Recent content by Mario Bartel

Nailed it. I love Alien and I'm generally a fan of Ridley Scott's work, but Prometheus seemed terribly derivative. Almost everything in it felt like I'd seen it elsewhere before to the point where the whole thing played out like a cliche. In fact, several times through the movie I caught myself...

Yes, she's a fan. Everything was borrowed for us by our hosts, right down to our shoes and booties. Amazingly, everything fit pretty good, including the bikes. The cycling culture in Flanders is amazing, probably second to only the Netherlands; everyone rides everywhere all the time in...

I think I now know what it means to be a "hard man of Flanders." My wife and I are just back from a European holiday that included stays in Paris, Ghent and Berlin. We have family in Belgium, and when I suggested a visit to some of the famed cobbled climbs in Flanders might be a...

I really wanted to like Parnassus, as I'm a huge Gilliam fan, but I thought this was a mess. Understandable, given the exceptional challenge he had to overcome to finish the film, but worst of all, it was a dull mess. For me, the story just never had any spark, the performances were uninspiring...

Here is my list: Movies seen in the last decade: 1,071 (give or take a few) 1. City of God 2. The Edge of Heaven 3. The Lives of Others 4. All the Real Girls 5. Downfall 6. Amelie 7. Gladiator 8. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly 9. The 25th Hour 10. Boy A 11. United 93 12. The Hurt Locker 13...

Top 13 of approximately 65 movies viewed this year: • An Education• In the Loop• Sugar• It Might Get Loud• The Damned United• 500 Days of Summer• The Hurt Locker• Up In The Air• Julie and Julia• Inglorious Basterds• Moon• Adventureland• Brothers Worst: • Whatever Works

I just finished watching it; rented it from Blockbuster this afternoon. Excellent film. The archival NASA footage is fabulous and the astronauts are all lively, engaging interviews; loved Buzz Aldrin's story about his lunar "first!"

I saw it on Saturday. The 3D effect is nicely rendered, although I thought the PQ was a little soft. It would be nice if they could perfect the 3D technology so we could retain the usual vibrancy and sharpness of old-fashioned 2D IMAX. Funny thing is, the dude next to me in the theater seemed...

Same here. Some people were outright hostile and derogatory when the credits started to roll.

Cate Blanchett's "hurricane" tirade in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Even though I'd seen it a number of times already in the trailers, it still made my neck hair stand up when I saw the film in its entirety. The duet scene in the music store in Once. The bowling alley scene in Across the...

Movies seen: 72 Top Ten 1. Atonement 2. Gone Baby Gone 3. The Bourne Ultimatum 4. Paris, Je t'aime 5. Angel-A 6. The Kingdom 7. Juno 8. Across the Universe 9. Avenue Montaigne 10. Michael Clayton Worthy Contenders God Grew Tired of Us The Wind That Shakes The Barley Once...

I'm just back from a week in Paris. Here's a couple of multimedia slideshows I've put together, one on the street where we rented an apartment for our stay, the other on Versailles: Rue Mouffetard Versailles

1. Babel 2. Blood Diamond 3. United 93 4. The Queen 5. Miami Vice 6. Tsotsi 7. Brothers of the Head 8. Devil Wears Prada 9. Road to Guantanamo 10. Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

Woh! So much for the Disco doubters! Classic Disco/Postal ride, Lance being paced by three of his lieutenants, then peeling them off one-by-one as the pace escalates up the final climb, shredding contenders along the way! Rasmussen is looking tenacious. Valverde is tough. Does Lance hang onto...

Excellent find Michael! Thanks for the link!