Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Scale: to

2008 Theatrical Viewings
Best of the Year: The Dark Knight
Worst of the Year: One Missed Call
Total Count: 156
Total Trips: 158
^Films seen more than once: 2
*2007 Films seen in 2008: 6

January: 14
*01/04/08: There Will Be Blood
01/05/08: One Missed Call
*01/05/08: Atonement
01/11/08: In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
01/11/08: First Sunday
*01/12/08: El Orfanato
*01/12/08: The Bucket List
01/18/08: Cassandra's Dream
01/18/08: 27 Dresses
01/19/08: Mad Money
01/19/08: Cloverfield
01/25/08: How She Move
01/25/08: Rambo
01/26/08: Untraceable

February: 15
02/01/08: Strange Wilderness
02/01/08: The Eye
02/02/08: Over Her Dead Body
02/08/08: Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show - 30 Days & 30 Nights, Hollywood to the Heartland
02/08/08: Fool's Gold
*02/15/08: Persepolis
02/15/08: Jumper
02/16/08: Definitely, Maybe
02/16/08: The Spiderwick Chronicles
02/18/08: Step Up 2: The Streets
02/23/08: Be Kind, Rewind
02/23/08: Vantage Point
02/24/08: Charlie Bartlett
02/29/08: The Other Boleyn Girl
02/29/08: Penelope

March - 16
03/01/08: In Bruges
03/01/08: Semi-Pro
*03/01/08: Into the Wild
03/07/08: 10,000 BC
03/07/08: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
03/08/08: The Bank Job
03/14/08: Never Back Down
03/14/08: Horton Hears a Who
03/15/08: Funny Games
03/15/08: Doomsday
03/21/08: Shutter
03/22/08: Drillbit Taylor
03/28/08: 21
03/28/08: Superhero Movie
03/29/08: Run Fatboy Run
03/29/08: Stop-Loss

April - 11
04/04/08: Leatherheads
04/05/08: The Ruins
04/11/08: Prom Night
04/11/08: Street Kings
04/12/08: Smart People
04/19/08: The Forbidden Kingdom
04/19/08: Forgetting Sarah Marshall
04/19/08: 88 Minutes
04/25/08: Baby Mama
04/25/08: Deception
04/26/08: Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

May: 9+1=10
05/03/08: Iron Man
05/03/08: Made of Honor
05/04/08: Iron Man
05/09/08: Speed Racer
05/10/08: What Happens in Vegas
05/10/08: Redbelt
05/17/08: The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian
05/24/08: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
05/30/08: Sex and the City
05/30/08: The Strangers

June: 9
06/06/08: You Don't Mess with the Zohan
06/08/08: Kung Fu Panda
06/13/08: The Incredible Hulk
06/17/08: The Happening
06/20/08: Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
06/20/08: The Love Guru
06/21/08: Get Smart
06/27/08: Wall*E
06/27/08: Wanted

July - 10
07/02/08: Kit Kittredge: an American Girl
07/02/08: Hancock
07/11/08: Meet Dave
07/11/08: Journey to the Center of the Earth - 3D
07/12/08: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
07/18/08: The Dark Knight
07/19/08: Space Chimps
07/19/08: Mamma Mia!
07/25/08: The X-Files: I Want to Believe
07/25/08: Step Brothers

August - 17+1=18
08/01/08: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
08/02/08: Son of Rambow
08/02/08: Swing Vote
08/09/08: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
08/09/08: Pineapple Express
08/15/08: Tropic Thunder
08/16/08: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
08/16/08: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
08/16/08: Henry Poole is Here
08/18/08: Mirrors
^08/20/08: The Dark Knight
08/20/08: The Rocker
08/22/08: The Longshots
08/22/08: Death Race
08/22/08: The House Bunny
08/30/08: Babylon A.D.
08/30/08: Hamlet 2
08/30/08: Traitor

September: 11
09/05/08: Bangkok Dangerous
09/06/08: Everybody Wants to be Italian
09/12/08: Burn After Reading
09/13/08: Righteous Kill
09/19/08: My Best Friend's Girl
09/19/08: Igor
09/20/08: Lakeview Terrace
09/26/08: Nights in Rodanthe
09/26/08: Ghost Town
09/30/08: Miracle at St. Anna
09/30/08: Eagle Eye

October=15
Choke
The Lucky Ones
The Duchess
Appaloosa
Nick and Norah's infinite Playlist
Blindness
City of Ember
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
Body of Lies
Quarantine
Max Payne
W.
Pride and Glory
The Secret Life of Bees
Saw V

November= 15
Changeling
The Haunting of Molly Hartley
Rachel Getting Married
What Just Happened?
RocknRolla
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
House
Soul Men
Role Models
Quantum of Solace
Bolt
Twilight
Transporter 3
Four Christmases

December= 14
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Australia
Punisher: War Zone
Nobel Son
Cadillac Records
Nothing Like the Holidays
Milk
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Slumdog Millionaire
Yes Man
Doubt
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Spirit
Marley & Me

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

January 1
1. The Poseidon Adventure (1972) (4/5)

This is the first time I’ve watched this movie on New Year’s Eve/Day and also the first time not on TV but on dvd, so I noticed the film has a quicker pace with the lack of commercials which surprised me that the film was shorter than two hours considering how big the scope of the film is. The characters start off as simple & two dimensional but then in true Irwin Allen fashion are tossed upside-down (literally) and have to deal and survive their ordeal. It’s one of those movies that for me could have been a watch once and then forgotten but there’s something in it (Shelly Winters!) that makes me want to watch the film again next year.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Films Watched in 2008

