Dell's Good, Bad & Ugly Movie Reviews

[dell71]

i watched there will be blood. I was very disapointed with this movie. I watched it over 2 nights and during the first half i thought it was an interesting movie. One of those slow moving plots where things are just happening randomly to maybe setup what this "evil oil man" was really about.

then i watched the 2nd half and realized that this movie had no real point. It was just a story about an oil man. He wasnt an "evil oil man" but more of a hardnose businessman who was kind of a dick towards certain people. The title of the movie and all of the intesnse horror film music would suggest that something grusome or shocking would happen during the course of this movie.....and while i was fooled thinking it was coming, it just never did. By the time somthing even close to offering a dramtic or shocking moment did come, i was totally annoyed with the muscial score and even more annoyed that i was suckered into watchng this movie, that i didnt care and was glad it was over

this movie ranks up there with the talented mr ripley in all time let downs for me

Glad you watched it. For me, I immediately saw it as a metaphor for the war in Iraq with our "oil man" pretty clearly representing America, then there was the land that was not his which he fought tooth & nail over against the religious radical even sacrificing his son (i.e., soldiers). Viewed through that prism, it really did blow me away. However, I fully acknowledge that if viewed on a surface level it is merely interesting and maybe even a bit too slow.

[Maynard]

Glad you watched it. For me, I immediately saw it as a metaphor for the war in Iraq with our "oil man" pretty clearly representing America, then there was the land that was not his which he fought tooth & nail over against the religious radical even sacrificing his son (i.e., soldiers). Viewed through that prism, it really did blow me away. However, I fully acknowledge that if viewed on a surface level it is merely interesting and maybe even a bit too slow.

good point. I didnt think of it in that regards, but that is a great way to interpret the movie. The movie got alot of praise and i guess i had higher expectations. But with paul thomas anderson directing i knew it was not going to be a direct meaning. i enjoyed boogie nights and magnolia, so i just was hoping that this one would really grab me.

did you know anderson made a movie called the dirk diggler story?

http://www.poetv.com/video.php?vid=33186

[dell71]

good point. I didnt think of it in that regards, but that is a great way to interpret the movie. The movie got alot of praise and i guess i had higher expectations. But with paul thomas anderson directing i knew it was not going to be a direct meaning. i enjoyed boogie nights and magnolia, so i just was hoping that this one would really grab me.

did you know anderson made a movie called the dirk diggler story?

http://www.poetv.com/video.php?vid=33186

I never heard of that, I'll have to watch it this weekend. Thanx.

[Maynard]

so i watched zombieland and i love you man again today. i love you man is funny the 3rd time.

let me ask you guys, was paul rudds dad in the film gay? i noticed at the end when he says to his 2 sons that they are both his best friends.....And Hank Mardukas

then they show hank in the wedding crowd and it occured to me that the dad might be gay and thats why he got along so well with the son.....


here something from zombieland that bugs me.....so much so that i found a copy of the original script to verify the line in the movie. Its right after they come to the hostess truck in the beginning and you first hear all about Tallahassee love for twinkies. After Tallahassee walks up the hill Columbus says.......um, this might be a bad time but i have to take the browns to the superbowl.

now was he just making a random joke about how bad the browns are, or did i miss some other meaning behind this line....it had nothing to do with anything before during or after and was as random a line as random gets.....so wtf?

[dell71]

so i watched zombieland and i love you man again today. i love you man is funny the 3rd time.

let me ask you guys, was paul rudds dad in the film gay? i noticed at the end when he says to his 2 sons that they are both his best friends.....And Hank Mardukas

then they show hank in the wedding crowd and it occured to me that the dad might be gay and thats why he got along so well with the son.....

Its been a couple months since I watched it but iirc, whether or not his dad was gay was sort of a running joke.

here something from zombieland that bugs me.....so much so that i found a copy of the original script to verify the line in the movie. Its right after they come to the hostess truck in the beginning and you first hear all about Tallahassee love for twinkies. After Tallahassee walks up the hill Columbus says.......um, this might be a bad time but i have to take the browns to the superbowl.

now was he just making a random joke about how bad the browns are, or did i miss some other meaning behind this line....it had nothing to do with anything before during or after and was as random a line as random gets.....so wtf?

I'm actually shocked you've never heard that said before. Its a euphemism for taking a dump. He's taking the BROWNS (brown being the color of most excrement) to the Super Bowl (toilet bowl).

