I finally saw Demons, Lamberto Bava's entertaining movie about a cinema in which events on the screen begin to infect the audience. The movie showing in the cinema is a perfect parody of the dumb teens-in-peril horror film. Exec produced by Dario Argento, it's a must-see for fans of Italian horror.
This is a magnificent film. I'm not the biggest fan of Italian horror cinema but I do consider this to be a great Italian horror film, and a great horror film full stop. It's awesome.
"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
Elizabeth: The Golden Turkey--oops, I mean The Golden Age. The 1998 Elizabeth was such a good movie; so how could the sequel, reteaming the director, the star, and one of the screenwriters, go so horribly wrong? Blame bad dialogue, such as Walter Raleigh talking of his desire to have a city named after him (o what clever foreshadowing: we all know there WILL be one--in North Carolina); truly awful performances by Clive "Gawd, I'm Wearing Pantaloons" Owen and Samantha Morton; an Armada attack that couldn't be more boring if it was shot with toy boats in a bathtub; and production and costume design that seem more New Orleans Mardi Gras than Elizabethan England. Cate Blanchett's Oscar nomination must have been for keeping a straight face and a sense of dignity throughout all this. Sigh--I kept hoping Michael Palin would burst in, exclaiming, "NO ONE expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
I hated Elizabeth 2 as well. One of the daftest films I've ever seen. They might as well have had Christopher Lambert playing the axe man, and shouting out "There can be only one," when decaptitating Mary Queen of Scots, who despite her title was as French as Juliette Binoche eating a baguette in a Paris cafe while reading Le Monde. Why Morton used a Scots accent, when she couldn't be bothered doing one for Morven Callar is a mystery.
I quite enjoyed The Bank Job with Jason Statham and the lovely Saffron Burrows. It's entertaining enough, though it's hardly in the Premiership of British crime dramas. This is more like a first division team on a decent cup run. Recommended if you like British crime dramas though.
This is not a great film. A revision of The Invisible Man and The Fly, it is essentially a horror thriller, with some terrfiic special effects, but is nowhere near as interesting as its inspirations and doesn't do nearly enough with what is a fantastic premise. Nonetheless, it is fun, and considering my sole goal upon watching late at night was to be entertained, it more than served its purpose.
Horton Hears a Who!
Not great. Although the concept is terrific, and there are some great moments (such as when Apocalypse Now is referenced ) ), and the vocal performances are all very good, the films seems forced at times. I did enjoy it, and in no way do I regret going, but the film wasn't as good as I was expecting or hoped.
"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
I love this film. One of the best action thrillers ever made, it shows that not every Australian film has to be an Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger (see above.) Although flawed, and a little dated, Mad Max is brilliantly made with some truly extraordinary highway scenes and a great cast. The ending is simply magnificent. I saw this film for the first time many years ago, and my love of it has only increased.
Du Rififi Chez les Hommes
A French noir classic. I saw this for the first time a few years ago, and I rewatched it late last week. Rififi is a magnificent heist film, which had a massive influence upon Mission Impossible (and many other heist films.) Elegant, brutal, astonishingly made, very political and extremely thrilling, it is an extraordinary film which surely ranks among the very best crime films of all time.
The Godfather
My all-time favourite film. I revere, idolise, worship, adore, love this film. This film is why I am a cineaste; it is why I adore cinema, and it why I will forever be delighted by film. Oh, did I mention that I worship the ground this film walks upon and I will fight to the death anybody who so much as utters a negative word against it? :v )
Anyway, I'm not someone who watches my favourite films hundreds of times. Some people talk about how they have seen X 88 times or something. I don't do that, simply because, well, I just don't. However I do watch them many times, and I recently saw The Godfather for the upteenth time. I realised three things whilst watching it:
1)Brando is even better than I previously thought he was (which says alot since I have always regarded him as magnificent. )
2)The film is better shot than I previously thought it was (I have always regarded it as brilliantly shot, a perfect example being the incredible final shot. )
3)The film is more of a masterpiece that I previously thought it was (there has never been a time when I wasn't convinced that not only was this an absolute masterpiece but the world would have been a better place if more people had watched this film. )
Brando, Duvall, Pacino, Caan, Keaton, Cazale, Coppola, Puzo and Nina Rota are just some of the geniuses who worked on this magnificent work of art. To them I say thankyou. -{
"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
I was watching Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley in one room while my parents were watching From Russia With Love in the other; sounds of gunfire and the James Bond theme would waft across, enlivening Jane Austen no end.
