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Track the Films You Watch (2007) - Page 6

post #151 of 2529
1/15/07 at 10:32am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

If George is reading, here's a good example of where I share his feelings about disliked films that don't improve on a second viewing.
Yep, happens to me everytime.
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post #152 of 2529
1/15/07 at 12:05pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Revisited these films the past few days:

Good Will Hunting, 1997. Great film and terriffic performances. 9.5/10

Fever Pitch, 2005. Funny, romantic comdey. Some of the passionate sports behavior from Jimmy Fallion reminded me of myself a bit. One of my recent comedy favorites. 9/10

Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban, 2004.
My favorite of the series. The score is by far the best as is the direction. Loved the story too. 10/10

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post #153 of 2529
1/15/07 at 1:39pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

JANUARY REVIEWS

1/1-Irreversible (2002)-
A brutal rape and even more brutal slaying of the rapist are depicted in 12 scenes moving backwards. Unlike Memento, the gimmick is never justified except by the ridiculous "time destroys everything" preface. The motivations of the rapist and repercussions for the victim are never examined. Instead we are shown, in this order: the boyfriend's confused rampage through a gay sex club, the rape, a party, a few intimate scenes between the woman and her boyfriend, and abundant nudity. If I want to fuck Monica Bellucci, does that make me complicit in the sexual violence? The unrelenting savagery and totally chaotic, nearly unwatchable first third is unprecedented, but ultimately the film just feels exploitative.

1/2-Un Dimanche à la Campagne (A Sunday in the Country) (1984)-
An old painter's two children come to visit him in the country. The son is devoted to his father, but the old man is critical of him, recognizing in his son his own unwillingness to take risks. The daughter, by contrast, is spontaneous and full of life, but also erratic and unreliable. The film is very restrained: the authenticity of the relationships is (somewhat inexplicably) never sacrificed for dramatic action. For much of the film I found myself waiting for something to happen. Yet, the benign interactions between the characters are occasionally punctuated by their own thoughts -- the son imagines his father's death bed early in the film, the dead mother occasionally appears in the house. These startling moments suggest the characters' unexpressed inner lives and their surprising complexity.

1/5-House of the Dead (2003)-
A Sega rave on a haunted island is invaded by zombies. Despite Boll's deft use of actual video game footage, the narration, and Clint Howard's screwy performance, the distended 40 minute showdown that closes the film is absolutely excruciating.

1/5-Clifford (1994)-
It would be easy to dismiss this as a cynical attempt to capitalize on the success (?) of the Problem Child films, yet Clifford's surreal, unrelenting sadism (you really are meant to share Grodin's desire to murder Clifford) and 44 year old Short's singularly annoying turn as a 10 year old sets this apart from other films in the Children & Family genre.

1/7-Blue (1993)-
Though it lacks the philosophical punch of the Dekalog, this is, nonetheless, a beautiful film that depicts a woman encased by grief mostly through images rather than plot. Binoche's performance is amazing considering how little dialog there is and how much of the film consists of close shots of her face.

1/8-The Last Waltz (1978)-
The Last Waltz features so many great musicians (Dylan, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell) and is directed by arguably the greatest filmmaker of our time (Martin Scorsese). So why is this such a piece of shit? The problem is the Band, and in particular, Robbie Robertson. During the interview portions, Scorsese focuses almost entirely on Robertson, who cynically describes his "16 years traveling the country" and refers ominously to "casualties of the road" like Hendrix, Joplin, and Elvis (?) when it was common knowledge that the primary motivation for this film was to drum up more drug money for the Band. The others are mostly reticent, though Scorsese's question about groupies elicits some hearty guffaws from all of the members (Richard Manuel: "I like the music too, but..."). The performances are imaginatively shot (save the ridiculous waltz sequence), but the band's playing is so leaden that almost all of the songs sound completely lifeless. Dylan shows up for the last few minutes of the film with a perfunctory rendition of "Baby Let Me Follow You Down", as if to say "This is your film. I'm not going to make it good."

1/10-L'Enfant (The Child) (2006)-
The title describes both a 9-day old infant and his teenage parents, both utterly unprepared to raise a child. The film's power lies in its low-key approach -- the story never culminates in any real epiphany or tragedy, yet the raw, naturalistic performances and direction are unsettling because they are so convincing.

