DVDizzy Forum

Posted: **Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:33 pm**

The Women (1939)

They weren't lying with the title: have not seen a single man in the entire picture. It dragged a bit at times (obviously, movies had a much slower pace back then) and it included a totally unneccesary scene about a modeling show (but I can see the attraction of it on the audience back then, since it was the only Technicolor scene in an otherwise black-and-white movie), but overall this was very enjoyable. It succesfully mixes (melo)drama with a lot of humor. I'm not ashamed to say I laughed out a lot over the typically (or should I say, stereotypical) behavior of the gossiping women who make up the cast of the picture. It would be an interesting debate about whether or not this movie is sexist or actually empowering toward women. On the one hand, like I said, it's definitly told from a man's point of view (the way they see women), but on the other hand it's progressive in that it openly speaks about women divorcing their husbands (in 1939, no less) and the women are portrayed as very cunning. Or you could just watch it and have a lot of laughs...

Sham Moh (At the end of daybreak, 2009)

At only 94 minutes, this thing dragged on and on. The premise was very promising: a 23 year old guy gets into a relationship with a 15 year old girl, her parents discover this and trouble ensues. The problem is, we only see very, very little of this relationship and both of them don't seem to be very in love. In fact, this may be cinema's coldest, most indifferent couple ever. On top of that, the guy has no personality and the girl is a bitch anyway. Then there's also too much time reserved for side characters who have little to do with the main story. So at the end, I don't care what happens to the guy or whether or not he goes to prison. The movie didn't make me care about the characters, so how can it expect me to care about the outcome?

Posted: **Mon Jan 30, 2012 2:19 am**

Various movie viewings from the last 12 days.
Ratings based on a 5 star method.
[Blue = 1st time rating and/or viewing]

Beauty and the Beast [in 3D] (2012) ✰✰✰✰✰
^ First theatrical viewing of 2012!! woot!
Courageous (2011) ✰✰✰1/2
Avatar (2009) ✰✰✰
Aladdin (1992) ✰✰✰✰
Fireproof (2008) ✰✰✰
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) ✰✰1/2
^ Very disappointed. Hard to watch. Was very boring.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) ✰✰✰1/2

Posted: **Mon Jan 30, 2012 2:21 pm**

At the weekend I watched...

Rosemary's Baby (1968) - A great horror; Roman Polanski's directorial brilliance is clear, especially in his gleeful direction of the melodramatic, "Hail Satan!" ending scenes. Mia Farrow is a strong lead, and the themes of both the supernatural work sickeningly well with the 'miracles' of childbirth and pregnancy. The scene with the Devil-worshipping neighbours nonchalantly sneaking through Rosemary's apartment to allow Guy and Dr Saperstein in is so simple, yet so terrifying.

Into the Wild (2007) - Despite some slow, meandering and aimless sequences and minor problems (like Kristen Stewart's acting abilities, or lack thereof), this is an utterly beautiful film, in both the engrossing content and gorgeous visuals. The well-edited shots of the snow-capped mountains surrounding the protagonist, the deer running to and fro, and the many other vibrant, colourful nature-centric moments are breathtaking.

The non-fiction hero, Christopher McCandless is highly likable in his occasional innocence/naivete, modest intelligence and rebelliousness, and Emile Hirsch is very good in portraying him. The themes and the movie's plot are wonderfully inspirational, and the final message - that happiness must be shared - is strengthened by the bittersweet, heartbreaking ending.

Hal Hoolbrook is sublime in his supporting role as Ron, a lonely and widowed old man who re-discovers happiness in his life with the company of Chris; however, his subplot ends sadly, in a heartfelt and genuine tear-jerker of a scene.

The film is occasionally nostalgic, thought-provoking and emotionally powerful, and whilst imperfect, is one of the finest films of 2007.

Posted: **Mon Jan 30, 2012 3:05 pm**

I watched a few movies over the weekend.

