Sin City A

Eragon D

Brick - B+
The Upside of Anger - B+

Eragon - B-
Night at the museum - A
The Curse Of Golden Flower - A-
Flushed Away - B-
Happy Feet B

Predator - A+

The second best Schwarzenegger film ever, just behind T2

The Transporter B
When a Stranger Calls C+
Transporter 2 B+
xXx B+

[font=century gothic]All the King's Men - D+

Dull, uninspired, poorly acted, boring and beautifully shot make up All The King's Men. The only things you can salvage from this movie are the cinematography and the good performance by Sean Penn. Everything else is instantly forgettable.[/font]

[font=century gothic]Lady in the Water (2006) - C+

I didn't think the film was too bad. It's a little slow and stupid in some places and Bob Balaban was fucking annoying, but not too bad. The ending was completely stupid though.[/font]

THE NIGHT LISTENER - 6/10 (C+)

Very disappointing. I was really looking forward to watching it too. It seemed like it might be going somewhere worthwhile but it didn't end up happening.

QUINCEANERA - 7/10 (B-)

IDIOCRACY - 7/10 ( B )

How sad that this was the best movie I saw tonight, but my friend and I really liked it. It was quite hilarious at times.

CRANK - 6/10 ( B- )

This would have been a low C+ because frankly I thought it was kind of offensive. The scene where they are fucking in public in front of everyone is disgusting and vulgar. For the most part this is a movie for male pigs, but I fucking loved the ending! It was so cool and ballsy and because of the surprisingly awesome ending I have to give it a slightly higher rating.

THE ILLUSIONIST - 8/10 (B+)

Loved it! It was very classy and alluring. I really liked the look of it and enjoyed the ending a lot. I had been disappointed that she died, so I was very pleased to see that wasn't the case and they got to be together. I will definitely recommend it to customers, especially over Crank.

Shame - I loved this film (second favourite of the year, in fact!), but can understand why someone wouldn't.

Spoilers:

[spoil]I thought it was very atmospheric, very well shot, and really rated Robin Williams's performance. I found the basic premise (and the woman - ugh!) very creepy... the creepiness set in with "I think it's the same person", became almost unbearable in the house and the hospital, and peaked when he saw her for the very last time (when she pauses a few feet from him + seems to stare right at him - the creepiness returned for a little encore when I realised that she wasn't blind after all). Loved that moody opening. Loved the whole thing, in fact. I was emotionally invested all the way through and thought it was very unique and polished.

I see what you mean (or rather, half-see what you mean) when you say that it didn't really go anywhere worthwhile - the ending certainly lacked the punch or climax of your average format film - but I really liked what it did, and was really into the subplot revolving around Robin's relationship. Thought it was imaginative and thought-provoking to have a relationship built mostly on a terminal illness, that fell apart when the drugs worked after all - a relationship so built on the idea of someone dying that it couldn't survive them not doing. Made a nice change, too, to have a gay relationship at the centre of a film that wasn't just a film about a gay relationship.[/spoil]

Anyway, like I always say - no accounting for taste

CONVERSATION(S) WITH OTHER WOMEN - 7/10 ( B )

Once you get used to the split screen it's a fascinating dialogue-driven character study.

PAN'S LABYRINTH - 10/10 (A+)

Wow, what an AMAZING movie! I never expected this to be such an utterly unforgettable and magical film. This is an instant masterpiece and easily one of the best and most moving films of the year. Aside from the spectacular visuals and remarkable special effects, director Guillermo del Toro has crafted a story that taps into our imagination and rekindles a sense of childlike wonder we may have forgetten with age. Performances are across the board fantastic, with young star Ivana Baquero particularly standing out. Sergi Lopez is also great as the menacing villain of the picture and Maribel Verdu is wonderful as the symapthetic housekeeper who Ofelia (Baquero) instantly bonds with. Incredibly intense and somewhat disturbing at times, this is also a movie that will surely capture your interest and have you engrossed until the final frame. Not only the best foreign film I have ever seen, but it's one of the best fantasy films ever made as well. A must-see for anyone who truly considers themselves a film fan. Prepare to be amazed.

Saw this today and enjoyed it very much too. The script was kind of clumsy and unbelievable at times; but, this was one of the better films I have seen lately. I give it an 8 1/2 out of 10.

