Fliegenden Ärzte von Ostafrika, Die/The Flying Doctors of East Africa *** (1st Time)
1969, Herzog, WGer
Documentary on the work and efforts of surgeons and medics in Nairobi.
An insightful, revealing documentary; haunting in its imagery and portrayal of not only the against-the-odds medical services, but the primitive local tribes.

Mick

Thats Anthology is amazing,i learnt so much from watching that DVD.8 hours of Pure Class [/b][/quote]Yeah and what I like is that they're split into 1 hour shows so you can take a break. So far the first disc seems to be moving along kind of slow but it's interesting nonetheless. Where did they get the name Beatles again? I couldn't really hear during that part and didn't rewind

Batman Begins - (Nolan;2005;USA) - ***1/2
After his parents are killed, Bruce Wayne goes through some soul-searching and training, soon deciding to take on crime in his own way.
I was almost gonna give this four stars, but there are some notable flaws such as cuts to comic relief distracting from the action, or some dialogue, but overall, by far, this is the greatest comic book adaptation since Burton's Batman Returns and the second best of the Batman franchise. Nolan doesn't insult the audience by having justice served to all, and unlike movies like Spiderman, the main character is compelling and has a good actor. The cast is great, save for an average Holmes and some of Murphy's scenes. Bale, Caine, Neeson, Oldman, and Watanabe were a delight to watch. Some fight scenes in the second half are a little too confusing in moments, but good. The realistic approach on Gotham, while not better then Burton's Gotham, is great on it's own right. A great film, and thankfully, Christopher Nolan has not let me down as I thought this film would. As it's been said, this is the most psychologically compelling comic book film. Unlike the shallow The Punisher, Wayne is explored much better.

Glad you enjoyed it DV. You gonna see Sin City when it comes to DVD next month?

Yeah. But I will probably be getting others first.

The Fantastic Four was a great movie IMO! I've been waiting for this movie for about a year and my expectations were high and I'm very glad to say that this movie didn't disappointed. As soon as the title came on the movie was fasted paced with, had some cool action, and great comedy. I would recommend this to anyone thinking of seeing it. I know I'll be seeing it again in the theaters.

Batman Returns - (Burton;1992;USA) - ****
Three new people cause problems in Gotham City: The Penguin, Catwoman, and Max Schreck.
So far of what I've seen, this is Burton's best film. From Elfman's eerie score to Burton's excellent visuals, this is the best comic book film to date. The cast is great, and there are few negative qualities. Batman Begins is a close second to this in the Batman franchise. The Zoo park is a great example of the wonderful visuals.

Just got done watching The Pianist for the first time.

Well I can definitely say it is one of the 10 best films of all time and loads better than Schindler's List. Wow.

Die hard was on last night,i love that film

Its was John who came up with it,he wanted his band to have a cacthy name,they went though several name changes,starting with the "quarry Men" then "Long john and the silver Beetles"
Lennon Stated that he had a vision of a man standing on a flaming pie and said "from this day forth you shall be known as the Beetles with an A=BEATLES

War of the Worlds *** (1st Time; big screen)
2005, Spielberg, US
Machines take over the Earth, while a divorced father of two strives to make it to safety.
A prolific piece of filmmaking, with Spielberg's direction as fantastic as it has ever been. Only the final couple of minutes disappoints.

Mick

Wow, kinda like Moses and the burning bush Thanks for the info DE NIRO

I saw Philadelphia last night for about the 4th or 5th time, and it never gets old. One of the most truly profound films of the 1990's. Tom Hanks gave an excellent performance as Andrew Beckett, a young Homosexual Lawyer who is fired from his Law Firm because of Homophobia and his contraction of AIDS. He sues, and the man who takes his case is none other than a Homophobic Lawyer, who is played by Denzel Washington. This film is very emotional and will bring you to tears. I am not afraid to say I shed a tear or two at the end...

FINAL RATING: ***1/2 out of 4

Don Andrew
Couldn't agree more about Philadelphia. I've never been a big Tom Hanks fan, but this and Apollo 13 are my favorite Hanks films. I've read that this film is based on a true story and the lawyer it is allegedly based upon practiced in Cleveland named Joel Hyatt.

Jason Robards (who played Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee in All the President's Men) was outstanding as the partner Hanks is suing.

I think this film helped bring AIDS discrimination into the public's consciousness more than anything prior to its release. Denzel Washington gave one of his finest on-screen performances.

just watched Lost in Translation.. what you think of it? I was amazed all the first half of the film, but then it slowed a little bit. anyway a great movie, top 3 from 2003 for me.

I was very disappointed in it. I had heard it was such a great movie and funny as well and after watching it, neither of those are true. I like Bill Murray as much as the next man, but this movie wasn't that funny and was not great in anyway!

