watched The Sword in the Stone for the first time in like, 10 years...still a good Disney movie
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LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
"The Men Who Stare At Goats"
Saw this yesterday, by myself---and again today, with my boys. Needed a second viewing....
Uneven but very entertaining farce starring Ewan MacGregor as a hard-luck American small-town journalist from the midwest (nice accent) whose disintegrating personal life leads him to Kuwait City in 2003, looking for some adventure. It comes in the form of George Clooney, portraying Lyn Casady: a self-proclaimed "Jedi"---psychic warrior---who's about to enter war-torn Iraq on a secret mission. The back story is based upon actual government-funded, post-Vietnam experimentation in "remote viewing" and other unorthodox paranormal military operations...
Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey and Stephen Lang round out an excellent cast. The film strikes a deft balance between pathos and absurdity. In fact, it's so odd that I might have to buy a previously-viewed copy. 4 out of 5 stars.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
halfway through watching Holmes again. there hasn't been a movie since Casino Royale came out that I HAD to see again IMMEDIATELY after my first viewing. Honestly. Holmes has dug himself (back) into my brain, and won't leave. I keep re-running scenes in my head (complete with the soundtrack...I'm just odd like that) and for the first time in a long time, this doesn't bother me.
I saw CR 14 times in theater (pretty much every weekend for about 10 weeks...sometimes twice a weekend)...let's see how many consecutive viewings of Sherlock Holmes it'll take for me to be able to shake it from my brain. I predict it's going to be many more than 14...
Excellent slice of 1970s-style drama; it has the Polaroid-type cinematography of Milk and The Last King of Scotland. It's about a young, hip German terrorist gang active from 1968 to the late 1970s. Most of the girls are foxy and wear figure-hugging hot pants, the blokes could be in The Strokes. Their political aims seem a bit nebulous - they're against supporting the US over Vietnam, against Israel and for Palestine, imperialism, the old German order, entry in the European Song Contest (I made that last one up). There's this old German politician who seems to be around to take an interest in their cause if not their ways of going about it, he's played by Bruno Ganz who was in Wings of Desire and played the much youTubed Hitler in Downfall, here he is a bit like the Harvey Keitel figure in that feminist road film with Susan Sarandom, the name of which escapes me.
It's a long movie and you can't quite sympathise or get under the skins of any of them much, you kind of watch it from the outside; they're a cool gang you're not quite part of. Obviously how far you go in identifying with the killing bit of their cause is another thing, it's a bit like the films Hunger and Michael Collins in that respect, which dealt with the IRA cause.
Transsiberian. I knew absolutely nothing about this film when I put it in my Netflix queue; but I figured, what the heck--good cast (Woody Harrelson, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer), mystery on a train, and I later discovered it's directed by the same guy who made The Machinist. So when I watched it I had to scramble to pick my jaw off the floor. Amateurish comes to mind, with wooden, expository dialogue, shallow motivations among the characters, and a story that gets increasingly stupid. Woody Harrelson also plays a character so hickish and dumb he makes his old Cheers bartender look like a savant. The big surprise came last night when I looked up the movie's rating on RottenTomatoes. 91% positive. 91?! Critics oohed over how "Hitchcockian" it is and how the movie takes its time to establish the events. I suspect critics are so desperate for a movie without explosions and CGI that they'll take what they can get. I can't.
Abbott & Costello in the Foreign Legion. The boys travel to Algiers and become unwilling recruits. Highlights include lovely 50s starlets dressed as slave girls and Lou chasing ice cream shop mirages in the desert. Zany antics plus french beauty Patricia Medina make this lesser effort enjoyable.
The Princess & the Pirate. Bob Hope and Virginia Mayo...(serious babe), in a technicolor swashbuckler parody. See Bob get the treasure map tattoed on his chest while stealing the show in every scene with his energetic hammyness. Fun movie with fantastic sets and a humorous Bing cameo. And did I mention Virginia Mayo?
The Black Room. Or, the Prince and the Pauper horror style. Karloff the uncanny in dual roles. The royal twins. One evil, one noble. Great split screen photography, evocative sets, and wonderful score. One of Boris Karloff's best performances.
I am working my way through The Camomile Lawn, a 1992 BBC production set in 1939, in idyllic Devon. It's a bit like Atonement; the approach of war, sex, snobbery and hidden family secrets. The cast is amazing: Felicity Kendal and Paul Eddington, who I've just realised were both in the classic 1970s sitcom A Good Life (I associate Eddington more with Jim Hacker in Yes Minister), plus young stars Tara Fitzerald, Jennifer Ehle (went onto be Lizzie Bennett in iconic BBC version of Pride and Prejudice but seems to have fallen off the radar since), a pre-Die Another Day Toby Stephens (giving a more enjoyable, sympathetic performance than that of Gustav Graves) and a very young Rebecca Hall (she went to be in Starter for 10 and Frost/Nixon)
Last night I watched A Serious Man, the most recent offering by the Coen Brothers.
