What better way to finish off the festival than with these two movies:
AMREEKA
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Last day, what could go wrong.
Ass-o-meter: Great.
Comments:
Amreeka is the story of a mother and her son making the move from the West Bank to America. The film is also set in the time at the start of the Iraq war when Americans were at their least tolerant of anyone from the middle east.
The beauty of this movie is that it's not based around a family escaping the troubles of the middle east, but instead, are moving because the opportunity (visa) happened to come unexpectedly. So instead of the usual tragic tail that you might expect from this topic, this film has a much lighter edge.
I quite enjoyed the approach of this movie, and the fact that the characters were not really ever in a crazy movie type plot, but rather in much more true to life circumstances. It's definitely worth watching.
Rating: 3.5/5
BRAN NUE DAE
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Last movie!
Ass-o-meter: Good.
Comments:
Going into this movie I knew it was a musical, and I can't remember a good musical since Julie Andrews was still making them. My biggest problem with musicals is that generally the musical pieces are shoe-horned in amongst the dialogue and it all feels very unnatural. My other general annoyance with the musical is that it always seems even more staged because everyone is always lip synced really badly with the music and there's always a disconnect between the audio and visuals (which always takes me out of the experience).
So with the above issues that I have with musicals and the fact that the title of this movie looks like it was text messaged from a twelve year old, I'm happy to report that this movie wasn't half bad... Yep, you heard me... The main reason why this movie worked is that it doesn't take itself at all seriously, and exists in a hyper real version of 1969 and all the characters seem to know it. Sure, all the dialogue and singing is ADRed, and a few of the songs are a bit lame, but the fact that this movie has it's tongue firmly in it's cheek makes it quite a fun ride.
I RECKN IT WOS PRETY GOOD.
Rating: 3.5/5
It's sad to say that my holidays are over, and it's back to my day job... Well, that is until next year!!
TO BE CONTINUED....
(Roll Credits)
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Day Fourteen - Or something close to that...
HURT LOCKER, THE
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Energy at 0%
Ass-o-meter: fine.
Comments:
The Hurt Locker is a film about an elite military bomb squad stationed in Iraq that get called into intense scenarios to defuse IEDs or suspected bomb threats that have been found by other infantry units.
I found this movie to be quite an experience, one like I can't remember having in a war film of late. Usually in war films I find myself getting decensortised to the violence and as a result disconnect from the experiences of the characters in the film. However, in this film there isn't all that much violence, instead there is an overwhelming intensity for the entire movie. It's this intensity that really puts the audience in the shoes of these soldiers, and gives you some feeling of what every hour of day while on the streets of Iraq.
I knew nothing of the Director of this movie (Kathryn Bigelow) before I saw it, and when the credits rolled I found out it was a woman (which was unexpected for a war movie, and she'd hate me saying that according to her IMDB info, but too late, I said it), and even weirder than that she had previously directed movies like Point Break and Strange Days...
I found this to be a very impressive film that brings fresh light to a subject that we have all been beaten senseless with by the media. Check it.
Rating: 4.5/5
HUMPDAY
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Shaken, not stirred.
Ass-o-meter: (Avoiding a dumb joke)
Comments:
Going into Hump Day all I knew about it was that it was about two male friends that decide to make a porno together.... After recently seeing Kevin Smith's thingo and whoseywhatsit make a porno movie my hopes for this film were very very low. However, I was surprised by this one...
Hump Day was made with a very low budget (ie. The director wrote the movie, produced the movie, played a character in the movie, and was the 'b' camera operator), only requiring a hand full of characters and a few HD cameras to make, but at no point in the movie did I ever really notice any of this. The characters in the movie are all so naturally played that it seemed like the words weren't scripted at all... and to get two heterosexual male characters to the point of agreeing to do something like this in a believable way was quite a feat. Well played *clapping*, well played...
Rating: 3.5/5
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Energy at 0%
Ass-o-meter: fine.
Comments:
The Hurt Locker is a film about an elite military bomb squad stationed in Iraq that get called into intense scenarios to defuse IEDs or suspected bomb threats that have been found by other infantry units.
I found this movie to be quite an experience, one like I can't remember having in a war film of late. Usually in war films I find myself getting decensortised to the violence and as a result disconnect from the experiences of the characters in the film. However, in this film there isn't all that much violence, instead there is an overwhelming intensity for the entire movie. It's this intensity that really puts the audience in the shoes of these soldiers, and gives you some feeling of what every hour of day while on the streets of Iraq.
I knew nothing of the Director of this movie (Kathryn Bigelow) before I saw it, and when the credits rolled I found out it was a woman (which was unexpected for a war movie, and she'd hate me saying that according to her IMDB info, but too late, I said it), and even weirder than that she had previously directed movies like Point Break and Strange Days...