As for me, my ma & I just watched Hostage. It was pretty good. It's good to see Bruce Willis again and some of the direction was cool (the opening credits) and seeing Bruce Willis in the opening scene made me think I was in for a treat tonight but alas it wasn't so. The story just didn't seem as interesting as it did at first and a lot of questions were left unanswered at the end which pissed me off. However Ben Foster and Marshall Allman put on some good performances as Mars and Dennis respectively.

Taxi Driver - (Scorsese;1976;USA) - ****
A taxi driver's built up aggression against the filth of society, as well as his own social problems cause him to lash out.
One of the most important films ever, and for me, I now consider this Scorsese's greatest achievement. Everything about the story is gritty and true. Every frame is genius. Bernard Herrmann's score is excellent, and coincides perfectly with the protagonist. Scorsese's direction is visually and emotionally top notch. DeNiro's performance is one of his best, just behind Raging Bull.
#2

I think Lost in Translation is great because I really enjoyed it as it is a really good film. It isn't very funny as in laugh-out-loud funny, but a film does not have to be laugh-out-loud funny to be classed as funny, and I smiled throughout because it is a great film.

Seriously, I think it's the best of 2003. Truthful, honest depiction of loneliness and the closeness you can feel to somebody in the same predicament. My database entry reads thus:

Lost In Translation ***
2003, Coppola, US/Jap
Two Americans in Japan, one an actor, the other a lonely wife over on her husband's business, meet up and enjoy each other's company.
Underplayed, humanistic drama executed with a minimalistic approach, which makes for a warming, satisfying product; if the writing sometimes relies on jokes about the Japanese stereotypes too much, the acting certainly compensates.

Irish, I can see where you might be disappointed in the lack of laughs, but that's no fault of the film, it's in the distributors who promoted it as an out-and-out, "hilarious" comedy. Not so. It's above that. It's a drama, and an effective one at that. Brief Encounter (1945) without the train, if you like.

Mick

Batman Begins *** (1st Time; big screen)
2005, Nolan, US
Bruce Wayne grows up with the guilt of witnessing his parents' murder, and decides to take the law into his own hands in order to achieve justice in Gotham City.
An exciting revitalisation of the series, with a heavy emphasis on, for once, the hero and not the villains.

Batman Returns ** (3rd Time)
1992, Burton, US
Batman saves Gotham City once again from The Penguin and Catwoman.
Even darker, beautifully designed sequel, with some moments of greatness, but little more.

Metropolis **** (Top 100) (2nd Time)
1926, Lang, Ger
In the year 2000, a saintly girl settles unrest among workers, but an evil replica is created to induce a revolt.
An inspired piece of filmmaking, overwhelming in its visuals and sets, open to much interpretation due to the many layers throughout; agreeably odd, though unquestionable in its ambitious excellence.

Mick

PUNK: attitude
(IFC Original documentary directed by Don Letts) Don Letts' IFC Original "punkumentary" chronicles the rise and reign of punk culture, featuring interviews with the likes of Tommy Ramone, Jim Jarmusch and Chrissie Hynde.

Very informative and truthful, presenting facts from peolple who were there for that turbelant time in music,including the director. The actual roots of Punk were presented as opposed to anointing the Sex Pistols as the founding fathers which seems to be the norm for historical purposes. The only thing I did,nt like was how the 1980's seemed non existent. They jumped from 1982 to 1990 having Nirvanna pick up where Punk left off which was not the case.

Exactly but again I also heard before I saw it that it was still a great movie and I've only seen it once but have no desire to really see it again.

The Hustler (61/Robert Rossen/US) 8/10

The Hustler vs The Color of Money

The Hustler has a more elevated story compared to The Color of Money, it also has better acting. However, what it lacks compared to The Color of Money is the today's cinematography. The way the scenes were shot gives you the feeling that actors don't do their own shots while they really do. Cuts from ones face to hands and then cut to balls falling into pockets which happens almost 60-70% of the games steal away that pleasure and awe. The only problem this movie really has is that it has been filmed over 40 years ago with the limited achievement in camera work.
It also tears me apart to know what's happened to that cute face of Paul Newman over the years.

In regards to playing pool, The Hustler has more to offer, players say which ball into which pocket each time. Of course in both movies there is a phenomenal scene, the Masse shot in The Hustler and the Jump shot in The Color of Money which is the only shots that's been done by a pool expert rather than the actors.


Amadeus (84/Milos Forman/US) 9.5/10

This is the story of mankind trapped in mediocrity: When the wicked are confounded, [they] consigned to flames of woe.

Salieri, the court's composer, idolizes Mozart to the point that he wishes he too, could compose as heavenly as Mozart would do and this longing and disability to do so makes him want to destroy Mozart. Name of the movie stands beautifully for the main theme: "Amadeus" or God's beloved. Salieri suffers to believe God speaks through Mozart but denies him even a small share of his glory.

