I'll post my reviews of films/tv shows here...

Zhou Yu de huo che
Zhou Yu's Train

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Zhou Sun

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Mandarin 2002

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Zhou Yu's train is among the new breed of stylish movies from HongKong. There is a certain aesthetic choice that is common in all these. Beautiful locales, dream like visuals, deep sense of nostalgia and loss.... All the stuff that appeals to me greatly. The plot is somewhat confusing, probably intentionally. Great music (I think violins) complements the theme nicely.

The Wire - Season 1

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David Simon

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English 2002 (TV series)

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Whether or not it is accurate in terms of drug rackets and Baltimore city, one thing that I am sure of is that it is really entertaining. I liked the chemistry among the characters and the way the police system works well in spite of corruption and bureaucratic red tape. It is easy to identify with some of the characters in the drama. I am almost midway through the second season and already looking forward to more.

The O'Reilly Factor

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Bill O'Reilly

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English 1996- (Fox News)

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I have watched only a few of these. My initial impression is that he takes sides in a very unsubtle way. The show gets a bit interesting when other journalists appear on the show. I will be getting rid of my cable soon, so I might not be able to track this show or channel for long, even though I would like to. But an interesting (republican) perspective during the election times.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

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Wes Craven

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English 1984

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I had been hearing about this movie from a couple of my friends for a long time. At least the name aroused some curiosity in me. Pretty goofy horror movie, but it was fun watching it. The whole premise is unbelievable, but it lends itself nicely for a few horror situations. Who hasn't had a scary experience, only to find out out that it was a dream. The movie takes this concept and turns it into a reality, instead of just a nightmare.
Blibble, what is your take on this movie?

er, me? I liked it but it's not one of my favorite horror films. I like the idea of escaping someone who's trying to kill you in your dreams by waking up, but you are only able to stay awake for so long before you have to sleep again. It's a good idea but the movie just didn't stick with me like other horror movies have like The Thing, The Exorcist, or Event Horizon to name a few.

Xi meng ren sheng
The Puppet Master

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Hsiao-Hsien Hou

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Mandarin | Taiwanese | Japanese 1993

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As thematically grand and beautiful as Trakovsky's Andrei Rublov or Zerkalo. Beautiful visuals and great commentary on society, art and history. A little long for my attention span nowadays. This is not a plot driven movie... it relies heavily upon the atmosphere created through visuals and music, accompanied by a documentary-like narration.

Nightmare on Elm Street scared the beejesus out of me when I was a kid.

DON'T...FALL...ASLEEP.

The Wire - Season 2

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David Simon

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English 2002 (TV series)

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With Netflix supplying DVDs promptly, I finished the season 2 pretty quickly. One thing that needs to be said about the show is that I can watch an entire season in a couple of days, with back to back episodes. It is that interesting. This season expanded its scope by exploring smuggling at the sea port along with the drug connection. I liked most of the new characters introduced. The season ending was a bit rushed. Maybe they will continue with those story lines in season 3. If that is the case, it is fine.
I am probably in the minority with this view, but I found the show to have very minimal impact on me. It is entertaining as hell, but I am not sure I will think about it any time later or even revisit it.

Which The Thing stuck with you--the '51 original or the '82 Carpenter remake?

'82. I haven't seen the original yet.

Burn After Reading

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Coen Brothers

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English 2008

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Coens have continued with their earlier themes of chance, random causality and as RRA mentions in his review, misfit characters. That is the key to how the movie will be viewed. Those that haven't had enough of those themes will like it and those like me who want to see new themes from them will be a bit indifferent towards the movie. Good performances over all. I would suggest waiting for DVD/rental.

Prefer the 1982 version myself, if simply because the credible paranoia was more frightening than a dude in a carrot suit.

You know, I believe I said the same "we want new shit" at the Coens after INTOLERABLE CRUELTY and THE LADYKILLERS, but I won't for BURN AFTER READING.

Otherwise, a pretty good exercise.

Me, too. The '51 is considered the "classic," but the Carpenter remake is truly the product of a diseased fancy--just what was needed.

Mind you, the 1951 version has some rather nice shots that Carpenter obviously wanted to duplicate himself, but man his remake is just insane, and in a terrific way.

