LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
"Emperor of the North"
From 1973, directed by Robert (The Dirty Dozen) Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and a very young-looking Keith Carradine...I'd last seen this one 25 (or so) years ago, and got it in via Netflix in preparation for a Friday night overnight visit with my parents...
This is a depression-era action drama (set in 1933) about hobos 'hopping' rides on trains. Marvin's character is known only as 'A No. 1,' a hobo famous for being able to hop any freight train. Carradine plays 'Cigaret,' an earnest and treacherous young protege of 'A No. 1' who wants to make a name for himself. Ernest Borgnine is "Shack," a ruthlessly brutal and sadistic railroad cop, whose claim to fame is that no one has ever hopped the #19, which is his train...
This is a very cool 'old school' action flick, with virtually all its action centering around old vintage '30s steam locomotives...an absolute must for fans of 'Man's Man'-type pictures, although the score is oddly dated...still, highly recommended for those who realize that "they don't make 'em like this anymore" 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
Talking of Ernest Borgnine, he appeared in The Wild Bunch along with William Holden and highhopes doppelganger Robert Ryan. It's the Sam Peckinpah Western, all about the old cowboys/robbers fading as the West is transformed (only when a Model T type car appeared did I realise it's set maybe 1910 or so).
Good stuff, however, a bit simplistic. Like, it's a dog eat dog world, humans are as bad as animals, oh and these bad guys are great really cos they laugh a lot and enjoy each others company (sometimes).
watched Flyboys over the weekend. Emotionally flat, and sadly predictably. My wife probably grew tired of me prophesying how the various characters were going to die (and being right!).
The dogfight sequences were fun, but pretty undistinguishable from each other. And I could never tell who was who behind those goggles.
The 5th film in the Highlander franchise and the best that can be said about it is that it's not as bad as HL2:The Quickening, nor as embarassing as HL:Endgame. Christopher Lambert has left the game, so the TV series lead Adrian Paul takes centre stage.
The shenanigens begin with the voice-over and accompanying text, "We are immortals. Where do we come from, nobody knows, we're not aliens, honest, forget HL2, it was crap, etc" Cut to Eastern Europe, because it's cheaper to film there. The world is a mess. Things have taken a turn for the worse and seem to have undergone an environmental catastrophe. McLoed is sitting on a rooftop looking solemn, but he soon cheers himself up by beating up a couple of thugs who are attacking a woman. However, she reminds of him of yet another lost lover and Adrian Paul looks like a big sad lion again.
Now being a fan of low-budget movies with a post-apocalyptic setting, these early scenes are quite promising. But then the bad guy turns up. A big, bad, blue gimp-monster, who witlessly mocks his opponents before slaughtering them. At one point he even sings Queen's 'Who Wants to Live Forever.' This guy is The Guardian, and he's supposed to have been asleep for thousands of years, but he acts like he's just been to Vegas to see a show.
The few immortals left band together and set out to find The Source. Because they figure it might be the source of their power. Because it's called The Source, you see. So they think there might be a connection, somehow. This leads to the most unintentionally brilliant piece of dialogue I've ever heard as the immortals make their introductions: "This is Reggie, my astronomer." )
Now this part of the film I liked a lot. It's a decent, low-budget, martial-arts romp, as McLeod and the others battle land pirates and cannibals. There's a great sequence where the meet an ancient, decaying immortal, who set out on a similar quest thousands of years ago. But the big blue gimp-monster turns up again and spoils it all. If I was being kind I would describe the ending as an inspired tribute to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it's actually *******s.
If I was being kind I would describe the ending as an inspired tribute to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it's actually *******s.
) ) Right down to a starchild knock off.
My brother and I saw this piece of eurotrash on the SciFi channel a few months ago. As bad as the movie was, I was most disappointed with how the characters of Dawson and Methos were handled. The ending is a real mindbender..it's so deep I doubt the writers knew what it meant. Too bad they didn't have a giant black monolith waiting for Duncan at the end.
Still, if this film is to be believed, the "prize" that all the immortals are aspiring to is ... the ability to get a woman pregnant. Oh well, one man's treasure...
Still, if this film is to be believed, the "prize" that all the immortals are aspiring to is ... the ability to get a woman pregnant. Oh well, one man's treasure...
