daerhT GNIHCTAW 1102 HCRAM -Mirror- MARCH 2011...

[J.M. Vargas]

Yes, I'm jumping the gun. Otherwise Andrew Forbes will get it right off the mark at midnight again with something like "March Watching Thread!!" or other vanilla flavor like it.

Carl T. Dreyer's VAMPYR (1932) on Criterion DVD for the first time. Wow, considering its reputation and pedigree (not to mention being Dreyer's follow-up to his still-awesome "Passion of Joan of Arc" classic) this one is a major disappointment. Just because it seeks to recreate the atmosphere of a nightmare doesn't mean the camera angles have to be so disjointed, the performances so bland (Julian West looks like he was plucked from regional theater, thrown on the set and told to act without direction) and the narrative so innocuous as to make one wish it was boring as an excuse to tune out. Apparently I'm not alone in that a lot of people have trouble with their first-viewing experiences with "Vampyr" (including our own retired Judge Munson) but, after two separate viewings (one late at night in a darkened room), "Vampyr" succeeds at nothing except pointing how far superior Browning's "Dracula" and Murnau's "Nosferatu" were at translating the vampire myths into cinematic language. Criterion did the best they could with what they had (picture looks/sounds every one of its 79 years) but, unlike "M," this is a talkie in which 'artsy' sound can't save an incoherent mess of a movie.

Rewatched JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963) on Blu-ray with the Ray Harryhausen/Tony Dalton commentary track on. Minimal dead spots, buckets of enthusiasm and lots of behind-the-scenes anecdotes (with inevitable back-patting to cast/crew) make this commentary a must-listen for Harryhausen fanatics. Ray admitting that Blu-ray's high-resolution is giving away the secrets of his trade is endearing, especially since those secrets have been well-known and in the open since long before home video (let alone BD) came into play. On third viewing I'm really bothered we never get to see what Jason does to Pelias when he and his men return with the Golden Fleece (was there ever a sequel planned that fell through?), effectively ending the movie on a climax high (the skeleton fight) instead of a satisfying storytelling coda. Oh well, time to move on to other Harryhausen movies (only seen three) to get my fix.

COUSIN COUSINE (1975) on TCM-HD for the first time. Cousins-by-marriage Marthe (Christine Barrault, gorgeous) and Ludovic (Victor Lanoux) meet at a wedding, become platonic friends and then have an affair that drives their respective spouses Pascal (Guy Marchand, hilarious as a Casanova that can't take what he dishes) and Karine (Marie-France Pisier, excellent as Ludovic's needy young wife) crazy at first, then into fits of apoplectic acceptance. This movie's 1989 American remake, "Cousins," only has Isabella Rossellini's radiant beauty in its favor; everything else felt compromised by US PC morality impositions and star power casting (Ted Danson, William Petersen, etc.). Jean-Charles Tacchella's original movie though is populated by actors (young and old, men and women, ugly and pretty, etc.) that look/feel like real folks from an extended family, especially their politeness keeping them from speaking their minds to Marthe and Ludovic when they carry their affection for each other past normal mores. Too farcical to be realistic (back-to-back wedding AND funeral for the same character? ) but filled with too many human and quirky characters to be a farce (loved the elder Matriarch with her magician boyfriend and Ludovic's no-BS daughter) "Cousin Cousine" is why I love French movies and wish Hollywood would stay the hell away from remaking them. They're a product of a society that comes to value cinema as the perfect vehicle to explore salacious topics (like the infidelity at the core of "Cousin Cousine's" narrative) with both heart-felt romanticism and huge laughs.

BLOODY BIRTHDAY (1981) on TCM Underground for the first time. God (if he/she/it exists) forgive me, but I liked this a lot more than Dreyer's "Vampyr" (ducks!). The low-budget premise (three kids born during an eclipse in 1970 go on a killing spree ten years later) is straight out of the lyrics from "The Sopranos'" intro ('But you were born under a bad sign, with a blue moon in your eyes') but, playing by the exploitation genre's playbook (especially the no-frills 70's shooting style and ample female nudity), this flick works. The astrological explanation given for why the 'kill switch' goes off on the little tykes (who know each other and work together) is hilarious bunk. By showing real kid actors engaged in taboo over-the-top violence (shooting naked teenagers and teachers point-blank, arrow through the eye socket, etc.), mostly during daylight hours and without any mystery about who/what the killer kids are, "Bloody Birthday" sets out to disturb and offend. If two of three kid actors weren't so mannered and unconvincing as killers (Elizabeth Hoy's Debbie is the only one that looks and acts like a cold-blooded kid), and if the music wasn't shamelessly aping Harry Manfredini's score from "Friday the 13th" (minus the 'Ki Ma' whispers), this could have been a disturbing little movie. Instead it's enjoyable 80's horror cheese that milks its (original by horror standards) premise for everything its worth. José Ferrer (as the doc that delivers the murdering trio), Susan Strasberg (teacher from hell), Lori Lethin (heroine by default) and blink-and-you'll-miss-him-in-the-background Michael Dudikoff are part of the disposable cast of nobodies firmly anchoring "Bloody Birthday" into grindhouse/cult status.