Nobody, even detractors, will ever forget that Bottin-designed scene when the head falls off the autopsy table, sprouts out some legs, and walks like a spider.

Yeah such a sequence could easily be done with CGI now, but its cooler with practical mechanical effects, and just creepier.

Just last weekend my stepson and his friend wanted me to suggest a movie that was really scary, and one of the ones they hadn't seen was John Carpenter's The Thing. So I talked it up and showed them how it was one of the highest rated IMDB horror movies and all that... and they sat there and watched the first "dog scene" and thought it looked stupid. When I was their age I was completely disturbed and had nightmares. I remember as a kid watching movies that my Dad said scared him and I thought they were stupid as well.

It makes me wonder, what percentage of horror films hold up over time to scare any generation? And how many of the others scare the current generation because of the new special effects, giving it that never-before-scene gore, for that specific time which will eventually become outdated thanks to new technology?

svsg, have you seen The Thing (1982)? I know you've said you haven't seen many horror films so I'm interested as to what your thoughts would be on that film after seeing advanced technology for 25 years since it was released.

No blibble, I'll watch it soon and let you know

It's not surprising.

I mean look at a "high-tech CGI" movie for its time that I reviewed a long time ago....THE LAST STARFIGHTER from 1984.

For it's time it pushed that FX envelope that TRON established, but 24 years later it's laughably primitive, with giant non-detailed blocks.

Of course I still argue that THE THING remake is still damn disturbing, and oh yeah the FX is cool.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

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Alex Holdridge

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English 2007

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A romantic comedy that is really funny. I mean several genuine laugh-out-loud moments. One trademark indie quirk is the choice of BW instead of color. But only in a few scenes, especially the ones that deal with old buildings in LA, it makes any real difference.

These are the weirdest reviews I have ever seen

weird movies or weird style of review?

Weird choice of Movies and that one TV show

Da hong deng long gao gao gua
Raise the Red Lantern

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Yimou Zhang

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Mandarin 1991

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Great cinematography with careful choice of lighting and color. Briefly banned in China, this movie is also a commentary on social status of women during a specific period in history. Having said that, I could not relate to the characters or their situations at all.

The Wire - Season 3

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David Simon

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English 2002 (TV series)

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I watched this season faster than the previous one. In my review of the earlier seasons I mentioned how this show has not had much personal impact on me. This season has changed that for me. The scope of the show has gradually expanded over the seasons from individual players to the systems and the city of Baltimore as a whole. I hated a few story lines (cutty, muzone), but overall, very satisfying. Depiction of Kima's personal life is GENIUS. And I can relate to McNulty character a lot and he is also my personal favorite. What does everyone feel about that BIG plot event of this season? Do you think it was included just to end this aspect of the show and move on to newer themes for the fourth season? Or was it because they wanted this season to have a stand-alone conclusion? In any case, if you are directly replying to this question, please use a spoiler tag.

My Best Friend's Girl

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Howard Deutch

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English 2008

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I somehow presumed it to be a romantic chick flick. I should have watched the trailers... Anyway, the comedy here is more along the lines of There's something about Mary. As with all love triangle formula movies, there are just two possible outcomes. The girl chooses guy A or the guy B and as the movie progresses, it becomes evident what that choice is. You can watch the movie for some laugh out loud toilet humor, nothing more.

Iron Man

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John Favreau

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English 2008

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What is the movie doing at #194 in the IMDB list? Good entertainment, but seriously?? Coming to the movie itself, Iron Man is among those superheroes that can't do shit without gadgets. In a way, that makes them more human. There are all the ingredients of a typical superhero movie - ridiculous baddies, good vs evil, a woman who cares deeply about the superhero (but won't sleep with him easily) etc. The special effects are decent and not overdone.

I've watched the first 5 episodes this weekend and I'm completely hooked. I want to discuss this but I'm scared to accidentally uncover spoilers. I'm just waiting to get the next dvd in the mail!

I too want to discuss it with you and anyone else here. I have already got a colleague hooked on to the show Finish the first season soon! And definitely switch over to Netflix for other seasons