74 The Troll Hunter 3
75 Paper Man 2
76 The Objective 0.5
77 *Fantastic Four 2.5
78 Straw Dogs 2
79 Source Code 2.5
80 I've Loved You So Long 4
81 Insidious 2
Monday, June 27, 2011
Films in 2011 - APRIL (10 / 73)
64 *Serenity 2
65 How I Ended This Summer 1
66 Next 1
67 Suspect Zero 1.5
68 The War You Don't See 5
69 Incendies 4
70 Paul 3
71 Unstoppable 0.5
72 Thor 3.5
73 Scream 4 3
65 How I Ended This Summer 1
66 Next 1
67 Suspect Zero 1.5
68 The War You Don't See 5
69 Incendies 4
70 Paul 3
71 Unstoppable 0.5
72 Thor 3.5
73 Scream 4 3
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Films in 2011 - SMARCH (14 / 63)
Again, might add reviews/notes later on.
50 The Boat That Rocked 3
51 The Adjustment Bureau 3.5
52 Enron - The Smartest Guys In The Room 4
53 Rango 3.5
54 Meet The Spartans 0.1
55 National Geographic - Drain The Oceans 1.5
56 Battle Los Angeles 3
57 Waiting for Superman 4
58 For The Bible Tells Me So 2.5
59 From Paris With Love 1
60 Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door 2.5
61 Griff The Invisible 3
62 Reagan 3
63 Never Let Me Go 3.5
50 The Boat That Rocked 3
51 The Adjustment Bureau 3.5
52 Enron - The Smartest Guys In The Room 4
53 Rango 3.5
54 Meet The Spartans 0.1
55 National Geographic - Drain The Oceans 1.5
56 Battle Los Angeles 3
57 Waiting for Superman 4
58 For The Bible Tells Me So 2.5
59 From Paris With Love 1
60 Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door 2.5
61 Griff The Invisible 3
62 Reagan 3
63 Never Let Me Go 3.5
Films in 2011 - FEBRUARY (19 / 49)
Been slack, but who cares eh? Might add reviews later.
31 The Limey 3
32 The Squid and The Whale 3
33 Inside The Firestorm 5
34 *Kung Fu Panda
35 *Hulk
36 The Other Guys 1
37 Get Him To The Greek 2
38 La Haine 3
39 The Tillman Story 2.5
40 Restrepo 2
41 Hotel Rwanda 3.5
42 The Future of Food 4
43 talhotblond 3
44 *Jurassic Park 3.5
45 *The Abyss 4
46 Alien Vs Predator 1
47 Conviction 3
48 Unknown 2.5
49 The Smashing Machine 1.5
31 The Limey 3
32 The Squid and The Whale 3
33 Inside The Firestorm 5
34 *Kung Fu Panda
35 *Hulk
36 The Other Guys 1
37 Get Him To The Greek 2
38 La Haine 3
39 The Tillman Story 2.5
40 Restrepo 2
41 Hotel Rwanda 3.5
42 The Future of Food 4
43 talhotblond 3
44 *Jurassic Park 3.5
45 *The Abyss 4
46 Alien Vs Predator 1
47 Conviction 3
48 Unknown 2.5
49 The Smashing Machine 1.5
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Films in 2011 - JANUARY (30 / 30)
Another year, another slew of films. After a month and a half (it's now Feb 16th) I'm actually keeping pretty good pace, maybe PROJECT 365 isn't as dead as first thought?
I couldn't be arsed adding IMDB links any more, it's not like anyone reads this blog so why bother making no one's life easier by adding links?
*Toy Story 3 - not as good the second time around, just didn't have that sense of wonder that the first one seems to still be able to evoke.
Black Death - a rather pedestrian film with very average performances, effects and a rather poor script. Some mildly entertaining gore and a bit of a twist lifts it slightly. 1.5 / 5
44 Inch Chest - not the film I was expecting. For some reason I thought this was some kind of heist film, when in reality it's about a bunch of foul mouthed criminals who have kidnapped a man for sleeping with one of their wives and it focuses on what they plan on doing to him. Good performances but not for everyone. 2.5 / 5
Jennifer's Body - pathetically crap. Gets half a point for the glimpses of Megan Fox's body. 0.5 / 5
*Avatar - this was the extended cut, only one scene seemed to really add to the story (the school room) but otherwise it's still the same technically brilliant but still kinda rubs me the wrong way film.
Road to Guantanamo - doco about some UK citizens caught in Afghanistan and sent to the titular prison. I'm still not 100% convinced they weren't there for some other, possibly nefarious reasons, but either way their treatment was horrendous. 2.5 / 5
Clash of the Titans - what was the fucking point? Seriously? Gets 1 for some nice effects but otherwise this is a blight on modern cinema. 1 /5
Tangled - a return to classic Disney cinema which they attempted with The Princess & The Frog but this outshines it a hundred-fold. Great story, great humour, not unpleasant songs. 4 / 5
*The Aristocrats - still funny, still filthy.
