No, not yet. I've only watched a couple of episodes from the TV show and maybe the first 2 or 3 movies. From what I've seen I've really enjoyed the character, but haven't seen as much as I would like.

VALLEY OF THE DOLLS 1/2
(First Viewing)

Anne Welles, a bright, brash young New England college grad leaves her Peyton Place-ish small town and heads for Broadway, where she hopes to find an exciting job and sophisticated men. During her misadventures in Manhattan and, later, Hollywood, she shares experiences with two other young hopefuls: Jennifer North, a statuesque, Monroe-ish actress who wants to be accepted as a human being, but is regarded as a sex object by all the men she meets, and Neely O'Hara, a talented young actress who's accused of using devious means by a great older star (Helen Lawson) to reach the top, pulling an "All About Eve"-type deception in order to steal a good role away from her.

A powerful tale about 2 young women who ruin their lives and careers by being hooked on dolls (or pills). Although, I didn't care much for the characters, except for Nelly O'Hara whom I probably sympathized with the most, which numbed me up when trying to care when these characters destroyed their lives. Nelly had the talent and unfortunately, like so many of the greats (Monroe, Hendrix, Morrison, etc.) they were only able to share their gifts with us for a brief period in time and were taken away at too young of an age. I guess this was more powerful when it was made in 1967 as now a days, actors going into rehab and being hooked on booze, pills, etc. isn't as much of a surprise. In fact, I think it might actually be expected in today's world.

Recently watched movies:

I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932)- Excellent film about the corruption and injustice of the prison system.

The Public Enemy (1931)- One of my favorite James Cagney films.

Return of the Living Dead (1985)- I'm a horror movie fan as well and I love this movie. So much fun!

Kitano's Zatoichi is similar to Kill Bill, and I like it a whole lot better.

I'm going to try to grab it from Blockbuster tonight. It's a double-feature too

Double-feature? What with?

I always thought Capo and Irishman have a lot in common. For instance, I dont think theres anyone in this board who watches as many movies as these 2. I think Capo is watching 60 or so movies per month and Irishman probably more.

I've seen 15 films lately, some great, some horrible, here we go:

I always feel better when you're around, Fame. It makes me feel somehow more valid when I get philosophical and bitchy.

I think Breathless is considered a milestone not due to its content or what it was dealing with, but because of the editing used in this film. It was revolutionary. All these short cuts you see, the philosophy behind it that you should only see what is necesssary. If there's a scene in which someone is walking in the street, enters a building, go up the stairs and then knock on the door - - - the new philosophy says it's a waste of time. Show him in the street for a second, on the stairs for another second, then cut to him standing in front of the door. The "in between" is severely cut. That technique was hardly used before. Some thought it was just lazyness on Godard's part, some held it as a revolutionary method, and it did started in a way the french revolution and influenced many other films.

If anything, I think it established the notion that the role of the editor is no less important, and sometimes just as important as that of the director.

Anyway, back to those 15 films:

SONATINE, I believe Quentin Tarantino presents it. So yeah, I should be able to watch both this weekend

Its content is noteworthy too, of course: it's an explicitly conversational film exploring sexual politics in 1950s France, and it's a blend of pop art and high art, a clash of cultures, with references to Bogart one minute and then Chopin the next.

It's all made fashionable and timeless, of course, because of the said jump-cuts. (Jump-cut: a jump in otherwise simultaneous action. ie. not from scene to scene, but within the same scene; an interruption in the narrative discourse.) There's actually little to none philosophy behind them, actually, but I find a great deal of philosophy in them. Which means, that Godard had to cut the movie by some distance in order for the producers to distribute it, and, since he saw every scene as an essential one, he eventually overcame the problem by taking to the print with a pair of scissors, cutting at, as he says, "random places" (which I might not believe so much). But I like the jump-cuts; they have a youthful feel about them, they help maintain energy; they heighten a lot of the gags (like when Belmondo gets out of the taxi to lift up a woman's skirt); and they always remind me that I'm watching a film, a work of manipulation, as well as a manipulative work - I'm always a fan of that kind of stuff. As for the philosophy inside them, which I extract or interpret - or "put in" myself - they go alongside the film's existential thread, about "living in the moment". Great film by one of my favourite filmmakers.

Sonatine is brilliant! I remember recommending Kitano's films a while back, to you specifically as well as others.

