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User
Reviews 96
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Last Active 12-10-12 6:19 pm
Joined 12-06-07
Review Comments 4,460
| The Bhoy Goes To Hollywood
Or: 15 movies you should probably see, otherwise consider yourself an invalid person. | | 1 | Sunshine
Danny Boyle's 2007 masterwork is perhaps his most unheralded. Visually spectacular, this film holds perhaps one of the most breathtaking shots of the decade as the crew aboard Icarus II watch Mercury's silhouette eclipse past the Sun. Detractors who note the jarring third act clearly weren't paying attention; the entire film is about languid, cabin fever vs. chaos, so the switch to horror "slasher" finale makes total sense. Throw in great casting and a stellar score from John Murphy and Underworld, and you have one hell of a movie. | | 2 | La Grande Illusion
An anti-war film that's smart enough to trust the audience. We don't have to be slapped in the face with "war is horror" or "Iraq occupation is wrong" to get the point. Subtlety is best, take note modern film makers, Jean Renoir knows what's what. | | 3 | Boy A
The plot has holes, some of the dialogue is a little clunky. But for all of its flaws, this interesting little film does one thing spectacularly: mood. Few films come to mind that create such a dense and enveloping mood. It may not be perfect, but it is awesome. | | 4 | Waltz With Bashir
In my books, Israel is the best hope for the Middle East. Say what you will about the conflict between them and Palestine, I would much rather see Israel out on top. So Waltz With Bashir may seem like something I'd be against politically. Fortunately, unlike most critics or media, I can differentiate between politics and art. So when the last moments of the film move from surreal cartoon to real life archival news footage, it's a crushing moment. Oh and hey, Max Richter did the score, win some more please. | | 5 | Trois Coleurs: Bleu
lol feminism.. but seriously, this may be Laura Mulvey's favourite film to discuss, outside of Rear Window, but you don't have to be in Women's Studies to get that this is a great film. | | 6 | Tell No One
So lets make Fugitive French, put in a killer post-rockish score and create some truly stirring cinematography. Sounds good? I thought so. | | 7 | Winnipeg
Guy Maddin's ode to his home town is an odd film. It's eclectic and tied together not through narrative, but through themes and images. At one point he discusses the tunnel like entrapment of heavy snowfall on the city. That's a fitting deion of the film. | | 8 | The Proposition
If you liked The Road, or the Assassination of Jesse James.... or if you like Australian westerns... or if you like Nick Cave. Then this gritty piece of celluloid is for you. | | 9 | Amorres Porres
Life's a bitch, eh? This movie ain't. It's like sex on a washing machine... oh hey there's a scene of that in here. | | 10 | City of God
Apparently Rio de Janeiro isn't all beaches and good looking woman. Who knew? Graphic and disturbing in a realistic way, one particular scene has a newly recruited gang member being forced to choose which of the two little boys he should kill. Chilling but oddly breathtaking | | 11 | The Lives of Others
Before you could creep Facebook, the East Germans knew how shit went down. Absolutely stellar acting and an entrancing story make this a great film. | | 12 | Downfall
Hitler wasn't a good person, that's for sure. This film gives the character a human persona instead of the typical evil caricature. The results are obviously still condemning of the truly heinous man, but it does give an interesting angle of approach. | | 13 | The Host
Korean monster movie about an amphibious beast? Cue overdub jokes is what may be your first thought. But this film takes itself seriously and so should you. Layered like an onion, this film isn't really about a monster at all, it's about family dynamics... and Monsters so that's cool too bro. | | 14 | Brazil
Terry Gilliam at the top of his game. Take that as you will. | | 15 | Heima
So it's a music site and I kinda needed some music stuff, so here's Sigur Ros boner inducing ode to Iceland. Despite my growing displeasure for the band (outside of Agaetis Byrjun), this remains a vision of beauty. If you don't smile when you see the red balloons during Hoppipolla, you may want to check your vital signs. | |
thebhoy
12.30.09 | yeeeeah, I need to stop wasting time this break and start writing actual stuff. fuck. | joshuatree
12.30.09 | some really good movies here | Deviant.
