Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Summer of 1999

Since this marks the 10th anniversary of 1999 which I guess is considered one of the better film years. I think it's probably one of the best of the more recent ones I don't know. Either way 1999 was a big year for me and film. I started getting alot more serious about. I took my first film course. Film Production 1 at Towson University. I was only 15 at the time but i got in. I think my mom compared a summer course to film camp and film camp was more money. also it was close to our house and i could walk and stuff. So i was actually talking about film with people older then me. Seemed really coo at the time. I think that was when i knew i was gonna be up to this for a while. anyway i though i would break down the movies of note. That i saw and actually maybe wanna write something about. I actually put them in the release order i remember them coming out in. Not sure if i'm right but we'll see. also the matrix came out before the summer. so i didn't include it.



I didn't see this when it came out. I saw this the night before thanksgiving on video. My mom and my sister were setting everything up for the next day. I also rented Endless Summer.
I still really like this movie great idea to cast Matthew Broderick as the theacher. It almost like Gary Cooper coming back to westerns.It really lanched Reese Witherspoon and Alexander Payne career's. Also it's a great movie. One of the few 90's high school movies to actually be a great movie. It's just really well made like an art film high school movie. I don't know it's just a great movie.


Ok so this was a big fucking deal. Obviously. I remember reading that other studios didn't want to put out too many action films cause they thought star wars would destroy like all of them. I guess it wasn't what we wanted it to be. I do think it's my favorite of the prequal triliogy. but i don't think that's saying much though.
I did see this at 12:01. Which I feel like was the first time there was a big 12:01 screening for anything. Now it's like everything that comes out gets one. I saw this like way too many times in theaters. It was kind of my obsession for that summer. Even though i was giving up on it as the summer went on. I needed like the action figures, soda cans, alot of. I still like the darth maul light saber fight and the pod race. but i guess yeah it's not even close to the original films.



I saw this like right after the last day of school. We all went and saw this movie. Since it opened that day. The hype was huge but really since the first one did only ok it was going off how well it did on video only. It I think grossed in that weekend what the first one had made in it's entire run. It's totally and very much a sequal but it was fun. Heather Gramm was really hot in that movie.



When I took that said film class. The movie all the other kids were talking about was this. I didn't see it then. I think I saw it later in the year on video. But it was pretty coo. Nice concept. I wonder if the techno music is embarresing now.


1999 was a great year for animation. You had The Iron Giant, Princess Monokee, South Park, and Toy Story 2. And this was the one most critics were praising. What the fuck. This movie sucks. God I hate this movie. Great design but what a piece of shit. really bad. However it is the first movie to use Deep Canvas which is a really coo looking effect. It's not a good movie though


This move of course is now considering universally bad. But at the time i just wanted to see the new movie from the guy who made men in black. unforently it wasn't as good as men in black. actually i think he made no good movies after that. I remember i asked people to go with me but they wouldn't. i want alone and man they were right it sucked. nice title sequence though



Man this was a really good movie. I'm suprised that they even made a better movie then the simpsons. I really love this movie. I remember since it was all post columbine you had to bring a parent if you were under 17 which i was. However my dad liked south park so it was coo. This is another reason this was a good year for animated film as well. as just regualar film. I really liked all the swearing at the time but it's still holds up as a good film swearing or not.
Also the music is really good. I didn't think they do such a good job on the music.



I fucking hate this stupid fucking movie. I wanted to see it so bad. Cause everyone told me how great it was. I even bought a ticket for austin powers 2 to sneak in but as i was going in the lady at the theater was yelling like he's tryign to sneak in. so i had i ran into austin powers and saw that again instead.
When it came out on video i finally saw it. And well I was really disappointed. I don't get this movie and if you wanna see this is our generations whatever. count me out seriously. and what is up with that distrubing sex scene at the end with Tara Reid.
Also i really didn't find it to be that gross at the time but that might be because i was really into pink flamingoes the year before.


Man the final Kubrick. I know alot of people hate this film. I say give it another viewing. I seem to like it more and more as time when on. This is another one i had to see with my dad. As I recall i was the only one out my film nerds to see it cause they didn't want to ask there parents. I really don't think i got this film when i came out. like i thought i did but i was over my head. but how can you tell a 15 year old film fan that he can't see the new kubrick.


