Last Film Watched Thread.

Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997): 10/10



What can I say? Yet another great film from PTA. It's got a great cast and several memorable performances. Those performances belong to Wahlberg, Reynolds, and Moore. The story, while sounding simplistic, is much deeper than you'd be led to believe. All of the characters are multi-layered and wonderfully constructed. The screenplay is wholly original and cleverly written. The direction is pure flawlessness, as expected. The film is quite long but never drags or feels forced. That’s yet another thing PTA knows how to do. I love it.

Not that you doubted me but, told ya.

Hunter wrote:

Not that you doubted me but, told ya.

I saw that coming.

Jesus. You guys rule.

David - You just can't stop giving me reasons to love you, can you? First All the Real Girls, then Punch-Drunk Love and now a 10/10 for my all-time favorite? You're brilliant, man. Any idea where it's going in the list?

Estefan - Glad to see you liked Good Will Hunting, as it's one of my favorites. I'm even more pleased to see you mention Casey Affleck in your writeup! He's too genius. I'm a bit on the opposite side as you are in the highs/lows of the film though. I thought the scenes between Damon and Driver were very powerful and were the emotional, and acting, high points of the film. I found the more serious scenes between Damon and Williams ('It's not your fault.', 'Because fuck you, that's why') to be much more silly than powerful. I couldn't help but laughing at how ludacrous the dialogue was. Either way, I'm glad to see that we both like the film quite a bit.

David Lime - As expected, another Boogie Nights fan is always a huge pleasure to see. I didn't think that Moore and Reynolds were the highlights of the film, though (they were still exceptional). My top three would belong to Don Cheadle, Heather Graham and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Wahlberg, Molina and Tom Jane were also fantastic...as way everyone in the cast for that matter. Glad to see you loved it so much.


As for me, I've watched Year of the Dog and The Lookout in the past few days. I'll do writeups for them tonight if I don't fall asleep first.

Jeebus wrote:

Jesus. You guys rule.

David Lime - As expected, another Boogie Nights fan is always a huge pleasure to see. I didn't think that Moore and Reynolds were the highlights of the film, though (they were still exceptional). My top three would belong to Don Cheadle, Heather Graham and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Wahlberg, Molina and Tom Jane were also fantastic...as way everyone in the cast for that matter. Glad to see you loved it so much.

I don't know how I forgot to mention Cheadle and Graham. I'm such an idiot.

Graham was one of my favourite characters, easily. She was just.. perfect, and she belongs to my Top 3 characters/performances aswell. The others would be Reilly and probably Moore or Reynolds. Glad to know you liked it, Dave.

Casablanca
Hostel Part II
Bacall On Bogie

Jeebus wrote:

David - You just can't stop giving me reasons to love you, can you? First All the Real Girls, then Punch-Drunk Love and now a 10/10 for my all-time favorite? You're brilliant, man. Any idea where it's going in the list?

I live to please. It's number 40 on my list right now. It was incredibly entertaining, so I wouldn't be suprised if I see it again and bump it up.

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)



One of my favorite movies, and easily one of the most entertaining. Very charming cast and amusing dialogue throughout. Alan Arkin's cameo contains some of the funniest lines ever. One problem is that the action scenes are beyond absurd (the characters only have to reload after about a billion bullets have been fired). Nonetheless, they're still perfectly entertaining. The soundtrack is absolutely perfect, and is almost like a homage to all those 80s teen movies (after all, the plotline involves an 80s high school reunion). But the best part of the film is the fight scene in the school hallway, set to music by The English Beat. It's incredibly realistic, brutal, and insanely intense.

Year of the Dog - 4.5/10



A big disappointment for me. It never really seems like it knows what it wants to be. It bounces so terribly from an awkward, unfunny comedy to a really emotional drama that is terrorized by an awful performance from Molly Shannon. I could just never get into the film, and felt really uncomfortable and unengaged the entire time. It did make me very depressed at the beginning because the beagle that passed away looks just like mine, but that certainly didn't increase the quality of the film. Overall it was just an unfunny, unemotional, poor film with a pretty good supporting performance from Peter Sarsgaard. It was very fun to see him branch into comedy. I only wish he had picked a better film. It seemed like Mike White just has a very different sense of humor than myself.


