WHAT YOU WATCHED THIS WEEK

[dnwilliams]

It is Sally Draper's season. IIRC = if I recall correctly.

[twaddington]

Rise of the Planet of the Apes- Really surprised by how good it is. The story has a great flow to it, and even though the outcome is already known, it manages to keep you guessing. Some of the camerawork is brilliant- loads of cool kinetic shots. The aerial shots of the apes rampaging across the city are particularly inspired. Loved how the apes develop as characters. Rupert Wyatt (the director) is definitely one to watch.

Few niggles though. Firstly, why was that orangutan human level intelligence before he had been exposed to the virus? at one point he says 'apes are stupid'. It worries me that the writers think apes are capable of such self-awareness. Also, the casting was really odd. I love James Franco and John Lithgow but they seemed ill-suited to their roles. Tom Felton and Brian Cox with bad American accents as well. Saying that, they all put in decent performances.

[Sheridan Passell]

Apes are capable of self-awareness. They are just dumber and stronger versions of us. See front page for how one empathises with humans that he's watching in a movie - http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=18055

Source Code - I expected to like it more than I did. Hell I expected to love it. There's just something slightly underwhelming about it. That bomber character only exists in Hollywood minds, bad casting. The scene where he's talking to his father on the phone didn't move me because of bad acting on the dad's side. Jeffrey Wright's character was, let's face it, hammy and ridiculous, if you want someone to act like an old professor, hire an old actor. Some of the ideas were just too silly ("Wipe his memory") to go with. So yeah worth seeing but if this is one of the best movies of the year (as it is according to Rotten Tomatoes) then it's been a weak year. I liked that his space was the wreckage of his helicopter though.

[dalmatianjaws]

Absolutely agree on Source Code. Had such potential. Jeffrey Wright is absolutely embarrassing in it. The "reveal" that Gyllenthal is really SPOILER is so damn obvious and undeeded. And, given the concept, if he's jumping into another man's head, where does that man go? Does he kill that guy by staying there at the end? Someone in the audience asked that question of the writer and he went wide eyed and said "I never thought of that, that's pretty terrible."   My take on the writer is that he comes up with great ideas but isn't the best at executing them.

[T.ROSS]

What was wrong with 30 Minutes Or Less T.Ross? What made Final Destination 5 better than the previous two?

30 Minutes or Less was lacking a little on story I guess.  Still had its moments for sure! Final 5 was really good.  Very funny, creative had that magic again.

[T.ROSS]

This week I saw Conan the Barbarian 3D, it was good.  I really like Marcus Nispel's films.  He is very talented.  I also saw Fright Night 3D.  I liked this movie as well.  Nice take on the story.  Neither of these flicks need to be seen in 3D though, 2D will be just fine.  I bought The Ward on bluray.  I watched that tonight.  I liked it, I like all of John Carpenter's films.  The colors and set design really captured the 60s well.  I really enjoyed the cinematography.  The shots were superb!  I also watched the original 1985 Fright Night and Fright Night part 2.  I've seen the original many times, but this was the first time I've seen the sequel.  I really enjoyed it a lot.  I captured the same vibe as the original.  I also watched Eden Lake.  That is one of my favorite horror movies.  It's really good.  Every horror lover should check it out.  I also bought Super on bluray, watched that again.  That movie is so awesome!  Love the way it was directed and shot! 

-T. Ross

[Sheridan Passell]

T.Ross do you know the producer of Eden Lake is making a horror movie I wrote? (Or at least we're in the middle of contract negotiations)

If you had to choose between the Fright Night remake and Fright Night 2, which would it be?

[dnwilliams]

Did you get my audition tape yet Sheridan? I know it's not a musical, but I do a good Maria Von Trapp, and I wanted to give you the opportunity to see me at my best.

[Sheridan Passell]

I did but I could tell it was your head stuck on Julie Andrews'.

[dnwilliams]

It's the only way I could accurately simulate what it would be like to see me audition in the flesh.

[dalmatianjaws]

In the Mouth of Madness - this flick made a HUGE impact on me as a kid and I've long held it as the last great John Carpenter movie ... I wish I'd never re-watched it. While it still has the deeply unsettling moments that jarred me as a kid (mainly, the concept of no longer being considered sane if you are the minority and the idea you can let an actual, physical evil into the world by letting it into your mind) the acting, cinematography, locations, sets, and dialog range from blah to flat out bad. There aren't so much characters as random weird people walking around while bad things happen for no reason. For sure, it's a movie about insanity, so it stands to reason there can be some random shit ... but it feels less like a strong artistic choice and more like "well fuck, we don't have a lot of money, so let's make most of the movie about people talking."