Alot of my friends who saw eyes wide shut. bought tickets for this and then saw eyes wide shut instead. i actually saw this. in theaters. it wasn't bad. i kind liked it. but i like the muppets. sure maybe this has no bussiness being here. but recently at christmas when i was hanging out with all the little kids next to the tv and they asked me where gonzo came from. i could actually tell them.


I was lucky enough to see this before it opened wide. i really liked it. i also never thought it was real. everyone who got made and was like it's not scary when i found out it wasn't real. ok hold up. do you really honestly think if say they did find footage in the woods. like everyone was like well just release it in theaters. no that would never happen. like the families would freak the cops would be all mad. like i can't imagine. and people really thought that. Even then i was like what a great set up. that's it.
I've defended this film before i think they did do a good job. it's not perfect. but it has it's charm.
Also they spent most of there budget on a high tech gps system. now it probably would cost even less.


This really was the last time there was a steve martin comedy written by steve martin. It's really funny. Eddie Murphy who also might be in his last great comedy role does an excellent job. and so many one liners. seriously check this movie out again. it's alot of fun. like a fun funny comedy man i love steve martin movies when he writes them.


I did not see this in theaters. my brother and i were gonna go together and i didn't work out. But we saw it on video. this did not do well in the theaters at all. I don't think warners really cared at all. But it's probably the strongest animated film of that year. it also was Brad Bird's first film. i thought it might be his last until he signed with pixar.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

NEW nockFORCE Quickie and Animation block party

effnocka and FUCKFORCE have hit the big time!! Now they're dishing about their celebrity friends.

more bacon at nockforce.com




sunday nite rap up

Full metal alchmeist
Big o
Cowboy bebop
King of the hill
squidbillies
mighty boosh



I went to the animation block party. which was this weekend. it was alot of fun i saw alot of coo stuff. i figured i'd share some of the shorts i saw below here. not all are online but alot of them are so why not share them.

Red Rabbit from Egmont Mayer on Vimeo.





i couldn't find that many embedable ones but i will put more up later. either way it was coo check out my block party ad from last year

Friday, July 24, 2009

Crazied Fruit and The Right Stuff


This really suprised me how good it was. This is basically a 50's teen movie for Japan. Instead of Rebel without a cause. Which is more place in the sun then it is rock and roll. Not to say it doesn't have balls or anything. man this is a really coo movie.
It's about two brothers who while on vaction at a beautiful beach fall in love with the same girl. Seems simple enough but they do a great job of making this not just about she's mine not yours. She's more experienced and older. while there both teenagers she is in her early twenties. Mie Kitahara who plays the girl Eri that they both fall in love with. Is really perfect you know she is a good person. But she's also mysterious and sometimes your not sure. Mie really knows how to use her eyes to her advantage. I feel like she could just move her eyes in the right way and it conveys so much.
I guess this is a lot darker then most teen films at the time and also more fun at times too. It's certainly not as moopy as rebel without a cause was. It reminded me of the strucutre of current teen films. I wonder if this is an influence.
I know teen films arn't everybody's favorite but this is espically good and very well made. I kept thinking about it far after it was over. It was just really good. I couldn't really stop thinking about it. I highly recomend this film. seek it out if you can.




I really didn't expect much from this movie but wouldn't you know it's actually really fucking good. And incredibly well directed. I can't find very much talking about the director of this film Philip Kaufman. But he really directed the shit out of this movie. It could have been more about facts sure. but that would have sucked. This is a film with human emotion and showing what progress is.
The film is about the early astronauts but it goes further showing us what pilots were before and then what they became. The charater they use to show this is Chuck Yeager a big shot pilot who broke the sound barrer. he was a great pilot but since he didn't go to collage couldn't be an astronaut. We see him from his height to when he doesn't matter that much. We also really get a sense of the culture these guys grew up in. We get what matters to them.
That story alone is good enough for a great movie. but there really is more. I loved Jeff Goldblums character. all though he wasn't in it that much. The running down the hall thing was great. and what influenced a future south park episode.
The space stuff also was really well shot and when you see the shots i was like wow how did they do that. and this movie is over 20 years old. it really holds up well. and the cinematography was even great when they weren't in space. there was a scene were the wives were talking that i couldn't believe how well made it was.
The acting was great. Ed harris was wonderful as John Glenn. I can see why he was cast in apollo 13 creative casting. Well i'm assuming thats why they did that. but come on it has to be. Dennis Quaid was great as the youngest astrounaut. Really everyone is perfect.
I've heard people talk smack about this movie. cause it bombed or something. Really who gives a shit. it's a good movie and if your intrested in astronauts and you havn't seen it your missing out. If i were you i would see this. it really works and i think most people would enjoy it even if you don't really give a shit about space.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Senator and Hard Times

