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Muholland Dr. is pretty straight forward compared to Eraserhead and Inland Empire
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Eegah: The Name Written in Blood
Directed by Arch Hall Sr.
1962. Not Rated, 90 minutes.
Cast:
Richard Kiel
Marilyn Manning
Arch Hall, Jr.
Arch Hall, Sr.
While driving to a party, Roxy (Manning) is frightened by a "giant" caveman that appears in her path. Forget about 'B', this more like 'Z' grade madness. Like many truly horrible movies, the idea itself isn't terrible, but the execution of it is horrendous. The dialogue is wooden and the acting is at least as stiff. Surprisingly, Richard Kiel as our giant was fairly convincing. Then again, given that his most famous role is that of hulking henchman Jaws in the James Bond series it only makes sense how well suited he is for a part that only requires him to grunt and say "Eegah!" Nothing much is explained, more accurately, the characters guess a lot and assume they're right. Oh, before I forget, I have to talk about our real "star," Arch Hall, Jr. He plays the boyfriend who is far more interested in getting laid than in trivial things like rescuing his girl's father from a hostile savage, not so coincidentally played by his real father Arch, Sr. It seems, in real life, young Mr. Hall fashioned himself a triple threat. You see, he starred in the films his father directed, including this one. He was also lead singer of something called Arch Hall, Jr and the Archers. Seriously. And of course, he incorporated a few dance moves into this. Dad, ever the enabler, not only gave his son a big role in Eegah but let him sing in it quite a few times, including two big stage numbers. Oh my God, now this is what unintentional humor is all about. He obviously craves to be the next Elvis Presley, his character even gushes over "the King." However, he badly lacks the chops in any of those "triple threat" categories, all the more sad considering Elvis wasn't exactly Jimmy Stewart, to put it nicely. Lucky for young Arch, the rest of the movie is laughably bad, as well. In fact, it's so bad it's awesome. If you don't believe me, ask the guys from Mystery Science Theater who featured the movie on their cult-classic of a show.
MY SCORE: -10/10Comment
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A Serious Man
Directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
2009. Rated R, 105 minutes.
Cast:
Michael Stuhlbarg
Richard Kind
Fred Melamed
Aaron Wolff
Sari Lennick
Jessica McManus
Peter Breitmayer
Plot: Larry Gopnik's (Stuhlbarg) world is collapsing all around him while he desperately searches for guidance and answers.
The Good: This is a sharp examination of faith and family wrapped in the type of humor that comes from everyday life. There are no pratfalls or over the top hijinks. There's only the ridiculousness that might happen in your home, or the home of someone you know. Through it all, we identify with and feel for Larry. Our laughter about his plight comes from a place of both sympathy and empathy. Stuhlbarg delivers the perfect performance to facilitate those feelings. It's also a story about growing up. Interestingly enough, the growing up needs to be done not only by his kids, of his two we focus mostly on the son Danny (Wolff), but also by the adults, especially his brother Arthur, played superbly by Richard Kind.
The Bad: The parent-child relationships aren't explored at all. Going further into this could've added even more depth to an already multi-layered movie. In particular, I felt the daughter is a wasted character. She exists merely to stomp onto the screen, yell a few lines and stomp off. Of course, it is a Coen brothers movie which means its style is just going to rub some people the wrong way.
The Ugly: Why Uncle Arthur spends so much time in the bathroom.
Recommendation: Though it steers clear of the bizarro-world antics of the Coens' Burn After Reading its uses that same dark style of comedy. Use that as the first indicator of whether you might like it or not. While it is a comedy, don't look for those moments designed to have you rolling on the floor laughing. Instead, it'll have you consistently chuckling and shaking your head in a knowing amazement, if that makes sense. With all that said, it may not hold as much appeal for younger and/or single guys but for us old married fogies, its right up our alley.
The Opposite View: David Denby, The New Yorker
What the Internet Says: 7.9/10 on imdb.com (1/17/10), 87% on rottentomatoes.com, 79/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 8.5/10Comment
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Dogma
Directed by Kevin Smith
1999. Rated R, 130 minutes.
Cast:
Linda Fiorentino
Ben Affleck
Matt Damon
Chris Rock
Salma Hayek
Alan Rickman
Jason Mewes
Kevin Smith
Fallen angels Loki (Damon) and Bartleby (Affleck) try to exploit a loophole in divine law to get back into heaven. The whole thing is a sharp, irreverent, funny and at times very nearly blasphemous debate on all things religious - Catholicism, in particular. The method of that debate is oftne taken to absurd extremes, and thanks mostly to Jay (Mewes), fueled by f-bomb laced tirades. It makes us laugh even as we feel a bit guilty for doing so. Through it all, it gives us some serious food for thought. For instance, given what we know about how things have been added to and subtracted from the Bible over the course of time, is the idea of 13th apostle really that far-fetched? Same goes for the identity of God (and the voice of God, as well). That said, the more devoutly religious you are the bigger the chance you'll find it offensive, needlessly crass and the work of those who walk by sight and not by faith. However, if given the chance it can be a great starting point for serious discussions on the matter. Either way, I think we can all agree the "poop demon" is just way over the line. I wish I had never seen that.
MY SCORE: 9/10Comment
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I love Dogma. I think its Kevin Smiths best movie.
I'll def have to check out A Serious Man, I always get confused with A Single Man(?) the one that came out this year about the gay man.
