Fun With Dick and Jane (2005) **

I was pretty disappointed and upset with this movie. Yet ANOTHER movie where most of all the funny parts are in the previews. Don't go in with high expectations and you might be alright. I've seen a lot better from Jim Carrey.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

**** 8/10

A childhood favorite of mine. Great visuals, storytelling, singing, and voice acting. At 76 minutes, it's short, quick, and to the point. Very entertaining.

When I was younger, I always liked the home alone Films.

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) ****

I never really remember hearing about this movie hitting theaters but I remember when it was coming out on DVD, a fellow co-worker of mine was so excited to see it and I wasn't interested at all (I've never read the book). Later on when I was in my "Guy Pearce" phase I picked it up and absolutely LOVED it. I can see why he was so excited. I hadn't seen this movie in at least a year and it's such an awesome movie! Great performances by James Caviezel, Guy Pearce and Richard Harris. If you have never seen this movie, I suggest picking it up.

se7en

Interesting murder mystery thriller starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Kevin Spacey. The whole premise is novel and creative. Good acting from Kevin Spacey and Freeman. As usual Brad Pitt is there for eye candy, he is hardly convincing in any of the nice roles that he has been offered. Worth watching once.
SPOILER ALERT
I missed the reason why his wife was murdered, what was her sin? anyone remembers?

I just watched Damien Omen II granted it's quite old compared to some of the movies being discussed here.

I'm sure most of you(if not all) are familiar with the Omen, well this one picks up about 7 years later Damien is now a 13-14 year old who is enrolled in a military academy.

That's where he finds out who he really is.

Basically more people(who are on to who Damien really is) meet grizzly ends.


It's easily my favorite of the 3 Omen films.

Although I've watched neither recently, my comments on Nightmare before Christmas and Se7en. Both are masterpieces, I think. Pitt as eye-candy? Maybe, but his charisma greatly contrasts Freeman; Fincher's direction is beautiful. Burton's creation is Selick's masterpiece, a fast, witty musical full of glorious animation and biting laughs.

SPOILER I haven't seen the movie in years also but what I remember is that his wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) didn't commit her sin but Kevin Spacey had to kill her in order to commit his which was envy I believe (and then he wanted Brad Pitt to commit his sin) END OF SPOILER

I found Se7en to be a pretty big dissappointment. I was really excited to see it after I discovered Fight Club, but it did not at all live up to my expectations.

Wow I loved Se7en but I watched it prior to Fight Club so my expectations weren't as high as yours

What's Seven got to do with Fight Club and vice versa?

David Fincher is the director of both.

This was the first time I've watched the movie since I was about 7 years old. I was expecting some corny children's movie, but it wasn't that at all. It truly is a piece of art.

A great movie no matter how old you are.

Manhattan **** 10/10

In what I believe to be his best film, Woody Allen combines fantastic cinematography with great acting and a creative script to create an emotional in-depth look at sexual relationships and how deeply they can affect one's soul. I loved every minute of this movie, and it definitely has a seat reserved in my top 15 favorites.

American Pie: Band Camp * 1/2

Wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be but still bad. Just another piece of sh*t movie they stick the name American Pie on to try and sell it. Really I think we said everything that needed to be said with the first 3 movies. I don't think anyone was losing any sleep over the lack of camera time to Stiffler's brother :rolleyes: Some funny parts but DEFINITELY a movie to pass on (it went straight to DVD for a reason)

Ghost Ship * 1/2

I only watched this as a recommendation and it SUCKED! I really don't know why it's classified as horror but it was far from that. Boring, predictable and an overall BAD movie.

Thir13en Ghosts * 1/2

Another movie I only watched as a recommendation and it SUCKED! This wasn't scary to me as well but I could definitely classify this movie as horror compared to Ghost Ship. Boring and an overall BAD movie but I did enjoy Matthew Lillard and Shannon Elizabeth

I borrowed Vanilla Sky.

I don't care what anyone says...Still a great movie.

