DVDizzy Forum

Stage Fright (1950)

An okay film, but not one of Hitchcock's most spectacular. What's surprising, however, is that unlike in most of Hitch's films, this time the perceived murderer whom the heroine thought was innocent, turns out to be guilty at the end. Hitchcock was very clever to trick us into believing the killer's story. At the beginning of the film, he's telling to his friend that his lover had killed her husband, but now the police thinks he has done it. Hitchcock shows us the events as told by the guy. That's why all through the film, we remember his story as being true. But it's still only his version. Had Hitchcock not visualised his story, we wouldn't think the guy was neccessarily speaking the truth. That's the power of film.

-Scary Movie 1-4

Not very good movies but are good for a cheap laugh when one is needed.

-Zodiac

I really enjoyed Zodiac, even though it did slow down quite a bit during the second half of the movie (2 1/2 hours).

Mrs. Miniver - Wow, I really enjoyed this one. The scene in the bomb shelter was actually very scary. I loved the character growth on the old lady, since she was such a bitch in the beginning! But I also enjoyed seeing how the clever Mrs. Miniver could outsmart her, without stooping to becoming too bitchy herself! I also really liked the relationship between Mrs. Miniver and her husband, as well as between Vin and his wife, but... Wow. I really wasn't expecting that twist at the end. All that talk about the fact that he could die in the war, and that their marriage could be short lived, and then she dies instead!? I never saw that coming, not in a million years! It was very sad. I also loved how Mrs. Miniver sort of defeated that German guy all by herself! She was so calm when her husband acted like he was the big, strong man and stuff, and then I loved the look on his face when he learned what she had done! Really good movie! Oh, and I also really liked the end scene, in the church. I liked how the camera panned around the building, and it looked the same (except something seemed a bit off, with a few glimpses of sandbags, etc.), and then it finally panned up to reveal that one wall was completely missing and there was a huge hole in the roof! OMG! I seriously gasped!

Forbidden Planet - Very interesting. I had seen a stage musical called "Return to the Forbidden Planet." Now I know what it was based on. An interesting movie. Robby the robot was funny! I still kind of don't understand why Alta lost her immunity to everything after falling in love with the Skipper. Oh, and I had also read Stephen King's The Tommyknockers, so now I know what Altair-4 was in reference to! Definitely entertaining, though it did drag out a little on occasion.

Without Love - Another good movie. IDK, I thought Pat was kind of a douche. I liked Jamie, but I thought it was really, really annoying when she tried to be like Lila. I mean, she seemed way too mature to act that way, and I found it disturbing. I really appreciated that they fell in love in the end. Oh, and I thought that Dizzy was absolutely adorable! He reminded me of Toto! Quentin was funny, too, and I liked that he ended up with Lucille Ball's character. They were cute together.

The Expendables.

Very decent and disappointing at the same time.

Metropolitan- A movie from 1990 that I had never heard of that Bobby got at the library. It was definitely a different kind of film, but I liked it. The character of Audrey was adorable, and she reminded me of me in some ways...I'd recommend seeing it if you like movies that have lots of words and not much action...

My sister and I just had a movie night, though she did most of the choosing, ha. She bought Showboat (after much searching for it), and also Taxi Driver and the Eddie and the Cruisers Double Feature.

First, we watched Showboat, which I hadn't seen. Loved it, though mainly because of two great songs: Old Man River and Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine. Old Man River was incredible. The story was just okay, very touching and all, but I wished it was more something with the feel of Old Man River. That song would have been great in the musical version of Huck Finn, which, unlike Tom Sawyer, had pretty lack luster songs. Anyway, We then watched Taxi Driver, which I knew and love, and she hadn't seen before. She loved it too, I think. Then, we tried to watch Eddie and the Cruisers. She'd never seen it and I didn't remember it. We were, frankly, finding it very blah and nowhere, so we ended up stopping it and putting on "Streets of Fire". Great flick. I find it to be a weird combination of Escape from New York and... something slightly girly, like Sixteen Candles or something. But I'm fascinated with alternate dimension stuff, so that really makes it all the more interesting to me.

slave2moonlight wrote:First, we watched Showboat, which I hadn't seen. Loved it,

Which one? I'm not particularly fond of the 1951 version but I like the 1936 version well enough (directed by James Whale, of Frankenstein fame). The two songs you listed are classics, love 'em.

