LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,993Quartermasters
edited February 2010
Glad you saw some merit in Son of and Young, NP...as for myself, I just returned from a foray of my own into Universal's golden age, retooled for 21st Century audiences:
"The Wolf Man"
Even a man who is pure at heart
And says his prayers by night
May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms,
And the autumn moon is bright.
B-)
One hell of a lot of fun! From the Universal logo at the film's beginning, which starts as B & W and only picks up a hint of colour, to the above classic Universal lore, carved in stone and recited by the voice of a gypsy woman, you know you're in the knowing hands of someone who understands how special the old horror films are. Director Joe Johnston doesn't reinvent the wheel, here---rather, in a sense he celebrates the value of the wheel, in metaphoric terms---and his workmanlike competence doesn't get in the way. The blocking of the scenes, the use of double-imaging and nightmarish sequences, and the production design all provide a solid foundation to what is (I'm absolutely delighted to report) a good old-fashioned horror picture...which still manages to take full advantage of the CGI and viscera of the jaded* and desensitized times in which we live.
Although the credits list Curt Siodmak's original script from 1941 as that which the story is based upon, it really only touches upon points of it---but thankfully, they're all the important ones: Wayward son Lawrence Talbot (who doesn't have his father's British accent) returns to his family home in England in the late 1800s, as a series of grisly murders take place on the moors (where else??)...and
...is bitten by a half-man, half-wolf creature---natch.
The great Benicio Del Toro, as Lawrence Talbot, completely owns this picture. His burly, brooding presence fills the screen, and he delivers a performance of restrained inner turmoil that only the finest actors are capable of rendering. His every movement conveys an unmistakable gravitas of purpose. What I was struck by most, initially, was just how much he resembles Lon Chaney---not Lon Chaney Jr., who played the original Talbot---but Lon Chaney Sr, the 'Man of a Thousand Faces.' The always also-great Anthony Hopkins takes on the role of Claude Rains as Talbot's father...but puts a distinct spin on that element of the story The very appealing Emily Blunt is the requisite romantic interest in peril, and does quite well with what she's given to do. Two other cast members of note include Hugo Weaving (whom I always enjoy) as the suspicious Scotland Yard detective, and none other than Geraldine Chaplin as Maleva, the gypsy woman who knows more about what's going on than pretty much anyone else.
Terrific shots of the forest at night, the use of the moon in its various phases as a narrative marker, a very creepy and engaging (if not immediately memorable) score by Danny Elfman, a nicely-balanced homage to the standard Universal monster film villagers with torches, and still more great creature effects by Rick Baker, all make this a highly recommended cinema experience for those who enjoy the genre. Some slight disappointments, including...
...a fairly predictable (and already done, in Mike Nichols' Wolf) faceoff between two wolfmen, which IMO is one wolfman too many, and...
...the fact that the CGI isn't quite as seamless as one might hope, frankly did little to mitigate my thorough enjoyment of the picture. If you're familiar with the world of classic Universal horror, there aren't a lot of surprises here...but so what?
And besides Del Toro, there's another Bond connection: action man Vic Armstrong did 2nd Unit work on this one.
What a blast...but a word of warning: this picture earns it's 'R' rating, with delightfully gratuitous scenes of
...beheadings, dismemberments, disembowelings, splattering gushes of blood, etc B-)
I want to see it on the big screen one more time. 4 out of 5 stars.
* :v
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I'm looking forward to that one- an interesting point is that in the original there is not one shot of the moon (fairly critical in the story though it is...)
This means not the son of the Monster of course, but that of Baron Frankenstein, the scientist - this is a misconception among many truly stupid people.
Loeffs advised me to watch this ahead of Young Frankenstein, the Mel Brooks spoof that duly turned up on my doormat this morning.
Son of... has a reputation as being the worst of them so far, but it's not bad at all. It has eerie Fritz Lang-style sets: all angled walls and dark shadows. Indeed, the director is namechecked in the film as subordinate characters have names Fritz and Lang.
It starts off promisingly but snags appear. Basil Rathbone plays the son and he's always good value, but why is he only now returning to claim his heritage? Maybe he's at that time of life, with a wife and kid, and wants to settle down. But he travels by 1930s-style car from the station to the castle; now if the first two were set in Victorian times, surely the time line is out of whack? Worst of all, his scientist father's actions in bringing a corpse to life are well known; well if that's the case, he would be celebrated and feted and other scientist would have carried on his life's work, as science waits for no man. Such an amazing discovery would not have been just overlooked.
