Well I just got done watching The Crow and man was I disappointed. I watched it for the first time ever back in May and I thought it would be terrible, but to my surprise it wasn't that bad. Well tonight I watched it to decide whether or not to purchase it on DVD for my own collection and tonight I didn't enjoy it at all. I couldn't wait until it was over. I don't know what happened since I watched it the first time, but I definitely didn't enjoy it as much

The Aviator [PG-13]

(First off, I can't write reviews like Capo, so I won't even try. I just wanna give my impression having just seen this tonight. )

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Starring:

Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes
Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn
Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner

Okay, I will admit, I had NO idea what this movie was going to be about when I plopped it in. (It was, uhh, acquired from a friend. ) I never saw any trailers or commercials, but figured -- Scorsese, why not? Even though the thought of Leo DiCrapio since Basketball Diaries made me cringe, it is Scorsese.

Right off the bat I realized this was the story of the obsessive-compulsive, eccentric, often delusional, filmmaker and aviator, Howard Hughes (1905-1976)!

I didn't know anything about Hughes except that he produced Scarface (1932). I didn't know he made the most expensive movie of his time (Hell's Angels (1930); $4 million). I didn't know he was THE Hughes in Hughes Aircraft. I didn't know he had relationships with Kate Kepburn or Ava Gardner. I had no idea he went nuts and back again.

...And I had NO idea that Mr. DiCaprio could pull off the title role.

DiCaprio was just fine, and convincing, perhaps for the first time in most of his recent films (IMHO). While I've never seen the real Hughes, I can just imagine (rather clearly) what he was like after Leo's performance.

Had I not known this was a Scorsese picture, I never would have guessed it. It didn't seem nearly as dark as usual, although it has its moments. This seems to be new territory for him, and it was pulled off very well. Sections were almost reminiscent of Tim Burton's Ed Wood.

Clocking in at almost 3 hrs in length, time never dragged and I was enganged throughout. I'm sure most here would be, too -- give it a shot!

B+

Are those the dvd's that have people getting up in front of the camera somehow and people talking around you. It almost gives you the feeling that you are in the movie theatre

Yeah, it was filmed in "Virtual Theater Vision" :p

Just the other day my boss and I were discussing this very movie. It seems my boss hated it, thought it was completely stupid/pointless.

I haven't seen it I don't care for comedies.


Just last weekend I saw Elektra. I thought it was ok, not as bad as the reviews I've seen for it. But not as good as it could've been.

I felt the same way, but a positive about seeing this movie in the theaters were the previews. I was so happy to see the Fantastic Four preview!

From now on I'm posting film entries as I would in the ProView thread on the MFA, as and when I watch the films.

Made in Britain * (1st Time)
1982, Clarke, GB
A young thug is put in prison for racism and theft.
A naturalistic made-for-TV drama driven by a sterling performance from Tim Roth.

Mick

Rope - (Hitchcock;1948;USA) - ****
An excellent Hitchcock film. The highlight is the real-time direction with the few cuts and black outs in zooming into bodies. I don't really think the homosexual hinting is something to add merit to as it gives nothing, although references to the school days may add to character development. The acting is great, especially by Stewart and Dall.

Cinema Paradiso **** (1st Time)
1989, Tornatore, It/Fr
A film director remembers his childhood love for his local cinema, and his friendship with its projectionist.
Tour de force of nostalgia and romance in and around the movies; a film combining wit and genuine sentiment, this is also one of the most beautifully shot films of the decade. Released in 1994 in the original 174-minute cut.

Mick

I watched about half of Napoleon Dynamite yesterday and have thus far been unimpressed. It has some funny parts, but not nearly as great as people made it out to be. I'm going to finish it tonight and give my final review, plus I'm hoping to watch King Arthur too.

Well here's the rest of my review for Napoleon Dynamite. I thought it was rather boring and slow at parts with a little humor. I'd laugh but only briefly throughout the movie, but I wouldn't be cracking up or laughing until it hurt, which was very disappointing since I had heard so many good things about this movie (espeically from you Honey Bunny) But I did hear from people who didn't like it that you either love it or you hate it. I guess I fall into the hate it category, although I didn't hate it, just didn't like it & thought it was overated. Tonight I will finally try to watch King Arthur, so hopefully, if I'm not too tired, I shall return again with yet another opinion on this movie.

Kill Bill sucks! :p

I'm kidding, I'm kidding!

Don't hurt me.

I did NOT stop laughing the entire time!!!!

are we only allowed to discuss movies that we watched while whoring??

Whatever keeps your boat floating DMC

Here's my review of King Arthur. I think it was a better movie than people made it out to be and it was much better than Troy. It doesn't really make that much of a difference to me that I didn't see it in theaters, but I could stomach it again. Not a great movie, but I think it was definitely better than what people said. From a lot of people I heard it sucked and I somewhat liked it. But I also heard Napoleon Dynamite was great, and I didn't think so. Oh well, "different strokes move the world."

The Stranger - (Welles;1946;USA) - ***
A very good film but falls short on a few areas, somewhat in the end. It's visually great, especially the clocktower. Welles gives a great performance as does Edward Robinson, although the other actors are just average.

Notorious - (Hitchcock;1946;USA) - ***1/2
A great thriller from Hitchcock, although I feel it is a little overrated. Even the kiss scene was not as big as I thought it would be, I am assuming it's the one when they first go to the room in Rio and after Grant exits? The highlight is the great cast from Grant to Rains and the direction.

