Spielberg's segment is entitled "EYES", and tells the story of a rich, elderly, and vainglorious blind woman who contracts her (very reluctant) doctor to perform an eye transplant surgery that will restore her vision, albeit for only twelve hours. The eye comes from some sad sack who is desperate to pay off his own debts, unaware that he's losing his eyesight forever in exchange for a paltry sum that will be gone just as soon as he's paid. The surgery goes off seemingly without a hitch, only for the woman's new eyes to fail her shortly after exposing them to light. Subsequently, she is plunged into a dark nightmare of a night that will take away her very sanity.
Reviews
15 Reviews
The American
(2010)
"You've heard of "Jason Bourne." Here's "Jason Boring.""
18 September 2010
The plot is simple, Jack (George Clooney), An assassin hides out in Italy for one last assignment.
I was expecting a lot when I bought tickets to see this movie. George Clooney is one of my favorite actors. The trailers were very deceiving about what kind of movie it was going to be. You had some clue that film was about an assassin in Italy ...other than that no plot details unless you read the book.
I was expecting a riveting little thriler; What I got instead was two hours of watching paint dry on the wall .
Absolutely boring and predictable. You'd have to be blind and deaf not to know the ending 2 minutes into this flick-- & I can't really call it a movie because nothing was moving.
The opening scene set the stage for an interesting story line, but it never developed. The entire movie was slow. The sub-plots were not developed (such as the priest who had a son.) The relationships between the characters were not developed. There were long scenes without any talking. The photography of the Italian countryside was done poorly -- often the countryside was out of focus, and the only thing in focus was the driver of a car.The plot ambles along at a snails pace. The characters are cardboard. The cinematography is bland.
I mean really director Anton Corbijn, how many times do we have to see the comparable scene of Jack (George Clooney), going to a pay phone, driving around, and then goes to a café to eat!?.
The opening scene set the stage for an interesting story line, with its 70s style thriller vibe, but than again this feeling only lasted for ten minutes, and never develops after that.
The entire movie just slows down to a snails pace after the the story swtiches from Sweden to Rome. The sub-plots were not developed (such as the priest who had a son.) The relationships between the characters were not developed. There were long scenes without any talking. The photography of the Italian countryside was done poorly -- often the countryside was out of focus, and the only thing in focus was the driver of a car.
While many of its elements wet our appetite and make the film well worth seeing, "The American" doesn't manage to deliver a fully satisfying meal.
A friend that joined me for "The American", stated this film was a train-wreck of a film.
George Clooney is a great actor.....no doubt about that, but why this film!? OK,, George this film and "Solaris" ! WHY!?.
My Final Rating: F.
I was expecting a lot when I bought tickets to see this movie. George Clooney is one of my favorite actors. The trailers were very deceiving about what kind of movie it was going to be. You had some clue that film was about an assassin in Italy ...other than that no plot details unless you read the book.
I was expecting a riveting little thriler; What I got instead was two hours of watching paint dry on the wall .
Absolutely boring and predictable. You'd have to be blind and deaf not to know the ending 2 minutes into this flick-- & I can't really call it a movie because nothing was moving.
The opening scene set the stage for an interesting story line, but it never developed. The entire movie was slow. The sub-plots were not developed (such as the priest who had a son.) The relationships between the characters were not developed. There were long scenes without any talking. The photography of the Italian countryside was done poorly -- often the countryside was out of focus, and the only thing in focus was the driver of a car.The plot ambles along at a snails pace. The characters are cardboard. The cinematography is bland.
I mean really director Anton Corbijn, how many times do we have to see the comparable scene of Jack (George Clooney), going to a pay phone, driving around, and then goes to a café to eat!?.
The opening scene set the stage for an interesting story line, with its 70s style thriller vibe, but than again this feeling only lasted for ten minutes, and never develops after that.
The entire movie just slows down to a snails pace after the the story swtiches from Sweden to Rome. The sub-plots were not developed (such as the priest who had a son.) The relationships between the characters were not developed. There were long scenes without any talking. The photography of the Italian countryside was done poorly -- often the countryside was out of focus, and the only thing in focus was the driver of a car.
While many of its elements wet our appetite and make the film well worth seeing, "The American" doesn't manage to deliver a fully satisfying meal.
A friend that joined me for "The American", stated this film was a train-wreck of a film.
George Clooney is a great actor.....no doubt about that, but why this film!? OK,, George this film and "Solaris" ! WHY!?.
My Final Rating: F.
Charlie St. Cloud
(2010)
Good Book ..Not a great adaptation!"
14 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I have read the book, way before I saw the film. The book was given to me in a Grief & Bereavement group,; along with a copy of the "The Lovely Bones", the 2002 novel by Alice Sebold.
