Shane's World
Shane Meadows 2000 UK (1st time)
A 70-minute film consisting of four low-budget shorts, with homemade commercials and filmmaking tips inbetween.
The core problem here is that Meadows, having described his intentions as wanting to inspire people to make films, goes on to show four unremarkable shorts he has made; Considine is the saving grace of this often witty sketch piece.

Thief
Michael Mann 1981 US (1st time)
A professional thief tries to keep his personal and business life separate, and struggles.
Underwhelming effort, lacking the attractive visuals of Mann's best work; its highlight is the finale, but it is too late in the day to save it.

Wow, 0 stars for Thief and Brokeback Mountain.

Id definitely recommend a few rewatches for Thief. I felt different about it after my first viewing too, I didnt dislike it as much as you, but I didnt think it was phenomenal either. A few viewings later, its one of my favorites. The film kind has to be appreciated for its more subliminal aspects, if you know what I mean.

Wow, Irish, I'm so glad that someone finally shares my opinion that it was not at all that bad!
I remember that when I started a special thread about this movie everybody kept saying it was boring.
How can Al be boring??? [/b][/quote]Yeah I thought it was good. I won't buy it on DVD but it did exceed my expectations. Again, it's good to see a "good" Pacino movie. I haven't seen a good movie from him since 2002 unfortunately

Ali
Michael Mann 2001 US (1st time)
Muhammed Ali's most significant decade in his life, 1964-1974, including his friendship with Malcolm X, induction into the Nation of Islam, objection to Vietnam, and retaining his world title against George Foreman.
Powerful biopic propelled into excellence by Smith's inspired performance; Mann's free camerawork gives a real sense of energy, and you can't help but get lost in the narrative's drive.

My favorite scene in ALI is when Will Smith enters the arena in the finale. WOW, what massive shots they are.

EXCALIBUR (1981) - ****

Magical and engrossing retelling of the King Arthurian myth by Oscar-nominated filmmaker John Boorman. Full of violence and sex that most such fantasy projects are neither willing or able to feature, and featuring early career work for future featured actors like Liam Neeson, Gabriel Mann, and Patrick Stewart. This takes a giant s*it on Antoine Fuqua's quite lame KING ARTHUR summer blockbuster bomb.

OCEAN'S ELEVEN (2001) - ***

Enjoyable mega-box-office hit all-star picture with Clooney, Pitt, Damon, and gang trying to rob three casinos with $160 million. Soderbergh makes for his major commercial success, and Andy Garcia is fun as the villain. Nothing great, but Soderbgh did admit that he made the picture as "simply pleasurable from beginning to end". He did that.

I quite agree with you on Excalibur. One of my favs, and I really don't know why it isn't/wasn't a bigger hit.

The Last Waltz
Martin Scorsese 1978 US (1st time)
The Band's final stage performance, intercut with interviews from members.
If not an inspiring documentary, then certainly a definitive one, full of guest performers and interviews with the band members, in which, most of the time, you get the feeling they're all on drugs.

Someday I'll review EXCALIBUR quite thoroughly for RRA'S VIDEO BIN REVIEW....now Snake, I think it didn't do better for the following reasons:

*FANTASY - While LOTR was the first such fantasy pictures to actually make massive amounts of money and win many Oscars, that genre still has a stigma of sorts...though arguably, the stigma is gone with HARRY POTTER and other stuff making money as well.

*NO STARS - Boorman intentionally casted relative unknowns in EXCALIBUR inorder to concentrate the audience's attention on the story more so than the actors...which he did.

*TIME - Over-time, EXCALIBUR is pretty well-respected by film fans over the last 25 years or so...I rate this and John Milius' CONAN THE BARBARIAN as the two great mythological fantasy epics of the 1980s.

Munich *** 1/2

I agree with ronnie, it is Senor Spielbergo's best effort as a director since Schindler's List. Not to knock War of the Worlds but this is much better than it. Eric Bana REALLY impressed me. I don't remember him in Black Hawk Down and he was enjoyable during Hulk but I think this is easily his best performance. I didn't notice that Geoffrey Rush was in it until maybe an hour into it

The Fog (2005) *

I think 2 words can sum up this movie, absolutely dreadful. Why are so many movies today that try to be suspensful or horror movies are more laughable and like comedies? What was this director's previous work experience? Burger King commercials

Foreign Correspondent - (Alfred Hitchcock;1940;USA)
Near WW2, an American reporter is sent to England where he witnesses an assassination that he tries to investigate.
A great thriller for it's time and although it drags somewhat in the middle, Hitchcock makes up for it. There are several memorable moments, especially the plane crash, which had great special effects for it's time, very Titanic-esque. It also has a great ending, depicting something before it happened in real life. Aside the dragging it turns out to be a taut thriller, supported very well by it's cast. Not only a great film, but a call for help regarding America's neutral position on WW2. Classic Hitchcock.