01/01 - Interview (2007)
01/02 - Angel-A (2005)
01/03 - Futurama: Bender's Big Score (2007)
01/04 - For One More Day (2007)
01/05 - Because I Said So (2007)
01/06 - Paris, Je T'taime (2007)
01/07 - Shoot Em Up (2007)
01/08 - Heima (2007)
01/16 - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
01/23 - Eastern Promises (2007)
01/25 - Atonement (2007)
01/26 - The Number 23 (2007)
01/27 - First Snow (2007)
01/30 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

02/02 - The Lookout (2007)
02/02 - Fast Food Nation (2006)
02/05 - Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
02/05 - I Know Who Killed Me (2007)
02/09 - Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
02/10 - Sunshine (2007)
02/10 - The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
02/13 - 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
02/15 - Juno (2007)
02/16 - Once (2007)
02/17 - Gone Baby Gone (2007)
02/18 - Hairspray (2007)
02/23 - Away From Her (2007)
02/23 - American Gangster (2007)
02/24 - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

03/01 - District B13 (2004)
03/04 - In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)
03/07 - Feast of Love (2007)
03/08 - Sydney White (2007)
03/14 - Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
03/15 - No Reservations (2007)
03/15 - Beowulf (2007)
03/16 - August Rush (2007)
03/24 - In the Valley of Elah (2007)
03/24 - Margot at the Wedding (2007)
03/26 - Enchanted (2007)
03/31 - We Own the Night (2007)

04/12 - Into the Wild (2007)
04/14 - There Will Be Blood (2007)
04/18 - Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
04/20 - 911: In Plane Site (2004)
04/25 - Baby Mama (2008)

05/04 - License to Wed (2007)
05/04 - The Savages (2007)
05/04 - School for Scoundrels (2007)
05/10 - No Country for Old Men (2007)
05/15 - Maxed Out (2006)
05/17 - Mad Money (2007)
05/26 - Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
05/31 - 27 Dresses (2008)

06/01 - Rendition (2007)
06/01 - Untraceable (2008)
06/02 - Rambo (2008)
06/07 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
06/07 - Recount (2008)
06/08 - National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
06/14 - Redacted (2007)
06/16 - The Mist (2007)
06/19 - The Last King of Scotland (2007)
06/19 - I Am Legend (2007)
06/20 - The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
06/23 - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
06/27 - Fool's Gold (2008)
06/28 - Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008)
06/28 - Bobby (2006)

07/02 - Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
07/04 - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)
07/04 - The Ten (2007)
07/05 - Cloverfield (2008)
07/12 - Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
07/13 - Superbad (2007)
07/14 - Crazy/Beautiful (2001)
07/16 - Let's Go to Prison (2006)
07/23 - Wall-E (2008)
07/27 - First Blood (1982)
07/28 - The Ex (2006)
07/29 - The Kite Runner (2007)
07/29 - Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006)
07/31 - Meet Bill (2007)

08/01 - .45 (2006)
08/02 - The Beach (2000)
08/02 - Forrest Gump (1994)
08/02 - Cloverfield (2008)
08/04 - Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (2008)
08/10 - 21 (2008)
08/11 - The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
08/13 - In the Land of Women (2007)
08/15 - The Dark Knight (2008)
08/16 - Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
08/18 - The Ruins (2008)
08/22 - The Bank Job (2008)
08/23 - Things We Lost in the Fire (2008)

11/09 - Surf's Up (2007)
11/10 - Sex and the City: The Movie (2008)
11/15 - What Happens in Vegas... (2008)
11/23 - Iron Man (2008)
11/28 - Futurama: Bender's Game (2008)
11/29 - The Counterfeiters (2007)
11/29 - Get Smart (2008)

12/20 - La Doublure (2006)
12/20 - The Incredible Hulk (2008)
12/21 - Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
12/25 - Wall-E (2008)
12/31 - The Dark Knight (2008)

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

I'm one of the ones that don't rate Hello dolly very highly. I don't like Walter Mattheau in it, and in general found it somewhat tedious with songs I didn't much care for, I can't remember any from my viewing a few years ago.

But agreed on all counts about Anthony Adverse, except I think I like it even less. So disappointing.


----
The Last Emperor 8 of 10

While it's no where near as good as Empire of the Sun, this is still a stunning film, especially visually, it is constantly sumptuous. How it got no acting nominations that year is sort of baffling considering it swept all categories nominated. I guess the academy wasn't inclined to nominate an asian in leading actor? Though it's very low of me to consider that, it's sort of stunning as superb and complex a leading performance as John Lone gave was not nominated. In terms of winning, I'd have personally have picked either Moonstruck or Broadcast News over this film, and it's sort of laughable that Fatal Attraction was nominated (and usually I approve of non traditional genre picks getting big recognition).

The title says it all, the story of Pu Yi China's last Emperor, and the tumultous changes that occured during his 'reign'. Very little is actually seen of the changes that happen to China, we mostly discover them by proxy. The story is told through intermittent flashbacks while Pu Yi remembers his life story as part of his 'reeducation' following WWII. This device works fairly well and the rich reminesences provide an interesting counterpoint both thematically and visually to the bleak indoctrinations we see.

Only have Calvalcade remaining of the Best Picture winners.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Well that of course is the key. For me songs like It Takes a Woman, Elegance, and the title song are what make the movie. And I found Matthau perfect for the role, and actually able to sing (not pretty, but in the Broadway tradition). But if the music doesn't do it for you, then a musical isn't going to work.

Lovers & Other Strangers

I know it isn't, but I swear if I didn't know better, I'd think this was just a series of not so good Love American Style episodes edited together into a 2 hour movie.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Films Watched in 2008

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Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

1/1: Juno (2007) out of

This movie is on so many top 10 lists of 2007 that I had to check it out. The performances from the main three couples are outstanding, and the script strikes a good balance between humor and pathos. I also like that the story is rarely cliche.

