A good film,about a normal woman who meets the wrong person and becomes a junkie,see what they do to survive in Needle park,Al Pacino Plays a Good Part in one of his first major roles 6/10

Éloge de l'amour (In Praise of Love)
Jean-Luc Godard 2001 France/Switzerland/Italy (4th time; TV)
In Paris, a young man is casting a project about the four stages of love at three different ages in life; two years earlier, he meets the woman who he wants to cast.
Fragmented to the point of abstraction, Godard films many scenes so that the people speaking are out of shot, which, combined with random intertitles and cuts to black inbetween scenes, creates a kind of slowly-building emotional undercurrent. Told in two halfs: the first shot in stunning black and white film, the second colour-saturated DV and set two years previous, it is a work of strange power, poignant and reflective.

Mean Streets-
No matter how much time I spend away from this film, every time I come back I'm blown away...again. Still in my Top 5.

LETHAL WEAPON 3 (1992)

United States, 1992
U.S. Release Date: 5/15/1992
Runtime: 121 min.
MPAA Classification: R
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Stuart Wilson, Patsy Kensit, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Damon Hines

Director: Richard Donner
Screenplay: Jeffrey Boam and Robert Mark Kamen
Cinematography: Stephen Goldblatt
Original Score: Eric Clapton, Michael Kamen, David Sanborn, and Elton John
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover team up, have some laughs, and shoot drug dealers in 1987’s “Lethal Weapon.” In the sequel, they return to kill dozens of evil racist South Africans, and hang around with Joe Pesci. With the expected third entry of this franchise that of course made producers Joel Silver and Richard Donner even wealthier as AIDS-ridden kids in Africa continue to starve, does it continue the winning chemistry of the two previous pictures?

“Return of the Jedi,” “Return of the King,” “X3,” and other 2nd sequels were under whelming movies compared to the considerable quality success of all of those series, and “Lethal Weapon 3” is the elected-Treasurer of this Hollywood reject club.

So why for this lukewarm picture? For one thing, you don’t’ have a Gary Busey-type taking a generic part and worth watching. Nor do you have easy-to-hate-without-regret bad guys. What do we have instead of a cool actor or some credible enemies? Jack and Shit, and the latter is the villain in this movie.

Really, I’ve seen this film several times on cable TV over the years, and I swear to Crom that I still can’t recall who the actual baddie is, or his actual evil scheme. Movies with weak villains are almost always a waste of time. Unless that is, you liked that “Fantastic Four” picture.

I mean, Donner tries to make this movie worthwhile. It has the obligatory car chases, gun shoot-outs, male heterosexual melodrama, and everything else expected in a modern Hollywood action film. Yet I could care less. Though I admit, the whole motorcycle sequence with Gibson almost pressured me to crack a really stupid joke in relation to his recent DUI arrest, but mediocrity alone can’t inspire me enough to even bother.

Still, the filmmakers did try to introduce a romantic counterpart for Gibson in Russo, who is not only a drop-dead gorgeous, rough and tumble tomboy, but she also digs the “Three Stooges.”

While watching this scar-comparing scene between Gibson and Russo, it made me think. How many women like this actually exist? I mean I support girl power, equal rights, and all that stuff, but save for Hollywood, where are these women? Look, if there are truly Stooge-fan girls out there, you have the right to write me hate mail. Go ahead, I deserve it if they really exist.

On the rebuttal, in a movie where two cops are the cause of one building’s destruction (basis for an actual hilarious scene, the only one worth a bullet in this film) and then on the scene on a second explosion (watch the credits), yet don’t get fired by the city; why even bother?

Despite my amateurish critique, “Lethal Weapon 3” isn’t a bad film. It’s just such a one-time dispensable form of entertainment, much like a wad of toilet paper. It works its purpose in life, but you don’t want to bother with that particular bit of paper again.

Final Film Rating - **1/2

Happy Gilmore ***
(Nth Viewing)

Not as good as Billy Madison but still a very good movie. Christopher McDonald and Ben Stiller were comical in their "villianous" roles

A Mighty Wind **** Stars




Once again Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer team up to make a Mockumentary. Unlike "Spinal Tap", this time instead of rock music, it's folk music they're spoofing. The first time you watch this film it may not even seem funny and you may think you're watching a genuine film about folk musicians. After watching it 3 or 4 times, it became one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.

Last Days

I was debating whether or not I should give this 5 stars; but due to the fact that I wasn't 100% on it, I decided to keep it at 4. This is, however, one of the best films I have ever seen. The visuals are top-notch, and Van Sant's direction turns something with potential to be mediocre into a masterpiece.

Road Trip
2000/Phillips
Solid college comedy. Tom Green is great, and Todd Phillips has to be one of the best comedic directors working today.

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
2004/Thruber
Not nearly as good as some of the other comedies of its type. And surprisingly little actual dodgeball action. Vince Vaughn is still the man though.

