Oh lord Blasty, I'm sorry. I read the novel for some unknown reason, and I sympathize with your plight. Much as I understand the political and social allegory going on beneath the surface, at some point, it just gets overwhelmed by the sheer amount of depravity, and even though the satire is there, it gets lost. I haven't seen Salo, mostly because I threw up at how violent Public Enemies was, and that's pretty damn tame, and, uh, Salo might kill me.
Watched "Oslo, August 31st" last night. I'm not sure I saw a more beautiful or nuanced movie last year. Anders Danielsen Lie gives one of my favorite performances of 2012, as well. It's not entirely perfect (I wanted more and for this to be longer, which is something I rarely say), but it's an incredibly effective piece. The entire thing just has this intimate, ethereal quality that mesmerized me.
Very much recommended.
finally got around to rewatching MEN IN BLACK 3, which I got for XMas (which is odd because I liked it, but I don't remember telling anybody else in the family that I did?)
Anyway I still enjoyed it, its good blockbuster popcorn despite the bad opening before the story moves to 1969. Brolin adds more life to this franchise (Jones needs to be put to pasture this side of Roger Moore), I found the jokes and imagination tied to that time period quite decent. I gave Rick Baker and his people a FYC shout-out for their make-up work, in fact in general some of the creatures I enjoyed the imagination behind them. (Detachable head used as bowling ball is one.) Especially the villain who has a pet bug/body part which acts as both henchman and gun. I wouldn't actually mind this series returning, a big step up from the fiasco that was #2. What did we humanity do to deserve Pitbull?
Movies recently reviewed by RRA:
Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Star Trek (2009)
Pain & Gain (2013)
Oblivion (2013)
Jurassic Park III (2001)
OMG, watched The Kid with a Bike last night.
Although, it's probably the most for a Dardenne film possible lol.
I just watched Safety Not Guaranteed...I really liked Mark Duplass inYour Sister's Sister, but I thought he was even better here. It's a wacky, sincere, and often hilarious performance and when he sings his song at the campfire, he knocks it out of the park. I'm not sure if he's Lead or Supporting (I would assume the latter, although I could see him fitting in either category), but I'm pretty sure he's going to make my ballot. As a whole, I'm not sure if TOTALLY works, especially if you think about it, but if you just go along for the ride, it's a pretty great movie.
Between this, The Deep Blue Sea, The Kid with a Bike, The Wise Kids, Your Sister's Sister, Take This Waltz, Bernie, Vamps, Killer Joe, Jeff Who Lives At Home, Bachelorette, Damsels in Distress, and Beasts of the Southern Wild, indies really ruled 2012 for me.
Jacki Weaver is dope. I am stoned watching her old Australian stuff online. She has always had such presence and vitality.
I finally watched my first film of 2013, and it was Jeff, Who Lives at Home. It's pleasant, but nothing all that extraordinary. Not a great film to start the year off with, but better than what I started last year with (Limitless).
I finished 2012 with Inglourious Basterds, which continues to be one of my favorite films of 2009.
Recently watched films:
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga - ***
Series 7: The Contenders - **
The Island President - ****
The Friends of Eddie Coyle - ****
The Proposition - ****1/2
Yeah, Mark Duplass has been impressive this year. He's definitely a Lead, btw?Originally Posted by bryan1311
I really enjoyed the film too! There's an Original Song from it that is eligible for the Oscars but I highly doubt it will make it. I'll have it on my ballot, at least!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXs4Ji-4fLE
Won't Back Down ** 1/2
I got stuck watching this movie because it played on my flight (I probably wouldn't have watched it in any other circumstance). Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis, they play a couple of women furious about the current educational system and are determined to create a new school that will be a better environment for the children. It's not so much that this a bad film, it's just that we've seen the movie a million times before. It's filled with cliches, it opens with the "based on a true story" so right away we know exactly how the movie is gonna end. Maggie and Viola are good, though the other great actors like Holly Hunter are just watsed. I'd say wait to watch this on TBS on a Sunday afternoon because it's inevitable that that's where it will end up.
