InfamousHugo
http://www.flixster.com/user/infamoushugo
| Name | Hugo Sylvain |
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| Gender | Male |
| I'm From | Canada, Earth |
| Member For | 254 days |
| Last Login | Fri. May 16 |
| Profile Views | 3178 |
| Age | 24 |
| MCT Score | |
| Status | Online Now |
- Skins Created (1)
| Movie: | 00s: Minority Report / City of God / Amélie 90s: Fargo / The Usual Suspects / Goodfellas 80s: Once Upon a Time in America / Amadeus / The Shining 70s: Taxi Driver / Network / Jaws / Alien 60s: To Kill A Mockingbird / À bout de souffle 50s: Seven Samurai / Les 400 coups 40s: Citizen Kane / The Great Dictator 30s: La Règle du Jeu / M. 20s: The General |
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| Actor: | Bacon, Bale, Norton, Owen, Pitt Connelly, Portman, Ricci, Tautou, Watts |
| Director: | Anderson, Burton, Coen, Jonze, Kim Kurosawa, Lee, Scorsese, Spielberg, Tarantino |
| Quote: | «Don't ever let anyone ever say to you: "You shouldn't regret anything." Don't do that, don't ! You regret what you fucking want ! And use that, use that, use that regret for anything, any way you want. You can use it, okay ?» - Jason Robards, Magnolia |
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I graduated from university in moviemaking in April 2006. I love cinema and everything related to it. I have made about 40 short films either for fun or for school, but unfortunately I lost a few of them over the years, and I write a lot of screenplays as well, even though I barely eer finish any of them. I can appreciate any kind of movies but I definately prefer the good ones.
Originality has nothing to do with a film's quality. The oldest story in the world can be told and still make a good film. What matters is the way its crafted, the way its told. Visual qualities are important, but that alone cant make a great film, there is a need for substance under the look. I try to consider a film for what it is, within its genre and compared to movies in general but also try to consider the filmmaker's ambitions. Here's my rating chart: ***** ALMOST PERFECTION **** ABOVE GOOD *** AVERAGE ** JUST BAD * TRULY PATHETIC
Five-star movies are rare on my list. Only my favorites mixed with high quality get that rating.
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Hugo's Recent Reviews
Lenny
R
LENNY (1974)
directed by Bob Fosse
starring Dustin Hoffman, Valerie Perrine, Jan Miner«"Fuck you." Never understood that insult, because fucking someone is actually really pleasant. If we're trying to be mean, we should say "unfuck you!"»
In the 1960's, Lenny Bruce was a controversial comedian with abrasive and offensive humor but he was very honest and set himself to face America with its own hypocrisy. From the moment he met an exotic dancer who would become his wife, to his struggling career, his life of drug abuse, the birth of his kid, his rise to fame and his many arrests, Lenny follows the the career of the legendary comedian who fought against censorship.Bob Fosse's film sure follows the classic narrative of a biographical film, it opens with a scene that happens later in the life of the man and then it goes back in time. But Fosse uses different tricks from there on, adding interviews of people who knew Lenny Bruce and scenes from his later act, commenting in some way, on his past.
Shot in gorgeous black and white, Lenny is a very interesting film about a man who was ahead of his time. Unfortunately he was consumed by his love for his wife and the non-sense of his arrest fo obscenity, partiularly for using the word «cocksucking» in one of his acts. He became obssessed with it, but his fight wasnt vein, as he opened the doors to cut such absurd censorship. Less than a decade later, all the words he was trialed for, became casual, such a shame.
Lenny wasnt just a funny guy, he was pretty smart as well, his ways to make people think was pretty clever, and it worked fine. Dustin Hoffman is absolutely amazing in the title role. His voice is barely recognizeable and his performance is easily one of the best of that decade.
Lenny with its documentary-like style is kind of slow, but totally worth it, espicially in the second half, when we can finally undestand why the man became such an icon. Very good film.
Big Trouble in Little China
PG-13
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986)
diected by John Carpenter
starring Kurt Russell, Dennis Dun, Kim Cattrall«All I know is that this Lo Pan character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds while he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him with light coming out of his mouth!»