As with most Coen brothers films, I enjoyed their wonderfully off-centre view of the world, with memorable characters and situations, which are crazy yet just about believable. Also made a slight change of pace after their last two films which were both thriller paced, whereas this is more of a suburban black comedy. As always the writing was great, as was Roger Deakins' cinematography which has become a Coen trademark. Unusually, the film featured none of the Coen regulars in major roles, but this is neither here nor there. Basically just a solid, good film. As a big Coen fan, as well as a recently converted western fan, I'm looking forward to the Coen's remake of True Grit, which is out in December. Knowing South African distributors though we probably won't see the film until much later next year. Any film deemed to be oscar potential, apart from major blockbusters are always delayed until after the Oscars in order to cash in on their notoriety, generally we see the 'Oscar films' in March/April or even later, as was the case with A Serious Man.
Last night I watched A Serious Man, the most recent offering by the Coen Brothers.
Small world--I saw this just last weekend, and I agree with your review. I actually found the movie a throwback to the kind of movies the Coens made when they were establishing themselves (Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, etc.): small, eccentric, moody, and often hilarious. A good show.
Latter day Errol Flynn pirate adventure mentioned on this thread a few posts back, filmed in sumptous colour and with Anthony Quinn and Maureen O'Hara providing fine support as the villainy and love interest respectively (of course!). O'Hara was in the not dissimilar Black Swan but I much prefer her in this, as a feisty pirate captain called Spitfire. She wears Lincoln green a lot, perhaps as a nod to Flynn's Robin Hood many years earlier.
Sadly, I found Flynn to be the weakest link here. People say he's aged a lot in this, but no more than many of us do in over a decade, certainly no more than our heroes Connery and Moore did in the same amount of time. Flynn is Roger Moore in his later Bond films, Octopussy perhaps, and to be fair, less paunchy. I don't mind the 19th-hole, fetch-me-a-double-whiskey-and-Xerox-it pallour, rather that Flynn seems to be a man with the fight completely knocked out of him. There's none of the animus or spirit of his earlier performances - and Flynn without spirit is like Connery without his dangerous edge - or, as he appeared in Never Say Never Again. In fact, this vehicle has the feel of a belated comeback picture like NSNA or Indy and the Crystal Skulls, there's the sense that something is not quite right with the leading man. There's a defeated, shifty look in Flynn's eyes that's very uncharismatic.
It doesn't help that the script seems written for Flynn in his younger glory years, a lady killer who can turn Spitfire's head without preamble. It's a scene that anticipates Connery and Karin Dor in YOLT, but at least Connery had a bit more of the youthful, indolent way about him still then.
I didn't care either for the plot, a Donnie Brasco-type thing where Flynn is a naval officer posing as a deserter to infiltrate the pirate colony, but that's just my taste. Like Lazenby in OHMSS going undercover as Sir Hilary Bray, it works against the leading man's natural brio and bravado. It would have helped to show some dastardly, nasty pirate behaviour early on to justify his undercover actions, because often Flynn plays the outraged insubordinate rather than an establishment figure. Still, the look of the film carried me through and I wish Captain Blood had been filmed in that sort of colour.
Mutiny on the Bounty in the wild west. With John Wayne as Bligh and Montgomery Clift as Fletcher.
One of the best from Howard Hawks. Young Clift in his debut kicks serious ass, he and the Duke play off each other wonderfully. But I wish it were in color ... when the herd crosses stream ... wow. The end has always seemed a cop out but they were going for the happy hollywood crowd.
Always loved this one.
PS. Maureen O'Hara at her most wrathful and scornful sexy. Check out McLintock! Don't anyone give her no lip. Yowza.
Maureen O'Hara is wonderful in Against All Flags, she is the best thing in that film and I thought the film as a whole was better than The Black Swan.
Red River is another great film, I loved the climatic scene with Wayne walking menacingly toward Clift, only Wayne could walk like that. In addition, like many older films, the large action scenes, like the stampede are superbly filmed, no CGI in those days. I can't imagine how many cameras they must have had rolling, because I don't think you could get a second take.
As Alex mentioned, McLintock may be O'Hara's best role, although I really like her in the Quiet Man too. Any actress willing to take a spanking from Duke Wayne as O'Hare does in McLintock, is an actress willing to go the extra mile.
Went in with pretty low expectations having seen that it got pretty poor reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised. The film covered very familiar Allen territory, but that didn't bother me although I can see how it would bother viewers. I enjoyed the Larry David character, basically the same neurotic character that is typically played by Woody himself. Plenty of echoes with earlier Woody Allen characters. Overall, solid if a little predictable.
Maureen O'Hara is wonderful in Against All Flags, she is the best thing in that film and I thought the film as a whole was better than The Black Swan.
