Login
A Month At The Movies - October 2011!
Sort by:
Showing 7 items
Decade:
Rating:
List Type:
1644
7.6
7.6
Directed by: David Cronenberg
Main cast: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel & Armin-Mueller Stahl!
Stars out of 10: 8.3 Stars!
They will get you also
Expensive cars, sadistic acts of violence, stylish suits & superb acting is what makes David Cronenberg's Russian-mob movie, Eastern Promises, a modern-classic. Better than A History Of Violence, a film on the same vein but not better than his bizarre-cult Videodrome and the sci-fi great The Fly.
Anyways, this film reminded me of GTA: San Andreas in some areas and I swear, the whole movie looks like a typical mission from the game. Hey, this is Russian-Turkish mobs we're talking about, with lotsa killings.
We're quickly thrown into the ruff-and-tuff world of rats-and-gangsters with the opening slitting scene. From there, the violence just snowballs with Naomi Watts in the lead as a nurse with some issues at home and her life. In this sans-Hurt & sans-Harris movie, Viggo Mortensen really gave a top-notch acting as the soft spoken Nikolai, the driver and even though I haven't seen much of his material, Vincent Cassel gave a convincing performance too as Kirill. I will keep an eye out for him in other movies. The big, hulking Armin Mueller-Stahl has a ominous aura around him and his presence just scares the shit out of you. I mean, when a man of his size appears onscreen, you expect them to pick up the other guy and strangle them to death with just their bare hands. Also, like any other Cronenberg movie, this one also has a keen focus on details and things.
Overall, this has become one of my favourite movie at the moment and yes, a rewatch is required and I gotta tell you, If you are not a major fan of History Of Violence or are not exposed to Cronenberg much, you may find this boring and long. I found it entertaining and very realistic but this is a major fan talking here and to me this was better than History Of Violence. If you are not a fan of slitting or cutting scenes, then pass this one off as you won't be missing much but fans who have seen his other 'non-realistic' movies will find this one better. Well, whether you like or not, I'm including it in my greatest movies list!
Ranked No. 225 out of 500
Main cast: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel & Armin-Mueller Stahl!
Stars out of 10: 8.3 Stars!
They will get you also
Expensive cars, sadistic acts of violence, stylish suits & superb acting is what makes David Cronenberg's Russian-mob movie, Eastern Promises, a modern-classic. Better than A History Of Violence, a film on the same vein but not better than his bizarre-cult Videodrome and the sci-fi great The Fly.
Anyways, this film reminded me of GTA: San Andreas in some areas and I swear, the whole movie looks like a typical mission from the game. Hey, this is Russian-Turkish mobs we're talking about, with lotsa killings.
We're quickly thrown into the ruff-and-tuff world of rats-and-gangsters with the opening slitting scene. From there, the violence just snowballs with Naomi Watts in the lead as a nurse with some issues at home and her life. In this sans-Hurt & sans-Harris movie, Viggo Mortensen really gave a top-notch acting as the soft spoken Nikolai, the driver and even though I haven't seen much of his material, Vincent Cassel gave a convincing performance too as Kirill. I will keep an eye out for him in other movies. The big, hulking Armin Mueller-Stahl has a ominous aura around him and his presence just scares the shit out of you. I mean, when a man of his size appears onscreen, you expect them to pick up the other guy and strangle them to death with just their bare hands. Also, like any other Cronenberg movie, this one also has a keen focus on details and things.
Overall, this has become one of my favourite movie at the moment and yes, a rewatch is required and I gotta tell you, If you are not a major fan of History Of Violence or are not exposed to Cronenberg much, you may find this boring and long. I found it entertaining and very realistic but this is a major fan talking here and to me this was better than History Of Violence. If you are not a fan of slitting or cutting scenes, then pass this one off as you won't be missing much but fans who have seen his other 'non-realistic' movies will find this one better. Well, whether you like or not, I'm including it in my greatest movies list!
Ranked No. 225 out of 500
Happy Vader's rating:
6639
7.8
8.5
Gladiator (2000)
Directed by: Sir Ridley Scott
Main cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed, Connie Nielsen & Djimon Hounsou!
