My Movie Diary 2011

Futurama: Bender's Big Score

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:42:23 GMT

Futurama: Bender's Big Score

Water for Elephants

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:41:57 GMT

Water for Elephants

I Don't Know How She Does It

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:41:45 GMT

I Don't Know How She Does It

Blast of Silence

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:41:24 GMT

Blast of Silence

City Beneath the Sea

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:41:08 GMT

City Beneath the Sea

Ball of Fire

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:40:50 GMT

Ball of Fire

Gettysburg

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:40:01 GMT

Gettysburg

Sucker Punch

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:18:48 GMT

Sucker Punch

Catfish

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:17:06 GMT

9.26
Whether its genuine or not, this documentary is very trippy and requires you react with “damn,” “shit” and “what the fuck?” a lot.

Superman Returns

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:16:50 GMT

9.25
I thought this was a pretty okay movie from Bryan Singer and I often wonder about all of these reboots (Spider-man included). I mean, what in hell will happen to all of these movies when they keep remaking them? Other than that, it requires re-familiarization and erasing from memory of how pitch-perfect Brandon Routh was. Oh, how I wish there was at least another movie with Routh in the costume. Then again, this movie is just so cheese there are times its really hard to stand.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:03:14 GMT

9.25
Jim Carrey was young once and during the time, he was the greatest, funniest comedian on the face of the earth. “Ace Ventura” may have gotten lost and buried behind Carrey’s better, “acting” films like “Truman Show,” “Man on the Moon,” “Eternal Sunshine,” (God, these are great films) but it’s Ventura I go back to, to have some much needed laughter. It’s just a no-brainer.

Gandahar

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:03:06 GMT

9.25
Rene Laloux’s cult animated sci-fi is the by-product of its era: imaginative, radical and sexy.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:02:55 GMT

9.24

We all know its Jack Sparrow’s movie franchise, oddly, I kinda miss the rest of the original cast (Bloom, Knightley, etc.). Somehow, I consider them as one big happy, backstabbing family. And Jack Sparrow seemed less like Jack Sparrow without them.
“On Stranger Tides” can count as a spin-off and still offers us the service of Geoffrey Rush, probably the more interesting character behind Sparrow, and some familiar minor faces. Penelope Cruz is the “big” casting ingredient and she pretty much held her own. Grand locations and an ultimate quest, somehow it doesn’t feel the same.

Captain Blood

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:02:04 GMT

9.24
The movie that made Errol Flynn a star. “Captain Blood” is rollicking, exciting high-seas pirate adventure overflowing with charisma and libido courtesy of course, of the one-and-only Flynn. One of his best pairings with the lovely Olivia de Havilland and starring his usual band of lackeys.

The Garment Jungle

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:01:53 GMT

9.22

Bad Teacher

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:15:30 GMT

Bad Teacher

Requiem for a Heavyweight

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:01:30 GMT

9.20

Your Highness

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:01:11 GMT

9.19

The Wind

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:16:37 GMT

9.18
Lilian Gish, one of early cinema’s foremost movie star sizzles in this Western drama, but the real star as you might have guessed, is the wind. Or to be more exact, the wind making machine, which comprised half of the production. Evident also, is the director’s artistic use of the camera and effective storytelling for a silent movie.

13 Assassins

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:16:21 GMT

9.11
The sadistic bad guy in this movie is guaranteed to find itself in the most hated villains in cinema history lists. Watch it and you’ll agree. That it even took 13 of the best samurai warriors to try to assassinate the guy is further proof. Big budget, sprawling sets and a cast of thousands make this period epic while clocking at 2 hours, a cinematic experience.

Contagion

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:16:14 GMT

9.10
Trademark Steven Soderbergh multi-layered storyline that find stars Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, and Marion Cotillard in the middle of a worldwide virus outbreak. Soderbergh is undeniably an actor’s director that the actors flow seamlessly in their roles regardless of the obvious deluge of star power.

Beautiful Boy

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:16:02 GMT

9.10
This is kind of a first. Michael Sheen and Maria Bello play parents of a teenage boy who opened fire inside a classroom and killed himself eventually. No real surprises in this coping-with-tragedy drama since its easy to expect the kind of life they will have to face in the aftermath that you can even predict when the “breakdown and cry moments” are coming. It could’ve been engaging (if only for cinematic purposes) if the parents really dug deep into their son’s emotional disturbance rather than do nothing but mourn. We appreciate the honest intent of realism, but as far as storytelling goes, its not a first.

