183. 5 Centimetres Per Second - a wonderfully animated Japanese Anime set in 3 stories about a guy who falls for a girl but is not sure if his feelings are reciprocated. Supposed to be all about some kind of Japanese classic cultural ideal of imperfect love, to me it just sounded like a whiny punk who was a bit of a wanker. Animation and the absolutely fantastic song at the end made it very watchable but the story and the way that most fo it is through voiceovers and letter reading was just awful. I guess you have to be Japanese to like that kind of thing, that or a whiny bitch. 2.5/5
184. Freedom Writers - there's something about Hilary Swank where I just can't decide if I find her attractive or not, that aside this is your typical "teacher rescues ghetto kids from their slum lives" type story but because it is actually based on real events it's slightly more entertaining than films like [i]Dangerous Minds[/i]. It kept me watching and only had a few roll-my-eyes moments. 3/5
185. Battlestar Galactica - The Plan - a final return to the BSG series where we get to see just what the Cylons and some of the Final Five were doing during the attack on the 12 colonies and how the evolved and survived. Interesting and with some great acting by Dean Stockwell it was a nice trip back into this series but all too short. There was also a bit of nudity which was good but the zoom in to the dude's dick was just plain weird, though rather amusing. 3.5/5
186. *Food, Inc. - housemate was watching this so I re-watched it with her. Some damn scary stuff and I really do hope that Australia is not going down this same path.
187. The Proposal - pretty much your average rom com with some ok performances. Not the best, not the worst, was watchable though very predictable. 2.5/5
188. Objectified - an interesting doco about the world of design and about the thought processes that go into even everyday products like garden shears or a vegetable peeler. Quite fascinating in places but a little disjointed in execution. 2/5
189. The Brothers Bloom - an absolutely fantastic caper/con film with great performances by Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody and especially Mark Ruffalo and an hilariously enigmatic Rinko Kikuchi. Off beat with some absolutely stunning sets and locations, gorgeous costumes right out of the early 1900s but worn in the modern world, and some dead-set funny deadpan humour; this film has everything I could want in a caper comedy with heart except ir did contain some poor editing - though that could have just been the print we saw. If you want some belly laughs while trying to think about who is conning who then go see this film. Absolutely loved it. 5/5
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
PROJECT 365: 177 - 182
177. The Hangover - was quite funny but not as great as everyone led me to believe. I really enjoyed the photos during the credits with the cameos in them. 3/5
178. I Love You, Man - surprisingly poignant and heartwarming, this comedy really made me empathise with the main character's quest for male companionship. It didn't go for cheap physical comedy or gross-out stuff (apart from the dead-set hilarious spew scene) but was actually very intelligent and adult in its treatment of the subject of Mancrush and Bromance. Loved it. 4.5/5
179. Bruno - only a few really cringeworthy moments which is not my kind of humour so it was much better than Borat. Better scripted with some epically hilarious scenes (Gayby OJ, the anti-gay pastors, the UFC-style fight) and I actually quite enjoyed it, I just kept marveling at how balls to the wall brave Cohen can sometimes be. 3.5/5
180. Astro Boy - quite a good take on the classic anime and manga. I enjoyed it quite a lot despite changes to the basic story - they kept the right elements there. Greta animation, good voice acting (though Bill Nighy as Doctor Elefun sounded a little out of place). 3/5
181. Race to Witch Mountain - fun, stupid, idiotic, but it has The Rock so it was awesome. A lot of it made very little sense but that didn't really matter. 2.5/5
182. Brokeback Mountain - finally got around to watching this and it was really such a desperately sad and moving film. If I'd known Anne Hathaway's tits were revealed in it I'd have watched it ages ago. Great performances from Gyllenhall and Ledger as expected (although they were bloody rough with each other weren't they?). What really made this film work were 3 elements - stunning cinematography, and understated yet perfect soundtrack, and the enveloping sadness of the story as a whole. 4.5/5
178. I Love You, Man - surprisingly poignant and heartwarming, this comedy really made me empathise with the main character's quest for male companionship. It didn't go for cheap physical comedy or gross-out stuff (apart from the dead-set hilarious spew scene) but was actually very intelligent and adult in its treatment of the subject of Mancrush and Bromance. Loved it. 4.5/5
179. Bruno - only a few really cringeworthy moments which is not my kind of humour so it was much better than Borat. Better scripted with some epically hilarious scenes (Gayby OJ, the anti-gay pastors, the UFC-style fight) and I actually quite enjoyed it, I just kept marveling at how balls to the wall brave Cohen can sometimes be. 3.5/5
180. Astro Boy - quite a good take on the classic anime and manga. I enjoyed it quite a lot despite changes to the basic story - they kept the right elements there. Greta animation, good voice acting (though Bill Nighy as Doctor Elefun sounded a little out of place). 3/5
181. Race to Witch Mountain - fun, stupid, idiotic, but it has The Rock so it was awesome. A lot of it made very little sense but that didn't really matter. 2.5/5
