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Sexy Beast - Why didn't anybody tell me how surreal this movie was? I was all about it from top to bottom. It certainly wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, and it seemed as if some of the symbolism was heavy handed and a bit obvious, but the combination of an interesting side of the heist movie with the surrealist images made this well worth an eventual rewatch.
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story - I liked the commentary for the movie more than the movie itself.
Flesh + Blood - I did not expect this movie to be as sexually explicit as it was. I expected the gratuitous violence, but the sex I had seen in PVH's other pictures couldn't hold a candle to the seemingly unending depravity of "Flesh + Blood." It's not a knock or a recommendation, but I feel like I've gotta let it be known before I talk well about it. The movie flies by at an incredible pace, Rutger Hauer and Jennifer Jason Leigh are both fantastic, the violence is over-the-top, and the religious overtones are devilish. This is not for the faint of heart, but it's a must see for all VerHoeven fans.
Slap Shot - Both better and worse than I expected. I laughed a lot, and it was definitely a better overall film than I expected, but it was repetitive, overly long, and rarely advanced the story. Whenever it did take a step forward I was happy, but I got kind of bored of all the hockey (I know, I know) and they didn't do a good enough job of showing just how much better the team was getting except in popularity. A recommend, but I don't know if I'll watch it again any time soon.
Fall Guy - This is a perfect example of comedy not standing up to changes in time or culture. I am a huge fan of the Yakuza Papers, and after reading about how awarded this film was I was very excited, but too much of it didn't work. I loved the main character and his dedication to his wife, so the end worked very well for me, but the parts in montage were the parts I wanted to be the bulk of the film. I know it was based on a stage play, but I thought it would have worked better if the character of the "big star" was cut and we were just given a stunt man going to further and further lengths for the woman he loved.
The Verdict - Y'all already know: http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=6&topic_id=579990&mesg_id=579990&listing_type=search
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - woooooooooo, y'all did not steer me wrong at all with this one. In the first scene I felt trepidation at the look of the mother in CGI and the way in which Caesar was discovered, but I was all in for the rest of it. I wonder how it will work on repeat viewings only because I kept saying (either internally or externally) 'oh shit, y'all fucked up now' but in the end there wasn't as much revenge as I expected. I can't say I disliked the end though because I thought it very reasonably set up the obvious sequel to come and I really didn't need/expect the apes to take over the world by the end of this movie. Caesar got his own little corner of the world and I got resolution; good enough for me.
Drive - I am definitely going to see this again (for free this time, thank you) It's already been discussed ad nauseam so I will only say two things: 1) Apparently I need to see "Thief." 2) It seemed structurally and tonally extremely similar to "A History of Violence," which I think I like more at the end of the day, even though "Drive" was obviously a more stylish picture. Still, I could watch this kind of thing all day - worthwhile exposition leading to exciting resolutions. Yes please.
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark - Saw it for free. I wouldn't even recommend it for free.
Source Code - I liked it more than I thought I would based on the original trailer, but y'all overhyped this one. The ending was interesting, but it felt like it was also the only thing the director got to add to make it more interesting for himself. It certainly was not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but much of it felt similar to any rash of bad Philip K. Dick rip-offs and there wasn't enough genuinely interesting filmmaking to warrant a full Seal of Approval. Also, Bridget Monaghan should stop getting work. I don't like Jake much either, but he was bearable. The ending also worked against the extremely coincidental "deaths" that Jake went through like clockwork. I understood how it worked for getting him back and forth, but it felt forced. This one needed a little more in the pot; I expect the director to use his experience here to drive him towards more creative filmmaking like "Moon."
Don't Look Now - I didn't feel a heavy psychological weight dropping on me throughout, so I guess I don't like this movie as much as most of its fans. And there is no sense even bringing up it's "#1 British Film" ranking since it's obviously absurd. Better than average, and certainly a sight different than today's horror/suspense fare, but I didn't feel like I gained much from seeing it.
The Devil's Backbone - This, on the other hand, I was all about. I loved the pace, I loved the violence, I loved the genuine sense of dread, I loved the fact that the ghost was ultimately not a figure of fear, I loved the script, I loved the child acting, I loved the villain, I loved the love rectangle. Like I said, I was all about this movie. It remains to be seen whether or not I will eventually put this over "Pan's Labyrinth," but I will definitely be rewatching it to find out.