Humpday - fairly average film that had some interesting points, but mostly quite slow and pedestrian with no real flair in story or acting. 1.5 / 5
Kingdom of Heaven - this is the Director's cut (I've not seen the apparently appalling theatrical release) and although it was interesting and had some great action pieces, I just detest Orlando Bloom as an actor - he's totally shite and casting him was a major mistake. 2.5 / 5
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - In April 2002, an Irish film crew is making a documentary about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, when a coup from the opposition is made. Interesting although I wish it went into more detail about the clearly US backing of the Opposition coup. Fascinating sections on how state run TV can be used against and for a Government to sway the opinions of the people. 2 / 5
Grizzly Man - Werner Herzog doco about an absolute nutter who clearly has various mental issues and a fascination with bears and their conservation that eventually leads to his death at their jaws and paws. 3 / 5
Children of Beslan - heartbreaking doco about the siege in Beslan told entirely by children who were there, recalling the horror. 3 / 5
Death of a President - interesting but ultimately bland faux-doco about the assassination of George Bush and how blaming an innocent Arab-American and ignoring the evidence can have devastating consequences. 2.5
The Town - quite a good drama with good performances, a strong script and good direction. 3.5
Imagine You & Me - nice little rom-com/drama about a woman getting married to a great guy who then realises she has feelings for another woman and the drama and hi-jinks ensue. Some of the set ups are ridiculously stupid - sure we'll let a florist run around our wedding and reception dancing with the guests. 2.5
The Fighter - fantastic film with great performances all round and some hilariousness throughout. The women were especially strong and Christian Bale was mesmerising. 4.5
St. Trinian's - checked it out to see Lena Headey who is barely in it, but at least Gemma Arterton looks great. Was kinda funny and a bit silly, dunno if I'll bother with the sequel. 1.5
Hollywoodland - I've had this fir a while and didn't check it out 'cause I thought I wouldn't like it, but in the end it's an interesting look a a tragic death and goes into what may have happened. Affleck was fantastic as Reeves. 3.5
Tomorrow, When The War Began - was in keeping with the book although I found Ellie to be a little too pretty for how she is described. I do hope they make the rest of the series but I doubt they'll go beyond another 1 or 2 if any at all. Entertaining, oh and I think I counted maybe 10 or 12 Oz songs heard by 25 minutes in - give ti a rest! 2.5
44 Minutes - faux-docudrama (i.e. actors play all the parts and has no original footage) of the insane 1994 shootout between two bank robbers and dozens of cops on the streets of L.A. Was interesting but you get more out of a 10 minute clip of the real event on YouTube, to be honest. 2 / 5
Black Swan - good performances, a compelling story, some great effects (and one ro two stupid ones) all wrapped up in a very satisfying movie. Lost a point due to Aronofsky shoving mirrors/reflections down our throat and too much unneeded shaky cam. 4 / 5
Legend of the Guardians - boring story, crap voice acting (for the most part) but absolutely stunning animation. If only this aussie animation studio would get some good source material, they could kick arse with a great fantasy or sci-fi story. 2 / 5
Trade - the tragic tale of several girls kidnapped in Mexico and sold across the US border to pedophiles, the story of a brother searching for his abducted sister and a father searching for a daughter he doesn't know. Interesting and heartfelt story, good acting though not great, and a satisfying conclusion - good for a Sunday arvo. 2.5
The Green Hornet - surprisingly funny, stupidly ridiculous action and a fun popcorn entertainment flick is born. 3.5
Stop-Loss - a bit too cliched, especially when it comes to the behaviour of the squad mates, also the initial scenes in Iraq made no sense at all - yes, let's go into the obvious ambush. 2.5
Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day - dull and uninspired sequel to a great film. It should not have been made. 1.5
Body of Lies - interesting if a little overwrought, some good acting and a satisfyingly tense conclusion despite some obvious red herrings. 3 / 5
Centurion - gory, mindless action where you know exactly what is going to happen but you stick around for all the decapitations and ridiculous acting. 2 / 5
I couldn't be arsed adding IMDB links any more, it's not like anyone reads this blog so why bother making no one's life easier by adding links?
*Toy Story 3 - not as good the second time around, just didn't have that sense of wonder that the first one seems to still be able to evoke.
Black Death - a rather pedestrian film with very average performances, effects and a rather poor script. Some mildly entertaining gore and a bit of a twist lifts it slightly. 1.5 / 5
44 Inch Chest - not the film I was expecting. For some reason I thought this was some kind of heist film, when in reality it's about a bunch of foul mouthed criminals who have kidnapped a man for sleeping with one of their wives and it focuses on what they plan on doing to him. Good performances but not for everyone. 2.5 / 5
Jennifer's Body - pathetically crap. Gets half a point for the glimpses of Megan Fox's body. 0.5 / 5
*Avatar - this was the extended cut, only one scene seemed to really add to the story (the school room) but otherwise it's still the same technically brilliant but still kinda rubs me the wrong way film.
Road to Guantanamo - doco about some UK citizens caught in Afghanistan and sent to the titular prison. I'm still not 100% convinced they weren't there for some other, possibly nefarious reasons, but either way their treatment was horrendous. 2.5 / 5
Clash of the Titans - what was the fucking point? Seriously? Gets 1 for some nice effects but otherwise this is a blight on modern cinema. 1 /5
Tangled - a return to classic Disney cinema which they attempted with The Princess & The Frog but this outshines it a hundred-fold. Great story, great humour, not unpleasant songs. 4 / 5
*The Aristocrats - still funny, still filthy.
Humpday - fairly average film that had some interesting points, but mostly quite slow and pedestrian with no real flair in story or acting. 1.5 / 5
Kingdom of Heaven - this is the Director's cut (I've not seen the apparently appalling theatrical release) and although it was interesting and had some great action pieces, I just detest Orlando Bloom as an actor - he's totally shite and casting him was a major mistake. 2.5 / 5
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - In April 2002, an Irish film crew is making a documentary about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, when a coup from the opposition is made. Interesting although I wish it went into more detail about the clearly US backing of the Opposition coup. Fascinating sections on how state run TV can be used against and for a Government to sway the opinions of the people. 2 / 5
Grizzly Man - Werner Herzog doco about an absolute nutter who clearly has various mental issues and a fascination with bears and their conservation that eventually leads to his death at their jaws and paws. 3 / 5
Children of Beslan - heartbreaking doco about the siege in Beslan told entirely by children who were there, recalling the horror. 3 / 5
Death of a President - interesting but ultimately bland faux-doco about the assassination of George Bush and how blaming an innocent Arab-American and ignoring the evidence can have devastating consequences. 2.5
The Town - quite a good drama with good performances, a strong script and good direction. 3.5
Imagine You & Me - nice little rom-com/drama about a woman getting married to a great guy who then realises she has feelings for another woman and the drama and hi-jinks ensue. Some of the set ups are ridiculously stupid - sure we'll let a florist run around our wedding and reception dancing with the guests. 2.5