1/12-Team America: World Police (2004)-
In the end, this is probably more juvenile than subversive (the best jokes involve bodily functions), and the film has absolutely no restraint (the acronym for the "Film Actors' Guild" is flashed about a thousand times). Nonetheless, there is something liberating about the "nothing is sacred" unrelenting vitriol for all walks of humanity, and the very fact that they were able to carry off a feature film staged entirely by puppets is kind of amazing.

1/12-Sour Grapes (1998)-ZERO STARS
In a scathing review, Roger Ebert argued that this disastrous, abortion of a film was so bad because of its subject matter: "Larry David apparently thinks people are amused by cancer, accidental castration, racial stereotypes and bitter family feuds." Of course, all of these topics have been the grist for Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is brilliant. I think the problem with Sour Grapes lies more in the exaggerated performances (especially Craig Bierko) and awful '80s sitcom premise (Cousin A lends Cousin B 50 cents for a slot machine, Cousin B wins a jackpot, Cousin A wants half the money, Cousin B won't share), both of which belie David's low-key observational humor. Larry David and his surrogate George Costanza may be assholes, but we can identify with their plight. The characters in this film are just obnoxious.

1/15-My Man Godfrey (1936)-
Godfrey (Powell) is a "forgotten man" until he is picked up from the dump by Cornelia (Lombard) and made the family butler. My Man Godfrey is the only movie I've seen from the 1930s that actually addresses the Great Depression, and there is something truly original about its whimsy, which rarely relies on slapstick or puns. Too often, though, the film's class consciousness is laid on a little too thick. For example, at one point Godfrey gives Cornelia's sister a dressing down ("You belong in the unfortunate category I would call the 'Park Avenue Brat') -- as if any doubt remains that this character is unsympathetic. The film's didacticism is made even more annoying by the implausibility of Godfrey's existence. Though less stilted and predictable than Powell's earlier movie The Thin Man, I prefer that film's unabashed celebration of alcoholism to My Man Godfrey's heavy hand.

1/15-Seppuku (Harakiri) (1962)-
Peace has spread across seventeenth century Japan. Impoverished ronin wander the country, looking for admittance to houses of feudal warlords to perform harakiri (self-inflicted disembowelment), in the hopes that they will instead be pitied and either retained or given a small sum to go away. The film begins as one feudal lord, fed up with the practice, forces a young ronin to go through with the harakiri, even after discovering that the man has only a bamboo sword to perform the suicide. Despite the young man's grisly death, we share the warlord's frustration with the ronin that asks to perform harakiri but then begs for a furlough when he discovers that the harakiri will actually be carried out. But when the story of what drove the young man to ask for harakiri is told to the same warlord by the young man's father-in-law, the warlord's decision to carry through the suicide is exposed as a disgusting, shameful act. A stunning, powerful rebuke to the hypocrisy of authority, a rigid, unbending society that places arbitrary notions of "honor" over human compassion, and, most explicitly, the samurai myth itself.

1/17-Sommarnattens Leende (Smiles of a Summer Night) (1955)-
Bergman is often accused of being too oppressive and austere, and indeed, many of his films deny the audience even a moment of levity. Yet what impressed me most about this wonderful film is its lightness of tone, even while the characters are discussing the most serious matters. I had long feared this film would contain a string of incomprehensible puns, yet Bergman's dialog is completely vibrant 50 years on and despite the language barrier. Gunnar Bjornstad is really remarkable in the leading role, and, donning a fake beard, manages to make a philandering lawyer with a sixteen-year-old wife and nothing but contempt for his own son completely endearing.

1/18-After Hours (1985)-
A bit of a departure (HEY-O!!!) for Scorsese: a comedy filmed without his usual cadre of actors, made quickly after his first stab at Last Temptation of Christ fell through. I loved the first hour of this movie - the wacky plot twists are perfectly counterbalanced by the main character's mounting sense of dread - though the suspense dissipates rather than builds in the last third.

1/20-Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) (1988)-
This movie made me consider how few foreign comedies I have actually seen: though I laughed a lot, I also had the distinct impression that many of the jokes simply don't translate. And yet, one can't help being swept away by Almodovar's frenetic, wonderfully irreverent direction.

