Ally's Talk

Dog Day Afternoon

Sonny: "So what country do you want to go to?"

Sal: "Wyoming."

Sonny: "Sal, Wyoming's not a country."

The dialogs in Dog Day Afternoon are witty clever and above all.. very funny
Priceless, but so are the performances and not only by Pacino and Cazale (a tremendous loss that he died young) but the whole supporting cast were up to the task..

True story or not, the director Sidney Lumet succeeds in portraying all the conflicts and emotions that went on that afternoon, and the result is a movie that's truly a pleasure to watch..

Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior)

Mad Max 2 is one of that rarest of breeds; a sequel that actually surpasses the original. Like Desperado and Evil Dead 2, it is a big budget reinvention of the previous film rather than a true sequel per se. Mad Max was a powerful if flawed film that never quite lived up to the promise of its explosive action sequences. Once again, the film opens with an exhilarating hi-octane chase as Gibson's post apocalyptic man with no name stumbles upon an oasis of civilization under siege from a group of road predators. The film almost resembles a zombie film, except in this future where gasoline and ammunition are worth more than human life, the human race are being preyed upon not by undead monsters, but other human beings. The Australian outback makes a beautiful but believably desolate future wasteland and Gibson revisiting the part that made him a star has never equalled the grit and charisma of his performance here. The peripheral characters don't get much of a look in and the dialogue is suitably minimal, setting the stage for the true star of the show; the action. The brilliant production design which creates a similarly believable patchwork of scavenged technology became the blueprint for post apocalyptic science fiction; every sci fi film that followed copied it. The fantastic stunt and road level camera work makes for some visceral chase sequences in which vehicles and their occupants are smashed, crushed and sent pirouetting through the air with a sense of real time physics; there are no glossy Hollywood style slow motion pyrotechnics here; just an orgy of automotive destruction! A worthy addition to the tradition of Yojimbo and A Fist Full Of Dollars with a science fiction spin.

Der Name der Rose (The Name of the Rose)

In this adaptation of Umberto Eco's celebrated novel, Franciscan friar Sean Connery investigates a series of bizarre murders in a monastery in the 14th century. Aside from the rather unusual subject matter, this is a unique film in that it does not feature the usual starlets and pretty boy actors populating a glossy Hollywood-ized version of history; it actually looks and feels like a working Medieval abbey. And as such, the monks will win no beauty competitions! Most of them would look perfectly at home adorning the abbey walls with the rest of the gargoyles! This just adds to the already potent atmosphere, and in one of his best roles, Sean Connery commands the screen as well as the able supporting cast including the ever reliable Ron Perlman as the demented hunchback. The story explores the theme of religious intolerance and climate of hysteria in which a reasonable minded man of learning can find it impossible to function within; "justice" is doled out by self-appointed prophets who dare not be opposed on pain of death, and blind faith and superstition replace logic and reason. Let's face it, things haven't changed much over the centuries. Add some wonderfully literary and witty dialogue and fascinating historical insights, and you have a film that works both as an excellent adaptation and a satisfying murder mystery.

Boogie Nights

Boogie Nights charts the rise and fall of a fresh-faced young bus boy with a "gift" who is discovered by an adult film maker in the 70s. P. T. Anderson's comic valentine to 70s porn obviously has a similar format to the likes of Goodfellas, but its much lighter tone leaves room for a lot of laughs as well as the inevitable drug-fuelled downward spiral to degradation. Initially, it's all outrageous fashions, parties, pretty girls and fast cars, and the naivety of these times is brought through really well; the extended family is like an "adult" Brady Bunch, and Wahlberg's innocent charm is infectious as they are little more than children playing at dress-up. While screwing, of course. There is also a lot of Spinal Tap in the mock documentary and Dirk's hilarious attempt at pop stardom, and Anderson has fun recreating the amusingly shoddy production values of 70s porn (think the video to "Sabotage" with innuendo!) . There are deeper themes in amongst the excess of course; the impact of technology on all their lives as well as the inherent dysfunctionality of relationships based in an environment where physical intimacy is so prevalent it loses all meaning; Julianne Moore's dual role as mother/lover is particularly ambiguous. The fun and games contrast with the particularly grim violence of their lowest ebb when their masks begin to slip, but your affection for this gang of emotional misfits makes for a nicely ironic upbeat ending. It obviously owes a lot to Scorsese and Tarantino, but it is a very worthy addition to their tradition.

