Iron Man

It's not the greatest superhero movie ever made like its 93% Fresh rating might attest, but it's dependably entertaining. The last line makes clear that Tony Stark is not your typical alter ego. Emphasis on the ego.
I'm going to go ahead and make this statement: IM is the second best superhero film of the summer. The best is, of course, Hancock.

Walk Hard

John C. Reilly is superior to Will Ferrell. There, I said it. Now bring on the ultra-awkward Steve Brule movie (or maybe just a 30 minute special).
The Beatles and Dylan segments were probably my favorite. Gee, wonder why. The soundtrack is a legitimately good listen, too.

The Darjeeling Limited

Hey, did you know Wes Anderson made this? I understand if you were confused, it bears none of the stylistic or storytelling trademarks that have distinguished his work.
Alright, enough of that, because I liked this movie. The Indian backdrop adds weight to the story, and I enjoyed the interaction between the three brothers. The whip pans got a little monotonous, but other than that, the cinematography looked great.

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It's like you read my mind.  I'll often have this thread open up to an empty page, but it's usually one extra page, not two...

I know I was trashing the foreign films on another thread, but I was doing it ironically.

Lust, Caution was on in the other room.

What a great film! I haven't been able to say that in a long, long time. I can't shake the ending from my mind. Wei Tang was astonishing! And the graphic (realistic) sex actually increased the reality of her situation. It has all the elements of a great historical suspense-drama. Everyone who hasn't must check this out.

Mulberry Street. As part of my horror movie education, I have been watching the 2007 8 Films to Die For. When Requiem gave me a list of five horror film suggestions, I watched them and loved them all. This is the fourth of the eight and I'm just still trying to figure out if I'm a fan.

Anyway, Mulberry Street. I had read about it in Rue Morgue magazine, a magazine that I enjoy. I like the website too -- I like the writers. I am impressed with Rodrigo Gudino, the founder and brains behind the empire. Rue Morgue love-love-loved Mulberry Street! Maybe part of the love was for the fact that this film cost $27,000 to make and was cast with friends and family and, to top it off, shot primarily in the lead actor-writer-producer's New York apartment. So that showed plenty of guts and ingenuity.

But basically it felt like another zombie movie. Don't get me wrong. I liked it. But not like I liked May or Ginger Snaps or The Devils Backbone or even Scream or Halloween I.

It seems zombies are all the rage these days. I'm not that into the main concept, which, as far as I can figure is that once a zombie makes flesh contact with you (or in this film's case, rat-people blood contact), you too become one of them. And they're ravenous! They have nothing left of their former human selves. I just don't get their motivation that well. It's so... I don't know... so futile. Ah, well, maybe zombies are a metaphor. Maybe there's a zombie movie I would like.

Okay so we also watched Crazy Eights. Made me claustrophobic. Was it a horror movie? Maybe more of a psychological thriller. Not a lot of fun though. Guess it had something to do with guilt.

Watched Borderland. This one was okay. Pretty, pretty violent but I found it entertaining. I fast-forwarded through the torture scenes however. Can't stand cinematic torture.

Then there was Nightmare Man. Many have had bad things to say about Nightmare Man so I wasn't expecting much but I thought it was fun. I am a big fan of Tiffany Shepis these days -- can't imagine why that might be -- and find her a charismatic ballsy chick. She's great with a cross bow too.

I have another Dario Argento film here -- Inferno. Haven't gotten around to watching it though. May take a Juno break tonight.

Susan

PS  Did watch Juno and enjoyed it a lot.  I was sorry to have seen so much of it last year in clips but there were still some surprises.  It was good to see all the pieces put together.  Truthfully, I did laugh and I did cry.  Loved the young boyfriend!  Cute and fresh.  I'd give it 4 stars out of 5. 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

I loved The Darjeeling Limited and I'm a little ashamed to say that I didn't know any previous work by Anderson, although I'm still willing to watch them (If only it was easy to find them in Italy). 

Here's my last movies:

- La zona (Rodrigo Plà) mexican movie, excellent  - extremely political without saying anything exactly political

- Cloverfield (jesus, I love this movie. I think it's the best alien movie in years. Haunting, mysterious, tragic, symbolic... what else, oh yeah, scary especially the subway sequence )

- The Simpsons movie (well, I'm a die-hard Simpson fanatic, I own every dvd box that came out, so it's useless to say that I adore this movie. It's a dream come true. When I came out, I just said 'Yes, now I can die" LOL)

-  The nanny diaries (cute, light and funny although not stupid, plus I hate to admit it, but Scarlett is one of my guilty pleasures. Laura Linney was really good too!)

- The Savage Family  (simple yet dramatic and effective. It touched me because I had the same problems with a relative that we were forced to put into a hospice, although he didn't seem the one who suffered the most for it. It was just us and our guilt-feelings... just like the characters wonderfully played by Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney)

- Before the devil knows you're dead (It didn't strike me that much, but I have to admit that the actors did a wonderful job and that the final scene is really heartbreaking)

- No country for old men (Dazzling and made me feel really tense. Great ending as well, with a great great Tommy Lee Jones)

That's it. I don't remember anything else that you could have seen. Of course I'm in Italy and I've seen quite a lot of italian movies that you couldn't possibly care for... well, maybe you should care about Gomorra by Matteo Garrone. I'm a fan of his films. I loved The Embalmer (Taxidermist), maybe some of you have seen this in a festival in New York or somewhere else. Anyway, this Gomorra is part of the actual competition at Cannes. It's a not-so-narrative movie taking place in a very miserable place near Naples, called Scampia, where drugs are being sold open-work and where the organized crime societies fight each other, involving even kids and innocent people. It's got many characters and stories. It's inspired by a best-seller docu-novel written by Roberto Saviano with the same title. It was translated in 30 languages.

