Two For the Road (Stanley Donen, 1967) 8/10
Tell No One (Guillaume Canet, 2006) 5/10
Grey Gardens (Michael Sucsy, 2009) 8/10
Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Antichrist - 3/10
Maybe a 2. Maybe a 1. My buddy saw it at Cannes and said it was all anybody could talk about for the festival. He also thinks it's the greatest film of our time. I think it's art house hell. But it's pretty art house hell, and it's full of enough question marks to keep me somewhat engaged. But why would you ever go back to see it again?
Maybe a 2. Maybe a 1. My buddy saw it at Cannes and said it was all anybody could talk about for the festival. He also thinks it's the greatest film of our time. I think it's art house hell. But it's pretty art house hell, and it's full of enough question marks to keep me somewhat engaged. But why would you ever go back to see it again?
"How's the despair?"
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anonymous1980
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anonymous1980
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Part 2 is also posted on-line (I saw the film online). I do plan to watch it and I have read up on the case.Precious Doll wrote:Great documentary. You should track down the followup.anonymous wrote:Paradise Lost: Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (Joe Berlinger/Bruce Sinofsky) - 8/10
Lots of emotionally powerful moments but could've used some editing.
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Precious Doll
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Great documentary. You should track down the followup.anonymous wrote:Paradise Lost: Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (Joe Berlinger/Bruce Sinofsky) - 8/10
Lots of emotionally powerful moments but could've used some editing.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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anonymous1980
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Precious Doll
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Nowhere Boy (2009) Sam Taylor-Wood 2/10
Based on the John Lennon's teenage years growing up in the care of his aunt. Apparently a number of liberties are taken with the truth here that I was not aware of until after I had seen the film - funny had it rang false to me whilst watching it. Aaron Johnson is terrible in the lead and it doesn't help that he looks nothing like Lennon. He looks like Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe). Kristin Scott Thomas as Lennon's Aunt Mimi is the best and only good thing about this terrible mess.
Messiah of Evil (1973) Willard Huyck 6/10
Atmospheric low budget horror film with some genuinely creepy moments.
The Doctor Takes a Wife (1940) Alexander Hall 5/10
Ray Milland and Loretta Young are both quite good in this routine screwball comedy that feels a little over extended. Still better then most 'romantic comedies' made these days.
Crazed Fruit (1956) Ko Nakahira 6/10
Time has probably not been too kind to drama of two teenage brothers obsessed with the same young woman. This was probably somewhat shocking in it's day but it's very tame by todays standards. Nevertheless it's interesting if anything as a piece of history for a time and place.
The Lovely Bones (2009) Peter Jackson 3/10
I haven't read the book that this is based on but the film is a mess in it's own right. Probably the worst thing about the film is the narration by Saoirse Ronan which leaves nothing to the viewers imagination and in which everything is explained. Jackson appears to think 'we' can't think for ourselves. There's nothing to piece together, no mystery and no suspense. Knowing the killer's identity from the outset (and it's revealed in the trailer) it probably not a good idea.
For a film that clocks in at over 2 hours I would have expected some detailed characterisation not the flimsy figures offered here. I did enjoy Susan Sarandon's performance, she's lots of fun, but she appeared to be acting in a completely different film from the others.
Nora Prentiss (1947) Vincent Sherman 8/10
Very enjoyable film starring Anne Sheridan in a one of a kind female lead. I can not recall a heroine quite like Nora Prentiss. I loved that I could never guess where this film was heading and it kept me enthralled from start to finish. Thank you to Damien and DWS for championing this film, I would not have seen it otherwise.
Based on the John Lennon's teenage years growing up in the care of his aunt. Apparently a number of liberties are taken with the truth here that I was not aware of until after I had seen the film - funny had it rang false to me whilst watching it. Aaron Johnson is terrible in the lead and it doesn't help that he looks nothing like Lennon. He looks like Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe). Kristin Scott Thomas as Lennon's Aunt Mimi is the best and only good thing about this terrible mess.
Messiah of Evil (1973) Willard Huyck 6/10
Atmospheric low budget horror film with some genuinely creepy moments.
The Doctor Takes a Wife (1940) Alexander Hall 5/10
Ray Milland and Loretta Young are both quite good in this routine screwball comedy that feels a little over extended. Still better then most 'romantic comedies' made these days.
Crazed Fruit (1956) Ko Nakahira 6/10
Time has probably not been too kind to drama of two teenage brothers obsessed with the same young woman. This was probably somewhat shocking in it's day but it's very tame by todays standards. Nevertheless it's interesting if anything as a piece of history for a time and place.
