I watched Goldfinger today. A to the 1282912128th power.

Yeah, the R1 DVDs of all of Miyazaki's films (excluding the old full-frame Totoro) all have the Japanese language track on them. Kypade was probably not watching a R1 or legal copy :wink:

l was watching the one that came in the mail from blockbuster...l hit the audio button, and it said 1/1 English or whatever...although, it definitely had the subtitles for a Japanese language (there were 2 sets of english subtitles...one that matched with the english speaking, and one that was quite different.) oh well... :?


EDIT:

l just finished "The Twilight Samurai." It was not quite what l expected. Kinda slow, and pretty dark, sometimes to the point of being unable to see anything, which was kinda annoying. It was, however, much more human than most samurai movies (that l've seen anyway - which aren't a terribly many). It focuses on one man, and shows him not so much as a hero, although his actions are rather heroic, but also very real and humanistic. He has real problems, and real emotions. Just a very, oh...personal, l guess, story, and in that way it's very effective. Otherwise, like l said, slow and dark...well shot, and made. It's in no way bad, just nothing that really blew me away.


01. 01/07/05: Yi Yi (Edward Yang, 2000) ****
02. 01/08/05: Vertical Ray of the Sun (Anh Hung Tran, 2000) ***
03. 01/08/05: Ran (Akira Kurosawa, 1985) ****
04. 01/09/05: Sleeper (Woody Allen, 1973) ***
05. 01/09/05: Key Largo (John Huston, 1948) *** ½
06. 01/09/05: Out Cold (Brendan & Emmett Malloy, 2001) * ½
07. 01/10/05: Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931) * ½
08. 01/11/05: Just Married (Shawn Levy, 2003) * ½
09. 01/11/05: Battleship Potemkin (Sergei M. Eisenstein, 1925) *** ½
10. 01/12/05: Airplane! (Jim Abrahams, et al, 1980) ****
11. 01/12/05: The Good Girl (Miguel Arteta, 2002) **
12. 01/13/05: Castle in the Sky (Hayao Miyazaki, 1986) ****
13. 01/14/05: In Good Company (Paul Weitz,2004) *** ½
14. 01/14/05: Léon (Luc Besson, 1994) ****
15. 01/15/05: House of Flying Daggers (Yimou Zhang, 2004) ****
16. 01/15/05: The Triplets of Belleville (Sylvain Chomet, 2003) *** ½
17. 01/15/05: In the Mood for Love (Kar Wai Wong, 2000) *** ½
18. 01/16/05: Meet the Fockers (Jay Roach, 2004) * ½
19. 01/17/05: Kiki’s Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki, 1989) ***
20. 01/18/05: Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman, 1972) **
21. 01/19/05: Star Runner (Daniel Lee, 2003) *** ½
22. 01/20/05: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (Ki-duk Kim, 2004) ****
23. 01/21/05: Iron Monkey (Woo-ping Yuen, 1993) ***
24. 01/22/05: The Laramie Project (Moisés Kaufman, 2002) ** ½
25. 01/23/05: Chungking Express (Wong Kar-Wai, 1994) ****
26. 01/23/05: Princess Mononke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997) ****
27. 01/24/05: Twilight Samurai (Yoji Yamada, 2004) *** ½

I'm off to see Are We There Yet? Expect a grade later tonight.

