busydude
Diamond Member
- Feb 5, 2010
- 8,793
- 5
- 76
- Status
- Nov 30, 2005
- 50,235
- 117
- 116
busydude
Diamond Member
- Feb 5, 2010
- 8,793
- 5
- 76
- Nov 30, 2005
- 50,235
- 117
- 116
Take This Waltz - 6/10 was a tough one for me. At times it felt like a straight up rom-com, and judging by the crowd laughing I guess it was, but it also was a pretty dramatic relationship movie with undercurrents of something darker. I guess the tone threw me off. I did think Michelle Williams was great as she always is, but I can't be certain I believed the relationship with Seth Rogen and the guy who played the third in the love triangle felt very, um, Canadian (sure enough he was when I looked it up afterward) and he was just lost when he was on the same screen with Williams. It did have some funny moments and some touching moments too (my friend bawled her eyes out right next to me) it just felt incosistent and even annoying in parts. There was also a very weird montage sequence later in the film which I thought was stupid. I'm probably being harsh as the audience seemed to love it and I certainly didn't hate the film, but I left the film feeling a little empty. I did enjoy seeing Michelle Williams being very naked! Always a treat. Sarah Silverman naked? Not so much.
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga - 8/10 is a documentary narrated by Werner Herzog about trappers in the middle of Siberia. I really enjoyed this. It's pretty straightforward as you actually spend an entire year with a few individuals as they plan, set up, and trap the animals they need for their livelihood. One of the trappers in-particular was very engaging and most of the time is spent with him thankfully. I loved spending time in the harsh environment and watching how these guys survived, actually cutting down trees and making skis, and using very old style traps out of tree limbs to catch sable. Herzog's narration was relatively sparse, but it was great as always. There were also a tonne of dogs and puppies, which was awesome. Puppies are great!
KT
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga - 8/10 is a documentary narrated by Werner Herzog about trappers in the middle of Siberia. I really enjoyed this. It's pretty straightforward as you actually spend an entire year with a few individuals as they plan, set up, and trap the animals they need for their livelihood. One of the trappers in-particular was very engaging and most of the time is spent with him thankfully. I loved spending time in the harsh environment and watching how these guys survived, actually cutting down trees and making skis, and using very old style traps out of tree limbs to catch sable. Herzog's narration was relatively sparse, but it was great as always. There were also a tonne of dogs and puppies, which was awesome. Puppies are great!
KT
Gunslinger08
Lifer
- Nov 18, 2001
- 13,234
- 2
- 81
It was a Project Greenlight film. Would you believe there are already 2 sequels?
Gunslinger08
Lifer
- Nov 18, 2001
- 13,234
- 2
- 81
Southland Tales - ???/10: I honestly have no idea what this movie was about. In many parts it felt like satire, in others like straight up comedy, but in even other parts it felt quite earnest. It all added up to a muddled clusterfuck of a movie. The Rock was seemingly awful, but the more I watched it almost seemed like he was trying to be awful? It appeared to me Kelly was telling him to over the top and ridiculous, as I have not seen The Rock be quite that bad in a film before, no matter his acting shortcomings. Honestly I do not know what else to say about this thing. Was left a bit bewildered by this movie.
Funnily enough I may revisit this when I'm not so tired and can focus better.
KT
I watched this a few years ago and I felt the same way. I like dystopian fiction, but this just didn't make any sense to me.
- Nov 30, 2005
- 50,235
- 117
- 116
The Front Line (Go-ji-jeon) - 3.5/10: is a Korean film, and their official submission to the Oscars this year, following the last days of the Korean War as a South Korean troupe and a North Korean troupe continue to battle over a particular hill. This was pretty awful. It felt as if the writer and director had just watched every classic war film and pulled out every cliche and caricature from those, then mushed them all together in this film. It was long, boring, and overly sentimental. Easily the worst South Korean film I've seen in ages. It didn't help that the VIFF crew was seemingly playing a DVD screener of the film; there was a burnt in logo at the top of the screen the entire time, the audio was difficult to hear at times, and there was horrible macroblocking throughout. Get your freaking act together VIFF, not only does it make me feel like I wasted my money, but it's disrespectful to the film maker to show the film in this way.
