The Testament of Dr Mabuse (1933) - the second in Fritz Lang's Mabuse series of films and the only one I have seen. The story is meant to continue on from the first film, at the end of which the evil genius Dr Mabuse turned insane and escaped prison by being committed, and basically concerns the investigation into a number of crimes that all seem to have the Mabuse touch.

It�s a mishmash of genres, part socio-realist observation, part thriller, part horror and part police procedural and while it does not quite fit together all that well, when it works its very very memorable. As in M, Lang uses sound exceptionally well which when combined with his expressionistic noiresque visuals, lend particular scenes a very eerie touch.

Its also easy to see why this was banned by Goebbels on initial release, references and criticism of the rise of Nazism are all over the place even if they were not necessarily intended.

7.5/10


Red River (1948) - what should have been a great film is brought down to only a good level with a ridiculous and silly ending. Till then, Howard Hawks' absorbing western is one of the best in its genre with excellent characterisations, interesting themes and tight plotting. The unravel at the end makes a joke of the 2 hr psychological buildup and puts to waste the effective performances of John Wayne and Montogemery Clift, who play a rancher and his adopted son leading a cattle drive from Texas to Missouri via the Chisholm Trail.

Still, overall, its another effective film from Hawks who proves once again that there was no genre he could not make a good film in.

7/10


Short Cuts (1993) - a very watchable 190 min from Robert Altman, but given the runtime I was expecting something a little more substantial. Tracing 22 characters through 9 of Raymond Carver's short stories, Altman mounts and weaves together a very impressive production that is impeccably acted, always interesting and with no real dead space.

But at the end of it, it all feels a little slight and unfinished with a sense that perhaps Altman took too much on and would have perhaps been better served with a more focused approach on the more interesting stories and characters.

7/10 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) - rewatch and I still cant get into the Python humour which is far too hit and miss for me. The funny bits are admittedly quite hilarious but they are surrounded by too much stuff that just isnt funny in my book. And since that's all that this is, a 90 min string of mostly unsuccessful jokes, I cant really say I enjoyed it.

4/10


Vengeance is Mine (1979) - films about serial killers are a dime a dozen these days, but few match the ambition and execution of Shohei Imamura's japanese film about Iwao Ekonizu, a sociopath on the run from japanese police for 78 days during the early 1960's. The strength of the film lies in Imamura's decision to not focus on either the motives/past of Ekonizu nor the police investigation on his trail but to simply show you the man, his actions and the crumbling society around him in a fairly observational manner and then ask whether he is all that different from everyone else.

It's an approach that has one limitation, being a distance from the characters, but when ideas are this strongly drawn and executed, that flaw is only a small distraction in an otherwise great film.

7.5-8/10


Freaks (1932) - Todd Browning's notoriously butchered film about sideshow/carnival performers is not quite as shocking today as it was back in the day, but it still contains numerous memorable moments mainly due to the casting of real people with deformities as sideshow 'freaks'. Whether it crosses the exploitation/entertainment line is debatable but as a film its above average despite its numerous flaws.

Whilst the non-professional actors lend the whole thing with a distinct air of authenticity that could never be achieved by makeup and effects, they also come across as stilted and amateur in a number of the key dialogue scenes. Still, Browning uses their presence to good effect and the climactic scene is justifiably famous as one of the great horror scenes.

6.5/10


The Wire season one - Baltimore. The drug trade. One of the greatest seasons of tv ever. It's hard to actually find words to describe this that are not understatements. If it has one flaw, and this is really searching for a fault, it's that its way too dense for casual viewing. It demands a lot of attention but pays off in ways which most films, let alone tv shows, can only dream of. The writing and characterisation are of an extremely high standard and each episode has staggering scenes of brilliance and originality. I cant wait to get to seasons 2-5.

9.5/10 

i guess you pretty much need to watch flying circus first ;) 

I think that is the best one. Which is just like a 2hour long flying circus.

Thats MY juniper bush! 

Fight Club.

Good, entertaining, interesting, dark humour and decent style. I knew the plot and premise, but it was quirkier and pacier than I expected. The idea could have been a bit more refined but I think it's pretty cool.

errr there was something else....oh yeah...

Quantum Of Solace.

Not bad, pretty entertaining. The criticisms I'd heard - lack of sexiness, lack of humour, lack of gadgets, bit too grim - were all valid, as was the all-too-common too-quick-editing syndrome, but there was enough Bondness and enough class in some areas (the opera in particular) to make it worthwhile. Quite like Daniel Craig as the new Bond, his pretty-boy-blue-eye icy coldness suits the role. 

Both those reviews are a bit vague in conclusion. I'd put FC as a properly good film and QOS as an okay one. 

for me... Which is good - the best infact!
QoS havent seen. I liked Casino Royale tho, but was only inclined to watch it the one time. 

fight club seems like one of those essential 1990s movies to me, so it's suprising to hear about someone just watching it now for the first time :) 

Yes fair point. I really don't watch films though, well pretty rarely. Maybe a bit more these days, mostly for the social side. There's a lot I haven't seen, from ET through to Heat...