SO the senator theater in Baltimore went up for auction yesterday and it seemed like a circus. I don't really know what was going on. I havn't talked to anyone involved or anything. However there are two very different takes on the auction on youtube. one for WBAl and the other from blogger astro girl. Regardless of were you stand on this issue or if you even care. it's intresting to see how people cover things differently.

WBAl won't let me embed follow this link






This was the directorial debut of Walter Hill who would later go on to direct the warriors. I would compare this alot to his second film the driver. It's very quite. The main character almost never speaks. And it is very western influenced. I have to say i really like the feel of his first two films. and i really wanna see the stuff after the warriors. Which i think was a turning point in his career.
This is a movie about a boxer from the 30's who goes from nothing to one of the biggest boxers in the south. He's an older guy who nobody really knows comes to town and just happens to come across a boxing match with speedy a boxing manager. with him they become big.
James Coburn does a really great job as speedy the boxing manager. All though he's incredibly flawed Coburn makes a very likable scounderal. I think without Coburn this movie may have not worked. Broson doesn't talk to much but Coburn's character helps the film move and have a human touch to a seedy world.
Bronson is great. This may be a better acting job then death wish. It was soon after that and he really knows how to protray an action star. In this he is so super coo. it's insane. He really plays it so relaxed yet with a rage we can't grasp. and he even tells us why. which is something i really liked.
This is a coo boxing movie and very well directed. like i said before i think i liked the early walter hill. This and the driver are almost in a class all there own. like it was walter hill 1 and walter hill 2 starts with the warrios. not sure yet. i havn't seen enought stuff. But i can tell you it's pretty good. check it out if you get the chance.


Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Man of the West and Missing

Ususally I don't put two really good movies on here at the same time but today I did. There really is no order there both good. but also missing is free online if you can find man of the west seriously try to it's awesome.


Gary Cooper almost never plays a bad guy. in fact he never ever does. In this he plays a former bad guy who gets mixed up with his former gang of outlaws and is very tempted to go back by them. It's an intresting idea. That Cooper is tempted to be an outlaw again. essentially everything he's not. But you can tell he wants to.
Anthony Mann made alot of great westerns but certainly this is in a class all it's own. There's something about it that's better then those. It's like every shot is intresting. They really use the camera and i feel like they really went for it. It was the late 50's and westerns had been around for a while. Mann I don't think wanted to make another dark noir western the way he did before. This is a really dark western. In fact it reminds me alot of the searchers. You have an older actor twisting the persona they worked there career to build and a director doing one of his last westerns. This actually was Mann's last western.
Gary Cooper is really great in this film. He has a real inner conflict. He can help find a new school teacher for the town he lives in or join a gang of outlaws. Since he has turned over a new leaf. Cooper shows very well almost like he's a silent film star what he's thinking your with him for most of the movie. Cause you know what he's going through.
Mann is great at using locations to show what the characters are feeling and he did a really great job with this one. It brings out huge moments for the movie and it just looks almost perfect.
Listen I project alot of movies and there's not too many that I watch and go man i really wanna project that. Cause regardless what it's made for and it may look coo it can really help a film. I think that may be true to Doctor Zhivago which i was never in to but it's still an ok film with pretty picture. This much like the searchers it adds to it's vastness. so dam i really seriously really really wanna project this one. it's super super awesome looking. like dam. Probably one of the better westerns I've seen and possiably my favorite Anthony Mann western






