Here's a good review of Love Actually that its haters will smile at....




LOVE ACTUALLY (14) (dir., Richard Curtis) Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Martine McCutcheon [Things I Believe (but Richard Curtis doesn't): (i) "All You Need is Love" is the worst Beatles song of all time; (ii) There is nothing funny, or cute or heartwarming about Ozzy Osbourne, or the notion of broken-down old rockers representing some kind of cracked, addled honesty in a shiny corporate world; there is no upside to the triumph of mediocrity; (iii) It's a fine line between charming self-deprecation and a kind of forced complicity that's smug and false, as when characters talk of the "total agony of being in love" and the film invisibly pokes you in the ribs to add 'but not really!' (indeed, so fine is this line no-one should ever try for charming self-deprecation, unless they are Hugh Grant who does it brilliantly); (iv) Christmas is a plastic, pointless holiday, birthing only skin-deep togetherness; (v) The stiff-upper-lip as a mark of heroism - e.g. Emma Thompson laughing and joking with her kids to conceal how deeply she's been hurt - went out with General Gordon (though self-sacrifice can still be touching, if done with dignity); (vi) People who feel the urge to deflate big emotional moments, e.g. with casual profanity, probably need to get in touch with their emotions. Obviously never a prime candidate for my Top 10 list, but I wasn't prepared for how inept it is: thought I'd be angrily brushing back tears (angry at the manipulation), but in fact Curtis manages to wreck pretty much all his climactic can't-miss moments, mostly through overkill - the little boy coming back from the departure gate with a smile on his face is just right, the little girl following him is too much; Firth proposing to his beloved in a crowded Portuguese restaurant could still work, being heckled by her fat sister and the rest of her family could not - ending on a montage of thundering banality. Which reminds me: (vii) The hugs and kisses at the arrivals lounge of Heathrow Airport - often insincere, always based on an idealised conception of a person one hasn't seen in a long time, usually forgotten (or regretted) by the time one has walked with said person to wherever the car is parked - are a pretty dodgy indicator of Love Being All Around in my opinion.]

Love Actually annoyed me not cos I hated it and I had to go see it in exchange for Kill Bill. But because some of the stories were excellent (Rickman and Thompson's, Nighy's addled rocker and Simon Lincoln's) where as some were really shit (Hugh Grant, Little drummer boy.)

I had some hopes that LA was gonna be alright but half the plotpoints just completely derailed and the whole thing just runs off a cliff so thumbs down in my book.

I've watched this thing like 3 times since I've gotten it in the mail....



Blisssss......

Now, if they'd only re-release Songs For Drella on DVD.

Watched this last night for the first time in over 20 years. Having seen the Stones for the first time live this past Wednesday has put me in a big RS mood. It's kind of funny watching the flower children see their dream vanish in one fell swoop. I'm all for peace and love, but the flower power crap was a silly, drug-fueled dream. Even so, it is disturbing seeing how angry people can be.

This is pretty great. The segment on para-sex is shattering.

I am getting a little tired of hearing The Polyphonic Spree in movies, however. They're like the "You Can Always Get What You Want" of the 00s.

Tony, that might be a good review, if only it were legible.



I came in thinking this was a love it or hate it sort of movie, but I have to say I came away from it sort of confused. It's certainly not the pile of trash many people led me to believe it was. It rankled my emotions too much at times for it to be dismissed. That said, Brendan Fraiser continues to disappoint.

I stand by Crash as a good movie. It's worthy of nomination, but there are better movies that deserve to win.

maybe it was nothing 'new', by SPike Lee standards, but think of it as a movie about society that was made for people who don't watch a lot of those movies. Some people think it hits people over the head with a sledgehammer, whereas I think this movie is made for people like the Bushes, who have no idea how racist they really are.

I try not to watch movies for other people.

Saw this yesterday, my favorite movie of 2005 no doubt. Beautiful cinematography and a great story I was excited to learn more about (after studying it first semester in school this year).


I'm watching this movie for Cinema class right now. Before seeing Rushmore I had only seen one of Wes Anderson's movies which was The Life Aquatic (loved it). I enjoyed this movie just as much as I did Life Aquatic, I'm going to see Royal Tenebaums next for sure.


Picked this up the other night on a whim. I had seen clips of it perviously but never the entire thing. I really like Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon so it made sense to rent. The movie was very funny but also made me cringe a few times as well (the whole teacher-student relationship creeps me out and I know they're being satirical... but still.)


This was a dumb movie I think. Not very funny and just sort of immature humor. I think Steve Carell is much much better on The Office than he was in this movie. Plus, fuck, it was over two hours long.

Films I'll be viewing in the coming week(s): O Brother, Where art thou?, Gosford Park, and American Beauty

If you really want to learn something about Murrow, read this:

Edward R. Movie: Good Night, and Good Luck, and Bad History by Jack Shafer

Finally watched Walle & Grommit...WereRabbit, and man, it would have been in my Top 10 if i had viewed it earlier. What really struck me was the cleverness of the whole thing, little subtle stabs of adult humor and puns without relying on easy pop culture references (cf. Shrek 2)

It borrows deeply from Hammer films, but that's OK.

