Oh Chris...

The United States of Leland(dir. Matthew Ryan Hodge)
This movie reminds of Babel because it has all these elements in its narrative that it could easily make a statement about, but doesn't deliver. The difference between this and Babel is that even though didn't say really anything, it still had a somewhat compelling narrative. The character of Leland is pretty dull with his constant philosophical musings that sound like they're deep, but are utterly pointless. That's how the film is as a whole. The most compelling aspect was Chris Klein's performance and his revenge subplot. You could see the director striving for something that he couldn't quite grasp. It would have probably been a better picture if the film had a judgemental view of Leland and focused on the family's grief. His act was senseless since he goes on and on about how he hates seeing sadness in the world yet he creates it by killing a child which creates suffering for basically everyone around him. It was quite flawed.
** out of ****

Oh Gloria...

El Dorado(dir. Howard Hawks)
Has its moments. Wanna check out Rio Bravo now.
*** out of ****
Crossfire(dir. Edward Dmytryk)
Becomes kind of preachy when the detective starts talking about hate and why its bad, but I guess you have to expect that for the first Hollywood movie dealing with anti-semitism. Robert Ryan gave the best performance and Gloria Grahame, while gorgeous, just feels out of place in this movie. It started to pick up alot towards the end. The scene where Genny's husband started playing mindgames with Mitch was brilliant. It was quite compelling stuff.
***1/2 out of ****

Oh Ratings...

New Rating System
****-Great
***1/2-Really good
***-Good
**1/2-Decent
**-Average
*1/2-Bad
*-Really Bad
I realized I need to be more specific because I end up giving movies *** that really deserve higher and I give **** to movies that deserve lower.
---
Rashoman(dir. Akira Kurosawa)
Overacting. Overacting. Overacting. The one thing that has distanced me away from Kurosawa. This movie is definately marred by overacting from Toshiro Mifune and the woman that played the wife. The ending completely redeemed it from being a total waste of time since it was rather touching. Maybe I should see Ikiru because the actor that plays the woodcutter is in that and he seems to be the only actor I feel sympathetic towards in the movies I've seen by Kurosawa. It would have gotten a **, but because of the ending it gets a
*** out of ****

Oh Daniel...

Casino Royale(dir. Martin Campbell)
Is he the best Bond ever? Not sure. Definately better than Pierce Bronson. Agree with most of the critics about how its too long, which seems to be its biggest problem especially the whole section that was like a mini chick flick or something. I liked it.
*** out of ****
When a Women Ascends the Stairs(dir. Mikio Naruse)
I've been curious to Naruse since there has been no releases of his films pretty much anywhere and he is often compared to Ozu and Mizoguchi. This film was somewhat underwhelming. Sure, I probably liked it more than any of the previously named director's works that I have seen(feel like I need to rewatch Tokyo Story and Late Spring), but I guess I was expecting alot more. This, however, doesn't mean this film was bad or even just good. It was really good, but it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be.
**** out of ****

Oh Josh...

Mean Creek(dir. Jacob Aaron Estes)
I was reading Roger Ebert's review on this movie and he was talking about how the MPAA shouldn't have rated it R so people the characters' age could watch this movie and be educated on what peer pressure can do. I thought that seemed rather silly cuz it would basically write this movie off as some after-school special similar to Thirteen, which I still to this day utterly despise. This movie has moments of peer pressure that seem kind of preachy in some way with Josh Peck's character, but seem natural enough. It kind of explains why this movie got only *** from him if he's viewing it in that light and probably why he gave Thirteen ***1/2 because it definately tries to preach something, but the problem with Thirteen was just how it treated its audience and expected the audience to feel bad for this idiotic girl that did things that she didn't want to just out of peer pressure. The peer pressure is different and more believable. Probably my biggest complaint about this film was Josh Peck's character. He probably did as good of a job I could imagine an actor from Drake & Josh doing and I was probably most impressed with his performance because he was able to be an asshole and sympathetic, but the problem was that he felt like some kind of split-personality. For me, I couldn't feel sympathy for him when he was trying to piss off Marty about his father commiting suicide. Sure, kids can be decent and cruel, but that seems over the line. His shifts seemed natural, but somethings just felt off about his character. Everything after the "incident" was pretty much perfect. Rory Culkin isn't the greatest actor and everybody else pretty much steal the show especially the girl. I can't help being reminded of George Washington because it has a similar tone, treats its young characters as practically adults, and had a similar situation, but George Washington is a much more haunting and poetic because nobody ever reports the incident in the film and it just lingers in the audience's minds afterwards. Also, the character that died in that film was likeable and it just seemed to come out of nowhere when it happened. Other than my complaints, I liked this movie alot.
**** out of ****

Oh Sterling...