ParaNorman **** / *****
Pretty funny children's "horror" film about a kid who can see the dead and accidentally raises the dead. Impressive stop motion animation and an excellent cast. It's a fun story, a nice set up with everyone doing a great job, I think Casey Affleck was my favorite, he was just perfect, pretty much every line he said was hilarious. There were a lot of great moments, I think the part that made me laugh the hardest was the guy at the vending machine seeing the zombies, that's just great comedy writing right there. While I think Monster House is a funnier and better movie, this is still a great addition to a Halloween kids comedy. I'll certainly be rewatching this.
Les Miserables **** / *****
I've seen and loved the musical twice, in Chicago and LA. As far as the film goes, it's good, but it's not nearly as good as it is on stage. I quite enjoyed Redmayne, he was probably my MVP, and Hugh Jackman did a nice job carrying the film. Anne Hathaway was indeed good and I Dreamed a Dream was extremely well done, a great display of emotion, I just wish she was in the film more. But, with all the actors like Anne or Hugh or Redmayne who could show emotion while singing (gasping, crying, flustered), Russell Crowe kept trying to sing sing rather than act sing. I didn't mind Crowe so much, his singing was fine, but compared to the others who acted like they were in a movie, Crowe acted like he was in a play. The cast was good, Hooper did a good job, not nearly as many Dutch angles as I expected (though when they showed up I certainly noticed them) and the close ups weren't as annoying as everyone let them out to be. My favorite moment was probably Empty Chairs at Empty Tables or I Dreamed a Dream. Anyway, it's a good film, it doesn't deserve all the negative reviews but it's not the best film of the year.
Goon ** / *****
I'd heard some good things about this, the local indie theater nearby had shown this film, so I had hope for this. Unfotunately this movie really sucked. Sean William Scott plays a tough security guy who gets recruited to a hockey team because his fighting ability and quickly he jumps to fame because he can beat anyone up. I'll admit, Adam Sandler sucks, but Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore were funny and I was hoping this would have a Happy Gilmore feel to it. Except this lacked all the comedy and charm it could have easily achieved. Instead it threw in a cheesy horribly written romance side story, the fights weren't memorable at all, and Sean William Scott wasn't a funny or a memorable character at all, he was such a lifeless and wimpy guy for a person who was supposed to be a killer. What a waste of a comedy that could have been funny.
Prometheus *** 1/2 / *****
Good sci-fi film with some cool special effects and incredible sets. However, I'll probably sound stupid saying this, but I kept hearing there was a giant twist in the movie and not to give away the ending, but after watching the movie, I honestly don't know what the twist/surprise was. The cast did a good job, because of the supposed twist I avoided everything about this so I had no idea Fassbender was playing the robot, I thought he did an excellent job. It was a fun movie, Not as good as Alien or Aliens but certainly better than Alien 3 and Alien Ressurection. I really wouldn't mind if Scott made a sequel to this.
Looper *** / *****
I was expecting a masterpiece and instead I got a pretty good action film. While I enjoyed the first half or so, the whole movie didn't really work for me. One of the main problems with me was the tirme travel portion of the script, I guess I just never bought the idea of why the heck they had to kill themselves from the future. Plus, my god, Joseph Gordon Levitt's makeup bugged the hell out of me. You know, I loved Cloud Atlas, good and bad makeup and all, but for some reason Joseph's old age Bruce Willis look was just so distracting and so awful, it took me completely out of the film. Did the kid in Big need to be made up to look like Tom Hanks? No. Did the fat kid in The Kid need to be made up to look like Bruce Willis? And on and on. However, as I said, I enjoyed the first half, there were some cool sequences, I loved the chase with the falling limbs (though honestly, I think enjoyed the movie Frequency more and they had a similar sequence like that in the end that I liked as well) and the montage with Bruce was cool. But man, the second half dragged and I really didn't like the storyline with the kid who kept yelling with a giant mouth. A let down but I still enjoyed it, I guess I was just expecting one of the best movies of the year.
