Track the Films You Watch (2007) - Page 7

george kaplan · 01-20-2007, 09:04 AM

Body Double

All of De Palma's mystery/thrillers have the same pros/cons. Their Hitchcockian nature leads to a number of great aspects (this one owes most to Rear Window and Vertigo, with a little Dial M for Murder thrown in), but De Palma ain't Hitch, and too often, he ends up relying on blood, cursing and cheese. Still, the good outweighs the bad, and while this will never be more than a poor man's Hitchcock, that's still better than a rich man's Von Trier.

Sandro · 01-20-2007, 02:21 PM

Out of

Noise

1/2 Indie homage to The Tenant is OK but never reaches the weird and wonderful heights of that film. Notable for an off-the-wall performance from Ally Sheedy.

Rampo Noir

Japanese horror anthlogy from the works of Edogawa Rampo is way too arty for its own good (and that's coming from an art-film fan).

Mindhunters

Some interesting plot elements but just another below average thriller.

Speedy

This is not top-notch Harold Lloyd but is still sweet and funny. Just as worthy as a snapshot of 1920s life in New York especially the sequence at Coney Island which is wonderful.

A Night in Casablanca

1/2 Fans of the Marx Brothers cite this as their best later-period film but I have never really liked it. The brothers are too old and tired by this point. Still, lesser Marx Bros is better than most current comedies.

Coffin Joe: At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul

Fascinating Brazilian horror movie offers a unique, charismatic and truly evil villain. The plot is played out as a battle between different belief systems - religious, atheist, and spiritual.

Tim Glover · 01-20-2007, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by george kaplan

Body Double

All of De Palma's mystery/thrillers have the same pros/cons. Their Hitchcockian nature leads to a number of great aspects (this one owes most to Rear Window and Vertigo, with a little Dial M for Murder thrown in), but De Palma ain't Hitch, and too often, he ends up relying on blood, cursing and cheese. Still, the good outweighs the bad, and while this will never be more than a poor man's Hitchcock, that's still better than a rich man's Von Trier.

Good assessment George. Body Double is a pretty good one.

Josh.C · 01-20-2007, 04:43 PM

I finally got around to watching Syriana last night. I remember it having some positive Oscar buzz this time last year, and I believe won an award or two?

I'm sad to say it just didn't work for me. I thought the plot was good, and the star power was awesome. Matt Damon and Clooney alone are great in their own rights.

Good acting just was'nt enough to overcome a very jumbled plot for me. IMO this movie had too many things going at once. They tried to bring all the sub-plots together in the end, but it was too little too late for me.

Should have been much better with the base story line and star studded ensemble.

george kaplan · 01-20-2007, 04:50 PM

To Live & Die in LA

A good car chase, but a script with a few too many plot holes, even for an action film, and most of the actors are pretty bland and unmemorable (almost every cop in this film is interchangeable and ultimately forgettable). I don't pretend to fully understand all of the double crosses that took place, but then again, I fully admit that after watching this, I really don't give a damn.

Ted Lee · 01-20-2007, 07:10 PM

title: the illusionist
rating: c
comments: a pretty good movie. loved the sepia look and the camera "flicker" effect on some shots. but, if i break the movie down into it's chunks, it just doesn't hold up too well. the ending caught my surprise, but the requisite what-really-happened-montage felt like it was shoved down my throat ... i think a little more subtetly would have gone a long way.

Tim Glover · 01-21-2007, 01:52 AM

1-19-07:
Accepted (2006)
Kind of dumb at times but also clever too. Some really funny moments with some really good performances. One of the surprise hits of 2006. 8.5/10

1-20-07:
John Tucker Must Die (2006)
Cute movie. Probably more of a chick flick but it was fun. Some of it was really funny and had me hurting from laughter. 8.5/10

george kaplan · 01-21-2007, 10:37 AM

Bombshell

Jean Harlow flick with lots of super fast paced dialogue (think My Girl Friday), ostensibly clever, but not terribly funny. A mild curiosity at best.

PatW · 01-21-2007, 10:43 AM

Flirting with Danger (2006)

Another of those cheap movies with a tired premise. The only interesting thing in the movie was CC from Buffy/Angel fame. As my boyfriend says "She's one hot lady."

Blade: Trinity (2005)

I didn't care for the second movie in this series, but this one rocked. Sad to see KK with only a small part. Even though they messed with the Dracula mythos, it was still an interesting story and Drac made an interesting foe.

george kaplan · 01-21-2007, 03:46 PM

Double Indemnity (1973)

About as bad as you'd expect. The music and style was very Columboish, not surprising given when and where it was made, but this was nowhere near as good as a Columbo episode, much less the great original.