21.vii.MCDXXX
game for skewering:
(star system: no stars for suckers, or some for hook interestingness and/or prodction qlty)
**** In the valley of Elah
thoughtful casting places a whole line up of very talented actors in the best roles i've seen them in in a long time. The actors and their parts fit together very well. Tommy lee jones in particular delivered a carefully crafted performance that was very thoughtful, telling and touching.
haggis. he's got it. he write the good stuff paul haggis.
he'd caught my attention in Crash to be sure - which was more heartfelt, tighter and more real than emotional orgasms of paul thomas anderson's magnolia.
Indeed this movie represents a few steps up the quality ladder since Crash.
Haggis' filmography reveals a slinger and a heavy hitter.
His writing credits include the two latest outings of the new Bond, three Clint Eastwood movies.
although i avoided them when they were released , now recognized as eastwood haggis collaborations they are at least worth checking out.
already million dollar baby stands out as one of the best boxing movies in its proximity to the sport itself + the strong melodrama that burdens and drives its characters.
Team America (2004)
I'd skipped that one too . There ws no way i was going to watch self-indulgences on the war from the South park angle. But of the post 03 war movie wave, this was one of the earliest.
For all its ambivalence (or complacency) and idiosyncracies it's a solid comedy. it's south park; so it's also over the top: there are enough times you hear the name of jesus invoked in exclamation associated with wanton acts of intercourse.
# passion of the christ
incomplete - b/c i skipped a lotta scenes
i never liked cazievel anyway - jus lk @ the name
belucci does some repenting
listening the very arabic-like aramaic is v. interesing
nad quite puts the lie to the ajami foreign alien exoontologic turkic/hungar language of khebkhew
# family plot (Hitchcock 1976)
lol his name is hitchcock.
anyway
finally finished this plodding un-funny though it thinks it is flick
full of cliches from its period (mid/late 60s - what? late 70s?
crime, suspense, thriller flicks
where directors and actors who for some unknown reason think they're cute
and are droll
are actually anything but
if anything it points to the atrocious state of humour among at least that clique
in their day.
most brit - like hitchy here -
i recall those endless ensemble suspense/thriller/murder/whodunit/whatrwecalledherefor dramas
with the likes of peter sellers, david niven, assorted harlots and sidekicks (lol like i bet
robter wagner and the likes)
lol, eg,
cat and the canary
also the period goes with my current disco phase
indi jones & crystal skull
is v. effing dull
** Strange days (1995)
Can hardly believe this cyberpunk flick was made in 1995 !!!!
so visionary
their foretelling of the millenium parties is remarkable - tho
it is rather str8fwd if u think abou it
the memory transcription thing is one of the more interesting themes in sci-fi
see greg egan s/w copy or something , paprika anime, etc.
Chemical wedding (2008)
another cyberpunk movie
quantum interference, squids,
crazy quantum-related computer-controlled transmigration of souls, reincarnation
astral projection AND time travel
to say nothing
of masonic rites and references, philological devices, occult galore,
and satanic sex orgies
gotta be the cyberpunk flick of the decade so far !
naturally none of the critics understood it
nor did i of course - but it takes some background knowlege on
crowley and his AA-OTO-GD crowd , his thoughts etc
smoe of the references make more sense when familiar with his works
like the 7777777,... message eg.
# **** Mongol (2007)
good treatment -
much appreciate the mongol (monguk) dialogues
the interesting costumes of the turko-monguk settings on the outskirts of the xixin kingdom
and the interpretations were good as well
another plus is the story tallies with every other work i've perused on
the Khagan's life - which all obviously derive from the same legend and source
the secret history of the mongol people
the vistas of the open steppes, the well thought-out sets
give off historical reality and gravity
with the right mood it allowed me to wander into the very human condition itself
and this primordial tale which must have been replicated throughout ostasia and transpacific
for millenia.
then of course the story of this man, clearly guided and protected by fate / destiny,
amounting to making an unstoppable agent, close to that of major prophets.
The morality cliches , the dedication fo the wife, the monk, the trials and deprivations
of the khagan are - as is the habit with chinese / ostasian productions - touching.
# Street Fighter: The legend of Chun Li (2009)
not bad , has some interesting hooks
still not sold on that genre AND it is a game adaptation
a genre of which i have still seen nothing impressive
but a novel and interesting environment and context and set of
cliches / tropes for me to watch since i'm so unfamiliar
with this tacky brainless bullshit
i guess one attractive (literally) elemnt in this genre of movies
(kickboxing,street fighting vigilante type shit)
which could be seen in this flick and i often saw it
in the random tv replays of van damme and lambert flicks
is how its protags exude this goodness and good faith
and the story is so simplistically morally clearcut
to watch it is like a massage to viewers' ethical subsystems
but it is particularly a good natured quality about the protag
that appeals to the "masses" which also includes me every now
and a blue moon, with a trough in my intellectual biorhythm,
and nothing better to watch :)
# ** Starship Troopers 3 (2008)
it's pretty close to the original flick
reprises much of the same art direction, and character of the first one.