Today:



Plot:

"A Love To Hide" tells the story of Sara (Louise Monot) and Jean (Jérémie Renier), close friends from childhood camp, whose paths cross again years later during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Sara, who is Jewish, sees her parents and sister killed by the Gestapo after being double-crossed by someone who was paid to safeguard them, and seeks out Jean, the only other person she knows in Paris. Jean, now in his late 20's, works for his family-owned laundry business, and is secretly in a four year relationship with his boyfriend, Phillipe (Bruno Todeschini), who is involved in the French underground. Phillipe gets Sara a new identity, and Jean gets her a job in the laundry. When Jean's brother, Jacques (Nicolas Gob) gets out of prison on a smuggling charge, he is attracted to Sara, and first sees Jean as an opponent for her affactions. When he finds out that Jean is gay, he conspires with one of his smuggler contacts to have him detained for an evening by the police, then get released due to his "connections", thinking that would make both Jean and Sara indebted to him. This backfires when Jean's sexuality becomes known, and he is sent off to prison and eventually a German concentration camp, while things start to fall apart at home.


A LOVE TO HIDE (Un Amour à Taire) - 8/10 (A-)

Another one I wasn't really dying to see but the great reviews and impressive pedigree involved (it stars Jeremie Renier of "Le Enfant" and is from the creator of "Just A Question of Love," which was also great) got me to give it a chance, and I'm not sorry I did. The French get it right again as this is another very well-done film. It's funny how many films of the gay sub-genre (though definitely don't make the mistake of dismissing this as just a gay film) I see from them that get released through the Picture This! film company and end up being so great and well-made. For the most part they seem to have a much better understanding of gay life than the US does. And what's funny is that a lot of these are TV movies there and they put a lot of our theatrical releases to shame.

Anyway, this isn't quite as much of a gay film as you'd think from reading the plot description. The main character in it is actually a female and it's more about her than the two lovers. Louise Monot gives a great performance as Sara/Yvonne. This is a very engrossing, highly moving film. I was very pleasantly surprised. It also has really good production values. It's another quality film from Picture This! and the French.



Tonight:


****Some Spoilers****

LITTLE CHILDREN - 8/10 (A-)

This would have been much better had it not been for the ending. I found it underwhelming. It was just kind of, "That's it?" The movie was long enough the way it was yet it felt like it could have went on longer and had so much more to say. Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson were great, especially Kate Winslet. Jennifer Connelly is just kind of there, but I did like her during the dinner scene. That was the only time I really liked her performance. And it's not her fault, it's just that she has nothing to do. Jackie Earle Haley's performance is highly overrated. I don't get what's so special about it. I could have done without the pedophile sub-plot. And it's not because it's focused on a pedophile because some movies with the same subject matter work better, but I didn't think it worked as well here. Maybe they should have cut it and focused on the main characters a bit more and put together a better ending. I also didn't like the scene with Wilson's character deciding to get on a skateboard towards the end. It's almost funny how silly it feels. You just know something bad is going to happen. You kind of find it hard to understand how the character could not have figured this as well. Plus I don't like how it seems getting knocked out made him realize he wanted to stay with his wife. I doubt the affair will even stop, which his wife knows about too. I kind of wanted to know what the hell was going to happen. There's no resolve. I definitely wouldn't have wanted it all spelled out for me but I expected better than this. I had no problem with the endings of adult affair-based films like Unfaithful or We Don't Live Here Anymore.

Anyway, before the big letdown of a finale I loved this movie, and I still do but it just dragged it down. I thought the cinematography and atmosphere were great, and surprisingly so was the narration. I wasn't sure how I was going to take to the narration in the beginning because for a while it felt awkward, but eventually it really worked and I ended up loving it. In a mediocre year this reigns as one of the better films I've seen, but it could have been better.

Today:



Plot:

"A Love To Hide" tells the story of Sara (Louise Monot) and Jean (Jérémie Renier), close friends from childhood camp, whose paths cross again years later during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Sara, who is Jewish, sees her parents and sister killed by the Gestapo after being double-crossed by someone who was paid to safeguard them, and seeks out Jean, the only other person she knows in Paris. Jean, now in his late 20's, works for his family-owned laundry business, and is secretly in a four year relationship with his boyfriend, Phillipe (Bruno Todeschini), who is involved in the French underground. Phillipe gets Sara a new identity, and Jean gets her a job in the laundry. When Jean's brother, Jacques (Nicolas Gob) gets out of prison on a smuggling charge, he is attracted to Sara, and first sees Jean as an opponent for her affactions. When he finds out that Jean is gay, he conspires with one of his smuggler contacts to have him detained for an evening by the police, then get released due to his "connections", thinking that would make both Jean and Sara indebted to him. This backfires when Jean's sexuality becomes known, and he is sent off to prison and eventually a German concentration camp, while things start to fall apart at home.


