More good movies we've seen.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I finally got round to watching Paul today. It was excellent in so many different ways. Felix and I laughed our heads off throughout.

Told ya!

I know they toned down the anti-religious aspect a little, but it was a great big fuck off to religious literalism all the same. I want one of those "Evolve This" t-shirts.

http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Evolve-This- ... B004Q72TDY

That had to happen.

[Pappa]

I finally got round to watching Paul today. It was excellent in so many different ways. Felix and I laughed our heads off throughout.

Told ya!

I know they toned down the anti-religious aspect a little, but it was a great big fuck off to religious literalism all the same. I want one of those "Evolve This" t-shirts.

http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Evolve-This- ... B004Q72TDY

On my wishlist.

[tattuchu]

Doghouse. English zombie film. Not great but not bad either. Starts out with kind of a Guy Ritchie feel to it. In fact I think I recognize one of the actors from a Ritchie film. He really looks familiar. Great cast, pretty good characterization. I was almost sorry it changed gears and shifted into a zombie film after the Ritchie-like start, because it got a little silly and cheesy at that point, and turnt into a Shaun of the Dead type film except not half as clever or funny. Enjoyable overall and worth a watch. Just don't set your expectation too high, and take it for what it is.

The Horde. French zombie film. Well made, nice cast. Again, almost wish it had held to the original lead-in premise, in this case a crime drama revenge story, because that in itself was pretty interesting. There didn't seem to be any need to introduce zombies into the mix. I also didn't like the ending. It felt unsatisfying. I guess it's difficult to write a proper resolution to a zombie film, since the villains of the story are already dead. Still, this was definitely worth a watch.

I Spit on Your Grave. This one really surprised me. I wasn't expecting much from it at all, but the cast was great and the acting was pretty good, as well as the dialogue. It avoided cliche, and the whole thing unfolded pretty naturally without artifice or feeling contrived. The funny thing is, since the antagonists of the story are somewhat three-dimensional and depicted as not entirely evil, I almost felt sorry for them when they met their fate. An interesting film and, as I said, a pleasant surprise. Much more substantial a film than I ever expected, although not some deep psychological drama or anything.

Sucker Punch. Meh. This one actually really sucked, and sucked hard. But it was gorgeously shot, and very stylish as one would expect from Zack Snyder. Too many problems with this film to even begin to list. But if you go into it with your brain turned off and just enjoy it on a superficial level, you might get some satisfaction from it.

[tattuchu]

I Saw the Devil. Korean revenge film. It was good I guess. Not quite what I was expecting from the director of The Good the Bad the Weird. I'm also getting tired of seeing women get hurt in films.

[tattuchu]

A Tale of Two Sisters. Okay I guess. Again, not really what I was expecting from the director of The Good the Bad the Weird. Also, I had trouble following it. It's not that the story was that convoluted. It's more that the actors were all Asian and the faces all look the same to me and I can't tell them apart. So I'd be watching a scene and would be confused because I couldn't tell who was on screen. Was it one of the daughters? The mother? The stepmother? Damned if I knew

[tattuchu]

In Cold Blood. If you can get past the obtrusive and annoyingly cheesy beatnik jazz soundtrack, it's worth a watch. Good performances. Interesting to see Robert Blake portray a killer, a role he would reprise later in life.

[tattuchu]

Rec. Nice zombie film. Original premise, fresh take on the genre,very well done. I'm an extremely jaded movie viewer at this point, difficult to impress, but this one held my interest. I liked it.
My one minor complaint was that we didn't learn the fate of all the characters. What happened to the little Asian boy? And what happened to his grandfather? There were repeated references to him being sick and perhaps bedridden, and so stuck in their apartment. I kept waiting to see how the old guy would factor into the story, but then he never did

[Pappa]

The Battle of Algiers - what an extraordinarily good film.

[Animavore]

I'll say from the outset that I don't like horror as a genre so I was surprised to fing one which was so enjoyable. Of course being directed by Evil Dead's Sam Raimi may have something to do with it. He certainly has a knack for catching you off guard with the surprises. Honestly, I was trying my best not to jump or get too drawn in like someone playing the scary maze game.
I guess what helped in this film is it didn't take itself too seriously and there is no mindless gore or 'cool deaths'. Only real criticism I have is there may have been just one or two frights too many. But great movie to sit in and watch with the popcorn.

[tattuchu]

Heavenly Creatures, It was a good film but I didn't like the end. I really liked Honora and thought she was a very sweet woman. Her demise was...unsettling

[tattuchu]

Insidious. Only it wasn't a good movie. It were shite. And whoever wrote the copy on the cover of the DVD that read, "Most terrifying film since The Exorcist!" should be kicked hard in the balls

[tattuchu]

Rango. This is more like it. Entertaining story, great characters, great voice acting, and absolutely gorgeous animation.

[tattuchu]

Wake Wood. Interesting British zombie film. Stylish and well done, and a refreshing change from the normal stream of Hollywood tripe. Unfortunately it get a little silly and contrived once the supernatural part of the story kicks in, as so often happens when a horror film takes its subject matter seriously. Still an enjoyable film, though. Worth a watch.

[tattuchu]

American Heart. Great drama, well told and well acted without schmalz or over-sentimentality. Very natural and believable performances by both Jeff Bridges (who I hated before seeing him in this film, but now like because of his performance here) and Edward Furlong. Bridges plays a guy just getting out of prison. His son (Furlong) unexpectedly shows up. At first the Bridges character doesn't want anything to do with him, sees him as a burden, but eventually they form a bond. I cried at the end. At a part in the middle, too. Plus at the end.

[Animavore]

I actually had higher hopes for this. The accolades seem to be out of proportion with the film. Maybe non-Irish people just think we're funnier than we are? (it would explain a lot)
It's not that it was a bad movie and it did have some great lines. Like other Irish comedies (In Bruges, The Snapper) the humour is based around the script rather than situational set pieces. It's full of witty remarks and retorts. And most of the cast have these lines off to a tee. Even American Don Cheadle who is the fish out of water in this movie.
Of course it is Brendan Gleeson who shines in this movie as the dysfunctional and cynical Garda obviously not happy with life in the largely eventless Conemara in the West of rural Ireland. At the beginning he dons his uniform and looks at himself in the mirror proudly for a couple of seconds before the reality kicks in. His face turns to one of a man who feels like he's living a lie. It's such a subtlety and Gleeson pulls it off admirably. You feel what he's thinking. A trait not many actors can pull off.
In the end though I feel it was a bit of a wasted oppurtunity. Mark Strong does nothing in the film. Some parts of the plot go no where or aren't fully formed or in one case even explained. A couple of parts I couldn't believe they actually took the plainly obvious route instead of putting a bit of surprise in it.
On the plus side it does manage to capture the mood and character of Irish people especially into foreign types poking their nose in. Cheadle has a hard time trying to interview the locals, especially those of the Irish speaking community who have no love for English.

I'll give it 3 out of 5.