What Did You Watch Today?

[BlackFlagg]

The Fly - 8/10

[ROC]

I might as well go for one-line reviews, since I don't really care to type up a lot for these movies.

The Curve (Dead Man's Curve) - 6/10

Good ending twist, meh performances, interesting enough story.

The Faculty - 4/10

Cheesy effects, chessier performances, uninteresting story. Maybe some points at the commentary about high school cliche or maybe for Hayek/Famke...but meh.

Ella Enchanted - 5/10

Weak beginning, rather alright middle, weak ending. So, it's meh.

Spirited Away - 9/10

One of the only films I've seen broad enough to be enjoyed by nearly anyone and yet smart enough to make a statement about greed without being preachy. It weaves a brilliant story and despite it's length, the film is so interesting to watch you will never notice.

[BlackFlagg]

The Evil Dead - 9/10

[BlackFlagg]

Bubba Ho-Tep - 9/10

[writeeagle]

Wow ... looks like I'm the first board member to post on this gem.

Hostel

Wow. Throughout the first half hour of the movie, you're thinking: this is Tarantino? The first part of the movie is your typical comedy and tits that's in every movie nowadays. But about thirty minutes in you start to see his style come out. It's suspenseful, gory, edge-of-your-seat shit, but it could've been better. The most frighening part? Realizing that there are fucks that are actually that sick. I'd elaborate, but I don't wanna spoil for those that haven't seen it yet.

Overall Score: 8.0

[ROC]

Wow ... looks like I'm the first board member to post on this gem.

Hostel

Wow. Throughout the first half hour of the movie, you're thinking: this is Tarantino? The first part of the movie is your typical comedy and tits that's in every movie nowadays. But about thirty minutes in you start to see his style come out.

[Pepsi]

Wow ... looks like I'm the first board member to post on this gem.

Hostel

Wow. Throughout the first half hour of the movie, you're thinking: this is Tarantino? The first part of the movie is your typical comedy and tits that's in every movie nowadays. But about thirty minutes in you start to see his style come out.

Tarantino's merely an executive producer on Hostel. Eli Roth (the man responsible for Cabin Fever) actually wrote and directed the flick.

[BlackFlagg]

The Day After Tomorrow - 5/10

[BlackFlagg]

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - 6/10

[reyrey619]

9/10 This movie is so incredibly kickass. The first half hour or so of comedy was great, and then when the actual torture came into play, it just turned kickass. Great movie.

[punky]

Hostel: 7/10

Good movie but nothing great. I definately thought it would be a lot bloodier and sick then it was. The first forty minutes of the movie drags and makes you think the movie is gonna suck but then it starts to pick up. Barbara Nedeljakova is hotness.

[EddieRuckus]

Movies I've watched over the break...

Once Were Warriors-9/10

Powerful film and it really hits home to the reservation that I live in, sure it represents a lot of aboriginal cultures "homes".

SLC Punk-8/10

Awesomely awesome movie, some good humor parts in it.

Trainspotting-10/10

My friend said this was his favorite movie, and I can see why. A wickedly good viewing that makes you feel so many different emotions.

Narnia-8/10

Watched it again, felt even more giddy the third time than the second and first.

Duck Tales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp: 7/10

Watched it for nostalgia purposes.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas-10/10

Never watched it before so I smoked up and got drunk and never took my attention away from this genius movie.

[Ananas]

Pretty Persuasion - 5/10

When watching a film from one of the industry's most MTV friendly music video directors (Marcos Siega), one has to approach with expectations in check. Certainly there have been great directors who have gotten their start in music videos (Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze come to mind), but one must account for the film work of Joseph Kahn and McG, among others. And in fairness to Mr. Siega, this film is in fact well above the level of Kahn and McG fair. In the music video to full length transition scale, this film probably fits right in the middle. Pretty Persuasion isn't lacking in spirited performances, biting satire or even savvy direction. What it is lacking however is a concrete moral centre, and without it this film simply can't identify with its audience. Evan Rachel Wood completely captures the film's morally bankrupt lead Kimberly Joyce, a 15 year old girl who causes an uproar at her private hight school when she accuses her teacher of sexual harrassment. The problem is the lack of a character to be adaquetely repelled by her actions; most are either involved in them or are their cause. In fact, the one message this film clearly gets across is that we are all very much the product of our environment. An overabundance of mean spiritedness and too little redemption make this promising film sadly fall by the wayside. Thumbs down.

