WHAT TIME IS IT THERE? This one is from Taiwanese minimalist director Tsai-Ming Laing. It unfolds slowly, but somehow it kept my interest. Basically the story cross-cuts between three people. At the beginning a guy who sells watches on the street in Taiwan crosses paths with a girl who is about to leave on vacation for Paris. She doesn't want to buy the watches he has for sale, but wants to purchae the watch on his wrist, though it is unclear why she wants that watch. They haggle and he finally sells her the watch. They split and the rest of the story focuses on him changing clocks all over Taiwan to Paris time. She floats through Paris where she eventually meets another Chinese woman, from Hong Kong, and they end up in bed. In the third vignette, the guy who sells the watches' mother grieves for her dead husband and father of the guy who sells the watches. Her grieving gets more weird as the movie rolls along. Rating: C.

Flushed Away
A very fun animated film. Flushed Away is a humorous adventure of friendship, love, and slugs. Roddie St. James (Hugh Jackman) is a rat from the world above the sewers. Rita (Kate Winslet) is an aggravated tomboy from the world of the dark, damp, underground. They meet go off on an adventure filled with Toads, Singing Slugs (The Best Part of The Film), and eventually fall in love. It's predictable but still benefits from the laughs and innocence that "Kid" movies usually bring.
8/10

LIVE FLESH. I'm not a big fan of Pedro Almodovar. Others seem to love his films, but I just find them mildly entertaining. His sensibility and mine just don't jibe I guess. My favorite film of his, though, is LIVE FLESH, which I took another look at last night thanx to Netflix. I hadn't seen it since its original theatrical run 10 years ago. It remains my favorite film of his. It is based on a Ruth Rendell novel and that probably has something to do with it. It also was an early starring role for Javier Bardem, an actor I like quite a bit. Basically, a story where two cops respond to an apartment where a gunshot had been fired. The apartment is owned by a woman Bardem had had an affair with. There is a guy in the apartment with the woman and he has a gun. There is a struggle between the two cops, Bardem being one of them, and the guy w/ the guy. The gun goes off and Bardem is shot. You don't actually see the shot being fired. You flash forward four years ahead and the guy who shot Bardem has just got out of prison. Bardem is paralyzed and is in a wheelchair and ended up marrying the woman who was in the apartment where he got shot. The guy who shot Bardem who has just gotten out of prison is visiting his mother's grave when he sees Bardem at a funeral for a relative of his wife. He meets the wife of the other cop in the cemetery and begins an affair with her. Then he meets Bardem's wife and has an affair with her. It turns out the other cop, not the guy in the apartment, shot Bardem because Bardem was having an affair with his wife. Sounds like a two-hankie melodrama, but somehow it all works. Rating: B+.

Donnie Darko: Director's Cut by Richard Kelly
WTF? Donnie Darko is a very dense psychological thriller about time travel, giant talking rabbits, and a young mentally unstable by the name of Donnie Darko. It's beautiful but very complex. The director's cut adds another 20 minutes to the film and gives it more flavor and thought. It's still hard to understand but Donnie Darko will amaze you in ways that you've never been amazed before.
9/10- Absolutely Fantastic.

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My computer has been down, so I've been watching lots of movies, but when I do have access to the computer, I don't feel like writing 25 new mini-reviews. I will say that I saw Half Nelson and found it incredibly boring and amateurish. Yes, I'm a teacher at a school made up mostly of minorities, and yes, I've also had my share of addiction problems. I did think that the film got better as it went along, but that means I give it a D+.

A few random movies I remember seeing lately:

Allegro non troppo (Bruno Bozzeto, 1976) - A-
A Kid For Two Farthings (Carol Reed, 1955) - B
Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985) - B
If I Were King (Frank Lloyd, 1938) - B+
The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, 2006) - B
Blithe Spirit (David Lean, 1945) - B+
Proof (John Madden, 2005) - B-
Lady Vengeance (Chan-Wook Park, 2005) - B-

Maybe I'll include some more later.

I finally caught the Adam Sandler remake, "The Longest Yard" & I'm shocked I actually liked it! Very funny & not your average mindless/heartless Sandler flick. I'm now curious as to how good the original was. This baby is a MUST own for my library.

quote:

Originally posted by mark f:
I will say that I saw Half Nelson and found it incredibly boring and amateurish. D+.

I couldn't agree with you more. I didn't (and don't) know what all the fuss was about.

Meanwhile:

DOUBLE HARNESS. The Film Forum in NYC is resurrecting six films from RKO (now owned by Time-Warner) that haven't been shown since the late 1950s. Meriam Cooper -- the director of KING KONG -- and also a producer produced the six films and was awarded them in some sort of court settlement. Someone on the TCM network was looking for one of the films and found it missing, did some investigating and found that Cooper's estate owned them and found the prints in an archive at Brigham Young University. This film starred William Powell and Ann Harding as a couple of upper class lovers. Harding traps playboy Powell into marrying her, Powell wants to get free and then Powell realizes he really does love Harding. An interesting sub-plot involves Harding's sister, who can't stop spending money shopping, and she has to borrow money to pay the rent and threatens to become a kept woman. Because of Powell's presence I'll give this one a C.