The premise of "Charlie St. Cloud" aounded interesting enough, a senior in high school who has the world on a string suddenly finds himself plunging down a path of apathy and regret after the death of his 12 year old brother.
This is quite hard to believe, however, due to the poor relationship Charlie (Efron) has with his little brother. In the scenes before young Sam dies, the two don't seem to share any fraternal bond. So, when we find out that 5 years after Sam's death Charlie is grounds keeper at the cemetery and plays catch with his dead brother every night, I thought it hard to swallow.
(SPOILER!) The basic idea of the book is: Charlie St. Cloud's choice between keeping a promise he made to his brother, who died in a car accident, or going after the girl he loves.
Again hard to swallow .. I don't know ...it just didn't work for me.
The plot was uneven, it kept going through my mind, "How can you give up a Sailing Scholarship to Stanford University when your brother died"? I kinow grief is tough, but again I found it hard to believe, even when I read the book. I woas like dued, get some help!
"Charlie St. Cloud" also followed a Similar plot to "The Lovely Bones" (2009); but unlike a murder, this film deals with grieving, and bereavement through the loss of a brother through a car accident, that the director never seemed to really tap into.
(Spoliers) A subplot with an old High school friend, that turns into another "tear-jerking" sub-plot, & which also invloes the "In-between" ... Strange film ...boring.
At times, "Charlie St. Cloud" will hold your attention, and yes; it is worth watching just to see how it the film turns out, even though the plot is something you will figure out before the cfredits even roll.
Before the end of "Charlie St. Cloud", it begins to feel like you are watching paint dry on the wall.
Also the film need a better soundtrack!
Zac Efron - Easy on the eyes, buy you still need to take some acting classes,work on your your craft. Your character Charlie St. Cloud came across wooden at times.
Charlie Tahan - Sam St. Cloud ... Wooden again ..Came across very angry for me the start of the film. Hard to fell for this character. Very bratty kid.
Kim Basinger ... Claire St. Cloud - Her character bland. Again he doesn't stand out. Blink and you will miss her kinda of thing.
Ray Liotta ... Florio Ferrente - His character also needed to be stronger, more emotional! Final Rating: C-
The premise of "Charlie St. Cloud" aounded interesting enough, a senior in high school who has the world on a string suddenly finds himself plunging down a path of apathy and regret after the death of his 12 year old brother.
This is quite hard to believe, however, due to the poor relationship Charlie (Efron) has with his little brother. In the scenes before young Sam dies, the two don't seem to share any fraternal bond. So, when we find out that 5 years after Sam's death Charlie is grounds keeper at the cemetery and plays catch with his dead brother every night, I thought it hard to swallow.
(SPOILER!) The basic idea of the book is: Charlie St. Cloud's choice between keeping a promise he made to his brother, who died in a car accident, or going after the girl he loves.
Again hard to swallow .. I don't know ...it just didn't work for me.
The plot was uneven, it kept going through my mind, "How can you give up a Sailing Scholarship to Stanford University when your brother died"? I kinow grief is tough, but again I found it hard to believe, even when I read the book. I woas like dued, get some help!
"Charlie St. Cloud" also followed a Similar plot to "The Lovely Bones" (2009); but unlike a murder, this film deals with grieving, and bereavement through the loss of a brother through a car accident, that the director never seemed to really tap into.
(Spoliers) A subplot with an old High school friend, that turns into another "tear-jerking" sub-plot, & which also invloes the "In-between" ... Strange film ...boring.
At times, "Charlie St. Cloud" will hold your attention, and yes; it is worth watching just to see how it the film turns out, even though the plot is something you will figure out before the cfredits even roll.
Before the end of "Charlie St. Cloud", it begins to feel like you are watching paint dry on the wall.
Also the film need a better soundtrack!
Zac Efron - Easy on the eyes, buy you still need to take some acting classes,work on your your craft. Your character Charlie St. Cloud came across wooden at times.
Charlie Tahan - Sam St. Cloud ... Wooden again ..Came across very angry for me the start of the film. Hard to fell for this character. Very bratty kid.
Kim Basinger ... Claire St. Cloud - Her character bland. Again he doesn't stand out. Blink and you will miss her kinda of thing.
Ray Liotta ... Florio Ferrente - His character also needed to be stronger, more emotional! Final Rating: C-
Another Adventure....another great summer at the movies!