1. 1/7/05: Troy (2004). Grade: 9.5/10 - A
2. 1/8/05: White Noise (2005). Grade: 8.1/10 - B+
3. 1/8/05: Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004). Grade: 8.3/10 - B+
4. 1/8/05: Open Water (2004). Grade: 5.3/10 - D+
5. 1/9/05: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). Grade: 9.4/10 - A
6. 1/9/05: Mindhunters (2005). Grade: 9.4/10 - A
7. 1/9/05: Face/Off (1997). Grade: 9.7/10 - A+
8. 1/9/05: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004). Grade: 8.4/10 - B+
9. 1/10/05: Cruel Intentions (1999). Grade: 9.3/10 - A
10. 1/10/05: Reindeer Games (2000). Grade: 4.2/10 - D-
11. 1/11/05: Napoleon Dynamite (2004). Grade: 6.2/10 - C
12. 1/12/05: Paparazzi (2004). Grade: 7.3/10 - B-
13. 1/13/05: Not Without My Daughter (1991). Grade: 7.5/10 - B
14. 1/13/05: Bad Boys II (2003). Grade: 9.6/10 - A+
15. 1/14/05: Hotel Rwanda (2004). Grade: 9.7/10 - A+
16. 1/15/05: Elektra (2005). Grade: 7.8/10 - B
17. 1/15/05: Without a Paddle (2004). Grade: 7.1/10 - B-
18. 1/16/05: In Good Company (2004). Grade: 8.3/10 - B+
19. 1/16/05: Coach Carter (2005). Grade: 9.2/10 - A-
20. 1/17/05: The Village (2004). Grade: 6.8/10 - C+
21. 1/17/05: Pirates of the Carribean (2003). Grade: 9.5/10 - A
22. 1/18/05: Secret Window (2004). Grade: 7.8/10 - B
23. 1/19/05: Friday Night Lights (2004). Grade: 8.5/10 - A-
24. 1/19/05: Cellular (2004). Grade: 7.7/10 - B
25. 1/19/05: The Forgotten (2004). Grade: 8.0/10 - B+
26. 1/20/05: The Cookout (2004). Grade: 4.5/10 - D
27. 1/20/05: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). Grade: 9.0/10 - A
28. 1/20/05: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy (2004). Grade: 9.3/10 - A
29. 1/21/05: Spider-Man 2 (2004). Grade: 9.8/10 - A+
30. 1/22/05: Million Dollar Baby (2004). Grade: 8.9/10 - A-
31. 1/23/05: Final Destination 2 (2003). Grade: 8.4/10 - B+
32. 1/24/05: Half Past Dead (2002). Grade: 8.2/10 - B+
33. 1/24/05: Assault on Precinct 13 (2005). Grade: 9.5/10 - A

Assault on Precinct 13 is a real action movie. And an excellent one it is. It's one of the best action movies I've seen in the past few years, and even better than Training Day. Lawrence Fishburne, Ethan Hawke, and Gabrielle Burne were all good in this one. Lots of good twists, though the main one was pretty predictable 30 minutes into the movie. I still loved it though, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's in my top 10 of 2005.

1. 1/8/2005: Scream 2 -- 8.0/10 (A-)
2. 1/9/2005: Scream 3 -- 7.5/10 (B+)
3. 1/10/2005: White Noise -- 7.0/10 (B)
4. 1/10/2005: Garden State -- 9.0/10 (A+)
5. 1/12/2005: Meet the Parents -- 8.0/10 (B+)
6. 1/12/2005: Hotel Rwanda -- 9.5/10 (A+)
7. 1/14/2005: Saw -- 8.3/10 (A-)
8. 1/14/2005: Elektra -- 5.8/10 (C+)
9. 1/16/2005: The Village -- 8.5/10 (A-)
10. 1/17/2005: Meet the Fockers -- 7.6/10 (B+)
11. 1/17/2005: Urban Legend -- 4.3/10 (C)
12. 1/19/2005: Assault on Precinct 13 -- 7.6/10 (B+)
13. 1/23/2005: Are We There Yet? -- 6.8/10 (B)

After all of the bad internet buzz and terrible reviews, I was expecting a dry and humorless, cliched, formulaic road-trip comedy. Are We There Yet?, however, was not. While it certainly isn't the best of 2005, it also will likely not be the worst. Ice Cubes on-camera charisma certainly carries the film through a few slow parts. Nia Long dissapointed with a rather weak performance however. The kids, on the other hand, while whiney and annoying, were very good in their roles.