As Alex mentioned, McLintock may be O'Hara's best role, although I really like her in the Quiet Man too. Any actress willing to take a spanking from Duke Wayne as O'Hare does in McLintock, is an actress willing to go the extra mile.
Yes, O'Hara is great in Flags, and I should have spent more time on her (!), her sexy command of asking Flynn to 'go to it' when she decrees it permissable is a forwardness only surpassed by Linda Fiorentino in The Last Seduction, and her incredulous outraged anger when he turns her down is, as they say, worth the price of admission...
I've never seen Against All Flags, but if it's better then Swan, (a fillm which I really like), then I'll be hunting it down soon. Thanks for the review guys.
Of the later Flynns I have seen The Master of Ballantrae and The Adventures of Don Juan. I think defeated is a good description for his demeanor. He had been through much. Legally, financially. Not to mention lifestyle. A terrible thing for any person to endure. I can speak from some experience sadly.
The Man They Could Not Hang
Wow, I really had a good time with this mad doctor Karloff vehicle from Columbia. The plot begins like most, brilliant scientist uses unorthodox methods. A death is involved. Doctor sentenced to die and then ....
He returns! (I won't divulge how) to take revenge on the legal team that put him away. This it when it gets good.
Under false pretenses he invites the group to a fancy dinner where they are trapped behind electrified doors. There are numbers next to each person's chair signifying the order of their death. Through a hidden microphone he taunts them. Then, channelling his inner U.N. Owen he bumps them off one by one Ten Little Indians style!
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
"Gonzo: The Life and Works of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson"
A 2008 documentary by Alex Gibney, narrated by Johnny Depp (reading Thompson's writings) and featuring interviews with both of the famed writer's wives, his son and many friends---an eclectic group of peope ranging from musician Jimmy Buffett to failed presidential candidate George McGovern and failed President Jimmy Carter, and many others such as Rolling Stone Editor-In-Chief Jann Wenner...with a life like Thompson's, it's nearly impossible to be distilled into a two-hour film, but this one makes a noble effort and mostly succeeds. Peppered with archival footage of the turbulent 1960's and '70s, it examines Thompson's rise to prominence (via the remarkable book Hell's Angels, and the surrealistic masterpiece Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas), his riding the crest of the wave with his extremely entertaining Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, and his subsequent decline as he became a hostage to his own fame and larger-than-life persona...and finally his suicide in 2005---as I said at the time: "Only Hunter could kill Hunter."
On a personal note, Thompson's influence on my own opinion-based writing is undeniable. He was an American Original, and I'm sad that he's no longer around. His most mediocre material is heads-and-shoulders above much of what passes for journalism these days. This film is highly recommended for anyone who's read and enjoyed his work. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
watched Holmes with my buddy on his MASSIVE TV the other night (OMG so epic with his sound system...) and am now watching Living Daylights 'cause it's on TV LTK is on next
Famous Italian director Guido Contini, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, has a new movie to shoot in a few days and he has no ideas. He also has woman problems, his ignored wife (Marion Cotillard) is unhappy, his mistress (Penelope Cruz) is demanding, his lead actress (Nicole Kidman) wants a script, his confidant and costume designer (Judi Dench) wants him to focus on the movie, and his mother (Sophia Lauren), shown in flashbacks, is disappointed in his life. In addition, a reporter (Kate Hudson) tries to seduce him. With all these problems it is no wonder Guido is depressed.
Musicals are not usually my thing, but I enjoyed this film. The acting was quite good and all the participants sang well. The set design and overall look of the film was gorgeous, the film received an Oscar nomination for Set Design. The song and dance numbers were well done, Penelope Cruz sings a rather sexy tune, but my favorite song was sung by Kate Hudson, who sings well and dances up a storm. Judi Dench even sings and does a few turns on the stage.
I had read some reviews that said the story was thin, but I thought the story was compelling, Guido has lead a self absorbed life, doing what he wants, telling lies to get what he wants, using people to get what he wants and now when he needs his wife to help him she turn away, because she no longer trusts him. When the other women in his life also turn away, including his mother he finally understands that his life is empty. Watching Daniel Day-Lewis move through this gauntlet of women and issues was a treat.
Film from 1947 starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Sinbad along with Anthony Quinn and Maureen O'Hara. Sinbad is a story teller who tells stories of his advantures. This story involves the search for Alexander the Great's treasures, which exist on the island of Daryabar. However, no one knows how to get there, O'Hara thinks Sinbad is a prince and also thinks he knows how to get to Daryabar. Quinn is an Emir, and romancer of O'Hara, who also wants the gold and also believes Sinbad knows. Sinbad thinks O'Hara knows and tries to romance her to find out. O'Hara bounces from Quinn and Fairbanks depending on who she thinks will get her to Darabar. They all finally get to Darabar where the search for gold and/or love play out.
