kaspergutman

Enemy of the State- Enjoyable. Likable performances from Smith and Hackman. Love the references sprinkled throughout to The Conversation. Interesting side notes (to me anyway) 1- written by David Marconi commercial radio invented by Guglielmo Marconi... coincidence? 2- Evil Reynolds born on September 11th wants to power through a bill that grants the NSA unlimited power to conduct surveillance on the populace.

Vantage Point- yawn. I did laugh out loud however when after the 15 minute car chase through city streets Super agent Quaid radios in that he needs the president picked up 700 yards from the square where the chase started. Were they really going around in circles the whole time?

Drillbit Taylor- I wonder which character Seth Rogen modeled on himself growing up?

Broken English- Depressing and wonderful although at times a little to "indie". I marvel at how Parker Posey can always be so watchable even in stuff like Josie and the Pussycats.

Come Drink With Me- awesome and well worth the wait to see it. Thank you Dragon Dynasty.

Heroes of the East- Amazing Chinese vs. Japanese martial arts movie.

Definitely, maybe- A pretty good romantic comedy. Clever storytelling device, likable cast, all in all an enjoyable time. 

The Spiderwick Chronicles- a really scary kids movie. If i had seen this when I was ten I might have wet'em. I know this is based on a series of books are there anymore coming?

Ghost Delivery- A Thai comedy that mixes Hellraiser, Ghost, The Sixth Sense, The Net and Ghostbuster (except instead of catching ghosts they deliver them-like pizza). Funny and strange for fans of Asian comedies only.

Manhattan- First time I had seen the whole thing and not just bits and pieces. Funny and unsettling (the 17 year old girlfriend is a little off putting seeing as how... well you know). Hemingway aside loved this movie. Funny and beautifully shot.

The Grand- meh.

Fool's Gold- bah!

The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy (MST3K styles)- YAH!!

Road House- classic 80's garbage. The morals are off the charts here.

Inside Man- Love me some Lee. This film moves and breathes because of the camera work here and I dug all the little references to other films sprinkled throughout. 

Topkapi- A pretty good little heist film by Jules Dassin. Recaptures some of the tension of Rififi and includes some fantastic wrestling scenes (Night and the City anyone?) at a Turkish fair. An excellent Sunday afternoon watch, Thanks again TCM.

Now the reason I've called you all here today....

The Happening-  For a quick capsule review see the title of this blog entry. My wife and I were looking forward to this movie as we are both M. Night fans (Yes we even liked Lady in the Water) We are aware there exists a limited return on the twist ending, but thought the visuals and semi surreal qualities of his stories were always compelling. This however was a big disappointment. We felt the film was lacking the tension and suspense of his other works. (Could be a SPOILER) The message of the film is way to heavy handed especially since everyone and their other has seen An Inconvenient  Truth. The film felt as flat as the books on the shelves of the model home.

To pick up where I left off....

Heaven And Hell- A hybrid Kung Fu musical, legend and morality tale. Stars the gentlemen from the 5 Deadly Venoms

Sugar Hill- A Blaxploitation Zombie movie. Awesome. Thank you TCM!

Cloverfield- this was okay...I think?... the farther I get from watching it the less I seem to remember... or care.

The Orphanage-  moody, atmospheric and somehow sweet. Horror movies the way they should be in my opinion more creep less gore. It made my skin crawl at times although some of it felt familiar.

Son of Rambow- a sweet film about the childhood and the adolescent fantasies of young boys. Made me nostalgic for my own wasted youth playing "guns" in the river valley where I grew up. The film was bittersweet and the two young male leads were believable as well as enthusiastic. They seemed to really love making their movie as well as enjoy each others companionship. 

Silent Running- Dern and Drones. I liked it but would have preferred a more nihilistic outlook and ending.

The Omega Man- Heston vs. The Family- goofy sci-fi fun with the most blatant Christ figure analogy ever thrown in for good measure.

National Treasure 2- the book of garbage.

Baby Mama- Fey and Poehler are smart and funny people, it makes me wish they had written this movie.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall- B- Funny but not that memorable. Vampire Opera-A+

Grand Theft Auto- Enjoyable movie with a "Hey that's the guy/girl from ..." cast. I prefer this movie to anything Howard has done recently that for sure.

