Another Slow Week On My Part.

Shoot 'Em Up: 4/10

Beerfest: 6/10

Southland Tales: 7/10

Bottle Rocket: 8/10

The Pianist: 10/10

P.S. I Respectfully Disagree On Four Rooms. I Highly Enjoyed It. A Very Funny Movie. Especially Tim Roth, Great Comedic Performance.

@Daniel Wolfe: I actually liked Roth too and thought Rodriguez's segment was quite entertaining… but more on all that soon.

1) Gigantic: 6.5/10

2) Grey Gardens: 7.5/10

3) Better Off Ted Season 1: 9/10

4) Kaminey (Indian film): 8.5/10

5) Eagle Eye: 5/10

6) Bedtime Stories: 5/10

7) Happy Accidents: 5/10

I always thought 'In Cold Blood' and most other Capote related films (including Capote), struggled to match up to the novel (if you could even call it that). Having said that, I agree that this film has got a huge case for visual spectacle. Nothing can beat the beauty of b-'n'-w photography.

Gigantic – C -
Erratic, tends to go in too many directions at once and can't seem to find and settle on a plot progression. Too many inexplicable things tossed in for flavor but no substance. But the actors and acting were all first rate. (Loved John Goodman's Al Lolly.)

500 Days of Summer – A-
A rather old fashioned film that has a story totally adapted for modern times. 500 Days never loses its self identity as entertainment (the breakout song and dance number is superb) . Two annoyances, a too frequent voice over and the uber mature younger sister/relationship advisor, a character appearing too often in films today that annoys the crap out of me. But Joseph Gordon Levitt, Zooey Deschanel and the entire cast were wonderful. Really enjoyed this film and look forward to seeing it again.

Let the Right One In – A
This is both a vampire film and a coming of age story of the main character of Oskar, a lonely, bullied boy, who meets a new neighbor girl, Eli. Together they break the mold of both genres, exploding them. And whoever was inspired to have a vampire living in Sweden during the winter months, it was ingenious.

Grey Gardens (HBO) – B+
A really well done complement to the original documentary. Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore as the eccentric mother and daughter living in squalor amid the remnants of their former wealth and social distinction do a superb job of recreating Big Edie and Little Edie.

Knowing – D
Bad, bad, bad. This film is pretentious and overdone. The CG is awful, the plot is plodding, the logic is ludricrous, and with the view of humanity this film portrays, I think the Nazis were more optomistic. Nic Cage is wooden both in his gestures and his emotions. (What has happened to the interesting and edgy actor of his youth?) He's like a sleep walker who recites lines. The child playing the son was disapointing also. One of my conclusions, and I say this as a huge fan of "Dark City," is that Alex Proyas can't direct, not actors anyway. Big catatrosphic scenes, maybe, actors, no. I'm only giving this a D instead of a F out of sentiment for the creator of "Dark City."

[Rec] – A

City of God – B+

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – B

Do the Right Thing – B-

The Hit – A

@Patricia: Agree with you on 500 Days of Summer, Let the Right One In, and Knowing…I haven't seen the other two. I recently saw Knowing and it was terrible, the longest two hours I spent watchiing a movie in a long time. It just kept going and going and got more ridiculous as it went along. As for Let the Right One In, it was one of my favorite films of 2008. The child actors were so good not to mention the beautiful photography. And it's hard to say something bad about 500 Days of Summer, I just thought it was a little bit overly quirky in some parts, but overall a great film.

@Brad Brevet: Brad, now that you've seen "In Cold Blood" you really must see "Capote". It's a matched set. And it would be nice to read Truman Capote's book too, if time allows. They all hold up.

@Patricia: I've seen "Capote" and "Infamous" and I prefer the latter by far. Toby Jones is great; I just wish there were more roles to suit him so he wouldn't have to provide voice overs for characters like Dobby (whom I love but don't think it matches his talents).

Movies I saw this week:

Saving Private Ryan (10/10) Its that much better 720p.

Fracture (9/10) This is such a highly re-watchable movie. Gosling is truly captivating (love the pauses) in this. And I love the banter and rivalry between his character and Hopkins. The rhythm and pace of the film just puts me to rest for some reason. And plus I love great movies about law.

