unclefestering

Member since 5/6/2008, last signed in 3 days ago.

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Interested in: Action, Avant-garde / Experimental, Comedy, Comedy Drama, Crime, Culture & Society, Epic, Fantasy, Historical Film, Science & Technology, Science Fiction, Spy Film, Thriller, War, Western

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Thought Provoking Science Fiction
By unclefestering in unclefestering Blog
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"Primer isn't a movie that tries to reach the lowest common denominator in terms of audience. It expects you to meet its concepts. And for those that do there is a great payoff. Four engineers in a tiny startup realize that they have built something amazing, but don't quite know what they have. Two of them figure out they have built a time machine and manage to buy out the others. At that point they start going back in time to make money on the stock market, always careful to avoid interfering with themselves or anyone they know. But eventually the temptation to interfere in their own lives becomes too great and the repercussions grow greater and greater. This harkens back to when science fiction movies were about ideas and not just explosions. There is a lot of tech talk, but is easy to follow and actually has meaning, unlike the techobabble in most science fiction movies. It isn't boring, but the deliberate pace of this movie may put some people off if they are expecting and actio ... " [More]

Primer

The Prestige

Gripping and Clever
By unclefestering in unclefestering Blog
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"Why does it always seem that there are two movies abot the same subject released at the same time? The Prestige was released just after The Illusionist (2006), which is a shame because that sucked away the audience that might have gone to see this. Don't get me wrong, the Illusionist isn't a bad movie, but I find this one so much better. Two young magicians become bitter rivals when one of them may or may not have been instrumental in the death of the other's wife. From that point on, they do what they have to do to steal each other's secrets no matter who it hurts in their lives. A taut and gripping plotline is boosted by great performances of Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. Both performances are filled with envy, jealousy, and anger. Some people say that the end is a bait and switch, but if you are paying attention to the movie, you are lead down to its dark inevitable path. " [More]

The Greatest Show on Earth

What was I thinking
By unclefestering in unclefestering Blog
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"Ok. I was on a trip to Florida and we went to the Ringling Museum (Incredible works by Rubens). On the property there is housed a circus museum. (Last aside: the docents wear the same uniforms as the art museum. Nobody in clown shoes and tiny cares.) One of the main sections of the circus museum is dedicated to how the Ringling Brothers Circus helped make this movie. So that was the hook. and I fell for it like a mark at the target booth. Chuck Heston is extra stiff as the circus manager "with sawdust in his veins." Betty Hutton overacts as the trampy trapeze artist who tries to make Heston jealous of her affair with Cornel Wilde. And would anybody anywhere feel threatened by Jimmy Stewart, even if he took off the clown makeup? " [More]

That Thing You Do!

Cute but Overrated
By unclefestering in unclefestering Blog
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"That Thing That You Do! is an overrated movie. Don't get me wrong. It is cute. It has a beat you can dance to, but it seems like a retread of almost every music/road trip movie out there and doesn't really add anything to it to make it special. Liv Tyler's sexy yet innocent smile is the best thing about this movie. " [More]

The Commitments

Opening their eyes to the possi ...
By unclefestering in unclefestering Blog
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"The Commitments bring together two of Alan Parker's favorite themes: music and class. Both elements are well servied by this funny and touching story of a man with an unlikely goal: to create the next U2. It doesn't matter that he doesn't know anybody in the music business. He gets a motley crew together and forms them into a great soul band. He wheels and deals, doing whatever he has to, in order to get his band on stage. The final concert scene is one of my favorite musical moments in the movies. Alan Parker may have first staked out his rock credentials with Fame and Pink Floyd: The Wall, but nine years later, he reaffirmed them solidly with this movie. " [More]

Fame

Almost Famous

One of those movies that I'll a ...
By unclefestering in unclefestering Blog
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"Almost Famous is one of those movies that will stop me from channel surfing to watch it when it is on. Although it has its flaws, it is one of Cameron Crowe's best and most personal movies. It is right up there with Singles (1992). I loved how this movie really evoked the feeling of the 70s. That mood that what was special about the 60s was slipping away. That feeling is mirrored by the gradual loss of William's innocence as he leaves the shelter of his overprotective mother for the care of Penny Lane. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is great (as always) as the rock critic who is William's mentor and offers advice that is too eagerly discarded until he realizes its worth far too late. It is hard to believe that Crowe could make this and be the force behind the soulless Jerry Maguire (1996). " [More]