Still, if this film is to be believed, the "prize" that all the immortals are aspiring to is ... the ability to get a woman pregnant. Oh well, one man's treasure...
Long before Michael Keaton was miscast as Batman, he played in my favorite comedy Mr. Mom. Which I saw on AMC yesterday at my dad's house and had a great time with. (except for those darn commercials/adverts every five minutes) X-(
Keaton really does strike a home run here. A beautiful performance from him and Teri Garr, great script, and poignant moments. Perfect family comedy with none of today's excruciating sight gags in sight.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
watched Flyboys over the weekend. Emotionally flat, and sadly predictably. My wife probably grew tired of me prophesying how the various characters were going to die (and being right!).
The dogfight sequences were fun, but pretty undistinguishable from each other. And I could never tell who was who behind those goggles.
Grade: C+
Yeah...I liked my own WWI Lafayette Escadrille script better...
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
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
edited December 2007
Well last night I watched:
HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER
Arguably my favorite Clint Eastwood western and that's a tough call with films like Good, Bad & The Ugly and others he's done. I think I favor it for its supernatural element...and yes even Clint has described this movie as such. The arguements I've heard over the years on this movie that it wasn't is just crazy.
I mean the breadcrumbs are all laid out through the film. Still it's a great movie.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
Arguably my favorite Clint Eastwood western and that's a tough call with films like Good, Bad & The Ugly and others he's done. I think I favor it for its supernatural element...and yes even Clint has described this movie as such. The arguements I've heard over the years on this movie that it wasn't is just crazy.
I mean the breadcrumbs are all laid out through the film. Still it's a great movie.
That's a good one, all right B-) The cool thing about the supernatural aspects of this story is that it's not 'on the nose'---as you said, Rogue, the clues are all there, but Eastwood obviously decided not to go OTT with it...which is one of the reasons it works so well.
This film, along with Play Misty For Me and The Eiger Sanction, was a solid testimonial to Mr. Eastwood's promise as a director.
Since then, he's pretty much become this generation's John Huston, IMO...
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
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
Arguably my favorite Clint Eastwood western and that's a tough call with films like Good, Bad & The Ugly and others he's done. I think I favor it for its supernatural element...and yes even Clint has described this movie as such. The arguements I've heard over the years on this movie that it wasn't is just crazy.
I mean the breadcrumbs are all laid out through the film. Still it's a great movie.
That's a good one, all right B-) The cool thing about the supernatural aspects of this story is that it's not 'on the nose'---as you said, Rogue, the clues are all there, but Eastwood obviously decided not to go OTT with it...which is one of the reasons it works so well.
This film, along with Play Misty For Me and The Eiger Sanction, was a solid testimonial to Mr. Eastwood's promise as a director.
Since then, he's pretty much become this generation's John Huston, IMO...
Glad to see someone else agrees with this one, Loeff. B-)
You'd be surprised to hear some of the things viewers say who Eastwood is. I think some people just get too cerebral with these things...
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
edited December 2007
As far as weird opinions on cinema go...I've become increasingly difficult to surprise )
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
Xenia2nd star to the right, straighPosts: 28MI6 Agent
Watched 'The Golden Compass' earlier this evening, not that great of a film but it's okay. Probably won't buy it on DVD though.
Feeling shamed by not having seen some of the films on The Guardian's top films of 2007 list (accessed on my other thread on films of the year) I checked out one of their recommendations, Silent Light.
Good intentions fart in my face once again.
Slow moving? If you put a snail on the cinema seat beside you it would feel twitchy and hyperactive.
At first the long-held camera shots are intriguing. The opening shows the countryside in north Mexico in the dead of night, with the starry firmament above, gradually become dawn, condensed into five minutes.
But if you're past 35 and ever prone to fall asleep at the cinema, this will do it. It stays at that pace throughout, almost in real time. It's about a guy in a Mennonite family (like the Amish sort of) who is torn between his wife and kids and the woman he is having an affair with. Everyone looks miserable, what with the lack of television and E numbers, probably. The wife is marginally more miserable than the younger lover.