I found this to be a very impressive film that brings fresh light to a subject that we have all been beaten senseless with by the media. Check it.
Rating: 4.5/5
HUMPDAY
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Shaken, not stirred.
Ass-o-meter: (Avoiding a dumb joke)
Comments:
Going into Hump Day all I knew about it was that it was about two male friends that decide to make a porno together.... After recently seeing Kevin Smith's thingo and whoseywhatsit make a porno movie my hopes for this film were very very low. However, I was surprised by this one...
Hump Day was made with a very low budget (ie. The director wrote the movie, produced the movie, played a character in the movie, and was the 'b' camera operator), only requiring a hand full of characters and a few HD cameras to make, but at no point in the movie did I ever really notice any of this. The characters in the movie are all so naturally played that it seemed like the words weren't scripted at all... and to get two heterosexual male characters to the point of agreeing to do something like this in a believable way was quite a feat. Well played *clapping*, well played...
Rating: 3.5/5
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Day Thirteen - I think?
FOOD, INC.
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Medium rare.
Ass-o-meter: Dandy.
Comments:
A few years ago I discovered the horrors of the industrialised food making process with a film called “Our Daily Bread”, where different parts of the food making process were shown with no commentary at all. This film had quite a profound effect on me, and the way that I ate. So I was ready for what Food Inc had to plate up for me.
Food Inc is a nicely constructed documentary that tells the story, yet again, of the under regulated free market finding ways make make money with a blatant disregard for common sense or decency at the expense of animals, humans, and the planet. Some of the facts and statistics in this documentary are really staggering, and should really be mandatory viewing.
Check this movie out, it's very good.
Rating: 4/5
BLUE BEARD
Mood Before movie: Feel like a burger.
Ass-o-meter: This movie broke the ass-o-metre.
Comments:
This movie was intensely boring, it's construction and delivery were all total pants. I hated it. Apparently hidden amongst the boredom there was some kind of metaphor that the film maker attempted to be conveyed, however, I don't feel like that is any excuse to make such a pile of shite. Oh lord, make it stop, make it stop. Boooooooooooooooo. My work here is done.
Rating: 0.5/5
IN THE LOOP
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Terrible, thanks Blue Beard.
Ass-o-meter: Gold.
Comments:
In the Loop is a satirical view of the political machinations within Downing St and the Whitehouse leading up to the decision to go to an unnamed war (ie. A fictionalised war like the Iraq war). The film focuses on some of the key players for and against the war as they do everything in their power to try and make and un-make the burgeoning inevitably uninevitable mountain of conflict (look at me referencing a movie you haven't seen, how clever).
This movie is like and episode of The Hollowmen on awesome pills. Not only is this movie hilariously funny but it also has a densly spun political web which should keep any audience entertained. The film also contains some of the most hilarious taunting in it that i've ever seen, and is worth seeing alone just for that.
This was thoroughly enjoyable. Everyone should see it.
Rating: 4.5/5
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Medium rare.
Ass-o-meter: Dandy.
Comments:
A few years ago I discovered the horrors of the industrialised food making process with a film called “Our Daily Bread”, where different parts of the food making process were shown with no commentary at all. This film had quite a profound effect on me, and the way that I ate. So I was ready for what Food Inc had to plate up for me.
Food Inc is a nicely constructed documentary that tells the story, yet again, of the under regulated free market finding ways make make money with a blatant disregard for common sense or decency at the expense of animals, humans, and the planet. Some of the facts and statistics in this documentary are really staggering, and should really be mandatory viewing.
Check this movie out, it's very good.
Rating: 4/5
BLUE BEARD
Mood Before movie: Feel like a burger.
Ass-o-meter: This movie broke the ass-o-metre.
Comments:
This movie was intensely boring, it's construction and delivery were all total pants. I hated it. Apparently hidden amongst the boredom there was some kind of metaphor that the film maker attempted to be conveyed, however, I don't feel like that is any excuse to make such a pile of shite. Oh lord, make it stop, make it stop. Boooooooooooooooo. My work here is done.
Rating: 0.5/5
IN THE LOOP
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Terrible, thanks Blue Beard.
Ass-o-meter: Gold.
Comments:
In the Loop is a satirical view of the political machinations within Downing St and the Whitehouse leading up to the decision to go to an unnamed war (ie. A fictionalised war like the Iraq war). The film focuses on some of the key players for and against the war as they do everything in their power to try and make and un-make the burgeoning inevitably uninevitable mountain of conflict (look at me referencing a movie you haven't seen, how clever).