The Killing(dir. Stanley Kubrick)
A great caper film. Sterling Hayden and the woman who played Sherry were particularly noteworthy. Liked the aftermath of the heist alot. I loved it.
**** out of ****

Oh Alain...

White Dog(dir. Samuel Fuller)
I was surprised by how good this was. I wanted to see it pretty much for how ridiculous the concept seemed, but I was surprised by how effective this was as a drama. I remember reading the Great Directors for Fuller on Senses of Cinema and I believe someone said he makes poetry out of ridiculousness. This is the perfect example of this. It was actually intellectual especially the end. I can see theories that the dog represents society, which makes the most sense to me. This could be his best film.
**** out of ****
Le Cercle Rouge(dir. Jean-Pierre Melville)
Watching Heat, I wanted to see another caper film and the fact that Michael Mann is obviously influenced by Jean-Pierre Melville, I decided to put this near the top of the Blockbuster Online queue. Not sure if this is better than Heat, but this is clearly his best film. What amazes me about his films is just the level of detail like how the inspector has a lot of cats and the whole robbery sequence was quite compelling. The ending was kind of a letdown, but thats one of the only flaws I can see with this nearly flawless film. The scenes in the bar were quite astonishing. I loved it.
**** out of ****

Oh Zachary...

The Southerner(dir. Jean Renoir)
Definately not as good as The Grand Illusion or Rules of the Game. In a way, I was pleased throughout the film and never got bored, but in a way, it just seemed generic and forgettable in some way. The scene where his friend starts throwing rocks at a bar window was pretty amazing. I liked it.
*** out of ****

Oh Edward...

Woman in the Window(dir. Fritz Lang)
Not one of his best. I really liked the beginning between Edward G. Robinson and the "Woman in the Window." I spread this over two days. I have a feeling that was part of my problem with the movie because I was generally not interested it today. Its still good. Better than Scarlet Street.
*** out of ****

Oh Randolph...

Seven Men From Now(dir. Budd Boetticher)
This film is his most polished and poetic film. The biggest reason is that it seems like the supporting actors can actually act in this one. I liked this alot.
**** out of ****

Oh Woody...

A Scanner Darkly(dir. Richard Linklater)
More stylistic than Fast Food Nation, but not as good. The moments between Keanu, Robert, and Woody were the best parts. Just them haning out and talking about nonsense. Kind of some paranoid Dazed & Confused or something. When it hit the 80 minute mark, it tried to pretty much sum up the whole reason why Keanu was undercover and infilitrating these guys. I don't know. I liked it alot up until that point. Maybe I should see Waking Life.
*** out of ****

Oh Val...

Heat(dir. Michael Mann)
I have to say this is his best movie and maybe the best movie ever. I loved it.
**** out of ****
The Big Sleep(dir. Howard Hawks)
Definately an improvement over Red River. I'll admit that I was restless in the beginning. It started to pick up during it's last 40 minutes or so. Best moments in the film were between Bacall and Bogart. I liked it a lot.
**** out of ****

Oh Bibi...

The Seventh Seal(dir. Ingmar Bergman)
I think I'm starting to understand him. I loved this.
**** out of ****

Oh Christina...

Buffalo '66(dir. Vincent Gallo)
In the beginning, I didn't like Billy that much until the scene in the restaurant with the girl he supposedly dated. The dinner scene was pretty amusing, but I wouldn't say it was that great. I was actually enjoying it quite a bit and would have given this **** if it wasn't for what happens alittle bit before the end. He makes the audience believe the story goes in a certain direction and then reveals that it actually didn't go that way. It seemed like just a cheap trick. Some of his visual techniques like the spotlight effect on his father, the man Ben Gazzara, singing or Layla tapdancing and how the flashbacks started small and ended up getting big on the screen was alittle off-putting. The scene before the ending ruined it for me. If that was out of the picture, I would have enjoyed this alot better. It is still a good film though.
*** out of ****

Oh Poop...