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

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

Last movie I watched was last night...one I hadnt watched in a few years...one of the Jack Ryan films.....The Sum of All Fears.

Enjoyed this film, not an awesome film by any means, Affleck does surprisingly well as Jack Ryan, Bridget Moynahan is simply gorgeous as Cathy...Morgan Freeman, quality as usual. And the Alias-mark in me leaped out of my chair when I saw Ron Rifkin in this film (Arvin Sloane in Alias). Ciaran Hinds did well too as the Russian premier...he was good in Munich as well

Would love to have seen another Jack Ryan film made...but alas no such luck!

Indiana Jones 4

The first five minutes or so didn't fill me with much excitement (though the old Paramount logo fading into the molehill was a nice touch), but then the action kicked in and didn't stop. Ford kicks ass, and Shia wasn't bad, but the number of sidekicks Indy picks up along the way started to reach overkill (though at least none of them were Short Round). Cate was kind of a weak villain, to be honest. But I liked the MacGuffin, even if it got a little too literal by the climax. The ending was just a tad schmaltzy (hello, Spielberg as of late), though the very last gag was great.

Fargo

I don't have a unique opinion on this one. It's just a f*cking great, violent, dark comedy. Yah.

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When I'm wrong, I'm super-wrong.

I saw it again tonight (long story) and I've come 180 degrees from my former position.  Maybe 150, but still.

Second viewing, I was able to see it in much more of the homage to the genre and passing of the torch to 50s sci-fi frame of mind than before, and my appreciation of it improved by leaps and bounds.  There are still criticisms I have of it (certain scenes, mostly), but I saw it in a very different way this time, and it worked for me.

So mea culpa. 

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

Anyone ever see this one: Who Can Kill a Child? or the Spanish title: Quien Puede Matar a un Nino? 1976.

Actually, I have no idea how this ended up on my Netflix queue but when it arrived, I thought it must have been a mistake. Maybe it was but someone must have suggested it to me and somehow it got bumped up to the top slot.  I'm happy it did.

What an involving movie that is a cross between Lord of the Flies, Rosemary's Baby, The Birds and any of a number of zombie-like films. Very pregnant woman and her husband on holiday in Spain, head off to an isolated island for one last hurrah before the baby is born. Oddly, no one else seems to be on this island. A child here, a child there, and then swarms of them. Sweet-faced, smiling kiddies.

The cinematographer has a great little featurette on the extras. He had some interesting stories about piecing together the "light" from four very different regions of Spain that were meant to replicate this one island. He was the DP on four Almodovar films too. The writer-director also has an interview. Surprisingly forthright and opinionated on how the film holds up, and his feelings about his actors.

This is a film that will stay with me. I fully expect the short hairs to rise when encountering any future group of playful li'l uns on the beach. Highly recommended.

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Argggggggghhhhhh, there goes my remake idea with Owen Wilson and Ellen Page.  : (  My lead kids were going to be Dakota Fanning and Abigail Breslin.  Open casting calls for young Macauley Culkin types for the boys.

Geez, I'll bet it's going to be a wonderful flick!  Pixar?

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Have heard from freinds that the latest Indy film is dross!

"Ive got good news....that gum you like is going to come back in style!"

"I'm a WHOLE DAMN TOWN!"

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I recently saw Indiana Jones 4 at the cinema, was better than I expected. It suffered a bit from not having any let up to the action, and Shia La Boeuf was good, but he's no Short Round or Henry Jones Sr. Harrison Ford's age didn't affect it a bit though and I liked the 50s setting.

 I also watched Rope and The Godfather Part II in the last couple of days. I last watched Rope less than a year ago, and I got a little bored seen as I could remember every scene, and I noticed the acting is a little weak apart from James Stewart's monologue at the end. The long 20 min. scenes didn't seem to have much point either, apart from experimentally. This is the first time I've watched Godfather II, and I don't think it was as good as the first. It was too long and the plot just seemed confused, especially the Cuba bit. I would have liked a little bit more action aswell. Still a good film, but I don't agree with those who say it's the best of the trilogy. Oh, and for anyone who's seen the whole trilogy is the third one worth watching?

Kung-Fu Panda.

Between this, Indy 4, and Iron Man, it seems to be the summer of blockbusters for me.

It was quite a bit better than I'd expected.  By the numbers, but very well-executed.  And a merciful lack of stealth jokes for grown-ups.

I saw that movie. I thought all the verbal attacks on anteaters were wholly unwarranted.

God, I wish someone would start rerunning those again. Watching them on Youtube just isn't the same. The whole rights issue is a doozy, though.

There Will Be Blood

I finally got to see it. Though I suffered a bit from the overhype that I had been buffeted with since last fall, I appreciated the bravura filmmaking. PTA wears his influences (Altman, Kubrick) on his sleeve a bit, but he's forged a pretty unique style that stays with you. I've seen two of his films, now. I liked this one.

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