The Fighter - fantastic film with great performances all round and some hilariousness throughout. The women were especially strong and Christian Bale was mesmerising. 4.5
St. Trinian's - checked it out to see Lena Headey who is barely in it, but at least Gemma Arterton looks great. Was kinda funny and a bit silly, dunno if I'll bother with the sequel. 1.5
Hollywoodland - I've had this fir a while and didn't check it out 'cause I thought I wouldn't like it, but in the end it's an interesting look a a tragic death and goes into what may have happened. Affleck was fantastic as Reeves. 3.5
Tomorrow, When The War Began - was in keeping with the book although I found Ellie to be a little too pretty for how she is described. I do hope they make the rest of the series but I doubt they'll go beyond another 1 or 2 if any at all. Entertaining, oh and I think I counted maybe 10 or 12 Oz songs heard by 25 minutes in - give ti a rest! 2.5
44 Minutes - faux-docudrama (i.e. actors play all the parts and has no original footage) of the insane 1994 shootout between two bank robbers and dozens of cops on the streets of L.A. Was interesting but you get more out of a 10 minute clip of the real event on YouTube, to be honest. 2 / 5
Black Swan - good performances, a compelling story, some great effects (and one ro two stupid ones) all wrapped up in a very satisfying movie. Lost a point due to Aronofsky shoving mirrors/reflections down our throat and too much unneeded shaky cam. 4 / 5
Legend of the Guardians - boring story, crap voice acting (for the most part) but absolutely stunning animation. If only this aussie animation studio would get some good source material, they could kick arse with a great fantasy or sci-fi story. 2 / 5
Trade - the tragic tale of several girls kidnapped in Mexico and sold across the US border to pedophiles, the story of a brother searching for his abducted sister and a father searching for a daughter he doesn't know. Interesting and heartfelt story, good acting though not great, and a satisfying conclusion - good for a Sunday arvo. 2.5
The Green Hornet - surprisingly funny, stupidly ridiculous action and a fun popcorn entertainment flick is born. 3.5
Stop-Loss - a bit too cliched, especially when it comes to the behaviour of the squad mates, also the initial scenes in Iraq made no sense at all - yes, let's go into the obvious ambush. 2.5
Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day - dull and uninspired sequel to a great film. It should not have been made. 1.5
Body of Lies - interesting if a little overwrought, some good acting and a satisfyingly tense conclusion despite some obvious red herrings. 3 / 5
Centurion - gory, mindless action where you know exactly what is going to happen but you stick around for all the decapitations and ridiculous acting. 2 / 5
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Films in 2010 - December (24 / 192)
Kick-Ass - brilliant, loved it, real piss-take on the typical superhero film. Cage was hilarious, the whole cast was great. 4/5
*Road Trip - it was on TV, I was bored, it's even worse than I recall. 0.5/5
Loose Change 911 An American Coup - another poorly made conspiracy doco about the 9-11 attacks. Actually has a few interesting points but is clearly made by a kid cobbling vision together and with a really bad voice over. Once again doesn't provide any evidence whatsoever for many of the crazier theories, though the ones about the buildings being already rigged to blow are scarily plausible. 1.5/5
*Catfish - still a good film, showed it to the housemate who kept trying to guess what was going on. 3.5/5
Brooklyn's Finest - one of those cops and drug dealer films that you just know won't have a happy ending, and of course it doesn't. Great performances and a pretty good script though. 3/5
The Aviator - had not seen this before and really enjoyed it, Blanchett was absolutely marvellous. 3.5/5
Megamind - quite funny and well voice acted (though Brad Pitt's vpice didn't fit is role), loved the Superman jokes. Still not sold on 3D, it didn't add anything to the admittedly already brilliant animation. 3/5
Predators - dumb, stupid fun with absolutely no surprises. Laurence Fishburne was bloody funny. 2/5
The King's Speech - Brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT film. Not perfect, but brilliant. Rush is getting all the Oscar buzz but it should be Firth as he was just perfect in his role, I couldn't take my eyes off him whenever he was on screen. Helena Bonham-Carter was perfect as well. 4.5/5
*True Crime - classic Eastwood thriller. I read the book ages ago and saw the film soon after, still an enjoyable film to see despite already knowing the ending. 3/5
The Fourth Kind - your basic alien abduction thriller with the twist of using "dramatisations of real footage", ahem, yes. It was interesting and fun, had a few tense moments but overall kinda ho-hum. 2.5/5
Shrek Forever After - quite dull, deriviative, all been done before and really lackluster, saved only by a few random laughs. I really hope the planned 5th and 6th films don't come out but this still made plenty of money so I suspect they will. 2/5
Bigger Stronger Faster - interesting doco about 3 brothers in the sport of power-lifting and their struggle with using anabolic steroids. Goes into some fo the scientific scare mongering as well as analysing famous people using them, doesn't really give a definitive answer but is fascinating all the same. 3/5
Despicable Me - deploringly predictable and not as good as many reviewers made out, watchable but rather meh. 2.5/5
Skyline - great concept, damn good execution, deplorable script, atrocious acting, some pretty good special effects, and ending that is just vomit worthy in its stupidity. 2/5
Robin Hood - actually quite the enjoyable romp. Some silly bits but I enjoyed the humour and the set up (clearly this begs for sequels) though was weird seeing American actors do British accents (for some reason not as weird as Aussies doing them). Crowe doesn't destroy the film. 3.5/5
*How To Train Your Dragon - just as much fun the second time around. 4/5
The Princess and the Frog - I can see what Disney tried to do here by moving the action to New Orleans, and it works, but just not well enough for me to be more than reasonably entertained by this relatively traditional Disney fare.. 2.5/5
Armadillo - fascinating embedded doco as we follow a squad of Danish soldiers sent to Afghanistan. Visceral, interesting, scary, real, eye opening. Not the best Afghan War doco, but up there with the best. 4/5
I'm Still Here - Joaquin Phoenix is without a doubt one of the most brave and versatile actors of the modern age, this film is raw and funny and sad and depressing and ultimately, despite the fact it's not "real" really quite a fascinating look at the Celebrity Machine. 3.5/5
Hachi: A Dog's Story - just a wonderful, poignant, well crafter family film with a beautiful and bittersweet message. Makes me want to see the original. 4/5
The Ghost Writer - a writer is drafted to finish the memoirs of a Tony Blair-esque ex Brit PM but all is not what it seems and the mystery of what his predecessor was up to opens up a whole can of worms. It's well made but really, Polanski needed someone to take a look at the script for him - the obviousness of the twist gets figured out far too early (well I did anyway) and so the rest of the film becomes a bit of a paint-by-numbers game, but having said that it's still an enjoyable film to watch. He just made the clues far to obvious or overt. Still an interesting film but yeah, definitely has script problems. Oh and why he cast Kim Cattrall in a British role I'll never know, what a mistake that was. 2.5/5
*Alien 3 - really not sure why this film gets such a bad rap, I've always liked it though it is very similar to the first film. 3/5
*Alien Resurrection - some fun scenes and great effects let down by quite a poor conclusion. 2.5/5
So a pretty good year in film with the standout being THE ACTRESSES. Managed to almost hit 200, almost as good as my Project 365 attempt in 2009.
So far in January I'm up to 18 films by the 18th, maybe I can get over the previous record of 209 in 2009, time will tell.
God this blog is pointless, I dunno why I bother updating it...
