Tropic Thunder

It's a real treat to find a modern comedy that's consistently quality until the end, and here's one. I assume Stiller has been slumming his way through tripe for the last few years to rack up the paychecks necessary for a movie of this scale and budget. It's also better than Zoolander.

Quantum Leap of Solace

Oh, boy.
Craig is the most lethal Bond we've had since Connery, but the material doesn't always support him. Judging as a pure action spectacle with an emotional base, this flick works. It just might not be whiz-bang enough for hardcore Bondies. I had my problems with it, but overall it hooked me. Doesn't have the giddy ending of Casino Royale, but one that's as contemplative as its title.

Logic Hat Online- logichat.org

inland empire, finally

i've said it before and i'll say it again, lynch does his best work when he's being interfered with, preferably by someone with some authority over him

IE was pure lynch and as such it had some real issues, primarily with the pacing and story. i've always felt like mulholland drive was a ramped-up version of lost highway. more disjointed, more confusing, more intricate but still basically about the stuff that goes through a person's brain as they are dying. IE did the same thing, in that it's a ramped-up version of MD, but things got so kooky that there's really no story left.

to use an alternate metaphor, everything lynch did before IE was like a rubik's cube-- put all the bits in the right places and you get something that makes sense. but IE is a rubik's cube without a solution. "she must be dreaming that she's HER, but that's can't be because she never knew about THAT" kind of stuff. there's nothing to put together this time, it's just some very very stylistic and pretty pictures

i walk away from most of his stuff with a solid sense of what happened in the story, this is the first time i ever wondered what i just watched. i mean there are some themes that are clear (the blurring of reality for actors playing parts and people watching tv/movies), but i honestly couldn't tell you what was going on for half the movie

Watched Return of the King the other night. Maybe it's just my lack of patience for film adaptations anymore, but...I spent the entire three hours MST3K'ing it to pieces. I'm sorry. I know it's a huge hit with many people here, but I just...*sigh*...I will always prefer the books. The films are beautiful though. And I appreciate the casting choices that were made (I would follow Cate Blanchett into a pit of fire if need be), though I maintain that the only reason Liv Tyler was brought on board is because she just looks all elf-like in the first place. Certainly wasn't for her stellar acting.  Overall though, I just found this film (and the previous two) to be boring as hell. I really hope The Hobbit doesn't meet the same sad fate.

All in all, I can now understand why it took me so many tries to get through the series. Add to my tab another three hours of my life I will never get back.

~ Amanda

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave..."

hey amanda hows it going

i agree liv tyler's not amazing in that flick, but i agree with making arwen more of a substantial character, considering she marries the titular character

 the last two are pretty shit compared to fellowship, sad to say

Agreed 110%. Booth, I'm going to make you my personal movie advisor from now on. Deal with it.

Sup, Fud. :) It's going. How's married life treating you? :D

I definitely agree that it was an excellent choice to make Arwen more prominent in the films. Made more sense that way, you know? Yeah, you do. In the grand scheme of storytelling, you can't just have one of your most important characters hook up with some random other character you barely see or know anything about. Doesn't make sense. (For the record, I'd switch teams for Liv Tyler. :)
 

~ Amanda

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave..."

McKellen could sell me the Brooklyn Bridge. That man is just awesome. I think he was the greatest casting decision they made.

I would probably view the movies in a more favorable light had I gotten into them while the hype was still there. I think a theater experience makes these films. I resisted watching them for a long time because I would put the first movie on and just get irritated and bored after the first 30 minutes and turn it off. I didn't watch any of them until this year. Oh well. Dollar short, day late...that would be me. :)

~ Amanda

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave..."

 i think the books are pretty good, with one major exception--

"omg guys are you ready to go one the biggest adventure of our lives, this is gonna be hella dangerous and who knows WHAT will happen!!!"

*spends 50 pages assing about at tom bombadil's house like 10 feet from the shire*

~ Amanda

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave..."

what the hell WAS that guy, anyway? they kept hinting he was old and powerful, but he was also bonkers and silly, yet had a hot wife.

~ Amanda

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave..."

i'd rather bitch about what the did to gimli. he and worf need to start a support group for badasses turned into burping farting morons for the sake of "comedy"

~ Amanda

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave..."

Moon Of The Wolf  (1972) -  After several locals are viciously murdered, a Louisiana sheriff starts to suspect he may be dealing with a werewolf.

This movie was boring through most it.  It would hit the same story beat over and over.  It was a made for TV movie from the 1970's so I guess it was good for the time, because I don't think the made for TV movies during the 70's or 80s was all that great. 

I am starting to watch Werewolf Of Washington (1973) Star: Dean Stockwell.  I am not very deep into it yet.  

I do think that these are the types of movies that should be remade.  Why remake great movies?  Why not remake bad or okay movies and make them great.  I think Moon Of The Wolf with some slight changes could be a great movie.  

Masked & Anonymous (2003)  

I am so glad I didn't see any of the reviews panning this film starring and co-written by Bob Dylan, because I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I think the reviewers just couldn't flow with what it is.  Dylan plays Jack Fate, a 60's rock icon released from a political prison to headline a benefit put on by a corrupt network to attempt to instill hope in a populace ground down by a totalitarian regime put in power by a revolution in a future America.  What reviewers saw as pretentious and self-indulgent I saw as poetic, fable-like, surreal.  John Goodman, Jessica Lange, and Jeff Bridges have key roles, with a plethora of cameos (Luke Wilson, Penelope Cruz, Ed Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Bruce Dern, Val Kilmer).  The soundtrack is fabulous--many foreign language covers of Dylan songs, plus Dylan and his touring band c. 2002 playing live half a dozen songs (a hot version of Cold Irons Bound, acoustic versions of Dixie, Diamond Joe, I'll Remember You and others.)  A must-see for Dylan fans.

How could I forget Mickey Rourke?  Can't wait to see him in Darren Aronofsky's latest The Wrestler.  

And the movie has great lamps.

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

"I'm a WHOLE DAMN TOWN!"