tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35620572011-04-21T15:24:45.283-07:00Chad's Movie ReviewsSome movie reviews and commentaryChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comBlogger1361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-76223563170634922932008-03-19T14:33:00.000-07:002008-03-19T15:43:57.817-07:0012 Angry Men (1957)Directed by Sidney LumetWritten by Reginald RoseRating: 9.75/10.00 or ****Everyone has been faced at one time or another with being on the losing side of an argument. When everyone else disagrees with you, it is difficult to voice your opinions and your supporting evidence. Sidney Lumet shows us, in one of the greatest films ever made, how one man convinces eleven others howChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-91331330991563568312008-03-18T20:16:00.000-07:002008-03-18T20:59:40.846-07:00Ben-Hur (1959)Directed by William WylerWritten by Karl TunbergBased on the novel by General Lew WallaceRating: 5.00/10.00 or **One of America's most beloved and most rewarded films comes across, to me, as a Bible lesson. To be sure, this is somewhat intentional. After all, the subtitle is: "A Tale of the Christ". Strange, since Christ is little seen (and his face is intentionally prevented Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-41468416758420995742008-03-18T15:34:00.000-07:002008-03-18T16:11:36.259-07:00Rashomon (1950)Directed by Akira KurosawaWritten by Akira Kurosawa & Shinobu HashimotoBased on stories Rashomon and In a Grove by Ryunosoke AkutagawaRating: 8.75/10.00 or *** 1/2Kurosawa's great works may be most recognized by Rashomon, a film that defied the use of flashbacks by making them untrustworthy. Flashbacks, often used before and since as omnipotent memories of events as they actually Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-34877803358942000502008-03-18T14:21:00.001-07:002008-03-18T15:10:41.134-07:00Miller's Crossing (1990)Directed by Joel CoenWritten by Joel Coen & Ethan CoenRating: 8.50/10.00 or *** 1/2The camera looks up at the canopy. The sky seems unreachable with trees so tall. And so many. There are many inescapable settings in Miller's Crossing. There are large rooms full of old-fashioned decor. There are apartments that look like large, empty studios. The streets are lined with Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-47475003990420488922008-03-17T19:04:00.001-07:002008-03-17T19:39:41.249-07:00The Birds (1963)Directed by Alfred HitchcockScreenplay by Evan HunterStory by Daphne Du MaurierRating: 5.25/10.00 or **There are films that gain a sort of fan momentum. Hitchcock's own Vertigo, for example, was a bomb at the box office and was critically a toss-up at the time of its initial release. Now, it is widely acclaimed as one of the best films ever made. Many films gain this momentum Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-71231316515025674362008-03-11T17:29:00.001-07:002008-03-16T20:29:15.947-07:00Double Indemnity (1944)Directed by Billy WilderScreenplay by Billy Wilder and Raymond ChandlerBased on the novel "Double Indemnity in Three of a Kind" by James M. CainRating: 9.25/10.00 or ****Know why you couldn't figure this one, Keyes? I'll tell ya. 'Cause the guy you were looking for was too close. Right across the desk from ya.These are Neff's words to Keyes. Neff has just admitted to the Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-71119865428901663022008-03-11T15:30:00.000-07:002008-03-11T16:36:32.625-07:00Carlito's Way (1993)Directed by Brian De PalmaScreenplay by David KoeppBased on two novels written by Edwin TorresRating: 5.00/10.00 or **Subtlety has never been director Brian De Palma's strong suit. Any viewer of Scarface is aware of this. For Scarface, De Palma chose Al Pacino as the main character. Pacino is not known for his subtlety, either, though he has used it with major success. PacinoChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-66800558533013433332008-03-10T19:47:00.001-07:002008-03-10T20:19:38.298-07:00Seven Samurai (1954)Directed by Akira KurosawaScreenplay by Akira Kurosawa & Shinobu HashimotoRating: 7.25/10.00 or ***Akira Kurosawa was a master filmmaker. His movies are commonly revered as some of the greatest collective works in cinema history. I have seen two of his films, Rashomon (to be reviewed in a few days) and Seven Samurai, and I can tell that these accolades are well-deserved. Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-70902145247405466552008-03-10T18:28:00.001-07:002008-03-10T19:33:47.097-07:00Brokeback Mountain (2005)Directed by Ang LeeScreenplay by Larry McMurtry & Diana OssanaBased on the short story by Annie ProulxRating: 9.00/10.00 or ****There is a moment in every great movie when I realize it is such. These moments define the movie and become a part of the viewer, probably forever. No one forgets the walk down the stairs in Notorious, or the scene where Vito Corleone learns Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-67729123775070736372008-03-09T20:23:00.000-07:002008-03-09T21:01:50.361-07:00Audition (1999)Directed by Takashi MiikeScreenplay by Daisuke TenganBased on the novel by Ryu MarakamiRating: 7.00/10.00 or ***I don't really want to talk about the content of this movie. This is a movie that is best served cold. I was lucky enough to know virtually nothing about the film beforehand, and I think this is how all viewers should see it. In terms of presentation, this film is Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-87601581865348049842008-03-09T19:36:00.000-07:002008-03-10T11:03:49.466-07:00Psycho (1960)Directed by Alfred HitchcockScreenplay by Joseph StefanoBased on the novel by Robert BlochRating: 7.75/10.00 or *** 1/2When movie discussions center around scary movies, Psycho always seems to come up. As well it should. In essence, it is the creator, or at the very least the co-creator, of the slash-and-dash film. People remember the shower scene, and the revelation about the Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-77824439651997963572008-03-05T15:19:00.000-08:002008-03-05T15:59:09.479-08:00Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)Written and Directed by Woody AllenRating: 9.00/10.00 or ****Woody Allen, like Charlie Chaplin, likes to play the outsider. In Annie Hall, he plays a person so hateful of himself, he cannot stay attached to his true love because he couldn't believe that she could. In Hannah and Her Sisters, Allen plays a man attached to a family driven by emotion and dreams, not Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-43298535743695178172008-03-04T18:25:00.001-08:002008-03-04T22:20:03.001-08:00Rushmore (1998)Directed by Wes AndersonWritten by Wes Anderson & Owen WilsonRating: 7.50/10.00 or ***Sometimes, directors present characters who make you unsure of how to react. Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson have created Max Fischer and Herman Blume. Max is an ambitious but misguided teenager. Herman is an over-the-hill dead man walking. They are undoubtedly similar. Both want the same girl, bothChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-69680467442961100092008-03-04T15:01:00.000-08:002008-03-04T15:35:36.145-08:00Broken Flowers (2005)Written and Directed by Jim JarmuschInspired by an idea from Bill Raden & Sara DriverRating: 8.25/10.00 or *** 1/2Don Johnston (with a "t") is a man adrift. He's alive, but he's not really living. There is a scene where he sits and watches a movie. He sits there quietly, alone. In another, he sits on the same couch, in the same room. Soon, he lies down face first onto aChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-45868731237787761672008-03-03T15:56:00.000-08:002008-03-03T16:36:08.129-08:00Zodiac (2007)Directed by David FincherScreenplay by James VanderbiltBased on the novel by Robert GraysmithRating: 7.00/10.00 or ***I need to stand there, I need to look him in the eye, and I need to know that it's him.Zodiac is the story of how a serial killer can disrupt the lives of his chasers just as much as his victims. There are two men obsessed with finding him and two men who cannot getChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-24446944280320270532008-03-02T17:42:00.001-08:002008-03-02T21:55:56.608-08:00O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)Directed by Joel CoenWritten by Joel Coen & Ethan CoenRating: 8.25/10.00 or *** 1/2The Coens take on Homer's The Odyssey in this tale set in 1930s Mississippi. The images of this highly "Depressed" locale mesh with the vignettes of Homer's written "road trip". Critics were notably resistant to the film's material, citing incomprehensibility, lack of purpose, Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-14219014363899667322008-03-02T15:28:00.000-08:002008-03-03T14:55:16.595-08:0021 Grams (2003)Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez InarrituWritten by Guillermo ArriagaRating: 7.25/10.00 or ***There are three separate people and three separate lives. One is dying, one is recovering, and one is rehabilitated. 21 Grams tells the story of how three seemingly unrelated lives become hopelessly and tragically intertwined because of horrific circumstances. The impact is substantial, Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-53382419162289542212008-03-01T14:37:00.001-08:002008-03-02T09:54:59.575-08:00The French Connection (1971)Directed by William FriedkinScreenplay by Ernest TidymanBased on the novel by Robin MooreRating: 7.00/10.00 or ***The French Connection is known primarily for two things: the jumpstart to Gene Hackman's career and the car-train chase. There is no doubt that each of these is appropriate to remember after watching the film, but we also see that the movie brings about a Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-48800151129437677302008-03-01T13:55:00.001-08:002008-03-02T09:55:16.963-08:00Saraband (2003)Written and Directed by Ingmar BergmanRating: 7.75/10.00 or *** 1/2This is Ingmar Bergman's coda. To call Saraband his swan song is not appropriate. There is nothing peaceful about this film. There is a sadness, but it is tinged with bitterness and guilt. Bergman's uncompromising sequel to Scenes from a Marriage shows a couple, nearly 30 years after they've last seen each other, Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-52565376612542505472008-02-29T15:19:00.000-08:002008-02-29T16:01:38.400-08:00Annie Hall (1977)Directed by Woody AllenWritten by Woody Allen and Marshall BrickmanRating: 8.00/10.00 or *** 1/2"Boy, the food at this place is really terrible.""Yeah, I know, and in such small proportions."Woody Allen introduces us to his film with this joke. And we are introduced to Woody Allen's golden age of directing, which would last until 1990. His films before Annie Hall were funny, butChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-28512956404118316752008-02-28T22:53:00.001-08:002008-02-28T22:53:13.042-08:00Solaris (2002)Written and Directed by Steven SoderberghBased on the novel by Stanislaw LemRating: 6.75/10.00 or ***He enters a space station without any idea what's going on inside it. He receives a cryptic message from a friend of his, urgently pleaing for his help. He knows what's going on is bad, but he cannot fathom what he is about to experience. One member of the crew makes no sense when Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-70126586442985993582008-02-28T21:38:00.000-08:002008-02-28T21:40:41.139-08:00There Will Be Blood (2007)Written and Directed by Paul Thomas AndersonBased on the novel Oil! by Upton SinclairRating: 6.00/10.00 or ** 1/2There Will Be Blood is, in a word, overrated. I think Paul Thomas Anderson films are so graciously received by critics because it is easy to sense Anderson's excitement making/directing a film. His movies are ambitious, bigger-than-life, artistic, visionary. Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-2875568614702850802007-08-28T20:42:00.000-07:002007-08-29T07:30:38.429-07:00Spartacus (1960)Directed by Stanley KubrickWritten by Dalton TrumboBased on the novel by Howard FastRating: 7.00/10.00 or ***It is hard to classify Spartacus as Stanley Kubrick's film. In many ways, it is not. The history of the making of Spartacus could make a movie itself, with its credited screen writer blacklisted, its original director removed, and its main actor a heavy hand in the Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-15482378944880435912007-08-27T17:52:00.001-07:002007-08-27T18:43:13.005-07:00Magnolia (1999)Written and Directed by Paul Thomas AndersonRating: 7.50/10.00 or ***Coincidence often weaves itself into the predetermination versus free will debate. The stranger the coincidence, the more one tends to wonder of the potential hand a greater being has over life's events (or, perhaps, how mathematics may dictate our actions rather than us choosing what we do or do not do), Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-69267388690265914122007-08-23T20:58:00.000-07:002007-08-23T21:45:17.251-07:00The English Patient (1996)Written and Directed by