Half Nelson(dir. Ryan Fleck and Anna Bodom)
The scene that really made it for me was when Dan goes to buy some crack and ends up buying it off of Drey. Its such a little scene, but seems to show the dilemma they both face in the film. The ending was very optimistic and makes the audience believe we can truly change and redeem ourselves. The most problematic scenes were the teaching scenes. Sure, you have to show his job somewhat, but overall, they really had nothing to do with the grand scheme of things. They are also portrayed in a fairly stereotypicaly cinematic way where the teachers seem to hold a discussion instead of just lecturing the kids. Sure, this style of teaching can happen, but its not very likely in a junior high setting. I liked this alot.
**** out of ****
Fast Food Nation(dir. Richard Linklater)
This movie just reminds me of Babel even though Linklater has been dealing with this type of narrative genre years before Babel, Crash, or even Magnolia came out. This movie is definately more messy than Babel, but the biggest difference is that Fast Food Nation actually has message behind. Actually, numerous messages. The border crossing aspect in both film's offers easy comparision. The border crossing in this film is much more thought-provoking than Babel's. Maybe because Babel's border crossing wasn't really about people illegally immigrating even though the nanny was in the US illegally. Babel basically throws this aspect of its narrative out there expecting audiences to think about it, but Fast Food Nation really dwells on this aspect. You watch this and you kind of say who gives a shit that these individuals are in our country illegally since they basically suffer immensely while living here. You feel sympathy for the individuals and it makes it much more thought-provoking than anything in Babel and this is just one of the stories. You got Greg Kinnear's character dealing with corporate marketing and covering up the fact that there is shit in hamburger meat. You got young people trying to make change, but basically realizing the problem is out of their hands. This story is probably the least effective because of the simple view that these young people have on the situation, but the film, thankfully, debunks their naive view. The best (and most unpleasant) in the film is when you finally see the killing floor in the meat packing factory. The scene is so effective because it not only shows what they do to the cows to make our meat, but also how it affects the individuals that have to do this work. You see a woman is just as horrified and disturbed by what she sees as the audience is. You see her cry and realize that what those people do is horrific, but almost heroic. While this movie does have its flaws, it is still one of the best movies of 2006.
**** out of ****

Oh Paris...

Branded to Kill(dir. Seijun Suzuki)
This movie is pretty much insane. Any movie that has a hero that gets turned on by the smell of hot rice is awesome in my book. Any movie that has the hero's love interest living in a house full of dead butterflies is also awesome in my book. I wouldn't say it is quite as good as Tokyo Drifter, but it's pretty close. Way way way better than Youth of the Beast.
**** out of ****
Double Indemnity(dir. Billy Wilder)
Is this the greatest film noir ever made? Not quite. Edward G. Robinson's character is quite awesome. The murder seemed sort of rushed because the guy did not seem like he knew the woman at all and was willing to kill her husband for her. This is a minor complaint, but yeah. Not quite as good as some of Fritz Lang's noirs or Kiss Me Deadly, but still really good.
**** out of ****
Brick(dir. Rian Johnson)
Stylish. Probably the best way to describe the whole experience. Transporting film noir into a high school is pretty unique even if it feels kind of strange. I can see how someone can despise this movie. I, however, liked it alot.
**** out of ****

Oh Anna...