[Andrew Forbes]

No. New thread. Now.

What do you have against clarity?

[mavrach]

Quick, somebody start the April thread and just hold it for a month

[HGervais]

Drive Angry...hurry up and go see this movie...it's the most fun I've had with a movie this year. It's the kind of movie I would send a prospective girlfriend to see just to see if we would have any kind of future together. Someone on fb noted it's the movie RR/QT wanted to make when they created Grindhouse and I would not really disagree.

[Andrew Forbes]

Tango & Cash. Such a beautifully absurd movie. It makes no sense at all but it's one of the most entertaining action flicks of the 80s.

[Gabriel Girard]

Oleanna- Both characters are a-holes,so any point the movie tries to make about sexual harassment gets lost because we couldn't care either way. Easily Mamet's worst film- even if it contains some cool lines and good performances from the two leads.

The Red Shoes (1948) -Now this is a timeless,fantastic piece of movie making.

[HGervais]

Oleanna- Both characters are a-holes,so any point the movie tries to make about sexual harassment gets lost because we couldn't care either way. Easily Mamet's worst film- even if it contains some cool lines and good performances from the two leads.

It works so much better on the stage.

[Andrew Forbes]

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. Nostalgia factors heavily into my love of this movie, which I used to catch on TV as a kid. Mostly I love the atmosphere. It's got that seventies retro-future thing going with concrete and steel everywhere and anonymous, helmeted security forces marching around perpetually dark urban landscapes. Architecture is the real star. I watched the unrated cut with the original ending and that final cut to black is chilling.

[Dan Mancini]

Tango & Cash. Such a beautifully absurd movie. It makes no sense at all but it's one of the most entertaining action flicks of the 80s.

QFT.

[Bryan Pope]

Oleanna- Both characters are a-holes,so any point the movie tries to make about sexual harassment gets lost because we couldn't care either way. Easily Mamet's worst film- even if it contains some cool lines and good performances from the two leads.

It works so much better on the stage.

I have to agree. Oleanna's stylized dialogue is better suited to the stage. It comes across as pretentious on screen. And while I think the word "pretentious" is highly over-used (and too often misused) in describing movies these days, I think it describes Oleanna perfectly.

At any rate, I convinced my (at the time) future wife to watch it with me. That was 17 years ago. She hasn't forgiven me yet.

[Gabriel Girard]

Open Range - A near perfect western from Costner. Beautiful images, Duvall being a badass and one hell of a shootout at the end. Unfortunately Annette Bening was cast as the love interest and she feels too modern to really belong- granted some of the dialogue she was given with Costner was pretty bad.Still a highly recommended modern wetsern.

The Niklashausen Journey -A barely there story, jarring discontinuity and an overabundance of communist rhetoric would sink this film for most people but I rather enjoyed it,mainly for Fassbinder's still developing technique and for a few truly great scenes. Stay far,far away if you have no interest in the man's work.

As Tears Go By - Another movie more interesting to see because of a director's burgeoning style- this time Wong Kar Wai

[mavrach]

The Wicker Man (original) - First time, really liked it. I'd unfortunately been spoiled on the finale, so I knew what was coming. The movie's mood was intriguing, how it was disturbing but not because cruelty was about. It was disturbing because the villagers were so content with their lives and proceeded happily along in their strange trends.

I also thought it was interesting that the protagonist was a devout Christian, which is the type that is usually cast as the villain. I'm so used to seeing the devout zealout holding everybody back, keeping the heroes from living their lives, or trying to restore some sort of "pure" world order. Here, he represents normality in an abnormal setting.

[Future Man]

Rango
Much better than the trailer had led me to believe. The first half is better than the second half and it overstays its welcome by about 20 minutes (there's a whole subplot that should have been jettisioned). Still, the characters are wonderfully designed and it's fun spotting the movie references. Definitely not for kids of all ages, if kids at all--some of the humor is decidedly twisted, it's often rather scary, and there's not a whole lot else aimed right at kids that I could see.

[Bryan Pope]

Just got back from Rango as well. Had low expectations going in, but I absolutely loved it. Sergio Leone by way of Beatrix Potter, and I wouldn't change a thing. After depressingly predictable crap like Kung Fu Panda, Despicable Me and the Shrek movies, it's nice to know Pixar hasn't completely cornered the market on gorgeously animated family films with vivid characters and a strong story. I'll be seeing this again.

