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radiogerbil

Member since 5/14/2007, last signed in awhile ago.

"Tasty rodents, nature's candy"

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Personal statement: An abridged summation of my personality and psyche are best put by Raoul Duke's commentary on his psychotic attorney when he says, "There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, too rare to die. " Yay for narcissism.

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Baise-Moi

Poorly Made and Pointless
By radiogerbil in radiogerbil Blog
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"Undeterred by the countless warnings I received on this movie, I watched it, expecting an impactful story of two objectified women taking out their rage through the only means available to them. It's anything but impacting. From both a plot and a technical viewpoint, it's awful. The film is very poorly made with very low quality film, awful framing, and extreme close-ups that usually lose the subject. The plot is thin at best and fails to make any kind of statement. If the women had been normal before their various traumatic experiences, then I might be able to buy into their murder-and-sex spree, but both were women of ill-repute with little reason to snap. Though it was created to disturb, it really just bored me. The characters are impossible to relate to or feel empathy for, the plot is hashed together, and the graphic content is almost laughable in its pointlessness. Perhaps I'm just very jaded, but this film utterly fails to communicate any kind of social ... " [More]

Re: The Age of Innocence (1993)
By radiogerbil in Criterionize This
"That sounds intereresting. I didn't know Scorcese did anything but modern grit and gangster movies. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the post. " [More]

Ratatouille

Stale, Tasteless
By radiogerbil in radiogerbil Blog
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"I just saw "Ratatouille" tonight, and I'm baffled as to why it's receiving such rave reviews. It's not bad, but it's not that good either. It just...is. It's as forgettable as "Ghost Rider." Hardly anything stands out. The story is stale, there's very little humor (unless you enjoy endless slapstick), and the characters are shrug-inducing. The animation is very good though. It's impressive to see how far Pixar has come technically. I just wish that the story was better executed. There's only so much humor you can get out of a kid being controlled by a rat. Ironically, most of the humor came from identifying which Disney movie stories were almost outright copied in the script. There is, of course, the very obvious nod to "The Little Mermaid" when the father rat warns his naive son to "stay away from humans, they're dangerous" among other similarities. And there's the "American Tail" reference with him being separated from ... " [More]

Cypher

Smart Sci-Fi
By radiogerbil in radiogerbil Blog
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"I've been waiting for this movie for a while ever since it showed in the Dublin independent movie hall. Finally, after years, it's been released to America, and I don't know why it took so long. Perhaps it was trying to put some distance between it and "The Matrix" because the two share some minute similarities. This low-budget movie demands much concentration from the viewer and demands that they figure some details out for themselves, but it's ultimately quite rewarding in the end with a twist that neither I nor my friend expected. The story centers around a very awkward accountant who volunteers to spy on rival companies for a technology company called DigiCorp. What he doesn't realize is that far more is going on than merely spying on trade shows. Soon he is embroiled in a world that he cannot understand nor escape from. Relying on shadowy figures and his panicky nuerosis, he gropes blindly from one revelation to another. Lucy Liu's acting could have been bett ... " [More]

Closer

Love Amidst Filth
By radiogerbil in radiogerbil Blog
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"I always feel better about myself after watching a movie like “Closer” because the characters are so messed up that they make me look angelic. Rife with graphic sexual dialogue and nudity, the film isn’t for everyone, but it’s a well-done and raw film that strips mankind down to its basest instincts and lays its feelings bare for all to see. I liked it for its honesty and powerful dialogue. I would even watch it again, but, like “Sin City,” it left me feeling a little dirty after the credits rolled. Clive Owen is as masterful as ever, and Natalie Portman does very well also. Jude Law is so good at being detestable, and he’s very detestable in this film. Julia Roberts said in an interview that she hated her character in this movie because she’s so disgusting, and she is. Damien Rice has two songs in the movie (“The Blower’s Daughter” & “Cold Water”) which adds a lot of depth and meaning to the ... " [More]

The Inheritance
By radiogerbil in Criterionize This
"Inheritances are usually good things such as values, a good reputation or wealth inherited from one generation to the next. However, this inheritance is the last thing anyone would want. This Danish film is a scathing criticism of how social pressures and the drive to succeed can taint and destroy even the kindest and happiest of people. The film opens with the main character happy and content with owning and running a restaurant while his pretty wife acts on the stage. They make love every night and live only for each other. However, his idyllic life is shatttered when his father commits suicide, forcing him to take over the family steel conglomerate to save it from financial collapse. What he doesn't realize is that this job will demand so much of him that he will have to choose between his wife and being loyal to the family. Being the responsible eldest, he chooses his family and loses his wife, his son and his idyllic life to become a shell of a man, a mere shadow ... " [More]

