Lake Mungo

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

I think I was one of about 5 people that managed to see this in it's brief and unpublicised theatrical run in Australia. It hit just before the Paranormal Activity reality horror wave became so prevalent and although I don't find it overtly scary per se, I do think it's one of the most successful at creating realism and an extraordinarily sustained tone of unease.

While it would be simple to lump this into the "found footage" category, it's structured as a documentary and a well made one at that. It's very convincing and when things start to get a little supernatural they immediately debunk it which only serves to suck you in even more.

And what I love most about it is once debunked it becomes less about a ghost story and more about a grieving family unable to cope with the loss of one of their own. More than the horror, the drama worked for me.

Things eventually get back on the horror track and this will be more successful for some than others. Their big scare is very understated and while it was creepy as heel in the cinema it's never captured that again at home.

Still I find this a great overlooked Australian Horror gem. It's well put together and especially the sound design and music work wonders. This one's all about the atmosphere.

Phantoms

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Jordan, Tyler

Write Up.

Hahaha oh man, what fun.

Punch-Drunk Love

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First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Amberly, Tyler

This is the best romantic comedy, for three reasons.

1. It's the Funniest.
2. It's the most romantic
3. It's the best.

One of the few things I can watch Adam Sandler in. I just love everything about it.

The Darkest Hour

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Amberly

Yeah it's not so great. I mean, I really love the band of survivors in an apocalyptic scenario films so I probably am predisposed to love this kind of film but even I had some trouble with how bland most of it was. Right at the start I picked who would die AND in what order and I was right on all accounts.

Chris Gorak's first film Right At Your Door is absolutely brilliant. In many ways it's the same sort of set up but done in a much smaller scale and much smarter as well. This has all of Timur Bekmambetov's big fx blockbuster hands all over it though.

Now there are some cool things about the film. There are a few places where they build suspense well. The invisible foe has always been particularly effective at getting me on the edge of my seat ever since I saw Predator when I was waaay too young. And apart from a select few very badly post converted shots, the 3D is really good, in fact I'd say it's essential in the way the creatures are rendered on screen seem as they are invisible and only recognised by the distortion they leave. In 3D you can actually see this distortion occupy a specific space and it's a really great effect.

Unfortunately they reveal this as a shield protecting an alien underneath and when you see their design it kind of ruins any fear you might have had of these things.

The actors flub their way through it. Well they look like they are having a good time filming in Moscow anyway. They are all doing everything they possibly can to sell this story but it's not gonna work. And I really can't tell anymore if someone is a really bad actor or I just can't stand a lone Australian accent in amongst a bunch of Americans. Perhaps both.

I do love the premise, I love the idea for the enemy (but not the reveal) and I liked the 3D but that does not a good movie make. The rest is rather terrible. Although nowhere near Skyline level bad.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Amberly, Jordan, Tyler, Josh

I saw the original version a few years ago when it played in cinemas and never felt the desire to return to it or the rest in the series. For me, I didn't understand what all the fuss was about, it played out like just another BBC midsummer murder style episode but with some rape and a whole bunch of character stuff that just made the film feel overly long.

I felt exactly the same way with David Fincher's version. The biggest discernible difference between the two and what I like most about the new version was the opening title design. That was awesome.

Of course this new film has immaculate technical polish and for all the reports of it being "cold" I thought it actually softened our main characters somewhat. The structural problems are really felt when you see this at a late session and are already tired, it feels like it doesn't really start until halfway through and then there's a whole extra film on the end of the film. Perhaps all this extra character stuff will come in handy if and when they make the next two and continue the story but as a stand-alone it's very annoying.

There are some great moments in the film and Fincher manages to get suspense out of sequences where I already know the outcome. He also shows once again that people on computers doing research can be cinematic.

It's a troublesome film for me because while I haven't read the novel, having seen the original I didn't much care for the story going in. I do love Fincher's style, I just wish it was used one something else.

Porco Rosso

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Amberly, Jordan

This is another Ghibli I haven't caught up with in a long time. The story of a Pig-headed (literally and figuratively) Italian pilot who defected the air force after the first World War to become an air pirate chasing bounty hunter in the some of the most beautiful landscapes ever depicted in animation. It's very pretty.

It's a simple little tale and one of their funnier titles speckled with moments of poignancy. There seems to be a lot of delightfully Misogynistic characters, especially one of the young girls, which is kind of surprising. But I guess this is set in early 1930's. Great to see again.

Only Yesterday

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Amberly, Jordan, Tyler

Another Ghibli, although not a Miyazaki, it's one of their more reality based dramas but still filled with their usual quota of charm and sincerity.

It follows the coming of age story and mid life crossroads of the same woman told half in present and half in flashback to her childhood. The schoolyard scenes and family life are designed with beautifully minimalistic watercolour backgrounds that fade into white and give the m a dream like appearance.

The present day scenes aren't as engaging for me but I do love the ending and how they bring everything together. Like The Muppets film we saw yesterday it resolves everything during the closing credits, which feels like a bit of a cheat but it works I guess.

It's a sweet film and one I always enjoy revisiting.

Arrietty

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Amberly, Jordan, Michael, Tyler

Ghibli Marathon!

