| The Shawshank Redemption. |
| I recently noticed I was a huge fan of director Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men (1957), The Verdict (1982), Find Me Guilty (2006)), so I decided to watch the movie that invented the phrase "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!!" Network (1976)- A satire of news and television, businesses, and human society at large. A fictional fourth network, UBS, is competing with NBC, ABC, and CBS, lagging far behind in the ratings. An alcoholic UBS news anchor that is about to be fired, Howard Beale, gives a deranged last broadcast, which prompts the attention of Diana Christenson, a machine-like woman in charge of Entertainment broadcasting at the station. She convinces Frank Hackett, the head of the station, to put the clearly disturbed man back on air, as he attracts a cult-like following. There are numerous subplots in the story, such as Diana's bargaining with known terrorists to produce a television show, the relationship between Max, Howard's former program director, and Diane, as well as Hackett's desire to win the approval of his boss, Mr. Jensen. These threads all come together beautifully, and make perfect sense and cohesion by the end of the film. Howard's rants themselves are the stuff of legends. He is raving mad, but there is ALSO a strong, powerful germ of truth in everything he says about the nature of media, the dumbing down of people, and strong alienation in modern society. (which is also observed in the relationships between the main characters) Like all Lumet films, I expected the film to have great dialogue, but this might be the best I've ever heard. "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore" is great, but there are at least a dozen other classic quotes. Most impressively, this movie correctly predicts a lot of what has happened to society in the last 34 years. It just gets better and better, and near the end, I was mesmerized by what I was watching. That's hard to do for someone who has seen so many films. I upgraded Clockwork Orange to a 90/100, and this might be better. Definitely one of the 20 greatest movies I've ever seen, maybe even top 10... 91/100 |
| Could not agree with you more on Network a film I have probably watched 10+ times and it still never gets stale |
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| Chocolate Plot: In Thailand, during a tense meeting between the Yakuza Masashi and the powerful boss of Thai mafia No. 8, his mistress Zin falls in love for Masashi and becomes his lover. When No. 8 discovers their affair, he orders Masashi that does not know that Zin is pregnant to return to Fukuoka, Japan, alone. She delivers a baby girl named Zen and sooner the doctors diagnose that she is autistic. Zen is raised watching the students of a martial arts school nearby her home and Kung Fu movies on television and she learns how to fight by herself. When Zen is a teenager, her friend Moon uses her accurate reflexes to raise money to help Zin in her treatment of cancer. The snoopy Moon finds a black book with people that owe money to Zin, and he decides to collect the loans with Zen to pay the treatment of Zin. The girl is forced to fight with the henchmen of the businessmen to receive the money, attracting the attention of No.8 that captures Moon to force a meeting with Zin that tells Masashi that he has a daughter and is returning to Thailand. Overall I give it a 9 close to a 10 on great martial arts films |
| La Bete Humaine |
| The A Team 2010 Corny, cheesey, crass plot - yep loved every minute of it |
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| I dug out my VHS collection last night to watch Toy Story. It sure brought back some good memories. Gonna watch Toy Story 2 for the first time in a couple of years soon and then I'll be ready for the third! |
| The Graduate |
| Toy Story 2. |
| Woman with the tattooed Hand Funny one this, I really only watched as everyone said how great it was and ofcourse the book sold well here too. But though the story and the acting was good it was not brilliant - for my british friends here it looked and sometmes felt like an ITV crime special that they air all week at nine - saying that I will watch the second film when it comes out 61/100 |
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| Dante 01 A french scifi horror - not that good sorta mix between Alien2 or was it 3 and 2000AD - some nice trippy fx but I got bored very quickly and it was only 80mins long 40/100 |
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| Grizzly Man. This is, without a doubt, the most remarkable film I have seen in a while. It's a documentary about Timothy Treadwell, the guy who spent 13 summers living in Alaska amongst grizzly bears until he was eventually killed by one. Some of the footage is just so incredibly startling and the man himself is very powerful and adamant of his beliefs and so interesting to watch on screen. It was unbelievably captivating. I couldn't recommend it more. |
| Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director (1975) A documentary about the life and work of director Kenji Mizoguchi which was made by Kaneto Shindo, who did Onibaba among other things. I've come to admire Mizoguchi's films a lot over the years and he's probably my 2nd favorite Japanese director, next to Ozu. This documentary is about 20 minutes short of 3 hours and is completely told through a series of interviews. It's a very long and tedious way to convey the boatload of information provided in this film, but if your mission is purely to learn more about Mizoguchi then this film is an excellent source. Shindo painstakingly tracks down and interviews at least 30 people who knew and worked with Mizoguchi going as far back as the 20s over the course of the film as they go through and discuss every film he made in his career, his personal life, his strengths and faults as a director and who he was as a person right up until his death. I particularly found the Kinuyo Tanaka interview interesting as she was told that Mizoguchi was in love with her during their time working together, her response was quite moving to me. However, I'd still only recommend this to people seriously interested in Mizoguchi and even then a lot of people might find it hard to sit through. |
MahleriteJul 9, 2010 6:46 AM
| City Girl In Search of Beethoven Double Indemnity |
MahleriteJul 14, 2010 8:30 AM
| Philadelphia. Tom Hanks sure is a diverse actor. |
| One of my e-friends here convinced me to watch an Uwe Boll film that he claimed was good. Rampage (2008) A 23 year-old loser in a small American town goes on a killing rampage in full body armor, oustmarts the cops at every turn, doesn't get caught, and escapes with money he counterfeited from a freaking copy machine. We're supposed to take this seriously, especially with CONSTANT flashbacks to events that happened five minutes earlier, and the same slogan about "overpopulation" and "fucking government, man" being blared at us every few moments. Suffice to say, I could have done without the third grade political bullshit. The whole "rampage" was pathetic, and I was laughing or fast-forwarding through a lot of it. I was certainly amused when the sheriff doesn't even check the pulse of his two deputies, both knocked down from a concussive explosion. Or how the main character gets tackled from behind while wearing heavy armor, and then is ON TOP of his assailant in the very next scene. Or how he sneaks up on a seasoned sheriff in a quiet forest. I might be the best Boll "video", and it's still amateur garbage. So much for that guy's recommendation. 28/100 |
| There's Something About Mary. |
| Defendor (2009)- A mentally retarded but good-hearted man dons a superhero costume and attempts to fight the city's criminals. He gets beaten up, but keeps striving forward. Here is my problem; since when are we supposed to feel sympathy for a DANGEROUS IDIOT who is indirectly responsible for the death of several good men?He is a worse person than most of the criminals he fights! There is an inspired mix of comedy and dark realism, and Harrelson's performance is terrific, but the God-awful pacing and idiotic central theme make sure this film is no more than okay.And the cartoonish happy ending,with everything turning out great,is out of place,and makes it poor. 39/100 |
YoungVagabondJul 16, 2010 5:53 AM
| Vengeance is Mine |
| They just keep getting worse; The Invention of Lying (2009) Shockingly bad.I'm a huge Gervais fan, but this comedy is lifeless and utterly unfunny. The concept far, far surpasses its execution. Plus, since when does telling the truth mean a compulsion to speak one's mind at every opportunity? And why don't any of the characters get mad as hell at what they're hearing?Are they not human? Finally, this movie has no balls; Gervais only uses his power to do good, and never once takes advantage of it.Lame. I couldn't even sit through the whole damn thing. 24/100 |
| Boiling Point (1990) The second movie of Takaeshi Kitano as director ... two young baseball player, and yakuza gangsters. Brilliant ... |
| The Last Airbender (2010). It was an abomination. |
| Significant improvement; Millennium (1989) Kris Kristofferson is a government agent investigating a mysterious plain crash. It hits a few high notes near the beginning and end, but the middle 30 minutes after the reveal are just brutal. They blatantly repeat scenes, and sluggish, boring ones at that. There are some shaky plot holes, (especially with regards to the professor) the "science" is laughable, and it devolves into a generic Hollywood ending at its conclusion. However, the first 45 minutes were legitimately mysterious and fascinating, and when the film succeeds, it's damn exciting to watch. 60/100 |
| Sound of the Mountain |
| Inception. |
| Predators Great sequel of Predator |
Touka said: Inception. ...any good? |