The Prize (Der Preis) 5.5/10: is a German film following a guy who returns to his East German town to develop his old block and encounters some old friends, stirring up old emotions. There are extensive use of flashbacks to the main characters youth showing him and his friends' struggles with life under the communist government and juxtaposing that with how things are now. It's a pretty quiet, contemplative film that has some good character work from the main character, but I think the constant flashbacks left me feeling a little disconnected with the characters, so the impact of certain things that happen later on were somewhat diminished. This is certainly not bad and I was never bored, but there are better films on this subject.
Kill List - 8/10 I'm a bit torn on this one. I absolutely loved the first 85% or so of this film, but it takes a very strange turn near the end that left me a little bewildered. The main story of these two hitmen hired to take out a list of nefarious individuals is awesome; it's raw, visceral, and gruesomely violent at times, grabbing you by the scruff and taking you through this dirty world of heinous acts. It's also nicely paralleled with the home life of one of the main characters, but what Ben Wheatley does later on confuses me to the point where I think I will need to see it again to grasp what really happened there. The first part of the film made on its own made it worthwhile and maybe I just need to do some reading to figure out where things turned. I really hope someone else here sees this so I can get their thoughts.
Bullhead (Rundskop) - 8/10 is the Belgian submission to the Oscars for next year and it's a very solid crime thriller. It follows the illegal beef hormone trade in Belgium and the various factions involved, both Flemish and French, in the illegal activity. The main character is an absolute bull of a man himself; dark and brooding, with some underlying psychosis, but which all makes perfect sense later in the film. It's relatively straightforward as far as these types of films go, but first time writer/director Michael R. Roskam does some great camera work and injects some quality dialogue to make it an enjoyable ride. He probably could have shaved about 10 minutes or so off the final product for a tighter film, but that's a pretty minor criticism. Mayeb they could have skipped the cow caesarean?
Without - 9/10 from another first time writer/director, this time from the Pacific Northwest. We are essentially flies on the wall watching a young girl who has moved to a remote cabin in Washington to take care of a man in a vegetative state while his family is out of town. I loved this movie and I really have no idea why. Nothing really happens; there are long scenes with no dialogue and red herrings too numerous to count, but I was riveted by this film. It's quite minimalist, but it looks great and as you see this young lady deal with the isolation and the problems with her past, well it's just fascinating. I keep thinking about this one; it really stuck with me for whatever reason. The main girl was awesome and since she is on screen about 99% of the time, that's pretty important. I could have watched her living this life for several more days. Strangely fascinating film and one of my favourites so far.
Headshot - 4.5/10 A Thai film about an ex cop who becomes a hitman, taking out the supposed evil higher-ups in the world (politicians, businessman, etc.). This was honestly pretty bland which is a shame because I was really looking forward to it. The action was dull and the sloppy character development and dialogue did nothing to offset that. It was predictable and honestly pretty boring, treading absolutely no new ground whatsoever aside from giving the main character a ridiculous defect for, seemingly, the whole purpose of delivering some trite dialogue near the end of the film. It started out ok with a decent sequence showing how he got the defect, plus an ok flashback sequence with him and a protitute, but it was all downhill after that. I think flashbacks are starting to get on my nerves, do you hear me JJ Abrams??!!?
KT
The Prize (Der Preis) 5.5/10: is a German film following a guy who returns to his East German town to develop his old block and encounters some old friends, stirring up old emotions. There are extensive use of flashbacks to the main characters youth showing him and his friends' struggles with life under the communist government and juxtaposing that with how things are now. It's a pretty quiet, contemplative film that has some good character work from the main character, but I think the constant flashbacks left me feeling a little disconnected with the characters, so the impact of certain things that happen later on were somewhat diminished. This is certainly not bad and I was never bored, but there are better films on this subject.
Kill List - 8/10 I'm a bit torn on this one. I absolutely loved the first 85% or so of this film, but it takes a very strange turn near the end that left me a little bewildered. The main story of these two hitmen hired to take out a list of nefarious individuals is awesome; it's raw, visceral, and gruesomely violent at times, grabbing you by the scruff and taking you through this dirty world of heinous acts. It's also nicely paralleled with the home life of one of the main characters, but what Ben Wheatley does later on confuses me to the point where I think I will need to see it again to grasp what really happened there. The first part of the film made on its own made it worthwhile and maybe I just need to do some reading to figure out where things turned. I really hope someone else here sees this so I can get their thoughts.
