WITH HONORS
(Second Viewing)

Monty is a student, and when his computer crashes, he's left with only a single paper copy of his thesis. Frightened of losing it, he immediately rushes out to photocopy it, only to stumble and drop it down a grate. Searching the basement of the building, he discovers that it has been found by Simon, a squatter. Simon makes a deal with Monty: for every day's accomodation and food that Monty gives him, he will give a page of the thesis in return.

One of Joe Pesci's last great roles as the humerous and insightful Simon Wilder. Likwise where has Brendan Fraser's career gone? He started out fine in the early 1990s with ENCINO MAN, SCHOOL TIES and WITH HONORS. However, then he made GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE and DUDLEY DO-RIGHT. And for ever MUMMY there's a MONKEYBONE to balance itself out. And yes he was back in a big movie, 2004's CRASH and has yet again disappeared since then. One note of the film, I wasn't a big fan of the last shot. I hate scenes that last about 5-10 seconds and end a film (just end it with the prior scene or extend it). I feel it's too rushed, trying to cram it in at the last second.

I LOVED "With Honors"!! I've always felt it was one of Pesci's best roles and Brendan Fraser was absolutely wonderful.

Um, who you talking/responding to?

I'm Reed Fish (2006) **

Reed Fish's life turns into chaos when a high school crush returns to Mud Meadows on the eve of his marriage to the small town's sweetheart.

The above was a quote from IMDb, cuz I'm too lazy to write my own.

I rented this from NetFlix just to see what Jay Baruchel ("Undeclared") was up to these days. Guess things don't change much. It's okay, I guess... but there were some glaring problems... (you'll notice them, if you rent/buy it...)

The post immediately preceding mine... Irishman reviewed the movie, "With Honors".

Yeah... I know...

What's that suppose to mean?

DRAGON HEAT
(First Viewing)

A team of young Interpol agents arrive in Hong Kong to give testimony at the trial of local crime lord 'Puma' Duen. Among them are American agent Andy Hui (Andy On), Taiwanese cop Vanness Chang (Vanness Wu), and local lawman Lok. They are greeted by Hong Kong police commander Hon Sun (Simon Yam). The heavily armed convoy taking Puma to court is attacked by a ruthless team of North Korean agents, led by international terrorist Petros Davinci (Michael Biehn). Petros is seeking revenge for his brother in arms, who was killed by Puma and his brother, 'Tiger' Duen. At Petros' side is his fierce enforcer, Ko (Jun-ho Heo), and a lethal lady sniper, Song (Maggie Q). After Puma is snatched, the Interpol team insists on tracking down Petros themselves. Hon Sun rejects their request and places the team in the care of veteran police officer Kong Long (Sammo Hung). A burned out cop who has never come to terms with either his personal or professional history, Long Kong is reluctant to get involved. Finally, inspired by his young charges, he rises to the occasion, and leads the Interpol team on their quest for Petros and his team. The mean streets of Hong Kong form a backdrop for a battle of wills, wits, and urban warfare.

Pretty disappointing for an asian action/crime flick because their wasn't much action. Also, I thought the story was somewhat complex and hard to keep track of certain characters. Too much use of slow motion as well and titles/character explanations.

Dirty Harry 1971

1/2

Dirty Harry doesn't wear Kevlar and he doesn't carry an arsenal of automatic weapons. All he needs is his .44 magnum. Six shots doesn't seem like much, but it's enough when you rarely miss and a single shot can knock you ass over earlobes into next week. (Favorite scene: when the kidnapper is running across a football field, Callahan calmly takes aim and nails him in the leg at the 50-yard line. The shot lifts him up and flips him over. Badass!)

With the exception of the occasional ass-whooping delivered to random thugs, most of the story is a cat and mouse game between the detective and the kidnapper, who is able to manipulate the media and turn public and departmental opinion against Callahan. This results in his superiors taking his badge away . . . and any last pretense of his "playing by the rules" along with it.

Good point Ronnie....

DOWNFALL

A grim tale about hideous lunatics but it was gripping!

FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER 1/2
(Second Viewing)

With Von Doom back in his homeland of Latveria the fantastic four have new troubles when Galactus has decided that Earth is his next target. When his henchman, The Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd), is sent to Earth he discovers that he's getting more than he bargained for when he encounters the Fantastic Four. But that's not all when Dr. Doom decides that after two years in the homeland he is ready to return.

