Автор: ferngully2themagicalrescueblog в 9 Март, 2010
by Mar 7th 2010 // 10:32AM
At one time, I brainstorm it would be an interesting trial to non-ironically adapt
into a screenplay. I wondered if the book of movie cliches, stereotypes, hackneyed formulas, etc. might actually be the rectify guide to constructing the most get-at-able — and therefore most lay — movie continuously made. Or, it would be one of the biggest flops. Either MO = ‘modus operandi’, it would be a adroit exposure of how unoriginal most Hollywood movies are these days — and the unimaginative audiences who body to and support them.
This fake trailer for a film titled "Movie Title"
bait
" more than certain Oscar winners, but whatever the intent I originate the mimicry funny.
I'm not without equal in my laughter, either, but I might be alone in admitting I'd in point of fact supervise a feature to the fullest extent a finally version of "Silent picture Title." As someone who forgives expository dialogue at times, I truly loved the bare-faced lines in this video. Firstly the simple, straightforward exchange, "'My name.' 'My name.' 'Catch phrase!'" And the irreversible admission of adding a absolute comedic moment to a trailer seeking a alarming movie was so spot on.
Check off the trailer after the interruption. And juxtapose it to the films nominated to go to tonight's Academy Awards.
Автор: ferngully2themagicalrescueblog в 7 Март, 2010
Not honest the offices of the excellent Burt Kennedy can put by this hopelessly stodgy and psychologising piece about a self-consciously good cop (Keach) who finds a traumatic childhood experience catching up on him. Kennedy not one the less does ensure that the fade away is crammed with enough pleasing incidental detail to purloin it watchable. Don Stroud lopes through the part of a naive and ape-ish slob with evident enjoyment; rarely conceivably if he and Keach had swapped roles… The sad thing of it is that the script by Edward Mann and Robert Chamblee wrecks a very merit novel by Jim Thompson.
Автор: ferngully2themagicalrescueblog в 4 Март, 2010
Conceive
Woody, a jovial cowboy doll, is the happy and contented boss of all the toys in Andy's leeway and young Andy's clear fair-haired boy..until the arrival of Buzz Lightyear, a Space Ranger toy, who is, as yet, unaware that he is 'just' a toy…
Verdict
Just perfect. Script, loony, animation….this manages to weaken free of the yoke of 'children's movie' to solely be one of the best movies of the 90's, full-closing up.
Автор: ferngully2themagicalrescueblog в 3 Март, 2010
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A wise man once said that when it comes to movies, if you’re fortunate enough to be as successful for as long as Clint Eastwood has been, you get the opportunity to reflect on your life cinematically, which is to say that you have the chance to provide closure to your career in a rather unique way. Eastwood cut his teeth on for decades. The guy was Dirty Harry for pete’s sake! He managed to close the door on his films with the modern classic Unforgiven, about an aging gunfighter, and In the Line of Fire allowed him to achieve the similar effect here in the action genre.
Written by Jeff Maguire (Gridiron Gang) and directed by Wolfgang Petersen (The Perfect Storm), Eastwood plays Frank Horrigan, an aging Secret Service Agent who is notable for his role in history, as he was on President Kennedy’s detail during that fateful day in November 1963. With his partner Al (Dylan McDermott, Runaway Jury), they manage to discover a plan to assassinate the President, brought to life by a dangerous man named Mitch Leary (John Malkovich, Beowulf). Mitch is aware of Frank’s history and attempts to use those vulnerabilities to his advantage, while Frank employs the assistance of other agents in the Agency, such as Agent Lilly Raines (Rene Russo, Outbreak) and their boss, the Agency Director (John Mahoney, Say Anything). The dueling minds of Frank and Mitch go back and forth, culminating in a final battle in California during a key event that the President attends.