It would have been better to have it so his father was regarded widely as a fraudster, a con man and medical quack who conned the gullible village locals and murdered them himself, making his son's efforts in the medical world impossible. That would explain Rathbone's retreat to his home town in sour defeat, along with he realisation, upon stumbling across his father's notes, that this is a chance to redeem his reputation and go from zero to hero in one fell swoop.
As it is, Rathbone's conviction to take on his father's work seems to come out of nowhere and the first 45 minutes is quite predictable and tedious. It picks up when the Monster arrives, and gets very good, mainly thanks to the social tension between Frankenstein and the suspicious local inspector and also his creepy (in)subordinate Ygor. Ultimately I enjoyed this more than the second one, though it lacks the eerie, bucolic Hansel and Gretyl menace.
All that and not one mention of Bela Lugosi? Ygor is IMHO his greatest performance, beating his Dracula by miles. He reprises the part in Ghost Of, somewhat less impressively, before controversially playing the Monster in Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, featuring possibly Lon Chaney Jr's best performance.
And where's Karloff? Admittedly Son is his least impressive Monster performance (not counting Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing of course) but even here he creates some memorable moments,
SB_DiamondNorth Miami Beach, FLPosts: 126MI6 Agent
Blazing Saddles...
What a fun film to watch! I had seen it as a kid and didn't REALLY get any of the jokes like I do now as an adult. I think my favorite part is when Madeline Kahn (as Lila Von Schtupp) comes out in this fabulous lingerie garb and sings "Tired". A true comedianne!
I could have sworn I saw a review of this movie on here, saying don't expect too much.... but I've looked and can't find it
Anyway, it was okay. The two leads are convincing enough - both work as undercover intelligence operatives, and realise that they could - if they work together - pull off a massive job, by placing themselves in two competing companies and they come up with the perfect scam - although you get to see how, by watching this movie 'backwards'. At first you are thinking "what the hell....." but then by the end you understand exactly what is going on....until that is the end. There's a twist - which I have to say is a bit of a let down, as it was all a bit too good to be true, so you knew something was going to happen to make it a better ending.
The underlying problem these two have though, is trust. They just don't have it - as they both know how to scam and lie, to be good at what they do. However, there is one great scene - near the end - (Zurich) and it comes right at the right time - restoring the believability that there is real chemistry between Clive Owen and Julia.
I'd give it 2.5 stars out of 5.
She's worth whatever chaos she brings to the table and you know it. ~ Mark Anthony
Producer Peter Jackson and Director Neill Blomcamp give us a fresh take on the aliens have come to earth storyline, having the aliens initially accepted by human society then relegated to slum rats that the local town people want removed. Using something of a documentary style, the story is told through the various scientists, news reporters, and civilians involved with the aliens. The key character in the film is Wikus Van De Merwe played by Sharlto Copley, WIkus is a Government employee charged with heading up the movement of the aliens from their temporary shanty town in Johannesburg to a new location outside the city. While inspecting an alien home he has an unfortunate incident and his view of the aliens will never be the same.
I know this film was well reviewed and has many fans, but I was underwhelmed. I don't think the film is as original as some have stated, as various parts of this film reminded of other films such as Transformers, Starship Troopers, and Aliens. The storyline of a group of people, in this case aliens, being forced to live in a segregated area has many parallels to events that have occurred throughout history, but because we never learn much about the aliens, other than to see them jumping up and down and running, until the final third act, I had no feelings for the aliens. The civilians were also in some ways cartoon like, we really get little backgrounds story on them, instead we are given stereo-typical tough no nonsense mercenaries that enjoy killing too much and government bureaucrats that want the alien problem to go away. I also thought the look of the film, because it is told as something of a documentary, took away from the film.
Although I know most folks liked it, I can't recommend.
All that and not one mention of Bela Lugosi? Ygor is IMHO his greatest performance, beating his Dracula by miles. He reprises the part in Ghost Of, somewhat less impressively, before controversially playing the Monster in Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, featuring possibly Lon Chaney Jr's best performance.
And besides Del Toro, there's another Bond connection: action man Vic Armstrong did 2nd Unit work on this one.
...in addition, Art Malik (whom I thought was very good as the Mujahadeen leader in TLD) has a nice turn here as John Talbot's (Anthony Hopkins) Sikh manservant B-)
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 26,661Chief of Staff
Producer Peter Jackson and Director Neill Blomcamp give us a fresh take on the aliens have come to earth storyline, having the aliens initially accepted by human society then relegated to slum rats that the local town people want removed. Using something of a documentary style, the story is told through the various scientists, news reporters, and civilians involved with the aliens. The key character in the film is Wikus Van De Merwe played by Sharlto Copley, WIkus is a Government employee charged with heading up the movement of the aliens from their temporary shanty town in Johannesburg to a new location outside the city. While inspecting an alien home he has an unfortunate incident and his view of the aliens will never be the same.
