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Post by darksidebeadle on Mar 19, 2017 3:39:02 GMT
Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your hosts (us) posts our weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. We will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film.
FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWING
Bamboozled (2000, Spike Lee) Spike Lee's personal films usually deal with race relations in America and this one does it much more on the nose than usual. It may be too over the top for some viewers, as might be the lead performance and the way it is filmed but past all of that is a thought provoking and often entertaining film. The story has Damon Wayans (The last Boyscout) playing a frustrated African-American TV writer who proposes a blackface minstrel show in protest, but to his chagrin it becomes a hit. The satire may be thick but it works and the closing montage really sends it home. 6.5/10
The Prowler (1951, Joseph Losey) This little thriller was written by the inimitable Dalton Trumbo (Roman Holiday) and whilst far from his best work it is quite a tight little film about love, betrayal and even... murder. It is not especially well directed but the performances are strong enough to hold it together. 6.5/10
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976, Nicolas Roeg) I am not the biggest fan of Roeg's work but I do like sci-fi and I do like Bowie so I gave this one a whirl. Bowie plays the man who fell to earth and the film plays out to his life on earth as he tries to achieve his goals and he gets sucked into the earthly pleasures. The film has some stunning shots with great scenes and the camera loves Bowie's face. However the story is a bit haphazardly told and the production utilizes some choices in sound that dates the film more than the classics of the same era did not. 6/10
REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING
Bowfinger (1999, Frank Oz) blu ray There have been many films who have poked fun at the Hollywood machine such as The Player (1992) or Swimming with Sharks (1994) that are quite amusing but Bowfinger does he same thing only as a flat out absurd comedy. The film stars Steve Martin (The Jerk) as a desperate movie producer who fails to get a major star (Eddie Murphy) for his bargain basement film so instead decides to shoot the film secretly around him. I really do not care for Steve Martin in comedic roles at all but for the most part he is the straighter character surrounded by funny ones like the duel characters Eddie Murphy plays. This biting satire is a lot of fun with a great cast and well made, it is certainly the cream of the crop for latter day Eddie Murphy films. 7/10
Octopussy (1983, John Glenn) blu ray The same year that a rival rights holder released the Bond film 'Never Say Never Again' starring Sean Connery, long time producer Albert Broccoli was fight a battle on two fronts, one with the aforementioned rival Bond film through his lawyer and another trying to make a Bond film to blow the returning Connery out of the water. He both did make the team behind the Connery Bond films life difficult and limit what they could show on screen and made one of the better Roger Moore bond entries. Octopussy is a weird mix of the more serious Bond we saw in 'For Your Eyes Only' and complete slapstick that we saw from the rest of Moore's entries. This shouldn't work but somehow it does for the most part. We end up with a well paced fun Bond adventure with a lot of spectacle. Octopussy ended up taking slightly more money at the box office than Never Say Never Again but it cost a lot more to make so was not as profitable. I prefer the Connery film but Octopussy is not too far behind it. 6.5/10
It Follows (2014, David Robert Mitchell) blu ray This indie horror still has great mood and set pieces even if the films internal logic is a bit screwy. 6.5/10
High Anxiety (1977, Mel Brooks) blu ray Mel Brooks has famously parodied many genre's but his parody of the films of Alfred Hitchcock and other thrillers of the day is often overlooked. It is consistently funny and inventive, ending up being my fourth favourite from Brooks' cannon behind Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs and Blazing Saddles. 6.5/10
The Jungle Book (2016, Jon Favreau) tv This 'somewhat' live action version of the Disney animated classic did not fair too well on rewatch. Sure it has some exciting scenes but some of the voice actors are miscast and the main kid is annoying throughout. 5/10
WEEKLY MOVIE AWARDS
BEST FILM: Bowfinger BEST ACTOR: Van Heflin - The Prowler BEST ACTRESS: Maika Monroe - It Follows BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Eddie Murphy - Bowfinger BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Madeline Kahn - High Anxiety BEST SCORE: Disasterpeace - It Follows BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mike Gioulakis - It Follows BEST SCRIPT: Steve Martin - Bowfinger BEST DIRECTOR: David Robert Mitchell - It Follows
10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible) 09/10 - An Excellent film 08/10 - A VERY Good film 07/10 - A Good film 06/10 - A Solid film 05/10 - An Average film 04/10 - Below Average film 03/10 - A mostly bad film 02/10 - A mostly terrible film 01/10 - Awful through and through 00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Mar 19, 2017 4:04:59 GMT
Films linked to are uploaded by the copyright holder.
13 March 2017
Juke Joint (1947, USA) 7/10. Some of the reviewers on IMDb compare this 67-minute African-American film to being a sitcom. Perhaps, but that's not a bad thing. It's certainly a refreshing change from the usual black films of the period. The very low budget meant that many scenes use real locations instead of sets, this results in some odd camera-work. The highlight of the film is a lengthy sequence (unconnected to the plot) depicting some exciting dancing. Spencer Williams both directs the film and plays one of the main characters. He is by far the best actor in the film, and even starred in a sitcom on CBS-TV during the 1950s. Sadly, he is forgotten today.
A Chairy Tale (1957, Canada) - 7.5/10. Delightfully weird 10-minute short about a man, and a chair that refuses to let him sit in it.
14 March 2017
Go Down, Death! (1944, USA) - 7/10. A very hard to rate African-American religious film. It is very dated and heavy-handed, yet somehow it works (and this is coming from someone who isn't a Christian). I must admit though, the scenes of hell (and accompanying fire-and-brimstone narration) were just a bit too much. Spencer Williams directs and plays the main villian (he usually cast himself in his films, ranging from big parts to bit-parts).
Reaching for the Stars (1958, Australia) - 7/10. An interesting documentary about Australia's contribution into astronomy. This 10-minute short film accompanied different films depending on the place it was being shown. For example, In Sydney, it accompanied the now-very-rare David Niven film "The Silken Affair", along with additional short subjects ("Cradle of Great Men", "Valley of the Yarra", "Dopey Dick, the Pink Whale", and a Movietone film on the Queen Mother). Meanwhile, in Canberra, it accompanied the now-rare Jerry Lewis film "The Sad Sack" and a sci-fi b-movie called "The Space Children", along with a newsreel.
The film was produced by Australian Commonwealth Film Unit, who released various documentaries during the 1950s, many of which aren't listed on IMDb. The bulk of Australia's film output of the 1950s consisted of these short documentaries.
15 March 2017
In terms of film. Dumbo (1941, USA) - 8/10. Such a nice film. At 64 minutes it moves along quite quickly, yet still has time for the fascinating "Pink Elephants" sequence.
Unit Beat Policing (1968, UK) - 7.5/10. Instructional 22-minute film for police officers. Released on DVD as part of the set "Police and Thieves" by BFI Video.
In terms of TV:
I watched an episode of the UK sitcom "Man About the House" titled "And Mother Makes Four" (telecast: 22 August 1973). Funny show.
I also watched an episode of "Mary Mungo & Midge " titled "The Boat" (telecast: 21 October 1969). This was a 15-minute BBC children's cartoon. Although this isn't realistic, since it contains a talking dog and an intelligent flute-playing mouse, it is nevertheless set in "the real world", with the characters living in a tower block (albeit a tower block that is spotlessly clean and has an elevator which works. Try finding that in real life). So, in a sense, it could be considered an early attempt at a realistic children's cartoon (at least compared with the likes of "The Flintstones" and "The Jetsons").
I also watched a huge amount of old 1970s/1980s commercials for "Cool Whip", starring Marge Redmond.
16 March 2017
The All-Rounder (1958, Australia) - 7.5/10. Cute little 2-minute theatrically-released PSA about safe driving. Interestingly enough, it was produced by Movietone, far better known for their newsreels.
Building a Brick House (1946, Australia) - 7/10. This 10-minute documentary, intended as an instructional film for ex-soldiers taking up the building trade, does exactly what the title suggests. A bit too dry for my taste.
The Bronze Buckaroo (1939, USA) - 7.5/10. I'm probably the only person in the entire world who likes this film. It's a b-western with an all-African-American cast. Like most b-westerns, there is a comic relief sidekick, the seedy bar, the woman in danger of losing her ranch, and it ends with a shoot-out in which a lot of shots get fired but hardly anyone gets shot (oddly enough, the only major fatal shot is fired by the comic relief sidekick, who kisses his gun after doing the kill). I love b-westerns like this, so I enjoyed the film a lot.
17 March 2017 Gang War (1940, USA) - 7.5/10. A crime drama about a gangster, this 63-minute movie has an all-African-American cast. It's a quick paced film that manages to provide some excitement.
Also watched the episode "Printing" (telecast 28 October 1969) of the 15-minute children's series "Mary Mungo & Midge".
18 March 2017
Dilemma (1962, UK) - 7.5/10. A simple yet interesting 64-minute crime drama. Interestingly the director and most of the cast usually worked in TV rather than film.
Ride Like a Champion (1950, Australia) - 7/10. I found this on YouTube. I assume it was a classroom film. It teaches children how to ride their bicycle. It's no better and no worse than films of this kind from other countries.
I also watched the episode "Some Enchanted Evening" (telecast 29 August 1973) of the sitcom "Man About the House". Decent episode, but I've seen better from this series.
19 March 2017 Nothing. I was too busy playing video games, such as "Super Mario Bros 3", "Mario Kart Double Dash", "Super Mario Kart", and "Mario Kart 64". I also watched a lot of classic late-1950s/early-1960s commercials for a breakfast cereal called Alpha-Bits.
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Post by petrolino on Mar 19, 2017 4:05:55 GMT
My memory of 'Bamboozled' is pretty hazy even though I have it on dvd. I recall I liked it and found it pretty funny in places. I like the films of Nicolas Roeg too, although 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' has never really grabbed me. 'The Prowler' is a nice vintage thriller. I didn't care for 'Bowfinger' but found 'High Anxiety' very enjoyable. My favourite of your viewings this last week would be 'It Follows' which I feel makes great use of suburban and urban locations in Michigan, something the filmmakers achieved on a small budget. Love that movie. --- --- My viewings : ’The Blood Of Others’ (1984, Le sang des autres - Claude Chabrol) Communists, fascists and resistance fighters clash in Nazi-occupied France during World War 2. Hélène Bertrand (Jodie Foster) learns to take responsibility for her own actions but also how to spill the blood of others. I watched the abridged theatrical cut of ‘The Blood Of Others’ which runs just over two hours, condensed from Claude Chabrol’s original cut for television which was closer to three hours. Chabrol had already directed French-Canadian co-productions when he was invited to steer a mini-series based on a novel by Simone De Beauvoir. It’s produced by Canadian filmmaker Denis Héroux and Hungarian producer John Kemeny who brought in cinematographer Richard Ciupka and experienced editor Yves Langlois, as well as a bevy of special consultants. Jodie Foster dominates a fine international cast that includes Michael Ontkean, Sam Neill, Lambert Wilson, Stéphane Audran, Alexandra Stewart, Jean-François Balmer, John Vernon, Marie Bunel, Michel Robin, Roger Miremont, Germaine Delbat, Christine Laurent, Kate Reid, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Monique Mercure, Micheline Presle, Jacques François, Dominique Zardi, Katia Romanoff, Christa Lang and filmmaker Samuel Fuller. Even in its mutilated form it’s eminently watchable thanks to Chabrol’s measured direction and Foster’s compelling central performance but the excised material undercuts De Beauvoir’s philosophising and the damaged pacing leaves the melodrama stuck in one groove. ’Massacre In Dinosaur Valley’ (1985, Nudo e selvaggio - Michele Massimo Tarantini) The survivors of a plane crash in the Brazilian rainforest must work together if they’re to escape the hidden horrors of the Amazon basin and find safety in Manaus. ’Massacre In Dinosaur Valley’ is an entertaining cannibale picture helmed by Italian comedy titan Michele Massimo Tarantini. There’s nice use of miniatures and some neat make-up effects but the film’s greatest strength is its anarchic sense of humour. Tarantini has an exquisite sense of timing (he trained as an editor) and a gift for framing set-pieces, so he’s in his element here, working with seasoned cinematographer Edson Batista to ensure an exciting range of camera movement on a miniscule budget. There are vivid and enjoyable characterisations from Leonidas Bayer as Professor Pedro Ibañez, Suzane Carvalho as his flighty daughter Eva Ibañez, Marcello Mastroianni lookalike Milton Rodríguez as Klaus Kinski wannabe Captain Johnny Heinz, Marta Anderson as Marilyn Monroe impersonator Betty Heinz, Susan Hahn as glamour girl Belinda, Maria Reis as photo model Monica and Michael Sopkiw as American fossil hunter Kevin Hall who represents the Boston Institute of Palaeontology. ’The Farewell : Brecht’s Last Summer’ (2000, Abschied - Brechts letzter Sommer - Jan Schütte) In August 1956, a small group of artists gathers at a rural retreat in Brandenburg, Germany. Jan Schütte’s elegaic drama, ’The Farewell : Brecht’s Last Summer’, speculates about the final days that playwright Bertolt Brecht (Josef Bierbichler) and actress Helene Wiegel (Monica Bleibtreu) spent in each other’s company. Among those attending Brecht’s family gathering is philosopher Wolfgang Harich (Samuel Finzi) whose political activism invites unwanted attention. ’Bluebeard’ (2009, Barbe bleue - Catherine Breillat) Sisters Marie-Anne (Lola Giovannetti ) and Catherine (Marilou Lopes-Benites) hide together in an attic. They read a storybook about Marie-Catherine (Lola Créton) and Anne (Daphné Baiwir ). ‘Bluebeard’ is Catherine Breillat’s take on her favourite fairy tale by Charles Perrault. It’s a distinct and individualistic reading, similar in this regard to Breillat’s period piece ‘The Last Mistress’ (2007) which she based on a novel by Jules Barbey D'Aurevilly. The contemporary framing device is clever and unusual, adding perspective to a multi-layered character portrait that’s drenched in emotion. I’d venture that Breillat has crafted an essential French rendering of the legend of Bluebeard and one that can take its place alongside important cinematic translations by Georges Melies and Claude Chabrol. ’Floating Skyscrapers’ (2013, Plynace wiezowce - Tomasz Wasilewski) Swimmer Kuba (Mateusz Banasiuk) risks his relationship with Sylwia (Marta Nieradkiewicz) to pursue handsome athlete Michal (Bartosz Gelner). ‘Floating Skyscrapers’ is a brooding drama set inside the concrete jungles of Warsaw that deals with issues of social conformity, male identity and sexual politics. The story turns on a series of emotional encounters, eventually coming full circle. Mateusz Banasiuk is admirably headstrong as aggressive swimmer Kuba and Marta Nieradkiewicz is outstanding as young waitress Sylwia who’s struggling to cope with the dawning of a dark realisation. ‘Maps To The Stars’ (2014 – David Cronenberg) Overnight teen sensation Benjie Weiss (Evan Bird) becomes embroiled in a twisted family saga populated by addicts, narcissists and flakes. ‘Maps To The Stars’ is a funny Hollywood fable from the pen of novelist and filmmaker Bruce Wagner who collaborated with Wes Craven and Paul Bartel early in his career. There are shades of the suburban nightmares of Craven, Paul Mazursky, John Waters and David Lynch in David Cronenberg’s dark-roasted L.A. coffee-pot but the Canadian adds a tasty nut finish that’s all his own. The entire cast is terrific, led by a hilarious turn from Evan Bird as Bieberiffic bad boy Benjie who idolises Al Pacino. ’Stations Of The Cross’ (2014, Kreuzweg - Dietrich Brüggemann) Unhappy schoolgirl Maria (Lea Van Acken) seeks salvation via sacrifice through the Society of St. Paul. The pensive drama ‘Stations Of The Cross’ treads the muddied waters of religious zealotry by tactfully observing a case of distorted Catholic doctrine that runs counter to teachings of science and the church. It’s carefully filmed as a slow succession of long-takes, occupying a static camera to physically detail Maria’s deepening crisis of conscience when an act of confession leads her to relinquish existential desire in exchange for a forlorn promise of beatification. Confess, repent, atone, repeat. 'Endless Poetry' (2016, Poesía sin fin - Alejandro Jodorowsky) Alejandro Jodorowsky (Adan Jodorowsky) becomes a popular poet. ‘Endless Poetry’ is Alejandro Jodorowsky’s follow-up to his auto-biographical piece ‘The Dance Of Reality’ (2013). Jodorowsky's artistery flourishes in Santiago, Chile and his mind recalls a spiritual enlightenment in Paris, France but he secretly longs to bring the carnival back home to Tocapilla where a special clown released his inner-child to birth another son of the circus. Jodorowsky is said to be considering a third instalment concerning his peaceful transference to compliment these bold visions of the magic arts circle and intellectual avant-garde. ’Barbara Bouchet ~ An Icon Amuck’ (2017, Documentary – Calum Wadell) Barbara Bouchet discusses her career in cinema. Horror filmmaker Eli Roth was overjoyed that he was able to persuade Edwige Fenech to appear in ‘Hostel 2’ (2007). Earlier in the decade, Roth’s buddy Quentin Tarantino was making plans to meet with Barbara Bouchet whom he intends to one day work with, Bouchet having been cast around that time by another Italian cinema fanatic, Martin Scorsese, to appear in ‘Gangs Of New York’ (2002). She’s a global icon for fans of crime and horror cinema, but it was the Italians who first took Bouchet to their hearts which led to roles being offered by one great filmmaker after another. She’s daring, provocative and uninhibited which makes her perfect for the dark confines of low budget genre cinema. But she isn’t holding her breath waiting for Tarantino which is probably just as well; he’s already overdue to realise roles he’s long been lining up for indie icon Nina Siemaszko, horror legend Linnea Quigley and cult starlet Maria Ford (to name but a few lol). ‘Wes Craven : No Sleep Till Cleveland’ (2017, Documentary – Allen Weston) A quick run through some of the films Wes Craven directed (or co-directed) between 1971 and 2011. "My mother never saw any of my films until she was in her late 80s, and that was 'Music of the Heart' with Meryl Streep."
- Wes Craven
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Post by moviemouth on Mar 19, 2017 4:10:41 GMT
YOURS
Bamboozled - 7/10 The Prowler - 6.5/10 The Man Who Fell to Earth - 5.5/10 Bowfinger - 7/10 Octopussy - 5/10 It Follows - 4/10 High Anxiety - 6/10 The Jungle Book - 5/10
MINE
Babe: Pig in the City (1998 George Miller) - 5.5/10 Shut In (2016 Farren Blackburn) - 4/10 Oliver & Company (1988 George Scribner) - 7/10 Session 9 (2001 Brad Anderson) - 7/10 Kong: Skull Island (2017 Jordan Vogt-Roberts) - 6/10 All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 Lewis Milestone) - 7/10 The Eye of the Storm (2011 Fred Schepisi) - 4.5/10 Anamorph (2007 H.S. Miller) - 5.5/10 The Contract (2006 Bruce Beresford) - 5/10 Last Days (2005 Gus Van Sant) - 7/10 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977 John Lounsbery & Wolfgang Reitherman) - 7/10 Trolls (2016 Walt Dohrn & Mike Mitchell) - 4/10 Passengers (2016 Morten Tyldum) - 7/10 Dark City (1998 Alex Proyas) - 6/10 Falling Down (1993 Joel Shumcher) - 7/10
Ranking George Miller's films
1. Lorenzo's Oil - 9/10 2. Mad Max: Fury Road - 7.5/10 3. Happy Feet - 7.5/10 4. Happy Feet 2 - 7.5/10 5. The Witches of Eastwick - 7/10 6. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - 7/10 7. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - 6.5/10 8. Babe: Pig in the City - 5.5/10 9. Mad Max - 5/10
Television
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 1 (1987) - 7/10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 2 (1988) - 7/10
Film Awards
BEST PICTURE - Falling Down BEST ACTOR - Michael Douglas (Falling Down) BEST ACTRESS - Charlotte Rampling (The Eye of the Storm) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Louis Wolheim (All Quiet on the Western Front) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Judy Davis (The Eye of the Storm) BEST DIRECTOR - Joel Shumacher (Falling Down) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - All Quiet on the Western Front BEST SCORE - Passengers
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Post by jcush on Mar 19, 2017 6:04:34 GMT
YOURS Bamboozled - 7/10 The Prowler - 6.5/10 The Man Who Fell to Earth - 5.5/10 Bowfinger - 7/10 Octopussy - 5/10 It Follows - 4/10 High Anxiety - 6/10 The Jungle Book - 5/10 MINE Babe: Pig in the City (1998 George Miller) - 5.5/10 Shut In (2016 Farren Blackburn) - 4/10 Oliver & Company (1988 George Scribner) - 7/10 Session 9 (2001 Brad Anderson) - 7/10 Kong: Skull Island (2017 Jordan Vogt-Roberts) - 6/10 All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 Lewis Milestone) - 7/10 The Eye of the Storm (2011 Fred Schepisi) - 4.5/10 Anamorph (2007 H.S. Miller) - 5.5/10 The Contract (2006 Bruce Beresford) - 5/10 Last Days (2005 Gus Van Sant) - 7/10 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977 John Lounsbery & Wolfgang Reitherman) - 7/10 Trolls (2016 Walt Dohrn & Mike Mitchell) - 4/10 Passengers (2016 Morten Tyldum) - 7/10 Dark City (1998 Alex Proyas) - 6/10 Falling Down (1993 Joel Shumcher) - 7/10 Ranking George Miller's films 1. Lorenzo's Oil - 9/10 2. Mad Max: Fury Road - 7.5/10 3. Happy Feet - 7.5/10 4. Happy Feet 2 - 7.5/10 5. The Witches of Eastwick - 7/10 6. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - 7/10 7. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - 6.5/10 8. Babe: Pig in the City - 5.5/10 9. Mad Max - 5/10 Television Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 1 (1987) - 7/10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 2 (1988) - 7/10 Film Awards BEST PICTURE - Falling Down BEST ACTOR - Michael Douglas (Falling Down) BEST ACTRESS - Charlotte Rampling (The Eye of the Storm) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Louis Wolheim (All Quiet on the Western Front) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Judy Davis (The Eye of the Storm) BEST DIRECTOR - Joel Shumacher (Falling Down) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - All Quiet on the Western Front BEST SCORE - Passengers Hey, I've seen three of yours, one of which I also watched this week: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - saw this a few weeks ago. Didn't like it nearly as much as you. 5.5/10 Passengers - I also liked it. Some of the story elements took me by surprise and I mean that in a good way. 7/10 Falling Down - damn good stuff. Michael Douglas at his best, and he get strong support from Robert Duvall and Frederic Forrest in his brief role. 8/10
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Post by moviemouth on Mar 19, 2017 6:09:49 GMT
YOURS Bamboozled - 7/10 The Prowler - 6.5/10 The Man Who Fell to Earth - 5.5/10 Bowfinger - 7/10 Octopussy - 5/10 It Follows - 4/10 High Anxiety - 6/10 The Jungle Book - 5/10 MINE Babe: Pig in the City (1998 George Miller) - 5.5/10 Shut In (2016 Farren Blackburn) - 4/10 Oliver & Company (1988 George Scribner) - 7/10 Session 9 (2001 Brad Anderson) - 7/10 Kong: Skull Island (2017 Jordan Vogt-Roberts) - 6/10 All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 Lewis Milestone) - 7/10 The Eye of the Storm (2011 Fred Schepisi) - 4.5/10 Anamorph (2007 H.S. Miller) - 5.5/10 The Contract (2006 Bruce Beresford) - 5/10 Last Days (2005 Gus Van Sant) - 7/10 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977 John Lounsbery & Wolfgang Reitherman) - 7/10 Trolls (2016 Walt Dohrn & Mike Mitchell) - 4/10 Passengers (2016 Morten Tyldum) - 7/10 Dark City (1998 Alex Proyas) - 6/10 Falling Down (1993 Joel Shumcher) - 7/10 Ranking George Miller's films 1. Lorenzo's Oil - 9/10 2. Mad Max: Fury Road - 7.5/10 3. Happy Feet - 7.5/10 4. Happy Feet 2 - 7.5/10 5. The Witches of Eastwick - 7/10 6. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - 7/10 7. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - 6.5/10 8. Babe: Pig in the City - 5.5/10 9. Mad Max - 5/10 Television Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 1 (1987) - 7/10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 2 (1988) - 7/10 Film Awards BEST PICTURE - Falling Down BEST ACTOR - Michael Douglas (Falling Down) BEST ACTRESS - Charlotte Rampling (The Eye of the Storm) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Louis Wolheim (All Quiet on the Western Front) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Judy Davis (The Eye of the Storm) BEST DIRECTOR - Joel Shumacher (Falling Down) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - All Quiet on the Western Front BEST SCORE - Passengers Hey, I've seen three of yours, one of which I also watched this week: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - saw this a few weeks ago. Didn't like it nearly as much as you. 5.5/10 Passengers - I also liked it. Some of the story elements took me by surprise and I mean that in a good way. 7/10 Falling Down - damn good stuff. Michael Douglas at his best, and he get strong support from Robert Duvall and Frederic Forrest in his brief role. 8/10 I have a special place in my heart for Winnie the Pooh and this movie is a childhood favorite of mine. It still holds up for me as well as bringing back a wonderful feeling of nostalgia. I consider Duvall co-lead in Falling Down btw.
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Post by jcush on Mar 19, 2017 6:29:09 GMT
I have a special place in my heart for Winnie the Pooh and this movie is a childhood favorite of mine. It still holds up for me as well as bringing back a wonderful feeling of nostalgia. I consider Duvall co-lead in Falling Down btw. I definitely would have enjoyed the film more had I seen it at a younger age. I never really thought about that, but I guess I can see Duvall being co-lead. I need to rewatch it.
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Post by moviemouth on Mar 19, 2017 6:33:41 GMT
I have a special place in my heart for Winnie the Pooh and this movie is a childhood favorite of mine. It still holds up for me as well as bringing back a wonderful feeling of nostalgia. I consider Duvall co-lead in Falling Down btw. I definitely would have enjoyed the film more had I seen it at a younger age. I never really thought about that, but I guess I can see Duvall being co-lead. I need to rewatch it. Duvall's side of the story is actually much of the reason I don't rate the film higher. I just don't think it is very interesting. It's nostalgia in full force this week. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon is also a childhood favorite and I still find it quite fun. I was re-watching the X-Men series this week too and that doesn't hold up nearly as well.
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Post by jcush on Mar 19, 2017 7:00:08 GMT
Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your hosts (us) posts our weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. We will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film. FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWING Bamboozled (2000, Spike Lee)
Spike Lee's personal films usually deal with race relations in America and this one does it much more on the nose than usual. It may be too over the top for some viewers, as might be the lead performance and the way it is filmed but past all of that is a thought provoking and often entertaining film. The story has Damon Wayans (The last Boyscout) playing a frustrated African-American TV writer who proposes a blackface minstrel show in protest, but to his chagrin it becomes a hit. The satire may be thick but it works and the closing montage really sends it home. 6.5/10The Prowler (1951, Joseph Losey)
This little thriller was written by the inimitable Dalton Trumbo (Roman Holiday) and whilst far from his best work it is quite a tight little film about love, betrayal and even... murder. It is not especially well directed but the performances are strong enough to hold it together. 6.5/10 The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976, Nicolas Roeg) I am not the biggest fan of Roeg's work but I do like sci-fi and I do like Bowie so I gave this one a whirl. Bowie plays the man who fell to earth and the film plays out to his life on earth as he tries to achieve his goals and he gets sucked into the earthly pleasures. The film has some stunning shots with great scenes and the camera loves Bowie's face. However the story is a bit haphazardly told and the production utilizes some choices in sound that dates the film more than the classics of the same era did not. 6/10REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING Bowfinger (1999, Frank Oz) blu ray
There have been many films who have poked fun at the Hollywood machine such as The Player (1992) or Swimming with Sharks (1994) that are quite amusing but Bowfinger does he same thing only as a flat out absurd comedy. The film stars Steve Martin (The Jerk) as a desperate movie producer who fails to get a major star (Eddie Murphy) for his bargain basement film so instead decides to shoot the film secretly around him. I really do not care for Steve Martin in comedic roles at all but for the most part he is the straighter character surrounded by funny ones like the duel characters Eddie Murphy plays. This biting satire is a lot of fun with a great cast and well made, it is certainly the cream of the crop for latter day Eddie Murphy films. 7/10 Octopussy (1983, John Glenn)blu rayThe same year that a rival rights holder released the Bond film 'Never Say Never Again' starring Sean Connery, long time producer Albert Broccoli was fight a battle on two fronts, one with the aforementioned rival Bond film through his lawyer and another trying to make a Bond film to blow the returning Connery out of the water. He both did make the team behind the Connery Bond films life difficult and limit what they could show on screen and made one of the better Roger Moore bond entries. Octopussy is a weird mix of the more serious Bond we saw in 'For Your Eyes Only' and complete slapstick that we saw from the rest of Moore's entries. This shouldn't work but somehow it does for the most part. We end up with a well paced fun Bond adventure with a lot of spectacle. Octopussy ended up taking slightly more money at the box office than Never Say Never Again but it cost a lot more to make so was not as profitable. I prefer the Connery film but Octopussy is not too far behind it. 7/10 It Follows (2014, David Robert Mitchell) blu ray
This indie horror still has great mood and set pieces even if the films internal logic is a bit screwy. 6.5/10 High Anxiety (1977, Mel Brooks)blu ray
Mel Brooks has famously parodied many genre's but his parody of the films of Alfred Hitchcock and other thrillers of the day is often overlooked. It is consistently funny and inventive, ending up being my fourth favourite from Brooks' cannon behind Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs and Blazing Saddles. 6.5/10The Jungle Book (2016, Jon Favreau)tvThis 'somewhat' live action version of the Disney animated classic did not fair too well on rewatch. Sure it has some exciting scenes but some of the voice actors are miscast and the main kid is annoying throughout.5/10 WEEKLY MOVIE AWARDS
BEST FILM: Bowfinger BEST ACTOR: Van Heflin - The Prowler BEST ACTRESS: Maika Monroe - It Follows BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Eddie Murphy - Bowfinger BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Madeline Kahn - High Anxiety BEST SCORE: Disasterpeace - It Follows BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mike Gioulakis - It Follows BEST SCRIPT: Steve Martin - Bowfinger BEST DIRECTOR: David Robert Mitchell - It Follows 10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible) 09/10 - An Excellent film 08/10 - A VERY Good film 07/10 - A Good film 06/10 - A Solid film 05/10 - An Average film 04/10 - Below Average film 03/10 - A mostly bad film 02/10 - A mostly terrible film 01/10 - Awful through and through 00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too Hey! Octopussy - much better than Never Say Never Again in my opinion. Lot's of fun. 7.5/10 It Follows - amazing score and cinematography and the film is dripping in atmosphere. I love the concept too and felt it was well executed. 8/10 The Jungle Book - agreed. 5.5/10 First Time Viewings: King Kong (1933, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack) This original version of the classic story obviously has effects that don't look great by today's standards. It still tells a good story though and the scenes with Kong are really good. It's bogged down by forgettable performances and weak character development. 6.5/10 King Kong (1976, John Guillermin) This remake has a pretty poor reputation, but I felt it was on par with the original (I liked the 33 version slightly better). Kong doesn't look great in this one and the finale was kind of weak, but it has better performances and characters than the original. 6.5/10 Alfie (1966, Lewis Gilbert) This one is about a ladies' man who begins to understand the consequences of his lifestyle. Michael Caine is very good here, but I found the story aimless and uninteresting. Also, it's listed as a comedy, but it's not very funny. 5.5/10 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise) This is one from Disney's 90's run that I don't think I ever saw as a kid. Turns out it's pretty good though, with a good story, great animation, and one of Disney's best villains. 7/10 Passengers (2016, Morten Tyldum) This one didn't get very good reviews, but I actually liked it. The two leads are good and have strong chemistry together, the score is very good, I liked the set design, and the story had some unexpected surpises along the way. 7/10 The Black Cauldron (1985, Ted Berman and Richard Rich) Upon its initial release, this film didn't do very well at the box office, nor was it very popular with critics. It is known as being Disney's darkest film and was the studios first to receive the PG rating in the U.S. In the years since it has gained a following and I myself quite enjoyed it. I liked the darker tone and felt it was a fun fantasy/adventure story. There are some fun characters, including an awesome villain, and the animation is very good. 7/10 Repeat Viewings: Body of Lies (2008, Ridley Scott) In this one, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a CIA agent that's hunting a terrorist leader in Jordan. It's well made and has some strong performances. Not among Ridley Scott's best, but it's pretty good. 7/10 King Kong (2005, Peter Jackson) I haven't seen this one in full since the theaters, but I remember liking it. After this rewatch I can say that it's easily my favorite of the three versions. It's long, but well paced and has better acting and character development than the other two versions. Kong still looks terrific more than a decade later and most of the other effects are strong as well, with the excpetion of a few obvious green screen moments. The film is a proper epic, full of fun and excitement throughout. 8/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003, Gore Verbinski) It's been a few years since I last saw this, but it's been a favorite of mine since I first saw it back in the theaters in '03. This viewing only reminded me how much I love it. It's full of great characters, awesome action scenes, great storytelling, and one of the best scores ever written. So much fun. 9/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006, Gore Verbinski) This follow up isn't on the level of the firat film, but it's still a damn good sequep that is lots of fun. The effects are terrific and Bill Nighy is awesome as Davy Jones. 8/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007, Gore Verbinski) This one is an overlong mess with too many silly moments, but I still like it. There are some great scenes present and the finale is very good. A solid conclusion to the story. 7/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011, Rob Marshall) I enjoyed this one in the past, but I didn't care for it on this viewing. It still is fun enough and has some great moments, but it lacks the charm and excitement of the first three, plus sone key characters are missing. 6/10 Pocahontas (1995, Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg) I haven't seen this since I was a kid, but it holds up pretty well. The animation is stunning, it has good characters, some great songs and it's entertaining throughout. 7/10 Movie Awards: BEST FILM - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl BEST ACTOR - Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST ACTRESS - Naomi Watts (King Kong) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Golshifteh Farahani (Body of Lies) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Dariusz Wolski (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST SCORE - Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of Black Pearl) BEST SCRIPT - Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, and Jay Wolpert (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST DIRECTOR - Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl)
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Post by darksidebeadle on Mar 19, 2017 7:00:51 GMT
YOURS Bamboozled - 7/10 The Prowler - 6.5/10 The Man Who Fell to Earth - 5.5/10 Bowfinger - 7/10 Octopussy - 5/10 It Follows - 4/10 High Anxiety - 6/10 The Jungle Book - 5/10 MINE Babe: Pig in the City (1998 George Miller) - 5.5/10 Shut In (2016 Farren Blackburn) - 4/10 Oliver & Company (1988 George Scribner) - 7/10 Session 9 (2001 Brad Anderson) - 7/10 Kong: Skull Island (2017 Jordan Vogt-Roberts) - 6/10 All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 Lewis Milestone) - 7/10 The Eye of the Storm (2011 Fred Schepisi) - 4.5/10 Anamorph (2007 H.S. Miller) - 5.5/10 The Contract (2006 Bruce Beresford) - 5/10 Last Days (2005 Gus Van Sant) - 7/10 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977 John Lounsbery & Wolfgang Reitherman) - 7/10 Trolls (2016 Walt Dohrn & Mike Mitchell) - 4/10 Passengers (2016 Morten Tyldum) - 7/10 Dark City (1998 Alex Proyas) - 6/10 Falling Down (1993 Joel Shumcher) - 7/10 Ranking George Miller's films 1. Lorenzo's Oil - 9/10 2. Mad Max: Fury Road - 7.5/10 3. Happy Feet - 7.5/10 4. Happy Feet 2 - 7.5/10 5. The Witches of Eastwick - 7/10 6. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - 7/10 7. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - 6.5/10 8. Babe: Pig in the City - 5.5/10 9. Mad Max - 5/10 Television Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 1 (1987) - 7/10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 2 (1988) - 7/10 Film Awards BEST PICTURE - Falling Down BEST ACTOR - Michael Douglas (Falling Down) BEST ACTRESS - Charlotte Rampling (The Eye of the Storm) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Louis Wolheim (All Quiet on the Western Front) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Judy Davis (The Eye of the Storm) BEST DIRECTOR - Joel Shumacher (Falling Down) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - All Quiet on the Western Front BEST SCORE - Passengers clean sweep of mine this week Babe: Pig in the City (1998 George Miller) - im not even sure i finished this, i found it unengaging All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 Lewis Milestone) - been too long The Contract (2006 Bruce Beresford) - 5/10 Last Days (2005 Gus Van Sant) - 6.5/10 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977 John Lounsbery & Wolfgang Reitherman) - been too long Passengers (2016 Morten Tyldum) - 5.5/10 Dark City (1998 Alex Proyas) - 6/10 Falling Down (1993 Joel Shumcher) - 7.5/10
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Post by darksidebeadle on Mar 19, 2017 7:08:21 GMT
Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your hosts (us) posts our weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. We will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film. FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWING Bamboozled (2000, Spike Lee)
Spike Lee's personal films usually deal with race relations in America and this one does it much more on the nose than usual. It may be too over the top for some viewers, as might be the lead performance and the way it is filmed but past all of that is a thought provoking and often entertaining film. The story has Damon Wayans (The last Boyscout) playing a frustrated African-American TV writer who proposes a blackface minstrel show in protest, but to his chagrin it becomes a hit. The satire may be thick but it works and the closing montage really sends it home. 6.5/10The Prowler (1951, Joseph Losey)
This little thriller was written by the inimitable Dalton Trumbo (Roman Holiday) and whilst far from his best work it is quite a tight little film about love, betrayal and even... murder. It is not especially well directed but the performances are strong enough to hold it together. 6.5/10 The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976, Nicolas Roeg) I am not the biggest fan of Roeg's work but I do like sci-fi and I do like Bowie so I gave this one a whirl. Bowie plays the man who fell to earth and the film plays out to his life on earth as he tries to achieve his goals and he gets sucked into the earthly pleasures. The film has some stunning shots with great scenes and the camera loves Bowie's face. However the story is a bit haphazardly told and the production utilizes some choices in sound that dates the film more than the classics of the same era did not. 6/10REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING Bowfinger (1999, Frank Oz) blu ray
There have been many films who have poked fun at the Hollywood machine such as The Player (1992) or Swimming with Sharks (1994) that are quite amusing but Bowfinger does he same thing only as a flat out absurd comedy. The film stars Steve Martin (The Jerk) as a desperate movie producer who fails to get a major star (Eddie Murphy) for his bargain basement film so instead decides to shoot the film secretly around him. I really do not care for Steve Martin in comedic roles at all but for the most part he is the straighter character surrounded by funny ones like the duel characters Eddie Murphy plays. This biting satire is a lot of fun with a great cast and well made, it is certainly the cream of the crop for latter day Eddie Murphy films. 7/10 Octopussy (1983, John Glenn)blu rayThe same year that a rival rights holder released the Bond film 'Never Say Never Again' starring Sean Connery, long time producer Albert Broccoli was fight a battle on two fronts, one with the aforementioned rival Bond film through his lawyer and another trying to make a Bond film to blow the returning Connery out of the water. He both did make the team behind the Connery Bond films life difficult and limit what they could show on screen and made one of the better Roger Moore bond entries. Octopussy is a weird mix of the more serious Bond we saw in 'For Your Eyes Only' and complete slapstick that we saw from the rest of Moore's entries. This shouldn't work but somehow it does for the most part. We end up with a well paced fun Bond adventure with a lot of spectacle. Octopussy ended up taking slightly more money at the box office than Never Say Never Again but it cost a lot more to make so was not as profitable. I prefer the Connery film but Octopussy is not too far behind it. 7/10 It Follows (2014, David Robert Mitchell) blu ray
This indie horror still has great mood and set pieces even if the films internal logic is a bit screwy. 6.5/10 High Anxiety (1977, Mel Brooks)blu ray
Mel Brooks has famously parodied many genre's but his parody of the films of Alfred Hitchcock and other thrillers of the day is often overlooked. It is consistently funny and inventive, ending up being my fourth favourite from Brooks' cannon behind Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs and Blazing Saddles. 6.5/10The Jungle Book (2016, Jon Favreau)tvThis 'somewhat' live action version of the Disney animated classic did not fair too well on rewatch. Sure it has some exciting scenes but some of the voice actors are miscast and the main kid is annoying throughout.5/10 WEEKLY MOVIE AWARDS
BEST FILM: Bowfinger BEST ACTOR: Van Heflin - The Prowler BEST ACTRESS: Maika Monroe - It Follows BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Eddie Murphy - Bowfinger BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Madeline Kahn - High Anxiety BEST SCORE: Disasterpeace - It Follows BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mike Gioulakis - It Follows BEST SCRIPT: Steve Martin - Bowfinger BEST DIRECTOR: David Robert Mitchell - It Follows 10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible) 09/10 - An Excellent film 08/10 - A VERY Good film 07/10 - A Good film 06/10 - A Solid film 05/10 - An Average film 04/10 - Below Average film 03/10 - A mostly bad film 02/10 - A mostly terrible film 01/10 - Awful through and through 00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too Hey! Octopussy - much better than Never Say Never Again in my opinion. Lot's of fun. 7.5/10 It Follows - amazing score and cinematography and the film is dripping in atmosphere. I love the concept too and felt it was well executed. 8/10 First Time Viewings: King Kong (1933, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack) This original version of the classic story obviously has effects that don't look great by today's standards. It still tells a good story though and the scenes with Kong are really good. It's bogged down by forgettable performances and weak character development. 6.5/10 King Kong (1976, John Guillermin) This remake has a pretty poor reputation, but I felt it was on par with the original (I liked the 33 version slightly better). Kong doesn't look great in this one and the finale was kind of weak, but it has better performances and characters than the original. 6.5/10 Alfie (1966, Lewis Gilbert) This one is about a ladies' man who begins to understand the consequences of his lifestyle. Michael Caine is very good here, but I found the story aimless and uninteresting. Also, it's listed as a comedy, but it's not very funny. 5.5/10 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise) This is one from Disney's 90's run that I don't think I ever saw as a kid. Turns out it's pretty good though, with a good story, great animation, and one of Disney's best villains. 7/10 Passengers (2016, Morten Tyldum) This one didn't get very good reviews, but I actually liked it. The two leads are good and have strong chemistry together, the score is very good, I liked the set design, and the story had some unexpected surpises along the way. 7/10 The Black Cauldron (1985, Ted Berman and Richard Rich) Upon its initial release, this film didn't do very well at the box office, nor was it very popular with critics. It is known as being Disney's darkest film and was the studios first to receive the PG rating in the U.S. In the years since it has gained a following and I myself quite enjoyed it. I liked the darker tone and felt it was a fun fantasy/adventure story. There are some fun characters, including an awesome villain, and the animation is very good. 7/10 Repeat Viewings: Body of Lies (2008, Ridley Scott) In this one, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a CIA agent that's hunting a terrorist leader in Jordan. It's well made and has some strong performances. Not among Ridley Scott's best, but it's pretty good. 7/10 King Kong (2005, Peter Jackson) I haven't seen this one in full since the theaters, but I remember liking it. After this rewatch I can say that it's easily my favorite of the three versions. It's long, but well paced and has better acting and character development than the other two versions. Kong still looks terrific more than a decade later and most of the other effects are strong as well, with the excpetion of a few obvious green screen moments. The film is a proper epic, full of fun and excitement throughout. 8/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003, Gore Verbinski) It's been a few years since I last saw this, but it's been a favorite of mine since I first saw it back in the theaters in '03. This viewing only reminded me how much I love it. It's full of great characters, awesome action scenes, great storytelling, and one of the best scores ever written. So much fun. 9/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006, Gore Verbinski) This follow up isn't on the level of the firat film, but it's still a damn good sequep that is lots of fun. The effects are terrific and Bill Nighy is awesome as Davy Jones. 8/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007, Gore Verbinski) This one is an overlong mess with too many silly moments, but I still like it. There are some great scenes present and the finale is very good. A solid conclusion to the story. 7/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011, Rob Marshall) I enjoyed this one in the past, but I didn't care for it on this viewing. It still is fun enough and has some great moments, but it lacks the charm and excitement of the first three, plus sone key characters are missing. 6/10 Pocahontas (1995, Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg) I haven't seen this since I was a kid, but it holds up pretty well. The animation is stunning, it has good characters, some great songs and it's entertaining throughout. 7/10 Movie Awards: BEST FILM - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl BEST ACTOR - Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST ACTRESS - Naomi Watts (King Kong) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Golshifteh Farahani (Body of Lies) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Dariusz Wolski (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST SCORE - Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of Black Pearl) BEST SCRIPT - Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, and Jay Wolpert (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST DIRECTOR - Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) hey King Kong (1933, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack) it still holds some appeal 5.5/10 King Kong (1976, John Guillermin) My favourite Kong film 6.5/10 Passengers (2016, Morten Tyldum) you saw my thoughts last week 5.5/10 The Black Cauldron (1985, Ted Berman and Richard Rich) cant remember it well enough Body of Lies (2008, Ridley Scott) yup 6.5/10 King Kong (2005, Peter Jackson) awful 2/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003, Gore Verbinski) 5/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006, Gore Verbinski) 4.5/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007, Gore Verbinski) one of the worst films ive seen 1.5/10
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Post by jcush on Mar 19, 2017 7:12:38 GMT
King Kong (1933, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack) it still holds some appeal 5.5/10 King Kong (1976, John Guillermin) My favourite Kong film 6.5/10 Passengers (2016, Morten Tyldum) you saw my thoughts last week 5.5/10 The Black Cauldron (1985, Ted Berman and Richard Rich) cant remember it well enough Body of Lies (2008, Ridley Scott) yup 6.5/10 King Kong (2005, Peter Jackson) awful 2/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003, Gore Verbinski) 5/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006, Gore Verbinski) 4.5/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007, Gore Verbinski) one of the worst films ive seen 1.5/10 I added my rating for Jungle Book, which I forgot initially. We're the opposite on the Kong films. So have you only seen Aladdin, Lion King, and Mulan from Disney's 90's output?
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Post by moviemouth on Mar 19, 2017 7:19:20 GMT
Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your hosts (us) posts our weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. We will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film. FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWING Bamboozled (2000, Spike Lee)
Spike Lee's personal films usually deal with race relations in America and this one does it much more on the nose than usual. It may be too over the top for some viewers, as might be the lead performance and the way it is filmed but past all of that is a thought provoking and often entertaining film. The story has Damon Wayans (The last Boyscout) playing a frustrated African-American TV writer who proposes a blackface minstrel show in protest, but to his chagrin it becomes a hit. The satire may be thick but it works and the closing montage really sends it home. 6.5/10The Prowler (1951, Joseph Losey)
This little thriller was written by the inimitable Dalton Trumbo (Roman Holiday) and whilst far from his best work it is quite a tight little film about love, betrayal and even... murder. It is not especially well directed but the performances are strong enough to hold it together. 6.5/10 The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976, Nicolas Roeg) I am not the biggest fan of Roeg's work but I do like sci-fi and I do like Bowie so I gave this one a whirl. Bowie plays the man who fell to earth and the film plays out to his life on earth as he tries to achieve his goals and he gets sucked into the earthly pleasures. The film has some stunning shots with great scenes and the camera loves Bowie's face. However the story is a bit haphazardly told and the production utilizes some choices in sound that dates the film more than the classics of the same era did not. 6/10REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING Bowfinger (1999, Frank Oz) blu ray
There have been many films who have poked fun at the Hollywood machine such as The Player (1992) or Swimming with Sharks (1994) that are quite amusing but Bowfinger does he same thing only as a flat out absurd comedy. The film stars Steve Martin (The Jerk) as a desperate movie producer who fails to get a major star (Eddie Murphy) for his bargain basement film so instead decides to shoot the film secretly around him. I really do not care for Steve Martin in comedic roles at all but for the most part he is the straighter character surrounded by funny ones like the duel characters Eddie Murphy plays. This biting satire is a lot of fun with a great cast and well made, it is certainly the cream of the crop for latter day Eddie Murphy films. 7/10 Octopussy (1983, John Glenn)blu rayThe same year that a rival rights holder released the Bond film 'Never Say Never Again' starring Sean Connery, long time producer Albert Broccoli was fight a battle on two fronts, one with the aforementioned rival Bond film through his lawyer and another trying to make a Bond film to blow the returning Connery out of the water. He both did make the team behind the Connery Bond films life difficult and limit what they could show on screen and made one of the better Roger Moore bond entries. Octopussy is a weird mix of the more serious Bond we saw in 'For Your Eyes Only' and complete slapstick that we saw from the rest of Moore's entries. This shouldn't work but somehow it does for the most part. We end up with a well paced fun Bond adventure with a lot of spectacle. Octopussy ended up taking slightly more money at the box office than Never Say Never Again but it cost a lot more to make so was not as profitable. I prefer the Connery film but Octopussy is not too far behind it. 7/10 It Follows (2014, David Robert Mitchell) blu ray
This indie horror still has great mood and set pieces even if the films internal logic is a bit screwy. 6.5/10 High Anxiety (1977, Mel Brooks)blu ray
Mel Brooks has famously parodied many genre's but his parody of the films of Alfred Hitchcock and other thrillers of the day is often overlooked. It is consistently funny and inventive, ending up being my fourth favourite from Brooks' cannon behind Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs and Blazing Saddles. 6.5/10The Jungle Book (2016, Jon Favreau)tvThis 'somewhat' live action version of the Disney animated classic did not fair too well on rewatch. Sure it has some exciting scenes but some of the voice actors are miscast and the main kid is annoying throughout.5/10 WEEKLY MOVIE AWARDS
BEST FILM: Bowfinger BEST ACTOR: Van Heflin - The Prowler BEST ACTRESS: Maika Monroe - It Follows BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Eddie Murphy - Bowfinger BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Madeline Kahn - High Anxiety BEST SCORE: Disasterpeace - It Follows BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mike Gioulakis - It Follows BEST SCRIPT: Steve Martin - Bowfinger BEST DIRECTOR: David Robert Mitchell - It Follows 10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible) 09/10 - An Excellent film 08/10 - A VERY Good film 07/10 - A Good film 06/10 - A Solid film 05/10 - An Average film 04/10 - Below Average film 03/10 - A mostly bad film 02/10 - A mostly terrible film 01/10 - Awful through and through 00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too Hey! Octopussy - much better than Never Say Never Again in my opinion. Lot's of fun. 7.5/10 It Follows - amazing score and cinematography and the film is dripping in atmosphere. I love the concept too and felt it was well executed. 8/10 The Jungle Book - agreed. 5.5/10 First Time Viewings: King Kong (1933, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack) This original version of the classic story obviously has effects that don't look great by today's standards. It still tells a good story though and the scenes with Kong are really good. It's bogged down by forgettable performances and weak character development. 6.5/10 King Kong (1976, John Guillermin) This remake has a pretty poor reputation, but I felt it was on par with the original (I liked the 33 version slightly better). Kong doesn't look great in this one and the finale was kind of weak, but it has better performances and characters than the original. 6.5/10 Alfie (1966, Lewis Gilbert) This one is about a ladies' man who begins to understand the consequences of his lifestyle. Michael Caine is very good here, but I found the story aimless and uninteresting. Also, it's listed as a comedy, but it's not very funny. 5.5/10 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise) This is one from Disney's 90's run that I don't think I ever saw as a kid. Turns out it's pretty good though, with a good story, great animation, and one of Disney's best villains. 7/10 Passengers (2016, Morten Tyldum) This one didn't get very good reviews, but I actually liked it. The two leads are good and have strong chemistry together, the score is very good, I liked the set design, and the story had some unexpected surpises along the way. 7/10 The Black Cauldron (1985, Ted Berman and Richard Rich) Upon its initial release, this film didn't do very well at the box office, nor was it very popular with critics. It is known as being Disney's darkest film and was the studios first to receive the PG rating in the U.S. In the years since it has gained a following and I myself quite enjoyed it. I liked the darker tone and felt it was a fun fantasy/adventure story. There are some fun characters, including an awesome villain, and the animation is very good. 7/10 Repeat Viewings: Body of Lies (2008, Ridley Scott) In this one, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a CIA agent that's hunting a terrorist leader in Jordan. It's well made and has some strong performances. Not among Ridley Scott's best, but it's pretty good. 7/10 King Kong (2005, Peter Jackson) I haven't seen this one in full since the theaters, but I remember liking it. After this rewatch I can say that it's easily my favorite of the three versions. It's long, but well paced and has better acting and character development than the other two versions. Kong still looks terrific more than a decade later and most of the other effects are strong as well, with the excpetion of a few obvious green screen moments. The film is a proper epic, full of fun and excitement throughout. 8/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003, Gore Verbinski) It's been a few years since I last saw this, but it's been a favorite of mine since I first saw it back in the theaters in '03. This viewing only reminded me how much I love it. It's full of great characters, awesome action scenes, great storytelling, and one of the best scores ever written. So much fun. 9/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006, Gore Verbinski) This follow up isn't on the level of the firat film, but it's still a damn good sequep that is lots of fun. The effects are terrific and Bill Nighy is awesome as Davy Jones. 8/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007, Gore Verbinski) This one is an overlong mess with too many silly moments, but I still like it. There are some great scenes present and the finale is very good. A solid conclusion to the story. 7/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011, Rob Marshall) I enjoyed this one in the past, but I didn't care for it on this viewing. It still is fun enough and has some great moments, but it lacks the charm and excitement of the first three, plus sone key characters are missing. 6/10 Pocahontas (1995, Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg) I haven't seen this since I was a kid, but it holds up pretty well. The animation is stunning, it has good characters, some great songs and it's entertaining throughout. 7/10 Movie Awards: BEST FILM - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl BEST ACTOR - Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST ACTRESS - Naomi Watts (King Kong) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Golshifteh Farahani (Body of Lies) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Dariusz Wolski (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST SCORE - Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of Black Pearl) BEST SCRIPT - Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, and Jay Wolpert (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) BEST DIRECTOR - Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) Alfie - 6/10 The Hunchback of Notre Dame - 6.5/10 I agree about the villain and the score is good but it wasn't quite entertaining enough to fully invest me. Body of Lies - 7/10 King Kong - 7.5/10 Curse of the Black Pearl - 8/10 Dead Man's Chest - 8/10 At World's End - 7/10 On Stranger Tides - 5.5/10 Pocahontas - been too long I basically agree with all of your wins, though I'll have to take your word on the supporting actress win.
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Post by darksidebeadle on Mar 19, 2017 7:23:53 GMT
My memory of 'Bamboozled' is pretty hazy even though I have it on dvd. I recall I liked it and found it pretty funny in places. I like the films of Nicolas Roeg too, although 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' has never really grabbed me. 'The Prowler' is a nice vintage thriller. I didn't care for 'Bowfinger' but found 'High Anxiety' very enjoyable. My favourite of your viewings this last week would be 'It Follows' which I feel makes great use of suburban and urban locations in Michigan, something the filmmakers achieved on a small budget. Love that movie. --- --- Glad you like It follows so much!
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Post by jcush on Mar 19, 2017 7:28:04 GMT
Alfie - 6/10 The Hunchback of Notre Dame - 6.5/10 I agree about the villain and the score is good but it wasn't quite entertaining enough to fully invest me. Body of Lies - 7/10 King Kong - 7.5/10 Curse of the Black Pearl - 8/10 Dead Man's Chest - 8/10 At World's End - 7/10 On Stranger Tides - 5.5/10 Pocahontas - been too long I basically agree with all of your wins, though I'll have to take your word on the supporting actress win. Any interest in The Black Cauldron? It's got another great Disney villain. I didn't really have many good options for supporting actress this week.
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Post by moviemouth on Mar 19, 2017 7:42:29 GMT
Alfie - 6/10 The Hunchback of Notre Dame - 6.5/10 I agree about the villain and the score is good but it wasn't quite entertaining enough to fully invest me. Body of Lies - 7/10 King Kong - 7.5/10 Curse of the Black Pearl - 8/10 Dead Man's Chest - 8/10 At World's End - 7/10 On Stranger Tides - 5.5/10 Pocahontas - been too long I basically agree with all of your wins, though I'll have to take your word on the supporting actress win. Any interest in The Black Cauldron? It's got another great Disney villain. I didn't really have many good options for supporting actress this week. Not much interest in The Black Cauldron but I plan on watching it eventually. I may have picked one of the Alfie actresses for supporting. I actually started Pocahontas last week but didn't get around to finishing it. Not that I wasn't interested, it's just I found other movies I wanted to watch more.
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Post by jcush on Mar 19, 2017 7:53:31 GMT
Not much interest in The Black Cauldron but I plan on watching it eventually. I may have picked one of the Alfie actresses for supporting. I actually started Pocahontas last week but didn't get around to finishing it. Not that I wasn't interested, it's just I found other movies I wanted to watch more. I don't know which of the actresses from Alfie I like most. Everyone was good, but none of them stood out from the rest. I hadn't seen Pocahontas in a long time. The animation is breathtaking.
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Post by moviemouth on Mar 19, 2017 8:08:03 GMT
Not much interest in The Black Cauldron but I plan on watching it eventually. I may have picked one of the Alfie actresses for supporting. I actually started Pocahontas last week but didn't get around to finishing it. Not that I wasn't interested, it's just I found other movies I wanted to watch more. I don't know which of the actresses from Alfie I like most. Everyone was good, but none of them stood out from the rest. I hadn't seen Pocahontas in a long time. The animation is breathtaking. I saw Pocahontas at the cinema when it came out and that was the only time I ever saw it. I wasn't a fan of it as a kid.
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prolelol
Sophomore
I love movies, especially drama and horror movies! And also, I'm a big fan of TV shows.
@prolelol
Posts: 377
Likes: 101
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Post by prolelol on Mar 19, 2017 8:55:25 GMT
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) 7.5/10 - Angelina Jolie is a little better and less annoying in her role. It's also a little better than the first.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) 10/10
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) 8/10
Under the Shadow (2016) 10/10 - Wow, one realistic drama film with horror story. Fantastic and very interesting movie! It made my life better.
Tropic Thudner (2008) 2.5/10 - I usually love comedy like Pineapple Express, 40 Years-Old Virgin.. but this one's unbelievably unfunny and painfully boring movie.
Greed (1924) 10/10 - I waited in a long time to see Greed (1924) and I finally got it. I watched one version with 4 hours. It originally shot with 9 and half hours and took two years to shoot, but most footages were lost. They have some footages and used the pictures from it. It was pretty understandable!
I thought it was gonna to be cute film, but I'm wasn't right. It's very dark drama with so many shocking and disturbing parts and a few pictures that gave me goosebumps. Very good performances, realistic story and stunning cinematography! It's like Gone with the Wind of the decade.
That's one of the greatest silent drama films!
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Post by darksidebeadle on Mar 19, 2017 9:43:15 GMT
King Kong (1933, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack) it still holds some appeal 5.5/10 King Kong (1976, John Guillermin) My favourite Kong film 6.5/10 Passengers (2016, Morten Tyldum) you saw my thoughts last week 5.5/10 The Black Cauldron (1985, Ted Berman and Richard Rich) cant remember it well enough Body of Lies (2008, Ridley Scott) yup 6.5/10 King Kong (2005, Peter Jackson) awful 2/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003, Gore Verbinski) 5/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006, Gore Verbinski) 4.5/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007, Gore Verbinski) one of the worst films ive seen 1.5/10 I added my rating for Jungle Book, which I forgot initially. We're the opposite on the Kong films. So have you only seen Aladdin, Lion King, and Mulan from Disney's 90's output? Yeah just those three
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