What Movies Did You Watch Last Week? (14/08-20/08) CLOSED

YOURS

Not Another Teen Movie - 5.5/10
The Help - 6.5/10




MINE



Diamonds Are Forever (1971 Guy Hamilton) - 4/10

Logan Lucky (2017 Steven Soderbergh) - 7/10

Licence to Kill (1989 John Glen) - 5/10

Wildlike (2014 Frank Hall Green) - 6.5/10

Shot Caller (2017 Ric Roman Waugh) - 5.5/10

Every Which Way But Loose (1978 James Fargo) - 7/10

Deconstructing Harry (1997 Woody Allen) - 8/10



RE-WATCHES



GoldenEye (1995 Martin Campbell) - 7.5/10 (up from 7/10) My favorite 007 movie.

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997 Roger Spottiswoode) - 7/10 (stayed the same)

Goldfinger (1964 Guy Hamilton) - 7/10 (up from 5/10)

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997 Jay Roach) - 6/10 (down from 6.5/10)

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999 Jay Roach) - 6.5/10 (down from 7/10)

Bringing Out the Dead (1999 Martin Scorsese) - 7.5/10 (up from 6.5/10)

The King of Comedy (1983 Martin Scorsese) - 7.5/10 (stayed the same)

After Hours (1985 Martin Scorsese) - 7/10 (up from 6/10)

The Dead Pool (1988 Buddy Van Horn) - 5/10 (down from 5.5/10)



Updated Martin Scorsese Ranking

1. Taxi Driver - 10/10
2. Goodfellas - 10/10
3. Casino - 9/10
4. Raging Bull - 9/10
5. The Aviator - 9/10
6. Silence - 9/10
7. The Departed - 9/10
8. Gangs of New York - 9/10
9. Sutter Island - 9/10
10. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - 9/10
11. The Last Temptation of Christ - 8/10
12. Mean Streets - 8/10
13. The Wolf of Wall Street - 8/10
14. The Color of Money - 8/10
15. Cape Fear - 8/10
16. Kundun - 7.5/10
17. Bringing Out the Dead - 7.5/10
18. Hugo - 7.5/10
19. The King of Comedy - 7.5/10
20. The Age of Innocence - 7/10
21. After Hours - 7/10
22. Who's That Knocking at My Door - 6.5/10
23. New York, New York - 5/10
24. Boxcar Bertha - 5/10



Film Awards

BEST PICTURE - Deconstructing Harry
BEST ACTOR - Robert DeNiro (The King of Comedy)
BEST ACTRESS - Ella Purnell (Wildlike)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Daniel Craig (Logan Lucky)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Kirstey Alley (Deconstructing Harry)
BEST DIRECTOR - Woody Allen (Deconstructing Harry)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Bringing Out the Dead
BEST SCORE - GoldenEye

Well, at least our favorite is the same. 

Hello,

Haven't seen any of yours.

The Getaway (1972) 7 -> 8 rewatched
Song to Song 8 - I like this style of filmmaking; similar to Knight of Cups

: )

Not a big week for you huh? I started my vacation thursday and it rains 1day/2 so I wacthed quite a few myself.


Kubo and the two strings (2016 DVD): A beautiful stop-motion picture with a superb Japanese vibe to it. It was surprisingly funny but I can’t say the story was really enthralling. There is a lot of long conversation (especially for an animated film) and it’s not always interesting. Now here is another thing that always bothers me in movies; when you finally discover a mysterious character’s identity or motive and from then, their attitude change completely because otherwise we could’ve guessed who he was before the grand reveal. In this case, I’m talking about the monkey. Plus, the explanation for her mysterious behavior is weak. Other than that it was a fine experience filled with marvellous settings, if not a bit generic in the script and lacking in exciting action. 6.5/10

Spring Breakers (2012 Bluray): I tried to watch this one before but stopped not too long after James Franco’s character appeared on screen with his endless one-way conversations. I don’t know how anyone saw a great performance but I saw an annoying and easy one. Btw, it’s possible to put a grill on AND off the teeth, you don’t need to sleep, eat and fuck with it. The cinematography was very nice, there were some good trippy parts and I do see the point the director was trying to make but it does not justify making the movie such a difficult watch. And that comes from a guy who loved movies like Project X or Boys and girls guide to getting down. Again, I do understand that it was the point to shock and not to make a fun party movie but some scenes got too far under my skin. Also, the repetitive dialogue was cool the first 2-3 times but after that it had the opposite effect. Especially when the repeated sentence is a crappy one. 5-5.5/10