[azul017]

Street With No Name - Wow. One of the first film noir I've seen (second if you want to count The Black Dahlia) -- some truly impressive camerawork, interesting story and well-paced. This might be a new genre for me to get my feet wet in -- might check out Pickup on South Street and House on 92nd St. eventually.

[molly1216]

netflix actually sent me Movies..color me shocked.

RED - loved it..not having read the comic..it was as vapid empty calories as any other bang bang crash crash but at least there were quotable lines and i knew the names of ALL the actors. I will be buying this at the 1st opportunity.

Rewatched Pecker - probably my favorite John Waters film.

[hoytereden]

Fellini's Ginger and Fred-A really nice, fun film about two former dance partners who are reunited after many years to do a TV special. Think The Sunshine Boys except these two characters like each other and, of course, it has the usual Fellini touches. Giulietta Masina and Marcello Mastroianni, as the title characters, are terrific.

[Andrew Forbes]

Red Hill. There's not much original beyond the setting, but as an exercise in neo-Western style, this flick is pure gold. "Chilling" is an overused word when describing villains, but Tommy Lewis is liquid f***ing nitrogen here. Between John Hillcoat, Andrew Dominik and Patrick Hughes, it seems lately as though Aussies know more about making Westerns than Americans do.

[Steve T Power]

Red Hill. There's not much original beyond the setting, but as an exercise in neo-Western style, this flick is pure gold. "Chilling" is an overused word when describing villains, but Tommy Lewis is liquid f***ing nitrogen here. Between John Hillcoat, Andrew Dominik and Patrick Hughes, it seems lately as though Aussies know more about making Westerns than Americans do.

See, I was perfectly content wandering through life ignoring this thing's existence. Then you go and bring up Hillcoat and Dominik. Damn you Forbes. I'm gonna go buy this thing right now, and if it sucks, i'm sending you a bill!

[HGervais]

Red Hill. There's not much original beyond the setting, but as an exercise in neo-Western style, this flick is pure gold. "Chilling" is an overused word when describing villains, but Tommy Lewis is liquid f***ing nitrogen here. Between John Hillcoat, Andrew Dominik and Patrick Hughes, it seems lately as though Aussies know more about making Westerns than Americans do.

I think it is less a case of American filmmakers not really knowing how to make westerns and more a case of westerns being box office poison....or the perception of westerns being box office poison in this country.

[Andrew Forbes]

Red Hill. There's not much original beyond the setting, but as an exercise in neo-Western style, this flick is pure gold. "Chilling" is an overused word when describing villains, but Tommy Lewis is liquid f***ing nitrogen here. Between John Hillcoat, Andrew Dominik and Patrick Hughes, it seems lately as though Aussies know more about making Westerns than Americans do.

See, I was perfectly content wandering through life ignoring this thing's existence. Then you go and bring up Hillcoat and Dominik. Damn you Forbes. I'm gonna go buy this thing right now, and if it sucks, i'm sending you a bill!

Let's be clear: The Proposition and Assassination are on a higher level. Red Hill is a B+ flick with A- direction and acting. Quick, brutal and tense. I think you'll dig it.

[Andrew Forbes]

Red Hill. There's not much original beyond the setting, but as an exercise in neo-Western style, this flick is pure gold. "Chilling" is an overused word when describing villains, but Tommy Lewis is liquid f***ing nitrogen here. Between John Hillcoat, Andrew Dominik and Patrick Hughes, it seems lately as though Aussies know more about making Westerns than Americans do.

I think it is less a case of American filmmakers not really knowing how to make westerns and more a case of westerns being box office poison....or the perception of westerns being box office poison in this country.

Well, True Grit is the notable exception to the apparent rule as of late, but it doesn't seem as though the genre holds much interest in the independent arena, either. Westerns can be dirt cheap to make, just like horror movies, but the younger generation of American filmmakers seems content to let the tradition die, more or less.

[Steve T Power]

Red Hill. There's not much original beyond the setting, but as an exercise in neo-Western style, this flick is pure gold. "Chilling" is an overused word when describing villains, but Tommy Lewis is liquid f***ing nitrogen here. Between John Hillcoat, Andrew Dominik and Patrick Hughes, it seems lately as though Aussies know more about making Westerns than Americans do.

I think it is less a case of American filmmakers not really knowing how to make westerns and more a case of westerns being box office poison....or the perception of westerns being box office poison in this country.

Well, True Grit is the notable exception to the apparent rule as of late, but it doesn't seem as though the genre holds much interest in the independent arena, either. Westerns can be dirt cheap to make, just like horror movies, but the younger generation of American filmmakers seems content to let the tradition die, more or less.