Scream 4

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:15:32 GMT

9.8
With respect to the maverick horror screenwriter that is Kevin Williamson, “Scream 4” is just so full of itself that it imploded in its own legend. And what’s with that fuckin’ Sheriff Dewey? Have you ever seen such an inept lawman and police force? Ghostface returns to town and the FBI (and CSI) didn’t notice? How could Sidney Prescott, who had more innocent people killed in her name since Jesus, not feel so guilty she should be hanging herself? There are some nifty twists of twists in Williamson’s script but do not expect to jump off your seats and scream.

The Beaver

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:25:31 GMT

9.7
Love him or you hate him but as it goes, you cannot ignore him. Jodie Foster directs Mel Gibson in the story of a husband and father who cures his own depression by creating an alter ego of a talking beaver hand puppet that makes his decisions for him. It’s a purely aesthetic role and the cute part is, Gibson talks in thick Aussie accent. Believe me, you’d fall for it.

Source Code

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:22:53 GMT

9.5
Envy Jake Gylenhaal for getting that one, mean intelligent sci-fi movie that makes idiots of normal people still early in his career. Why, it took Leonardo DiCarpio years before “Inception” landed on his lap. But, on second thought, Jake was in “Donnie Darko” and maybe, its two, mean intelligent sci-fi movies. “Source Code” could be called “Groundhog Day” meets “Inception” and it engages you to a certain breaking point. It’s also the movie that I finally accepted the fact that Michelle Monaghan is a real babe.

Something Borrowed

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:21:30 GMT

9.4
Talk about relationships that are complicated. its a romcom of a foursome (or was it a sixsome?) and further shows that Kate Hudson is not getting any younger (and thinner) and would probably stay on the same Sandra Bullock road. You know, that role of a woman past her prime who still dreams of landing that one dream job and getting hitched to the right man. Even with that typical romcom title, “Something Borrowed” has something of a nice story and characters that comes naturally rather than injected.

"I was a babe in "Almost Famous!"

The Conspirator

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:20:46 GMT

9.4
From book (check out the highly entertaining “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) to screen (a biopic is coming soon with Daniel Day-Lewis), Honest Abe seems to be the “in” thing these days. Here, the story recounts the trial of John Wilkes Booth’s co-conspirators, particularly the family of the Surratts whose matriarch may or may not be innocent. Outstanding cast include James McAvoy, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson and Danny Huston. But it’s Robin Wright who resurfaced in her greatest role as Mary Surratt. Out came recognizable talent, that she’s like Joan Allen or Tilda Swinton all of a sudden. This is highly watchable historical drama directed by Robert Redford.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:20:02 GMT

9.4
Last of the 70s franchise has ape and man survivors of a nuked out earth battling for supremacy and a little bit of normalcy. Nice looking art direction and of course, the main product line—the ape masks make this a better than average “Planet of the Apes” movie.

The Ghost Breakers

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:16:36 GMT

9.1
Bob Hope crackles with some funny one liners in this romance comedy also starring Paulette Goddard, Paul Lukas and Anthony Quinn. If this weren’t from 1940, I’d say the story of a heiress being scared by bad guys out of a supposedly haunted castle is way overdone. But its Bob Hope and he’s always entertainment.

White Zombie

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:16:32 GMT

8.31
A trademark Bela Lugosi role that is not Dracula was as an evil manipulator of zombies—not the flesh-eating kind but that of hypnotized humans that does his evil biddings--like stop a girl from getting married to some guy (okay, that's not so evil). Old cinema horror is essential viewing for the genre’s fanatics as it is also the movie featured in Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood.”

Before, zombies were caricatured as wrestlers who couldn't act.

Hobo with a Shotgun

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:16:13 GMT

8.30
So it goes that Rutger Hauer will now be known as the mean bastard Hobo with a fuckin shotgun in this excessively violent (fuck Tarantino and Rodriguez) cultish movie. That’s the way to go if you’ve been out of the scene for the longest time, you create a lasting myth. “Hobo” is monotonously fun.

