Official Film Discussion and Last Movie You Watched

[Line]

***1/2 out of ****

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan debuted at #5 on my list of 2006 movies this past weekened. Borat spares no expense (despite his modest budget) to travel across the USA in a quest to meet the great Pamel Anderson. Although the chamielion-like Cohen reflects perfectly a naive immagrent it's really the supporting cast of onlookers that make the movie what it is. Sure, the wit is there in abdunance but it's the abnormal public reaction that really brings home the point of Borat. He spares no victim from Jews to Christians alike showing a humerous yet purposely exxagerated take on life from a third-world country.

 

[Rocky]

I got to see that film.

Watched Sixteen Blocks last night. Not bad - fairly typical but a way to pass the time nonetheless.

Watched "Feed" the other night abut a guy who overfeeds women to the point where they can't move and are utterly dependant on the "feeder" and he broadcasts it on dodgy websites to the point where he feeds them to death, including feeding them the remains of his previous victims. And there is this one cop who's trying to get him. Sort of like a Silence of The Lambs with fatties and much worse acting. Not a brilliant film but it had an interesting premise.

 

[Line]

Wow, I wrote that review really drunk and it sorta made sense. Go me.

 

[Chesticles]

Wow, I wrote that review really drunk and it sorta made sense. Go me.

Dude, when aren't you drunk?

 

[Line]

I did manage to see two other movies though and I'll write up reviews shortly:

-Flags of Our Fathers *** (out of 4)
-The Illusionist *** (out of 4)

I never followed up on this...

Flags of Our Fathers ***
Eastwood has only improved with age with his skills behind the lense. From the first time we're transported to the island of Iwo Jima the cinematography and choreography of the fight scenes are the best since Saving Private Ryan. The main plot themes focus around the three surviving members of the famous raising of the flag photograph and their tours, not of military duty, but instead of publicity in order to raise money for the continuing war effort. The young actors do well, even with Eastwood's infamous "one take shooting" technique and it's my opinion that Ryan Phillipe leads the way as Doc, who plays the subtle role of the film's emotional anchor. His character is one that realizes the essential cause of selling war bonds but also has to smother the part inside of him that knows he's no hero.

The story transitions smoothly back and forth between combat and scenes of their outside lives but sadly there are some structural flaws to a very well shot and acted film. The character development comes off as too commonplace in today's films and for a movie that was originally thought to be a best picture contender this simply isn't acceptable. There's a concept in all schools of design and art that there should be no such thing as an arbitrary decision and screenwriter Paul Haggis seems to have never been taught this. The bookmarked scenes also seem to be distant from the rest of the film as new characters are introduced only to further jam home the already made point about how undefinable true heroism is. In between is a great film but it's a shame a full-star had to be lost from it's rating due to some rookie mistakes from a screenwriter who has two Oscars.

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The Illusionist ***
There's not much to make on this fairly straightforward period piece about a magician who's tricks extend far beyond his stage performances. Edward Norton plays Eisenheim the Illusionist, a popular artist of trickery in turn-of-the-century Vienna. We are shown early on that he is arrested during his final trick (or should I say, his last public performance) and then transported back to a time where his career was flourishing. We're also informed via flashbacks that he was a young love interest of Sophie (Jessica Biel) who came from a much higher-class upbringing. The young lovers were torn apart only to rediscover themselves later in life in Vienna when the Sophie was used to assist Eisenheim during one of his shows. They end up rekindling their relationship in secrecy behind her planned fiance, the Crown Prince Leopold. As in all tragic love tales, the discovery is made and the angry Crowned Prince strikes down his Sophie in a drunken rage.

Despite the seemingly paint-by-numbers plot, there's a little more than meets the eyes and by movie's end it's possible that we're not suprised but certainly pleased by the outcome. For the most part the direction is fairly straight-forward but the director of photography does a nice job giving us a fitting air to the time and story. It's not the most clever or complex movies to have come out in recent years but it's one that can be watched by almost anyone with certain satisfaction.

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Sorry about the delay, guys. I've also seen Inside Man recently and can post a review if anyone plans on renting it soon. Hopefully I'll get out to see The Prestige this week and post my thoughts on that. Also, Babel, Stranger than Fiction, and Harsh Times open this week and I'll do my best to get to them as well but I can't promise anything because theaters near my college generally suck. Hopefully the overall quality will pick up over the next few weeks though.