Anthony MinghellaBased on the novel by Michael OndaatjeRating: 7.25/10.00 or ***Seeing a movie inundated with flashbacks often gives me trouble. If a movie is so full of the flashbacks, why flash back at all? Why not just show the movie "in that time"? Usually (or hopefully), there is a purpose to the "present" scenes. Normally, it is to see Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-43635248479523624482007-08-23T20:28:00.000-07:002007-08-23T20:53:17.423-07:00Sleepless in Seattle (1993)Directed by Nora EphronScreenplay by Nora Ephron and Davis S. Ward and Jeff ArchStory by Jeff ArchRating: 7.00/10.00 or ***Sleepless in Seattle is a movie where you recognize all of the characters, know all the plot points, predict all the events, and yet still get caught up in the heart. This is a movie full of cliches, stereotypes, "moments", and entanglements. ButChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-8156322665057244142007-08-17T18:24:00.000-07:002007-08-17T19:12:56.368-07:00Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)Directed by Ang LeeWritten by Hui-Ling Wang and James Schamus and Kuo Jung TsaiBased on the book by Du Lu WangRating: 8.50/10.00 or *** 1/2What happens when you take the 's' out of martial arts? The answer is this film, a gracefully brilliant motion picture that dares viewers to let their imaginations jump from the ledge and fly.I've seen this movie many Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-74879230491375022222007-08-17T14:20:00.000-07:002007-08-17T15:06:18.264-07:00Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)Directed by Richard BrooksScreenplay by Richard Brooks and James PoeBased on the play by Tennessee WilliamsRating: 7.25/10.00 or ***Dr. House says that everyone lies. Tennessee Williams studied this sentiment well before the days of David Shore's superb television drama. We hear often throughout Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that the Pollitts are a study in mendacity. Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-75883719681470692672007-08-15T19:01:00.000-07:002007-08-15T19:39:06.436-07:00The King and I (1956)Directed by Walter LangScreenplay by Ernest LehmanBased on the musical play by Oscar Hammerstein IIBased on "Anna and the King of Siam" by Margaret LandonRating: 5.25/10.00 or **It is no secret that I am not a fan of musicals. I find most musicals unnecessary, forgettable, and force-fed moralistic lessons in humanity and/or society. The King and I is no exception. Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-13825153902041049702007-08-15T17:58:00.000-07:002007-08-15T18:37:44.681-07:00The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)Directed by Alfred HitchcockScreenplay by John Michael HayesStory by Charles Bennett and D.B. Wyndham-LewisRating: 7.00/10.00 or ***Alfred Hitchcock has long been touted the "master of suspense". I think the more appropriate title is the "creator of suspense". Not of the genre, but of the actual feeling/emotion. Hitchcock often creates suspense out of the most Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-55278886227834136402007-08-11T23:10:00.000-07:002007-08-11T23:50:30.562-07:00Ronin (1998)Directed by John FrankenheimerScreenplay by J.D. Zeik and Richard WeiszStory by J.D. ZeikRating: 7.00/10.00 or ***As far as action films go, Ronin is the pure definition. If there isn't action onscreen at the moment, the scenes cleverly build up to one. This is not to say the film is inundated with action. Far from it, actually. But director John Frankenheimer knows what an action Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-82080581958108025082007-08-08T18:48:00.000-07:002007-08-08T23:03:18.134-07:00Romancing the Stone (1984)Directed by Robert ZemeckisWritten by Diane ThomasRating: 7.00/10.00 or ***Romancing the Stone is a campy version of Indiana Jones. Watching the movie makes me think of those Saturday matinees where it's just as fun to throw popcorn up in the air as watching the obligatory battle scenes. This movie begs its audience to have a good time. The film is unimportant and knowsChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-77308439999403003122007-07-31T17:45:00.000-07:002007-07-31T21:17:19.520-07:00The Simpsons Movie (2007)Directed by David SilvermanWritten by A Lot of People (James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder, and Jon Vitti)Rating: 6.75/10.00 or ***Does anyone remember the glory years of The Simpsons? I think I was alive at that point, but I'm sure I was too young to understand Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-13924493781008000972007-07-31T16:45:00.000-07:002007-07-31T17:42:26.839-07:00Singin' in the Rain (1952)Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley DonenWritten by Adolph Green and Betty ComdenRating: 7.75/10.00 or *** 1/2Of all musicals ever made, this one is the most popular and the most revered. Gene Kelly, who stars in and co-directed this American classic, never reached a higher point in his career. Donald O'Connor also reached his high point here, playing Kelly's lovable Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-42329567025493507562007-07-30T12:25:00.000-07:002007-07-30T13:13:46.123-07:00New York, New York (1977)Directed by Martin ScorseseScreenplay by Earl Mac Rauch and Mardik MartinStory by Earl Mac RauchRating: 6.75/10.00 or ***The 1970s were a great decade for movies but not a great decade for musicals. Interest in the genre was waning, perhaps because of a changing national culture. After all, America had just endured the 60s. In a post-Vietnam era, films questioning ourChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-82765865029512124752007-07-29T13:12:00.001-07:002007-07-29T13:54:43.954-07:00To Have and Have Not (1944)Directed by Howard HawksWritten by Jules Furthman & William FaulknerBased on the novel by Ernest HemingwayRating: 6.50/10.00 or ***There are few scenes as memorable in the classic movie era as Lauren Bacall, as "Slim", leaving "Steve's" (Humphrey Bogart) room, with the great line: "You know you don't have to act with me, Steve. You don't have to say anything, and you Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-437975379744442862007-07-27T13:31:00.000-07:002007-07-29T00:10:37.182-07:00The Departed (2006)Directed by Martin ScorseseWritten by William MonahanBased on the film Internal Affairs written by Siu Fai Mak & Felix ChongRating: 9.25/10.00 or ****Martin Scorsese has filmed many biographies, several of which are considered masterpieces. His films