6.8/10 (B)

In order of how I liked them

1. Superman: The Movie (1978) -- 1.13 A+
2. Million Dollar Baby (2004) -- 1.21 A+
3. Dr. No (1962) -- 1.16 A+
4. The Aviator (2004) -- 1.7 A+
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) -- 1.18 A+
6. The Terminal (2004) -- 1.12 A+
7. Superman II (1980) -- 1.15 A
8. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) -- 1.20 A
9. Anchorman: Unrated (2004) -- 1.9 A
10. Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) -- 1.19 A
11. Super Troopers (2002) -- 1.23 A-
12. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) -- 1.8 A-
13. Coach Carter (2005) -- 1.17 A-

14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) -- 1.22 B+
15. Comedian (2002) -- 1.10 B
16. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) -- 1.11 B
17. The Big Bounce (2004) -- 1.25 B-
18. The Village (2004) -- 1.13 B-

19. Paparazzi (2004) -- 1.22 C+
20. Elektra (2005) -- 1.14 C+
21. Day of the Dead (1985) -- 1.23 C+
22. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) -- 1.11 C
23. The Forgotten (2004) -- 1.22 C-
24. Open Water (2004) -- 1.22 C-

25. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) -- 1.22 D

A lot of you grade really easy. Meaning you almost are afraid of giving out D's and F's and even C's. Lots of A, A+. When everything is an A, A+, I have trouble differentiating films that are your all time favorites (or favorities of the year) and those films which you thought were just really good.

Just noticing!

What's the difference between the two?

1/11 - A Rape In A Small Town (2004) - B
1/11 - A Certain Kind of Death (2003) - B
1/12 - Anchorman Uncut (2004) - A+
1/13 - Garden State (2004) - A+
1/14 - Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - B
1/15 - King Arthur Unrated (2004) - B
1/16 - Stevie (2002) - A+
1/17 - Year of a Bull (2003) - C
1/18 - The Killing (1956) A
1/18 - Paths of Glory (1957) A
1/19 - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) A
1/20 - The Big Bounce (2004) B
1/21 - Cast A Deadly Spell (1991) A
1/21 - All The Little Animals (1998) B

1/21 - B.Monkey (1999) B-
An interesting little British caper film with lots of Asia Argento nudity.

1/22 - Girl With A Pearl Earring (2003) D
Just not my cup of tea. Like watching a painting dry. Only less fun.

1/23 - Something To Scream About (2002) B
If you're interested in B movies and so called "scream queens", this documentary is for you. Some T and A.

1/24 - Ride The Bullet (2004) D
There are two types of Stephen King adaptations. Those that are like Misery, Carrie, Shawshank and Stand By Me. And those that aren't. Riding the Bullet isn't the worst King adaptation I've ever seen. But at least gems like Graveyard Shift, Dreamcatcher, Maximum Overdrive, Sleepwalkers, and Night Flier offer gore and violence.

l just only watch good movies...:wink:

actually, l'm kinda serious here...l rarely have D films, and almost never F's (0 to 2 stars, approximately) because l really do only watch stuff that l have a high probability of liking...and if l like it, it's somewhere tween ** ½ - ***. Any higher is excellent, l loved it. and lower, is C-, D, bad, same old dreck. For example, l'd never watch something like Alien Vs. Predator, cuz l dont like either of the franchises much. l'd highly likely really dislike it. But, then again, l also am an easy grader.

Not that l gotta explain myself to you... :wink:


Speaking of which...or not really, at all...but anyway, l caught Before Sunrise last night on LMN (whatever that is...channel 55) and finished it today (fell asleep with about 40ish minutes left.

It's not nearly as emotionally powerful as Sunset. l honestly didn't really buy their relationship so much. And some of the dialogue was less than great. But, overall, it's a very solid film, and some parts are just amazing. It also further enhances the experience of the sequel, possibly knocking it up a few places on my top 10 of 2004. *** ½

