At the Movies!

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So today I watched Al Pacino's Donnie Brasco.

Pacino is perfect as Lefty, an aging crimical who wants out of the mob lifestyle, but doesn't know how to do it. Additionally, for once, you get to see the inner struggles of a crook who deep down has a heart of gold (despite all of the murders). 

Along with Pacino's acting, Johnny Depp is good and his performance as Joe Pistone (Donnie Brasco) is solid.

[Kakariko Kid]

I found Blazing Saddles on Netflix. I have watched it once before and I enjoyed the racial satire and the many anachronisms. Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor and the other writers did well, imo.

I think for one to be able to watch, one has to have a good sense of humor be able to grasp the sense of satire without being offended.

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So today I watched Kôji Morimoto/Tensai Okamura/Katsuhiro Ôtomo's 'Memories' as well as the film 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'.

Memories: The movie is composed of three different shorts that have nothing to do with each other, this shorts being Magnetic Rose, Stink Bomb and Cannon Fodder (each one being directed by.... you get the point). Each one of this "shorts" is pretty good on it's own way, each one having awesome music, storytelling, and animation. However, if had to choose a favorite among all three, that one would be "Magnetic Rose", mostly because I enjoyed it's spooky atmosphere.

On a side note, Spoiler: Sakiko (the protagonist of Stink Bomb) is easily the most retarded protagonist I've seen on any work of fiction. Seriously, his complete lack of common sense is beyond outstanding. I know that was intentional because otherwise the story would have ended a lot sooner, but still...

The Bridge on the River Kwai: David Lean's direction is tight and evocative. The cinematography is great. The acting is top-notch. Sessue Hayakawa is highly sympathetic and believable. William Holden and Jack Hawkins round out the cast nicely. 

The musical score is also right on. Simply put, -Kwai- is an excellently constructed film made by people who obviously cared a great deal about it. As a result, the viewer comes to care a great deal about it as well.

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So today I watched Clint Eastwood's In the Line of Fire.

Clint Eastwood's performance was great, and the character he plays is interesting and more fleshed out than usual. The film is consistently enjoyable, and it delivers all the goods - suspense, action, romance, and drama - all in their proper amounts.

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So today I finally watched the two volumes of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. (I'm going to refer to them as a single movie because that was Tarantino's original vision for the project.)

Man, what isn't there to like about this movie? The art direction is great. The soundtrack is brilliant. Uma Thurman is just perfect as The Bride/Black Manba. And the action scenes were awesome. If you haven't watched KB yet then do yourself a favor and watch it, like, right now.

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So today I watched Jackie Chan's Shangai Noon as well as it's sequel Shangai Knights.

Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson are just a great comedy duo; they work well together, and they play off each other. The action pieces are top notch, and unlike other comedies: this two have actual plots. Overall, both Shangai Noon and Shangai Knights are good action-comedy flicks to enjoy at home.

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So today I watched Studio Ghibli's 'When Marnie was there' and Tom Hooper's 'The King's Speech'.

When Marnie was There: It was great. Simply put: the story is amazing and the animation was smooth as... a smoothie?

The King's Speech: Everyone's performance was pretty good, specially that of the three main characters, and the development of the troubled and sparky relationship at the heart of the film is a joy to watch. If you know people who have communication difficulties, you might want to show this film to it to them, it could be inspirational.

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So yesterday' night I finally watched Pixar's 'Finding Dory' while today I watched George Cloney's 'Money Monster'.

Finding Dory: Kakariko was right. It was every bit as good as Finding Nemo, if not better. The character evolution is really noticeable, specially on Dory, who is the best character on the film.

Money Monster: Ugh.... what a waste of my time. I mean, where should I start? The characters are flat and badly acted, the story is ridiculously written and wholly unbelievable. Basically, the idea is good, but is executed horribly.

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So today I watched Jack Nicholson's 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.

