Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

The musical commentary is as entertaining as the film itself.


Silent Running - Uninspiring hippie sci-fi with a confused environmentalist message. The main character is supposed to be this incredibly dedicated botanist, but his revelation at the end suggests that he's tremendously bad at his job, overlooking something about plant growth that any 7 year-old would know. I never know how to feel about Bruce Dern... he has an interesting presence, but he's really not a very good actor. And Joan Baez's music is hard to stomach under any circumstances. The only thing about this movie that rises above average are the special effects (director Douglas Trumbull was key to the effects on 2001). Everything else is pretty hokey, clichéd, or mediocre. Rating: 5

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

As you know, I'm dedicating each day of film viewing to a different genre but, given that October is traditionally reserved for Horror movies, I had toyed with the idea of jettisoning the "Fantasy Day" and save them all for the Halloween marathon. But then I figured that, since I had managed to neatly subdivide my collection into 12 genres, it would be silly to mess up with it now. After all, why should I deprive myself of indulging in my favorite genre for 11 months straight, right? Besides, did I really think that Joe Karlosi would tolerate such snobbish behavior over here?


Fantasy Day #1:


01/06/09: WORLD WITHOUT END (Edward L. Bernds, 1956)

Watchable sci-fi on familiar ‘time travel’ lines, which is given added distinction (though not necessarily improved) by being filmed in color and widescreen. The most notable cast members are Hugh Marlowe (who appeared in a handful of titles in this vein) and Rod Taylor (later star of the similar but obviously more prestigious THE TIME MACHINE [1960]); typically, the world of the 26th century has been decimated by radioactivity, with the population divided between learned pacifists living underground and deformed savages roaming above. Our heroes bring with them a history of violence which causes them to be mistrusted by the former and attacked by the latter; however, the girls of either faction are turned on by their ruggedness! Direct opposition comes from both camps, too, with one of the eminent members of the underground people debasing himself to treachery and murder through jealousy (his intended has fallen for Marlowe) and the latter also being forced to engage in a duel with the one-eyed leader of the brutes. Though the compartmentalized futuristic sets look decent., the incongruous medieval costumes come across as decidedly cheesy; incidentally, the title makes little sense and the fact that the astronauts remain stranded in time constitutes something of a let-down.


01/06/09: SATELLITE IN THE SKY (Paul Dickson, 1956)

Included on the same disc as WORLD WITHOUT END (1956), this contemporaneous sci-effort from Britain takes a much more serious approach (down to the stiff-upper-lipped characters and stirring score) – with its documentary-like depiction of flights outside the Earth’s atmosphere, the ultimate reason for which is the testing of a new type of bomb that’s so powerful it can only be blown in outer space! While not uninteresting in itself, the treatment is so hackneyed as to render the whole dull instead of gripping, managing only a modicum of suspense during the last half-hour or so when the bomb, already timed to explode, remains attached to the back of the shuttle when dislodged! Casting is second-rate but adequate: Kieron Moore (as the stoic test pilot), Lois Maxwell (an intrepid reporter who, having lost her father and brother to science, feels a natural aversion to progress…but still can’t help stowing away on the space vessel for the sake of a scoop!), Donald Wolfit (in the obligatory pompous physicist role, who then breaks into hysterics when the going gets tough!) as well as Bryan Forbes and Jimmy Hanley, playing other members of the flight each given a dreary romantic subplot fraught with complications.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Foreign Day #1:


01/07/09: A BLOODY SPEAR ON MOUNT FUJI (Tomu Uchida, 1955)

I had never heard of Japanese director Tomu Uchida prior to reading about a retrospective held at London’s National Film Theatre in December 2007 but, my interest ignited, I quickly landed this film in my collection. What we have here, essentially, is a tragicomic road movie: the narrative – about a pilgrimage to the titular landmark by a disgraced samurai (prone to violent drunken binges) and his two dim-witted warrior-servants – rambles amiably along in a leisurely and mostly droll vein until the unexpected and electrifyingly bloodthirsty finale. Through the striking use of sweeping camera movement and fast cutting, we are introduced to the trio of protagonists and the major supporting characters right from the very first sequence; the comic highlight comes around the midpoint when an abandoned boy (who joined their party after befriending the lancer) disrupts a solemn tea-drinking ceremony enacted by three noblemen in an open field while naturally relieving himself in the nearby bushes. The second half grows more somber with the episodes of the capture of a notorious tattooed thief disguised as a pilgrim and an old man forced to sell off his daughter as collateral for a measly loan. Nothing however really prepares us for the remarkably ‘clumsy’ climax (this is no choreographed ballet of violence) in which the lancer single-handedly dispatches the men who had killed his master merely for daring to drink publicly with his subordinate. It is also worth mentioning that several distinguished Japanese film-makers (including Yasujiro Ozu) helped in the making of this film which was Uchida’s comeback after a decade spent in China.


01/07/09: SWORDS OF DEATH (Tomu Uchida, 1971)

Jarring, intermittent use of freeze frames accompanied by voiceover narration and some poorly-synched sound effects might well be tell-tale signs that this film was still incomplete when its director passed away in mid-1970. Similar to my previous encounter with Uchida’s cinema – the superior A BLOODY SPEAR ON MOUNT FUJI (1955) – this film has a very deliberately paced (and, in this case, muddled) first half as it tells of the exploits of legendary warrior Musashi Miyamoto (played 16 years earlier by the great Toshiro Mifune in a celebrated trilogy of films for director Hiroshi Inakagi and the protagonist of several previous Uchida pictures) and settles on his confrontation with a rival – the owner of a secret weapon he craves – and his equally adept wife (whose brother he had killed years before). This incident takes up virtually all of the film’s second half whereupon Musashi emerges triumphant by defeating the man’s entire band of followers and setting husband against wife by kidnapping their little son.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Mike,


I've had much the same reaction as you did about this one. Although I'm a fan of British horror, there's just no way this film would have made it into my DVD collection had it not been included in Anchor Bay UK's 6-Disc "Tigon Collection" set which I purchased specifically for the upgraded SE DVD of Piers Haggard's superior BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW (1971).

