Yes, I realize that I'm probably the last person on earth who hadn't seen it. Overall it was a great movie, couldn't ask for better acting. Al Pacino was great and really fit the role. The only part I didn't like was how much the story jumped around. 8/10
I didn't say that, but if you haven't seen it and you're making comparisons based on it, I'd say you should see it. Or stop making comparisons about it?
Suna no onna (a.k.a. Woman in the Dunes) (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1964) -- An amateur entomologist searching for insects by the sea is trapped by local villagers into living with a mysterious woman who spends almost all her time preventing her home from being swallowed up by advancing sand dunes. The woman and the trapped man begin a strange and erotic relationship that stretches over years, as the man's hope for escape dims. Acting, cinematography and score are amazing and certainly not something I would've expected from a Japanese movie from the 60s, also scenes are short-ish and the sexual tension is high. There's even nude scenes, something unheard of 5 years before. I'm going to say this movie could've been better than Pitfall (also by Teshigahara) if only the length were close to that one (93 minutes vs. 150 minutes)., but the truth is that by the 1:45 mark this movie was done. But it dragged on for another 45 minutes; though the added time (redundantly) added more to the movie, I think it's something they could've solved in the editing department. Still, that's my only drawback with it. 8.5/10
Not sure if this will become a classic or fade away - but this was an entertaining flick while it lasted. Since I watched it in two parts, many hours between, and my attention was somewhat divided, I can't speak to the inventiveness of the plot or how relevant the liberties taken with actual events may have been to the storyline.
Perhaps that's because I had little understanding of what the storyline was - aside from the kind of vague, gen-x'r making-it tale of the journo hanging out with an army guy.
All that said, I found it lightly entertaining, humorous, and the characters were played to good effect, even if they were somewhat hollow. To be honest, I expected something more Coen-ish from it, detailing the lunacy of the whole operation rather than having some ironies pointed out to me in narration and glossing over others instead of just properly portraying them - but hey.
Anyway,
7.3/10 on a "What did you expect?" scale, 4/10 on the "Is this good cinema?" scale.
Edit:
Quick note, I also watched the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie with Kristy Swanson and Donald Sutherland.
9.5/10 on the "What did you expect?" scale and 5/10 on the "Is this good cinema?" scale — though it will probably offend and disinterest many more people than Men Who Stare At Goats.
Vincere (Marco Bellocchio, 2009) -- Neo-realistic biography of the (little known) first wife of Benito Mussolini, and his first-born son, both of whom were 'erased' from his life and the records eliminated. The movie is very dark in subject; it tries to follow the life of Ida Dalser (the wife), who fell in love with Benito when he was still trying to be a union leader in 1907 and eventually helped him to boots his political career by giving him all her money and dedicating completely to him. In return, Il Duce treated her cruelly, eliminated the documents on their marriage and his son and had her locked up in a lunatic asylum for life. Eventually, their son followed in the same path. Initially I was rooting for the wife and son, but after a while her obssession becomes so much that she's convinced all these ordeals are 'tests' that Mussolini is making her and her son go through for a higher purpose. The movie starts out very powerful, but halfway through it just dilutes into a 'I'm not crazy but I act crazy' delusion where only Ida knows the truth, yet tells no one about it. It could've been better, but it just wasn't. 6.5/10
Chocolate is about an autistic girl (Zen) who can learn Muay Thai, or presumably any other martial art, just by watching others do the moves. This little ability comes in pretty handy when her mother is in the hospital with cancer but can't afford the medication she needs but very conveniently is owed money by all of the crime bosses in Thailand. Naturally they don't want to pay up until Zen beats the crap out of everyone. It takes a lot from the Jackie Chan/Jet Lee moves playbooks but aren't quite as crisp and clean. I also was a bit put off by Zen going from whiny autistic girl (no offense intended but it's as accurate a description as I can figure) to killing machine in the blink of an eye.
Im a big fan of Tony Jaa who was in Ong Bak 1 & 2 and Tom Yam Koong (Warrior King). Is this film anything like Ong Bak since its made by the same people? Ong Bak 1 is probably my favorite fight movie... the fight scenes are solid and look realistic in that people actually getting kicked in the face and such
Is this film anything like Ong Bak since its made by the same people? Ong Bak 1 is probably my favorite fight movie... the fight scenes are solid and look realistic in that people actually getting kicked in the face and such
I haven't seen Ong Bak yet, but it is in my Netflix que. Based on the footage after Chocolate ended and before the credits started, there looks like there were plenty of injuries on the set - Yanin Vismistananda was kicked in the head and eye, ankles taped, people brought to the hospital in neck braces...
I haven't seen Ong Bak yet, but it is in my Netflix que. Based on the footage after Chocolate ended and before the credits started, there looks like there were plenty of injuries on the set - Yanin Vismistananda was kicked in the head and eye, ankles taped, people brought to the hospital in neck braces...
When Ban Nong Pradu's precious Buddha's head is stolen, Ting volunteers to bring it back to the village. Along the way, numerous fights break out (some much shorter than others) as Ting tracks down Don, the person who took the head.
Enough about the story. On to the fights, as that's the point of the movie, right? The moves are so fluid and appear so devastating that I found myself grimacing on numerous occasions. The chase scene through the alleys is, in a word, brilliant. My only complaint about it is the two, and sometimes three, different views of the same amazing moves. Personally, I'd have preferred the action continue as the cut scenes, while nice from a how-did-he-just-do-that perspective, were a bit distracting.
Also, Prachya Pinkaew must gotten a hell of a deal on tuk-tuks.
