


Morocco (1933) - early Josef von Sternberg/Marlene Dietrich collaboration and whilst it has moments of magic where Dietrich's screen presence is used to great effect, the bulk of it is a plodding, unconvincing and uninvolving love story.

5.5/10


Reconstruction (2003) - overly pretentious but still entertaining effort from danish director Christoffer Boe. Boe expressly announces to the audience at the start that what follows is 'not real and only a film, but that you will still care [about what happens to those involved]". From then on, he expertly manipulates and re-manipulates the audience time and again without caring to explain what it is that is going on. I suppose that is the point, as made at the start of the film, and while you do care about the characters to a certain extent, its still all a little underwhelming when none of it (deliberately) comes together at all.

6.5/10


Witness (1985) - never considered this to be top tier Weir but I warmed a little more to it this time around. I still think its an uncomfortable battle between two different films, both of which work reasonably well on their own but are less than the sum of their parts when combined. Still, worth a watch.

6/10


To Be or Not To Be (1941) - have never warmed to Ernst Lubitsch, until now. This is pretty hilarious stuff with some extremely clever and funny writing and top notch performances led by Jack Benny and Carole Lombard, a husband and wife acting duo on the polish theatrical scene just before WWII and who then become involved in political espionage during the war. Lubitsch carefully assembles his pieces at the start and then knocks them over again and again with great comedic effect as the movie continues.

8/10


The Quiet Duel (1949) - probably the least effective Kurosawa film that I've seen and even then it has moments of greatness thanks to a combination of immaculate composition and reliable performances from his staple cast of Toshiro Mifune and Takeshi Shimura. On the whole though, this attempt by Kurosawa to again indirectly explore post-war Japan is a fairly mundane and predictable melordrama.

5.5/10 

sorry about the bolding.


Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964) - Robert Aldrich and Bette Davis's followup to their fabulously gothic Whatever Happened to Baby Jane is not as successful an attempt as that film, but is entertaining in its own way. This time Davis cant quite strike the right balance between 'over the top but still believable' and 'scenery chewing', resorting far too often to acting like a possessed marionette. Still, its magnificently shot and despite some unconvincing performances and an unnecessarily long length, Aldrich's inspired direction keeps it going.

6.5/10


From Here to Eternity (1953) - Set around the events of Pearl Harbour, but that is only a backdrop for what is really an attempt at examining the american psyche at the time. However, despite that ambition, it is actually a pretty corny film (some of the lines have to be heard to be believed) which only works because some of the actors deliver performances that are much better than the roles they were given (namely Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed).

6/10 

A Tale Of Two Sisters (j-horror)
A fantastic, psychological horror with aspects of thriller/drama. Has some good scary scenes, but the whole movie doesn't make sense until you've got to the end, and realise what horrible events took place. I especially liked the pace of some scenes - done very slowly which just amps the suspense. Hollywood horrors are far too rushed. The best horror I've seen since Silent Hill. I think it is/was remade by Americans. No doubt the remake is rubbish. 

I thought it was decent but no more. Then again I hated Silent Hill so what do I know.

The next movie by the same guy is also worth checking out, A Bittersweet Life. There's a 20 min action scene in the middle that's just phenomenal and makes up for the average nature of the rest of the movie. 

The Furies (1951) - complex psychological western from Anthony Mann that is a great film until the last act which comes across as either a studio tack on or an ill advised attempt by the scriptwriters to overcome writers block.

Either way, the ending lets down the film which is otherwise a well performed, written and directed effort centring around the family poweplays at a new mexico ranch. Barbara Stanwyck is terrific in the main role and is aided by Mann's rather dramatic use of imagery.

7/10


Lars and the Real Girl (2007) - decent attempt at something a little different, but despite reasonable writing and acting, it struggles to overcome the central premise that is, at best, highly implausible. Its almost as if the writer came up with the central premise (a reserved, shy man buys a 'love' doll as his companion) without ever really thinking through its logical consequences.

I was ready to believe that some of the people in his life would play along with it for his sake, but to believe that a whole town would, especially in the manner depicted, is just asking a bit too much.

Still, not without merit as most the acting is quite good.

6-6.5/10


The Sicilian Clan (1969) - above average french heist film whose main attraction is having Alain Delon, Jean Gabin and Lino Ventura in the same film, in much the same way as The Score's main attraction was having De Niro, Norton and Brando in the same movie.

And much like those three actors were in The Score, the famous french trio is equally watchable in what is otherwise a fairly predictable, run of the mill, but entertaining affair.

6.5/10


30 Rock season 1 - bit too hit and miss, but the seer amount of jokes in any given episode means that it is more hit than miss. Still I wish it was more consistent in the quality of humour because it could b a great show (rather than just a good one).

7/10


Waltz with Bashir (2008) - stunning animated film from israeli director Ari Forlman which is hard to categorise.

Its a quasi documentary mixed with doses of surreal imagery that wouldnt be out of place in something like Apocalypse Now. The movie follows Forlman trying to reconstruct his memory from his time in the Israeli forces after he experiences a dream 20 yrs later that contains familiar yet unknown images.

Some of the war imagery is by the numbers in the manner it is depicted and theres a level of disconnect with the main character but this a very interesting, confronting and thought provoking effort.

7.5/10 

really surprised me, i was expecting some stupid comedy thing. You're right though, it just doesn't get better than 'good'. 

I started watching http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_Bebop recently and really like it (4th episode now). Recommended! 

movie's decent too. 

naruto naruto naruto




tentacle porn 

Keeping Mum (2005)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0444653/
Do not read the user comment at imdb.
I enjoyed this movie. Sure it has some not-so-great moments but overall it is nice black humour. Definitely recommended as it seems rather unpopular.

And contrary to the terrible Johnny English, Rowan Atkinson is very nice in this movie (well, it's totally different, Johnny English is terrible all by itself). 

So i was wrong, the Quarantine opening soon in the U.S. is actually a remake of the Spanish [Rec], not an import of the original. 

See #2272 

as expected. Are Americans able to watch anything produced elsewhere?

The language can't be the barrier as even The Office series from UK had to be remade in USA.

That is scary. Reminds me of the iron curtain.