22 May 2008
A 100% fun ride...made me feel if I was a kid 1 more time! & that is what films like this are about..put the brain on check and have fun! Don't think, just sit back and have fun.... & be a kid again, even if it's for 2 hours! It is more than apparent that Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, and the rest of the cast and crew had a blast making this spectacular film and I think that most folks, as long as they don't take it too seriously, will have a blast watching it. Now, 19 years after Indy's last expedition, we have what is essentially an action movie executed at a very high level by a famously gifted director. And while it will surely make record amounts of money, it doesn't feel as if it were made solely for that reason. (How much wealthier could Spielberg and co-producer George Lucas weighing in on the story once again wish to become?) The picture has a lively script, some great effects and exciting set-piece scenes, but there's no recapturing the raptures of the past, the old thrills that once were new. There are the expected allusions to Indy elements of yore Professor Jones in his college classroom and hurrying home to pack for another expedition; the creeping red line that tracks his flight across a world map; the onslaughts of icky insects (scorpions and killer ants, in this case) and of course a hateful snake. But this tickling checklist can't help but remind us that "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" has no new components of the same memorable sort.
I'm happy to admit I'm up in the air and ready to go back for more.
I'm happy to admit I'm up in the air and ready to go back for more.
Never Back Down
(2008)
You Might Want to Back Down from this one!
26 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I saw an advance screening of "Never Back Down" & it was exactly what the trailer showed! It was the "The Karate Kid" meets "Kickboxer".
"Never Back Down" is the story of Jake Tyler, a tough kid with a guilty past who fights with his fists. & angry at the whole world over the death of his father since he feels like he is to blame. Jake Tyler, played by Sean Faris, has recently moved to Orlando, Florida with his family who has relocated to support his younger brother's shot at a professional tennis career. Jake was a star athlete on the football team at home, but in this new city he is an outsider with a reputation for being a quick tempered brawler, thanks to a fight he had at a football game in his old hometown which ended up being broadcasted on Youtube (Of Course!). Making an attempt to fit in, at the invitation of a charming classmate, Baja (Amber Heard). Jake goes to a party (Thinking he is going to get a date W./Baja) where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with a bully named Ryan McDonald (Cam Gigandet). While he is defeated and humiliated in the fight, a classmate introduces himself to Jake and tells him about the sport known as Mixed Marshall Arts (MMA). He sees a star in Jake and asks that he meet with his mentor, Jean Roqua, played by Djimon Hounsou ("Blood Diamond," "In America"). After that everything elese is predictable, again think of the ending to the "The Karate Kid"!
Standard plot of the outcast trying to fit it who has to take down the cocky school bully to prove his worth! Nothing original! If it wasn't for the free advance screening, I would have waited for video!
"Never Back Down" is the story of Jake Tyler, a tough kid with a guilty past who fights with his fists. & angry at the whole world over the death of his father since he feels like he is to blame. Jake Tyler, played by Sean Faris, has recently moved to Orlando, Florida with his family who has relocated to support his younger brother's shot at a professional tennis career. Jake was a star athlete on the football team at home, but in this new city he is an outsider with a reputation for being a quick tempered brawler, thanks to a fight he had at a football game in his old hometown which ended up being broadcasted on Youtube (Of Course!). Making an attempt to fit in, at the invitation of a charming classmate, Baja (Amber Heard). Jake goes to a party (Thinking he is going to get a date W./Baja) where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with a bully named Ryan McDonald (Cam Gigandet). While he is defeated and humiliated in the fight, a classmate introduces himself to Jake and tells him about the sport known as Mixed Marshall Arts (MMA). He sees a star in Jake and asks that he meet with his mentor, Jean Roqua, played by Djimon Hounsou ("Blood Diamond," "In America"). After that everything elese is predictable, again think of the ending to the "The Karate Kid"!
Standard plot of the outcast trying to fit it who has to take down the cocky school bully to prove his worth! Nothing original! If it wasn't for the free advance screening, I would have waited for video!
Be Kind Rewind
(2008)
DON"T Be Kind & Rewind!
23 February 2008
Simply put: 1 Of the Worst New Films of 2008!! Let see Jack Black (In a role that just bugged me the wrong way) lives in a junk yard & is certain a nearby power plant is controlling his actions, attacks it one night and gets magnetized. Then it gets weirder. But not in a good way either. When Jerry vists his friend Mike who works in a dying VHS store, he erases every tape in the place. When a customer Miss Falewiz (Mia Farrow)wants a copy of "Ghostbusters", Mike has the idea of Re-Making the film with the help of Jerry. From this point the film spirals out of control. Since other customers start wanting other films, Mike & Jerry decide to make more too! There is also a subplot involving Mr Fletcher (Danny Glover) going out and finding out why other rental stores have better business & trying to save his business from being closed & condos being put up in it's place.
By the end, monotonous! "Be Kind Rewind" is a pathetic new piece of whimsy from the cult fantasist Michel Gondry.