A LOVE TO HIDE (Un Amour à Taire) - 8/10 (A-)

Another one I wasn't really dying to see but the great reviews and impressive pedigree involved (it stars Jeremie Renier of "Le Enfant" and is from the creator of "Just A Question of Love," which was also great) got me to give it a chance, and I'm not sorry I did. The French get it right again as this is another very well-done film. It's funny how many films of the gay sub-genre (though definitely don't make the mistake of dismissing this as just a gay film) I see from them that get released through the Picture This! film company and end up being so great and well-made. For the most part they seem to have a much better understanding of gay life than the US does. And what's funny is that a lot of these are TV movies there and they put a lot of our theatrical releases to shame.

Anyway, this isn't quite as much of a gay film as you'd think from reading the plot description. The main character in it is actually a female and it's more about her than the two lovers. Louise Monot gives a great performance as Sara/Yvonne. This is a very engrossing, highly moving film. I was very pleasantly surprised. It also has really good production values. It's another quality film from Picture This! and the French.



Tonight:


****Some Spoilers****

LITTLE CHILDREN - 8/10 (A-)

This would have been much better had it not been for the ending. I found it underwhelming. It was just kind of, "That's it?" The movie was long enough the way it was yet it felt like it could have went on longer and had so much more to say. Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson were great, especially Kate Winslet. Jennifer Connelly is just kind of there, but I did like her during the dinner scene. That was the only time I really liked her performance. And it's not her fault, it's just that she has nothing to do. Jackie Earle Haley's performance is highly overrated. I don't get what's so special about it. I could have done without the pedophile sub-plot. And it's not because it's focused on a pedophile because some movies with the same subject matter work better, but I didn't think it worked as well here. Maybe they should have cut it and focused on the main characters a bit more and put together a better ending. I also didn't like the scene with Wilson's character deciding to get on a skateboard towards the end. It's almost funny how silly it feels. You just know something bad is going to happen. You kind of find it hard to understand how the character could not have figured this as well. Plus I don't like how it seems getting knocked out made him realize he wanted to stay with his wife. I doubt the affair will even stop, which his wife knows about too. I kind of wanted to know what the hell was going to happen. There's no resolve. I definitely wouldn't have wanted it all spelled out for me but I expected better than this. I had no problem with the endings of adult affair-based films like Unfaithful or We Don't Live Here Anymore.

Anyway, before the big letdown of a finale I loved this movie, and I still do but it just dragged it down. I thought the cinematography and atmosphere were great, and surprisingly so was the narration. I wasn't sure how I was going to take to the narration in the beginning because for a while it felt awkward, but eventually it really worked and I ended up loving it. In a mediocre year this reigns as one of the better films I've seen, but it could have been better.

Today:

CASINO ROYALE - 6/10 (B-)

It's well-made and better than the other Bond movies I've seen, but I can't say I was completely enthralled by it. I just never find myself totally involved with what's going on in these movies.

ERAGON - 4/10 (D+)

Barf! This was so bad and uninvolving. I didn't get anything out of it. It was nearly impossible to find it interesting.

CANDY - 6/10 (B-)

It's not a bad film but I personally wasn't crazy about it because, just like with all movies about drug addicts, I couldn't relate. The only one I think I loved was REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. The performances here are very good and it was interesting, but not really my thing. Still, I can't bring myself to give it a failing grade because it is a well-done film for the most part. I liked the ending too, which was appropriately depressing, but what happens is for the best.

CHILDREN OF MEN - 8/10 (B+)

It was really good. A sad, depressing movie.

last movie i watched 300 (A)

ROMAN - 6/10 (B-)

It had its moments, but was a little too repetitive and unlike the character of May in MAY, I didn't find the character of Roman remotely relatable. He was a crazy creep. Kristen Bell was charming in her small role. The music was great, as usual, and the directing by MAY star Angela Bettis was quite solid. It has some nice attention to detail. The ending was disappointing though and overall the movie didn't blow me away. This is no MAY, not even close.

My friend Kelley loved it but hated the ending.

TMNT
B

The Hills Have Eyes II
D+

The Hills Have Eyes 2

D-

Casino Royale

B+

Some movie on the Spanish channel that I could only half understand

C-

Blood Diamond

I see the skill, but just couldn't get into it for entertainment.

B-

DARK RIDE - 6/10 (C+)

Eh, it was OK but my least favorite of the After Dark Horrorfest movies so far.

THE HAMILTONS - 8/10 (B+)

Now this one was a very pleasant surprise. A very good and clever indie horror movie. I want a sequel. This is definitely the best of the Horrorfest movies that I've seen, and it should remain that way.