Sixgun and The Last Rites of Ransom Pride beg to differ... of course, both suck... a lot.

[OperaGal]

Yay! I've been catching up on movies again.
So many 'new' ones I've seen in the past couple weeks...

Vertigo - Stumbled across this one on my quest for Psychological Thrillers.
I'm not new to James Stewart movies, but for some reason I always thought this was a western.
Anyhoo, rather enjoyed this one.

Gilda - This was okay, but not gripping enough for an add to my DVD collection tho'.
Did like the part when Rita Hayworth was singing an acoustic version of 'Put the Blame On Mame'.

The Man Who Laughs - Loved it! Somewhat creepy, but a lovely story and great acting too.
No vocals needed as everything was portrayed well thru emotion and actions.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - Brilliant!! Excellent story and very impressive sets for the time.
Hmm, wonder where Tim Burton got his set ideas from...

Different From the Others - Intriguing film from 1919. Short, but restored well from being banned.

Ahh, I've developed quite a fondness for Conrad Veidt in the past month. Look forward to watching more of his movies!!!

[Gabriel Girard]

Catching up on 2010...

The Ghost Writer - Think what you want of Polanski but the man can still shoot a thriller. I liked how we see everything from Ewan McGregor's perspective, always knowing just as much as he does. That ending is pure Hitchcock.

The Losers Frikkin A! The more of Chris Evans I see, the more I like him, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the man, Zoë Seldana has hints of Thandie Newton except cooler and Jason Patric makes a great villain. Full of great lines and cool action scenes. With this and RED DC/Vertigo really cornered the cool action flick market last year. Now bring on a sequel to The Losers and a 100 Bullets adaptation!

[Steve T Power]

The Losers Frikkin A! The more of Chris Evans I see, the more I like him, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the man, Zoë Seldana has hints of Thandie Newton except cooler and Jason Patric makes a great villain. Full of great lines and cool action scenes. With this and RED DC/Vertigo really cornered the cool action flick market last year. Now bring on a sequel to The Losers and a 100 Bullets adaptation!

One of my favorite flicks of last year. Evans still name drops it on occasion, a recent interview I read with him said he'd clear his plate in a second to do a sequel as he had so much fun with everybody. I'd love to see it, as it was a superior product to the books in every conceivable way. Ideally they'd dump the excess BS (like Saldana's character being a terrorist double agent) and film a trilogy based on the complete series. That final shot from the comics would be an amazing way to end out a film series.

[Dan Mancini]

The Losers Frikkin A! The more of Chris Evans I see, the more I like him, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the man, Zoë Seldana has hints of Thandie Newton except cooler and Jason Patric makes a great villain. Full of great lines and cool action scenes. With this and RED DC/Vertigo really cornered the cool action flick market last year. Now bring on a sequel to The Losers and a 100 Bullets adaptation!

One of my favorite flicks of last year. Evans still name drops it on occasion, a recent interview I read with him said he'd clear his plate in a second to do a sequel as he had so much fun with everybody. I'd love to see it, as it was a superior product to the books in every conceivable way. Ideally they'd dump the excess BS (like Saldana's character being a terrorist double agent) and film a trilogy based on the complete series. That final shot from the comics would be an amazing way to end out a film series.

QFT.

[J.M. Vargas]

Rewatched THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) on DVD with the Robert Wise/Nicolas Meyer commentary track. Two "Star Trek" movie directors give a pretty informative track that's a little dry (at one point Wise and Meyer discuss their love/hate for AVID/Final Cut editing tools) but works with the movie's serious tone.

FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) on HD-DVD. Saw this one a couple of years ago and, revisiting it recently, I liked it a lot more. Either I'm getting older or I'm more appreciative of classic sci-fi... or both! I even found Walter Pidgeon's exposition-laden dialogue (which is almost all his character spews) and the 'cheat' of what the monster is (which I felt was underwhelming before) combined into a decent sci-fi twist on the Jekyll/Hyde dynamic, a proto "Incredible Hulk" narrative with Altair IV replacing gamma radiation. And damn, I didn't notice before but Anne Francis is literally barefoot in the kitchen of her (and Pidgeon's) home. If she were pregnant (and who says Leslie Nielsen didn't take care of that on the way back to Earth) she would have been the perfect 50's sci-fi woman. Decent high-def picture and, for '56, the SFX work and production values are off-the-charts retro cool.