On the other hand, the music is hit-or-miss. The film has so many "indie" and quirky moments that I was sometimes taken out of the story for a moment. I also have a personal issue about seeing pregnancy details in people other than close family, even in prosthetics. Thankfully, there was only one gross shot in the birth sequence.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Not enough substance here for me though I'll admit I'm not much of a Western fan. John Wayne was good in his role but he's taylor made for these kind of roles. I found the attempt at a love story boring and felt Joanne Dru didn't add much to the movie. I'm glad I saw it but the movie just didn't do anything for me.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

01/01/08: WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE (Menahem Golan, 1969)

Norman Wisdom’s final starring vehicle was a departure from his previous outings – bringing his accident-prone milquetoast up-to-date, this being a product of the Swinging Sixties! The end result is an uneasy and occasionally embarrassing comedy which mixes the star’s typical slapstick (and sentimentality) with mild sexuality and even milder satire; the plot has to do with an executive on a trip for a banking conference falling for teenager Sally Geeson (who doesn’t mind getting involved with him but doesn’t take their relationship all that seriously either); Sarah Atkinson appears as Geeson’s friend who warns Norman of her fickle character.

The film is nowhere near as bad as Leonard Maltin’s BOMB rating would have it and, if anything, is interesting for its treatment of mid-life crisis (being in many ways similar to HOFFMAN [1970] and 10 [1979] – both of which, incidentally, I’ve only just watched); towards the end, Norman even tries to bring his wife round to his new way of thinking! The Pretty Things appear as themselves performing a number of good tunes in a nightclub and Norm himself sings the catchy title track!


01/01/08: HEIDI (Allan Dwan, 1937)

This, along with several other Shirley Temple vehicles, has been an Italian TV perennial for years – particularly over the Christmas period – but I never bothered with it, despite the involvement of director Dwan. Just a couple of weeks ago, it turned up again and I even recorded it – despite being both dubbed and colorized! However, since I managed to find it on DVD, I opted to watch HEIDI ‘as intended’. Incidentally, not only have I recently acquired – or watched – a number of the director’s later efforts, but I’ve even watched a later TV adaptation of the Johanna Spyri novel.

As it turned out, the film is an utterly professional (and typically handsome) Darryl F. Zanuck production but I think that the story was tailored far too much to suit the ebullient child star’s usual formula: not only do we get Arthur Treacher (receiving unwarranted third billing!) as a typically bemused butler, but Temple is made to act as cupid between the new parson and the local schoolmarm; besides, we’re treated to a totally irrelevant fantasy song-and-dance number, two separate antagonists in the shape of her aunt and jealous governess – not to mention the apparently requisite corny final close-up!

Among the differences I noticed from the 1968 version (which is probably more faithful to the source material) is the fact that Temple befriends the invalid child immediately and even gets to be the one who cures her psychosomatic ailment! Besides, the incidents which climax the later version i.e. Grandfather’s religious redemption and Clara’s ‘cure’ itself occur earlier here, whereas the highlight of the film is taken up by a sleigh-chase in the snow with the Police pursuing the hysterical Grandfather! The overly made-up Jean Hersholt is fine as the latter, while the supporting cast also includes Mary Nash as the overbearing Governess, Sidney Blackmer as Clara’s father (whose role is much reduced here) and Sig Rumann in a bit part as a police official. All in all, then, I found the 1968 TV adaptation to be the superior effort.


01/01/08: DENTIST ON THE JOB (C. M. Pennington-Richards, 1961)

This is a sequel to DENTIST IN THE CHAIR (1960), which I haven’t watched; excerpts from the opening sequence were memorably featured as a gag at the start of the “Special Edition” DVD of MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975)!

The film is no classic, but harmless and certainly palatable for what it is – dealing with the invention and promotion of a new brand of toothpaste and going from a college to a factory, a TV studio and ending with a commercial being broadcast from space! It was possibly inspired by the popular “Doctor” series – of which I’ve yet to catch any entry – though in style it may actually be closer to the “Carry Ons”, with a number of mild double entendres and two stalwart members from that series in the cast i.e. Kenneth Connor and guest star Charles Hawtrey.

Nominal star Bob Monkhouse is okay, but his repertory doesn’t seem to be particularly distinctive; in fact, it’s Connor who steals the show as an ex-con who’s made to act as a door-to-door salesman for the new product (and faring disastrously at the task) and even impersonates an American senator at the climax! Future Bond girl Shirley Eaton provides the eye-candy as the actress promoting the old toothpaste and who joins Monkhouse & Co. in their scheme to make their own superior brand. The supporting cast includes such familiar faces as Richard Wattis and Reginald Beckwith.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

We Are Marshall (2006)

Well-meaning, sentimental movie about a university football team that died in a plane crash and the aftermath of trying to put a new team together and dealing with the sorrow of the surviving members and townfolks.

Matthew McConaughey plays Jack Lengyel who was hired to form a new football team. He has a uphill battle but he manages to utilize freshman on his team by enlisting the help of the university president. Matthew McC was wonderful in this role. I wasn't so sure at first but he had a wisdom that was sorely needed in his uphill battle to form a winning team. The rest of the cast were uniformly good. I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

The Endless Summer

You'd have to like surfing (or rather watching surfing as opposed to doing it) a lot more than I do to enjoy this film. It's not horrible, but the music isn't top notch surfing music, and the semi-documentary 'story' does break up the surfing scenes, but with mostly just different travelogue footage. Would probably be a lot better in five minute chunks, than one two-hour sitting.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

Interesting film about a man who becomes increasingly corrupted and evil but remains young and unaffected while his portrait changes with ever evil deed.

Based on a book by Oscar Wilde this is quite an effective story about the nature of evil and its consequences as illustrated by the changing portrait.
Hurd Hatfield gives an excellent performance as the title character. His relatively blank face is chilling in it's expressionlessness with all the emotions present on the canvas. The rest of the supporting cast were excellent though Donna Reed seemed out of place in this movie. This is quite a creepy movie but enjoyable.


Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Very entertaining Spielberg directed crime caper based on a true story.

Young Frank Abagnale Jr. runs away from home at 16 after finding out that his parents are divorcing. Unable to choose, he begins a life of crime by forging and passing bad checks and posing as a pilot, doctor and a prosecuting attorney. He is pursued relentlessly by FBI agent Carl Hanratty. Along the way they both develop a respect for each other.

Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks play their respective roles superbly. DiCaprio is one of a few actors that could probably play a 12 year old let alone a 16 year old and be quite believable. He is totally believable in the role. Tom Hanks was also excellent as the relentless agent. This story in a way is laughable and incredulous if I didn't know that it was based on a true story. Fun movie.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

I'm going to keep my divided into Theatrical and DVD so that at the end of the year, I can easily see what I saw in theaters this year and come up with my Top and Bottom 10 more easily.

Rating Scale: 1-4 Stars

Theatrical

1/4 Juno (2007) 4 Stars

DVD

1/2 The Bourne Ultimatium (2007) 3 1/2 stars
1/3 24 Season 1: Disc 1 (2001) 4 Stars
1/4 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 3 1/2 stars

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Place Holder!

January

Spellbound (01-01-08)
Manderlay (01-02-08)
Four Rooms (01-02-08)

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

01/01/08

Killer That Stalked New York, The (1950) Earl McEvoy

B-budget noir about a female diamond smuggler (Evelyn Keyes) who is trying to sneak some priceless diamonds into NYC from Cuba. While the police are tracking her down they learn that the woman also has smallpox, which threatens the entire city. The story here is a very interesting one but sadly the film never manages to do anything with it. The film really doesn't know if it wants to settle on the diamond story or the smallpox one and the two really don't mix well together. The biggest problem is the direction, which is also all over the place. With a story like this you'd expect some sort of tension or suspense but none never happens. Keyes is pretty good in her role but the screenplay really doesn't do her any justice as our feelings for her character are never really made clear. Charles Korvin, William Bishop and Dorothy Malone round out the cast. The ending is pretty good and picks the film up a bit but that's about all there is.

Here Comes the Navy (1934) Lloyd Bacon

Standard action from Warner about a cocky loudmouth (James Cagney) who joins the Navy so that he can get even with a Captain (Pat O'Brien) but Cagney ends up falling in love with his sister (Gloria Stuart). This film starts off with a great bang but as the movie goes along things become quite predictable and rather flat. The first part of the movie is great with a lot of fighting and insults being thrown by Cagney. Needless to say Cagney is very energetic and delivers another fine performance. His relationship with Stuart is also handled very well as the two actors have a lot of chemistry together. O'Brien is in good form as well and he and Cagney do their magic unlike any other duo. The biggest problem comes in the middle where the story pretty much gets weighted down by the familiar bit where the cocky Cagney must learn what it means to be a normal human being and shut his mouth up before it gets him in real trouble. The action scene at the end is very nice as is the funny ending. The most shocking scene comes when Cagney sneaks off the boat in blackface.

Mabel and Fatty's Married Life (1915) Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

When Fatty Arbuckle leaves town, his wife (Mabel Normand) stays home alone and then gets scared thinking that gangsters are after her. These early Fatty shorts have been really hit and miss with me and this one here is a miss. There's really nothing too funny here, although there are a couple nice stunts where Fatty is standing in the road and nearly escapes getting hit by some passing cars.

Fatty's Restless Fling (1915) Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Fatty Arbuckle's wife is sick and tired of him coming home drunk so she makes him go to the shower while she goes out to the store. Instead of staying in Fatty goes to a poker game but when it's broken up by the police he fears about his wife finding out. This is one of the best shorts I've seen from Arbuckle who, as the director, keeps things moving at a very nice pace. There's plenty of laughs to be found here with a great sequence where Fatty is trying to get away from his wife, the cop and a woman's husband. There's also a great gag of Fatty constantly getting shot in the butt.

Fatty's Chance Acquaintance (1915) Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Fatty's wife drags him to the park so that she can read but once there he leaves her when he spots a prettier woman. This short drags in spots but there are still a few nice laughs including a thief getting chased around the park by a elderly cop. There's also a nice sequence with Fatty trying to get his wife to let him buy a drink. Frank Hayes steals the show as the cop.

Hatchet (2006) Adam Green

Extremely gory slasher pic has two best friends and an assortment group of people heading out to the Louisiana bayou where they are stalked by a deformed killer. It seems each and every years there's a horror film that starts all kinds of buzz among horror fans and this film is the current talk of the community. More often than not these films turn out to be duds but I really enjoyed this film, which is clearly a throwback to the 80's slasher period. The film contains a lot of connections to older films with its cast that includes Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Tony Todd (Candyman) and Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th 6-9) who plays the killer here. What really makes this film fun are the countless kills, which contain an over the top amount of gore as well as some rather graphic but fun violence, which got the film an NC-17. After watching the film I can see why that rating was given because the violence is non-stop and includes countless decapitations, a sander in the mouth and various other kills. The performances are all rather one-note but they're good enough for this type of film and all of the characters are fun at least. We get quite a bit of nudity so add that onto the death scenes and you've got a pretty entertaining little film. The make up effects were done by John Carl Buechler who previously directed Friday the 13th 7. There's also quite a bit of humor, which pokes fun at the genre and for the most part the laughs work as well.