For the record, that collection contained mostly dreadful dreck - THE BODY STEALERS (1969), THE BEAST IN THE CELLAR (1970) and VIRGIN WITCH (1972) - but also yet another DVD edition of Tigon's best ever film, WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) - of which I now have 4 versions: PAL VHS, Metrodome R2 DVD, Anchor Bay R2 DVD and Fox R1 DVD!! To think that I nearly had a fit in the mid-1990s when I realized that, after eagerly waiting an entire month for UK's (sadly long defunct) Bravo TV channel to screen it, I forgot all about it when it fell due!

To get back to THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORRORS (1969) for a minute: back in the day when I acquired that set, I used to listen to every Audio Commentary (a practice I intend to pick up again as from this year) and, in it, director Michael Armstrong said that the whole 'married man' subplot was an imposition by AIP (which were its U.S. distributors). Interestingly, he also said that his original vision of the film was a much more psychedelic one and that David Bowie was to have been one of the leads! As for its surprising violence, you do realize that Armstrong would follow this one with the notoriously gruesome MARK OF THE DEVIL (1970), don't you?

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

You've reminded me that I have this one thanks to you...and I really should find a way to increase my viewing tally by incorporating more shorts into my genre viewings.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

I've said it before and I'll say it again: WHY are Warners sitting on all those biopic gems that they have in their libraries...or do they believe that every film buff the world over has access to TCM or something???


P.S. At least, I did get to see CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY (1939) once on TCM UK (and still have it on VHS) but, compared to its American counterpart, the UK branch of TCM is a dead duck indeed: all I have to look forward to, as regards to "new" TCM UK screenings this month, are 3 of those "Man From U.N.C.L.E." movies!

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

I concur with Michael's praise of John Stell's entertaining reviews and, on a personal note, I'm glad (and relieved) that someone decided to pick up the mantle of exhaustive reviewing on this thread.

As for ROMANCING THE STONE (1984) - and its sequel THE JEWEL OF THE NILE (1985) - I've caught them both in my childhood days and they might (or not) get a revisit as part of my "blast from the past" weekend viewings.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

I'm reading through this thread in reverse so I've just seen Sandro's query on Robert Aldrich which seems to have gone by unnoticed.

So, here's a link to my rather old-fashioned take on Aldrich's career (via star ratings only, alas):

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...t-aldrich.html


I say "old-fashioned" because it seems to me that THE GRISSOM GANG (1971) and ULZANA'S RAID (1972) should occupy a higher place in the rankings. Since then, I've also acquired TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING (1977) but have yet to watch it.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Pete York is another guy whose HTF reviews I look forward to.

I admire the work of Mitchell Leisen and, in fact, I've just acquired a couple of his films - MIDNIGHT (1939) and REMEMBER THE NIGHT (1940) - but, I suppose, you're aware of that already!

Actually, before deciding on this "Genre" thing for 2009, I considered concentrating exclusively on distinguished directors throughout the year but that would have ruled out a lot of amusing trash!


P.S. What the f...? I was going to post a link to my ranking of Mitchell Leisen's films from its respective HTF Poll but just found out to my astonishment that there was none!! Are we all homophobics or something?

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

I promise this is going to be my last post on this thread for now...


In case any one's interested in a similar view to Martin Teller’s of BAND OF BROTHERS (2001; TV)


"Band of Brothers" (2001) - IMDb user comments


Conversely, for an opposite view to Martin Teller’s of SILENT RUNNING (1972):


Silent Running (1972) - IMDb user comments

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Same here. I like the film.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

010) 01/08/2009 Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) (out of four)

Around the World in Eighty Days is a technical marvel with its stunning, Oscar-winning photography and travelogue approach. We’re taken to London, Paris, Spain, India and China. We travel by balloon, train, boat, and elephant. We witness a bullfight, a deadly religious ceremony, an Indian attack, and a Chinese circus. What we do not do, however, is get involved in the story – because there really isn’t one. Around the World in Eighty Days is a film that dazzles our eyes but leaves our heart cold.

Phileas Fogg (David Niven) is a cold, eccentric, wealthy man who, on a bet, says he can travel around the world in eighty days. While several fellow members of the men-only Reform Club in London make bets against him, Phileas gathers his new valet Passepartout (Cantinflas) and a bag full of pound notes and starts his journey. Along the way he saves a princess (Shirley MacLaine) from death, and maybe finds love. Meanwhile, a not particularly able detective (Robert Newton) pursues Phileas thinking he is the man who robbed the Bank of England and has used the bet to cover his escape.

The film attempts three things to beef up its nonexistent plot: to introduce tension by having Phileas hunted, to have Phileas fall in love with the princess he saved, and to populate the film with cameo appearances by then-famous stars. The first attempt fails because Phileas is able, ever so quickly, to dodge the detective, which means we never feel apprehensive about Phileas’ fate. Basically Detective Fix serves as Wile E. Coyote to Phileas’ Road Runner. The second attempt does not work because the character of Phileas is never explored. We first hear about him via a former valet who talks about how horrible a master Phileas is. The rest of the film is so preoccupied with the scenery that we never get a sense of Phileas the man. The whole romantic angle feels perfunctory. And the third attempt just takes us out of the story as we think, "Hey there's Frank Sinatra!"

While Around the World in Eighty Days is a jolly and good-looking entertainment, it depends only on its sense of visual scale to engage the viewer. While it’s easy to appreciate the effects it has on one viewing the film on the big screen, it’s not so easy to regard this as anything but a superficial exercise.



My DVD Collection
My Film Blog

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Mike and Mario -

Thank you both so much for the kind words and encouragement. I really hope I can keep this up through February 20th.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Yeah, I actually forgot to mention this in my review but I've never really thought MARK OF THE DEVIL was that violent. It always seemed like a marketing ploy to me but I've only seen the film once. I hated it but still planned on giving Blue Underground's version another shot.

I've about had it with British horror though.


I've been scratching my head on some of their releases as well. Especially that pre-code set, which contains lesser quality pre-codes and even lesser quality Wellman titles.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

011) 01/09/2009 Gran Torino (2008) (out of four)

Director/star Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino is a formula picture in the best sense of the term. It establishes its characters, plant its seeds of inevitability, and lets the story unfold pretty much in the way we expect, the way we mostly want it to play out. What elevates it is Eastwood’s terrific performance.

Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) has just lost his wife, and he now lives alone in a neighborhood where he is in the minority. Wanting to be left alone he is nevertheless drawn into the life of his Hmong neighbors when a gang tries to abduct Thao (Bee Vang), a teenaged boy who lives next door to Walt and is the gang leader’s cousin. Walt eventually lets down his defenses to help Thao and his sister Sue (Ahney Her) try to evade the world of violence that is closing in on them.

Not much of what happens in Gran Torino is very surprising. We know that Walt’s seemingly innocuous cough during his wife’s funeral means what such a thing always means in the movies. We know that Thao will eventually be more of a friend to Walt than Walt's own sons or grandchildren. And we know that Walt will eventually do what his late wife wanted him to do regarding the parish priest.

But Eastwood the actor puts so much conviction, and eventually heart, into Walt that he rises above stereotypes. Walt is a racist, a bigot, ornery, unpleasant, sour, etc. But ultimately he gets interested in life again by helping a young man who, without some kind of guidance, will eventually either succumb and join a gang, or die trying to avoid that very fate. Walt sees this as a chance to perhaps assuage some of the guilt he feels over killing young men in South Korea. There is genuine warmth in sweetness in the scene in Walt’s backyard where he barbecues for his young neighbors. And the film has earned its tears by the end.

The greater theme here, of course, is that young men need a father figure, or at least a respectable authority figure, in their lives to guide them the challenges they face growing up amongst violence. But Gran Torino never gets preachy or pretentious. This is a film where we know the destination, but find the journey getting there oh so enjoyable.



My DVD Collection
My Film Blog

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Stay Away, Joe (1968)

It's been a looooonnnggg time since I saw this comedy, and I'd forgotten just how idiotic it is. I'd place this easily in the top two or three of Elvis Presley's very worst movies. Presley plays Joe Whitecloud, a half-breed Indian bull rider who returns home to Arizona and the broken-down shack where his family lives, and where his friends love to party all night long. His parents are played by Burgess Meredith and Katy Jurado, and his old Indian grandpa is Thomas Gomez. None of the three offer anything of substance , comically or otherwise. The government has invested in the family's cattle, but they're lacking a bull. Elvis gets to sing just a few utterly worthless songs, and is pursued by a young boy-crazy gal and her gun-toting mother. This is just a real slapdash of a mess, and the dilapidated surroundings practically stink of manure and don't make this much easier. The one thing that puzzles me, however, is that Elvis actually seems to be having a good time in the film. Hard to believe, considering he got so upset about being stuck making so many mediocre movies.


The Trouble with Girls (1969)

One of the few Elvis movies I'd never seen before, and kind of refreshing. The action takes place in 1927 and that setting looks and feels very much in the spirit of the period as Presely plays the cool manager of a traveling show, or a "Chautauqua". He tries to keep the show going on and the profits coming in, while all sorts of crazy situations present themselves, including a murder. There's quite a cast of characters on hand: Marlyn Mason is the union shop steward and piano player, Sheree North is the local town slut, Dabney Coleman plays a despicable gambling drug store merchant, and even Vincent Price and John Carradine get into the act as members of the troupe (Price is delightful as an energetic Philosopher, but Carradine not so much in a wasted quickie as a Shakespearean actor). Also featuring little Anissa Jones (Buffy from "Family Affair") and a quick singing turn by Susan Olsen (Cindy of "The Brady Bunch").

The direction here is sometimes odd, but some handling of sequences are interesting. Elvis is solid in the film and really looks great if not a true reflection of the times, but the only song of note is his rather nifty rendition of "Clean Up Your Own Back Yard", one of the film's highlights. Someone really made a mistake in coming up with this extremely inappropriate title, though -- this is not one of Presley's typical formula films about girls, girls, and more girls ... it's misleading and doesn't do the movie justice.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Thank you for that - I actually added my rankings there. I was aware of Robert Aldrich as a director but i have never really looked at his filmography as a whole or even read much about him personally. Looking at the lists I realize that I have actually seen 8 of his films and most of his most highly-regarded ones.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Mario: I'll be on the lookout for your write-up on Leisen's Remember the Night, as I just saw it recently. Myself, I wrestled with the film as I was watching it, but when it was over I felt it was really well done.

John Stell: I just checked out your DVDs--I salute you sir! With awe and admiration.

01/09/09

The Badlanders (1958) Dir: Delmer Daves
Production: Arcola Pictures/MGM

The Asphalt Jungle in the dust. Instead of jewels, the heist target is an otherwise hidden mother lode of gold in an otherwise active mine. Alan Ladd plays the Sam Jaffe role, Ernest Borgnine plays the muscle (see: Sterling Hayden), and Kent Smith is the wealthy backer of the enterprise, a la Louis Calhern. Katy Jurado is excellent as Borgnine’s lover with the shameful past (the counterpart to Jean Hagen). Executed in that extremely competent, economically shot style of Daves. Although there is a neat hook in the resolution, the ending is much weaker in comparison with TAJ. EncoreWesterns laughably showed this CinemaScope production blown up to full screen, so I would certainly be amenable to one day actually 'seeing' this.

out of 4
--------------------------------
DELMER DAVES – “Lightly Likable”
01/09/09: The Badlanders (1958)

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Well... I see I am late to this thread. I been doing this at other sites so I will catch up here as well.


January:
1/2 -- Category 6: Day of Destruction
1/2 -- Campfire Tales
1/3 -- Arachnophobia
1/3 -- Possums
1/3 -- Pulse 2
1/3 -- The Incredible Hulk Returns
1/3 -- Trial of the Incredible Hulk
1/4 -- The Faculty
1/4 -- The Incredible Hulk: Pilot Movie
1/9 -- Iron Man
1/9 -- The Incredible Hulk
1/9 -- Resident Evil: Degeneration
1/10 -- Hancock
1/10 -- Kindergarten Cop
1/10 -- Deadtime Stories
1/10 -- The Dark Knight
1/16 -- 24: Redemption
1/17 -- The Crow
1/17 -- Jeepers Creepers
1/18 -- Stigmata
1/18 -- The Langoliers
1/23 -- Vamp
1/23 -- 30 Days of Night
1/23 -- The Forsaken
1/24 -- Bram Stoker's Dracula
1/24 -- Blade
1/25 -- Blade II
1/30 -- The Gravedancers
1/30 -- The Sixth Sense
1/30 -- House on Haunted Hill (1999)
1/30 -- Return to House on Haunted Hill
1/31 -- The Frighteners
1/31 -- The Haunting (1999)