Despicable Me- Finally got to see it, and I loved it! Charming, sweet, nice little flick.

Also, the "Tangled" trailer went over very well with the audience!

Home Alone.. Except i only woke up at the one part..


"Keep the change, ya filthy animal.."

Advice and consent (1962)

Starring Henry Ford and directed by Otto Preminger. I couldn't go wrong, right? WRONG! It started out great. The premise was an intruiging political thriller about an idealistic man (Ford), nominated by the president to become US Secretary of State, only to be accused of being a communist by a Southern Senator (Charles Laughton). That appears to be an interesting movie. But after these first 15 minutes, Ford disappears from the movie and never fights the Senator's accusations. Instead, the movie focusses on Senators in favor of his confirmation being blackmailed into voting against him. To make it worse, the perpetrators of the blackmailing are never revealed; Ford doesn't show up anymore; and his character doesn't get confirmed in the end. Really a disappointing film with a lousy end.

Notorious (1946)

Second watching, but I enjoyed it better than I did the first time. I appreciated Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman's performances more, even when I still think the 'love story' isn't played very convincingly; they have no chemistry together. Still very exciting, but the ending was rushed, like many of the 1940's (and 1950's) movies. There was no closure. It ended abruptely. Movies back then didn't take the time to wrap up loose ends nicely and show how the character end up.

Got my second showing of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World in today. It's a geek's wet dream come to life. I posted a mini review elswhere, so I'll just C/P it here.

I thought that it did a good job of adaptating the books together into one feature, even if they skim through a lot. The first two are very well represented, three was condensed quite a bit(then again, the build-up to the final fight between Scott and Todd did take a while in the book), four got severly cut, and five and six were changed around a lot but the basic idea was still there. There's a few things I would have added in that was cut out, but considering that Edgar Wright had to condense a six-book graphic novel series into 1 movie, this is as good as he could have done.

I liked most of the actors, although I did have issues with some of them. Michael Cera did a decent job as Scott- as expected, his awkward parts were pefect, but he had difficulties keeping up with his cool side. Since Scott's melancholy stages were cut out of the movie, Cera thankfully didn't have to find much range, which is fine by me.

Ramona's actress is fine, if a little deep voiced. In hindsight, that was probably the best for her character. Kim was a little too deadpan, which was fine at first, but she did need a little more emotion in her. They also didn't really give her much to do but deadpan material, on the other hand, so I guess that makes sense. Knives was good, no real complaints there, but she wasn't necessarily my favorite performance.

That would be Wallace, whose actor nailed him. He and Stacey both had perfect performances which I wouldn't have messed with for the world. They had enough screentime to let their actors do good with them but not overcrowd the story.

Wallace's lines usually were maong the funniest, but what I considered to be the funniest part(and what everyone else in my audience will agree with, especially my friends) is when Scott tries to escape the house when Knives showed up to his house, and Wallace tried to cover for him. I won't spoil it for you but it's great.

If I had any issues with the movie, it would be that they cut out a little too much from the books. Some of what they cut out I could understand(like the side arc with Knives' father), some of what they cut out I would have liked to see but I guess I could respect not amking the final cut(Scott's time with Envy), but some of what was cut out is just plain unexcusable(Kim accepting Ramona, which makes the rest of the movie feel sort of uncomplete for me). I also wish Ramona and Knives could of had their fight earlier with Stacey around, like in the book, but that's something else I don't mind being cut out as much. There was also one twist in the ending that I didn't care for at all, but I'm glad that Wright didn't go down that route.

Still, SP was full of laughs, cool fights, and a nice, if condensed, love story. I highly recommend it even if you haven't read the GNs, and to forget about the inconsistencies from the books to the movie if you have until at least after you finish it. Great way to end my summer vacation. Now to see The Expendables.

And it's hard not to like songssuch as this.

Margos wrote:Mrs. Miniver - Wow, I really enjoyed this one.

Yeah, good movie. It's too bad the name William Wyler is more recognized outside of movie fans. This was just one movie in a whole string of classics he made consecutively (this one winning Best Picture of 1942, along with many other awards).

Margos wrote:Forbidden Planet - Very interesting.[..] Definitely entertaining, though it did drag out a little on occasion.

Agreed. Not one of my favorites but some interesting ideas and visual effects (the monster being animated by Disney animators). Plus, how often do you get to see Leslie Nielsen this young and without the signature white hair?

