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So I figure it’s about time that I start reviewing again, since it’s been a while, I’ve been off of work since late October, and I’ve been watching a fuckton of movies. So from now on, I’ll post reviews here from time to time, as I watch them. Lots to catch up on, so I’ll make some of these short and sweet. Now to most of you, some of these are way old, but I’m watching movies as I get them watched, either from recently purchased Blu-Rays or movies I’m just now getting around to watching, so there will be quite a list of old and new. I’ll use the 4 star scale, but using smileys instead. Let’s get started, shall we?
I Am Number Four – Yeah, good job, guys, way to show your whole hand. Kind of a cool idea, but most have been done before, and better, so move along. 🙂
The Next Three Days – Hard to say on this one. I like Russell Crowe, but the story was so…I don’t know, by the end of it, I just wanted them to get caught. Kinda disappointed with this one, although technically it was pretty good. :):)
Buried – Another technically great movie, but the end is rather cold. I actually like the way that it ended, but it felt sorta forced. My man Ryan’s pretty awesome in it, though. :):)1/2
Green Lantern – Interested in seeing if they’ll do another one, because I really liked it after I saw it, but with time it’s faded pretty fast. I thought I’d buy it immediately after, but I haven’t been inspired to go buy it because I have no desire to see it again. I actually think that Ryan was a bit miscast here, because he’s too big of a personality to be in a role that seems to be a bit boring. I have no preconception of how Green Lantern should be, but from his actions, although he’s supposedly painted as some sort of renegade, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of distance the character can go. :):)1/2
Insidious – I actually found this to be a bit insulting, because I saw the ending a mile away. I think I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – if a movie does its job, then I’m not thinking ahead, because the movie’s keeping me in the “now”. The Sixth Sense is a great example of a movie keeping you so captivated that you don’t realize all of the signs that are right in your face. Usual Suspects is another. This one, although a bit creepy, doesn’t do the job of keeping you in the moment, so I called the ending WAY before it was time. :):)
That’s all you’ve watched in all this time? Or, are you just not reviewing midget nazi porn on the forums anymore?
Oh, hell naw. My iPad was dying, so I just wrapped it up there. I thought I would do it in segments. I think there’s something like 20 more.
American: The Bill Hicks Story – So yeah, big surprise — I liked this one. I’m not sure if people who weren’t already familiar with Bill would like this, but I’m such a HUGE fan and have been for so long that it’s probably hard for me to judge that. There were a few things I didn’t know, and I really enjoyed the way that it was edited together. The only reason I’m not giving it 4 stars is because it didn’t bring him back to life. :):):)1/2
Paul – I’m really torn on this one — I really wanted to love it, but there was something missing. I think for a lot of reasons, this (along with Fanboys) ends up not really clicking with me because I’m so deep in the realm of geekdom that it’s hard to watch two guys pretending to be geeks (even some as wonderful as Simon Pegg and Nick Frost). Yeah, I know they’re pretty geeky in real life, but they’re, you know, making movies and making lots of money — they automatically partially lose a bit of their geek cred. Yeah, something’s missing here — maybe Edgar Wright. :):)1/2
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop – I really enjoyed this — I didn’t miss a single episode when he was on the Tonight Show, and haven’t missed one on TBS, so seeing a sorta behind-the-scenes look at the way he works just solidifies my view that he’s one of the most giving people in showbiz. He’s just always “on”. I like how many people have said “Wow, Conan’s a dick.” Must not watch his show very much, because that’s just his sense of humor. I love the guy, even though it does irritate me from time to time when he talks about how little money he’s got when I know he has millions, but that probably comes from always feeling like he’s the little guy in Hollywood. So yeah, this was awesome though. :):):)1/2
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Yes, it’s true — I put my dick in the blender. I heard so many thing about how good this was (“Oh, it’s like twice as good as the second one.” “Oh yeah? That means it’s like three times worse than the worst Star Wars movie then?”), that I had to try it. I have to say — I enjoyed it — as long as every time there was an actual person on the screen talking I fast forwarded. There were some jaw-droppingly cool scenes that I actually have watched a few times. And the sound! My sound system’s surround speakers have never been so active! It just makes me with that there was an actual good, coherent story to support all of the amazing action. :):)
Bridesmaids – I was really impressed with Kristen Wiig — I’ve never seen her play such a realistic character. I mean, she was still ridiculous most of the time, but I actually felt for her in some parts. I laughed a whole lot — the hardest was at the bit at the end with the carry-on luggage. Overall, a pretty decent movie, although I’m a little tired of all of the formulaic shit going on in most movies. :):):)