12.30.09 | Did Cave write and/or direct 8? | iarescientists
12.30.09 | im thinking im gonna make a movie list in a little bit and be all elitist
should be fun | ninjuice
12.30.09 | Love Lives of Others. Want to see Sunshine. Haven't heard of several of these mainly because (if I'm not mistaken) several of them are foreign and thus not talked about as much as US films. | iarescientists
12.30.09 | oh noes foreign film how intimidating | ninjuice
12.30.09 | Um I love foreign films when they're good of course | iarescientists
12.30.09 | considering foreign film a genre is stupid | iarescientists
12.30.09 | i mean there's about 280 other countries that aren't america, so that means (in very simplified fractions) 279/280 films that come out will be foreign, plus every director has their own style just consider them all films and don't try to determine whether it's made in america or not | ninjuice
12.30.09 | ummm ok then | iarescientists
12.30.09 | anna karina | Phil
12.30.09 | Have you seen the Road? | JWT155
12.30.09 | If you think all countries release the same amount of films every year your stupid. | iarescientists
12.30.09 | yeah i dont i just didn't feel like doing the math and i thought it would make my point look better ;/ | Electric City
12.30.09 | as ive told you before, 2 is awesome. and i really want to see 4 | thebhoy
12.30.09 | actually, zero of these are American. And I haven't seen the Road yet, but from what I've heard it's same kinda style as Proposition, which makes sense seeing as it's the same director. I just got the book, so I gotta read that before I see the film.
Also, iarescientists, there is an interesting essay on world cinema, which I can't remember the name of, that describes 7 types of world cinema. They usually relate it to American Hollywood cinema, whether it goes completely against it (ie. German Expressionism) or tries to beat it at its own game, (ie. many British films) or even tries to be as big as it, with its own spin (ie. Bollywood) | iarescientists
12.30.09 | yeah i'm saying referring to any film as foreign is an insult because of how vague it is. the term encompasses such a wide range of it's own styles, and then those styles bleed into other styles. Like French New Wave was a reaction to Hollywood of the 50s.
idk im high so im probably not making sense | Tits McGee
12.30.09 | yesssss Sunshine is awesome | AggravatedYeti
12.30.09 | 1 is not that good man, seriously.
2 Amazing
3 Haven't seen
4 Amazing
5 Mulvey is overrated, but this is good
6 Need to see, I guess -- honestly never heard of it.
7 cool
8 haven't seen
9 Amazing
10 Probably the best movie ever.
11 see 10 ^
12 Alright
13 Funny
14 Terry Gilliam I love you!
15 Sigur Ros + flowing images of Iceland = breathtaking | AggravatedYeti
12.30.09 | and as far an foreign film as a genre, scientist, you're right, but outside of the US and India, not many countries account for movie production and expenditure. Both Hollywood and Bollywood dwarf the competing markets for money spent and movies produced, so it's become an accepted term. Tho, in recent years, post 1970s, as many foreign markets have shown pull, as well as artist prowess, the term is very loose now. Used basically to sum up big movies, seen world wide, that are not funded by a major US/Indian/British sources. Money is always the root. | Chewie
12.30.09 | been wanting to see Sunshine for a while, haven't seen any of these movies but they all look interesting as hell. | Yotimi
12.30.09 | Got 2,4,13,14 on my Netflix Queue right now. should probably get to those. | thebhoy
12.30.09 | AggravatedYeti... Sunshine is that good :(
I like it better than Slumdog Millionaire actually. I think a lot of people have a problem with the third act because it is so jarring. But I think it makes total sense towards the rest of the movie's motifs. | AggravatedYeti
12.30.09 | it doesn't though, and I am a huge Danny Boyle fan, 28 Days Later is honestly one of my favorite movies ever and Trainspotting wouldn't be too far behind. He tries to take an emotional turn of a character, and expands upon it to the scale of the movie, and it fucks up the consistency. It's not so much that what his face in the end spends too time in the observation chamber and goes insane and starts killing people that screws everything up; as much as you don't give a fuck when people die. Honestly, I had just started enjoying the characters, by the end (the movie is too convoluted), then they start making stupid decisions, act like jackasses and make you have no connection to them so when they die, I'm just waiting for it to be over, instead of feeling anything towards them.
Granted Ive only seen it 2 times and well over 6 months ago, and I usually try to see movies at least 3 times before I really make my final-final decision on them. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Sunshine, it was a good movie -- but Boyle can/has done so much better.
you and I need to talk movies more...we ironically have very similar tastes I think. | thebhoy
12.31.09 | I see what you mean, but the more you watch it, the more you see it as a film of contrast. Expanse vs. Claustrephobia, religion/faith vs. fanaticism, logic vs. chaos. The whole film leading up to the final act has moments of chaos throughout the general languid pace (ie. Capa's dream of falling into the Sun), so while I agree at first that the final act seems out of left field and kind of odd, the more I watch it, the more it makes sense. |
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