Oh David Jaffe...

I accidentally double-posted my review for Bobby so I decided to talk about David Jaffe's response to the reviews to Calling All Cars!, which looks pretty fun to me. Biggest problem with his "review of reviews" is that he thinks the Gamespot review is unfair because they criticized the game's single-player not be longer. Jaffe's defense is that the game was not intended to be a single-player, but to be a party game for friends to talk trash onto eachother. I guess that is fine, but lack of content in a $10 game is a problem. Only 4 maps. OK. I can understand the single-player being short and if there was a ton of content for multiplayer having the score seem unfair, but only 4 maps? That is pretty shitty in terms of multiplayer. I could easily understand if the game was only $5, but $10 can get you a full fledged PC game. Hell, you could buy Age of Mythology or Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth for that amount of money. The game still looks really good to me because I'm a big Twisted Metal nut and it reminds me of that and it especially reminds me of Rogue Trip. The responses to his blog post are even worse with people saying Gamespot suxxxx and that they're basically a piece of shit. I have a ton of respect for sites like Gamespot because they can be harsh where all the other sites are not so when a game gets a good review from them, usually that means it's an actual good game unlike IGN's extremely high scores to games that were hyped to the X-treme. I also know that not all their reviews are right. Their reviews after all and your opinion should really come into play when you're playing a game. Jet Moto is a perfect example. Best racer on PS1 and they gave it a 6 or maybe even lower. They also gave the NES TMNT a 2.7, which seems harsh. I also have the same problem with Slant Magazine. They give out a lot of bad reviews for a lot of movies, but when they do give a good review, it seems to me more meaningful than some other film criticism site. Yeah... Long POST.

Oh Emilio...

Bobby(dir. Emilio Estevez)
Dull and boring. It picks up at the end when RFK comes into the picture through the use of documentary footage, but Emilio milks his assassination to build sympathy for his characters. His characters are his own creation while RFK was a real human being. Some moments were just flat-out bad to the point that it was almost painful to watch like the scene where Laurence Fishburne(sp?) tells Freddy Rodriguez that he is a king and the whole acid trip with Asthon Kutcher. I have to say the whole acid storyline was actually entertaining, but in the context of the film, it is trying to be historically accurate with a very stereotypical idea that a lot of people were dropping acid in the '60s. I was also annoyed by the constant referencing to movies at the time in the beginning like The Graduate and Bonnie & Clyde. It was bad.
*1/2 out of ****

Oh Iran...

Color of Paradise(dir. Majid Majidi)
I really liked it, but some of the techniques seemed unnecessary like the use of slow motion in some scenes and all the music used for dramatic effect. The little girls were adorable.
***1/2 out of ****

Oh Feeny...

The Graduate(dir. Mike Nichols)
I was really liking it for the first hour or so, but the last 45 minutes is built on such a filmsy foundation, that it is easy to see how it falters. Ben and Elaine went on one date. Maybe they went on more than one date, but to my knowledge, it seemed like they only went on one date. How do you fall in love with someone so badly to go through all the stuff Ben goes through from one date? Sure, it seemed like a real nice date after the whole strip club incident, but still. The whole idea that she thought he raped her mother and she didn't think to report to the authorties, even though the story is false, is insulting. The soundtrack is nice at first, but it became increasingly repetitive just played one or two songs over and over. The ending made me LOL. It was just completely ridiculous to see him tackle some people at a wedding and start swinging around a golden cross to keep them away. No wonder why Wayne's World 2 parodied it. You also grow to dislike Ben while the movie goes along. He goes to Berkley and basically terrorizes Elaine the whole time. The whole relationship after the first date and the fact that she took him back while he was basically annoying the hell out of her was unbelievable. Feeny and Mr. Roeper were in it, so that's always a plus. The first hour was really good and the final 45 minutes had some moments, but was pretty awful.
** out of ****

Oh Klaus...