typically have tragic elements, even his comedies. Scorsese has said many times that his films contain autobiographical materialChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-41172093634706476652007-07-27T13:25:00.000-07:002007-07-27T13:27:10.163-07:00Barton Fink (1991)Directed by Joel CoenWritten by Joel Coen & Ethan CoenRating: 8.25/10.00 or *** 1/2Ever since Fargo, the Coen brothers' Barton Fink seems to be overlooked. That's too bad. This is a quality motion picture with layers of symbolism and loads of visual emotion that provide a most interesting insight into isolation and self-deception. Barton Fink is hard to classify, very typical Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-91764675554946639202007-07-27T13:01:00.000-07:002007-08-11T23:58:44.881-07:00Blood Diamond (2006)Directed by Edward ZwickScreenplay by Charles LeavittStory by Charles Leavitt & C. Gaby MitchellRating: 6.00/10.00 or ** 1/2Blood Diamond is a disappointment in so many ways. Perhaps the biggest problem is its length, which amplifies the film's many flaws. The film is marred in mainstream cliches, features several plot devices and one-dimensional characters, and contains a Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-58812467263516912462007-07-27T07:56:00.000-07:002007-07-27T08:00:49.397-07:00Election (1999)Directed by Alexander PayneWritten by Alexander Payne & Jim TaylorBased on the novel by Tom PerrottaRating: 8.25/10.00 or *** 1/2I am fond of Alexander Payne's work. His only movie I have not seen is Citizen Ruth, of which I have also heard very good things. I thought About Schmidt (starring Jack Nicholson) showed a stunning interplay of comedy and tragedy. His latest film, the Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1123638524583706262005-08-12T08:56:00.000-07:002005-08-12T06:22:54.556-07:00Movie Review #73Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)Directed by Robert HamerWritten by Robert Hamer & John DightonBased on the novel Israel Rank by Roy HornimanRating: 9.50/10.00 or ****Kind Hearts and Coronets was my third choice for the feature of the night in the movie club I have joined. It happened to be on during TCM's "Summer Under the Stars" day-long look at the works starring Alec Guinness, Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1123642610327234612005-08-12T08:04:00.000-07:002005-08-12T06:06:48.230-07:00Ask the CriticBased on your Great Movies entry for City Lights, I immediately went out and rented it. I'm glad I did. The ending is just as good as you described, and other parts of the movie were very funny. I was surprised by this for two reasons. The first is that I hate black and white movies, and the second is that I hate silent movies even more. So the fact that I withstood City Lights, Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1123470246383646742005-08-12T07:26:00.000-07:002005-08-12T05:55:36.803-07:00Movie Review #72Key Largo (1948)Directed by John HustonScreenplay by Richard Brooks and John HustonBased on the play by Maxwell AndersonRating: 7.75/10.00 or *** 1/2I had never seen Bacall and Bogie together until just a couple of weeks ago when I first saw this flick. I had heard of the magic the two had when together on screen. From the clips I had seen of the two on film, it was hard not to Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1123458693938731412005-08-09T20:11:00.000-07:002005-08-09T08:49:31.563-07:00Movie Review #71After Hours (1985)Directed by Martin ScorseseWritten by Joseph MinionRating: 9.25/10.00 or ****It was a bad night for Paul Hackett. Very, very, very bad. But in a way, he found life that evening. Even after almost getting his hair cut off at a mohawk party, after leaving his date for the evening and then discovering her dead from sleeping pills, and after meeting person after Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1123373040546895302005-08-09T07:14:00.000-07:002005-08-09T05:45:33.430-07:00Movie Review #70Duck Soup (1933)Directed by Leo McCareyWritten by Bert Kalmar and Harry RubyAdditional Dialogue by Arthur Sheekman and Nat PerrinRating: 7.00/10.00 or ***These are the laws of my administrationNo one's allowed to smokeOr tell a dirty jokeAnd whistling is forbidden...If chewing gum is chewedThe chewer is pursued.And in the hoosegow hidden...If any form of pleasure is Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1123246848546620042005-08-05T05:54:00.000-07:002005-08-05T06:00:48.553-07:00Guest Review #5Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)Written and Directed by Miranda JulyRating: 2.50/10.00 or *Miranda July’s debut film Me and You and Everyone We Know has received tremendous critical acclaim and become a minor success story. Critics are attracted to the story of lonely people making tentative connections in an intimidating and unfriendly world. Art-house patrons across the Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1123116347174865002005-08-04T08:43:00.000-07:002005-08-04T06:13:11.430-07:00Movie Review #69Kings and Queen (2005)Directed by Arnaud DesplechinWritten by Roger Bohbot & Arnaud DesplechinRating: 7.25/10.00 or ***Arnaud Desplechin's Kings and Queen delves deep into two people's lives and unravels them to the audience while simultaneously redeeming the characters themselves. It's as if the director has finished the jigsaw puzzle while the viewers have only just piled the Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1123035290349509452005-08-03T08:31:00.000-07:002005-08-06T07:59:09.266-07:00Guest Review #4The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)Written and Directed by Orson WellesBased on the novel by Booth TarkingtonRating: 5.00/10.00 or **Before The Magnificent Ambersons, I couldn't imagine a film as butchered as this one was. It reminds me of those card pyramids that take hours upon hours of meticulous craftsmanship and tense delicacy to build. One small slip and it's all over. By the Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1122853492185997902005-08-01T08:35:00.000-07:002005-08-01T06:17:42.546-07:00Motion Picture CommentaryOne of the most common questions I have received in recent weeks is this: who do you think are the up-and-coming actors/actresses/directors in the film industry?It's so hard to answer this question because there are so many in each category, but I'll try to list a few right now. If I think of a few more later (or see new ones), I'll probably write another entry regarding Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1122836886075158062005-08-01T07:53:00.000-07:002005-08-01T06:02:54.443-07:00Movie