8 1/2
Italian movie directed by Fellini. The ending was somewhat ambiguous, probably by intention or just that I did not understand. That aside, a very good movie. Nino Rota's music is just outstanding, though not as haunting as his score in Godfather. You have to watch this movie atleast for its excellent black and white cinematography and Nino Rota's music. In the DVD, there is also a special section on Nino Rota. It also has a documentary on fellini, which I did not watch. This is the first Italian movie I am watching. I found the direction style very different. I don't know if it is common to Italian cinema or something unique to Fellini.
SPOILER ALERT
In the final scene, does he get back his inspiration? Is he ready to face the truth? Or was it his imagination?

Rebound * 1/2

Man it seems I can't rid myself of the * 1/2 movies as of late. Some were recommended, some I just wanted to see and this was another bad movie. It didn't suck but was predictable and childish (which I knew going into it). I haven't seen Martin Lawrence since Bad Boys II and this is the evident reason for that.

Get the original LLC, it focuses more on where it should and has more to say about dreams and obsession. It also packs a more painful emotional impact.

SVSG,

SPOILERS
Guido's suicide is not what really happens. The ending is very symbolic rather than realistic. Fellini himself loved circuses as a kid, so Guido directing the circus at the end shows that he finally quit is worthless film to direct what he loves. The fact that he is still bothered by his mistress and parents show that he still has his problems and guilt, but he is making a positive effort both with his career and wife.
SPOILERS END

I'll post a link to my review whenever I transfer it to the new Movie Boards. As for your thoughts on Last Days, someone said it best at IMDB, "What do you expect to see watching someone's final days?" It is dull at parts entertainment-wise but it feels so genuine (at least to me) that it feels like you're watching real life. It's the pathetic view of his character's depression makes you feel horrible for him as well. It's an excellent character study that respects it's protagonist, though in a very sympathetic view. I should probably see it again soon. You'll probably like Elephant more.

The Basketball Diaries (1995)



* * *
3 Stars

Directed by: Scott Kalvert
Main Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Imperioli

Summary: Film adaptation of street tough Jim Carroll's epistle about his kaleidoscopic free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction. As a member of a seemingly unbeatable high school basketball squad, Jim's life centers around the basketball court and the court becomes a metaphor for the world in his mind.

A best friend who is dying of leukemia, a coach ("Swifty") who takes unacceptable liberties with the boys on his team, teenage sexual angst, and an unhealthy appetite for heroin -- all of these begin to encroach on young Jim's dream of becoming a basketball star.

Soon, the dark streets of New York become a refuge from his mother's mounting concern for her son. He can't go home and his only escape from the reality of the streets is heroin for which he steals, robs and prostitutes himself. Only with the help of Reggie, an older neighborhood friend with whom Jim "picked up a game" now and then, is he able to begin the long journey back to sanity.

Review: This film was one I had heard mention of here and there over the years as a good piece of work by a young Leonardo DiCaprio. I had never really known anything about the storyline, and truly had no idea going into my first viewing that it was at all a drug story, which was the main focus of the story.

DiCaprio really does shine here, and he really carried the film. I couldn't quite decipher whether it was the lighting or the cinematography or perhaps a combination of both, but save for a few key scenes, the whole film looked like a low-budget TV production. There was also very little in the way of story arc. The film did little to show Jim's life before his drug problems began, and he was only clean and sober for about the last 5 minutes.

It was pretty evident that the film was being driven by a fairly inexpierienced director. There were some pacing difficulties, and some of the character developments were really hammered into our heads. Mark Wahlberg's character seemed to be displaying the same emotions in about 20 different scenes in slightly different circumstances, all just to convey to the viewer his character type. Also, Lorraine Bracco was particularly bad here. It may have been that her character wasn't given much to work with, but she seemed to stand out like a sore thumb, and not in a good way.

The entire film was extremely predictable. This may have been a bit on purpose, so as to show the plague of millions of people stricken with drug addiction, but there were just so few surprises here that it just didn't work.

As far as the soundtrack, which is extensively bragged about on the films cover, it was good music, but it wasn't used at the correct times in many cases. For example, in a scene following the death of one of Jim's close friends, he plays basketball and a really attitude-filled rock song plays. Although one might argue that this was done to show the sense of resolution Jim had attained concerning his friend's death, this emotion was not accurately developed or displayed by the director, so any deeper meaning was lost. There were a number of cases like this, with the unintentionally contrasting music and images.

