Article ITT I attempt to review every movie I've seen.

[Sexy Beast]

Title: Passion
Year: 2012
Country of Origin: France/Germany/Spain/UK
Director: Brian De Palma

Plot: A young upstart gets into a power struggle with her boss.

Review: This should have been a return to form for De Palma. Most of his career has been built on taking seemingly sleazy and gaudy films and turning them into high art. Unfortunately his last five films wavered somewhere between mediocre and terrible. Passion seemed like the kind of project that would have given De Palma a shot in the arm. It's a sleazy erotic thriller, a perfect film for De Palma.

This film, save for the final crazy half-hour, is pretty dull. Most of the main plot rings hollow, the character behave in odd and unrealistic ways, and the direction is pretty dull for the first hour of the film. The ending though, is pretty pretty entertaining, but isn't worth slogging through the first part of the film. Skip this one.

[4/10]

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: The Hunger Games
Year: 2012
Country of Origin: US
Director: Gary Ross

Plot: A young woman volunteers to participate in a gladiatorial type game where she competes with other young adults as well as children. Why, you may ask. Who the hell knows?

Review: So there was (or is?) some controversy over The Hunger Games. The plot of the book and movie are suspiciously similar to the Japanese movie (and novel?) Battle Royale. Now, I could give two [expletive] about this, but there are still a lot of people who got all huffy about the similarities. I'm not entirely certian why I brought this up, I guess it's just something to pad out this review.

Anyway, this isn't terrible. It's entertaining, a little slow at times. The movie has some weirdness that seems to be in there just for the sake of being weird. Honestly, I would have liked to have seen the world of the film expanded more. Some history, maybe a little more on how the "capital" benefits from the district. In the end though, it competently made and there are worse things you could watch.

[7/10]

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: Victim
Year: 1961
Country of Origin: UK
Director: Basil Dearden

Plot: The film follows Melville Farr, a married barrister who is one of a large group of closeted London men who become targets of a blackmailer.

Review: So a bit of background for this film. Up until 1967 homosexuality was a crime in Britain. This law made blackmail a substantial problem in England's gay community.

Victim was very controversial when it came out, it was even banned in the US for a year because the film used the word "homosexual", the first English language film to do so. It's also surprisingly progressive for its day. The overall film is pretty good, the pacing is brisk and the acting was great. The plot has little relevance today, but it remains an interesting look at the past and one you should check out if you get the opportunity.

[8/10]

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: Hunger
Year: 2008
Country of Origin: UK/Ireland
Director: Steve McQueen

Plot: The film takes place in late 1980/early 1981 during the blanket and dirty protests carried about by imprisoned IRA members at Maze Prison. The protests began after the prisoners lost political status. The film culminates with the beginning of the 1981 hunger strike.

Review: So yeah, Hunger; here is a movie that is hard to watch. If you're not familiar with the blanket and dirty protests, it essentially means that the prisoners only covered themselves with blankets and smeared the walls of their cells with excitement, they also refused to bathe. So if the thought of any male nudity bothers you, then you probably might want to give this one a pass.

The film follows several characters including a guard at the prison, a new prisoners as well as his cell mate, and of course Bobby Sands who was a central figure in the protests. McQueen's direction is spot on, utilizing long takes and a very matter-a-fact approach to story telling. After this, Shame, and 12 Years a Slave McQueen has become one of my favorite directors. The acting is spectacular, so good in fact there there is a 17 minute chunk of dialog done in a single take and I was so engrossed in the scene that I hadn't noticed until maybe minute 15 that there had not been a cut. In every regard this is a fantastic piece of film making and if you have the stomach for it then you should seek this one out.

[9.5/10]

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: The Royal Tenenbaums
Year: 2001
Country of Origin: US
Director: Wes Anderson

Plot: Stole this from Criterion: Royal Tenenbaum and his wife, Etheline, had three children Chas, Margot, and Richie and then they separated. Chas started buying real estate in his early teens and seemed to have an almost preternatural understanding of international finance. Margot was a playwright and received a Braverman Grant of $50,000 in the ninth grade. Richie was a junior champion tennis player and won the U.S. Nationals three years in a row. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster.

Review: So here is the short review: If you like Wes Anderson and his films, then you'll like this one. If you hate Wes Anderson and his films then you'll probably hate this one.