It all came to a head when Lizzie Bennet was about to meet Lady Catherine De Burgh; you half expected it to be Blofeld and his white cat "Ah, Ms Bennett, I was expecting you!" As it turned it was Dame Judi Dench in the role (she plays M in the films, fellow Bond fans!) - mind you, I could imagine Dame Judi stroking her white pu$$y.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
...mind you, I could imagine Dame Judi stroking her white pu$$y.
Thanks, NP...I'll be all night getting that out of my head
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
Watching PETER'S FRIENDS again as I type. I have nothing but absolute adoration for this film...and it's packed full of lots of my favorites! Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, and Imelda Saunton among others.
My all-time favourite film. I revere, idolise, worship, adore, love this film. This film is why I am a cineaste; it is why I adore cinema, and it why I will forever be delighted by film. Oh, did I mention that I worship the ground this film walks upon and I will fight to the death anybody who so much as utters a negative word against it? :v )
Anyway, I'm not someone who watches my favourite films hundreds of times. Some people talk about how they have seen X 88 times or something. I don't do that, simply because, well, I just don't. However I do watch them many times, and I recently saw The Godfather for the upteenth time. I realised three things whilst watching it:
1)Brando is even better than I previously thought he was (which says alot since I have always regarded him as magnificent. )
2)The film is better shot than I previously thought it was (I have always regarded it as brilliantly shot, a perfect example being the incredible final shot. )
3)The film is more of a masterpiece that I previously thought it was (there has never been a time when I wasn't convinced that not only was this an absolute masterpiece but the world would have been a better place if more people had watched this film. )
Brando, Duvall, Pacino, Caan, Keaton, Cazale, Coppola, Puzo and Nina Rota are just some of the geniuses who worked on this magnificent work of art. To them I say thankyou. -{
I couldn't agree more. The Godfather is a classic that I absolutely love. I would join you in that fight to the death against whomever the naysayer is. The actors are wonderful and the script superb. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. {[]
I feel the same about the second. The third certainly isn't as good as the first two, but it is still entertaining and it finishes up the story.
I couldn't agree more. The Godfather is a classic that I absolutely love. I would join you in that fight to the death against whomever the naysayer is. The actors are wonderful and the script superb. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. {[]
Me too. The second film is my all-time second favourite film.
"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
I couldn't agree more. The Godfather is a classic that I absolutely love. I would join you in that fight to the death against whomever the naysayer is. The actors are wonderful and the script superb. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. {[]
That would be me, I suppose. Well done film? Perhaps. But I have a hard time feeling anything special about it since the story is populated with unlikeable characters.
The third certainly isn't as good as the first two, but it is still entertaining and it finishes up the story.
I forgot to mention that the third film was a huge disappointment for me. Is it a bad film? No, but I don't think it's a particularly good film and I found it to be an extremely unsatisfactory conclusion to perhaps the greatest cinematic trilogy of all time.
"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
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
Dark City (1998)
A very underrated & overlooked sci-fi thriller with a crime noir feel to it. I remember going to see this and being very impressed by its approach. Unfortunately, it wasn't a mass appeal type picture which more than likely sealed its fate from being a cashcow at the box office.
Rufus Sewell does a good job in the lead role (although seeing him play the hero is an acquired taste for me when he usually is the villian) and Jennifer Connelly looked beautiful as always in her ventures.