Powaqqatsi - Too similar to Koyanisqatsi without being as structurally effective as it. This movie felt more disjointed and less clear in purpose than Koyanisqatsi. It also seemed to repeat the same themes as the previous film without adding much except a new location. I felt that where Koyanisqatsi was able to use its central location as a jumping off point to touch on the world as a whole, the very fact that Powaqqatsi jumped from region to region and peoples to peoples disconnected the ideas it was trying to show as being inherently connected. The only improvement from the first film to this one was the score, which was great in both but more my style in Powaqqatsi. In all other regards though I kept wishing that I was watching Koyanisqatsi instead.
Trois Couleurs: Bleu - This one is fresh in my mind so it still hasn't settled in yet. Like "Network," this was a movie I liked more when it was over than when I was watching it. It moved surprisingly fluently, but I say "surprisingly" only because the DVD box COMPLETELY misrepresented the film as a mystery. If it hadn't I at least would have been more prepared, but frankly I was impressed at its ability to keep my attention even though I figured out relatively quickly that there was going to be no mystery here. Anyways, somebody else is going to have to start the discussion on this one cause I'm gonna need my ideas pulled out of me.
Midnight Run - An above average chase movie, and I'm sure it was more of a revelation in its day, but I was underwhelmed. It was too damn long and it wasn't all that funny. The acting was obviously great, but it's pretty damn obvious why Beverly Hills Cop is more famous than this. I was less impressed with De Niro's acting than I was with the amount of cigarettes he managed to suck down throughout this picture. Unfortunately, my girlfriend and I both knew the ending an hour before it happened and it became a waiting game to get there. Chop off 15 minutes and this movie is better, but again, it would still be overrated.
Persepolis - Lots to like in this one, but another that I'm not sure I'll ever rewatch. I liked getting to see a movie (especially an animated one) tell what a doubly untold story (a genuine female coming of age story and a view of Iran from the inside out) but I couldn't help but thinking how much this film would have suffered had it NOT been an animated movie. I know that's kind of like saying that the sky would be a lot more orange if it weren't so blue, but it was an inescapable thought for me. That said, numerous sequences stick out for me: the little girl buying tapes on the streets, the constant changing of political opinions, the de-beautification of her ex-boyfriend, the bitter sweet view of a future marriage; all of these things were good, but I felt as if the film was a memoir that ended too soon. If and when there is a sequel I will line up to see it, because it was unique and genuine, but I couldn't help feel that I was missing something.
The Pianist - I don't know how I got this far without seeing this movie. I'm sure all of you have seen it so I'll be brief: Schindler's List better, but I liked seeing it from a more intimate viewpoint. I'd have cut the scenes of him being nursed by Dorota, it added nothing for me. The cinematography was beautiful - Polanski sure does love seeing paper blowing in the wind. I could definitely see Polanski's story coming out of the picture, but it was more minor masterpiece than undeniable classic for me.
Catching Hell - Gibney sure can make a good documentary, can't he? I don't even like baseball but I was enthralled.
Encounters at the End of the World - This seemed very similar to "Cave of Forgotten Dreams," but I liked this a lot more. Here is my list of reasons why: 1) More variety in backgrounds. There was only so much to be seen in those caves so they got repeated over and over, while "Encounters" had a much more varied landscape than expected. Which brings us to 2) "Encounter" was more surprising. From the lonely trek of the penguin, to the differing backgrounds/skill sets of the workers, to the very fact that it wasn't all icy backdrops, "Encounters" offered me a more unique vision of a place I assumed I knew all about. With "Caves" we sat in the caves and had historians babble about them; the people and settings in "Encounters" brought more to the table than just "This is ice, this is how animals survive here." 3) Less patronizing to the speakers. In "Encounters" people say some pretty over the top things, but they are dealt with in a much kinder way than the equally impassioned historians of "Caves." It is obvious that Werner respects the people of Antarctica even while being willing to show them doing/saying absurd things. It seems he regards the people in Antarctica as being much more genuine in their pretention than the people in "Caves" who he seems to treat as intentional charlatans. 4) More memorable. I remember parts of "Caves," namely the perfumist, the spear thrower, and the ending, but as a whole I am still not quite sure what Werner was trying to get it. With "Encounters" on the other hand I can name at least ten different scenes/talking heads that I found interesting, beautiful, and/or thought provoking. 5) That penguin. Best thing in either film. Nuff sed.
True Romance - I see why this is such a cult hit. I for one think Tarantino's jumbling up of the time line would not help this film, but if anybody could have pulled it off it would have been him. Is anybody unhappy that Reservoir Dogs was his first official film though? I guess I have to see Natural Born Killers now before I give the final word on this one.
I also watched a bunch of Eddie Murphy pictures, but you'll hear all about that soon come Halloween time. <----
Larry Otis!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeM89CITvMc
and his free new singles, produced by Tough Junkie!
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