"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

Children of Men

What an intense, draining experience. Long takes that suck you in and take you along for the journey. Chilling, with much needed moments of humor scattered throughout. I loved Michael Caine's character, and Kit's joke about being a virgin was an amusing way of poking fun at the movie's own heavy-handed allegory.

A lot of people have commented about the cinematography, and lament the Oscar loss, but the technical aspect of the film that really impressed me was the sound design. That ringing noise that lasts long after the explosion, the rocks and bottles (nothing like Gazette poster rocksandbottles) being thrown at the train as Clive Owen rides past, the sound is another key way that this film envelops you.

The violence of the climax, often going on in the background as well as the foreground, reminded me of such sequences as the invasion scene from the beginning of Saving Private Ryan. Except this sequence lasts even longer, or at least it seems like it does. The ending was a tad predictable, but that's only because it's the most appropriate one the film could have.

I really needed to watch a light-hearted comedy after this. 

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I love the Prisoner. Its incredible. Decades ahead of its time. 

Apt Pupil

So it starts with my friend asking me to think of movies starring Ian McKellan, and for some reason this one is stuck in my mind, though I'd never seen it. It ends with a very anxious drive home in the dark. In the middle are some jokes about Bryan Singer's sexuality, several exclamations of "what the f**k!", hysterical laughter turning immediately into solemn silence, and comments about David Schwimmer's moustache.

I think by the time Ian says, "You see, my boy, we are f**king each other!", the subtext rapidly became the- uh, text.

I'm not too crazy about the nihilistic ending. A creepy ending following a narrative that has been steadily builiding to it is one thing, but this just seemed like creepy capping off two hours of creepy. I will say that it is very artfully made.

Obviously Stephen King novellas make better fodder for adaptation, though having a talented director helps too. I'm not too sure about that John Cusack haunted hotel room movie coming out this year.

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Last week went by in a fog of hospitals and doctors so by last night I was ready for something soothing. David had "Slither" on and then some frenetic Mark Wahlberg thing -- Four Brothers, he says -- and the noise was unbearable. He also had one of the Star Wars flicks on for a few minutes. It was time for Netflix -- Lady in the Lake, a Phillip Marlowe 1947 film starring Robert Montgomery (who also directed it) and Audrey (who the hell is she?) Totter. It started off so promisingly. But many do. This one had Christmas carols and cute little black and white vintage Christmas cards being turned for the opening credits. So far, so good. But then you have Robert Montgomery being Philip Marlowe sitting in an office talking to the camera. After that the camera IS Philip Marlowe. Sometimes we watch his cigarette smoke and hear his voice but rarely do we see him. He is the camera's eye. The acting was appalling. The gimick got old fast. And ...

...okay, so...

...I fell asleep.

But...

...I awakened with enough time to get the drift. And I didn't like it. And I wouldn't recommend it even for its point in time stylistic flourishes. BLEH. A generous 3 out of 5 stars. Maybe 2 is more like it.

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

I haven't posted that review yet because I've only watched the first half.  BUT... I've been very impressed with it up to that point.  Especially the Chris Mathews role (David thought you were the best actor in it) and the elderly guy -- spoiler...

(who gets shot on the staircase).  I've forgotten character names right now but will make a note on the next viewing.

Some of the ladies aren't as strong as the men in the acting category, but they make up for it in their morphing into a genuine look of the 40s era.  Great makeup, hair, costume and jewelry.  The cinematography is top notch.  The sound ... has some problems but maybe they're being worked out in later edits.  Sound is one of the toughest things to do well without the big bucks so I wouldn't take away any points for that alone.

When I get around to rewatching it, I'll start over from the beginning (which is also very compelling, btw, with its vintage Movie Tone News feel) and I promise I'll give a more enhanced review.  Can't fairly comment on the story without reaching The End.  But so far, it unravels at a nice pace and keeps you guessing.  When you told me there was a 20 minute shorter cut, I also wished that was my version since I prefer the finished product to the work in progress, but oh well.  Maybe I have the director's cut rather than the watered-down festival cut?

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Little Children- (Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly) A couple parts with the psycho are so uncomfortable I couldn't watch them. Happily, the movie isn't about molestors. All in all, it was pretty okay. 