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| Otoko wa tsurai yo, the first film in the long running Tora-san series directed by Yoji Yamada. |
| Yesterday I watched my first film from 2010; Inception- Nolan's best movie yet. The action, pacing, and excitement was brilliant and amazing. There are weaknesses to the film, ESPECIALLY the ending (meant to be ambiguous, but there is only one logical possiblity), but as a pure action movie, it's very close to perfect. I'm especially impressed with how Nolan has improved in shooting action scenes; from the God-awful shaky cam garbage in "Batman Begins" to the outstanding detail and mesmerizing choreography found in "Inception". A near perfect action film, and the ultimate summer blockbuster, although actually quite straightforward and simple, not "deep" and "complicated". 86/100 |
| I have watched a dire string of films recently so not bothered to waste your time or mine but finally watched A Prophet 2009 A french prison drama about an arab lad who ends up as a crime boss. The premise may sound rather mundane but if you want to watch an intellegently directed well executed plot with an equally well tuned cast look no further. Some may be put off by 2 3/4 hourfrench film but I was glued from the first minute to the end 80/100 |
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| Le salaire de la peur ( The Wages of Fear ) 1953 Watched it for a second time. One of the greatest film in french cinema and truly one of the greatest suspense I've ever seen. |
| -Fixing- |
| Fatal Attraction (1987) A lawyer played by Michael Douglas with a wife and a baby girl cheats with a woman (Glenn Close) who gets progressively more insane when he spurns her further advances. It's an awful, predictable script partially redeemed by how brilliantly it is shot.The tempo for the eventful scenes is very good. Close does a fine job, but the film is killed by its lifeless, plodding gait. And even overlooking the cliche developments and ending (how does Alex make it to his home? How does she survive the drowning?), Michael Douglas is not the least bit sympathetic in his role, while Glenn Close is far too ineffectual as the villain. Cinemaphotography is the main thing going for it. 40/100 |
Wilio said: Le salaire de la peur ( The Wages of Fear ) 1953 Watched it for a second time. One of the greatest film in french cinema and truly one of the greatest suspense I've ever seen. Agreed one great film would recomend too all here |
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slenderfall said: Touka said: Inception. ...any good? Very much so. I'd recommend it. |
| Romeo and Juliet (1968) Double Suicide (1969) |
| Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) The greatest Western ever. Charlie Bronson is amazing as the lead, Henry Fonda is one of the greatest villains ever, and Jason Robards as the in-between character isn't far behind. Of course the soundtrack, scenes, and overall story are incredible, but I was surprised at how snappy and funny the dialogue was. So many outstanding, memorable quotes. One of the few films where I can forgive and understand the slow pacing. Absolute masterpiece. 90/100 |
| Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (1983) First fabular version of Yasutaka Tatsui novel. More drama and romance than sci-fi. Interesting experiment. |
Immortal_PhoenixJul 28, 2010 1:20 AM
| A Streetcar Named Desire Spartacus |
MahleriteJul 28, 2010 11:31 PM
| Toy Story 3. |
| Corps Bride (2005) Kung Fu Hustle (2004) ... crazy kung-fu comedy |
otonashi_ said: Kung Fu Hustle (2004) ... crazy kung-fu comedy An excellent movie...but Stephen Chow's previous effort, Shaolin Soccer, was even better. I watched Un Chien Andalou (1929)- Mercifully short, and some refreshing weirdness, but this isn't even much of a "film", and I write that as a huge fan of both Dali and Bunuel. 41/100 Day Watch (2006) Does absolutely no justice to the great book that inspired it, turns a lot of excellent characters into silly comic relief, and to add insult to injury, the subtitles on the DVD are completely wrong half the time. ("That's fate!" turned into "Who's your daddy!") That being said, it is an entertaining, bizarre, and often funny film. 60/100 Fight for your Life (1977) An incompetent, disjointed mess, boring and slow-moving for the first 70 out of 82 minutes.The directing and writing is poor, and don't make the action scenes the least entertaining.The violence and implied gangrape are very, very tame compared to many films of that era.The cops are incompetent.Even the "retribution" of the family is pathetic and unconvincing.The only redeeming part is Judd's excellent performance as the racist, joking redneck villain.Overall crappy movie. 26/100 |
| Old Boy (2003) One of my favourite films of all time. It was on Film4 last night and I couldn't resist another viewing. I started watching Kamizake Girls which was on after it but fell asleep. Not because it was boring or anything, but because I was tired. It was actually quite eccentric and definitely grabbed my interest. Might have to go and buy it now. |
