Post by stonekeeper on Sept 4, 2017 18:28:11 GMT
Hey, just seen 2 of yours this week.
The Hitman's Bodyguard - I also watched it this week.
Enemy - seen it twice and really liked it both times. 8/10
First Time Viewings:
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997, Jay Roach)
This spoof of the James Bond series is one that I never got around to, because i just didn't think it would be very good. I actually found it pretty funny and enjoyable though, with lots of fun references to the Bond series, memorable characters, and good pacing.
7/10
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999, Jay Roach)
The second film of the trilogy is also pretty good. I liked the first one slightly more, but this one introduces some fun new characters and once again has some good laughs along the way.
7/10
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002, Jay Roach)
The third film of the series is okay, but it's not nearly as funny or entertaining as the first two. This one also ups the stupidity and I felt it went a bit too far in that regard.
6/10
The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017, Patrick Hughes)
I wasn't overly interested in this one, but I thoughy it could be fun because of the two leads. Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds do have very good chemistry together and there are a few fun action scenes, but I felt the story kind of got lost in the action and there was a lot of cliches. It's fun enough, but overall I wasn't abhig fan.
6/10
Breakdown (1997, Jonathan Mostow)
Kurt Russell stars in this thriller about a man who mualst go looking for his wife after she disappears when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Russell is gery good here and the supporting cast is solid as well. I really liked the score and the directions they went with the story. There are several well crafted action scenes and nice tension building throughout.
7.5/10
The Birdcage (1996, Mike Nichols)
This one is about a gay nightclub owner that must, along with his drag queen partner, put up a fake straight front when his son brings his fiancée's conservative parents for a visit. The film is pretty funny and entertaining throughout and boasts an impressive cast that includes Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest, and Hank Azaria, all of which put in good work.
7.5/10
Casino Royale (1967, Ken Hughes, John Huston, Joseph McGrath, and Robert Parrish)
This spoof of the Bond series is one I've avoided due to its poor reputation, but I finally decided to give it a shot. Turns out it's deserving of its reputation. It has a terrific cast, but none of them are given a whole lot to do. The story is a jumbled mess, the film is much too long, it's not very funny at all, and it's also just boring.
4/10
Tango & Cash (1989, Andrei Konchalovsky)
In this one two rival cops must work together to clear their names after being framed. Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone have great chemistry together, there are fun action scenes, nice banter between the characters, and it entertains throughout.
7/10
It Comes at Night (2017, Trey Edward Shults)
This one is about a family that lives in a secluded hom in the woods, while an unnatural threat terrorizes the world. The film is very well shot, well performed, and has an eerie and effective score. I liked where the story went and it has some great tension. I wouldn't have minded if it was a bit longer.
7.5/10
Dead Ringers (1988, David Cronenberg)
In this one twin gynecologists take advantage of the fact that nobody can tell them apart, until their relationship begins to deteriorate over a woman. The film has a good atmosphere to it, a very good score, and the story was pretty interesting. What really makes it work is Jermey Irons and his fantastic performance as the twins.
7/10
Repeat Viewings:
Goldfinger (1964, Guy Hamilton)
A strong contender for best of the Bond series. Connery is awesome here, it has great villains, great Bond girls, a great score, a terrific theme, and it's just a whole lot of fun.
9/10
Thunderball (1965, Terence Young)
I've always found Connery's fourth outing as Bond a hugely underrated one that is on par with the first three. It has beautiful locations, memorable villains, great Bond girls, a fantastic score and theme, and a great story too.
9/10
You Only Live Twice (1967, Lewis Gilbert)
Bond's fifth adventure is a big step down from the first four, but it's still quite good. Connery doesn't look as interested as before, but he's still really good and the film has some great moments scattered throughout.
7.5/10
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969, Peter Hunt)
George Lazenby took over the Bond role in what would be his only time playing the part. He's easily my least favorite Bond, but he's definitely grown on me over the years. The film itself is very good though, with excellent cinematography, an interesting story line, great action sequences, and perhaps John Barry's best score for the series. The last hour is terrific.
