Congratulations! You can stop crying! :p Seriously, I got 3 films to see.

Blue Velvet -- Is it the greatest movie of all time?

I can't think of a better one.

Wow.

Halloween - (John Carpenter;1978;USA) -
Over a decade after killing his sister, a disturbed man returns to his hometown to go on a killing spree.
A great horror film that has unfortunately plagued cinema with horrible sequels and other films inspired by it. Carpenter's direction makes the film, most notably the genuinely frightening first half, full of stalking. Donald Pleasence also makes the film better with his presence.

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
1999, Jarmusch, Fr/Ger/US/Jap 1st time
A black hitman for the Mafia, who lives by an ancient Samurai law, is betrayed by his employers and seeks revenge.
A well-paced existentialist film which expertly blends many genres and styles into one highly engaging, offbeat film.

Mick

2001: A Space Odyssey #22 on the AFI Top 100 List ** 1/2

When the world is ruled by apes, one particular group discovers a mysterious rectangular monolith near their home, which imparts upon them the knowledge of tool use, and enables them to evolve into men. In the year 2001, a similar monolith is discovered on the moon, and is determined to have come from an area near Jupiter. Astronaut David Bowman, along with four companions, sets off for Jupiter on a spaceship controlled by HAL 9000, a revolutionary computer system that is every bit mankind's equal, and perhaps his superior. When HAL endangers the crew's lives for the sake of the mission, Bowman will have to first overcome the computer, then travel to the birthplace of the monolith, where whatever alien intelligence controls them decides that humanity is ready to take the next evolutionary step. I was really surprised that I liked this movie as much as I did. My expectations were low because it was a Sci-Fi film (not a huge fan of the genre) and a Kubrick film (not a HUGE Kubrick fan either). I had previously tried to watch this and only got about 5-10 minutes into it before turning it off. I'm glad I stuck with it this time because as I just mentioned, I did enjoy it. Great use of music and I loved the HAL 9000 system. However, I must admit, I didn't understand the first 10 minutes of the film (the apes) and probably the last 20?

Irishman, with the risk of sounding like an elitist, pretentious snob, a word of advice...

Your summation of Kubrick's 2001 would have lost none of its effect had it read thus: "I had previously tried to watch this and only got about 5-10 minutes into it before turning it off. I'm glad I stuck with it this time because as I just mentioned, I did enjoy it. Great use of music and I loved the HAL 9000 system. However, I must admit, I didn't understand the first 10 minutes of the film (the apes) and probably the last 20?"

Notice what I've done? Cut the opening synopsis. Those of us who've seen the film know what it's about; those who haven't probably won't want to know every plot twist.

Glad you enjoyed 2001; I rank it as Kubrick's best, an aesthetic treat for the senses.

Thanks,
Mick

Well I was always accused of not adding enough "quality" to my posts beforehand. Now I try to add the story of the movie for those who haven't seen it, before I give my review of it and now I'm being told to cut it. Seems like you guys want it both ways. As for the story, I got that exactly from imdb.com, so it's not like I "spoiled" anything as it's readily available upon research.

My opinion of 2001: A Space Odyssey is well documented on these boards. Absolutely brilliant filmmaking from an absolutely brilliant filmmaker. The single most visually appealing and thought provoking film in the history of cinema.

A masterpiece.

Then it's always readily available to those who want to know a bit about the film.

I meant to emphasise the point at the end of my last post that I wasn't intending to jump on you. Don't feel belittled by what I said; I was just giving you a bit of advice, as I myself just want to get to your thoughts about the film, not having to read through what I already know before I get to them.

Thanks,
Mick

Then it's always readily available to those who want to know a bit about the film.

I meant to emphasise the point at the end of my last post that I wasn't intending to jump on you. Don't feel belittled by what I said; I was just giving you a bit of advice, as I myself just want to get to your thoughts about the film, not having to read through what I already know before I get to them.