I have a mixed opinion on this film, I enjoyed parts of it and found other parts overly silly. The fight scenes are almost slapstick as Sinbad overcomes dozens of guards without seriously injuring anyone. However, the scenes with Fairbanks and O'Hara are quite good and the dialogue is intelligent. Filmed in Technicolor, the film has a good look for a 1947 film and some of the special effects are also pretty good.
I do not know Fairbank's background, but I did notice his movements were greatly exaggerated, as he moved his arms broadly and runs with a prancing gate, more like someone on stage, than in a film. O'Hara is quite good, devilish at times and always charming, her eyes twinkling as she plays Fairbanks and Quinn against each other.
Not as good as Against All Flags or The Black Swan, but still worth a view.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
edited June 2010
An eclectic capsule-review trio of recent viewings, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous:
"District 9"
Enjoyed this one, and was drawn in by the pseudo-documentary style---even if the seams in this narrative style begin to show early, enough goodwill is bought by the boldness of the maneuver to take the curse off it---and the performances of all the actors, none of which were known to me. The VFX were outstanding, and the morality play---if rather obvious, given the South Africa location---worked nicely. Disturbing, thought provoking and ultimately entertaining. 4 out of 5 stars.
"Land Of The Lost"
I'm one of those guys who was just the right age to catch the Sid and Marty Kroft Saturday morning TV show in the Seventies---the only thing cheesier was Bob "Gilligan's Island" Denver and Chuck McCann in "Far Out Space Nuts"---and although I'm growing fairly weary of the endless remakes of TV shows (buy an original script---PLEASE! ), I laughed quite a bit at this Will Ferrell vehicle, which certainly plays to his strengths. The ending is contrived and too convenient. So what? I laughed. 3 out of 5 stars.
"Mamma Mia!"
Yep. Finally saw it.
And guess what? I'm an Abba fan---always have been---and I actually (mostly) enjoyed this picture, which is fluffier than a feather pillow fight, if not quite as hard-hitting Meryl Streep has never been more appealing, IMRO; the delightful Christine Baranski is having a ball, and Julie Walters is good as well. The young lady who plays Streep's daughter (name escapes me, and I've already sent the Netflix back ;% ) is hot :x The male leads all acquit themselves well, and I found Brozzer quite enjoyable...although his singing is difficult to immediately discern from a slow-moving train wreck I'm not sure why this one works for me, except for the fact that there are a few things in my life right now (my father's health problems, my day job sucking harder than Elton John in a sausage factory, the book nearly being out) that made Mamma Mia! a most enjoyable diversion. Many times, during these production numbers, I found myself grinning from ear to ear. So sue me. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
mom rented THE SPY NEXT DOOR with Jackie Chan as a lovable ex Chinese spy who falls in love with his next door neighbor and bonds with her children. it was cute...that's about it. fluff factor, 5/5...good movie 2/5
Another one of his dodgy films, he veers all over the place. The opener could have been that of Casino Royale had they decided to follow Fleming's method of Bond getting his double 0 - a sniper attack from one tall building to another, on an Oriental guy.
My flatmate put his on at 11.30pm ish and I did stay to watch til the end. It's about a lonely assassin, has his way of life (ie don't get involved, don't fall in love, all stuff out of Heat - the DeNiro film, not the magazine), then he does fall in love blah blah. Highly watchable, highly derivative but if you caught this at the cinema you'd have felt cheated. The deaf girl Cage falls for in the film is very cute however. And there are Bondalike scenes - a boat chase like TMWTGG but more excitingly done. It's only 90 mins, which helps.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
"Edge of Darkness"
Martin ("GoldenEye," "Casino Royale") Campbell-helmed revenge picture, starring Mel Gibson after an 8-year hiatus from acting. I quite enjoyed it---Gibson's intensity and heartbreaking depth of performance are masterful. The plot---governmental treachery, swivel-headed allegiances and soulless rationalization---is too much like reality to give comfort...but the payoff, while inevitable, is emotionally satisfying. The only thing missing is an oceanic oil leak. 4 out of 5 stars.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman star in this comedy about four couples that go on an island retreat to reconnect with their respective spouses, or in one case girlfriend. All the couples suffer from the usual long term relationships diseases, boredom, too work centered, kids, etc and all are looking forward to some fun in the sun. However, when they get to the island they discover that the package they signed up for involves more relationship work than beach activities. The story meanders along as we learn each couples issues and as they interact with each other. The big finish involves each couple recognizing their love for each other.
As a comedy, the film had some laughs and I was amused at times, but at other times, especially during some of the group interaction the scene just falls flat, as the couples seem more annoying than funny. As a story, the film never really comes together, none of the couples were engaging enough to draw me in enough to care. Vince Vaughn and his wife, played by Malin Ackerman, are the most centered and the couple I most cared about, but not enough time is devoted to them. In summary, I thought the movie was alright, not great, not bad.
