Only after the hair dresser!

And so ends Jarnuary:

Dawn of the Dead
George A. Romeo 1978 US (1st time)
Shortly after the events of Night of the Living Dead, a pair of policemen, a pilot and his pregnant wife become trapped in a shopping mall full of zombies.
Grossly overlong action film with comic asides and some brilliant moments; it also happens to be an interesting social comment, in which the humans tear into each other instead of working together, and are almost undone by their own greed--Romero has the two minorities in the film, the black guy and the pregnant woman, the only two to survive.

And so begins February:

Munich
Steven Spielberg 2005 US (1st time; big screen)
Five Mossad agents are employed secretly to hunt down and eliminate the Palestinian terrorists responsible for the death of the Israeli Olympic team in the 1972 Olympics.
Accessible if not entirely authentic, watchable if not entirely worthy of its dumbfounding praise, Spielberg's revenge thriller is an overlong, tedious film with a message all about the complex implications of revenge itself. In this respect, it may be a fitting allegory to today's world, but struggles to convince for the most part.

Bad Taste
Peter Jackson 1987 New Zealand (1st time)
When a small New Zealand village is overrun by aliens, four dumb humans come to the rescue.
No elaboration is necessary other than the title, which says it all, really. A crescendo of deliberately bad jokes and gory special effects. Most reviews come with a "not for the squeamish" warning; to be disgusted by this film would be to fail to acknowledge its ultra-low, bad effects. It's more of an insult.

As a huge fan of this film, who tries to watch it at least once a week if not more, I will say it is a hard movie to get into. Sure. Because of this, it's probably cinema's official "Ugly Duckling". It is neglected, and has great potential... In fact, many will find it is a great film once you get used to it. Perhaps it isn't "great" in the conventional aspect, but Thompson's writing isn't exactly "conventional" either, and yet many would be inclined to say he is one of the most inspirational writers of the 20th century. The thing that I think makes Thompson's writing great (although it is a public image he had said he felt unwllingly obligated to live up to) is that it has a real quality of insanity to it, and seemed as if he could just snap at any moment. At times, it gets so bizarre that you question if he is going anywheres in his LSD-fueled ramblings... But he never fails to deliver. Eventually, you adapt to it, and recognize it as genius.

I feel the film is the same way. As Suspect_5 said, the film is very self-indulgdent, but so was Hunter. Not to slam or offend the man, he was genius, but it is agreeable to say he was a bit conflicted. Also, like Hunter, I find the film often misunderstood. It's a shame. I don't see the actual "physical" story the focus of the film, because that wasn't the intentions of Hunter's writing at all. It was an expiriment, as Gonzo is the writing of the process of finding a story, while delivering the story and focus of Hunter's journalism in the form of sub-context. And that's where it all is... Stuck inbetween the lines.

The film is great in every aspect to me. The acting is spectacular, the visuals are amazing, the writing is great; there hasn't been a single viewing of this picture that I didn't laugh outloud at the bulk of the comedy. On a scale of 1 to 10, in terms of the value of re-viewings I rate this a 10. I absolutely love the film, and seem to make new connections and spot new things each time I watch it. I understand this is hard for some of you to grasp... I'm told I'm a rather strange person by many people (friends, family... even those who don't know me well), so maybe it's just the intense obscurity of the film that holds my interest. I don't know.

To each his own.

Gilliam knows no restraint; I found it tiresome--perhaps resulting from too much of a good thing. The film did grab my interest early on. Then lost me about midway through, the point where I realised it had no intentions of settling down.

I'd happily see it again.

Yeah, check it out again... Even if it doesn't come off as "great", I still find it to be an amusing trip. (no pun intended)

Actually, I'm surprised that Capo gave such a bad grade for MUNICH. Talk about one hell of a surprise, but oh well.

I wanted to love it so much, Ronnie, but it was lacking for the most part. Perhaps it would have been far more effective had it been fictional; that way, Spielberg wouldn't have to pussyfoot around a very complex real-life operation while having to sell the film at the box-office. As it is, he's caught somewhere in between; as a thriller, it has a many amazing individual setpieces (albeit with an easy-to-spot pattern of triumph over adversity each time), but as a whole, I left the cinema very indifferent.

Boys Don\'t Cry - (Kimberly Peirce;1999;USA)
The story of Teena Brandon, who moved out of her hometown and masqueraded as a man called Brandon Teena.
A very powerful drama that is well directed, and is given that extra boost from it's cast. This is Hilary Swank's best performance, well deserving the Oscar she won. Chloë Sevigny and Peter Sarsgaard are also very good, especially Sevigny, though both are very convincing. The music suits the mood of the film very well, as well as the dark feel to it. The tagline comes across as a cliche drama, but the film proves otherwise.