With this premise, I would've loved to have seen this as a regular tv series. It showed alot of potential for multi-layered stories.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
mind you, I could imagine Dame Judi stroking her white pu$$y.
I'm never going to be able to see her in the same light ever again. I'm going to look at her in QOS giving Craig orders, then....:o
The Darjeeling Limited
More quirky fare from Wes Anderson. Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman play three brothers on a train in India. It's funnier than it sounds, although some may find the quirkiness a little wearing.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
...I have a hard time feeling anything special about it since the story is populated with unlikeable characters.
Anyway...proceed with your discussion.
Thanks! It's quite a good thing that a film doesn't have to be populated by exclusively lovable characters to make it worthwhile, successful or classic...otherwise our man from Regent's Park wouldn't have a chance...
Godfather deserves its accolades; it was such a rule-breaker, in terms of script, structure and length, that it (along with #2) really stands on its own. They are Coppola's greatest moment(s) B-)
My most recent:
Ironically, another from Coppola...
"Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'"
Great stuff with a 'retro' filmmaking flavour...Gary Oldman and Sir Anthony Hopkins are great. Sadie Frost never looked better. Winona Ryder was...passable...and Keanu Reeves should never have been cast as Jonathan Harker
Still, I really like this one. Annie Lennox's 'Love Theme for a Vampire' is beautiful and haunting over the end credits...
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
Sorry, But while Coppola's "Dracula" had it's moments - it was truly a piece of c**p! It heaped ruin upon the source novel and bought us a Dracula that was part old lady, part fop and totally baloney!
Poor Coppola, someone should have told him that the core of his script was from "The Mummy". Fine production values, cannot redeem this odious mess.
Tony Hopkins' hideous overacting of the Van Helsing charecter steals the "Purple Baloon" award away from Brando in such classics as "The Island of Dr. Moreau"!
"Plan Nine from Outer Space" is a more credible effort.
Absolutely. {[] After that would come The Conversation and Apocalypse Now.
"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
I couldn't agree more. The Godfather is a classic that I absolutely love. I would join you in that fight to the death against whomever the naysayer is. The actors are wonderful and the script superb. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. {[]
That would be me, I suppose. Well done film? Perhaps. But I have a hard time feeling anything special about it since the story is populated with unlikeable characters.
Anyway...proceed with your discussion.
Very good point Darenhat; while The Godfather had some "kindler, gentler" villians and the performances are memorable, in the end they are all still thugs. I've always enjoyed the visual aspects of the film like the way Coppola frames his shots and juxtaposes events such as the killing of all the Dons at the end in the midst of the baptism, one of the most important traditions in Italian culture.
I have the same problem as you with The Sopranos; while the show is entertaining in a voyeuristic sort of way, I've never understood how anybody could relate to (never mind root for) Tony or any of those characters.
Great stuff with a 'retro' filmmaking flavour...Gary Oldman and Sir Anthony Hopkins are great. Sadie Frost never looked better. Winona Ryder was...passable...and Keanu Reeves should never have been cast as Jonathan Harker
Still, I really like this one. Annie Lennox's 'Love Theme for a Vampire' is beautiful and haunting over the end credits...
While the film was beautifully shot and had the delectable Monica Bellucci as one of Drac's brides, it fell into the same trap as so many other movies about the bloodsucker: it turned him into a romantic, even tragic figure. That's just wrong. In the book, Dracula was a vile, unclean monster and Stoker made no bones about it. Hart totally missed that notion, turning it into some kind of twisted love story. It's an entertaining film on it's own merits (although as you say some of the casting leaves you scratching your head), but the title doesn't fit as it takes way too many liberties with the book to be called Bram Stoker's Dracula.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
Sorry, But while Coppola's "Dracula" had it's moments - it was truly a piece of c**p! It heaped ruin upon the source novel and bought us a Dracula that was part old lady, part fop and totally baloney!