Two Rode Together(dir. John Ford)
Probably the worst film I've seen by him, that's not as bad as it seems. It seems extremely uneven between comedy and serious social commentary. It brings up an interesting point about how the individuals in the town view on Indians is just as uncivilized as they claim the Indians to be. First movie I've seen by Ford that didn't have John Wayne or Henry Fonda in it. I don't find James Stewart a particularly convincing cowboy. It seemed to get alittle heavy handed at the end of it when it started to make the social commentary because everything leading up to it was pretty light and unserious. Decent.
*** out of ****
The Wild(dir. Steve "Spaz" Williams)
Better than Over the Hedge, but that is not saying much. Would have been better if it was only an hour, but as it is, it has pretty shallow story that quickly becomes dull.
** out of ****
Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio(dir. Jane Anderson)
Biggest issue with this movie is its portrayal of Woody Harrelson's character. He does some really stupid actions and I can easily understand how some of the characters in the picture do not view him in a very positive light, but he means well. He seems to throw tandrums, but you never see him really meaning to cause harm to his family or his wife. The only instance he does harm his wife, he seems to have an emotional breakdown and you almost feel more for him than his wife. The film's insistance to paint him as the "bad guy" in the narrative just makes it seem strange. The bits where it seems to making fun of 50's/60's consumerism just seemed out of place. Overall, a decent movie.
*** out of ****
Mermaids(dir. IDK)
Bob Hoskins is in it. A light comedic movie. Don't have anything really intelligent to say about it.
*** out of ****

Oh Donald...

Tropical Malady(dir. some Thai guy)
Strange. Mysterious. Unusual. Original. Spellbinding. Bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
This movie is one of the strangest movies I've ever seen. I didn't really have an emotional response to it because I haven't really grasped it mentally. Unlike anything I've ever seen.
**** out of ****
Letter from an Unknown Woman(dir. Max Ophuls)
This movie was like the delicate white rose Stefan gives Lisa in it. I liked it alot and I will surely check out more of his work.
**** out of ****

Oh Rosie...

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon(dir. John Ford)
Dragged on at the end.
*** out of ****
All the Real Girls(dir. David Gordon Green)
Reminded me of my emotions towards Fat City, it obviously isn't the greatest movie in the world, but has a lot of heart. Not nearly as beautiful or grand as George Washington, but more intimate.
**** out of ****

Oh Wombo Post...

