What I Watched, What You Watched: Installment #61
A one week hiatus and we're back
After 60 straight weeks, last week was the first week I failed to post a "What I Watched" column and I apologize so hopefully you have a lot to share. I, however, only have one movie to share here as most of what I've been watching at home as of late has been for Blu-ray reviews. Recently, on top of the one film below I watched the Criterion Blu-ray editions of The Magician and The Darjeeling Limited as well as Disney's Diamond Edition of Beauty and the Beast, all three of those I will have reviews of shortly as well as a review of Criterion's Blu-ray edition of Seven Samurai.
So now that's out of the way, here's the one I watched and I am anxious to hear from you guys since you have about 14 days to cover. Anyone go see The Social Network or Let Me In this weekend? How about Wall Street last weekend? Share in the comments below.
| The Italian Job (1969) |
 |  |
| QUICK THOUGHTS: I have a lot of catching up when it comes to Michael Caine's films considering this was the first time I saw the original Italian Job and still have have a few of his other classics such as Get Carter and Alfie on my must watch list. As for The Italian Job, seeing the 2003 remake first and then stepping into this one doesn't prepare you in the slightest. This is a dramatically different film and mildly entertaining. It's much more of a comedy and I'm not entirely sure what I think about the ending, though I think that's due more to the fact I was expecting a different film than what I ended up getting. I can only assume seeing this one again will give me a better idea of what I think about it since expectation can always be a killer. | |
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So that's all I have for you this week. Any of you check out the new films in theaters? I am particularly interested in what people have to say about Devil. It wasn't screened for critics in Seattle and I am mildly interested in checking it out. Is it worth it?
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First viewings:
The Social Network (2010)- As much as I liked this, I was expecting it to be a little better with all the glowing reviews it’s been getting. 8/10
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)- I thought it was funny, but relied a little too much on reused gags from the first. 6/10
Lost: Seasons 2-5- I’ve enjoyed the hell out of this show.
Rewatches:
American Beauty (1999)- I love this movie. 10/10
Se7en (1995)- 9/10
(500) Days of Summer (2009)- It’s gotten better with each rewatch. 8/10
Leon: The Professional (1994)- 8/10
Gone Baby Gone (2007)- 9/10
American History X (1998)- 9/10
Goodfellas
The Usual Suspects (1995)- 10/10
The Social Network: C+; I was really disappointed with this. I just felt like it was supposed to be something more than what it was. I rarely ever say that a film needs to R rated to be good, but I feel like this film was intended to be R rated and it just never reached its potential because the performances got limited. I did think that Justin Timberlake was terrific in his role as Sean Parker though. He definitely the scene thief in the film. I felt like Fincher was limited here as well. It is definitely not his best work, in my opinion.
Let Me In: B+; I thought that this was a very faithful adaptation from the original but with just enough to make it different. I know some people did not like it and I know some people loved it. I thought that Chloe Mortez was terrific in her role. She definitely had some frightening moments. I give it a thumbs up and a solid effort on Matt Reeves' part.
Secretariat: C-; I caught a special sneak preview of this on Saturday and was bored out of my mind watching this. If it wasn't for the performances this film would have garnered an F from me because the story just isn't interesting enough. It feels like a Hallmark film at times, even down to lighting. I thought that Randall Wallce would really know what he was doing but the direction is all over the place. I just thought that the only highlight of this film was Diane Lane and John Malkovich. Those two were solid in their leads. I enjoyed watching them together on screen, they definitely hit it out of the ballpark as far as their performances go. But overall, the film is uneven, slow and derivative.
The Town (Rewatch): A+; Caught this a third time. I can't say enough good things about this film. I loved it.
The Departed (Rewatch): A+; This is my all time favorite film, love every minute of it. Great cast. Great plot. Great all around. Definitely love this film. One of Scorsese's best.