Better living through chemistry (2014 Bluray): I found the first act mediocre at best. The story of the guy’s platonic marriage and his improbable love affair failed to hook me in but then, when they put a plan into motion and are forced to stop speaking to each other, things got interesting. Sam Rockwell really delivered in creating a great tension that often leads to nothing which actually made it more eccentric. The movie just gets better from there and it runs smoothly until the end. 6.5-7/10

Only god Frogives (2013 Bluray): Nicolas Winding refn has found the key to making me like a Ryan Gosling movie! The key: Make every actor/character act as lifeless, stone-cold and robotic as him. And I’m not being sarcastic, I frickin’loved the movie and the actors barely moved in their scenes. I loved the dreamy atmosphere, the settings of Bangkok, the cinematography and the acting. Maybe the fact that I celebrated my first night of vacation with rum helped me enjoy it all. If you get through the first half hour, which is the weakest part, you’ll be rewarded. You get the scene where he introduces his ‘’girlfriend’’ to his mom, then the ’’ take off your dress!’’ part, followed by the failed attempt of murder at the dinner place. I could go on like that, so many great scenes. I wouldn’t say that the story was vacuous, because I don’t know what it means, but, when you look closely, the simple events of this film do convey a positive message. 8/10

Fences (2016 DVD): The first minutes of this one had me thinking: ‘’ Great, another character that loves endless one-way conversations.’’ Denzel got me worried about having to withstand another 2 hours of this. But then the character falls into place and the movie finds its pace. I heard lots of praises about Viola Davis but I found that those playing Gabe, Bono, Lyons and Cory deserved as much recognition as her. Just a great all-around cast involved in a good movie I won’t forget. I have to mention that scene near the end though; the mother emotionally talks to her son and the words she uses have so many sexual innuendos that I couldn’t take it seriously. Otherwise, the last scenes were good. 7/10

Automata (2015 DVD): This is like a low-budget version of I, robot with Antonio Banderas as the lead. The cheapness of the movie took away from it and the way the robots just stood there immobile was sometime ridiculous in a cute and funny way. It’s entertaining but predictable, a few cheesy dialogues and too many clichés but Tony really gave his best at it. 6/10 (I rated I, Robot 6.5/10 so…)

Avatar (2009 DVD): When I saw it at the theatre I loved it but it did not quite hold up after the years. The thing is, it takes more than an hour before the movie kicks in. Before that it’s just an average romantic children movie. Overall, it’s beautiful and the action is a blast but it’s too long and the actors could’ve been better. 7/10

The legend of drunken master (1996 DVD): One of the best Jackie Chan movie fight wise but story wise, not the strongest. It is entertaining and fun but I still prefer Police Story, Armour of God 2 or Project A. (It’s the second movie I see this week where a father beats up his younger and stronger son and kick him to the curb) 7.5-8/10

I finished Season 10 of It’s always sunny in Philadelphia. I still remember the first time I saw this show. My friend and his girlfriend had tried to initiate me to it and showed me 2-3 episodes. I said ‘’ It’S not bad but it just doesn’t make me laugh.’’ It stayed that way for a few years until I took the time to really get into it by myself. I realized it was around the characters and their craziness that laid the beauty of this show. Now here I am, after 10 seasons, still entertained by ‘the gang’. 8/10.

Slow week for you. I haven't seen either of yours, but I definitely want to see The Help sometime.


First Time Viewings:


Puss in Boots (2011, Chris Miller)
This spinoff of the Shrek series focuses on the origins of Puss in Boots. I'm a fan of the Shrek series and I like the character, but I don't think he's good enough to carry his own movie. The whole thing feels pointless and unnecessary, but it has a few good parts here and there.
5.5/10


The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses (2005, Charles Grosvenor)
When I was a kid, I watched the first ten movies of the series, but had never seen the four most recent. This week I went through and watched/rewatched all of them. This one is one of weakest of the series, but it has a few good parts.
5/10


The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers (2006, Charles Grosvenor)
Much like part 11, this one is also one of the weakest of the series, but still has some redeeming qualities.
5/10


The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends (2007, Charles Grosvenor and Jamie Mitchell)
I really didn't like this one. It has some annoying new characters and a weak storyline. Worst of the series for me, but as always it's not completely irredeemable mostly thanks to the 5 main characters.
4.5/10


The Land Before Time XIV: Jorney of the Brave (2016, Davis Doi)
As of now the most recent of the long running series, this one is a big improvement over 13. The story was solid enough, but some of the characters had different voice which was a bit distracting. It's an alright sequel though, with a few fun parts.
6/10