By the end, monotonous! "Be Kind Rewind" is a pathetic new piece of whimsy from the cult fantasist Michel Gondry.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
(2007)
There will be no peace on Earth!!
25 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The Brothers Strauss take on "AVP: Requiem" & deliver the goods in more ways than one!!! . These two not only made a movie that looks amazing visually, but they made a movie that felt exactly like a Predator and Alien movie should feel like: Thrilling, bloody, gory, and absolutely HARDCORE. I'm not kidding. Just when you think this movie goes too far, it goes even further, and you're just sitting there, thinking, "Wow, this kicks ass!!!!; & above all else "ALIENS VS. PREDATOR" wage their most brutal battle ever -- in our own backyard.
SPOILERS HERE:
1 of the most over the top scenes takes place in the hospital room, when the predalien impregnants several woman with eggs which then explode into a bunch of little aliens! Way gory the top gory fun!! I don't think I'll look at childbirth the same way ever again.
"AVP: Requiem" gets very primal; you've never seen anything like it on film. No one is safe in this movie, all bets are off!
The direction is top notch, the character development is good & once the action stars it never lets up. One can see that the Strause brothers are very passionate about the "AVP" material & mythology that surround the fan base & use this passion very well.
The Strause brothers use every camera trick known in the book, amp up the action & gore & then never let it stop, & in between they throw in some very anti governmental tones into the mix! Which all add up to a very fun time in the theater, & not a dollar wasted!
There were to me several pop references to both the Alien & Predator films! I.E. There is certain parts where the score to "Aliens" can be hard, & 1 of the characters is named Dallas! Hmmmmmm!
B+
SPOILERS HERE:
1 of the most over the top scenes takes place in the hospital room, when the predalien impregnants several woman with eggs which then explode into a bunch of little aliens! Way gory the top gory fun!! I don't think I'll look at childbirth the same way ever again.
"AVP: Requiem" gets very primal; you've never seen anything like it on film. No one is safe in this movie, all bets are off!
The direction is top notch, the character development is good & once the action stars it never lets up. One can see that the Strause brothers are very passionate about the "AVP" material & mythology that surround the fan base & use this passion very well.
The Strause brothers use every camera trick known in the book, amp up the action & gore & then never let it stop, & in between they throw in some very anti governmental tones into the mix! Which all add up to a very fun time in the theater, & not a dollar wasted!
There were to me several pop references to both the Alien & Predator films! I.E. There is certain parts where the score to "Aliens" can be hard, & 1 of the characters is named Dallas! Hmmmmmm!
B+
Atonement
(2007)
Forgive Me Movie Gods for Seeing This!!!
17 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The trailer for Atonement had me giddy with excitement I thought I was going to be in for a truly epic love story that spanned time, distance, war, betrayal, but what I got was this anemic, pretentious, non-epic slop!! The movie's final nail in the coffin comes from the incredibly bad ending where the Producers couldn't figure out if they wanted to give the audience a sad ending (not even bittersweet) or a happy one, so they decide to give us BOTH. I just simply hated this film! I place "Atonement" at the top of my "Worst Films of 2007" list! When the end credits rolled, I stood up & shouted "That was crap"!! I still can't believe that this film got any award recognition??? I hated this film! The trailer showed one thing, then when you see the film, it goes into a whole different direction! This wasn't a love story by any means! This was a story about people who lie! That was it!! Norhting more, nothing less! I love when critics have been calling this a "Romance" film!! There wasn't any romance to be found!! I really really hated the main character of Briony Tallis! Come to think about it, none of the characters in "Atonement" were really memorable or had any redeeming qualities! I'm still trying to figure out how such great actors, like Christian Bale can be bypassed for a Golden Globe or any other type of recognition, but a piece of crap like "Atonement" gets wide spread acclaim!?!? None of the acting performances were "WOW! I'm blown away by this"!! It was like Masterpiece Theater on really bad drugs!
I Know Who Killed Me
(2007)
Not that bad.....
