GRAN TORINO
Watchable. Inter-racial issues shown with a pinch of salt are brilliant but some scenes feel like watching your neighbours - you couldn't care less.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Monday, 23 February 2009
CHE - PART TWO
Walked out. I just couldn't stand another boring and desultory history lesson.
MY BLOODY VALENTINE IN 3D
Watchable. A run-of-the-mill slasher movie with good Real D action, gore and a bit of nudity that made me think they should start making 3D porn. The killer looks quite hot, by the way, when fully dressed but unmasked that is.
ANVIL - THE STORY OF ANVIL
Watchable. Americans aren't particularly good at documentaries and this one is no exception - plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with people you don't know and don't care about. The film about a metal band could do with more actual music by Anvil as that sounded great.
CADILLAC RECORDS
Walked out. According to the movie Chess Records were set up by two boring guys. The jazz music was unberable as well.
PUSH
Watchable. "X-Men" it isn't. While the characters have catchy superskills, it's scripted and acted, including utterly annoying Dakota Fanning, as if the producer had hired random people from the street to save costs.
DELHI 6
Walked out. Social realism with really bad music. What is Abishek Bachchan doing in this rubbish?
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
Recommended. This film has everything: glam, humour, tears, a bit of reality (shopaholism) and a bit of a fairy-tale (the career and the relationship) and it's all brilliantly scripted, acted and filmed. A real treat.
It made me feel uneasy about my addictions. I suddenly realised I had three:
Cinema - even if I have a foreign visitor staying with me just for a couple of nights, I will go to the cinema in the evening making them wait till midnight. So while this addiction doesn't ruin me financially, I lie what I'm doing (I'm not working that long) and ruin my social life.
Freebies - once when Clarins offered 3 samples per customer I went to different stores and collected 54 samples. It's free, useful, instead of ruining my social life makes me practise people skills - acting every time as if I hadn't collected a bagful of samples already. Still, it feels weird, no one else seems to scam samples the way I do.
Free press - I have accumulated piles of magazines and newspapers constantly given away and while it doesn't normally take long to browse them, I rarely get round to it and basically have heaps of rubbish in my room.
HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU
Watchable. A clever instruction film that is more disturbing than funny.
THE SECRET OF MOONACRE
Watchable. While I liked the Englishness of the tale, the fantasy bandits dressed and made up punk-style with Clockwork Orange-style bowler hats looked completely out of place.
HOTEL FOR DOGS
Watchable. The dogs are adorable but the story, with the evil Animal Control guys (do they really do it in the US?), really dark and depressing.
I've run out of the movies. Next review on Friday.
Walked out. I just couldn't stand another boring and desultory history lesson.
MY BLOODY VALENTINE IN 3D
Watchable. A run-of-the-mill slasher movie with good Real D action, gore and a bit of nudity that made me think they should start making 3D porn. The killer looks quite hot, by the way, when fully dressed but unmasked that is.
ANVIL - THE STORY OF ANVIL
Watchable. Americans aren't particularly good at documentaries and this one is no exception - plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with people you don't know and don't care about. The film about a metal band could do with more actual music by Anvil as that sounded great.
CADILLAC RECORDS
Walked out. According to the movie Chess Records were set up by two boring guys. The jazz music was unberable as well.
PUSH
Watchable. "X-Men" it isn't. While the characters have catchy superskills, it's scripted and acted, including utterly annoying Dakota Fanning, as if the producer had hired random people from the street to save costs.
DELHI 6
Walked out. Social realism with really bad music. What is Abishek Bachchan doing in this rubbish?
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
Recommended. This film has everything: glam, humour, tears, a bit of reality (shopaholism) and a bit of a fairy-tale (the career and the relationship) and it's all brilliantly scripted, acted and filmed. A real treat.
It made me feel uneasy about my addictions. I suddenly realised I had three:
Cinema - even if I have a foreign visitor staying with me just for a couple of nights, I will go to the cinema in the evening making them wait till midnight. So while this addiction doesn't ruin me financially, I lie what I'm doing (I'm not working that long) and ruin my social life.
Freebies - once when Clarins offered 3 samples per customer I went to different stores and collected 54 samples. It's free, useful, instead of ruining my social life makes me practise people skills - acting every time as if I hadn't collected a bagful of samples already. Still, it feels weird, no one else seems to scam samples the way I do.
Free press - I have accumulated piles of magazines and newspapers constantly given away and while it doesn't normally take long to browse them, I rarely get round to it and basically have heaps of rubbish in my room.
HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU
Watchable. A clever instruction film that is more disturbing than funny.
THE SECRET OF MOONACRE
Watchable. While I liked the Englishness of the tale, the fantasy bandits dressed and made up punk-style with Clockwork Orange-style bowler hats looked completely out of place.
HOTEL FOR DOGS
Watchable. The dogs are adorable but the story, with the evil Animal Control guys (do they really do it in the US?), really dark and depressing.
I've run out of the movies. Next review on Friday.
Friday, 20 February 2009
Thursday, 19 February 2009
PINK PANTHER 2
Watchable. It's really funny, I laughed a lot, still some scenes script-wise should have been hilarious but weren't, probably due to Jean Reno's wooden acting. Steve Martin, whom I never ever liked, was surprisingly amusing and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is getting better and better at acting.
FRIDAY THE 13TH
Watchable. The new version is a slasher movie without the supernatural ending of the original and while the superior old version shows just the murderer's boots, this one is full of straight in your face brutality. You can't get bored, you get startled once in a while and get lots of gratuitous nudity. Still, it's not scary.
