So he's a good actor AND musician? That's rare these days.

It's A Wonderful Life ****

It was on NBC tonight so I decided to watch it

Demon Spies ** 1/2

A decent samurai espionage movie that had me going in the first 20 minutes but lost some of its flavor later on in the movie. Not as good as Lady Snowblood or the Lone Wolf and Cub series which I was hoping for

Groundhog Day
Harold Ramis 1993 US (1st time; big screen)
A TV weatherman relives the same day over and over, and ends up falling in love with his producer.
A wonderful comedy which carries its themes--reincarnation and repetition--with the help of Murray's fine performance. Fresh, inventive, enduring.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Very good kids movie. One cannot help comparing this with LOTR, because of the fantasy Genre. But I didn't like LOTR at all, whereas this is kind of nice. This is becasue it does not pretend to cater to any audience other than kids. The animated lion and the cute girl(the youngest of the siblings) are the highlights of the movie. Cinematography and special effects are very good... It has to be, with Hollywood spending so much money on all these movies. But I am sure the are recovering all of it and making tons of profit, the theater I went to was fully packed and one could see long lines.

SPOILER ALERT ON
I thought the lion coming alive with the "sacrifice" formula rather than with the magic potion was a great piece of script writing. But my joy was short lived, the lion brings back Mr Tumness(sp?) and the commander to life by just blowing breath on them, proving it to be just another kids movie with a happy ending. But seriously, I shouldn't have expected some sad ending
SPOILER ALERT OFF

The character development of the younger brother from an indifferent black sheep to a brave person is also neat.

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire **1/2

Nice adaptation of the fourth book.

The Third Man - (Carol Reed;1949;UK) -
An American writer comes to post-war Vienna to find his friend who promised him a job is dead. However, various people's account of the incident are inconsistent.
One of the greatest films to come from the UK. Although Welles' screentime is small, he proves to be the most memorable character. The music is oddly off-beat, but it doesn't take away from the film or become elevator music-ish, but oddly fits in with the atmosphere. There are several wonderful shots as well, such as the final image. This makes me wanna see more films with Orson Welles in them.

I LOVE your signature

"Luckily, our camera's were still rolling"

Walk the Line ***

Took me ma to go and see it. It was really cool because we were the only ones in the theater. I'm really pulling for either Joaquin Phoenix or Russell Crowe to win the Oscar. BTW SPOILER does anyone know the name of the song Johnny's playing on stage in Vegas when he collapses? END OF SPOILER

Nosferatu ****

I really don't like silent movies at all but this was by far the best I've ever seen. It's running time was slightly more than an hour and I almost didn't want it to end. The score was excellent and I thank you Don Vercetti for the recommendation BTW, if you have this on DVD, which version do you have?

Could it be Irish liked a movie I like?

Nosferatu puts all vampires to shame IMO.

There are two great DVD versions. I have IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT with the red cover, but I want the KINO. Kino is the better of the two. IE only has two differ scores (both good), as well as more special features. Kino has better quality, and two scores (one being a supposedly bad techno score).

Here's a comparison.
http://dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcompare/nosferatu-1/Nosferatu%20Image%20vs%20Kino.h tml

I know right, I think this is only the 2nd movie we've totally agreed on (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first). I was thinking about buying the IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT version because it said it was the "special edition." Have you listened to the commentary by German silent film connoisseur Lokke Heiss?

Some of it. My favorite special feature on the DVD is the tour that shows all the locations shot in the film as they are today, although not all of them. The actual castle is still up today.

The Kino version has better quality and supposedly a better score. The Image Entertainment version has a great score by the Silent Orchestra, as well as an Organ score, that adds to the chill.

A group of people have restored a great deal of it, and it's said to be the best restoration of the film, but it isn't out on DVD. Who knows when that will be released. A shame Stoker's widow had to screw around with the good prints. An interesting thing about the film. Max Schreck doesn't blink once in the film.

I heard about that. Hmmm, that's kinda freaky. I loved the score on the IMAGE version, so I'll probably buy it. Also, what did you think of Shadow of the Vampire?

Of course I haven't seen it yet, but am I the only one who plans to see the new King Kong during Christmas break??? :p I'm looking forward to it.


TIS

I heard about that. Hmmm, that's kinda freaky. I loved the score on the IMAGE version, so I'll probably buy it. Also, what did you think of Shadow of the Vampire? [/b][/quote]I only saw part of it. Capo didn't really like it though. I liked one moment where Schreck talks about the novel Dracula, otherwise I can't judge it. I have a feeling it's an average film with good acting.

I'll be t the noon showing (first showing) on Wednesday. I'm really excited to see it. If I like it, I might buy the King Kong: Peter Jackson's Production Diary DVD

I'm going to go see it, probably over the break.

Sin City: Recut, Extended, Unrated ****

This was my favorite movie of the year so naturally I was excited to see this version of it. However, I must admit that probably only 8 minutes of footage are actually added to it with the other 15 just being the credits after ever story. I have yet to watch the special features but I anticipate to tomorrow. My favorite comic book movie ever!

What a great DVD. For once, me and irish agree on something without any of us throwing piss fits at each other.

You agree on my rating of the movie or the DVD?

Psycho ****

It was on TCM at 1am and I wasn't tired and wanted to see it again. My favorite Hitchcock movie with tremendous performances from both Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The score was also terrific itself. Does anyone know why Gus Van Sant remade this in 1998? I saw that version first but why remake this classic? IMO it was done completely right the first time, so what could you possibly do better the 2nd? If the answer is nothing, than why remake it? Some may say the same for the new King Kong but the special effects can be greatly improved in the 72 years since it's original release.

When once asked this, Van Sant said, "So nobody else can."

King Kong (2005) ****

All I can say after this movie is wow! All of my expectations were filled and surpassed. Peter Jackson yet again sets the bar for visual effects in this breathtaking masterpiece of his. Naomi Watts was great but I was surprised with Jack Black the most in his portrayal of Carl Denham. In this film, he's a real a**hole and selfish son of a b*tch and I liked it. The movie is 3 hours but it keeps you entertained all 3 hours of it. I also felt sorrow and compassion for King Kong in this film, unlike the original. IMO, this version is superior to the original.

Thanks, Irishman. I suppose anything would beat the Jeff Bridges remake! The only thing half worth seeing in that one was Jessica Lange...and that's all!

Anyway, I wondered about the new Kong, so I appreciate your review. I know I'll check out the DVD, but I'm sure this is one of those flicks you just HAVE to watch on the big screen, huh?

BTW, thanks for the Sin City info., too. Probably won't get the "unrated version," from what you told me. But it is definitely a great comic book adaption.

This is MOST definitely a flick that must be seen to fully appreciate it on the big screen

If you're into special features, I'd get the unrated version. I'm in the middle of watching them right now. They're pretty cool but some have been pretty short (less than 10 minutes each). I think the "hours" of special features they're alloting to are just the 2 audio commentary tracks. Everything else I bet is pretty short and sweet (but informational).

Probably not. I usually grab the "newer" versions more for deleted scenes anyhow. I always like to critique and judge whether or not the scenes would've added anything to the movie. My kid likes the Special Features, though. He watched those on the making of The Matrix flicks over and over! Man, I could've filmed the movies myself as many times as he made me watch 'em!