My Favorite Movies

What can you say? Perfection.

I personally adore this film. Lepage's directorial debut shows an amazing ability to bring his transformative theatre to the screen, using simple physical transitions to jump through time, and keeping parallel storylines running together towards a conclusion that is satisfyingly, well, Lepagian. Bluteau is as wonderful as ever (see Jesus of Montreal if you haven't).

Could this be improved? Well...nah.

I loved this film, although I know a few fans of Guffman didn't get it as much as the 'mockumentaries'. It's still sheer comic genius to me.

Strangely, far more popular in Toronto than it was here in New Zealand. Guess that answers the question of whether New Zealanders are ready to laugh at sheep-shagging jokes...and that's a big no.

Also strangely, it looked (from memory) better on-screen in Toronto than it did at the Embassy in Wellington. Maybe I'm wrong, but the film looked rougher and overexposed a lot of the time - which might account for some of the NZ public's reaction...

Startling, outstanding cinema. Magnificently shot, and really well considered in the writing stages. Matthew Sunderland is amazingly intense, and Karl Urban holds back well. Thanks, Rob - very brave work, with not inconsiderable resistance along the way to being made.

Just a shame that the US title (Samoan Wedding) sounds like it should really have 'My Big Fat' in front of it. Sure, it's a cultural comedy about a wedding - but these boys are a world unto themselves. Jump in, go on - treat yourself.

I'm going from memory here; but, that said, my memory is that I wouldn't mind seeing it again. Joe Mantegna is another natural Mamet actor (if there is such a thing as natural in Mametland), and the whole cross / doublecross storyline keeps you going better than his later efforts to duplicate it (like The Spanish Prisoner, which falls apart at the end really).

Simply superb. Gold standard in zom-com, against which all others are measured.

Again, another great outing for Pegg & Frost (and director Edgar Winter); if it suffers at all, it's only by comparison with 'Shaun of the Dead' - and then only because it has a feel which is quite similar. So if you liked Shaun, you'll like this as well - but they haven't exactly created an entirely new comic universe for their followup.

(Maybe I need to see Point Break and Bad Boys II before I see it again. This review may change at that point...)

Best of Bollywood. Honestly, we listen to the soundtrack in our car - and dance to it while driving, which is a bit of a worry actually. If you're going to dip your toe in the sea of Bollywood, this is the place to start...

Good, but not Guffman. Only suffers by comparison with their own work, though - by normal human standards it's still great...

So many endings...but even after watching the other two (extended editions!) in one marathon session, I didn't want this to end...

Not Mamet's finest, but still interesting. An unusual turn by Steve Martin, if somewhat awkward; but he's the smoothest of the bunch, anyway. Campbell Scott is more Mamet-ey, but does make it work somehow. Why he doesn't appear in other Mamet films I'm not sure...he's a natural it that particular brand of unnatural.

Less memorable than some of Mamet's other outings; and, well, Danny Devito. Need I say more?

"Money makes the world go 'round."
"I thought it was supposed to be love."
"That's right; love of MONEY."

I'm really fond of this one. 'Kill me a pig', indeed! A great ensemble cast, and beautiful direction from Toa Fraser make this a joy to watch.

A lovely, sweet and geeky little film with real charm.

Bounces along at its own pace (which it has to be said contrasts somewhat with the pace of the laugh-a-minute trailer); endearing yet atypical characters, and a fantastic revenge plot that...well, I won't give away the ending. A definite Kiwi classic. Cheers, Taika!

One concert film I never tire of watching over, this re-released feature screened at the NZ Film Festival a few years back, and turned me from someone who never saw the point of Elvis to a true believer. The guy was a real entertainer, and better than that, he was a real human being as you learn from the rehearsal & backstage footage. Superb - and if that wasn't enough, his band are worth the price of admission on their own! Ronnie Tutt & James Burton should be in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame, if they're not already...

Is there ANYTHING Stephen Fry can't do? What a pleasant surprise this film is, though anyone with a passing familiarity with the director shouldn't be surprised at all.

The superb British cast are given a great script to work with (again Fry's work) and run wild(e); but just at the moment you think the Moulin Rouge glittering exterior and History Boys witty repartee is all the film has to offer (in case that wasn't enough), it shows itself to have a real, genuine heart beating within.

Satisfying on every imaginable level - and as others have noted, it certainly makes me want to seek out the book. Can the novel possibly be BETTER? Surely not...

(And it should be noted, a greater contrast with The Departed, which I watched the night before, is hard to imagine...this had a SCRIPT, and ACTORS, for example.)

I'm just pleased that someone is still making HK action films like this! Now I have to go back and watch Election 1 & 2 again...then the Infernal Affairs series.

Superb. If you ever wondered why Alec Guiness was a star long, long ago - before some guy named Lucas rang him up - this is where to begin...

I loved this at the time, and I'm giving it four stars for how it is in my memory - rather than what I just saw on DVD...okay, some performances date more than others, but overall, well, it's a bit hokey now. Kiefer Sutherland's no Jack Bauer here, that's for sure. The direction's, well, all Rob Reinerey - not surprising, since he's directing. Ah well. I still love it.

Um, yeah. The plot summary says it all, really. Yes, all that happens - and more - but who could possibly explain the point of it all? This would have to go down as a great classic of the so-bad-it-might-just-be-good-again genre. Thanks to MGM & the Incredibly Strange folks for bringing it to my attention at last!

I mean, what can you say? Wrath of Khan! USS Reliant! Botany Bay! It's just a classic...and perhaps the most amazing effect of all - Khan's rubbery chest - is REAL...