1/20-Broken Arrow (1996)-
A cult classic among my friends; I really wanted to like this, especially as I am continually being accused of "hating fun." I won't be able to dispel the charge here. I was particularly troubled by one aspect of the plot, upon which the whole film hinges: If anyone can obtain a Russian loose nuke for the price of a BMW, as U.S. government officials state so matter of factly halfway through the film, then why would the villians go to such risk and considerable expense to hijack a U.S. nuclear weapon? LOVED THE SOUNDTRACK!!!

1/21-Images (1972)-
Altman's examination of schizophrenia displays an obvious indebtedness to Bergman's Persona, a film he would more successfully exploit in 1977's Three Women. Yet whereas Persona explored the limits of the film medium itself, Altman's film is focused on a single woman's mental illness. Altman does an exceptional job evoking the main character's subjective state through repetitive shots of her hallucinations and John Williams' creepy score. Unfortunately, the film is incredibly tedious, and it seems implausible that everyone around this woman, including her own husband, would be so oblivious to her psychosis.

1/24-Birth of a Nation (1915)-
It is difficult (and pointless) to assign a rating to this film, which is like rating Aristotle, or the Bible. And yet, despite its obscene three hour running time and mind numbing first half, I will say that I actually enjoyed this movie. The film is so celebrated for its innovation and so derided for its racist content. But even if you take the film's technical merit for granted (as I did), Birth of a Nation remains a compelling historical document. The film's racism is not so much offensive as totally incomprehensible. In the first half, which deals with the Civil War, race is only addressed in so far as Griffith suggests that the North should have left well enough alone (slaves are only shown once, having a wompin' good time in the cotton fields). The first half is somewhat flat with its pat aphorisms about the uselessness of war and maudlin analogies drawn between a Northern and Southern family. The action picks up in the second half. The Reconstruction is depicted as the inverse of today's understanding of 1920's Jim Crow: the whites are disenfranchised from the vote and confined to their homes to avoid the black menace in the streets. But then the protagonist (referred affectionately throughout as "the Little Colonel") observes two black children fleeing in horror from a white child under a sheet. Our hero gets a glimmer in his eye. The Klu Klux Klan is born, for "white preservation" from the "blacks and carpetbaggers" as the title card explains. The last half hour of the film consists of several chase scenes where the KKK swoops in to save white women from being raped by crazed men in black face.

1/25-SherryBaby (2006)-
To be honest, I feel like I went into this film for the wrong reasons, and was repaid in kind. Maggie Gyllenhal plays a heroin addict who, upon her release from prison, decides to try to start a relationship with her 4-year-old daughter. The plot unfolds inevitably as the main character cusses people out, breaks things, screws all of the male characters, relapses -- there's even a smattering of incest thrown in near the end. The Monster critique, that the film is nothing more than a glorified Lifetime movie, would almost seem to apply here. And yet, this criticism is not quite fair, as the film goes out of its way to thwart our expectations about all of the characters. In the end, the whole thing stands or falls on Gyllenhal's performance, which, though certainly not bad, feels like a too aggressive attempt to emulate the "playing ugly" Oscar formula.

1/27-Three Days of the Condor (1975)-
The hopelessly convoluted plot was too much for my feeble brain. Nonetheless, Redford and Dunaway are both stunning in the title roles, even when faced with the most obnoxious, faux-"intimate" 70s dialogue ("I don't remember yesterday. Today it rained."). Also of note, the film has what a friend of mine called "the loneliest lovemaking scene ever."

1/27-A Hard Day's Night (1964)-
After seeing this I had to go back and revise my "Favorite Beatle" list. Ringo is totally charming and self-effacing, George is witty and sardonic without ever overplaying it, John is more bizarre than amusing, and Paul comes off as a first-rate asshole. Though I was a bit put off by the interminable train sequence that begins the film, once the music starts in the band's energy is infectious. Director Richard Lester has acknowledged the influence of French New Wave on his filming style, and it is interesting to see how those techniques are applied in this context.