The Karate Kid- My wife finally understands what "wax on, wax off" means. Love it every time.

The Andromeda Strain- Could have been one of the most boring films ever. Yet I found myself riveted to the screen. Good 70's sci-fi.

Diary of the Dead- certainly not the best of the bunch, but i still enjoy Romero anytime.

Over Her Dead Body- Someone needs to speak to Paul Rudd. This is no way to build a career. Make me understand why you choose films like this Mr. Rudd. It is getting harder and harder to sell my friends on just how funny you are when they have to sit through garbage like this.

Cronos- Twisted and fun. Love it everytime I see it.

Le Samourai- Cool and elegant French gangster film. Jazz music, Citroens, and a nearly mute protagonist. What's not to dig about this film.

A Clockwork Orange- Sat in on a film studies lab with a friend of mine. This is not a breakfast movie.

Logan's Run- much to long, and the "blaster" effects are horrendous. This is a movie I would watch a remake of.

Bloodrayne- why does anyone give this clown money to make movies. Apparently Boll spent all the money on a helicopter to show us the 75 different ways somebody can ride a horse across a field. the money thing must be some kind of real life Producers scheme. Its the only way his career makes sense.

Rashomon- Beautiful and restrained (even in the scenes with the medium). Truly a classic. 

Near Dark- Kathryn Bigelow is on of my all time favorite directors. The way she subtly subverts genre conventions is a wonder to behold. Also Point Break is awesome.

Pee Wee's Big Adventure- Gold everytime. I still miss Phil Hartman. Probably my favorite Burton film.

Untraceable- uninspired, unimaginative, unbelievable,  unmemorable, unentertaining-is that a word? Because it fits this movie well. This cyber thriller had all the tension of Firewall and I do not mean that as a compliment.

At Land- an esoteric avant garde film by Maya Deren. Strangely beautiful and compelling. A silent black and white Jewel from the forties. Find it and watch it.

Street Kings- I can't imagine why this wasn't a bigger hit. (read this with a very sarcastic voice and you'll get what I'm saying.)

Jumper- see above. (although it was not as terrible a mess as it could have been)

Ghost Dog- The opening sequence of this film is one of the best at developing character I have every seen. Bravo.

The Ipcress File- This is a great spy movie starring Michael Caine. Unfortunately I now have to try and find the other Harry Palmer films.

Signs- Love it and am looking forward to The Happening this Friday. Although I wish he would direct something someone else wrote. It worked for Tarantino with Jackie Brown.

Inside Man- Clever and tight film making. The fantasy shootout sequences are awesome. Lee's camera work in the movie is compelling and reminded me a little of another great New York movie- After Hours.

I am now caught up on this list. But now I'm going to watch another movie. Blog you soon.

Thief....CAAAAAAN! Mann is fantastic at these total macho movies. Love it.

Calvaire-WTF???The ultimate in european hillbilly films. Just when you thought it was weird the film takes another turn for the worst. A combination the Hills Have Eyes, 2000 maniacs, Deliverance, Misery and I don't know what.

PS. I know what now..... Equus.

Legend of the Black Scorpion- Pretty but dull.

Boogie Nights-I'm a bright shining star.

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem- So dark you can't see what's happening...proabably a good thing. What's the big deal if it is a Predalien... the Predator uses weapons for hunting the only difference it seemed to make was to give the Alien dreads and a different mouth. Quick question....Why when the Alien lays its eggs in humans the little chest poppers never look like half people? Why does it change now? Who cares? Also let's edit everything so fast you actually can't see the fights--- Great Idea! That's sure to wow the audience. I'm glad I work in a video store so I never get stung paying for stuff like this. 

Sweeny Todd- BOOORING! What the hell is all the fuss about. Sure the sets and design are kind of cool but is that enough? 

The Getaway- McQueen/MacGraw not Baldwin/Basinger. Awesome.

Rollerball- Caan not Cool J.

Scanners- Had not seen this since I was 12- Louis Del Grande rocks! Watch for him in reruns of Seeing Things.

Touching the Void- Been there Taught that.

Next-that's what I said!

I am finished.

The Bank Job-could have...pardon me SHOULD have been at least a half hour shorter, then at least it might have had some tension.