Adventureland (6.5/10) They made Kristin Stewart's character too bitchy in this movie. I guess they had to antagonize her when compared to the dweeb she apparently loved… I wish this had more of Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig. I'll just have to wait for Extract I guess. But still very watchable though not that laugh out loud funny.

@Anonymous' Friend: I disliked Fracture, but liked Adventureland much more than you (just got the Blu-ray though, and interested to watch it again). Saving Private Ryan is one I really need to see again, mixed feelings the first time I saw it and haven't watched it since… and that was a long time ago.

The week began for me with 'About Schmidt', which I found to be a fascinating creature. I thought it was well-written, but that the people over there at the Golden Globes are seriously delusional for giving it a win for writing. I was very impressed by Mr. Nicholson, and I enjoyed kathy Bates' performance, although I have trouble seeing it as a nomination worthy performance. Finally, I thought that the director needed to grow up. He used the same style that he used for Election, and I think it worked there, but not here. Luckily, he matured for Sideways.

'The Others' was next, which I thought was above average in every way, but not remarkable in any way. I of course really and truly loved the idea of the ending, which some people might say is the whole point of the movie, but it wasn't quite enough for me.

A rewatch of 'The Patriot', because I was young when I first saw it. Inconsistent tone, and style stuck in the early 90s (gotta love Roland), plus some wonderful anachronisms. But… the action scenes I thought were well done, and there were 2-3 instances where I got caught up in the melodrama, something I rarely do.

A rewatch of Cloverfield: I really love J.J. Abrams' movie work, although I think the script could have used a rewrite.

A rewatch of Michael Clayton: The dialogue wasn't as amazing as I remembered it (although still Oscar-worthy in a lesser year), but the direction was much better than I remembered it, also oscar-worthy in a lesser year (in my opinion).

And… Time Traveler's Wife. Never really connected to the melodrama, and I thought the dialogue was atrocious, but I actually kinda grew fond of the direction. And you thought that McAdams and Bana were both up and down? Interesting, because I thought Bana was all down and McAdams all up. Hmm.

@Anonymous' Friend: Can't have too many good portrayals of Truman Capote as far as I'm concerned. He was without a doubt, in equal measure, one of the most original, ballsy, talented, intelligent, and neurotic characters ever to come out of America. I remember watching him swish and amuse (often at his own expense) the TV audience on the Johnny Carson Show in the evening and then the next day being taken up by his peerless writing in one of his short stories or his books. As a person, as a writer, as an eccentric, he was one of a kind.

Adaptation – 11/10 – My fourth viewing of the film, my new favourite of all time.

Hamlet 2 – 6.5/10 – Barely watchable for the first hour, but the ending is hysterical.

Death Proof – 8.5/10 – Even if it ultimately ends up as nothing more than hot girls and car crashes, it is one of the most entertaining films I have seen in a long time, a great homage to oldschool B-Movies.

District 9 – 8.5/10 – Mildly dissapointing, but still highly enjoyable with some points to make.

Pretty safe bet your six other films were Tarantino's. Prepping for another In My Opinion, I'd say.

@Mason: Amen, Mason, on the 11/10. Adaptation is tied for favorite of all time in my book, tied with No Country for Old Men

@Brad Brevet: SPR is friggin awesome in HiDef; highly recommend it. Movies like Adventureland just don't appeal to me too much I'm afraid and I think its a waste if you invest HiDef quality on that. I mean that in the way that there's nothing you'd want to see in that movie HiDef that you'd miss on a regular DVD image. Know what I mean? But I guess if you enjoyed a movie, you'd want the highest quality anyway.

@Patricia: Ya, I've seen "Infamous" 3 times now. And I still can't believe he didn't get a nomination for that role. And Sandra Bullock was awesome in her role as well. She's a tremendous actor. I can't wait to see her new Drama.

This week I'm going to watch "State of Play", "South Park – Bigger, Longer, Uncut", and probably "In the Loop" again.

Slow week for me aswell:

The Fisher King – 6/10 – (Re-watch, not seen for a good 10 years) Seems like a mixture of the mental institution scenes in 12 Monkeys crossed with the fantastical aspects of some of his other movies. Didn't feel it quite worked. Better than Tideland though.

50 First Dates – 8/10 – (Re-watch) – Surprisingly good, definitely Sandler's best comedy of this decade.

Notorious (2009) – 5/10 – Quite boring and overlong.