Poor Coppola, someone should have told him that the core of his script was from "The Mummy". Fine production values, cannot redeem this odious mess.
Tony Hopkins' hideous overacting of the Van Helsing charecter steals the "Purple Baloon" award away from Brando in such classics as "The Island of Dr. Moreau"!
"Plan Nine from Outer Space" is a more credible effort.
Sorry, but I enjoyed it {[] Fortunately, IMO no film can 'heap ruin' upon its literary source material...that requires a mass book burning
If you truly believe Ed Wood's Plan Nine from Outer Space is the superior picture, I won't insult your preference, but...there's clearly nothing else to say...
Dan, your comment on Dracula being made into a tragic figure, vs the way he was depicted in the novel, is a valid one...I just think it works here.
Various interpretations, and countless liberties taken with the source material---something else (besides a 'taste' for lovely lasses) that Dracula and James Bond have in common
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
The Deaths of Ian Stone
This was part of last year's 8 Films To Die For After Dark collection so I thought I'd give it a try.
A very stylish attempt at sci-fi/horror that I give it credit for effort alone. It reminded me a little of other more regarded jems like Groundhog Day, Jacob's Ladder & Dark City to a point.
I was enjoying it pretty well until about the last 30 minutes or so where it seemed to nosedive into a congealed vat of meh 8-) . Not that I was disappointed with it entirely, it just couldn't hold up for a repeated viewing.
It'll still get a ** 1/2 stars from me because it did look good.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Across the Universe, Julie Taymor's 145-minute assault on The Beatles. While the movie is interesting to look at and there are some good bits (my favorite is Joe Cocker's triple role as he sings "Come Together"), it's a boneheaded exercise. Everyone from the masters of Grand Opera to Gilbert and Sullivan to West Side Story knows that to make a good musical, the songs must spring organically from the characters and the situations; when you string about 30 Beatles songs together and try to build a story and characters to support them, you're bound to make a hash of things. So we get a character named Prudence, a frustrated lesbian, who hides in a closet and gives everyone an excuse to sing "Dear Prudence" outside the door. (By the bye, she enters the heroes' flat through a bathroom window, allowing a character to utter the title of the song, though he doesn't actually sing it.) And at the end we see the character of Lucy on a roof, with the sky behind her, standing in front of a diamond-shaped railing, setting up you-know-which-song for the closing credits. And don't get me started on what happens to the sexy, bluesy "I Want You." Sheesh: you'd've thought Taymor would have learned from Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band!
Tonight, I just saw the Best Picture Oscar Winner and the one that maybe -- just maybe -- should have won instead.
Of course, No Country for Old Men was wonderful in that quirky Cohen way. No surprise there. The brothers may not always fire on all cylinders, but they seem incapable of making a bad film.
But the film that absolutely blew me away was Gone Baby Gone. If that film is a hint of what Ben Affleck can do as a director, he ought to drop acting (and I don't think he's a bad actor at all) and get behind the camera full-time. Really an amazing movie, beautifully scripted, shot, acted. I haven't felt so uncomfortable at a film's final fadeout since In the Bedroom, which in my view should have swept every category in 2001. I had the same feeling after watching Gone Baby Gone, that the academy had made a terrible mistake (although No Country for Old Men was a worthier choice than Gladiator). If you haven't seen it, make sure you do.
One of those tedious coming of age dramas that actors often like to direct, (see Richard E Grant's Wah-Wah-Wah-Wah-Wah, or Jodie Foster's Little Man Tate). Here it's Richard Roxburgh, who was a dreadful Sherlock Holmes for the BBC a few years ago, directing Eric Bana as an immigrant with marital problems. (His wife's a slapper). It's dull. Really dull. And can somebody give Bana a role like Chopper again? He's much more fun playing characters with a sense of humour. The guy used to be a comedian for f**** sake.