RAFTER ROMANCE. This one is from the same batch of six films owned by Cooper starred Ginger Rogers and Norman Foster as, believe it or not, roommates. Rogers has the room from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and Foster from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. They never "meet" as roommates, but send each other nasty notes and play pranks on each other (Foster saws Rogers' bed in half for example). They meet outside of the apartment, but not knowing they are roommates because they have never actually met, fall in love. Robert Benchley is good in a supporting role as Rogers' lecherous boss and there is a terrific subplot involving an older women who wants to patronize and "support" Foster, who refuses her "help." And the landlord and his family are Jewish. When the Production Code came into effect in 1934 any traces of ethnicity were wiped from the movies so it was nice to see some ethnicity in a Hollywood film. That said, the film though is too silly for me to really recommend. Rating: D.

UNMAN, WITTERING AND ZIGO. This is a terrific 1971 film that starred David Hemmings (BLOW UP) and was directed by John Mackenzie (THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY). Hemmings comes mid semester to replace a teacher at a private English prep school. The kids are really creepy and tell Hemmings they killed his predecessor. There is a power struggle between the kids and Hemmings and they fight with one another to gain the upper hand. This one was chilling. Rating: B.

STARTER FOR TEN. This one opened in first run on Friday and starred James Macavoy, Forest Whitaker's co-star in THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. He plays a British kid from a working class background who enters college. The film focuses on his efforts to fit in in college and contrasts how his friends who didn't go to college and he start to drift apart. A fairly effective movie. Rating: B.

COMPLICITY. This is a Brit thriller from 2000 that didn't get picked up for theatrical distribution in the U.S. Johnny Lee Miller plays a journalist who has a source who tells him about a mole in the intelligence services. However, his source is playing him and is really murdering business executives and others who have done nefarious deeds. It also looks like Miller is being set up to take the rap. The film doesn't really work. Rating: C.

Night at the Museum- A hillarious movie with a crazy premise, but it pulls it off extremely well. This was a big shocker, and I found myself laughing a lot. Stiller and Wilson were great, especially Wilson.
9 out of 10

Man of the Year- A pretty good flick, but the movie was confused on what it wanted to be (comedy/thriller/romance). The first half was great with the politcs aspect, but it got lost in the second half. Robin Williams was great and Christopher Walken was as well.
7.5 out of 10

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - I really liked it, though I wasn't completely blown away. I especially liked the odd relationship between Steve Carrell and Paul Dano: one is suicudal, the other hates everyone and is on a vow of silence. Yet they manage to find common interests and have a few laughs late in the movie. I was surprised the Academy gave it a Best Picture nod, almost as surprised as I was that it didn't get one for Best Director. (four pairs, one per movie, then LMS and United 93 splitting the last pair)
GRADE: A-

THE DEPARTED - I read a review by maybe my most trusted reviewer, Shawn Levy of The Oregonian, and I think he hit the nail on the head. While other reviewers were handing out 100s, he gave it a measly 91, which is still excellent, but admits some minor flaws. His biggest concern was that it seems like this movie is almost packaged for the Academy while Scorsese had more freedom making his earlier acclaimed work. The acting is superb (though I wouldn't pick Wahlberg as the best in the bunch), the directing is, I think, Oscar worthy, and the story is great too. Still, i didn't love the length, I didn't love the ending, and the music seemed out of place at times.
GRADE: A-

BABEL - powerful, sad, moving, strong message...that's what the director (I'm not gonna try to spell his name) was probably going for and that's basically what he accomplishes. Acting was superb . . . except note that the three biggest stars, Pitt, Blanchett, and Garcia Bernal were not the best performances of the movie. (I agree whole-heartedly with the acting nominations) From what I can tell, the directing was amazing too. The film was shot in three different continents, several different languages, and the best part: he managed to stay in each scene for just the right amount of time before switching storylines. As far as intertwined-story movies go, I'd put this ahead of Crash. (anyone notice Micheal Pena is in both? as well as World Trade Center?) This movie struck me as very realistic in the reactions to things, such as the border crossing scene and the assumption that a random gun wound must be by a terrorist. My only complaint is that some of the tragedies get just a bit too unlikely. Ex: the characters are presently involved in a tragedy after suffering multiple tragedies in the past.
This has my vote for Best Picture.
GRADE: A


far away from the last three:
GHOST RIDER - I liked some of Nicholas Cage's performance and some of the action. That's pretty much it. Worst part: Cage is supposed to fight what I'm going to call the League of Demons. There's a rock demon, a wind demon, a water demon, and an ice demon. Then there's the head demon, Mephistopheles, who is on a different side than the last four. ("What's a good devil name?" "Hmm, how bout...Mephistopheles? Mephisto sounds devilish, and let's add an extra -ph- on there")
So pretty much don't see this movie.
GRADE: C-