1/31-Rich and Strange (1931)-
Hitchcock's sixth film in two years is an anomaly for him insofar as it lacks a homicide, a villain, or suspense. Unlike 1929's Blackmail, where Hitchcock's inspired direction and perverse humor overcome other problems, here he is completely submerged beneath the film's prudish moralizing, contrived plot, and some of the most horrible acting I have ever seen.
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post #154 of 2529
1/15/07 at 4:42pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

The Terminal

Interesting idea, but the execution is quite a bland film.
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post #155 of 2529
1/15/07 at 7:18pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

2007 Films:
2/16- Bridge to Terabithia


2006 Films:
1/9- Rocky Balboa (theater)
1/10- The Descent
1/13- The Illusionist
1/21- Thank You for Smoking
1/25- The Guardian
2/28- The Departed
Rewatched in 2007:
1/4- Conan the Barbarian (TBS)
1/5- Serenity
1/6- Kill Bill Volume 1
1/7- Kill Bill Volume 2
1/12- The Itallian Job
1/19- Syriana(1st time screening)
1/20- Borat
1/23- Prime
1/27- Surviving the Game
2/2- The Skeleton Key(1st time screening)
5 Star rating system for each movie screened
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post #156 of 2529
1/15/07 at 8:56pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

1/14: Ben-Hur (1959) out of

This was my first time viewing the classic epic. The only thing I knew going in was that there was an amazing chariot race in the movie. That did not disappoint, but the rest of the film just blew me away. The crowds, sea battle, and the rest of the spectacle provide a fitting canvas, but it is the emotional journey of Judah and his family that propels Ben-Hur to greatness.

The character of Esther caught me off guard. I had expected her to be the typical love interest, but she turned out to be something quite different. I was surprised by many of the plot twists, but they were all logical in hindsight.

One of the highlights of the movie is how well the life of Jesus is woven with the story of Judah Ben-Hur and what happens when their paths cross. The prologue encapsulates the majesty of Jesus' nativity in a surprisingly short amount of time, and the crucifixion/resurrection sequence is quite powerful, especially since we never see the face of the actor portraying Christ.

Next up on my list of classics for first-time viewing is Lawrence of Arabia.
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post #157 of 2529
1/15/07 at 9:31pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

title: haven
rating: c
comments: i don't know if this is how cayman island local folks behave, but i found it a bit far-fetched. yet, the movie somehow kept my interest ... possibly some nice visuals, decent acting and an evokative mood helped.
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post #158 of 2529
1/16/07 at 8:27am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

The Pink Panther (2006) 1/2
A bad rip-off of a classic Peter Seller's movie. I adore Steve Martin but this was not his role.
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post #159 of 2529
1/16/07 at 11:26am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Another viewing of Superman Returns in HD DVD last night. This makes twice this year already. ..This time was with about 7 people (3 of which had never seen it).

Love this movie. 10+/10. My favorite movie going experience for 2006.
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post #160 of 2529
1/16/07 at 2:12pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

The Great McGinty

Not as fully realized as Sullivan's Travels or Hail the Conquering Hero, but still top notch Sturges. Great to finally have this on dvd.
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post #161 of 2529
1/16/07 at 5:00pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Agreed George, I didn't think it was quite as funny the 2nd time around as the first time I watched it and it probably now brings up the rear (or maybe a tie with The Great Moment which I have a soft spot for and liked just as much the 2nd time around), but it's still great to have 'em on DVD.

I watched Morgan's Creek a couple of days ago too, and continue to like it more and more each time. Not sure why I thought it was disappointing the first time around. Just have Hail left to finish off the box, though of course I've seen it a couple of times previously.
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post #162 of 2529
1/16/07 at 5:21pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Satan Met a Lady

While I like the 31 Falcon a lot more than I thought I would, I liked this less than I thought I would. The strange characterizations and other modifications were interesting, but I just didn't find it funny. I'll stick with a funny take on the Maltese Falcon, The Cheap Detective.
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post #163 of 2529
1/16/07 at 6:34pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Glad you enjoyed Ben Hur, Tarkin. That is indeed one of the greats, not to mention one hell of an entertaining 4 hour movie.

Regards,
Nathan
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post #164 of 2529
1/16/07 at 10:42pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Watched The Descent (2006) tonight....not sure how to rank this one yet. I liked it though.

Edit....I give it 7.5/10.
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post #165 of 2529
1/17/07 at 3:18am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nathan V
Glad you enjoyed Ben Hur, Tarkin. That is indeed one of the greats, not to mention one hell of an entertaining 4 hour movie.

Greatest film ever made.
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post #166 of 2529
1/17/07 at 7:35am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Quicksand (1950) 6/10
Mickey Rooney plays a small town car mechanic who keeps getting into more and more trouble each time he tries to get more money to make up for his previous petty theft or shady deal. The premise is pretty good, as is Jeanne Cagney (James' much younger sister) as the gold-digging dame who starts all the trouble to begin with, but the script goes off the rails in the last part, as the focus shifts to the lame storyline of Rooney's ex-girlfriend desperately trying to get him to turn himself in. Peter Lorre, as a shifty arcade boss, might have had the only role of his career where he was actually taller than both of the leads!