Stars out of 10: 9.1 Stars!
Are you not entertained?
Just as Johnny B. Goode, Walk & Money For Nothing are one of the greatest guitar-driven songs, Gladiator is one of the greatest music-and-acting driven film I've ever seen and is one of the few from the 21st Century that can be considered a masterpiece.
Well, Sir Ridley Scott, the mastermind behind Alien & Blade Runner and, to some extend, Matchstick Men, has convinced me that he can pull off an epic movie as brilliantly as his above two mentioned sci-fi movies. Now I'm gonna compare Gladiator with a few movies from the same genre.
It wasn't as beautiful as Titanic nor the romance was as romantic as in Braveheart. Unlike Pathfinder, this was unforgiving and more brutal and it was driven in the same cinematic manner as Ben-Hur and some of the scenes were almost like Spartacus. All the battle scenes in the Colosseum are nail-biting and I would rank this film somewhere along the lines of Apocalypto but a little better.
Another thing is his heroes & villains. They are always great, no matter how much pain they have gone through or how much pain they inflict upon others. Ellen Ripley, Rick Deckard and G.I. Jane being one of the best examples of heroes while Roy Batty and the relentless Aliens being the famous. In this one we have Russell Crowe in one of his few finest moments - apart from Cinderella Man & The Inside - playing the titular Gladiator, General Maximus Decimus Meridus with Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus, the antagonist. I've been a fan of Joaquin Phoenix ever since I saw him in Walk The Line but after watching his performance in this film, It was like as if I had never seen him before onscreen. The single scene he dominated was the one explaining the virtues to his father before smothering him to death. Whereas in other scenes, Oliver Reed was simply the best.
A must watch and very enjoyable movie and 85% of the fun comes from your knowledge. If you know about the ancient history, the Gods, the Romans or atleast the names, then the fun doubles. I frankly think there's no fun in watching a history-based movie if you don't know what's what but... give Gladiator a try!
Ranked No. 119 out of 500
Main cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed, Connie Nielsen & Djimon Hounsou!
Stars out of 10: 9.1 Stars!
Are you not entertained?
Just as Johnny B. Goode, Walk & Money For Nothing are one of the greatest guitar-driven songs, Gladiator is one of the greatest music-and-acting driven film I've ever seen and is one of the few from the 21st Century that can be considered a masterpiece.
Well, Sir Ridley Scott, the mastermind behind Alien & Blade Runner and, to some extend, Matchstick Men, has convinced me that he can pull off an epic movie as brilliantly as his above two mentioned sci-fi movies. Now I'm gonna compare Gladiator with a few movies from the same genre.
It wasn't as beautiful as Titanic nor the romance was as romantic as in Braveheart. Unlike Pathfinder, this was unforgiving and more brutal and it was driven in the same cinematic manner as Ben-Hur and some of the scenes were almost like Spartacus. All the battle scenes in the Colosseum are nail-biting and I would rank this film somewhere along the lines of Apocalypto but a little better.
Another thing is his heroes & villains. They are always great, no matter how much pain they have gone through or how much pain they inflict upon others. Ellen Ripley, Rick Deckard and G.I. Jane being one of the best examples of heroes while Roy Batty and the relentless Aliens being the famous. In this one we have Russell Crowe in one of his few finest moments - apart from Cinderella Man & The Inside - playing the titular Gladiator, General Maximus Decimus Meridus with Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus, the antagonist. I've been a fan of Joaquin Phoenix ever since I saw him in Walk The Line but after watching his performance in this film, It was like as if I had never seen him before onscreen. The single scene he dominated was the one explaining the virtues to his father before smothering him to death. Whereas in other scenes, Oliver Reed was simply the best.
A must watch and very enjoyable movie and 85% of the fun comes from your knowledge. If you know about the ancient history, the Gods, the Romans or atleast the names, then the fun doubles. I frankly think there's no fun in watching a history-based movie if you don't know what's what but... give Gladiator a try!
Ranked No. 119 out of 500
Happy Vader's rating:
413
8.4
8.1
Directed by: Jules Dassin
Main cast: Jean Servais, Carl Mohner, Robert Manual and Jules Dassin!
