Memento to me is his masterpiece and it's one of my favorite movies of all time. Insomnia I started to like more after repeated viewings. I haven't seen Following yet but I also don't have the same impression of Nolan that others seem to have as well, even after watching Batman Begins. I think it's well documented on this board that I feel it was a very good movie, but not the best Batman movie let alone the "greatest comic book movie ever made"

I haven't seen this movie either but I'm starting to form the same opinion after watching Mulholland Dr. this past week

I liked it, but they ripped off Fight Club big time... It was enjoyable, but I have no intentions of seeing it again. [/b][/quote]Can you tell me how without spoilers? [/b][/quote]There are little things like the main character being a troubled insomniac who is questioning his sanity... But the major rip off I was refering to would be a spoiler.

Week End (Godard; 1968) ***

What I love about this film is that there's no target audience...simply one man's vision portrayed with pictures and sounds. I'd like to see more of Godard's films, mainly Breathless.

I liked it, but they ripped off Fight Club big time... It was enjoyable, but I have no intentions of seeing it again. [/b][/quote]I have not watched Fight Club, and wanted to watch it, but now I am really not looking forward to seeing it. I have had enough with Lost Highway and Machinist.
No more insomnia/schizophrenia/other mental disorder movies

Well, the main character of Fight Club is an insomniac, but it is worth a viewing. It should make alot of sense to anyone from the X or Y generations, and maybe even to those of previous generations.

I love it... It's my personal favorite film of all time.

To recouperate from New Years, I spent this evening with 3 DVDs... here are lazy 3-sentence reviews of each.

First up, a Netflix Brad Renfro double-feature:

1) Apt Pupil (1998) [R]

"Kurt Dussander (Ian McKellen) has kept his dark past a secret for many years. But when Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro) recognizes him as one of the Nazi war criminals pictured in a history book, Todd confronts Dussander and blackmails him into revealing details about the concentration camps. What the scheming teen hasn't calculated is Dussander's faculty for Machiavellian mind games. Perhaps Todd should've stayed in class!" (from Netflix)

First time I've seen this adaptation of a Stephen King novella, and I really enjoyed it. McKellen (LOTR, X-Men) is excellent, and the story is quite interesting and always keeps you on your toes. Recommended. ****/5

2) Bully (2001) [NR]

"Sometimes, the not-so-nice guy ends up last ... or dead. Bobby (Nick Stahl) takes great joy in bossing around and beating up his best friend, a slovenly dropout ex-surfer named Marty (Brad Renfro). But Marty's girlfriend, Lisa (Rachel Miner), witnesses one too many of these pathetic incidents and vows to kill Bobby, even enlisting her friends -- and a hit man -- to help. Parental advisory: Contains sexually explicit material." (from Netflix)

Kelli Garner Oh, and also a disturbing look at the mindset of plotting to kill a friend, and, the aftermath. Based on a true story. ***/5

3) American Pie presents Band Camp (2005) [NR]

"The guardians of good taste behind the American Pie franchise dish up a new recipe for ribald humor with this bawdy tale of teen shenanigans. As punishment for his offenses, Stifler's younger brother, Matt (Tad Hilgenbrinck), is sentenced to a summer at band camp. A chip off the family block, the junior horndog tumbles through a series of outrageous escapades involving hidden cameras, riotous pranks and, of course, plenty of female flesh." (from Netflix)

Only two American Pie alumi that I noticed: Jim's Dad, and The Shermanator. But plenty of the same teen humor (and boobies!). I only bought it cuz I have the other 3 of the series and like to be complete. Did I mention boobies? **/5

I think there is a good chance that you would like this one, since this is actually a pop-corn type of movie (made just for fun )with a simple twist at the end. I hardly compare it to the Lost Highway.

Memoirs of a Geisha ***

I didn't know what to expect going into this movie as I wasn't sure what exactly a geisha was. This movie was pretty slow paced but I liked that, they didn't rush anything. Ziyi Zhang & Ken Watanabe easily stood out as the stars of this picture. Some may wait for this on DVD and some may see it in the theaters. Whatever you prefer I suggest watching it somewhere soon

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan - (Martin Scorsese;2005;UK/USA/Japan)
A documentary that follows Bob Dylan from his childhood to his rise in fame and notorious transition from acoustic folk music to rock.
Through this film I thought how easily it could've been "Dylan," a biopic starring whoever. Instead we get a portrait of a musical genius much more intimate and real. Dylan's interviews and press conferences can't be duplicated for the screen, because you have to see him in his annoyance with the media upfront. The concert footage is undoubtedly excellent. We are also treated to rare videos of his inspirations in Part I. Scorsese's direction is easy to notice through the narrative as well. The best moment comes in the end SPOILERS, where Dylan comes to his concert where he is called "Judas." He shakes it off, calling the man a liar, and what does he say to his band mates? "Play it loud."SPOILERS END

2005's filmwatching in brief:

I saw 302 films last year. 230 were for the first time. 90 were on the big screen.