Review #68The Killing (1956)Written and Directed by Stanley KubrickBased on the novel Clean Break by Lionel WhiteAdditional dialogue by Jim ThompsonRating: 7.00/10.00 or ***You have my sympathy, Johnny. You have not yet learned that in this life you have to be like everyone else. The perfect mediocrity. No better, no worse. Individuality is a monster and it must be strangled in its cradle Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1122519784148444432005-07-29T08:11:00.000-07:002005-07-29T06:07:20.996-07:00Movie Review #67Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)Directed by Blake EdwardsScreenplay by George AxelrodBased on the novel by Truman CapoteRating: 6.25/10.00 or ** 1/2It's the scene from which we all remember Audrey. Her back is to the screen, in that black dress. With that white necklace. With those goggle-eyed shades. Staring through the window into Tiffany's. She seems out of this world. Her smile Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1122430074360876842005-07-28T11:58:00.000-07:002005-07-28T16:54:42.633-07:00Movie Review #66American Graffiti (1973)Directed by George LucasWritten by George Lucas and Gloria Katz & Willard HuyckRating: 9.00/10.00 or ****I remember the rides up and down 13th Street. It was called "taking some mains". I'd go out in the "Old Red" and ride up and down the dark, empty downtown streets of small-town Tekamah, Nebraska. Sometimes my car would be loaded with passengers. Other Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1122469016663885982005-07-27T07:48:00.000-07:002005-07-27T05:59:34.216-07:00Guest Review #3The Conformist (1970)Directed by Bernardo BertolucciWritten by Bernardo BertolucciBased on the novel by Alberto MoraviaStarring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, and Dominique SandaRating: 9.75/10.0Giulia: What are you going to do now [that Mussolini has fallen]?Marcello: The same as everyone else who thought like me. When there are so many of us, there's no risk.He Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1122426109778348222005-07-26T23:46:00.000-07:002005-07-27T06:14:06.346-07:00Ask the CriticYour criticism of From Here to Eternity is surprising, not only because of its general acceptance within the critics' circle, but also because of its depth and rather dark tone. These seem like film qualities you embrace rather than shy away from. How can you not be moved by the final scene between Karen and Lorene on the ship to America? Or by Prewitt's goodbye to Lorene? Or to hisChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1122345943494722662005-07-25T22:34:00.000-07:002005-07-26T16:49:07.176-07:00Movie Review #65War and Peace (1956)Directed by King VidorScreenplay by Bridget Boland and Robert Westerby and King Vidor and Mario Camerini and Ennio de Concini and Ivo PerilliBased on the novel by Leo TolstoyRating: 6.50/10.00 or ***Film historian Robert Osborne summed up War and Peace in one word: mammoth. Strangely, this word is an injustice to King Vidor's ambitious adaptation of the epic Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1122231185242969312005-07-25T08:19:00.000-07:002005-07-31T10:52:34.806-07:00Movie Review #64War of the Worlds (2005)Directed by Steven SpielbergScreenplay by Josh Friedman and David KoeppBased on the novel by H. G. WellsRating: 5.50/10.00 or ** 1/2There is always a sense of fear regarding the unknown. One of the biggest question marks of our civilization is the vastness of the universe surrounding us. With all the galaxies and solar systems that we know about, what are Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1122163213906571532005-07-23T23:20:00.000-07:002005-07-23T21:28:49.220-07:00Movie Review #63Splendor in the Grass (1961)Directed by Elia KazanWritten by William IngeRating: 4.75/10.00 or **The era of filmmaking the teenager as a complex and troubled individual, driven by raw desires and emotions, overwhelmed by domineering parents, and resigned to the passions of sexual desire and first romance, was in full swing by 1961. Many motion pictures were centered on these Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1122158079094035642005-07-23T17:27:00.000-07:002005-07-23T20:56:57.773-07:00Movie Review #62Unforgiven (1992)Directed by Clint EastwoodWritten by David Webb PeoplesRating: 7.25/10.00 or ***Clint Eastwood's critically acclaimed Unforgiven features a man who is aging with the era he belongs to. The first scene, so aesthetically perfect, shows a setting sun with the black silhouettes of a lone tree, a man, and a tombstone. "She was a comely young woman and not without Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1121829411947571632005-07-19T22:08:00.000-07:002005-07-20T06:56:00.313-07:00Guest Review #2Platoon (1986)Written and Directed by Oliver StoneChad's Rating: 7.50/10.00 or ***Phil's Rating: 6.00/10.00 or ** 1/2Emily's Rating: 9.00/10.00 or ****Darin's Rating: 5.00/10.00 or **The Movie Club's Average Rating: 7.75/10.00 or *** 1/2While watching Platoon, one gets a sense of chaos. Oliver Stone has filmed the Vietnam War from a soldier's viewpoint. You can't see anything when Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1121823083834624562005-07-19T21:18:00.000-07:002005-07-20T06:11:17.576-07:00Movie Review #61Roman Holiday (1953)Directed by William WylerScreenplay by Ian McLellan Hunter (Dalton Trumbo) and John DightonStory by Ian McLellan Hunter (Dalton Trumbo)Rating: 7.00/10.00 or ***There is an ages-old belief that love brings out the best in people. William Wyler's Roman Holiday is a romantic comedy expressing that very theme. Two people who seem to be stuck in a rut meet each Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1121739661204348942005-07-18T23:21:00.000-07:002008-03-11T08:35:15.593-07:00Movie Review #60Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)Directed by Sergio LeoneScreenplay by Sergio Leone & Sergio DonatiStory by Dario Argento & Bernardo Bertolucci & Sergio LeoneRating: 8.75/10.00 or *** 1/2The wind picks up some dust on a large expanse of desert in the West. A windmill makes a creaking sound periodically. A drip-drip of water lands on a man's hat. A fly lands on another man's faceChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1121391929573482122005-07-15T09:25:00.000-07:002005-07-15T07:26:06.373-07:00Movie Review #59The Aviator (2004)Directed by Martin ScorseseWritten by John LoganRating: 7.75/10.00 or *** 1/2Ambition is always a "baggage" personality trait, meaning that someone's drive is usually accompanied by something hidden, something that inhibits personal progress. That something could be an impossible goal, unsupportive friends and family, or personal problems. In the case of Howard Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1121318720990872992005-07-14T00:47:00.000-07:002005-07-14T06:03:20.576-07:00Ask the CriticI've received 81 e-mails in the past two weeks. More than I expected. I won't answer nearly all of your questions, though I will try to answer all of them via e-mail. My intent this week is to answer some of the more common questions. Let's begin!What do you find to be the primary reasons for the slump in this summer's box office take-in?