Stars out of 10: 9.5 Stars!
Webb? Why not the French bank?
After 6 crash dumps and one power out later, I finally downloaded Rififi, Du rififi chez les hommes, one of the most intricate, most brilliant crime film of all time. It's the Reservoir Dogs of.. no no, let me rephrase that: Reservoir Dogs is the Rififi of the 90's!
Anyways, this film was released probably at the best time possible. If it had been released 10 years before, it would've had been restricted for salacious content and would've had gone into obscurity. Released 10 years later, it would've had been seriously raped by technology and stuff!
Jules Dassin, who also plays Cesar, directed this movie in such beautiful detail that I wonder why I hadn't heard of him before? Or any of the cast? Most especially Jean Servais as the tough-spoken, hard-nosed and seriously ailing Tony Le Stephanois and the virtually unknown Robert Manual (Mario Ferrati), who, I think made the film!
But the main point is the never-before-seen, never-ever-seen 30 minutes safe heist. Yes sir, you think robbing a safe is easy? That it can be done in 3 minutes flat as you see in the movies of the now? The carefully detailed, highly suspenseful and perfectly captured heist should have you at the edge of your seats and believe me, not a second waste!
Anyways, arguably one of the best groundbreaking crime film ever made which ponders over one human element: Greed!
Ranked No. 60 out of 500
Main cast: Jean Servais, Carl Mohner, Robert Manual and Jules Dassin!
Stars out of 10: 9.5 Stars!
Webb? Why not the French bank?
After 6 crash dumps and one power out later, I finally downloaded Rififi, Du rififi chez les hommes, one of the most intricate, most brilliant crime film of all time. It's the Reservoir Dogs of.. no no, let me rephrase that: Reservoir Dogs is the Rififi of the 90's!
Anyways, this film was released probably at the best time possible. If it had been released 10 years before, it would've had been restricted for salacious content and would've had gone into obscurity. Released 10 years later, it would've had been seriously raped by technology and stuff!
Jules Dassin, who also plays Cesar, directed this movie in such beautiful detail that I wonder why I hadn't heard of him before? Or any of the cast? Most especially Jean Servais as the tough-spoken, hard-nosed and seriously ailing Tony Le Stephanois and the virtually unknown Robert Manual (Mario Ferrati), who, I think made the film!
But the main point is the never-before-seen, never-ever-seen 30 minutes safe heist. Yes sir, you think robbing a safe is easy? That it can be done in 3 minutes flat as you see in the movies of the now? The carefully detailed, highly suspenseful and perfectly captured heist should have you at the edge of your seats and believe me, not a second waste!
Anyways, arguably one of the best groundbreaking crime film ever made which ponders over one human element: Greed!
Ranked No. 60 out of 500
Happy Vader's rating:
1917
6.7
7.1
Spaceballs (1987)
Directed by: Mel Brooks
Main cast: Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Daphne Zuniga, Mel Brooks and George Wyner!
Stars out of 10: 7.2 Stars!
Your Schwartz is bigger than my Schwartz
Spaceballs may be the most 'ludicrous' entry in my greatest movies list. From the amazing opening of Space 1 moving across the screen (It takes like 2-minutes) to the A New Hope ending, Spaceballs is just about probably the most funniest movie I've seen in a long time.
Spaceballs is a parody of sci-fi greats like Star Wars (the main storyline), Alien, 2001, Transformers, Planet of The Apes and, to a very less extent, The Terminator (the bar lady at the very end looks very similar to Sarah Connor and has the same permy hairstyle and outfit). After the success of Young Frankenstein & Blazing Saddles, I decided to give this film a try not because It's directed by Mel Brooks but because It has Rick Moranis: In my opinion, one of the best funniest actor there is, but sadly he has retired from acting!
With John Candy & Bill Pullman in the lead as Barf & Lone Star, respectively, and the beautiful Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa with her robotmaid Dot Matrix in the rear, the film rolls like an unstoppable snowball and every time the film takes a turn, the laugh just doubles, triples even. Rick Moranis plays the villain, Dark Helmet in one of his best movie credits, second only to Ghostbusters. This film also has a host of funny, one shot cameos with Mel Brooks himself playing Yoghurt, Stephen Tobolowsky (Ned Ryerson, remember?) as Captain and John Hurt paroding himself in the end (oh no, not again) and also JM J. Bullock as Prince Valium.