If drama is life with the boring bits cut out, this seems to be life with all the boring bits left in and not much else. Like if you're to gaze into space for five minutes after reading this, thinking about someone you knew when you were 13, the director would film that.
In some ways it reminded me of the French film Hidden, with its long lingering shots, but at least that picked up. But there's the same WTF? ending, in this case descending - or ascending, depending on your point of view - into magic realism or the supernatural. A cop out.
I never expected a bundle of laughs, but this was unenjoyable on every level. Only afterwards, I read the Sunday Times had given it only two stars. I'll go with that.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
edited December 2007
Last night I was in the mood for a combo so I started with:
THE MECHANIC
Starring Charles Bronson & Jan Michael Vincent as two hitmen. Bronson ,in the day, was the epitome of 70s bada** and this is my favorite film from him. I've heard that there were rumours of getting this remade; no way a director could improve on this picture. It's good the way it is. B-)
Come up with something original anyway...then I watched:
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA
This is a Sergio Leone masterpiece and was my favorite mob movie at the time until Goodfellas came along.
What's not to love about the picture? The actors, the Morricone score & the celestial cinematography all work to me. DeNiro & Woods played off of each other brilliantly. I remember going to the theatres to see this at least three times back then. I don't think that it made alot of money at the b.o. with it being so lengthy but what a great movie. B-)
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Not bad, a bit so-so. It's Julie Delphy doing Diane Keaten, that's the flaky, promiscous character of Love and Death, and her Jewish neurotic boyfriend Adam Goldberg in the Woody Allen role.
Quite a tedious couple at first, but there's a lot going on all the time.
Some good Paris scenes, the taxi from the station reminded me of my trip there with my Mum and sister this autumn, but this ain't one to show Mum, with its references to blow jobs and woman on top and sex text messages...
I knew next to nothing about this film, other than who was in it (Michael Caine being enough to get me interested) and who wrote/directed it (Christopher Nolan).
Basically (without wanting to give too much away) two magicians in the Victorian era embark upon a blood feud, which becomes ever stronger and stranger. Hugh Jackman (who I've thought of as a potential Bond since the very Bond-structured Van Helsing) does very well, as does Caine of course, but Christian Bale is the one to remember here. David Bowie has a good extended cameo, and Andy Serkis is as ever good value.
I have to say that the film is better written than directed; some clarity and simplification may have been of benefit. However, it's haunting and effective.
Starring Charles Bronson & Jan Michael Vincent as two hitmen. Bronson ,in the day, was the epitome of 70s bada** and this is my favorite film from him. I've heard that there were rumours of getting this remade; no way a director could improve on this picture. It's good the way it is. B-)
Good Lord, I remember going to see that at the cinema when it came out! 73?
Anyway, it was an excellent movie and I'm with you- no way could a remake match up.
This is less OFF TOPIC than other films listed here, but because of recent talk I went back and re-watched DAD and DAF with my wife. DAD really is as bad as I remember it and DAF isn't as good as I remember it.
Watching them back to back also made me notice how similar the two are in plot sometimes.
One thing in DAF that is mentioned a lot is how Bond never deals with the Tracy side of things. Although her name is never mentioned, at least they tried by having him go after Blofeld at the beginning.
Still, that remark by Moneypenny at passport control is way out of line with continuity.
Anyways, I am going to go change my rankings, I don't think DAF deserves such a high honour any more.
Sadly this is a real let-down. The books apparently are very good, but this is all special effects and no soul. Craig appears briefly as does Eva Green, playing a witch, which may please some of the CR non-believers, (or heretics, as I like to call them ). The best character however is a warrior polar bear voiced by Ian McKellen, who has a serious square go with the King of the polar bears, voiced by another great British actor called Ian, this time McShane, who bellows "Is that all?" during their fight. Pity the rest of the film is so dull. And why the religious right bothered to protest against TGC is beyond me. Any of Pullman's athiesm has been firmly removed.
DAD really is as bad as I remember it and DAF isn't as good as I remember it.
Anyways, I am going to go change my rankings, I don't think DAF deserves such a high honour any more.
