What Did You Watch Today?

[existence02]

Literally just finished watching this one. In my opinion this is the best movie of the year (grated I missed about four months worth of DVD releases when I was between video store jobs). Like most of you I first heard of Zach Braff on Scrubs, and when I saw that he was starring in this movie I wanted to see it. I later found out that he wrote and directed it, which sparked my interest even more. He did not disappoint either... as good an actor as he is; his writing and directing in this movie are superb. I won't go too deep into the details of the plot. I will however say that if you haven't seen this one yet, it's DVD release is set for Tuesday, pick it up.

****1/2 stars

Standard Will Ferrell... Hilarious.

****

[BlackFlagg]

Ginger Snaps 2 - 7/10

[Numbahs]

The Aviator - 7/10

Kate Beckinsale sucks.

[Arsenic]

The Professional - 8/10

8 Mile - 7/10

American History X - 10/10

[Ananas]

Bridget Jones Diary: The Edge of Reason - *** (6/10)

The sequel to 2001's "The Bridget Jones Diary" is a charm driven film made successful by the sweet performance by Renee Zellweger. With this film, the producers replaced one nobody filmmaker with another, and surprise surprise, it looks no different from the first. It picks up four weeks after the first film, as Bridget is back home at her parent's house for Christmas, only this time she has the joy of a boyfriend in her life. Of course this is not to last too long as she and Mark (Colin Firth) go back and forth before they finally "break-up". Enter Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), her former boyfriend who seemingly misses her, even though he can't seem to get passed his womanizing ways. The film is once again a triangle with these two men on either side, and Bridget in the middle, only this time it relies a bit too much on gags and sideplots rather than Zellweger's Jones. It's hard to not be disappointed by this film, but I still enjoyed it. This is really Renee Zellwegger's most comfortable character, and she plays it well. Once again the Brits are 1-0 on North American released romantic comedies (unless Shaun of the Dead's romantic element is enough to make it 2-0) this year, although unlike 2003's "Love Actually", this isn't an out of the park smash. Thumbs up.

[Gongsun Zan]

Kung Fu Hustle - 9/10

Now THIS is what Kung Fu movies should be like. Crazy characters, a silly plot, and lots and lots of fighting. Who cares if some of the effects look like blatant CGI, when the entire movie is just so much wacky fun. If you liked the Crazy 88 scene from Kill Bill, or just kung-fu movies in general, this one is for you.

[Yitzy]

Ocean's Eleven: 8/10

[ROC]

So here's what I watched during my Christmas vacation...

Year of the Bull - 7/10 or (**1/2) There has been many documentaries that have come around and influenced their genres. One of those is the sports documentary, which was influenced and roughly founded by the 1994 film Hoop Dreams and its brutal look at high schoolers quest to the top. In the tradition of this film is Year of the Bull, a profile of inner-city kid Taurean Charles and his quest to get into college while improving his grades. The film focuses on all the elements of Charles, from his troubled youth and problems with grades to his local fame and attitude. The TV special-style look may turn some off but its a pretty good flick to watch especially if you're a football fan.

Spice World - 1/10 or (1/2*) You know what would've been perfect for this movie? A performance piece. Maybe a hour and a half performance film showing a concert. That shows the best elements of Spice World, and the performance bits aren't even that great. Certainly, though, it wouldn't have to showcase the horrid acting of the five leads or the total one-dimensionality of the characters played by usually such great talents as George Wendt, Alan Cumming, and Mark McKinney. But you know what really cements its place as a horrid disaster? Aliens. That all to be said.

Elf - 7.5/10 or (***) This flick is quite the charmer, starting as a parody of Christmas specials (see those clay things in the opening sequence), then transferring to kiddie humor, then transferring to sharper humor, and finally to the happy moral, all while keeping all if the audience still in the flick. Ferrell brings a hilarious performance to his character and really makes you like him. A solid flick, but what else did you expect from Mr. Jon Favreau?

Shrek 2 - 7/10 or (**1/2) Rarely do flick ever reach the sharpness of its previous installment. This is the case with Shrek 2. While the flick has quite a few funny moments, it still doesn't manage to reach the sharp wit of its first installment. That said, it's pretty good family fare.

Now, I must return to playing NCAA 2005 nonstop.

Edited December 27, 2004 by TheROC-Revolt

[Docpepper]

Ginger Snaps - 7/10 : a good werewolf movie the werewolves themselves don't look relasitic as say part 2 but the movie was still good

Ginger Snaps 2 - 8/10 : The best of the 3 imo , greater visuals and the standard plot

Ginger Snaps 3 - 5/10: This move is supposedly a prequel , but I don't really see how it could be

Buffallo 66 - 10/10: I love this movie . alot of people I know can't stand it but its something about it thats is wonderful A definite buy.