William Castle's MR. SARDONICUS (1961) on DVD for the first time. I may enjoy his films on a very basic film lover's appreciation of 'B' movies but I've never really liked either William Castle's ego (Hitch had one too but, unlike Castle, everything that featured his mug on-screen delivered the goods) or that he cheats by overpromising and (except for the entertaining cheese) underwhelming. I know he couldn't show the violence/gore/freights he peddled because 'the code' was still in place, but that still makes Castle a liar in my book (so was Corman but at least he was decent-enough to remain off-camera). That said "Mr. Sardonicus" is the first Castle movie with an actual scare (the first sight of the Baron's face without the mask) that literally made me jump up and scream at 2AM. Then, in typical Castle fashion, the originally great horror premise is watered-down and eventually revealed to be a front for a morality tale instead of the true horror we were promised. Even though I had heard about the 'vote' ending before (from the "Dolls" DVD commentary track, another movie starring the late Guy Rolfe) seeing it makes me hate Castle's chutzpah even more. Oskar Homolka is great as Krull (he owns the movie's ending), a welcome relief to the stifling bladness from Ronald Lewis and Audrey Dalton.

Rewatched ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981) on DVD with the John Carpenter/Kurt Russell commentary track on. Was doing some work on the computer late at night and wanted something playing in the background that I could glance at and keep track of without distracting me from the work. This did the trick nicely. Although pretty much any Carpenter/Russell commentary could have worked there's something about the leisurely paced narrative and Dean Cundey's nighttime photography that screams 'watch me at night' and complemented my nighttime work activity better than "The Thing" or "Escape from Little China."

Rewatched James Brooks' BROADCAST NEWS (1987) on Blu-ray. Hadn't noticed it until Brooks' pointed it out in his commentary track (from a previous viewing) but Michael Ballhaus' use of the color red throughout the movie as a visual signature of sorts really is striking. William Hurt and Holly Hunter do excellent work (as does pretty much the entire supporting cast, something you can't say about any other Brooks-directed movie) but Albert Brooks is maybe at the height of his game as a comic/dramatic actor. I care about all the characters in "BN" but Aaron Altman is the only one I'd love to meet and talk to in real life.

[Dunnyman]

William Castle's MR. SARDONICUS (1961) on DVD for the first time. I may enjoy his films on a very basic film lover's appreciation of 'B' movies but I've never really liked either William Castle's ego (Hitch had one too but, unlike Castle, everything that featured his mug on-screen delivered the goods) or that he cheats by overpromising and (except for the entertaining cheese) underwhelming. I know he couldn't show the violence/gore/freights he peddled because 'the code' was still in place, but that still makes Castle a liar in my book (so was Corman but at least he was decent-enough to remain off-camera). That said "Mr. Sardonicus" is the first Castle movie with an actual scare (the first sight of the Baron's face without the mask) that literally made me jump up and scream at 2AM. Then, in typical Castle fashion, the originally great horror premise is watered-down and eventually revealed to be a front for a morality tale instead of the true horror we were promised. Even though I had heard about the 'vote' ending before (from the "Dolls" DVD commentary track, another movie starring the late Guy Rolfe) seeing it makes me hate Castle's chutzpah even more. Oskar Homolka is great as Krull (he owns the movie's ending), a welcome relief to the stifling bladness from Ronald Lewis and Audrey Dalton.

Maybe it's because you weren't raised in the American culture, but Castle's chutzpah is what makes his flicks so darn fun! The guarantees, the gimmicks, etc, etc. No, you're not going to get Hitch level thrills and scares, but I would have imagined walking out of the theater feeling I'd gotten my money's worth. Plus, seeing any of his films without the sideshow takes away from them. I've now seen all of his stuff, and I love them all, despite a few flaws here and there, and actually Homicidal and The Tingler hold up pretty well even without the schtick.
Speaking of horror films, I recently finished viewing a wonderfully crappy Japanese import called Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girls, and yee-ikes, is it an interesting concoction of cheese, laughably bad blood and gore, and a plot of utter nonsense. Due to the recent tragedies in Japan, I'll simply point out that their, ah, method of supplying a "diverse" cast (ie, Japanese actors in horribly offensive blackface and big rubber lips) is truly heinous, and I'm not even black. Not cool. The movie, however is hilariously bad with kung-fu, schoolgirls, vampires, zombies, stitched together people, vast amounts of splatter and a soundtrack that sounds like a Japanese Josie and the Pussycats. Best viewed for laughs with your mind shut off.
Also been digging through Castle, and it's a fun ride, with Fillion and Stana Katic generating chemistry that hasn't been seen since Bogie and Bacall. Please producers, don't screw this up by letting them get together unless it's in a final episode, otherwise, the show will crash and burn.

[Future Man]

Rewatched The Host and it doesn't hold up for me. Whatever resonance the political and recent-history aspects have on the home audience are lost on me and they don't mesh well with the main attraction. Still the family dynamics are rather heartwarming and often hilarious and the opening attack scene is pretty cool.