Network
1976/Lumet
My 2nd Lumet after Dog Day Afternoon. Found this one much more impressive. Probably one of the most simply made films I've ever seen, shot with little extravagance, and the entire story is just dialogue, but man, what dialogue it is. Writer Paddy Chayefsky crafts several incredibly defined characters and all are fufilled with amazing performances from nearly the entire cast. The complete lack of music is perfect. The film works both as a satirical dark comedy and as a dramatic piece. Never boring nor over-sentimental, or too over the top. Lumet sustains graceful balance throughout. I'm interested in seeing more of his work.

Videodrome
David Cronenberg 1983 Canada/US (1st time; DVD)
A TV operator of a cable TV programme respsonsible for graphic violence and softcore porn happens upon a mysterious show which takes over the mind; then the body…
Fast-moving thriller with complex visuals: what we're watching is often somebody watching somebody or something else, and the introduction to Deborah Harry's character is brilliant, with the most simple of pans to a live TV set-up, behind which she sits, and on which she is shown. Halfway through Cronenberg becomes interested in the unconscious desires of his protagonist, and enters a fantasy from which he doesn't return; the last half-hour is dedicated almost entirely to the image, and so the philosophies talked about in the first half of the film are cast aside (as well as the narrative) for something less rational.

Whatever It Takes
2000/Raynr
Guilty pleasure teen comedy. God I miss high school already.

V for Vendetta ***
This deals with the issue of governments controlling the people instead of serving them. Good theme and interesting overall.

Glad you enjoyed it svsg. Definitely my favorite movie thus far this year

Little Girl who Lives Down the Lane (1976)

Came out on DVD after years of not being available -

awesome suspense/mystery movie featuring a 14 year old Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen - and the guy who wrote "Viva Las Vegas"

read nothing about it before you see it - just watch it. better on a cold fall or winter night....

Apocalypse Now (Original Cut) - (Francis Ford Coppola;1979;USA)
A dillusioned captain is sent on a mission to assassinate a renegade Colonel.
A film not about Vietnam, but about the effects of war in general. Coppola's final masterpiece is a haunting depiction of the degradation of sanity. Coppola brings us an environment that seems to stand on it's own when compared to other war films. It doesn't feel like reality, but an almost brooding nightmare that ultimately isn't resolved. Everything works together from the vivid cinematography, powerful performances, and fantastic direction to create a film about a detachment far away from normal society.

I watched this three times over the last few days.

Collateral - (Michael Mann;2004;USA)
A contract killer and a taxi driver's lives are forever changed in the course of one night.
Michael Mann redefines the Neo-Noir with one of the best films of the last few years. Mann's use of DV enhance the cinematography, giving L.A. real depth and character rather then functioning as a mere background for the action. Mann's perfectionist character development shows everywhere from some of the most powerful moments to the little moments some might disregard. Tom Cruise gives his best performance as the sociopathic killer, with Foxx giving a very good performance as Max. This film bleeds style and substance like most films these days lack. Ultimately this death filled thriller isn't about a twist, but about living.

I just got the Complete Dossier this evening, I was watching some of the extra scenes, can't wait to watch the movies with audio commentary.

I just got the Complete Dossier this evening, I was watching some of the extra scenes, can't wait to watch the movies with audio commentary. [/b][/quote]Problem is, how do they make a "complete" dossier edition without the Heart of Darkness documentary and without the original ending deleted scene.

I'm also pissed both versions are split into two disks. Instead of having the two films split why didn't they put one whole film on each disk?

Casablanca.

At first I was a little sceptical. It has happened before, a classic film that is considered great by everyone, and that I ended up not liking because of the lack of pace. Perhaps a sign of impatience and of being grown up in the middle of Power Rangers and Super Mario...

But I ended up really liking this film. I didn't even put myself comfortably in the couch after turning the DVD on, I just sat on the edge of it with a strange stare on my face. The characters are just like characters in a classic Hollywood film are supposed to be: with style.

Definitely in my top 20, maybe top 10 of all time.

Great!

(BTW, now I also understand the Simpsons episode with the alternative Casablanca ending better.)

I too am disappointed for not having "Hearts of darkness". I don't know what the reason is, but I suspect Coppola/Paramount do not want that documentary to be available. They have even stopped production of VHS version and have no intention of releasing a DVD. Essentially that is now surviving in some old VHS and recorded versions
I also feel that Willard was the main character and not Kurtz. They have again put Brando on the main cover like in the original poster.

In the Mood for Love
2000/Kar-wai
A visually brilliant film, thoroughly succesful in both pleasing the viewer's eye as well as telling a story and expressing character's feelings without any dialogue. I found it interesting that director Wong Kar-wai was seemingly able to tell us more about the emotional state of our characters in the segments set to music than in any other verbal exchange. And by the way, what music it was. I immediately downloaded the repeated theme right after I was done, great little piece of music.