I know this film was well reviewed and has many fans, but I was underwhelmed. I don't think the film is as original as some have stated, as various parts of this film reminded of other films such as Transformers, Starship Troopers, and Aliens. The storyline of a group of people, in this case aliens, being forced to live in a segregated area has many parallels to events that have occurred throughout history, but because we never learn much about the aliens, other than to see them jumping up and down and running, until the final third act, I had no feelings for the aliens. The civilians were also in some ways cartoon like, we really get little backgrounds story on them, instead we are given stereo-typical tough no nonsense mercenaries that enjoy killing too much and government bureaucrats that want the alien problem to go away. I also thought the look of the film, because it is told as something of a documentary, took away from the film.
Although I know most folks liked it, I can't recommend.
I watched this film last night....I thought is was superb.
I can't add anything to your first paragraph....but your second ? Well - each to their own.
I look forward to watching it again.
YNWA 97
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,993Quartermasters
"Battlestar Galactica: The Plan"
Essentially a summarizing, 'after-the-fact' highlight clips piece, told from the Cylons' point of view and starring the always-good Dean Stockwell, directed by Edward James (Adm. Adama) Olmos. Great stuff, aimed at die-hard fans of the series. If you haven't seen the show, you'll be utterly lost.
But the boys and I saw it all B-) Essential for BSG'ers. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Inglorious B&sterds at the Prince Charles cinema in London, surely one of the best venues in which to see a Tarantino movie (he loved the venue, so the blurb outside says, too). You can read Loeffs' fine review on the previous page, much of which I agree with. Loeffs' comments that it's a shame there isn't a real-life Bond seem to merge with this film into recent events in which Mossad are suspected of taking out the leader of Hammas (and not for dinner and a movie...)
I thought this film was mostly superb. Excellently cast (now why can't the Bond films be on a par with this?), wonderful subtext to most of the dialogue and the way it plays with your expectations and sympathies. You feel like the director is out to entertain and treat his audience with respect. Some are annoyed by the soundtrack which magpies from other movies, but not having seen those films I didn't find it a distraction. The cinematography is great; I don't necessarily want black and white or sepia, but often colour WWII films don't seem quite right, they lack authenticity. This nailed it.
Not wishing to start a flame war over CR, but hearing the dialogue and extended scenes here, I defy anyone to say that QT's Casino Royale would have mutha-f.... ing and Royale with Cheese every other line. Frankly, the dialogue here runs rings around CR, in French and in German! There are subtleties too, when evil Nazi Col Hans Landa refers to the farmhands lovely daughters, and his lovely cows (vaches) too, well, I read that vaches sounds similar to the French for vagina, and the farmhand would have picked up on the sinister impertinance. Taht said, the QT CR is an alternate universe; he would have done it with Brosnan and set after OHMSS, and frankly I can't envisage how that would have gone.
It's good to see the Jews claiming the initiative in cinema as they make up the vigilante group. I suppose it's like Rambo winning Vietnam for the Americans, a sort of pep talk. That said, they don't appear in it that much and it's a bit of a shame that in Hollywood tradition, the leader is the WASPish Brad Pitt. 8-) Like, even the most famous Jew in history, Moses, was played by Chuck Heston. Then again, as they're going behind enemy lines, maybe not a great idea that the other Jewish gang members look very Jewish. It reminds me of a scene in the Will Hay comedy, when he teaches German pupils behind enemy lines, and is baffled by seeing a Jewish lad in class. It's not like these guys blend in.
It's a shame that the two classic scenes, the opening and the meeting in the basement tavern don't feature the B@sterds. Okay, the second one does, but only tangentially. BTW if they're looking for someone to play Ian Fleming, the English actor with the attention-grabbing accent might be an excellent choice. The next best scenes, with the cinema owner and her suitor, also don't feature the gang. So they get a bit sidelined in their own movie.
Spielberg once sat through Life is Beautiful fuming because it took liberties with the reality of the holocaust. Heaven knows what he'd make of this film! It's as if for the final episode QT almost bottled it and made it so silly, it's almost in Mel Brooks territory. I found this disappointing and a let down. It's like he was saying, okay, we'll signpost that this didn't really happen... it's as if Casino Royale had turned into Moonraker for the final reel. Hans Lander (Christoper Waltz) who always had a touch of the Stan Laurel about him, and Welsh actor Rob Brydon, now becomes a comical character and any pretense at credibility went out the window. I have to say that while I was prepared to buy into the whole alternate universe, I wasn't ready to buy into this zany silliness. It dumped on the really suspenseful earlier scenes.