Blood Simple
By radiogerbil in Criterionize This
"It was just a matter of time before the Coen Brothers got in here. As some of our finest and quirkiest filmmakers, they have brought us a wide and colorful range of genres and characters. I wanted to make this post about “O Brother,” but I’m afraid that may be a bit too recognized for the Criterion. Instead, I would like to see their first film, “Blood Simple,” receive the royal treatment.“Blood Simple” is a delicious piece of film noir that displays a stunning level of complex storytelling and sure-handed, tight direction for a debut film. Few veteran directors have even achieved the same proficiency.Like many noir films, it’s about a simple plan that goes horribly wrong. Its tension and dread is palpable to the point of horror in some cases. The scene at night, out in the field, remains one of the darkest scenes I have ever witnessed.The film succeeds on every level of directing, cinematography, acting, script, even lighting a ... " [More]

Re: At World's End
By radiogerbil in Soda Shop
"The film was pretty pointless and sloppily "resolved" several outstanding questions and avoided others altogether. It's a giant grinder of ideas with chunks flying every direction. It won't make sense even if you have seen the previous two. If you want my full lambasting of it, check out my latest review. " [More]

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Disappointing and Overblown
By radiogerbil in radiogerbil Blog
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"In summation, Pirates 3squpkI3k can best be explained by the following equation: Story = Bad Convoluted, Pointless Plot = Good Special Effects = Popular, profitable movie Convoluted, Pointless Plot + Special Effects x 100 = Pirates 3squpkI3k It basically wasn't worth the money spent to see it. Sure, it was relatively nice to look at, but it was a case study of style over substance. If you look beyond the countless explosions and soaring body count, you'll realize that there isn't much of a story there. Did they have to spend 3 hours to bring Captain Jack Sparrow from the dead so he can kill Davy Jones? Hardly. They just like to screw us, though. I think the studios are having a secret competition between themselves of who can sucker-punch the audience the most. Right now, Spidey 3 is in first place with Pirates 3squpkI3k rapidly catching up. This 3rd (and unfortunately probably not the last) installment in the Pirates franchise is the darkest and least funny ... " [More]

Blade Runner
By radiogerbil in Criterionize This
"***This is a repost. For some reason, the earlier thread of this became corrupted and was displaying a bunch of code and other gobbledygook. Sorry if I lose anyone's comments. Please feel free to comment again.*** Blade RunnerChutes of flame pierce the darkening sky; an eye fills the screen, its glossy retina reflecting the flames outside; Vangelis’s haunting and moody score slams the viewer into their seat. And this is just in the first minute.“Blade Runner” was one of those rare films that immediately captured me and never let go. The acting is okay, the script is decent, and I’ve never really noticed if there’s much of a story or not. Like Altman’s “3 Women” and Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “Blade Runner” is more of an experience, a sensory immersion, than anything else. Its mood is so tangible and unsettling, that I feel as if that nightmarish version of L ... " [More]

Re: Why I only want to buy Crit ...
By radiogerbil in Criterion Collection
"That also scared me a bit at first, but then I saw a demonstration of standard DVD compared to Blu-Ray, and the difference was so slight that I wondered what all the fuss was about. Should I re-purchase my entire collection just so the image is a bit crisper? I'm thinking no. Besides, I kind of like the intimate feel of standard DVDs as opposed to the sharp clarity of Blu-Ray or HD. Is it really worth spending $25+ per title just for some enhanced sound and picture? " [More]

Re: Two films by Elem Klimov
By radiogerbil in Criterionize This
"I agree with "Come and See." It was quite powerful. My favorite scene sequence was when he and the girl were escaping the Germans by trying to wade through the bog, and he quickly became disoriented and irrational from the ringing in his ears from the shelling. The madness was palpable and reminded me of the butchering scene from the end of "Apocalypse Now."I haven't seen the other films you requested, but they sound very interesting. Thank God for Netflix. " [More]

Lists

Films I've seen (523)
Films I've seen

Good Criterions (35)
These are good, but not quite superb. They're well worth a watch and maybe even owning, but the ...

Average Criterions (27)
There are worse films you can see, but these are middle-of-the-road Criterions that you should p ...

Sub-Par Criterions (11)
They're not quite awful, but they're not that good either. Sure, somebody's favorite film or so ...

Superb Criterions (18)
The Criterion list is vast and full of quality films, but these are my absolutely favorite and b ...

Films I want to see (74)
Films I want to see

My favorite films (6)
My favorite films

Awful Criterions (10)
Let's admit it, the Criterion Collection isn't without its stinkers. This list is dedicated to ...

Foreign Favorites (42)
With each new foreign film I see, the more impressed I become with their originality, creativity ...

Films I want to buy (0)
Films I want to buy

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radiogerbil

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