Story of a Love Affair (1950) 7/10
Antonioni's first film. This one focuses on a couple who re-unite to try to protect a terrible secret from their past, as the woman's suspicious husband tries to find out what happened. The pacing feels pretty slow in some parts, but the two leads keep things interesting, particularly the gorgeous Lucia Bose, who I fell for a few months back after seeing Death of a Cyclist. And hey, no mimes playing tennis anywhere in sight, not even at the ending!

Pan's Labyrinth (2006) 5/10
This is a real "WTF" for me; the almost unanimously ecstatic reviews had me eagerly anticipating this one, but I can't even begin to understand what everyone's seeing in it. It's basically a mix of displacement during war with a child's fantasy story, but neither of those plotlines worked at all for me. A lot of the violence is SO nasty that I could hardly believe it, and since I wasn't really caring about the main characters, the whole thing just struck me as being gross. I guess it wasn't all bad; the actor playing the villainous Spanish army captain, Sergi Lopez, is familiar to me from a couple of previous movies (With a Friend Like Harry and Dirty Pretty Things), and he's quite good. Overall, though, this was a gigantic disappointment for me. I didn't even bother posting in the discussion thread; no need to rain on everyone's parade, certainly not for a movie that I'd just as soon forget about.

Treasure Island (1934) 8/10
A strong cast full of colorful characters makes this MGM classic adaptation a fun one to watch. One review I read said that it was filmed just before the production code came in, which makes sense, as some of the violence is surprisingly strong for the time period. The script is sort of confused at the end, with some particularly bloodthirsty piracy and treachery coming off as a heroic model that Jim Hawkins looks up to, but it's still very enjoyable overall.

Zombies on Broadway (1945) 4/10
This one was briefly mentioned on the commentary track for I Walked With a Zombie, so I recorded it when it recently aired on TCM. Most of it is indeed set back on the island of San Sebastian, and with Darby Jones silently playing the main zombie again. But it's basically just a low-rent Abbot and Costello rip-off with a painfully unfunny script. Bela Lugosi gets little to do as a mad zombie-creating scientist, and though the lovely Anne Jeffreys has an amusing introduction scene as a knife-throwing nightclub singer, the stupid hijinks that take up almost all of the movie are a waste of time. By far the best scene was a cameo for Sir Lancelot, serenading the two main characters with new lyrics to his great calypso tune from I Walked With a Zombie.
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post #167 of 2529
1/17/07 at 9:38am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Troy

Better than I expected, but not good enough. The deviations from the story didn't bother me too much (and I'm not sure I even noticed most of them - I haven't read Homer dozens of times the way I have Tolkien), but cinematically, it seems like a real mistake to have gotten rid of the Gods. It seems like the attempt was to tell this as a real story in which the Gods were just a myth, but this isn't a real story, and by doing so, it really lessens the impact of many things, such as Achilles Heel, which seems almost accidental in the movie.
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post #168 of 2529
1/17/07 at 10:11am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Living with the Enemy (2005)
This turned out to be a better movie than I expected. The villian of the piece turned out to be someone unexpected. I think they were trying to do an updated version of the Hitchcock masterpiece Rebecca, so while not completely successful still a tolerable watch.
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post #169 of 2529
1/17/07 at 12:50pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Quote:
Originally Posted by george kaplan
Troy

Better than I expected, but not good enough. The deviations from the story didn't bother me too much (and I'm not sure I even noticed most of them - I haven't read Homer dozens of times the way I have Tolkien), but cinematically, it seems like a real mistake to have gotten rid of the Gods. It seems like the attempt was to tell this as a real story in which the Gods were just a myth, but this isn't a real story, and by doing so, it really lessens the impact of many things, such as Achilles Heel, which seems almost accidental in the movie.
Almost?
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
It was entirely accidental, that is the whole point. The suggestion being that the legend of Achille's heel sprung from the discovery of his body featuring the bizarre sight of a huge arrow sticking from his heel.