Gus Van Sant went totally in the opposite direction with Elephant. He would show a character walking all the way from his home to school And I loved it for some reason, much to the fury of my friends who were watching it with me and were about to kill me for ruining a nice friday evening



Written in invisible ink ?

I'm torn between the montage of Hitchcock and Eisenstein and the tracking shots of Tarkovsky and Tarr.

If you like Van Sant's films, svsg, check out Béla Tarr's works: Sátántangó, Damnation, Werkcmeister Harmonies. They're fantastic - Van Sant's been heavily influenced by him.

Most people I talk to like Hitchcock for his skill in making great suspenseful thrillers. While I agree with them, I am of the opinion that his superiority lie in his photography and sound engineering skills. I don't know if the credit should be given to him or some other technicians who he may have used extensively in his movies that I am not familiar with.

Sorry for the short reviews, but 15 films in one post takes too much time :

here is a SPOILER warning for all films:

Alien *****/*****

(I watched the director's cut, which is in fact one minute shorter than the theatrical version.)

Superb film! This film is influenced by the 2 years earlier STAR WARS and it shows in the film. But what Scott did is a "hardcore" version of STAR WARS. There are no smooth images and toyish spaceships in this one. They are blunt and unattractive, very fitting for this film.
However, the greatest touch in this film is the element of suspense. The sound of the heartbeats was awesome. As well as the overall feeling that something is going to happen, yet it happens very seldom and only lasts seconds. It only adds to that we dont know what they're really dealing with, the unknown is perhaps the greatest fear.
"kitty, kitty, kitty" is perhaps my favorite scene. That tech guy looking for the cat, and then we see him looking up, the liquid goes down on his hat, and yet...nothing. Awesome.
Also, when they first examine the surface outside, and the camera moves towards the in-wall creature, we are waiting for it to open its eyes....cut to Ripley opening her eyes, anyone else noticed it? just awesome.

Aliens ****/*****

Not as good as the first I must say. But I still give it credit for being a Ripley film more than an alien film, which was a nice touch. Ripley the warrior. Ripley the team leader (Hicks was more like her pawn), and of course Ripley the mother figure.
Cameron wrote the script and directed, and while it is an intense action sci-fi I can't really say it goes without flaws.
For instance, the loudmouthed Vasquez is suddenly silenced when Ripley takes charge, I kept wondering if she was killed early in the film but strangely she's still there. Then there's the weird decision by Ripley to incinerate and bomb the hell out of Mother's nest when she barely makes it out with the child on her shoulder. WTF? She even goes to finish her entire ammunition not leaving anything for her way back. I dont buy it, not while the child is with her, not after all she went through to get her out. Did she really think she'll just blow the hell out of that nest and walk away peacefully?
Then, there's the similarity in the ending to "Alien" : again the alien is hiding in the ship and AGAIN it is killed when its being sucked to space.
Still, is was very good at times, hence my rating. My favorite scene is the elevator scene. Ripley's getting ready to fight. What a pre-battle scene! Cameron is a master in using elevators for his films (terminator 2 anyone?)
The whole notion of going down the elevator a very long way only adds to the feeling of tgoing down the "pits of hell", so to speak.

BTW- this must be the 5th film in which Michael Biehn plays a military commander. The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Navy Seals, The Rock, and probably more I forgot. Talk about typecasting eh?

More reviews on the way...

THE MUMMY (1932)
(First Viewing)

In 1921 a field expedition in Egypt discovers the mummy of ancient Egyptian prince Im-Ho-Tep, who was condemned and buried alive for sacrilege. Also found in the tomb is the Scroll of Thoth, which can bring the dead back to life. One night a young member of the expedition reads the Scroll out loud, and then goes insane, realizing that he has brought Im-Ho-Tep back to life. Ten years later, disguised as a modern Egyptian, the mummy attempts to reunite with his lost love, an ancient princess who has been reincarnated into a beautiful young woman.

What I love about these 1930s movies (particularly FRANKENSTEIN, DRACULA, THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, and THE MUMMY) is how simplistically they were made and also the nostalgic that comes with them (at least for me with the opening credits). Boris Karloff did another great job as I got to see him act more. The only Karloff movie I had seen prior to this was FRANKENSTEIN where he didn't have any dialogue. The man had a dominating and terrifying presence on screen. I'm hoping Universal makes a 75th Anniversary DVD for this like they did for FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA last year, however due to sluggish DVD sales on those titles, I'm hearing Universal may pass. What a shame.