This is a really good political movie. but not in the way that most political movies are just a bunch of people talking and then talking about there families. This shows it. One thing I really like about a good political film like this or the war room it shows the human side. It almost is fighting against that. That these politics actually you know like effect people.
It's about a christian scientist Father looking for his son who has disappered in central america during a political cue. He's helped by his son's wife. They make a very mis matched couple since she doesn't really like him that much and he thinks she's just a crazy liberal.
Jack Lemmon does a great job in this role. A role you probably wouldn't think that he would do well in but he does it magnificantly. Like I never doubted him as an actor. But Jack Lemmon can really do a great job in anything. I almost always saw him as a comedic actor but not after this. Sissy Spacek as well does a really great job. Certainly she is known more for dramatic roles like this so i wasn't as shocked but she held her own against one of the greats. and very well i might add. I mean that must have been tough for her to play against Jack Lemmon but it worked very well.
Costa-Gavras is a very good at making political films. The only other film I've seen from him is Z which was also really great. He knows how to make the human element really work. I almost think he could do just a regular drama and it would also be a great film. a very strong director.
The idea of this film is horrifying and the fact that you can get away with this is more so. I think this film is very important. It shows what can happen when you do policy or over throw governments. there are serious impacts. now writing that previous sentance is nothing. but living in is another. I don't know if i'll see such an event. but this film really does make you think about that.
I really like this film and kind of don't understand why it hasn't been talked about more. I know the criterion edition of has kind of brought it back. We'll see what happens. but for now really see this it's very good. I know alot of people act all snoppy when they see some important film or some shit like that. this is almost what they want that to be except it's good and not preachy. which i'm sure is hard not to do in a political film. also it's on hulu i put it below.




Tuesday, July 21, 2009

12 to the moon and Cronicas


Hey do you like vintage astronaut stuff. I feel like i see alot of people that do but don't have that many good movies to watch with coo vintage astronaut stuff in them. Well then seek out 12 to the moon. It's a coo movie about a 12 people from around the world and there trip to the moon. of course they run in to aliens and all that. but they do a pretty good job with it. I mean sure this movie isn't perfect but it's still pretty coo.
The special effects well it was the 50's this was before Star Wars and 2001. so what you have here is not the kind of sci-fi movie we're used to now. Not just special effects wise. Sure they do a really good job with what they've got but it's sometimes silly. they acting for a few people was wooden. but mostly wooden for only a couple of scenes. which is kinda weird but whateva. They even used lawn chairs to sit in while they take off which is also kinda silly.
But the surface of the moon in this is awesome. I really like the way that they made it look like this crazy fantasy world. At the time they really didn't know what the surface of the moon looked like. It's fun to live in that fantasy world again. where the moon was still this foreign thing. i guess it still is but then they seriously had no clue at all.
I was also really into how much this movie still works today. I wonder how much of this techinque used in this made it into the star trek series. they even have a ship humm going through out. something star trek has always made use of.
I really liked this movie and if your into vintage kind of sci-fi stuff i seriously suggest this. i think this is a good b-movie. not so good it's funny. like you know it's bad but you'll like it anyway. or at least i hope. check it out it's pretty coo.

also they did do this on mst3k but i like it anyway. also i never saw that episode.




This is a really great film. From the first shot. oo man the first sequence is insane. not just how they made it. or that they pulled it off. Cause that certainly is pretty fucking amazing but the way it sets up both the characters and the film is just man. I really gotta say the first part of this film is really really good.
The film is all about the media. And in a way i don't think you'd see that much. it both sympathyies with it and critises it. Not many films can pull that off. I always feel it's easier to pull off one side or the other but this is really two sides of the same coin in this film.
They're trying to find a child killer who rapes and kills children and your never sure who it is. this one guy is being interviewed by John Leguizamo telling him he met the killer a few days ago and he told him stuff about the murders. Some of which turns out to be turn. but this guy is all ready in jail and may just be making shit up.
This movie was really well made and i can't wait to see more from Sebastián Cordero who both wrote and directed this film. He certainly did a fucking awesome job. Why don't i hear more about this movie. I don't know we should you know but oo well.
If you see this in your video store and i think most blockbusters have it. you should get this. it's a really great movie. it has alot of power and it's fucking really well done. i don't know if i described this well but if you like all the presidents men and stuff about the media like the 5th season of the wire. then you'll really like this movie. if you get the chance check it out.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Labor Pains and Idiots Delight


