Advertisement
Sign in
Username
Password
Remember me
Forgot password?
Wanna join?
Sign up
Find movies you'll love
Home
Movies
People
Groups
Reviews
Podcasts
News
tommacy
Member since 5/23/2007, last signed in awhile ago.
"There are no good and bad movies. Just good and bad arguments."
Send a message
Add to contacts
Invite to a group
Interested in:
No particular genre
tommacy's movie tags
Advertisement
Recent Activity
Movies (372)
People (2)
Groups (1)
Filmblog (6)
Stats
Movies
Of Time and the City
Jules and Jim
Sleeping Beauty
The General
View all
Talk
The Class (Entre les Murs)
Review: The Class
By
tommacy
in
tommacy Blog
Was this review helpful?
[Be the first to tell us!]
"After watching the trailer for "The Class" you may think you've already seen it. Dedicated teacher writes his name on chalkboard, unruly students chide him for it, dedicated teacher cleverly retorts, unruly students laugh, dedicated teacher gains their respect. Eventually, dedicated teacher will inspire unruly students, despite being minorities and coming from dysfunctional households, to strive for a future beyond gangs and drugs and, just to round things out, dedicated teacher will learn something about himself along the way. Sound familiar? This formula has been beaten to death, perhaps most memorably by Michelle Pfeiffer in the oh so 90s "Dangerous Minds" (the tagline was: She Broke The Rules... And Changed Their Lives. Yikes.) Also by the desk-standing triumph of Robin "O Captain my Captain" Williams in the sadly very dated "Dead Poets Society." And most recently by Hilary "I either give Oscar winning performances or make terrible movies" Swank in "Freedom Writers" (whi ... "
[More]
Of Time and the City
Review: Of Time and the City
By
tommacy
in
tommacy Blog
Was this review helpful?
[Be the first to tell us!]
"The immaculate row of suspended brick apartments stand confidently, symmetrically and beautifully constant amidst the fog and condominiums. They serve as a harrowing visualthroughline in Terence Davies introspective "Of Time and the City" wherein he dissects his beloved home town of Liverpool (and himself). Closer to a documentary than any other genre, the blend of archive footage, poetry, classical music and sardonic baritone narration is more mosaic than film. Mr. Davies chronicles theMerseyside Borough through much of the 20th century heaping on a healthy serving of personal exhibition and social commentary. While driven by non-linear collages of sight and sound the narrative structure is actually very straightforward, beginning with the Liverpool as Mr. Davies experienced it in his childhood. Exuding a nostalgia both through the musings of the narration and the grains of the celluloid, this Liverpool is lovingly represented as a simpler time by a series of iconic images. ... "
[More]
Silent Light
Review: Silent Light
By
tommacy
in
tommacy Blog
Was this review helpful?
[Be the first to tell us!]
"I saw my first new release of 2009 today. Originally released at Cannes in 2007, I have been hearing about “Silent Light” for almost two years before getting a chance to see it (and I live in New York.) It’s always daunting going in to a film with so much acclaim. I don’t mean “Slumdog Millionaire” acclaim, I can prepare myself for that. I’m talking serious cinephile cred. “Silent Light” was on both Manohla Dargis and A. O. Scott’s top 10 for 2008 (I don’t know how they fit it in that year if it came out in ‘07). It also appeared on the top 10 of the renowned J. Hoberman from the Village Voice. That is a must-see if I ever heard one. The past 2 Januarys have yielded the previous year’s Palme dO’r winner. After the slew of quality films cramed at the end of the calender year to quality for the Oscars it serves as a nice palate cleanser before the doldrums of January (Film Forum repertory time ... "
[More]
The Reader
Review: The Reader
By
tommacy
in
tommacy Blog
Was this review helpful?
[Be the first to tell us!]
