Big Trouble in Little China

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

Well...

The mandate for the evening was something fun and crazy and although there was a little resistance from non-believers (much like the films original theatrical release) but from the moment Kurt Russell starts speaking you know it's going to be ridiculous but a good time.

It really is bewildering. It's like John Carpenter only wrote dialogue in movie talk or hilariously overt exposition delivered in a fast paced 1940's farce comedy style. All the actors seem to be in on the joke and slip into the style nicely. Kurt Russell crafts another iconic character for Carpenter, this time an all American tough guy with a heart of gold, who could have stepped straight out of a Western.

All that and fantasy creatures and great 80's fx plus a lot of kung fu action! Needless to say there is an eclectic range of filmic influences infused into this and although it never looses its straight face it's obvious to me that everyone involved is having a good time and they intend you not to take it seriously either.

It's definitely not going to work for everyone, it walks a fine line, but for me it's hilarious and thoroughly entertaining and filled with the love of cinema. With an awesome 80's soundtrack.

Candyman

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

Been a long time, I saw this was released on bluray and thought it time for a catch up. I remembered less than I thought, jut the opening and the end. It's such a strange tone for a horror film from that time. Everyone else was doing slashers or thriller and this has elements of both but isn't really either. Like Clive Barker's other great horror release Hellraiser it has this strange romance at the centre of it all.

It's also a film that's all about setting up a mythos and the power of that kind of storytelling. It's certinly interesting and has some great iconic moments but apart from that jump scare at the start (with Ted Raimi! tee hee hee) this one fails to scare me at all. Especially when it creates such a strange compulsion to it's villain.

I might have to look at the rest of this series too, if only because I just saw Bill Condon directed the sequel and my mind had some trouble reconciling that.

Critters

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

Critters is awesome. By far the best of the Gremlins knockoffs. I did not realise the kid in this is now the voice of Steve in American Dad. But I do remember that the E.T. reference seemed funnier because Dee Wallace was actually in the this too.

I also remember seeing this when I was very young and how hilarious it was that they subtitled swearing from the aliens. I think up until when I was 7 I never thought aliens could swear. It was truly a life altering revelation.

This is a very silly movie but I always have a lot of fun when I revisit it. Somehow I have never seen any of the sequels though, so I'm going to change that. I doubt they could be as great as this first instalment though.

Alien

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

When I saw the Titanic re-release they had the new full trailer for Prometheus in 3D at the front of it. I couldn't resist racing home and chucking on the bluray. God it's such an amazing film. I'm so unbelievably excited to see what Ridley does next.

I'm planing a marathon when that's released so I'll write it up properly then. Just wanted to wet my appetite a little. So good.

Titanic

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

What a spectacle. A movie made for the big screen. Scoff all you want at the romance or the moustache twirling villain but when that iceberg hits it's a master firing on all cylinders. It's been years since I saw the film and besides that old lady who just ruins everything for me, pretty much everything else works like a charm.

The 3D conversion works well for the most part. They even made some of the video footage from the rovers diving around the wreck into 3d. Only a few spots I noticed masks popping. But besides that they've cleaned up the print and the images look stunning, which it's straight from the camera. It's pretty incredible to think of the strides made in digital water and motion capture since this film but the majority of the fx hold up well. There are a few fully digital shots where the image quality drops, probably because they never created them in the resolutions we use today.

I can't stand James Horner using synth in this score. It sounds cheap and tacky when it should be as grand as the rest of the film. Do not like the score.

Despite its flaws I can easily give myself over to this film and enjoy the ride. I'll even admit to getting teary at the end despite that old lady opening her mouth and saying words that hurt my soul. James Cameron wrote some corny dialogue but most of the cast is so good they can get away with a lot of it.

I can't believe it's already been 16 yeas since this was made!

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

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

Yeah it's what the trailer makes out. Perfectly enjoyable, sweet, a little bit sad and quite amusing.

They have an impressive cast that's sure to keep the film playing to seniors for months and months. Maggie Smith is particularly wonderful, although her character has to take a few unbelievable leaps to get the film to a happy conclusion for everyone.

In fact there's a lot of very obvious plotting and manipulation going on, and with this many characters they squeeze in a lot of your basic plot lines, so there's something for everyone even if they all have to be boiled down to their bare essentials to fit in the running time.

Despite how annoying this can get, the fact is that it's a crowd pleaser. Chances are no one else will bat an eyelid at any of these grievances and have a good time.

The Hunger Games

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Michael, Belinda, Josh, Tyler

Write Up.

Probably should have waited till after opening weekend o see this again, all the sessions were practically sold out and we ended up having to sit right up the front, which for a film with this much shaky cam is not great. Still, good crowd reactions.

21 Jump Street

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

Write Up.

Fun times.

