STEPHENtheDIREC TOR

Member since 6/12/2006, last signed in awhile ago.

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Personal statement: I believe films should be important and original. I believe films should respect their audience and serve their story, not to honor the filmmakers. I also believe that all films should know their message, their power, and their influence; and to constantly question the motivation behind them. Films must present and not preach, they must reveal and not conceal, and they must spur our senses and emotions.

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Interested in:Adventure, Avant-garde / Experimental, Comedy, Comedy Drama, Crime, Culture & Society, Drama, Epic, Family & Personal Relationships, Film, TV & Radio, Historical Film, History, Mystery, Visual Arts

STEPHENtheDIRECTOR's movie tags

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Re:And the winners are...
By STEPHENtheDIRECTOR in Worst Movie Ever
"Okay, so you guys obviously finished this, but I thought I'd put my two cents in... I'm going to go with Mission: Impossible 2 Because it ruined a t.v. show, a sequel to (not a great movie) an incredibly stylistic film (DePalma sucks with style), but most of all because it took one of my favorite movies of all time and took it's story and massacred it. That film being Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 Notorious. " [More]

Pan's Labyrinth

Re:Depressing holidays, dysfunc ...
By STEPHENtheDIRECTOR in Top 5
"Depressing holidays: Pieces of April The Ice Storm Groundhog Day The Apartment Planes, Trains & Automobiles Dysfunctional Families: Pieces of April The Royal Tenebaums Psycho Happiness Running With Scissors Most Accessible Foreign Films: Amelie Night Watch Run Lola Run The Lives of Others Pan's Labyrinth " [More]

The Big Lebowski

Re:TUESDAY Eagle Eye Challenge
By STEPHENtheDIRECTOR in Filmgaming
"1. Woman's "all knowing" voice 2. Fiction 3. Hitman named "Vince" 4.Main protagonist works as a driver (taxi, limo) 5. Jeff (Daniels & Bridges) 6. Steve Buscemi 7. Group of Men stealing jewlery 8. Jason Statham 9. Character is backstabbed by the people who hire them. 10. a package (briefcase mainly) Tuesday Eagle Eye Challenge Hint: Watch the trailers if you get stuck. Eagle Eye (2008) (1) Stranger Than Fiction (2006) (2) Pulp Fiction (1994) (3) Collateral (2004) (4) (This one's tough, but there's a clue in the synopses.) Dumb and Dumber (1994) (5) The Big Lebowski (1998) (6) Reservoir Dogs (1991) (7) Snatch (2000) (8) The Transporter (2002) (9) Ronin (1998) (10) Name one object that's featured prominently in all of these movies. " [More]

Vantage Point

Blatantly Mediocre
By STEPHENtheDIRECTOR in STEPHENtheDIRECTOR Blog
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"This film has a good concept, interesting characters, and pretty sweet action scenes. The problem with them is that none of them are developed past the point of impact. The concept is drowned in meaningless repetition, the characters never develop past their own prejudices, and the action sequences can barely make you want to keep watching the screen. Not to mention crossing the 180 degree line all the freakin' time! Forrest Whitaker is always a joy to watch perform, but the dialogue feels extremely forced. William Hurt is surprisingly not that convincing as the President, and Dennis Quaid never really grabs you. Over all, this is one incredibly forgettable film, that could have been so much better. Too bad the director was too interesting in making the action sequences look cool, and forgot to develop a story. " [More]

Hot Fuzz

Re: Top Five deceptively intrig ...
By STEPHENtheDIRECTOR in Top 5
"Awesome TopicThe New World - Just as T-Money said, this movie seemed advertised as a war movie, instead of the contemplative piece it was.Shaun of the Dead - I thought this movie looked so incredibly stupid from the trailer. So much so I never wanted to see it, until finally I was forced to, and thought it was the best comedy I had seen in a long time.Hot Fuzz - This time i didn't let the trailer discourage me, but still...people can't seem to give these films the advertisement they deserve.Night Watch - After seeing the trailer, I was so excited to see this film. I had to...every moment without it was painful. And then I watched it, and was disappointed. The movie isn't necessarily bad, but it's not nearly as good as the trailer makes it out to be. Although, I might just be partial to the M83 song they played over it (which never actually makes it into the film).Domino - Okay so the movie was exactly like the trailer. Just extended. When I first saw the trailer, I ... " [More]