All in all, just like a solo by Eric Clapton, Spaceballs may seem long and endless, but as a fan of Mel Brooks, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and it may not be the greatest parody movie, It's one of them. The two reasons enough should be: John Candy as Barf and Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet ("Everybody got that? Good")
And, oh, If you wanted to know how the events of Planet Of The Apes came about and why Apes don't like humans, then the ending might tell you!
Watch the film, my friend, and may the Schwartz be with you!
Ranked No. 495 out of 500
Main cast: Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Daphne Zuniga, Mel Brooks and George Wyner!
Stars out of 10: 7.2 Stars!
Your Schwartz is bigger than my Schwartz
Spaceballs may be the most 'ludicrous' entry in my greatest movies list. From the amazing opening of Space 1 moving across the screen (It takes like 2-minutes) to the A New Hope ending, Spaceballs is just about probably the most funniest movie I've seen in a long time.
Spaceballs is a parody of sci-fi greats like Star Wars (the main storyline), Alien, 2001, Transformers, Planet of The Apes and, to a very less extent, The Terminator (the bar lady at the very end looks very similar to Sarah Connor and has the same permy hairstyle and outfit). After the success of Young Frankenstein & Blazing Saddles, I decided to give this film a try not because It's directed by Mel Brooks but because It has Rick Moranis: In my opinion, one of the best funniest actor there is, but sadly he has retired from acting!
With John Candy & Bill Pullman in the lead as Barf & Lone Star, respectively, and the beautiful Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa with her robotmaid Dot Matrix in the rear, the film rolls like an unstoppable snowball and every time the film takes a turn, the laugh just doubles, triples even. Rick Moranis plays the villain, Dark Helmet in one of his best movie credits, second only to Ghostbusters. This film also has a host of funny, one shot cameos with Mel Brooks himself playing Yoghurt, Stephen Tobolowsky (Ned Ryerson, remember?) as Captain and John Hurt paroding himself in the end (oh no, not again) and also JM J. Bullock as Prince Valium.
All in all, just like a solo by Eric Clapton, Spaceballs may seem long and endless, but as a fan of Mel Brooks, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and it may not be the greatest parody movie, It's one of them. The two reasons enough should be: John Candy as Barf and Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet ("Everybody got that? Good")
And, oh, If you wanted to know how the events of Planet Of The Apes came about and why Apes don't like humans, then the ending might tell you!
Ranked No. 495 out of 500
Happy Vader's rating:
7297
7.7
8.2
V for Vendetta (2006)
Directed by: James McTeigue
Main cast: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry and John Hurt!
Stars out of 10: 7.9 Stars!
The only verdict is vengeance, a vendetta...
I had been putting off V For Vendetta for a very long time because I had read someplace that almost all of Alan Moore's silver-screen works ended up in complete disaster. Well, it sort of proved right with Watchmen & LXG but proved wrong in this case.
Alan Moore should've had known better to include his name in this film because after all, it is directed by James McTeigue, who worked as an assisant director for the Matrix sequels and is produced by the Wachowski Brothers, the directors of the original Matrix. But I completely understand and would've had done the same!
Anyways, before her Oscar win, Natalie Portman had few good roles (bar Star Wars) and I would rank her role as Evey as one of the best she has done so far. Hugo Weaving plays V, the charismatic and daredevil master-behind-of-it-all. Great performances by Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry and John Hurt.
All in all, this film is great and so far the best silver screen adaptation of a work by Alan Moore and the cast was greatly chosen and delivered exactly what it had promised but, as seeing that the Wachowski Brothers and James McTeigue had worked on The Matrix franchise, I was expecting a little more from them!
Ranked No. 410 out of 500
Main cast: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry and John Hurt!
Stars out of 10: 7.9 Stars!
The only verdict is vengeance, a vendetta...
I had been putting off V For Vendetta for a very long time because I had read someplace that almost all of Alan Moore's silver-screen works ended up in complete disaster. Well, it sort of proved right with Watchmen & LXG but proved wrong in this case.