Just watched Quentin Tarantino Presents Iron Monkey and it sucked. I don't know what Quentin was thinking presenting this, but compared to Hero, this movie sucks BIG time! It was almost as bad as Jet Li's The Legend & The Legend 2. I heard from a friend that Iron Monkey was really good. I don't know what he was thinking? Now I'm gonna watch Quentin Tarantino Presents My Name Is Modesty and I hope it's better!

Well I watched Quentin Tarantino Presents My Name Is Modesty and again I was disappointed. The only redeeming quality of this movie was that it was only 76 mins long. I wasn't a fan of it and didn't really care for it. It was boring and lame and I don't know how my roommate said he liked it? So after watching 2 crappy movies yesterday, I'm going to watch Good Will Hunting tonight because I've never seen it before. Next week I plan on watching Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Primal Fear, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? because I haven't seen any of them either except some of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I feel asleep about halfway through it.

Out of curiosity Irish, are you watching all of these just because Tarantino presents them?

Yes

Just watched Good Will Hunting for the first time. I thought it was a good movie. It had some good humor in it which kind of surprised me but I was a little bummed about the end with Damon driving to California. I wanted to see him just leave her the way that he did, but other than that a better movie than I anticipated. I thought it was slow in some parts but about half way through it started to pick up a little more.

Five Easy Pieces - (Rafelson;USA;1970) - ****
Excellent. I've heard people say this film is the first step to About Schmidt. Warren Schmidt is a man who worked all his life to find it ment nothing to him emotionally. Bobby Dupea in this film is a man who is stuck in a spot, away from his former home life, and forever running from himself. Jack Nicholson gives yet another memorable performance. Bobby had a beautiful home life, and a start in music as a pianist, however it didn't suit him, he left to become nothing, odd jobs, for now an oil worker. If Bobby had kept one job and one family he would have grown up to be Schmidt. But we are talking two completely different character studies. Laszlo Kovacs does the cinematography, which is great, those who saw his work in "Easy Rider" might enjoy his work here. This film definitely left a burning emotion in me in the last scene, and it summed the film up perfectly.
Top 100

I saw about half of Along Came Polly. I've never been a big Jennifer Anniston fan, but man did she look great.

Alien- really more of a horror film than a science fiction film, but either way its one of the greatest.

9/10


Aliens- Very different then the original, but probably one of the best sequels ever made.

9/10

Million Dollar Baby - (Eastwood;2004;USA) - ****
The best film I've seen all year. All the characters are developed very well with the acting to back them up. Eastwood is the best actor I've seen all year. Hilary Swank also shines in what I think is her best performance. The characters are all far from hollow, they are real. I can't decide if Freeman was better in this or 'Shawshank.' The ending was also right on the money, unlike Mystic River's which could have used a cut. I can't decide which of the two films is better but I can say MDB had the better end.
#23

Pi ** (1st Time)
1997, Aronofsky, US
In searching for a sequence which will explain the universe, a mathematical genius becomes increasingly paranoid.
Original thriller with an overwhelming visual style; less about explaining itself than exploring obsessive paranoia within a society with which one feels increasingly at odds.

Fanny and Alexander [300-minute version] **** (1st Time)
1982, Bergman, Swe/Fr/WGer
In 1907, a well-to-do Uppsala family celebrates Christmas. Soon after, one of the sons die, and his family fall apart when a puritan Bishop marries the widow.
A 300 minute tour de force of directing, cinematography and production design, with Bergman revisiting all of his major themes of past work for an absolutely majestic piece of period filmmaking.
#39

In the Mood For Love *** (1st Time)
2000, Kar-wai, HK
In 1960s Hong Kong, two lonely neighbours, both in redundant marriages, fall in love but manage to restrain their passions.
A visual triumph that seems more in love with cinema and its language than the relationship it depicts. Inspiring to look at, and with a strong sense of regretful nostalgia to its tone.

Mick

In the Line of Fire - (Peterson;1993;USA) - ***
Although it has several thriller cliches, this film does have it's good points, including a great performance by John Malkovich, who is pretty much the best thing about the film. It uses the common "killer taunts protagonist" plot but it has a spark, or pulse to it. It makes the villain interesting, such as "The Day of the Jackal." A pretty good thriller overall.

I just saw Secret Window last night on HBO. Has anyone else seen it? I thought it was pretty good, mostly because of Johnny Depp's performance. He is really an excellent actor IMHO.


TIS

TIS, I went with my mom to see Secret Window in the theaters when it first came out, and we loved it! I don't remember a lot of the details, as that was a while back, and I haven't seen it since. However, I know we both enjoyed it, for the movie itself even, not just because Johnny was in it. I loved the way John Turturro's character of Shooter spoke...I was imitating that voice for weeks after I saw it! I really need to rent that! Since you are a Depp fan, which other movies of his have you seen?

EDIT: I changed my post...I originally mentioned that Turturro's character was Mr. Rainey, but I was thinking of him speaking to Depp, who was actually Rainey. Shows how long it's been since I've seen it.

Shaun of the Dead ** (1st Time)
2004, Wright, GB
A bored sales assistant tries to win his girlfriend back, but finds his town infested with zombies.
A clever spoof of zombie flicks, thoroughly enjoyable and edited with great flair.

Mick