Fortunately I like Wes Anderson and yes, I like this film. It is shot in Anderson's storybook style of film making. I say storybook, mostly because of Anderson's usage of flat looking shots that give an almost two dimensional feel to the film. It works well with this odd ball story that focuses on an estranged father's attempts to reestablish a relationship with his children. The storytelling is pretty loose, mostly due to the massive amount of characters, but still manages to hold it all together. Acting wise, the whole cast is great, especially Gene Hackman who puts in a fantastic performance. The film is equal parts funny and moving, exploring themes of regret and redemption. If you haven't seen a Wes Anderson film yet, this is a pretty good place to start.

[8.5/10]

 

[Dr.Compton]

Two in one day? Someone must have the day off!

 

[kYuKi]

What about Carrie (1976)?

 

[Sexy Beast]

Two in one day? Someone must have the day off!

Yeah man, I back in the swing of reviewing movies. For like the last couple of months I didn't really enjoy writing them, but recently I turned that around.

What about Carrie (1976)?

I feel really bad about not having seen this one. I mean I like horror movies and I love Brian De Palma, but for whatever reason I just haven't sat down to watch it yet.

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: Europa Report
Year: 2013
Country of Origin: US
Director: Sebasti?n Cordero

Plot: One year into a manned mission to Europa, a moon of Jupiter, Earth loses all contact with the space craft.

Review: For some strange reason this movie reminds me a lot of Dr. Who. Like I can actually see this movie be like the plot of like a Dr. Who story arc. I mean there is nothing wrong with that, I'm a fan of Dr. Who, but I guess because there is like a billion episodes of Dr. Who and the movie matches the tone of some Dr. Who arcs. I think what I am really trying to get at is the unfortunate nature Sci-fi today, Europa Report is a good movie, there is nothing inherently wrong with it, but I feels like it has been done before. Like it has been done many times before and for whatever reason that takes a lot of the fun or interest out of the movie, for me at least. I'm weird about these things, I mean the same thing happened with Moon, a perfectly fine film that for one reason or another I felt was a little stale. If you like Sci-fi, there is a lot here that you might like, it feels surprisingly authentic and goes the extra mile to try and be at least a little scientifically accurate...whatever that means.

Anyway, like I said I'm weird about these things. You'll probably like this film more than I did, if you like Sci-fi then you definitely will like this one more then I did.

[7.5/10]

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Year: 1943
Country of Origin: UK
Director: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger

Plot: We learn about the life of a soldier.

Review: I think it was around the 20 minute mark when I realized that there wasn't a character named Blimp in the film. Figuring that I missed something, I paused the film and did a little bit of research. Colonel Blimp was a British comic strip that featured and old, out-of-touch, and jingoistic British Colonel who lounged around a bath house all day making ridicules statements about politics and war. Colonel Blimp is a caricature, one that still shows up in our media today.

Anyway, this film follows the life of Clive Candy, who we first meet in 1943. We first see Candy as Major General Candy in a bath house, at this point he is very much like Colonel Blimp; balding, old, heavy set, and mustached. After he is taken prisoner by the opposite team during a home guard training exercise, one that was suppose to commence far later in the day. From there we jump back 40 years and learn about the life of Clive Candy, we see his loves, his faults, his ambitions. We come to see him as a man, not some sad caricature. To me, the title of the film, especially the death part, is to kill the idea of the Colonel Blimp caricature. We are shown a man who should not be the subject of ridicule, he is someone who has served his country admirably of most of his life and is someone who deserves respect. I guess it's a movie about getting old and the struggle to avoid obsolescence or it a movie it's a movie to remind people that getting old kind of sucks and to remember that there is a story every old man.

The film is shot in Technicolor and looks absolutely fantastic, especially for 1943. The acting and the direction are all top notch...then again this is a Powell/Pressburger, so I wouldn't expect anything less. This is a all around fantastic film, and one that you should see if you ever get the chance.

[9/10]

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: Weekend
Year: 2011
Country of Origin: UK
Director: Andrew Haigh

Plot: Two young men begin a relationship two days before one of them has to leave the country.

Review: The film deals with two men who have a brief, but real relationship over a weekend. The overall production exudes a sense a rawness, like I don't remember a score in the film and the direction is in a very matter a of fact style. A cursory look at the film's Wikipedia page shows that most of the film was ad-libed, which speaks volumes about the quality of the acting, since the film has some fantastic dialog. I do have some issues with the film, the pacing is not great and the film does drag a bit and...I don't know if this is a Netflix issue or if it's just the film, but this movie is quiet. Like I had to crank the volume to hear some of the dialog. Still despite all that, the film has a genuine feel to it, something I have noticed lacking in some other gay-themed dramas. So, while not perfect, this movie is still worth watching.