Bullhead (Rundskop) - 8/10 is the Belgian submission to the Oscars for next year and it's a very solid crime thriller. It follows the illegal beef hormone trade in Belgium and the various factions involved, both Flemish and French, in the illegal activity. The main character is an absolute bull of a man himself; dark and brooding, with some underlying psychosis, but which all makes perfect sense later in the film. It's relatively straightforward as far as these types of films go, but first time writer/director Michael R. Roskam does some great camera work and injects some quality dialogue to make it an enjoyable ride. He probably could have shaved about 10 minutes or so off the final product for a tighter film, but that's a pretty minor criticism. Mayeb they could have skipped the cow caesarean?
Without - 9/10 from another first time writer/director, this time from the Pacific Northwest. We are essentially flies on the wall watching a young girl who has moved to a remote cabin in Washington to take care of a man in a vegetative state while his family is out of town. I loved this movie and I really have no idea why. Nothing really happens; there are long scenes with no dialogue and red herrings too numerous to count, but I was riveted by this film. It's quite minimalist, but it looks great and as you see this young lady deal with the isolation and the problems with her past, well it's just fascinating. I keep thinking about this one; it really stuck with me for whatever reason. The main girl was awesome and since she is on screen about 99% of the time, that's pretty important. I could have watched her living this life for several more days. Strangely fascinating film and one of my favourites so far.
Headshot - 4.5/10 A Thai film about an ex cop who becomes a hitman, taking out the supposed evil higher-ups in the world (politicians, businessman, etc.). This was honestly pretty bland which is a shame because I was really looking forward to it. The action was dull and the sloppy character development and dialogue did nothing to offset that. It was predictable and honestly pretty boring, treading absolutely no new ground whatsoever aside from giving the main character a ridiculous defect for, seemingly, the whole purpose of delivering some trite dialogue near the end of the film. It started out ok with a decent sequence showing how he got the defect, plus an ok flashback sequence with him and a protitute, but it was all downhill after that. I think flashbacks are starting to get on my nerves, do you hear me JJ Abrams??!!?
KT
- Nov 30, 2005
- 50,235
- 117
- 116
I keep meaning to see Feast. I never saw Project Greenlight, but the resulting film itself has received pretty decent reviews overall.
KT
slayer202
Lifer
- Nov 27, 2005
- 13,682
- 119
- 106
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - 8/10:
This one was tough to rate, but I think I'm satisfied with an 8. This is obviously Conan O'Brien's documentary, which chronicles the tour he went on during his "hiatus" from TV. It's very behind the scenes and shows a side of Conan we never see elsewhere. It's very real, as opposed to on the show where he seems kind of fake(at least lately, imo).
I did go to one of the shows in NYC, and I loved it. I'm not sure how that affected my enjoyment of this movie, but I thought the show was better than this doc. I imagine it would be fun seeing pieces of it if you hadn't gone to one of the tour stops.
Anyway, I liked this, but it wasn't great, and the subject is pretty mundane compared to some of the powerful documentaries out there, so I couldn't give this too much credit. If you like Conan this is definitely worth a watch. If you don't like him, it might still be worth watching to see another side of him. It's very honest and it's a glimpse into how some celebs might deal with fame while they are out of the spotlight.
12 Angry Men - 9.5/10:
God damn, what a great movie. This was my first time watching it and I was blown away. I have nothing even remotely critical to say about this, it was perfect. I won't bother to synopsize a classic, but a surefire way to know a movie is a true classic is if the themes are still relevant today, and they are with this film. It's unfortunate that all the same problems still seem to be around today, but that's another debate. This movie is friggin amazing.
This one was tough to rate, but I think I'm satisfied with an 8. This is obviously Conan O'Brien's documentary, which chronicles the tour he went on during his "hiatus" from TV. It's very behind the scenes and shows a side of Conan we never see elsewhere. It's very real, as opposed to on the show where he seems kind of fake(at least lately, imo).
I did go to one of the shows in NYC, and I loved it. I'm not sure how that affected my enjoyment of this movie, but I thought the show was better than this doc. I imagine it would be fun seeing pieces of it if you hadn't gone to one of the tour stops.