Watching the film again after so many years, I was thinking about the impact that Eastwood’s performance had on me at the time. He was too macho to share his vulnerability or even his mortality in past films of his that I’d seen, so this was a nice surprise. This was a man who was sure of himself and acknowledged his weaknesses while being confident of his strengths. He was very self-aware that he was a man closer to the end of his life than the beginning of it and playing it as such gave him a sense of humor and style with Horrigan that others might not have seen on a grander stage, and it was pleasant to see. On the antagonist’s side of things, Malkovich was a curious choice at the time to play the role of Leary, but in his limited screen time, he envelops the role, effectively portraying it as one of a man who was immersed in covert government activity for years and is now angry at the way he was treated, and finds a kindred spirit of sorts in Frank, as their phone conversations seem to play out. Their cat and mouse game is the best part of the film.
Now, In the Line of Fire is far from a perfect film; watching Eastwood and Malkovich on a foot chase borders on comic and some of the dialogue still reminds you that we are watching a Wolfgang Petersen film after all (”The proof could be a dead President!”), but the efforts that a viewer has to go through to suspend disbelief aren’t too mammoth, and to an extent, this is quite a good “adult” action film in that regard. Eastwood has appeared in other thrillers since this one, but he was 63 when In the Line of Fire was released, and this is a more than capable finale to his action film resume.
The Blu-ray Disc: Video:
In the Line of Fire is given an AVC MPEG-4 encode to go along with this 2.40:1 presentation. It was a little fun to look at the feature in high definition; a lot of scenes are fairly crisp and clean visually, to the point where you can point out fine detail from characters’ facial features. That type of detail isn’t consistent through the whole film though, and the level of background image depth isn’t quite up to snuff either. You can certainly make out all the blue-screen effects that Petersen employed in the film now, but some of those images appear to have some crushed blacks. Still, the stage shots look pretty good overall despite a lot of wavering in quality.
Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD track isn’t the best presentation in the world. A thriller film like this is many dialogue-driven, and the dialogue is sometimes soft-sounding, so some receiver adjustments have to be made. It’s not like the soundtrack is too immersive either; panning and directional activity isn’t too active, if at all, and when it comes to subwoofer engagement, mine woke up for one scene near the end of the film and that’s it. But hey, TrueHD 5.1 soundtracks in French and Portuguese are included, so Sony recognizes many different cultures, right? Not having the standard definition version, this is a probably upgrade from the technical side of things.
Extras:
From a supplements point of view, everything from the 2001 Special Edition release on standard definition appears to be brought over to this disc. Petersen provides a commentary to the film which isn’t too bad. He discusses how Eastwood essentially brought him onto the project, along with how some of the other cast members came aboard. Working with Clint is discussed, but Petersen also mentions scenes where the cast shone as well. He discusses working with computer graphics and points out what was real or animated in a particular scene, and his thoughts on the Secret Service are shared too. He has an interesting story on how Maguire’s script was picked up that’s also fun to listen to and overall, Petersen’s track helps complement the film experience. A Showtime special on the Secret Service is included (19:57), hosted by Bob Snow, a retired Secret Service Agent who served as the film’s technical advisor. There are interviews with cast members and real agents, along with some footage at the Agency’s training grounds, showing exercises that are conducted. Some Presidential assassinations are even touched on. It’s a decent piece, but probably could have been better. “The Ultimate Sacrifice” (22:14) covers much of the same ground, with interviews with some more of the cast, and how Maguire’s script made the proverbial rounds. There is more training footage and more agent interviews, and Snow, who doesn’t host this piece, talks about some real-world perspective. Another piece that’s OK, but could have been better. Two smaller featurettes follow, the first being “How’d They Do That?” (4:54), which examines the computer effects in the film. “Catching the Counterfeiters” (5:29) looks at the original mission of the Agency, and shows (kind of) how to counterfeit currency, and illustrates the efforts to prevent counterfeiting. Why this footage couldn’t have been included in the longer pieces I don’t know, this stuff was cool. Five deleted scenes are next (5:01), but they’re pretty boring and don’t add anything to the final cut. Previews for Vantage Point and the first season of Damages round the disc out.