Brave **** / *****
I didn't know much about this plot and for some reason, for a Pixar film, I wasn't dying to see this one. Well, it's a nice movie, it's entertaining, fun, and a lot funnier than I was expecting it to be. However, because of the setting of the movie, I guess it reminded me of How to Train Your Dragon, and that film was so much better than this. But, regardless, I really enjoyed this, the ensemble was nice, particularly Billy Connolly who did a great job as the father. All the scenes with the witch were hysterical, she was a perfect character and I wish she was in it more. The score was very nice and the animation was really good, it's certainly a giant step above Cars 2. Oh, and I loved the after credits jokes.
The Secret of Roan Inish ***** / *****
I saw this movie for the first time last year and absolutely loved it, this time around I showed it to my 6 year old nephew Alex who loved it as well. Once again, this is a perfect film to introduce to kids in order to show them what good filmmaking is and that movies don't just consist of CGI or potty humor. I really enjoy John Sayles and this is probably my favorite film of his. It's such a wonderful story, the different short stories throughout, the main plot, and the magic throughout. I wish I had seen this when I was little, it really would have opened me up to more great movies. If you haven't seen this gem you've gotta check it out, it's perfect.
River's Edge **** / *****
Interesting film, I had watche Larry Clark's Bully a couple days before this and this seemed like a tamer 80s version of that movie, meaning that it's a bunch of troublesome high school friends who get involved with a murder. The cast is actually pretty good. I know a lot of people don't like Keanu Reeves but he does a good job here as the friend who doesn't like what's going on and tries to do the right thing when he discovers his friend has commited a murder. Crispin Glover is such an odd actor, I can never tell whether he's acting or whether he's just being himself. Coincidentally, his acting here reminded me of the scene in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey when Bill jumps into his dad's body, it sounded exactly the same. And man, Dennis Hopper had a hell of a year in 1986, an Oscar nomation for Hoosiers, a classic performance in Blue Velvet, and this very good creepy supporting role in River's Edge. The movie wasn't what I was expecting but it was very good.
Ginger Snaps *** / *****
Horror movie from the 00s I've been meaning to see for a while, mainly because one of my friends really loves it. It's a decent horror movie, a clever take on the werewolf genre, but I felt like the second half wasn't as good as the first and it started to drag in the end. It took me a while to guess who the lead acrtress was (not Ginger, the other one) and then I figured it out, she was Beverly Marsh from It, so it's great to see she's still doing horror. Some good effects (I particularly liked some of the transformations near the end) and the death scenes were good. Mimi Rogers was also a nice casting choice as the mom. Not as good as I was hoping it would be but it's still better than a lot of the recent attempt at a horror movie.
Django Unchained **** 1/2 / *****
The usual Tarantino film, well made, great dialogue, excellent casting, and a lot of fun. While it's not my favorite of his, it's certainly a worthy addition to his filmography. I was a bit hesitant having Jamie Foxx cast in the title role, but he really did do a great job, though Cristoph Waltz was MVP for me. There were a lot of great moments, though my favorite is probably the eyeholes in the hoods, that was just genius comedy right there. I loved that it wasn't your typical movie blood, whenever someone got shot it just rained blood, it gushed everywhere. Oh, and I loved Christoph's little wagon, that's a great prop right there.
The Bridges of Madison County *** 1/2 / *****
Pretty decent romantic drama directed and starring Clint Eastwood with another excellent performance by Meryl Streep. I'd never seen this before, and for some reason whenever I see the title it makes me think of that old lady in In & Out "I hated The Bridges of Madison County". It's overlong and a bit repetetive, but it's worth watching for Streep's performance. I also quite liked the current storlyine with her grown up children, though the final segment with them seemed a bit rushed and underwritten. Otherwise, this had some very nice moments, I really liked Clint and Meryl's first meeting together as well as their time on the bridge. Plus her scene in the car near the end with her husband was very good.