Watchable. It's really funny, I laughed a lot, still some scenes script-wise should have been hilarious but weren't, probably due to Jean Reno's wooden acting. Steve Martin, whom I never ever liked, was surprisingly amusing and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is getting better and better at acting.
FRIDAY THE 13TH
Watchable. The new version is a slasher movie without the supernatural ending of the original and while the superior old version shows just the murderer's boots, this one is full of straight in your face brutality. You can't get bored, you get startled once in a while and get lots of gratuitous nudity. Still, it's not scary.
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Monday, 16 February 2009
NOTORIOUS
Watchable. An interesting story of a fascinating life of some hip-hop star, whoever he was.
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Watchable. Slow and tedious, gets livelier with Penelope Cruz's fiery Oscar-worthy performance.
DOUBT
Watchable. The story would be quite silly if it weren't for everyone's superb acting. Oscar nominations (www.oscars.com/nominees) well deserved, still Penelope Cruz (above) should win.
Oops, looks like I can't add a link on the computer at work:(
BOLT 3D
Watchable. A silly, run-of-the-mill story with a compellingly cute dog in it.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Recommended. Marvellous. Gripping, moving and unpredictable. The film, the director, the sound, the sound editing and one of the songs should win Oscars.
Watchable. An interesting story of a fascinating life of some hip-hop star, whoever he was.
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Watchable. Slow and tedious, gets livelier with Penelope Cruz's fiery Oscar-worthy performance.
DOUBT
Watchable. The story would be quite silly if it weren't for everyone's superb acting. Oscar nominations (www.oscars.com/nominees) well deserved, still Penelope Cruz (above) should win.
Oops, looks like I can't add a link on the computer at work:(
BOLT 3D
Watchable. A silly, run-of-the-mill story with a compellingly cute dog in it.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Recommended. Marvellous. Gripping, moving and unpredictable. The film, the director, the sound, the sound editing and one of the songs should win Oscars.
Friday, 13 February 2009
THE GOOD THE BAD THE WEIRD
Watchable. An interesting eastern (this is how I'd call a Korean film inspired by westerns). Cheerful and entertaining although not really lough-out-loud funny. Fantastic music - perfect in itself (combination of eastern and country) and very in line with the plot.
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE
Watchable. A perfectly standard plot but with great visual effects and characterful brutality.
Watchable. An interesting eastern (this is how I'd call a Korean film inspired by westerns). Cheerful and entertaining although not really lough-out-loud funny. Fantastic music - perfect in itself (combination of eastern and country) and very in line with the plot.
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE
Watchable. A perfectly standard plot but with great visual effects and characterful brutality.
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Walked out. The movie can't decide if it's about the addiction or the family. The family is hardly interesting to watch, mine own is better. The funeral-style speeches at the wedding rehearsal are completely incongruous. A white girl marries a black guy - unlikely in reality, enforced in the movie - the Obama syndrome I guess.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Watchable. Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson (Queenie in the film) should get Oscars for acting and Greg Cannom for make-up. Brad Pitt was incredible - even speaking with a perfect Afroamerican accent. Another movie with the Obama syndrome - a white boy raised by a black step-mother. Lengthy, the main story is slow enough and would be perfectly sufficient without the frame of the diary-reading or the story-in-story tale of "what if" when the car accident is recounted.
Walked out. The movie can't decide if it's about the addiction or the family. The family is hardly interesting to watch, mine own is better. The funeral-style speeches at the wedding rehearsal are completely incongruous. A white girl marries a black guy - unlikely in reality, enforced in the movie - the Obama syndrome I guess.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Watchable. Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson (Queenie in the film) should get Oscars for acting and Greg Cannom for make-up. Brad Pitt was incredible - even speaking with a perfect Afroamerican accent. Another movie with the Obama syndrome - a white boy raised by a black step-mother. Lengthy, the main story is slow enough and would be perfectly sufficient without the frame of the diary-reading or the story-in-story tale of "what if" when the car accident is recounted.
Monday, 9 February 2009
THE WRESTLER
Watchable. It lacks the bite that "Pi" and "Requiem for a dream" had. The linear plot with unremarkable music don't do Aronofsky any favours. Still, better than "The Fountain", at least makes you care for the main character.
THE LADY VANISHES (1938)
Watchable. Overrated Hitchcock's suspense, far-fetched plot but mysterious and full of Englishness.
Watchable. It lacks the bite that "Pi" and "Requiem for a dream" had. The linear plot with unremarkable music don't do Aronofsky any favours. Still, better than "The Fountain", at least makes you care for the main character.
THE LADY VANISHES (1938)
Watchable. Overrated Hitchcock's suspense, far-fetched plot but mysterious and full of Englishness.
Friday, 6 February 2009
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST
Walked out. An infinite lack of credibility. No real-life teenager acts and talks this way or tries to be cool so badly.
UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS
Walked out. Far-fetched even by fantasy standards, lame CGI and everything is tinted blue.
THE BROKEN
Recommended. Intense, mysterious, kept me on the edge of my seat.
Walked out. An infinite lack of credibility. No real-life teenager acts and talks this way or tries to be cool so badly.
UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS
Walked out. Far-fetched even by fantasy standards, lame CGI and everything is tinted blue.
THE BROKEN
Recommended. Intense, mysterious, kept me on the edge of my seat.
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