Goliath wrote:
Was that the first time you saw that movie? It seems like it, from your post. Have you ever seen The Breakfast Club? It's from the same director and also a 1980's teen film. While it's different in tone from Ferris Bueller, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Yeah, I hadn't seen it before, but I did like it! And I've wanted to see The Breakfast Club for some time, so I'll have to check that out whenever I get the chance.
Perfect Strangers - Sad movie. The whole jury thing is interesting, but I thought the part where Ginger Rogers was convincing everyone that the man was innocent felt like a watered-down version of 12 Angry Men. The romance angle distinguished it, though, but the end was sad and not at all what I would have wanted. Why go back to unhappy marriages? How likely is it that he would be falsely accused of killing his wife or whatever? I mean, the situation of the case was kind of unlikely. I guess the moral is, don't ask for divorce papers on the edge of a cliff.
Don't believe the hype. This is one overrated film. It's not that it's a particularly bad movie, but it's not worth all the praise and awards it has garnered. It tells four loosely connected stories, but they don't have much impact, because none of the characters are well-developed. It's hard to say why we should care for them. It also contains some glaring inconsistencies (especially in the Brad Pitt-Cate Blancett storyline). Besides, at 2h 30min it's simply too long for what it's trying to tell.
I mean, I should really listen to someone who said this last year:
waltmad wrote:why do filthy minds perverts peadophiles etc go to places like schools or sites like this, because that is where they find their victims. how funny is that?
Just because there are gay people on this message board. I should listen to you and not report you to Luke for name-calling and blatant defamation of character... to boot, of people you don't even know. For one person who made a simple joke.
That's right- I'm the one who doesn't know what he's talking about. But at least I don't stay away for months at a time and only come back to call people childish names.
(500) Days of Summer (2009) 7.5/10 - it was really enjoyable and a breath of fresh air. I just couldn't believe the little kid from "3rd Rock from the Sun" is all grown up. Zooey Deschanel was cute as always and most of Chloe Moretz's lines came off as forced (unlike Kick-Ass, where her foul mouth felt natural). The story is presented in a non-linear fashion, much like a Tarantino movie except here, the timeline is labeled for everyone to easily follow (not that I have any problem following Tarantino's work but I mention it for people who do, like my mom). The story is just really enjoyable and as it says at the opening, is basically "boy meets girl". It's being shown through Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character's prospective, so their are some scenes that really don't reflect reality but are fun to watch. For the most part, it avoided clichés and stereotypes and presented us with something mostly original.
The reason I watched this movie was to get an idea of what to expect from the new Spider-Man trilogy and the main thing I noticed was how stylistic this movie is (probably from all those years as a music video director) without loosing the characters/story in the mix. Bottom line, I'm impressed and look forward to the new Spider-Man.
Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) 7/10 - surprisingly good for an animated DTV and almost as good as Mask of the Phantasm. I was a huge fan of Batman: TAS, Superman: TAS, and the Justice League animated series but outside Wonder Woman (which was just alright), none of the DCAU DTV projects have been very good, that is... until now. This movie represents my ideal Batman as the look, darker feel, and characterizations are perfect. It feels like the perfect blend of Nolan's Batman and TAS. The story is nothing new for Batman fans but it's handled well enough. Unfortunately, there isn't much mystery here (have we forgotten Batman is a detective?) as it's glaringly obvious to the audience from the beginning who the Red Hood is. This lack of mystery is also backed by the lack of Commissioner Gordon, who usually helps Batman in his detective work. It also felt like there was unneeded cameos. I mention this as the movie seems to move a little fast and could've used some extra time to breath (this could've just been some appearances of Bruce Wayne). Almost the entire film is Batman, with no real appearances of Bruce Wayne and his socializing. There are also things in here that I have always hated in Batman; like magic, robots, and futuristic cyber ninjas (I have to say it, kid Robin in tights) but they somehow seem to work in this movie due to the excellent direction (although, I'd still rather they not be here). The character designs and Gotham City designs (I still miss Burton's Gotham City) are all superb. The voice acting also worked well enough. Although, while Joker is perfectly portrayed here (he's the scary psychopath he always should've been in TAS), and while John Di Maggio (Bender from Futurama) does a pretty good Joker, no one could ever match Mark Hamill's legendary portrayal. With that said, it's the animation that's most disappointing. It really isn't any better than the Justice League animated series and while that was great for television, I expected a little more from this. It off-set the serious tone of the movie when the voice acting and the music isn't being backed up by excellent animation and lighting (like Batman: Gotham Knight, which was a crappy bunch of segments but had amazing animation/lighting). The music is basically a re-working of The Dark Knight score and while I miss Danny Elfman/Shirley Walker, they wouldn't have worked here. One last little nitpick I had was the fact that I wasn't sure who their target audience was. One minute characters are dying, swearing and blood is shown, the next, it felt like they were holding back and afraid to show us something (like it was edited for television). It felt unbalanced and if they were going to go there (make it violent enough it couldn't be show on CartoonNetwork during the day), then they might as well have gone all the way (not Spawn "shock value" first season level but at least to the maturity level of the second or third season).
Spoiler: I hate magic, especially a fountain of youth that can bring back the dead. While true to the source material, it just doesn't fit in the Batman universe. Plus, any death or sacrifice in the series suddenly looses it's impact and meaning. This definitely left a sour taste in my mouth, even though the rest of the movie was good.
