Track the Films You Watch (2007) - Page 9

PatW · 01-26-2007, 10:21 PM

LOTR: FOTR (2001) EE

What more can be said about these movies than what has already been said. This is a great adaptation of a fantastic novel. I only have a couple of beefs with the script but that shall be left unsaid. Overall a satisfactory experience.

Jeff Reis · 01-26-2007, 11:09 PM

a few recent views...5 star scale as always

A Reason To Live, A Reason To Die (1972)

Pretty fun euro-western starts slow but culminates in a satisfying showdown. Still adds up to less than the sum of its parts thanks to a dubbed James Coburn, a glorified cameo from Telly Savalas and an uncharacteristically bland score from Riz Ortolani. Bud Spencer probably makes the best impression here in a big role.

The Illusionist (2006)

1/2
I'm probably overrating it a bit because I really enjoyed the setting and the performances (especially Giamatti), but the second half took some disappointing turns, leaving us with a merely good film that could have been great with a more ambitious story.

Cars (2006)

Took a while to get to this one as I was not in love with the idea of anthropomorphic cars and was relatively underwhelmed by The Incredibles. How wrong I was; this is probably in my top 3 Pixar films. Aside from being a visual marvel, it is mostly free of the shopworn dysfunctional family, mommy-and-daddy issue stuff that seems to plague nearly every animated film (and too many non-animated ones) this decade. It takes big balls to take what could be a disastrous premise and see it through with such conviction and Lasseter and company mostly pull it off, yet again. Could have done without the dull musical choices and some of the stock supporting characters, but the rest of the film has enough verve to overcome those missteps.

Michael Elliott · 01-26-2007, 11:44 PM

01/25/07

Sodoma & Gomorra (1997)

Joe D'Amato yet again.

We Never Sleep (1956)

Mildly entertaining short about how detectives do their work. This RKO short really doesn't tell us or show us anything we haven't already seen or heard but it remains entertaining with its short running time and a few comic situations.

Oklahoma Outlaws (1943)

Excellent Warner short mixes historical drama with the Western genre to deliver one of the most action packed and suspenseful shorts I've seen. In the film, after the Oklahoma land rush of 1893, a family helps create what would become known as Tulsa but a gang of outlaws are also in town with their own plans. Robert Shayne is excellent as the hero and Warner Anderson packs a nice punch as the rival. The film works wonderfully well as a historical drama of the land rush and the fictional Western segment has all sorts of good action.

Winning (2004)

A rather routine and bland documentary that takes a look at the lives of six people before and after winning the lottery. If you've seen one lottery winner talk about winning it big then you've seen everything this film has to offer. Some of the people interviewed are just downright boring while one Jesus freak comes off rather scary. Go buy a lotto ticket instead.

Swing! (1938)

Oscar Micheaux directed film about an abused maid (Cora Green) who catches her wannabe pimp boyfriend cheating on her so she runs off to Harlem. Once in Harlem she gets a job in an off Broadway production for a producer who hopes to get the first black production on Broadway. This story certainly isn't original and there's not much flair but the film remains slightly entertaining throughout due to some good direction and some great jazz numbers. The performances are average for the most part but Green is good enough not too drag the film down. There's one scene where a woman, drunk of course, falls down some steps and breaks her leg, which gets a huge laughs, which was certainly unintentional.

01/26/07

By Whose Hand? (1932)

Enjoyable mystery from Columbia, which was once thought lost until being discovered back in 1998 (so I've read). A playboy detective (Ben Lyon) with the lust for women cracks the story of a serial killer who has escaped from prison. While following a lead he ends up on a train where a wide range of suspicious character lure including a murderer. The actual mystery of this film is pretty good but there are way too many attempts at comedy. Some of it works like the drunk who keeps following the detective around but some falls flat on its face. Lyon is decent in the lead but he's never really able to pull off all the charming, lead male stuff. Tom Dugan steal the show as the drunk and Dwight Frye has a small role as a mother loving bad guy. When I say mother loving I really mean it as there's an extremely bizarre scene at the start of the film where he's holding his mother as you'd expect to see someone hold their lover. Then he plants a big, hard kiss on her lips! Directed by Benjamin Stoloff who would direct Bela Lugosi the following year in Night of Terror.