[8/10]

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: The Wicker Man
Year: 1973
Country of Origin: UK
Director: Robin Hardy

Plot: Sergeant Neil Howie is dispatched to Summer Isle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. Upon arriving the people of the village on Summer Isle claim no knowledge of the missing girl, including the girls mother.

Review: So this move is actually really good and for me at least I think it would have been better if the ending of the movie wasn't ruined...which at this point I think might be impossible. But, if you have managed to avoid any spoilers, keep it that way and go into this movie without any knowledge of the plot or anything. Most of you are probably familiar with the crap-tastic remake, but don't let that dissuade form this movie. This is a weird and entertaining little film that needs to be seen. End of review...I guess/

[8.5/10]

 

[_Sushi]

To Kill a Mockingbird?

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Year: 1962
Country of Origin: US
Director: Robert Mulligan

Plot: A local town lawyer defends a black man accused of rape in a small 1930's southern town.

Review: This is just one of those movies, a bona fide classic, something that will probably stand the test of time. The film is a perfect adaptation of Harper Lee's seminal novel on racism in early 20th century America. Like this is one of those things that you probably need to see, not only because it is a fantastic movie, but because the story is so ingrained in American culture. I read the book in High School, and chances are, you read the book in High School. In fact, I'm going to guess that it will be required reading for decades to come. I guess what I am trying to say is that this is essential cinema, a movie that you quite actually need to watch.

[10/10]

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: Schizopolis
Year: 1996
Country of Origin: US
Director: Steven Soderbergh

Plot: "In the event that you find certain sequences or ideas confusing...please bear in mind that this is your fault, not ours. You will need to see the picture again and again until you understand everything."

Review: Schizopolis is equal part deep, hilarious, dull, and self-satisfying; a dazzling display of non-linear story telling. It's one of those weird movies where it's both hard to like and hard not to like, where the movie is incredibly pretentious, but also entertaining. The film's actual plot is a bit difficult to summarize, it has something to do with...ehh...god, I really can't even begin to sum it up. For the most part, I enjoyed this movie and if you give it a fair shake, you might too. Though it's just as likely that you will hate this film with a passion, so whatever.

[7.5/10]

 

[ChocolateVillain]

Movie that a friend recommended was This Must Be the Place.
Wondering if you seen it?

Has Sean Penn which kinda makes me leery... Then again he plays a very strange character which I think he is best at.

 

[Sexy Beast]

Movie that a friend recommended was This Must Be the Place.
Wondering if you seen it?

Has Sean Penn which kinda makes me leery... Then again he plays a very strange character which I think he is best at.

Haven't heard of it, I agree with Sean Penn though...he's kind of hit or miss for me too.

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: Safety Last!
Year: 1923
Country of Origin: US
Director: Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor

Plot: A young man tries to win over the heart of a woman with lies and manipulation.

Review: This movie is legitimately funny, I was actually a little surprised by how much I laughed at the film. I mean the film is 90 years old, but grade 'A' slapstick funny in any era...especially considering that most of the stunts are not only real, but were performed by Harold Llyod as well. Sure, somethings haven't aged well...especially the incredibly anti-Semitic portrayal of a Jewish man. Still, this is a really impressive piece of filmmakling and one that can still entertain all these years later.

[9.5/10]

 

[Sexy Beast]

Title: Mr. Freedom
Year: 1969
Country of Origin: France (Film is in English)
Director: William Klein

Plot: America's greatest superhero goes to France to stop a communist incursion.

Review: So roughly the first 30 minutes to this film is actually worth watching. Most of the jokes hit their marks and it's weird enough to keep your attention. The film falls off the rails in the last hour, everything gets bogged down in the films nonsensical plot and the jokes begin to fall flat. The film is intended to be a scathing rebuke of U.S foreign policy and in the 60s it probably was pretty effective, today it just feels dated. It actually kind of reminds me of War Inc., both films run the same themes and neither film does it well.

[4/10]

 

[Mr. Monday]

I was looking through your list, and I noticed you haven't reviewed the new Casino Royale (unless I missed it). Could you take a look at that one? I'm interested to hear what you think, since you liked Skyfall so much.