8/10
The Philadelphia Story (1940, George Cukor)
This classic stars Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart, who are all favorites of mine. All three of them put in some strong work here, along with the rest of the cast and the film has a nice balance of comedy and drama throughout, complete with lots of great dialogue.
8/10
Diamonds Are Forever (1971, Guy Hamilton)
Sean Connery's return to the Bond series is one that gets a lot of hate. I've always been a fan though. It has its problems, but Connery is really good here and I think it's a fun movie with a wonderful theme, great score, and two awesome villain henchmen.
7/10
Movie Awards:
BEST FILM - Goldfinger
BEST ACTOR - Jeremy Irons (Dead Ringers)
BEST ACTRESS - Katharine Hepburn (The Philadelphia Story)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Diana Rigg (On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Michael Reed (On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
BEST SCORE - John Barry (On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
BEST SCRIPT - Richard Maibaum and Paul Dehn (Goldfinger)
BEST DIRECTOR - Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger)
breakdown: rewatched it last year so its fresh in my mind. I aggre with you 7.5/10
Tango & Cash: I really need to rewatch this but I LOVED in back then. I think i'll order it today.
mine:
The Magnificent seven (2016 DVD) : I prefer the original but Fuqua succeeded in making a quality western picture with fine and defined characters , a solid cinematography and great gun fights. The chemistry and magic of the original is not fully present but the cast was good. Honorable mention to Pratt and D’Onofrio who were the best at their roles IMO. 7/10
THX 1138 (1971 DVD): This is a neat little movie, it’s only 1h28 long and the story is very simple (there’s practically no story, just a guy trying to escape a dystopian world) but it was a fun and, at times, trippy experience. It’s George Lucas’s first feature and it’s well done. It was fun to see Robert Duvall so young. 7/10
Real Time (2008 DVD): ’’ A gripping thriller about a hit man who gives a down-and-out compulsive gambler just one last hour to live.’’ Here is another nice short film, only 1h15mins. It offers solid acting by Jay Baruchel et Randy Quaid. The dialogue may lack a certain punch but it’s easy to enjoy. 6/10
State Of Play (2009 DVD): This was a recommendation from my mother, believe it or not. What whit the actors and the reviews, I gladly bought the DVD for 3$ and cranked it in my DVD player. Boy was I bored! Okay, I’m exaggerating but it did take me three evenings to make it t’ill the end. It actually has a lot of potential, especially with the journalism side of the story, but the element of mystery or tension was at like 15% so all the talk and investigating was not that intriguing to me. One thing I did notice though, this crew had one of the best hairdressers out there. Every character had beautiful hair! Everyone in the cast was good, Russel Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, but none of them could make this story exciting enough for me. Slightly below average: 5.5/10
Mr Nice Guy(1997 DVD): This is one of my favorite Jackie Chan movies. I loved it when it came out and I still love it now. The action scenes are clever, impressive and fun. The Story? A lost VHS tape that needs to be found by the bad guys is in the hands of a good guy who rolls with his black female assistant, his Chinese wife and a redheaded Australian reporter. How’s that for a story? Non-stop action entertainment from start to finish. 8/10
Scream (1996 DVD): This was my first rewatch and this time the final twist was not as great as I remembered it to be. It’s still good though. Another thing is, I found the jump scares less annoying then I remembered them to be. So that was a positive change. The way the killer just runs and trip over his victims is funny, all the horror movies connection are fun and it makes for a classic in the genre. 7/10
Ratatouille (2007 DVD): This is a first rewatch too. I dropped my rating a bit because I found the first hour a bit slower this time but the second half keeps a better pace. Overall, a strong and beautiful animated that deserves a place in everyone’s movie collection. 7.5/10
Wassup Rockers (2005 DVD): From writer/director Larry Clark, this came out 10 yrs after Kids and it feels much more amateurish then it should. It follows a group of 7 young Latino skaters during a day in their lives but the dialogues are not strong enough to fill the absence of a story. It went by quickly and the kids were okay but it lacked intensity and ingenuity. If you don’t care about skateboarding, stay away from this one, there is at least 20 mins of skating scenes. 6/10