The Lookout - 8.5/10



A very good character study with a fantastic performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as always. It's a bit cliched and some of the scenes are so cheesy or bland that it's unbearable, but this can easily be looked past in my case. I found the majority of the film very engaging and easy to watch. The story is interesting and puts a unique spin on a pretty dried up base plot, though I don't think the film really explains his disability well enough. I mean, he can't sequence events but can remember exactly what's happening with the bank situation for a couple of weeks? Huh? It lost me a couple of times in that sense, but it never got too bizarre or unexplained for me. The ending seemed extremely unrealistic and I despised the fact that everyone just let him off the hook whenever he did something bad simply because of his disability. Seriously, that cop just let him drive away? With that card in his pocket, he shouldn't have been allowed behind the wheel of a car. Don't get me wrong, I always tend to focus on what I dislike about films. It was extremely fun, entertaining and a real joy to watch. The performance all around were simply magnificent. Levitt, Daniels, Matthew Goode and Isla Fisher (who just randomly leaves with thirty minutes left in the film with no explanation) were all marvelous. It was a very enjoyable, relaxed film and I'm glad I own it. It seems pretty re-watchable.

Oh and why was a relatively big name like Carla Gugino in the film for literally one minute?

I did quite like The Lookout, and would probably give it the same rating as you if the characters hadn't been as distant as they were (in my opinion) and Isla Fisher's character hadn't just vanished with out closure. Definitely an enjoyable thriller, though.

Yeah, other than feeling a lot of sympathy for Chris I didn't really care for the characters that much. And yes Isla's random unexplained departure really agitated me. She's just there talking to Lewis and then in the next scene she's taking a taxi to who knows where. It was just bizarre. I'm assuming there was something in the script explaining why that happened, but it was cut. There weren't any deleted scenes on the DVD, unfortunately.

Steamboat Bill Jr. - 7/10



Steamboat Bill Jr. works because it's a very funny film. Buster Keaton's ability to survive many pratfalls is highly impressive and provides for many humorous moments. However, like most of Keaton's efforts, the humour is all it has going for it. The chemistry between Keaton and his love interest are non-existent and is his relationship with his father. Yet, thanks to a truly slam-duck ending involving a ferocious cyclone, it succeeds. Keaton's a funny fellow, but the fact that there are some people who prefer him to Chaplin makes me scratch my head.

The French Connection (1971) 8/10



Very entertaining cop movie, and certainly not like any other cop movie I've ever seen. The main character is tough-as-nails and a major wise-ass (sort of like Dirty Harry, also 1971). Really, I don't know how to explain how this was different from other cop movies. There's something about the atmosphere and ending of the film that just makes it far more originial. Oh, and it's also got one of the greatest car chase scenes ever.

Speed (1994) 10/10



The action in this one gets started right at the beginning, starting with our villain, Howard Payne (played excellently by Dennis Hopper), blowing up one of the means of support for an elevator full of people. Keanu Reeves plays Jack Traven, and supported by his partner, Harry (Jeff Daniels), saves all the people on the elevator and saves the day. That's just the beginning. The film really gets going when Payne comes back and riggs a city bus to explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. People have refered to this as 'Die Hard on a bus.' The formula would certainly entail that, and it does have elements of Die Hard in it. But essentially, the formula is played much different, the main difference being that the theme of Die Hard is an average guy being in the wrong place at the wrong time, whereas here, our main character is only doing his job. Anyway, this is one of the greatest action films ever, starting with it's charismatic psychopath, ending with some of the coolest action scenes of the ninties.

Nice, David. I've wanted to see The French Connection for a while now, and I really need to get on that. Glad you liked it. Of course you know I love Speed. One of the best of the action genre.

Miami Vice - 3/10. I can't handle all that shaky-camera. What do they think I am? A 12 year-old ? I need to take my time and stare at things in movies. I thought the whole plot was kinda all over the place too, that kinda sucked.

Marathon Man - 9/10. Awesome. Well-written, well-shot and well, pretty damn well-acted.

Trivia: Richard Bright
this guy
died by getting hit by a bus.