Last couple of weeks have been watching some of the 2009 movies that were still on my todo list
Orphan
Its about an family adopting an orphan... and then all hell breaks lose
The Good:
1. The story is good, especially how the end unfoldes!
2. Child acting that for a change works
3. It has drama, character development, blood and scares
The Bad:
1. It takes some time to get intresting
2. The 'dad' who will believe anyone other then his wife :S
3. Somewhat predictable at times, yet not always!
Todo:
1. Make a prequel!
9.5/10
District 9
In the near future aliens have landed...
The Good:
1. Multiple layers of story (its sci-fi but it tells something of how things still work now-a-days, judgement on appareance)
2. CGI was never beter!
3. Aliens with human-like feelings, morals without becoming cheesy.
4. It feels very raw, making it all the more intence.
Neutral:
1. Product placement ... it was made by Sony
The Bad:
1. As with the above film it takes a while to get the action going and the lead-person can be somehow 'irritating', yet it just a small downside.
Todo:
1. Make a game, it has game written all over it.
9.5/10
The taking of pelham 123
Metro-train gets hijacked in new york for money (the normal story)
The Good:
1. John Travolta's character, an crazy villain was one of the better parts of the movie
2. Visual style, Directing really gave it something extra.
Neutral:
1. Product placement ... it was made by Sony (again)
The Bad:
1. The story was some sort of predictable.
2. Couple of stupid decisions that were made in the story, which till today dont make any sense
helicopter versus cars and bikes?
8/10
Up
Was expecting much from it, everyone i heard about it loved it.
To me it was slightly dissapointing. Because of these two things:
1. It was not as fun-packed as i would have expected
2. Story was some sort of a drama movie, not so much fun. Though it was done good, but it was not what i expected from an Disney animation movie.
Det Sjunde Inseglet (a.k.a. The Seventh Seal) (Ingmar Bergman, 1957) -- One of the greatest classics of all time, though not so much because of its techniques and acting, but because of the meaning behind it. It's about a knight after the crusades, who is encountered by Death; he negotiates with Death that before dying, he will seek answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague. I first thought it was going to be a massive bore of two guys playing chess and talking over and over, but our hero (Max Von Sydow) skillfully turns the attention and embarks on different adventures between plays, which keep the movie interesting. It's #116 in IMDb's Top 250. 8.5/10
^ I keep seeing The Seventh Seal show up on Netflix as a suggestion. I might have to give it a go sometime.
__________
The Gamers: Dorkness Rising
Dorkness Rising is a parody of D&D style RPG's and the people that play them. A group of players get together weekly to play. Lodge, the game master, is a by the rules player while Cass is a kill and ask questions later guy. They repeatedly butt heads but in the end they realize that they both have to meet halfway for the story to successfully play out.
While never having played D&D, Magic, etc. I've wasted spent enough of my time playing Final Fantasy to understand the principles. That said, there are plenty of amusing comments made during the movie that some even less experienced (which coming from me doesn't take much) might not get - like after the first battle, the Final Fantasy victory music is played. All-in-all, a decent movie with crappy effects and amusing bits (the redshirt Bard, for one) thrown in for good measure.
Det Sjunde Inseglet (a.k.a. The Seventh Seal) (Ingmar Bergman, 1957) -- One of the greatest classics of all time, though not so much because of its techniques and acting, but because of the meaning behind it. It's about a knight after the crusades, who is encountered by Death; he negotiates with Death that before dying, he will seek answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague. I first thought it was going to be a massive bore of two guys playing chess and talking over and over, but our hero (Max Von Sydow) skillfully turns the attention and embarks on different adventures between plays, which keep the movie interesting. It's #116 in IMDb's Top 250. 8.5/10
Away We Go (Sam Mendes, 2009) -- A couple who is expecting their first child travel around the U.S. in order to find a perfect place to start their family. Along the way, they have misadventures and find fresh connections with an assortment of relatives and old friends who just might help them discover "home" on their own terms for the first time. Think of it as a Little Miss Sunshine that is less funny and a lot cornier. I'll attribute my not liking it that much as me being not part of the target audience, since this is more of a parents-to-be type of flick and it's hard for it to reach to other people me thinks. Other than that, it has its funny moments, though nothing too memorable; then again that's how the whole movie seemed to me: nothing too memorable. 5.5/10
When Ban Nong Pradu's precious Buddha's head is stolen, Ting volunteers to bring it back to the village. Along the way, numerous fights break out (some much shorter than others) as Ting tracks down Don, the person who took the head.
Enough about the story. On to the fights, as that's the point of the movie, right? The moves are so fluid and appear so devastating that I found myself grimacing on numerous occasions. The chase scene through the alleys is, in a word, brilliant. My only complaint about it is the two, and sometimes three, different views of the same amazing moves. Personally, I'd have preferred the action continue as the cut scenes, while nice from a how-did-he-just-do-that perspective, were a bit distracting.
Also, Prachya Pinkaew must gotten a hell of a deal on tuk-tuks.
Cool, I get the impression you liked it... Then I would like to recommend one more of his movies to you.... Tom Yum Goong... Same type of movie... Elephant gets stolen and he's goes after it... But again, amazing fight scenes in this one... Just think Tekken Force and you'll get an idea of what to expect... 👍 I have to admit though that Ong Bak 2 imo was pretty crappy and too artsey for my liking... I'm not sure what he was trying to convey in that movie...
Ok then its probably worth watching... See if I can get a hold of this... Im a sucker for a good fight movie 👍