Febuary:
2/1 -- The Messengers
2/1 -- Unrest
2/1 -- Boo
2/1 -- The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer
2/6 -- Wild Wild West
2/6 -- Venomous
2/6 -- Alex & Emma
2/6 -- Men in Black
2/7 -- Hollow Man
2/7 -- Stir of Echoes
2/7 -- Junior
2/7 -- Saw V
2/8 -- Teen Wolf
2/8 -- Teen Wolf Too
2/13 -- All Souls Day: Dia de los Muertos
2/13 -- Night of the Living Dead (1990)
2/13 -- House of the Dead
2/14 -- House of the Dead II
2/14 -- Shaun of the Dead
2/15 -- Planet Terror
2/19 -- Dead Like Me: Life After Death
2/19 -- The Fly (1986)
2/21 -- The Fly II
2/21 -- Hulk
2/22 -- 28 Days Later
2/22 -- My Magic Dog
2/27 -- Men in Black II
2/27 -- Terminator
2/27 -- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
2/28 -- I Bury the Living
2/28 -- Joan of Arc

March:
3/1 -- John Q.
3/1 -- King Ralph
3/6 -- City Slickers
3/6 -- Metro
3/6 -- Milo
3/7 -- Blade: Trinity
3/7 -- Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt
3/8 -- Speed
3/8 -- Return to Horror High
3/12 -- The Reaping
3/12 -- Batman: The Movie (1966 - Commentary)
3/13 -- Good Morning, Vietnam
3/13 -- Flightplan
3/14 -- Kiss the Girls
3/14 -- Along Came a Spider
3/15 -- Quicksilver Highway
3/15 -- While You Were Sleeping
3/20 -- The Day After
3/21 -- Bats
3/21 -- The Quick and the Dead
3/21 -- Star Trek: Generations
3/22 -- Constantine
3/22 -- The Flintstones
3/27 -- Nightmare at Bittercreek
3/27 -- Baby's Day Out
3/27 -- Stephen King's Sleepwalkers
3/28 -- Valentine
3/28 -- Category 7: End of the World
3/29 -- Night Scream
3/29 -- Awakenings
3/29 -- Zoom: Academy for Superheroes

April:
4/4 -- Transylvania 6-5000
4/4 -- Beetlejuice
4/4 -- Bubba Ho-Tep
4/5 -- Scary Movie
4/5 -- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
4/5 -- Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
4/10 -- Superhero Movie
4/10 -- Blood Angels
4/10 -- Date Movie
4/11 -- Dance of the Dead
4/11 -- Iron Man
4/12 -- Hulk vs. Wolverine
4/12 -- Hulk vs. Thor
4/15 -- Rio Bravo
4/15 -- The Alamo
4/17 -- Tremors 4: The Legend Begins
4/17 -- The Missing
4/18 -- Blazing Saddles
4/18 -- Ultimate Avengers: The Movie
4/19 -- Back to the Future: Part III
4/24 -- 50 First Dates
4/24 -- The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
4/25 -- Hellbound: Book of the Dead
4/25 -- Creature from Black Lake
4/26 -- 12 Monkeys

May:
5/01 -- Catwoman
5/03 -- Patch Adams
5/03 -- X-Men
5/03 -- The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)
5/08 -- An American Werewolf in London
5/08 -- An American Werewolf in Paris
5/09 -- Ginger Snaps
5/09 -- Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed
5/09 -- Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning
5/09 -- The Howling
5/10 -- Underworld
5/15 -- Bowfinger
5/15 -- The Dunwich Horror
5/16 -- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
5/17 -- Cub Zero
5/17 -- Tromeo & Juliet
5/17 -- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
5/18 -- Supergirl
5/22 -- Spider-Man
5/22 -- Rocky Balboa
5/22 -- Beetlejuice
5/23 -- Dracula 3000
5/23 -- Happy Birthday to Me
5/23 -- Man's Best Friend
5/24 -- Village of the Damned
5/24 -- Good Luck Chuck
5/24 -- Aquamarine
5/26 -- Mystery Men
5/30 -- Underdog
5/31 -- Justice League: The New Frontier
5/31 -- Ultimate Avengers: The Movie
5/31 -- Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther

June:
6/03 -- His Name was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th
6/06 -- Premonition
6/06 -- Two Weeks Notice
6/06 -- Practical Magic
6/07 -- 28 Days
6/07 -- Miss Congeniality
6/07 -- Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
6/07 -- Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow
6/12 -- Hellraiser
6/12 -- Evil Dead
6/13 -- Day of the Dead
6/14 -- Hostel
6/14 -- Cube
6/18 -- Blood Work
6/19 -- Last Action Hero
6/19 -- King Kong (2005)
6/19 -- Ghostbusters
6/20 -- King Kong (1976)
6/20 -- Friday the 13th (2009)
6/21 -- High School Musical
6/21 -- Daredevil
6/22 -- Mirrors
6/26 -- His Girl Friday
6/26 -- Runaway Bride
6/26 -- Twins
6/27 -- The Mask
6/27 -- Sabrina, The Teenage Witch
6/28 -- My Boyfriend's Back
6/28 -- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
6/29 -- Salem's Lot (1979)

July:
7/03 -- The Invincible Iron Man 
7/03 -- Meet the Parents 
7/04 -- Commando 
7/05 -- Spider-Man 2
7/05 -- 13 Going on 30
7/10 -- Hi-Yo Silver!
7/10 -- Wyatt Earp
7/11 -- Winds of the Wasteland
7/11 -- Open Range
7/12 -- The Hanged Man
7/12 -- Blue Steel
7/17 -- Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!
7/18 -- Daylight
7/18 -- Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood
7/19 -- Black Dog
7/19 -- Dressed to Kill (1946)
7/19 -- The Incredible Hulk
7/19 -- Knight Rider 2000
7/24 -- Windtalkers
7/24 -- Rush Hour
7/25 -- The Day After Tomorrow
7/25 -- Shanghai Noon
7/26 -- El Dorado
7/31 -- Masters of the Universe
7/31 -- Meet John Doe