Death Sentence - 8.5/10



Kevin Bacon has done the impossible. He defeated Bruce Willis, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Daniel Craig, Kiefer Sutherland, Mark Wahlberg etc. etc. in terms of sheer badassery. He is a force of nature in this film and completely astounded me with how convincingly he pulled off a soulless badass out for nothing but revenge. The film is nothing deep or thought provoking and it doesn't try to be. It's just an exceptionally fun way to sit back and enjoy two hours of sheer, full-on, extremely impressive ass kicking. Bacon's performance was also surprisingly good on the dramatic side as well. He excells in the very rare emotional scenes and, as I said earlier, is a convincing force of badass throughout. Loved it.

I'm so looking forward to Death Sentence, and your review has me more psyched. Although, I doubt Bacon beats Willis in terms of badass-ness.

Oh, you will see my friend. He is fucking insane.

I somehow doubt I will feel the same way about Death Sentence. That's if I ever do see it. Which is unlikely because I think it looks terrible.

Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006): 9/10 (Third Viewing)



My feelings are the same. I still love it.

Disturbia (2007) 8/10



This was a very entertaining thriller. For those who think this is a direct rip-off of Rear Window, they're wrong. The bare-bone plot-lines of both are identical. But beyond that, they're completely different (the main difference being the main character). Shia LeBouff is a very convincing teenager filled with angst, but he isn't a cliched whiny-baby (like most teens in film nowadays). The suspense scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat, and are truly scary due to David Morse's talented performance. There's plenty of good comic-relief as well. Really, this is one of the better horror/thriller movies of the decade.

Man, I'm so glad that you liked it. I felt the exact same way as you do. It was so entertaining and enjoyable. Shia was surprisingly very good. Sarah Roemer is way too hot.

Apparently I'm the only one who thought Disturbia was completely average. Mainly cheap thrills are accompanied by NO comic relief, a cliché plot and uninspired characters. It was enjoyable nonetheless. 6/10

Heat (1995) 10/10



It really does get more and more breathtaking with each rewatch. This'll be my 11th time seeing the film, and it's left me totally drained, emotionally. Each of these characters are seriously flawed and make a vast amount of mistakes throughout the film. It's this that makes the characters as identifiable as they are. They are all bleak, tragic, and no matter how much you're rooting for them, they ultimately meet a downfall. Most tragic of these characters is Robert De Niro's Neil McCauley. He's cool, collected, and a true professional at taking down scores. He's also violent, ruthless, and unsociable. He yearns for a better life, a life where he can do what he wants to do and be with his one true love (Amy Brenneman, in an Oscar worthy performance that is seriously unrecognized). I could go on for hours talking about the characters in this film and why they effect me so much, but I'll just leave you with this. Best movie of all time.

Myron_Bolitar wrote:

Disturbia (2007) 8/10
This was a very entertaining thriller. For those who think this is a direct rip-off of Rear Window, they're wrong. The bare-bone plot-lines of both are identical. But beyond that, they're completely different

I completely agree.

Quote :

Shia LeBouff is a very convincing teenager filled with angst, but he isn't a cliched whiny-baby (like most teens in film nowadays).

I thought he was a total cliched whiny-ass (like most teens in films nowadays). I thought his relationship with his Matrix-mom was pretty cliche too. That Frank Leboeuf did pretty good though.

Quote :

The suspense scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat, and are truly scary due to David Morse's talented performance.

I thought the suspense scenes were decent and I wanted more of them. I bet most of them came towards the end which I did not watch. I threw in the towel with like 30 minutes to go and started watching quality TV; Columbo.

Quote :

There's plenty of good comic-relief as well.

I found none. You mean when the teen-boppers acted like crazy gooses all the time when that hot chick was around them? I think that kinda sucked.

Quote :

Really, this is one of the better horror/thriller movies of the decade.

I think it's Rear Window except without the adult, mature films and with cheesy teenage-stuff instead. Not to mention that Rear Window was directed by Hitchcock and lyk ttly pleasing to the eye while Disturbia (get it? it's suburbia mixed with disturbed! lawlz) was directed by some raccoon burglar.

3/10.