Absolute Thoughts:
In the Line of Fire falls into the category of films that, when it airs on television every so often, I’ll usually put down the remote for. The acting complements the story, and the story is engrossing and subtly pulls you into its web. The technical qualities are enough to recommend double-dipping for those who feel compelled to do so and on its own, is definitely worth renting to see again, but under the glare of high definition.
Agree? Disagree? You can post your thoughts about this review on the DVD Talk forums.
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Автор: ferngully2themagicalrescueblog в 28 Февраль, 2010
Written by David Wain and Michael Showalter, from the MTV comedy show “The
State,” and directed by Wain, “Wet Hot American Summer” isn’t a movie in the
conventional sense but a jumble of sketches. It’s set at Camp Firewood, a
Maine summer camp where lunacy runs rampant and the jokes fall flat for those
who don’t remember the Bill “Meatballs” or the Tatum O’Neal-
Kristy McNichol chestnut “Little Darlings.”
The horny counselors are here, the uptight talent-show coordinator, the
arrogant jocks and the bony science nerds who get shunted to a corner of the
cafeteria until they do something brilliant that the whole camp embraces.
Janeane Garofalo, cinema’s primary exponent of withering sarcasm, plays
Beth, the confident but lonely camp director, and David Hyde Pierce, who ought
to know better, is Henry, a shy physics professor who stumbles toward a
romance with her. Paul Rudd and Molly Shannon are camp counselors, and
Christopher Meloni of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” plays a Vietnam-vet
camp chef with a huge case of post-traumatic stress disorder.
For those who grew up in the era depicted here, and remember its fashion
infractions, big hair and cheesy teen movies, “Wet Hot” might be a great blast
of fun. For the rest of us, it’s a sloppy, unhinged hellzapoppin that
occasionally hits its targets but more often seems out of control and
desperate to please.
Wain and Showalter operate on the presumption that summer-camp movies are
an actual genre with its own idioms and conventions — and hence familiar
enough that specific references will elicit a chuckle. So we get scenes like
the one in which Garofalo storms into the infirmary because a group of campers
is about to go over a waterfall:
The infirmary has the only phone at the camp — an inside joke, perhaps —
and Garofalo has to act fast. Screaming “Where’s the phone?!” she takes her
arm and makes a grand sweep of the reception table, sending its contents
crashing to the floor. Rushing through the cabin, she does the same in each
room, leaving chaos in her wake.
Could it be that “Meatballs Part II” had a frenzied “Where’s the phone?”
scene that this movie is spoofing? Even for those who saw that movie — I
didn’t — is it likely that many will remember the scene and bust a gut seeing
it lampooned?
It’s also hard to know when “Wet Hot American Summer” is satirizing
cinematic ineptness and when it’s simply guilty of the same. A character
appears on a bicycle wearing a silly wig, for example, and when the movie cuts
away to someone else and then back to that original character, the wig is
mysteriously gone.
It takes a certain level of sophistication and proficiency to make fun of
moviemakers who lack those qualities. Wain, who’s never made a movie before,
isn’t there yet. That said, “Wet Hot American Summer” is harmless enough, and
its team of actors so frisky and enthusiastic that it manages to deliver a
modicum of laughs despite itself.
Advisory: This movie contains raw language and sexual references.
Автор: ferngully2themagicalrescueblog в 24 Февраль, 2010
The film is something of an audible novel. Beaucoup dialog and much palaver, with a minimum of action. It’s a talky, slow commentary respecting the first three reels or so, all tending to need what a rat Anthony Mallare (Noel Coward), publisher, is.
When Julie Haydon becomes the latest romantic vis-a-vis, the motivation illustrates the same shabby technique which sends a real romance into the gutter. Coward meets destruction when an equally self-centred, cynical individual (Hope Williams) treats him in kind, and he thus becomes the victim of a NY-Bermuda plane wreck.
Histrionically Coward has his moments, but there are others when most film fans may find it a bit difficult to remain content with just an English accent and a Continental flair of character. The illusion isn’t always wholly there.