August:
8/01 -- Basic Instinct
8/02 -- The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
8/07 -- Rear Window
8/07 -- Wonder Woman
8/07 -- Mortal Kombat
8/08 -- Gran Torino
8/08 -- Green Lantern: First Flight
8/21 -- What Women Want
8/22 -- Africa Screams
8/22 -- M*A*S*H
8/22 -- City Slickers
8/23 -- Joe Somebody
8/23 -- Serving Sara
8/28 -- Destination Moon
8/28 -- Beat the Devil
8/30 -- Rush Hour 2
8/30 -- Speed
8/30 -- Son of the Mask

September:
9/04 -- Transformers
9/05 -- Batman: Gotham Knight
9/05 -- My Favorite Martian
9/06 -- 5ive Days to Midnight
9/11 -- Dirty Harry
9/12 -- Magnum Force
9/19 -- The Enforcer
9/19 -- Sudden Impact
9/19 -- The Dead Pool
9/29 -- Raging Bull

October:
10/01 -- Brotherhood of Blood
10/01 -- Dead Set
10/01 -- Cadaverella
10/02 -- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
10/02 -- Dead Teenagers
10/03 -- Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
10/03 -- Creepy Clips: Girl's Night Out
10/04 -- The Craft
10/04 -- Campfire Tales
10/04 - April Fool's Day (2008)
10/04 -- Dead Birds
10/05 -- The Haunted Mansion
10/05 -- The Haunting in Connecticut
10/06 -- Black Sunday
10/06 -- Creepshow
10/06 -- Laid to Rest
10/07 -- Fright Night
10/08 -- The Body Snatcher
10/10 -- Return of the Living Dead
10/11 - Twilight
10/11 - R.L. Stine's Mostly Ghostly
10/13 -- Black Christmas
10/14 -- The Lost Boys
10/15 -- Visitors of the Night
10/22 -- Hercules and the Amazon Women
10/23 -- Hercules and the Lost City
10/31 -- Planet Blood

November:
11/05 -- Shutter
11/06 -- Ghost Rider
11/06 -- Vampire Conspiracy
11/06 -- My Bloody Valentine
11/07 -- The 7th Victim
11/07 -- Autopsy
11/07 -- Bimbos BC {Zero}
11/07 -- Roxy Hunter and the Mystery of the Moody Ghost
11/08 -- The Uninvited
11/08 -- Killer Story
11/08 -- I Dream of Dracula
11/10 -- The Orphanage
11/10 -- Hellboy
11/11 -- Cat People
11/11 -- Curse of the Cat People
11/12 -- The Leopard Man
11/12 -- The Expedition
11/13 -- The Substitute
11/13 -- Tron
11/13 -- Abe's Tomb
11/13 -- Blood Bound
11/14 -- Flying Tigers
11/14 -- Duel
11/15 -- Alive or Dead
11/15 -- Mrs. Amworth
11/19 -- Star Trek
11/20 -- Day of the Dead
11/20 -- Star Trek
__________________________
Total Movies Watched: 289
First Time Viewings: 120
Edited by Pete Battista - Today at 3:32 pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

I just watched the movie Hancock with Will Smith. This one was a blind buy for me. But I always thought the trailer looked awesome. Unfortunately I wouldn't go that far to describe the movie. It is a good movie I was able to enjoy.... but it is no where near the caliber of Iron Man or The Incredible Hulk. Or really any of the other big time Superhero movies I enjoy watching (Spider-Man, Batman Begins, Fantastic Four, and so on). It is definitely a different type of Superhero movie... and I do give it credit for that. I just didn't find it to be as enjoyable.

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Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

The Little Giant (1933)

I was never much of a fan of Edward G. Robinson, admittedly due to lack of exposure but he is rapidly becoming a favourite even surpassing the great James Cagney. In this pre-code comedy Bugs Ahern a bootlegger finds himself at loose ends when prohibition is overturned. He decides to move to California and buy respectibility but unfortunately takes up with the wrong sort. Though I've enjoyed other Robinson comedies more, this is still delightful and amusing.

To Sir With Love (1967)

Sidney Poitier gives an outstanding performance as a teacher trying to reach troubled teens in the slums of London. An interesting look at London during the swinging sixties.

Lassie Come Home (1943)

A favourite from my childhood, one I never get tired of watching. Both child actors are amazing here.

Dante's Peak (1997)

One of the better disaster movies of recent years with good acting and great special effects.

Burn After Reading (2008)

When i see a Coen brothers movie playing at the theatre, I rush out to see it. Unfortunately I missed this one but recently purchased it on blu-ray. Though not a favourite like Fargo or the Big Lebowski, it's still high up my list as far as black comedies go. This contains all the Coen's brand of genius from nutty characters, sharp witty dialogue to absurd situations. This is a well acted piece of nonsense and Brad Pitt's flare for comedy surprised me the most here. Though I enjoy the Coen's brother serious fare like No Country for Old Men, it's the comedies I enjoy the most.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Kindergarten Cop

It has been many years since I watched this movie. So long in fact I went into it without remembering much at all about it. This is a good comedy... but not one of those laugh out loud type comedies. More of a cute movie type thing. I cracked a few smiles... but not actually laughed. Even so... I enjoyed it quite a bit. And was good to see again after all these years.

2009 Movie Watched List
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Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Musical Day #1:


01/08/09: POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL (Irving Cummings, 1936)

The second of four films Shirley Temple made in 1936 is a solid star vehicle tailored for her unique talents but, apart from her winning charm, proves to be hard tack as entertainment for this admitted non-fan of musicals! The thing is that the plot is so incredibly contrived that it’s impossible to take any of it seriously: Shirley is the pampered daughter of a millionaire soap manufacturer who is eventually sent to an exclusive college so that she can be with children her own age instead of her prissy butler-nanny-guardian combo. However, she is stranded at the train station and never gets to the college but instead follows an Italian immigrant (Henry Armetta, who else?) who is an accordion-playing busker and has a pet chimp for companion. Before long, however, she is ‘adopted’ by the penniless husband-and-wife performing team of Jack Haley and (a constantly grouchy) Alice Faye who, thanks to Temple’s addition to their act, become radio stars publicizing through song the products of a rival (and predictably cantankerous) soap manufacturer! All this while, Temple’s dad is blissfully unaware of her absence from school and subsequent radio success because he’s perpetually swooning over his rival’s ad campaign manager (the lovely Gloria Stuart). Eech! Another decidedly irritating recurrence in the film is the mystifying appearance of a stranger (John Wray) who seems to follow Temple everywhere and is always on the point of molesting or kidnapping her but for Jack Haley’s timely and heroic interventions! Having said that, the film satisfactorily climaxes with the “Military Man” production number which is a tour-de-force of virtuoso tap dancing performed by Temple, Faye and Haley in remarkable unison.