28 November 2007
I missed "I Know Who Killed Me" in theaters, it seemed it came out and then went away fast, skipping even the cheap theaters. Well, finally I rented it when it came to DVD 11/27/2007, to be honest I didn't think that it was that bad! It was a little over the top at times, other times jumpy & left me head scratching & saying "huh?", but by the end of it I was like "Wow, it wasn't "that" bad" (trust me there are worst films out there I.E. "Rob Zombies's Halloween")! Say what you will about Lindsay Lohan's erratic and admittedly sad recent troubles with the law, but her mature, poignant performance in "I Know Who Killed Me" is the latest proof that the girl has talent. I believe in the hands of a more capable director, "I Know Who Killed Me" could have been a lot better film. Yes, "I Know Who Killed Me" was gory at times, other times a little off and incoherent at times (What was with all the Blue" color" through out??), & to me the film had a David Lynch feel to it. But by time the end credits rolled around I said to my partner: "Yes the story was preposterous even by the standards of the thriller genre, but still the story's developments were unpredictable and certainly intriguing. When the ending comes, & you discover who the killer is, I found myself saying "I would never have guessed that"!! Yes the ending leaves you puzzled, but I think that is what the director intentions were. I believe that the director wanted each viewer to draw there own conclusions. Yes there are plot holes, & certain things that need to be tighted within the script, but as a whole the film works! My conclusion: "I Know Who Killed Me" wasn't "THAT" predictable &/or "THAT BAD"!. "I Know Who Killed Me" will find an audience, maybe not today, not tomorrow but somewhere. "I Know Who Killed Me" will become in years from now a cult film. We both gave the film a C+ (We were mixed between a B- & C+)
Margot at the Wedding
(2007)
If you loved "The Squid and the Whale" you'll hate "Margot at the Wedding"!
27 November 2007
"Margot at the Wedding" is one of those edgy, independent art films that tend to split people down the middle. Half like it, half don't. I'm not split on it at all. I'm firmly in the camp of those hated it! I just found another film to add to my "Worst Films of 2007" list! I can't say it more than that! This has to be 1 of the most disappointing films this year. I'm all for Family Dysfunction films, like "American Beauty" & "Running with Scissors" to name 2 of my personal favorites in the genre, but "Margot at the Wedding" was just terrible!! This also has to be the first film that I simply hated in the Jennifer Jason Leigh cannon! Nicole Kidman is one of those actresses you either like her or don't. I'm in the middle some of her films are great, I.E. "Moulin Rouge!", "Birthday Girl", "The Others" & "Billy Bathgate" are some of my personal favorite Ms Kidman Films. Other films of hers I simply hated & wondered "Was the rent due that damn bad that you needed to make that film?", I.E. "Batman Forever", "The Portrait of a Lady", "The Stepford Wives" & now of course "Margot at the Wedding"! & Jack Black, was well Jack Black. Flat, lifeless and not funny. The movie that I did like where he showed "some" acting stretch was "The Holiday"! The 1 thing that kept going around my head as I watched this dribble ("Margot at the Wedding")was this, "Was Nicole Kidman really acting, or was she playing herself"?? You'd have to pay me a lot of money to get me to watch this again. RATING: D-
Hairspray
(2007)
A major let down AKA: Shallow Waters!
24 November 2007
For the 1st time I found the 1 film I can now add to my "Worst Films of 2007" list, & "Hairspary" makes the grade. Let's see where to start?? 1st Amanda Bynes as Penny Pingleton needs to get a Razzie Nomination for Worst Supporting Actress, & John Travolta a Razzie for Worst Actor! Oh, and a Razzie for Worst director and choreographer: Adam Shankman!!! John Tavolta, who floats through the movie like a Hindenburg in sequins. His performance, however, is more notable as a feat of engineering than of acting. Although appealing, it seldom rises above the level of an amusing stunt & laughable. I'm a huge fan of the John Water's original, & really never liked the Broadway musical, well I finally broke down & saw the new vision (Or what ever you want to call it?) & this "Hairspray" is 100% silly crap! Did John Waters sell out? Mellow with age? Hairspray the movie musical has been conceived and executed as a faithful record of the stage version, but that's all it is a recording! Michelle Pfeiffer sold her self out, or the rent must have been really due to sell yourself out for this! I'm boring myself writing this, almost as much as I was bored as this trite, superficial yarn unfolded on screen. Long story short, the fat chick somehow gets to be on TV shaking her junk with the beautiful ones, then gets into her head to make every day Negro Day. Cue the countless, endless musical numbers. Do yourself a favor and just revisit the original Waters film. I might sound like the musical Grinch, so be it. "Hairspray" rubbed me the wrong way and should've remained on the stage!!! Waters has a cameo in the opening scene as the neighborhood streaker, running around in a trench coat with nothing underneath. Soooo sad when your cameo is this since you have already sold out a loooong time ago!
Halloween
(2007)
Hollywood STIOP RE-MAKING FILMS!!!!
4 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
......HATED IT...It lacked originality. I didn't need a back story of Michael Myers. His back-story has been kicked around by fans since before the dawn of the interenet or WWW.