More into drum'n'bass. And Quake. 

the fuck is Quake? 

would you say all five seasons are worth watching? 

Yeah, for sure. The show changes a bit for each season, but all of them deliver a great story, and highlight a new problem. I'd probably rank season 4 as my personal favourite, and season 5 climbs down a bit from that, but all of them are good. 

You are probably watching the wealest of the bunch, the beginning of the 2nd season, and I meant to warn you the xhange in scenerio means there is a lot of exposition, but it really worth sticking with, esp. as you see Stringer Bell's character get fleshed out for some very sardonic plot developments that occur in season three. Yeah, season four which concentrates on the juveniles and schools system is my favorite as well. Season three has some pretty good story arcs with a new character Cutty, and a project called Hamsterdam, a new rival and more ruthless gang (which btw, is so much based on an actual gang the writers didn't even bother to change the name of the chief), there is a lot to savor in the up coming episodes.

My favorite character in the entire series, Chris Paltrow, what do you think Preach?

Honorable mention, Bugs, Bodie, and the politician Clyde Davis. Points off for picking the most politically correct choice (who played his hand like a fool in season five). ;) 

if it turns out Omar is your favorite. 

will make my through all of it then.

also, review later but Slumdog Millionaire is a cracker of a film, if a little contrived. 

By Bugs, I mean Bubbles. His huge saucer eyes make me tend to think of the wrong nickname for him. He has a really good story arc in season five with rock icon Steve Earl playing the part of his confidant and friend. 

...Omar did get all the good lines. Chris was good, but I'd have to go with Bubs by a nose, he had the strongest "big story" and a fantastic performance to bring the character alive. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0962774/

wow, this could be my new favorite movie. Extremely slow, focusing on the beauty in the eye of the beholder, the beauty in the world around you. A bit on the surrealistic side. The only grief i have so far is with the ending, and i have to rewatch the whole thing to see if it's actually that awesome :D

It doesn't seem to have a story at all ;)

German sync sucked a bit, too. And all the stupid people in the cinema who didn't get the movie. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0962774/

wow, this could be my new favorite movie. Extremely slow, focusing on the beauty in the eye of the beholder, the beauty in the world around you. A bit on the surrealistic side. The only grief i have so far is with the ending, and i have to rewatch the whole thing to see if it's actually that awesome :D

It doesn't seem to have a story at all ;)

German sync sucked a bit, too. And all the stupid people in the cinema who didn't get the movie. 

 

i wasn't really satfisfied with the music :( 

You Only Live Once (1934) - extremely average early crime drama from Fritz Lang and starring Henry Fonda and Sylvia Sidney. The characterisations are weak and the plotting and pacing leave a lot to be desired. Lang seems to be directing on autopilot with only the occasional inspired flourish in an otherwise dull film.

5/10


Savage Grace (2008) - there is some strong acting, particularly from the ever reliable Julianne Moore, but Tom Kalin's movie about the true story of the dysfunctional, incestuous relationship between heiress Barbabra Daly Baekeland and her gay son Antony is a real mess narratively.

It tries to cover too much ground in an effort to show the relationship at various stages of the individuals' lives and ends up focusing far too much on particular events rather than the characters themselves. And when you have characters that behave as selfishly and lamentably as those in this film, the lack of focus on them only amplifies the audience's disconnection towards them.


The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) - I like Oscar Wilde but I'm not quite sure what to make of Anthony Asquith's incredibly stagey and artificial film version of arguably his most famous work. The technique is obviously very deliberate as it suits the content of Wilde's material down to a tee, but somewhere along the line the superficial stuffiness of the whole thing just started to bother me.

5/10


Le Jour se Leve (1939) - another one of the Marcel Carne/Jean Gabin collaborations which falters a bit towards the end but is otherwise quite a competent and atmospheric film with an intricate narrative and well etched and explored characters. There's also some neat little details in the plotting which are very cleverly implemented.

7/10


Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - Danny Boyle's latest is a contrived but excellently executed piece of work, aided tremendously by its very impressive visual style and soundtrack. Boyle also manages to capture India from the inside, which is not an easy thing to do, and also incorporates aspects of bollywood without having them clash with the film's more western elements. The script could have used a bit more polish, particularly some of the dialogue, but on the whole this is extremely high quality entertainment.

7.5-8/10 

BBC miniseries misfire.
Too lightly made. Too "humorous". Overacted. Too quick. The makeup looks so fake. And then some acts as if they don't care what is happening (even when dying).

The new Miss Marple has somewhat similar problems. Always when something important there is a comical music highlighting it, and it destroys the small semblance of feeling and anticipation that has been built despite of the candy environments.

What's gone wrong? Fingersmith was excellent compared to Oliver Twist.

Yet Dickens is the genre's granddaddy, it should be done with utmost care.

I haven't read the book btw but I already have some predictions having seen the first episode, based on how much the work has been copied - my standard BBC historical miniseries stands. 

And the verbs are missing.
"my standard BBC historical miniseries plot analysis stands" it should be. 

You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0960144/
Watched that yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Super silly and well executed humor and a nice story about Isreal and Palastine. I don't get why it's rated so low, but hey, it's the internet/imdb. Disco disco!