All in all, the ending is still chilling and that final image of John Trent laughing while he watches himself on the movie screen is SO disturbing. But it's also the only time in the entire movie that Sam Neil is convincing (and I usually like him as an actor). All in all, the quality of the filmmaking is bad, the ideas are great.

[dalmatianjaws]

I Love You Philip Morris - not the greatest movie ever made but really knocked me for a loop because it's WAY better than you'd expect. Didn't know any of the "real story" going into it and I'd suggest the same to any new viewers. The ending really got me. Laughed a ton and actually teared up in places. GREAT performances from Carrey and MacGregor. Very good flick.

[Sheridan Passell]

Yeah I was surprised how good I Love You Philip Morris was. The guys went on to make Crazy, Stupid, Love which got great reviews a few weeks back.

[dalmatianjaws]

Red State - I love Chasing Amy, but other than that Smith's films range from "meh" (Clerks) to "WTF was he THINKING?!" (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back). That said, I went in with very low expectations and was utterly blown away. It's a bit rough around the edges since he had ultimate control (writer, director, editor) but overall it's a ballsy film that takes major narrative risks about every ten minutes and, in my mind, succeeds wildly with all of them. It's billed as a horror film but really only begins as a horror film. This movie changes genres more times than Mamet's Red Belt. It's actually a strain to watch at times because you brain keeps trying to predict what will happen and you simply cannot. Truth be told, despite an overuse of handheld camera work due to the tiny budget ... this is a borderline masterpiece. "More of a parlor trick than a traditional narrative" (Smith's words from the talk back after the screening), this flick keeps you guessing but more importantly keeps you engrossed in its magic. I haven't been this swept up in a movie since Children of Men. Whatever you do, don't go in expecting a horror film or you will be disappointed. Go in with an open mind and expect a LOT of talking (Smith's signature, love it or hate it) and roll with the punches. It's a very unique film experience that I can't recommend enough.

[Sheridan Passell]

I get the feeling I'm going to really dislike Red State, Kevin Smith just seems to get my nerves these days. Loved Mallrats when it came out.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes - As good as everyone says. Those poor animators at Weta must have had to pull three months of all-nighters to get that lot done. Fiat Punto or whatever her name is had nothing to do. I don't like how we lost to monkeys though, not sure it's a feel-good movie experience.

Unknown - Enjoyed it quite a bit. Completely what you expect but still very watchable. As in Taken, Neeson is great as a pissed off man in a European city. Like Downey Jr, he's an actor who's got better with age. The trailer spoiled way too much though, I wish I had been watching it without knowing 80% of the ending.

[dnwilliams]

Finally saw Captain America, 'twas brill.

[dalmatianjaws]

Attack the Block - I just ... I ... how the HELL is this a first time movie?! It's utterly fantastic. Fun, funny, exciting, scary, clever ... so SO good. Like, top of the best ten list for the year kind of good. Great creature design too, very different. Easily the best movie I've seen this year, EASILY. So jazzed about it. Damn.

[Sheridan Passell]

Limitless - Solid movie. Glad it was Bradley Cooper rather than Shia (who dropped out when his hand was busted in a road accident). Felt pretty original, and wasn't all that predictable scene to scene, which is sometimes a good side-effect of something being based on a novel. It's very satisfying watching him kicking ass on the pill and distinctly stressful when it runs out. I was left somewhat confused at the end as to why exactly people had been getting bumped off, I think I understand, but it sure was vague. De Niro is fine in the few scenes he has, but it's a part he would never have taken in the mid-90s or earlier, it's very bog standard, like something Alan Arkin or Terence Stamp would play.

[Sheridan Passell]

Rather than watching The King's Speech, I decided to go back and see if The Love Guru was as bad as everyone said. In conclusion, I cannot recommend it to anyone. You could cut a good five minutes into a YouTube compilation video, but that's about it.

[dalmatianjaws]

The Verdict - solid courtroom drama with a great, understated ending and stunningly low-key performance from Paul Newman. Can't believe how weak his character was (in a good way). So refreshing to see such an iconic movie star "lower" himself for the sake of a great character.

Marathon Man - such an odd, odd movie. Elements include: Nazi dentists, meek marathon runner, spies, the McCarthy hearings, and Jewish road rage. Overall very entertaining with some STUNNING scenes.

X-Men: First Class - I fail to see all the fuss. I rank it slightly above the third one, but not by much. Some great moments (when Fasstbender kills Kevin Bacon) and some mind blowingly awful moments (Fasstbender's final shot appearance as Magneto ... that costume supervisor should be strangled with a pair of suspenders). Overall it was entertaining but I wouldn't really watch it again. It's too all over the place tonally and not memorable enough for me to expend the effort.