.... and Ealing studios pictures

But that's what I mean...everyone else has to reference The Matrix, or throw in a disco hit from the '70s in a musical montage or spoof reality TV shows. Maybe it's an American thing,.. I caught a tip of the hat to "An American Werewolf in London".

"Fireworks" [Japan, 1997]

Excellent art film from Japan follows story of a retired cop through violent flashbacks of his experiences on the force. Visually stunning and very meditative considering the subject matter.

But Murrow was/is an icon.

Your point?

Very good film. Comedic timing on this one is really good. When it gets released widely, I recommend people pick it up. Or if you have a Netflix account, nab it because it's worth a viewing.

Had a new horror movie marathon.

Dark Water ---

The Fog ---

Saw II --- not bad. quality kills

Why is it there is so little GOOD horror and scifi flicks out there? And why do they always lump scifi in with horror? Is it that hard to make a spooky movie without being stupid on the writing?

Was this the old or the new Fog?

Amen, buddy! I love horror movies, but I swear my top ten are all from 20 years ago or older.



guess

Wouldn't know. That's why I asked.

Well then obviously you didn't read the initial post carefully enough

I can't believe you wasted your time on these?! 'The Land of the Dead' was supposed to be worthy. I think that's out now, know? You should see Kurosawa's 'The Cure' for sure if you haven't already. I was just talking to EPT bout that 'Texas Chainsaw' remake. Did you ever see 'The Cell'?
That's a good one as well.

I'm through with remakes. The Cell was good. From now on, it's the oldies or new Japanese horror

That's my girl.

The point is, Murrow, made it a big deal. Maybe other guys had taken McCarthy on, but I don't hink they had Murrow's stature, (or at least his stature now).

Finally got around to watching this one.

^^

Yeah, that was pretty decent. Definitely one of the better Stephen King adaptations.

Agreed. As far as King goes, in my book nothing can top Stand By Me ever.

Tony's going to apply 20cc's of smackdown to you. Repent now.

It's not like there are that many great King adaptations. I don't hate TSR just the fact that its so highly regarded. It's listed in the top Five Films of all time on IMDB.

From what I have seen---

Good King: Shawshank, Stand By Me, Carrie, The Shining (Kubrick's version, although it only has about 60% to do with the original novel), The Tommyknockers (TV), The Stand (TV), The Shining (TV), Needful Things, Creepshow, Dead Zone, Green Mile, IT (TV--in spite of mucho exposition and subplots dropped), Salem's Lot (TNT miniseries--havne't seen the original), Misery, The Langoliers

OK King: Hearts In Atlantis, Kingdom Hospital, Firestarter, "The Raft" from Creepshow 2, Christine, Silver Bullet (Cycle of the Werewolf), Dolores Claiborne (turned into a semi-cheesy "Lifetime" movie, but still...), Riding The Bullet

Bad King: everything else.

Good King? The Tommyknockers?


Bad agrimorfee.

100% better than the novel. That's why I say so.

Also on the OK King tip: Golden Years (but I haven't seen the ending) and Running Man (and only about 50% having to do with the original novel)

No love for the shit weasels

Yeah, but Richard Dawson and Mick Fleetwood are great fun in that one.

"Mr. Spock - you have the conn."
"Who?"

And of course:
"I'll be back."
"Only in a rerun, pal."

I couldn't believe that was happening, even as I watched it.

It's become my favorite campy so-bad-it's-good movie of the last decade.

Phenomenal movie.


What did you think?

me and my pal just watched this a few weeks ago on ifc. it was good... held my attention, but it wasn't a masterpiece or anything.

It was everything I wanted it to be and yet, it wasn't completely compelling throughout either. But I guess that's acceptable when you take it as slow as this movie did. Nothing I can critique or would want to change, though. It's probably just as admirable for the predictable things it left out that viewers might have expected (confrontational violence, racist conflicts, big climax, etc.) as the good things that it did include (great cast, wonderful cinematography, good use of music throughout). Definitely didn't pull any punches in showing a certain part of poverty-stricken America but it was nice to see characters that didin't dwell in those circumstances.

Every Now Playing post should be this good. (And I'm one of the biggest offenders.) Spectacularly well put.

Just had Neve Campbell fim festival:

"The Company" (dir. Altman) - much better than I expected; shot on location in Chicago; about the Joffrey Ballet

"When Will I Be Loved" - not nearly as good; reminded me of a Neil LaBute, without the script

****

Great movie. In the mid-year-massive-overcorrection poll of 2005 films, this will be going in my top ten, and likely top 5.

Amy Adams is getting a lot of deserved attention for her nuanced scenery-chewing, and I won't be disappointed if she wins, but Embeth Davidtz is incredible here, too. Not to be missed, if a little (or a lot) depressing.

Man, was that ending a total mindfuck or what. Great.

Well? Give it up, fella--is it all it's cracked up to be?