| Woman of Tokyo (1933) A 47 minute Ozu silent film about a woman who helps put her brother through college by secretly moonlightning as a cabaret hostess. I can't really say this is one of Ozus better works, but it did mark the beginning where one can see his signature style take shape. Can't help but compare this with Mizoguchi's superior Osaka Elegy made three years later. Both work along the same lines, showing a woman's self sacrifice in support of her family being met with shame and hostility. |
| The Man who Shot Liberty Valance |
Touka said: Old Boy (2003) One of my favourite films of all time. It was on Film4 last night and I couldn't resist another viewing. I started watching Kamizake Girls which was on after it but fell asleep. Not because it was boring or anything, but because I was tired. It was actually quite eccentric and definitely grabbed my interest. Might have to go and buy it now. LOL I did the exact same |
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| Uzumaki (2000) Horror, and like most japanese horrors strange. Scary ? No. Boring ? Yes. Crows Zero (2007) Violence, violence, violence in rythm of j-rock. The best japanese action movie how i saw. Higashi no Eden - Movie 1 (2009) Good continuation of tv series, but nothing more. Guns and Talks (2001) Korean action-comedy. Better than most Jackie Chan movies. |
otonashi_ said: Uzumaki (2000) Horror, and like most japanese horrors strange. Scary ? No. Boring ? Yes. The film is really an insult to the awesome manga that inspired it. Tron (1982) In deciding whether to watch the remake of Tron, I checked out the 1982 original. And it was awful; a Disney live action film for kids, similar to "Dragonslayer" released a year earlier. However, it's far more pretentious and poorly made, with awful sci-fi mumbo jumbo, a lack of any understanding of computers and science, and an unintentionally hilarious theme of "programs/computers are people that can think!!" It also is one of the worst acted and directed films I have ever seen, to the point of where I was wondering whether it was self-parody (It's Jeff Bridges worst acted film ever, and he's still the second coming of Paul Newman compared to the rest of the cast). Finally, its pacing would exhaust a snail; a friend I was watching it with promptly fell asleep. Don't blame him one fucking bit. Small wonder such an intellectually lightweight kids' film, with a cult following, is getting remade. The only thing the movie had going for were great visuals for 1982 and a neat fantasy world. And honestly, in the hands of a good writer, a good editor, a good director, and a completely different, good cast....this would be a DAMN good film. So I'm not discounting the possibility the remake/sequel will be way better than the original, and maybe even good. However, my optimism took a dramatic hit when I noticed that Steven Lisberger, the incompetent writer/director of the original, is a writer and producer of Tron 2. Fucking shit. I hope that's true in title only. 33/100 |
YoungVagabondAug 5, 2010 4:28 PM
| My Fair Lady |
| I happened to catch Late Sping (1949) on TV yesterday. First time I saw it and it definitely won't be the last. I really loved Chishu Ryu's character and the story was surprisingly gripping with a nice little twist at the end. Ohayo (1959) is on next week which I will most definitely be watching. About time I got better acquainted with Ozu. slenderfall said: Touka said: Old Boy (2003) One of my favourite films of all time. It was on Film4 last night and I couldn't resist another viewing. I started watching Kamizake Girls which was on after it but fell asleep. Not because it was boring or anything, but because I was tired. It was actually quite eccentric and definitely grabbed my interest. Might have to go and buy it now. LOL I did the exact same Haha, small world. I often fall asleep watching stuff on Film4 because they put all the great films on so late! :P |
Touka said: I happened to catch Late Sping (1949) on TV yesterday. First time I saw it and it definitely won't be the last. I really loved Chishu Ryu's character and the story was surprisingly gripping with a nice little twist at the end. Ohayo (1959) is on next week which I will most definitely be watching. About time I got better acquainted with Ozu. slenderfall said: Touka said: Old Boy (2003) One of my favourite films of all time. It was on Film4 last night and I couldn't resist another viewing. I started watching Kamizake Girls which was on after it but fell asleep. Not because it was boring or anything, but because I was tired. It was actually quite eccentric and definitely grabbed my interest. Might have to go and buy it now. LOL I did the exact same Haha, small world. I often fall asleep watching stuff on Film4 because they put all the great films on so late! :P ....and all the shite films earlier and repeat 20 times a month |
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