One notable high point was the supporting cast, oddly enough. I really enjoyed Bruno Kirby who I had previously known from Godfather II and Donnie Brasco. The man doesnt seem to visibly age. Also, Juliette Lewis and Michael Imperioli were both excellent in their roles, and Vincent Pastore appears for about 30 seconds as well.

Overall, a decent effort worth seeing only for DiCaprio.

Direction – 14/20
Acting – 18/20
Story – 11/15
Rewatchability – 9/15
Music – 8/10
Depth – 9/10
Cinematography – 2/5
Supporting Cast – 4/5
TOTAL = 75%

75% = 3/5 Stars

Best Quote: "You gotta have presence on the court. Presence like a cheetah rather than a chimp. Sure, they both got it, but Chimpy gotta jump his nuts around to get it. The shy cheetah moves with total nonchalance, stickin' it to them in his sexy, slow strut. Me? I play like a cheetah."

Anyone here has watched House of Wax? It has got a very low rating on IMDB (5.4/10), but some good reviews, so I'm wondering if it was actually that bad and isn't worth buying.

I've seen it. I was disappointed. It looked and sounded better in the previews than was the actual movie. Whenever I'm in doubt I just watch it because many people have different tastes in movies. It's better just to watch it and form your own opinion IMO

Better question.

Is a horror remake that stars Paris Hilton worth buying? :p

Proviews from the past few days.

Home Alone - (Chris Columbus;1900;USA)
A kid left home alone during Christmas must defend his home from burglars.
Has the quirky fun of John Hughes, although with the bland direction of Columbus. However it still ends up being a very nice family comedy. One of those films that never gets old.

A Christmas Story - (Bob Clark;1983;USA/Canada)
In the 1940's, a kid hopes to get a BB Gun for Christmas.
This may very well be the greatest Christmas film of all time, and definitely one of the greatest comedies. It sparks the child in all of us, giving it wonderful replay value. Hell, before I had the DVD I would watch it multiple times when it was played for 24 hours straight, and it never got old. The childish quality of the film is one of the highlights, such as the "fudge" scene, fantasies, and the way Ralphie's father swears. Speaking of which, I agree with Omar in how memorable Darren McGavin is in this film. One of the funniest film-fathers.

Vanilla Sky - (Cameron Crowe;2001;USA)
An imprisoned man tells a psychiatrist how he fell in love and became disfigured in an ex-lover's car crash which led to him committing a horrible crime.
Cameron Crowe takes a gritty, emotionally impacting and thought-provoking film and remakes it into a more polished one. It is entertaining with the pop-culture references and such, but it adds nothing. In fact, it actually side-tracks some of the original's messages. This film was thought-provoking when I first saw it, but after seeing the original, I felt like I was not being shown the bigger picture. Good cinematography, excellent music, and good acting but otherwise, what is the point? I still enjoy it a lot and will probably get it soon, but it is ultimately useless cinematically.

The Interpreter - (Sydney Pollack;2005;UK/USA/France)
A government agent investigates an interpreter who overhears an assassination plot.
A decent thriller which could've been good, but it fails by being too predictable. I wasn't shocked at all towards the end. In fact I predicted who would be the main twist. However what makes this a little different from other thrillers is the chemistry between Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman. Their characters go through a believable, caring relationship throughout the film. This quality enriches the film more, and makes it watchable. There are some very good moments of cinematography as well.

Four Brothers - (John Singleton;2005;USA)
Four brothers decide to avenge the murder of their mother.
An Urban western as many said, of sorts. One moment that made me feel this way is towards the end where we see Bobby walk towards the camera in the snow far outside the city, in the way any cowboy would walk down the mirage-filled background of a desert. This is directed pretty well, and has some great looks, but it ultimately falls short in being believable. It has cinematic flows seen in the past in terms of climax and twists. However it turns out to be decent, with great music, good cinematography, good acting, and Singleton's touch of talent on cetain scenes.

Typical. :p You never know. I really don't understand why everything done by Keanu Reeves, Orlando Bloom, etc., etc., by default is bad. You'd have to watch it without a biased mind.

Thanks Irish. I think I wait to see it on TV.

Thanks Irish. I think I wait to see it on TV. [/b][/quote]Probably your best bet