[dell71]

Rudo y Cursi
Directed by Carlos Cuaron
2009. Rated R, 102 minutes.
Cast:
Gael Garcia Bernal
Diego Luna
Guillerma Francella
Adriana Paz
Jessica Mas
Dolores Heredia

Plot: Brothers Tato (Bernal) and Beto (Luna) are discovered when a soccer scout has car trouble and is stranded in their small town. The two move to Mexico City and both become national heroes as stars of thier respective teams. Then their problems start.

The Good: It's a quirky sports movie in that its not so much about the sport but about the other things the sport enables them to do and the problems that arise from those things. The two leads play their roles wonderfully. Diego Luna as Beto (nicknamed Rudo) is perfectly hot-headed. He aptly portrays a guy who is a bit slimy but still kind-hearted. Gael Garcia Bernal, one of my favorite actors, is once again brilliant. The two keep the movie fun. It's not quite an uproarious comedy but a light-hearted dramedy that's easy to get into with a great and bittersweet ending.

The Bad: Too many questions go unanswered. In particular, we wonder about the fate of Beto's marriage and relationship with his kids. Given what happens, its a pretty big question and needs answering. The fate of two peripheral characters is also left a bit up in the air. Since both of them are definitely bad guys by most definitions, we need to know what happens to them. Since we don't, their behaviors and actions seem to be condoned which is sad since they play into Mexican stereotypes.

The Ugly: How Beto gets hazed when he joins the team.

Recommendation: This is an entertaining ride with plenty of ups and downs as two brothers battle their demons, each other and themselves. However, as harsh as that sounds, this is no dark, brooding affair. It's light but builds nicely until we get to the appropriately heavy finale. Subtitleophobes beware: we're speaking Spanish.

The Opposite View: Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

What the Internet Says: 6.9/10 on imdb.com (1/1/10), 73% on rottentomatoes.com, 67/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 7.5/10

[Buzzman]

did you go with a new style for the new year.

[Palooza]

Dell, the Hurt Locker comes out on DVD on Jan 12. Please see it ASAP.

[NAHSTE]

Just saw 500 Days of Summer. I really liked it. Have you seen it Dell?

[Fox1994]

I can't believe you've never heard of the Browns and the Super Bowl before, Maynard. Wow...

 

What was the Hurt Locker about again?

 

Was it about a guy who defuses bombs?

Edit:

 

Wow, that spoiler actually made sense to be a spoiler. Imagine that, using something for what it's for.

[dell71]

Archiving, is a little more time consuming than I thought it would be. If I don't finish it today, I'll have it up tomorrow.

And yes, I decided to switch up the look just a little for the new year.

[tigstah]

i watched there will be blood. I was very disapointed with this movie. I watched it over 2 nights and during the first half i thought it was an interesting movie. One of those slow moving plots where things are just happening randomly to maybe setup what this "evil oil man" was really about.

then i watched the 2nd half and realized that this movie had no real point. It was just a story about an oil man. He wasnt an "evil oil man" but more of a hardnose businessman who was kind of a dick towards certain people. The title of the movie and all of the intesnse horror film music would suggest that something grusome or shocking would happen during the course of this movie.....and while i was fooled thinking it was coming, it just never did. By the time somthing even close to offering a dramtic or shocking moment did come, i was totally annoyed with the muscial score and even more annoyed that i was suckered into watchng this movie, that i didnt care and was glad it was over

this movie ranks up there with the talented mr ripley in all time let downs for me

i agree. i couldnt see what the point was. nothing spectacular at all. bing bam boom....nothin.

[Maynard]

Just saw 500 Days of Summer. I really liked it. Have you seen it Dell?

oh man...i didnt like this movie at all. i thought it would be more like a guys chick flick....somthing like i love you man or knocked up or something. But it just didnt do it for me. All the flip flopping around in the timeline bugged me too

[Buzzman]

thought the flip flopping with the timeline was what made it great. Also the expectation vs reality scene was so amazing.

[BigHouseUSA]

oh man...i didnt like this movie at all. i thought it would be more like a guys chick flick....somthing like i love you man or knocked up or something. But it just didnt do it for me. All the flip flopping around in the timeline bugged me too

How could you relate either of those movies to 500 Days of Summer after watching the trailer?