*Road Trip - it was on TV, I was bored, it's even worse than I recall. 0.5/5
Loose Change 911 An American Coup - another poorly made conspiracy doco about the 9-11 attacks. Actually has a few interesting points but is clearly made by a kid cobbling vision together and with a really bad voice over. Once again doesn't provide any evidence whatsoever for many of the crazier theories, though the ones about the buildings being already rigged to blow are scarily plausible. 1.5/5
*Catfish - still a good film, showed it to the housemate who kept trying to guess what was going on. 3.5/5
Brooklyn's Finest - one of those cops and drug dealer films that you just know won't have a happy ending, and of course it doesn't. Great performances and a pretty good script though. 3/5
The Aviator - had not seen this before and really enjoyed it, Blanchett was absolutely marvellous. 3.5/5
Megamind - quite funny and well voice acted (though Brad Pitt's vpice didn't fit is role), loved the Superman jokes. Still not sold on 3D, it didn't add anything to the admittedly already brilliant animation. 3/5
Predators - dumb, stupid fun with absolutely no surprises. Laurence Fishburne was bloody funny. 2/5
The King's Speech - Brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT film. Not perfect, but brilliant. Rush is getting all the Oscar buzz but it should be Firth as he was just perfect in his role, I couldn't take my eyes off him whenever he was on screen. Helena Bonham-Carter was perfect as well. 4.5/5
*True Crime - classic Eastwood thriller. I read the book ages ago and saw the film soon after, still an enjoyable film to see despite already knowing the ending. 3/5
The Fourth Kind - your basic alien abduction thriller with the twist of using "dramatisations of real footage", ahem, yes. It was interesting and fun, had a few tense moments but overall kinda ho-hum. 2.5/5
Shrek Forever After - quite dull, deriviative, all been done before and really lackluster, saved only by a few random laughs. I really hope the planned 5th and 6th films don't come out but this still made plenty of money so I suspect they will. 2/5
Bigger Stronger Faster - interesting doco about 3 brothers in the sport of power-lifting and their struggle with using anabolic steroids. Goes into some fo the scientific scare mongering as well as analysing famous people using them, doesn't really give a definitive answer but is fascinating all the same. 3/5
Despicable Me - deploringly predictable and not as good as many reviewers made out, watchable but rather meh. 2.5/5
Skyline - great concept, damn good execution, deplorable script, atrocious acting, some pretty good special effects, and ending that is just vomit worthy in its stupidity. 2/5
Robin Hood - actually quite the enjoyable romp. Some silly bits but I enjoyed the humour and the set up (clearly this begs for sequels) though was weird seeing American actors do British accents (for some reason not as weird as Aussies doing them). Crowe doesn't destroy the film. 3.5/5
*How To Train Your Dragon - just as much fun the second time around. 4/5
The Princess and the Frog - I can see what Disney tried to do here by moving the action to New Orleans, and it works, but just not well enough for me to be more than reasonably entertained by this relatively traditional Disney fare.. 2.5/5
Armadillo - fascinating embedded doco as we follow a squad of Danish soldiers sent to Afghanistan. Visceral, interesting, scary, real, eye opening. Not the best Afghan War doco, but up there with the best. 4/5
I'm Still Here - Joaquin Phoenix is without a doubt one of the most brave and versatile actors of the modern age, this film is raw and funny and sad and depressing and ultimately, despite the fact it's not "real" really quite a fascinating look at the Celebrity Machine. 3.5/5
Hachi: A Dog's Story - just a wonderful, poignant, well crafter family film with a beautiful and bittersweet message. Makes me want to see the original. 4/5
The Ghost Writer - a writer is drafted to finish the memoirs of a Tony Blair-esque ex Brit PM but all is not what it seems and the mystery of what his predecessor was up to opens up a whole can of worms. It's well made but really, Polanski needed someone to take a look at the script for him - the obviousness of the twist gets figured out far too early (well I did anyway) and so the rest of the film becomes a bit of a paint-by-numbers game, but having said that it's still an enjoyable film to watch. He just made the clues far to obvious or overt. Still an interesting film but yeah, definitely has script problems. Oh and why he cast Kim Cattrall in a British role I'll never know, what a mistake that was. 2.5/5
*Alien 3 - really not sure why this film gets such a bad rap, I've always liked it though it is very similar to the first film. 3/5
*Alien Resurrection - some fun scenes and great effects let down by quite a poor conclusion. 2.5/5
So a pretty good year in film with the standout being THE ACTRESSES. Managed to almost hit 200, almost as good as my Project 365 attempt in 2009.
So far in January I'm up to 18 films by the 18th, maybe I can get over the previous record of 209 in 2009, time will tell.
God this blog is pointless, I dunno why I bother updating it...
Friday, December 10, 2010
Films in 2010 - November (16 / 168)
No End In Sight - Iraq's Descent Into Chaos - a disturbing doco about just how royally screwed up the war in Iraq went and how just a few men in the White House made horrendously bad decisions that aided Iraq descending into turmoil and how frustrated the people on the ground were at the lack of vision from the top. Scary stuff to think how stupid and war mongering some people can be. A lot of this stuff I had absolutely no idea about, very educational. 4/5
*Gremlins 2- The New Batch - total classic, still love it. 4/5
Frozen - 3 idiots get trapped on a ski lift and non one's gonna come for them or miss them any time soon. Surprisingly entertaining, mostly so you can laugh at their dumb decisions - "yes, let's jump off this chair feet first onto hard snow, my legs will be fine!" 3/5
The Mist - absolutely idiotic horror film which only gets points for some interesting creature designs. Ending was obvious it was coming but fun all the same. 1.5/5
The Last Airbender - M Night Shyamalan takes a wonderfully funny, poignant and well scripted cartoon, chops off its head and shits down its neck. Points only for including Appa and Momo. 0.5/5
The Crazies - a remake of a John Romero film (which I haven't seen). It had its moments but is pretty much a ho-hum kinda horror film. Has a few annoying plot holes. 2.5/5
Fair Game - fascinating dramatisation of the CIA agent exposed by her own government because her husband spoke out about the lies that started the Iraq War. Sean Penn and Naomi Watts are both very strong and perfect for these roles. The more I read and see about how the US invaded Iraq the more I see just how evil a few men at the top truly are. 4/5
Gamer - quite gory and hyper-realistic frenetic mish-mash of a film. Had a few good moments but overall pretty stupid stuff where actual people are controlled by other humans in both a social networking game and a game of brutal death. Dumb and somewhat fun in parts. 2/5
Addicted To Plastic - quite a scary doco about just how much plastic we waste and how much of it ends up in our seas - seriously there are millions of tonnes of it out there - and how it ends up in our food chain. Has some interesting interviews with people and companies that are truly recycling plastics, and not just making pointless objects but some are putting it to great use. 4/5
The Disappearance of Alice Creed - a taut UK thriller that has a few surprises but ends up a little on the predictable side in the final third. Really goes to show you, though, what can be done with a tight script, 3 or 4 locations and only 3 actors in the entire film. 3.5/5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 - not as bad as the last one, not as good as the third, better than the first. I think it was only watchable because I knew about the story but even then a few things still had me scratching my head. Extra 1.5 for the great 3 brothers animation. 3.5/5
*War of the Worlds - great fun. 3/5
*Forgetting Sarah Marshall - still such a great comedy, probably not something I could watch again and again and again but still great. Also still too much of Jason Segel's wang. 4/5