Second-tier Disney flick with a couple of iconic scenes, one rather xenophobic featuring two nasty Siamese cats. It suffers from not being based on a classic established story unlike other Disney adaptations, and seems to have been thought up on the back of the Pal Joey song The Lady is a Tramp. Not too many good songs or jokes and the landscapes are a bit vague and muddy. A notch or two beneath 101 Dalmations and The Aristocats, largely because there aren't any good hoodlum characters like Jasper and Horace. Still, it's all amiable enough.
Napoleon, what were you on when you were watching that? C'mon--Lady and the Tramp is one of Disney's greatest features! No great songs? "This is the Night"--"He's a Tramp"--"We Are Siamese"--I can hum 'em all. Xenophobic? Sure, there are racial and ethnic stereotypes all over the movie, but it was made in the mid-1950s, before sensitivities put a stop to such things. And, no, there's no criminal caper involved--but who the heck needs one? If Walt wasn't rolling in his grave over what the corporate titans have already done to his empire, he'd be rolling now!
Based on Nap's normal proclivities, I suspect that when he picked up a movie title 'Lady and the Tramp' he thought he was getting something else. Who can blame him for being disappointed.
It's been 1940s and Fedoras week as my player unravelled 4 "B" features with the Irish American detective Michael Shayne. More comedy mystery then noir. Breezy whodunnits would be a good way to describe them. But perhaps Bogie's Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade have spoiled me.
The four films are,
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
The Man Who Wouldn't Die
Sleepers West
Blue, White, and Perfect
The set extras feature a documentary on paperback artist extraordinaire Robert McGinnis, who did many of the original Shayne books written by Brett Halliday. Admittedly I've never read them, they seem to be out of print and difficult to obtain.
Set aboard trains, boats and an old dark house, with nazi spies, femme fatale reporters and bumbling policemen, these films are short and just plain fun for anyone who loves this sort of thing. One even has George "Superman" Reeves whose career was recently fictionalized in Hollywood Land.
Pass the popcorn, dim the lights. Watch Shayne stay one step ahead of the police, and two steps behind his female co-star. * B-)
* I might have subminally picked that line up from another member. Loeffelholz perhaps? However, if so it's completely non-intentional and shows a certain sense of approaching short term memory loss. Crap!
Escape from Alcatraz (1979), with a still-under-50 Clint Eastwood as the ringleader of the cons who engineered a break from The Rock (try saying that without imitating Sean Connery) in 1962, and the late great Patrick McGoohan as the iron-fisted warden. Not a classic Eastwood flick and it has the usual prison movie cliches (saintly veteran inmate, vicious homosexual, iron-fisted warden); but it does its job--there's suspense and tension aplenty, and it has you rooting for the guys who come up with the breakout. . .who, after all, are in prison for a reason!
Escape from Alcatraz (1979), with a still-under-50 Clint Eastwood as the ringleader of the cons who engineered a break from The Rock (try saying that without imitating Sean Connery) in 1962, and the late great Patrick McGoohan as the iron-fisted warden. Not a classic Eastwood flick and it has the usual prison movie cliches (saintly veteran inmate, vicious homosexual, iron-fisted warden); but it does its job--there's suspense and tension aplenty, and it has you rooting for the guys who come up with the breakout. . .who, after all, are in prison for a reason!
That is an excellent film which is desperately unfortunate to be overshadowed by two of the best films of all time IMO, in The Shawshank Redemption and The Rock.
It also speaks volumes of the legend that is Clint Eastwood, that you don't consider this a classic by his standards.
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves.” - Carl Jung
Napoleon, what were you on when you were watching that? C'mon--Lady and the Tramp is one of Disney's greatest features! No great songs? "This is the Night"--"He's a Tramp"--"We Are Siamese"--I can hum 'em all. Xenophobic? Sure, there are racial and ethnic stereotypes all over the movie, but it was made in the mid-1950s, before sensitivities put a stop to such things. And, no, there's no criminal caper involved--but who the heck needs one?
Okay, but that's just three songs. Compare with Peter Pan. Also, I like the villains best in Disney flicks - Captain Hook, the Wicked Queen, Jasper and Horace, Cruella... Lady and the Tramp doesn't have that, so suffers accordingly, and the jokes aren't as good. Not saying I hated the film by any means, but it does take a while to get going. I'm sure one of those Italian waiters got offed by Hook for playing his accordian at an importune moment.
Why doesn't Moonraker 5 want to watch it? Because he Disnae want to...
A Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes double bill, The Woman In Green and The Pearl of Death. Both turned up on one disc when I asked for just Pearl.
That said, as both are only just over an hour each, it figures.