DAF is great, but not a movie event DVD. It's for watching on telly with the family and having a laugh at the witty lines. It's actually better in pan and scan on a standard telly, not a widescreen I've found. It's the opposite of OHMSS, which is worthy, terrific to look at with high production values but imo is quite dull and claustrophobic for the first half.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
edited December 2007
I watched:
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
Last night I was doing some Christmas shopping and stopped by Walmart to buy the new Bourne movie and there it was in the bin for 5 bucks - A two-disc special edition set. It's a no-brainer to get I suppose...
Now...don't beat me up, but I had never seen this picture all the way through (either because it's already halfway through or I'm too busy) and I love the Leone westerns so I should be ashamed of myself for not taking out the time. ;%
After viewing it, this has to be the BEST western movie I have ever seen. Forget about Clint & John Wayne...this pretty much OWNS.
What's shocking for me is that I don't ever recall Henry Fonda playing a villian in other movies he's starred but boy, is he convincing. B-) Leone put together a great cast to go along as well.
The cinematography is just awesome; the story's well written and of course Morricone's score is top notch. I've got to look for a soundtrack for this one.
Although I could choose many parts in this movie to brag about, my favorite is the beginning...very little dialogue, the camera angles are very cool and menacing as the villians await their arrival and it's pretty pathetic when you're too lazy to swat away a fly. )
I'll be watching this again tonight seeing how I loved it so much. Be warned, it's long but well worth it.
**** stars.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
After viewing it, this has to be the BEST western movie I have ever seen. Forget about Clint & John Wayne...this pretty much OWNS.
Told ya it was a good one. {[]
Personally, I find The Good, The Bad And The Ugly a more fun and enjoyable film - it's my all time favorite western - but there's no denying that Once Upon A Time In The West is a magnificent opus by the undisputed master of the Italian Western.
If the DVD you have has any behind the scenes stuff make sure to check it out as the story of how the film made it to the screen is almost as compelling as the film itself. Casting Fonda as a villain as a stroke of genius, Claudia Cardinale is absolutely radiant and Morricone's score is just haunting.
Here's an interesting little tidbit for you: Leone originally wanted Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef to be the three gunmen that Bronson kills at the start of the movie - it was to be a symbolic statement of the imminent death of the old west by showing those three iconic stars meet their doom. None of them wanted to have anything to do with it (and personally I think that's a good thing) so it never came to be.
DAD really is as bad as I remember it and DAF isn't as good as I remember it.
Anyways, I am going to go change my rankings, I don't think DAF deserves such a high honour any more.
DAF is great, but not a movie event DVD. It's for watching on telly with the family and having a laugh at the witty lines. It's actually better in pan and scan on a standard telly, not a widescreen I've found. It's the opposite of OHMSS, which is worthy, terrific to look at with high production values but imo is quite dull and claustrophobic for the first half.
You see, that's why I used to watch DAF, for the witty lines and for the fun of it...but it wasn't even as much fun this time around. It doesn't hold for me, and my wife definitely didn't care for it as much as others she's seen. Oh well, it's still a Bond movie and I will still watch it again, and again...and again...
"We have all the time in the world..."
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
"The Drowning Pool"
Starring Paul Newman as Lew Harper (based on Ross MacDonald's 'Lew Archer' character from his novels) in a private detective flick from '75...nice supporting turns from Joanne Woodward as a troubled socialite, Murray Hamilton as a crazy Louisiana millionaire...and a very appealing, very young Melanie Griffith as Joanne Woodward's oversexed daughter ;%
Pity Newman only made two of these (the first was 1966's "Harper"); this could have been a great franchise. I recommend both films for fans of the P.I. genre.
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
Lovely little Irish film about a busker and a Czech immigrant in Dublin. They meet and start playing music together and become increasingly drawn towards each other. The soundtrack is wonderful. It's leading man Glen Hansard provides the music, of which this track 'Falling Slowly' is the standout.
Rented it, IMO still the best out of the whole lot of films.
really? i reckon my favourite has to be Prisoner of Azkaban, simply because it makes a good turn from the previous films and introduces our older HP characters well. I liked HP: OOTP, but I know a lot of other people who were not that impressed. your vote for best is the only one I have heard so far
"We have all the time in the world..."
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
Mari de la coiffeuse, Le
or The Hairdresser's Husband.
I love foreign films alot but this particular one (French?) is pretty odd for a love story.