Until next time

 

[TJ]

What do you guys think about American Psycho? I haven't seen it yet but I'm thinking about buying it...

 

[Line]

It's not for everyone but it gets my recommendation. There's a lot of philosophical undertones and commentary on materialism and other aspects of the 1980's and the struggle to not get lost in a sea of mass conformity among the upper class. Those are the real reasons to like it opposed to kids who just want to see a lot of people get killed "senselessly".

 

[Line]

I've never seen Training Day before. I think I'm going to go watch it now

 

[Flex]

I've never seen Training Day before. I think I'm going to go watch it now

It's a good movie, you should like it.

 

[Line]

Meh, the screenwriter just couldn't help himself at the end of it. The best and most tense aspect of the movie wasn't the action itself but the tension between Denzel and Hawke and who was truly which side of the good/evil coin. At the end they just sort of threw up all over any between-character suspense and added 4 distinct and ultimately unnecessary actions scenes which only further served the distancing between tthe first 90 minutes of script and the last half hour.

 

[onebigeric]

^Agreed. I remember feeling that Training Day received way to much hype when its actual worth was taken into account.

 

[Rocky]

Criticisms aside though I thought it was a top film and if nothing else was good to see Denzel not play Denzel quite so much. Looked like he had fun playing the bastard which held him in good stead for "Man on Fire".

Bought "A Sound of Thunder" today. I hear, although the premise is good, that it is quite shite - anyone seen it?

 

[Line]

Criticisms aside though I thought it was a top film and if nothing else was good to see Denzel not play Denzel quite so much. Looked like he had fun playing the bastard which held him in good stead for "Man on Fire".

LOL, it's easy to call any film a top film after putting criticims aside


I really thought it was Denzel playing himself...and to be honest, after his character became this exagerated monster at the end of the movie I don't feel he deserved the Oscar. It was nice that he had a very nuanced performance leading up to that but the character arc was absolutely terrible. Unfortunately none of the other performances from that year were much better.

 

[Rocky]

LOL, it's easy to call any film a top film after putting criticims aside

Well that would be an astute observation indeed. A poor choice of sentence structure and rationale on my part I fear.

Have you seen A Sound of Thunder?

 

[Line]

Have you seen A Sound of Thunder?

Nope...not familar with it at all. Have you (or anyone else) seen Wordplay? I was doing the crosswords today and realized I hadn't gotten around to seeing it yet; it just came out on DVD though. I may wait a little longer and buy a few previewed DVD's at Blockbuster like that and The Proposition which I haven't seen but have heard nothing but raving reviews.

I see Stranger than Fiction tonight, btw.

 

[Rocky]

Not seen Wordplay. The Proposition is meant to be excellent. Tommy Lee Jones pulling off a fair masterpiece apparently.
Has Idiocracy been and gone over there yet as I hear it's meant to be really good.

A Sound of Thunder is based on a Ray Bradbury story and stars Sir Ben Kingsley and (less impressively) Ed Burns. The set up is intriguing but I hear it was botched in the execution of it. But got it anyway cos I found it cheap and was curious.

 

[onebigeric]

Just keep in mind, Sir Ben Kingsley also 'starred' in the affront to humanity that was Bloodrayne. Actually, anything from Uwe Boll could be thrown into that category as well. He's actually received financing to start a sequel to the previously mentioned crapfest too

A Sound of Thunder sucked hard Rocky; I'm sorry. My brother rented it, and the overall experience felt disjointed and innane. High hopes with low results, I'm afraid.

 

[Line]

But got it anyway cos I found it cheap and was curious.

Just like your back-alley trannies

 

[Rocky]

Just keep in mind, Sir Ben Kingsley also 'starred' in the affront to humanity that was Bloodrayne. Actually, anything from Uwe Boll could be thrown into that category as well. He's actually received financing to start a sequel to the previously mentioned crapfest too

A Sound of Thunder sucked hard Rocky; I'm sorry. My brother rented it, and the overall experience felt disjointed and innane. High hopes with low results, I'm afraid.

Hmm, pretty much what I'd heard about it. But I'm a sucker for easy popcorn CGI movies of dubious quality sometimes. To balance out my more cerebral affairs like Harold & Kumar...

 

[Rocky]

Just like your back-alley trannies

An expensive tranny is still a tranny Line - only I still have enough money left over to get drunk and forget the experience.