*Pineapple Express - another good stoner comedy, James Franco is brilliant in this. 3/5
*Wall-E - brilliant, Pixar only did better with Toy Story 3 and The Incredibles. 4.5/5
GasLand - scary doco about the process of Fracking for natural gas reserves across the US where people are being poisoned by the fracking water mixing with their drinking water and how the Federal Government changed the laws to allow it. Isn't brilliantly made but the message behind it is quite powerful, especially when they clearly show people setting their tap water on fire!!! 3/5
*Gremlins 2- The New Batch - total classic, still love it. 4/5
Frozen - 3 idiots get trapped on a ski lift and non one's gonna come for them or miss them any time soon. Surprisingly entertaining, mostly so you can laugh at their dumb decisions - "yes, let's jump off this chair feet first onto hard snow, my legs will be fine!" 3/5
The Mist - absolutely idiotic horror film which only gets points for some interesting creature designs. Ending was obvious it was coming but fun all the same. 1.5/5
The Last Airbender - M Night Shyamalan takes a wonderfully funny, poignant and well scripted cartoon, chops off its head and shits down its neck. Points only for including Appa and Momo. 0.5/5
The Crazies - a remake of a John Romero film (which I haven't seen). It had its moments but is pretty much a ho-hum kinda horror film. Has a few annoying plot holes. 2.5/5
Fair Game - fascinating dramatisation of the CIA agent exposed by her own government because her husband spoke out about the lies that started the Iraq War. Sean Penn and Naomi Watts are both very strong and perfect for these roles. The more I read and see about how the US invaded Iraq the more I see just how evil a few men at the top truly are. 4/5
Gamer - quite gory and hyper-realistic frenetic mish-mash of a film. Had a few good moments but overall pretty stupid stuff where actual people are controlled by other humans in both a social networking game and a game of brutal death. Dumb and somewhat fun in parts. 2/5
Addicted To Plastic - quite a scary doco about just how much plastic we waste and how much of it ends up in our seas - seriously there are millions of tonnes of it out there - and how it ends up in our food chain. Has some interesting interviews with people and companies that are truly recycling plastics, and not just making pointless objects but some are putting it to great use. 4/5
The Disappearance of Alice Creed - a taut UK thriller that has a few surprises but ends up a little on the predictable side in the final third. Really goes to show you, though, what can be done with a tight script, 3 or 4 locations and only 3 actors in the entire film. 3.5/5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 - not as bad as the last one, not as good as the third, better than the first. I think it was only watchable because I knew about the story but even then a few things still had me scratching my head. Extra 1.5 for the great 3 brothers animation. 3.5/5
*War of the Worlds - great fun. 3/5
*Forgetting Sarah Marshall - still such a great comedy, probably not something I could watch again and again and again but still great. Also still too much of Jason Segel's wang. 4/5
*Pineapple Express - another good stoner comedy, James Franco is brilliant in this. 3/5
*Wall-E - brilliant, Pixar only did better with Toy Story 3 and The Incredibles. 4.5/5
GasLand - scary doco about the process of Fracking for natural gas reserves across the US where people are being poisoned by the fracking water mixing with their drinking water and how the Federal Government changed the laws to allow it. Isn't brilliantly made but the message behind it is quite powerful, especially when they clearly show people setting their tap water on fire!!! 3/5
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Films in 2010 - October (7 / 152)
*Wargames - it's a bit dated but still good fun. 3/5
*The Shawshank Redemption - despite being beloved by idiotic footballers the world over, it really is quite a good film. 4.5/5
Buried - 97 minute film, 96mins 30secs of that is Ryan Reynolds in a box (and the 30 seconds that isn't ain't what you might think it is). Brilliant concept executed extremely well, the tension is ramped up to 10 from the beginning and never lets up. 4/5
*The Sixth Sense - only the second time I've seen this film and it really is Shyamalan's only truly great film (though I also love Unbreakable). 4.5/5
Made In Dagenham - interesting, funny, mildly historically accurate, well acted, quite enjoyable. 3.5/5
RED - great dumb fun with Malkovich, Willis, Mirren, Freeman and especially Cox tearing up the screen to great effect. Louise-Parker is annoying, Urban works well with what he's got, stupid action done well. 4/5
*Seabiscuit - classic and a great film. 4/5
Yeah, October was a little sparse on the moofie front.
*The Shawshank Redemption - despite being beloved by idiotic footballers the world over, it really is quite a good film. 4.5/5
Buried - 97 minute film, 96mins 30secs of that is Ryan Reynolds in a box (and the 30 seconds that isn't ain't what you might think it is). Brilliant concept executed extremely well, the tension is ramped up to 10 from the beginning and never lets up. 4/5
*The Sixth Sense - only the second time I've seen this film and it really is Shyamalan's only truly great film (though I also love Unbreakable). 4.5/5
Made In Dagenham - interesting, funny, mildly historically accurate, well acted, quite enjoyable. 3.5/5
RED - great dumb fun with Malkovich, Willis, Mirren, Freeman and especially Cox tearing up the screen to great effect. Louise-Parker is annoying, Urban works well with what he's got, stupid action done well. 4/5
*Seabiscuit - classic and a great film. 4/5
Yeah, October was a little sparse on the moofie front.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Moofies in 2010 - September (5 / 145)
The month in which I re-re-re-re-re-re-re-kindled my love affair with The West Wing, hence the appallingly low amount of films I've seen. Sorry, but just can't get enough of Jed and the Gang.
The Swimsuit Issue - just wasn't as funny as I was hoping and was rather predictable. OK for a boring Sunday arvo. 3/5
*Iron Man - was on TV, was bored so watched it. Still don't think it's as brilliant as many seem to think though RDJ is always fun to watch. Still 3.5/5
Date Night - I liked it. It was totally silly but that's exactly what it's supposed to be. Not as funny as I was hoping but you get that with Carell movies. 3/5
*Iron Man 2 - housemate and her BF put it on so I watched it for the hell of it. Still think the ending is stupidly anti-climactic, but again RDJ is good fun and I do like the loose way the "script" moves. Still 3.5/5
Dinner For Schmucks - it had a few few rather amusing moments but overall this was a rather poor amalgamation of the brilliant Cable Guy with some Jerry Lewis leanings on the part of Steve Carell. It was just too flat for 95% of the film. 2.5/5
The Swimsuit Issue - just wasn't as funny as I was hoping and was rather predictable. OK for a boring Sunday arvo. 3/5
*Iron Man - was on TV, was bored so watched it. Still don't think it's as brilliant as many seem to think though RDJ is always fun to watch. Still 3.5/5
Date Night - I liked it. It was totally silly but that's exactly what it's supposed to be. Not as funny as I was hoping but you get that with Carell movies. 3/5
*Iron Man 2 - housemate and her BF put it on so I watched it for the hell of it. Still think the ending is stupidly anti-climactic, but again RDJ is good fun and I do like the loose way the "script" moves. Still 3.5/5
Dinner For Schmucks - it had a few few rather amusing moments but overall this was a rather poor amalgamation of the brilliant Cable Guy with some Jerry Lewis leanings on the part of Steve Carell. It was just too flat for 95% of the film. 2.5/5
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Moofies in 2010 - August (42 / 140)
Ha! I saw the exact same amount of films in August as I did July... weird... Anywho:
International Shorts 3 - some great short films, some bad ones, some average ones.
Accelerator 2 - some great short films (The Kiss was stunning), some bad ones, some average ones.
Animation Shorts 2 - mostly crap animated shorts.