That is actually one of the few bits of the movie I enjoyed, along with the Hector-Achilles duel. Otherwise a very forgettable effort made worse by a dreadful score. How you screw up a movie with a source material, cast (O'Toole, Cox, Pitt, Bana), crew (Petersen, Horner) and resources ($$$) like that is beyond me.

--
H
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post #170 of 2529
1/17/07 at 1:20pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

My 2nd viewing this afternoon of The Illusionist improved my rating of it....now a very solid 9/10.
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post #171 of 2529
1/17/07 at 8:09pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Holadem,

I don't think this is worth much of a debate, but it's not like Achilles was an historical figure found that way which led to the myth. If that's what the filmmakers were trying to say,
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post #172 of 2529
1/17/07 at 9:37pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Joe, I'll reply to that post later (got a cold, which is kicking my ass right now).


01/15/07

God's Step Children (1938)

Yet another highly controversial film from pioneer director Oscar Micheaux, which tries to be critical of black people who hate being black. A black mother gives birth to a mixed baby but she can't stand the backlash so she gives the child to another black woman. At nine years old, this child starts lying and trying to get her black teachers into trouble because she hates being black. She's sent to a convent but when the girl returns at the age of 21, she again tries to destroy everyone around here. This is an incoherent mess of a film that doesn't make a bit a sense and it's never real clear what message the director is trying to send. I couldn't make heads or tails out of any scene and in the end I was left with a major headache. The other films from the director that I've seen were often critical of black people, which was a brave thing to do considering these films only played black theaters but whatever Micheaux's point was here is certainly lost. Needless to say, the acting is pretty horrid throughout, which is hard to be too critical of since the majority of blacks were allowed in any sort of acting school at the time.

Girl in Room 20 (1946)

Spencer Williams' directed this drama with an all black cast. A country girl (Geraldine Brock) moves to the big city with dreams of becoming a famous singer. Once in the big city she's befriended by a cab driver (Williams) but also runs in with the wrong crowd who hope to take advantage of her. Despite the extremely low budget, director Williams is able to tell a pretty good story, although it's over the top happy ending comes off very forced. Williams gives the best performance in the film but Brock does a fine job as well and her singing is quite nice.

T.N.T. Jackson (1975)

Cult classic blaxploitation film about a kung fu fighting sister (Jeannie Bell) from Harlem who travels to Hong Kong to locate her missing brother. Once there the black, white and Chinese mob wants her out but thankfully she knows how to kick ass. This was my first of the blaxploitation/kung fun genre, which led to several films during the 1970s. I'm not going to lie and say this is a good film or even a fair one but it was mildly entertaining due in large part to former Playmate Bell. Her acting isn't really that good but her breasts are quite nice and thankfully they get several minutes of screen time. The violence and action is pretty much non-stop so if you don't mind the childish nature of the film then you might find yourself with a smile. The best scene happens when a Chinese guy wants to exchange sex with T.N.T. and she says: If you want black you got black!. She then strips down and turns the lights off so no one can see her (a homage in Tarantino's Jackie Brown as well). Politically incorrect? Hey, it's blaxploitation. Co-written by Roger Corman favorite Dick Miller.

01/16/07

Thief of Love (1996)
Raw and Naked (1997)

Two more D'Amato flicks.

Bright Road (1953)

A new school teacher (Dorothy Dandridge) at an all black school tries to save a troubled student (Philip Helburn), although the principle (Harry Belafonte) has his doubts. Even by the "good teacher tries to save bad student" stands, this one here is pretty dull and lifeless. I'd also say the thing is just downright weird with some incredibly stupid voice overs that bring more laughs than anything. This was my first time seeing Dandridge and I found her very good in the role. Belafonte was also good in his film debut.

01/17/07

Firehouse (1973)

Two black men set an apartment building on fire, which leads to the death of a white firefighter. That firefighter is replaced with a black man (Richard Roundtree), which doesn't set well in an all white firehouse. Like many other made for TV flicks, this one here really just touches the surface of many issues but never really dives deep into them. The film is mildly entertaining at just 72-minutes but God knows there are better films dealing with the race issue. Roundtree is pretty wooden in his role and it's rather strange because we're suppose to feel sympathy for him but at the start of the film he really comes off as one mean SOB.