Margin Call

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

Thank god I watched the trailer and read about this before hand. I know absolutely nothing about this world and there is an awful lot of jargon. Thanks to a great cast and a very heady but interesting script you do get the emotional beats, even if you have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.

This is like a look into a fantasy world for me. I didn't understand everything about it but it still was fascinating and the direction is good enough that you get the increasing level of tension. Unfortunately for laymen like me it's never explicitly spelled out what is at stake so it was fortunate I knew the synopsis beforehand.

There is a chance this is going to be too alienating for some. Still they manage to round off some of the characters enough to make you want to see it through. And there's some scary implications in this one to leave you thinking.

Bellflower

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

Read about this one while it was doing the festival circuits. The most interesting part about it is the camera they created out of different parts to shoot the film. It does have an odd look because of this, and probably due to digitally capturing images projected onto a film back from lenses, it has an odd graininess and sometimes a few smudges here and there.

But it really fits with the do-it-yourself attitude of the story and characters in the film. I gotta admit, they aren't the sort of people I'd want to spend any time with. There's some big emotional moments with the relationships of the characters that sometimes feels amateur and sometimes seems heartfelt. And it goes to some dark and interesting places.

Ultimately I didn't really get into this one but it's quite interesting nonetheless.

Columbus Circle

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

This was alright actually. Selma Blair is hit and miss with me but she was fine here and it was interesting to see something Kevin Pollak wrote as well. Jason Lee makes a great evil guy, a role I don't think I've ever seen him play really, except in animation.

The film has a good cast, and a few cool twists and turns. Well shot, and I really liked the score, that's something that stood out to me.

It's a pretty standard thriller but engaging enough to hold my interest to the end.

The Hunger Games

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

This was really great. Like they took the kids from Battle Royale and the reality tv show from Series 7 and wrapped it into a dystopian futuristic political allegory film from the 70's. It's hard for me to say no to that.

I have not yet read the books but Gary Ross has made a fine film that, despite the running time and the midnight screening, seemed to fly by and left me wanting more.

What jumps out first is the independent filmmaking style. I guess that just comes down to hand held cameras, but it's not usually distracting except when some particularly violent action sequences kick in, probably to obscure some of the more gruesome stuff to maintain a PG-13 rating in the states. Make no mistake, there is some gore in this film, kids get wasted and it can be pretty brutal (within the ratings parameters of course, nothing like Battle Roayle).

The next thing that stands out is the production design. It's kind of hard to ignore the high fashion in the capitol. But beyond that, the buildings, the use of technology and the look of the surrounding districts are all done well.

And then we get to the fantastic cast of both adults and kids. Everyone looks like they are having a blast doing this. Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence are great and I was really pleased to see Isabelle Fuhrman from Orphan show up playing another evil child. She's great. And Alexander Ludwig finally gets in on a children's fantasy book adaptation film franchise that might actually go somewhere this time.

This one works for me. While it certainly only touches on some bigger ideas that I really wanted to see developed, and most likely they will be in future films, it still manages to have a satisfying ending as a stand alone film, thank god. Can't wait for Catching Fire!

Where the Buffalo Roam

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

Could only find that fan made trailer but you get the idea. After the Hunter S. Thompson double with Johnny Depp it made sense to cap it off with this one, the majority of which takes place chronologically after the events of the previous two films. Although this one was made first and stars Bill Murray in the role.

Ater the insanity of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas this almost seems quaint but it's great to see another take on this man.

There is some hilarity in here and it's a much less warped perspective that also doesn't contain all the darkness Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas had. There's something dangerous about that film whereas this feels more like it's trying to be a straight forward comedy. It also has a more overt political activism theme to it.

An interesting cap to the evening.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

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

Had to follow up The Rum Diary with Terry Gilliam's take. While I know I'm never going to get a straight narrative from some gonzo journalism I do appreciate Gilliam's visual style and his manic sense of chaos seems perfectly suited to this material.

The other thing it does is firmly embed these happenings in a time and place which helps understand the context immensely.

Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro are great and can alternate between hilarious and horrifying at the flip of a switch. And it's fun to spot familiar faces pop up along the way.

This film is exhausting and I also find something very sad about it. It has always intrigued me and it was great to watch again and this time on bluray, after a whole film to set it up.

The Rum Diary

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

Bruce Robinson tackles some early Hunter S. Thompson. Johnny Depp reprises his role as Thompson's persona and is once again surrounded by a great supporting cast. Giovanni Ribisi and Aaron Eckhart stand out in particular.

This whole film feels like a prologue. It's about a writer finding his voice. If that doesn't seem very cinematic, well it kinda isn't, but that seems to be a problems with translating Thompson's work. I'm such a sucker for narrative so these films tend to loose me a little and this film is before all of that energetic chaos that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas has going for it to keep you occupied.

Still it has its share of moments and provides some interesting backstory.