Rob Willey

Finally was able to load the first page and edit my post (first time in a month -- yea!). Added nine new films, the best of which were Gangs of New York, 25th Hour, and Adaptation.

Rob

"That suits me down to the ground."

Chris_Richard

Brook K

updated with The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys. A movie I felt like I'd already seen 20+ times. I did dig the superhero animated stuff though. C+

Yes, Captain Hammer's here, hair blowing in the breeze. The day needs my saving expertise! - Captain Hammer, Corporate Tool

2002 Sight & Sound Challenge: 314 Last Watched: An Autumn Afternoon

Last 10 Films Watched:
Mon Oncle Antoine - B / Late Autumn - A-
Paranoid Park - B / An Autumn Afternoon - A
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - B / Run, Fatboy, Run - B
Get Smart - C- / Rendition - B-
Springtime in a Small Town - B+ / Evan Almighty - C

DVD BEAVER My Collection

Scott Weinberg

New additions:

The Transporter - - Makes up for in cocksure style what it lacks in overall...newness. Jason Statham delivers an unlikely and effective type of hero, and the myriad cliches are tweaked with frequency. Sadly, some of the laughs here are of the extremely 'unintentional' variety, and it's been a long time since I've seen such a 'plot-free' movie. Still, it's better than anything put out by Arnie or Stallone over the past few years.

Knockaround Guys - - Not nearly as awful as a 2+ year shelf-rot would have you think, this grass-roots crime drama offers a cool cast, a quick (if altogether familiar) pace, and a few minor twists along the way. Barry Pepper and John Malkovich deliver the best work, though it's always nice to see guys like Seth Green and Dennis Hopper stop by for a little tough-guy fun. Nothing revolutionary; sure to be a mildly successful cable flick.

Solaris - Perhaps it says something unflattering about me, but I thought this flick an improvement over its mega-adored Russian cousin. On its own and separated from the first film (and its vaunted literary source material), Soderbergh and Clooney combine to create a moody, lyrical, and surprisingly heartfelt space drama. Not the sort of sci-fi that American moviegoers are used to (which is a shame), and Soderbergh's got the paltry box-office receipts to prove it. Should find a comfy home on DVD.

Narc - - Not much more than a well-acted (and double-length) pilot for a profane cop series, this one benefits from superlative work by Patric and Liotta. Goes through its 'harass the witness / bad cop / stoolie partner' machinations with admirable confidence, so it gains in forcefulness what it lacks in originality. Solid pulp procedural, not much more.

Equilibrium - - Entertaining pastiche of a dozen old-school sci-fi concepts, this confident (and intermittently goofy) little flick manages to entertain because of its glaring familiarity and not despite it. An able-bodied stable of cool character actors doesn't hurt much either. Cool fight scenes, effectively moody music, pop culture brain candy for those who like a little thought amidst the gunfighrs. Looking forward to another visit.

Seth Paxton

It's funny how alone I felt around here when I praised Solaris to high heaven, but looking at the top 10 list totals and seeing comments like yours, Scott, I don't feel nearly so silly or alone.

I really think it's an outstanding flick, though not a film for the masses.

Here's one that is for the masses...

8 Legged Freaks
3.5 of 10 (#11 on my best of 2002 list)
First of all, the film only aimed at a 5 or 6 in the first place, so really a 3.5 isn't so bad. But while it does succeed in being campy sometimes, at other times it tries way too hard and slips into utter cartoonishness. Early in the film is a scene where a cat fights a spider inside the walls of a house. We see cartoon-like impressions made into the wall every time either the cat or spider are smashed against it from the inside. To me, that is exactly where this film went wrong. Taking itself too seriously would be wrong too, but that doesn't mean to get downright stupid either. Tremors was much, much better at being the good kind of camp.

This film is more like Gremlins without the charm, and Mars Attacks without the Burton flair. It has very little in common with films like "Them!" actually. However, the original short film that is included on the DVD, the short that got the director his deal to make this film, that is pretty damn solid and much closer to what this film should have stuck with for the entire 90 minutes.