01/02/08

Project Grizzly (1996) Peter Lynch

Documentary on Troy Hurtubise, a canadian man who was attacked by a grizzly so to get revenge he builds a protective suit and goes out to find another grizzly to fight. If this guy sounds strange then that's because he really is. The ending is a disappointment as the fight never happens but everything that comes before this is pretty entertaining because this guy is just so damn weird. He rambles on about stuff he has no idea about and I can't help but wonder if this guy was the inspiration for all those Holiday Inn commercials that you see all over television. Apparently Quentin Tarantino is a big fan of this movie and I'm sure he could have fun turning this into a movie of his own.

That Little Band of Gold (1915) Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Fatty and Mabel Normand are married but after the wedding he starts going out every night with his friends. Mabel finally demands that he takes her to the opera but once there he runs off with another woman for some drinks. Like many of Arbunkle's two-reelers, this one here spends about fifteen-minutes building everything up for the ending but none of it is very funny. Some of these two-reelers are very weird because it seems that they are never going for laughs and there's just way too much dead time before we get down to the action. Charley Chase can be spotted playing a telephone operator.

Fatty's Faithful Fido (1915) Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Fatty and his bitter rival (Al St. John) get into a fight but Fatty's dog Fido saves the day. Later in the evening the rival hires two thugs to jump Fatty but the plan backfires. This is a pretty good short that moves by pretty quickly and contains some funny stunts and a couple nice fight sequences. The highlight is certainly the dog, real name Luke, who steals every single scene he's in. There's a great chase sequence where the dog has to climb up a ladder and do various other stunts.

When Love Took Wings (1915) Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Fatty and two other men must battle to win the hand of a young woman who they all love. There aren't too many laughs here but the film moves at a very fast pace and manages to stay entertaining throughout. Frank Hayes steals the show as the father who isn't afraid to throw a few punches to protect his daughter. there's a nice twist at the end, which will take anyone by surprise.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Collateral (2004)

A cab driver finds himself and his vehicle taken hostage by a hitman who was hired to eliminate 5 people before they can appear in front of the grand jury and give testimony against a drug cartel.

Tom Cruise has mostly been relegated to playing hero types or at least likable characters. He plays against type here for his character is a cold blooded killer and Tom pulls it off quite well. In fact I think I prefer him in this type of role rather than some of the others that he's done. This role is meaty and protrays a different side to his talent. Jamie Foxx was great as the cab driver who had the misforture of picking up Tom.
This is a well crafted movie that comes to a satisfying conclusion. Michael Mann never fails to disappoint.


White Heat (1949)

James Cagney plays Cody Jarrett a ruthless criminal who arranges to spend time in prison in another state for a crime he didn't commit. This way he can avoid death row. Undercover cop Hank Fallon shares a cell with Jarrett in order to find out information about a train heist and the location of the money.

This is Cagney at his best playing a role that he's familiar with. Not too many actors can play a gangster like Cagney can. Edmund O'Brien was also excellent as the undercover cop. He seemed to be able to hold his own against Cagney's scenery chewing. The rest of the supporting characters were great. This is a pretty good gangster flick.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Collateral got a bad rap for some reason but I could watch that movie at any time - Mann made a highly original and effective crime thriller. There are many standout scenes - Cruise's first stop and the way he shoots the two guys in the street, the ending to the talk at the jazz club, the shootout in the nightclub. The last 20 minutes are also tough to beat (once you accept Foxx's transformation into an action hero

Out of

Hired Hand 1/2
70s Western directed by Peter Fonda has a somewhat interesting story but is terribly pretentious. Warren Oates gives his usual excellent performance.

Don't Look Up
This is Hideo Nakata's previous film to Ring and is almost a dry run for it. A pale-faced, ghost actress with long black hair (sound familiar?) haunts a movie studio and somehow film gets imprinted with ghostly apparitions. Many interesting plot threads are brought up and not really developed but Nakata's skill with fright scenes is already on display. I think a remake is coming.

01/02 Things to do in Denver When You're Dead
Obnoxious crime thriller obviously inspired by Tarantino but with some inappropriate sentimentality. The film wastes some good actors and location (why set a film in Denver and not use any good backgrounds?) in a highly unlikely story. I did not buy Garcia's character as Jimmy "The Saint" who we were supposed to sympathize with. The only saving grace is some excellent dialog which makes use of some fresh criminal vernacular.

International House 1/2
Extremely enjoyable film with WC Fields having a ball as a hard-drinking aviator who drops in (literally!) on a posh hotel in China. Many great actors and scenes – Burns and Allen, Franklin Pangborn, even Bela Lugosi.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

01/02/07: GULLIVER’S TRAVELS (Peter Hunt, 1977)

I had watched this on Italian TV as a kid and recall being fond of it – in view of its mixing live-action with animation; however, it was universally panned at the time…and, catching up with it again after all these years, I have to admit that the critics were right!

What must have seemed wondrous to a child’s eyes is actually very poorly done, not to mention boring for a fantasy-adventure; fatally, both star (ex-‘Angry Young Man’ Richard Harris) and director (action expert Hunt) are ill-suited to the material! At least, Michel Legrand’s score (with lyrics provided by scriptwriter Don Black) is serviceable – if not exactly inspired. By the way, a number of well-known personalities are featured among the voice artists on this British-Belgian co-production (Julian Glover, Bessie Love, Murray Melvin, Robert Rietty, Vladek Sheybal, Graham Stark and, this being his last film work, Michael Bates).

While the essential plot points of Jonathan Swift’s classic novel (‘giant’ Gulliver becomes the pawn in a war between the little people of two neighboring countries and, on escaping, ends up in a land of real giants) do emerge here, it’s done on a strictly kiddie level (with stereotyped characters though, thankfully, little intrusion of the comic/romantic variety) – which renders the whole venture somewhat pointless, outside of its intrinsically experimental nature, since Max and Dave Fleischer had already done a splendid feature-length cartoon version of the book way back in 1939!