--Two things: poor quality films and a Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1121297374164461972005-07-13T23:27:00.000-07:002005-07-13T21:46:27.116-07:00Movie Review #58The Unsaid (2001)Directed by Tom McLoughlinScreenplay by Miguel Tejada-Flores and Scott WilliamsStory by Christopher MurpheyRating: 5.75/10.00 or ** 1/2The Unsaid is a little known film about a father, a son, and someone who reminds the father of his son. The father is Michael Hunter (Andy Garcia), the son is Kyle (Trevor Blumas), and the quasi-son is Thomas Caffey (Vincent Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1121213079233268772005-07-12T23:17:00.000-07:002005-07-12T20:57:27.163-07:00Movie Review #57Batman Begins (2005)Directed by Christopher NolanScreenplay by Christopher Nolan and David S. GoyerStory by David S. GoyerBased on the characters created by Bob KaneRating: 6.75/10.00 or ***Batman Begins is probably the most critically acclaimed blockbuster of the summer. Not even Spielberg's film has captivated the world of movie critics more than the Caped Crusader and his dark Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1121135906472139812005-07-11T22:18:00.000-07:002005-07-11T20:30:12.326-07:00Movie Review #56Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)Written and Directed by Steven SpielbergRating: 8.25/10.00 or *** 1/2In a world of Plan Nine from Outer Space, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and War of the Worlds (both old and new), a film like Close Encounters of the Third Kind seems impossible. What the film It Came from Outer Space hints at Close Encounters daringly satisfies us with. Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1121131094502865642005-07-11T20:37:00.000-07:002005-07-11T20:11:40.793-07:00Movie Review #55It Came from Outer Space (1953)Directed by Jack ArnoldScreenplay by Harry EssexStory by Ray BradburyRating: 6.50/10.00 or ***It Came from Outer Space appears to confirm the theme in my mission to watch most of the "classics" in American cinema. Films that were at one time applauded for their originality now seem much more fit for museums than theater screens. Jack Arnold's scienceChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1121119226805656932005-07-11T16:57:00.000-07:002005-07-11T15:01:17.646-07:00Guest Review #1Memories of Murder (2005)Directed by Bong Joon-hoWritten by Bong Joon-ho and Kim Kwang-rimStarring Song Kang-ho, Kim Kyung-sang, and Kim Roe-haRating: 8.5/10.0, or *** 1/2The time is 1986, and the despotic regime of Chun Doo-hwan had dominated South Korea for five years; one day, the body of a woman was discovered in the city of Hwaseong, bound, gagged, raped, and strangled to Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1120938893044166092005-07-09T23:53:00.000-07:002007-08-28T21:46:39.403-07:00Movie Review #54Spellbound (1945)Directed by Alfred HitchcockWritten by Ben HechtAdaptation by Angus MacPhailBased on the novel The House of Doctor Edwardes by Francis BeedingRating: 6.00/10.00 or ** 1/2Today Spellbound seems more an artificat of history than a classic movie. Spellbound has badly aged, primarily based on its material, and this becomes obvious only seconds into the film. Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1120933105719197412005-07-09T23:26:00.000-07:002005-07-09T23:04:58.260-07:00Movie Review #53The Way We Were (1973)Directed by Sydney PollackWritten by Arthur LaurentsRating: 6.50/10.00 or ***In the early 1970s, no female star stole the screen quite as well as Barbra Streisand. She sang her way to the top of Hollywood, but her versatile talents would emerge when the motion picture musical genre began to wane. Most female actresses who became stars because of the musical Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1120430001462931012005-07-04T23:33:00.000-07:002005-07-04T19:53:54.446-07:00Movie Review #52Bringing Up Baby (1938)Directed by Howard HawksScreenplay by Dudley Nichols & Hagar WildeStory by Hagar WildeRating: 7.25/10.00 or ***The great Katharine Hepburn. The immortal Cary Grant. Seeing the two of them on film is a treasure. Together, everything feels right. When they are on screen, we can sit back, relax, and enjoy the fun. Bringing Up Baby is like sitting in your Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1120416849021804972005-07-04T22:51:00.000-07:002005-07-04T19:35:15.950-07:00Movie Review #51Scarface (1983)Directed by Brain De PalmaWritten by Oliver StoneRating: 6.25/10.00 or ** 1/2The character of Tony Montana (played by the great Al Pacino) is a fixture of American cinema. Few characters in the movie industry have been referenced (whether positively or negatively) as often as the protagonist of the 1983 re-make Scarface (Consider Anakin Skywalker's scar in Revenge Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1120105025339549642005-06-30T00:15:00.000-07:002005-06-29T21:39:24.763-07:00It's time for the first question and answer session. Let's begin!Where is your Star Wars review? I had another question for you on that movie. How come at the end of Return of the Jedi the ghosts of Yoda and Obi-Wan look like how they did when they "died". But Anakin Skywalker has legs and arms?