| Movie | Rating | Review | Date | Your Rating | Match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakjwi (Thirst) - R | November 9, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Mulgogijari (Pisces) - Unrated | November 9, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Moon - R | I don't know if the science fiction elements of this reach any hifalutin heights (an Aliens-esque greedy galaxy corporation blah blah, cloning blah blah) but the surface play out of it is fun. The film looks good in all its sparseness, so no complaints there, but the real treasure of this movie is Sam Rockwell. It takes him a while to get going while the film is creating its context but as soon as his place in the world is established and he's split in two, he soars, so convincing in his random deterioration he doesn't seem like he's acting a part as much as putting up with the things that are happening to him. The ending is a little abrupt and if you want this to be some big statement about something you may be disappointed, maybe not, but for a film with one guy in it, it's a great performance piece. | November 8, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Memoirs of a Geisha - PG-13 | November 4, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Paranormal Activity - R |
Don't fall for the stories of people walking out of this film because it's too scary. It doesn't even pretend to be scary until at least an hour into it. Somebody's leg is being pulled. And speaking of pulled legs ... that is the only scary scene in the movie. There are allegedly three different endings to the film. I saw the original one ... and it's not scary or satisfying at all. There's a little bit of off-screen screaming that abruptly turns into silence. OK, that can be unnerving but it's just a technique. It doesn't move the story to anywhere that matters. The ending being shown in theaters now might be better--a whole bunch more technique with more frightening images that is over with quickly. The original peters out to nothingness for too long and has no meaning. Even if we grant that either or both of the two endings I didn't see kick total ass, that doesn't make it a good film. It makes it three minutes of coolness that requires ninety minutes of suffering to get to. The guy in this film is a completely unlikeable moron. The girl is OK but I never really thought she was scared, more just annoyed by her idiotic day-trader boyfriend. I think everyone acknowledges that this film is mostly, for at least an hour, nothing but set up before anything happens, and that's too much time spent with bad actors working without a script. There's nothing subtle about it. |
October 21, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Shiki-Jitsu - Unrated |
One thing is for sure, this film has some of the most gloriously thought out and constructed set designs ever. A lot of the film takes place in the young girl's "apartment" which is about the size of an average K-Mart. Each room is like a different department but it doesn't seem strange once you enter the world Hideaki Anno has created. Anno comes from years working in Anime so his visual imagination works on a different level than most. This is a beautiful film with stunning photography. When the couple are outside they're usually hanging out on or near railroad tracks, creating all kinds of wonderful lines and framing. On the downside, the story is standard "crazy free-spirited girl captivates man" stuff; the dialog and philosophy get a little precious from time to time; neither of the two can really act--they're just supposed to be attractive cool people (they are)--but Anno makes the best of their limitations. This is definitely an indie/arty bag of ennui, but it does do some interesting things and even goes all Dogme 95 for a scene at the end. sitenoise at the movies: Ritual |
October 21, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Usual Suspects - R | October 21, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Taxi Driver - R | October 21, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - PG | October 21, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| All the President's Men - R | October 21, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Loft - Unrated | Most of the tension in this film is created by trying to keep the clichéd plot points fresh as they unravel and inevitably teeter on the edge of going over the top. It's all done pretty well and it looks good, as good as any Hollywood thriller. The set design is minimal and trés modern, the cinematography mostly dark with touches of yellow and gray filters, and the soundtrack nudges you along with obvious clues. The story is presented through flashbacks and multiple interrogations so one is easily lead astray only to learn there's another side to the story as another deep dark secret is revealed. As soon as you think it's ho-hum, another shoe drops. The screenwriter must live in a Loft with a very big closet. The goodness of the twist factor here is achieved more through quantity than quality. This is not only a whodunit but a whodunwhat. | October 19, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Haeundae (Tsunami) - Unrated |