01/08/09: THE MUSIC MAN (Morton DaCosta, 1962)

A potentially syrupy subject-matter – the importance for an American small town of having its own marching band – provides the launching pad for this vigorous, adequately cinematic transposition of the celebrated Broadway musical success. Robert Preston reprises his signature titular role of confidence trickster Professor Harold Hill and he inhabits the character so perfectly (he had performed it around 900 times on stage!) that it’s nearly impossible to believe that he had never sung professionally before and that he didn’t cop at least an Academy Award nomination – although the film itself received six (including Best Picture). Shirley Jones is also excellent as the lonely spinster librarian who, after some initial mistrust, is won over (and eventually liberated) through her love for Preston; also in the cast are Paul Ford (as the Mayor of River City, Iowa), Hermione Gingold (a standout as his irrepressible wife), Buddy Hackett (as Preston’s reformed partner), Mary Wickes, Charles Lane and little Ron Howard (as Jones’ brother, plagued into introversion by his huge lisp). Distinguished composer Meredith Willson’s finest creation is probably best known for the popular “76 Trombones” and the romantic ballad “Till There Was You” (which was even covered by The Beatles in their second album!) but his complex lyrics are best demonstrated in the opening onomatopeic salesmen song “Rock Island” and Preston’s show-stopping “Ya Got Trouble” which, with the playful “Marian The Librarian”, are the songs I liked best; on the other hand, I could have done without Hackett’s silly “Shipoopi” production number. Another noteworthy (and amusing) contribution to the film comes in the unlikely form of a real-life quartet of male singers dubbed The Buffalo Bills who, playing leading citizens after Preston’s inexistent musical credentials, always end up goaded by the latter into bursting into song and forgetting all about their official assignment!


01/08/09: RIGHT HERE IN RIVER CITY: THE MAKING OF MEREDITH WILLSON’S “THE MUSIC MAN” (V) (Scott Benson, 1998)

This half-hour documentary on the making of THE MUSIC MAN (1962) – which is included on Warners’ DVD edition of that film – takes in the whole history of the phenomenon of Meredith Willson’s Broadway musical show. Given its brevity, however, there is not a whole lot of depth in the commentary being imparted by host Shirley Jones and, frankly, one does not really walk away from it any more enlightened than he came in. Nevertheless, it was nice to see and hear some of the key participants in the film – Jones herself and comedian Buddy Hackett – and of both film and the original Broadway production – Susan Luckey (who played the Mayor’s daughter and said “Egads” a lot) and choreographer Onna White – reminiscing about their long gone colleagues. We are told that, in spite of being a veteran of many movies, Robert Preston was a newcomer to the “song-and-dance man’ act and that, in spite of his success on stage, he was not Warners’ original casting choice for the role of Professor Harold Hill (it was Frank Sinatra!) but, in this age of unlimited sources of information available on the Internet, this featurette comes off a little dry.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Spirits of the Dead (1968) Roger Vadim, Louis Malle, Federico Fellini

Three directors come together to tell three different stories from the work of Edgar Allan Poe but the end results are quite mixed. The first film, "Metzengerstein", has Jane Fonda playing an evil countess who spends her life for orgies and various cruelties. She comes across her cousin (Peter Fonda) who eventually dies in a barn fire that she had set and soon afterwards her whole personality begins to change. The second film, "William Wilson", by Louis Malle, tells the story of a soldier (Alain Delon) who is being stalked by a man who looks just like him and has the same name. The final film, "Toby Dammit" from Federico Fellini, features Terence Stamp as a drunken actor who arrives in Italy to do the story of Christ as a Western. His drunken and drug fueled state leads to him seeing all sorts of strange things including the Devil who might be posing as a little girl.

The first film is certainly the weakest of the three as there's very little European flavor to it let along anything else. Vadim's direction is also all over the place as the entire film never seems to know where it's going. On second the film seems like a drama then it mixes to a more Gothic tale and by the end I wasn't really sure what to think. The film, clocking in at forty-minutes, runs way too long as it becomes very boring early on and doesn't get any better. Peter is wasted in his small role and Jane doesn't come off too well either. She walks around in tight clothing the entire time so at least she treats us to that.

The second film is a very strong one and manages to be quite eerie in a low key way. The movie travels along pretty slowly but that's not a put down but instead a major praise because Malle handles the story so well that the slowness just builds up a lot of atmosphere and that there brings a certain eerieness to the story. I loved the way the film tries to show the good and dark side of a human and Delon does a wonderful job at bringing this through his character. I think one could debate what was actually happening in the story but it's examples of good and evil were done very well on both the visual and storytelling levels. Having Brigitte Bardot playing the central female character is never a bad thing. Her beauty certainly shines through on top of her very strong performance, which requires her to do a lot with just her eyes.

This third film is certainly a bizarre and surreal one and on that level the movie works, although anyone could come up with a different idea of what the director is trying to do with the material. I can only imagine what Poe himself would have thought sitting through something as wild and over the top as this thing. Stamp's wild performance matches the wild direction perfectly and it's was a lot of fun seeing what the two men would come up with next. The spoof of the awards show was certainly the highlight of the film but those seeking anything from Poe's story will probably be lost until the very end.