Blood on the Sun

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:16:01 GMT

8.30
There’s the fight scene where James Cagney trade Judo moves with a large adversary that’s a real treat. He chops, he kicks, he throws his opponent over his shoulder, and he plays but a foreign newspaper man in Japan during the outbreak of WWII. No matter what Cagney plays, he’s tougher than nails and will kick anyone’s ass who needed kicking.

Immortal

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:15:49 GMT

Combining CG effects with real actors, “Immortal” is high-brow sci-fi involving Egyptian gods, metahumans, humans and a red, mutated, flying hammerhead shark in a “Bladerunner” world of unwashed taxicabs, squalid bars and a floating pyramid. It is a visionary experience and its not that hard to comprehend what’s happening.

Treasure Island

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:15:33 GMT

8.29
Oh boy! A real galleon! Probably, the best version of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic story gave us an unforgettable performance by Wallace Beery as Long John Silver, greedy, backstabbing and ultimately lovable pirate. A must see for lovers of adventure!

One of the best movie pirate role of all time is none other than Wallace Beery's Long John Silver...just look at that mug!

Cop Hater

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:42:16 GMT

8.28
You’ll never find a duller, stiffer group of cops than this here bunch. A young Robert Loggia with curly hair leads the cast of city cops up on their toes looking for a .45 wielding cop killer. You may remember Loggia only as an evil, corrupt old man, but he did have a career as a young man full of vitality, and already with that cringe on his face. Dull? I’d say, stiff around the edges but he and the rest of the forgetful force (with the exception of the old Lieutenant) only made their roles more believable—like real cops. And that’s the exceptional part of the movie.

Hollywood on Trial

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:42:05 GMT

8.28
Seeing Hollywood stars such as Gary Cooper, Robert Taylor and Ronald Reagan share their thoughts to the so-called Committee for Unamerican Acts, one would think they must’ve been putting on an act to some degree. After all, the “witch hunt” in Hollywood that blacklisted the likes of Dalton Trumbo and Edward Dymytryk and made a snitch out of Elia Kazan, now feels even more like a circus than a real history lesson. The repeated question of “Are you now or have ever been a member of the Communist party?” now, seem to sound too theatric.

The Human Centipede (First Sequence)

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:41:47 GMT

8.27
“Human Centipede” is about a crazy Nazi surgeon who stitched together three humans from anus to mouth to anus to mouth, so that one person’s excrement flows to another person’s…well, you get the basic principle. (The movie has such a reputation that even “South Park” couldn’t resist but ride on its sickness, mashing it up with Apple CEO Steve Jobs in one of its episodes to create the ultimate in communication technology—the Centipod, part human-part ipod.) This is yet another milestone in gross moviemaking---while demented, it is rather ingenious. For what sick fuck could’ve thought of such an idea but a brilliant one.

There's nothing much to say about this photo...I mean, look at it!

Eye of the Tiger

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:41:26 GMT

8.27
“Eye of the Tiger” is an action film with ill-timed special effects, cartoon characters and a set-up that doesn’t exist in the real world. But whenever the theme song, the ubiquitous title is ALMOST a blockbuster action movie. Gary Busey, whom I have labeled (and with a sense of weird idolatry) as a “poor man’s Nick Nolte,” obviously lacked the physical attributes to go head-to-head with a dangerous biker gang but more than made up for sheer fighting spirit, complete with a heartfelt solid speech to the oblivious townspeople during a game of Bingo.

I have seen the movie more than a couple of times with the same result—label it as one of those movies that’s so cheesy, you gotta be a nut not to at least enjoy it. After all, it also stars Yaphet Kotto, Seymour Cassell and that bald nasty guy with the hoarse voice.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:41:14 GMT

8.26
Listen to the screenplay closely and you’d realize how metric, how lyrical the dialogues are, and how every voice and intonation differ from each other. If you’ve seen Dr. Strangelove several times, you could look away, or heck, even close your eyes, and the voices still come alive with faces. A screenplay that’s a class of its own, intelligent and superior, Dr. Strangelove is the greatest black comedy ever made.