I Am Legend

Almost legendary: watch out...p ...
By STEPHENtheDIRECTOR in STEPHENtheDIRECTOR Blog
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"First off, I didn't come out of the theater wanting my money back; that's for sure. If you go in, wanting an action thrill ride that will make you jump, scream, laugh, and possibly even cry then go see this movie. But that's all this turns out to be, is a big hollywood movie. There are so many great set ups in this film, without many great payoffs. I think this is one of the only times that I will say that I wished a hollywood blockbuster was longer. This film could have used about 20-30 more minutes of character and environmental development, of the other players that come into his world, even of exposition of what in fact these vampire/zombie/infected human things were, and what the rules of that world were. The pacing breaks into a full sprint in the third act, that gives an inconsistency to the rest of the film. Most films would do better completely using subtext and making arguments for their characters based on preexisting knowledge. But I continually wished this ... " [More]

Good Night, and Good Luck.

A Serious Look at a Simple Story
By STEPHENtheDIRECTOR in STEPHENtheDIRECTOR Blog
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"This is a great period piece about a time in our nation's history where people where driven by fear, and how others took advantage of that and some defended what it really means to be free. The acting is so subtle it feels incredibly real and the direction of the film is careful and thoughtful. The story itself never picks up pace, so the compelling story sometimes trudges along, when it never should. And the glossy black and white turns out to be an act in style rather than making it feel authentic. But with all the risky decisions, this film is a power house that's worth it. " [More]

Gone Baby Gone

This baby is here to stay
By STEPHENtheDIRECTOR in STEPHENtheDIRECTOR Blog
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"First off, I would like to say that in the "The Director would like to thank" credits of this film Terrence Mallick is thanked, proceeding directly to Jerry Bruckheimer....I never thought I'd see those two names together. :-)But to more important things...This film astounded me. It is in the realm of Mystic River. It is a crime drama that actually questions what the true meaning of the crime is, and how human nature reacts. Except with this film it is just as enough of the audience reacting as it is the characters reacting to their surroundings. The story plays out beautifully. The acting is wonderful. And the director, no matter how self-conscious, never is self indulgent and serves the story so well, that not only every scene has purpose, but even every single shot helps foward the story. It is so well thought out, however, that it moves away from brilliance to more of a great example of the act of filmmaking. Casey Affleck deserves an Oscar for this, and older brot ... " [More]

Ocean's Thirteen

Ocean's 11 +2
By STEPHENtheDIRECTOR in STEPHENtheDIRECTOR Blog
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"There is a moment in this movie where George Clooney is talking to a man at a bar. I found myself more interested in the couple that was sitting next to them having a conversation. This is because I already knew everything that was going to be said. I can't say that I was surprised by this, but I did think that the director of "Sex Lies & Videotape" and "Traffic" would be more original than remaking his own film with barely a change in motive. Because of this, the script suffers, and the pacing is completely thrown out the window. The great thing about '01's "Oceans 11" is that it runs so smoothly, you feel you can take it all in and just enjoy it. But this film, which is still full of suave and snappy one-liners and funny moments, feels hurdled together under a foggy vision. It is better executed than "Ocean's 12" (which isn't really saying much) but still falls under the classic sequal pitfalls of trying to photocopy the original film, instead of standing ... " [More]

Breach

Incredibly honest
By STEPHENtheDIRECTOR in STEPHENtheDIRECTOR Blog
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"I thought this film was a great adaptation of a true story. With a political suspense movie, I expected another cliche around every corner, but the film held my suspense, and the payoff was something worth watching. Chris Cooper gives an amazing performance, as well as Laura Linney. Ryan Phillippe, who I usually disslike as an actor, was perfectly cast in this role. The traitor in this film, played by Chris Cooper, is such a complex character for an antagonist. The film really gives him a human element that continually makes you feel sorry for him, and sometimes even look up to him. Which makes you feel torn at the end, but with such satisfaction. The film does lack in color and style, which makes it drag sometimes. And Billy Ray's directing leaves something to be desired. But, it demands respect, in that; it is not just another hollywood political movie, but rather it tells a fascinating story. " [More]