Note - The movie was directed by Peter Billingsley, who fans of A Christmas Story would remember as Ralphie.
Last night I watched The Young Victoria. Going in, I was afraid it would be yet another lavish costume drama. It is; but it's made great by a real interest in and understanding of the power politics that went on behind the "royal romance"--which had major international consequences. Good show. And there are Bond connections: Jesper Christensen has a substantial role as Albert's Uncle (but not Uncle Albert), and Julian Glover is completely unrecognizable behind a putty nose and black eyebrows as the elderly Duke of Wellington.
I am a big fan of the Pixar films and of the first two Toy Story films, so I was excited to see Toy Story 3, I wasn't disappointed. Woody's and Buzz's owner, Andy, is all grown up and heading off to college, so mom wants the toys, thrown out, donated, or put in the attic. Through a series of misadventures the toys end up donated to a local child care. They think the child care will be a cool place with kids playing with them all the time. But, they come to learn that the child care is controlled by an evil teddy bear. Along with his henchmen, which includes a fairly creepy baby doll, he controls the toy world at the day care. An analogy of the toy world at the child care and real world dictatorships like Venezuela and Iran could be made, but I was looking for fun, not political lessons. Luckily, the film was fun from end to end.
The first two Toy Story films centered on the relationship between the boy and his toys, this film is more a chase and escape film. although some heart felt moments of a young boy becoming a young man and leaving his toys behind are included. This was a very enjoyable film, full of laughs, excitement, hero's, good deeds, sadness and joy. The audience broke into applause at the end and it was well deserved. Very highly recommend.
As with all Pixar films, a short film preceeded, the feature attraction, this short was called Day and Night. Day and night meet and try to show the other they are the better part of the day. Can't explain it, you have to see it, but it was very creative.
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Saw this yesterday, by myself---and again today, with my boys. Needed a second viewing....
Uneven but very entertaining farce starring Ewan MacGregor as a hard-luck American small-town journalist from the midwest (nice accent) whose disintegrating personal life leads him to Kuwait City in 2003, looking for some adventure. It comes in the form of George Clooney, portraying Lyn Casady: a self-proclaimed "Jedi"---psychic warrior---who's about to enter war-torn Iraq on a secret mission. The back story is based upon actual government-funded, post-Vietnam experimentation in "remote viewing" and other unorthodox paranormal military operations...
Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey and Stephen Lang round out an excellent cast. The film strikes a deft balance between pathos and absurdity. In fact, it's so odd that I might have to buy a previously-viewed copy. 4 out of 5 stars.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I saw CR 14 times in theater (pretty much every weekend for about 10 weeks...sometimes twice a weekend)...let's see how many consecutive viewings of Sherlock Holmes it'll take for me to be able to shake it from my brain. I predict it's going to be many more than 14...
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Excellent slice of 1970s-style drama; it has the Polaroid-type cinematography of Milk and The Last King of Scotland. It's about a young, hip German terrorist gang active from 1968 to the late 1970s. Most of the girls are foxy and wear figure-hugging hot pants, the blokes could be in The Strokes. Their political aims seem a bit nebulous - they're against supporting the US over Vietnam, against Israel and for Palestine, imperialism, the old German order, entry in the European Song Contest (I made that last one up). There's this old German politician who seems to be around to take an interest in their cause if not their ways of going about it, he's played by Bruno Ganz who was in Wings of Desire and played the much youTubed Hitler in Downfall, here he is a bit like the Harvey Keitel figure in that feminist road film with Susan Sarandom, the name of which escapes me.
It's a long movie and you can't quite sympathise or get under the skins of any of them much, you kind of watch it from the outside; they're a cool gang you're not quite part of. Obviously how far you go in identifying with the killing bit of their cause is another thing, it's a bit like the films Hunger and Michael Collins in that respect, which dealt with the IRA cause.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
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Abbott & Costello in the Foreign Legion. The boys travel to Algiers and become unwilling recruits. Highlights include lovely 50s starlets dressed as slave girls and Lou chasing ice cream shop mirages in the desert. Zany antics plus french beauty Patricia Medina make this lesser effort enjoyable.
The Princess & the Pirate. Bob Hope and Virginia Mayo...(serious babe), in a technicolor swashbuckler parody. See Bob get the treasure map tattoed on his chest while stealing the show in every scene with his energetic hammyness. Fun movie with fantastic sets and a humorous Bing cameo. And did I mention Virginia Mayo?