Aria

An experiment with mixed results
By unclefestering in unclefestering Blog
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"Aria is a movie composed of 10 short films, each centered around a different aria from whatever opera the directors wanted. Some are haunting and beautiful, like Franc Roddam's Tristan und Isolde set in Las Vegas. Some are funny, Julien Temple's take on Rigoletto where a husband and wife each check into the same sex motel with different partners. Others that stand out are Ken Russell's Nessum Dorma and Derek Jarman's Depuis le Jour. Some just don't work. Sadly, Robert Altman's Les Boreades never came together for me with its view from the stage into the audience. Jean Luc Goddard's Armide also fails to engage on almost every level. I like the short film format because even the ones that don't work take chances that you will never see in full length films. " [More]

Eight Men Out

Not a feel good movie, but it m ...
By unclefestering in unclefestering Blog
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"Eight Men Out is probably my favorite baseball movie. It isn't a simple movie. It doesn't turn the players into shining heroes who were framed by the man. (If you want that movie watch The Natural (1984) with its cleaned up, bloodless ending.) These guys are barely making ends meet while the White Sox owner is raking it in. When a group of gamblers offers them big money to throw the series, they see their chance not only to get their cut, but revenge on the guy they see as cheating them. That's when their victory turns to ashes in their mouths. The movie doesn't shy away from the fact that they are in the wrong or the price they pay for their decisions. There is no Field of Dreams (1989) for these guys. There isn' even the redemption that Crash Davis gets in Bull Durham (1988). But this movie is spellbinding in its heartbreak. " [More]

Field of Dreams

Looking for an evil cult movie
By unclefestering in missing a film
"No, not about Scientology. I think this movie was from the early 70 or late 60s. It was about a cult of devil worshipers who kill the bride of one of the actors from Star Trek. I want to say Leonard Nimoy. The head of the cult might have been Ernest Borgnine. I saw part of it a couple years ago on TV late at night. I fell asleep and never got a chance to find out what the movie was. Any help out there? " [More]

No Reservations

Mostly OK
By unclefestering in unclefestering Blog
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"No Reservations is the American remake of the German movie Mostly Martha (2001). It has all the right plot points, but as the saying goes if it doesn't gel, it isn't aspic. This movie tries to make the point that cooking is about passion, but the passion never seems real. Other than cooking there doesn't seem to be anything that bonds Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckhart. Many movies link food and passion. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) shows that life without love and passion is like a life without taste. Big Night (1996) shows that skill and passion turn food into art. No Reservation tries to make those same points, but fails to be convincing about them. I would reccommend either of those before suggesting you see this. " [More]

Moonstruck

Touching, sexy and romantic
By unclefestering in unclefestering Blog
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""Snap out of it!" Whenever anybody says that phrase, I automatically think of Olympia Dukakis in Moonstruck. She plays Loretta's mother, Rose, a cynical woman who sees the deep troubles of her family. Loretta is going to marry Johnny, who she doesn't love. But she's fallen in love with his brother Ronnie, who Johnny hasn't spoken to in years. This movie shows the depth of love as well as its passion. Rose is right that "if you love them, they can walk all over you." But she also knows it is worth it. This movie also shows that nobody can drive you crazy like your family. " [More]

North by Northwest

Great job Hitch
By unclefestering in unclefestering Blog
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"For those who only think of Hitchcock as the master of thrillers, To Catch a Thief is sometimes considered a disappointment. But this movie has all those pure Hitchcock moments pulled off with his deft touch. This is a Hitchcock romance, so while there are dark touches here and there, it is light and fun. Jesse Royce Landis is a great scene stealer as she would go on to prove with only a few scenes in North by Northwest (1959). But the heat and tension between Grant and Kelly is the highlight of the film. She wants to love him but is afraid to trust him. He wants to clear his name and first see her a potential target, then a distraction and then as the main attraction. " [More]

To Catch a Thief

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Movies where the power of opera is featured. Not filmed versions of an opera, but ones where ope ...

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