Hallucinations of a Deranged Mind (1978) Jose Mojica Marins

I'll have to say right off that to date this is my first Coffin Joe film. From what I've read this might not have been the one to start off with as this here only features about twenty-five minutes worth of "newly" shot scenes mixed in with outtakes, deleted footage and censored footage from the previous films. I guess you could call this a real cut and paste job but the end results are pretty good. In the film, a doctor is having strange visions of Coffin Joe (Jose Mojica Marins) coming to steal his wife so that the evil one can create a super being. I've read that Coffin Joe's creation and stealing of women is something that runs through all of his film so there's nothing new there but I must admit that the film really captured my imagination. I'm not sure how many people will be attracted to a film like this but if you like LSD-type mind trips then this is a good one. For the most part we get very little story and instead just countless strange visuals, which range from cannibalism to naked women to other strange acts of violence being carried out by Coffin Joe. A lot of times we see the same clips being used over and over and while many are going to read this and think lazy, the director actually does a very stylish job with his low-budget nature. I had always seen images of Marins as Coffin Joe but seeing him in actual was a lot of fun. His entire look and feel were quite attractive for a horror film of this type. I haven't seen too many films from Brazil but this one here certainly has me interested in checking out the rest of the Coffin Joe films, which includes a brand new one just recently finished filming.

Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) Norman Taurog

Weak Elvis vehicle has him playing a wannabe captain who dreams of one day owning the boat his loves. Problems happens when a new owner takes over the company and not to mention the young sailor has to chose between two girls. There's really not too much that happens from start to finish, which seems to become the norm for an Elvis movie. It seems that the screenwriter was either hooked to a bottle or perhaps they didn't hire one. It's really amazing that Elvis himself wouldn't stand up and demand better material but whatever. This film contains some pretty bad moments song-wise and that includes the mind numbing "Song of the Shrimp" and "Earth Boy", which made me want to cry in pain. There's another ridiculous number inside an apartment building, which follows perhaps one of the better moments in the film where Elvis must put out an oven fire and throw a few jabs at the girl who can't cook. The highlight of the film is Elvis singing "Return to Sender", which was certainly one of his better tunes. Taurog's direction is all over the place as usual but I'm sure his main goal was to make the star look cute for the girls. It's rather shocking when you think about it how poorly made the musical numbers are. I'm not saying they should have gone all out like a MGM musical but a little more effort would have been nice. Just keeping the camera on Elvis might work for television but it comes off rather lazy in a movie. As for Elvis and his performance, it's not too bad but I can't help but think he looks rather bored.

Pieces (1982) Juan Piquer Simon

Insane slasher from Spain has become one of the biggest cult films over the past few years and rightfully so because this turkey has everything camp is known for. A psychotic killer is stalking a college campus hacking up girls with a chainsaw so that he can complete a "jigsaw" puzzle out of the pieces. A detective (Christopher George), a tennis pro (Lynda Day George) and a student try and track down the killer before more bodies start to pile up. Okay, this film is a complete and utter bomb that isn't worthy of any star ratings if you're going to judge it on actual merits but if you want to judge it on pure dumbness than this film is an instant classic. It's really hard to believe that so much stuff could go wrong with this picture but it actually does and the majority of the entertainment comes from the viewer being able to laugh at it. There are countless plot points that don't make any sense, countless dialogue written by a two-year-old and some of the dumbest police characters in any film I've seen. Also, what in the heck is up with Lynda's character being a tennis pro? This leads to some of the greatest laughs in a big tennis match, which is so obviously fake that you'll be laughing your heads off. The acting as well is pretty bad and that includes Christopher George but thankfully his acting is "good enough", so to speak, to where you can enjoy watching him on screen. His wife on the other hand isn't as lucky as she delivers one of the worst moments in film history with her "bastard" scream, which is just downright hilarious. Jack Taylor, veteran of countless Jess Franco films, plays one of the suspects. The film is very poorly made but that just adds to the charm. Not only do we get bad acting, bad directing and some really bad dialogue but we're also treated to plenty of nudity as well as countless gore scenes. Decapitations, guttings, stabbings and various other deaths are shown. Some of the effects are pretty good while others are incredibly bad. Fans of bad movies will certainly eat this one up but others should stay far, far away.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Thriller Day #1:


01/09/09: FALLEN ANGEL (Otto Preminger, 1945)

20th Century Fox’s underrated follow-up to LAURA (1944) reteamed director Preminger and leading man Dana Andrews with several of the same crew members (chief among them cinematographer Joseph LaShelle and composer David Raksin). Curiously chosen by the studio’s biggest musical star Alice Faye for her ‘comeback’ role as a dramatic actress (and she is fine in it), unfortunately for her, it collided with Linda Darnell’s own stunning “femme fatale” revamp who, even though bumped off halfway through, effortlessly walks away with the film; needless to say, Faye wouldn’t make another picture for the next 17 years! Andrews – who would have turned 100 on January 1st of this year had he lived and thus I’ll be watching several of his movies throughout this month – plays the anti-hero: a penniless cad who marries Faye (against elder sister Anne Revere’s advice) for her inheritance money but lusts after Darnell – as do, understandably, most of the male cast: married detective Charles Bickford (his paradoxical character is a fascinating creation), jukebox salesman Bruce Cabot and Darnell’s own employer Percy Kilbride; favorite character actor John Carradine, made up to look like some forbidding Scandinavian pastor, has an amusing bit as a mentalist Andrews hitches up with early on. The routine plot is transformed by Preminger’s fluid direction which envelops that formidable cast in expert chiaroscuro lighting. Andrews is eventually reformed through Faye’s unconditional love for him but the seedy ambience of that first half permeates the whole film.


01/09/09: CHASE A CROOKED SHADOW (Michael Anderson, 1958)

Having long been interested in watching this well-regarded British thriller of the ‘let’s-drive-an-heiress-mad’ variety, I can’t help admitting I was somewhat underwhelmed by it; the reason for this, perhaps, is that we’ve seen this plot in countless other films so that, while one hoped that the treatment would rise above the overly-familiar premise, what we get here is pretty standard (read: low-key or, if you like, genteel) stuff. That is not to say the suspense of the piece – and the awkwardness that goes with it (the heroine trying time and again to convince the police that the man who says is her brother isn’t really) – isn’t effectively rendered, far from it. For one thing, the consummate professionalism and no-nonsense attitude of the people involved (despite the modest resources at hand) is redolent of classic British cinema at its best and the casting, while unlikely at first glance, is quite successful in the long run. Anne Baxter is the put-upon heroine, Richard Todd the smooth intruder (who goes so far as to acquire the daredevil driving skills of Baxter’s allegedly deceased brother!), Herbert Lom the Spanish Police Commissioner (the film is set in picturesque Barcelona) and Alexander Knox appears as Baxter’s apparently duplicitous uncle. All of this converges satisfactorily in the film’s twist ending – and its real coup – which not only subverts everything that has gone on before, but would be too far-fetched to swallow had one not been sufficiently drawn into the intricate proceedings.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Deadtime Stories

I thought I might have seen this one before... but I didn't. I must have just remembered seeing the case at the video store or something. It is a good movie.... but is far from the best anthology horror I ever seen. Really is pretty low-budget... and some of the acting left much to be desired. But it had it's moments. I think of all the stories I liked the werewolf story the best. The witch story was pretty cool as well... but the last story didn't work very well for me. It was actually more silly then anything.