Tsunami is a great big huge gigantic disaster. The first ten minutes introduces about a dozen characters all of whom you'll hope are dead in the next ten minutes. It's the strangest character development I've ever seen. There's no subtlety or differentiation to them. They're all loud, extremely loud, obnoxious idiots. There are three things at play here: stupid, godawful, and annoying as hell. The director of the film, in a pre-emptive strike sort of way, has acknowledged that the special effects aren't very good (or very expensive) so he's going to treat us to some good ol' Korean charm. FAIL. I hope this film never sees the light of day outside Korea because it could set back by decades the good reputation of that country's cinematic output. The acting is bad, the myriad plot lines are predictable and groan out loud awful, the special effects are cheesy, and, well .... you get the point. sitenoise at the movies: Haeundae |
October 17, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Tidal Wave: No Escape - Unrated | October 16, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Na shi hua kai (Where Have All the Flowers Gone) - Unrated | This is a wonderfully surreal 90 minutes spent with interesting characters involved in interesting situations, not so much story wise but in each of the set-pieces on display. It's an experimental film using it's own internal logic telling its story in non-linear fashion but it's easy to follow because it's engaging. One of the reasons Chinese independent films can be so good is that the directors of many of them, like this one, are able to employ top tier actors. Zhou Xun is one of mainland China's best contemporary actresses and Xia Yu is no slouch. He's the captain of goofy suave. The film hops around space and time, sometimes during a single conversation and one of the most remarkable features of this production is the sound design. It remains a constant through all the jumping around making it easy to hang on to the roller-coastering ride. Very well done film. | October 14, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Orphan - R | October 9, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| All About Lily Chou-Chou (Riri Shushu no subete) - Unrated | October 7, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Overheard (Qie ting feng yun) - Unrated | October 7, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Madeo (Mother) - Unrated |
In many ways this is a natural, and equal, followup to "Memories of Murder". It's every bit the 'caper' film that one was, and, although slightly more somber in tone, the film keeps unraveling in directions you don't expect making it much more a plot driven movie than a character study. Kim Hye-ja is magnificent as the mother. There is a scene in this film where she tells the family of the victim her son didn't do it and her eyes are so electrically charged it made me jump back from the screen. This film fires on all cylinders. The direction, cinematography, script, and acting are all grade A. It's one of those films where each of the secondary characters steals the show for a brief period. Bong Joon-ho does a remarkable job of populating the world of the film with real people and manages to give them depth and development in a very short period of time. It's too bad that because this film is ostensibly about an old lady it must be considered a 'smaller' film in his oeuvre. It's not. It is every bit as brilliant, and as large, as "Memories of Murder". sitenoise at the movies: Mother (Madeo) |
October 6, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Jiltuneun naui him, (Jealousy Is My Middle Name) - PG | October 2, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Sekai de ichiban utsukushii yoru (The Most Beautiful Night in the World) - Unrated |
Michie Itô is great as the genius girl who breaks out in an allergic rash when she gets near stupid people, and who gives birth to the girl who has no bellybutton because she was born in an egg. It's all here. The reason for wars and other bad things is that people are not sexually satisfied. So, create a potion that will make everyone want to have sex all the time, all the unhealthy people will die from exhaustion, and then the world will be overrun with children. The march of civilization will stop but at least so will the wars and corruption. Interesting idea, but the acting and the storytelling in this nearly three hour film are so bad it can only work by virtue of a train wreck curiosity. It may become a cult classic. It's got (female only) full frontal nudity and a naked orgy at the end. You can't take this film seriously but it does make a case for taking pity on it. It's bad, frighteningly bad, but it's shooting for being so bad it's good, hoping to create a pathetic charm. sitenoise at the movies: The Most Beautiful Night in the World |
September 30, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Ju-On: Shiroi Rôjo (The Grudge: Old Lady in White) - Unrated | September 25, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Your Friends & Neighbors - R | September 23, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Nikita (La Femme Nikita) - R | September 23, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Fudoh: The New Generation - Unrated | September 23, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Ringu 0 - Unrated | September 23, 2009 | N/A |
741 ratings
295 reviews