The Departed (Rewatch): A+++
Easy A-Easy A is a brilliant teen comedy. The first half of the movie is extremely hilarious and attention-grabbing. It draws you in with its opening intro of a web-cast, and Olive (the main character) tells you her story of how she ruined her flawless reputation. It begins with a lie about her losing her virginity on a weekend, with that lie turning into a rumor. Then, a gay classmate asks her to fake having sex with her to keep her new found reputation consistent and to have bullies stop disrespecting him. You may think you know where the story is going, but it pulls the rug out from under you and under itself; it takes risks that other similar films nowadays would be afraid to. The story is very original, with several great performances, especially from Emma Stone, who plays Olive. She has superb comic timing and is able to carry the movie. The only criticisms I have is that the film reaches its ending and runs out of things to say, and that the parents seem a little TOO perfect for a girl who is faking sexual activity. However, it is so well-written and acted that it would be completely worthy of a Best Picture Academy Award nomination. I highly recommend this movie for all teens, parents, and teachers. 8/10
The Last Song-Remember when you wrote that you were going to try and watch it, Brad? Well, I won't blame you if you've decided to change your mind. This movie may as well go down as one of the worst films of 2010. The Last Song features Miley Cyrus in an uneven and whiny performance as a teenage girl experiencing the love of her life during the summer. There is also a church fire, a pyromaniac, family problems, and other things which you probably won't care about. Cyrus does have fantastic chemistry with her co-star Liam Hemsworth, but the movie's pluses truly end there. Characters and plot-lines seem to be pulled randomly out of a hat, and scenes which should be emotionally powerful are paired with conflicting, shut up already-style music. Ronnie and Will seem to be on and off, seeing as they are constantly arguing and apologizing instead of having their relationship develop. The last third saves the film from receiving a 2, but doesn't save the film as a whole. Ronnie is supposed to be unlikable, but you are supposed to feel for her as well. The supporting characters are supposed to be just as interesting as Ronnie. The film is very superficial, underdeveloped, and empty, and fans of the surprisingly well-crafted novel will be disappointed. 3/10 (D+)
I copy-pasted my IMDb reviews, so that's why there is so much text.
Ha, yeah, still haven't attempted Last Song yet, too many better looking films keep lining up in front of it.
Oh, Easy A is at a B+ for me.
I will be watching Let the Right One In next week.
- Radio (2/4) boring and cliched sports drama
- Blood SImple (4/4) coen brother classic
- Gone Baby Gone (3.5/4) superbly put together
- Fight Club (4/4) David Fincher's best
- Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (3/4) an interesting film that is a great compliment to Coco Before Chanel even if they are two unrelated films
- Just Wright (1/4) considering half the cast is NBA stars and rappers, can you expect anything else?
- Get Him To The Greek (2.5/4) Sean Combs deserves some award consideration in a hilarious role
- Good Will Hunting (3/4) solid but overrated film
- The Social Network (4/4) it doesn't "define the decade" but it does a great job at exploring the pursuit of success
Jackass (4/4) – i don't know why but i really enjoyed this
Borat (3.5/4)- No Comment
Grandmas Boy (3.5/4)
Back To The Future – 5/5 – Absolutely amazing experience, seeing this in a theatre for the first time.
The Town – 4/5
Buried – 3/5
Devil – 3/5 (Better than I expected but still a pretty average film overall).
Tetro – 3/5
9 – 3/5
American Grafitti – 3.5/5
Annie Hall – 3.5/5
The Town – Some fantastic scenes in this. Really enjoyed the car chase scene and the ending, but there just seemed something missing in the relationships between the characters. Well directed though and pretty solid. B
Buried – I was rather impressed, I was expecting it to be played as more of a thriller rather than the small burning suspense it ended up as. Probably the best I have ever seen Reynolds in a role, and the thing that kept coming to my mind was 'ballsy filmmaking'. B
The Human Centipede – Probably one of the worst films I have ever seen. Terrible editing and acting with the dumbest of plots. F
The Informant! (4/5) I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this film, I found the story very interesting and the narration/commentary of Matt's character very effective.
Insomnia (4.5/5) Awesome movie! Haven't seen the original yet, but I loved the story and Pacino's performance. The whole sense of place, and the way the moral ambiguity of the protagonist and his own insomnia play each other is intriguing and well done.
A couple of weeks worth in one here -
Cinema watches:
The Town (2010) – I think I'm likely the only person who found this a dull and plodding by the numbers retread of the staples of the heist genre. I don't mind a predictable story because so many films have them, but I really am not understanding the raves about this film. There's a certain quality to the acting and direction, sure but the film itself is absolutely average. And there's no way this film and Oscar should be in the same sentence – not even for Renner, I'm afraid.
Devil (2010) – I actually 'enjoyed' this more than The Town for it's 80 minutes runtime. I completely forgot about it the moment I left the cinema, but while I was there it's B movie silliness worked. I guessed 'who' the Devil was but then since it literally could have been anyone it was just a lucky day for me!
On DVD/Blu-Ray -
Robin Hood (2010) – Rewatch. Again, still rate this as better than most people seem to have found it. Especially in the improved DC version.
Eagle Eye (2008) – First time watch. Quite preposterous OTT action but a great Friday night flick with lots of pace and energy. Ludicrous. But watchable.