The Descendants - This was a fine film, but it's not Best Picture worthy. Also, George Clooney was not Best Actor worthy. While I understand and agree with the nominations, I'll be truly upset if either wins. My favorite parts of the film were definitely Judy Greer and Shailene Woodeley (surprisingly, as I've never seen her show). It's recommended, but I wasn't as impressed as most other reviewers were.

Joyful Noise - I did not want to see this, but Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was sold out and before I could even comprehend, my friends already bought tickets to... this. For the most part, it was a geriatric religious sex comedy in the worst way possible. The musical moments were fantastic, and probably makes the SOUNDTRACk worth a buy. Stay far away from the movie, though, as neither Dolly Parton nor Queen Latifah can save it.

Dancer in the Dark - I've always been a mild fan of Bjork, but I LOVED her in this. I'm astounded she wasn't nominated for Best Actress for this (although it was the same year Naomi Watts was snubbed for the phenomenal Mulholland Dr., so there must have been something going on with the voters). It was haunting, and so full of dread that I may never be able to watch it again.

Camp - I've seen this before, but decided to watch it again. I liked it a little less this time, but still really enjoyed it overall. It's basically, as the tagline suggests, a comedy about drama.

Posted: **Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:44 pm**

Had a lot of time in my hands...

There Will Be Blood
Wow. I had put off watching this for a long time but I was stunned. It's been a long time since I have been totally mesmerised for the entire duration of a 3 hour film but this just blew me away. The film feels almost biblical in its depiction of the conflicts that occur between the two main characters - an oil prospector, chillingly played by Daniel Day Lewis and a young preacher (Paul Dano). The performances are excellent, the cinematography is gorgeous. See this film!

The Killing
Kubrick's little seen third film is a noir that shows a gang of like minded down-and-outs plan a heist at the race track. The film is a very strong effort, as is the central performance by Sterling Hayden. Nevertheless, Kubrick's talent developed over time unlike many other directors who made masterpieces right off the bat (Malick, Truffaut, Welles) and it wouldn't be until after The Killing that he would direct his first and one of the finest films he ever made - Paths of Glory.

A Clockwork Orange
By no means among my favourites of Kubrick's oeuvre but certainly one of his most stylish and interesting, A Clockwork Orange is an eccentric Orwellian fantasy with a great performance by Malcolm McDowell as Alex, the film's violent, sadistic, criminal protagonist. The film's moral compass spins like it was in a disaster movie like The Core but it certainly doesn't condone Alex's behaviour even if it does make you symphathise with him.

Eyes Wide Shut
It wasn't the best way to cap off your career but Eyes Wide Shut is by no means a bad film but it isn't a great one either. Tom Cruise gives a rather impressive performance as the doctor who stumbles upon a masked quasi-religious sex cult. The film does end with an ironic *ahem* anticlimax.

Posted: **Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:08 pm**

The Last Picture Show
I'm not entirely convinced on its 'masterpiece' status but Peter Bogdanovich's melancholy coming of age character study, focusing on a small Texan community is nevertheless a strong film featuring some powerful performances and gritty black and white photography.

The Piano
It isn't terrible but it's by no means good. The characters are underdeveloped and there seems to be a few pieces missing from the puzzle - the relationship between Baines and Ada is just totally unbelievable. That being said the cinematography was beautiful, it gives the film a haunting quality that wriggles its way inside your subconscious, and the score was just stunning. However the film is mediocre at best.

Posted: **Thu Feb 02, 2012 12:37 pm**

I traded in a bunch of DVDs of mine that I don't need or use anymore to a place at my local flea market on Friday. Among other items, I got a copy of the Criterion release for The Royal Tenenbaums, and decided to watch it when I came home.

Wow. What a change a repeat viewing can make on you. I watched this once off of a recording from the Sundance Channel a few months back, and while I liked it, the movie didn't make a huge impression on me. Watching it again, I can really feel Wes Anderson's understanding of the characters and get behind each of their distinct quirks and stories. The cast is phenomenal, with Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller and Gwyneth Paltrow especially giving out great performances.