I saw Lost In Translation no less than five times, and once on the big screen. I saw Dead Man's Shoes four times.

And I watched twelve Godard films, twelve Herzog films, and eleven Lynch films. (Including rewatches.)

Good Will Hunting
Gus Van Sant 1997 US (1st time)
An off-the-rails janitor who enjoys drinking and brawling with his friends is spotted by a scientist to have phenomenal mathematical talent, and is forced to see a shrink.
A well-performed character study, fully absorbing throughout; if the script is at times schematic, it's certainly brilliantly realised, and Van Sant, Damon and Williams sweep us along with wonderful power.

The Deer Hunter ****

The most humane film I've ever seen, and my number one favorite of all time, closely followed by Mean Streets. A masterpiece.

SVSG, my thoughts on El Maquinista / The Machinist:

One of those narratives with a twist; when it comes, though, it doesn't shock, but it seems it isn't meant to. Instead, this is more interested in exploring the notion that our social fears arise from inner, subconscious guilt, and if it isn't entirely shocking, it's still mighty clever.

Driven nicely by the dark, sombre cinematography, noirish score, and another one of those shocking examples of method acting, with Christian Bale shedding four-stone to look like a Holocaust victim, it's an impressive film.

I wouldn't place it anywhere near Lynch's Lost Highway, though. That is a lingering, evolving piece of work which develops upon further watches. My memory of The Machinist does not, for now, beg a rewatch; to me, it is, like The Usual Suspects, a "solvable" film-with-a-twist. It places its clues throughout, which become solved when the ending adds context. With Lost Highway, Lynch isn't interested in presenting to us a puzzle to solve, or giving us clues. It's more of an aesthetic exploration of identity crises - a theme it does indeed share with Anderson's film, though does so in a far more complex way.

Thanks,
Mick

The Usual Suspects is not completely solvable. The film is made so that nobody knows what Spacey made up and what he was telling the truth about. I haven't seen it in a while, but that's what I remember from it.

But you know who he is and that was the main point of the film The Usual Suspects is a very good thriller and used to be among my favorites, but I'm finding it to be very overrated these days. It's definitely not close to being one of the best films ever like it's made out to be. In fact, I'll say the direction was weaker than it should've been.

Fight Club is way more overrated than The Usual Suspects IMO.

I find both to be over-rated pieces of populist cinema, with Fincher's film finding a cult following rather surprisingly, considering it more or less insults its audience from start to finish.

Both are due a rewatch, actually.

I think Fight Club is great, but not a masterwork. Thing is, I don't see what it has to do with The Usual Suspects.

It was being discussed earlier in this thread, and like Capo said, they're both overrated pieces of populist cinema. Almost every elitist moron I've come across loves those 2 movies, and think they're intelligent people because of it.

It infuriates the shit out of me.

I disagree, but that's just me. I love both the film and novel.

That's funny... I also just finished viewing it for the first time, and felt the same way. Wasn't nearly as good as it was built up to be, but none-the-less, it was a pleasant film to watch. I too would give it two-stars.

I saw Good Will Hunting for the first time earlier this year too and agree that it "wasn't nearly as good as it was built up to be"

I like these movies.
I am an intelligent person having said so.


Actually, I have to agree with Capo by saying it does in a way make fun of the audience, even if it is my favorite movie... However, I'm not sure it we feel that for the same reasons. I feel that it pokes fun at them because in the end, the fans are exactly what the film speaks out against... Consumer's who need to gobble up every bit of merchandise they see. That being said, I also find the film very crafty, and that it even pokes fun at itself (Who remembers the fake Fight Club Catalouge's that were finding their ways around cities back in 1999, as a promotional gag?). Fight Club is just one of those things that you either love or hate. I find members of the baby-boomer generation often find nothing special in the film, I assume because it just doesn't speak to them--or their generation--the same way it speaks to or defines generation X, and even Y.

Others simply don't get it.