Splice - I had high expectations for this science gone too far film from the director of Cube, that may have been an issue as this was total shite. Performances were just dull, the script was laughably stupid (I mean I was literally laughing with derision at some points) the effects started off well and then just dive bombed. Avoid this at all costs as it's quite possible Sarah Polley, Adrien Brody and Vincent Natali's worst film ever. 0.5/5
She, A Chinese - This is the story of Mei, a young woman on a trip from East to West after her escape from her provincial Chinese village. Beginning in Chongqing and a disastrous factory job, Mei soon heads out for London and a marriage to an older man where her entrapment begins anew. It doesn't sound like much but I really quite liked this film, Huang Lu gave Mei a strong and quiet dignity as she struggles to find her place in a world that just doesn't want her. Abused physically and emotionally the story of her struggle to find a life of meaning is wonderfully shot and acted and accentuated by a thumpingly cool soundtrack. 3.5/5
The Robber - Tells the true story of Johannes Rettenberger, a marathon athlete who developed robbing banks as a hobby. Well shot and acted this is certainly a film that I liked but it'd not one I'd go out of my way to recommend. It has it's moments and the constrained acting of the main character, not to mention all the running he does, works quite well but there's nothing that really makes this film stand out. 2.5/5
Wild Target - bloody funny UK remake of a French comedy where a consummately professional hitman's life is turned upside down when he can't finish a job to kill a wild and beautiful woman, his life is even more complicated when a young man gets involved. Good acting, pretty good script, implausibly funny. 3/5
Rabbit a la Berlin & Nenette - two of the worst "docos" about animals (or even anything) I have ever seen. Neither have anything remotely good about them. 0.1/5 & 0.05/5
The Killer Inside Me - absolutely brutal film about a psychopath Sheriff's Deputy bashing several women to death and murdering some men as well. Still not sure if I liked this film or not, the scenes of abuse are really very full on. 2.5/5
The Strange Case of Angelica - left after 30 minutes, it was just dumb and going nowhere. 1/5
Taqwacore - pretty cool doco about the Islamic Punk movement in America, some interesting characters in a fairly well made doco shell, the scenes in Pakistan were particularly eye opening. 3/5
Brotherhood - well made, acted and scripted story of two Danish neo-Nazi guys falling in love with each other and how their feelings clash with their beliefs. Didn't end on a massive downer like I thought it would, I really quite liked this film, it had a lot to say and said it well and without being too "in your face" about it. 4/5
The Wedding Party - your rather standard Aussie ensemble rom com with plenty of drama added in. Good for a laugh but not all that memorable and an ending that leaves a lot of loose ends. 2.5/5
1981 - rather amusing tale of a French Canadian kid of Italian background who learns that his lying ways may be causing a lot more harm to his family and friends than he thinks. 3/5
Kosmos - I gave up halfway through, it was just going nowhere and making no sense at all. 1/5
World On A Wire - was falling asleep and so left after an hour into this German sci-fi TV classic. 0.5/5
Dancing Dreams - nice little doco about a bunch of school kids discovering the power of dance. 3/5
La Pivellina - pretty sure it had a rather fluid script but I quite liked this tale of an older circus couple who find an abandoned little girl and how she affects their lives. 3.5/5
Russian Lessons - harrowing doco detailing the hypocrisy and lies of the Russian invasion of Ossetia and how they manipulated the media in astounding ways. Contains some seriously disturbing footage. 4/5
Life During Wartime - yet another weird Todd Solondz film, not as good as Happiness but still has its moments. Was not expecting to see Allison Janney's tits. 3/5
Mammuth - bloody funny French film with Gerard Depardieu at his comedic best, has some bizarre moments, the car scene with Yolande Moreau was priceless, as was the mutual masturbation scene. From the directors of one of my faves from last year "Lousie-Michel" I highly recommend checking this - and Lousie-Michel - out. 3.5/5
I Love You Phillip Morris - bloody funny comedy with Jim Carrey at his over the top best as a gay conman and Ewan McGregor is pitch perfect in the titular role. I wonder how much of it is true, I really hope the final "con" is, bloody brilliant. 3.5/5
Lola - lovely little film where two Grandmothers bear the consequences of a crime involving their respective grandsons. Wonderful acting, a powerful and sad story, loved it. 3.5/5
Strange Birds in Paradise: A West Papuan Story - brilliant doco about the little known fight for independence in this, one of our closest neighbours. I honestly had no idea about any of this and I think this should be a doco shown in schools around Australia - basically they've been as screwed over by Indonesia as Timor Leste ever was, powerful stuff all with a musical undertone/base that works well to carry the narrative forward. 4.5/5
Lebanon - set in 1982 and the first Lebanon war, this technically masterful film is shot - apart from some bookending single shots - entirely inside and from the perspective of a tank that is ordered into Lebanon. You wouldn't think that it works but it does, and it works wonderfully. Great acting, a tight and taught story with some very good effect work, it's a claustrophobic and sometimes gut wrenching ride through the streets of Lebanon. 4/5
Gremlins - was great to see this classic in a cinema with a cheering and yelling appreciative audience. I forgot just how damn funny this movie is. 4.5/5
Catfish -not brilliantly made but fascinating all the same, this doco explores just how well you can know someone you meet across the internet. The end was actually, although expected, still quite sad and at times rather disturbing. 3.5/5
The Hunter - understated film about a man taking the law into his own hands when his wife and daughter are killed during a shootout between militants and police in Iran. Don't read the IMDB summary as it gives too much away for no reason. Not sure why but I really liked this film about a man pushed to the edge by circumstance and his own sense of powerlessness. 4/5
When You're Strange - brilliant doco detailing the history of The Doors with, of course, a real focus on Jim Morrison. Wonderfully narrated by Johnny Depp and, thankfully, featuring not a single modern interview, this is all about the archival footage from the time and telling their story as it happened, warts and all. 3.5/5
The Actresses - at MIFF, I'll see a film in the guide that sounds vaguely OK, maybe it won an award here or there or was even only nominated, apart from that I'll know nothing about it and only pick it 'cause there was nothing else on at the time that was more interesting. That's what happened with last year's "Still Walking", a Japanese film of the day in the life of a family, where it sounds kinda dull but turns out to be my favourite film of the festival (and quite possibly of all time). This year I had to wait until the second last day of the festival to get my "Quintessential MIFF" moment.
The Actresses doesn't sound like much, here's the MIFF write-up:
There are three kinds of people in the world – men, women and actresses.
Six ravishingly beautiful Korean movie stars make light of their professional personae in this witty, tongue-in-cheek mockumentary.
Coming together for a Vogue Magazine photo shoot, each actress – Youn Yuh-jung (Hahaha, also showing in this year’s program), Lee Mi-sook (An Affair), Choi Ji-woo (Now and Forever), Ko Hyun-jung (Woman on the Beach), Kim Min-hee (Hellcats) and Kim Ok-vin (Thirst) – must try sharing a spotlight ordinarily reserved for themselves alone.
Despite being fully scripted, The Actresses exudes an ad-libbed aesthetic; director E J-yong (Untold Scandal) filmed many of the scenes using six hidden HD cameras simultaneously, and instructing his leading ladies to act as if they were in a theatre play.