I also really appreciated Kar-wai's apparent determination to never shoot his character's straight on. There's always things distorting or abstracting our view, which worked to make every shot more interesting to look at. He was also able to make some of the best use of mirrors I've seen in a long while.

As for other high points, anyone who's seen this film knows that the incredible set decoration and costume design go without saying. Kar-wai crafts a sort of romanticized, colorful, almost dreamlike recreation of the early 60's, to the point where the viewers almost feel as if they are seeing the events on screen as fond memories, somewhat embellished over time in the character's minds.

All in all, this was to be a four star film but I felt the ending was somewhat lacking. The meaning of the news reel clip showing the Cambodian President arriving went over my head, as well the poetry at the end. I felt as though all of the sexual tension build up and the sense of tragic loss was somewhat wasted in the conclusion. This may have been somewhat due to the fact that my borrowed DVD started skipping in the closing minutes and I had to stop and then skip around, but overall any intended emotional response was lost on me.

And am I mistaken, or did this never happen?



Or this?



Didn't the two main characters never get together? Did I miss something? Anyway, good film, close to being great.

Gods must be crazy - part 4**
Quite funny by being totally silly, yet not resorting to toilet humor.

The Shining ***
Stanley Kubrick's horror movie creates a scary atmosphere with minimal gore. The music is great just like his other two (clockwork and full metal jacket) movies that I have seen.

A History of Violence
2005/Cronenberg

My first Cronenberg. Visually worthwhile, and although Cronenberg succeeds in estabishing an interesting premise early, the story just seemed to proceed to flip flop back and forth between predictability and schmaltz from there on out. A couple of the side plot lines served no real purpose either. Overall, the performances were the saving grace. Definitely still interested in seeing some more Cronenberg though.

The Fly
David Cronenberg 1986 UK/Canada/US (1st time; DVD)
A hermit scientist experimenting in the teleportation of living objects falls in love with a journalist, but finds he has somehow fused himself with an insect during one of his tests.
Heartbreaking film which wastes no time at all in introducing its characters, developing them, and ultimately destroying them; it may or may not be about AIDS, but any social comment found by critics is besides the point: this is a beautifully crafted, wonderfully executed film with a fine balance between horror, romance and humour. Goldblum is fantastic.

Videodrome
David Cronenberg 1982 Canada/US (2nd time; DVD)
An operator of a cable TV programme responsible for graphic violence and softcore porn happens upon a mysterious show which takes over the mind; then the body…
Fast-moving thriller with complex visuals: what we are watching is often somebody watching somebody or something else, and the introduction to Deborah Harry's character is brilliant, with the most simple of pans to a live TV set-up, behind which she sits, and on which she is shown. Deeply rich with intertextuality throughout, Brian O'Blivion, who never appears on TV ("except on TV"), warns our protagonist that hallucinations could possibly take over his whole concept of reality; and so the second half of the film degenerates into an extended fantasy of dreams within dreams and frames within frames, before it explodes upon itself.

2nd viewing of videodrome in 3 days must be good!

Yeah I'd really like to see that.

Glad you bumped Videodrome up to 3 stars Capo.

Me too; I had wanted to on first viewing, but due to indecision, went for two. It always helps when you threaten to kill me, too.

Casino

Definitely not a Goodfellas 1.5 as some might to think of it. I really enjoyed this movie. Even when you're not an organized crime fan, it's historic things are interesting, but the film is more enjoyable when you do are a fan of organized crime.

Pesci is playing his usual nut fucking hyperactive fucking breaking another fucking guy's fucking balls, and De Niro's facial expressions are just like they are supposed to be.

Fucking good movie, altough not fucking great.

8/10.

Lucky Star
2002/Mann

I had remembered reading about this a while back and decided to look it up on youtube today. This is a 2 1/2 minute preview for a fake film, "Lucky Star," which tells the story of a character named Mr H., played by Benicio Del Toro, who is seemingly always lucky. There is no director credited, but I did a little research and found to my surprise that Mr. Michael Mann himself directed. It's tough to tell on the small screen, but it looks like it might be some early experimentation with DV. And this little short has all the trademarks of Mann's work too; stylish lighting, atmospheric music, fast cars, etc.

The interesting thing about the whole thing is that it's actually an advertisement for Mercedes Benz. A silver Benz features in the preview, although it is highlighted in no way that would indicate it's an advertisement of any kind. This was shown in theaters and on television in Britain, and many people thought it was a real film. It's interesting to see what Mann and Del Toro were able to do with the simple premise.

If anyone's interested in seeing this, go to youtube.com and search Lucky Star Benicio.

WORLD TRADE CENTER (2006) - **1/2

Where are the people in NYC that yelled "Too Soon!" on this movie?