Lesbian Vampire Killers

Very funny film. Very worth watching. XD

Terminator Salvation

It was good. Filled with lots of action. There were some parts that didn't feel very Terminator-esque to me. Like John Connor was surprised when it turned out Marcus was a Terminator. It's like, that shouldn't be such a shock that they can look like humans. But he seem surprised. Or like the giant Terminators just reminded me of Transformers. Other than that, I think overall the acting was good. I definitely want to see more of Anton Yelchin. He was probably my favourite character in the movie. Plus he's cute, so it helps. I think they did an amazing job with the special effects. Not just the explosions, but in case people didn't hear Arnold does make a cameo in the film and he looks so young. I mean like 80s Arnie young. I was sitting there totally amazed by how young he looked. He looked like he was right out of the first movie. So overall, it was good, but I love the originals more.

The Big Sleep

Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired to investigate the blackmail of a young heiress but when the corpses start to pile up, he realises that the case has more than meets the eye. I love Film Noir, and Bogart for me is the best of its leading men. Bogart and Bacall have one of the greatest screen partnerships and Chandler was one of the best exponents of the art of the detective story. The plot has more twists and turns than a sidewinder that's swallowed a corkscrew, it involves a femme fatale who could melt a polar ice cap and dialogue that's more hard boiled than beelzebub's breakfast egg. It just doesn't get any better than this. The greatest Noir ever made.

Sherlock Holmes

The trailer is one of the most awesome things I have ever experienced. The little scene at the very end of it is absolutely hilarious, I honestly watched it about twenty times already. Robert Downey Jr. is going to completely blow our minds, he looks amazing and his accent is way cool. Jude Law will also impress and Rachel McAdams looks so adorable in this film. There is not a doubt in my mind that this film will rock, it may be the best film of the year. Sherlock Holmes will no doubt be an instant classic and an American masterpiece...

Pursued

Robert Mitchum plays a rancher who has been stalked since childhood by a one armed man with a grudge, without ever knowing why.The themes of twisted psychology, sibling rivalry, jealousy and revenge presented by shadow steeped photography and narrated by Mitchum who is on top form as the hapless anti-hero who is unwillingly forced to kill by circumstances beyond his control all point to the same thing; I don't care how many stetsons or six guns are on show, this IS Film Noir. The intelligent character driven plot is all very Freudian, which makes for a very unusual hybrid of genres. It looks fantastic and has a solid supporting cast, the pick of which is Judith Anderson as the matriarch whose guilty secret lies at the core of the events Mitchum finds himself caught up in. I'd never heard of this one before, and I'm glad I stumbled upon it. If you like Noir, westerns, or classic film in general, it's worth hunting down a copy.

9 songs

Love, sex(real sex), drugs, and rock n' roll. What more can you possibly ask for in a movie. 9 Songs is pure cinematic bliss. It sort of moves along like a highly erotic and romantic dream, with a cool rock soundtrack to top it all off. Michael Winterbottom's low budget indie experiment is quite possibly the sexiest and most romantic film I have ever seen. The two lead performances are delightful and very realistic. Margo Stilley is stunningly attractive and she portrays her character quite well. Kieran O'Brien is also quite good. The performances arent extraordinary, they're simply realistic and fun to watch. 9 Songs is a very interesting film that has a lot more to offer than just explicit sex every two minutes, its actually very smart and meaningful. This is a film for open-minded people only. People who are perfectly comfortable with sexuality. 9 Songs may seem like a meaningless, mindless porno to most people, but I promise its much more than that. Whether you agree with me or not is entirely up to you and your point of view. The concert scenes have a very dream-like feel to them, and the sex scenes are much different than what ive seen in mainstream cinema. Not because they're actually real in this film, but because there seems to be a lot more substance and romance to them. 9 Songs is a wonderful indie film that is worth seeing. This film is a delight...

Frost/Nixon

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

The Expendables

Star Trek

J.J. Abrams' version of the Star Trek universe is truly breathtaking and out of this world exciting. I have never been a fan of the series or any of the films, but Abrams has certainly changed that. His vision of the popular series is flawless. Star Trek is one of the most exciting, entertaining, and compelling science fiction action films I have ever seen. Its a perfect summer film. I feel that Karl Urban should be honorably mentioned for his wonderful performance as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, he really stole the show from everyone around him. Simon Pegg is phenomenal as Scotty. Eric Bana is terrific as the films villain Nero, Zachary Quinto is amazing as Spock, and Chris Pine is awesome as Jim Kirk. There is literally not a single weak performance in this film, everyone involved brings so much to the table here. It seems that rebooting popular half-dead franchises isnt such a bad idea after all, as long as the right people are involved. J.J. Abrams was certainly the right person to breathe new life into this franchise and it worked extremely well. Star Trek is a lot of fun from beginning to end. The performances are incredible, the script is clever, and Abrams' direction is brilliant. This film is an instant classic, a masterpiece. Star Trek is such a mesmerizing experience. This film is sensational...