Trucker-philosopher-adventurer Jack Burton finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong moment when his truck is stolen by the same people who kidnapped his Chinese pal's newly arrived girlfriend. It gives him two good reasons to go fight some type of immortal ghostly man and his three supernatural fighters. With his Harley Davidson baseball cap, a white tank top and a mullet, Jack Burton was born ready for that kind of action.Big Trouble in Little China is one of my childhood classics. The plot is preposterous but the acting is done in the right tone and the visual effects were quite good for 1986. John Carpenter's rocking score helps the campy effect some decades later.
Kurt Russell is Jack Burton, a memorable character who speaks only in one-liners, and Russell, delivers them perfectly, hilarious everytime. The rest of the cast need not to be mentionned cause, they are all stuck in Russell's shadow.
Big Trouble ... looks like a videogames sometimes, and its similarities with the Mortal Kombat game is sometimes surprising, though this film was obviously made before.
Not the best of films but I cant really help liking it, its entertaining as hell and those one-liners are hilarious. That film actually scared me as a kid because of the many weird creatures.
«Like I told my last wife, I said, "Honey, I never drive faster than I can see, and besides... it's all in the reflexes."»
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
PG
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN(2004)
directed by Alfonso Cuaron
starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert GrintThird year in Hogwart and Dementors are scanning the surrounding in search of Sirius Black, a murderer and a traitor, who has escaped from the prison of Azkaban, he is now looking for Harry Potter.This is the film that finally made the young wizards interesting. They are growing up, hormones are invading their body, but they are also facing more adult responsibilities. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azakaban was directed by Alfonso Cuaron, who had made A Little Princess proving he could play in that field of pseudo-fantasy movies, and his previos effort was Y tu mama tmabien a film about two teenagers becoming adults. This film is a logical fllow-up in some ways, cause the kids are becoming teenagers, and Cuaron knows how to handle that with subtlety without getting away from the fantasy world of the first films.
Prisoner of Azakaban is also darker, not just visually, but story-wise as well, but more interesting themes like betrayal, forgiveness but also sexual desire and fear of the unknown.
Cuaron doesnt shy away from bringing his own style to the film, claiming publicly that he had never seen the first two films before getting the offer for the directing job. He takes advantage of his big budgets, introduces special effects to serve the story and moves the camera infinitely well. But when it gets more serious, Cuaron uses hand-held camera, dealing with the film as a serious drama which is much more engaging.
A few actors join the cast, David Thewlis as a teacher with whom Harry connects because he knew his parent, Emma Thompson as a teacher as well, but giving a quirky and fun performance. Gary Oldman round up the great cast as Sirius Black, who may not be what he seems. Michael Gambon replaces Richard Harris who unfortunately passed away after the second film, and a notable appearance from Timothy Spall, a very underrated actor. The acting is getting better for the younger ones as well. Daniel Radcliffe is finally showing some talents, Rupert Grint keeps doing what he did well in the previous films and Emma Watson might be the only who could possibly have a real career outside of the Potter films.
Voldemort is nowhere to be seen in this one, but everything is cleverly setting the events that'll go on in the following movies. There is werewolf, an ingenius time travel plot and some unexpected twists and turns. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the best entry of the series, even after five films. Its entertaining, done in the right tone and the jokes dont seem so lame anymore. Good.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
PG
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2002)
directed by Chris Columbus
starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma WatsonHarry Potter is back to Hogwart, no without some difficulties with his uncle and aunt who dont want him to go back. This time around, the young wizard and his friends are trying to discover who is being a plot to kill Harry, for that they need to know where the chamber of secrets is, and who has the ability to open it, which let loose, everynight a monster that petrifies those who see him.The first half of Chamber of Secrets is almost exactly the same as the first movie, just a different year, which means, the kids get in trouble for putting their nose where they shouldnt and their rivalry with Malfoy is stronger than ever. In the second half though, it seems we are getting a small glimpse of what the next movies/books would be about. Its a little darker, not quite there yet, but its caught my interest.
Two knw important player appears in this one. Jason Isaacs as Malfoy senior and Kenneth Branagh as a new teacher who apparentl has been around the world taking part in amazing adventures. They add a lot to the film in the way, like the rest of the elder British cast, they seem to be having a blast. The kids' acting is getting better, they are obviously more comfortable in front of the camera, just not too natural yet.
The visual effects are already better, and there are some effective scenes, like the giant spiders one, which might be a bit too scary for the younger ones.