The goofy sequel, The Invisible Boy, is fun in a Saturday Morning Cartoon kind of way.

Goliath wrote:Stage Fright (1950)

An okay film, but not one of Hitchcock's most spectacular. What's surprising, however, is that unlike in most of Hitch's films, this time the perceived murderer whom the heroine thought was innocent, turns out to be guilty at the end. Hitchcock was very clever to trick us into believing the killer's story. [..] Had Hitchcock not visualised his story, we wouldn't think the guy was neccessarily speaking the truth. That's the power of film.

I agree. Not one of my favorites but pretty interesting what he did there. The whole idea of misleading the protagonist and in turn, the audience, kind of reminds me of Witness for the Prosecution.

Goliath wrote:Advice and consent (1962)

Starring Henry Ford and directed by Otto Preminger.

I have to correct you there; he's Henry Fonda.

Anyways, certainly not as good as Anatomy of a Murder (a personal favorite) or Laura (even with it's predictable ending), I still found it interesting that there was a movie exploring the corruption that goes on up there in Washington (that continues to this day). It also featured some nice acting but I agree with your complaints.

Goliath wrote:Notorious (1946)

[..]they have no chemistry together. Still very exciting, but the ending was rushed, like many of the 1940's (and 1950's) movies. There was no closure. It ended abruptely. Movies back then didn't take the time to wrap up loose ends nicely and show how the character end up.

Actually, I agree with everything here. An enjoyable movie with two great leads but the chemistry just wasn't there. As for the abrupt ending, Vertigo.

Now on to how I 'wasted' my time...

Bad Boys II (2003) 5.5/10 - I'm suffering the same headache I got from viewing Transformers 2. For both films, I like the originals alright but the sequels are just noise (put together like extended music videos). A couple of nice action scenes and one or two funny moments but THATS IT! Martin Lawrence and Will Smith had good chemistry in the first one and the story let us explore the characters. In this one, they're both just really annoying. Michael Bay reminds me again why he's hated by so many.

jpanimation wrote:(the monster being animated by Disney animators).

Wow! Really! That's awesome!

Plays everything too safe for the sake of keeping things (tone and subject matter) remarkably light, and so it often lacks authenticity. But the acting is perfect, the humor is quirky yet balanced (this is how you do one-liners, Hollywood!!), it's stylish and all the visual designs are outstanding, and the message is very positive and progressive even if the way it's handled is very hands-off. A feel-good movie about a topic that's anything-but.







Harmless. Never offensively stupid. But not anywhere near as much fun as it should be. Easily the best horror parody of 1981 (against such limp competition as Full Moon High and Student Bodies, that's not exactly a compliment / my advice; skip all three and see Return to Horror High, it's still bad but you won't believe your eyes and ears!). The highpoints: Jeffrey Tambor and younger, sexier wife find their dream house, Kari Michaelsen's scream-talking during the semi-memorable bathtub scene, and... the almost Desperate Living-esque funky end credits song.







Everyone in this movie is doing such a great, commendable job... except the star character. A) They're not completely sure what to do with her. B) When she's trying to tug at your heart strings, it's not working. The movie has to work overtime to try and make us feel bad for her, and they do an inadequate job. She can't cry believably. Her fake sobs when she wants us to know she's faking are almost exactly the same as her "I'm actually sad" sobs. C) Half of the time, she's just being a one-liner spouting female version of Kevin in Home Alone. Her lines aren't very good. Also, her singing is way too nasal. However, the movie is incredibly smart. Kelly Lynch and Jim Belushi are great- this is the best I've seen from both in terms of acting and completely committing to their roles. John Getz is always a slimeball, and he's great here. The music is incredible. There's a scene that employs a very bizarre Steven Spielberg Jaws / Hitchock zoom-dolly effect. Anyone wanna take a guess as to what that's doing there...? Most of it works. But what doesn't work really drags the film down.