The Lovely Bones (2009) Peter Jackson 3/10
I haven't read the book that this is based on but the film is a mess in it's own right. Probably the worst thing about the film is the narration by Saoirse Ronan which leaves nothing to the viewers imagination and in which everything is explained. Jackson appears to think 'we' can't think for ourselves. There's nothing to piece together, no mystery and no suspense. Knowing the killer's identity from the outset (and it's revealed in the trailer) it probably not a good idea.
For a film that clocks in at over 2 hours I would have expected some detailed characterisation not the flimsy figures offered here. I did enjoy Susan Sarandon's performance, she's lots of fun, but she appeared to be acting in a completely different film from the others.
Nora Prentiss (1947) Vincent Sherman 8/10
Very enjoyable film starring Anne Sheridan in a one of a kind female lead. I can not recall a heroine quite like Nora Prentiss. I loved that I could never guess where this film was heading and it kept me enthralled from start to finish. Thank you to Damien and DWS for championing this film, I would not have seen it otherwise.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
Don't Look Now (1973) Nicolas Roeg 8/10
This film is psychological horror at its absolute finest. I'm not sure why it took me so long to see it or why it's not mentioned more on this board (especially by those purportedly so in love with Mulholland Drive, you should probably see a film that Lynch has obviously seen and studied), but I'm really glad that I finally checked it out. The foreboding waters of the canals of Venice, the menacing gargoyle-studded walls of the churches, those deliciously creepy sisters -- there was really so much to love/digest/fear about this film. Sutherland and Christie very realistically portray a couple whose relationship has been damaged by tragedy, yet still care deeply for one another (and has Christie ever looked more gorgeous?) The success of this film comes from the withholding of knowledge from the viewer without sacrificing the infusion of bleakness and horror from the proceedings on the screen. What a fantastic film with a killer ending. Just thinking about that final image gives me the chills.
The Blind Side (2009) John Lee Hancock 6.5/10
I was actually at the infamous 1985 Redskins game when Lawrence Taylor sacked Joe Theisman from behind and the crunch of the broken tibia/fibula was heard all around the world, so I enjoyed the fact that the movie opened with a deconstruction of that play. It's too bad, as Tee said, that this kind of thoroughness was almost immediately dropped. I'm not going to get into the obvious "benevolent white woman saves hulking black boy from the ghetto" criticisms. Obviously, they are there, but it was tempered for me by the fact that this was essentially a true story and Michael's uplift did result in such an incredible outcome. Sandra Bullock was great her "Erin Brokovitch" moment and the role was not as obvious as I thought it would be from the trailer. It's a feel-good holiday smaltz-fest, but Bullock adds something admirable to the proceedings (she adds the extra .5). It's a performance that elevates the film. I don't begrudge her a career nomination for this, especially in such a weak year for female leading performances.
Whoever mentioned before that the best performance in this comes from Tony-winner Adriane Lenox as Michael's mother was right. She was spot-on. It was funny watching Kathy Bates become Annie Wilkes for a couple minutes again. Someone should bar that little brat who played SJ from ever appearing again in a film.
Edited By flipp525 on 1262107434
This film is psychological horror at its absolute finest. I'm not sure why it took me so long to see it or why it's not mentioned more on this board (especially by those purportedly so in love with Mulholland Drive, you should probably see a film that Lynch has obviously seen and studied), but I'm really glad that I finally checked it out. The foreboding waters of the canals of Venice, the menacing gargoyle-studded walls of the churches, those deliciously creepy sisters -- there was really so much to love/digest/fear about this film. Sutherland and Christie very realistically portray a couple whose relationship has been damaged by tragedy, yet still care deeply for one another (and has Christie ever looked more gorgeous?) The success of this film comes from the withholding of knowledge from the viewer without sacrificing the infusion of bleakness and horror from the proceedings on the screen. What a fantastic film with a killer ending. Just thinking about that final image gives me the chills.
The Blind Side (2009) John Lee Hancock 6.5/10
I was actually at the infamous 1985 Redskins game when Lawrence Taylor sacked Joe Theisman from behind and the crunch of the broken tibia/fibula was heard all around the world, so I enjoyed the fact that the movie opened with a deconstruction of that play. It's too bad, as Tee said, that this kind of thoroughness was almost immediately dropped. I'm not going to get into the obvious "benevolent white woman saves hulking black boy from the ghetto" criticisms. Obviously, they are there, but it was tempered for me by the fact that this was essentially a true story and Michael's uplift did result in such an incredible outcome. Sandra Bullock was great her "Erin Brokovitch" moment and the role was not as obvious as I thought it would be from the trailer. It's a feel-good holiday smaltz-fest, but Bullock adds something admirable to the proceedings (she adds the extra .5). It's a performance that elevates the film. I don't begrudge her a career nomination for this, especially in such a weak year for female leading performances.