A young boy falls in love with his lady barber and looks for opportunities to go get haircuts.
Anyway he grows up to marry a beautiful hair stylist and they have this strange fetish with their relationship revolving around hair.
It was a beautifully made film but just...I don't know - odd.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Comments
From 1973, directed by Robert (The Dirty Dozen) Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and a very young-looking Keith Carradine...I'd last seen this one 25 (or so) years ago, and got it in via Netflix in preparation for a Friday night overnight visit with my parents...
This is a depression-era action drama (set in 1933) about hobos 'hopping' rides on trains. Marvin's character is known only as 'A No. 1,' a hobo famous for being able to hop any freight train. Carradine plays 'Cigaret,' an earnest and treacherous young protege of 'A No. 1' who wants to make a name for himself. Ernest Borgnine is "Shack," a ruthlessly brutal and sadistic railroad cop, whose claim to fame is that no one has ever hopped the #19, which is his train...
This is a very cool 'old school' action flick, with virtually all its action centering around old vintage '30s steam locomotives...an absolute must for fans of 'Man's Man'-type pictures, although the score is oddly dated...still, highly recommended for those who realize that "they don't make 'em like this anymore" B-)
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Good stuff, however, a bit simplistic. Like, it's a dog eat dog world, humans are as bad as animals, oh and these bad guys are great really cos they laugh a lot and enjoy each others company (sometimes).
Roger Moore 1927-2017
The dogfight sequences were fun, but pretty undistinguishable from each other. And I could never tell who was who behind those goggles.
Grade: C+
The 5th film in the Highlander franchise and the best that can be said about it is that it's not as bad as HL2:The Quickening, nor as embarassing as HL:Endgame. Christopher Lambert has left the game, so the TV series lead Adrian Paul takes centre stage.
The shenanigens begin with the voice-over and accompanying text, "We are immortals. Where do we come from, nobody knows, we're not aliens, honest, forget HL2, it was crap, etc" Cut to Eastern Europe, because it's cheaper to film there. The world is a mess. Things have taken a turn for the worse and seem to have undergone an environmental catastrophe. McLoed is sitting on a rooftop looking solemn, but he soon cheers himself up by beating up a couple of thugs who are attacking a woman. However, she reminds of him of yet another lost lover and Adrian Paul looks like a big sad lion again.
Now being a fan of low-budget movies with a post-apocalyptic setting, these early scenes are quite promising. But then the bad guy turns up. A big, bad, blue gimp-monster, who witlessly mocks his opponents before slaughtering them. At one point he even sings Queen's 'Who Wants to Live Forever.'
The few immortals left band together and set out to find The Source. Because they figure it might be the source of their power. Because it's called The Source, you see. So they think there might be a connection, somehow. This leads to the most unintentionally brilliant piece of dialogue I've ever heard as the immortals make their introductions: "This is Reggie, my astronomer."
Now this part of the film I liked a lot. It's a decent, low-budget, martial-arts romp, as McLeod and the others battle land pirates and cannibals. There's a great sequence where the meet an ancient, decaying immortal, who set out on a similar quest thousands of years ago. But the big blue gimp-monster turns up again and spoils it all. If I was being kind I would describe the ending as an inspired tribute to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it's actually *******s.
My brother and I saw this piece of eurotrash on the SciFi channel a few months ago. As bad as the movie was, I was most disappointed with how the characters of Dawson and Methos were handled. The ending is a real mindbender..it's so deep I doubt the writers knew what it meant. Too bad they didn't have a giant black monolith waiting for Duncan at the end.
Still, if this film is to be believed, the "prize" that all the immortals are aspiring to is ... the ability to get a woman pregnant. Oh well, one man's treasure...
I wonder if they go blind afterwards.
Keaton really does strike a home run here. A beautiful performance from him and Teri Garr, great script, and poignant moments. Perfect family comedy with none of today's excruciating sight gags in sight.
Yeah...I liked my own WWI Lafayette Escadrille script better...
http://www.ajb007.co.uk/index.php?topic=26633
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER
Arguably my favorite Clint Eastwood western and that's a tough call with films like Good, Bad & The Ugly and others he's done. I think I favor it for its supernatural element...and yes even Clint has described this movie as such. The arguements I've heard over the years on this movie that it wasn't is just crazy.