182. Brokeback Mountain - finally got around to watching this and it was really such a desperately sad and moving film. If I'd known Anne Hathaway's tits were revealed in it I'd have watched it ages ago. Great performances from Gyllenhall and Ledger as expected (although they were bloody rough with each other weren't they?). What really made this film work were 3 elements - stunning cinematography, and understated yet perfect soundtrack, and the enveloping sadness of the story as a whole. 4.5/5
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
PROJECT 365: 155 - 176
155. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - average entry in the franchise. better acting on the behalf of the main 3 characters but still some awkwardness between them. Liked the inclusion of so much humour which was missing a bit from the last two. 3/5
156. *In The Loop - got housemate to watch it so I watched it again. Not as good as the first time around as I knew all the jokes but that didn't really matter, still a great film. 4/5
157. Knowing - ridiculous, badly acted, laughably funny when it isn't supposed to be. I spent the film playing spot the Aussie and spot the Melbourne landmark, plane crash scene was pretty good though. 0.5/5
158. Joint Security Area (JSA) - fantastic film by Park Chan Wook about a South Korean man charged with crossing the border and killing two of his counterparts in a guard station across the Bridge of No Return, however as the investigation continues not all is what it seems. The opening investigation scenes aren't really all that good but the second act of this film is what gives it true cult status and a beautiful heart about friendship and loyalty. Some great performances and a truly sad ending, 4/5.
159. *A Crude Awakening - The Oil Crash - rewatched this scary as all Hell doco about how little oil the world has left and how we need to find a viable alternative NOW or our current way of living and thinking will be drastically different very very soon. Think along the lines that your grand children might not ever be able to fly in an aeroplane kind of thing. 4/5
160. Anvil - The Story of Anvil - FANTASTIC doco about a Candaian Metal band that never really quite made it to the big league yet they've stuck around for 30 years or so and still rock hard. Great characters, great story (final scene was just priceless) and a very pleasant film to watch. Gonna see them play at Soundwave early 2010. 4/5
161. *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - was on TV so decided to watch it. Quite boring the second time around - some of it just wouldn't make any sense if you hadn't read the books. 2.5/5
162. *Matrix Reloaded - the sequel we just did NOT need to have. Beginning of the end for a film franchise that should have just stuck with the original. Some really bad effects along with some quite good ones, poor acting, poor story. Another exercise in spot the Aussie. 1.5/5
163. 17 Again - surprisingly funny in parts but still uses all the classic cliches that you'd expect. It'd be interesting to see if Efron could pull off a seriously dramatic role and not always just play teenagers. 1.5/5
164. The Burrowers - low budget US horror film set in the Old West that just does not live up to its potential and int he end is rather annoying. 1/5
165. (500) Days of Summer - went to a free screening last night and I gotta say this film has it all - good humour, great acting, smart script, perfect soundtrack, great story that jumps around a lot which actually helps the story flow better, and a nice twist on the traditional rom-com. Perfect film - 5/5
166. *The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - it was on TV on a Friday night, I even had the extended version in my drawer but couldn't be bothered getting up off the couch. Still a fantastic movie that makes the book come alive even more than when reading it. 4.5/5
167. Push - had free tickets to see this, took my friend Jane along last night and there was just one other guy in the cinema. I wasn't expecting anything much as I'd heard it had very bad reviews but in the end it was just a fun sci-fi romp where you didn't really have to think too much about anything. Not great, not total shite, bit of fun. 2/5
168. *Back to the Future II - absolute classic, love every minute of it especially the dual scenes from the first film that are done so well at the end of this one. 4.5/5
169. *Back to the Future III - great ending to the trilogy but not as good as the first two. 3/5
170. Up (3D) - wonderful story, great jokes, perfect animation just not quite as there with previous Pixar efforts but still brilliant. 4/5
171. Year One - dull, boring, crude, crap, maybe 3 or 4 jokes worthy of that label. 1/5
172. *Star Trek - just as good the third time around although the issues with Scotty and a dull Nero still stand out like a very sore thumb. 3.5/5
173. Monsters Vs Aliens - funny, fantastic animation, great story, wonderful voice cast. 4/5
174. Battle For Terra - good voice cast, semi-good animation (the Human Ark ship looked amazing) but in the end a relatively dull story that's been done to death before. Really didn't have enough emotional impact though it did try. 2.5/5
175. G.I. Joe - The Rise of Cobra - great, dumb, idiotic, stupid, fun that doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. 3/5
176. Terry Pratchett - Living With Alzheimer's - quite poignant and sad (the tie tying scene and the part at the reading really were rather depressing) but overall an upbeat look at a year in the life of Terry as he tried to find out more about this insidious disease and about his quest to stave off the inevitable and to also understand the disease. 4/5.