Woman in Green is okay, lumpen direction, cackhanded exposition but satisfyingly macabre set-up as dead women are found with a finger missing. Hypnosis plays its part, which would have had some novelty back then. Moriaty appears but his comeuppance would disappoint purists. Generally the plot doesn't stack up as it goes on.
Pearl of Death is better, but I'd seen both of these before it turned out. There's a Jaws-style hoodlum - The Creeper - and dead bodies found with lots of smashed bric-a-brac around it.
Overall, both seemed aimed at teenagers and it's Basil Rathbone who carries the films, as Lestrad and Watson are both comical dullards. Both end with a slightly pompous patriotic speech by Holmes to tie in with the war effort. I'm not sure if either are set in 'modern' day of the 1940s or the Victorian era. It must be modern day, as they have cars and taxis. How many were set in the Victorian era? I know Hounds and Adventures were.
Gee Napoleon. Is there any classic movie that warms your heart at all? First, no love for Lady And The Tramp, and now you're slagging classic Rathbone Sherlocks. When will I learn to skip your harsh critiques?
By coincidence, I also watched Pearl Of Death. Loved it. Enjoyed the Churchill quote at the climax. Rondo Hatten as the creeper. The bloodstained Borgia pearl that claimes five more victims. I also love ol' Nigel Bruce. 100% faithful to Doyle or not.
"Buy war bonds!"
(my favorites are probably The Scarlet Claw and Spider Woman)
Oh, I quite liked The Pearl of Death, but it bugged me I'd wasted my DVD rental on a Holmes film I'd seen before, not to mention one better suited to a Saturday afternoon on the telly. To be honest, a lot of these old classic movies are better for stumbling upon at 11.55pm on telly on a Friday night.
To answer my own question, only two Rathbone movies were set in Victorian times; The Hounds of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Then there was a gap of a few years, before the modern updating. The Woman in Green may have been called that, despite there being no woman in green, because the original title The Final Solution, was a bit near the knuckle in 1945 what with Hitler's holocaust plans coming to light.
Please check out the Holmes thread. BTW I will rent your suggestions Alex.
I am watching Taken with Liam Neeson. It's alright but I've mistimed the rose and am a bit pissed. It seems like the sort of vehicle Mel Gibson would have been in if a) he wasn't in the doghouse with his drunken antics and b) he hadn't done some superior stuff like directing Apocalypto...
Oh, it's kicked in on the half hour. Not before time, too. A looooooooooooong half hour though.
Hopefully this will turn into Hostel 2 type terriotry, with daughter on end of a meat hook, as a satire on US condescension towards the French and European nations. Why do I somehow doubt it will turn out like that? ?:)
Producer Peter Jackson and Director Neill Blomcamp give us a fresh take on the aliens have come to earth storyline, having the aliens initially accepted by human society then relegated to slum rats that the local town people want removed. Using something of a documentary style, the story is told through the various scientists, news reporters, and civilians involved with the aliens. The key character in the film is Wikus Van De Merwe played by Sharlto Copley, WIkus is a Government employee charged with heading up the movement of the aliens from their temporary shanty town in Johannesburg to a new location outside the city. While inspecting an alien home he has an unfortunate incident and his view of the aliens will never be the same.
I know this film was well reviewed and has many fans, but I was underwhelmed. I don't think the film is as original as some have stated, as various parts of this film reminded of other films such as Transformers, Starship Troopers, and Aliens. The storyline of a group of people, in this case aliens, being forced to live in a segregated area has many parallels to events that have occurred throughout history, but because we never learn much about the aliens, other than to see them jumping up and down and running, until the final third act, I had no feelings for the aliens. The civilians were also in some ways cartoon like, we really get little backgrounds story on them, instead we are given stereo-typical tough no nonsense mercenaries that enjoy killing too much and government bureaucrats that want the alien problem to go away. I also thought the look of the film, because it is told as something of a documentary, took away from the film.
Although I know most folks liked it, I can't recommend.
I watched this film last night....I thought is was superb.
I can't add anything to your first paragraph....but your second ? Well - each to their own.
I look forward to watching it again.
I absolutely loved District 9.
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves.” - Carl Jung
Has anyone seen a film called The Prestige, starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Michael Caine, and directed by Christopher Nolan?
If not, I strongly recommend it as I found it absolutely mindblowing.
Jackman and Bale(my second favourite actor after Bruce Willis) play magicians in the late nineteenth century who start competing and end up in a savage rivalry trying to outperform each other.
The plot is superbly imaginative and unpredictable. Its constant twists and turns keep the viewer curious until the end.
One film it reminds me of is The Usual Suspects to which it is slightly superior IMO.