[Ananas]

Bad News Bears - 5/10

I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be giving a negative review to a Richard Linklater film, but here we are. The Bad News Bears is yet another by the numbers sports comedy in a year that had a few too many of them to stay fresh. It's also the second of two sports comedy remakes, proving that Hollywood's sacreligious rehashing of old movies does indeed extend to America's favorite pasttimes. With The Longest Yard it was football; in Bad News Bears director Richard Linklater retells the story of a baseball team of miscreants who are coached by an equally depraved ex-Major Leager turned alcoholic Morris Buttermaker. No need to go over the plot points with you; if you've seen one little league movie you've seen them all. Surprisingly, the film's critically praised filmmaker offers little new to an old concept. That's not to say that this modern retelling of Bad News Bears is without its strengths. The cast is stellar here; Billy Bob Thornton is a perfect PG-13 version of his "Bad Santa" character, and Greg Kinnear plays the perfect uptight, (literally) plum smuggling antagonist. The youth cast, like "School of Rock", is also stellar, and the screenplay is faithful to the vocabulary of 12 year olds, albeit in that same PG-13 way. The film also seems to have a great deal of heart, although that may just be in contrast to the last film I watched (see above). However at nearly two hours, this film has too many montages, too many cliches, and in the end the material is spread out too thin. Thumbs down.

[ROC]

Dark Water - 7/10

In his first studio flick, Walter Salles manages to do what many great directors have not. He manages to create a film that pleases the execs and yet make a film much more competent than the average PG-13 horror flick. Jennifer Connelly also has a fine performance as Dahlia, though, much credit has to be thrown to a cast including Tim Roth and John C. Reilly. It's kinda lax on any real frights, but it's more the psychological breakdown that makes you feel for Dahlia and her child Cecilia. While I'm not surprised at the fact it's good, I'm more surprised the film didn't take off except...

the ending is a pretty big downer, which may have killed the word of mouth exposure. Oh, and by some random coincedence, isn't it weird that FOUR of Jennifer Connelly's recent movies all have depressing endings?

Y Tu Mama Tambien - 7/10

Another classy filmmaker in Alfonzo Cuaron breeds with his sex comedy/coming-of-age film Y Tu Mama Tambien. If most American filmmakers had made the feature, it would've leaned towards the type of gag comedy that somehow lets the National Lampoon films still succeed in video racks today. Of course, the sex acts would make a film like it interesting on its own, but the sex discussions and backdrop also hold your attention.

The Chateau - 6/10

Now here we see a film that almost hovers on the charms of Paul Rudd and Romany Malco. And their charms do make a funny film. A bit towards the cliche, but funny and decently entertaining.

[Different Cloud]

Sin City - 9/10

[Laice07]

Closer: 7/10

Natalie Portman= Teh Hawtness

[Ananas]

Where The Truth Lies - 6/10

"Where The Truth Lies" explores alienation and dysfunction in a sexually adventurous way; so who better to direct than Atom Egoyan? And this film wears Egoyan's trademarks throughout. You get the slow reveal of major plot points, the storytelling is non-linear and the emotional climax is profound and rewarding. That's not to say that this will stand out among the director's considerable filmography. One might go so far as to say this is one of his weakest efforts to date. It suffers in some ways that so many film noirs have: its characters are bleak to the point of unrelatability. It is only through the character of Karen O'Connor (and the considerable job of bringing the performance to life by Alison Lohman) that the film really succeeds. A marginal thumbs up; not the best introduction to the work of Atom Egoyan but worthwhile for an evening mystery.

[Laice07]

Capote:7/10

A potential best picture nomination and a best actor oscar, this film is a one man show with Phillip Seymour Hoffman stealing every scene in this haunting portrait of the great writer Truman Capote and his novel, In Cold Blood. Catherine Keneer plays a good subtle performance as Harper Lee, but not as good her loveable performance in the 40 year Old Virgin, the film she should be nominated for.

Edited January 13, 2006 by Laice_

[Ananas]

BloodRayne - 2/10

Oh cruel month of January, why must you continue to torture us with uneventful TV, cold weather and movies like this? Uwe Boll is back (somehow) from the critical ravaging given to him for his last effort "Alone In the Dark", and if this is any indication, he hasn't learnt a thing. To be honest, this is my first Boll-stravaganza (it's something I consider myself lucky for), and unless something changes, probably my last. You would think that someone who has been so viciously criticized over the last 3 years or so might learn a thing or two just for ego's sake, but this director seems completely content to make God awful films which tank at the box office, at least, so long as people keep funding him. Seriously, stop already. It's getting ridiculous. In spite of all logic, Mr Boll somehow attracted a greatly talented cast, and thrown them into what will most likely go down as the worst acting experience of their careers. Even these talented few are lost in the ludicrious material; Michael Madsen and Ben Kingsley must have been downright embarassed at the lines they so poorly deliver. The script is written by the sincerely talented Guinevere Turner, and I sincerely hope this is no more than a misstep in her career. This entire production seems so haphazardly put together that I must wonder if the director had any help at all. Even at 80 minutes, the film is full of excess scenes, probably thrown in to flesh out what is most likely, in it's condensed "logical" format, a 30 minute movie. TV dramas accomplish more in an episode than this $25,000,000 "production". Thumbs way down, a horrible start (and probably eventually worst film) to 2006.