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus- (Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr.)  VERY cool. Nicole is more beautiful than ever. Great cinematography, concept and an appropriately tragic ending.  I hope someone makes an fantasy biography of a period in Lynch's life- the possibilities would be endless.

Casino Royale:

Will surely become a classic action flick. Definitely one of my favorite Bond movies; Daniel Craig is fare and away the best Bond since Sean Connery. Once again, plot is incidental, but who cares about that when it comes to these movies. The action set pieces are amazing, surely the best since Kill Bill (they blow Spidey 3's out of the water), and the acting is terriffic. I loved Eva Green; she was a perfect Bond girl, perhaps my favorite ever. I actually didn't see the twist at the end coming (though this is probably because I wasn't thinking). The torture scene is really hard to watch, though that's intentional (makes you realize how screwed up the MPAA system is when you realize this is PG-13... a lot of the R movies I've seen lately were tamer than this). And Judi Dench is great as always. Despite it's long running time it never gets old, which nearly all Bond movies do towards the end. Only a few small complaints: The villain was pretty lame and posed no terribly great threat, there were no gadgets really, and Q was missing. Oh yeah and Felix was hardly in it, and the poker scenes went on too long (I have no clue how that game is played, which didn't help). I heard that this was hardly recognizable as a Bond flick, but I totally disagree. Everything the Bond franchise is famous for was on display here, and in top form.

That god damn trailer's more popular than Uncle's Day in a whorehouse!

The Man Who Wasn't There

So, I guess after all the irreverence and goings-on of Lebowski and O Brother, the Coens decided to write a much quieter film. They decided to construct their plot around a protagonist who is not charming, eccentric, or particularly interesting. Well, they succeeded in that respect. The film is visually brilliant, with terrific black and white cinematography and an intriguing recurring visual motif. But it only serves to dress up a severe plot deficit.

Billy Bob Thorton is perfectly cast. He has just the right face and mannerisms for a noir like this one. Especially the ever-present ciggarettes. He is virtually unflappable from beginning to end. If the plot around this character had interested me a bit more, maybe that would've been perfect.

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That film contains one of my favorite all time movie lines:

 

Sure I worked in a barbershop but I never considered myself a barber.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

+1 on Casino Royale, that's the first time I've bothered watching a Bond flick in years, Daniel Craig is a perfect choice.

Just rented Pan's Labyrinth from the new release aisle, there is so much good about this film, but it ultimately left me flat. The Pale Man has the greatest badass-looking-hyped-in-the-ads-factor to actual screen time ratio since Darth Maul. He gets one scene, that's it. Even the titular Faun isn't around much. And is calling him Pan any less obscure than just "the faun"? Give us some credit...
In attempting to evoke a fairy tale, it's edgier and darker than Mirrormask, although it spends maybe too much time with the Spanish Civil War setting. I liked Tideland better overall, despite being a more f'd up flick in an almost uncomfortable way, but it did a better job of reconciling the fantasy world with the real by the end. The theme of a young girl escaping the crazy adult world, not too mention a vomiting creature scene, also calls to mind Spirited Away, which I also liked better, but maybe all the comparisons are unfair.
Del Toro brings superb design elements, atmosphere and performances to the screen. Ofelia, the lead character, is brilliantly portrayed. I had the same feeling after watching Hellboy, it looked great, I wanted to like it so much, but somehow it just didn't do it for me.

Babel- meh. lots of "emotional' scenery chewing.

Color Me Kubrick- so-so. John Malkovich is always entertaining.

Dead Girl- dark as hell. If you haven't heard of it, it's several vignettes around a murder victim and various survivors.  Definite shades of Laura and BOB in there.

I go to the multiplexes for the blockbuster spek-tacs that I want to see, 'cause I'll have a snowball's chance of finding the smaller films I want to see before DVD. There are no cinemas to speak of 'round here. I can't even find Hot Fuzz, and that's something.

I think that'll change when I move for college. Asheville is a stone's throw from my new Uni, and they have a better selection of movie houses. If I had moved earlier, I woulda been able to see IE.

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"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

I sort of was convinced to go see Spider-man 3.

It wasn't that bad. I think this time they managed to keep the number of action/effects sequences were pretty much low and the movie is surely a tribute to noirish melodrama, expressed in a modern key of course, and the Jekyll/Hyde story. It was funny and entertaining after all. Take it lightly and you'll enjoy every minute of it.

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)