Rango

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:21:37 GMT

8.25
Well, it’s a big plus to have Johnny Depp as the voice of Rango but honestly, even without him, the character will stand out. Its just a great character, period. A lizard unlike any other. Then there’s the unique range of supporting animal characters you’d have some trouble though identifying what the heck they are! All-in-all, even though it has a used, Western-style, old-fashioned plot, it is just so wildly entertaining.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:21:16 GMT

8.25
Concluding the series of our punk’d out hacker is somehow a bit of a story stretch, but it did resolve some lingering issues. The most violent in the trilogy.

Without the punk rock getup, she's really quite a babe. Rawrrr.

Welcome to Hard Times

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:20:54 GMT

8.24
Warren Oates looked like a young John Leguizamo, carefree and beaming with a full set of teeth. He, along with an able supporting cast surround an already aged Henry Fonda in this somewhat revisionist Western based on a novel by EL Doctorow

Storm Warning

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:20:34 GMT

8.24
Before the Russkies and Cold War, Ronald Reagan fought with the Ku Klux Klan as a brave prosecutor with some help from Ginger Rogers and Doris Day. Rogers and Day offer intense performances but it was Rogers that was a real revelation—it was even too adult sexy. “Storm Warning” is very watchable as its interesting to see how small town politics operates with the Klan and its twisted beliefs.

"Stop her! Once she tap dances, our will gets broken!

The Girl Who Played with Fire

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:16:45 GMT

8.22
Our favorite lesbian hacker Lisbeth Salander returns (did I just say that?) with a bit of revenge and everything gets fucked up even more. A menacing sequel may even be better than the first.

Kiki's Delivery Service

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:11:35 GMT

8.22
Coming-to-age story of a little witch who moves into a big city as part of her initiation and learns much about life. Though not as ambitious and epic as other Miyazaki features, this is no less than entertaining and heartwarming.

Turning those bad humans into toads often crossed her mind, if only this weren't a wholesome movie.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:11:10 GMT

8.21
The first part of a trilogy about a punk’d out hacker who gets in deep in a conspiracy got the instant cult status thanks to the performance of Noomi Rapace and the intelligent direction of Niels Arden Oplev. Here are two names to remember for you’d likely to see more of them in the near future.

It Came from Beneath the Sea

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:10:43 GMT

8.21
Gigantic atomic octopus attacks major city squeezing its tentacles through office buildings scaring the shit out of pedestrians, crushing them to death and throwing cars about while the army prepare to launch rockets to kill the motherfucker. With the right attitude, this 50s sci-fi movie with Ray Harryhausen special effects can be a lot of fun in the end because it starts typically slow with a lot of the investigating and hypothesizing stuff.

Harvey

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:09:00 GMT

8.19
If not for the wonderfully charming performance of James Stewart, the story of an imaginary 6 foot 5 rabbit would’ve been silly. It was Stewart’s personality that carried an otherwise boring film, mainly because the rabbit has no personality at all, and it showed in the one-sided conversations. Imagine an imaginary friend that’s gentlemanly and its like befriending a statue. With Stewart, "Harvey" became a one-of-a-kind movie.

"An imaginary rabbit?! What Elwood needs is to get laid..."

Wrecked

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:08:48 GMT

8.18
Adrian Brody’s face never seems to stop emoting. Like its on a permanent state of a facial expression. Which made him a prime candidate for such a movie as “Wrecked”—a one man acting show. Brody plays a man who wakes up bruised and trapped inside a wrecked car deep inside a forest. Due to the obvious accident his memory is a little shady, but looking at his two other dead companions and a stash of money in the trunk, its easy to put the pieces together. So it goes that keeping the surroundings still and putting Brody in the middle creates a movie with high artistic freedom though making little sense, and bores the shit out of you.

Wayne's World

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:19:36 GMT

8.16
We can all pick our own five favorite scenes in Wayne’s World and compare. “Bohemian Rhapsody” should be there, maybe Garth’s lip-synching of “Foxy Lady,” or how about those fun play with endorsements. Then there are the quotable quotes: “Schwing!,” “We’re not worthy!,” and “It will be mine…yes, it will be.” “Wayne’s World” was a pop culture movie already trapped in time both in the movies and its Saturday Night Live run, and made stars of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey and to some extent, revived Rob Lowe’s career. So, choose your favorite scenes and lines, that is, if you like “Wayne’s World” in the first place. I know I do.

Wayne and Garth often thought why they never did it.