'Josef Kilian.' Czech drama from the 60's about a man searching for the titular, Josef Kilian in Prague. Bizarrely, he finds a store that rents out cats for the day so he hires out a moggy, only to find the shop is not there when he goes back to return the animal. Clearly inspired by the writings of Franz Kafka and the workings of Communist beaurocracy, this is a strange little gem of a movie.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
DISTURBIA
A poor man's cousin version of Rear Window.
A very predictable film with it's plot, scares and outcome that is cohesive enough at the seams that it works in passing the time. I think that once this hits cable television on a regular basis, it will lose what little luster it currently holds with me...
A good popcorn mattinee flick if you have nothing else going on in your schedule.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Blake Edwards' romp about a race from New York to Paris starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and Peter Falk. As a kid, I used to watch this movie religiously whenever it was on TV. It's a little too long and definitely drags in the middle, but there are still tons of laughs to be had. Lemmon and Falk as the sinister Professor Fate and his assistant Max chew up the scenery and absolutely steal the show.
I caught part of this when it was on TV recently. But I was so tired I fell asleep. I saw the start and was really impressed by Brad Pitt's performance in the mental institute. Then I found out my dad had it on dvd so thought I'd give it a go.
I thought it was brilliant. didn't get bored and it had a great plot, backed up by excellent performances from not only Brad Pitt but also Bruce Willis.
'The Host.' Stunning Korean monster movie, directed by Joon Ho-Bong who made the truly great true crime drama, 'Memories of Murder,' a few years ago. An American scientist orders a Korean lab technician to pour a load of dubious chemicals down the sink, and wouldn't you know it there's something in the water that mutates. Soon it's swallowing people. Like all the best monster movies, this mixes dark humour with pathos, as one family decides its up to them to protect their city from the creature. I suspect a Hollywood remake is only a matter of time.
Directed by Orson Welles, feat. Welles, E.G. Robinson an Loretta Young.
It's about a government investigator (Robinson) who is hunting for an escaped Nazi war criminal (Welles), who has established himself in a nice local community and married a judge's daughter (Young).
The Stranger is one of Welles' forgotten gems; at least it's very rarely talked about. It's a great noir film, a genre of films that seldom fails to satisfy (me). The dialogue and acting is extraordinaire, and Welles' directing is immaculate.
---
jfm
I saw this last night late on BBC2. Good stuff, with real atmosphere, an occasional foray into freudian rubbish at times, characteristic of post-war movies, I believe. You know, all about 'her subconcious mind' still, all that was novel back then. Some nice Welles touches.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Mr MartiniThat nice house in the sky.Posts: 2,703MI6 Agent
Thunderball
I dove back into my JB collection after a long hiatus. I wish I hadn't of waited so long. Thunderball didn't disapoint from second one. The plot wasn't about world domination either. Just a guy who wanted some money and would go to any extreme to get it. Hopefully I won't wait so long to dive into the movie You Only Live Twice
Some people would complain even if you hang them with a new rope
I recently had a double dose of Britain's number one action hardcase Jason Statham. The Transporter 2 was a ludicrously enjoyable couple of hours with some stylish touches but Crank left me slightly cold. There is a scene in the latter film as dubious and tasteless as any I can recall.
I recently had a double dose of Britain's number one action hardcase Jason Statham. The Transporter 2 was a ludicrously enjoyable couple of hours with some stylish touches but Crank left me slightly cold. There is a scene in the latter film as dubious and tasteless as any I can recall.
I quite liked Crank. Hope your not talking about the great scene in the street with Amy Smart.
There is a scene in the latter film as dubious and tasteless as any I can recall.
It wouldn't happen to involve a hospital gown and a pedestrian crossing would it? I couldn't quite believe it when I saw that. ) I thought 'Crank' had a great beginning and a great ending, but the stuff in the middle dragged a bit.