And the music. My god, I love Anderson's taste. The Rolling Stones. Lou Reed. Paul Simon. The Clash. John Lennon. The Ramones. Nick Drake. Elliott Smith. Van Morrison. Two solid Nico tracks bookending the film. And a brilliant orchestral cover of "Hey Jude" opens up the film. All of this alone makes the film for me.

And Criterion's set is of course brilliant. I highly recommend it.

Posted: **Fri Feb 03, 2012 7:24 pm**

The Artist - What an amazing film! I literally loved every second of it; it was so entertaining, fun, dramatic, and can I just say that Uggie was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Seriously, no wonder it was nominated for so many awards. This one is a definite Blu-ray purchase for me.

Posted: **Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:43 pm**

Pixie Hollow Games (2011) 6.5/10 - I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, this should’ve been a TV series.

50/50 (2011) 7.5/10 - I think it is just irresponsible to call this movie a comedy as it just doesn’t prepare the viewer for what is a pretty emotionally exhaustive journey. As expected by the subject matter, it’s pretty depressing at times, which is one of the reasons I tend to avoid movies that deal with the morality of man. It doesn’t help that cancer is a BIG problem in my family and I don’t expect to make it past 70 at best (I’ve come to except that fact but still pray - and back that with donations - that a cure will come before that time arrives). That said, it was exhaustive. With soo many of my family members having cancer, this really did strike a cord. You get to know the characters like family and seeing them go through this hurts. I thought the acting was great all across the board (I even liked Seth Rogen). I recommend this movie but also ask that you prepare yourself.

Moneyball (2011) 7/10 - I thought it was good if not the least bit memorable. I was never particularly invested in any of the characters and I felt like the plot never really went anywhere. It was just a really well made movie with an interesting subject matter.

Posted: **Mon Feb 06, 2012 5:03 pm**

The Letter (1940)

Not too special thriller by William Wyler, starring Bette Davis. It's about a woman who shoots a man and claims he tried to rape her, but her lawyer starts to get doubts after a few discoveries. It sure begins promising and Wyler manages to create a tense and intruiging atmosphere, but ultimately the film doesn't deliver the promise when it focuses on Davis' character's psychology more than the investigation of the crime and that's where melo-drama and over-acting come into play.

Great Expectations (1946)

That's exactly what I had when I started watching this David Lean classic. Like the film reviewed above, this one starts very promising with a frightening scene at a graveyard involving a little boy and an escaped prisoner, then shakes things up with some entertaining parts with the boy's legal guardians and then adds some mystery with an old mansion and a crazy old lady. Then it starts to drag and becomes predictable sometimes. The execution is flawless, but the story simply doesn't hold up (yes, it's Dickens, I know) and the characters aren't very interesting, especially the girl Pip loves. Why he does is a complete mystery to me, as she's been nothing but nasty to him and there's no chemistry at all between them.

Posted: **Tue Feb 07, 2012 1:21 am**

Goliath wrote:...and the characters aren't very interesting, especially the girl Pip loves. Why he does is a complete mystery to me, as she's been nothing but nasty to him and there's no chemistry at all between them.

Agreed. I haven't seen David Lean's version of Great Expectations, but I've seen a more recent version and it baffled me when Pip fell in love with the horrid Estella.

Posted: **Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:27 am**

Recently, I've seen the following:

Hugo - I think it's my second favorite film of 2011 (so far... still a few I need to check out). It was so fantastic - it's definitely one of Scorsese's best films, despite its hugely different subject matter (it's his first family film.) Asa Butterfield and Chloe Grace Möretz were wonderful (Chloe's British accent was pretty good!) Sasha Baron Cohen was actually not annoying, and the other actors were marvelous, as well. I can't recommend it enough... it's a movie for fans of movies.

Moneyball - I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did. It definitely shouldn't win any awards, but I understand the Best Picture nomination (Jonah Hill definitely should NOT have been nominated. He did nothing new.)

