What Did You Watch Today?

[BlackFlagg]

The 40 Year Old Virgin - 8/10

[Laice07]

Land Of The Dead: 6/10

Beatnik, now you know why curiousity killed the cat , but don't worry, I went to see Alone in the Dark(well my friends dragged me into to it, and couldn't have cared less who Uwe Boll was), and well....walked out. Anyway your lucky 2005 still has some great films, as the beginning of 2006 isn't shaping up to be pretty good(but then, it is January).

[Ananas]

Beatnik, now you know why curiousity killed the cat , but don't worry, I went to see Alone in the Dark(well my friends dragged me into to it, and couldn't have cared less who Uwe Boll was), and well....walked out. Anyway your lucky 2005 still has some great films, as the beginning of 2006 isn't shaping up to be pretty good(but then, it is January).

[Ananas]

Pride & Prejudice - 7.5/10

It's a badge of honour when a film based on one of the most commonly adapted books of all time can run over 2 hours and feel fresh throughout. Such is the case for Pride & Prejudice, one of the best adaptations of Jane Austen's novel to date. Benefitting from free-form direction and a strong cast, the film captures the opposites-attract love story of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet with poise and splendor. Director Joe Wright truly surprised me here; I had not expected to see so many fantastic visuals in a period-romance. The screenplay is very sharp, undoubtedly due in no small part to Emma Thompson's uncredited re-write. Keira Knightley is superb in the starring role, and with her recent Golden Globe nomination this might officially move her into the ranks of Hollywood's top performers. Although it slows down towards the middle (as pretty much every adaptation of the novel does), this film is so fabulously made that it's hard to not recommend enthusiastically. Thumbs up.

[Ananas]

The Dukes of Hazzard - 3/10

If there's anything that the year 2005 in movies is likely to be remembered for, it's going to be the scourge of remakes and TV adaptations that were foisted upon moviegoers. Some were good (some were "Serenity"), others were attrocious (some were not "Serenity"). This film? No "Serenity". And while were at it, no "Bad News Bears", no "The Longest Yard", no "Pride and Prejudice". Hell, this film was no "The Producers". Jay Chandrasekhar's modern adaptation of the classic television series of the same name not only fails to hold a candle to the original series, it fails to hold a candle to the standards of actors like Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville, which is why even after a strong showing at the box office this summer, these two mouth breathers were cool on the idea of a sequel. In fact, this out-of-the-gate disaster is 105 minutes of car chases, lame sexual innuendo and redneck humour. And when I say redneck humour, I don't mean humour at the expense of rednecks. I mean the kind of shit only rednecks could possibly find funny. The truth is that this rating could be even lower, only I acknowledge two things: 1) that the "Super Troopers" reference was funny, and 2) Chandrasekhar knows his audience and tailors the film appropriately. When I say Jessica Simpson shows her full range of talent in this film, you know that a great comedic sense are hardly the assets I'm suggesting she shows. Some people don't want Ricky Gervais, or Dane Cook, or Zach Galifianakis. Some people want Larry The Cable Guy, and if they do, they've got Mr. Chandrasekhar to thank for what may very well be their favorite movie of 2005. Still, crap crap crap. Thumbs down.

[BlackFlagg]

The Producers - 9/10

[Toe]

Hostel

0/10

Wow. I would rather wish my friends slam there heads off of concrete then watch this horrible movie. It's just bad. Horrible plot (which just ignores common sense), bad acting and a huge broken promise makes me hate this. The poster at the theatre said "The Scariest American Film In A Decade", and while the extremely timid might squirm a little, the movie isn't scary at all. You don't feel for the characters at all that get killed and tortured, except for one who would have been a better character to focus on then the one they did. I laughed, alot throughout this film. It's just bad. The gore factor is overstated, if you want to see a "Scary Movie", even Ya-Ya Sisterhood is a better choice.