I dove back into my JB collection after a long hiatus. I wish I hadn't of waited so long. Thunderball didn't disapoint from second one. The plot wasn't about world domination either. Just a guy who wanted some money and would go to any extreme to get it.
Son Of Barbel and I watched TB (again) yesterday, then went straight into Austin Powers", the first one. Makes a good double bill!
With Keith Michell miscast physically as the king, though he grew into the role. Donald Pleasance is Sir Thomas Cromwell, while Jane Asher is Jane Seymour, who of course popped up as Solitaire in Live And Let Die.
Much of it must have been fuel for the Blackadder series (Brian Blessed even appears). Quite well done but a bit straightforward - it was trimmed down from a lengthy TV adaptation.
Just got myself a HD-DVD drive for my 360. So tried it out with:
King Kong
I have never seen the original. Firstly I was impressed with the picture quality over normal DVD it was great. The film was way too long though, I think alot could have been cut, I was so tired at the end and actually had to take a couple of breaks. 3 hours is way too long for a film.
**
Charlie and the chocolate factory
This was HD-DVD and this time I have seen the original and thought this had nothing on the original. I didn't particularly like Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. It was a nice change in some parts but I was always looking for parts from the original and the whole grandpa and charlie in that gas machine thing where they had to burp was not there, very dissapointed. Maybe it was just when I watched the original I was a kid, now i'm not, I don't know.
Moody, Spanish production, which begins relatively faithful to Stoker's novel and then unravels in the last half hour. Still a very watchable film, especially if one is a fan of gothic horror. Lee delivers authentic lines with relish.
A long overdue dvd release, and essential purchase, since the vhs had always been of the most terrible quality.
Ted (Anthony Hopkins) discovers his wife has been cheating on him, so he shoots her in the head and confesses to the man with whom she had the affair. She survives, and it appears that putting Ted behind bars for attempted murder would be easy. Not the case.
Pros:
Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling and Rosamund Pike. Particularly Hopkins, as always, who brings the viewer a curiously likeable villain. The chemistry between Hopkins and Gosling is absolutely the film's one stand-out point. It is both a funny and clever film.
Cons:
There is no climax at all. The film begins, and there is a mystery, and then there is zero build up to anything. It just ends. It moves at a very slow pace, too. You leave the cinema wishing there had been a little more action, and a little more tension involving the Hopkins character.
Overall, an entertaining, solidly made film. Not a masterpiece, but worth watching for the leads, and the intriguing humour throughout.
7/10
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
edited April 2007
"300"
I'll start by saying that both my brother and myself are reflexively opposed to the runaway use of CGI these days---replacing substance with spectacle---and would generally like to see as much reality (via locations and live stuntmen) as possible...CR comes to mind :007)
That said, there are times when material and finance dictate otherwise, and IMRO 300 falls into that category. Given the overtly stylized tone and color palette of this picture, this seems perhaps one of the more fitting candidates for a 'green screen' epic. Every frame is riveting, and I had one hell of a lot of fun peeking in on this world from the safety of a cinema seat...
I would have liked to have seen more background on Sparta, etc, as deeper motivation...but the object here was obviously to make Leonidas more known to us than Sparta, and it seems to work. They get in---tell the story (a great one it is!)---and get out. I'm not inclined to quibble over historical/fantasy-enhanced liberties...I was hugely entertained.
Frank Miller has, with Sin City and 300, found an effective outlet for his distinctive vision.
I recommend it---for the stout of heart, naturally B-)
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
Italian thriller directed by Michele Soavi, who made my all-time favourite horror film, ‘Dellamorte Dellamore.’ Got it on import DVD from Hong Kong, but unfortunately it’s a fake. The dubbing is terrible. For example, ‘when you lie on the long sofa you entertain foolish ideas.’ Which may be true, but I don’t think it’s what was actually said.