Posted: **Tue Feb 07, 2012 7:09 am**

Dr Frankenollie wrote:
Goliath wrote:...and the characters aren't very interesting, especially the girl Pip loves. Why he does is a complete mystery to me, as she's been nothing but nasty to him and there's no chemistry at all between them.
Agreed. I haven't seen David Lean's version of Great Expectations, but I've seen a more recent version and it baffled me when Pip fell in love with the horrid Estella.

In the book you can read that Pip loved Estella ' against reason". Yes, Estella is horrid against Pip, but the point of the story is that "the crazy old lady" miss Havisham raised and educated her with the intention to be horrid, cold and to break the heart of men attracted by her beauty, as an act of vengeance against all men because miss Havisham herself was forsaken at her wedding day. So Estella was probably not a horrible person at heart, but made that way by the crazy old lady. In the end Estella is the one who has to suffer a great deal when she decides to marry a brute - thinking she can handle him, but instead becoming very unhappy as a battered wife - this is what miss Havisham accomplished with her education. Just mean to say: there's so much more to this story than just " How can Pip fall in love with such a nasty girl"?

Posted: **Tue Feb 07, 2012 7:46 am**

TheSequelOfDisney wrote:The Artist - What an amazing film! I literally loved every second of it; it was so entertaining, fun, dramatic, and can I just say that Uggie was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Seriously, no wonder it was nominated for so many awards. This one is a definite Blu-ray purchase for me.

Same here. I will also be getting the Blu-Ray when it comes out.

Posted: **Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:35 am**

Estella is the Dickensian equivalent of a femme fatale. Havisham, as a reaction to her jilting, raised her to break the hearts of men. Early in the novel directly tells Estella that she can "break [Pip's] heart" however over the years, Estella's cold upbringing backfires on Havisham, here's an extract from later in the novel:

We were seated by the fire, as just now described, and Miss Havisham still had Estella's arm drawn through her own, and still clutched Estella's hand in hers, when Estella gradually began to detach herself. She had shown a proud impatience more than once before, and had rather endured that fierce affection than accepted or returned it.

`What!' said Miss Havisham, flashing her eyes upon her, `are you tired of me?'

`Only a little tired of myself,' replied Estella, disengaging her arm, and moving to the great chimney-piece, where she stood looking down at the fire.

`Speak the truth, you ingrate! ' cried Miss Havisham, passionately striking her stick upon the floor; `you are tired of me.'

Estella looked at her with perfect composure, and again looked down at the fire. Her graceful figure and her beautiful face expressed a self-possessed indifference to the wild heat of the other, that was almost cruel.

`You stock and stone!' exclaimed Miss Havisham. `You cold, cold heart!'

`What?' said Estella, preserving her attitude of indifference as she leaned against the great chimney-piece and only moving her eyes; `do you reproach me for being cold? You?'

`Are you not?' was the fierce retort.

`You should know,' said Estella. `I am what you have made me. Take all the praise, take all the blame; take all the success, take all the failure; in short, take me.'

`O, look at her, look at her!' cried Miss Havisham, bitterly; `Look at her, so hard and thankless, on the hearth where she was reared! Where I took her into this wretched breast when it was first bleeding from its stabs, and where I have lavished years of tender- ness upon her!'

`At least I was no party to the compact,' said Estella, `for if I could walk and speak, when it was made, it was as much as I could do. But what would you have? You have been very good to me, and I owe everything to you. What would you have?'

`Love,' replied the other.

`You have it.'

`I have not,' said Miss Havisham.

Posted: **Tue Feb 07, 2012 12:56 pm**

yamiiguy wrote:Estella is the Dickensian equivalent of a femme fatale. Havisham, as a reaction to her jilting, raised her to break the hearts of men. Early in the novel directly tells Estella that she can "break [Pip's] heart" however over the years, Estella's cold upbringing backfires on Havisham, here's an extract from later in the novel:

We were seated by the fire, as just now described, and Miss Havisham still had Estella's arm drawn through her own, and still clutched Estella's hand in hers, when Estella gradually began to detach herself. She had shown a proud impatience more than once before, and had rather endured that fierce affection than accepted or returned it.

`What!' said Miss Havisham, flashing her eyes upon her, `are you tired of me?'