GI Joe – 5/10 – Very disappointing, felt it had a lot more potential that was wasted.

Inglorious Basterds – 8/10 – Far from Tarantino's best and not sure how often I will return to it. However, despite some flaws, one of the most entertaining films I have seen at the cinema in quite a while.

The only movie I saw from Brad's list is "Four Rooms", which I'm not very fond of. I think Tim Roth's performance is over the top, and most of the stories aren't funny. However, the final joke is amazing.

I've only seen bits of "Dead Calm", now I want to see the whole thing.

@Anonymous' Friend: I also think "Infamous" is better than "Capote". And yeah, Sandra Bullock was amazing. So was Toby Jones. Well, the whole cast is great – even cameos like Gwyneth Paltrow's one are quite good.

My week in movies:

- Moscou: brazilian documentary that follows a theatre company producing a Tchekov play. Just average – especially considering that the director, Eduardo Coutinho, is very innovative on his approach to documentaries. This one got stuck in the middle, so to speak. C

- Man on Wire: I liked it. but I thought the main character (ok, I know he's not a character, but I forgot his name, sorry) was kind of annoying with all his childish energy? And I wanted the movie to move me. It didn't. C+

- Dolores Claiborne: in many ways, I like it better than Misery. Misery may be a less-flawed movie, but Dolores has better dialogue (those AMAZING conversations between Kathy Bates and Judy Parfitt, and Kathy's one-liners are awesome). I can understand the criticism on Jennifer Jason Leigh's acting, but I don't agree at all. Her character is so deeply troubled, people seem to forget that. And I forgot how the eclipse sequence has a stunning photography – comparable to the technicolor in "Leave Her to Heaven". A

- The Girifriend Experience: this movie surprised me – it's about the global economic crisis! And I found Sasha Grey (which I didn't know) to be very charming. She's a nice actress. B

- Brüno: the overall tone of the movie was more childish than Borat. I assume it was more aimed at the younger audience? But I laughed my ass off anyway. Loved the "imaginary blowjob" sequence. And the ending was unbelieavable. B

- Drag me to Hell: what a difference a great director makes! I jumped several times. It was downright scary. And it was f***in' funny also! I had forgotten Sam Raimi's twisted sense of humor. Loved the "kitty, kitty" sequence. And the dinner at Justin Long's parents sequence (Alison Lohman's faces were priceless, hilarious). And what about that goat? A+

- Lars and the real girl: wonderful. Lovely. Brilliant. I can't describe how much I loved this movie. I must've cried a dozen times while watching it. Ryan Gosling is superb. And there's probably my favorite scene of the year so far: when they're at the party and Lars is dancing by himself, smiling, with Talking Heads' "This Must be The Place (Naive Melody)" as the soundtrack. I wish I could see one movie like this per month, I was so moved by it. A++

Hey Brad I don't know if you've seen Following, but I would definitely recommend it. It is the directorial debut of Chris Nolan, and it is strikingly similar to Memento, but I would even say that I liked it better than Memento. It's running time is only a little over one hour and it is shot in black and white, but the story is captivating and the acting is actually quite good for such a low budget film. Check this one out, you won't be disappointed.

To Catch a Thief (1955) B-
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) B-
The Prestige (2006) (Rewatch) A
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) (Rewatch) A
Conan the Destroyer (1984) D+, but a guilty pleasure for me.
The Seventh Seal (1957) (Rewatch) A+
District 9 (2009) B

@Owen: Bravo for you, admitting your guilty pleasure. We all them but often fail to admit them when listing the films we watched. I can honestly say I didn't watch any of mine except maybe a few moments or two on Youtube.

Brad, that's the new feature. What are our guilty pleasures and can we give the story behind them?

The Dark Knight (rewatch) — A

Pulp Fiction (rewatch) — A

Body of Lies (rewatch) — B+/A I like this movie alot. Its not amazing but its damn entertaining.

Se7en (rewatch) — A Great movie. Fantastic ending.

Public Enemies — C+/B- This was a very OK movie. Nothing great but not complete crap either. I also dont know why Michael Mann shot the action scenes and left them looking completely unedited. Left the movie feeling less "Mann-ish"

A Perfect Getaway — B+ For the type of movie it is, it was very well made and entertaining. Also it was pretty cool having been on that exact trail twice before and seeing it on screen.