The film’s about an ex-communist who was involved in a bombing that went badly wrong. After spending over a decade fighting for a left-wing paramilitary in South America, he returns to find that his old colleagues have settled into middle-class respectability. Embittered, he decides he wants that kind of life as well and gives them up to the police in exchange for a shortened jail term. On his release he tries to go legit, but finds there’s no money in it, so he accepts an offer to run a nightclub for a dubious character he met in prison. There, he skims profits, extorts customers and even headbutts a lapdancer, with the intention of saving enough money to open his own restaurant and become a legitimate member of society. Of course these things never work out in the movies for gangsters and hit-men with fanciful dreams and soon he’s in over his neck with his employer and a corrupt policeman.
For my money, Soavi is one of the most interesting directors around. He has a real eye for detail and his films are always visually striking. There’s a stunning moment in this, when the aftermath of an explosion is revealed and there is a bicycle in a tree, along with the bits and the pieces of the man who was riding it. Eon could do a lot worse than hiring this guy for Bond 22.
Van Damme's films are so good if you want an action film but don't want to have to concentrate too hard. This was same old same old. It was nice to see Powers Boothe (Noah Daniels, 24). He has a real nasty look to him, it's something to do with his mouth but he played the villian brilliantly.
'16 Candles.' "Something from the Ringwald ouvre," to steal a quote from an episode of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' Not as good as 'Pretty in Pink,' but still a lot of fun. And a teenage Anthony Michael Hall looks nothing like he does as an adult. You honestly couldn't tell that it's the same person.
Rising Sun. I always did like this '93 effort with Connery, Snipes and Keitel. Tia Carrera also had a strong role. Based on a Crichton novel, it plays out like a gialli.
Once Upon A Time In America (director's cut) by Sergio Leone
And i must say one of the most touching stories ever told. Beutyful cinematografy and photography added with De Niro and others great acting makes this film one of the best i saw in a while.{[]
'Bright Future.' Impenetrable drama starring the seriously cool Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano as a man who inexplicably commits murder. It's a strange, ambiguous film, that is difficult to get a handle on, but the climax, which involves jellyfish floating through Tokyo is beautiful.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
edited May 2007
Unfortunately due to my heavy schedule this weekend, I just missed out on tickets to Spider-Man 3 and it was completely sold out the entire weekend in my area. As a substitute and not wanting to go home completely defeated, my son and I went to see:
BLADES OF GLORY
I was impressed that it was much better than the trailers have shown; they're wasn't a moment where I wasn't chuckling at something the characters did or said onscreen. The only downer for me was the ridiculously cheesy ending - they could've come up with something much better.
Of course it helps to be a Will Ferrel fan like we are. If you like Anchorman and Talledega Nights, you'll positively enjoy this. B-)
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
An enjoyable, tongue in cheek tale of suppressed researcher Sydney Stratton (played wonderfully by Alec Guiness) who struggles to invent a fabric that never gets dirty and never wears out. When he succeeds, the unfortunate result is that he has become the enemy of everyone in the textile industry. Thumbs up!
'Harsh Times.' Written and directed by David Ayer, the guy who wrote 'Training Day,' this is pretty much the same story. Two guys driving about LA and getting in trouble. One's a badass, the other less so. I couldn't stand it. It was heavy-handed and predictable. You know how this is going to play out within the first ten minutes.
I've been getting my monies worth from the Sky Sci Fi/Horror channel lately. I have just watched Exorcist 3 with George C Scott and The Skeleton key with Kate Hudson.
Exorcist 3 I've seen before and whilst not brilliant it has some moments.
The Skelton Key was a new one for me and I really enjoyed it. Good turn by Hudson and nicely paced.
The Galloping Ghost-starring the legendary football star Red Grange as himself.It's a 13 episode serial with mysterious villains,damsels in distress,fistfights,car chases,impressive stuntwork, and a relatively coherent storyline.All things considered,Red was a pretty good actor.;)
Clint Eastwood's 'Flags of Our Fathers,' and 'Letters From Iwo Jima.' Two outstanding studies of the battle between American and Japanese soldiers in WW2, told from the perspective of both sides.
