Death To Cinema

Film Week 8/4-8/17

2008-08-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

I notice that two weeks have passed and I missed a whole week. I have been very busy with school coming up and "making films" to have time for the blog and so I apologize for that. The good news is that there are more films than there would regularly be. Enjoy!

Pickpocket (1959)

What a beautiful film this one was. This movie just made me want to go and rent some more French/black and white movies. The way Michel was able to pickpocket and learn from more experience pickpockters was fascinating

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

I watched this movie with a couple of friends, and it sure made us laugh at times. Steve Martin seems to play the same role on every movie, "a stressed out dad." Throughout the whole movie, it seemed to me that even though he was stressed out he still seemed to cope with the annoying stranger. Of course, Steve Martin has the heart of gold, so there is no reason why he would not cope with the fat jolly John Candy. The music made me feel like I shouldn't be watching the movie, since they were really old school synchronized beats. This movie wasn't great but it was worth watching just to catch a couple of laughs with the lads. Overall:

★★ - OK

Smokin' Aces (2007)

To start things off what a horrible movie. Sometimes I rather give the movie a second watch to see if my opinion is correct, with this one there was no need. Alicia Keys happens to be in this movie and of course all musicians make great movie stars as well (no sarcasm intended). The plot in this movie seemed to be non-existent since very little seemed to come out of the whole movie. The writers tried to make this movie into another action-packed movie, but what it truly deserved was to be scrapped and come up with something better. Another thing that seemed to puzzle me was the lack of talent the movie seemed to waste. Actors like Andy Garcia, Jason Bateman and Ray Liotta in a movie together sounds like a great hit. This is not. In the end I was truly disappointed because I wasted my netflix queue on this.

★ - Bad

Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth (2004)

May I first start off with what a funny man Dave Chappelle is. This is one of my probably all-time favorite stand up comedians, and that is extremely rare. When I used to watch comedy central, I would see a lot of comedians on tv. Some of them were funny, but almost all of them would make me want to flip the channel to find something else. Than Mr. Chappelle showed up and rocked my world. He is the brilliant mastermind of the show that brought "I'm Rick James, Bitch!" and many other catchy phrases. For What It's Worth, not only made me laugh, but made me fall out of my chair (metaphorically speaking). It seems good old Chappelle hasn't lost his touch, and the way he carries himself in that stage makes me want to go see him if he ever comes to my neck of the woods. I enjoyed every second of his stand-up.

★★★★★ - Perfect

Film Week July 28 to August 3

2008-07-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know what happened this week. I was so caught up doing other things that I only watched two movies this whole week. I promise I will do much better next week... for now I bring forth this movies!

Paprika (2006)

Best Animation movie I have ever seen in my life. No, not really. This movie is pretty good, and that is incredible because I usually tend to not like movies that can be referred to as "anime". You are probably saying to yourself, "How could you say that when Miyazaki's Spirited Away is a movie that bring anime to a whole new level." It doesn't matter. Paprika is good enough to keep me entertained and hooked into the plot. The weird characters in the story and crazy story line made it all that more interesting for me. The thing that I probably enjoyed most of the movie was the song that played behind the parade. It was a solid movie.

★★★ - Good

Children of Men (2006)

Was I expecting this from Clive Owen, the guy who was in Shoot Them Up as a cold blooded baby-saving-killer? No I was not. This movie was not good, it was extremely good. The picture was amazing and the plot moved along great. Alfoso Cuaron did a marvelous job directing this movie. Makes the viewer wonder what would happen if fertility did stop at one point or another. When watching this movie for some reason I kept relating it to the game Half-Life 2. Somehow they both seemed very similar. This movie is an amazing find, and i was extremely taken aback. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. Plus, when do you get to watch Michael Caine as a tree loving hippee?

★★★★ - Amazing

Film Week July 21-27

2008-07-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

I'm just going to throw this out there. School is about to start which means long car rides.

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (2007)

What is there to say about this movie other than what a beautiful film. I've had this movie for three days, and already I have seen it twice. Mathieu Almaric does such a good job playing Jean-Dominique Bauby (the main character) that I was fooled into actually believing that he was handicapped. This movie was so sad and emotionally driven that I was to the point of donating some money to hospitals who cared for stroke patients (not quite). Another thing that was amazing about this movie was how it wasn't boring, quite the opposite to be honest. The movie was basically Jean-Dominique narrating the story, but the imagery used, and the feelings he put behind his lines were magnificent. I truly loved everything about this, from the actors to the scenery, a remarkable film.