Definitely a good-mood atmosphere hanging over this movie. But that's ruined several times by moments that are so bad (Ed clamoring for the newsman's microphone and the cameraperson just continues to shoot footage of him, everything Kenan-related in the first 20-something minues - that guy mumbles incessantly, like he's trying to bring back old racist stereotypes), so cliched (everything to do with Mondo Burger), and so "who cares?" (Ed's awful series of random, dated, puerile Nickelodeon-isms that come completely out of nowhere, do nothing to advance the plot, aren't funny, and aren't even tolerable in a feature-film format: "Maybe I'm a pretty nurse," "Strawberry Jacuzi!", "Wanna see my bellybutton!?", "Did you lose your trousers?") that it forever stains the movie. It does get better as it goes along. Not good enough to erase the first half, but... almost.

jpanimation wrote:

slave2moonlight wrote:First, we watched Showboat, which I hadn't seen. Loved it,

Which one? I'm not particularly fond of the 1951 version but I like the 1936 version well enough (directed by James Whale, of Frankenstein fame). The two songs you listed are classics, love 'em.

Actually, it was the '51 version. I had forgotten there was an older one, which I have yet to see.

Went to the cinema last night and saw The Expendables and was thoroughly entertained. Brainless action flick that doesn't fail to make you laugh and cheer for the good guys - and the cast doesn't hurt this one at all. Every action star you can mention - Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Mickey Roarke, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, and oh so many more. Just one hour and 43 mintues of 'strictly guy' flick.

Had to come home and pull out the "Rambo" series and watched all four of them. Sylvester Stallone may be getting older, but he knows how to make an action movie. He co-wrote, Directed and stars in this good summer dose of testosterone.

Still easily one of Disney's most underrated films ever. It's incredibly well-made, you really like almost all the characters, and it's full of heart. I almost cried during the "Not in Not(t)ingham" scene. It's so sad (if you were buying into the emotion). Especially with the heightened fantasy landscape that is animated Disney. I've always loved the music (although the "Phony King of England" sequence has the most stuff you can tell ripped off from The Jungle Book, and on that thought- it's shocking how many things are taken from 101 Dalmatians and Cinderella as well, and some, not so shocking, from Sleeping Beauty). And just the right amount of humor (best line; "I've got a dirty thumb"). Prince John (Peter Ustinov) and Lady Cluck (Carole Shelley) steal the show. But Patt Buttram's Sheriff is the real villain. Even the sound of his voice makes you want to strangle this character. The animation is great (I don't care how cheap it looks!) and the acting (since most of these people are European, or all the main roles) gives the movie a much-needed sophisticated quality. The children need a little bit of work as characters (but the littlest bunny of course was rather adorable- "way fo me! Way fo me!") and after The Aristocats, the last thing we need is more lame boys-vs-girls stuff ("Kissing?! Ah, that's sissy stuff!"). But these moments that might drag the film down a bit are few and far between. Everything else here is wonderful!

I agree about Hood, Laz. It's one of my favorites!

I will review the following more in depth at my movie review blog (located in my signature), but:

Valentine's Day - Not as bad as I was expecting it to be, but not a great film. It seems lately that ensemble movies aren't working well. My favorite actors were Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, and Jessica Alba of the cast.

I Know Who Killed Me - So, I had been wanting to see this since I'd heard that it was basically God-awful. It wasn't. I'm glad Lindsay Lohan is stepping outside what she's known for and am glad she did a horror/thriller-esque film.

Party Monster - I really enjoyed this movie. Macaulay Culkin and Seth Green were fantastic, and Marilyn Manson was surprisingly hilarious. I want to read Jesse St. James's book now.

Ask the Dust - This was really good. Collin Farrel and Salma Hayek were both excellent as was Idina Menzel. I want to read the book it was based off of really badly now haha.

I Am Sam - Extremely depressing, but also uplifting. Sean Penn was amazing, and Michelle Pffiefer and Dakota Fanning were awesome as usual, too.

Fried Green Tomatoes - I watched this mainly because I love Mary-Louise Parker, but the whole cast did wonderful. Really emotional but also funny.

The Initiation of Sarah (Remake) - This was pretty bad. I watched it because I like Summer Glau, Jennifer Tilly, Joanna Garcia, and Morgan Fairchild, but still... not at all scary, suspenseful, or... anything, really.

Kick-Ass - I LOVED THIS! Definitely buying the Blu-Ray. Chloe Mortez was amazing as Hit-Girl.

jpanimation wrote:I have to correct you there; he's Henry Fonda.

Of course! And I *knew* that! I knew it when I was writing that 'review'. But somehow, I still made the mistake. It's not the first time. Once, I kept mixing up Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks, and I often have difficulty with 'Robbie Williams' and 'Robin Williams'.

I had a feeling you knew it as I do that all the time