Love Me Tender (1956)

Overdramatic film set at the end of the Civil War about a family torn apart due to stolen money and a love triangle. I guess this film is best remembered for being the screen debut of Elvis and he delivers a decent performance during the first half of the film but once his character has his breakdown I found his performance quite laughable. The rest of the cast is pretty good with Richard Egan stealing the show. There are some nice music numbers, although they stick out like a sore thumb.

Keeper, The (2004)

Lifeless thriller about a deranged cop (Dennis Hopper) who kidnaps a stripper (Asia Argento) and holds her hostage so that he can teach her how to be good. You'd think having Hopper play a nut and Argento a stripper that some magic would surface but that's not the case as this thriller lacks any suspense and instead enters the "so bad it's mildly entertaining" level. The badness of the screenplay and dialogue allows for plenty of unintentional laughs. Both Hopper and Argento are good in their roles but I really wish the screenplay had done more with their talents. The direction is pretty bad so this here is for fans of the actors only.
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post #173 of 2529
1/17/07 at 10:11pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

All the King's Men (2006)

Mildly interesting movie based on a real historical character in American politics. I'm not as big of a fan as others of Sean Penn. I just found him tiresome after awhile. I was more interested in the secondary characters and wished they had been fleshed out more. Still a mildly entertaining movie.
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post #174 of 2529
1/18/07 at 4:49am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Michael, it's a weird coincidence that you watched Elvis in LOVE ME TENDER yesterday, because last night I began my tribute to Elvis for 2007 (since this year marks 30 years since his death). I hope to watch over a dozen of his films by year's end. We shall see. I've actually never seen LOVE ME TENDER straight through.

Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Pretty good vehicle for Elvis Presley has him thrown in jail after accidentally killing a man. While in prison he befriends an older convict with a guitar and a past country music career, and takes up playing and singing. Once his short sentence has been served, Elvis continues his dream of becoming rich and famous as a singer while stepping on a few toes along the road to stardom. Presley isn't bad in this film, though his character is a confounding mix of sweet gentleman and rebellious jerk. Elvis gets to sing the raunchy "Baby I Don't Care," but most of the songs are lightweight, and this unfortunately extends to the watered-down versions of "Treat Me Nice" and the classic title song, "Jailhouse Rock"; the latter is performed during an entertaining dance sequence, except that the movie version contains background singers adding embarrassing lines like "go-go-go! Lay it on me, Daddy-O!".
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post #175 of 2529
1/18/07 at 7:09am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Cracker (2006)

Not as entertaining as other movies in this series. Always liked the premise though and like Robbie Coltrane as an actor.

Firewall (2006) 1/2

Not a bad thriller especially upon second viewing. Although, there was some plot holes the
acting was good especially Paul Bettany. And Harrison Ford can certainly do this kind of material with his eyes closed.

The Family Stone (2005) 1/2

While most of my friends enjoyed this movie, I found myself hating it with a passion. Most of the characters were obnoxious instead of being eccentric. I hated the tug at your heart-strings ending and some of the situations were downright laughable. I think the acting was adequate, far better than what these characters deserved.
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post #176 of 2529
1/19/07 at 12:02am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Some recent viewed films...

1-17-07:
Scoop (2006)....Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Woody Allen. Cute and charming film. Strange & bizarre at times and has an odd feel to it....but it works. 8.5/10.

1-18-07:
Took in my 2nd viewing of Children Of Men this afternoon. Wow. Of the films I've seen, this might just be the best of 2006. Powerful, powerful film. 10+/10

1-18-07:
Invincible (2006). Not bad....but just couldn't handle Greg Kinnear as Dick Vermile. Greg K is a wonderful actor but this was the wrong choice here. The football scenes looked kind of fake and high schoolish to me. 7/10
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post #177 of 2529
1/19/07 at 2:58am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Of all his films, this is probably the one that most deserves the "Capra-corn" criticism, but nevertheless, this is still an excellent film. The sad thing is how true it probably still is.
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post #178 of 2529
1/19/07 at 3:17am