Автор: ferngully2themagicalrescueblog в 23 Февраль, 2010
A&E brings retreat from their wonderful Horatio Hornblower series championing this new invest in, C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower: The Adventure Continues. The Hornblower series is verily one of the to the fullest extent on video receiver, and this appoint is definitely significance having.
Picking up where the first left off, this set brings us the latest two episodes of the series. Star Ioan Gruffudd (Titanic) returns as Horatio, that plucky lieutenant in the English flotilla. Gruffudd is in olden days again spectacular, portraying Hornblower with intensively and get-up-and-go. Director Andrew Grieves also returns. Unlike in films, where the auteur theory often makes the director the focal point of a film, television directors are not in general household names and most TV series use a heterogeneity of manifold directors. I just recently byword an episode of The Sopranos directed by Steve Buscemi! But in the case of Horatio Hornblower, Grieves has directed every episode and it shows. Everything considered that each length clocks in at about one hour and forty minutes, he does his pain in the neck with cinematic flair. He has time to take accomplished suffering with the drama, to display breathtaking encounter sequences, all while allowing the theme to unfold at its own pace, creating a cohesive whole.
Based on disparate books by C.S. Forester, the show also has some of the best writers and actors in the duty working with consistently good scripts. The plots do not have all the hallmarks too contrived, and the characters are some of the most deeply layered that I’ve seen of late. There’s no easy “good guy/bad guy” generalizations to be made; each character has a bit of both. The actors bring demode the refined shadings of their characters and create believable, three-dimensional portraits while still working within a greater clothing. It’s really a pleasure to see all of these great elements sink in fare together. It’s not something that comes on all sides time again, and as such is something to be treasured.
Something to note: there’s a reason for the second inscription (The Happening Continues) on this firm. The entire Hornblower series is made up of 6 episodes, of which these are the last two. The previous four have already been released in a separate box coordinate; I would advise seeing the episodes in order. Starting with this second obstruct may disorient some viewers; some of the characters’ motivations may not be published to make out sense if one does not inspection the quondam episodes as introduction. Also, where the commencement box contains episodes that could stand on their own, the episodes in this set are of a piece. Do not await the second DVD before the first; you will be hopelessly snarled up.
Episode 1: The Mutiny “Asleep on the watch? You’re as good as extinguished already.” - Captain Sawyer
Horatio is on trial for insurrection. His old captain, Sir Edward Pellew (Robert Lindsay) comes to see Horatio to hear his story. In a flashback, we learn that Horatio was stationed on the HMS Prestige, led by the legendary Captain Sawyer (David Warner), with a mission to approach the Spanish in Jamaica. However, Horatio and the other lieutenants start to realize something is abominable when Captain Sawyer begins to manifest increasingly erratic and wrong behavior towards his senior officers. Tensions spring up as various members of the team side with either the captain or the victims of his wrath. While not the worst affair, there are certainly exciting moments that rank up there with the first-rate in the series. Unfortunately, this episode does not non-standard like to have ample material to bankroll its continual time, and there are several flat moments; judicious cutting could have made it a tighter episode. David Warner is the real treat here, as he’s a great actor who steals every scene he’s in. This adventure gets 3.5 bayonets out of 5.
Episode 2: Retribution “I have an idea that our battle has just begun.” - Horatio Hornblower
In this climactic episode, we upon primitive and to the fore in time. Through flashbacks, we learn everywhere the fortune of the Renown’s mission in Jamaica, intercut with scenes from Horatio’s disobey trial. As the proceedings progress, we learn more and more of the release that brought Horatio to his pain in the arse. This is only of the best episodes of the series. Almost every stage setting is charged with excitement or tension, and the few that aren’t brook the audience to take a breath in the presence of plunging back into the engagement. Unlike the previous chapter, Just deserts uses its on one occasion much more effectively and never drags. In in reality, scene for scene, this may be the strongest event of the whole series. David Warner adds certain layers to Captain Sawyer that were not in the previous instalment, making his performance even better than before. Robert Lindsay also shines as individual of the men trying Horatio for mutiny, although Horatio is as sweetheart to him as his own son. This episode gets 5 out cold of 5 bayonets.