It was beautiful. Every single actor gives a stellar performance, every single character is perfectly written, every single line, every single frame is absolutely perfect. The movie has a great pace, neither too slow or too fast, just... great. It also alternates between being uplifting to depressing prety well.

10/10

[CLXcool]

Saw Wonder Woman. Loved it. About time DC realized that not everything works for the 'dark and edgy' aspects. Wonder woman felt like it was a very good improvement compared to the previous cinematic universe films from DC.

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So today I watched Eddie Murphy's 'I Spy' and Pablo Larraín's 'The Club' (you know.... that one movie that was selected as the Chilean entry for the Golden Globes - but wasn't nominated in the end- and it was also featured at the Berlin International Film Festival)

I Spy: It was... fairly entertaining, nothing too new or interesting . If you are looking for is some "silly fun" in order to fill your friday evening then I guess this should work.

The Club: Man, that was some unpleseant to watch, hard hitting drama. The performances of cast was really good, specially that of the main cast. The soundtrack also fits the film's atmosphere "like hand in glove".

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So today I watched Jet Li's 'Danny the Dog/Unleashed' and Gary Oldman's 'The Fifth Element'.

Danny the Dog/Unleashed:This is the first movie starring/featuring actor Jet Li that I saw in my life. The performances of the main star and Bob Hoskins are spot on. The action scenes, while few, are very impressive. 

The Fifth Element:This movie has everything, yo. Action sequences, excellent acting, good visual effects, creative sets and costume design, dynamic and interesting music and the mildly annoying but amusing Chris Tucker. I highly recommended it.

Fun fact: by the time I typed this "The Fifth Element" is 20 years, 17 days old. I know, time flies by....

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So yesterday I watched Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metall Jacket" as well as Fede Alvarez's "Don't Breathe".

Full Metal Jacket: R. Lee Ermey's role as the Drill Instructor was a mixed bag for me. When he is first introduced his performance was so over-the-top that I couldn't help but laugh, then later on the film I started to dislike him because of how much of an asshole he is, which I suppose was what Kubrick intended for the character. The rest of the cast is just as excellent. Matthew Modine in the leading role as Private Joker is simply incredible.

Don't Breathe: The performances of the three main stars are spot on, so is that of Stephen Lang as The Blind Man (speaking of, the character's resistance to pain/physical trauma is impressive). And besides one or two cheap jump scares, they succeeded at maintaining a lingering suspense throughout the entire movie.

[Kakariko Kid]

So yesterday I watched Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metall Jacket" as well as Fede Alvarez's "Don't Breathe".

Full Metal Jacket: R. Lee Ermey's role as the Drill Instructor was a mixed bag for me. When he is first introduced his performance was so over-the-top that I couldn't help but laugh, then later on the film I started to dislike him because of how much of an asshole he is, which I suppose was what Kubrick intended for the character.

Did You Know? R. Lee Ermey was an actual drill instructor in the US Marines and was allowed to ad lib much of what he says in the film? He retired as a Staff Sergeant and Honorary Gunnery Sergeant and is often typecast in movies as an authority figure.

[ZpaceJ0ck0]

So yesterday I finally watched the first two Predator films while today I watched the third and final one.
 
Predator: The storyline is simple yet effective, and it benefits for not taking itself TOO seriously. The special effects were ahead of it's time. The cast was very well done, specially Arnold as Dutch, who was 'one of the crew' instead of a 'one-man army' like in many action movies at the time; that was a nice touch.

Predator 2: I liked how the setting changed to that of a jungle to a city, not only for the sake of variety, but also because it gives some glimpse into this Predator's (aka City Hunter) personality, being more reckless and ambitious than the one from the previous film (aka the Jungle Hunter); we also learn more of the species' modus operandi and whatnot. Danny Glover's performance as Mike Harrigan was solid.

Predators: I liked how this movie honored it's predecessors while still offering new elements to the series' lore. The acting was spot-on. The cinematography was solid. And the story is not overly ambitious, they play it straight and the focus is given more to building tension, which it manages to do very well.