Also what did you think of Burn After Reading? I thought it was so funny. IT had me laughing non stop.Comment
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Watch Moon, it's great.Comment
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finished watching snatch. What a fantastic movie. incredible style and humor. excellent story too. The ending totally caught me by surprise....great flick and i only watched it cause you had it ranked on that list of yours dell.
thanks!Comment
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You know what else is good? Revolver - Guy Ritchie, Jason Stratham (sp?), Ray Liotta, Andre 3000... Hell of a movie.
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Agree whole heartedly. She was the biggest drawback of the movie for me. Not that it's her fault, but the whole "precocious teen who knows more than adults" character is getting waaaaaay overused in Hollywood these days. Within seconds of her character walking in, I thought, "great, some snarky and pithy dialogue is coming out of her mouth in about 2.5 seconds" and sure enough, she filled the role to a T. Snarky, pithy youngster, giving wisdom to the lost, neurotic, silly adults. It was straight out the Juno handbook.
(500) Days of Summer
Directed by Marc Webb
2009. Rated PG-13, 95 minutes.
Cast:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Zooey Deschanel
Geoffrey Arend
Chloe Moretz
Matthew Gray Gubler
Clark Gregg
Plot: Hopeless romantic Tom (Gordon-Levitt) falls head over heels for not so romantic Summer (Deschanel).
The Good: In a bit of a role-reversal from most rom-coms, its the guy who believes whole-heartedly in love at first sight, soul mates and other such hocus pocus. He loves hard and wants reciprocity. Summer is his exact opposite and the way they attract is handled wonderfully. The tow of them feel like real people, not the exaggerated stereotypes of slacker masculinity and clingy femininity. It also leaves out another common element in romances, the show-stopping moment of clarity. There is no running through the airport or train station screaming at the top one's lungs or bursting in on a wedding seconds before the "I dos" are said. It just plays like a relationship we really might've had. For this, the movie is less predictable. it also makes us yearn for that moment but fully understand when we don't get it.
The Bad: The recurring bit of Tom's twelve year old (or so) sister Rachel (Moretz) acting as his psychiatrist got old, quick. Her "wise-beyond-her-years" schtick was cute, at first, but became annoying. It also kept pulling me out of a movie that otherwise did a tremendous job getting me immersed. The other problem is it reminded me too much of two other movies. The way it zips back and forth through time (which works well, by the way) and Summer's near unwillingness to love conjures memories of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (some will chuckle at that line). The personality and idiosyncracies of our hero and the way it plays out is similar to Woody Allen's classic Annie Hall.
The Ugly: Just how much money did furniture giant Ikea cough up for this movie?
Recommendation: Like I said, its basically an update of Annie Hall. That said, its an effective update. Its excellently directed and written with really good performances from our leads. It's the latest in what's become a long line of "chick flicks for guys" but its one the ladies will appreciate more than most of the others as it...gasp...favors emotions over raunch. Steer clear if you're looking for something similar to what comes out of the Apatow camp, like Forgetting Sarah Marshall. This leaves out movie wackiness for more subtle, real life crazy.
The Opposite View: Nathan Lee, NPR
What the Internet Says: 8.1/10 on imdb.com (#225 all time as of 1/13/10), 87% on rottentomatoes.com, 76/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 8.5/10
Solid review though, we're pretty on the same page with the score. I watched it a 2nd time a few days later and it held up upon that viewing as well. Even with the pithy teenager.Last edited by NAHSTE; 01-20-2010, 12:15 PM.
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Dell, have you seen/reviewed The Hurt Locker yet?Comment
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Haven't gotten around to either. Both fall into that everytime I go to rent/watch them I find something else I want to see a little more. Heard good stuff about Revolver, so so about Fracture.Originally posted by boozerguy47
Pretty much the same except...
You are just a half step ahead...See my next post a little bit later.Last edited by dell71; 01-20-2010, 05:08 PM.Comment
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The Hurt Locker
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow.
2009. Rated R, 131 minutes.
Cast:
Jeremy Renner
Anthony Mackie
Brian Geraghty
Ralph Fiennes
Evangeline Lilly
Christopher Sayegh
Guy Pearce
Plot: We follow three United States soldiers on their missions to diffuse bombs in Iraq.
The Good: Alfred Hitchcock once said "There is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it." Director Kathryn Bigelow realizes this. She understands that while action is often more fun to look at and more palatable to audiences, tension brings us to the edges of our seats, makes us uncomfortable and resonates. She gives us plenty of it. Even when she breaks down and gives us action, it follows a hair-raising build up. Therein, lies the key. Part of maintaining that tension is the way she toys with us. Sometimes we get the bang, sometimes not. Underneath it all, we learn a great deal about the three men we're following and come to understand them. The actors playing them: Renner, Mackie and Geraghty, all give excellent performances, making it easy for us to disappear into the illusion that we're really watching actual soldiers.
The Bad: For some, it might be hard to get into because there is no plot to speak of. On top of that, even though these are men at war there's not a traditional movie conflict, either. There is only the job they have to do which they merely hope to survive each day, both literally and figuratively. Though, the testosterone may occasionally get out of hand for some. Finally, you may not be satisfied and feel a lack of closure concerning the stories of two of our three heroes.
The Ugly: An internal bomb...being dug out.
Recommendation: The War in Iraq gets its greatest movie to date. More than that, it deserves to go down as a great war movie, regardless of which one its about. It's lack of a plot actually adds levity by freeing it from many Hollywood conventions and helps to believe we're just riding shotgun during a few weeks with these guys.
The Opposite View: Derek Elley, Variety
What the Internet Says: 8.0/10 on imdb.com (1/20/10), 97% on rottentomatoes.com, 94/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 10/10Comment
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