The intrigue feels too easy once again and there isnt enough magic yet. That house elf is annoying and the ending is quite predictable. The first movie and this one were shot back to back, and it becomes obvious when elements introduced in Philosopher's Stone became important in Chamber of Secrets, just as if they were compelmentary to each other. That was probably in the case the other sequels were never to be made.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is in my opinion slithly better than the original entry, but not by far. It still feels too long and the story isnt engaging enough yet. The humor is too childish and the early scenes at home with the uncle and aunt are annoying to me. Let's wait till Alfonso Cuaron gets behind the camera to pull off one good Harry Potter episode.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
PG
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE (2001)
directed by Chris Columbus
starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma WatsonHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a competently made family film, thanks to Chris Columbus who knows how to work with children but never seems to care enough to try and get good performances from them. See Home Alone, you'll understand.This is the first in a series of cinematic adaptation of J.K. Rowling's books about the famous Harry Potter, a young and talented wizard. Like most literary adaptations, it gets its share of love and hate, by both fans of the novels and the ones who have never even read it. Some just dont care, Im one of them. I never read the book, out of iterest I guess, but Im not sure, but that doesnt change my appreciation or my lack of it for the film. I strongly believe a film based on previous material should be judge for what it is and not what it could have been or what I wanted it to be considering the perspective the source material had previously printed in my mind. After seeing it for the first time since its release, I realize it wasnt a lack of good faith that left me careless about this film, its simply not engaging enough.
Writer Steve Kloves does a good job at summerizing the novel and introducing all the elements that make Harry Potter so special and loved, but because there is so much of that stuff, the film takes a while to get started and is feels a bit too naive.
Everyone knows who Harry Potter is, except himself. After his parents were murdered by Voldemort, he was taken to his uncle and aunt, who raised him almost as a slave. One day he gets an invitation to Hogwart's school for wizards, thats where he meets his reheaded friend, Ron, the obligatory clumsy kid, and Hermione, the annoying one who knows everything about anything. There is also Malfoy, the hateble one and, well, I think you get it, the wheel isnt reinvented here, its quite formulaic. Harry and his friends aftr discovering things they shouldnt know about, try to uncover a plot to steal the philosopher's stone, which is, well, I think its an important stone.
With Harry Potter John Williams brings one of his most memorable score in a long time and that helps go through the film, which seems a bit too long - two hours twenty two minutes - despite some fun fantasy stuff: a giant dog with three heads; a cape that makes you invisible; magic spells; and on and on.
The kids arent that good, some scenes could have used a few more takes. Daniel Radcliffe sure looks the part, but he cant act it, yet. Ruper Grint looks like he is about to wine every other second and Emma Watson, well, she has her moments when she does get effective. The mot annoying of all has to be Tom Felton, the young Malfoy, I guess he wasnt cast for his talent, but exactly for the reason that he was just what I said he was, anyways. The adult characters in the other hand, are all played by known British actors, including Maggie Smith, Richard Harris abd Alan Rickman, and they all seem to have a lot of fun.
Ultimately, Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone isnt that special, except for the fact that it brings to life one of the most important literary work of the late 20th century, that being said, its definately not because of the quality of its writing. Its funner for the kids, but too long for them. I wont say its boring, but I wasnt all that much into it. Its mildly entertaining, plus there are better entries in the series.
Apocalypse Now
R
APOCALYSPE NOW (1979)
directed by Francis Ford Coppola
starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall«I've seen horrors... horrors that you've seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that... but you have no right to judge me»
During the Viet-Nam War, Captain Benjamin L. Willard, is sent on a mission, he has to go up a river to Cambodia, to find a renegade Colonel who is now leading what might be perceived as a sect. His mission is to kill the man, who has, on his own decisions, killed many people already.Based upon Joseph Conrad's 1899 short story Heart of Darkness and extremely well adated to fit the Viet-Nam war by Francis Ford Coppola and his writers, Apocalypse Now is a definitive war classic. The horror of war and the insanity many soldiers had to go through is what this film is depicting. None of the characters seems to really want to be there and not of them are still sane.
I am personally not a fan of the Redux version, especially the French plantation sequence which slows down the film a bit too much for my taste. The orginal theatrical release of the film, is the one Im sending all my love to.