01/02/07: RED SONJA (Richard Fleischer, 1985)

This is another childhood ‘guilty pleasure’: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s third medieval fantasy-adventure romp following two Conan pictures was similarly inspired by a Robert E. Howard comic-strip and directed by the man behind CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984) itself. I wonder whether this was supposed to be longer and suffered severe cuts in the cutting room because, not only is extra footage included in the theatrical trailer, but it feels distinctly undernourished at a mere 89 minutes (note the utter pointlessness of the villainess’s giant pet spider) – with the muscular action star virtually turning up only during action highlights!

In fact, the nominal lead is newcomer Brigitte Nielsen (who does surprisingly well by her one-dimensional role) playing the titular character, a warrior with a mission to retrieve a talisman and save the world from an evil sorceress (Sandahl Bergman) – the latter having been left facially disfigured when Red Sonja rejected her amorous advances! Flanking Nielsen are an initially arrogant Chinese child prince and his long-suffering, burly servant (Paul Smith, a Bud Spencer wannabe and perhaps best-known for playing Bluto in Robert Altman’s POPEYE [1980] misfire) – while Bergman’s campy lieutenant is played by Ronald Lacey (whom I’ve just watched in the contemporaneous medieval epic FLESH + BLOOD [1985]).

The film’s raison d’etre, ultimately, are its plentiful action sequences – which are vigorously enough handled by Hollywood veteran Fleischer. Incidentally, while the overall look isn’t particularly memorable, the production values here involve many a renowned Italian artisan – from producer Dino de Laurentiis to cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, composer Ennio Morricone (providing a typically rousing score), and production/costume designer Danilo Donati. Striving to inject a modicum of literariness into the heady brew, then, the script has been assigned to a couple of Brits – namely, Clive Exton and George MacDonald Fraser but it still emerges as a surprisingly witless affair! Apparently, the film-makers of RED SONJA – which, incidentally, is about to be remade as a Hollywood blockbuster – were inspired by the Luigi Cozzi/Lou Ferrigno HERCULES (1983) – with which I’ve also reacquainted myself recently – for the sequence in which our heroes get to grips with a giant mechanical fish!

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

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H

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Why on earth do people "reserve" a spot in a thread? That makes no sense to me. Post when you're ready to post.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

I think it's because they'd like a spot on the first or 2nd page, but haven't seen any movies yet.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Sounds sensible to me.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Little Miss Sunshine

The film is a tradeoff between long drama-laden scenes of a dysfunctional family, with short funny scenes of a dysfunctional family. The funny stuff is very funny, but there's too little of it.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

It's easier to read if everyone has their lists on the first couple pages. We had 2500 posts last year so it would be tough searching for someone's list if they were scattered around.

Plus, I like going through the first couple pages and seeing what others are watching. It actually helps me pick what I might watch next, reminds me of what just got released on DVD and so on. Often times the lists will remind me of a film I've been meaning to watch but had forgotten about.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

"Collateral" utterly fell apart during the last 20 minutes. As farcical coincidence was heaped upon us and where everyone becomes Bruce Willis as Cruise turns into a stock psycho character who keeps on coming like a bad Slasher killer.
Such a shame that the superb nightclub sequence (prime Mann) was the last really worthwhile moment int he film.


"This is England"

Shane Meadows' superbly acted, very well made look at the rougher end of English life in the 80's where we follow the life of a young lad becoming a skinhead and finding friends and a place in life, before the darker elements of fascism arise with the arrival of a psychotic National Front member.

Some great music, lots of interesting dialogue and a real feel for 80's England.
All held up by some wonderful performances.

All is good then?
Well no, not really.

Meadows the real-life ex-bad boy seems to have found his salvation to such a degree he's turned into a liberal angel of leftist light who only sees in black and white.

Do you have any thoughts on immigration?
Do you have any worries about completely unchecked, literally come one come all no matter who you are, immigration?
Well if you do.... you're a nasty, racist, tattooed, machete wielding psycho. Because that's all we are offered in Meadows' world.
As any thoughts, worries or views on immigration are seen as wrong and the thoughts of racist animals.

A perfect example is when a National Front thug in suit states
he has no problem with anyone coming over here, no matter who they are, if they come to work and add something to the country...BUT he has a problem with people simply flooding over here to take what they can get.

And what is wrong with that?
Why shouldn't any country and its people think that?
But of course as Meadows chooses to have such perfectly reasoned views spoken by National Front racists they are tainted and as such made void and worthless.

In fact Meadows' view is as one-sided and blind as the views of the skinhead thugs he criticises, for having such one-sided and blind views!
Irony is always good for a laugh.

And I would really like to know exactly what Meadows would have liked to happen over The Falklands' War, another thing he takes achingly childish one-sided views on throughout the movie.

Should we simply have let Argentina invade then? Seems so in Meadows leftist world.
Or should we fight them but then stop and let them win when the social standing, age and how sad they look brings tears to the eyes (as his laughable commentary track comments suggest)?

Argentinian generals take note...simply send a few scruffy looking 20 year olds with sad faces to invade The Falklands next time and Prime Minister Meadows will let you do it!