Comments
?:) What was all that about?
Roger Moore 1927-2017
A poor man's cousin version of Rear Window.
A very predictable film with it's plot, scares and outcome that is cohesive enough at the seams that it works in passing the time. I think that once this hits cable television on a regular basis, it will lose what little luster it currently holds with me...
A good popcorn mattinee flick if you have nothing else going on in your schedule.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Blake Edwards' romp about a race from New York to Paris starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and Peter Falk. As a kid, I used to watch this movie religiously whenever it was on TV. It's a little too long and definitely drags in the middle, but there are still tons of laughs to be had. Lemmon and Falk as the sinister Professor Fate and his assistant Max chew up the scenery and absolutely steal the show.
I caught part of this when it was on TV recently. But I was so tired I fell asleep. I saw the start and was really impressed by Brad Pitt's performance in the mental institute. Then I found out my dad had it on dvd so thought I'd give it a go.
I thought it was brilliant. didn't get bored and it had a great plot, backed up by excellent performances from not only Brad Pitt but also Bruce Willis.
****
I saw this last night late on BBC2. Good stuff, with real atmosphere, an occasional foray into freudian rubbish at times, characteristic of post-war movies, I believe. You know, all about 'her subconcious mind' still, all that was novel back then. Some nice Welles touches.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I dove back into my JB collection after a long hiatus. I wish I hadn't of waited so long. Thunderball didn't disapoint from second one. The plot wasn't about world domination either. Just a guy who wanted some money and would go to any extreme to get it. Hopefully I won't wait so long to dive into the movie You Only Live Twice
I quite liked Crank. Hope your not talking about the great scene in the street with Amy Smart.
It wouldn't happen to involve a hospital gown and a pedestrian crossing would it? I couldn't quite believe it when I saw that.
Son Of Barbel and I watched TB (again) yesterday, then went straight into Austin Powers", the first one. Makes a good double bill!
Henry VIII and His Six Wives
With Keith Michell miscast physically as the king, though he grew into the role. Donald Pleasance is Sir Thomas Cromwell, while Jane Asher is Jane Seymour, who of course popped up as Solitaire in Live And Let Die.
Much of it must have been fuel for the Blackadder series (Brian Blessed even appears). Quite well done but a bit straightforward - it was trimmed down from a lengthy TV adaptation.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
King Kong
I have never seen the original. Firstly I was impressed with the picture quality over normal DVD it was great. The film was way too long though, I think alot could have been cut, I was so tired at the end and actually had to take a couple of breaks. 3 hours is way too long for a film.
**
Charlie and the chocolate factory
This was HD-DVD and this time I have seen the original and thought this had nothing on the original. I didn't particularly like Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. It was a nice change in some parts but I was always looking for parts from the original and the whole grandpa and charlie in that gas machine thing where they had to burp was not there, very dissapointed. Maybe it was just when I watched the original I was a kid, now i'm not, I don't know.
**
Moody, Spanish production, which begins relatively faithful to Stoker's novel and then unravels in the last half hour. Still a very watchable film, especially if one is a fan of gothic horror. Lee delivers authentic lines with relish.
A long overdue dvd release, and essential purchase, since the vhs had always been of the most terrible quality.
Ted (Anthony Hopkins) discovers his wife has been cheating on him, so he shoots her in the head and confesses to the man with whom she had the affair. She survives, and it appears that putting Ted behind bars for attempted murder would be easy. Not the case.
Pros:
Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling and Rosamund Pike. Particularly Hopkins, as always, who brings the viewer a curiously likeable villain. The chemistry between Hopkins and Gosling is absolutely the film's one stand-out point. It is both a funny and clever film.
Cons:
There is no climax at all. The film begins, and there is a mystery, and then there is zero build up to anything. It just ends. It moves at a very slow pace, too. You leave the cinema wishing there had been a little more action, and a little more tension involving the Hopkins character.