The opening scene is terrific. A nice used of the The Doors' song, plus some amazing sound design. That term was actually created for this film, with Walter Murch being a pioneer in that field. The helicopter scene, with Wagner's Ride of the Valkyrie is a memorable one as well, and the last fort minutes of so of the film, are simply fascinating, yet the mood is strange and makes you feel uncomfortable in some twisted way. All those scenes or sequences weere shot by talent Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, who uses lights and shadows so beautifully in this film.
Robert Duvall gives one of my favorite supporting performnces of all-time as a Lieutenant Colonel who cares moer about the waves and surfing than the bomb that is being dropped a few inches away. His dialogues are perfectly delivered, making him one of the most memorable characters of the film, despite, a very short apperance. Martin Sheen in the lead role is great, that man should have been a bigger star, but it never happened. Last but not least, Marlon Brando, as the Colonel who simply lost it, is strange, but it serves the film and he is ultimately proving why so many people admire the Brando.
Apocalypse Now is a deep study of the human nature, how much one can handle before going mad. Its also an anti-war film, showing how senseless the Viet-Nam campaign was. Ultimately, I have to admit I admire this film more than I enjoy it, but I cant deny its numerous qualities, which makes up for the slow-pacing, sometimes lyrical, of the film. A surreal experience that isnt to be missed.
«It's impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means. Horror. Horror has a face... and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies.»
Hugo's Favorite Movies
4.
Alien
R
ALIEN (1979) directed by Ridley Scott starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerrit, Veronica Cartwright«This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off. »
When Alien first came out nobody thought Ripley could be the last to survive the monster. She was unlikely to achieve such thing, she was an annoying character, a second officier doing things a bit too much by the book. It seemed obvious she would die among the first. She survived cause she was strong, she had it in her.
With the arrival of DVDs the market has been flooded with Director's Cut version of pretty much any movie, even the ones we wish had been destroyed. Most of them only had footage added here and there but Ridley Scott, who pretty much started the Director's Cut back in the early 1990's with Blade Runner, didnt only add footage or a few scenes. He changed things. Its more valuable, its worth checking out for real. In the case of Alien he added a crucial scene near the end that explains a lot of what happens in the sequel but also cut off a few things that slowed down the film. The final result is a film one minute shorter than the original release but with an ending infinitely more intense and effective even if the original release was already filled with tense scenes near the end. Though, Scott was always happy with the original cut of the film, he was seduced by the idea of revisiting the film that got him started, which means the new cut is only for fans purpose.
I was lucky enough to catch the Director's Cut of Alien in theatre when it was released on Halloween 2003. The room was pretty much empty. It was the afternoon. I was excited to see one of my favorite films in theatre, even if it was released a few years before I was even born. This experience made me appreciate the film even more. It took me to a whole new level of appreciation. I remember feeling tense the entire movie cause the atmosphere created by Ridley Scott in this film is simply genius. The camera moves extremely well and there are some surprising movements. Its slow-paced to create the mood and it works perfectly well. When the creature burst from the chest, I have to admit, I almost screamed even if I had seen it many times before. To this day its pretty much the only scene in movies that gives me the creeps.
Alien was released in 1979. Eleven years after Stanley Kubrick's 2001 - A Space Odyssey. The influence is obvious in the way the visual effects look, and also with «mother» who seems to be the heart of the ship, but the film doesnt spend much time on that, they didnt want to make a new Hal-9000. Although they do have Ash, an android on board who would prefer see the crew dead to bring back the creature on Earth than see it die. The Ash character is supposed to be surprise at the end of the movie but it should have been obvious when we think about it. The ship looks like an old WWII submarine and that helps create the mood, thats good set designing.
H.R. Giger, the Swiss artist, designed everything related to the monster, including its ship. Its looks awfully weird, like nothing we have seen before and that is part of the originality of Alien. Also the monster doesnt look corny or like the usual extra-terrestrial entity we are used to see. It pretty much created a precedent in the genre. After this film came out a bunch of monster movies appeared, all wanting to look like Scott's but no one came close, except maybe James Cameron with his muscular sequel, but thats different.