I mean the breadcrumbs are all laid out through the film. Still it's a great movie.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
That's a good one, all right B-) The cool thing about the supernatural aspects of this story is that it's not 'on the nose'---as you said, Rogue, the clues are all there, but Eastwood obviously decided not to go OTT with it...which is one of the reasons it works so well.
This film, along with Play Misty For Me and The Eiger Sanction, was a solid testimonial to Mr. Eastwood's promise as a director.
Since then, he's pretty much become this generation's John Huston, IMO...
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Glad to see someone else agrees with this one, Loeff. B-)
You'd be surprised to hear some of the things viewers say who Eastwood is. I think some people just get too cerebral with these things...
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Good intentions fart in my face once again.
Slow moving? If you put a snail on the cinema seat beside you it would feel twitchy and hyperactive.
At first the long-held camera shots are intriguing. The opening shows the countryside in north Mexico in the dead of night, with the starry firmament above, gradually become dawn, condensed into five minutes.
But if you're past 35 and ever prone to fall asleep at the cinema, this will do it. It stays at that pace throughout, almost in real time. It's about a guy in a Mennonite family (like the Amish sort of) who is torn between his wife and kids and the woman he is having an affair with. Everyone looks miserable, what with the lack of television and E numbers, probably. The wife is marginally more miserable than the younger lover.
If drama is life with the boring bits cut out, this seems to be life with all the boring bits left in and not much else. Like if you're to gaze into space for five minutes after reading this, thinking about someone you knew when you were 13, the director would film that.
In some ways it reminded me of the French film Hidden, with its long lingering shots, but at least that picked up. But there's the same WTF? ending, in this case descending - or ascending, depending on your point of view - into magic realism or the supernatural. A cop out.
I never expected a bundle of laughs, but this was unenjoyable on every level. Only afterwards, I read the Sunday Times had given it only two stars. I'll go with that.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
THE MECHANIC
Starring Charles Bronson & Jan Michael Vincent as two hitmen. Bronson ,in the day, was the epitome of 70s bada** and this is my favorite film from him. I've heard that there were rumours of getting this remade; no way a director could improve on this picture. It's good the way it is. B-)
Come up with something original anyway...then I watched:
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA
This is a Sergio Leone masterpiece and was my favorite mob movie at the time until Goodfellas came along.
What's not to love about the picture? The actors, the Morricone score & the celestial cinematography all work to me. DeNiro & Woods played off of each other brilliantly. I remember going to the theatres to see this at least three times back then. I don't think that it made alot of money at the b.o. with it being so lengthy but what a great movie. B-)
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Not bad, a bit so-so. It's Julie Delphy doing Diane Keaten, that's the flaky, promiscous character of Love and Death, and her Jewish neurotic boyfriend Adam Goldberg in the Woody Allen role.
Quite a tedious couple at first, but there's a lot going on all the time.
Some good Paris scenes, the taxi from the station reminded me of my trip there with my Mum and sister this autumn, but this ain't one to show Mum, with its references to blow jobs and woman on top and sex text messages...
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I knew next to nothing about this film, other than who was in it (Michael Caine being enough to get me interested) and who wrote/directed it (Christopher Nolan).
Basically (without wanting to give too much away) two magicians in the Victorian era embark upon a blood feud, which becomes ever stronger and stranger. Hugh Jackman (who I've thought of as a potential Bond since the very Bond-structured Van Helsing) does very well, as does Caine of course, but Christian Bale is the one to remember here. David Bowie has a good extended cameo, and Andy Serkis is as ever good value.
I have to say that the film is better written than directed; some clarity and simplification may have been of benefit. However, it's haunting and effective.
Good Lord, I remember going to see that at the cinema when it came out! 73?
Anyway, it was an excellent movie and I'm with you- no way could a remake match up.
Watching them back to back also made me notice how similar the two are in plot sometimes.
One thing in DAF that is mentioned a lot is how Bond never deals with the Tracy side of things. Although her name is never mentioned, at least they tried by having him go after Blofeld at the beginning.
Still, that remark by Moneypenny at passport control is way out of line with continuity.
