Raiders of the Lost Ark(dir. Steven Spielberg)
REVIEW PENDING...
***1/2 out of ****
Showing posts with label 1981. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1981. Show all posts
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Oh Shaving...
Film:
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle(dir. Alan Rudolph)
After the artistic misfire that was Welcome to L.A., I simply had to watch another film directed by Rudolph to wash away the sour aftertaste that film left and while it was successful in helping me forget about how horrible that film was, it still doesn't redeem my faith in the director completely. The film has some of the same problems that that film had like a narrative that is sometimes stagnant during long stretches of time and has so many characters that it doesn't really know what to do with all of them, but this film is much better acted and doesn't become as frustratingly redundant as that film. The film is very much centered on Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance, which I was not overly fond of. It's convincing enough and while I'm no expert on Dorothy Parker, it just seemed fairly surface-oriented. The whole story is probably supposed to be more tragic than I thought it was because I mainly didn't really have much sympathy for her character because she led a fairly superficial life and was a bit too mopey for my tastes. Out of all the actors in the film, Lili Taylor stuck out the most in terms of presence, which I find surprising since her character was about as minor as you could possibly get. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
Escape From New York(dir. John Carpenter)
I wasn't really into the film until they introduced the spiked baseball bats and trashcan top shields in the "arena" scene, which definitely lives up to its promise. There's no denying that Snake Plissken is a bad ass, but throughout most of the film's running time, I was frankly bored. I, however, thought it made up for the boredom I experienced with its final 15 minutes or so. I recommend.
*** out of ****
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street(dir. Tim Burton)
There were kids in the screening of it I attended and it seemed like they had a better time with it than I did probably because it reminded me of something along the lines of a bloody version of a Disney cartoon with some of the most unlively musical numbers I've ever seen and I don't really "get off" on fake gushing blood like they most likely do. I think the film's biggest flaw was the fact that the musical numbers were dully staged and the lead actors don't have all that terrific voices. I'm sure the non-film version of the musical is a sight to behold, but Burton mainly shot his actors standing around singing instead of really attempting to do anything enticing visually with these numbers. It would have probably been better if it wasn't a musical at all. The best number was easily the one with Sasha Baron Cohen because the film has a wicked sense of humor and that was perhaps the most humorous portion of the film. I'm assuming that the film is a truncated version of the original musical since the story doesn't feel like it's all that fleshed out and therefore, not as engaging as it could have been. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
Music:
Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
Their sound is perhaps a little too indebted to The Cure. Nothing really striking about the album, but it's a decent enough listen.
**1/2 out of ****
The National - Boxer
What was all the fuss about? It's certainly listenable, but it's definitely no masterpiece.
**1/2 out of ****
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle(dir. Alan Rudolph)
After the artistic misfire that was Welcome to L.A., I simply had to watch another film directed by Rudolph to wash away the sour aftertaste that film left and while it was successful in helping me forget about how horrible that film was, it still doesn't redeem my faith in the director completely. The film has some of the same problems that that film had like a narrative that is sometimes stagnant during long stretches of time and has so many characters that it doesn't really know what to do with all of them, but this film is much better acted and doesn't become as frustratingly redundant as that film. The film is very much centered on Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance, which I was not overly fond of. It's convincing enough and while I'm no expert on Dorothy Parker, it just seemed fairly surface-oriented. The whole story is probably supposed to be more tragic than I thought it was because I mainly didn't really have much sympathy for her character because she led a fairly superficial life and was a bit too mopey for my tastes. Out of all the actors in the film, Lili Taylor stuck out the most in terms of presence, which I find surprising since her character was about as minor as you could possibly get. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
Escape From New York(dir. John Carpenter)
I wasn't really into the film until they introduced the spiked baseball bats and trashcan top shields in the "arena" scene, which definitely lives up to its promise. There's no denying that Snake Plissken is a bad ass, but throughout most of the film's running time, I was frankly bored. I, however, thought it made up for the boredom I experienced with its final 15 minutes or so. I recommend.
*** out of ****
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street(dir. Tim Burton)
There were kids in the screening of it I attended and it seemed like they had a better time with it than I did probably because it reminded me of something along the lines of a bloody version of a Disney cartoon with some of the most unlively musical numbers I've ever seen and I don't really "get off" on fake gushing blood like they most likely do. I think the film's biggest flaw was the fact that the musical numbers were dully staged and the lead actors don't have all that terrific voices. I'm sure the non-film version of the musical is a sight to behold, but Burton mainly shot his actors standing around singing instead of really attempting to do anything enticing visually with these numbers. It would have probably been better if it wasn't a musical at all. The best number was easily the one with Sasha Baron Cohen because the film has a wicked sense of humor and that was perhaps the most humorous portion of the film. I'm assuming that the film is a truncated version of the original musical since the story doesn't feel like it's all that fleshed out and therefore, not as engaging as it could have been. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
Music:
Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
Their sound is perhaps a little too indebted to The Cure. Nothing really striking about the album, but it's a decent enough listen.
**1/2 out of ****
The National - Boxer
What was all the fuss about? It's certainly listenable, but it's definitely no masterpiece.
**1/2 out of ****
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Oh Werewolves & Authors...
An American Werewolf in London(dir. John Landis)
When you think about the film after viewing, you realize how forgettable and lightweight it all was. The film is torn between whether it's a comedy or a horror movie creating a forgettable quality since it doesn't really contain any moments that are truly scary or funny. It has a cool transformation scene, though. The end is easily the worst aspect since it just reminds the viewer of it's genre confused nature(?) with how the narrative ends, which is relatively serious, and the song that is played over the end credits, which is completely unserious. It makes the whole movie seem like a joke except it didn't really play out as one. It was entertaining but frustrating. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
Tenebre(dir. Dario Argento)
First movie I've seen directed by him. To satisfy my need to compare "auteurs" to other "auteurs," he's what I would call the John Woo of horror with his imaginative and elaborate horror set pieces. The story, which becomes extremely interesting in it's last 10 minutes or so, is basically an excuse for these violent murders and boy, they're awesome. It's not particularly scary, but it's hard to write it off since it's still highly compelling(especially towards the end) despite this. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****
When you think about the film after viewing, you realize how forgettable and lightweight it all was. The film is torn between whether it's a comedy or a horror movie creating a forgettable quality since it doesn't really contain any moments that are truly scary or funny. It has a cool transformation scene, though. The end is easily the worst aspect since it just reminds the viewer of it's genre confused nature(?) with how the narrative ends, which is relatively serious, and the song that is played over the end credits, which is completely unserious. It makes the whole movie seem like a joke except it didn't really play out as one. It was entertaining but frustrating. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
Tenebre(dir. Dario Argento)
First movie I've seen directed by him. To satisfy my need to compare "auteurs" to other "auteurs," he's what I would call the John Woo of horror with his imaginative and elaborate horror set pieces. The story, which becomes extremely interesting in it's last 10 minutes or so, is basically an excuse for these violent murders and boy, they're awesome. It's not particularly scary, but it's hard to write it off since it's still highly compelling(especially towards the end) despite this. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****
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