Strangely enough, a lot of things is related to sexuality in Alien, even if it doesnt look like it at first site. Simply the way the creature is implanted in the chest of Kane, the man attacked by the facehugger, can pretty much be considered like an inter-species rape - I didnt come up with that term but I liked it and felt it made a lot of sense. Also when it bursts out of his chest with that phallic form or even the huge head of the alien. At the end of the film when Ripley is alone in the small ship, she thinks she finally got rid of the creature. She strips down from her officier clothes and becomes vulnerable. The alien is hiding in the corner and waits to attack her, just has if he was staring at her in the dark, like a stalker would. That brings us to think the alien is more than a killing machine. Because of its strength and murderous ways we come to think of it as an animal but its way more intelligent than what the film shows us, or actually the film doesnt have to show anything, cause as viewers we are supposed to be able understand such thing.
Alien builds itself on our fear of the unknown. «In space, no one can hear you scream» was the tagline of the film. Its very effective, cause its very true and its the feel that comes out of the movie. Its intimate and we feel like the eight member of the crew, we can only be glad when we actually survived the trip without getting caught by the monster.
Alien isnt only a good-looking well-written space/monster-opera. Its also very well-acted. Sigourney Weaver had her first starring role, it made her a star in a split-second. She was tall, an unlikely hero and she was a woman. After that, a lot of film tried to have a woman as the hero who kicks the bad guys' asses, but no one could do it like Sigourney Weaver. Tom Skerrit was an easy choice to play Dallas. To play Kane, the one infected by the alien, they needed a solid actor, to make it more believable rather than laughable and nobody could have done a better job than John Hurt. Ian Holms looks like a psycho in this film, good thing cause he plays Ash the android. Veronica Cartwright is the second and only other female. She is there to show the human side of the tragedy. To show how emotionally hardcore those events are on the characters. Harry Dean Stanton and Yaphet Kotto are the comic relief of the film, but whats intresting here is that they get serious when they need to, instead of staying dumb like it happens in too many films.
Ridley Scott is reportedly quoted as saying that originally he wanted a much darker ending. He planned on having the alien bite off Ripley's head in the escape shuttle, sit in her chair, and then start speaking with her voice in a message to Earth. Apparently, 20th Century Fox wasn't too pleased with such a dark ending. That ending would have been very interesting but James Cameron could have never made his sequel and I think thats something we would have all been missing in our movie life. There was a lot of crap surrounding the script, apparently the original writers werent pleased with all the changes that happened through pre-production before Ridley Scott was even on board. Although, when they wrote it they didnt give a gender to any of the characters which obviously changed a few things and Ripley could have turned out to be a man. Jerry Goldsmith who wrote a lot of classic score for Hollywood movies had written music for the entire film but Ridley Scott and his editor kept it a bit minimalist and so we can only hear music during key moments and when needed. I think it was a good decision. Goldsmith remaining score is terrific and preserve the mood that Scott wanted but sometimes silence is better.
Alien is obviously a cult classic some twenty-five years later, nearly thirty, and it will obviously be remembered for plenty of reason. It may not have been the most original movie. Dan O'Bannon the original writer said himself that he stole ideas from plenty of films, but as I often say: What is important in a movie isnt the originality, its the way you tell your story, the way you act it. The atmosphere here is responsible for a lot of the love the film is getting. Its frightening, extremely effective, highly entertaining and nearly flawless from beginning to end. Its simply, I try not to use this word to often but here, it applies. its a masterpiece.
Hugo's Movie Scrapbook
Videos
Hugo's Talk
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I recommend you see...
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
by Brianposted 6 hours ago -
I recommend you see...
The Last of the Mohicans
by JackNot what I expected, really.
The story is about a dying tribe called the Mohicans in which only two are left as well as one adopted white man. These three men refuse to enter the militia for English in 1757 for they want freedom. On their way to Kentucky, they intercept Indians attacking a small regiment of British including the two daughters of an English Colonel on their way to a fort. The three men lead the survivors to the fort while two love stories take place but the French and Indian War continues.
I found it very dull and boring. And Daniel Day-Lewis annoyed me.
I have nothing else to say.Not a movie I'll rewatch, that's for sure.
posted 8 hours ago -
I recommend you see...
A King in New York
by FabioWe can say this is a little bit autobiographical movie.
Chaplin is setting up his own troubles with the anti-American activities commission on the screen, and that is quite funny though particularly dramatic.
It contains some very pungent observations on the American way of life and American society of that period.
And I think that most of the americans will not apprecciate it.