★★★★1/2 - Almost Perfection

Semi-Pro (2008)

Is this supposed to even compare to Ferrell's older movies? No. It seems Will Ferrell is running on very few ideas, deciding to keep doing what he apparently thinks he does best (comedy). This movie seemed to be another attempt to target the mainstream comedy audience. Now, I'm not saying this movie is bad (compared to Blades of Glory), it just seems to fall behind all the other great movies (Anchorman,Tallageda Nights, Stranger than Fiction). Will Ferrell is trying to hard to keep his comedic charm, but it seems to be falling out of his grasp. The movie is fun to watch, and funny at some parts, but it just seems like any other Ferrell release. I enjoyed this movie because I was bored and had nothing better to do. This movie is not something I'm going to watch multiple times.

★★1/2- Interesting

La Planete Sauvage aka Fantastic Planet (1973)

I have no idea what i just watched. This movie was something that I was not expecting in any sort of way. The storyline, interesting to say the least. Actually, this movie had so many weird animals and plants that I felt I was on a magical acid trip. The religious undertones in this movie are everywhere, which makes it very captivating when thought of. The way this animation was drawn is amazing. It looks pretty cheap drawn (if that makes sense), but it adds to the story. I found myself not only enjoying the movie but trying to relate to it. The aliens act like normal people which gives the viewer a different perspective on "aliens" (if we had one to began with). The language spoken is french, and it certaintly adds to the whole mistique of the movie. A great movie to broaden someone's "animation" genre.

★★★1/2 - Really Good

Mean Girls (2004)

This movie has thought me something that no other movie has ever done so before. Never judge a movie by its cover. I was bored on a Friday night and I thought to myself, "HEY, let's watch something to waste time (and when I said waste i truly meant it). Was I surprised by this. Might I dare say that this is probably Lindsey Lohan's best performance ever (if there is such a thing). Not only that, but it also has Tina Fey, which I think she is a brilliant comedian, in almost every single one of her roles. I loved the fact that it had a simple plot, a teenage girl dealing with popularity in her own sort of way. The movie was funny and enjoyable, unlike all the other cheesy high school movies. For something that was simple and not artistic in any way, it succeeded in having a good plot that does not bore the average viewer.

★★★1/2 - Really Good

Swingers (1996)

Not relating to the movie, when looking for the movie poster for this in google some very graphic images popped out. Back to Swingers, what a great movie this was. I seemed to enjoy every single moment of this film. Having to watch it and compare it with The Hours and Times for a forum I am active in (filmspotting), it was one of the best decisions I could have made. This is what I wrote about this movie when comparing it:

The Good This movie had me interested throughout the whole thing. The acting by Vince Vaughn was not just good, it was really great. The expression he would have one his face when "Mikey" would do something really "emotional" (tell all his feelings about his ex to the girl he was trying to hook up with) was just so funny. The movie tells the story of Mikey trying to overcome his heartbreak, which makes it good because it didn't have multiple plots to worry about. One thing that really put the icing over the cake with this one was the Goodfellas/Reservoir mockups Swingers had in the movie. This movie was truly enjoyable and had some extremely funny parts.

"You are money, Baby!" -- Vince Vaughn

The Bad

I wouldn't necessarily call this things bad, not because of my ideals but because it just happens to be part of the movie. One thing that I didn't really like is the undermining of women. Like I said, it was part of the movie and everything but they treated them like a certain type of object. Another thing that I didn't like was how the ending became a little predictable, "Mikey finds another girl, and forgets about the old one". Overall this was a really solid movie.

Swingers won the competition by the way.

★★★★ - Amazing

The Hours and Times (1991)

I had never heard of this movie prior the date it was assigned to me. I had no idea what I was getting into, or what I was about to experience. Yes, Ian Hart (the actor that plays Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) plays John Lennon in case anyone was wondering. This movie was something completely different than from what I am used to viewing. Also, it went heads up with Swingers in the competition from filmspotting. Here are my thoughts on this movie:

The Good

One thing that I really liked about this sort of movie is that it was in black and white. It just seemed to be a lot more fitting into the story. The actor who played Brian Epstein (David Angus) did a marvelous job acting like a homosexual and having his crush on John Lennon. A second thing I enjoyed about the movie is the way the movie was directed. There seemed to be a lot of silence in the movie, just looking at certain things. I also liked how the movie started and finished, looking at the vista of Spain. I think this was to symbolize how after the little rendevouz Brian Epstein and John Lennon had, they had to go back to their old ways (not having a relationship).