Rarely do I see a movie and want my money back. In fact, I love a lot of bad movies. But this movie is just not worth the time or money to see. Even spending $4 to rent it is paying too high. Even bending over to pick up a free copy laying on the ground is too much effort. This movie is the worst movie I have ever seen in my life, as (except for one scene that I laughed at near the end) I was not entertained - at all.

Oh, and a quick note on some of the trailers too. I saw a film, and I don't remember the name, but I yelled at the screen when I saw the focus of the trailer was the classic scene from "Black Christmas" where the girl is told the killer is calling from inside the house. The scene in the trailer had the SAME wording to the police's statement, and the same background, it was the same! It was horrible, it's really bad plagarism. I know that movies now are alot of the same stuff, but the EXACT same scene, with the EXACT same dialogue? That's awful. And a remake of "The Hills Have Eyes"? Is that even needed? Ughhh.

Edited January 13, 2006 by desiredtoe

[Laice07]

Oh, and a quick note on some of the trailers too. I saw a film, and I don't remember the name, but I yelled at the screen when I saw the focus of the trailer was the classic scene from "Black Christmas" where the girl is told the killer is calling from inside the house. The scene in the trailer had the SAME wording to the police's statement, and the same background, it was the same! It was horrible, it's really bad plagarism.

Edited January 13, 2006 by Laice_

[BlackFlagg]

High Tension - 9/10

[BlackFlagg]

Flight of the Phoenix - 5/10

[EWFan2004]

Doom - 7.5/10

I thought it was ok thought I would loved more FPS.

[ROC]

Glory Road - 7/10

There's no skirting of the issues here. Glory Road's biggest achievement is possibly the fact that it hits head on with the issue of racism, probably more than Bruckheimer and Disney's last well-received sports effort Remember the Titans. Josh Lucas is actually rather solid as Texas Western head coach Don Haskins, as well as the cast of athletes including Derek Luke (obviously not a stranger to the sports film seeing that he played Boobie Miles in the also solid Friday Night Lights). It's formulaic, no doubt, but the final sequences still get the emotions of the viewer and work their desired effect. And hey, it's probably the best hope you have for a legit January release being good. A solid recommendation.

[Ananas]

Munich - 8/10

I've just gotten back from seeing this film and suffice to say, I'm a little drained. I'll simply say this: Munich succeeds because of its audacious dive into tackling the subject matter. This is a graphic film, and it makes no attempt to be otherwise. In Spielberg's eyes, no one is exempt from blame for the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and despite the heat he has taken from both sides over this film, I'd say he's got it just right. Just a great film. Thumbs up.

[BlackFlagg]

Tommy Boy - 8/10

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Romeo Must Die: 4/10

Curse my laziness - I ended up watching this film again which is pretty dire.

Martial arts action, effects and clear string work is awful.

Script is poor.

For a better 'westernized' Jet Li film "The One" and "Kiss of the Dragon" are much better and even though this has Delroy Lindo, The One's got Jason Statham and KOTD's got Tcheky Karyo (Crying Freeman).

Nowhere near as good as my fave martial arts film of the moment - namely the fantastic Ong-Bak.

[ROC]

Serenity - 9/10

Yeah, I won't elaborate much but Chiwetel Ejiofor's my new favorite actor...and the movie's the best of the last year. Hopefully, DVD is kind to it.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Man On The Moon: 9/10

Seriously this is a beautiful, funny and touching film.

Jim Carrey's performance is magnificent and the supporting cast were also on top form.

[BlackFlagg]

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - 9/10

[Chris the Human]

Crash: 10/10

Simply put, one of the most beautifully constructed movies I've ever seen. There are moments of such brilliance in it that it just takes your breath away at times. Deserved more Globe nominations than it received.

Edited January 19, 2006 by The Misanthrope

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Sideways 7.5/10

A decent to good film with some sentiment and the odd laugh out loud moment. Cant see how it gets the ***** treatment from some though, or why it was Empire's film of the year.