Alan Moore should've had known better to include his name in this film because after all, it is directed by James McTeigue, who worked as an assisant director for the Matrix sequels and is produced by the Wachowski Brothers, the directors of the original Matrix. But I completely understand and would've had done the same!
Anyways, before her Oscar win, Natalie Portman had few good roles (bar Star Wars) and I would rank her role as Evey as one of the best she has done so far. Hugo Weaving plays V, the charismatic and daredevil master-behind-of-it-all. Great performances by Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry and John Hurt.
All in all, this film is great and so far the best silver screen adaptation of a work by Alan Moore and the cast was greatly chosen and delivered exactly what it had promised but, as seeing that the Wachowski Brothers and James McTeigue had worked on The Matrix franchise, I was expecting a little more from them!
Ranked No. 410 out of 500
Happy Vader's rating:
582
6.8
6.9
Directed by: Don Coscarelli
Main cast: Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davies, Ella Joyce & Bob Ivy as Bubba
Stars out of 10: 7.9 Stars!
I'm thinking with a sandbag here...
Bubba Ho-Tep was the most surreal and suprisingly pleasing movie I've ever seen in a quite a-long time. Bruce Campbell goes from fighting Shemps to fighting Cancer and an undead mummy which he Christians, Bubba Ho-Tep. But there's another thing: You see, Campbell is Elvis Presley. Or should I say, the Cancer-ridden Elvis Presley in one of his most best screen roles. Joining him in the fight is Ossie Davis who thinks he is JFK "dyed black all over".
The film balances entirely on the narration of Bruce Campbell and his virtues on life and how he regrets not paying attention to his family and why the hell did he sign the contract and give away everything to Sebastian Haff. This film uses the main two lead as stencils to etch the theme and tone of old-cannot-survive-in-the-world-of-young and how they are forgotten. It's quite a touching movie as you see two men, one hopelessly thinks he's another, being terrorized by the titular character and embark on a journey to repel evil which robs them of their lives. It's also occassionally funny and it actually has smart dialogues and a great cinematography.
All in all, now I know why Bubba Ho-Tep is the most celebrated Bruce Campbell movie ever and I heartfully concur. His, and Ossie Davis's performances were Oscar-worthy but the Academy usually passes these movies off! Anyways, this is like seeing The Essense Of Time painting. At first viewing you take it all in, review it in your head, and see it again to fully understand the meaning behind it!
Could probably be one of the best films released in the first quarter of the 21st Century!
Main cast: Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davies, Ella Joyce & Bob Ivy as Bubba
Stars out of 10: 7.9 Stars!
I'm thinking with a sandbag here...
Bubba Ho-Tep was the most surreal and suprisingly pleasing movie I've ever seen in a quite a-long time. Bruce Campbell goes from fighting Shemps to fighting Cancer and an undead mummy which he Christians, Bubba Ho-Tep. But there's another thing: You see, Campbell is Elvis Presley. Or should I say, the Cancer-ridden Elvis Presley in one of his most best screen roles. Joining him in the fight is Ossie Davis who thinks he is JFK "dyed black all over".
The film balances entirely on the narration of Bruce Campbell and his virtues on life and how he regrets not paying attention to his family and why the hell did he sign the contract and give away everything to Sebastian Haff. This film uses the main two lead as stencils to etch the theme and tone of old-cannot-survive-in-the-world-of-young and how they are forgotten. It's quite a touching movie as you see two men, one hopelessly thinks he's another, being terrorized by the titular character and embark on a journey to repel evil which robs them of their lives. It's also occassionally funny and it actually has smart dialogues and a great cinematography.
All in all, now I know why Bubba Ho-Tep is the most celebrated Bruce Campbell movie ever and I heartfully concur. His, and Ossie Davis's performances were Oscar-worthy but the Academy usually passes these movies off! Anyways, this is like seeing The Essense Of Time painting. At first viewing you take it all in, review it in your head, and see it again to fully understand the meaning behind it!
Could probably be one of the best films released in the first quarter of the 21st Century!
Happy Vader's rating:
2858
8.2
8.3
Directed by: Orson Welles
Main cast: Orson Welles, Everett Sloane, Dorothy Comingore, William Alland, Everett Sloane and Joseph Cotten
Stars out of 10: 10 Stars!
Rosebud. That's what we need
Often cited as the greatest movie ever made, Citizen Kane has hit the headlines and has won hearts for all the right reasons. The opening may seem like an intro to a horror movie by Universal but, after the now immortal "Rosebud" line, you're now in the grasp of Charles Foster Kane and his life. It's like being a witness to a murder. You can't run away from it and it won't run away from you. Charles Foster Kane is the megalomaniacal, little eccentric, owner of The Inquirer and promises not to hide anything from the public. Orson Welles gives a very impressing performance that lives up to his baritone voice and his dominating appearance. I guess it used the same technic Goodbye, Mr. Chips used 2 years previous. Showing the life of the titular character from scratch to his death. I don't know but it had similarities. Nevertheless, we all know the end result and it's no wonder why everyone loves the film. If you're not one of those 99% who loved the film, then you must've been out of your medicines. Almost all the supporting cast gave a great performance, whether major or minor, but I would like to single out two: Everett Sloane as the respected and respectable Mr. Bernstein. Any scene sans-Welles, Mr. Sloane commanded attention from the viewer. The second is Dorothy Comingore as the delicate Susan Alexander, Kane's second wife. A great Oscar-worthy performance.
Oh, why couldn't I had been born back then? I would've had loved to say to my kids (who must've been 30 years by now) that "Son, I grew up at the time of Citizen Kane. Oh, you don't know Citizen Kane? It's the greatest film ever made, boy. Don't you ever forget that!" I guess I was born 50 years too late and now the conversation may go like this: "Daughter, I grew up in the time of High School Musical..." The horror, the horror!
In conclusion, I would like to compare Citizen Kane to Supper's Ready by Genesis. Both are charming in their mystery, their beautiness and are at the top of their chosen field. Mr. Kane, we tip our bowler hats to you!
Main cast: Orson Welles, Everett Sloane, Dorothy Comingore, William Alland, Everett Sloane and Joseph Cotten
Stars out of 10: 10 Stars!
Rosebud. That's what we need
Often cited as the greatest movie ever made, Citizen Kane has hit the headlines and has won hearts for all the right reasons. The opening may seem like an intro to a horror movie by Universal but, after the now immortal "Rosebud" line, you're now in the grasp of Charles Foster Kane and his life. It's like being a witness to a murder. You can't run away from it and it won't run away from you. Charles Foster Kane is the megalomaniacal, little eccentric, owner of The Inquirer and promises not to hide anything from the public. Orson Welles gives a very impressing performance that lives up to his baritone voice and his dominating appearance. I guess it used the same technic Goodbye, Mr. Chips used 2 years previous. Showing the life of the titular character from scratch to his death. I don't know but it had similarities. Nevertheless, we all know the end result and it's no wonder why everyone loves the film. If you're not one of those 99% who loved the film, then you must've been out of your medicines. Almost all the supporting cast gave a great performance, whether major or minor, but I would like to single out two: Everett Sloane as the respected and respectable Mr. Bernstein. Any scene sans-Welles, Mr. Sloane commanded attention from the viewer. The second is Dorothy Comingore as the delicate Susan Alexander, Kane's second wife. A great Oscar-worthy performance.
Oh, why couldn't I had been born back then? I would've had loved to say to my kids (who must've been 30 years by now) that "Son, I grew up at the time of Citizen Kane. Oh, you don't know Citizen Kane? It's the greatest film ever made, boy. Don't you ever forget that!" I guess I was born 50 years too late and now the conversation may go like this: "Daughter, I grew up in the time of High School Musical..." The horror, the horror!
In conclusion, I would like to compare Citizen Kane to Supper's Ready by Genesis. Both are charming in their mystery, their beautiness and are at the top of their chosen field. Mr. Kane, we tip our bowler hats to you!
Happy Vader's rating:
Eastern Promises
Added to
12 votes
Hamza Goes to the Movies!
(24 lists)list by Happy Vader
Published 11 years, 4 months ago 
1 comment
1 comment
RSS Feed