This was really bad. and in fact it's probably lucky terminator salvation came out this year cause this would be the worst film of the whole year. So I guess it's the second worst film of the year. Score one for wolverine.
This movie apprently is a comedy. All thought it's not funny or really comical. You have someone who is pretending to be pregnet so she can keep her job so she can support her little sister. Then the situation gets wacky. Really the premise of this movie is not the problem. The director and the script are terrible. There's nothing funny or intesting at all about this movie.
And why did anyone think Lindsey Lohan could act. like for real are we really gonna pretend she could. I think a little in Mean Girls. But I have not liked her in anything since. I get that at one point she was attractive. but now she's just gross and not very good. She has never been as bad as she was in this movie. But this is probably a very serious low point.
Well this didn't even make it to theaters or dvd cause they sold it to ABC Family. yeah i know. I watched it cause i like it see a bad movie to kind of remind myself how bad movies can get and man woooo was i reminded. They even couldn't get the pan and scan right and it just looked bad. I would have cared but I doubt that would have added anything. Don't see this movie it sucks. Lindesy Lohan is the new Shanon Doherty in that they expired within 5 years of them getting big. Kinda lame. seriously EPIC FAIL.


This was a really good. I guess it's kind of a musical. I mean there are musical parts but it's not that much of the film were i could say it's a musical. It is the only movie were Clark Gable sings and dances. All thought I'm pretty sure he danced in gone with the wind(which came out the same year as this)but whatever.
This almost played for me like a Batman the animated series episode. Really I guess I should say Batman has stuff that plays like this. The set up for the film is great. Having both Clark Gable and Norma Shearer's earlier relationship doing a show and he fascination with the psychic act he was doing then. Well it was more of an acquaintance. Then later when we see this mysterious character in the a hotel who might be her we understand Gable's characters confusion.
Norma Shearer had yet to really make me understand why people liked her so much. I thought she was all right in the women. but i could never really go crazy for her. Then I saw this movie and i get way more then i used to. She was really good and when she changed into this other character she did a dam good job. Even before that i was like man i really like her in this.
Saying Clark Gable was good in this. well he's always good. I am suprised how well he did all the dancing and singing. And pretty effortlessly. Of course he's Clark Gable.
The film really changes after the first act. And in a really good way. There all stuck in a hotel in europe. well you actually don't know where you just know that all the countries have closed down there boarders cause war was about to break out. since it was 39 i'll let you guess which war it was. While they're there Clark Gable and his new act a group of 6 blondes called Les Blondes and himself do there show since there stuck there. however the planes for the enemy are leaving from right below to bomb the crap out of everybody. So while all this dancing and singing bombers are flying overhead. It says alot about war and our need for normality. It's also intresting cause they almost feel out of touch with the rest of the world. there are some really errie sequences in this film man. I really liked it.
I would recomend this movie. it's deeper then you'll probably realise and i wish it had a better poster. I'm sure this helped it sell at the time but somebody criterion that shit you know. great movie check it out if you get the chance.

Friday, July 17, 2009

harry potter and the half blood prince and three o clock high


To be honest this was alot better then I thought it would be. Which is something i liked. An improvement over the last film and worthy of being in the same franchise as the previous films. most defently. I agree probably with the most of the critics. It does have a few problems i notice a couple almost rough cut like edits that buged me and didn't fit. But I judging this on a whole film thing and I think it really works.
Ok first off I only read the first 3 books. So I wasn't gonna be like yeah this parts was way better and if you read that description man you would have been going crazy. But since I didn't I think I liked it more. Besides regardless of my constant illiteracy a movie of any book should be able to stand on it's own. And this film definitely does.
The structure is more like a western. and no not a sergio lenone western. I mean like an Anthony Mann western. Or mostly westerns from the 50's or 40's. The bad guys come back for little spurts. Then it's back to character development. I really didn't feel like the other films. It had this other quality too it. I think it was more about Character then action sequences. Also your eneimes burning down a house hello imagery. In addition to that I would like to point out that all the bad guys were wearing black. which was what villians would do in westerns. wear dark closes so you knew they were bad. No other potter film has done this but it really worked with this film.
It's very well shot doing some incredible long tracking shots that are both impressive for looking awesome and for there storytelling ability. Which brings this film close to what Michael Seresin did for Alfonso Cuarón's harry potter film. It doesn't blow me away as much as that did. but it got pretty dam close.
The acting was it's usual. Which is really good so I'm happy with most of the performances. All the main cast and Tom Felton as Draco was good. Probably the best acting we've seen from Felton so far. I really think he brought Draco to the right place right job. I mean i feel like the acting is always strong in the potter films.
There was one part where well hold on SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ok cool. Where you dumbledore dies and every put there wans up in the air. I wanted to put up and lighter. I also wanted to say PLAY FREE BIRD. man that would have been fucking awesome if at the end like FREE BIRD came on. oo jesus. man that would have been seriously amazing. skynard could use the roalytee's man come on.
This was probably one of the better blockbuster films of this summer and this year so far but probably this year. I guess UP doesn't count as a blockbuster but i think it does but anyway sure yeah it goes along with Up and Star Trek as one of the better movies of the summer. It is good I liked it. I was glad it improved cause I want a really good potter movie. I don't know were i would put it with the other films but it's defintely better then the 2nd and 5th ones. anyway yeah it was good.