Chaplin plays King Shahdov, a deposed monarch who flees to America in the hopes of selling his plans for a peaceful, nuclear-based society,which never happens.And during his stay he meets several people who give life to funny and touching moments.Hey, you should really see this!
posted 13 hours ago -
I recommend you see...
Man of the Year
by scottwilliams plays a tv talk show host, very similer to jon stewert, who after bringing up, maybe i should run for president,,, he does, he secures his nomination and goes to work, using his razor sharpe wit to woo the tv audiance and anyone who will listen,but the new polling booth computer voting system is faulty and maybe rigged, so if he wins and ecomes president is it a genuin win, a worker for that company speaks out, and her life is targeted for ruin, wyes this oviously is based on events in u.s when bush came from nowhere and won, as some say due to balled voting fixing, so a interesting concept, williams is great also, doing some great scenes of stand up, to get him self noticed, williams does this perfectly, and is a joy to watch, its never clear wether he will win and take up office, as story is told well and not predictable, and final outcome may be a little mushy for some, but it gets its message across well, a relevent for whats happend in recent past, and great to see williamsfinding great roles again
Hey, you should really see this!
posted 18 hours ago -
I recommend you see...
Irreversible
by *I've been anticipating this one for quite some time now, and boy did it deliver. "Irreversible" is one of the few movies that offers highly controversial matters with nearly perfect executions; practically everything in this film has a purpose and is handled expertly.
Obviously an Existentialist film, dualities are scattered abroad and are often discussed in the dialogue: The decision-making, the philosophical books, and even a "2001" reference - neat-o!
But back to the part that causes people to faint and stuff: The extremely graphic portions. "Irreversible" has one of the most up-close feelings I've had in a movie since the last 3-D film that I watched. Visceral movements with the camera and some mighty fine transitions help make this possible, especially during the first quarter, where red lights flutter like crazy (Also might wanna mention the great tactic used in the underground club: Darkness and dim colors concealing the CGI). Furthermore, there's all sorts of sex, blood, gore.... but you already knew that, right?
"Irreversible" is somewhat similar to "Memento" with the reverse chronology, but is still original. Any negative reviews on this would pertain to the intensity so don't let that discourage you from watching this masterpiece.See it.
posted 1 day ago -
I recommend you see...
Saving Sarah Cain
by BrianYes, it's crappy TV-movie acting, but what do you expect from Lifetime?
It's cute and worth seeing if you're into it.
Side question: Does anyone know if the burping after meals to show they liked it thing is real?Only if you're into it.
posted 1 day ago -
I recommend you see...Hey, you should really see this!
A decent movie. Not amazing. But not horrible.
Good to watch with the family.posted 1 day ago -
I recommend you see...
Camp Out
by BrianI wanted to see this documentary because its subject are so different from. Ten campers trying to reconcile their Christian faith and their homosexuality.
I never had that problem because religion isn't a big part of my life at all, but it was interesting to see, and would be good viewing for gay teens dealing with the same issues.Maybe for you, maybe not for you but a fairly well done documentary. You may know people that you could tell them about this.
posted 1 day ago -
I recommend you see...
Monsieur Verdoux
by Fabio"HENRI VERDOUX: Wars, conflict - it's all business. One murder makes a villain; millions, a hero. Numbers sanctify, my good fellow! "
"PRIEST: May the Lord have mercy on your soul.
HENRI VERDOUX: Why not? After all, it belongs to Him."
A great Chaplin's black comedy or as the "movie" says "A comedy of murders".
This is one of Chaplin´s best sound films.
It´s the story of a fired bank clerk who goes into business for himself,marrying and murdering rich women for their money that then he uses for his family,the "real" wife and the son.
His directing is superb, the script is wonderful (born from the mind of Orson Welles) and the acting is superb,one of his best performance.
This is not like others chaplin's movies so don't watch it you don't like black comedies.
This movie has remembered me the movie "keeping mum" directed by Niall Johnson with Rowan Atkinson,so if you liked "monsieur verdoux" give a look also at "keeping mum"Hey, you should really see this!
posted 1 day ago -
I recommend you see...