Such silly, simplistic, attitudes for an otherwise intelligent, well acted and well made film to make. And ones that ultimately soured it for me.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Films Watched in 2008

New Films

Tell No One
Death Proof
The Kite Runner
Beowulf 3D
The Last King Of Scotland
Michael Clayton
Aliens Vs Predator 2 : Requiem
3:10 To Yuma
Clerks II
30 Days Of Night 1/2
Salem's Lot
Romulus, My Father
The Spiderwick Chronicles 1/2
Hitman
Iron Man
The Orphanage
Cloverfield 1/2
The Golden Compass
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull 1/2
National Treasure
National Treasure 2 : Book Of Secrets
The Happening
The Eye (2008)
The Incredible Hulk
The Chronicles Of Narnia : Prince Caspian
Wanted
Kung Fu Panda
Enchanted
Hancock
21
10,000 B.C.
Gone Baby, Gone
Street Kings
Atonement 1/2
La Misma Luna (Under The Same Moon) 1/2
Twin Peaks : Fire Walk With Me 1/2
Wall-E
The Signal
The Searchers
The Last Mimzy 1/2
Agent Cody Banks
Agent Cody Banks 2 : Destination London
The Dark Knight
The Mist (2007)
I Confess 1/2
Stage Fright
The Wrong Man 1/2
The X Files : I Want To Believe 1/2
Strangers On A Train 1/2
The Italian (2007) 1/2
There Will Be Blood 1/2
Vantage Point
Funny Games US
Doomsday
Tropic Thunder
Hellboy II : The Golden Army 1/2
Eagle Eye 1/2
Quantum Of Solace
Eastern Promises
Disturbia 1/2
REC 1/2
Libero (Along the Ridge) 1/2
The Nines 1/2
Green Street
Twilight
The Mummy - Tomb of The Dragon Emperor
Night At The Museum 1/2
Ghost Town
Mamma Mia
Babylon AD 1/2


Rewatched

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
I Am Legend
Alien Vs Predator
Silent Hill
Resident Evil
Resident Evil : Apocalypse
Resident Evil : Extinction
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Lord Of The Rings : The Fellowship Of The Ring
Lord Of The Rings : The Two Towers 1/2
Lord Of The Rings : The Return Of The King
Unforgiven
The Prestige 1/2
Spiderman 1/2
Spiderman 2
Spiderman 3
Apocalypto
The Usual Suspects
Die Hard
Die Hard 2 1/2
Die Hard With A Vengeance
Die Hard 4.0 1/2
I Am Legend : Alternate Version 1/2
The Island
From Hell 1/2
Cars
The Brave One
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
Monty Python's Life Of Brian
War Of The Worlds (2005) 1/2
Star Wars - Episode III : Revenge Of The Sith
Ice Age
Ice Age : The Meltdown
Batman Begins
Seven Years In Tibet
The Descent
The Italian Job (2005)
Signs 1/2
Lady In The Water 1/2
The Mummy (1999) 1/2
The Mummy Returns
Flight Of The Navigator
Apollo 13
Immortal Beloved
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 1/2
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull 1/2
Flatliners
Die Another Day 1/2
For Your Eyes Only
The Omen (1976)
The Thing
Star Wars : Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Star Wars : Episode II - Attack Of The Clones
Star Wars : Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith
Star Wars : Episode IV - A New Hope
Star Wars : Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars : Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi 1/2
The Matrix
The Animatrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions
Interview With The Vampire
Dark City - Director's Cut
Kingdom Of Heaven - Director's Cut
District B13
The Phantom Of The Opera (2004)
Wanted
Kung Fu Panda
The X Files - Fight The Future
Eraser 1/2

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

1/4/08

Christmas Holiday (1944) Dir: Robert Siodmak

Ah! Just what the doctor ordered. Chase away the stress and tensions of the holiday season with a gay romp through Christmas Holiday starring Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly…or maybe not.

Army Lt. Mason (Dean Harens) intends to use his holiday leave to go back to San Francisco and ask his girl to marry him. Of course, she’s thrown him overboard in a telegram he gets just before leaving. But he’s going to go anyway, just to give her a piece of his mind. Sure enough, his plane never gets there, as it’s grounded in New Orleans by bad weather (fate, or some mysterious force, in action, as Al Roberts might say). While waiting for the next plane out, Mason is obligingly taken out for some entertainment by Simon Fenimore (Richard Whorf, who played Sam Harris in Yankee Doodle Dandy), a local newspaperman. They visit the Maison Laffite, which I believe is French for ‘classy Hollywood version whorehouse’, where Mason is introduced to the star attraction, Jackie (Durbin). They get to know each other a little and she reveals that she’s actually Abigail Manette, wife of the notorious murderer, George Manette (Kelly) who’s serving time at Angola. The rest of the film is then spent telling her tale of woe in flashbacks, with a return to the present day at the end to wrap it all up.

Apparently very loosely based on a Somerset Maugham novel, Christmas Holiday’s biggest problem is the figurative dance that writer Herman Mankiewicz must have needed to do in order to adapt the story and meet the code. There are various allusions to a “pathological” relationship between George and his mother (Gale Sondergaard), as well as vaguely defined weaknesses and flaws in George that would somehow make him dangerous to Abigail. It’s so subtle as to be nearly inexplicable. The murder is completely random with no motivation. The ending also features some changes in the characters that are as jarring as the snapping of fingers.

Deanna Durbin is very fine here. It didn’t appear to spur her on to a career as a dramatic actress, although it could have, the potential is there. Gene Kelly has a harder time. He’s a tad stiff in the straight dramatic scenes, but does manage to summon up a bit of edge when needed.

As one might expect of a Siodmak film, there is some splendid b&w photography from Woody Bredell (The Killers, Phantom Lady, The Unsuspected). In particular, there is a terrific, virtually dialogue-free scene (which nonetheless has a lot going on in it) between Lt. Mason and Abigail attending the Christmas Midnight Mass in a marvelous, ornate cathedral (The Saint Louis?). There’s also a very clever match cut during one of the flashbacks bridging Abigail and George’s first date with his later asking her to marry him via the same song.

Although I’m usually asking for less, Christmas Holiday would have benefited, perhaps greatly, with another 10 minutes or so of exposition. As it is, the film is a slight miss. However, fans of the two leads and those venturing deeper into the noir catalog should both find something of interest.

out of 4

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

Petticoat Fever (1936)

This is a pretty silly movie. The only bright spot is Myrna Loy. Love that lady.