[molly1216]

If it weren't for insomnia i'd get nothing watched...

Get Low - which was great - i love movies for grownups, they have actors worth watching and you don't want your 2 hours back.

The Other Guys - sorry guys..i feel asleep half way through and didn't care enough to restart it...i'd have rather watched Sam Jackson and Dwayne Johnson smashing cars for the entire 2 hours.

Law & Order: UK: Season 1 - which i highly recommend. they have chosen some really adaptable L&O scripts to adapt and it's always a lot of fun to see street level london life.

Life On Mars (US) - half way through, but from the pieces i have seen from the UK version, i am kinda shocked to think that this works BETTER adapted to NYC. seriously.... it is such a wild homage to early 70s gritty crime films. New York is the perfect local to to THEN and NOW stories. and seriously...it has Harvey Keitel..

Caught up on Breaking Bad 1-3 didn't think i would like it - Meth being the evil scourge that it is. , still don't think i would have unless i watched Vince Gilligan's comments about their goal...watch the character just get badder and badder...which makes it fascinating.

[J.M. Vargas]

Law & Order: UK: Season 1 - which i highly recommend. they have chosen some really adaptable L&O scripts to adapt and it's always a lot of fun to see street level london life.

This is my favorite "new" show of 2010 (BBC America is already showing Season 2 episodes) and it's so sad that the Brits have even outdone Yanks at doing "L&O" shows proper (proven by the disastrous "Los Angeles" version, the premature cancelation of the mothership and the mishandling of D'Onofrio/Erbe/Goldblum last season on "Criminal Intent"). Ben Daniels' James Steel is like a re-incarnation of Michael Moriarty's passionate Ben Stone ADA, and Bradley Walsh/Jamie Bamber (who just left the show to pursue an American TV series) may be the best "L&O" detective team since Jerry Orbach and Chris Noth. I leave the subtitles on just to keep up with the British slang, but it's refreshing that all types of accents (Welsh, Irish, Scottish, etc.) are heard and spoken in this show's London setting.

[Bryan Pope]

The King's Speech -- My wife and I finally saw it last night. I've heard a lot of people say it was the safe and easy choice for Best Picture. Maybe, maybe not. I think that's beside the point anyway, and it doesn't give the movie the credit it deserves for having top-notch production values, impeccable performances and a very human story my wife and I cared about. Highly recommend.

[Steve T Power]

The King's Speech -- My wife and I finally saw it last night. I've heard a lot of people say it was the safe and easy choice for Best Picture. Maybe, maybe not. I think that's beside the point anyway, and it doesn't give the movie the credit it deserves for having top-notch production values, impeccable performances and a very human story my wife and I cared about. Highly recommend.

Agreed wholeheartedly. It wasn't my favorite film of the year (or even on my top 10 really), but I enjoyed it for what it was, and I definitely appreciate the craftsmanship and skill on display. The movie deserves and has earned the accolades it has received up to now. It certainly doesn't belong in the "gross indecency" pile with Shakespeare in Love (which only won because Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line split the majority vote), American Beauty (I still have no explanation for this one) or A Beautiful Mind (We all love Ron Howard, lets give him some props!)

[azul017]

Having bought a copy of Street With No Name, I watched it from beginning to end. Shockingly, it wasn't the film noir I saw on Fox Movie Channel that got me glued to the genre (I blame it on the faulty program guide). Still, it's pretty good. Widmark is fantastic... and I loved the atmosphere throughout. Could've done without the excess boxing scenes, though.

[Gabriel Girard]

The Honeymoon KIllers - I would probably have never seen this film if it wasn't in the Criterion Collection, and I would have one less awesome B-movie/exploitation flick in my life. Black and white images, a few truly chilling scenes,assured direction, an awesome performance from Shirley Stoler and the music of Gustav Mahler all blend to form a one of a kind experience.


Wall Street :Money Never Sleeps- This is the first time Ollie Stone's lack of sublety really got on my nerves - especially since he didn't know what is message was this time- tackling too many subjects. Still worth it for Michael Douglas and Eli Wallach and Shia being serious for once.

[DMJY]

Definitely not for kids of all ages, if kids at all--some of the humor is decidedly twisted, it's often rather scary, and there's not a whole lot else aimed right at kids that I could see.

[azul017]

Paul - Don't walk, RUN to see this film. The funniest film of the year, by far, and like the action film parody/homage Hot Fuzz, it's a loving tribute/homage to sci-fi/alien invasion films. Even though it's directed by Greg Mottola, it feels like an Edgar Wright film. And it's nice to see Justin Bateman in a film that doesn't waste his comedic chops.

[azul017]

Fixed my name gaffe here.