Check out Bride of Frankenstein. It's tremendous. The Old Dark House, too (also by James Whale).

Jean-Paul Belmondo is the coolest motherfucker in the world.

Here be your SPOILER warning.....

The Crow ****/*****

An atmospheric film. visually-stunning. The camera work is splendid and the images are delight. This film became very famous for 2 reasons:

1) Actor Brandon Lee was accidently killed during filming (by Michael Massee - who 24 fans know as Ira Gaines)

2) It is THE film of the Gothic community. Goths around the world embrace this film since the film tried to embrace their community as well by filming the beautiful gothic structures as well as Lee's makeup, the use of poems by Edgar Allan Poe, etc..

Tho I must say that while the visuals are great, the dialogue is somewhat forced, like the above mentioned poems. the way they are mentioned feels awkward as if they were only pushed into the script to capture the gothic feeling.

Anyway, this is one of the better comic-book films I've seen. I cant wait to read the comic book.

Pirates of the Caribbean - The BULLSHIT Curse */*****

The BULLSHIT Curse (ie the first in the trilogy) was a pain to watch and I only give it one star. It was simply boring, Bloom and Knightley were no more than beautiful faces, and to think that this is one of the most loved films among teenagers these days is truly sad. But I will say a couple of good things about it:

1) I love the fact that they did a film about the ride. I've always loved the disney ride and I thought it was a cool idea to make a film based on it. HOWEVER I didnt like the fact that they later closed the ride for "updating"...ie adding movie material into it. WTF? You dont mess around with the original. You make a movie based on the ride, NOT vice versa! Whatever.

2) Depp. The only good thing in this movie. He actually created an original character with unique way of speaking and unique body language. I loved how Bloom impersonated him. Anyway, despite the unique character of Jack Sparrow, the movie was not interesting.

I have no desire whatsoever to watch any of its sequels.

Honestly I try to watch at least once a day (usually after dinner or before bed). I enjoy it and it's just a daily ritual for me. Thanks goodness for Blockbuster's Total Access program as now I'm usually never without a movie

What other of his films did you recommend of his? And yes, I was able to snatch it up so I should be watching it by Monday at the latest. Isn't this the first actor other than Shintarô Katsu to portray the blind swordsman?

MR. BROOKS 1/2
(First Viewing)

The story follows a man with a murderous alter ego. Moore will play a tough detective whose devotion to her craft catches the attention and respect of the serial killer she is hunting, which leads to a symbiotic relationship.

This has got to be one of the two greatest roles I've ever seen Kevin Costner play (the other would be his portrayal of Jim Garrison in JFK). He worked so well with William Hurt in this film. They were both so sadistically humerous at times and the next moment, a stone cold killer. I don't think I ever saw him get angry in this movie. He was always claim, and even if he didn't have control of a situation, he accepted it and moved on. I really admired his performance and to an extent, his character in this film. Demi Moore was passable as a detective, however I was very happy to see Dane Cook (whom I have enjoyed since his WAITING days and even before), expand his range as a serious actor. Some here probably don't give a sh*t but at least the man is trying to not fall into the same pithole Adam Sandler and his career have gone. Finally, young Danielle Panabaker was very enjoyable as Costner's daughter, getting more grown-ups roles away from the YOURS, MINE AND OURS and SKY HIGHS of her career.

It's very sad for me to see this film has (as of last weekend), brought in $18.7 million and was the #7 movie in the country. At the local theater here in New York, their down to 2 showtimes per day so I'm thinking they're going to pull it pretty soon. Hopefully, MGM makes some of its money back through DVD rentals and sales. They just didn't push the film. I saw 1 trailer for it before a film. I never saw one on TV.

My only real beef with the film was the ending. They had the ball on the 1-yard line and f*cking fumbled it! Other than that disappointment, this film was great and definitely in my Top 3 for 2007 thus far. If you enjoy Kevin Costner and his work, and this film is still in your local theater, please go see it. I'm not even telling you to go, I'm asking nicely so this film will hopefully gross a little more. This could be why so many remakes and sequels are made because nobody supports the original work like MR. BROOKS.