Again, the special FX in this film were amazing and really looked authentic. I just don't understand what's missing to make these films on par with the X-MEN trilogy. The cast is solid and the director is decent, the scripts aren't horrible (quite a bit of humor between the guys which is nice) but for whatever reason it just isn't as good. I will say Dr. Doom hasn't been anywhere near as cool as Magneto and no FANTASTIC FOUR scene has come close to matching my favorite X-MEN scene in the White House in X2.

THE FIFTH ELEMENT 1/2
(First Viewing)

Two hundred and fifty years in the future, life as we know it is threatened by the arrival of Evil. Only the fifth element can stop the Evil from extinguishing life, as it tries to do every five thousand years. She is helped by ex-soldier, current-cab-driver, Korben Dallas, who is, in turn, helped by Prince/Arsenio clone, Ruby Rhod. Unfortunately, Evil is being assisted by Mr. Zorg, who seeks to profit from the chaos that Evil will bring, and his alien mercenaries.

Is there any action movie that Bruce Willis stars in that doesn't kick a$$? He's one of the best action stars even and continues to improve it. Even though his resume is small, I'm really glad they cast Chris Tucker in this. I don't think anybody could have been as effective as him as the fast-talking DJ Ruby Rhod. Finally, I love Gary Oldman but wasn't a huge fan of his southern accent approach with this role. He did a fine job but just thought it was a little odd (which may have been what he was shooting for).

Last night I saw "Edmond" starring William H. Macy. I've known him (Macy) to be a good actor but I was REALLY impressed by his portrayal in this flick.

He plays a businessman that is somewhat unhappy with his life. He stops off for a tarot card reading after leaving work and his life then takes a fast downward spiral in this stylishly written movie.

Its a little reminiscent of "Falling Down" (with Michael Douglas) but its a lot darker. A neat ending, too.

If you're in the mood for a dark drama, check this film out!

William Macy is sadly the Joe Cotton of this era: So awesome, so underrated, and completely ignored by critics and awards.

Well, better than being the Will Smith of this era, yeah?

Yes, amazing how you talk a present tense to a movie that came out a decade ago.

So, Mifune really gave his best performance yet in SEVEN SAMURAI, yeah?

BULLITT
(First Viewing)

Frank Bullitt is selected by Chalmers, a politician with ambition, to guard a Mafia informant. Bullitt's friend is shot and the witness is left at death's door by two hit men who seem to know exactly where the the witness was hiding. Bullitt begins a search for both the killer and the leak, but he must keep the witness alive long enough to make sure the killers return. Chalmers has no interest in the injured policeman or the killers, only in the hearings that will catapult him into the public eye and wants to shut down Bullitt's investigation.

A great car chase that reminded me of VANISHING POINT briefly. Also the end in the airport was reminiscent of HEAT. I've only seen two Steve McQueen films and I'm still not overly impressed by the man. They were both good movies (THE GREAT ESCAPE & BULLITT) but him personally hasn't blown me away.

RISE: BLOOD HUNTER
(First Viewing)

Supernatural thriller in which a female reporter wakes up in a morgue to find herself a member of the undead. She vows revenge against the sect that put her there and hunts them down.

The story was given at first and the viewer can put the pieces together. However, about halfway through they go back to the beginning and show what we pretty much known. As a result, the film was longer than it needed to be, about 20-30 minutes could have easily been cut out. Also, Lucy Liu was lacking passion with her role. She's come back from the dead to kill the people who made her into a vampire. Is a little passion and energy a little too much to ask? I saw more of that in the CHARLIE'S ANGELS movies than in this.

How on EARTH do you find the time to watch SO many movies, dude?

Before and after work. Trust me man, I'm behind. I've got A LOT I want to watch but just not enough time (if you can believe that). I won't be watching anymore until tomorrow night though because I have to work late tonight and early tomorrow morning.

DARK CITY
(First Viewing)

John Murdoch awakens alone in a strange hotel to find that he has lost his memory and is wanted for a series of brutal and bizarre murders. While trying to piece together his past, he stumbles upon a fiendish underworld controlled by a group of beings known as The Strangers who possess the ability to put people to sleep and alter the city and its inhabitants. Now Murdoch must find a way to stop them before they take control of his mind and destroy him.