Pistol Whipped-poor Seagal the movies just keep getting worse, on the plus side he can obviously afford to eat.

The Shepherd-ditto for good old JCVD.

Southland Tales- uhm...uhhh...I think I need to watch this again. 

Chaos- Snipes, Statham and Phillippe!  How can it go wrong? Well, in almost every way since you asked. Starting with the end and working backwards we can begin to dissect the problem. The end is a blatant rip off of The Thomas Crown Affair (The good one with McQueen) smashed-up with The Silence of the Lambs. The twists are obvious and as previously alluded to-derivative-Inside Man anyone?. No wonder it went straight to video.

Yo-Yo Girl Cop- pass.

Closure- Gillian Anderson and Danny Dyer in a bad British revenge thriller- stick with Straw Dogs or Dead Man's Shoes .

The Mechanic-Charles Bronson as a cold methodical assassin who mentors a new young killer (Jan-Michael Vincent). Sweet 70's action-y filck which according to the trailer on the DVD was also known as The Killer of Killers

Pt. 2 tonight after work. 

2001- Holy Moley that's a hell of film, the ending is still a wow!

Death Sentence- terrible another movie about revenge from the states surprise surprise! When the first kid is killed by Kevin Bacon and his work buddy says "there is justice" I almost turned it off.

Blue Harvest- funny but not hilarious 

Timecop- nowhere as good the second time. A, uh, surprising roll for Ferris' girlfriend.

Wet Hot American Summer- some really funny moments joined by awkward pauses and  shuffling feet- just like adolescence.

All The President's Men- Can't believe I waited so long to see this. Excellent.

Dead Man's Shoes- After seeing This is England I think I expected more. A strange and stark piece that deserves further thought.

I am finished. 

That it really eats into my movie watching time. Last night the wife and I watched two movies. The pair really make you think about how broad a term "movie" is, because it can contain so many variants and examples of art and S**T at the same time.

Good Luck Chuck- the worst thing I've seen in a while it makes me truly embarrassed  that a few of its scenes were shot in my town. I hope the crew and extras' cheques cleared. Mark Kermode was right. I could feel my soul being eaten from the inside. This movie is so bad that it made the recent Jessica Simpson movie we watched seem actually funny in retrospect.

Sunshine- This was great I'm sorry it wasn't more successful. All Sci-fi fans everywhere should embrace this amazing piece of work. Breathtaking, atmospheric, and romantic all at once I really regret not seeing this on a big screen. It came and went from Edmonton before you could blink. A real shame.

Atonement- good, but not great so I'm sure it will win Oscars.

Mr. Brooks- Potentially could have been great, but it was confused and seemed to be the Frankenstein of three or four ideas stitched  together to create a shambling, tattered film.

Skidoo- this is a what the ?!? type of movie with everyone in it and clearly made by someone (Otto Preminger) who did not have a clue about the "counter culture". Jackie Gleason on LSD + Carol Channing singing the  eponymous song + Hippies + the mob headed by Groucho = I need to see this glourious mess again!  

Superfly

Black  Caesar

Hell up in Harlem

and tomorrow the honeymoon. 

The Brothers Solomon- Bob Odenkirk continues to make strange and offbeat little films that have laughs where they shouldn't.

Bloodfist- Don "the Dragon" Wilson's first starring role, I certainly hope the fight choreography  improves by the time I get to Bloodfist VIII.

Z - This is by far the best film I've watched this week.

A Bloody Aria- A violent, strange and bleak Korean film. A little to harsh and nihilistic for me.

Blonde Ambition- This shows signs of life whenever the black-hole of talent that is Jessica Simpson is not on screen.

Balls of Fury- Only a few laughs scattered throughout, but am I surprised?

Resident Evil: Extinction- Milla is still attractive and these films still disappoint. Paul W.S. Anderson is almost as big a blight as Schumacher.

Rush Hour 3- A complete disappointment, even Jackie Chan's action sequences are devoid of entertainment/excitement. 

Missionary Man- Dolph Lundgren wrote and directed this film. Is there anything he can't do? Oh yeah, he can't act, write, direct, entertain (obvious exceptions -Rocky IV & Masters of the Universe).