Dr. Movie Reviews; Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Jason Isaacs

[Reply #520 on:]

Donnie Brasco dreary?  Fugitaboutit...

It bored the tits off me to be honest. Depp has never been less interesting.

[Reply #521 on:]

So you are titless now?


Ouch.

[Reply #522 on:]

No, no. That's just a figure of speech.

coldangel_1 has always been like that.

[Reply #523 on:]

Hey, everyone lay off Coldangel.

Unless you want him stalking you

[Reply #524 on:]

Too late.

[Reply #525 on:]

Pirate Radio
Everything that Taking Woodstock wasn't.  Fun, for starters.

[Reply #526 on:]

I wouldn't mind Coldy stalking me, I'm already stalking him.

I think I saw him in town in 2007 when I had to have that brain scan thingy where they attach the things to your head.

[Reply #527 on:]

What's with all the different names of The Boat That Rocked?

[Reply #528 on:]

Following the film's financial failure at the British box-office, Focus Features commissioned a re-edited version for North American release, retitled Pirate Radio.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boat_That_Rocked#North_American_release

[Reply #529 on:]

I'm a Cyborg, But that's OK

Having seen Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy and enjoyed them I was keen to see how he would tackle a more light-hearted film. With this he clearly demonstrates that he is not a one trick pony. Here he manages to make a film with plenty of laughs as well as some sadness. It would be too easy for a comedy set in a mental institution to descend into a freak show where we are invited to laugh at the patients condition but he skilfully avoids that.

We are introduced to the protagonist Cha Young-goon in the opening sequence where she is working in an electronics factory, she hears a voice telling her what to do and cuts open her arm, pushes wires into the wound, tapes them in place then plugs herself in to the mains. She survives this but as there is clearly something wrong she ends up in a mental institution. As she is convinced that she is a cyborg she refuses to eat, instead spending her lunch time holding a battery. She grows to believe that her purpose is to kill the doctors there but her sympathy is preventing her from doing this because of this she forms a friendship with another patient who claims to be a thief who can steal just about anything... if he can steal Thursday surely he can steal her sympathy. As she isn't eating she is getting weaker and her new friend Park Il-sun is determined to persuade her to eat, he does this by giving her a device which he tells her will enable her to eat food.

The film has many poignant moments as well as several surreal scenes such as those where Young-goon believes she is gunning down the medical staff at the facility. The actors did a good job especially Su-jeong Lim in the lead role who had a strange detached look which was somewhat increased by her blonde eyebrows. With this film Park Chan-wook has clearly demonstrated he can make light hearted films.... I certainly wasn't expecting him to make a film that featured yodelling.

8/10

[Reply #530 on:]

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Michael Rennie plays the razor thin Klaatu in this typically heavy handed Hollywood attempt to stop the nuclear arms race. This being said it is still better than the Keanu Reeves version. Good cast with Patricia Neal, Billy Gray and Frances Bavier, yes Aunt Bee, You'll also see Sam Jaffe
from Ben Casey as the scientist Klaatu befriends.
Decent acting and very few special effects to distract you from it.


8/10

[Reply #531 on:]

"Michael Rennie was ill
The day the earth stood still
But he told us where we stand…"

Do you mean that Michael Rennie?

[Reply #532 on:]

Yup.

[Reply #533 on:]

Nice review, TNUK.  However, in the future, please try to keep it shorter...

Quick reviews:

Saw
Not the mindfuck I had been told to expect, but some nice moments. Like the tripwire/shotgun trap.

I love you Man
Disturbingly enough, I empathised with possibly the least likeable character. The one who gets puked on. Terrible film. Probably would be best watched whilst drunk.

Disturbia
Awesome movie. The chick looks a little weird, but the creepy psycopath is awesomely well played, and the mom is reasonably hot. Main character is a little pathetic though.

[Reply #534 on:]

Gotta disagree with LM a little on his review.  If anything, given how ridiculous & militant most of the 50's Sci Fi films were (it seems like almost every 50's sci fi film ended with an air strike or the Army coming to the rescue), this is one of the more even handed Sci Fi films Hollywood made.  It doesn't point a finger at the military & say "You are the cause; you're bad!"; it doesn't really point a finger & try to scapegoat at all.  Instead, it simply says violence can be stopped if we all simply make the effort to do so; ie - Peace can be achieved by acting peacefully. 

[Reply #535 on:]

Disturbia

Please. It's a poor imitation. For the proper movie, watch Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window.

[Reply #536 on:]

If it's in B&W, then I'm not going to watch it. If it's not got at least one hottie in it, I'm not going to watch it. If it's not got at least one reference to the internet in it, I'm not going to watch it.

[Reply #537 on:]

Hmmm.  Kinda limits you to "We're playing this internet death game, and people are dying exactly like in the game, especially the hot barely dressed nymphos" type of films, doesn't it?

[Reply #538 on:]

Gotta disagree with LM a little on his review.  If anything, given how ridiculous & militant most of the 50's Sci Fi films were (it seems like almost every 50's sci fi film ended with an air strike or the Army coming to the rescue), this is one of the more even handed Sci Fi films Hollywood made.  It doesn't point a finger at the military & say "You are the cause; you're bad!"; it doesn't really point a finger & try to scapegoat at all.  Instead, it simply says violence can be stopped if we all simply make the effort to do so; ie - Peace can be achieved by acting peacefully.  