China Seas
by Veronique"china seas" is directed by tay garnett who also helms the classic noir "the postman always rings twice"...it has every gable/harlow formulic element adopted from their former collaboration "red dust": oriental background, racist insinuation, sexist inequality, man's madonna complex with sensual blonde and prim brunette, luscious harlow swoons over reluctant gable whose heart is taken by the demure brown-haired lady, then eventually harlow captures gable back with a twist.
clark gable is gallant captain alan gaskell who discards aside his former flame ,showgirl chinadoll (harlow) with a foul humor, while he re-encounters his long-lost crush for years, refined British dame sybil (rosalind russel). chinadoll attempts to entince gaskell's attention again while she finds him enamour of his english girlfriend who he plans to marry. harlow pulls it off clumsily by insinuating gable's crude disdemeanors at the past on the dinner table, growling about her wretched heart in his cabin, making excuses to approach him by putting her cigarettes in his drawer. she tries everything she could but gaskell still dismisses her as obnoxious, a desperate girl who could hook up with any sailor. while rosalind russuel behaves tastefully as a obedient love interest who withdraws wisely at their confrontation. as harlow groans "i ain't like that english dame who gets brought up to say the right thing, i speak whatever inside my mind"
meanwhile wallace beery is jamesey, chinadoll's courting admirer who schemes to backstab captain gaskell with chinese piracy then captures chinadoll as his own since she has been frequently demeaned by gaskell. infuriated by gaskell's insult when she sneaks to his cabin to warn him, chinadoll steals the key of arsenils for jamesey. then the ship gets robbed for the first time after the trainwreck of typhoon. gaskell's foot also gets swayed tightly by oriental turturer. the villain commits suicide while the blonde bashes out her agony of love as treason confession "yes! i steal your key and give it to jamesey, i would have stood backward back with you, figure it out yourself why i don't, you teach me something i have never known about myself, when a woman can love a man right down her fingertips, she could hate him the same way as well...go call your cop, if you could ditch it out then i could take it!!!!"...then the fabulous line of wallace beery in his last breath would be "loving you is the only decent thing i have ever done in my whole life, even it's obviously a mistake."
"china seas" is more clever than "red dust"..."red dust" is more of gable's concession to the bourgeois values by giving mary astor away to gratify her husband's dreams of marital happiness, and harlow is more like a trophy of solace, a substitute of ease, a woman closer to his proteriat upbringing would make a better spouse as he shamelessly cheers "we're all rotten people in this stinky country". additionally astor's role seems like a pretentious closet bitch who likes to pose goody-goody, and that role has been brought back to life by grace kelly again in its remake "mogaboo"
but "china seas" is a recuperated love of pathos, it is harlow's ignited hatred which hunts gable back as avengeful betrayl is somehow an intensified way to express affections. when he utters sympathetically "you hard-headed crazy little fool", he's hers. so he decides to resign his position in court to rescue harlow from hanging, and also nullifies the chance of entrance into a higher society, "yes! i love her!! but not the way i do you"...as he glances her being sent to the police, she looks up to wave farewell, he smiles warmly then the movies closes.
"china seas" has engrossing melodramaticity, gut-wrenching villainy and the enchanting oriental backset to gloss the scenes. the first shoot of panoramic view of a thousand ships in the china seas is impressing, and the picturesque set of hong kong dock is turbulently prosperous. it has kaleiscopic scenes of orient despite the usage of its disdains to its people, such as the bitter-tongued annoying oriental lady as the stereotyped asian cosmopolitan who humuliates harlow by calling her the cheap liquor before the delicate wine, the lives costed by typhoon catastrophe are all asians who get run over by the giant machine and gable sneers at the chinese pirates who are also the negative oritental stereotype as insidiously inscrutable. put racism and sexism aside, "china seas" is vivid and vibrant with enough dramaticities and exotica to pay audience's interests. and this time, gable/harlow romance is managed in a more chivalric way, and the script does come up with a more proper twist to nobilize clark gable, and more "romantic" in its partriachic pattern.
the wardrobe of jean harlow's is also another fashion accomplishment by adrian, and some dresses harlow wears in "china seas" should have become stylistic milestone. adrian pastiches the styles of occident and orient well in several night gowns with dragon and pheonix upon the backside. except the one dress which bares harlow right breast(a blatant gratitude for male audience), all the other brightful suits are sorta neat and lovely. besides, clark gable also looks very dashing in white navy suit of captain when his "diamond in the raw" phallic image mellows.it's the best among the gable/harlow collaborations. the black with a white phoenix on the back and the dress she wears in the "a woman could love a man right down her fingertip"...and in the flick, jean harlow wears a wig becuz her trademark blonde hair is in its awful shape due to repeated dyeing. and the orient backset is an escapist purpose to console the audience in the depression area. it's highly watchable with enough dramatic plots.
posted 1 day ago -
I recommend you see...