Lancelot of the Lake(dir. Robert Bresson)
I'm not sure what this movie was trying to say. All violence is senseless? I guess that could be it. Anyways, I liked it a lot.
**** out of ****
Snakes on a Plane(dir. Not sure)
This movie could have been so much more entertaining. The biggest problem is that it took itself seriously, but there were still corny parts like when Samuel L. Jackson says, "All Praises to the Playstation." The ending is one of the most beautiful endings I've ever seen.
*** out of ****
Terror in a Texas Town(dir. Joseph H. Lewis)
This movie really deserves a ** because the acting was pretty much horrible and the story wasn't all that exciting. The ending, however, makes it all worthwhile. Seeing a guy get harpooned in the chest in a gunfight redeems the movie completely.
*** out of ****
The Black Dahlia(dir. Brian De Palma)
This movie obviously has its flaws, but the type of critical beating it took wasn't really necessary. I actually liked the ending, which is what most of the critics complained about. Josh Harnett's relationship with Aaron Eckhart wasn't all that interesting in the beginning until you learn about Aaron Eckhart's character more after his demise. I liked it a lot more than The Untouchables.
*** out of ****
L'Enfant(dir. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne)
I don't know what to say about this movie. It definitely deserved to win the Palm D'or, but my biggest problem is the believability of the character's actions that set up the whole conflict for the story. Even when I didn't find the actions that believable, the ending was absolutely heart-wrenching and worked much better with this film than Bresson's Pickpocket. One of the best films of last year.
**** out of ****
The River(dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
Easily his bleakest film. I wouldn't say this was exactly one of my favorite films by him, but it is still really good.
**** out of ****
Samaritan Girl(dir. Kim Ki-duk)
This took me by surprise. I decided to DVR this because DVDBeaver had a review of it. I loved how upfront it was about dealing with the issue at hand. I remember reading one review where it says this movie is basically black and white on the issue of prostitution, but in my eyes, the whole movie is one big shade of grey for the audience. You get two differing viewpoints in the film, the daughter's naive outlook on prostitution as some Samaritan act and the father's harsh outlook on prostitution. The daughter doesn't anything as drastic as her father, which makes it thought provoking. Can murder really solve this problem? It makes you wonder what is the correct way of dealing with realizing that your daughter is a prostitute. The ending is probably one of the most depressing endings I've ever seen. I loved this movie.
**** out of ****
Rosetta(dir. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne)
This movie was really good until the end, which rubbed me the wrong way. It makes it seem like a redemption for the character that truly doesn't need redeeming. You could say Rosetta learns that the world wasn't against her all along, but why use a character that has every right to be mad at Rosetta to show this. It should be Rosetta's redemption, but it ends up feeling like a redemption for the character that doesn't need the redeeming.
*** out of ****
Sweet Smell of Success(dir. Alexander Mackendrick)
Film noir works wonders where it inhabits a world with its own set of morals and characters that can easily fit into this world. This film does exactly that. I loved it.
**** out of ****
The Big Gundown(dir. Sergio Sollima)
I wanted to see this just because John Zorn's album of covers of Ennio Morricone's songs is called The Big Gundown. It is quite corny in its datedness, but that’s probably what makes it so appealing. It is ultimately one of the most entertaining spaghetti westerns I've seen and the fact that it has Lee Van Cleef as the hero makes it even better. It is not exactly deep, but its a hell of alot fun.
**** out of ****
Hiroshima, mon amour(dir. Alain Resnais)
The first twenty minutes of this movie are probably the best I have ever seen. As the story progresses, it starts to falter and become repetitive. The ending is amazing which completely redeems all the problems I had with it during the middle.
**** out of ****
George Washington(dir. David Gordon Green)
Poetic and beautiful. Its obvious that he owes alot of his style to Terrence Malick, but you never see Terrence Malick making broken down cars look beautiful. Some could easily write this off as a director trying to make Days of Heaven, but in all honesty, it could quite possibly be better than that film.
**** out of ****
The Hole(dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
This film contains probably his most romantic endings ever. The musical parts seemed kind of off until the ending, which makes the musical parts seem completely necessary to show that the romantic fantasies of the characters have been achieved. Could be my favorite film by him.
**** out of ****
The Great Silence(dir. Sergio Corbucci)
It is like Werner Herzog directed a spaghetti western. The film kind of drags at parts, but the ending makes up for these instances of ennui. Ennio Morricone's score for this film is probably his best.
**** out of ****
3-Iron(dir. Kim Ki-duk)
He comes up with some of the strangest situations. The idea of people breaking into houses to have a place to stay and show their gratitude by cleaning is unusual and unique. The metaphysical qualities of the last half hour makes it very interesting. While not as thought provoking as Samaritan Girl, it is still a great movie.
**** out of ****
Bad Guy(dir. Kim Ki-duk)