Автор: ferngully2themagicalrescueblog в 22 Февраль, 2010
By
Garth Franklin
After a Summer of bloated and tired sequels, the third 'Bourne' comes as a breath of fresh air - and at last delivers a modern trilogy of cinema which doesn't have a visibly weak entry. All three are great films, and in terms of pure pacing and thrills - 'Ultimatum' is the best yet.
'Bourne Supremacy' helmer Paul Greengrass returns for his second go round at the American anti-Bond character, and whilst his camera is as annoyingly shaky as ever, his efficient sense of action thrills have never been more pinpoint accurate. The handheld camera and quick cut editing technique still makes things mildly confusing and nauseating, most notably a car chase scene towards the end in New York City, but lend a much stronger sense of realism and urgency to the action. Also the jerkiness is ubiquitous throughout and seems more controlled, making it far less distracting than it was in 'Supremacy'.
What makes 'Ultimatum' different though is its pacing. The script has very little in the way of actual depth - characterisation and plot are no more complicated or deep than "Transformers" or an average episode of "24"- yet the writing is far smarter, more efficient and whilst the action demands your attention, it never gets lost in either CG bombast (like the former) or ludicrous twists (like Jack Bauer and his CTU cohorts).
That efficient spartan style
of minimalism means the film is never bogged down in exposition or drawn out melodramatics. Yet, on the rare moments between action scenes, that lack of any real character development and some notable plot holes do come to bite it in the ass - from the near superheroics of the lead to the sheer incompetency of the CIA, not to mention the mildly anticlimactic ending involving the resolution of Bourne's search (revealing stuff we already knew). Bourne may be far more realistic than 007, but he's also far more of an enigma and in many ways even more of a charicature - albeit one less flamboyant.
Whilst it won't win many awards for substance, 'Bourne' turns out trumps in style. Greengrass beautifully crafts and shoots scenes with levels of tension, suspense and sheer adrenaline that the film often leaves one both shocked and breathless. It's a testament to his skill that much of the film's first act, which involves a drawn out attempt by Bourne to meet with a contact under surveillance at Waterloo Station in London, turns what is essentially a simple bit of misdirection and pursuit on foot into a truly thrilling sequence.
The action remains consistently good throughout as it spreads across Moscow, London, Madrid, Tangier and New York. Despite all the globe-trotting, the on location shooting combined with the gritty street-level acrobatics lend a palpable sense of reality and suspense. When it all comes together in a great set piece, notably the film's best involving a motorbike and then a rooftop chase through the streets of Tangier, the film literally grabs you by the neck and refuses to let go.
Added to that some solid scenes of political power plays between the supporting characters, with the great Joan Allen returning to lock horns with David Strathairn as the corrupt baddie of the piece. There's some biting attacks at the abuse of authority and treading on civil rights that have taken place in the Bush government, something previously touched on but not so decidedly blantant (or at times clumsily) as this does. Performances from Damon, Stiles, and the gang are just as good as before - Damon in particular having honed the character's low-key but ruthless approach down to a fine art.
'Ultimatum' is what many say will be the final film in the series, and they've done the good job of going out on a high.
It's the best by far of the Summer and refreshingly reinvigorates the spy genre yet again. It's not a mold breaker ala "Casino Royale," and its lack of anything outside of fast thrills will make repeat viewings of the film seem less and less captivating, but its initial display is such an exciting rocket ride that all you can do is hold on.
Автор: ferngully2themagicalrescueblog в 16 Февраль, 2010
Story concerns a small-scale-time cable TV escape hatch in Toronto. The quasi-clandestine machinist is run by Max Renn (James Woods) who’s ever on the watch for Bohemian and voluptuous substantial.
He becomes fascinated with a program called Videodrome, picked up from a satellite by a station technician. The show appears to be little more than a series of torture sequences, primarily involving women.