156. *In The Loop - got housemate to watch it so I watched it again. Not as good as the first time around as I knew all the jokes but that didn't really matter, still a great film. 4/5
157. Knowing - ridiculous, badly acted, laughably funny when it isn't supposed to be. I spent the film playing spot the Aussie and spot the Melbourne landmark, plane crash scene was pretty good though. 0.5/5
158. Joint Security Area (JSA) - fantastic film by Park Chan Wook about a South Korean man charged with crossing the border and killing two of his counterparts in a guard station across the Bridge of No Return, however as the investigation continues not all is what it seems. The opening investigation scenes aren't really all that good but the second act of this film is what gives it true cult status and a beautiful heart about friendship and loyalty. Some great performances and a truly sad ending, 4/5.
159. *A Crude Awakening - The Oil Crash - rewatched this scary as all Hell doco about how little oil the world has left and how we need to find a viable alternative NOW or our current way of living and thinking will be drastically different very very soon. Think along the lines that your grand children might not ever be able to fly in an aeroplane kind of thing. 4/5
160. Anvil - The Story of Anvil - FANTASTIC doco about a Candaian Metal band that never really quite made it to the big league yet they've stuck around for 30 years or so and still rock hard. Great characters, great story (final scene was just priceless) and a very pleasant film to watch. Gonna see them play at Soundwave early 2010. 4/5
161. *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - was on TV so decided to watch it. Quite boring the second time around - some of it just wouldn't make any sense if you hadn't read the books. 2.5/5
162. *Matrix Reloaded - the sequel we just did NOT need to have. Beginning of the end for a film franchise that should have just stuck with the original. Some really bad effects along with some quite good ones, poor acting, poor story. Another exercise in spot the Aussie. 1.5/5
163. 17 Again - surprisingly funny in parts but still uses all the classic cliches that you'd expect. It'd be interesting to see if Efron could pull off a seriously dramatic role and not always just play teenagers. 1.5/5
164. The Burrowers - low budget US horror film set in the Old West that just does not live up to its potential and int he end is rather annoying. 1/5
165. (500) Days of Summer - went to a free screening last night and I gotta say this film has it all - good humour, great acting, smart script, perfect soundtrack, great story that jumps around a lot which actually helps the story flow better, and a nice twist on the traditional rom-com. Perfect film - 5/5
166. *The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - it was on TV on a Friday night, I even had the extended version in my drawer but couldn't be bothered getting up off the couch. Still a fantastic movie that makes the book come alive even more than when reading it. 4.5/5
167. Push - had free tickets to see this, took my friend Jane along last night and there was just one other guy in the cinema. I wasn't expecting anything much as I'd heard it had very bad reviews but in the end it was just a fun sci-fi romp where you didn't really have to think too much about anything. Not great, not total shite, bit of fun. 2/5
168. *Back to the Future II - absolute classic, love every minute of it especially the dual scenes from the first film that are done so well at the end of this one. 4.5/5
169. *Back to the Future III - great ending to the trilogy but not as good as the first two. 3/5
170. Up (3D) - wonderful story, great jokes, perfect animation just not quite as there with previous Pixar efforts but still brilliant. 4/5
171. Year One - dull, boring, crude, crap, maybe 3 or 4 jokes worthy of that label. 1/5
172. *Star Trek - just as good the third time around although the issues with Scotty and a dull Nero still stand out like a very sore thumb. 3.5/5
173. Monsters Vs Aliens - funny, fantastic animation, great story, wonderful voice cast. 4/5
174. Battle For Terra - good voice cast, semi-good animation (the Human Ark ship looked amazing) but in the end a relatively dull story that's been done to death before. Really didn't have enough emotional impact though it did try. 2.5/5
175. G.I. Joe - The Rise of Cobra - great, dumb, idiotic, stupid, fun that doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. 3/5
176. Terry Pratchett - Living With Alzheimer's - quite poignant and sad (the tie tying scene and the part at the reading really were rather depressing) but overall an upbeat look at a year in the life of Terry as he tried to find out more about this insidious disease and about his quest to stave off the inevitable and to also understand the disease. 4/5.
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