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Updated 2007 list thus far:

1) GRINDHOUSE
2) 300
3) MR. BROOKS
4) OCEAN'S THIRTEEN
5) ZODIAC
6) HOSTEL: PART II
7) BLACK SNAKE MOAN
8) GHOST RIDER
9) SPIDER-MAN 3

I'd recommend Violent Cop, Boiling Point and Sonatine first; then move onto Brother, which was made in the US, then to Hana-Bi.

It'd probably do you best to go with your last statement and not see the last 2. They were simply made for revenue and not to really expand the storylines or characters any further and it showed. Neither of these films hopes a candle to the original IMO. I must say Fame, I think you're one of the few people I know who has said they didn't like PIRATES. However, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I cannot argue too much with your assessment of Bloom and Knightley (however Knightley is VERY easy on the eyes mate and makes the time go by a little fast, eh?) Depp was the only real reason to watch any of the films. Hopefully, Disney will not make a 4th, however considering how much money this trilogy made, it wouldn't surprise me one bit. Plus Depp loves the character too much.

You know what Fame?

I may disagree with you on the first PIRATES (Its decent if full of annoying faults) but you know what?

You don't just write summaries and then one-sentence saying whatever its good or not. Your rating-scores are consistent.

Sir, you are a good reviewer. Can't wait to read more reviews from you in the future man.

No really, you wrote a great defense of TROY, a film I absolutely hate, and when someone can write a review better than the movie they're defending......that's real talent.

P.S. - You will be in pain with the latter ALIEN sequels. Owww....

For a moment or several the other day I considered the possibility that I may, after all, miss my star ratings. But fuck it, then I realised how much of a gimmick it had become for me in the end, where I was watching films not so much to see them, but to somehow validate my overall database more, with so many films of suchandsuch a rating, and so many films of another. The more films I saw, of course, the more I felt the need to keep revising these systems, only because it was somehow "wrong" to have more than ten films with four stars. What a load of horse-crap.

I like what I like now.

Its WRONG?

Shit, I'm screwed then...

Here be your SPOILER warning....

I'm gonna go real fast now, so here goes the remaining 11:


A Fish Called Wanda ***/*****

Apparently someone died while watching this movie. What a fun way to go eh? laughing your guts out. So I thought to myself: "this movie must be the funniest shit ever if someone died laughing while watching it." Well, it is funny. Death-like-funny? not IMO, but interesting film.

Maybe my biggest problem with it is that I dont think Jamie Lee Curtis is the sexy babe she is supposed to be in this film. Sexy perhaps...but not babe. ANYWAY.... this film is OWNED by Kevin Cline. He is the star by all means. This is probably the best movie of his career (together with Sophie's Choice). His energetic performance is spelndid. Best scene is the "fish n chips" scene. He actually wanted to eat real fish for the scene. Haha I believe that, totally.

damn it, I always promise short reviews and I cant keep my promise...but thats it...witness my short-reviews-skills from now on:

DOOM */*****

I'm a huge fan of the original game, but this film was a mess. You know DOOM doesnt really have much of a stroyline in the first place, but hey they killed the only storyline that actually existed and turned into a film about lab rats and mutations other than HELL. Fuck. Not to mention that the single gunner is now replaced with a group. Bah, what a waste.

Liar, Liar ****/*****

Jim Carrey at his best. What a wonderful mix of family comedy and adult comedy. In between the standard humor he has his moments throwing in the "strong" material in an offhand manner - he is a master of that combo.
Beating the shit out of himself in the bathroom was outstanding.
Next to another Carrey film.....

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ****/*****

An original idea and a great execution. Carrey shows that he can do drama as well as comedy. This is one of the films that you enjoy the second time watching just as much as the first time, because you have a new perspective and understanding the second time around. That hobbit was a miscast, though.

The War at Home *****/*****

A movie not seen by many. Too bad. One of the best post-nam movies out there. Directed by Emilio Estevez, and all I can say that this brat pack guy did an awesome job directing himself, Kathy bates and his father...Martin Sheen.
Hell, this is one of the most intense family dramas I have ever seen. When Esteves, who is also in the lead role, steps outside his house, the garden becomes the battlefield, and he portrays the anguish and confusion in a top-notch performance. And did I mention Kathy Bates in the role of the mother? holy shit! I've never seen her that good in any film, forget about Misery! Just watch this one, do yourself a favor.

5 more films.....

Good reviews, keep the work up Fame.