Renn pursues the program but is blocked at every turn. One of his suppliers warns him that the activities on the show are not staged. However, he perseveres, making contact with a McLuhanesque media guru named Brian O’Blivion (Jack Creley).
Film is dotted with video jargon and ideology which proves more fascinating than distancing. And Cronenberg amplifies the freaky situation with a series of stunning visual effects.
Woods aptly conveys Renn’s obsession and eventual bondage to the television nightmare. Sonja Smits is an alluring and mysterious femme fatale and Deborah Harry seems just right as Renn’s girlfriend who thrives on and is undone by Videodrome’s games cruelty.
Автор: ferngully2themagicalrescueblog в 15 Февраль, 2010
A multifaceted portrait of the bonds that fastening within a working-category Hong Kong family, “Little Cheung” reps a distinct change of pace and style for writer-director Fruit Chan. This third leg of his unannounced trilogy on the territory’s mind-set, forward of and after the 1997 handover to China, discards the new, edgy importance of “Made in Hong Kong” and “The Longest Summer” with a view a softer, more humanist style that recalls the ’80s pics of fellow H.K. helmer Allen Fong. Result is both effective and affecting, showing Chan as a filmmaker who’s anxious not to be categorized too soon. Fest and arthouse exposure looks secure on the strength of helmer’s rep.
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New approach fits the subject matter, which is a simple family yarn seen through the eyes of two kids. Where “Made in H.K.” looked at rootless youth and their escapist fantasies, and “The Longest Summer” used criminal society for an epic portrait of the territory’s evolution, “Little Cheung” is more miniature in its concerns, harking back to Cantonese working-class pics of the ’50s in its tapestry of ordinary folks’ lives. As such, it functions more as another view — a look at the very roots of Hong Kong’s volatile social mix — than a grand finale to the trilogy.
Title character, whose voiceover casts a parallel perspective on events, is a 9-year-old kid (Yiu Yuet-ming) who’s very much a street punk in the making, a pre-teen prototype for many of the characters in the other two movies. His father (Gary Lai) owns a restaurant, Mom plays mahjong, their maid is Philippine — and making money is his main dream.
Story proper starts in spring ‘97 when Fan (Mak Wai-fan), a girl Cheung’s age, tries to get a job in his family eatery but is turned away. Cheung, never one to miss a business opportunity, “hires” her as his assistant on takeout deliveries.
Thus begins a tapestry of scenes that sketch the street community in which they live. Gradually we get more info about the family: Cheung, it turns out, has an elder brother whom he has never met, and Cheung’s aged grandmother instills in him a respect for Cantonese culture with tales of her travels with a well-known opera singer, Tang Wing-cheung, known as Brother Cheung. (Pic is dedicated to Tang, whose passing is shown in real TV footage.)
As the various vignettes proceed, and characters’ fortunes change, the movie slowly develops depth in layers. When the Brits are about to leave and the mainlanders move in, Cheung remarks that H.K. is now his, and Fan, who is the child of illegals from China, ripostes that it’s hers.
Main dynamics of the second half are Cheung’s desire to find his missing brother and his relationship with his ornery father, a traditionally tough Chinese paterfamilias with a caring interior. Latter strand leads to one of the most powerful sequences, in which Cheung, punished yet again by his dad, stands trouserless in the street, singing one of Brother Cheung’s best-known songs.
Though some of the types are familiar from Chan’s previous two movies, the way in which they are portrayed and developed is far mellower. As the mighty are laid low, people die or move on, and circumstances mutate, the picture discreetly becomes a celebration of Hong Kong’s diversity and its ability to adapt. Final reels, though a tad overextended, are extremely moving — for their big-heartedness and simple humanity.
Technically, “Little Cheung” is completely different from the trilogy’s other segs, with none of their jittery editing or nervous energy. Carefully shot, and featuring smooth tracking shots, it’s almost mainstream in comparison. Performances by the non-pro cast feel effortlessly natural.
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