Fargo (1996)

Classic Coen brothers flick based on a true story and set in Minnesota. Everything here is perfect from the acting, soundtrack, directing and especially cinematography. The all white scene with the lone truck coming toward the camera was just awesome. The script was just brilliant. You got to know these characters, quirks and all and like them or at least some of them. This movie is on my top ten favourites of all time. Great stuff.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

01/03/08

Hollywood Hist-O-Rama: James Cagney (1962) Joseph R. Juliano

Short bio of James Cagney gives a six-minute introduction to his career with various stills from his motion pictures. Needless to say, with such a short running time there's nothing here to learn but the film remains fun for a quick stroll down his career.

Mabel's Wilful Way (1915) Mabel Normand & Mack Sennett

Mabel Normand gets tired of sitting with her parents so she sneaks out to the park where she runs into Fatty and trouble follows. This is a pretty good short that goes by very quickly and also contains a lot of laughs. There are many highlights including Fatty feeding a bear with his mouth, a cop who likes to hit up on Fatty and a wonderful sequence with Fatty and Mabel on a slide.

Alas and Alack (1915) Joseph De Grasse

Incomplete short has Cleo Madison telling her daughter a story about the noise in a seashell while her husband (Lon Chaney) is away fishing. The woman dreams of becoming rich one day and it seems her wishes are granted when a rich man pulls up on shore. The final six minutes of the film are missing so there's no way of knowing if she leaves with the man or stays with her husband. The most important thing about this early Universal short is that Chaney plays two roles including a hunchback in a dream sequence. The hunchback scenes have him in limited make up but it looks okay. The special effects are pretty good for the time and Madison makes for a good lead. Hopefully the final minutes will be found someday.

Torpedo Squadron (1942) John Ford

John Ford made several shorts during world War 2 but this one here is rather unique. The footage shot for this film was originally meant for another movie but not too long after this was filmed all but one of the men from Torpedo Squadron 8 were killed in battle. This film opens up with a brief introduction of the events and then goes straight to the footage of the men with their names inside an "In Memory" plaque. What really took me off guard is how loose and calm these men are even though they are getting ready to leave for battle not knowing if they would return or not. The bravery of these men really comes out even though we see very little of them. The film was shot in Technicolor, which is another added bonus. The movie runs just under seven minutes but it's probably the best stuff I've seen from the Ford shorts.

01/04/08

Fatty's Plucky Pup (1915) Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Two-reeler has Fatty in love with his neighbor but he's afraid to tell her. Before he even gets a chance to tell her she is kidnapped by some bad men but thankfully his dog Plucky knows where she is. Here's another two-reeler where it seems like no one even tried to get a laugh. There's not a single laugh in the film, which isn't good since this runs twenty-seven minutes. The opening sequence with Fatty setting is bed on fire is amusing but not funny. The majority of the second half deals with the dog running around various obstacles and again, this is amusing but not funny.

Doorway to Hell, The (1930) Archie Mayo

Early gangster picture from Warner tells the rise and fall of Louie Ricarno (Lew Ayres) who started up a beer racket before retiring yet he gets back in after his youngest brother is killed by rival gangs. This film suffers from some technical issues like many films from this era in terms of sound recording but overall it's a pretty entertaining little film, although it's been forgotten today due to Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, which were released the following year. There's plenty of action and tough talk but Ayres is really the wrong guy for the lead. For starters, he looks like a kid so he never comes off too threatening and whenever he pushes the other gangster around it just makes them look like wimps. Ayres also comes off laughable during the scenes where he's trying to show outrage and anger. James Cagney steals the film as Ayres' sidekick and he's his typical, high energy self. Dwight Frye also has a small role here, which was the first of his career.

Public Enemy, The (1931) William A. Wellman

James Cagney stars as a guy who grew up poor but quickly works his way up the criminal ladder. I think this is the best of all the early gangster pictures, although the film still has a few flaws. Even the flaws can't stand in the way of all the action, drama and laughs the film has going for it. I never really gave much credit to Wellman but since I've been watching countless films of his I paid closer attention to little details here that would later show up in others films of his. The way he takes the camera off the action is what really stood out and this gimmick always works for the director. It's used here when the man at the piano is shot and moving the camera off the action makes for more drama and works a lot better than if we had seen the shooting. Jean Harlow and Mae Clarke are both great in their roles but there's no denying that this is Cagney's picture from start to finish. This is certainly one of the greatest performances out there as Cagney's free and easy acting makes for a very memorable role. The way Cagney just seems to float within the scene adds to the fun. There are countless great scenes in the film including the grapefruit scene but my favorite is the one where Cagney is dressed in black walking towards the camera in the rain.

Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade (1978) Joe D'Amato

Reporter Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) is doing a story on the white slave trade and tracks everything to a gangster living in Africa. Not happy stopping there, Emanuelle comes back to America and begins working undercover. This is probably the best of the D'Amato/Gemser Emanuelle movies but that's not saying too much. Unlike the other films in the series this one here at least manages to be entertaining without having to have a woman jerk off a horse as was seen in Emanuelle in America. This film here has a pretty interesting story and it moves along without too many boring spots. Needless to say there's a lot of sex scenes with Gemser taking on various men and women and these here are without a doubt the best scenes. D'Amato makes most of these very erotic, which is another thing missing from others in the series. I wouldn't say Gemser gives a good performance but she is comfortable in the role and you can't complain about seeing her naked throughout the film. The scenes in Africa are well shot and it's nice seeing some of the wildlife. Some of the American scenes were lifted from Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals but this just adds to some of the cheap fun. Original title: Via della prostituzione, La.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2008)

"Fargo" is damn near perfect isn't it? Always a satisfying watch.

Mario! I love it!
From "Public Enemy" to "Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade"!
It's what movie watching is all about.