This movie is like and episode of The Hollowmen on awesome pills. Not only is this movie hilariously funny but it also has a densly spun political web which should keep any audience entertained. The film also contains some of the most hilarious taunting in it that i've ever seen, and is worth seeing alone just for that.
This was thoroughly enjoyable. Everyone should see it.
Rating: 4.5/5
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Day Nine - Loud Log
IT MIGHT GET LOUD
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Top'o'the'world'laddy
Ass-o-meter: tidy.
Comments:
Take three guitarists (Jimmy Page, The Edge, Jack White) at different stages of their careers, from three of the biggest bands in the world, put them in a room together and have them talk about their thoughts on guitars and music... Sounds like a recipe for an ego fuelled wankfest to me...
Before this movie started I figured it would be exactly that, three guys trying to out do each other talking about how they touched god while soloing on their 1957 Gibson Les Paul. Fortunately though, this film turned out to be much better than that. At the start of this documentary you could see that as Jack White rode in the car to meet the other legendary guitarists for the first time, he was going to maintain his too-cool-for-school-no-smiling-attitude till the end. However, as soon as Jimmy Page started playing the Whole Lotta Love riff even Jack couldn't help but drop his guard.
What this documentary does well is capture the essence of the moments that make people what to be musicians, which isn't an easy thing to do. I quite enjoyed this one.
Rating: 3.5/5
EDEN LOG
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Playing a guitar on the beach with Edge...
Ass-o-meter: Ouch.
Comments:
You wake up. It's pitch black. You have lost your memory. You're in a futuristic underground cave system with a bunch of mutant freaks and scary dudes seemingly chasing you. What is going on?
Exactly, what the fuck is going on?? This is the exact question that myself and about 400 other people were asking ourselves while watching this movie...
This film is dark, dark as shit, everything is filmed with a hand held camera really close to a backlit silhouette of a man (who doesn't have a name), and is some of the most frustrating shit that I've ever seen. As this movie goes on you sit there thinking that whatever is going on, it would want to be some of the most mind blowing stuff that anyone had ever thought of, or you are going to track down the director and punch his face in.
Which leads me to a question, does anyone know where Franck Vestiel lives?
Rating: 1.5/5
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Top'o'the'world'laddy
Ass-o-meter: tidy.
Comments:
Take three guitarists (Jimmy Page, The Edge, Jack White) at different stages of their careers, from three of the biggest bands in the world, put them in a room together and have them talk about their thoughts on guitars and music... Sounds like a recipe for an ego fuelled wankfest to me...
Before this movie started I figured it would be exactly that, three guys trying to out do each other talking about how they touched god while soloing on their 1957 Gibson Les Paul. Fortunately though, this film turned out to be much better than that. At the start of this documentary you could see that as Jack White rode in the car to meet the other legendary guitarists for the first time, he was going to maintain his too-cool-for-school-no-smiling-attitude till the end. However, as soon as Jimmy Page started playing the Whole Lotta Love riff even Jack couldn't help but drop his guard.
What this documentary does well is capture the essence of the moments that make people what to be musicians, which isn't an easy thing to do. I quite enjoyed this one.
Rating: 3.5/5
EDEN LOG
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Playing a guitar on the beach with Edge...
Ass-o-meter: Ouch.
Comments:
You wake up. It's pitch black. You have lost your memory. You're in a futuristic underground cave system with a bunch of mutant freaks and scary dudes seemingly chasing you. What is going on?
Exactly, what the fuck is going on?? This is the exact question that myself and about 400 other people were asking ourselves while watching this movie...
This film is dark, dark as shit, everything is filmed with a hand held camera really close to a backlit silhouette of a man (who doesn't have a name), and is some of the most frustrating shit that I've ever seen. As this movie goes on you sit there thinking that whatever is going on, it would want to be some of the most mind blowing stuff that anyone had ever thought of, or you are going to track down the director and punch his face in.
Which leads me to a question, does anyone know where Franck Vestiel lives?
Rating: 1.5/5
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Day Eight - Action September Burrowers.
Okay, so after going to the pub last night I had to bail on the two Che movies that were previously scheduled for the morning... Also The Moss was originally scheduled for today and it was pulled due to Chinese retardedness. However, the Moss screening was replaced with another screening of Thirst that I decided to watch again cause I missed the start the first time. After seeing it again, my opinion from the first time hasn't really changed... Now to the movies:
ACTION BOYS
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Ready to rumble.
Ass-o-meter: Average.
Comments:
I thought it might be fun to take my review of this movie and translate it into Korean and then translate it back into English for effect..... I think it helps:
-------English to Korean to English review-------
Action Boys is a documentary film that follows the lives of some crazy Korean stunt men As they finish stunt school AND go on to and in most cases and work on stunts.