Another strange situation. What if a girl that a man forces into prostitution falls in love with the man? This movie has a more gritty quality to it compared to 3-Iron and Samaritan Girl. The film is extremely well-done until the ending, which is insulting and almost completely ruins the whole movie.
*** out of ****
Paris, Texas(dir. Wim Wenders)
The best quality of this film is how the situation in the beginning seems implausible at first and quickly becomes more and more understandable. The main character, Travis, has been gone for four years and seems to have lost the ability to talk. He quickly readjusts to a seemingly normal lifestyle with his brother and sister-in-law, who take care of his son, Hunter. The scene where Travis goes and talks to his wife on the phone a second time is one of the greatest scenes of all of cinema. This is easily one of the greatests films I've ever seen. I loved it.
**** out of ****
The Sweet Hereafter(dir. Atom Egoyan(sp?))
Everything about this movie seems practically perfect and I find it hard to believe that some people might not like it. I don't know. I can't really picture the movies being any better than it is.
**** out of ****
Singin' in the Rain(dir. Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly)
Is this the third greatest American film ever? Probably not. It is one of the most entertaining movies you'll see, but is it deep? Not really, but you shouldn't expect that with a musical. It definately puts a smile on your face.
**** out of ****
Ride Lonesome(dir. Budd Boetticher)
Third time is a charm. Probably what makes this film better than his others is the fact that the people the protagonist spends most of his time with are not the antagonists of the story. I have real issues with those type of set-ups where the characters spend alot of time with individuals they shouldn't be spending time with. Lee Van Cleef is also in this, which makes it even better.
**** out of ****
Youth of the Beast(dir. Seijun Suzuki)
His style in this film seems to go all over the place. One person said the movie feels very dated and maybe thats why I couldn't really connect to it. The style is kind of impressive, but the movie is quite dull and boring.
** out of ****
All About Lily Chou-Chou(dir. Forgot)
I loved this film at first. This could have easily been one of my favorite movies if it wasn't for the ending which basically ruins it. Other instances like the rape of one of the characters seemed kind of mean-spirited and just there to be controversial and seem "honest" about teenage life. The visuals were startling beautiful and the most memorable scenes are the ones with the characters just basically hanging out and having good times.
*** out of ****
High Noon(dir. Fred Zinneman)
I'll be honest, I was kind of restless during the first hour or so, but once you see the montage of all the faces with the train whistle blowing in the background, you start to truly understand why Gary Cooper's character stayed in the first place. Without that montage, the film would have seemed like an utter waste of time.
**** out of ****
Fat City(dir. John Huston)
The simplicity of this film and lack of polish makes me love it. It has so much spirit that you canpretty much ignore its obvious flaws.
**** out of ****
The Proposition(dir. Forgot)
The violent and gritty nature makes it one of the greatest revisionist westerns ever. The ending to it is as perfect as an ending can get. One of the best films from last year.
**** out of ****
Open City(dir. Roberto Rosselini)
The best neo-realistic film I've ever seen.
**** out of ****
A Lawless Street(dir. Joseph H. Lewis)
The simplicity made it quite interesting at first, but as the plot progressed, it started become more dull.
*** out of ****
Marie Antoinette(dir. Sofia Coppola)
You can easily understand the character's actions throughout the film. She uses shopping as a way to cope with her problems. The most beautiful scene in the film is after her birthday party where her and some of her friends watch the sun rise. You can almost sense that is gonna be the last time they have a moment like that together. One of the best movies of last year. Could quite possibly be the best.
**** out of ****
Death of a Cyclist(dir. Not sure)
I thought it was pretentious at first until you reach the scene at the party where you can feel the tension and fear the characters feel if it was exposed that they are having an affair. I kind of wished it ended with the man walking away from his student.
**** out of ****
Wings of Desire(dir. Wim Wenders)
Not nearly as impressive as Paris, Texas, but Peter Falk is the man.
**** out of ****
Drums Along the Mohawk(dir. John Ford)
First hour was kind of a drag, but once the characters get settled in and you start to get the townsfolk more, it became alot more enjoyable. The scene with the woman forcing the Indians to take her and the bed out of the room that they set on fire was amazing.
*** out of ****
The Prestige(dir. Christopher Nolan)
Needed more Scarlet Johansson(sp?) and the ending was alittle far-fetched.
*** out of ****
Human Desire(dir. Fritz Lang)
Wasn't that great, but the ending was nice and simplistic.
*** out of ****
La Strada(dir. Federico Fellini)
Once Federico's wife left the picture, it started to drag, but the ending was quite optimistic and showed hope for the other character.
*** out of ****
Mouchette(dir. Robert Bresson)
The scene with the bumper cars was quite jarring and beautiful. Rosetta was obviously influenced by this film, but unlike Rosetta, this character has a reason to hate the world around her. Possibly the best Bresson I've seen.
**** out of ****
T-Men(dir. Anthony Mann)
I liked this alot when I saw it, but the more I think about it, the less I like it. The movie seems kind of superficial, but still worth a look.
*** out of ****
Babel(dir. Alejandro...)