(Eric Bana) is much more fun playing characters with a sense of humour. The guy used to be a comedian for f**** sake.
No kidding? I didn't know that: I think all I've ever seen him in are dramas (OK -- Brad Pitt as Achilles did make Troy seem like a comedy).
I like Bana. In fact, I think he would have made a pretty good James Bond.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
BURNT OFFERINGS
One of my favorite horror films from childhood. The Robert Marasco novel goes into creepier detail but the film still packs a punch.
I find it odd that, again, the premise for this story is eerily similiar to The Shining's being that it involves a family (mom, dad & son) living in a haunted house as opposed to hotel and the goings-on within.
Marasco's novel came out three years before King's Shining yet the latter has reached cult status with its cinematic turn,while the other is nearly obscure with those not into horror films...
I remember as a boy after watching this, shivering & staring at my bedroom door from a crevice in my bedspread as if The Chauffeur were going to burst through with casket in hand just for me. )
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Saw 300 on BluRay again last night. I really enjoyed the film - great action scenes and imaginatively photographed with a wildly varying color palette. A very interesting evolution of the sword and sandal epics I grew up on. And of course, the BluRay technology really amped up the visual and audio fidelity of the piece.
Based on what he did here and what I've seen of Watchmen so far, I'd love for Zack Snyder to take a crack at Batman some day as I think the style of filmmaking and visual aesthetic he's been employing would work really well with the character.
BTW Rogue, never mind Burnt Offerings; your Hulk vs. Godzilla signature pic - while an admitted work of genius - is giving me motion sickness...I can't look at the screen anymore. ) ) )
Comments
I quite enjoyed The Bank Job with Jason Statham and the lovely Saffron Burrows. It's entertaining enough, though it's hardly in the Premiership of British crime dramas. This is more like a first division team on a decent cup run. Recommended if you like British crime dramas though.
~Pen -{
mountainburdphotography.wordpress.com
Hollow Man
This is not a great film. A revision of The Invisible Man and The Fly, it is essentially a horror thriller, with some terrfiic special effects, but is nowhere near as interesting as its inspirations and doesn't do nearly enough with what is a fantastic premise. Nonetheless, it is fun, and considering my sole goal upon watching late at night was to be entertained, it more than served its purpose.
Horton Hears a Who!
Not great. Although the concept is terrific, and there are some great moments (such as when Apocalypse Now is referenced
Mad Max
I love this film. One of the best action thrillers ever made, it shows that not every Australian film has to be an Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger (see above.) Although flawed, and a little dated, Mad Max is brilliantly made with some truly extraordinary highway scenes and a great cast. The ending is simply magnificent. I saw this film for the first time many years ago, and my love of it has only increased.
Du Rififi Chez les Hommes
A French noir classic. I saw this for the first time a few years ago, and I rewatched it late last week. Rififi is a magnificent heist film, which had a massive influence upon Mission Impossible (and many other heist films.) Elegant, brutal, astonishingly made, very political and extremely thrilling, it is an extraordinary film which surely ranks among the very best crime films of all time.
The Godfather
My all-time favourite film. I revere, idolise, worship, adore, love this film. This film is why I am a cineaste; it is why I adore cinema, and it why I will forever be delighted by film.
Anyway, I'm not someone who watches my favourite films hundreds of times. Some people talk about how they have seen X 88 times or something. I don't do that, simply because, well, I just don't.
1)Brando is even better than I previously thought he was (which says alot since I have always regarded him as magnificent.
2)The film is better shot than I previously thought it was (I have always regarded it as brilliantly shot, a perfect example being the incredible final shot.
3)The film is more of a masterpiece that I previously thought it was (there has never been a time when I wasn't convinced that not only was this an absolute masterpiece but the world would have been a better place if more people had watched this film.