So excited to finally see their latest. I opted to see this at the multiplex because I wanted to hear the english dub. I'm really curious not for the home release so I can compare the American dub too. It's fascinating to me that they did both but the story really does feel more British so I'm glad Australia got that dub.

Annoyingly the dub is only showing for one session very early in the morning. Which means the frozen coke machines haven't had time to warm up properly. And you get stuck in a cinema with a bunch of kids. But unlike the unruly screaming, running around and general carrying on that was so abundant in the agonising screening of The Muppets yesterday, these kids shut up and were completely memorised by the images before them. That is the magic of Ghibli. On a slightly more disturbing note I overheard one of the kids ask if the film was in 3D. The animation lover in me cringed a little at this but hey, that's the world we live in. I'm sure he enjoyed it just the same.

I remember a BBC adaptation of this story with Ian Holm that I used to watch after school when I was a kid. When the big American film version came out I was excited but horrified to see how much they bastardised it. This is much more like the quaint little story I loved. I really enjoyed it.

It's a little strange seeing all the bugs with cute cartoon eyes. They made bugs cute. I also noticed that they did much more depth of field than they normally do but it does help to sell the scale a little. And by doing the story in animation they can do things, I'm specifically thinking about the scale of the water and how it behaves, that they haven't managed in live action before.

First time director Hiromasa Yonebayashi does a fine job and this fits in nicely with the other Ghibli titles.

The Muppets

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Amberly, Jordan, Michael

While I have some problems with the ending I think overall this was a pretty great film and a welcome addition to the Muppet canon. It feels like much more of a musical than their other films, despite the abundance of singing. There is also a great deal of time spent with humans than the actual muppets. Overall it feels like a nice set up for more.

James Bobin does a fine job and his direction coupled with Bret McKenzie's songs does make it feel very Flight of the Conchords, but still most of the songs are catchier than a lot of the Muppets' previous output.

Once again, it's filled with bad puns and silly humour, a few songs and a lot of celebrity cameos. And a few nice references to past films and how much the world has changed since their last outings. It was great to watch the originals again before seeing this.

I didn't really care much about the human storylines but they all did a fine job.

Oh and added bonus, you get the next Toy Story short before the feature. Neat.

The Muppets Take Manhattan

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Amberly

Weee! Muppet Marathon!

The Great Muppet Caper

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Amberly, Michael

Wooo! Muppet Marathon.

The Muppet Movie

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Amberly

Wooo! Muppet Marathon today!

Taxi Driver

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Amberly, Jordan

So what to do after coming home from Hugo? Well put on the shiny new bluray of Taxi Driver of course. It's a logical step. And it looks great too.

It's been quite a while since I last watched this title. It was one of the few early Scorsese films that really appealed to me. I've never been able to engage in mob crime dramas or boxing so this was always my favourite. That and I just love love love Bernard Herrmann scores and the was his last. And it's a masterpiece too.

Fascinating character, an understatement I'm sure. Harvey Keitel is sleazy as hell in this and Jodie Foster is so natural. But the scene I always come back to is when Martin Scorsese is in the back seat. He's awesome.

New York in the 70's looks like a real shithole. It's great.

Hugo

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Amberly, Jordan

More propaganda from Martin Scorsese for his film preservation society.

I enjoyed the movie however perhaps not as much as I was hoping too. I found it perfectly sweet and all and of course absolutely loved everything to do with Georges Méliès, which was really the main reason I wanted to see the film. The other was to see Martin Scorsese in 3D land and boy it's something to behold. Even in the crappy Dolby Digital 3D cinema I saw it in. And to see those silent shorts cleaned up and some subtly put into 3D is rather a treat as well.

Where I have problems with the film is the kids and their story. I've never liked Asa Butterfield and while I've loved Chloë Grace Moretz before I didn't find the two of them at all interesting. Nor did I appreciate the side stories around the station that didn't seem to serve any purpose other than get some famous actors in the film and pad the running time. Oh and perhaps give the kids something to find amusing. I mean really, for a film that's advertised as a kids adventure I don't know how many would be able to sit through all the dialogue and a film history lecture, fascinating though it may be.

But I loved everything with Ben Kingsley and Helen McCrory. I loved all the recreations of those shorts and seeing excerpts from A Trip to the Moon on the big screen, an added bonus.

On the technical side of things the film is just immaculate. The production design is gorgeous, the lighting beautiful. I've mentioned the 3D and it's worth mentioning again. Awesome. The FX work is really great, the score by Howard Shore is really nice and I love the colour palette they went for which is rather reminiscent of a Technicolor two strip from the period.

There's a lot to enjoy here and while some things never clicked for me I'd still like to give it another look, if only to see the 3D again.

Mimic

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Myself

Quick write up.

Finally got around to listening to that commentary and it is awesome. One of the best film lectures I've ever heard. I'd love to have heard some opposing arguments from "unnamed producers" but Guillermo del Toro seems fairly on the level.

He also explains his intentions much better and you can see shadows of them in the film but ultimately they don't come across. I love that he also references the release of The Relic.

This is a really great commentary and essential listening to any aspiring filmmakers in my opinion.