Donnie Darko - 10/10 : Another dvd i reccomend buying. I've watched it twice and I plan on watching it some more. Very deep move.

Stephen Kings It - 8/10 : A classic movie . imo the book is better but the movie is a good addittion for any King fan

The terminal - 9/10 : Hanks in another good movie , not as good as Forrest Gump but very close

The Blue Collar Comedy Tour - 7/10 : Very good and very funny I watched just to see larry the Cable guy but Foxworthy , White and Engvall are great as well

The Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again - 7/10 : The Guys put on another great show definite buy for Foxworthy , Engvul , White , or larry fans

[Yitzy]

Hair: 9.5/10

Things are a bit trippy in the beginning but towards the end it gets really really good.

[zero]

Daredevil: Directors Cut - 8/10

I felt this movie was overbashed to begin with, I'd give it a 6.5, solid 7 if I'm in a good mood. But the Director's Cut makes me realize that the original desperately needed an overhaul. Expanding on several scenes, adding deleted scenes back in, and giving us an entire subplot that was dropped adds to Daredevil, almost making it feel like a different movie. The friendship between Murdock and Foggy is established much more, more Joe Pantoliano (which is never a bad thing), and more about Murdock's struggle to be the good guy. My only gripes are there's still a pretty big cheese factor and the relationship between Matt and Elektra could be developed far more. Still, with 30 minutes added back into the movie, this is leagues ahead of the theatrical release.

Edited December 27, 2004 by Zero

[ROC]

Mallrats - 7.5/10 or (***) Kevin Smith followed up his indy hit Clerks with a teen comedy that actually is pretty clever. Jason Lee makes his character Brodie Bruce quite memorable and it is easy to see that this film really helped Lee's own career.

Also, Claire Forlani was really hot...

That is all.

[Johnny Latino Heat]

The Punisher (2004 version): 8/10

I liked it alot, even though I didn't think I would like it that much.

[Numbahs]

Rushmore - 7/10

The Royal Tenenbaums - 7/10

The Life Aquatic - 5/10

[Ananas]

The Phantom of the Opera - ***1/2 (7.5/10)

The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Joel Schumacher, is the first Webber adaptation that the famous composer has had a hand in the creative process of. Because of this, it is very much a musical, and over nearly 2 and a half hours, there is likely little more than 30 minutes of spoken dialogue. Schumacher also takes on the monumental task of transforming one of the greatest musicals of all time into a motion picture, despite the fact that, in my honest opinion, it's nearly impossible to improve upon the stage. However, all things considered, Andrew Lloyd Webber's crowning achievement has also proved to be the same for Joel Schumacher, as this film successfully recreates the mood and passions of "Phantom" while making it seem even more grandiose. Leading the cast are Emmy Rossum, who is absolutely haunting as Christine, and Gerard Butler, who thrills although doesn't overwhelm as The Phantom. Rounding the ensemble out are Minnie Driver as Carlotta, Patrick Wilson as Raoul, Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry and Jennifer Ellison as Meg Giry. While this is not a perfect adaptation (to make a good film it shouldn't be) there is enough dedication to Webber's original masterpiece musical to make it a great success. Rossum is a powerhouse, but perhaps the greatest acting chops belong to Gerard Butler, who, while no Colm Wilkinson in the singing department, is so captivating as the tragic hero that he sells the movie on his own merits. Tour de force performances and accute grandiose directing make this perhaps my personal favorite movie of the year, even if it isn't nearly the best. Thumbs up.

[zero]

The Life Aquatic - 5/10

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Care to go into a little more detail on this one? I'm curious as to your full thoughts.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Pirates of the Caribbean

9/10

Only thing that bothered me was that Elizabeth Swann seemed to be more of a better fit in today's modern world rather than the "pirate age".

[ROC]

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - 8/10 or (***)

And now a special segment called "Why You Should Never Stay Up and Watch HBO".

Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman - 0.5/10 or (no stars) Words cannot express how I felt after watching this "film". In fact, only massacres probably can. With truly horrific acting, terrible effects, bad film quality (I thought I was watching one of those cheesy pornos with the bad look of it), and atrocious writing, this film has to qualify among the likes of film atrocities like Showgirls, Plan 9 From Outer Space (which I admittedly haven't seen, so I'm just going by the word I've heard), and From Justin 2 Kelly. In fact, FJ2K is probably better than this crap. On the upside, it does show the worst way to spend $3,000.

On the up side, I'll watch Spider-Man 2 whenever I get myself stapled off my NCAA game.

Edited December 28, 2004 by TheROC-Revolt

[ROC]

The Princess Bride - 8.5/10 or (***1/2)

[y2jerichoholic]

anchorman 6/10, it was alright, but i expected more...

also, what is the difference between the regular and the uncut version? because i've seen only the pg 13 rated movie..