--I won't be reviewing Star Wars until the DVD set comes out in November. I will review all six films Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1120099798924779962005-06-29T23:54:00.000-07:002005-06-29T21:30:53.616-07:00Movie Review #50From Here to Eternity (1953)Directed by Fred ZinnemannWritten by Daniel TaradashBased on the novel by James JonesRating: 6.00/10.00 or ** 1/2From Here to Eternity was a bold movie when it first appeared in theaters a brief twelve years after Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan during World War II. The film was racy, depressing, and complex. It frequently approached "the line" that Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1120096474360893592005-06-29T23:12:00.000-07:002005-06-29T21:23:58.993-07:00Movie Review #49Reservoir Dogs (1992)Written and Directed by Quentin TarantinoRating: 7.00/10.00 or ***As a first outing, this film is impressive. However, based on the later works of Tarantino, Reservoir Dogs does not stand up well. Tarantino's inexperience as a writer and a director show up quite well in this film. We see characters with little dimensionality, a lack of chronology that at timesChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1119847664911288222005-06-26T23:51:00.000-07:002005-06-26T21:47:44.920-07:00Movie Review #48The Green Mile (1999)Written and Directed by Frank DarabontBased on the novel by Stephen KingRating: 5.75/10.00 or ** 1/2If Steven Spielberg is the master molasses maker, then Frank Darabont is the master manipulator. It was not a surprise to hear that Steven Spielberg recommended this film to Darabont. The Green Mile is riddled with "emotion injections," scenes that exist Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1119811693865466782005-06-26T10:49:00.000-07:002005-06-26T11:48:13.873-07:00Movie Review #47Death to Smoochy (2002)Directed by Danny DeVitoWritten by Adam ResnickRating: 5.00/10.00 or **It's amusing (if not accurate) to think of the children's corporate television world as corrupt, greedy, and criminal. Danny DeVito apparently thought so, too. So much so that he decided to make a whole movie about it. Death to Smoochy focuses on two clowns. One clown, Rainbow Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1119678461096791202005-06-24T21:49:00.000-07:002005-06-24T22:47:41.103-07:00Movie Review #46Snatch (2000)Written and Directed by Guy RitchieRating: 8.50/10.00 or *** 1/2Avi: You got a toothbrush? We're going to London. You hear that, Doug? I'm coming to London.A ticket, a shot, and a plane ride later...Doug: Avi...Avi: Sit down and shut up, you big, bald fuck. I don't like leaving my country Doug, and I especially don't like leaving it for anything less then sandyChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1119573204494131772005-06-23T16:39:00.000-07:002005-06-23T19:40:50.123-07:00Movie Review #45Once Upon a Time in America (1984)Directed by Sergio LeoneWritten by Leonardo Benvenuti & Piero De Bernardi & Enrico Merdioli & Franco Arcalli & Franco Ferrini & Sergio LeoneWith Extra Dialogue by Stuart KaminskyUncredited: Ernesto GastaldiBased on the novel "The Hoods" by Harry GreyRating: 9.25/10.00 or ****There are numerous great movies, but there are very few masterpieces. TheChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1119242656293558702005-06-19T20:54:00.000-07:002005-06-19T21:44:16.300-07:00Movie Review #44The Big Kahuna (1999)Directed by John SwanbeckWritten by Roger Rueff, based on his play, "The Hospitality Suite"Rating: 7.75/10.00 or *** 1/2The Big Kahuna is a look at three people's lives in different stages while they attend a business convention in Wichita, KS. The set, for the most part, is a hotel suite that the company they work for (Lodestar Laboratories) reserves. The Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1119158198500927112005-06-18T21:16:00.000-07:002005-06-19T19:47:04.836-07:00Movie Review #43Shattered Glass (2003)Written and Directed by Billy RayBased on the article by Buzz (H.G.) BissingerRating: 8.25/10.00 or *** 1/2What prompts a person to lie? A number of reasons come to mind, such as the incessant need for attention, the desire to not be discovered to have done something badly or wrong, the need to keep things from other people, or just a simple curiosity to see Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-1118890741356619522005-06-15T19:23:00.000-07:002005-06-15T20:01:48.303-07:00Movie Review #42The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)Directed by Wes AndersonWritten by Wes Anderson & Noah BaumbachRating: 7.75/10.00 or *** 1/2With a subdued beauty, a bright yellow submarine with a fish tied to its end glides down a sky blue ocean to search for what turns out to be a bespeckled, garnet-colored jaguar shark. There is an inexplicable sense of calm when this passage is Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-953881022003-06-06T15:29:00.000-07:002003-06-06T15:29:20.873-07:00Check out Roger Ebert's essays on Vincent Gallo and his latest film, The Brown Bunny, which was a Cannes Film Festival disaster. What's noteworthy is Ebert's punchline in the second essay.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/eb-feature/cst-nws-ebertside25.html
http://www.suntimes.com/output/eb-feature/cst-ftr-ebert04.htmlChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-953879992003-06-06T15:23:00.000-07:002003-06-06T15:23:35.730-07:00Movie Review #41
The Color of Money (1986)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Written by Richard Price
Based on the novel by Walter Tevis
Rating: 6.50/10.00 or *** (out of 4)
When the word "mainstream" is uttered in the film industry, the first thing to pop up in most critics' minds is certainly not Martin Scorsese. After all, previous to The Color of Money, Scorsese had made Mean Streets, Taxi Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-953045172003-06-04T16:00:00.000-07:002003-06-04T16:00:35.013-07:00Movie Review #40
Far from Heaven (2002)
Written and Directed by Todd Haynes
Rating: 9.00/10.00 or **** (out of 4)
Todd Haynes takes us back to 1957, both in story and in presentation, in this masterful film that came out late in 2002. Far from Heaven, easily classified as a melodrama, presents the issues and the questions of the late 1950s in the form of how they would be dealt with in the Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-951292352003-05-31T12:49:00.000-07:002003-05-31T12:49:51.543-07:00Movie Review #39
Spirited Away (2001)
Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
English interpretation by Cindy Davis Hewitt & Donald H. Hewitt
Rating: 8.25/10.00 or *** 1/2 (out of 4)
Rarely is there a good animated product coming out these days. Except for Pixar, animation degradation is in full swing in today's theaters. However, Disney, in one of the smartest moves the company has ever Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-949228952003-05-26T20:22:00.000-07:002003-05-27T23:17:55.000-07:00Movie Review #38
The Core (2003)
Directed by Jon Amiel
Written by Cooper Layne & John Rogers
Rating: 7.00/10.00 or *** (out of 4)
THE ONLY WAY OUT IS IN.