Shelter (2008) – First watch. A very dull Julianne Moore horror that I could barely keep interest in until the end. I don't know how she's making her film choices these days but she can do better then this.
Chloe (2009) – First watch. Re Moore, again, I have no idea what's driving her film choices recently but this 'erotic thriller' was a huge dollop of neither. How this attracted tha cast it did is beyond me, because Moore, Amanda Seyfried and Liam Neeson surely had better offers on the table.
Basic Instinct (1992) – Rewatch. However, watching a lame erotic thriller put me in the mood to watch a better one. Take away the heavy sex and blood and gore and this is actually a pretty good guessing game psycho-thriller with a huge dose of Verhoeven-filtered Hitchcock going on. I think it's actually aged not too badly now the controversy is long since gone.
Jamon, Jamon (1992) – First watch. I felt like an excursion into foreign cinema last week so rented this. Not bad and refreshing to watch something with a different energy. Probably won't watch it again for a very long time but a good film.
I watched a LOT of movies. I'll write them in order of how good they were:
1. The Ghost Writer
This is one of the best movies of the year. The award associations would be fools to ignore it, however, the Polanski association might be a factor to do so. It was fantastic and its my fourth overall favorite so far (behind Toy Story 3, Inception and Shutter Island). A+
2. Wall Street
All the movies that I watched were 2010 except this one. I saw this one so I could see the sequel later this week. It was fantastic and I was surprised Michael Douglas' character wasn't that substantial considering his cult following. I'm disappointed Sheen isn't back for the sequel [in a prominent role], but it seems his story was told anyway. A
3. How to Train your Dragon
This was incredible! If it weren't for Toy Story 3, this movie would be a shoe-in for Best Animated feature. Some things weren't explained enough, but its a movie about vikings and dragons, so I can't be picky. I'm picky all the time anyway, so I'll give it an A-. Solely for the fact that character development wasn't that important, but if there was more depth in that particular department, It'd be an easy A+.
4. The Town
It was good, but I expected more. Gone Baby Gone raised my expectations. Ben Affleck is a phenomenal director though and I love everything Rebecca Hall does so it isn't a surprise I liked this a lot. I just think the script lacked some more depth. I also hate when movies end in narrations. I give this a B+ (compared to Gone Baby Gone's A).
5. The Disappearance of Alice Creed
I liked it as much as I can like a 3-actor cast. I feel like I didn't get to see the whole story because of that issue, but Gemma Arterton was incredible. She deserves a nomination. Supporting or Lead, I don't care, she was great. Marsan was good too, but he has done better work so I won't rave that much. Gemma's the star here. B
6. Solitary Man
I didn't like it. It was like a washed up Gordon Gekko trying to buy a Car dealership. He then goes on to do stupid things for no reason and we're supposed to feel sorry for him. Or maybe we're not. I don't know exactly why this script was greenlit, because its just boring and not-that-interesting. No phenomenal performances or amazing shots. just a lame duck among much better movies. D+
7. Boogie Woogie
It wasn't as bad as some critics said, but it wasn't good either. It was just a movie trying to be Crash, but instead of racism, they talk about politics in the art industry. I think its obvious that the latter issue isn't as important as to keep someone interested. I was intrigued for the first 25 minutes, but towards the middle, I just wanted it to end. D
8. Paper Man
I expected a lot from this movie, but it was horrible. I hated almost every minute of this lame and stupid story that didn't make any sense at all. The real story here is the great performances from Jeff Daniels, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone and Lisa Kudrow. Kudrow stands out from the pack, but they were all great. If they had better material, they would all be shoe-ins for all four acting categories. However, the directos/writers (same people) doomed them of any chance. D-
9. A Nightmare on Elm Street
They changed the story and made it lame. I also hated the new Freddy although Rorscach himself makes a good performance. That still didn't prevent the movie from boring me to death. F+
10. The Killer Inside Me
This was horrible. Casey was good, but only for a while, because he had the same freaking face and pitch/tone during the whole movie. It was all such a ridiculous attempt at sensationalistic film making that I don't think there is any reason for anyone to give it any respect. It was a terrible waste of time. F-
The only movie that shocked me was Paper Man, but all the others were just as how I thought they would be. The Ghost Writer is severely underrated and deserves a shot at some awards. Anyone agree?
