I enjoyed National Treasure are more than The DaVinci Code. At least the clues in NT made sense and weren't convoluted with CGI puzzle solving. They ended up with something monetary too, not just a bunch of dumb closure.
The restoration process utilized for the recent dvd release of The Black Swan knocks your eyes out. If there's any movie that deserves to be viewed on the big screen, it's this fast paced pirate yarn with it's luscious three strip technicolor and costumed to the gills cast. A cinematography award winner. There's also a good audio commentary with Maureen O'Hara.
This one belongs next to Robin Hood, it's the best $9.99 you'll ever spend.
Watched the first film out of the new UE DVDs I got on Tuesday last night, For Your Eyes Only, in my top five favourite Bond films, so I don't have to say I really enjoyed it! However, I will...
Really? Only a meh? Did you watch the Stanley Kubrick version? Well to each his own I guess.
Yeah I did.
The cinematography gave me aheadache, quite a bit washout shots.
Jack was the only good actor, the rest of the cast was kind of stiff. It seemed force. But the ending that was good. It would have been better if the whole movie was as good as it was at the end.
Good old mammary inclined Russ Meyer's first (and only) mainstream movie made by a major studio. Like always, if an independent film maker's riding a success and the big wigs aren't profiting any, an offer will be made.
Not a sequel to the Sharon Tate film, it's the ins and outs of success in Hollywood, and about being yourself.
Of course this film didn't do as well as they had hoped, however, it is by no means a Myra Brekinridge or a Gigli. And any movie with 1960s playmate Cynthia Meyers (no relation) is going to turn out all right for this fan.
Good old mammary inclined Russ Meyer's first (and only) mainstream movie made by a major studio. Like always, if an independent film maker's riding a success and the big wigs aren't profiting any, an offer will be made.
Not a sequel to the Sharon Tate film, it's the ins and outs of success in Hollywood, and about being yourself.
Of course this film didn't do as well as they had hoped, however, it is by no means a Myra Brekinridge or a Gigli. And any movie with 1960s playmate Cynthia Meyers (no relation) is going to turn out all right for this fan.
I believe Roger Ebert was involved in the screen play for Beyond Valley of the Dolls, as his old partner Gene Siskel use to slam him for being involved in it.
Indeed--Roger Ebert wrote the screenplay for BTVOTD, and he also provides the commentary track on the new DVD. Ebert recently covered the DVD on his show, and his new partner Richard Roeper was filled only with praise!
Talking about weird movies--the last one I saw was TransAmerica. Indeed, Felicity Huffman deserved all the critical praise and the Oscar nomination she received for her performance as a pre-op male transsexual; but beyond Huffman I found the film had little to offer. Too dour to be funny (it's supposed to be a comedy) and too soap-operaish to be touching. Watch at your own risk.
Watched Licence To Kill on Thursday, my UE DVD. A testament to how good I think the film is depsite starting to watch it at 1.10 in the morning, I stayed awake throughout it, which is rare, because if I start to watch anything at that time, I fall asleep.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
I really enjoyed it. I felt that the film was way too long and I also felt that Keira Knightley was a little bland but I had a really good time.
I couldn't hear the dialogue for much of it. Well, I could make it out, like listening to the wise words of a much-loved dying relative, but it was a strain. Same problem existed with the first film, but at least you were rewarded with some gems there.
I completely agree. I thought that I was going deaf at the grand old age of 23 but I'm relieved to find out that it wasn't just me. Just thinking about the film, I could not understand the dialogue uttered by Tia Dalma which mentioned Davy Jones at all.
The main problem with this film is that which was best about the first outing: Cpt Jack Sparrow. In the first film he pretty much stole the show (well, he was a pirate, he would), but here he is the show, and Depp's performance is revealed to be the pantomime turn it really is, all hamming and mincing and prancing around like a loon. The lookalike who visited our office this week did it about as well.