Anyway, I liked this, but it wasn't great, and the subject is pretty mundane compared to some of the powerful documentaries out there, so I couldn't give this too much credit. If you like Conan this is definitely worth a watch. If you don't like him, it might still be worth watching to see another side of him. It's very honest and it's a glimpse into how some celebs might deal with fame while they are out of the spotlight.
I thought the funniest part by far was all the "nas and damien marley" stuff. I was dying lol
12 Angry Men - 9.5/10:
God damn, what a great movie. This was my first time watching it and I was blown away. I have nothing even remotely critical to say about this, it was perfect. I won't bother to synopsize a classic, but a surefire way to know a movie is a true classic is if the themes are still relevant today, and they are with this film. It's unfortunate that all the same problems still seem to be around today, but that's another debate. This movie is friggin amazing.
Aquila76
Diamond Member
Rubber - 8/10
This was an interesting find on Netflix Streaming, based on my likes of sci-fi and revenge thrillers. Essentially, this movie is based on the birth and murderous life of a tire in the desert, culminating in a standoff with the local sheriff. It starts off a little slow, but eventually there are several plots going on to keep track of. At first it seems to be a cheesy sci-fi comedy, but it develops into something much better. I was really engaged throught this whole movie.
SPOILERS:
I still want to know how they made the tire. Not all the shots are CG, and it appears to be some wheel-within-a-wheel rig from some angles.
This was an interesting find on Netflix Streaming, based on my likes of sci-fi and revenge thrillers. Essentially, this movie is based on the birth and murderous life of a tire in the desert, culminating in a standoff with the local sheriff. It starts off a little slow, but eventually there are several plots going on to keep track of. At first it seems to be a cheesy sci-fi comedy, but it develops into something much better. I was really engaged throught this whole movie.
SPOILERS:
There may be a sequel, based on the ending, but it probably won't explain some of the gaps in the story: Why was the tire following the girl in the Rabbit? Why is it on a murderous rampage? What was the 'Sheriff' and his henchman really up to? The opening and ending lines give the answer: "No Reason."
I still want to know how they made the tire. Not all the shots are CG, and it appears to be some wheel-within-a-wheel rig from some angles.
goobernoodles
Golden Member
- Jun 5, 2005
- 1,820
- 2
- 81
I'm going to post this here because apparently no one found my drunken review as amusing as I did. And you should. Because that movie was terrible.
goobernoodles
Golden Member
- Jun 5, 2005
- 1,820
- 2
- 81
- Nov 30, 2005
- 50,235
- 117
- 116
The Jewel (Il gioiellino) - 8/10: is an Italian film which dramatizes the meteoric rise and fall of the gigantic dairy/food company Parmalat. As someone who works in finance and accounting this hit a bit close to home since I could definitely see how something like this could happen, and has happened multiple times, and I think the film maker did a great job of making this an interesting tale of tradition, incompetence, and greed. The characters were good, with a nice mix of traditionalists and loyalists juxtaposed with young up and comers (played by the gorgeous Sarah Felberbaum) and you see the various styles at play throughout the film. A solid, well-done tale of one of the largest Italian companies and how it fell into bankruptcy. Has some great lines throughout the film too. I liked this quite a bit. The movie is far less boring than my review, I promise!
KT
KT
- Nov 30, 2005
- 50,235
- 117
- 116
I really liked seeing the behind the scenes stuff, like when he should be resting after a show yet people just kept bringing friends and family by to meet him. You could tell he was pissed, but put on a good face and super nice to everyone. Loved that stuff.
I may have been too tired when I watched this (saw it at a Midnight screening, which does not work well for me) but I found it a bit long and tiresome after a while. It was a fun concept and had some interesting meta things going on, so may be worth a revisit at some point.
KT
RearAdmiral
Platinum Member
- Jun 24, 2004
- 2,261
- 117
- 106
busydude
Diamond Member
- Feb 5, 2010
- 8,793
- 5
- 76
Before Sunrise & Before Sunset - 10/10
Mind == Blown.
I have never felt so attached to the characters before. Wow! what a wonderful piece of cinema these movies are. The first one, just like their age, was a bit crude, a bit frantic and restless. The second, and the better of the two; is a bit more deliberate, more organic and natural.