Yojimbo/Sanjuro – So a while back, Criterion was running a 50% off sale, so I picked up this Blu-Ray set of two Toshiro Mifune/Akira Kurosawa movies. I think these are better watched ONLY if you’ve already seen Seven Samurai. A Fistful of Dollars is a loose remake of Yojimbo, actually. In fact, all of Kurosawa’s samurai movies have more to do with Westerns than they do with other Martial Arts movies. They’re just fantastic. Samurai, of course, were the inspiration for the Jedi, so in a way, these are like Jedi stories in a way. I just love this shit. :):):):)
Ninja Assassin – Picked this up at Target on Black Friday. I’d always wanted to see it, because it was directed by the dude who directed V For Vendetta and starring Rain from my guilty pleasure movie Speed Racer. Um, yeah, this pretty much sucked. There was some cool action in it, but it was so dumb, and I HATE CG BLOOD. 🙂
The Mist – Got this during an Amazon sale last year, I think. I can’t say that this is a great movie or anything. It is Frank Darabont once again adapting a Stephen King short story, but it just doesn’t completely come together for me. Now, I LOVE the new ending — if you read the original story, it ends in the car with them not knowing where they’re headed — just a totally open ending, with you filling in the blanks. King said that he was so pleased with the ending Darabont came up with, and said that if he had thought of it, he would have totally ended it that way. I think that this probably should be watched — if you look at it as less of a horror movie and more of a commentary on the way people behave in dire situations, I think it actually works better, and following that logic, I give it :):):)
Hanna – You know, not too bad. Not great, but not bad. I was really impressed with Raiorsieflurben Svensonburgerhead. I have no idea what her name really is, but I liked her okay, and believed that she was like this weird badass teenager who’s really like an animal, but kinda likes that she could be normal only she’s not she’s just a weird badass teenager, if that makes any sense. To be honest, I liked it while I was watching it, but you can totally tell that I don’t remember shit about it. :):)1/2
Holy cow you’re a machine Rob. There’s a bunch of those I want to see but the only one I’ve gotten round to seeing of those is the Bill Hicks movie.
- Women sense my power and they seek the life essence.
i completely agree with you on Yojimbo/Sanjuro. two of the best westerns you’ll ever see and not a cowboy in sight.
and both movies have comedy sprinkled throughout. the dog at the beginning of Yojimbo (when Mifune’s character first gets into town) is as unexpected as it is hilarious.
and if anyone out there has ever wondered about the origin of the over-the-top blood spurting in anime and Tarantino movies, watch the final duel in Sanjuro.
My essence still senses Bucho's women.
Melancholia – My second Lars Von Trier movie. Antichrist was absolutely reprehensible in my opinion, so I was actually a bit apprehensive about this. Was on HDNet for free a while back, and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Now, I will not ever watch it again, but it was really well-acted, if a bit slow. It also doesn’t help that Kirsten Dunst is naked, but I guess if that’s the only reason you’re watching this, you could just google it. The thing about Von Trier though – it seems that he has something he wants to say, but I don’t really understand what he was trying to say here. I think if you’re not already interested in the movie, then don’t bother, but if you’re interested in a strange little sci-fi character study, then give it a shot. :):):)
Red State – Michael Parks is bad ass, as is John Goodman. It has some typical Kevin Smith dialogue, and also has some real heartfelt dialogue, but is so uneven and strange. Just so damn weird. I think if you liked Kevin Smith movie’s in the past, it’s worth a look, but unfortunately, it’s just not that great. :):)1/2
Captain America – I liked this one quite a bit. I was a little shocked by the abruptness of the ending, but overall I felt like it was pretty bad ass. There was a lot more story and less action then I expected, and for me, story is almost always more welcome. Like Iron Man, it didn’t make you sick of the action. I can see myself watching this one again, but there’s just something that doesn’t click for me, and I can’t really put my finger on it. Maybe it’s because of the nature of what Marvel’s trying to do with all of the movies coming together for the Avengers, but it just felt like the story wasn’t finished. :):):)
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil – I enjoyed the hell out of this, probably because I was expecting a suckfest, and it actually made me laugh quite a bit. It was absolutely ridiculous, but Alan Tudyk (forever Wash for this Browncoat) and Tyler Labine were so damn likable that I totally forgave its faults. :):):)
Cowboys & Aliens – Yet again, I’m surprised at me liking Olivia Wilde. She’s a bit thin for my taste, but she is rather easy on the eyes. The western shit was so terrific (does anyone else hear Jeff Bridges from Starman when you see or hear that word?) that it made up for the somewhat lazy alien shit. While watching it, I just wanted it to stay a western, but overall, still pretty enjoyable. It really makes me want to see James Bond and Han Solo do a real full-blown western together. :):):)
Citizen Kane and the genius of Orson Welles
I expect that many will probably not read all of this, but I really just felt like gushing over this, and maybe convincing somebody to watch it…
I watched this movie for the first time probably four or five years ago as a part of watching all of the AFI Top Movies with April (we still haven’t finished). April hated it with a fiery passion, as those who have short attention spans are expected. I was intrigued by it – I knew very little of the history behind the movie, short of knowing that Orson Welles was very young when he directed and starred in it. I sort of forgot about it for a few years.