Brando, Duvall, Pacino, Caan, Keaton, Cazale, Coppola, Puzo and Nina Rota are just some of the geniuses who worked on this magnificent work of art. To them I say thankyou. -{
I was watching Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley in one room while my parents were watching From Russia With Love in the other; sounds of gunfire and the James Bond theme would waft across, enlivening Jane Austen no end.
It all came to a head when Lizzie Bennet was about to meet Lady Catherine De Burgh; you half expected it to be Blofeld and his white cat "Ah, Ms Bennett, I was expecting you!" As it turned it was Dame Judi Dench in the role (she plays M in the films, fellow Bond fans!) - mind you, I could imagine Dame Judi stroking her white pu$$y.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Thanks, NP...I'll be all night getting that out of my head
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I thought it was really good and really well made. Reminiscent of Blair Witch Project, but 10 times better! Great suspense and very unique!
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
~Pen -{
mountainburdphotography.wordpress.com
I couldn't agree more. The Godfather is a classic that I absolutely love. I would join you in that fight to the death against whomever the naysayer is.
I feel the same about the second. The third certainly isn't as good as the first two, but it is still entertaining and it finishes up the story.
Me too. The second film is my all-time second favourite film.
That would be me, I suppose. Well done film? Perhaps. But I have a hard time feeling anything special about it since the story is populated with unlikeable characters.
Anyway...proceed with your discussion.
A very underrated & overlooked sci-fi thriller with a crime noir feel to it. I remember going to see this and being very impressed by its approach. Unfortunately, it wasn't a mass appeal type picture which more than likely sealed its fate from being a cashcow at the box office.
Rufus Sewell does a good job in the lead role (although seeing him play the hero is an acquired taste for me when he usually is the villian) and Jennifer Connelly looked beautiful as always in her ventures.
With this premise, I would've loved to have seen this as a regular tv series. It showed alot of potential for multi-layered stories.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I'm never going to be able to see her in the same light ever again. I'm going to look at her in QOS giving Craig orders, then....:o
The Darjeeling Limited
More quirky fare from Wes Anderson. Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman play three brothers on a train in India. It's funnier than it sounds, although some may find the quirkiness a little wearing.
Thanks!
Godfather deserves its accolades; it was such a rule-breaker, in terms of script, structure and length, that it (along with #2) really stands on its own. They are Coppola's greatest moment(s) B-)
My most recent:
Ironically, another from Coppola...
"Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'"
Great stuff with a 'retro' filmmaking flavour...Gary Oldman and Sir Anthony Hopkins are great. Sadie Frost never looked better. Winona Ryder was...passable...and Keanu Reeves should never have been cast as Jonathan Harker
Still, I really like this one. Annie Lennox's 'Love Theme for a Vampire' is beautiful and haunting over the end credits...
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Poor Coppola, someone should have told him that the core of his script was from "The Mummy". Fine production values, cannot redeem this odious mess.
Tony Hopkins' hideous overacting of the Van Helsing charecter steals the "Purple Baloon" award away from Brando in such classics as "The Island of Dr. Moreau"!
"Plan Nine from Outer Space" is a more credible effort.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
Very good point Darenhat; while The Godfather had some "kindler, gentler" villians and the performances are memorable, in the end they are all still thugs. I've always enjoyed the visual aspects of the film like the way Coppola frames his shots and juxtaposes events such as the killing of all the Dons at the end in the midst of the baptism, one of the most important traditions in Italian culture.
I have the same problem as you with The Sopranos; while the show is entertaining in a voyeuristic sort of way, I've never understood how anybody could relate to (never mind root for) Tony or any of those characters.
While the film was beautifully shot and had the delectable Monica Bellucci as one of Drac's brides, it fell into the same trap as so many other movies about the bloodsucker: it turned him into a romantic, even tragic figure. That's just wrong. In the book, Dracula was a vile, unclean monster and Stoker made no bones about it. Hart totally missed that notion, turning it into some kind of twisted love story. It's an entertaining film on it's own merits (although as you say some of the casting leaves you scratching your head), but the title doesn't fit as it takes way too many liberties with the book to be called Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Sorry, but I enjoyed it {[] Fortunately, IMO no film can 'heap ruin' upon its literary source material...that requires a mass book burning
If you truly believe Ed Wood's Plan Nine from Outer Space is the superior picture, I won't insult your preference, but...there's clearly nothing else to say...