Irishman, for Bana's best performance (though I've not seen Munich), check out Chopper (2000). He's amazing.

not to mention he was a remarkably attractive Hector in Troy, especially having that girls-drool-over-me-Pitt/Achilles as a contender..... :p

"The Motorcycle Diaries" (2004)

An amazing movie about a road trip the young Ernesto Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado had all across and along South America in the 1950's. I confess I had not great expectations because I thought it was a political movie with a political thesis, which generally gets me suspicious. Well, I was wrong. The movie only covers Guevara's life before he became the famous "Che" Guevara and it is mostly about two youngsters who get more and more aware of what life is really about. You will find tragedy, humour, gorgeous landscapes and great music. And excellent acting by Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna.
I don't know if this movie is availabe in USA, but if it is you should try and watch it, because it is really worthwhile.

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
Martin Scorsese 2005 US (1st time)
The life and art of Bob Dylan from his early years to 1966.
If Scorsese takes too long in pussyfooting about trying to establish a historical context for Dylan, the second part of this documentary is an electrifying, riveting portrait of an artist whose attention both drives him and appals him.

Glad to hear Irish that you agreed. Too bad that Universal apparently has quit on MUNICH, at least according to drudgereport...

The Royal Tenenbaums - (Wes Anderson;2001;USA)
When an aging man announces he's dying, he tries to make up for lost times with his estranged family.
This is one of those films that makes you fall in love with the characters so much, you actually want more by the ending. It manages to be a pretty humorous movie without deliberately aiming to be a comedy, but outlining itself with subtle humor. The whole cast is great, especially Gene Hackman, Bill Murray, and Luke Wilson. I didn't know what to expect seeing this but this makes me interested in Anderson's other films. The soundtrack was also great. Definitely a great film that seems to be overlooked by most people.

Thumbsucker ***

A very enjoyable slow/subtle paced movie about a 17-year-old boy named Justin Cobb (played by Lou Pucci), a teenager who still sucks his thumb. Realing it's totally disrupting his home, love and school life, he allows his orthodontist (Keanu Reeves) to break him of the habit through hypnosis. Justin begins to experiment with prescription drugs and sex as alternative means to overcome his anxieties and become "normal," never realizing normal is just a state of mind. I remember hearing quite a lot about this movie from JoBlo.com and now I can see why. The soundtrack was very enjoyable as well

Main Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Ludivine Sagnier, and Jean-Marie Lamour

Summary: Sarah Morton is a famous British mystery author. Tired of London and seeking inspiration for her new novel, she accepts an offer from her publisher John Bosload to stay at his home in Luberon, in the South of France. It is the off-season, and Sarah finds that the beautiful country locale and unhurried pace is just the tonic for her--until late one night, when John's indolent and insouciant French daughter Julie unexpectedly arrives.

Sarah's prim and steely English reserve is jarred by Julie's reckless, sexually charged lifestyle. Their interactions set off an increasingly unsettling series of events, as Sarah's creative process and a possible real-life murder begin to blend dangerously together.

Review: Bottom line, this was a really great film. Top notch performances by Charlotte Rampling as Sarah Morton and Ludivine Sagnieras as Julie, neither of which I had ever heard of before, and excellent direction by François Ozon, who I also had never heard of. Luckily, I was given this one on a recommendation from a friend.

The film really nicely lays out time in the beginning for character development, and then as Sarah moves from London to the French mansion, the viewers are given a nice period of development for the new setting and Sarah's adjusting to and exploring of it. Before this gets boring but without cutting it off too short, we are led into the next chapter of the story. Ozon really displays a great sense of timing and story structure throughout the film.

In the middle section of the story, we find further exploration of both of our main players, and also development of the conflict between them, introduction of much of the supporting cast, and just a lot of good little scenes shot beautifully by Ozon. He had some jump cuts here and there, where a scene would cut as soon as a piece of dialogue was finished, whereas I felt other directors might have chosen to insert a moment of awkward silence here and there to reiterate the tense mood. Although these stood out, they didnt take away from the overall flow of the story or the impact of the dialogue.

The only real problem with this film is the ending, which unfortunately hurts the entire rest of the film a bit. Ozon seems as though he may have been going for the ultra-thought provoking ending, where even he may not have a definite answer for the mystery that is presented to the viewers. Either this is the case or he didn't take enough time to explain the occurences at the end of the film so as to clue the viewers in to what he was trying to imply. The big twist comes out only semi-comprehensible, and subsequently only semi-interesting.

Ultimately, a good dramatic film with some bits of humor, top notch acting and directing, an interesting and well-paced story, a slightly muddled ending, good music and supporting cast.

Direction – 17/20
Acting – 19/20
Story – 12/15
Rewatchability – 12/15
Music – 9/10
Depth – 9/10
Cinematography – 5/5
Supporting Cast – 5/5
TOTAL = 88%

88% = 4/5 Stars

Best Quote: "You're just a frustrated Englishwoman who writes about dirty things but never does them."

The Lost Boys ***

My first time watching this vampire movie and I was very pleased with it. I'm not a huge fan of the vampire genre other than Interview With the Vampire and now this movie. I think Agent Jack Bauer, ah excuse me, Kiefer Sutherland really stole the show here. Corey Haim also put together a pretty hilarious performance as well. I'm currently looking forward to my next recommended viewing Stand By Me.