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Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

01/09 Pineapple Express (Extended Version) (2008) (out of 5) (blu, my collection)
After the mostly-tedious misfire that was Superbad, I sensed that the bloom on the Judd Apatow rose was starting to wilt a bit, and this one just solidifies that theory. I felt Knocked Up was the best comedy I'd seen in the past 5 years or so, and also really enjoyed 40 Year Old Virgin and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, so on paper this looked like a can't-miss prospect. Sadly, Pineapple Express falls on the Superbad side of the ledger, wanting to be both a stoner comedy and action-movie parody, but not going nearly far enough with either premise--not enough weed-related stuff actually, and too many aimless and poorly directed action sequences that weren't as parodic as they should have been. What we're left with is a clattering hodgepodge of fairly lame slapstick and a handful of good laughs, most of them courtesy of Danny McBride's character "Red", who is by far the most fully fleshed out and least predictable (hence funniest) presence in the film. The opening scene with Bill Hader is quite funny too.

I probably should have watched the theatrical version first, and I will give it a shot to see if I like it any better--there were scenes here that had the stench of go-nowhere improv that was better off cut. I've generally liked Seth Rogen in everything thus far, but he has given himself way too little to work with with this scattershot script , and his Albert Brooks-esque charm is pretty much AWOL. Franco is quite good and endearing but again, the lack of the razor-sharp wit that coursed through Knocked Up from beginning to end leaves him with too few truly funny bits.

I do look forward to Apatow's next directorial effort, and hope he regains a little focus and hunger on the production side, because I think this crew still has a lot to offer when they take their time to get it all right. Pineapple Express struggles to even only get it half right, and that's probably being charitable. It's no Up In Smoke, let's leave it at that. And yes, I was on the appropriate, um....wavelength when watching, so that certainly wasn't the problem. It is hard to hate any movie that somehow features a
Warning Spoiler! Click to show reference, though.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

1/8 Total Recall (1990):

Total Recall boasts a great science fiction story and an inventive vision of the future. In particular, I like the Johnny Cabs and the holographic doubler. Arnold is always entertaining to watch, and he gives one of the only decent performances in the movie. As much as I like the imagination present in every scene, the over the top violence and disgusting visuals bring it down to a level where I do not enjoy watching it. Like the best science fiction, there are a lot of ideas to ponder after watching Total Recall, and that is something positive that I retain from the experience.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

It All Came True (1940) Lewis Seiler

Comedy from Warner has a piano player (Jeffrey Lynn) taking his gangster boss (Humphrey Bogart) back to his mother's boarding house and hiding him there after killing a witness. The gangster goes unrecognized until a friend (Ann Sheridan) of the piano player notices him. The three leads and the strong supporting cast make this film a lot better than it really has the right to be. The movie is a rather mixed bag with the first half really dragging before finally picking up during the final act. The film finally comes to life when the old women (Una O'Connor, Jessie Busley) are about to be kicked out of their boarding house so Bogart decides to turn it into a nightclub to earn some extra cash. Zasu Pitts really steals the film as one of the tenant who can't hold her liquor and is always in fear that the gangster is going to do harm to her. Sheridan comes off pretty good in the lead role and does more for her character than the screenplay does. Sheridan is quite energetic throughout and matches wits well against Bogart who provides some nice comic touches. O'Connor gets some of her typical laughs as does John Litel. This movie is certainly far from a classic due to the mixed screenplay but fans of the cast members should find enough her to make one viewer worth it.

Gran Torino (2008) Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood stars as Walt Kowalski, a racist, Korean war vet living in the slums of Detroit. After the death of his wife he becomes even more distant but things start to change when his neighbor (Bee Vang) tries to steal his Gran Torino. Walt eventually comes around to befriending the boy and trying to teach him the right ways of doing things but a local gang has their own ideas for the boy. I was a little caught off guard with the opening ten-minutes, which were over the top in us getting to know Walt. I think Eastwood really pushed the envelope in showing us what a mean guy this was but in the end these scenes really paid off. I wasn't expecting too much out of this film but it turned out to be another winner for the director. What really shocked me is all the humor in the film, which mostly comes from Eastwood's racist views and names. Believe it or not the comedy coming from this stuff is very strong but once again there's a reason for this. It's not that racism is funny but it goes back to being soft or politically correct in today's world. The film tackles all sorts of subjects and, once again, I was amazed at how much of a character study this was. The screenplay allows each and every character to grow right in front of our eyes and this includes Eastwood's character, the young boy, his sister, his family, the gang members and even the neighborhood. This isn't a film for dummies, so to speak, because it requires the viewer to do a lot of thinking and I'm sure fifty-people could watch this and walk away with a different opinion on what its message is. There's no doubt Eastwood wanted to make a statement on today's issues but at the same time he struck true to the nature of our main guy. As for Eastwood the actor, I wouldn't argue that this is his greatest performance. It's hard to say considering how many great roles he has had but I believe this one will certainly go well with Dirty Harry. The amount of growth Eastwood gives his character was really fun to watch and his comic timing has never been better. The seriousness of the growl in his voice is also in fine form giving fans a lot of great one-liners. There's been some different opinions on the supporting players but I thought they all did fine work and that includes Vang and Ahney Her as the sister. Christopher Carley is also quite good as the local priest. This is a film that doesn't rush into anything and instead it takes its time to deliver the message it wants. It's very doubtful anyone but Eastwood would or could have made a film about a racist who also happens to be the hero of the movie but that's what Eastwood has always been about. Balls. The film has a lot of balls in its message, open politically incorrect attitude and its honesty, which includes the ending. If Eastwood really does retire from acting after this one he leaves us a great film and character to talk about.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2009)

Clint has to do one more western...doesn't he? I hope so, at least.