For some reason it instantly clicked with me and I was in total heaven from start to finish. One small scene maybe went a little longer than it really had to, but it actually didn't matter at all. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Two friends who were in the same session both didn't like it at all but I guess that's the great thing about film, it is just so bloody subjective. 5/5
Dream Home - a woman goes psycho and murders a bunch of people as she is obsessed with buying her dream apartment. Has some great little twists and turns in the plot, especially revelations about why she's doing what she's doing, and has some very funny gore moments. 3/5
Monsters - I applaud the fact this really nice looking film was made on a shoestring budget, but when the title of the film is "Monsters" and write-ups and trailers give you the impressions you're gonna get some giant aliens stomping all over Mexico wreaking havoc and instead you get a 97 minute film where 91 minutes do not feature the titular "Monsters" then I'm sorry, but you just plain suck. 1.5/5
Teenage Paparazzo - interesting but far too self-indulgent doco by Adrian Grenier, exploring the life of celebrity through the lens of a young boy obsessed with getting the next shot. Was actually quite disturbing. 2/5
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World - coolest geek film ever, definitely not for everyone but it was a laugh a minute for me, with young Culkin almost stealing the movie from the main stars. Features a great cameo from Thomas Jane as a member of the Vegan Police. 5/5
END OF MIFF 2010
Lucky Number Slevin (aka The Wrong Man) - a pretty stellar cast helps this whodunnit action thriller gangster type film but doesn't save it completely. The story was nice and convoluted, the acting all quite good, but the "twist" was obvious from the start (though I did think Lucy Liu's character had more to her than was shown, so I was wrong there) and making it obvious from the start kinda dulled the film a bit. Still, it was a fun romp. 3/5
The Wolfman - dumb boring gory idiocy. 1/5
Collapse - he's a total nut-job, but damn what the man has to say about the collapse of oil-based Western society is really starting to hit home. See this in conjunction with The Oil Crash and you'll feel like running for the hills. 4/5
Paradise Lost - The Child Murders At Robin Hood Hills - a very poorly made doco but oh so damn scary, not just because three apparently innocent boys are accused of the murders of 3 definitely innocent young children, but most because of the absolute conviction and scarily uneducated and rampant fundamentalist Christan beliefs that could exist in modern America, yeah even in the bible belt - I had no idea that people could just be so... I dunno, scarily swayed by their beliefs even if I do see it on the news every day. 3/5 *Warning, you see the murdered boys' bodies at the beginning of the movie, definitely not for the faint of heart
Inception - yeah ok, it was well made, well acted (for the most part) and I love the score. I just think the story was too linear and had plot holes and gaps where they didn't need to be. Supporters can say "well that's 'cause it was a dream and there are leaps in logic in dreams" but I don't care, I think it was lazy script writing. 2.5/5
Dear Zachary - A Letter To A Son About His Father - has some very annoying ways of going about telling this true tale of murder but damn, this has got to be one of the saddest stories I have ever heard. Don't read anything about it, just watch it. The only premise I would give you is that a young man is murdered and he has such loving family and friends they make this film to show his son just how wonderful a person he is. 3.5/5
Salt - good, dumb fun. Was easy to see who that bad guy was but that didn't matter. 3/5
Piranha 3D - awesome gory fun, see it drunk and it's even funnier. 3.5/5
International Shorts 3 - some great short films, some bad ones, some average ones.
Accelerator 2 - some great short films (The Kiss was stunning), some bad ones, some average ones.
Animation Shorts 2 - mostly crap animated shorts.
Splice - I had high expectations for this science gone too far film from the director of Cube, that may have been an issue as this was total shite. Performances were just dull, the script was laughably stupid (I mean I was literally laughing with derision at some points) the effects started off well and then just dive bombed. Avoid this at all costs as it's quite possible Sarah Polley, Adrien Brody and Vincent Natali's worst film ever. 0.5/5
She, A Chinese - This is the story of Mei, a young woman on a trip from East to West after her escape from her provincial Chinese village. Beginning in Chongqing and a disastrous factory job, Mei soon heads out for London and a marriage to an older man where her entrapment begins anew. It doesn't sound like much but I really quite liked this film, Huang Lu gave Mei a strong and quiet dignity as she struggles to find her place in a world that just doesn't want her. Abused physically and emotionally the story of her struggle to find a life of meaning is wonderfully shot and acted and accentuated by a thumpingly cool soundtrack. 3.5/5
The Robber - Tells the true story of Johannes Rettenberger, a marathon athlete who developed robbing banks as a hobby. Well shot and acted this is certainly a film that I liked but it'd not one I'd go out of my way to recommend. It has it's moments and the constrained acting of the main character, not to mention all the running he does, works quite well but there's nothing that really makes this film stand out. 2.5/5
Wild Target - bloody funny UK remake of a French comedy where a consummately professional hitman's life is turned upside down when he can't finish a job to kill a wild and beautiful woman, his life is even more complicated when a young man gets involved. Good acting, pretty good script, implausibly funny. 3/5
Rabbit a la Berlin & Nenette - two of the worst "docos" about animals (or even anything) I have ever seen. Neither have anything remotely good about them. 0.1/5 & 0.05/5
The Killer Inside Me - absolutely brutal film about a psychopath Sheriff's Deputy bashing several women to death and murdering some men as well. Still not sure if I liked this film or not, the scenes of abuse are really very full on. 2.5/5
The Strange Case of Angelica - left after 30 minutes, it was just dumb and going nowhere. 1/5
Taqwacore - pretty cool doco about the Islamic Punk movement in America, some interesting characters in a fairly well made doco shell, the scenes in Pakistan were particularly eye opening. 3/5
Brotherhood - well made, acted and scripted story of two Danish neo-Nazi guys falling in love with each other and how their feelings clash with their beliefs. Didn't end on a massive downer like I thought it would, I really quite liked this film, it had a lot to say and said it well and without being too "in your face" about it. 4/5
The Wedding Party - your rather standard Aussie ensemble rom com with plenty of drama added in. Good for a laugh but not all that memorable and an ending that leaves a lot of loose ends. 2.5/5
1981 - rather amusing tale of a French Canadian kid of Italian background who learns that his lying ways may be causing a lot more harm to his family and friends than he thinks. 3/5
Kosmos - I gave up halfway through, it was just going nowhere and making no sense at all. 1/5
World On A Wire - was falling asleep and so left after an hour into this German sci-fi TV classic. 0.5/5
Dancing Dreams - nice little doco about a bunch of school kids discovering the power of dance. 3/5
La Pivellina - pretty sure it had a rather fluid script but I quite liked this tale of an older circus couple who find an abandoned little girl and how she affects their lives. 3.5/5
Russian Lessons - harrowing doco detailing the hypocrisy and lies of the Russian invasion of Ossetia and how they manipulated the media in astounding ways. Contains some seriously disturbing footage. 4/5
Life During Wartime - yet another weird Todd Solondz film, not as good as Happiness but still has its moments. Was not expecting to see Allison Janney's tits. 3/5