Not your typical alien movie which was a nice change. At times it could be a little much and the special effects were done somewhat poorly but otherwise, a decent film.

Live Free or Die Hard *
First of all, this movie did not suffer in any way because of PG-13 rating. There was enough of violence and strong language in it to be taken seriously. A very entertaining film, but offers nothing new, other than the fact that the scale is now large compared to the first film (I am yet to see the other sequels). Great special effects. No innovation in story or plot. Bruce Willis is good and there are a lot of funny moments.

ILSA, SHE WOLF OF THE SS
(First Viewing)

Ilsa is an evil Nazi warden at a death camp that conducts "medical experiments". Ilsa's goal is to prove that woman can withstand more pain and suffering than men and therefore should be allowed to fight on the front lines.

Well I finally got my hands on a copy of this. The style of the film wasn't a typical grindhouse film in that the footage looked manageable and it looked like the film actually had a budget. Dyanne Thorne was good as Ilsa, the hard nosed Nazi b*tch. A great cheesy movie and definitely a grindhouse classic!

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (NOTE: I wasn't sure which thread to post my review in so I copied/pasted and put in in this and the other thread.)


I finally went to see this movie today. Every now and then my instinct is pretty good and it was here I am happy to say.

From the opening scene on it was like a trip (in more ways then one ) down memory lane. Every Beatle song sung to perfection. I can't name any one performer who did not have a good voice and/or who did not perform their song in an appealing way...much to my surprise,and at times in stretches of little or no musical accompaniment. Before going in, I was hesitant, in a way, to hear anyone other than the Beatles sing Beatle songs.

Briefly, it was a love story between a young man from Liverpool, England and an American girl, and then again that was more a sub plot. Yet it had it's poignant moments that brought home memories of the time. The Viet Nam war and it's turmoil is the backdrop.

I recognized Joe Cocker who has aged considerably (although, he always looked old), by his familiar hand movements; Bono was great as the "Walrus"; and the gal who sang I Wanna Hold Your Hand..what a nice and different version of that song. Other than those I mentioned, none of the other names in the cast were familiar to me. Perhaps some are current up and coming stars, I don't know, but they all did a wonderful job. Every character had a familiar Beatle song name (i.e. Jude, Lucy, Maxwell)and with every song the lyrics came right back to me. I could probably say I was disappointed that a few my my Beatle favorites weren't in this movie, but hey, they had so many hits, the movie would have lasted forever to include them all.

I would be very curious "if" anyone else sees this movie for an opinion, especially, if anyone in my generation. I'd like to know your take. I doubt this movie will be in theaters very long. There were only 4/5 people in the theater this morning when I went. Anyway, I'd love to discuss it if anyone else sees it. I'm recommending it to my sister/brothers as well.

If you like the Beatles music and want something different, then you should enjoy this movie. i did.

TIS

I'll probably have to wait for the DVD but I do plan on seeing it

MARS ATTACKS! 1/2
(First Viewing)

When the USA satellites photograph many flying saucers coming to Earth, the American President James Dale has a meeting with his advisors. He is convinced by Professor Donald Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) that Martians would be a developed culture and therefore peaceful by nature, in spite of the warnings of General Decker (Rod Steiger). The authorities, some civilians and the press prepare a welcome committee for the aliens, but they realize that Mars is actually attacking Earth.

A decent, if not at times, childish comedy by Tim Burton. The special FX were good, the martians looked nice on screen. A very noticeable cast as well with a surprise to good ol' Jack at the end (it was a surprise to me at least).

ILSA, HAREM KEEPER OF THE OIL SHEIKS
(First Viewing)

Finding a new employer, and looking not a day older since the end of World War II, Ilsa works for an Arab sheik who enjoys importing females to use as sex slaves. An American millionaire's daughter, a movie star, and an attractive equestrian are among his latest victims.

Dyanne Thorne returns as the beautiful and vicious Ilsa. Another very enjoyable segment of the trilogy although not as much brutality as the first I think. Also the ending was a bit different and I'm impartial on whether I liked it or not. On the one hand it was a small surprise but on the other, with the way this character has been the last two movies, you almost feel cheated.

Martin Scorsese called. He called you a nerd.

Where? I remember you asked once about torrents for this movie.

If you don't like his reviews, then please move on to another topic. No need for the personal insults. Thank you.