After watching this film I actually lay in bed for hours thinking about its brilliance.
I would go so far as to say this is one of the best films I have seen.
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to a better understanding of ourselves.” - Carl Jung
9. No, not the musical based on the Fellini film; but the computer-animated movie about a postapocalytic future populated by rag dolls. The animation and the overall look are absolutely superb; otherwise, it's a pretty drab, joyless affair that seems to answer the question no one asked: "What would Terminator: Salvation have been like if it was made with a sock puppet instead of Christian Bale?"
Comments
"The Wolf Man"
Even a man who is pure at heart
And says his prayers by night
May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms,
And the autumn moon is bright.
B-)
One hell of a lot of fun! From the Universal logo at the film's beginning, which starts as B & W and only picks up a hint of colour, to the above classic Universal lore, carved in stone and recited by the voice of a gypsy woman, you know you're in the knowing hands of someone who understands how special the old horror films are. Director Joe Johnston doesn't reinvent the wheel, here---rather, in a sense he celebrates the value of the wheel, in metaphoric terms---and his workmanlike competence doesn't get in the way. The blocking of the scenes, the use of double-imaging and nightmarish sequences, and the production design all provide a solid foundation to what is (I'm absolutely delighted to report) a good old-fashioned horror picture...which still manages to take full advantage of the CGI and viscera of the jaded* and desensitized times in which we live.
Although the credits list Curt Siodmak's original script from 1941 as that which the story is based upon, it really only touches upon points of it---but thankfully, they're all the important ones: Wayward son Lawrence Talbot (who doesn't have his father's British accent) returns to his family home in England in the late 1800s, as a series of grisly murders take place on the moors (where else??)...and
The great Benicio Del Toro, as Lawrence Talbot, completely owns this picture. His burly, brooding presence fills the screen, and he delivers a performance of restrained inner turmoil that only the finest actors are capable of rendering. His every movement conveys an unmistakable gravitas of purpose. What I was struck by most, initially, was just how much he resembles Lon Chaney---not Lon Chaney Jr., who played the original Talbot---but Lon Chaney Sr, the 'Man of a Thousand Faces.' The always also-great Anthony Hopkins takes on the role of Claude Rains as Talbot's father...but puts a distinct spin on that element of the story
Terrific shots of the forest at night, the use of the moon in its various phases as a narrative marker, a very creepy and engaging (if not immediately memorable) score by Danny Elfman, a nicely-balanced homage to the standard Universal monster film villagers with torches, and still more great creature effects by Rick Baker, all make this a highly recommended cinema experience for those who enjoy the genre. Some slight disappointments, including...
...the fact that the CGI isn't quite as seamless as one might hope, frankly did little to mitigate my thorough enjoyment of the picture. If you're familiar with the world of classic Universal horror, there aren't a lot of surprises here...but so what?
And besides Del Toro, there's another Bond connection: action man Vic Armstrong did 2nd Unit work on this one.
What a blast...but a word of warning: this picture earns it's 'R' rating, with delightfully gratuitous scenes of
I want to see it on the big screen one more time. 4 out of 5 stars.
* :v
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
All that and not one mention of Bela Lugosi? Ygor is IMHO his greatest performance, beating his Dracula by miles. He reprises the part in Ghost Of, somewhat less impressively, before controversially playing the Monster in Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, featuring possibly Lon Chaney Jr's best performance.
And where's Karloff? Admittedly Son is his least impressive Monster performance (not counting Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing of course) but even here he creates some memorable moments,
What a fun film to watch! I had seen it as a kid and didn't REALLY get any of the jokes like I do now as an adult. I think my favorite part is when Madeline Kahn (as Lila Von Schtupp) comes out in this fabulous lingerie garb and sings "Tired". A true comedianne!
I could have sworn I saw a review of this movie on here, saying don't expect too much.... but I've looked and can't find it
Anyway, it was okay. The two leads are convincing enough - both work as undercover intelligence operatives, and realise that they could - if they work together - pull off a massive job, by placing themselves in two competing companies and they come up with the perfect scam - although you get to see how, by watching this movie 'backwards'. At first you are thinking "what the hell....." but then by the end you understand exactly what is going on....until that is the end. There's a twist - which I have to say is a bit of a let down, as it was all a bit too good to be true, so you knew something was going to happen to make it a better ending.
The underlying problem these two have though, is trust. They just don't have it - as they both know how to scam and lie, to be good at what they do. However, there is one great scene - near the end - (Zurich) and it comes right at the right time - restoring the believability that there is real chemistry between Clive Owen and Julia.
I'd give it 2.5 stars out of 5.