I love this film and I was glad you realised the true social commentary about the film. Too many others would have just listed the Zombies heading back to mall and wandering around and compared it to how humans act as if it's really 'deep'. When in fact it's a given in the film - the black guy tells us this. Sure I like the analogy but I don't think Romero based the film in a mall just to tell us this.

Oh Peter Jacksons early films are so bad they're worth watching. Bad Taste and Brain Dead are classics in this regard. The warning should be: "Not to be taken seriously".

Ya, especially BRAIN DEAD(aka DEAD ALIVE)...though really, every mature man must watch MEET THE FEEBLES, and see if they can make it through. Really, funny how most people that know Jackson for saw LOTR or KING KONG have no idea about his early days.

I'll probably post my defense at MUNICH, but later.

Gone in Sixty Seconds
Dominic Sena 2000 US (1st time)
An ex-car thief is blackmailed into stealing fifty cars in one night.
Fast-paced action film set in a world driven by cars; the only obstacles in this life are car crashes, or getting crushed in the back of an automobile. Slick, speedy, thrilling.

Day of the Dead
George A. Romero 1985 US (1st time)
A small group of militants and scientists in an underground bunker, the former wanting to wipe out the zombies, the latter wanting to preserve and train them, end up fighting with one another instead.
Romero's further exploration of humans outdoing themselves in their usual self-destruction mode. There are interesting elements to be found here: the notion that the dead are evolving, even becoming sympathetic, while the living are taking big steps backwards, and strictly against the prospect of allowing these things to evolve into humanistic creatures--given the outcome of such evolution, perhaps it's a good thing.

SubUrbia
Richard Linklater 1996 US (1st time)
A group of twenty-somethings drink the night away in a car park, and are visited by a friend, who is now a famous rock star.
Always-engrossing conversational piece which shows its theatrical origins throughout (it was originally a play); interesting, believable characters are the key here, and the acting adds a whole new complexity. A philosophical gem.

Dr. No ***

I finally have the time to sit down and watch all of the James Bond flicks. I thought this was a very good way to enter the series. Being the original it had areas for improvement but no serious complaints. Connery is up there for me with Bronsnan.

From Russia With Love ** 1/2

An enjoyable movie that didn't seem to have a lot of action in it for a James Bond movie. However, I like the fact that this storyline looks like it will conclude in the 3rd installment to the James Bond series, Goldfinger.

Groundhgog Day. One of the ten best movies ever made. It is really about reincarnation and enlightenment.

Citizen Kane 10/10

Brilliant character study of a someone who had everything a man could want and still feel empty inside. It is absolutely phenomenal. I simply cannot wrap my head around the fact that this film was made in 1941.

"You know, Mr. Bernstein, if I hadn't been very rich, I might have been a really great man."

Drugstore Cowboy
Gus Van Sant 1989 US (1st time)
A drug addict, his wife and their two friends feed their addiction by robbing chemists across America.
Early Van Sant with a dark humour and ultimately uplifting edge; it must be admired primarily for winning us over with a drugged-up junkie who rids himself of the hangers-on around him, and one has the feeling it rewards more when revisited.

Heavenly Creatures
Peter Jackson 1994 New Zealand (1st time)
Two young girls strike up a close friendship, and both sets of parents are alarmed by the intimacy.
A tragedy which may have deserved a more sombre, brooding treatment; Jackson piles on artifice in order to create a kind of fantasy world inhabited by its two adolescent girls, but in the process risks heavy-handed campness, distracting and tiresome until the powerful final scene, which is necessarily brutal and haunting. The obnoxious, overplayed characters don't help.

Double Indemnity
Billy Wilder 1944 US (2nd time)
An insurance salesman falls in love with a client's wife, and decides to help her kill her husband for the insurance.
Dark, cynical noir which has become widely regarded as the quintessence of the whole stylistic genre. Chandler's script is sharp and delivered with lip-smacking perfection by all involved; beneath its engrossing surface lies much to be analysed, not least the innuendos concerning an intimacy between Neff and Keyes, the two principle males.

The Bad and the Beautiful
Vincente Minnelli 1952 US (1st time)
A director, actress and writer all recall the rise and fall of a powerful producer in Hollywood.
Interesting character study in which the character is as much the movie industry as it is the producer; it reaches, many times, a level of profound energy and intelligence, but is a mite overlong.