The final 30 minutes of the second movie are so beautiful that I was almost in a trance.
The Squid and The Whale - 9.5/10
A flawless movie filled with extremely flawed characters. No likable characters.. and yet the movie managed to get my full attention. Everyone in this movie is excellent including the other Baldwin. Enjoyed it a lot!
Mind == Blown.
I have never felt so attached to the characters before. Wow! what a wonderful piece of cinema these movies are. The first one, just like their age, was a bit crude, a bit frantic and restless. The second, and the better of the two; is a bit more deliberate, more organic and natural.
The final 30 minutes of the second movie are so beautiful that I was almost in a trance.
The Squid and The Whale - 9.5/10
A flawless movie filled with extremely flawed characters. No likable characters.. and yet the movie managed to get my full attention. Everyone in this movie is excellent including the other Baldwin. Enjoyed it a lot!
- Nov 30, 2005
- 50,235
- 117
- 116
Nice! All great movies!
I resisted watching the 'Sun' movies for such a long time, thinking they were just chick flicks, but when I finally did I was blown away by how good they were. Great relationship movies and a great snapshot of Paris too. So well done.
KT
- Nov 30, 2005
- 50,235
- 117
- 116
Heh, indeed.
Footnote (Hearat Shulayim) - 8/10 is an Israeli film centred around a strained relationship between a father and son who are both Talmudic scholars. What a great movie. I loved how the film deals with the Father's feelings of resentment as his son surpasses his achievements in the same field; the Father is so stoic and grumpy, it's awesome and juxtaposing that against his son who is a lot more open and free worked very well. The films is very funny and touching, plus it exudes intelligence without being annoying. There are two scenes in particular which stood out to me, one being a long argument in a small room of professors, which plays for about five minutes and cuts serious verbal interplay some amusing physical comedy. A funny, and at times touching film that I enjoyed quite a bit.
Michael - 8.5/10 A German film centred around a paedophile who has a ten year-old boy locked in his basement. So hearing that premise you would think it is the most uncomfortable, painful film to watch and while there were certainly multiple scenes that had me squirming in my seat, the film is presented in such a way that you are not sitting there with a disgusted face (D
for the duration. It is an interesting film as it shows you not only how a man like that would live in order to keep up the disgusting charade of a life he leads, but also how the boy deals with living in this situation and also how things almost become familial in a twisted sort of way. There are, surprisingly, actually a couple of lighter moments too and seeing the man interact with the real world was quite interesting. I thought this was very well done and it does not make you feel like a disgusting sicko for sitting there watching it like, say, a Michael Haneke might do (I still love you Mr. Haneke). Has a great ending and closing credits sequence too.KT
- Nov 30, 2005
- 50,235
- 117
- 116
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress - 9.5/10: Now, I should preface this by saying there was very little chance I was going to dislike this film. As a food/restaurant nut and someone who has actually eaten at this restaurant, I was insanely excited to get this full behind the scenes look into Adria's process and relive our experience from 2007. I was not disappointed in the slightest. This is a very fly-on-the-wall style of documentary with no narration, that just leaves you in the room with these guys as they spend the off season in their lab creating a new menu, then putting it into production at the restaurant once they re-open in June. You get the various chefs playing with ingredients trying to come up with something new and exciting and constantly looking for Adria's approval. I loved every single minute of this documentary and could have watched another six hours of this. We were like little kids, nudging each other when our table was shown on screen or when there was a dish resembling one we had when we were there. I doubt this would all that interesting for people that are not into food and food preparation and/or have no previous knowledge of the restaurant and Adria, but for me it was an awesome document of a place with personal memories for me, that unfortunately no longer exists.
KT
KT
- Nov 30, 2005
- 50,235
- 117
- 116
Yeah I think I posted pictures of the meal on ATOT at some point. The doc is minimalist in style, so not for everyone, but I thought it was damn cool.
KT
busydude
Diamond Member
- Feb 5, 2010
- 8,793
- 5
- 76
The chemistry between them is incredible! Such an awesome casting choice.
Yeah.. I actually heard about these movies when a lady friend of mine posted on FB saying how boring and stupid these were.. she even went as far as calling them "two of the worst movies ever made." I could not disagree with her more.
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