Producer Peter Jackson and Director Neill Blomcamp give us a fresh take on the aliens have come to earth storyline, having the aliens initially accepted by human society then relegated to slum rats that the local town people want removed. Using something of a documentary style, the story is told through the various scientists, news reporters, and civilians involved with the aliens. The key character in the film is Wikus Van De Merwe played by Sharlto Copley, WIkus is a Government employee charged with heading up the movement of the aliens from their temporary shanty town in Johannesburg to a new location outside the city. While inspecting an alien home he has an unfortunate incident and his view of the aliens will never be the same.
I know this film was well reviewed and has many fans, but I was underwhelmed. I don't think the film is as original as some have stated, as various parts of this film reminded of other films such as Transformers, Starship Troopers, and Aliens. The storyline of a group of people, in this case aliens, being forced to live in a segregated area has many parallels to events that have occurred throughout history, but because we never learn much about the aliens, other than to see them jumping up and down and running, until the final third act, I had no feelings for the aliens. The civilians were also in some ways cartoon like, we really get little backgrounds story on them, instead we are given stereo-typical tough no nonsense mercenaries that enjoy killing too much and government bureaucrats that want the alien problem to go away. I also thought the look of the film, because it is told as something of a documentary, took away from the film.
Although I know most folks liked it, I can't recommend.
Look out, Barbel!! He's behind you!!
Roger Moore 1927-2017
...in addition, Art Malik (whom I thought was very good as the Mujahadeen leader in TLD) has a nice turn here as John Talbot's (Anthony Hopkins) Sikh manservant B-)
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I watched this film last night....I thought is was superb.
I can't add anything to your first paragraph....but your second ? Well - each to their own.
I look forward to watching it again.
Essentially a summarizing, 'after-the-fact' highlight clips piece, told from the Cylons' point of view and starring the always-good Dean Stockwell, directed by Edward James (Adm. Adama) Olmos. Great stuff, aimed at die-hard fans of the series. If you haven't seen the show, you'll be utterly lost.
But the boys and I saw it all B-) Essential for BSG'ers. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I thought this film was mostly superb. Excellently cast (now why can't the Bond films be on a par with this?), wonderful subtext to most of the dialogue and the way it plays with your expectations and sympathies. You feel like the director is out to entertain and treat his audience with respect. Some are annoyed by the soundtrack which magpies from other movies, but not having seen those films I didn't find it a distraction. The cinematography is great; I don't necessarily want black and white or sepia, but often colour WWII films don't seem quite right, they lack authenticity. This nailed it.
Not wishing to start a flame war over CR, but hearing the dialogue and extended scenes here, I defy anyone to say that QT's Casino Royale would have mutha-f.... ing and Royale with Cheese every other line. Frankly, the dialogue here runs rings around CR, in French and in German! There are subtleties too, when evil Nazi Col Hans Landa refers to the farmhands lovely daughters, and his lovely cows (vaches) too, well, I read that vaches sounds similar to the French for vagina, and the farmhand would have picked up on the sinister impertinance. Taht said, the QT CR is an alternate universe; he would have done it with Brosnan and set after OHMSS, and frankly I can't envisage how that would have gone.
It's good to see the Jews claiming the initiative in cinema as they make up the vigilante group. I suppose it's like Rambo winning Vietnam for the Americans, a sort of pep talk. That said, they don't appear in it that much and it's a bit of a shame that in Hollywood tradition, the leader is the WASPish Brad Pitt. 8-) Like, even the most famous Jew in history, Moses, was played by Chuck Heston. Then again, as they're going behind enemy lines, maybe not a great idea that the other Jewish gang members look very Jewish. It reminds me of a scene in the Will Hay comedy, when he teaches German pupils behind enemy lines, and is baffled by seeing a Jewish lad in class. It's not like these guys blend in.
It's a shame that the two classic scenes, the opening and the meeting in the basement tavern don't feature the B@sterds. Okay, the second one does, but only tangentially. BTW if they're looking for someone to play Ian Fleming, the English actor with the attention-grabbing accent might be an excellent choice.