quite unlike the very shazh/outcast, the 2nd sequel
# starship troopers 2 (200x)
disparate from the other two in the series
+ sucks ass basically
it's like Alien on a shoestring budget by
performing arts wannabes - yep it's squarely on the low-end
of the "hack movie" category
must've gotten it today after ST3 wetted my appetite for more
# Resident Evil: degeneration (2008)
not bad not bad for a 3D anime
some nice details
noted the work on the textures like textiles, >= two layers of hair
the facial playacting
and facial features
tho still people do not move like that -
* Duplicity (2009)
not bad not bad
w/ the inside man guy the one with always good parts - clive owen
better than the rest in its type of plot
i recall the one with clooney -
and another with the stupid euro company selling bad weapons to some
arab country - and their relation with russian mafia and the protag.
the three fit together.
this one was perhaps better.
Dead space downfall (2008)
cartoon - cel animation
art approaches that ugly art of the guy who made the aeon flux cartoon series
but the art is thankfully much better than that - particularly the humans are much better
tho still leaving much to be desired.
otoh, the craft and tech designs were nice. particularly the space tether
was well conceived - and an upgrade on the legendary spelevator.
Eagle eye (2008)
OMG it's soooooo imbecilic
outlander
OMG it's soooooooo baaaaad
and imbecilic
also score's almost the same as previous entry
but great creature design
Gin-iro no Kami no Agito
(=Agito the Silver-Haired)(2006, Keiichi Sugiyama) aka (origin - spirits of the past)studio Gonzo
def'ly NOT studio ghibli
for every studio ghibli there is a studio gonzo
to fool the less discerning
changeling (2008)
i hear oscar nominations
which isn't saying much - it's already done w/ we're in june's end
but what a harrowing story
and the history seems to be told well, 'least for a hllywd picsher
but utterly unmemorable. the story is so small compared
to the steppes of Ghengiz khan the alien infestations in far away galaxies.
no actually some key elements were missing from this work.
and angelina jolie won't convince me of motherhood emotions if they paid me.
confessions of a shopaholic
incomplete
she so cute & funny
ok and also vomit inducing but cute
she has that reese witherspoon air about her.
**** oss 117: rio ne répond + (2009)
Manages to tackle a culturally sensitive area with frankness and subtlety, tho characteristically it doesn't take itself too seriously - or at least presents itself this way. understandably - for it juggles heavy baggage: as an exploitation spoof, as an exploitation movie itself, as intercultural readings through (faux-)satire, and so on.
isn't Hubert, among other things, sarkozian france in today's confusing state of the world? so are his co-star chars also personifications of the different locales he stumbles into.
all reasons to look fwd to the next installement in the series - maybe in 2010.
*** king arthur (2004)
2nd time watch
fresh take - a demystified look at the legend, attempting to place it in an historical
context - that or reproducing the novel that originally did that.
good despite melodramatic flourishes and score
good cast too - and clive owens very distinguishing in the roles he chooses- something that viewers appreciate in actors.
hardware (1990)
piece of garbage
lowest tech movie ever
tech takes a nosedive in this foresaken flick
a cyberpunk wannabe that fails so badly - never even tries
stupid
ages badly because it wasn't up to its own time
would appear more impressive if it were made in 1969 not 1990
incomplete - couldn't finish it
notorious (2008)
so lame
gives "black" or "hood" movies a bad name
do all biopics suck?
it sucks ass - no cool, no pace, no charisma, nothing
couldn't finish it
and seriously if notorious biggs is anything like that actor (was he him?!)
he so lame man. i hung out with people who hung out with puff daddy read p-diddy,
and this film here is laaaayme bro its laaaame.
entre les murs (2008)
excellent classroom drama
best one i've seen so far?
2nd time lucky -
Columbo 5x02 A Case Of Immunity Ac3 Dvdrip Xvid
reel arabs episode - nominated for emmy
goldblum carrying Saurians sign
the fictional arab dictatorship is sauria - either a play on saudia or syria
incomplete
friday 13th 2009
incomplete
nothing new
michael bay shud be kept away frm teen movies
Push (2008)
incomplete
great story - terrible film
and what the hell is with this silly idea of sniffers
it's disgusting to start with
highway to hell (1991)
nostalgia for one of those random old rentals from the time i watched it - obviously
past the late 80s /90s cusp viewing wave
so 2nd time or so since 91/92 maybe even 93/94 !
discovered
it has early parts for buddies ben stiller his dad and his sister even!
stiller again cast / casting himself as the idiot - so it's a loooong running
gag with him. but u can nearly always tell he's no idiot - nearly because - well
watch zoolander + dodgeball
incomplete
Martyrs (2008)
french hoghogh
compelling thought if only for a second - though a second later the gaping hole in the premise becomes evident. despite anything compelling it remains a gratuitous/exploit. film and i didn't like that.
beowulf and grendel (2005)
demystified look at the legend
demystified and boooooring.
but w/ whatchmacallem, King Arthur (2004) *** , and the more engaging Beowulf (2007) *** ,
they form the kernel of a good Gothic (the historical culture not the literary genre) Film fest.
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