Thanks,
Mick [/b][/quote]Exactly, the synopsis is available, so I basically saved them the time it took them to research it :p I know you didn't mean to sound like you were "jumping" on me, but it sounded like you guys wanted it both ways. Maybe in the future I'll split up the paragraph so those who wish to view only my review and not the details of the story may do so easier. Thanks for the tip!

Next time Irish, just simply "seperate" the plot sypnosis with your review of the movie. Trust me, confusion would be avoided for sure, as many would agree with me.

But Stanley Kubrick....damn, he was a true master, and really, we don't have such absolute masters anymore alive, such people that even guys like Scorsese and Spielberg feel humbled at his feet. If that isn't respect, I don't have a damn clue.

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) - MASTERPIECE - *****/5

Kubrick is arguably the greatest film director in the history of American cinema. He and Hitchcock are definitely top 2 in my book. So many great films...so many great films...

I just watched McCabe & Mrs. Miller. What a sad movie. Freaking amazing film, its the first Altman Ive seen but I love his style. Hes got this seemingly unimportant dialouge all over the place that overall gives the movie a really lifelike feel. The world seemed much more realistic then it does in most westerns too. Ive really become a huge Warren Beatty fan lately

10/10

Just wanted to quickly voice my thoughts on 2001.

Its odd, Ive only seen this film once, and Im trying to get to it again soon, and I really liked it the first time around.

I was able to deal with it for the simple piece of advice my dad gave me before watching it; "Dont try to understand it, just enjoy it for what it is." This really allowed me to just sit back and watch Kubrick at work, along with the original writer (forgotten his name,) and not sit there and try to mentally decipher the meaning of it all.

Anyway, its strange because despite the fact that I liked this film, I do not rank it anywhere among my favorites. It almost feels as more Im respecting the film, not liking it, like I felt as though I didnt really connect with it on an emotional level at all, considering its so spacy and robotic, very little human action.

I dont know if this is a good or bad thing. Im having some trouble voicing how I feel here, but hopefully you understand somewhat.

Anyone expierience similar feelings toward this movie?

^ Yes. It isn't aywhere near my top favorite films.

Éloge de l'amour/In Praise of Love
2001, Godard, Fr/Swit 3rd time
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.
In turns infuriating and profound; a visually striking but rather unemotional outing which serves as both a scathing attack on Hollywood and also as a social comment on love, history and (of course) filmmaking.

Mick

Has anyone here seen The Red Violin, aka Le Violon Rouge ? It looks like a pretty interesting film, with the violin supposedly being the main character, and I think the story follows the instrument from its creation to its destruction like 300 years later. I was surprised to see Samuel L. Jackson in this.

Anyone seen it?

Friday
1995, Gray, US 1st time
Two black friends spend a day watching the ghetto world around them.
A casually irresponsible work, gaining a few laughs from those who can relate to it.

Mick

Don Vercetti, is THIS the movie you love so much?

Yeah, Enzo, that's the one. Criterion have just released a region 1 DVD.

The Stairwell
2005, Meadows, GB 1st, 2nd and 3rd time
Two people, one descending stairs, the other ascending, collide head-on.
A 15 second short filmed on a Nokia video phone for a short films competition. It goes over the given time boundary, but shows the potential to be had from the medium.

Mick

Yes it is. My favorite film of all time, followed closely by Taxi Driver.

Which region is 'region 1'. Is that EU, so PAL format?

Region 1 is North American.

Which region is 'region 1'. Is that EU, so PAL format? [/b][/quote]Enzo, region 1 is US. Dunno what's EU. Region 5 is Russia, definitely, but the rest?

Saw Good Night and Good Luck last night. A slow moving (but not in a bad way) and quiet piece, good direction by George Clooney though, and the lead part is played well by David Straitharn (sp?). Recommended.

Region 2 covers Europe and PAL.

I'm currently downloading Le Samourai...hopefully it doesn't fuck up like Blue Velvet did.

I hope they release Le Samourai sometime soon over here. I dont wat to pay 40 Euros or something for the Criterion Release on eBay. Unfortunately I couldnt find the russian and the other international releases anywhere.

Aziatic, did you ever saw it appearing on German television?