I really dislike these two posters below. there really bad. I mean arn't the other posters good enough. these just look like the back of an action figure box. hey they even seperated the bad guys too. good job.








I really didn't expect a good well made well shot high shool movie. But thats what this is. It's the story of a kid who is supposed to write a thing for the paper on the new kid. Then the new kid wants to fight him at 3 o clock. so the whole movie is his day through school and trying to get out of the fight. It's supposed to be an awesome high noon refference.
I really like how this was shot it really really worked for the film. It almost reminded me of a silent film. Really awesome. I think alot of high school films are merely shot like tv shows with big budgets. This felt like a movie shock you know.
I also like that they cast regular looking kids as the actors. It's like Degrassi junior high or high. I really like high school stuff that uses real kids cause that feels more real. The way this film which is pretty stylised usesd realism is intresting. Sure you could have big actors and this and it would still work. It's a strong film. (double feautre with Ferris Buller anyone). But with the regular looking actors it makes it feel like hey I'm like that guy or something.
This is probably good enough to see even if your not into high school movies. I really liked and It's dam well made. movie.

check out on hulu down here

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Cletus harry potter episodes and other videos.

a little busy today but i wanted to post some videos espically cletus harry pottes. also since i made a video for the book that now is a movie. no movie review stuff today. but i'm seeing harry potter tonite








I recently got ghostbusters 1 and 2 on dvd. i got really into it again. anyway on ghostbusters 2 they have two cartoons. i forgot about the cartoon show.



I know this songs is lame but i still kinda like it for some reason. it'll be mad funny in like 10 years.




I should put my own shit on here too




I just like this song



and this one



and thats it

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Cleo from 5 to 7 and Cleopatra

I really did not mean to put a post about both of these movies on purpose. I seriously did it by accident. weather you believe me or not. I don't know.


This i watched cause it was some french holiday that i can't spell yesterday. I liked this movie it's an existenal film about a girl doing stuff before she gets the results of her cancer test. so she meets with people and goes out to eat and stuff. that's basically the whole movie and yes i'm serious.
I like that this movie could hold my attention even though seriously i guess nothing is really going on. I guess you could call this a character study of a french singer. I guess she is spoiled and little silly. but i think that works very well with the film. also she's kinda nice to look at. hey i know this movie was about feminism a little and stuff and that may be a little shallow but come on.
There are parts of this film you really go with Cleo. as she drives around and look out the window. I can remember countless times I'm in car thinking about something important and i remember whats outside the window still just thinking about stuff. just the silly things people do from day to day even when your waiting for big news.
You could call this a french new wave film. cause it was made around the same time as that era however according to wikipedia it is techincally a The Left Bank, or Rive Gauche film. Which was another movement closely assocaited with the french new wave. Really it's a french new wave but if you wanna be a know it all then there you go.
I like to see movie's like this. I think it's good to have a change of pace. just to make sure your not just watching one kinda of movie. this is somewhat unusual but also very good and say alot about humainity. If you get a chance this is i guess really a nice slice of life or a day in the life. I hear that alot but this film really means it.