District 9 — A- I liked this movie alot. It was very original and quite entertaining. The ending was open-ended but that gives it a sense of realism in my opinion.

Blade Runner… this will take a while.
Showing my age but I was born after Blade Runner's original release. I had seen bit and pieces over the years but it wasn't till grade 10 (15ish years old, I think) that I watched the 1992 Director's Cut.

When the Final Cut was released I had a free ticket to go to the first screening at Eglington in Toronto (I'm related to someone who is friends with someone who has worked with someone who's name is in the restoration credits, and they had an extra ticket), I was stuck working.

When I saw the 5 disc Bluray Complete edition (no suitcase) on sale I grabbed it, then I moved, and it sat on my shelf in the packaging for over a year. For those who have no clue what I'm talking about, the set includes 5 versions of Blade Runner plus '9 hours' of bonus content:

The Workprint (the print used for test screening, also known as the 1992 theatrical "Director's Cut"), the domestic and international theatrical cuts from 1982, the home video release Ridley Scott's actual DC, and the 2007 Final Cut. Where to begin?

I watched the FC last night, then I plan to the other releases in order (Workprint, domestic, international, director's, and finish it off with the Final Cut again). I'll save my thoughts until I'm done and I'll be sure to post my progress. 8/10 so far.

Watched Stir of Echoes (BR) and was pleasantly surprised, the digging scenes were great!

@Aaditya: I hope some of the Arrested Development or Pushing Daisies die hards will give their DVD players a rest (or put away their external hard drives) and give Better Off Ted a chance. The show is hilarious and rather edgy for a network show.

Brad, a little bummed you didn't dig Dead Calm on the level I do, though your point on the ending is solid. That first hour is pure thriller fun for me though.

Watchmen – Didn't hate it like some, but I certainly didn't love it. I think you really needed to have read (and liked) the graphic novel to appreciate/understand this movie a bit more.

The Wedding Singer – One of Sandler's best which I find is over looked by many.

17 Again – Watched it with the wife. Zac Efron held it down quite well in his first starring, non High School Musical role. He has potential.

Jurassic Park (rewatch) – Man, this movie still rocks.

I was on a bender for the last week. Here what I watched:

"Dragonball Evolution". It's probably the worst I have seen this year. I smell Razzie!

"Push" Interesting concept. Poorly executed.

"The Soloist". A waste of good talent. A disappointing movie.

"(500) Days of Summer". An thought-provoking take on relationships. Great film.

"Apocalyto". It was an entertaining movie for being entirely in Mayan. A solid effort by Gibson.

"Shogun Assassin". A gory samurai tale that is not that good. Entertaining though.

"Second Skin" A doc about online gamers. I geeked out on it. Coming out soon DVD.

@GregM: Yea, Portia de Rossi is particularly fantastic in it. Can't get enough of her one liners. I still lol at:

Lawyer: "Can you describe your job?"
Veronica: "Yes."
Lawyer: "How would you describe your job?"
Veronica: "Cleverly."

:D :D :D

I wanna add to my list:
State Of Play 6/10
Could've been so much more I think, just seemed to play to the galleries a bit much, especially at the end.

Hitch 5/10
Really, really not that funny. I had heard so many good things, should've just let it pass. Waste of years of anticipation.

Into The Wild (rewatch) 10/10
Fan-frickin'-tastic.

Nostradamus: 2012 6/10
Really? After ninety minutes, they say that there's still ambiguity in their interpretations. Very disappointing, albeit informative in bits.

Little Zizou (Indian film) 7.5/10
English language Indian films often try a little too hard. This one is just about right, and is perfect for a couple of hours of filmed family dysfunction.

Dial M for Murder (rewatch) 9/10
I still have to watch Rear Window, but Hitchcock is just so thoroughly entertaining..Add to that Grace Kelly and you have a surefire winner.

8/9-8/15:

History of the World: Part 1 – B+ (not sure why this gets a bad rap, I thought it was pretty funny)

Observe and Report: D+ (not very funny and not very dark, which were the two things I thought I was promised with this movie)

The Majestic: C- (extremely hokey and even worse: extremely predictable)