Maybe heavy handed is not the right term for it but as far back as Intolerance Hollywood has tried to influence public opinion to little apparent effect. Hollywood probably should stay out of social commentary and stick to what it does best. Movies with nekkid women and 'plosions.

Even the greatest anti-war movie of all time "Johnny Got His Gun" I feel had no great effect on stopping the Vietnam War.

[Reply #539 on:]

Inglourious Basterds
Bawnk!
Hmm, wasn't expecting the different chapter style of Kill Bill, I thought we'd get to see moar Nazi killing and general tomfoolery of the gang, but I guess Landa was pretty awesome, and the bar scene, but seems like the whole film led up to the one cinema scene at the end, poor Shoshonna didn't even get her revenge.
Also Mike Myers ha!
In any case, my new favourite version of WWII!

A-

[Reply #540 on:]

If it's in B&W, then I'm not going to watch it.

 
But... But what about all the Bogart pictures?

[Reply #541 on:]

Burn After Reading

Should have been called George Clooney builds a sex chair. It was meh.

C

[Reply #542 on:]

Hollywood probably should stay out of social commentary and stick to what it does best. Movies with nekkid women and 'plosions.

Best comment about Hollywood & politics EVER.  The only way to improve on that would be if they gave us free beer while we're watching their films.

[Reply #543 on:]

Disney's A Christmas Carol [3D] - was okay, the 3D effects was not as good as in UP, but the movie was okay

Batman Forever [BLU] - movie was MEEEH, quality was only okay as well...

Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro - love it, very great animations, good characters and story

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [BLU] - great movie, FANTASTIC picture and sound quality

[Reply #544 on:]

If it's in B&W, then I'm not going to watch it.

 
But... But what about all the Bogart pictures?

Or James Dean movies or the other Jimmy Stewart movies like It's a Wonderful Life, or Citizen Kane. Or Charlie Chaplin flicks.

[Reply #545 on:]

But... But what about all the Bogart pictures?

Or James Dean movies or the other Jimmy Stewart movies like It's a Wonderful Life, or Citizen Kane. Or Charlie Chaplin flicks.

Yes yes... but Bogart!

[Reply #546 on:]

Or Clerks!

[Reply #547 on:]

But... But what about all the Bogart pictures?

Or James Dean movies or the other Jimmy Stewart movies like It's a Wonderful Life, or Citizen Kane. Or Charlie Chaplin flicks.

Yes yes... but Bogart!

Ok Sierra Madre, African Queen, Casablanca.
We get your point.

[Reply #548 on:]

American History X is party black and white too...

[Reply #549 on:]

Just an aside to the aforementioned reviews, but I just finished reading the page on colorization at the MBC,The Museum of Broadcast Communications.It is quite an interesting read especially as to the reasons people like Ted Turner wanted to colorize B+W movies.
Of course it is all about money. It seems that it costs more than $3,000 per minute to colorize B+W films and these colorized films can only be seen on TV. And an old movie would cost $300,000 to colorize with a re-coup of $500,000. Strictly from TV syndication. On the other hand you have the purists who think that colorization is comparable to "cultural vandalism".
Thankfully, colorization of classic movies such as Citizen Kane has stopped.

[Reply #550 on:]

I guess you could call me a purist, because I can't begin to tell you how outraged I was about Ted Turner wanting to crap all over B&W classics like Citizen Kane & others by colorizing them.  Back in those days, directors understood the importance of light & shadow (which is mostly lost on today's directors).  It would be tantamount to someone using crayons on the Declaration of Independence... 

[Reply #551 on:]

Just another off topic question, but only slightly. The deluxe edition of the 70th anniversary of Gone With the Wind and the 10th Anniversary edition of Fight Club are duking it out on your video store shelves. Which has the greater cultural significance in your opinion and which would you buy if money were no object?

BTW Citizen Kane was never colorized.

[Reply #552 on:]

Frankly my dear, these guys are gonna take your balls.

[Reply #553 on:]

His name is Rhett Butler?

[Reply #554 on:]

Fight Club was overrated...

[Reply #555 on:]

Lost a ton of money as well. Maybe this is an effort of the studio to finally recoup costs. Fight club at Amazon is $15.99 and Gone with the Wind is $45.00.
The first time I saw GWTW it was on a field trip with my 8th grade class. I doubt if anyone ever saw Fight Club on a field trip.

[Reply #556 on:]

Thank god Citizen Kane was not colorized; that's one film that used shade artistically.  Unfortunately, I did see part of a colorized version of Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, thanks to asshole Ted Turner.  Sacrelige.

I'll take Gone With The Wind over Fight Club any day.

[Reply #557 on:]

The burning of Atlanta scene was probably the biggest special effect of the era. All done with one take. Clark Gable's and Vivian Leigh's greatest roles.What scope it had.


10/10

[Reply #558 on:]

2012 in a nutshell boils down to:

RUN! The apocolypse is riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiight behind you!!! As in literally THREE FEET behind you! Run FASTER!

[Reply #559 on:]

2012 in a nutshell boils down to:

RUN! The apocolypse is riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiight behind you!!! As in literally THREE FEET behind you! Run FASTER!

Isn't the apocalypse just like your destiny? You just can't outrun it.