In the end, I find Fight Club to be a well acted, written, and shot film. It is humorous, but still manages to get a point across. The end is--in my eyes--beautiful and the characters, dialouge, and other relatives of the film (and book) seem to be transforming into household items more and more lately. It probably has some of the best CGI I have seen in cinema, and the Chuck Palahniuk books are well worth checking out. I feel it is one of the five best films of 1999.

I feel drastically different about these 2. Fight Club I love, probably top 20 of all time, and Usual Suspects I hated, thought it was overrated and average at best. Wonder why that is considering it seems most others here view them as one in the same essentially.

Aguirre, Wrath of God

Stunning visuals, and some of the best acting I've ever seen in a film. Although it's a mere 90 minutes in length, it has the feel of a true epic. Klaus Kinski was phenomenal. Much like DeNiro in Taxi Driver, his eyes and the expressions on his face said it all. In fact, Kinski's portrayal of Don Lope de Aguirre may very well be the best performance I've ever seen. His final monologue sent chills down my spine.

This film begs for re-watches. In fact, I think I'm going to watch it again tomorrow after school.

"I am the wrath of God! . . . The earth I walk upon sees me and quakes!"

I don't know what 2 stars mean, but I would rate it as a very good film. It is not just the main characters (which are obviously played well by damon and williams), but the other side characters like the mathematician, damon's girl friend, the bunch of friends are also excellently developed in the movie.

* * * * 1/2

4.5 Stars

Main Cast: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Randy Quaid, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, Anna Faris, and Linda Cardellini

Summary: A raw, powerful story of two young men, a Wyoming ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 sheepherding in the harsh, high grasslands of contemporary Wyoming and form an unorthodox yet life-long bond--by turns ecstatic, bitter and conflicted.

Review: I went into this one with mixed expectations. As far as Ang Lee's work, I had only ever seen Hulk, which I had mediocre feelings about, but I did remember thinking it was a surprisingly deep and quiet film for a super hero movie.

Brokeback too was a relatively methodically paced and quiet film. There's good character development in the beginning, and the film doesn't move too quickly or too slowly into the whole love affair part of the story, the anticipation is held perfectly. Gyllenhaal and Ledger are perfect in their respective roles, their performances standing out from one another but yet simultaneously complimenting each other.

The technical aspects of the film add perfectly in to create this well-rounded work of art. The cinematography and lighting remains fairly dark throughout a lot of the film, and the stunning forrest landscapes and barren Western plains are shot beautifully by Lee.

The supporting cast was also a pleasent surprise, as I feared the film would center too much on the two main characters. Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, and Linda Cardellini all turn in solid performances.

The story too, does not drag, and the film avoids simply being a gay-cowboy movie and instead transcends into a tale of life and relationships in general.

Overall, a fantastic film, and my pick for best of 2005.

Direction – 18/20
Acting – 20/20
Story – 14/15
Rewatchability – 11/15
Music – 9/10
Depth – 9/10
Cinematography – 5/5
Supporting Cast – 5/5
TOTAL = 91%

91% = 4.5/5 Stars

Best Quote: "You sit down before I knock your ignorant ass into next week!"

For the record, two stars from me is a highly recommended film of great interest and merit. Perhaps my brief review of Good Will Hunting didn't quite do it justice.

Anyway, four films since going to bed last night.

Performance
Nicolas Roeg/Donald Cammell 1970 GB (1st time)
A London gangster moves in with a retired rock musician.
A complex blanket of identity and character-switching; it conjures up a sordid world of nastiness with hallucinatory ease, and gets better as it goes on.

Irréversible (Irreversible)
Gaspar Noé 2002 France (3rd time)
When his girlfriend is raped at a party, a teacher and his friend hunt down the rapist at a gay nightclub.
Unrelenting, uncompromising, and utterly brutal depiction of humanity and the evil hole from which it cannot escape.

Solaris
Steven Soderbergh 2002 US (1st time)
A psychiatrist arrives at a space station orbiting a strange planet, where his past comes back to haunt and seduce him.
A cool, detached film full of ideas and themes but not really committing itself fully to exploring them; if the content could have been meatier, the form is fine indeed, and it must be respected as a film which bares little overall resemblance to Tarkovsky's.

Scanners
David Cronenberg 1980 US (1st time)
Telepathic humans, known as "Scanners" are employed by rival corporations to fish one another out.
Save for a few head-bursting special effects and interesting surface concept, this sci-fi action film has dated horribly; mise-en-scene, dialogue and acting let it down.

Here is a link to the poem that was used in this film, very effectively.