The Black Room. Or, the Prince and the Pauper horror style. Karloff the uncanny in dual roles. The royal twins. One evil, one noble. Great split screen photography, evocative sets, and wonderful score. One of Boris Karloff's best performances.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
As with most Coen brothers films, I enjoyed their wonderfully off-centre view of the world, with memorable characters and situations, which are crazy yet just about believable. Also made a slight change of pace after their last two films which were both thriller paced, whereas this is more of a suburban black comedy. As always the writing was great, as was Roger Deakins' cinematography which has become a Coen trademark. Unusually, the film featured none of the Coen regulars in major roles, but this is neither here nor there. Basically just a solid, good film. As a big Coen fan, as well as a recently converted western fan, I'm looking forward to the Coen's remake of True Grit, which is out in December. Knowing South African distributors though we probably won't see the film until much later next year. Any film deemed to be oscar potential, apart from major blockbusters are always delayed until after the Oscars in order to cash in on their notoriety, generally we see the 'Oscar films' in March/April or even later, as was the case with A Serious Man.
8/10
Small world--I saw this just last weekend, and I agree with your review. I actually found the movie a throwback to the kind of movies the Coens made when they were establishing themselves (Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, etc.): small, eccentric, moody, and often hilarious. A good show.
Latter day Errol Flynn pirate adventure mentioned on this thread a few posts back, filmed in sumptous colour and with Anthony Quinn and Maureen O'Hara providing fine support as the villainy and love interest respectively (of course!). O'Hara was in the not dissimilar Black Swan but I much prefer her in this, as a feisty pirate captain called Spitfire. She wears Lincoln green a lot, perhaps as a nod to Flynn's Robin Hood many years earlier.
Sadly, I found Flynn to be the weakest link here. People say he's aged a lot in this, but no more than many of us do in over a decade, certainly no more than our heroes Connery and Moore did in the same amount of time. Flynn is Roger Moore in his later Bond films, Octopussy perhaps, and to be fair, less paunchy. I don't mind the 19th-hole, fetch-me-a-double-whiskey-and-Xerox-it pallour, rather that Flynn seems to be a man with the fight completely knocked out of him. There's none of the animus or spirit of his earlier performances - and Flynn without spirit is like Connery without his dangerous edge - or, as he appeared in Never Say Never Again. In fact, this vehicle has the feel of a belated comeback picture like NSNA or Indy and the Crystal Skulls, there's the sense that something is not quite right with the leading man. There's a defeated, shifty look in Flynn's eyes that's very uncharismatic.
It doesn't help that the script seems written for Flynn in his younger glory years, a lady killer who can turn Spitfire's head without preamble. It's a scene that anticipates Connery and Karin Dor in YOLT, but at least Connery had a bit more of the youthful, indolent way about him still then.
I didn't care either for the plot, a Donnie Brasco-type thing where Flynn is a naval officer posing as a deserter to infiltrate the pirate colony, but that's just my taste. Like Lazenby in OHMSS going undercover as Sir Hilary Bray, it works against the leading man's natural brio and bravado. It would have helped to show some dastardly, nasty pirate behaviour early on to justify his undercover actions, because often Flynn plays the outraged insubordinate rather than an establishment figure. Still, the look of the film carried me through and I wish Captain Blood had been filmed in that sort of colour.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Mutiny on the Bounty in the wild west. With John Wayne as Bligh and Montgomery Clift as Fletcher.
One of the best from Howard Hawks. Young Clift in his debut kicks serious ass, he and the Duke play off each other wonderfully. But I wish it were in color ... when the herd crosses stream ... wow. The end has always seemed a cop out but they were going for the happy hollywood crowd.
Always loved this one.
PS. Maureen O'Hara at her most wrathful and scornful sexy. Check out McLintock! Don't anyone give her no lip. Yowza.
Maureen O'Hara is wonderful in Against All Flags, she is the best thing in that film and I thought the film as a whole was better than The Black Swan.
Red River is another great film, I loved the climatic scene with Wayne walking menacingly toward Clift, only Wayne could walk like that. In addition, like many older films, the large action scenes, like the stampede are superbly filmed, no CGI in those days. I can't imagine how many cameras they must have had rolling, because I don't think you could get a second take.
As Alex mentioned, McLintock may be O'Hara's best role, although I really like her in the Quiet Man too. Any actress willing to take a spanking from Duke Wayne as O'Hare does in McLintock, is an actress willing to go the extra mile.
Went in with pretty low expectations having seen that it got pretty poor reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised. The film covered very familiar Allen territory, but that didn't bother me although I can see how it would bother viewers. I enjoyed the Larry David character, basically the same neurotic character that is typically played by Woody himself. Plenty of echoes with earlier Woody Allen characters. Overall, solid if a little predictable.
7.5/10
Yes, O'Hara is great in Flags, and I should have spent more time on her (!), her sexy command of asking Flynn to 'go to it' when she decrees it permissable is a forwardness only surpassed by Linda Fiorentino in The Last Seduction, and her incredulous outraged anger when he turns her down is, as they say, worth the price of admission...
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Of the later Flynns I have seen The Master of Ballantrae and The Adventures of Don Juan. I think defeated is a good description for his demeanor. He had been through much. Legally, financially. Not to mention lifestyle. A terrible thing for any person to endure. I can speak from some experience sadly.