I actually consider Jack Sparrow to be the best thing about the film. I don't know how good your lookalike was but I think that Depp's performance was fantastic. Watching Jack Sparrow was the one thing that kept me glued to my seat during the film's extraordinarily long running time.
The Big Hit
Quite silly, and not worth paying money to see at the cinemas, but considering that I watched it on TV late at night, it fulflled its job which was to keep me relatively entertained.
Alien vs. Predator
I enjoyed it but I hate to imagine what Arnie would think of it. It takes a character which was IMO one of cinema's great villains and made him into a hero; Well, certainly a sympathetic character.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Well, JennyFlexFan would have felt at home at my house last night, as I had on A View To A Kill! It's been in my 5 favourite films for a while now, and again, I really enjoyed watching it. Also managed to watch the new special features on the 2nd disc. One of the deleted scenes had a nice ad-lib from Roger, which wouldn't have made the final cut, if this scene stayed in! ) If you've seen the scene you'll know what I'm chatting about!
You know Dan Same, I almost think they might distort the sound deliberatly, to keep the audience on the edge of its seat, a bit more attentive and on the back foot, mixing metaphors.
I read that Spielberg did this for one passage of Jurassic Park. It's a nasty trick, if true.
I had problems hearing the dialogue in Die Another Day, too, though in that case it's like the Jewish joke about the guy complaining about the food in a restaurant: "And such small portions, too!"
Team America
The South Park satire on US foreign policy does all it should but I didn't find it hilarious really. I dunno, it lacked the heart of South Park. The jokes are sneering the whole time and wrong foot you a bit, because mainly it satirises rubbishy Hollywood fare like Pearl Harbor and Top Gun, but you find yourself being moved by the puppets because it's a Pavlovian reaction to those kind of scenes.
The opening joke where they demolish the Eiffel Tower is great but from then on it's diminishing returns and the ribbing of Hollywood actors seemed a bit off - I've personally not heard of them mouthing off against US policy or anything else really.
Just watched 'Glengarry Glen Ross' for the first time today. I enjoyed it, although it's one of those films, well, certainly that I find I will have to go back and watch to see how much I enjoyed it. I tend to get a better picture of how I like the second time I watch a film (obviously!), very few films recently have sucked me in the first time round. Although, I'd definitely recommend it for people to see, great cast (Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey and former Bond baddie Jonathan Pryce!) and great performances from all involved. A film about real estate salesmen doesn't sound too interesting but it held my attention for the whole hour and a half the film ran for.
After a fruitless search for several years for this film on DVD, I stumbled across it at the weekend. This quirky 80s British film is one of my favourite films of all time.
Two Scottish lads, stuck in dead end jobs in the industrial central belt, decide to embark on a life of crime by holding up tour coaches full of American tourists in the Scottish Highlands. By being so useless, the pair soon find themselves infamous and a tourist attraction themselves.
Peppered with the sort of hapless Scottish humour that permeates everyday life, it's a great excuse to show off the breathtaking Highland scenery to a fantastic soundtrack by the mighty Big Country.
The cast of unknowns (with the exception of Ned Beatty and Mel Smith, who are tertiary characters) really make the film and it has quite an uplifting "feel good" factor. One of the duo's falling for a tour guide could easily have been cheesey and corny, but the humour surrounding the hopelessness of the situation is too sharp for any of that.
Brings back so many memories, and the best £8 I've spent in a long time.
Goldeneye, not last night, but the night before. Surprised how much I like this film-in a good way though. I really do like this film and had a good time watching it. The Living Daylights next on Monday night I think....
FelixLeiter ♀Staffordshire or a pubPosts: 1,286MI6 Agent
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I kept telling myself after about half an hour in that I'll change the channel soon cus it was getting boring - But in the end I didn't and I always like the depressed robot.
Be Cool
Not bad, but it seems to be really a lot about chavs and loads of racism. ?:) John Travolta was good though, but I still mjuch prefer Get Shorty; it was far funnier.