I read early this year that Warner was doing a huge restoration of the movie for Blu-Ray, and it piqued my interest again. I knew I wanted to watch it again, but was a bit weary of owning it (I tend to only buy movies that I know I want to own for their history or movies I know that I’m going to watch over and over, but I do sometimes fall into a bargain situation that throws that theory out the window). When it came available for sale, I went ahead and ordered it because I’m a sucker for extra features, and this came with a commentary from Roger Ebert, an extra making-of “tell-all” sort of documentary, and a DVD copy of RKO 281, the made-for-cable movie based on the making of Citizen Kane, with Liev Schreiber as Orson Welles and John Malkovich as Herman Mankiewicz, the sorta washed-up, alcoholic, but brilliant writer of Citizen Kane.
Like Apocalypse Now, this is one of the best and most comprehensive Blu-Ray sets I’ve ever seen. I know that many don’t care so much about the making of movies, but this once again proves that the story behind the movie being made can be almost as interesting as the movie itself, and in this case, it actually enriches it.
If you haven’t seen it, then you already know if you’re going to watch it or not, as it is rated by many as the greatest movie ever made. I think once you watch enough movies, you start to be harder on them, because you see really great ones every now and then and disposable filler the rest of the time. I, for one, have had a great time watching these old movies, because they’re the best for a reason.
Orson Welles was an amazing, gifted radio personality and stage actor, widely regarded as something of a prodigy, and in 1938 (at the ripe old age of 23) made history with his broadcast of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. Instead of a straightforward radio adaptation, he started it off as sort of a “variety hour” show with music and comedy, and then “broke in” with made up news reports telling the story of the Martians showing themselves and wreaking havoc. To people listening, it seemed absolutely real because of the way it was presented. And listen to this stroke of genius – he knew that in the past, his show was always rated lower than “Amos and Andy” playing on another station in the same time slot, but he knew that listeners tended to change the channel over to his during a commercial break. He studied the Amos and Andy program, and found that they always took their commercials at the same time. He timed the first commercial break with the arrival of the Martians, so he could have people stay tuned in. I’ve listened to it, and it really is just masterfully done, the way it unfolds, with the news stories that break in and the way the “reporter”, played by Welles himself, gets more and more frantic. You can listen to it and totally appreciate how people would freak out, especially back then. Oh, and keep in mind – he did this live.
So, when it came to RKO offering a contract to this kid, they gave him a 2-picture contract, and total artistic control. This was completely out of the ordinary – how many directors get total artistic control on movies nowadays?
I haven’t even talked about the movie yet, and I won’t bother trying to sum it up – here’s a quoted summary from IMDB:
Quote:Multimillionaire newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane dies alone in his extravagant mansion, Xanadu, speaking a single word: “Rosebud”. In an attempt to figure out the meaning of this word, a reporter tracks down the people who worked and lived with Kane; they tell their stories in a series of flashbacks that reveal much about Kane’s life but not enough to unlock the riddle of his dying breath.I remember the first time seeing it, thinking that it took its time and was just a bit slow. Watching it again recently, I was absolutely captivated. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m older and more patient, or maybe it’s the slew of absolute SHITE I’d been watching lately. This is one of those that it works on the surface as a really good story, but it’s the risks that Welles took to get the movie made that really put it over the edge. See, he would never admit to it, but it was absolutely obvious – the movie is based on William Randolph Hearst, and Hearst was still alive. Hearst was so angry that he attempted to have the movie destroyed – and this was an extremely powerful man, highly connected in Hollywood. Citizen Kane was nominated for nine academy awards and only won for Best Screenplay. Hearst was such a prominent figure in Hollywood that each time “Citizen Kane” was uttered during the ceremony, people booed, and many believe that the only reason the award was given was because so many in Hollywood still loved and respected Herman Mankiewicz and saw it as a chance to give him an Oscar. Welles’ career was never the same, and the film was a box-office flop. After Hearst died in the mid 1950s, the movie was finally rereleased and it finally found its audience, but Welles never again reached the level of fame everyone expected him to achieve.
The way I experienced the Blu-Ray was like this – watched the movie, watched the making-of on the second disc, watched the Ebert commentary, watched RKO 281. Watching Ebert’s commentary was so awesome – he pointed out so many camera tricks and special effects that I didn’t even notice (a testament to the movie-making prowess of first-time director Welles). Ebert proves yet again that he is as important and has done just as much to educate and enrich the lives of the movie-watching public as the movies he reviews.
I don’t really know how much more I can say. I think if you love the movie industry and what it is capable of, you owe it to yourself to see this. I recommend the Blu-Ray very highly, as it is the best possible way to experience Citizen Kane, whether it’s for the first time or not.
Citizen Kane is brilliant. as is Orson Welles. what a voice that man had. he could make licking a dog’s butt seem like a good idea.
i would love to have The Trial on blu-ray as well.
and Tucker and Dale was absolutely the funniest movie i watched all year.
My essence still senses Bucho's women.
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