25th Hour
by ~Lissa~Another great Ed Norton movie and a Spike Lee joint.
Monty has one last night to enjoy before he is sent off to prison for seven years. He decides to spend it by visiting with his dad and hanging out with his two best friends and girlfriend. He also had to meet with his boss that thinks he ratted him out to the cops when he was pulled in.
Monty doesn't know who tipped off the cops about the location of the drugs in his apartment, but hopes to find out who his true friends are.
The fuck you scene was classic Spike Lee and I knew this by the way I cringed as the scene continued. I loved it and Ed pulled it off wonderfully. Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the sad faced teacher that is dragged along for the night, was also acted well.
This is a definite must see if you are an Ed Norton fan!Finally watched this last night and it was worth it!
posted 2 days ago -
I recommend you see...
James Dean
by LisaReally excellent biopic about the legend that is James Dean. For films like this is is seriously hard to choose the right actors to portray them. James Franco however made an excellent James Dean. The two do look very similar so that helped a lot. Some parts of the film were made up which I really didn't see the point of. Like Dean's father telling him his mother wasn't sure he was his father. Why? All the performances in the film are fantastic. I even read that the beach house is the one that was used in Beaches. I also heard that James Franco became so immersed in playing James Dean that he went from being a non smoker to smoking two packs a day, as well as playing the guitar, the bongos, and learned to ride a motorcycle. That's dedication. A must see film for all James Dean fans.
Seen this ages ago but no one has seen it so I thought I would recommend it. James Franco is surprisingly good as James Dean.
posted 2 days ago -
yeah that's part of the reason i go easy on the matrix movies, hollywood really owes them a lot of credit. the action in those movies were out of this world. i almost wish they weren't so revolutionary though, because the style is dragged through the mud now. they pretty much changed the face of all visual/special effects in action movies. people seem to take for granted this slow mo action now, but without the matrix movies it wouldn't exist. speed racer seemed like it had potential if only they made the story better...oh well.
posted 2 days ago -
I recommend you see...
What Happens in Vegas...
by AlexanderGet lucky.
Set in Sin City, story revolves around two people who discover they've gotten married following a night of debauchery...
Cameron Diaz: Joy McNally
Ashton Kutcher: Jack Fuller
In the beginning Vegas has a bit of originality and fits perfectly in the so ridiculous it's hilarious comedy type but then, step by step, it turns into a normal romantic comedy. It has numerous comic scenes and some of them are really funny. Weird shit like him weeing in a sink comes to mind has damn right laugh inducing or Ashton taking off the toilet seat and Bathroom door.
We can see it especially at the ending, because it has the expected, conventional, and boring Hollywood ending we are all used to watch in this sort of comedies.
I liked the performances of the main actors though. I think Ashton Kutcher is funny, like he was in other comedies and Cameron Diaz still has that charm and seductive ability to dazzle.
Of course it's not a grand comedy, it's even a bit silly and flawed at parts, but overall funny and entertaining.
Vegas is like Super Ex Girlfriend and a brilliant date movie.Saw this last night and what an amazing way to finish off a scorcher of a day!
Perfect silly Romantic Comedy which also makes a good Date Movie.
Worth watching, Ashton & Cameron have a laugh, wait for the credits for some more laughs! :Dposted 2 days ago -
I recommend you see...
Speed Racer (2008)
by QuintoTake a drink whenever someone or something slides across the screen changing the image in the background.
Seriously, this film is more of an anime than the cartoon ever was. Emile Hirsch was a very lousy Speed Racer, but everything else was so much fun.I know this film has generated a lot of hate, but it's really not that bad. Aside from a miscast Emile Hirsch and the troubled story, the rest are two hours of pure excitement, joy and colorful fun. Recommended to those who loved and hated the anime (except epileptics!).
posted 3 days ago -
Hey - take this poll that I created, it's fun!
Best Female Companion - ComicBook Editionposted 3 days ago