Bloody Mama (1970, Roger Corman)
This one is based on the true story of a woman who lead a gang that included her own sons. Shelley Winters puts in a strong performance along with a young Robert De Niro and Bruce Dern, but I felt some of the characters weren't very well defined and the story lacked flow. It has its moments though.
5.5/10


We're No Angels (1989, Neil Jordan)
In this one Robert De Niro and Sean Penn play a pair of escaped convicts that pretend to be priests so they can cross the border into Canada. Both De Niro and Penn are quite good here and the two of them play off each other well. I enjoyed the story too and there are some good laughs along the way.
7/10


15 Minutes (2001, John Herzfeld)
In this one a homicide detective and fire marshal team up to track down a pair of killers that videotape their crimes to become media darlings. The film has a strong cast, a good soundtrack, and some great scenes along the way. It offers some strong satire and social commentary on the media too and overall I found this to be pretty underrated.
7/10


The Sweet Hereafter (1997, Atom Egoyan)
A bus crash in a small town brings a lawyer to town to defend the families, but he discovers not everything is as it seems. The film has good performances all around, a memorable score, and several standout scenes, but I was definitely expecting more from the film overall. It's pretty good, but I didn't like it nearly as much as most people seem to.
7/10


No Highway in the Sky (1951, Henry Koster)
In this one James Stewart plays a aeronautical engineer that predicts that a new plane model will fail after a certain number of flying hours. Stewart is very good here as usual and he gets strong support from Glynis Johns and Marlene Dietrich. The film has many really good scenes throughout and overall I enjoyed it.
7/10


Police Academy (1984, Hugh Wilson)
This comedy is about a group of incompetent misfits enter the police academy, where the instructors aren't going to put up with their pranks. The film has a good cast, memorable characters, and lots of laughs throughout. I really enjoyed it.
7.5/10



Repeat Viewings:


The Land Before Time (1988, Don Bluth)
The original animated classic is one that I saw as a kid a few times, but I always preferred a few of the sequels. After going through the whole series, I can confidently say that this is the best one though. It does a wonderful job introducing all the characters (which I've loved since I was a kid), it has nice animation, some strong emotional moments, a nice short running time, and a great score from James Horner.
7.5/10


The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure (1994, Roy Allen Smith)
The first sequel doesn't entirely work for me, but the second half is pretty good and brings it up a notch after the weaker first half.
6.5/10


The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving (1995, Roy Allen Smith)
This one once again doesn't entirely work, but it has some strong moments and is still an okay film overall.
6/10


The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists (1996, Roy Allen Smith)
This was always my favorite as a kid and the one I watched the most by far. It holds up fairly well, with a good storyline, fun villains, and a dose of nostalgia.
7/10


The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island (1997, Charles Grosvenor)
This one is another pretty good sequel in my opinion. The story is fun, it has memorable songs and the best score since the original.
7/10


The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock (1998, Charles Grosvenor)
A definite step down from the last two, but it still has plenty to like and the main group of characters a fun as always.
6.5/10


The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire (2000, Charles Grosvenor)
At this point, the series starts to feel like it's outstayed its welcome. It still has some good parts, but the story is kind of lame in this one.
5.5/10


The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze (2001, Charles Grosvenor)
The story of this one had potential, but they didn't really do much with it. The very short running time makes it a fairly easy watch though.
5.5/10


The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water (2002, Charles Grosvenor)
As always this one gets by mostly due to the characters, but it suffers from a flat storyline.
5.5/10


The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration (2003, Charles Grosvenor)
This one is step up from the previous three and is actually okay overall. It has a few really good parts throughout.
6/10


Midnight Run (1988, Martin Brest)
In this one Robert De Niro plays a bounty hunter that must find and bring in an accountant that the mob and the FBI are also after. De Niro is really good and Charles Grodin might be even better and the two of them share excellent chemistry together. The film moves at a nice pace, has a good score, and a strong script that's full of memorable dialogue.
8/10




Movie Awards:


BEST FILM - Midnight Run
BEST ACTOR - James Stewart (No Highway in the Sky)
BEST ACTRESS - Shelley Winters (Bloody Mama)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Charles Grodin (Midnight Run)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Glynis Johns (No Highway in the Sky)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Paul Sarossy (The Sweet Hereafter)
BEST SCORE - James Horner (The Land Before Time)
BEST SCRIPT - George Gallo (Midnight Run)
BEST DIRECTOR - Martin Brest (Midnight Run)