`Only a little tired of myself,' replied Estella, disengaging her arm, and moving to the great chimney-piece, where she stood looking down at the fire.

`Speak the truth, you ingrate! ' cried Miss Havisham, passionately striking her stick upon the floor; `you are tired of me.'

Estella looked at her with perfect composure, and again looked down at the fire. Her graceful figure and her beautiful face expressed a self-possessed indifference to the wild heat of the other, that was almost cruel.

`You stock and stone!' exclaimed Miss Havisham. `You cold, cold heart!'

`What?' said Estella, preserving her attitude of indifference as she leaned against the great chimney-piece and only moving her eyes; `do you reproach me for being cold? You?'

`Are you not?' was the fierce retort.

`You should know,' said Estella. `I am what you have made me. Take all the praise, take all the blame; take all the success, take all the failure; in short, take me.'

`O, look at her, look at her!' cried Miss Havisham, bitterly; `Look at her, so hard and thankless, on the hearth where she was reared! Where I took her into this wretched breast when it was first bleeding from its stabs, and where I have lavished years of tender- ness upon her!'

`At least I was no party to the compact,' said Estella, `for if I could walk and speak, when it was made, it was as much as I could do. But what would you have? You have been very good to me, and I owe everything to you. What would you have?'

`Love,' replied the other.

`You have it.'

`I have not,' said Miss Havisham.

That's more or less what I tried to tell.
I think David Lean's movie adaptation is a masterpiece, but no a single adaptation, however great, can do Dickens' novels full justice.

By the way: today happens to be Charles Dickens 200th birthday!

Posted: **Tue Feb 07, 2012 4:28 pm**

BelleGirl wrote: Just mean to say: there's so much more to this story than just " How can Pip fall in love with such a nasty girl"?

I know, that was explained in the movie as well. Tough for her, but that still does't explain why Pip was attracted to her.

Posted: **Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:43 am**

The Illusionist

This is a movie that completely divides me in half. One half, the animation snob side, loves the film because it is a very beautiful slice of life story. The other half, the animation fanboy side, thinks it's a very hard movie to watch.

Let me put it in better light, I love the movie because it really does try to be something different, unique and somewhat daring. I like that all we are doing is following a man and a young girl through several locales, growing emotionally strong in the most subtle way possible. I like how it focuses on ambient noise to make it very real. I like some of the small yet endearing moments like when the magician gives the girl a brand new pair of shoes.

But I think its own strengths become its biggest flaws. There are moments in which nothing ever happens. You want the characters to say something, exchange comments and just have a conversation. The way I see it it's like watching a home video where people aren't really doing or saying anything, and it becomes awkward.

Regardless, I liked it much better than Triplets of Belleville. Yeah, that one had a better plot, but I find the Illusionist to be sweeter as it is focused on showing us a while whereas Belleville just wanted to show us shocking and weird imagery alongside some jarring satirical stereotypes.

Posted: **Sun Feb 12, 2012 5:30 pm**

^pap64, I agree with you 100% on both movies

Warrior (2011) 7.5/10 - I really liked it. It mixed up the whole boxing formula by making it MMA and putting you behind both fighters. The drama behind this family was great, the acting was fantastic and was the highlight of the movie. Really well done. The fights were exciting but at the same time weren’t really that interesting. It was the family dynamic I was more interested in. Which leads me to this films biggest problem. Literally half of this film’s 2hr20min runtime is devoted to a single tournament. It serves its purpose but you do start to tire of it. Still, it’s an excellent movie, much better then The Fighter (which was nominated for Best Picture while this movie wasn’t???) and I recommend fans of this genre go see it now.

Posted: **Sun Feb 12, 2012 5:35 pm**

Les Misérables (1998) - I've never read the novel (though I hope to soon) and I've never seen the musical (it's coming to Cincy in May, so hopefully I can see it then), but I really liked this film version. All of the main characters were pretty interesting, and all of the actors were great. I wish that the DVD had bonus features, though, haha. I'll probably watch it again sometime soon

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