Aguirre: The Wrath of God(dir. Werner Herzog)
Amazing. I greatly admired this film from my first viewing, but I can't honestly say that I was in love with it. This movie was much better this time around maybe it had to do with the theater setting or maybe I'm just used to his style. I don't know.
**** out of ****

Oh Marilyn...

The Asphalt Jungle(dir. John Huston)
It pales in comparsion to other capers, but still remains enjoyable. The robbery scene wasn't particularly exciting which is usually the most exciting scene in other movies. The movie seems to hit its stride after the robbery in a way. The characters other than the German Doctor and Sterling Hayden's character are given barely enough screen time to make a dent. Marilyn Monroe is probably the highlight of the movie just because she has so much screen presence. Sterling Hayden essentially plays the same character as the character from The Killing except he had more a sense of honor in that film that made him likeable. Two moments that stood out where when the German Doctor sits down and watches a girl dance to a tune on a jukebox and Sterling's character's death around the horses. I recommend it.
*** out of ****

Oh Kirk...

Ace in the Hole(dir. Billy Wilder)
A film noir with a conscience? A review I read just a couple of seconds ago talks about how the character's transformation seems clunky and contrived. I can easily see how someone can feel that way, but in my opinion, the picture wouldn't have had any impact if he had no conscience. He thought he had control of the situation, but when he starts to realize that he doesn't have control of the complete situation, he starts looking like a human being. One of the most delicate moments in the film comes from a family that we follow throughout the film. They have come to see all the hoopla about Leo being caved in. You naturally despise them since people like them are what propel Chuck to do what he does, but there's a moment after Leo dies, that is just so moving and you see these people aren't stupid for participating in this media circus, they're just human beings. The wife cries and it struck me in a very emotional way. I almost started to cry such a beautiful moment in cinema. Such a moment frustrates me because the ending played off as some sort of sick joke. I still highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****

Oh Jennifer...

Duel in the Sun(dir. King Vidor)
I've been interested in King Vidor lately since I read an article that lumped him with John Ford and Howard Hawks. I'm sure, that nobody will say this film is his masterpiece or anything since I've read that David O. Selznick couldn't stop meddling with the picture. This is one grand epic soap opera with some scenes that are just completely ridiculous and some scenes that are just completely brilliant. The whole dispute over the train and all the men riding on horses was compelling in its grandness. The dance in town is also another moment that had me in awe over the grand scale of it. This western probably has the best production values of any western I've ever seen probably due to the fact it was one of the most expensive films of its time. Best scene in the film is actually not grand at all, but small and personal. It is between the Senator and his wife. She is dying and their relationship has been in a rut. She thinks he hates her and he professes his love to her. It such a small touching moment that could easily get lost in all the grand operatic scenes. Theres also scenes that are just laugh out loud bad like when Jennifer Jones's character wants to go with Gregory Peck's character and starts screaming and clinging to his leg to take her with him. The ending is in a way brilliant and completely presposterous. Allmovie says, "It's still good fun to watch, especially the riotous ending." I have to agree with that. Probably one of the most fascinating endings in it's sheer craziness and originality. I wouldn't say the end really works, but it still makes an interesting watch. There are moments that are just kind of dull and bland as well, but they are very uncommon. The lighting in some of the scenes are out of this world. I would label this movie as a flawed masterpiece.
***1/2 out of ****

Oh Ida...

While the City Sleeps(dir. Fritz Lang)
I liked the core story concerning the mystery around who the killer is, even though we, the audience, already know since they showed him in the beginning and throughout the experience before the other characters know. I wouldn't really say that finding out his identity is the point of the movie since we know, but how the other characters find out the identity of the man. There are some subplots that are given a lot of focus within its last ten or so minutes that I wasn't particurlarly fond of, but other than those subplots, I really had no problem with the movie. Ida Lupino is easily the best part of the movie.
***1/2 out of ****
The Lady from Shanghai(dir. Orson Welles)
My DVR cut off recording it right before the end. I read the script so I know what he says in his narration at the end. I'll just assume he walks away from the amusement park narrating. His style seemed to fit with this story a lot more to me than say Citizen Kane. It is more narrative-driven while Kane is more character-driven. His acting works well with this film while with Kane, he just seemed unlikeable. All the actors play the roles at a certain intensity and the style of the film is about as intense. The scenes in the aquarium and the crazy house were pretty awesome. The guy who played George was particurlarly memorable. Rita is definately better looking than Ida, but how Ida just exudes sexiness with her performance. I loved it.
**** out of ****

Oh Richard...