The Great Mouse Detective **** 1/2 / *****
I've seen this movie a ton of times, this time around I watched it with my 6 year old nephew who had never seen it before. I'm trying to show him some older movies he'd like, or rather, non-CGI films. Granted, this is a Disney film, but the sad thing is that I'm guessing kids these days probably aren't even watching the earlier animated Disney features and are just watching the computer animated films. Anyway, he loved this movie, I love it, it's a great forgotten Disney film. The cast is having a good time, Vincent Price is perfect as the villain, especially during his big musical number. I think this is my first time watching this since having read my first Sherlock Holmes book, so it was nice catching some of the references to the stories. Oh, and the score rules.
Real Steel **** / *****
Certainly a crowd pleaser, yeah it's cliche galore and you pretty much know all the steps the movie is gonna take, but I really enjoyed it. Basically Rocky with some Kramer vs Kramer and throw in some Rock em Sock em Robots. It's an entertaining movie, some great visual effects, a very nice score, and it's pretty much hard not to enjoy this one. The kid does a pretty good job, he's certainly not as annoying as a lot of the child actors lately, though they probably could have toned down on the dancing stuff, but I didn't mind it so much. It would have been nice if they'd have had maybe one or two more fights and gotten rid of maybe one or two of the necessary cliches to complete the cliched plotline, but whatever. Anyway, it's a fun movie, it's one I'd catch on TV if it was playing, I'm glad I saw it.
TerrorVision *** 1/2 / *****
Along with Night of the Creeps, TCM aired this during their Underground Films schedule. I'd seen some of this before, but it really is a funny and crazy comedy horror. An alien monster is sent to a famly home via TV signals from across the universe and ends up in the TV (and eventually comes out of the TV). Like Eating Raoul (and coincidentally co-starring Mary Woronov), it works so well because of the "acting" of the whole cast, they're so clueless and idiotic. The sets are actually pretty great while still keeping that cheesy feel to it (the exterior shots are clearly just sets on a stage, it's kind of hilarious) and throughout the house are paintings and statues of all these naked couples, it's perfect. John Gries is hysterical as the stupid heavy metal boyfriend O.D. While it loses some of its comedy and originality in the final third of the film where it drags a bit, it's still a very funny movie. If you like stupid, cheesy, sci-fi horror comedies from the 80s, this one is perfect.
Night of the Creeps **** / *****
Very fun and entertaining horror comedy from the 80s about a couple of college nobodies who come across a zombie experiment and accidentally cause a giant zombie attack around campus/frat houses. Underrated horror movie with a lot of fun gags throughout, a great black and white 50s opening. The best friend is very funny and there are a lot of great jokes throughout, I particularly love the interaction with the sorority girls and the frat zombies. It was shown on Turner Classic Movies for their Friday Underground Movies, so it must be good, check it out if you haven't seen it.
Fright Night *** 1/2 / *****
I love the original Fright Night, and I was hesitant at watching this, but after hearing some good things, I figured I'd give it a go. Anton Yelchin pops up again (I seem to be seeing him a lot lately) starring as a high school kid who discovers his new neighbor Colin Farrell is a vampire. Christopher Mintz Plasse is funny as Yelchin's friend, though I thought he was gonna be in the movie a lot more, and Toni Collette is amusing as Yelchin's mom. I didn't really care of the change of the vampire expert from a horror movie host to a magician, David Tennant is no Roddy McDowall. It's an entertaining movie, there are some good surprises, but I didn't really care for the look of the vampire and I'm guessing they just threw in some 3D stuff after the movie was made in order to make it a 3D movie, because it had some cheesy special effects in it (the blood drop for instance).