Spielberg once sat through Life is Beautiful fuming because it took liberties with the reality of the holocaust. Heaven knows what he'd make of this film! It's as if for the final episode QT almost bottled it and made it so silly, it's almost in Mel Brooks territory. I found this disappointing and a let down. It's like he was saying, okay, we'll signpost that this didn't really happen... it's as if Casino Royale had turned into Moonraker for the final reel. Hans Lander (Christoper Waltz) who always had a touch of the Stan Laurel about him, and Welsh actor Rob Brydon, now becomes a comical character and any pretense at credibility went out the window. I have to say that while I was prepared to buy into the whole alternate universe, I wasn't ready to buy into this zany silliness. It dumped on the really suspenseful earlier scenes.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Second-tier Disney flick with a couple of iconic scenes, one rather xenophobic featuring two nasty Siamese cats. It suffers from not being based on a classic established story unlike other Disney adaptations, and seems to have been thought up on the back of the Pal Joey song The Lady is a Tramp. Not too many good songs or jokes and the landscapes are a bit vague and muddy. A notch or two beneath 101 Dalmations and The Aristocats, largely because there aren't any good hoodlum characters like Jasper and Horace. Still, it's all amiable enough.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
The four films are,
Michael Shayne: Private Detective
The Man Who Wouldn't Die
Sleepers West
Blue, White, and Perfect
The set extras feature a documentary on paperback artist extraordinaire Robert McGinnis, who did many of the original Shayne books written by Brett Halliday. Admittedly I've never read them, they seem to be out of print and difficult to obtain.
Set aboard trains, boats and an old dark house, with nazi spies, femme fatale reporters and bumbling policemen, these films are short and just plain fun for anyone who loves this sort of thing. One even has George "Superman" Reeves whose career was recently fictionalized in Hollywood Land.
Pass the popcorn, dim the lights. Watch Shayne stay one step ahead of the police, and two steps behind his female co-star. * B-)
* I might have subminally picked that line up from another member. Loeffelholz perhaps? However, if so it's completely non-intentional and shows a certain sense of approaching short term memory loss. Crap!
That is an excellent film which is desperately unfortunate to be overshadowed by two of the best films of all time IMO, in The Shawshank Redemption and The Rock.
It also speaks volumes of the legend that is Clint Eastwood, that you don't consider this a classic by his standards.
Okay, but that's just three songs. Compare with Peter Pan. Also, I like the villains best in Disney flicks - Captain Hook, the Wicked Queen, Jasper and Horace, Cruella... Lady and the Tramp doesn't have that, so suffers accordingly, and the jokes aren't as good. Not saying I hated the film by any means, but it does take a while to get going. I'm sure one of those Italian waiters got offed by Hook for playing his accordian at an importune moment.
Why doesn't Moonraker 5 want to watch it? Because he Disnae want to...
Roger Moore 1927-2017
That said, as both are only just over an hour each, it figures.
Woman in Green is okay, lumpen direction, cackhanded exposition but satisfyingly macabre set-up as dead women are found with a finger missing. Hypnosis plays its part, which would have had some novelty back then. Moriaty appears but his comeuppance would disappoint purists. Generally the plot doesn't stack up as it goes on.
Pearl of Death is better, but I'd seen both of these before it turned out. There's a Jaws-style hoodlum - The Creeper - and dead bodies found with lots of smashed bric-a-brac around it.
Overall, both seemed aimed at teenagers and it's Basil Rathbone who carries the films, as Lestrad and Watson are both comical dullards. Both end with a slightly pompous patriotic speech by Holmes to tie in with the war effort. I'm not sure if either are set in 'modern' day of the 1940s or the Victorian era. It must be modern day, as they have cars and taxis. How many were set in the Victorian era? I know Hounds and Adventures were.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
By coincidence, I also watched Pearl Of Death. Loved it. Enjoyed the Churchill quote at the climax. Rondo Hatten as the creeper. The bloodstained Borgia pearl that claimes five more victims. I also love ol' Nigel Bruce. 100% faithful to Doyle or not.
"Buy war bonds!"
(my favorites are probably The Scarlet Claw and Spider Woman)
To answer my own question, only two Rathbone movies were set in Victorian times; The Hounds of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Then there was a gap of a few years, before the modern updating. The Woman in Green may have been called that, despite there being no woman in green, because the original title The Final Solution, was a bit near the knuckle in 1945 what with Hitler's holocaust plans coming to light.
Please check out the Holmes thread. BTW I will rent your suggestions Alex.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Hopefully this will turn into Hostel 2 type terriotry, with daughter on end of a meat hook, as a satire on US condescension towards the French and European nations.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I absolutely loved District 9.
Generic, vile drek.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
If not, I strongly recommend it as I found it absolutely mindblowing.
Jackman and Bale(my second favourite actor after Bruce Willis) play magicians in the late nineteenth century who start competing and end up in a savage rivalry trying to outperform each other.
The plot is superbly imaginative and unpredictable. Its constant twists and turns keep the viewer curious until the end.
One film it reminds me of is The Usual Suspects to which it is slightly superior IMO.
After watching this film I actually lay in bed for hours thinking about its brilliance.
I would go so far as to say this is one of the best films I have seen.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
~ Casino Royale, Ian Fleming