Anyways, I am going to go change my rankings, I don't think DAF deserves such a high honour any more.
Sadly this is a real let-down. The books apparently are very good, but this is all special effects and no soul. Craig appears briefly as does Eva Green, playing a witch, which may please some of the CR non-believers, (or heretics, as I like to call them
DAF is great, but not a movie event DVD. It's for watching on telly with the family and having a laugh at the witty lines. It's actually better in pan and scan on a standard telly, not a widescreen I've found. It's the opposite of OHMSS, which is worthy, terrific to look at with high production values but imo is quite dull and claustrophobic for the first half.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
Last night I was doing some Christmas shopping and stopped by Walmart to buy the new Bourne movie and there it was in the bin for 5 bucks - A two-disc special edition set. It's a no-brainer to get I suppose...
Now...don't beat me up, but I had never seen this picture all the way through (either because it's already halfway through or I'm too busy) and I love the Leone westerns so I should be ashamed of myself for not taking out the time. ;%
After viewing it, this has to be the BEST western movie I have ever seen. Forget about Clint & John Wayne...this pretty much OWNS.
What's shocking for me is that I don't ever recall Henry Fonda playing a villian in other movies he's starred but boy, is he convincing. B-) Leone put together a great cast to go along as well.
The cinematography is just awesome; the story's well written and of course Morricone's score is top notch. I've got to look for a soundtrack for this one.
Although I could choose many parts in this movie to brag about, my favorite is the beginning...very little dialogue, the camera angles are very cool and menacing as the villians await their arrival and it's pretty pathetic when you're too lazy to swat away a fly.
I'll be watching this again tonight seeing how I loved it so much. Be warned, it's long but well worth it.
**** stars.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Told ya it was a good one. {[]
Personally, I find The Good, The Bad And The Ugly a more fun and enjoyable film - it's my all time favorite western - but there's no denying that Once Upon A Time In The West is a magnificent opus by the undisputed master of the Italian Western.
If the DVD you have has any behind the scenes stuff make sure to check it out as the story of how the film made it to the screen is almost as compelling as the film itself. Casting Fonda as a villain as a stroke of genius, Claudia Cardinale is absolutely radiant and Morricone's score is just haunting.
Here's an interesting little tidbit for you: Leone originally wanted Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef to be the three gunmen that Bronson kills at the start of the movie - it was to be a symbolic statement of the imminent death of the old west by showing those three iconic stars meet their doom. None of them wanted to have anything to do with it (and personally I think that's a good thing) so it never came to be.
You see, that's why I used to watch DAF, for the witty lines and for the fun of it...but it wasn't even as much fun this time around. It doesn't hold for me, and my wife definitely didn't care for it as much as others she's seen. Oh well, it's still a Bond movie and I will still watch it again, and again...and again...
Starring Paul Newman as Lew Harper (based on Ross MacDonald's 'Lew Archer' character from his novels) in a private detective flick from '75...nice supporting turns from Joanne Woodward as a troubled socialite, Murray Hamilton as a crazy Louisiana millionaire...and a very appealing, very young Melanie Griffith as Joanne Woodward's oversexed daughter ;%
Pity Newman only made two of these (the first was 1966's "Harper"); this could have been a great franchise. I recommend both films for fans of the P.I. genre.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Lovely little Irish film about a busker and a Czech immigrant in Dublin. They meet and start playing music together and become increasingly drawn towards each other. The soundtrack is wonderful. It's leading man Glen Hansard provides the music, of which this track 'Falling Slowly' is the standout.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CoSL_qayMCc&feature=related
{[] Highly recommended.
Rented it, IMO still the best out of the whole lot of films.
really? i reckon my favourite has to be Prisoner of Azkaban, simply because it makes a good turn from the previous films and introduces our older HP characters well. I liked HP: OOTP, but I know a lot of other people who were not that impressed. your vote for best is the only one I have heard so far
or The Hairdresser's Husband.
I love foreign films alot but this particular one (French?) is pretty odd for a love story.
A young boy falls in love with his lady barber and looks for opportunities to go get haircuts.
Anyway he grows up to marry a beautiful hair stylist and they have this strange fetish with their relationship revolving around hair.
It was a beautifully made film but just...I don't know - odd.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -