Hey!
Dunkirk - glad you liked it. I saw it in IMAX too and it certainly added to the experience. I had a feeling it might end up your favorite Nolan. 8/10
Closer - shame you didn't like it. I really enjoyed the performances and I liked where the story went. 8/10
They Live - awesome movie, with some great social commentary that still feels relevant. 8/10
The Witch - well shot, creepy score, and strong performances. 7.5/10
Batman v Superman - it's a bit messy, but I enjoyed both versions. 7/10
First Time Viewings:
Mary and Max (2009, Adam Elliot)
In this animated film, a lonely Australian girl becomes pen pals with a middle aged man from New York. The film is quite funny, but also has some powerful dramatic moments. It wasn't nearly as kid friendly as I thought it would be, but I liked that. It also has strong voice work from Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the title characters and is entertaining throughout.
7.5/10
The Fifth Element (1997, Luc Besson)
I saw part of this one several years ago on TV, but I've always wanted to sit down and watch the whole thing since then. I found it pretty enjoyable. Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich make for likable leads and I liked the films vision of the future and I enjoyed the story. Gary Oldman's performance didn't impress me much, but I actually didn't really mind Chris Tucker, who I know many people hate in this. His character is supposed to be annoying though and I thought he played that well.
7/10
The Whole Nine Yards (2000, Jonathan Lynn)
In this one, a struggling dentist's life turns upside down after a famous gangster moves in next door and his wife tells him to inform a notorious mob boss of his whereabouts. The story is pretty fun and there are lots of laughs throughout, but it's the cast that really makes the film work, with all the main players chipping in good performances.
7/10
My Cousin Vinny (1992, Jonathan Lynn)
Two young men from New York are accused of murder in Alabama, so they hire one of their cousins, who isn't accustomed to the ways of the south, to defend them. Joe Pesci is awesome in the lead role of the lawyer and Marisa Tomei puts in a terrific performance as well. The two of them share excellent chemistry and many of the films best moments are between them. There are also some great courtroom scenes and the film has lots of memorable dialogue and plenty of laughs. I really enjoyed this one.
8/10
See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989, Arthur Hiller)
In this one, a blind man and a deaf man must go on the run to find the people responsible for a murder that they witnessed and were wrongly accused of. Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor are a lot of fun together and I really liked the concept of the film and felt it was well executed. There are lot of laughs, good lines of dialogue, and it's pretty entertaining throughout.
7/10
The Big Kahuna (1999, John Swanbeck)
In this one, Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito star as two veteran salesmen who along with their young protege, are trying to get one particular client while at a convention. The film takes place almost entirely in a hotel room and only has three characters that get much focus. I thought there were some good dialogue and interesting conversations between the characters though and DeVito, Peter Facinelli, and especially Kevin Spacey are all good in their roles.
7/10
The Last Boy Scout (1991, Tony Scott)
This one is about a cynical detective and an ex-quarterback who team up to solve a case involving a pro football team and a politician. Bruce Willis has always been great at playing the sarcastic wisecrack and he's awesome here in a role like that. Damon Wayans is also good as the other lead and he and Willis have great chemistry. One of the film's writers was Shane Black and it has his fingerprints all over it, from the buddy cop like story, to the witty dialogue, which I love. There are also some great action scenes and lots of laughs. I really enjoyed this one.
7.5/10
The Monster Squad (1987, Fred Dekker)
In this one, a group of kids must fight off Dracula and some other famous monsters that are attacking their town. The film is really short and pretty fun throughout. I liked the concept and thought it was well executed on screen. The cast is pretty solid, the score is good, and overall I enjoyed it.
7/10
Repeat Viewings:
Cinderella (1950, Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske)
This is a Disney classic I didn't grow up with, so I don't really have any attachment to it. I was hoping to like it more this time around (I saw ti a couple years ago), but I actually liked it a bit less. It has good animation and the story is classic, but it spends too much time with some of the secondary characters and as a result, other more important parts are rushed. It's not bad, but it's one of those classics that just doesn't work for me.
6/10
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964, Stanley Kubrick)
This satire about the Cold War is always a great watch. It has a terrific ensemble cast, memorable characters, some great laughs, a great soundtrack, and an excellent script that is very quotable.
9/10
The Fox and the Hound (1981, Ted Berman, Richard Rich, and Art Stevens)
This one doesn't seem to get mentioned much, but I think it's pretty good. Not one of Disney's best, but it has great animation, a very good score, and a good story.
7/10
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008, Steven Spielberg)
I hated this in the past, but felt I may have been much too harsh. This time I tried not to nitpick it to death. I still have lots of problems, but Harrison Ford is still really good as Indy and there are a few moments and set pieces that feel like classic Indy. Overall, I think I don't think it's that bad now and certainly not the travesty I once considered it to be. Still, it's definitely a disappointment compared to the first three and it shouldn't have been made.
5.5/10
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise)
Underrated Disney film. It's beautifully animated, has strong characters, including one of Disney's very best villains and there are some really good songs and a very good score.
7.5/10
Beauty and the Beast (1991, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise)
This animated classic is full of memorable characters, has great animation, a strong collection of songs,a very good score, and a good story. One of Disney's best.
8/10
Movie Awards:
BEST FILM - Dr. Strangelove
BEST ACTOR - Peter Sellers (Dr. Strangelove)
BEST ACTRESS - Toni Collette (Mary and Max)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - George C. Scott (Dr. Strangelove)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Glibert Taylor (Dr. Strangelove)
BEST SCORE - Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast)
BEST SCRIPT - Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, and Peter George (Dr. Strangelove)
BEST DIRECTOR - Stanley Kubrick (Dr. Strangelove)
The fifth element: Been a long time but loved it back then. Milla turned me on. 7.5/10
The whole nine yard: went up on rewatch, very good. 7.5/10
The last boy scout: Went down just a little bit on reatch. 7/10
mine:
San Andreas (2015 DVD): A friend of mine sold me a bundle of about 100 DVD’s for 40$. This one was among them, otherwise I would’ve never bought it. Well, you know what they say about judging a book by its cover. I expected this to be tedious, shallow and just worth a headache. I was wrong. Except for the first and the last 10 minutes which were both pretty pathetic, it actually kept me engage, the action was decent and I even cared about the characters. 6/10
Small Soldiers (1998 DVD): The 13 years old me enjoyed that one when it came out in the theatre, you can take my word for it! I still remember it, imagine. I think I might have fallen in love with Kristen Dunst at the time. It’s like the perfect movie for young boys. Rewatching it with my 3 yrs old was a great experience too and I still enjoyed it. 13 yrs old me: 10/10 31 yrs old me: 7.5/10
Cloud Atlas (2012 DVD): This un’s a ruddy-bloody gem and that’s the True-true. T’is long, close to three rounds o’the clock but its story justifies it all. Hard for a Frenchie like me to cog all the yibberin’, what with all the words and worrins like a wasp’s nest poke’d and prod’d by the characters. It was captivating nonetheless. Beautifully shot with great settings and special FX. The cast, writers and directors did a formidable job to form a tightly woven tapestry of poetry, humanity, music and history. Fugitive lovers fighting for revolution in a futuristic world, an old publisher trying to escape from a retirement home, a primitive civilization of the future, a crew on a ship fighting against slavery , a middle-age music composer and finally, a journalist investigating an oil/nuclear scam; don’t try to figure it all out while watching, just let yourself go and follow the conductor. 8.5/10
Good Neighbors (2010 DVD): ‘’ Victor is new to Montreal and attempts to make friends with the wheelchair-bound Spencer and the cat-loving Louise, but everybody is on edge with a serial killer terrorizing the neighborhood.’’ Some people qualified this all-Canadian thriller to be a ‘’quirky film noir a la Coen’’. I say close, but not quite. The atmosphere is unique and quirky, good cinematography and good acting but the story fell flat for me. It’s more or less the story of a woman who is obsessed with cats and what happens when they get killed. The greatest thing about the movie was the deleted scene that explains how one of the characters got in a wheelchair. (In the movie he just mentions it being caused by a car accident that also killed his wife.) Let me describe the scene for you: A good-looking couple drives on a snowy road, anger and tension fills the air, he turns on the radio, she turns it right off. He smiles at her. She says: ‘That’s it, you got nothing more to say? Your done?’ He says: ‘Yeah, Im done!’ and brutally turns the steering wheel to crash in the ditch on her side. Then the scene fade out on her bloody head sticking out the window as we hear him giving one the eeriest, evilest laugh ever. It left be speechless. 6/10
I don’t feel at home in this world anymore (2017 Netflix): Now THAT was a good quirky black comedy! The overall feel reminded me of one of my beloved movies; Pawn Shop Chronicles (that also star Frodo). Its fun, funny and deadly serious. What made the movie stand out though was the chemistry between the two characters. It had been a while since I had felt a unique vibe like this one, really enjoyed it. The snake scene near the end was not necessary or credible IMO but still, another cool Netflix Original. 7.5/10
Indian in the cupboard (1995 DVD): I could say the exact same things as for Small Soldiers; one of my favorite movies of my youth and it was a fun experience seeing it again with my son. The actors playing the Indian, the cowboy and the military were all great and the kids are good. 10 yrs old me: 10/10 31 yrs old me: 7/10
The Wailing (‘‘Goksung’’ 2016 Netflix): Gosh do I love those South-Korean flicks! Actually, I love the South-Koreans, period. I like the way they eat, the way they talk (woun-deo!!), their facial expressions, their little houses, their dark humour and most of all, their brilliant, wicked minds. Writer/director Hong-jin Na (The Chaser, The Yellow Sea) proved, once again, that he does fit the mold with this hard-hitting treat of a thriller/horror. It’s that type of movie where the credits roll and you just sit there staring at the screen, processing what you just saw, just to end up to with one single conclusion: Fuuck! One thing though, I can’t help but think, that little actress girl must have been somewhat traumatized because all scenes she’s in (and there is quite a few) she’s either screaming, convulsing or crying. Also, the last act could’ve been shorten of about 15 minutes but still, I rate it a 8.5/10
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