& if this was a New "Vison" or some other lame excuse way you want to say "Re-Make", why wasn't there any mention of 'THORN".? The sixth installment also reveals that Michael at some point in his childhood was chosen by a cult to bear the Curse of Thorn. The cult believes that a child from one family must be chosen to bear the curse and sacrifice their entire family in order to save the rest of the community from death. The curse apparently makes the user immortal or grants the ability to self-resurrect once dead, and gives other super-natural abilities like superhuman strength. The curse is what the cult believes causes Michael to stalk and kill family members. It is not known exactly how many family members Michael has killed outside his immediate family. He has at least two biological family members still living: John, Laurie Myers Strode's 17 year old son in Halloween H20 and Jamie Lloyd Carruthers's infant son from The Curse of Michael Myers...????
Hollywood stop trying to Re-Make, Up-Date or Place-A-New-Spin on old material..just invest into Re-Mastering the "Original" print, and Re-Release the "Original" into theaters.
WORST RE-MAKE NEXT TO "HALLOWEEn"..See "Black Christmas".
RAZZIE:
WORST ACTRESS: Scout Taylor-Compton WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Danielle Harris WORST DIRECTOR: Rob Zombie Runner Up-Worst Director: Glen Morgan (Black Christmas), I'm still mad this was ever Re-Made!
Power to the people who punish bad cinema!
& if this was a New "Vison" or some other lame excuse way you want to say "Re-Make", why wasn't there any mention of 'THORN".? The sixth installment also reveals that Michael at some point in his childhood was chosen by a cult to bear the Curse of Thorn. The cult believes that a child from one family must be chosen to bear the curse and sacrifice their entire family in order to save the rest of the community from death. The curse apparently makes the user immortal or grants the ability to self-resurrect once dead, and gives other super-natural abilities like superhuman strength. The curse is what the cult believes causes Michael to stalk and kill family members. It is not known exactly how many family members Michael has killed outside his immediate family. He has at least two biological family members still living: John, Laurie Myers Strode's 17 year old son in Halloween H20 and Jamie Lloyd Carruthers's infant son from The Curse of Michael Myers...????
Hollywood stop trying to Re-Make, Up-Date or Place-A-New-Spin on old material..just invest into Re-Mastering the "Original" print, and Re-Release the "Original" into theaters.
WORST RE-MAKE NEXT TO "HALLOWEEn"..See "Black Christmas".
RAZZIE:
WORST ACTRESS: Scout Taylor-Compton WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Danielle Harris WORST DIRECTOR: Rob Zombie Runner Up-Worst Director: Glen Morgan (Black Christmas), I'm still mad this was ever Re-Made!
Power to the people who punish bad cinema!
Valley of the Dolls
(1967)
...Gotta Love Cult Films...However..It's time for a Re-Make.
17 August 2007
It's time to bring "Valley of the Dolls" into 2007! & to start W./casting I think Hollywood should cast: Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. This way life can imitate art..!!
CAN YOU PICTURE IT!?!?!?
Lindsay Lohan as ..ummm as Neely "I'm Neely O'Hara, pal, that's ME singing on that jukebox!"
or have them play themselves using the script..like this:
I'm Lindsay Lohan, pal, that's ME singing on that jukebox!
and
Paris Hilton as Anne Welles: "You've got to climb Mount Everest to reach the Valley of the Dolls."
and Britney Spears as Helen Lawson: This is Helen (Britney) talking to Neely O'Hara (Lindsay Lohan):
"They drummed you out of Hollywood, so you come crawling back to Broadway. But Broadway doesn't go for booze and dope."
LOL!! It would be great!
They all 3 can Re-do the Valley of the Dolls Theme Song!
It would make a mint!! Hello Hollywood listening ???
CAN YOU PICTURE IT!?!?!?
Lindsay Lohan as ..ummm as Neely "I'm Neely O'Hara, pal, that's ME singing on that jukebox!"
or have them play themselves using the script..like this:
I'm Lindsay Lohan, pal, that's ME singing on that jukebox!
and
Paris Hilton as Anne Welles: "You've got to climb Mount Everest to reach the Valley of the Dolls."
and Britney Spears as Helen Lawson: This is Helen (Britney) talking to Neely O'Hara (Lindsay Lohan):
"They drummed you out of Hollywood, so you come crawling back to Broadway. But Broadway doesn't go for booze and dope."
LOL!! It would be great!
They all 3 can Re-do the Valley of the Dolls Theme Song!
It would make a mint!! Hello Hollywood listening ???
Brokeback Mountain
(2005)
This much-ballyhooed gay cowboy melodrama is an inert disappointment.
25 December 2005
I saw "Brokeback Mountain" & I was 100% disappointed! A complete let down. Not the Best Film of 2005, nor the Worst Film of 2005, just the most over-hyped let-down of a film of 2005! Well, if you miss Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain," that's okay you're not missing much. This much-ballyhooed gay cowboy melodrama is an inert disappointment.