The Man They Could Not Hang
Wow, I really had a good time with this mad doctor Karloff vehicle from Columbia. The plot begins like most, brilliant scientist uses unorthodox methods. A death is involved. Doctor sentenced to die and then ....
He returns! (I won't divulge how) to take revenge on the legal team that put him away. This it when it gets good.
Under false pretenses he invites the group to a fancy dinner where they are trapped behind electrified doors. There are numbers next to each person's chair signifying the order of their death. Through a hidden microphone he taunts them. Then, channelling his inner U.N. Owen he bumps them off one by one Ten Little Indians style!
A 2008 documentary by Alex Gibney, narrated by Johnny Depp (reading Thompson's writings) and featuring interviews with both of the famed writer's wives, his son and many friends---an eclectic group of peope ranging from musician Jimmy Buffett to failed presidential candidate George McGovern and failed President Jimmy Carter, and many others such as Rolling Stone Editor-In-Chief Jann Wenner...with a life like Thompson's, it's nearly impossible to be distilled into a two-hour film, but this one makes a noble effort and mostly succeeds. Peppered with archival footage of the turbulent 1960's and '70s, it examines Thompson's rise to prominence (via the remarkable book Hell's Angels, and the surrealistic masterpiece Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas), his riding the crest of the wave with his extremely entertaining Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, and his subsequent decline as he became a hostage to his own fame and larger-than-life persona...and finally his suicide in 2005---as I said at the time: "Only Hunter could kill Hunter."
On a personal note, Thompson's influence on my own opinion-based writing is undeniable. He was an American Original, and I'm sad that he's no longer around. His most mediocre material is heads-and-shoulders above much of what passes for journalism these days. This film is highly recommended for anyone who's read and enjoyed his work. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
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Famous Italian director Guido Contini, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, has a new movie to shoot in a few days and he has no ideas. He also has woman problems, his ignored wife (Marion Cotillard) is unhappy, his mistress (Penelope Cruz) is demanding, his lead actress (Nicole Kidman) wants a script, his confidant and costume designer (Judi Dench) wants him to focus on the movie, and his mother (Sophia Lauren), shown in flashbacks, is disappointed in his life. In addition, a reporter (Kate Hudson) tries to seduce him. With all these problems it is no wonder Guido is depressed.
Musicals are not usually my thing, but I enjoyed this film. The acting was quite good and all the participants sang well. The set design and overall look of the film was gorgeous, the film received an Oscar nomination for Set Design. The song and dance numbers were well done, Penelope Cruz sings a rather sexy tune, but my favorite song was sung by Kate Hudson, who sings well and dances up a storm. Judi Dench even sings and does a few turns on the stage.
I had read some reviews that said the story was thin, but I thought the story was compelling, Guido has lead a self absorbed life, doing what he wants, telling lies to get what he wants, using people to get what he wants and now when he needs his wife to help him she turn away, because she no longer trusts him. When the other women in his life also turn away, including his mother he finally understands that his life is empty. Watching Daniel Day-Lewis move through this gauntlet of women and issues was a treat.
Recommend.
Film from 1947 starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Sinbad along with Anthony Quinn and Maureen O'Hara. Sinbad is a story teller who tells stories of his advantures. This story involves the search for Alexander the Great's treasures, which exist on the island of Daryabar. However, no one knows how to get there, O'Hara thinks Sinbad is a prince and also thinks he knows how to get to Daryabar. Quinn is an Emir, and romancer of O'Hara, who also wants the gold and also believes Sinbad knows. Sinbad thinks O'Hara knows and tries to romance her to find out. O'Hara bounces from Quinn and Fairbanks depending on who she thinks will get her to Darabar. They all finally get to Darabar where the search for gold and/or love play out.
I have a mixed opinion on this film, I enjoyed parts of it and found other parts overly silly. The fight scenes are almost slapstick as Sinbad overcomes dozens of guards without seriously injuring anyone. However, the scenes with Fairbanks and O'Hara are quite good and the dialogue is intelligent. Filmed in Technicolor, the film has a good look for a 1947 film and some of the special effects are also pretty good.
I do not know Fairbank's background, but I did notice his movements were greatly exaggerated, as he moved his arms broadly and runs with a prancing gate, more like someone on stage, than in a film. O'Hara is quite good, devilish at times and always charming, her eyes twinkling as she plays Fairbanks and Quinn against each other.
Not as good as Against All Flags or The Black Swan, but still worth a view.
"District 9"
Enjoyed this one, and was drawn in by the pseudo-documentary style---even if the seams in this narrative style begin to show early, enough goodwill is bought by the boldness of the maneuver to take the curse off it---and the performances of all the actors, none of which were known to me. The VFX were outstanding, and the morality play---if rather obvious, given the South Africa location---worked nicely. Disturbing, thought provoking and ultimately entertaining. 4 out of 5 stars.