"The flaws in the reader are glaring. A trial examines a character’s involment in the holocaust setting up themes of morality and shame that drive the second half of the film. How do you come to terms with caring for someone who committed such atrocities? How does a nation cope with the guilt? Apparently by exchanging platitudes in a law school classroom debate (led by a competely wasted and bored Bruno Ganz) where the lead character decides to remain silent. It’s regretable that these flaws serve as the downfall for this film rather than an extension of it’s mediocrity. They would be much easier to swallow that way. Since the first half of The Reader centers around the most effective human romance story of the year (WallE was a robot). In 1958 Germany, fifteen-year-old Michael Berg (a strong David Kross) meets Hana Schmitz (the impeccable Kate Winslet) a kind, stern woman of about 40. A random act of kindness prompts Michael to nervously return to Hanna&r ... "
[More]
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Review: The Curious Case of Ben ...
By
tommacy
in
tommacy Blog
Was this review helpful?
[Be the first to tell us!]
"With a great trailer and the reuniting of Brad Pitt and David Fincher, whose last effort was the now classic “Fight Club,” anticipation was high for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Not being a huge Brad Pitt fan and wary of over-hyped Oscar vehicles, I was wary and kept my expectations in check. Very loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story chronicling the life of a man who ages backwards, the film is told mostly in flashback by an elderly Cate Blanchett. On her death bed (inexplicably as Hurricane Katrina approaches), she recounts via dairy a previously untold portion of her life to her daughter (Julia Ormond, still smarting from “First Knight”). The tale begins in lively 1918 New Orleans with the birth of baby Benjamin at age 75. Following his mother’s death, his widowing father abandons him on the front steps of retirement home (irony!). Resembling a raisin with extremities, Benjamin is discovered by the gentl ... "
[More]
Bus 174
Rio Gone Wild
By
tommacy
in
tommacy Blog
Was this review helpful?
[Be the first to tell us!]
"Jose Padilha's documentary "Bus 174" recounts the terrifying events of Sandro, a "street kid," who takes a public bus hostage in the middle of downtown Rio. Bothced by the police, the media and spectators consume the scene resulting in chaos witnessed live by 35 million people. "Bus 174" belongs among the most effective breed of documentaries. Padilha skillfully weilds the tools available to him to paint a thourough portrait of the conflict and it's participants. He covers all angles and points no fingers. The film intercuts the frightently vivid images on the bus with achrives from Sandro's troubled past. You would think a boy homeless from age six would not yield a well documented history. However, we learn about him from fellow street kids, distant relatives and well documented prison stints. This reveals a life relentlessly brushed aside by society. He, along with his companions, live a hopeless existence. With no system, or publice desire for one, that m ... "
[More]
Re: AFI Top 100 Films
By
tommacy
in
Filmspotting
"I was really pleased to see Buster Keaton's "The General" all the way up at #18. It didn't make the first list, nor did any Keaton film. Meanwhile, there were three Chaplin films. Absurd. Nice recovery this time around. I think DVD releases of the past 10 years have substantially raised awareness in Keaton's work. The contention of his superiority to Chaplin seems to be gaining more and more momentum. I'd have to agree. "
[More]
Re: Top 5 Sea/Water Movies
By
tommacy
in
Filmspotting
"Folks, Master and Commander (can't we just say MAC?) is not overrated. This film needs to be seen. It did relatively well when released but is descending into obscurity. This is one of the rarest types of films. The art-film blockbuster. Cost 80 million to make but assembled almost like a Bergman film. Am I reaching? Just watch the opening again. The subdued tone, the way it is skillfully shot and cripsly yet patiently paced, and the action! Serisouly, watch an action sequence from Pirates of the Carribean and then watch this, which one has you more engaged? Support, reccommend and promote these kinds of films they are getting made less and less. "
[More]
Lists
Films I've seen (358)
Films I've seen
My favorite films (5)
My favorite films
Top 10: 2008 (10)
Films I want to see (13)
Films I want to see
Top of 2006 (4)
Films I want to buy (0)
Films I want to buy
© 2009 Spout LLC. Portions of content provided by All Movie Guide.