If I Forget You (1940)

Judy Garland sings the title song as a tribute to Will Rogers. It's a nice song but the film doesn't have much (actually it has nothing else).

Magician's Daughter, The (1938)

MGM short about a reporter who begins to investigate a magician in hopes of proving that he's a fraud but he falls in love with the magician's daughter. The magic tricks look horribly fake and the so called love story is very minor. Not too many laughs either. The directed went on to do The Devil Thumbs a Ride and Donovan's Brain.

george kaplan · 01-27-2007, 01:21 AM

A Man for all Seasons

I generally find medieval court dramas to be a bore. This one was surprisingly good, and well worth watching once, though I won't do so again. It didn't deserve the best picture oscar, but it wasn't a horrible choice ala Cimarron or Titanic.

Tim Glover · 01-27-2007, 02:49 PM

Some recent viewings:

1-21-07:
Lucky # Slevin (2006). I really enjoyed this. The first 20 minutes or so it wasn't working for me then it really started getting interesting. Good suspense and a GREAT cast. That might just be the biggest selling point. 9/10.

1-22-07:
Phone Booth (2003). Lots of F-bombs flying around here

I really love this movie. I know it's short but it's really intense and Keifer Sutherland was perfect in this. It's also Colin Ferrell's best performace IMO. I've seen this a few times and it just hasn't lost it's impact. 9/10.

1-24-07:
Snakes On A Plane (2006). I hated this movie. I know it was supposed be cheezy but it was just stupid. There were some funny parts and that's why I give it a 2/10.

1-24-07:
Jet Li's Fearless (2006). Solid film with a good performance by Jet Li. Good action with a really good story. I liked it. It's reported to be Li's final Martial Arts film. 8/10.

1-25-07:
Derailed (2005). It's ok. Alot of it really doesn't work even though it could have been a really intense and clever thriller. Clive Owen is a great actor but Derailed left me a bit empty. 6/10.

Joe Karlosi · 01-27-2007, 05:50 PM

G.I. Blues (1960)

After coming back from his stint in the U.S. Army, Elvis made this picture which capitalized on that event. He plays a G.I. who takes a bet with some of his army pals in Germany that he will be able to score with leggy fraulein dancer Juliet Prowse. Along the way there are laughs, songs (naturally), and some romance. Gone here is the young rockin' rebel we'd previously seen in films like LOVING YOU, JAILHOUSE ROCK, and KING CREOLE. Now we have Elvis as the more matured family man, Elvis as the comedian. And you know what? Elvis could be funny! Some of his comedic facial expressions in this are priceless, and the scene where he nervously bumbles about while trying to babysit a screaming child is truly humorous. Regardless of how Elvis himself felt about doing such a film, it doesn't show in his performance at this stage as it would many years later when it would appear he was just going through the motions in these types of formulaic situations; here he seems to be having a good time. The songs aren't superb, but they're fun and entertaining. I personally like the title tune of "G.I. Blues", as well as "Shoppin' Around," "Didja Ever," "Doing the Best That I Can," and - my personal favorite singalong, "Frankfurt Special" (whoa, whoa, whoaaa!).

george kaplan · 01-27-2007, 08:52 PM

The Running Man

This is a step below many similar Schwarzenegger sci-fi action films. Can't really blame it on Arnold, I think it's a combo of the screenwriter and the director (Starksky, or is it Hutch). The one-liners are a small part of any such film, but the fact that they come off as unfunny and lame in this film is a microcosm of the problems. Nevertheless, the basic story is quite good (the original book is by Stephen King), and the movie is still worthwhile, if not up to it's full potential. Richard Dawson plays an interesting near-cameo role.

george kaplan · 01-28-2007, 12:13 AM

Man on Fire

Rewatched this, this time with my wife.

PatW · 01-28-2007, 10:17 AM

Grilled (2006)

Hated this one. Didn't find anything remotely funny.

Machinist (2005)

A well acted movie but very difficult to watch due to Bale's extreme weight loss.

Tim Glover · 01-28-2007, 02:27 PM

1-27-07:
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)....Excellent film. A real heartfelt and stirring story. The plight of these 3 young girls captivated me. Acting was top notch. 9/10

A Walk In The Clouds