Overall, an entertaining, solidly made film. Not a masterpiece, but worth watching for the leads, and the intriguing humour throughout.
7/10
I'll start by saying that both my brother and myself are reflexively opposed to the runaway use of CGI these days---replacing substance with spectacle---and would generally like to see as much reality (via locations and live stuntmen) as possible...CR comes to mind :007)
That said, there are times when material and finance dictate otherwise, and IMRO 300 falls into that category. Given the overtly stylized tone and color palette of this picture, this seems perhaps one of the more fitting candidates for a 'green screen' epic. Every frame is riveting, and I had one hell of a lot of fun peeking in on this world from the safety of a cinema seat...
I would have liked to have seen more background on Sparta, etc, as deeper motivation...but the object here was obviously to make Leonidas more known to us than Sparta, and it seems to work. They get in---tell the story (a great one it is!)---and get out. I'm not inclined to quibble over historical/fantasy-enhanced liberties...I was hugely entertained.
Frank Miller has, with Sin City and 300, found an effective outlet for his distinctive vision.
I recommend it---for the stout of heart, naturally
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Italian thriller directed by Michele Soavi, who made my all-time favourite horror film, ‘Dellamorte Dellamore.’ Got it on import DVD from Hong Kong, but unfortunately it’s a fake. The dubbing is terrible. For example, ‘when you lie on the long sofa you entertain foolish ideas.’ Which may be true, but I don’t think it’s what was actually said.
The film’s about an ex-communist who was involved in a bombing that went badly wrong. After spending over a decade fighting for a left-wing paramilitary in South America, he returns to find that his old colleagues have settled into middle-class respectability. Embittered, he decides he wants that kind of life as well and gives them up to the police in exchange for a shortened jail term. On his release he tries to go legit, but finds there’s no money in it, so he accepts an offer to run a nightclub for a dubious character he met in prison. There, he skims profits, extorts customers and even headbutts a lapdancer, with the intention of saving enough money to open his own restaurant and become a legitimate member of society. Of course these things never work out in the movies for gangsters and hit-men with fanciful dreams and soon he’s in over his neck with his employer and a corrupt policeman.
For my money, Soavi is one of the most interesting directors around. He has a real eye for detail and his films are always visually striking. There’s a stunning moment in this, when the aftermath of an explosion is revealed and there is a bicycle in a tree, along with the bits and the pieces of the man who was riding it. Eon could do a lot worse than hiring this guy for Bond 22.
and
I'm Alan Partridge -- 6 eps. 1997
Two absolutely hilarious British TV series about a fictional TV show host and his somewhat idiosyncratic behaviour.
It's easy to see where much of the inspiration for Gervais's & Merchant's The Office (UK) came from.
Highly recomendable.
---
jfm
Van Damme's films are so good if you want an action film but don't want to have to concentrate too hard. This was same old same old. It was nice to see Powers Boothe (Noah Daniels, 24). He has a real nasty look to him, it's something to do with his mouth but he played the villian brilliantly.
***
And i must say one of the most touching stories ever told. Beutyful cinematografy and photography added with De Niro and others great acting makes this film one of the best i saw in a while.{[]
BLADES OF GLORY
I was impressed that it was much better than the trailers have shown; they're wasn't a moment where I wasn't chuckling at something the characters did or said onscreen. The only downer for me was the ridiculously cheesy ending - they could've come up with something much better.
Of course it helps to be a Will Ferrel fan like we are. If you like Anchorman and Talledega Nights, you'll positively enjoy this. B-)
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
An enjoyable, tongue in cheek tale of suppressed researcher Sydney Stratton (played wonderfully by Alec Guiness) who struggles to invent a fabric that never gets dirty and never wears out. When he succeeds, the unfortunate result is that he has become the enemy of everyone in the textile industry. Thumbs up!
Exorcist 3 I've seen before and whilst not brilliant it has some moments.
The Skelton Key was a new one for me and I really enjoyed it. Good turn by Hudson and nicely paced.