Best picture of 2006? Not quite. None of the stories in the film really effected me other than the Japanese story, which seems like the most far-fetched in terms of connections to the central story. The strange thing about the film is that the central story with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett seems to get the least amount of time. The stories that seems to get the most focus is the Japanese and Mexican stories, which seems rather odd. How some of the people are stereotypical like Cheiko's friends who seem to be giggling constantly and the Moroccan characters are stereotypically portrayed as poor. The movie has a self-important quality to it, but doesn't really say anything at all. You can see where it could be commenting on some situations like gun control and how the American government label every attack by a person from a third world country as a terrorist, but it really never focuses on one of these situations at all to make it seem like it is commenting on it. The actions in the film are also pretty stupid. Kids shooting a rifle at a bus is stupid. Runinning away from border control and leaving your aunt and someone else's children in the desert is stupid. It is an obviously flawed film, but it is still worth checking out.
*** out of ****
Le Jour Se Leve(dir. the guy that directed Children of Paradise, Marcel Carne?)
A nice simple movie.
*** out of ****
Man of the Year(dir. Barry Levinson)
The concept of a comedian being president is an interesting one, but this film is really about that. Its more about the concept of eletronic voting being inaccurate and most of the movie, you are supposed to wonder if he is really president. Ultimately, this movie could have been decent if it stuck with the concept of a comedian as president, but as it is, it is quite dull.
** out of ****
Flags of Our Fathers(dir. Clint Eastwood)
I'm surprised by how good this movie was. It played like an eulogy for all the soldiers that fought on Iwo Jima. One of the best films from last year.
**** out of ****
The Departed(dir. Martin Scorsese)
Best picture of 2006? Maybe. It is easily one of his most entertaining movies. What makes it great to me is how it feels like its willing to do anything to keep the story from becoming dull. Maybe this was an attribute that was taken from the original film as well, which I want to check out now because of this film. I'm glad it won the best picture. One of the best films of last year.
**** out of ****
You Only Live Once(dir. Fritz Lang)
Fritz Lang + Henry Fonda + Gorgeous co-star = Great film
I loved it.
**** out of ****
The 400 Blows(dir. Francois Truffaut)[3rd viewing]
First viewing, I didn't like it that much. Second viewing, I loved it. Third viewing, I don't like it that much. I don't like the characters that much and I don't think its that impressive on a cinematic level. It has its moments like the amusement park ride and when he rides away in the jail car(is that what they are called?). Its decent, but I wouldn't say its exactly the must-see film that people claim it to be.
*** out of ****
Stranger than Fiction(dir. Don't know)
The ending kind of ruins the most interesting concept about it. What if someone willingly dies for a work of art? Instead of going with that concept any further, the writer makes it so he survives, which is probably the screenwriter saying humanity is more important than any work of art, but is that really a unique concept? Just like how the Dustin Hoffman character says her story is now just ok instead of it being great is kind of how I feel towards the film except it was just good instead of great.
*** out of ****
The Pawnbroker(dir. Sidney Lumet)
The greatest film I've ever seen on the effects of the Holocaust. The scene where he has a flashback of being forced to watch the rape of his wife by a Nazi was one of the most gut-wrenching scenes I've ever seen. What makes this movie great is how it shows a seemingly unlikeable and cold character and humanize him and make it understandable why he acts the way he does. I loved it.
**** out of ****
Damnation(dir. Bela Tarr)
I watched this in one sitting. Why say that? I feel thats how you should watch his films except maybe Satantango cuz watching that in 7 and a half hours would be alittle bit too much. I still wonder why he keeps some of his shots so long, but you get the feeling of epicness and it makes his films feel like a journey. The highlight of the film is when the woman from Almanac of the Fall comes to the main character and starts reciting the Old Testament in the rain. The ending isn't as good as Werckmeister Harmonies, which I need to rewatch. I feel like I'm understanding his style more.
**** out of ****
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance(dir. John Ford)
Lee Marvin is in it. Favorite scene: Vera Miles putting the cactus flowers on John Wayne's casket. I loved it.
**** out of ****
The Naked City(dir. Jules Dassin)
Have pretty same feelings towards this as I do for T-Men.
*** out of ****
Zodiac(dir. David Fincher)
Walked out of the theater thinking it was too long, but when I honestly think about it, I wouldn't take anything out to make it shorter. The restlessness the audience feels is probably how the same restlessness the characters in the film felt.
**** out of ****
Borat(dir. Larry Charles)
The most beautiful and tasteful film I've seen in awhile.
**** out of ****
Kiss Me Deadly(dir. Robert Aldrich)
Amazing.
**** out of ****
The Ladykillers(dir. Alexander Mackendrick)
Amusing, but not as funny as it could have been.
*** out of ****
Rocco and his Brothers(dir. Luchino Visconti)
Way better than the American version of The Leopard.
**** out of ****
The Descent(dir. I don't know)
Reminded me of Aliens and I liked the atmoshpere a lot.
**** out of ****