Grizzly Man - (Werner Herzog;2005;USA)
A documentary about Timothy Treadwell, who lived among bears and foxes for 13 summers, until he and his girlfriend were killed by a bear.
One of the more provoking documentaries I've seen, touching on many levels. At times you feel like this is somewhat of a character study, a man who is dissatisfied with society, to the point of wishing he was an animal. The film is both disturbing and beautiful. There are many moments that aren't funny, but put a smile on your face, such as the first scene with Timothy and the foxes. A great documentary about a fascinating man. One of the more disturbing scenes for me was Herzog listening to the audio tape of Treadwell/Huguenard being killed, with a horrified expression.

Goldfinger ****

I am really surprised that any of the other James Bond movies scored so high with me. The only other one that I loved as much as this was Goldeneye. However, I was wondering if we ever find out who the villian was in From Russia With Love and if they ever finish that storyline? Sean Connery continues to get better in his portrayl of Bond

Pulp Fiction.
A good effort to make a film from nothing. Some episodes and dialogues are really talented, some - excellent. If only there would be a plot that would make just a bit of sense, - well, not bad as it is. Surprisingly good Uma.

JustMe, how is the plot senseless to you? Also, what do you mean it's made from nothing? That sounds a little broad.

See - the plot, generally, is several situations on the level of that very primitive fiction. Imagine a movie with such a plot done seriously, I mean, Seriously. The point of the film is not in the things happening, it's in the telling, not the tale. It doesn't make a separate sense, Tarantino's talent for black humour aside.

There is a point to Tarantino's story and black humor. It's ultimately a story about little choices that result in life or death, and that final scene with Samuel L Jackson, is a perfect dramatic moment for that film, and speaks everything, especially with Tarantino's wonderful dialogue.

I just don't understand your criticism. Does this movie need to have a serious, Million Dollar Babyesque feeling to be good? I personally find it to be an excellent, creative film that remains a masterpiece, but that's just me.

Goodfellas

Great movie thought it was way better than any other movie Ray played in although I liked his other ones too I think this one was his best but I didn't really like Joe but I never have liked him and I noticed Doctor Malfie from the sopranos played henry's wife lol great movie

Oh no, that was not criticism. Actually I liked many moments. But there are scenes that simply make no sense, like the dialogue that boxer Butch has with his girlfriend in bed.

Oh, I misread your post. Although with scenes like that, I can't explain why they are there, but they are nice scenes to watch, and interest due to the dialogue. It didn't serve a purpose other then showing him with his girlfriend.

Yes, so I guessed. Well, the point is - I don't care for his girlfriend, especially at such a moment. It just seemed unnecessary length for me.

Donnie Brasco (1997) ***

An FBI undercover agent infilitrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the mafia life to the expense of his regular one.

Donnie Brasco contains an excellent cast which produces some great acting, which is one of the best things about this film. A very enjoyable movie.

Jackie Brown (1997) ***

A female flight attendant becomes a key figure in a plot between the police and an arms dealer.

IMO one of the most underrated films of the 90's and probably Tarantino's most underrated. Truly the "forgotten" gem of Tarantino's career. My personal favorite performance from this film comes from Robert Forrester. He was fantastic as the lonely bail bondsman Max Cherry. Pam Grier was great in this as the title character aswell.

The film features a great, complex plot and another great screenplay from Tarantino. The soundtrack was excellent, my favorite probably being "Strawberry Letter 23."

On The Waterfront (1954) *****

An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

Simply amazing. The acting is so riveting and excellent, it's like a template or a clinic if actors want to see what dynamite acting is. So many great performances in this film, particularily Brando in an electric performance. The scene in the car with Charlie is one of the greatest in the history of film. One of the greatest films I've ever seen.

I couldn't agree with you more about this film being underrated. It's one of my favorites of all-time and is only behind the Kill Bills in terms of my favorite Tarantino movies. I think the biggest hurdle it had to overcome was this was the movie after Pulp Fiction which probably made everyone's expectations of the film enormous. However, my favorite performance was by Samuel L. Jackson as Ordell (and I also loved Chris Tucker as well). My favorite song from the soundtrack is also Strawberry Letter 23. Good taste man!

I agree. That's why many people think it's mediocre, when it's actually quite exceptional. It's like the comic who has to follow Richard Pryor at the Comedy Club.

I agree on Jackie Brown being very underrated. Personally I see a negative correlation in the quality of Tarantino's films from Pulp Fiction, not to say the Kill Bill films were bad though.