So says the poster I saw advertising this movie in January. Indeed, the only way to get the Earth's core to start spinning again is to go into it and blow it up. Yes, blow the core up to jumpstart the core. What a wonderful concept for aChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-944799092003-05-16T18:55:00.000-07:002003-05-16T18:55:12.153-07:00Movie Review #37
Seven (1995)
Directed by David Fincher
Written by Andrew Kevin Walker
Rating: 7.00/10.00 or *** (out of 4)
***MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW.***
There are two major themes in this movie: hopelessness and growth. Hopelessness is sensed by the atmosphere, that of rotted wood, dark blues, blacks, and browns for sets, rain falling all of the time, and grim crime scenes and even grimmerChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-943754972003-05-14T23:42:00.000-07:002003-05-14T23:42:12.863-07:00Movie Review #36
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Directed by Neil Jordan
Written by Anne Rice based on her novel
Rating: 2.00/10.00 or * (out of 4)
If anything at all can be compared to Chinese water torture in the film industry, this film would be close. It is slow, tiring, repetitive, and painful. Slow...slow...SLOW. And it just keeps going and going and going and going... Oh, I hate Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-941913102003-05-12T00:58:00.000-07:002003-05-12T09:09:09.000-07:00Movie Review #35
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Directed by Charles Crichton
Screenplay by John Cleese
Story by Charles Crichton & John Cleese
Rating: 7.75/10.00 or *** 1/2 (out of 4)
Comedy is so much fun when it's done right. Who needs the physical, bad-taste, gross-out, stupid humor that Adam Sandler and David Spade grace the screens with when we have the eccentric, off-the-wall, slapstick ofChadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-941709332003-05-11T16:49:00.000-07:002003-05-11T20:06:22.000-07:00Movie Review #34
The Apartment (1960)
Directed by Billy Wilder
Written by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond
Rating: 7.00/10.00 or *** (out of 4)
The Apartment expresses its mood in the first few minutes of the film. The film opens with dreary black and white on a cold day in December, near Christmas time, on cruel city streets. C.C. Baxter is pacing the sidewalk next to his apartment, waiting Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-933187742003-04-26T17:35:00.000-07:002003-04-26T17:35:51.480-07:00Movie Review #33
Ghostbusters (1984)
Directed by Ivan Reitman
Written by Dan Aykroyd & Harold Ramis
Rating: 3.50/10.00 or * 1/2 (out of 4)
There is nothing worse than a comedy that tries to be campy and fails at both being funny and being campy. Ghostbusters is proof of this.
Now, granted, most of you will disagree. I just went though a series of reviews on IMDB and Amazon.com. Review Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-927929102003-04-17T11:48:00.000-07:002003-04-17T11:55:19.000-07:00Movie Review #32
Out of Sight (1998)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Scott Frank
Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard
Rating: 8.00/10.00 or *** 1/2 (out of 4)
Out of Sight can be labeled as a crime drama, a romance, a comedy, a thriller, or a caper. The beauty of this film is that each of these genres mixes so well that the film's purpose is not of one but of all. Soderbergh is Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-927601822003-04-16T21:54:00.000-07:002003-04-16T21:54:40.686-07:00Movie Review #31
Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron
Written by Alfonso Cuaron and Carlos Cuaron
Rating: 7.75/10.00 or *** 1/2 (out of 4)
My friend Antonio recently explained his necessity for movies to be alive, to have momentum. Antonio, I present to you Y Tu Mama Tambien. My first thought after seeing this film was that no movie has seemed so alive, so fresh, so true. Y Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-927496992003-04-16T18:27:00.000-07:002003-04-16T18:29:49.000-07:00Movie Review #30
Talk to Her (2002)
Written and Directed by Pedro Almodovar
Rating: 6.25/10.00 or ** 1/2 (out of 4)
***MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW***
Like many films of 2002, this one is overrated, overly artistic, and borderline pretentious. All I could think about after the movie was how much this movie reminded me of the nearly arrogant tendencies of Spike Jonze with his latest film Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-927472572003-04-16T17:35:00.000-07:002003-04-16T17:42:07.000-07:00Movie Review #29
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Directed by Robert Mulligan
Written by Horton Foote
Based on the novel by Harper Lee
Rating: 8.00/10.00 or *** 1/2 (out of 4)
"I remember when my daddy gave me that gun. He told me that I should never point it at anything in the house. And that he'd rather I'd shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but he said that sooner or later he supposed the Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-926942852003-04-15T21:02:00.000-07:002003-04-16T16:48:40.000-07:00Some short reviews before the longer ones...
To Kill a Mockingbird - 8.00/10.00 or *** 1/2
Robert Mulligan directs this classic with elegance, class, and style. Gregory Peck gives an astounding performance as Atticus Finch, an attorney with the at-the-time unenviable task of defending a black man of sexual assault of a young white woman. Told through the eyes of Atticus's children, the film Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-904901232003-03-10T17:05:00.000-08:002003-03-10T17:08:03.000-08:00Editor's Note
I have done extensive updating of my movie database website today. I have added links to all reviews that I have on this website. I hope to alphabetize the list to make it even more user friendly by the end of the month. This is due to the several suggestions I have received regarding my website format. Hopefully, the final product will be more useful. Thanks for reading.
Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-904831422003-03-10T14:48:00.000-08:002003-03-10T14:48:25.873-08:00Movie Review #20 (re-entered)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Screenplay by Tom Stoppard
Based on the novel by J.G. Ballard
Rating: 5.25/10.00 or ** (out of 4)
***Editor's note: This was re-entered since this mysteriously disappeared from the website.***
When people think of Steven Spielberg films, the first one that comes to their mind is likely not Empire of the Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3562057.post-904816572003-03-10T14:20:00.000-08:002003-03-10T14:20:21.280-08:00Movie Review #28
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Directed by James Foley
Screenplay by David Mamet
Based on the play by David Mamet
Rating: 7.75/10.00 or *** 1/2 (out of 4)
So, here's the cast: Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, and Jonathan Pryce. With one of the wittiest and most rhythmic dialogues I have heard in some time, Glengarry Glen Ross features Chadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14299731959049654407noreply@blogger.com