I saw Dodgeball the other night. Hillarious. One thing ****ed me off, though:
WHAT THE HELL HAS VINCE VAUGHN THAT I HAVEN'T TO DESERVE TWO INCREDIBLY HOT BISEXUAL GIRLFRIENDS! WHY NOT ME?
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
I went and saw MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND today. All in all quite enjoyable but better fitted for a winter release around Valentine's Day than during the summer with the heavyweights. Poor plotting on Fox's part.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
NightshooterIn bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
I saw Ronin a little while ago. I loved it, mostly because of Robert DeNiro and the incredible car chases. Paris was a fantastic background, and Jean Reno played a great supporting character. The story was flawed, but the execution was brilliant.
I'm not sure what to think of this film. It sure as heck looked beautiful cinematography-wise, and the sound quality was astounding. But that's just technical stuff; as far as the substance of the movie, I thought it was very weak. The dialogue was fast, hip, and complex, but if you paid attention to what was actually going on with the characters, it was painfully formulaic. And every time it started to lose pace, they added a sex scene to make male audience members...get one. I was prepared to give it 2 stars for most of the duration...
...until about 45 minutes from the end, where it turned into a 4 star film with brilliantly choreographed shoot-outs, some of the best I've ever seen, and a well-scripted, suspenseful finale. So, does that even out to a 3 star film, or do the cons outweigh the pros and make it more around 2.5 stars? I'm just not sure, so I'll simply say that I was fairly entertained, albeit a little disappointed for a few hours, and then seriously entertained beyond my expectations toward the end.
Overall, not as impressive as the original. Lacked much of the fun and energy.
I liked the inclusion of Bootstrap Bill and Davy Jones (though Jones was made up of far too much CGI for my liking). Depp as good as ever - and Knightley, Jack Davenport and Kevin McNally were much improved -- still, Bloom was as weak as ever. Nice bit from Naomi Harris, not that I understood much of what she said. We also have a forgettable new villain in Tom Hollander. Another shame was that less was seen of Jonathan Pryce, who was a good addition in the original.
I know these films are fictional, but some bits were just silly - such as most of the big swordfight. The film was overly long, and really suffered because of Barbossa's absence. He really was the highlight of the first film, alongside Depp of course. Let's hope the third is better.
NightshooterIn bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
I saw the new Alfie yesterday. I... liked it. EHTre really was no point to it, and it said nothing about anything, but Jude Law was fantastic and the women were hot. What can I say? It made me want to buy some thin ties.
I saw Blade: Trinity over the weekend. Not a bad movie; it had much more humor than the previous entries in the series. I've never been a big fan of the character so I wouldn't place this in the same league as Batman or X-Men but it did keep me entertained.
Still, there were some pretty big plot holes and the ending was somewhat ambiguous (they were obviously hoping for another sequel). The guy hired to play Dracula was woefully miscast and the scenes of Blade and Abby walking around in public with their weapons in plain sight were preposterous and unintentionally hilarious.
Jindabyne
I really loved it. It's an Australian film which is beautifully shot, extremely well-written and has some superb performances. I would truly recommend it.
Hard Candy
I didn't particularly like it. Ellen Page is terrific but I find the film to be nothing more than a one-trick pony that doesn't know when to stop and becomes so annoying that even Page begins to grate on me; and I really liked her performance so you can imagine how annoying the film became. I think that this film is the perfect example of a filmmaker whose ambition outstrips his talent. I would not recommend it although Page is very good and the first three quarters of the film is actually quite interesting. After that, the film IMO reveals itself to be nothing more than a sick joke. I would see Jindabyne instead.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Saw It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World last night. Tony had this listed in his top movies list and I had heard a lot of positive things about it, so I thought I would check it out.
