I just watched An American Haunting.  It was a decent spook flick.  Good for those out there who are wusses.  I like more scare factor.

As for CCC's review of The DaVinci Code.  IMHO, don't read the book.  It wasn't very good, which is odd because I loved his Digital Fortress and I am reading Deception Point right now, but anyway...  If the movie is any worse than this book, I won't be seeing it at all. 

Later tonight I will be enjoying Monster House with my 2 year old niece.  I will review when we are done.... 

Saw The Prestige yesterday. Very good flick, entertaining and pretty interesting, with some good twists.Christopher Nolan is great (though I wish he'd quit the Batman movies... no one can top Tim Burtons original films).  Good performances, particularly Christian Bale (though Michael Caine and David Bowie managed to steal plenty of scenes). It's nice to see Hugh Jackman in better films, since I think he has a lot of potential (Bale completely outperforms him here though). Much better than the decent but rather convoluted and unremarkable Batman Begins.

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

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

119 minutes of slanted camera angles, mumbled dialogue, and Johnny Depp doing the Raoul Duke monkey-walk. Just wasn't feeling it last night. Maybe I should have tried the ether.

Logic Hat Online- logichat.org

 How would you like to come back to my tardis and take a look at my time vortex?   

V for Vendetta.

Big surprise- Not at all what I expected.

Bleep you, & bleep the establishment, and bleep all of you who are trying to make me part of the unestablished establishment.

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

This Is Spïnal Tap

I hope I put the dots over the right letter. Anyway, though I've never been able to sit through any of the films that Chris Guest directed, I enjoyed this one all the way through.  I think the genuine documentary feel is what makes this one so easy to go along with.

Logic Hat Online- logichat.org

If anyone other than Kirsten Dunst was in Marie A. I might consider watching it. Just because Sofia Coppola made one good movie, she's a far cry from her Daddy. The one good movie being Lost in Translation. I will watch Marie A. eventually, but was delighted to see that Jason Schwartzman was in it, which I didn't know.

Little Children - I'll refrain from the Kate Winslet comments, except to say her performance was superb as was Jennifer Connelly (although sometimes I have trouble with her) and Patrick Wilson. The movie has a lot of humor, I laughed out loud several times. You might think, okay, how many films have we had about adultery? I usually go with movies that have "cinematic" value to see in the theater, but at year's end when all the Oscar fodder comes out, I might make a few exceptions. This was a very good film, adultery aside and it was very well shot. Todd Field beats the sophomore jinx for the most part. You could probably wait till the DVD comes out, but I would recommend checking it out eventually.

p.s. I have watched most of the first season of Big Love and I really like it, it's hard not to with that cast.        

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

Yeah, I know. Which is why I said that I haven't been able to sit through any of Guest's films I've seen (Starting with Waiting for Guffman and up to A Mighty Wind) but I did enjoy the Reiner-helmed Spinal Tap. Though I do acknowledge that there are some very funny scenes in each one.

In other news, I'm all set to see The Prestige at noon tommorrow. Hopefully it'll tide me over for Dark Knight in two years.

Logic Hat Online- logichat.org

You mean you haven't tried Best in Show, Logic?  It's hard not to love Best in Show. (even if the wrong dog won)

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Quoted for clarity.

Logic Hat Online- logichat.org

Haha, Outlaw!  Yep, I was a fan of the bloodhound too.  Thanks to Don Davis for making the wrong judgment, huh?

Last night we watched From Here to Eternity with Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, MONTGOMERY CLIFT, Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed.  OHMYGAWD, that Monty Clift was a beautiful man!  Every close-up makes you want to weep.  The director had to fight the studio to cast Monty.  They argued he did not look like a boxer and he did not look like a soldier.  Well, maybe.  But it worked!  Frank Sinatra begged for the role as Maggio.  In fact, I believe this is chronicled in Mario Puzo's The Godfather with the Johnny Fontaine character.  Deborah Kerr was the ice woman/good girl before this role which an aging Fred Zinneman (the director) described as a "nymphomaniac."  When was the last time we heard THAT word?!  Zinneman thought casting a sexy bombshell in the role would not induce the same sort of curiosity about the character's behavior than casting the classy cool DK.  Donna Reed was not a studio choice either.  Only Burt Lancaster was someone they all agreed upon. 

This is the film with the supposedly torrid love scene with the crashing waves on a Hawaiian beach between Kerr and Lancaster.  Prior to renting this movie, that is the ONLY scene I'd ever seen from From Here to Eternity.

The problem with it is that it's so dated. The notion of infidelity was really shocking in 1953 especially when the married woman had countless love affairs.  "Do you have an adding machine? Otherwise I can't tell you how many man I've kissed."  The lone wolf soldier who doesn't want to be a boxer anymore and defies the captain.  It's set in the winter of 1941 but the Pearl Harbor attack comes late and is not a major part of the film.  Besides, that historic event was handled much better in the Ben Affleck Flick Pearl Harbor Sucked (and I Miss You). 

Shot in glorious Black and White, I'll give it a 4 out of a possible 5. The extras include trailers for The Guns of Navarone and The Bridge Over the River Kwai, the former which looks interesting and I will put on my queue. I saw Bridge when I was a kid with my WWII vet dad and my mom.  It bored me silly and that prejudice remains with me still. 

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Monster Squad at the Egyptian Theather in seattle. Why? because it's one of the best , least pc, movies ever made for kids/teens. That movie rocks my socks and dracula is a total pimp in it :)

 How would you like to come back to my tardis and take a look at my time vortex?   

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

The Prestige

I really don't know what I think about all the twists yet, except that [spoiler]I knew from the beginning that muttonchops guy was just a disguise, though I wasn't sure who it would be disguising. It seems that in some scenes he's played by Hugh Jackman, in others by Christian Bale[/spoiler].

I can't say I disliked it, but it didn't grab me the way Nolan's other films have. Felt it dragged a bit, to be honest. But I'll definitely be giving it another look on DVD.

Logic Hat Online- logichat.org

Have you seen The Following -- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154506/ -- Logic?  That remains my favorite Nolan film.  Hmm, it may be the ONLY one I've liked come to think of it.  I thought it was fantastic.

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

I'm having a serial-killer night. I just watched Summer of Sam, which wasn't actually much of a serial-killer movie. But I sort of knew that going in.

I mostly liked the film. Brody, Esposito, Sorvino, and Leguizamo were all great, and most of the others were pretty good too. Spike Lee's cameos were hilarious. There was a good amount of comedy, and more sex than I expected. Bebe Neuwirth is hot, and not in her evil librarian sort of way.

Next: American Psycho.

(Some friends of mine threatened to hold a Slither drinking party next weekend, but I think they're leaning toward replacing it with The Life Aquatic. Which I love, but I hardly see how it's a replacement.)