Paul - Don't walk, RUN to see this film. The funniest film of the year, by far, and like the action film parody/homage Hot Fuzz, it's a loving tribute/homage to sci-fi/alien invasion films. Even though it's directed by Greg Mottola, it feels like an Edgar Wright film. And it's nice to see Jason Bateman in a film that doesn't waste his comedic chops.

I don't know why I misspelled Bateman's name.

[Future Man]

Paul
Hate to be disagreeable but I found it to be mostly an anti-religion screed (who knew? another surprise attack a la The Invention of Lying) with a stacked deck to 'prove' its case, and unfunny (certainly unclever) the rest of the way (for instance the mere utterance of silly, juvenile swear-word combinations is supposed to make us laugh). Waste of a good premise and two otherwise likeable human characters.

[azul017]

Paul
Hate to be disagreeable but I found it to be mostly an anti-religion screed (who knew? another surprise attack a la The Invention of Lying) with a stacked deck to 'prove' its case, and unfunny (certainly unclever) the rest of the way (for instance the mere utterance of silly, juvenile swear-word combinations is supposed to make us laugh). Waste of a good premise and two otherwise likeable human characters.

Nah, I didn't so. I saw it as making fun of a certain Southern/Midwestern stereotype.

[HGervais]

Paul
Hate to be disagreeable but I found it to be mostly an anti-religion screed (who knew? another surprise attack a la The Invention of Lying) with a stacked deck to 'prove' its case, and unfunny (certainly unclever) the rest of the way (for instance the mere utterance of silly, juvenile swear-word combinations is supposed to make us laugh). Waste of a good premise and two otherwise likeable human characters.

You know Mike the problem may be that a lot of religious people just don't have a sense of humor when it comes to religion. It doesn't have to be an attack on religion if the people making the movie simply hold a different view than you do. Are they not allowed to express themselves as artists? Is your faith so based thin skinned that it can't stand the ribbing & questioning of some intentially juvenile science fiction comedy?

Invention of Lying was kind of brilliant, brave and funny all at the same time. Anytime a film dares to question religion it turns into the same old angry song. It's kind of bizarre to see people who are supposed to be religious get all defensive whenever someone questions the concepts of God & religion. You guys really should try lightening up a little bit when it comes to the god thing.

[Future Man]

Do I still get to say anything though? Or must I keep my mouth shut. They have every right to make the movie and I have every right to point out that its content is largely an attack on religion--something not at all apparent from the cowardly trailers I've seen. Since you must have seen the movie to feel comfortable enough to comment--did it make sense to you that the writers 'prove' their case with an imaginary alien? And you thought the Christian stereotypes were par for the course I suppose--you know, the way you'd react if any other faith were being mocked?

My main beef is the ad campaigns never give a hint of the true content because if they did, a good portion of the 80+% of those who believe in God in this country would stay away in droves. Brave indeed.

[OperaGal]

Memento - Wow. This was recommended to me whilst searching for 'psychological thrillers'. This was a gripping tale that had me thinking throughout and even still leaves me a bit puzzled. Ahh, the mind is quite an amazing and complex thing. It was a good movie overall. Suspenseful, creepy (Joe P.), and even frustrating - like when I tried to go to the 'scene selection' and watch a couple parts over, grrr....after a few minutes of trying to navigate thru that mess, I just decided to watched it all over again.

Double Indemnity - Finally! Been wanting to see this one for a while now. Excellent cast and a good story as well! Not new to Fred MacMurray, but was fascinated to see him outside of his 'family man' roles. He played the part well in this one. Tho' I cringed every time he said "baby", as it just didn't seem that natural for him. Stanwyck was great as usual. Perfect part for her and kinda reminded me of Babyface. This was a wonderful introduction to Film Noir and look forward to catching up with other titles soon!

[HGervais]

Do I still get to say anything though? Or must I keep my mouth shut. They have every right to make the movie and I have every right to point out that its content is largely an attack on religion--something not at all apparent from the cowardly trailers I've seen. Since you must have seen the movie to feel comfortable enough to comment--did it make sense to you that the writers 'prove' their case with an imaginary alien? And you thought the Christian stereotypes were par for the course I suppose--you know, the way you'd react if any other faith were being mocked?

My main beef is the ad campaigns never give a hint of the true content because if they did, a good portion of the 80+% of those who believe in God in this country would stay away in droves. Brave indeed.