Whoever mentioned before that the best performance in this comes from Tony-winner Adriane Lenox as Michael's mother was right. She was spot-on. It was funny watching Kathy Bates become Annie Wilkes for a couple minutes again. Someone should bar that little brat who played SJ from ever appearing again in a film.
Edited By flipp525 on 1262107434
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
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Precious Doll
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Gate of Flesh (1964) Seijun Suzuki 7/10
Gorgeous looking color coded film (each female cast member wears a different color costume) set in post war Japan about a group of prostitutes trying to survive in Tokyo. One of Suzuki's best films, though he lacks the humanity of Mizoguchi who made numerous similar themed films during the late 1940s and 1950s.
French Kissers (2009) Riad Sattouf 4/10
I must confess that I went to this without knowing anything about it and was taken aback that it was just a rather simple minded teen flick not much different from the standard fare. I really need to start becoming far more discriminating about the French cinema that I see.
The Adventures of Werner Holt (1964) Joachim Kunert 6/10
East German WW2 drama about two friends that are drafted to the Russian front. Some very powerful moments however the major problem with the film it that it's mainly a series of flashbacks in which it is difficult to determine when these are actually set. It's a film that may have worked better if told in chronological order. Some of the film is clearly influenced by Soviet cinema melded with German efficiency. One remarkable sequence is set at a party but only the male lead and his lover are shown with the 'extras' appearing as shadows on the walls as the lovers dance.
Story of a Prostitute (1965) Seijun Suzuki 7/10
Another Suzuki drama, this one set during WW2 in China shot in striking black and white.
Gorgeous looking color coded film (each female cast member wears a different color costume) set in post war Japan about a group of prostitutes trying to survive in Tokyo. One of Suzuki's best films, though he lacks the humanity of Mizoguchi who made numerous similar themed films during the late 1940s and 1950s.
French Kissers (2009) Riad Sattouf 4/10
I must confess that I went to this without knowing anything about it and was taken aback that it was just a rather simple minded teen flick not much different from the standard fare. I really need to start becoming far more discriminating about the French cinema that I see.
The Adventures of Werner Holt (1964) Joachim Kunert 6/10
East German WW2 drama about two friends that are drafted to the Russian front. Some very powerful moments however the major problem with the film it that it's mainly a series of flashbacks in which it is difficult to determine when these are actually set. It's a film that may have worked better if told in chronological order. Some of the film is clearly influenced by Soviet cinema melded with German efficiency. One remarkable sequence is set at a party but only the male lead and his lover are shown with the 'extras' appearing as shadows on the walls as the lovers dance.
Story of a Prostitute (1965) Seijun Suzuki 7/10
Another Suzuki drama, this one set during WW2 in China shot in striking black and white.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Precious Doll
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Wow! We´re talking about an Eastwood film!Reza wrote:Invictus (Clint Eastwood, 2009) 2/10
I hate sports films although I surprisingly managed to enjoy the rugby scenes. It is the rest of the film that totally bored me. It has to be a really bad year at the movies if the Academy ends up nominating this film, Freeman, Damon and Eastwood.
The Blind Side (John Lee Hancock, 2009) 3/10
Extremely sentimental crap with a good performance by Bullock, although she looks hideous in that blonde hairdo. Sad state of affairs to see that she and Streep are frontrunners at the Oscars this year.
Invictus (Clint Eastwood, 2009) 2/10
I hate sports films although I surprisingly managed to enjoy the rugby scenes. It is the rest of the film that totally bored me. It has to be a really bad year at the movies if the Academy ends up nominating this film, Freeman, Damon and Eastwood.
Extremely sentimental crap with a good performance by Bullock, although she looks hideous in that blonde hairdo. Sad state of affairs to see that she and Streep are frontrunners at the Oscars this year.
Invictus (Clint Eastwood, 2009) 2/10
I hate sports films although I surprisingly managed to enjoy the rugby scenes. It is the rest of the film that totally bored me. It has to be a really bad year at the movies if the Academy ends up nominating this film, Freeman, Damon and Eastwood.