All this was, and will ever be is a "Gay-Film" made with high end production values, with a B-Cast who couldn't act there way out of a paper bag, with a director who seems he wanted to re-build his reputation after the dud "The Hulk", and a studio willing to back his one-sided vision.
Adapted from a short story by E. Annie Proulx (whose "The Shipping News" also made for a hugely disappointing movie), Lee's film stretches the story over the course of decades to beyond its breaking point.
"Brokeback Mountain" was the type of film made for the straight, art-house crowd, who only could probably handle a gay male (or anything gay for that matter as long as they didn't have to see it for real), or gay sex on the big screen, or in such small ways as "Will & Grace" that if it was actually placed in front of them in real life, these same so called open-mined people would freak out.
Hailed as a landmark of mainstream tolerance (and to the "mainstream"'s shame, that's exactly what it is), "Brokeback Mountain" feels more like an antiseptic gimmick that attempts to hijack the conventions of a traditionally-masculinized genre to further demonstrate, as if further demonstration were needed, that two men in love is as natural, tempestuous, and ineffable as heterosexuality. The obstacles thrown their way are hazarded at but ultimately poorly-drawn--in fact, there are arguably more opportunities for Jack and Ennis to have a gay relationship than there are scenes of hate and bigotry. Kudos, I guess, for presenting homosexual characters neither mincing nor particularly good at dressing and decorating, though one does get a little tired of the single-dimensions in which the female satellites and their problems are sketched.
There was no "real" so-called "Love" relationship in this film. These two cowboys got drunk and had sex on top of a mountain for what one summer, & then what met every two to four years to do it over and over and over. Man if this is what Ang Lee calls a relationship, I would hate to see what he calls a "F&%K Buddy"! Guys who get drunk and have sex is not love! I feel like the problem is that Lee's passion for this project is several degrees cooler than his cast's--like he's looking for a place to stretch out and relax (as indicated by the sloppy editing and laggard pacing & several goofs involving Jake Gyllenhaal's mustache) while everyone else is painting in swaths of passion, desperation, and regret, or even if you want to call it that.
Ledger and Williams are not that amazing as critics & all the awards that they have collected will lead you to believe. None of the cast bring enough to the table between any of them to suggest what the film might have been--and to make "Brokeback Mountain" worth the look.
As my partner stated the characters were nothing but cardboard, and we couldn't care about them or there lives as the story went along.
As one critic pointed out, & I 100% agree: "Of course, these criticisms fly in the face of popular opinion; "Brokeback Mountain" is a booby-trapped film, designed to appear like an Oscar winner, and to be viewed without question. It's infuriating that three other, much braver gay-themed films from earlier this year, "Transamerica", "Mysterious Skin" and "Capote", won't merit a fraction of the attention lavished upon Lee's timid effort. And gay audiences who have patiently waited for their epic romantic masterpiece will have to wait still longer".
THE WORST MOMENT: If U seen the trailer, the ending is so predictable that anybody could see it coming from miles away, that once you see the film you go who cares. I won't spoil it for those who haven't see the movie, but trust me I wasn't that moved, except when the credits rolled & I could leave the theater.
I may be gay, but I didn't love this film, this to me wasn't a "gay" love story, it was more of a Cowboy "lust" picture with a low end production values, a really bad B cast and a film that felt like it went on forever & ever & ever.
I hate to say it one more time, but gay audiences (like me) who have patiently waited for their epic romantic masterpiece will have to wait still longer.
All this was, and will ever be is a "Gay-Film" made with high end production values, with a B-Cast who couldn't act there way out of a paper bag, with a director who seems he wanted to re-build his reputation after the dud "The Hulk", and a studio willing to back his one-sided vision.
Adapted from a short story by E. Annie Proulx (whose "The Shipping News" also made for a hugely disappointing movie), Lee's film stretches the story over the course of decades to beyond its breaking point.
"Brokeback Mountain" was the type of film made for the straight, art-house crowd, who only could probably handle a gay male (or anything gay for that matter as long as they didn't have to see it for real), or gay sex on the big screen, or in such small ways as "Will & Grace" that if it was actually placed in front of them in real life, these same so called open-mined people would freak out.
Hailed as a landmark of mainstream tolerance (and to the "mainstream"'s shame, that's exactly what it is), "Brokeback Mountain" feels more like an antiseptic gimmick that attempts to hijack the conventions of a traditionally-masculinized genre to further demonstrate, as if further demonstration were needed, that two men in love is as natural, tempestuous, and ineffable as heterosexuality. The obstacles thrown their way are hazarded at but ultimately poorly-drawn--in fact, there are arguably more opportunities for Jack and Ennis to have a gay relationship than there are scenes of hate and bigotry. Kudos, I guess, for presenting homosexual characters neither mincing nor particularly good at dressing and decorating, though one does get a little tired of the single-dimensions in which the female satellites and their problems are sketched.