Water for Elephants *** / *****
It took me about a month to finally complete this movie, I saw the first half last month but the DVD screwed up, then I finally just finished the film. The funny thing is that I wasn't dying to see how it ended, so I guess that says something about the film. It's a decent concept, we haven't had a movie about the circus in a while, so I welcomed the film, but it's kind of just a meh film. Most of the cast does a fine job, but I didn't think everyone was truly amazing. There's really not much to say about this, for a period film about the circus, I guess the sets and costumes are good and it has a decent score, but I really didn't care about the love story, and unfortunately that's pretty much the whole movie. It was nice seeing Hal Holbrook in the bookends, but other than that, there's nothing really special about this movie.
Bully **** / *****
It's been a while since I saw this and it was on TV the other night. I know it's not really one of those movies that you wanna rewatch, but I thought it was a good movie plus it's a nice ensemble. Brad Renfro and Nick Stahl are very good, plus Michael Pitt is actually pretty hilarious as the zoned out surfer guy. Coincidentally, right after I watched this, Nick Stahl had just gotten in trouble in real life for being caught, uh, playing with himself in a porn store. Leo Fitzpatrick from Larry Clark's earlier film Kids has a nice supporting role as the hitman. Sure, Clark is a controversial filmmakers, but I think his films are very good.
Eating Raoul **** 1/2 / *****
Extremely funny and amusing dark comedy. For some reason I thought this was a foreign film from the early 90s, so I was surprised when it turned out to be an early 80s movie taking place in LA. Paul Bartel made a hilarious film about a married couple who need money to open a restaurant in the country so they start murdering a bunch of sex crazed jerks and steal their money. It works so well because Bartel and Mary Woronov are so perfect together as a chipper couple who seem to be in a completely different movie. I love all the random characters and the different sets. Woronov was great, especially all her costumes she had to wear to woo the perverts. Not at all what I thought it would be, a great comedy.
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai **** / *****
I've always heard good things about this, so I finally got the chance to see it. I just realized this is only the fifth Jim Jarmusch film I've seen, he's certainly an interesting director, but his filmography for me is all over the place, I though Broken Flowers was fine, Stranger Than Paradise was impressive, Dead Man wasn't so great (though maybe I should rewatch it) and Mystery Train was hilarious and my favorite of his films. This one was very good, I guess I'd rank it right in the middle. It was a bit slow paced but the cast was great and there were a lot of amusing things spread throughout (I loved that all the gangsters would only watch cartoons). It was certainly an interesting and well executed concept and Forest Whitaker was a great casting choice for the title role, but this wasn't the masterpiece I was hoping it would be.
Another Earth *** 1/2 / *****
I didn't know much about this movie so I was expecting a bit more sci-fi in it. Instead it turns out to be a slow paced drama about a young woman trying to adjust to her old life after being released from prison for accidentally killing a family in a car crash. Oh, and there's a discovery of a second identical Earth and there's a planned mission to visit the planet. Anyway, the cast is good, Brit Marling and William Mapother work well together. Yes, the movie is slow paced and certainly not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. Plus that final shot is great. However there is a big question I was wondering involving William Mapother and the ending to the movie regarding his family and the car accident. I don't wanna spoil anything, but if you've seen the movie you probably know what my question is.
Hearts in Atlantis *** 1/2 / *****
I think the last time I saw this was in the theater wo I checked it out again when it was on TV. Decent coming of age drama based on a Stephen King story, the cast is good with a nice early role for Anton Yelchin, though he and Hope Davis make a better son and mother couple in Charlie Bartlett. Anthony Hopkins was good but he seemed a bit too, uh, Anthony Hopkins. It's not that this is a bad movie, it's just kind of forgettable. It has some of that nice dramatic Stephen King moments, but it's not even close to the Stand By Me/Shawshank Redemption drama. And though the bookends are kind of filler pieces, I like David Morse so I don't mind that it's there.
Cars 2 *** 1/2 / *****
I wasn't terribly eager to see this movie, but I saw it was on TV and it's the only Pixar feature I haven't seen yet (except Brave) so I figured I needed to watch it eventually. Well, it was fine, some funny moments, but it was too much for kids and it lacked a lot of that Pixar charm movies like Toy Story or Finding Nemo or The Incredibles had. I guess it was just too silly, and not in that silly comedy style I love in movies like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs or The Emperor's New Groove, this felt like it was just for kids 10 and under. I can't say I'm too surprised though since Larry the Cable Guy was the star of the film but they could have at least thrown in some good jokes or a better script. The actors try their best and some of the animation was very good, but this just isn't Pixar material. I didn't hate the movie, I was just disappointed.