01. 01/07/05: Yi Yi (Edward Yang, 2000) ****
02. 01/08/05: Vertical Ray of the Sun (Anh Hung Tran, 2000) ***
03. 01/08/05: Ran (Akira Kurosawa, 1985) ****
04. 01/09/05: Sleeper (Woody Allen, 1973) ***
05. 01/09/05: Key Largo (John Huston, 1948) *** ½
06. 01/09/05: Out Cold (Brendan & Emmett Malloy, 2001) * ½
07. 01/10/05: Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931) * ½
08. 01/11/05: Just Married (Shawn Levy, 2003) * ½
09. 01/11/05: Battleship Potemkin (Sergei M. Eisenstein, 1925) *** ½
10. 01/12/05: Airplane! (Jim Abrahams, et al, 1980) ****
11. 01/12/05: The Good Girl (Miguel Arteta, 2002) **
12. 01/13/05: Castle in the Sky (Hayao Miyazaki, 1986) ****
13. 01/14/05: In Good Company (Paul Weitz,2004) *** ½
14. 01/14/05: Léon (Luc Besson, 1994) ****
15. 01/15/05: House of Flying Daggers (Yimou Zhang, 2004) ****
16. 01/15/05: The Triplets of Belleville (Sylvain Chomet, 2003) *** ½
17. 01/15/05: In the Mood for Love (Kar Wai Wong, 2000) *** ½
18. 01/16/05: Meet the Fockers (Jay Roach, 2004) * ½
19. 01/17/05: Kiki’s Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki, 1989) ***
20. 01/18/05: Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman, 1972) **
21. 01/19/05: Star Runner (Daniel Lee, 2003) *** ½
22. 01/20/05: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (Ki-duk Kim, 2004) ****
23. 01/21/05: Iron Monkey (Woo-ping Yuen, 1993) ***
24. 01/22/05: The Laramie Project (Moisés Kaufman, 2002) ** ½
25. 01/23/05: Chungking Express (Wong Kar-Wai, 1994) ****
26. 01/23/05: Princess Mononke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997) ****
27. 01/24/05: Twilight Samurai (Yoji Yamada, 2004) *** ½
28. 01/25/05: Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995) *** ½

Basically what Kypade said. I don't try to watch bad movies, and I try to skip things I know I won't like. That's why I rarely give out things lower than a C. And of course for this thread, I can't get to the video store every day, so sometimes I have to stick with my collection of DVD's. And if I actually bought a DVD, it's because I liked the movie.

I found it impossible to watch The Big Bounce. It's soo... yuck. What'd you like about it?

1/11 - A Rape In A Small Town (2004) - B
1/11 - A Certain Kind of Death (2003) - B
1/12 - Anchorman Uncut (2004) - A+
1/13 - Garden State (2004) - A+
1/14 - Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - B
1/15 - King Arthur Unrated (2004) - B
1/16 - Stevie (2002) - A+
1/17 - Year of a Bull (2003) - C
1/18 - The Killing (1956) A
1/18 - Paths of Glory (1957) A
1/19 - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) A
1/20 - The Big Bounce (2004) B
1/21 - Cast A Deadly Spell (1991) A
1/21 - All The Little Animals (1998) B
1/21 - B.Monkey (1999) B-
1/22 - Girl With A Pearl Earring (2003) D
1/23 - Something To Scream About (2002) B
1/24 - Ride The Bullet (2004) D

1/25 - Dirty War (2004) C
Docudrama about what would happen if a dirty bomb exploded in London. I would have liked more violence.

1/25 - Control Room (2004) B
I found the US military spokesman who was interviewed throughout the film to be very interesting. Pretty standard stuff otherwise.

Loyal...you liked Umbrellas. Dear god it was one of the most boring movies I've seen this past decade. A? On what grounds? Defend yourself signore!

Girl with a Pearl sucked...I concur whole-heartedly.

Control Room was not so much content driven as topic driven. It falls into the recent line of *activist* documentaries, but as opposed to 9/11 and that horrible response doc (I forget the name) that I think Fox distributed afterwards, etc, Control Room is very soft-spoken and personal. That's about it...it interviewing people that may see things differently, but aren't necessarily screaming bloody murder. It had to get done. Did what it set out to do.

1. Mean Girls A
2. Spider-Man 2 A+
3. Troy B
4. Are We There Yet? B
5. Catwoman C
6. Elektra A-
7. Meet the Fockers A-
8. Coach Carter A
9. Napoleon Dynamite B+
10. Along Came Polly B-
11. Bruce Almighty B
12. Max Keeble's Big Movie D+
13. Daredevil B-
14. Anchorman B

These are not in order. I need to catch up!!!!!

I liked the look and feel of the film. There isn't much of a plot but when the entire film is sung in french, I don't think you need a plot. The romance of the language is enough.