There was no "real" so-called "Love" relationship in this film. These two cowboys got drunk and had sex on top of a mountain for what one summer, & then what met every two to four years to do it over and over and over. Man if this is what Ang Lee calls a relationship, I would hate to see what he calls a "F&%K Buddy"! Guys who get drunk and have sex is not love! I feel like the problem is that Lee's passion for this project is several degrees cooler than his cast's--like he's looking for a place to stretch out and relax (as indicated by the sloppy editing and laggard pacing & several goofs involving Jake Gyllenhaal's mustache) while everyone else is painting in swaths of passion, desperation, and regret, or even if you want to call it that.
Ledger and Williams are not that amazing as critics & all the awards that they have collected will lead you to believe. None of the cast bring enough to the table between any of them to suggest what the film might have been--and to make "Brokeback Mountain" worth the look.
As my partner stated the characters were nothing but cardboard, and we couldn't care about them or there lives as the story went along.
As one critic pointed out, & I 100% agree: "Of course, these criticisms fly in the face of popular opinion; "Brokeback Mountain" is a booby-trapped film, designed to appear like an Oscar winner, and to be viewed without question. It's infuriating that three other, much braver gay-themed films from earlier this year, "Transamerica", "Mysterious Skin" and "Capote", won't merit a fraction of the attention lavished upon Lee's timid effort. And gay audiences who have patiently waited for their epic romantic masterpiece will have to wait still longer".
THE WORST MOMENT: If U seen the trailer, the ending is so predictable that anybody could see it coming from miles away, that once you see the film you go who cares. I won't spoil it for those who haven't see the movie, but trust me I wasn't that moved, except when the credits rolled & I could leave the theater.
I may be gay, but I didn't love this film, this to me wasn't a "gay" love story, it was more of a Cowboy "lust" picture with a low end production values, a really bad B cast and a film that felt like it went on forever & ever & ever.
I hate to say it one more time, but gay audiences (like me) who have patiently waited for their epic romantic masterpiece will have to wait still longer.
The Ice Harvest
(2005)
Wasted time in a theater in Phoenix , Arizona ½
26 November 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Not Excellent nor a lot of fun to sit through! This film was not fresh nor was it "Not" predictable...and what I liked most was seeing a boom mike in every single shot through out!
The Ice Harvest is a comic noir that feels like a direct-to-DVD movie that could have easily starred Matthew Modine, Dennis Hopper and Gina Gershon. Neither funny enough nor black enough, "The Ice Harvest" is a lazy, haphazard picture that spins its wheels like a Kia on an icy road.
Those expecting big laughs from Harold Ramis' latest are going to be disappointed by the fact that "The Ice Harvest" is actually a dark crime drama with almost nothing funny about it. It's depressing that a cast this talented, working with a skilled director like Ramis, could make such a bad tribute to crime noir.
Watch the trailer for the best parts of "The Ice Harvest" and then go rent "The Ref" if you really want to see a truly funny dark Christmas comedy.
The only fun to be had while sitting through the predictable series of double-crosses and deceptions comes from keeping track of the movie's many inconsistencies. For example, most of the action takes place during a steady freezing rain that blankets Wichita, but when Vic and Charlie go out on a rickety old dock, there's not a single speck of ice on the rotting wooden planks. In another scene, a knife is driven through the sneaker of one of the criminals. Minutes later, there is a close-up of the man's shoe; it appears intact and free of bloodstains.
The Ice Harvest is a comic noir that feels like a direct-to-DVD movie that could have easily starred Matthew Modine, Dennis Hopper and Gina Gershon. Neither funny enough nor black enough, "The Ice Harvest" is a lazy, haphazard picture that spins its wheels like a Kia on an icy road.
Those expecting big laughs from Harold Ramis' latest are going to be disappointed by the fact that "The Ice Harvest" is actually a dark crime drama with almost nothing funny about it. It's depressing that a cast this talented, working with a skilled director like Ramis, could make such a bad tribute to crime noir.
Watch the trailer for the best parts of "The Ice Harvest" and then go rent "The Ref" if you really want to see a truly funny dark Christmas comedy.
The only fun to be had while sitting through the predictable series of double-crosses and deceptions comes from keeping track of the movie's many inconsistencies. For example, most of the action takes place during a steady freezing rain that blankets Wichita, but when Vic and Charlie go out on a rickety old dock, there's not a single speck of ice on the rotting wooden planks. In another scene, a knife is driven through the sneaker of one of the criminals. Minutes later, there is a close-up of the man's shoe; it appears intact and free of bloodstains.
Tell Your Friends