I have been watching quite a bit of cecil b demile movies lately. I think i prefer his silent work to his talkie stuff. but of the two talkies I've seen from him this has to be my favorite. Cleopatra is a better film then you probably think it is. I've heard it's the best cleopatra film but it's the only one i've seen so far. I mean sure that chick who played Cleopatra in Rome was like way fucking hotter but you can get away with that kinda stuff now. Then i don't think you could have done that.
You have Claudette Colbert giving one good performance but that's not all this was made in 34. same year as It happened one night. so this is like premo Claudette Colbert not just like regular Claudette Colbert. i would say this was her peak but i don't know her career that well.
The sets are simply insane cause they actually built that shit then. like some of the stuff is just mind boggling to think that they had to actually make it. it also has a kind of art deco look. not extremly i feel like alot of reviews will over sell that. it's not that much but it's defently there.
I like how excessive but likable Cleopatra is in this movie. you really side with her alot of the time. also how exiciting Demille started the film. it really gets you into it right away with even thinking about it.
I think this was very well made film. Shows what an epic was like back then. Cecil b. Demile was probably what Speilberg is today. everyone know his name he was huge and all his movies at this period were huge hits. all thought i can't always say the same thing about speilberg. Demile was also a great film maker. i still stand by my silent film comment but come on Speilberg's best stuff was raiders and jaws so yeah.
This is a great film and if your gonna see any cleopatra this is pretty dam good and i think the shorter of them all so you can't go wrong with that.


Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Next day air and Fail Safe


First off I really thought they were getting a box of weed. The fact that it's coke. i mean sure it makes it a different movie. However I got past that. As a comedy this movie is pretty well done. I wouldn't say it was a slam dunk or anything. I know Ebert says this was better then Star Trek. I really don't agree with that.
Not to say it's a bad movie cause it's not. It's a good stupid R rated comedy. I kinda feel like it could have gone further with the comedy like it wasn't trying enought. i mean i just think it was defently good and i'm actually somewhat intrested to see what the director Benny boom does next. I mean not enought to check up on imdb or anything more like oo he directed it ok maybe.
It kinda works like an old comedy having real tough guys going after this idiot. it was coo to see something that was probably even used in silent comedies still used. it works really well. It kind of reminds me of when in blackspoltation they would take old gangster films and remake them for a black audience. obviously this is not as direct as that was. but it shows the same love of cinema and to make a more intresting comedy.
Is this worth even a rental well a little but i wouldn't go out and seek it. yeah honestly i was a little disappointed at some parts. but it's not the fun i kind of wanted from this film. Sure it's definitely got it's thing going on. But sometimes it's good and other times it's just kind of ok. But i do see what it's doing and it's at least somewhat more interesting then the other comedies around.




Since yesterday I did panic in year zero. might as well do fail safe today.
As long as I have heard about this movie. it's that it was the serious nuclear attack movie that came out around the time dr. strangelove came out and they were both made by the same studio and based on the novel Red Alert by Peter George. This was always been the serious version of what doctor strangelove is and maybe if Kubrick had not made columbia put his out first things would be different. but i really doubt it. cause Dr. Strangelove is a fucking awesome movie. in fact it's an amazing piece of art and it's almost not wait it is unfair to go up against it with anything espically a serious movie that is almost the same.
In fact some of the opening shots are similair in stead of George c Scott in a bed with his hot sexy securitary in a bikini. you get some dude and his wife. i feel like that sums it up right there. Strangelove was dangerous and was funny. this has more of something up it's ass.
But this is still a good movie. Sidney Lumet does a really great job. using a minimalist style and incredbile cinematography. Lumet shows why he was such a big fucking deal in the first place. He knows how to make a good movie out of a nuclear war drama. I really was suprised by some of the shots. there very amazing to look at. but also i felt like some parts did drag a little bit.
There are really great acting by both Walter Matthau and Henry Fonda. Matthau suprised me the most. I always knew he was a good actor. but i would have never thought of him in the role of a political scientist. He worked really well and i really like him in the role. Henry Fonda's president is interesting cause your never sure exactly what he's thinking. I think like a real president he knows more about the situation certainly then i do but he's also like what the fuck am i doing. Fonda was good at playing that. he was both lost but in control. well he wasn't really but he certainly acted like he was in control.
This is not a bad movie. it is a good movie but it will forever be linked to dr.strangelove. to compare it is unfair cause dr.strangelove is a beautiful piece of cinema. Fail Safe is a very well made movie but it doesn't have that range. I would check it out. it's one of the better Lumet's out there.

But I'd much rather laugh at my impending doom then be all serious about it.