It's an odd film but then again, I'm odd. It reminded me of Once More, With Feeling. Except no one in Umbrella broke into song, because it's a wacky universe where even the most boring things are sung, all day, every day

I'm walking to the door.

I'm shitting on myself.

Let's do, a reverse cowboy.

1. 1/7/05: Troy (2004). Grade: 9.5/10 - A
2. 1/8/05: White Noise (2005). Grade: 8.1/10 - B+
3. 1/8/05: Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004). Grade: 8.3/10 - B+
4. 1/8/05: Open Water (2004). Grade: 5.3/10 - D+
5. 1/9/05: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). Grade: 9.4/10 - A
6. 1/9/05: Mindhunters (2005). Grade: 9.4/10 - A
7. 1/9/05: Face/Off (1997). Grade: 9.7/10 - A+
8. 1/9/05: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004). Grade: 8.4/10 - B+
9. 1/10/05: Cruel Intentions (1999). Grade: 9.3/10 - A
10. 1/10/05: Reindeer Games (2000). Grade: 4.2/10 - D-
11. 1/11/05: Napoleon Dynamite (2004). Grade: 6.2/10 - C
12. 1/12/05: Paparazzi (2004). Grade: 7.3/10 - B-
13. 1/13/05: Not Without My Daughter (1991). Grade: 7.5/10 - B
14. 1/13/05: Bad Boys II (2003). Grade: 9.6/10 - A+
15. 1/14/05: Hotel Rwanda (2004). Grade: 9.7/10 - A+
16. 1/15/05: Elektra (2005). Grade: 7.8/10 - B
17. 1/15/05: Without a Paddle (2004). Grade: 7.1/10 - B-
18. 1/16/05: In Good Company (2004). Grade: 8.3/10 - B+
19. 1/16/05: Coach Carter (2005). Grade: 9.2/10 - A-
20. 1/17/05: The Village (2004). Grade: 6.8/10 - C+
21. 1/17/05: Pirates of the Carribean (2003). Grade: 9.5/10 - A
22. 1/18/05: Secret Window (2004). Grade: 7.8/10 - B
23. 1/19/05: Friday Night Lights (2004). Grade: 8.5/10 - A-
24. 1/19/05: Cellular (2004). Grade: 7.7/10 - B
25. 1/19/05: The Forgotten (2004). Grade: 8.0/10 - B+
26. 1/20/05: The Cookout (2004). Grade: 4.5/10 - D
27. 1/20/05: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). Grade: 9.0/10 - A
28. 1/20/05: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy (2004). Grade: 9.3/10 - A
29. 1/21/05: Spider-Man 2 (2004). Grade: 9.8/10 - A+
30. 1/22/05: Million Dollar Baby (2004). Grade: 8.9/10 - A-
31. 1/23/05: Final Destination 2 (2003). Grade: 8.4/10 - B+
32. 1/24/05: Half Past Dead (2002). Grade: 8.2/10 - B+
33. 1/24/05: Assault on Precinct 13 (2005). Grade: 9.5/10 - A
34. 1/25/05: Payback (1999). Grade: 5.8/10 - C-

Eh, I wasn't too pleased. It's one of Mel Gibson's weakest movies. It's not terrible, but it could have been so much better.