The Town – Just a very solid movie. I really liked Renner and Hamm in their roles, but the rest was also pretty good. Good chase scenes. One note though, some parts reminded me a bit of Heat. 8/10
Before Sunrise – A very romantic and naive look at love, and that's why it works so well for me. Great dialogue. 8/10
Before Sunset – A more realistic look at life and second chances. Great dialogue again and great acting too. And a good test to see if you're a cynic or a romanticus. (I'm a romanticus disguised as a cynic :P) 9/10
I Love You, Man – Just a really fun movie, although the character Jason Segel played was also a bit confronting for me. XD 8/10
Yes Man – Just a harmless fun movie. Had some really funny moments, but the funniest thing for me were the bloopers. And Jim Carrey was good as always. Though I hope we see him in a more serious role soon, Joel in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is still my favorite role of his. I should rewatch that one soon. Anyway, 6/10
That movie was very freaky, IMO
… I was talking about I Love you, Man. Their bromance felt like it was really turning into a romance
I saw three movies in theaters (two, technically speaking, if you don't count a film festival) this weekend, which is more than I usually see in an entire month.
Let Me In – A very nice surprise. I was originally opposed to the remake, but I'm thrilled that it was actually good, very good at that. The acting, score, and cinematography are all solid. There were a few minor plot changes, but nothing too major. Too bad it flopped at the box office. A-
The Tempest – I saw this at the New York Film Festival. The cinematography and acting are excellent, but the Shakespearian dialogue bogs the movie down. The movie is incredibly hard to follow, but nice to look at. The sound was absolutely horrible, but I'm not entirely sure the sound was finished at the screening I saw. B-
The Social Network – The movie of the year! David Fincher, do you really need to constantly remind me why you're my favorite director? It's one of those few cases where the movie is a million times better than the book (which sucks if you haven't read it). Wow, what a movie. A must-see for everybody. A+
I was at the Milwaukee Film Festival the last two weekends, so I've been in a movie theatre quite a bit recently. I saw:
– The Revenant (B-)
– Perrier's Bounty (A-)
– Best Worst Movie (A)
– Troll 2 (F, but fun to watch after Best Worst Movie)
– A Somewhat Gentle Man (C)
– Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (B-)
– Garbo: The Spy (B)
– Cold Weather (A)
I also saw Wall Street 2 (C-), The Social Network (A-), and Catfish (A).
Over the past couple of weeks:
RocknRolla – Not bad, even if a bit convoluted at times. Gerard Butler was pretty funny, and watching Tom Hardy is always a good time. 3/5
Hannibal – This may be my least favorite Ridley Scott film. A major disappointment, especially after having enjoyed The Silence of the Lambs as much as I did. An odd mix of black comedy with shock moments. However, I will give it credit for being stylishly made. 2.5/5
Red Dragon – Not a great movie by any means, but certainly an improvement over Hannibal. The 'lightest' looking of all the Hannibal Lecter films (in picture and even somewhat in tone). Out of the three films I would say that this one has the best ensemble. 3.5/5
O – A surprisingly terrific modern day adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. Terrific performances from everyone involved, and despite knowing how it will all turned out I found myself quite absorbed in this movie. 4/5
Hearts in Atlantis – A sweet story, with convincing performances from Anton Yelchin and Anthony Hopkins. Not the best Stephen King adaptation, but it's still a pretty solid effort worth taking a look at. 4/5
The World's Fastest Indian – The ultimate feel-good movie. This could be my favorite Anthony Hopkins performance; it is certainly his most endearing. If there is a flaw I would have to say that perhaps some of the other characters he meets are a little too colorful too often, but it's still a very lovable movie and Anthony Hopkins is great. 4.5/5
84 Charing Cross Road – A disappointment. Solid performances, but it is immensely slow paced and at times quite dull. It's a hard story to dislike, but it should have been done a lot better. 2.5/5
Ondine – A strange modern Irish fairy tale, with dark cinematography that makes the film always look like it's taking place during a cloudy/rainy day. Another sweet film that's worth a rental. 3/5
Body of Lies – I had very little interest in seeing this when it was out in theaters, and I just got around to seeing it with my expectations being low and was quite pleasantly surprised. DiCaprio, Crowe and Mark Strong are all at the top of their game, and the pace was just right with an intriguing story that kept my attention throughout the running time. 4/5
The Dead – Bleh. Not much to say about this one, but one of John Huston's weaker efforts. Unfortunately it was also his last. The short story by James Joyce wasn't that great either, in my opinion. 2.5/5
The Tillman Story – A good documentary, but I had some problems with it. I wish there was a little more insight into who Pat Tillman was. I also have some mixed feelings about other things that I won't get into here, but it's still a solid film. 3.5/5
Blade Runner (Workprint) – I've seen The Final Cut and Director's Cut a few times, but never this one. Considering this was the rough cut version that they showed to test audiences, I was quite impressed. 4.5/5