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Loving You (1957)
Elvis Presley's second film, which I enjoyed more than I had previously (there you go, George! ). Elvis plays a delivery boy called Deke Rivers, and when a very persistent press agent (Lizabeth Scott) hears him singing, she gets him to join her ex-husband's small traveling musical entourage, promoting him into a huge sensation. First playing small town gigs and then advancing to bigger city shows, Rivers eventually becomes the lead act of the group. This movie feels close in spirit to the true story of Presley's own career beginnings, and he gives a pretty decent performance which includes a terrific fight scene. The songs are all well chosen and incorporated into the story this time out, including the title ballad and the hit song "Teddy Bear", and some heavier rockers ("Mean Woman Blues", "Got a Lot O' Livin To Do", "Hot Dog", "Party"). I can't usually take much of Lizabeth Scott in general, but she's well cast here as the older and very tactical manager, and there's an interesting side relationship here between Scott and her ex (Wendell Corey). The film also looks wonderful in gorgeous Technicolor. I think this could have worked even better if about 15 minutes were clipped, but this is still good, solid, early vintage Elvis before the same formula became too routine.
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post #179 of 2529
1/19/07 at 8:11pm

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

The Lavender Hill Mob

Excellent Ealing comedy. I've forgotten the name of the film, but it wasn't too long ago that I saw a heist film that I think was supposed to be funny. Here's one that actually is.
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post #180 of 2529
1/19/07 at 8:33pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

01/18/07

Head (1968)

Co-written by Jack Nicholson and directed by Bob Rafelson, this psychedelic film has The Monkeys in all sorts of different staged acts and vignettes. I can't really say I enjoyed this film but it was certainly well written and Rafelson did a terrific job at pulling everything together. Needless to say, this was meant to be an acid trip and that's exactly what it is. There's no stories but just different situations that we find the band in. I'm sure if I enjoyed the actual band more then I would have enjoyed the film much more.

Oscar's Black Odyssey (2003)

Documentary taking a look at the history behind black actors winning awards. The most interesting aspect is seeing footage from the older Academy Awards but in the end this thing is really one side and rather politically incorrect in its own ways. Each nominated actor/actress is mentioned and it's always followed by "they should have won". Everyone interviewed keeps hinting at racism as the reason these black actors didn't win yet no one ever mentions that they might not have won because someone better was nominated. James Earl Jones gets a huge mention from 1970 yet George C. Scott is never mentioned as a reason why Jones might not have won.

Brotherhood of Death (1976)

Incredibly stupid and politically incorrect blaxploitation flick about three black Vietnam vets who come home from the war and battle the KKK after they rape a woman. Like many other blaxploitation films, this one here takes a serious issue and makes it hip and cool. There are all sorts of racial slurs thrown around but everything is handled so poorly that you can't help but laugh at everything going on. The Vietnam scenes look like they were filmed in my back yard and the Klan members are the biggest bunch of rednecks I've seen on screen. This is certainly a pretty bad and childish film but it's got that blaxploitation stamp of campiness that keeps it entertaining.

01/19/07

Music Hath Harms (1929)

One of the first all black sound films makes this a pretty important film but it also manages some nice music and laughs. A fast talking womanizer (Spencer Williams) claims to be one of the world's greatest musicians and is offered $500 to play two solos. He takes the job so that he can use the money to buy his girlfriend her own beauty parlor but the problem is that he can't play a lick. I'm really becoming a very big fan of Spencer Williams and once again he turns in a very charming performance here. There's some nice laughs at the final concert and the supporting cast are also entertaining. Nothing ground breaking but a pleasant little short.

Melancholy Dame, The (1929)

A store owner's (Edward Thompson) wife (Evelyn Preer) is highly upset that her husband is friendly with a waitress but there's an even bigger secret he's keeping. This black cast short really isn't that funny and doesn't contain too much of anything. There's a nice twist at the end but it's not worth sitting through just to get to it. Spencer Williams co-stars.

Framing of the Shrew, The (1929)

Another black cast comedy. This one has a husband (Edward Thompson) starting divorce proceedings on his wife (Evelyn Preer) in hopes that she'll change her ways. Her ways that he wants changing is that he doesn't want to do chores any more. There are plenty of laughs throughout this short including a hilarious scene where the husband sets up a date so that his wife will catch him. Spencer Williams co-stars as the lawyer.

Oft in the Silly Night (1929)

A man (Edward Thompson) steals a limo from his boss and hires a friend (Spencer Williams) to play chauffer so that he can impress the woman (Roberta Hyson) he loves who just happens to be his boss' daughter. The only problem is that there's a bad wreck and the father fears that the daughter has been killed. This short contains plenty of laughs including a wonderful scene where Williams has to try and explain to the father that his daughter is "sorta" dead. The subject matter is certainly rather bleak but the actors really pull it off.
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