1. 1/7/05: Troy (2004). Grade: 9.5/10 - A
2. 1/8/05: White Noise (2005). Grade: 8.1/10 - B+
3. 1/8/05: Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004). Grade: 8.3/10 - B+
4. 1/8/05: Open Water (2004). Grade: 5.3/10 - D+
5. 1/9/05: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). Grade: 9.4/10 - A
6. 1/9/05: Mindhunters (2005). Grade: 9.5/10 - A
7. 1/9/05: Face/Off (1997). Grade: 9.7/10 - A+
8. 1/9/05: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004). Grade: 8.4/10 - B+
9. 1/10/05: Cruel Intentions (1999). Grade: 9.3/10 - A
10. 1/10/05: Reindeer Games (2000). Grade: 4.2/10 - D-
11. 1/11/05: Napoleon Dynamite (2004). Grade: 6.2/10 - C
12. 1/12/05: Paparazzi (2004). Grade: 7.3/10 - B-
13. 1/13/05: Not Without My Daughter (1991). Grade: 7.5/10 - B
14. 1/13/05: Bad Boys II (2003). Grade: 9.6/10 - A+
15. 1/14/05: Hotel Rwanda (2004). Grade: 9.7/10 - A+
16. 1/15/05: Elektra (2005). Grade: 7.8/10 - B
17. 1/15/05: Without a Paddle (2004). Grade: 7.1/10 - B-
18. 1/16/05: In Good Company (2004). Grade: 8.3/10 - B+
19. 1/16/05: Coach Carter (2005). Grade: 8.9/10 - A-
20. 1/17/05: The Village (2004). Grade: 6.8/10 - C+
21. 1/17/05: Pirates of the Carribean (2003). Grade: 9.5/10 - A
22. 1/18/05: Secret Window (2004). Grade: 7.8/10 - B
23. 1/19/05: Friday Night Lights (2004). Grade: 8.5/10 - A-
24. 1/19/05: Cellular (2004). Grade: 7.7/10 - B
25. 1/19/05: The Forgotten (2004). Grade: 8.0/10 - B+
26. 1/20/05: The Cookout (2004). Grade: 4.5/10 - D
27. 1/20/05: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). Grade: 9.0/10 - A
28. 1/20/05: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy (2004). Grade: 9.3/10 - A
29. 1/21/05: Spider-Man 2 (2004). Grade: 9.8/10 - A+
30. 1/22/05: Million Dollar Baby (2004). Grade: 8.9/10 - A-
31. 1/23/05: Final Destination 2 (2003). Grade: 8.4/10 - B+
32. 1/24/05: Half Past Dead (2002). Grade: 8.2/10 - B+
33. 1/24/05: Assault on Precinct 13 (2005). Grade: 9.4/10 - A
34. 1/25/05: Payback (1999). Grade: 5.8/10 - C-
35. 1/25/05: Alien vs. Predator (2004). Grade: 9.4/10 - A

It was even more fun on DVD. The alternate beginning was good, but nothing to brag about, and didn't really change anything about the movie itself, but more of a first sign of an alien vs. predator. For the rest of the movie, of course it's flawed, but it was so entertaining, so fun, and with great special effects. I don't expect anyone else to like this movie (except BKB...), but I love it. I'm a die-hard fan of Alien and Predator, and the fact that this had blood cut out honestly did not bother me. If it were in there, it might have been slightly better, but the fuss over blood/no-blood is pretty dumb, because the movie was enjoyable with or without it. If there is one thing I can name that could have been better abotu AVP, it would be that I wish it was longer.

I wasn't being critical about grades, I just find it interesting. That's what this experiment is partly about, seeing how others view films. I guess I try to watch everything... I'm going from indies tonight, to Alien vs. Predator to a documentary tomorrow... because I'm not a slave to genre (well maybe certain I tend to avoid) but my general theory is that every genre can have great films, it's just a matter of expoliting what you need to. I'm not saying people are slaves to genres, I think I'm just in a different place at the moment. I'm not as "advanced" as dolcevita, but I've moved beyond what Blockbuster can provide me.

(not this month, I've been catching up on mainstream films this month due to the amount of them being released, but you know what I mean).