For one thing it is the longest comedy I have ever seen, the DVD version I saw even had an intermission period. I found the movie to be very funny in parts and at other times rather loud. The stunt work for a movie made in 1963 was ahead of its time and the car chases are very inventive. The cast does a great job and director Stanley Kramer pulls it all together to create a very entertaining movie. A few bits of humor are politically incorrect, but not overtly offensive. I have seen a lot a movies with annoying mother-in-laws, but the mother-in-law in this movie takes the cake. I was really hoping someone would punch her in the mouth.
Comments
This one belongs next to Robin Hood, it's the best $9.99 you'll ever spend.
I'm going to watch Man with a Golden Gun soon.
Really? Only a meh? Did you watch the Stanley Kubrick version? Well to each his own I guess.
Yeah I did.
The cinematography gave me aheadache, quite a bit washout shots.
Jack was the only good actor, the rest of the cast was kind of stiff. It seemed force. But the ending that was good. It would have been better if the whole movie was as good as it was at the end.
Personally, I liked the book better.
Good old mammary inclined Russ Meyer's first (and only) mainstream movie made by a major studio. Like always, if an independent film maker's riding a success and the big wigs aren't profiting any, an offer will be made.
Not a sequel to the Sharon Tate film, it's the ins and outs of success in Hollywood, and about being yourself.
Of course this film didn't do as well as they had hoped, however, it is by no means a Myra Brekinridge or a Gigli. And any movie with 1960s playmate Cynthia Meyers (no relation) is going to turn out all right for this fan.
I believe Roger Ebert was involved in the screen play for Beyond Valley of the Dolls, as his old partner Gene Siskel use to slam him for being involved in it.
Talking about weird movies--the last one I saw was TransAmerica. Indeed, Felicity Huffman deserved all the critical praise and the Oscar nomination she received for her performance as a pre-op male transsexual; but beyond Huffman I found the film had little to offer. Too dour to be funny (it's supposed to be a comedy) and too soap-operaish to be touching. Watch at your own risk.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
I really enjoyed it. I felt that the film was way too long and I also felt that Keira Knightley was a little bland but I had a really good time.
I completely agree. I thought that I was going deaf at the grand old age of 23
I actually consider Jack Sparrow to be the best thing about the film. I don't know how good your lookalike was
The Big Hit
Quite silly, and not worth paying money to see at the cinemas, but considering that I watched it on TV late at night, it fulflled its job which was to keep me relatively entertained.
Alien vs. Predator
I enjoyed it but I hate to imagine what Arnie would think of it. It takes a character which was IMO one of cinema's great villains and made him into a hero; Well, certainly a sympathetic character.
Lady in the Water, good, but not Shyamalan's best.
Jackie Brown. Like James Bond, Qt never gets old. {[]
I read that Spielberg did this for one passage of Jurassic Park. It's a nasty trick, if true.
I had problems hearing the dialogue in Die Another Day, too, though in that case it's like the Jewish joke about the guy complaining about the food in a restaurant: "And such small portions, too!"
Team America
The South Park satire on US foreign policy does all it should but I didn't find it hilarious really. I dunno, it lacked the heart of South Park. The jokes are sneering the whole time and wrong foot you a bit, because mainly it satirises rubbishy Hollywood fare like Pearl Harbor and Top Gun, but you find yourself being moved by the puppets because it's a Pavlovian reaction to those kind of scenes.
The opening joke where they demolish the Eiffel Tower is great but from then on it's diminishing returns and the ribbing of Hollywood actors seemed a bit off - I've personally not heard of them mouthing off against US policy or anything else really.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
After a fruitless search for several years for this film on DVD, I stumbled across it at the weekend. This quirky 80s British film is one of my favourite films of all time.
Two Scottish lads, stuck in dead end jobs in the industrial central belt, decide to embark on a life of crime by holding up tour coaches full of American tourists in the Scottish Highlands. By being so useless, the pair soon find themselves infamous and a tourist attraction themselves.
Peppered with the sort of hapless Scottish humour that permeates everyday life, it's a great excuse to show off the breathtaking Highland scenery to a fantastic soundtrack by the mighty Big Country.