25th Hour
9 of 10
This film was a 10 until the ending which felt VERY tacked on and drug down what had apparently just been an outstanding finish to the film. Some of the effect of the ending has to do with the actions it suggests, but it could be said that those are just a dream. That's fine, but it is still a flaw simply because it then drags on way too long.

It's too bad, because the first 90% of the film is some of the very best stuff you have ever seen come from Spike Lee. He has started with an incredible script, added beautiful cinematography, and then spiced it all up with very fluid, inventive and enjoyable directorial choices. Every scene was loaded with narrative tension. I found myself enthused to see each scene as it came along.

And the use of post-911 as an analogy and/or tone to Monty's (Norton) life is outstanding. Lee is showing us how something truly artistic, truly beautiful can come out of that place, that scenario. 911 films don't have to be exploitive or used for cheap melodrama. There is a real influence over all of us, including artists. It needs only to be expressed. I'm not surprised that Lee is the first one out of the gate to really lock in on that idea and bring it out.

This just adds more strength to the notion that Lee is a modern American filmmaking genius, far higher up the list of greats than he gets credit for.

Oh, of course the acting is all really dialed in. You know the top-notch work that each of these actors is capable of, and that is what you get here from every single one of them.

2007 film list 2005 film list 2004 film list 2003 film list 2002 film list

Seth Paxton

The Pianist
8 of 10
I almost feel bad knocking this film since it is so universally praised, but I just didn't see the artistry, at least most of the time. I saw craft and I saw skill, I saw a story that certainly is amazing. But for the most part the film is totally detatched from the subject. It plays out mostly as a straight recounting and that's just not enough for a film running over 140 minutes.

Richard Schickel at Time cites this non-emotional engagement as one of the film's most positive aspects. So maybe it's just a difference of opinion where I am the odd man out. But with films like Schindler's List, Sunshine, Life is Beautiful, etc etc coming before it, I just can't muster up excitement for yet another film depicting the slow decline into hell for Jews under Nazi control. I needed something fresh from the film, but really I don't feel that I saw that.

I will say that the best stuff of the film comes during it's final 30 minutes when it did seem to start to lock in more on a personal relationship with it's protagonist, Wladyslaw Szpilman. But the 2 hours before that often felt much more like a droning "and then this happened, and then this happened" type of narrative. It waited too long to really stop and establish some emotional themes for Szpilman.

And in that regard I feel the same about Brody's performance I guess. Until the last part the film fails to give him many moments where we are allowed to see deeper than the surface which limits was he can do with the part as an actor. He never falters, but he also doesn't have many moments to truly shine.

Obviously I am in the minority on this one, but I have to be honest with how I felt. At this point it's barely a top 30 for me. Subject and genre are not enough to warrant automatic high placement on my list. Polanski was much better at engaging me right away with Ninth Gate (too bad the ending let that film down).

Scott Weinberg

Knocked another three off of my to-do list:

Two Weeks Notice - - Proof positive that two likable stars are able to salvage even the most paper-thin material. As a fan of both Bullock and Grant, I enjoyed their banter here. The movie itself seems made of helium, and I can't remember the last rom-com I saw in which so little... plot... happens!

They - - Familiar and dull, ponderous and uninvolving. Sounds like great horror fare, don't it? This one's easily as forgettable as its generic title.

The Rules of Attraction - - Smart, slick, slimy, and bleak - this is one harsh and cool movie. Veers from black humor to social commentary to unblinking character study in a fluid and stylish fashion, and offers the rarely-seen underbelly of modern romance...and it ain't pretty. Amazing how the navel-gazing pap of Ellis can make for such a cool movie - though RoT represents the finest work the infamous author has yet penned. Absolutely not for all tastes; will appeal most to cynical bastards like myself.

Arman

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John Spencer

Never heard of this. I'm a honky.