Smokin' Aces - The only thing I can say that would truly describe this movie is "Bad Ass." With an excellent cast of leading and supporting roles coupled with excellent plot twists, dark humor and white-knuckle action, the film is a must see. 84/100

Idiocracy - Not a particularly great film, but funny nonetheless. 70/100

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I have recently seen THE ASTRONAUT FARMER and I was pleasantly surprised! It's a nice little feel good movie. At first I thought, Billy Bob Thornton in a family movie? But he pulls it off quite impressively! He aslso gets a surprise visit from BRUCE WILLIS. Virginia Madsen is a milf and she does a good job. Even UNCLE RICO from Napolean Dynamite is in it. It's worth checking out!

Let's give a hand clap to the very interesting review by Jordan Hanks... Welcome to Metacritic.
Manhunter by Micheal Mann
William Petersen stars as Will Graham, a mentally unstable ex-cop who is brought back to the squad after two families have been killed. It's done by a serial killer known as the "Tooth Fairy" (he leaves bite marks in the wives/mothers of the families). The acting is stiff, the editing is horrible, and the story is fine for the most part until... They are about to find out who commited the crime and miraculous Will Graham knows how to find him (just with a snap of the finger... Somehow he connects pets and a boltcutter with a photo/video shop, Home Videos are involved but it almost seems irrelevant). Once you reach the end you have an average film about murder and the psychological affects it has on the people who are trying to solve the killings and the killers themselves.
6.5/10

I just got home from seeing "Black Snake Moan" & it was fantastic! I laughed at & cared for the characters. I'm not sure how big an audience this kind of movie brings in because I normally only go to see big budget action movies in a theater & save movies such as this for DVD. The theater was barely half full & I'm used to sitting in a crowded one. It should do well since it is a great movie, but it's not off to a great start from the looks of it & that's too bad. If you want some laughs & a story about 2 tortured souls who work at healing each other, than I recommend this movie. A++

Flags of Our Fathers

Marie Antoinette (I should have known going in I wouldn't like it)

Norbit (In the mood for something light and senseless)

Ghost Rider (I really liked it)

Dreamgirls

The film itself is a fairly straightforward, mildly entertaining tale, but the real interest for me was the music and the performance of jennifer Hudson.
Being Australian, I knew nothing about Hudson. I have only just now been reading that she was on Idol, and the whole controversy that ensued.
She's fantastic. Jesus god almighty, the girl can sing like nothing else. Every other singer I've ever heard from the various Idol shows are useless.
My problem is the songs themselves. They are Dullsville, as opposed to Hitsville.
Just goes to show how amazing the 60's Motown run was, and how they can't be copied or bettered.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Larry Charles, 2006, Grade: B-)

First off, I realize I'm just about the last person here who has seen this, but I rented it and laughed hard and long at much of it. Big, big laughs. High five!

But, even though it's short, a little of it goes a long way. I think it would have been even better if it was shorter. Of course, what I'm about to say practically negates that. The Bonus Features had eight scenes chopped, and I think the movie would have been even better with at least half of those. So I guess I'm saying that I give it a Thumbs Up, I thought it was really funny, but could have been improved by some judicious editing. Very nice.

I just got in from seeing "300" & all I can say is "WOW". The cinematography is beautiful. The bleached out gold coloring is a great backdrop to the bright red cloaks the Spartans wear & the dark red blood they spill. Fantastic action & the audience actually applauded! This movie does for Spartans, what "Braveheart" did for Scottsmen! A+++ I highly recommend this flick!

gStranger than Fiction
Will Ferrell is Harold Crick, a man who's life is narrated by Karen Eiffel (sp?). It's a humorous, dramatic, and adventurous tale that will leave you in a great mood when it ends. It's predictable but still the premise is very interesting and absurd (at times). Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Anna, Harold's love interest who's supposedly an anarchist baker?! Stranger than Fiction was definitely a fun experience while it lasted. Emma Thompson is Karen Eiffel, the author trying to kill off Harold and is notified by her voice. He sets out to find this woman and tell her that his life is in danger but first he has to find out who this woman is.
7.5/10

I'm new here and there are a lot of pages to research so if anyone has mentioned "The Ringer", sorry! What a great movie. The cast must have the time of their lives making this. It's a comedy about the mentally challenged and not the least bit offensive. Anyone see it.

Hollywoodland-9
Great direction and great performances by Brody, Affleck who should've won Best Supp. Actor and the woman who played Reeves' mother (Can't get to her name right now).

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-6
Great visuals and fights. Somewhat weak story. Great performance by Ziyi Zhang.