The Bad

There were many things i loved about this movie, but there were also some things I didn't. It might seem foolish but one thing that bothered me at the end is how under-developed the characters went. Yes, they developed, but not to the full extent that could have helped me understand the two characters (maybe that's what the director wanted). Also, the movie seems to make Lennon seem like he is extremely carefree of his wife. While this movie is a fictional event, it still portrays Lennon as some sort of jerk. All of the things i mentioned in THE BAD are not necessarily bad things, they are just things that seemed to bug me.

This movie was awesome as well, so i give it:

★★★★ - Amazing

The Eye (2007)

God this movie was bad. I did not like anything about it. I get afraid very easily, one could almost say with anything. This movie did not convey one single bit of fear when watching it. I think the only reason why Jessica Alba is an actress is because of how she looks, because to be honest that was the most horrid thing about the film, her acting. My girlfriend wanted to watch this movie because the main character (Jessica Alba) is a blind person who plays the violin. Since my girlfriend loves everything related to the violin we just had to watch it. The ending was predictable, and every single question that was asked was not solved. Seemed hilarious how just by having "the eye" she is able to find so much information. The movie was boring and had no point to it.

★ - Bad

Film Week July 14-20

2008-07-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

I watched enough movies to make me feel like I have no life, and apparently I have no life. Some movies I saw were good, and others not so much.

What Lies Beneath (2000)

When looking to this movie, I expected something interesting to say the least. Giving the main roles to actors such as Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer made me believe this movie had something more to offer than the average flick. While watching this movie, I could not help but notice how the plot kept leading up to different events, yet it never had a solution for any of them. The acting was mediocre, and it was hard to tell whether an actual conflict was about to arise. I truly felt like I was wasting time when watching the movie. Truly targeted for the mainstream lovers.

★1/2- Meh

Drillbit Taylor (2008)

What happened to the Owen Wilson we used to love? What is his will all of a sudden to begin to making movies that are pointless and without meaning. While watching this movie, the line on the movie poster kept running through my head. While "You get what you pay for" might be true in some cases, this movie is worth nothing, zip, and nilch of time and money. This plot (Geeks Triumph over Jocks) has been outplayed so much, that it seems the only twist the writers could come up with is having a bodyguard played by Owen Wilson. This movie should be avoided at all costs, save money and save sanity.

★ - Bad

The Dark Knight (2008)

So much talk about this movie and so much to expect from it. Everywhere I went, people seemed to be discussing the great movie that was going to come out in theaters. This movie was great, but would it lead to the hype it had created? To start of, The movie is long, really long, but it does not change the fact that time flies by when watching it. The movie does not lead up to all the hype it earned before it came out, but it sure gets close. I was glad that Christian Bale was playing Batman once again (and not changing him for some other actor). The Joker is played by Heath Ledger and to be honest his jokes in the movie were not that funny (even though everyone in the theater seemed to laugh every time he spoke). Did Ledger's death seem to help this office-box hit? Yes it did, but it is not the only reason. To be honest, this movie was not bad at all. In fact, it was a very well directed movie. The sequel to Batman Begins not only lived up to it, it overcame it by a long shot. I feel safe to say that this is the best batman movie yet. This movie is enjoyable, but it might be hard to call it an Oscar winner. It sure remains in my thoughts though.

★★★★ - Amazing

About Schmidt (2002)

This movie was something else. I was completely surprised when seeing this movie because of how much I enjoyed it. Jack Nicholson acts incredibly as an old man learning to survive in the world without his wife. I was moved by how Schmidt tries to comfort himself through various things he does in the movie. The movie is not only him though, all the characters add a lot to the film. A movie I thought would put me to sleep turned out to be not only good but great. After watching it I felt a little more accomplished in life, and thankful to still have someone to take care of me.

★★★1/2 - Really Good

Beginner's Guide

2008-07-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

So many blogs, so little time.... I have decided to create this FAQ for everyone who happen to have some questions.

Why this blog?
This blog has been created to explain how i feel about certain movies I watch.In no way do I tend to harm another persons opinion when reviewing certain films. Also, it is here to entertain yourself by reading my comments on certain marathons, tv shows, and once in a while music cd's.

How do you post movies?
I'll try to make a post for every movie I watch. I found to leave it empty if i waited to do it until the end of the week.

Rating System?
Basically it is the Rateyourmusic system with my own definitions for each star... this is taken directly from my page on RYM and are as follows

1/2 - Vile
★ - Bad
★1/2- Meh
★★ - OK
★★1/2- Interesting
★★★ - Good
★★★1/2 - Really Good
★★★★ - Amazing
★★★★1/2 - Almost Perfection
★★★★★ - Perfect

Are there any rules?
Don't be a douche

Are the links to other sites going to give me everything but aids?
All the links are 100% reliable and are there to extend movie knowledge.