The cast of unknowns (with the exception of Ned Beatty and Mel Smith, who are tertiary characters) really make the film and it has quite an uplifting "feel good" factor. One of the duo's falling for a tour guide could easily have been cheesey and corny, but the humour surrounding the hopelessness of the situation is too sharp for any of that.
Brings back so many memories, and the best £8 I've spent in a long time.
I kept telling myself after about half an hour in that I'll change the channel soon cus it was getting boring - But in the end I didn't and I always like the depressed robot.
Be Cool
Not bad, but it seems to be really a lot about chavs and loads of racism. ?:) John Travolta was good though, but I still mjuch prefer Get Shorty; it was far funnier.
WHAT THE HELL HAS VINCE VAUGHN THAT I HAVEN'T TO DESERVE TWO INCREDIBLY HOT BISEXUAL GIRLFRIENDS! WHY NOT ME?
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I'm not sure what to think of this film. It sure as heck looked beautiful cinematography-wise, and the sound quality was astounding. But that's just technical stuff; as far as the substance of the movie, I thought it was very weak. The dialogue was fast, hip, and complex, but if you paid attention to what was actually going on with the characters, it was painfully formulaic. And every time it started to lose pace, they added a sex scene to make male audience members...get one. I was prepared to give it 2 stars for most of the duration...
...until about 45 minutes from the end, where it turned into a 4 star film with brilliantly choreographed shoot-outs, some of the best I've ever seen, and a well-scripted, suspenseful finale. So, does that even out to a 3 star film, or do the cons outweigh the pros and make it more around 2.5 stars? I'm just not sure, so I'll simply say that I was fairly entertained, albeit a little disappointed for a few hours, and then seriously entertained beyond my expectations toward the end.
Overall, not as impressive as the original. Lacked much of the fun and energy.
I liked the inclusion of Bootstrap Bill and Davy Jones (though Jones was made up of far too much CGI for my liking). Depp as good as ever - and Knightley, Jack Davenport and Kevin McNally were much improved -- still, Bloom was as weak as ever. Nice bit from Naomi Harris, not that I understood much of what she said. We also have a forgettable new villain in Tom Hollander. Another shame was that less was seen of Jonathan Pryce, who was a good addition in the original.
I know these films are fictional, but some bits were just silly - such as most of the big swordfight. The film was overly long, and really suffered because of Barbossa's absence. He really was the highlight of the first film, alongside Depp of course. Let's hope the third is better.
Still, there were some pretty big plot holes and the ending was somewhat ambiguous (they were obviously hoping for another sequel). The guy hired to play Dracula was woefully miscast and the scenes of Blade and Abby walking around in public with their weapons in plain sight were preposterous and unintentionally hilarious.
Jindabyne
I really loved it. It's an Australian film which is beautifully shot, extremely well-written and has some superb performances. I would truly recommend it.
Hard Candy
I didn't particularly like it. Ellen Page is terrific but I find the film to be nothing more than a one-trick pony that doesn't know when to stop and becomes so annoying that even Page begins to grate on me; and I really liked her performance so you can imagine how annoying the film became. I think that this film is the perfect example of a filmmaker whose ambition outstrips his talent. I would not recommend it although Page is very good and the first three quarters of the film is actually quite interesting. After that, the film IMO reveals itself to be nothing more than a sick joke. I would see Jindabyne instead.
For one thing it is the longest comedy I have ever seen, the DVD version I saw even had an intermission period. I found the movie to be very funny in parts and at other times rather loud. The stunt work for a movie made in 1963 was ahead of its time and the car chases are very inventive. The cast does a great job and director Stanley Kramer pulls it all together to create a very entertaining movie. A few bits of humor are politically incorrect, but not overtly offensive. I have seen a lot a movies with annoying mother-in-laws, but the mother-in-law in this movie takes the cake. I was really hoping someone would punch her in the mouth.