Emily Finlay10 more mini-reviews
November 27th 2007 08:41
I'm exceptionally busy this week on a number of writing projects, but I still intend to update this thing, so here are some quick thoughts on 10 other movies I've watched this year:
Bubba Ho-Tep
Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell- I know, awesome) and this old black guy who thinks hes JFK do battle with an evil, soul sucking mummy. In a retirement home. Its every bit as good as it sounds, which you can rarely say about a concept that sounds so damn cool.
Daft Punk's Electroma
Two robots go on the most avant-garde quest to become human ever. It's the kind of film a select group are going to call the Best Movie Ever, but which I would personally call disjointed and overstretched, feeling like a cool 10 minute Youtube piece turned into a really weird feature-length piece. I wouldn't reccomend it, honestly, even if you are, like me, a big fan of Daft Punk.
Once
This is what Garden State would have been like if it wasn't arguably the worst film ever made. Controversial, I know! Someday, I'll post a massive rant about how much I hate that movie, but this one is pretty good.
Stranger Than Fiction
Stranger Than Fiction: wherein Maggie Gyllenhaal's character misunderstands the point of anarchy to such an extreme extent it almost destroys the entire film in a single scene:
Maggie Gyllenhaal: Anarchists have a group?
Will Farrel: I believe so, sure.
Maggie Gyllenhaal: They assemble?
Will Farrel: I don't know.
Maggie Gyllenhaal: Wouldn't that completely defeat the purpose?
The Viewer At Home: Well actually Maggie, you've....you've completely missed the point of anarchy there, because anarchists do indeed have groups, and don't actually oppose them as su-
Maggie Gyllenhaal: *gets away with being so smug because she's intimidatingly attractive*
I didn't mind this movie at the time, but the more I think about it, it irritates me in quite a few ways. It's alright, though, I suppose.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I don't recall them using the word 'phoenix' in this movie. Not even once. Not even "Hey, look at that phoenix", or "I have to get up early tomorrow to catch my plane to Phoenix, Arizona". These movies are obviously meant as compliments to the books, rather than seperate pieces, which is all well and good if you actually remember what happened in the books, which I....don't, by and large.
The King of Comedy
The Scorcese version, not the completely different Stephen Chow film. It's basically Taxi Driver: Surprisingly Good PG Version, in pretty much every way, including actor and director.
Heavenly Creatures
A fine Peter Jackson effort, although it raises a very interesting moral question for the viewers. If two girls are naked and gettin' it on in a movie, and they're both over legal age, but they're playing 15 year olds, am I allowed to find it hot? One of them was Kate Winslet, does that make it alright? Yeah? Yeah, I think I'm in the clear. Anyway, good movie.
Mulholland Dr.
This film is amazing. Not only does it contain maybe the scariest scene ever in a movie, but it also represents everything I love about Lynch. It gets especially good at the point where it absolutely stops making sense, which is a rare sort of compliment.
Capote
One of those movies where the director clearly had a checklist of objectives entitled 'How to make a movie that'll get nominated for awards', ticked every box (including the 'still shot of a largely brown field with acoustic music playing in background' box) and went home. So, you know, good, but not really out there enough for me.
The Lost Boys
Starring Keifer Sutherland as a vampire. After all the 24 I've seen, I kept waiting for a scene where he threw someone against a wall and screamed "WHERE IS THE BOMB?", but I suppose the script-writers couldn't predict his future roles 14 years in advance. Almost insanely cheesy, but ends pretty well.
Uhhh, that's about it I suppose.
Bubba Ho-Tep
Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell- I know, awesome) and this old black guy who thinks hes JFK do battle with an evil, soul sucking mummy. In a retirement home. Its every bit as good as it sounds, which you can rarely say about a concept that sounds so damn cool.
Daft Punk's Electroma
Two robots go on the most avant-garde quest to become human ever. It's the kind of film a select group are going to call the Best Movie Ever, but which I would personally call disjointed and overstretched, feeling like a cool 10 minute Youtube piece turned into a really weird feature-length piece. I wouldn't reccomend it, honestly, even if you are, like me, a big fan of Daft Punk.
Once
This is what Garden State would have been like if it wasn't arguably the worst film ever made. Controversial, I know! Someday, I'll post a massive rant about how much I hate that movie, but this one is pretty good.
Stranger Than Fiction
Stranger Than Fiction: wherein Maggie Gyllenhaal's character misunderstands the point of anarchy to such an extreme extent it almost destroys the entire film in a single scene:
Maggie Gyllenhaal: Anarchists have a group?
Will Farrel: I believe so, sure.
Maggie Gyllenhaal: They assemble?
Will Farrel: I don't know.
Maggie Gyllenhaal: Wouldn't that completely defeat the purpose?
The Viewer At Home: Well actually Maggie, you've....you've completely missed the point of anarchy there, because anarchists do indeed have groups, and don't actually oppose them as su-
I didn't mind this movie at the time, but the more I think about it, it irritates me in quite a few ways. It's alright, though, I suppose.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I don't recall them using the word 'phoenix' in this movie. Not even once. Not even "Hey, look at that phoenix", or "I have to get up early tomorrow to catch my plane to Phoenix, Arizona". These movies are obviously meant as compliments to the books, rather than seperate pieces, which is all well and good if you actually remember what happened in the books, which I....don't, by and large.
The King of Comedy
The Scorcese version, not the completely different Stephen Chow film. It's basically Taxi Driver: Surprisingly Good PG Version, in pretty much every way, including actor and director.
Heavenly Creatures
A fine Peter Jackson effort, although it raises a very interesting moral question for the viewers. If two girls are naked and gettin' it on in a movie, and they're both over legal age, but they're playing 15 year olds, am I allowed to find it hot? One of them was Kate Winslet, does that make it alright? Yeah? Yeah, I think I'm in the clear. Anyway, good movie.
Mulholland Dr.
This film is amazing. Not only does it contain maybe the scariest scene ever in a movie, but it also represents everything I love about Lynch. It gets especially good at the point where it absolutely stops making sense, which is a rare sort of compliment.
Capote
One of those movies where the director clearly had a checklist of objectives entitled 'How to make a movie that'll get nominated for awards', ticked every box (including the 'still shot of a largely brown field with acoustic music playing in background' box) and went home. So, you know, good, but not really out there enough for me.
The Lost Boys
Starring Keifer Sutherland as a vampire. After all the 24 I've seen, I kept waiting for a scene where he threw someone against a wall and screamed "WHERE IS THE BOMB?", but I suppose the script-writers couldn't predict his future roles 14 years in advance. Almost insanely cheesy, but ends pretty well.
Uhhh, that's about it I suppose.
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Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
Philip Seymour Hoffman blew me away in Capote - he is what made it for me. And Catherine Keener was solid as usual.
I laughed about your Heavenly Creatures moral dilemma. (I also, think you are in the clear, so never fear.) I first saw it about ten years ago, and loved it from the outset. Definitely a film you keep thinking about long after the credits have run!
Michaelie