I speak for all mediocrities in the world. I am their champion. I am their patron saint. Mediocrities everywhere... I absolve you. I absolve you.

But there is more to this story than the main theme. It also pictures struggling life of an artist, probably not such accurate depiction yet brilliant enough to catch up with his music. It mocks censorship and rules, which wouldn't let the artist express his work in the way he likes.

This movie is simply amazing, the setting, the costumes and the acting is marvelous. Displace one note and there would be diminishment, displace one phrase and the structure would fall.

Mutiny on the Bounty #86 on the AFI Top 100 List

This movie I found to be a little boring during the first 15-30 minutes but as the movie progressed the story got a little more interesting. But overall I was still bored and disappointed with this movie. Good performances but this movie isn't great nor terrible

Saw

People made a big fuss of this film,but didn't really think it was that great,what did others think

I liked it a lot, actually. Its definitely not the greatest horror film I've ever seen, but it did what it set out to do, at least for me anyway. It was disturbing, and for a film made in...what...18 days, for less than 2 million bucks, it was exceptional.

Sharky\'s Machine - (Reynolds;1981;USA) - **1/2
A narcotics cop sent to the Vice Squad tries to bring down a drug lord in Atlanta, Georgia who also forces women into prostitution.
Burt Reynolds stars in and directs a decent cop film, although there's nothing special about the film. Entertaining and fun, but it offers nothing else.

Big Daddy



Another enjoyable film by Adam Sadler full of laughs

Although not his best, oddly Big Daddy is my favorite. It's also his last decent film.

Taken from
[URL= http://www.angelfire.com/mo3/dansreviews/]web page[/URL] MEMENTO

“How Am I Supposed To Heal If I Can’t Feel Time?”

Rating - ****

The protagonist is a man trapped in an eternal moment of memory. His memory is bookmarked at the memory of witnessing his wife’s brutal rape and murder just before being struck in the head leaving him with Anterograde Amnesia. He has lost his short term memory. Every fifteen to thirty minutes his memory will be erased back to that bookmark, depending on how stressed he is. He uses Polaroid, notes, and tattoos to remember things and people. He can condition himself to remember certain things like reaching for Polaroid after his memory kicks.

Leonard Shelby is tracking his wife’s rapist/murderer. He lives for revenge, especially since he has no other sense of purpose to live. Who could do anything, and not have the faintest idea a few minutes later. The film puts you into Lenny’s eyes. There are two timelines, one is linear and one is backwards. The film opens with a Polaroid of a dead man as it undeveloped and we witness a murder in reverse. We cut to a hotel room in BW photography where Lenny explains some things. We then cut to the scene that leads up to the murder back in color photography. This is the flow of the film and it works marvelously. This is combined with Lenny's narration which serves the film very well, almost like an old film-noir's narration works for a film.

Leonard is played by Guy Pearce, who brings the cynical character to life greatly. Carrie-Anne Moss plays Natalie, a woman who helps Leonard find the rapist, although her motives aren’t clear right away. Joe Pantoliano plays Teddy, who is the one killed in the first scene. Many people like to see this film as a murder mystery for his death. He seems to be Lenny’s friend although his presence appears suspicious in many moments and he seems to want Lenny’s Jaguar. The acting isn’t amazing, but it doesn’t disappoint. It flows with the film very well.

This is without a doubt one of the best mystery/thrillers of the last 20 years. Christopher Nolan’s direction, while a device, works for the film. A simple revenge plot is given much more depth. However don’t assume that’s the only thing good in the film. It’s cast has no bad actors, it’s dialogue is very good as well as poignant, it’s limited range of area on the screen gives off a pleasant feeling to the film such as the hotel rooms, and the music by David Julyan is excellent. The score is very avant-garde music that amplifies the tone of depression and loneliness.

Lenny does strange things at times too. In one scene he makes a hooker place his wife’s objects around and go into the bathroom while Lenny sleeps and forgets about her. He wakes thinking in the state of that night and has vague flashes of his wife as he finds the hooker. He almost seems to be an act to bring a pleasure himself, by grabbing those memories of her. Perhaps he feels guilty living in this lie as he burns the objects he used for the hooker. The character is almost a mystery himself. We only know a few things about his past. More detail has been put up at http://www.otnemem.com. This film works as a thriller and a character study. This is a major reason this film is a masterpiece. It’s a thriller that has a character we can care about instead of the expendable characters of movies like most thrillers. We can almost get a feeling for his position, such as when he describes pretending to recognize people. “Now I know. You fake it. If you think you're supposed to recognize somebody you, you just pretend. You bluff it to get a pat on the head from the doctors. You bluff it to seem less like a freak."

Yeah, my review?