"Land Of The Lost"
I'm one of those guys who was just the right age to catch the Sid and Marty Kroft Saturday morning TV show in the Seventies---the only thing cheesier was Bob "Gilligan's Island" Denver and Chuck McCann in "Far Out Space Nuts"---and although I'm growing fairly weary of the endless remakes of TV shows (buy an original script---PLEASE!
"Mamma Mia!"
Yep. Finally saw it.
And guess what? I'm an Abba fan---always have been---and I actually (mostly) enjoyed this picture, which is fluffier than a feather pillow fight, if not quite as hard-hitting
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
mom rented THE SPY NEXT DOOR with Jackie Chan as a lovable ex Chinese spy who falls in love with his next door neighbor and bonds with her children. it was cute...that's about it. fluff factor, 5/5...good movie 2/5
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Another one of his dodgy films, he veers all over the place. The opener could have been that of Casino Royale had they decided to follow Fleming's method of Bond getting his double 0 - a sniper attack from one tall building to another, on an Oriental guy.
My flatmate put his on at 11.30pm ish and I did stay to watch til the end. It's about a lonely assassin, has his way of life (ie don't get involved, don't fall in love, all stuff out of Heat - the DeNiro film, not the magazine), then he does fall in love blah blah. Highly watchable, highly derivative but if you caught this at the cinema you'd have felt cheated. The deaf girl Cage falls for in the film is very cute however. And there are Bondalike scenes - a boat chase like TMWTGG but more excitingly done. It's only 90 mins, which helps.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Martin ("GoldenEye," "Casino Royale") Campbell-helmed revenge picture, starring Mel Gibson after an 8-year hiatus from acting. I quite enjoyed it---Gibson's intensity and heartbreaking depth of performance are masterful. The plot---governmental treachery, swivel-headed allegiances and soulless rationalization---is too much like reality to give comfort...but the payoff, while inevitable, is emotionally satisfying. The only thing missing is an oceanic oil leak. 4 out of 5 stars.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman star in this comedy about four couples that go on an island retreat to reconnect with their respective spouses, or in one case girlfriend. All the couples suffer from the usual long term relationships diseases, boredom, too work centered, kids, etc and all are looking forward to some fun in the sun. However, when they get to the island they discover that the package they signed up for involves more relationship work than beach activities. The story meanders along as we learn each couples issues and as they interact with each other. The big finish involves each couple recognizing their love for each other.
As a comedy, the film had some laughs and I was amused at times, but at other times, especially during some of the group interaction the scene just falls flat, as the couples seem more annoying than funny. As a story, the film never really comes together, none of the couples were engaging enough to draw me in enough to care. Vince Vaughn and his wife, played by Malin Ackerman, are the most centered and the couple I most cared about, but not enough time is devoted to them. In summary, I thought the movie was alright, not great, not bad.
Note - The movie was directed by Peter Billingsley, who fans of A Christmas Story would remember as Ralphie.
I am a big fan of the Pixar films and of the first two Toy Story films, so I was excited to see Toy Story 3, I wasn't disappointed. Woody's and Buzz's owner, Andy, is all grown up and heading off to college, so mom wants the toys, thrown out, donated, or put in the attic. Through a series of misadventures the toys end up donated to a local child care. They think the child care will be a cool place with kids playing with them all the time. But, they come to learn that the child care is controlled by an evil teddy bear. Along with his henchmen, which includes a fairly creepy baby doll, he controls the toy world at the day care. An analogy of the toy world at the child care and real world dictatorships like Venezuela and Iran could be made, but I was looking for fun, not political lessons. Luckily, the film was fun from end to end.
The first two Toy Story films centered on the relationship between the boy and his toys, this film is more a chase and escape film. although some heart felt moments of a young boy becoming a young man and leaving his toys behind are included. This was a very enjoyable film, full of laughs, excitement, hero's, good deeds, sadness and joy. The audience broke into applause at the end and it was well deserved. Very highly recommend.
As with all Pixar films, a short film preceeded, the feature attraction, this short was called Day and Night. Day and night meet and try to show the other they are the better part of the day. Can't explain it, you have to see it, but it was very creative.
40th anniversary Kellys Heroes
40th anniversary Taste blood of Dracula (Geoff Keen is in it
50th anniversary Village of Damned
My , where do the yrs go ?
Elm Street 2-6 & NN (#3 & NN are prolly the best & I kinda liked #2 even though most hate it.......most are just average fare)
Black Belt Jones 2/6 (terrible script , music & the worst offender : terrible fight scenes......some LALD stars in this one)
Eaten Alive 3.5/6......wanted to see more of Englund , not a great movie but not terrible either
Quo Vadis 4.5/6
Suspect Zero 4/6........better than I thought
Death Wish 1-5.......most are stale but the first one is cool