So yeah, my biggest complaints are some of the fantastical subject matter (mentioned above), the lack of mystery/suspense along with the fast pacing of the plot and the animation not being a little better but everything else was pretty good. I'd love to see a new animated series like this. The characterizations are excellent, it's much darker and the animation is perfectly fine for television.
Hide and Seek - I mean, it's Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning... it was good, no doubt, but not "scary" or one of the best. Recommended if you're a fan of a semi-tame, but entertaining, horror movie, or if you're a fan of the two leads.
I just watched Tammy & The Bachelor (1957) on TCM. I'm a big Debbie Reynolds fan and I adore the song Tammy which was #1 on the Pop Charts for 5 weeks in 1957....the popularity of the song made the film a hit!
PeterPanfan wrote:Hide and Seek - I mean, it's Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning... it was good, no doubt, but not "scary" or one of the best. Recommended if you're a fan of a semi-tame, but entertaining, horror movie, or if you're a fan of the two leads.
It's sad to see how deeply Robert DeNiro has fallen... like his big example Marlon Brando before him... Maybe acting legends should just stop at a certain point and sustain their image, instead of ruining their legacy? (I'm looking at you too, Al Pacino!)
Beautiful film. I almost wish that this film had come out five years later because it would have been glorious in CinemaScope. Cinderella is animated so beautifully, as are the transformation and ballroom scenes. The mice can be distracting, and at points I was pondering whether or not to skip some of their scenes (the chicken seed scene and Lucifer and the beads scene). The score is infectious, and actually one of the reasons I watched it today was because I caught myself humming "So This is Love". Love that scene especially. I also noticed for the first time how violent this film could be. Obviously the scenes where Lucifer is trying to kill the mice, but also the points where the King threatens to kill the Duke ("Treeeeeason! You were in league with the Prince after all this time!" I thought that line was especially interesting. Makes it seem as if there's some extra political intrigue going on in the palace. Usurpers, anyone? ) and when Cinderella is nearly trampled by the guards' horses.
I was definitely enamoured with the film watching it today.
The 10th Kingdom- LONG, but magical film! Haven't seen it in 10 years, so I decided to look for it online & I found the full movie on YouTube. I only wish there was a sequel...
Hairspray (2007)- Just finished watching it on TV. Such an amazing, happy-go-lucky film! I miss happy musicals. Why does every movie have to be violent & dark? Can't a film be...normal?
Last week in cinema: Yo, Tambien". Man with Down syndrome called Daniel, who had managed to study and obtain a good job, falls in love with a 'normal' collegue. Does such a relationship have a chance? The woman, Paula, has some issues of her own. Sweet story that also has a subplot of two young adults with down syndrome falling in love and running away together.
"The Secret Life of Bees" the movie is as sweet as the honey the three sisters August, June and May get form the bees they own.
"Beautiful Thing" British movie from 1996: teenage boys living in the same flat in a working-class neigbourhood discover they are gay as the fall in love with eachother.
Batman: Under the Red Hood - Even though I have not seen many animated Batman features, this was a pretty decent DTV feature. The animation was great most of the time and the story was interesting (though there were a few things worth nitpicking that jpanimation already pointed out). The voice acting was okay for the most part (John Di Maggio, though well meaning as the Joker, is no Mark Hamill)
Other than that it was pretty good. If you are a fan of Batman, I would say give it a try.
The Good Guy - This seemed to be a vehicle for former teen drama stars to ride in. Starring Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls), Bryan Greenberg (One Tree Hill), and Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights.) It was okay... the beginning until the middle was really boring, but then it picked up. Alexis, I'm really sorry to say, can't act past Gilmore Girls, and Bryan and Scott gave a mediocre performance.
Salt - This was actually good. It was extremely fun to watch (although it may be because my friends and I were making fun of Angelina Jolie randomly jumping across trucks and scaling apartment buildings), and the story was unique and fresh. Jolie's acting was decent... I mean, she's played this role before, lol. Recommended.
The Runaways - I've seen it twice already, and want to see it again with Stewart, Fanning, and Jett's commentary. Suffice to say, the film is amazing. I love it. Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart really did an honorable job to Cherie Currie and Joan Jett. Michael Shannon was great at the awful Kim Fowley, as well as the rest of the bandmates (particularly Scout-Taylor Compton.) SEE THIS MOVIE!
Duel in the Sun - Wow, I never thought I'd ever hate Gregory Peck. But he proves he's a good actor in this film, because he can play a total douchebag just as well as a sweet father figure. This movie was interesting, but I must say, I didn't understand the motives of a lot of the characters. Maybe it's because I'm autistic, but I just don't understand: Does Pearl hate Lewt as much as she says she does? Does she love him as much as she says she does? I don't get it! I think the moral of the movie is that men suck, though. I mean, Lewt is just a jackass. And even sweet, loving Jesse isn't that great in my opinion, even though it was a nice gesture of him to try to adopt Pearl. Ugh, he knows she loves him, but he and his fiancee are going to "adopt" her? WTF? And the end was just weird. Does anyone understand what happened with this?
) and when Cinderella is nearly trampled by the guards' horses.