The Blue Gardenia(dir. Fritz Lang)
I was liking this alot until the twist near the end, but I guess you should have expected it since Richard Conte and her were becoming something of a couple, which felt really forced.
*** out of ****

Oh Lee...

The Good Shepherd(dir. Robert De Niro)
It was kind of dull mainly because Matt Damon's character isn't all that interesting, but the confusing narrative added a sense of mystery to it, which made it interesting.
*** out of ****
Vive L'Amour(dir. Tsai Ming-liang)
I was really really enjoying this and the end happened. It just doesn't work. I'm sure some people found it moving, but it felt extremely forced and doesn't really go well with his style or rest of the picture. Still worth seeing.
***1/2 out of ****

Oh Will...

Pursuit of Happyness(dir. Gabriele Muccino)
It was designed in such a way to make the audience feel sorry for Will Smith's character. Some scenes were just utterly ridiculous like the scene dealing with the Rubic's cube and the rich white people in the convertible driving past a homeless shelter laughing. All the characters other than him and his son were shallow. I'll admit I was touched by the scene where he receives the news that he got the job because Will Smith plays the scene perfectly. If it wasn't for that scene, I would be giving this *1/2, but because of it, this movie gets
** out of ****

Oh Oil...

Lessons of Darkness(dir. Werner Herzog)
Some of the most beautiful images I've ever seen. I didn't know it was possible to make fire, oil, and sand look so good. This film is like poetry for the eyes. The music of the film is very beautiful. Herzog's narration is unsettling and quite relaxing. The interviews were depressing, but opens your mind about how soldiers treat civilians in wars. The most haunting scene is when the workers blow up the oil well and it starts raining oil. That was insane. This movie is amazing. This is his best movie I've seen so far.
**** out of ****

Oh Gene...

Bonnie and Clyde(dir. Arthur Penn)
One word: fun. It doesn't remain fun the whole time, but it's still pretty fun until the end.
***1/2 out of ****

Oh "Charlie"...

The Naked Kiss(dir. Samuel Fuller)
Utterly cinematic. Great moments throughout. The scene where we find out the secret to her fiance is extremely haunting and actually handled amazingly well by Fuller, who steers to almost camp with other situations similar to this one. "Charlie" gives an especially nuanced performance. It kind of gets clunky near the end, but it still remained highly compelling.
**** out of ****
Happy Feet(dir. George Miller)
Too long. Animation shouldn't run this long because the stories are usually very simple and can't really last an almost two hour running time. It had moments that were nice and the political message was quite refreshing in an animated film. If it was shorter, it would have been way more enjoyable.
**1/2 out of ****

Oh Some British Actor/Actress...

Wonderland(dir. Michael Winterbottom)
I was hungry and now I'm convinced that if I'm hungry, my brain doesn't function at maximum capacity and that means I won't be able to get into a movie. After I ate some food, I started getting into this. I had a similar thing with Children of Men with eating food and getting into the movie. Maybe it's only with movies with British actors. I don't know. I thought the ending was pretty much perfect in its simplicity. I'll probably rewatch it, but I don't think my opinion will change that much.
***1/2 out of ****

Oh Clive...

Children of Men(dir. Alfonso Cuaron)
It was slow in the first hour, but had some moments of brilliance like the beginning with the building blowing up and the scene in the car. It definately picks up during its final 45-50 minutes. I think it is insane that this movie didn't win Best Cinematography just for the Steadicam work during the battle in the town alone. The illegal immigration aspect of it was interesting because I could see that possibly happening down the line. I could picture liking this even more on a second viewing, but for now it gets a
***1/2 out of ****