I'm with CocoActual Items
In the Year 2000
As more and more people start having sex with robots, it will become increasingly embarrassing to buy a can of WD-40.
The twist is .
I didn't understand this either. You invent time travel, but you can't find a way to get rid of a body? Although the idea probably is that if someone is completely erased, nobody will miss him/her, which of course is the case if you kill somebody and make the body disappear.
I will marshall all the forces of darkness to hound you to an assisted suicide - Peter Capaldi, In The Loop
I guess my main issue is, why don't they just have someone else go back and kill the original looper, so that the looper will disappear in the future, rather than having them exist for another 30 year or so.
I'm with CocoActual Items
In the Year 2000
As more and more people start having sex with robots, it will become increasingly embarrassing to buy a can of WD-40.
See, now if that was the twist, I wasn't terribly surprised because he was listed in the opening credits and I was waiting for him to show up.
I'm with CocoActual Items
In the Year 2000
As more and more people start having sex with robots, it will become increasingly embarrassing to buy a can of WD-40.
I liked Zero Dark Thirty.But..I am disappinted with Jessica Chastain's performance.She is good.But from the reviews i've read ,i expected much more.
I never seem to find anything anymore lol. Wasn't there a thread for The Sessions?
You're probably right. He's just absent for a good deal of the movie.
Over the weekend, I caught a movie that is sure to appear all over my 2012 ballot. I still haven’t finalized my top ten for the year, either, simply due to busyness, and I’m so glad I can now include this movie in the list.
Beyond the Black Rainbow (Panos Cosmatos, 2010, though it seems to have gotten most of its attention this year, so I think it’s safe to go with 2012 for this one) is so far up my alley that it’s almost ridiculous. Glacially paced, ultra mysterious, surreal science fiction that is as much (if not more) about the experience than it is about the story. Featuring some of the most unbelievably precise and unforgettable images I’ve seen all year, this nightmarish vision of an 80s research facility up to no good is eerily, exceptionally hypnotic. The stark colour palette is striking from the start and Cosmatos (son of George, whose financial success with Tombstone was apparently responsible for financing this movie!) sets a strange, scary tone before we have any idea what is going on. As the small pieces of narrative are slowly revealed, Cosmatos takes us to a place of euphoric imagination that is utterly unique.
A huge thanks to Jean for recommending this one a while back. I’ll pass on the recommendation with great passion. This one rattled my brain.
This was pretty great. Loved the performances all around, but the ending seemed...disconnected for meOMG, watched The Kid with a Bike last night.
Although, it's probably the most for a Dardenne film possible lol.
Hitchcock:
Schizophrenic, as if the director does not know if he wants to make a comedy or a drama. The film has it moments, especially in the beginning with jokes about the film industry has it looked in 1960. The editing is god-awful, sometimes it feels like a bad sitcom where you focus on a characters reaction to someones line for far too long to create some sort of comic effect.
Mirren shines above the cast with her performance and creates a dimensional character. Hopkins on the other hand phones it in, he doesn't do anything exciting, new or emotionally anchored. Just a caricature. Biel, Johansson and Collette are all three misdirected and doesn't come off well at all. Johansson and Collette are just average and Biel feels a lot miscasted.
Take This Waltz didn't really work for me. The entire thing is just very meek. I didn't like Seth Rogen and, despite a fairly nice performance, Michelle Williams' character is hard to root for despite the fact that you can understand her plight. It has some nice little moments, but the movie kind of feels like a whisper and I kept waiting for it to start shouting.
Don Askarian's Avetik was a dreamy experience! Wow, I was just floored by the images.
Posting Permissions