01. 01.01.2005 - Open Water. (2004) d. Chris Kentis. Grade: F
02. 01.01.2005 - Sideways. (2004) d. Alexander Payne. Grade: A
03. 01.01.2005 - King Arthur. (2004) d. Antoine Fuqua. Grade: C
04. 01.02.2005 - The Manchurian Canidate. (2004) d. Jonathan Demme. Grade: B
05. 01.02.2005 - Innocence: Ghost in the Shell 2. (2004) d. Mamoru Oshii. Grade: B-
06. 01.03.2005 - De-Lovely. (2004) d. Irwin Winkler. Grade: C-
07. 01.05.2005 - Notorious C.H.O. (2002) d. Lorene Machado. Grade: D+
08. 01.08.2005 - Million Dollar Baby. (2004) d. Clint Eastwood. Grade: A+
09. 01.08.2005 - Code 46. (2003) d. Michael Winterbottom. Grade: D+
10. 01.09.2005 - The Door in the Floor. (2004) d. Tod Williams. Grade: C+
11. 01.09.2005 - House of Flying Daggers. (2004) d. Zhang Yimou. Grade: B+
12. 01.10.2005 - Vampires: The Turning. (2005) d. Marty Weiss. Grade: F
13. 01.10.2005 - The Prophesy. (1995) d. Gregory Widen. Grade: D+
14. 01.11.2005 - Napoleon Dynamite. (2004) d. Jared Hess. Grade: B
15. 01.12.2005 - Bamboozled. (2000) d. Spike Lee. Grade: B-
16. 01.13.2005 - Good Burger. (1997) d. Brian Robbins. Grade: D-
17. 01.14.2005 - Once Upon A Time In Mexico. (2003) d. Robert Rodriguez. Grade: C+
18. 01.15.2005 - Silver City. (2004) d. John Sayles. Grade: C
19. 01.15.2005 - We Don't Live Here Anymore. (2004) d. John Curran. Grade: C-
20. 01.15.2005 - In Good Company. (2004) d. Paul Weitz. Grade: B-
21. 01.15.2005 - The Village. (2004) d. M. Night Shyamalan. Grade: B+
22. 01.16.2005 - Eurotrip. (2004) d. Jeff Schaffer. Grade: D
23. 01.16.2005 - Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. (2004) d. Sara Sugarman. Grade: D
24. 01.17.2005 - The Firemen's Ball. (1967) d. Milos Forman. Grade: A-
25. 01.20.2005 - The Forgotten. (2004) d. Joseph Ruben. Grade: D+
26. 01.20.2005 - Friday Night Lights. (2004) d. Peter Berg. Grade: B+
27. 01.21.2005 - Ray. (2004) d. Taylor Hackford. Grade: B+
28. 01.22.2005 - Hotel Rwanda. (2004) d. Terry George. Grade: B
29. 01.22.2005 - Mona Lisa Smile. (2003) d. Mike Newell. Grade: C-
30. 01.25.2005 - Slacker. (1991) d. Richard Linklater. Grade: D

I've taken a break the last few days watching Troy and James Bond over and over :wink:

Actually, I would raise my grade of Troy to a B, I actually think it's pretty damn entertaining. And it is well shot, and there are some great things about it.

Slacker, yes, I get it. I get that it's edgy and cheap and the beginning of Richard Linklater. I also get, that like Clerks, it isn't very great anymore.

It just doesn't age.

The film has one voice. Different characters, but the same mind is producing all the thoughts. That is its biggest flaw.

Which Bond? I rewatched Octopussy recently. \:D/

I still need to see Napoleon Dynamite. Why did you give it the grade you did?

Bamboozled. I don't know how I felt about this one. I've seen enough Spike Lee movies to realize that they have two dynamics (except X) they either get bad but then end up calm and ok, or they just build into a very chaotic end. I put such films as Do The Right Thing and Bamboozled in the latter, and Jungle Fever, Girl 6, etc in the former.

Anyways, I understood the reverse pyramid (so to speak) in Do The Right Thing, but I lost it somewhere *spoilers* when the actor gets kidnapped, etc* in Bamboozled. It might have been parodying such things as Network, but it would have been better served if it hadn't. I always liked Jada's role in it (it was Jada right?) But everyone else pretty much does a 180 by the end, and while I understand Lee's comments on "selling out" and "letting fame get to one's head," it just seems kind of shallow in a movie that started off with the potential to really be critical of media representation and business world simultaneously. I dunno. How did you feel about it?

Octopussy is my favorite Bond with Mr. Moore.

Goldfinger is my favorite overall, though.