Dark City (Director's Cut) – Finally bought this on Blu-Ray this weekend and watched it last night. I've been a big fan of this movie and have always found it to be immensely underrated. I found the director's cut to be even better than the theatrical one, so I'm sure this is the version I will be going back to watch on repeated viewings. 5/5
Robin Hood (Director's Cut) – Like the two films above, I've also technically seen this already, but not the director's cut version. This was my first time watching the film since it was in theaters, so I may not have noticed all new additions but there definitely were certain scenes added that stuck out to me which I couldn't recall seeing before. Still an entertaining film, and I'm looking forward to the sequel. If they do it. 3.5/5
Re-watches:
The Thin Red Line – I still haven't gotten the Criterion release yet, but I'll get the Blu-Ray copy of it in November when Barnes & Noble have that 50% sale. Amazing movie that never gets old on repeated viewings. 5/5
The Social Network: Excellent film, though the ending left me wanting a little more. Eisenberg, Garfield, and Timberlake were all fantastic. In my dream ballot i'd have them all nominated. Sorkin won the Oscar as far as i'm concerned; one of the best screenplays in years? I hope Fincher wins the oscar for this one (unless True Grit really amazes). Even though Zodiac's still my favorite of his, he's just as deserving for this. Fantastic editing, score, and direction. I'll try to see this one again soon. I will say this though, Zuckerberg really came off as a bad guy. Eisenberg gave him appropriate complexity and ambiguity, but i never considered him as a tragic hero.
Minority Report: One of my favorite Speilberg films and it was shamefully shut out of the oscars. The best sci-fi film of the 00's imo. Brilliantly executed w/ the type of intelligence, mastery of technology, panache, and assurance that hasn't been seen very often. Only the ending falters. John Williams gives another great (oscar snubbed) score and Tom Cruise gives one of my favorite performances of his, akin to Matt Damon and Daniel Craig in Bourne Ultimatum and Casino Royale in terms of going above and beyond what the material requires. Just great fun, and so thematically rich. Not to mention the stunning scene w/ the spiders raiding the apartment complex.
Irreversible.
High Tension.
Social Network.
A few more festival films this week:
Mr. Nobody – B+
The film has some very intriguing ideas about choices and the difficulty in knowing which is the right one to make. Also time is a factor that is discussed in a very interesting way. The movie is maybe a bit too long and a little confusing at times, it definitely could’ve benefited from a few cuts. In my opinion it had too many stories to tell. The director Jaco van Dormael was at the screening sharing his thoughts about the film and about the way he works writing and directing. I had never attended such a Q&A so I was all ears.
Little Big Soldier – B-
It was nice to see Jackie Chan in a Chinese film for a change. It’s a war story and Jackie is a soldier who sees his fortune in a kidnapped general of the enemy. Good fun and his fight scenes are always almost an art form on their own.
Winter’s Bone – B+
There was something lacking, I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was as simple as the subtitles… At times it was a bit hard to make out what they were saying, English is my second language. That left me in the dark a bit. I’ll have to watch this again sometimes.
The Town – B-
Brad’s review said it all. I was hoping for an original heist story but it ended up being like every other one of its kind. Some good scenes (car chase for example) but the ending especially left me disappointed.
And then some.
An Education – A-
I finally had a chance to see this because an indie theatre near my home decided to bring this back to the screen. A great story and Carey Mulligan really makes her character come to life.
La vita e bella – B+
A touching combination of sorrow and humour in this Italian film in which a father is protecting his son from the horrors of the world.
The Thing from Another World – C-
I just couldn’t get over the fact that the movie looked old and cheap and a little ridiculous at times and not at all scary.
I've been swamped, so I've only been able to catch films in the movie theatre…that said.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – B
A very solid film all around, Carey Mulligan continues to amaze me.
Let Me In – A
I loved the original, so imagine my surprise that I liked this as much, if not more! The changes they made were all brilliant. The movie was able to have some very inventive touches from Reeves, while keeping the soul of the original book/film. Acting terrific, everything terrific.
The Social Network – A
Great acting, script, direction, topic, music, style. This one has it all. Only complaint, and I usually don't care about R vs. PG 13 ratings. But the fact it was PG-13 had me thinking about it during the movie, there were times where it was so obvious the script originally had a "F**K" and they changed it to "god damn" or its derivative. Kinda distracting.
Fantastic Mr Fox ***
Our Man In Havana ****
Cemetery Junction ****
Son of Rambow ***
3 Days of the Condor ***1/2
The Social Network:
I don't use Facebook, so I didn't think I'd like this, but I left the theater highly impressed. Easialy the best film of the year. 2010s first contender for Best Picture.