Mammuth - bloody funny French film with Gerard Depardieu at his comedic best, has some bizarre moments, the car scene with Yolande Moreau was priceless, as was the mutual masturbation scene. From the directors of one of my faves from last year "Lousie-Michel" I highly recommend checking this - and Lousie-Michel - out. 3.5/5
I Love You Phillip Morris - bloody funny comedy with Jim Carrey at his over the top best as a gay conman and Ewan McGregor is pitch perfect in the titular role. I wonder how much of it is true, I really hope the final "con" is, bloody brilliant. 3.5/5
Lola - lovely little film where two Grandmothers bear the consequences of a crime involving their respective grandsons. Wonderful acting, a powerful and sad story, loved it. 3.5/5
Strange Birds in Paradise: A West Papuan Story - brilliant doco about the little known fight for independence in this, one of our closest neighbours. I honestly had no idea about any of this and I think this should be a doco shown in schools around Australia - basically they've been as screwed over by Indonesia as Timor Leste ever was, powerful stuff all with a musical undertone/base that works well to carry the narrative forward. 4.5/5
Lebanon - set in 1982 and the first Lebanon war, this technically masterful film is shot - apart from some bookending single shots - entirely inside and from the perspective of a tank that is ordered into Lebanon. You wouldn't think that it works but it does, and it works wonderfully. Great acting, a tight and taught story with some very good effect work, it's a claustrophobic and sometimes gut wrenching ride through the streets of Lebanon. 4/5
Gremlins - was great to see this classic in a cinema with a cheering and yelling appreciative audience. I forgot just how damn funny this movie is. 4.5/5
Catfish -not brilliantly made but fascinating all the same, this doco explores just how well you can know someone you meet across the internet. The end was actually, although expected, still quite sad and at times rather disturbing. 3.5/5
The Hunter - understated film about a man taking the law into his own hands when his wife and daughter are killed during a shootout between militants and police in Iran. Don't read the IMDB summary as it gives too much away for no reason. Not sure why but I really liked this film about a man pushed to the edge by circumstance and his own sense of powerlessness. 4/5
When You're Strange - brilliant doco detailing the history of The Doors with, of course, a real focus on Jim Morrison. Wonderfully narrated by Johnny Depp and, thankfully, featuring not a single modern interview, this is all about the archival footage from the time and telling their story as it happened, warts and all. 3.5/5
The Actresses - at MIFF, I'll see a film in the guide that sounds vaguely OK, maybe it won an award here or there or was even only nominated, apart from that I'll know nothing about it and only pick it 'cause there was nothing else on at the time that was more interesting. That's what happened with last year's "Still Walking", a Japanese film of the day in the life of a family, where it sounds kinda dull but turns out to be my favourite film of the festival (and quite possibly of all time). This year I had to wait until the second last day of the festival to get my "Quintessential MIFF" moment.
The Actresses doesn't sound like much, here's the MIFF write-up:
There are three kinds of people in the world – men, women and actresses.
Six ravishingly beautiful Korean movie stars make light of their professional personae in this witty, tongue-in-cheek mockumentary.
Coming together for a Vogue Magazine photo shoot, each actress – Youn Yuh-jung (Hahaha, also showing in this year’s program), Lee Mi-sook (An Affair), Choi Ji-woo (Now and Forever), Ko Hyun-jung (Woman on the Beach), Kim Min-hee (Hellcats) and Kim Ok-vin (Thirst) – must try sharing a spotlight ordinarily reserved for themselves alone.
Despite being fully scripted, The Actresses exudes an ad-libbed aesthetic; director E J-yong (Untold Scandal) filmed many of the scenes using six hidden HD cameras simultaneously, and instructing his leading ladies to act as if they were in a theatre play.
For some reason it instantly clicked with me and I was in total heaven from start to finish. One small scene maybe went a little longer than it really had to, but it actually didn't matter at all. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Two friends who were in the same session both didn't like it at all but I guess that's the great thing about film, it is just so bloody subjective. 5/5
Dream Home - a woman goes psycho and murders a bunch of people as she is obsessed with buying her dream apartment. Has some great little twists and turns in the plot, especially revelations about why she's doing what she's doing, and has some very funny gore moments. 3/5
Monsters - I applaud the fact this really nice looking film was made on a shoestring budget, but when the title of the film is "Monsters" and write-ups and trailers give you the impressions you're gonna get some giant aliens stomping all over Mexico wreaking havoc and instead you get a 97 minute film where 91 minutes do not feature the titular "Monsters" then I'm sorry, but you just plain suck. 1.5/5
Teenage Paparazzo - interesting but far too self-indulgent doco by Adrian Grenier, exploring the life of celebrity through the lens of a young boy obsessed with getting the next shot. Was actually quite disturbing. 2/5
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World - coolest geek film ever, definitely not for everyone but it was a laugh a minute for me, with young Culkin almost stealing the movie from the main stars. Features a great cameo from Thomas Jane as a member of the Vegan Police. 5/5
END OF MIFF 2010
Lucky Number Slevin (aka The Wrong Man) - a pretty stellar cast helps this whodunnit action thriller gangster type film but doesn't save it completely. The story was nice and convoluted, the acting all quite good, but the "twist" was obvious from the start (though I did think Lucy Liu's character had more to her than was shown, so I was wrong there) and making it obvious from the start kinda dulled the film a bit. Still, it was a fun romp. 3/5
The Wolfman - dumb boring gory idiocy. 1/5
Collapse - he's a total nut-job, but damn what the man has to say about the collapse of oil-based Western society is really starting to hit home. See this in conjunction with The Oil Crash and you'll feel like running for the hills. 4/5
Paradise Lost - The Child Murders At Robin Hood Hills - a very poorly made doco but oh so damn scary, not just because three apparently innocent boys are accused of the murders of 3 definitely innocent young children, but most because of the absolute conviction and scarily uneducated and rampant fundamentalist Christan beliefs that could exist in modern America, yeah even in the bible belt - I had no idea that people could just be so... I dunno, scarily swayed by their beliefs even if I do see it on the news every day. 3/5 *Warning, you see the murdered boys' bodies at the beginning of the movie, definitely not for the faint of heart
Inception - yeah ok, it was well made, well acted (for the most part) and I love the score. I just think the story was too linear and had plot holes and gaps where they didn't need to be. Supporters can say "well that's 'cause it was a dream and there are leaps in logic in dreams" but I don't care, I think it was lazy script writing. 2.5/5
Dear Zachary - A Letter To A Son About His Father - has some very annoying ways of going about telling this true tale of murder but damn, this has got to be one of the saddest stories I have ever heard. Don't read anything about it, just watch it. The only premise I would give you is that a young man is murdered and he has such loving family and friends they make this film to show his son just how wonderful a person he is. 3.5/5
Salt - good, dumb fun. Was easy to see who that bad guy was but that didn't matter. 3/5
Piranha 3D - awesome gory fun, see it drunk and it's even funnier. 3.5/5
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