Perhaps it's about time for a "Best of Bond" thread

In order of how I liked them

1. Superman: The Movie (1978) -- 1.13 A+
2. Million Dollar Baby (2004) -- 1.21 A+
3. Dr. No (1962) -- 1.16 A+
4. The Aviator (2004) -- 1.7 A+
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) -- 1.18 A+
6. Sleepless in Seattle (1993) -- 1.25 A+
7. The Terminal (2004) -- 1.12 A+
8. Superman II (1980) -- 1.15 A
9. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) -- 1.20 A
10. Anchorman: Unrated (2004) -- 1.9 A
11. Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) -- 1.19 A
12. Super Troopers (2002) -- 1.23 A-
13. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) -- 1.8 A-
14. Coach Carter (2005) -- 1.17 A-

15. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) -- 1.22 B+
16. Comedian (2002) -- 1.10 B
17. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) -- 1.11 B
18. The Big Bounce (2004) -- 1.25 B-
19. The Village (2004) -- 1.13 B-

20. Paparazzi (2004) -- 1.22 C+
21. Elektra (2005) -- 1.14 C+
22. Day of the Dead (1985) -- 1.23 C+
23. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) -- 1.11 C
24. The Forgotten (2004) -- 1.22 C-
25. Open Water (2004) -- 1.22 C-

26. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) -- 1.22 D



I liked the movie really because of Morgan Freeman. Every movie he is in, makes the movie so much better, for instance Dreamcatcher. He made that movie at least watchable for me.

The Spy Who Loved Me and The Living Daylights.


Simple things, like "The liger, it's a mixture of a tiger and a lion, it's pretty much my favorite animal ever". It just hit close to home in many ways, I thought it was generally good natured, and it was really different. It also reminds me of my girlfriend's rural home town.


Bamboozled had conviction, and it had a purpose, it was reaching for something, and I generally respected the attempt, it in fact, went too far. But it made me think hard about the "minstrelization" of entertainment. I liked its chaos however, it seemed to thrive in it. I would say 25th Hour in the same category as Bamboozled.


To borrow a little from a review I read: The Mau Mau's really symbolize what the film is trying to say, that the young black community has something to say but has lost touch with its roots, "the struggle", and they are fighting and depressed without being really aware of what they are fighting for. The Mau Mau's had every right to feel disenfranchised and angry with Delacroix and the show, but they are so ignorant that they don't really know *why*. The young boy (Savion Glover) takes the job out of desperation and willingly takes part in it although he doesn't really know *why* he doesn't like it.

I think Lee is not necessarily trying to condemn rap or comedy shows or anything, I think if he is trying to do anything it is to wake up an audience to the history of the minstrel show and to hold it up as a historical example of how not to be taken advantage of when moving into the primarily white media world. It's so the Mau Mau's, when they sing about revolution "and stuff", they can explain what "the stuff" is all about.

There is a lot here also about "owing your own history" and exploring the past media example of the minstrel show head on and not trying to bury it. It's a reminder of how things used to be and also a reminder of how far we've come. No scene is more odd than when the audience goes all black face during the performance of the final episode of Mantan. Lee turns the whole idea of blackface upside down, like the growing use of the popular term "nigger" its almost as if the white audience yerns in some way to attain the hip nature of current black culture, and is trying to emulate and be "more black" just as some blacks tried to be "more white". A whole role reversal type thing.

You know, I hope this made sense, because I'm in the middle of Alien vs. Predator and like, I can feel my IQ dropping.

1. 1/8/2005: Scream 2 -- 8.0/10
2. 1/9/2005: Scream 3 -- 7.5/10 (B+)
3. 1/10/2005: White Noise -- 7.0/10 (B)
4. 1/10/2005: Garden State -- 9.0/10 (A+)
5. 1/12/2005: Meet the Parents -- 8.0/10 (B+)
6. 1/12/2005: Hotel Rwanda -- 9.5/10 (A+)
7. 1/14/2005: Saw -- 8.3/10 (A-)
8. 1/14/2005: Elektra -- 5.8/10 (C+)
9. 1/16/2005: The Village -- 8.5/10 (A-)
10. 1/17/2005: Meet the Fockers -- 7.6/10 (B+)
11. 1/17/2005: Urban Legend -- 4.3/10 (C)
12. 1/19/2005: Assault on Precinct 13 -- 7.6/10 (B+)
13. 1/24/2005: Are We There Yet? -- 6.8/10 (B)
14. 1/25/2005: Coach Carter -- 7.4/10 (B+)

Great performance by Samuel L. Jackson leads a film which, although formulaic, is actually quite good. Not the best sports-film, and far from the best of Jackson's career, however the film is still one of the better films of this year.