As usual Mike you throw a lot of words out there and get defensive without really saying anything new and still avoid answering the question posed. Is your faith so thin-skinned that even the most juvenile science fiction comedy is enough to send you into your usual condemnations? I don't care which religion is being mocked and think that every faith...Christians, Muslims, Jews.....could all do with a little lightening up. If religious people could stop making every joke or slight made at their faith's expense a case for a blood feud and learn to sit back & laugh at the absurdities inherent in each belief system there would a lot less anger in the world. Does that mean you should not comment? Of course not but why just not dismiss it with a simple it wasn't for me? I mean really...if this country really is 80% Christian, what are you guys getting so worked up about? It isn't like this movie or the rare film or TV show with some anti-religion message is going to send streams of Christians to the other side is it? You don't think it is funny, great but don't try and make it into something larger than what it is.
And for the record, a lot of Paul left me cold and I thought that the funniest stuff was with the Kristen Wiig character. Pegg & Frost's screenplay very much missed Edgar Wright's influence and the movie often felt flat to me...which is another reason why the whining I'm reading from some religious types seems so misplaced. The movie is going to be gone before most people knew it was even there. But whatever, I've already given more thought to this movie than it warranted.

[azul017]

And for the record, a lot of Paul left me cold and I thought that the funniest stuff was with the Kristen Wiig character. Pegg & Frost's screenplay very much missed Edgar Wright's influence and the movie often felt flat to me...

Really? I thought you'd love this film... personally I think Edgar Wright himself is a bit hit-or-miss (Scott Pilgrim being a misfire for me). Paul had that same kind of enthusiasm that I loved about Hot Fuzz.

But that's all right. Not everybody loves Paul...

[HGervais]

And for the record, a lot of Paul left me cold and I thought that the funniest stuff was with the Kristen Wiig character. Pegg & Frost's screenplay very much missed Edgar Wright's influence and the movie often felt flat to me...

Really? I thought you'd love this film... personally I think Edgar Wright himself is a bit hit-or-miss (Scott Pilgrim being a misfire for me). Paul had that same kind of enthusiasm that I loved about Hot Fuzz.

But that's all right. Not everybody loves Paul...

I laughed at a lot of it and I thought the CGI for Paul was some of the best we have ever seen but felt it lacked the depth of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim. I also kind of agree with Drew McWeeney's review that in a lot of ways Pegg & Frost were a little too old for the roles. Pegg has often commented on the reason they have never returned to Spaced is because it is very specific to people of a certain age and I think he kind of fulfilled his own words with Paul. I don't know....I'm kind of hoping this one grows on me like all the Wright movies have. I might get my second chance today as I have a good friend of mine that wants to go see this tonight.

[Polynikes]

The king's Speech certainly doesn't belong in the "gross indecency" pile with Shakespeare in Love (which only won because Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line split the majority vote

Red rag to a bull!

I assume Shakespeare in Love won the Best Picture Oscar ahead of the other films mentioned. You may be right in the analysis of the vote (although there is no way of knowing). However, Shakespeare in Love is a film on different level to the other two. The comparison with Saving Private Ryan is like comparing Heart of Darkness with a Jeffrey Archer novel, and claiming the latter deserves a Nobel Prize because it sold more copies. I don't take any notice of the Oscars or the Academy awards, but if Shakespeare in Love finished ahead of the other two films mentioned, the voters made the right judgement.

[Andrew Forbes]

The king's Speech certainly doesn't belong in the "gross indecency" pile with Shakespeare in Love (which only won because Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line split the majority vote

Red rag to a bull!

I assume Shakespeare in Love won the Best Picture Oscar ahead of the other films mentioned. You may be right in the analysis of the vote (although there is no way of knowing). However, Shakespeare in Love is a film on different level to the other two. The comparison with Saving Private Ryan is like comparing Heart of Darkness with a Jeffrey Archer novel, and claiming the latter deserves a Nobel Prize because it sold more copies. I don't take any notice of the Oscars or the Academy awards, but if Shakespeare in Love finished ahead of the other two films mentioned, the voters made the right judgement.

Shakespeare in Love is one of the sloppiest Oscar-winners I've had the displeasure of sitting through. Being in high school at the time, I thought it was decent. Watching it again years later was painful. Saving Private Ryan, while riddled with war movie clichés, mannered acting and excessive sentiment, brought on a seismic shift in the way war films are created, and was a major influence on the course of film technique. The Thin Red Line is an unusually thoughtful and deeply felt exploration of the effects of war violence with some of the most striking images ever captured on film. Shakespeare in Love, while occasionally witty, is a broad comedy and sappy romance directed with workmanlike technique.

[J.M. Vargas]

Shakespeare in Love, while occasionally witty, is a broad comedy and sappy romance directed with workmanlike technique.

Which is why the Academy split the vote and gave Spielberg a Best Directing Oscar for "Ryan" while denying John Madden the honor for "Shakespeare." With the Directing Oscar the influence of "Ryan" as a film technique landmark is acknowledged... still, "Shakespeare" winning was the safe (i.e. long-term head scratcher) decision just like "The King's Speech" was this year.