Dan, your comment on Dracula being made into a tragic figure, vs the way he was depicted in the novel, is a valid one...I just think it works here.
Various interpretations, and countless liberties taken with the source material---something else (besides a 'taste' for lovely lasses) that Dracula and James Bond have in common
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
This was part of last year's 8 Films To Die For After Dark collection so I thought I'd give it a try.
A very stylish attempt at sci-fi/horror that I give it credit for effort alone. It reminded me a little of other more regarded jems like Groundhog Day, Jacob's Ladder & Dark City to a point.
I was enjoying it pretty well until about the last 30 minutes or so where it seemed to nosedive into a congealed vat of meh 8-) . Not that I was disappointed with it entirely, it just couldn't hold up for a repeated viewing.
It'll still get a ** 1/2 stars from me because it did look good.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
When Taekwondo Strikes 1973 4/6
Dragons Forever 1988 (overrated , bit too much slapstick....Wheels on Meals is better) 4/6
Project A 1983 4.5/6
Enter the Fat Dragon 1978 4.5/6
I love old school martial arts films , more authentic than the CGI stuff....
~Pen -{
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Of course, No Country for Old Men was wonderful in that quirky Cohen way. No surprise there. The brothers may not always fire on all cylinders, but they seem incapable of making a bad film.
But the film that absolutely blew me away was Gone Baby Gone. If that film is a hint of what Ben Affleck can do as a director, he ought to drop acting (and I don't think he's a bad actor at all) and get behind the camera full-time. Really an amazing movie, beautifully scripted, shot, acted. I haven't felt so uncomfortable at a film's final fadeout since In the Bedroom, which in my view should have swept every category in 2001. I had the same feeling after watching Gone Baby Gone, that the academy had made a terrible mistake (although No Country for Old Men was a worthier choice than Gladiator). If you haven't seen it, make sure you do.
One of those tedious coming of age dramas that actors often like to direct, (see Richard E Grant's Wah-Wah-Wah-Wah-Wah, or Jodie Foster's Little Man Tate). Here it's Richard Roxburgh, who was a dreadful Sherlock Holmes for the BBC a few years ago, directing Eric Bana as an immigrant with marital problems. (His wife's a slapper). It's dull. Really dull. And can somebody give Bana a role like Chopper again? He's much more fun playing characters with a sense of humour. The guy used to be a comedian for f**** sake.
No kidding? I didn't know that: I think all I've ever seen him in are dramas (OK -- Brad Pitt as Achilles did make Troy seem like a comedy).
I like Bana. In fact, I think he would have made a pretty good James Bond.
One of my favorite horror films from childhood. The Robert Marasco novel goes into creepier detail but the film still packs a punch.
I find it odd that, again, the premise for this story is eerily similiar to The Shining's being that it involves a family (mom, dad & son) living in a haunted house as opposed to hotel and the goings-on within.
Marasco's novel came out three years before King's Shining yet the latter has reached cult status with its cinematic turn,while the other is nearly obscure with those not into horror films...
I remember as a boy after watching this, shivering & staring at my bedroom door from a crevice in my bedspread as if The Chauffeur were going to burst through with casket in hand just for me.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Based on what he did here and what I've seen of Watchmen so far, I'd love for Zack Snyder to take a crack at Batman some day as I think the style of filmmaking and visual aesthetic he's been employing would work really well with the character.
BTW Rogue, never mind Burnt Offerings; your Hulk vs. Godzilla signature pic - while an admitted work of genius - is giving me motion sickness...I can't look at the screen anymore.