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madelejm

Member since 6/19/2007, last signed in awhile ago.

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Personal statement: I can find something to value in almost any film. I'll watch just about anything, but I don't care much for comedies. Comedies just don't make me laugh and they are usually not about anything. I prefer a movie that makes me think and makes me laugh. I do enjoy action flicks, especially those where chicks kick ass. My favourite current release is Grindhouse (and I liked Death Proof better).

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Interested in:Action, Adventure, Avant-garde / Experimental, Culture & Society, Dance, Drama, Epic, Fantasy, Film, TV & Radio, Historical Film, History, Horror, Musical, Science & Technology, Western

madelejm's movie tags

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Bloody Revenge
By madelejm in madelejm Blog
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"This is not a musical for you if you are sqeamish about blood and throat slitting. The muted colour of the film, really highlights the very, very stylized red of the blood. It pops out at you like it might on an opera stage if you were up in the nose-bleed seats of the 3rd balcony. At first that contrast was a bit distracting to me, but I quickly adjusted. It now seems a very good choice. The musical numbers blend in well and are full of clever lines that are well delivered by the actors. Alan Rickman is delicious as the corrupt judge. If you enjoy a tragic revenge tale (with add-ons of singing, and spewing blood), this is a movie you should not miss. Burton has really outdone himself. " [More]

The Simpsons Movie

Lots more laughs than I expected
By madelejm in madelejm Blog
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"I had pretty low expectations of The Simpsons Movie, but it was actually a lot of fun. It reminded me of how the series used to make me laugh 4-5 seasons ago. Now I don't even bother to tune in. I might look in on it again if the movie is any indication of the current quality. A good bunch of laughs, but best watched in a group. " [More]

The Simpsons Movie

Enlightenment Guaranteed

quirky, but the home movie aest ...
By madelejm in madelejm Blog
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"I mostly picked this up fo rthe segments that take place in Tokyo. There are some fun elements here in this quirky mashing of personal journey and buddy movie. One of the brothers has his camcorder along and sometimes it appears he is documenting the trip or his hown self-discovery (or a bit of both), but other times you wonder - who is behind the camcorder now? That whole home movie/diary film aesthetic didn't really work for me. What I found most interesting was the exploration of male vulnerability and how it was experienced and worked out differently by these two brothers. Interesting film, but I didn't quite "like" it. " [More]

Stranger Than Fiction

The GUI made it cool
By madelejm in madelejm Blog
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"The concept behind this flick is fun, but once things take a serious turn it was really the innovating visuals that kept me into this movie. I love the way they created their "GUI" to try to visualize his obsessive compulsive mind at work. Very neat visuals, interesting story. Dustin Hoffman really shines. People make a big deal about his roles in those Fockers movies, but I prefer this more understated humour. " [More]

Transformers

Robots and Circuses
By madelejm in madelejm Blog
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"I wasn't planning to go see this movie. I was never a fan of the cartoon series (wrong generation, I guess) so I didn't have anything invested in the authenticity to loved characters. I went with a small group of people that started out as 2 and grew to number 7 by the time we took our seats. So the whole evening was set up as a big deal outing to the movies, to see a spectacle. I was not disappointed. I was entertained, I'll admit it. I don't think this is a very good move, but I laughed and I had a good time. At our theater the movie was interrupted by technical difficulties 3 times. This served, I think, to reinforce the presence of the theater crowd, the broader audience. It also gave us a chance to talk about the film before it was over. That was an unusual experience. I was also surprised by the level of anger in the crowd and the silly demands for them to "rewind" it. We only missed a few minutes (though a significant bit as the autobots are assembling-we got to see them in ... " [More]

Double Dare

Agony and Extecy
By madelejm in madelejm Blog
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"This is a brilliantly crafted documentary about the rise of one female stunt performer and the stunted career of another one who becomes her mentor. Oh there's lots of fun behind-the-movies stunt action, drunken parties and stunties gone wild to keep you entertained too. But what's most charming are moments like when Zoe Bell giggles when she's picked up in a limo from the airport and how excited she is to land a job. What's painful is the story of veteran stunt woman Jeannie Epper. She's still driving stunt cars instead of working as a stunt coordinator like most men her age who have as much experience (or probably less) and getting some other work, but she's also contemplating liposuction so that she can keep working. I shouldn't be surprised that female stunties have to have breast implants and other cosmetic surgeries, but it certainly is demoralizing in this day and age. So this movie is at once heartwarming and really depressing. Go Zoe Go! Maybe the new generation of fem ... " [More]

Django

Is that a big gun in your coffi ...
By madelejm in madelejm Blog
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"This was a really, really fun flick. It put me in mind of Desperado (Robert Rodriguez) as well as the obvious similarities to the other Spaghetti Westerns. Why do they all end with a suspenseful scene in the graveyard anyway? This film is really worth watching. " [More]

Zombie

really gross, but also kinda fun
By madelejm in madelejm Blog
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"Ugh, so over-the-top gross. But, there is lots of fun here too. You gotta love the zombie shark fight and the Buñuelesque death scene. I also really loved the ending. This is the kind of movie that reminds me of how much fun it was to be the only one still awake at the Drive-in for the 3rd movie. Still, it isn't so much fun that I could say I really liked it. " [More]

Re: Commonalities & Contras ...
By madelejm in East Asian Films
"You've both mentioned disturbing as a description of some of Ki-duk Kim's films. I wonder if we view them that way because we can't help comparing to what comes out of Hollywood or if it has to do with that focus on different aspects of everyday life that might be a commonality among East Asian films. I worry a lot about falling into a kind of east v west kind of dichotomy when trying to see what makes these films a category of their own. Within the geographical area that is represented there seem to be recognizable differences in things like politics and culture. It may also be the case that some folks see certain countries represented here and others not - where does Hong Kong cinema fit? It seem to me that many of the directors coming out of East Asian cinema and making it big in hollywood are coming from Hong Kong, but that may be a mistaken impression. I certainly enjoy many of the films listed with the group because they are contemplative and they do focus on ... " [More]

Commonalities & Contrasts - ...
By madelejm in East Asian Films
"What are some of the characteristics that these films share? There has to be more to it than similar geographical position on the planet. Are the contrasts mainly due to country of origin or other factors? I wonder if we can find a pattern among those directors who have "made it" in Hollywood and those who seem very outside of that system. " [More]

Smokin' Aces

A few cards short
By madelejm in madelejm Blog
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"This flick is trying to rework some of the classic elements of exploitation cinema. There are a lot of really fun moments, but it just falls short of delivering on the slick version of the drive-in classic. I had fun, but this film just didn't hold together. It feels a bit like the less funny version of Hot Fuzz. It does have some wicked big guns and a trio of assasins that seem to have stepped right out of Mad Max (they were hilarious). " [More]

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Films I've seen

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Films I want to see

quality movies I couldn't ever watch a 2nd time (3)
These are movies I couldn't say that I enjoyed, but that are high quality and thought provoking. ...

Movies you should see on a big screen (86)
These are visually powerful films that I think everyone should get to see at least once on a big ...

My favorite films (27)
My favorite films

Summer Film Series 2007 (28)

Films I want to buy (1)
Films I want to buy

Top 10 (10)

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