Four films to report on:

Dinner Rush
Bob Giraldi 2000 US (1st time)
A hectic night in a TriBeCa restraurant, owned by a former bookmaker.
Witty, engaging and fast-moving film, served with a delicious sense of food as a means of narrative development; from start to finish, a joy to behold.

Masked and Anonymous
Larry Charles 2003 US (1st time)
An ageing music performer is forced out of retirement to perform at a fundraising concert.
Decidedly quirky comedy, of sorts, at which you'll laugh, or at least smile, if you can get past the obscurity of Dylan's script; laiden with notable cameos and performances, which help to buoy, or expose, Dylan's inability to act.

Morte a Venezia (Death in Venice)
Luchino Visconti 1971 Italy/France (1st time)
A pianist falls in love with a young boy in Venice, and his obsession keeps him there long enough to catch the Plague.
Visuals sustain mild interest in an otherwise cardboard affair; throughout, you get the sense of a director passionate about the literary origins of the piece, but his vision has been lost into artificiality somewhere in the process.

Week-end (Weekend)
Jean-Luc Godard 1967 France/Italy (3rd time)
A bourgeois couple travel to Oinville, but their journey is hampered by an endless traffic jam and forest-dwelling savages.
Godard's vision of Hell, depicted with brutal force at the expense of middle class consumerism: apparently, in order to overcome the horrors of the bourgeoisie, more horror is required. Essential viewing, as a cinematic mass of one artist's ideas; it is quite clearly made by somebody disgusted with the world.

Stage Fright - (Alfred Hitchcock;1950;UK)
To clear the name of the man she loves, a woman becomes a murderer actress' maid.
This really felt like Diet Hitchcock. The middle isn't the only thing that drags and the acting isn't as impressive as his other films, though I liked Richard Todd. The rising action showed promise but led to an ultimately mishandled and disappointing climax. It does have it's moments scattered here and there, but not enough.

The Woodsman (2004)
I was really surprised at how much I liked this film. I've been meaning to see it since about last year at this time, and it did not disappoint. I think, with time, that this could be looked at in some of the same ways as Taxi Driver in that it is a stunningly real potrayal(sp)of a sick and twisted mind, a shattered life.
I know Ive promissed this in the past, but I do have a full review I have written, I just need to find time to type it.

Though I wouldn't compare it to Taxi Driver, I thought The Woodsman was a great and overlooked film for 2004, I rate it as the 10th best of that year. I need to revisit though. Kevin Bacon was overlooked as well.

From being on these boards and reading all the film discussions, I want to see this and Le Samourai SO BAD.

The Circus
Charles Chaplin 1928 US (1st time)
An out of work tramp becomes a circus performer and falls in love with the boss' daughter.
Chaplin on top form; the story itself is somewhat discardable, and what is left behind is a succession of visual setpieces: a police chase, Charlie getting trapped in a lion's cage, and a tightrope performance gone wrong.

City Lights
Charles Chaplin 1931 US (1st time)
A tramp befriends a millionaire, falls in love with a blind girl, and helps her get her sight back.
The early sequences are fine indeed, with Charlie saving a drunkard from suicide; later on, we're treat to a brilliant, balletic boxing fight. Inbetween and thereafter, the film lulls, too concerned in delivering its message: love is blind.

Hearts of Darkness ***

The making of Apocalypse Now. Ofcourse I liked it because AN is my #1 favorite. The madness in the lives of AN characters parallel that of the actors and more importantly Coppola himself. Seeing all the trouble Brando created, I think coppola should have just used some other actor. That movie was great not because of Brando, someone else could have easily done that role. I am glad I saw this. It is inspiring for me personally, as I can exactly understand each and everything that coppola is saying. That frustration, that fear of failure and insanity. It is just that willard faces his apocalypse in vietnam; coppola, martin sheen and other actors in philipines jungles and some one like me just sitting here.

L.A. Confidential

Great performances from one of the best casts I've ever seen carry an otherwise average cop drama.

Lost In Translation
A very "lovely" movie where the one or another could relate to the two main characters in certain ways, atleast I did. I find it to be a personal movie particullary because of the situation of two (tragic?) characters. Sofia Coppola did a great job here, so did Bill Murray and especially Scarlett Johansson who gave a wonderful and powerful performance. The scenes of Tokyo are also beautifully shot. Two thumbs up Ms. Coppola.
I plan a rewatch soon. This movie could find a special place in my heart.
8.5/10 after the first viewing.

The King Of Comedy
Here we have another great character study by Mr. Scorsese and Bobby De Niro about a strugglin Comedian. I find alot of sympathy in Pupkin, even being a very annoying character. Watching the movie I thought "who else could play the character of Pupkin that great?"
In certain points Im not sure what Scorsese really wanted to tell us with this story but still found afew parallels between Pupkin and real-life figures. To be honest I cant find a "bottom line" for this movie. Its difficult to describe for me at the moment. I have to rewatch it to make up my mind. But still, a great movie with one of the better performances by De Niro playing this tragic figure.
7.5/10 after the first viewing.