This entire story in this documentary is told by a narrator and which made for a lot of subtitle reading, AND got quite annoying by the end of the movie. Also, there is little hope of keeping up with all of the characters in the movies and because their names are mostly only said by the narrator when there is multiple people on screen at the same time.
There was a few funny bits in this movie, mostly to do with these guys being pretty crazy AND over the top characters. If it comes on the TV it' s worth a look.
---------------------------------------------------
Rating: 2.5/5
THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE
Trailer:
Mood before movie: Like i'd just fallen from a building onto a crash mat.
Ass-o-meter: Gucci.
Comments:
Never before have I seen so many girls and gay men in a cinema at once.... It really was quite amazing...
This film is a behind the scenes documentary about the making of the September issue (the biggest of the year) of Vogue magazine in the US. It closely follows the days of Anna Wintour, the bob haired ice queen, made famous by her fictionalised representation in the movie The Devil Wears Prada, in the months leading up to the release of the issue.
This film makes a few things clear, the fashion magazines have the entire fashion industry by their heavily groomed balls, and that Anna Wintour is a majorly over rated figure in the industry.
Seeing this film on the rack, I wasn't too sure if it was going to hold my interest for 2 hours, but after taking it to the change rooms and trying it on I can say that it did much more than that. The crew that made this documentary were given seemingly free reign behind the scenes (which I can only assume was a PR stunt as a result of the bad press generated from Devil Wears Prada) access to make this documentary, and the results were pretty great. This one is definitely worth a look.
Rating: 3.5/5
BURROWERS, THE
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Tired (11:30pm start for this one)
Ass-o-meter: Like a burrower had numbed it in preparation to eat at a later date.
Comments:
My first question after seeing this film is, why the hell did they even bother setting it as a western?? They could have just as easily have had this as a few guys out on a hunting trip in modern times and saved themselves the trouble of dressing up.
The Burrowers is a Western/Horror movie, which in theory sounds like it might make for an interesting mix. However, when the film doesn't really have anything particularly Western in it, and there really isn't any Horror to speak of, it turns out that it ain't so hot...
The plot of this film is simplicity filmonified, a family gets kidnapped, people think the Indians took them, people head off to Indian reservation to get them back, people don't make it to the reservation because they are being attacked during the night, the dwindling number of people figure out that it's not very scary monsters (that only attack at night) doing it, people run into some indians that know how to kill the monsters.... and that's about it. Boring.
Rating: 1.5/5
ACTION BOYS
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Ready to rumble.
Ass-o-meter: Average.
Comments:
I thought it might be fun to take my review of this movie and translate it into Korean and then translate it back into English for effect..... I think it helps:
-------English to Korean to English review-------
Action Boys is a documentary film that follows the lives of some crazy Korean stunt men As they finish stunt school AND go on to and in most cases and work on stunts.
This entire story in this documentary is told by a narrator and which made for a lot of subtitle reading, AND got quite annoying by the end of the movie. Also, there is little hope of keeping up with all of the characters in the movies and because their names are mostly only said by the narrator when there is multiple people on screen at the same time.
There was a few funny bits in this movie, mostly to do with these guys being pretty crazy AND over the top characters. If it comes on the TV it' s worth a look.
---------------------------------------------------
Rating: 2.5/5
THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE
Trailer:
Mood before movie: Like i'd just fallen from a building onto a crash mat.
Ass-o-meter: Gucci.
Comments:
Never before have I seen so many girls and gay men in a cinema at once.... It really was quite amazing...
This film is a behind the scenes documentary about the making of the September issue (the biggest of the year) of Vogue magazine in the US. It closely follows the days of Anna Wintour, the bob haired ice queen, made famous by her fictionalised representation in the movie The Devil Wears Prada, in the months leading up to the release of the issue.
This film makes a few things clear, the fashion magazines have the entire fashion industry by their heavily groomed balls, and that Anna Wintour is a majorly over rated figure in the industry.
Seeing this film on the rack, I wasn't too sure if it was going to hold my interest for 2 hours, but after taking it to the change rooms and trying it on I can say that it did much more than that. The crew that made this documentary were given seemingly free reign behind the scenes (which I can only assume was a PR stunt as a result of the bad press generated from Devil Wears Prada) access to make this documentary, and the results were pretty great. This one is definitely worth a look.
Rating: 3.5/5
BURROWERS, THE
Trailer:
Mood Before movie: Tired (11:30pm start for this one)
Ass-o-meter: Like a burrower had numbed it in preparation to eat at a later date.
Comments:
My first question after seeing this film is, why the hell did they even bother setting it as a western?? They could have just as easily have had this as a few guys out on a hunting trip in modern times and saved themselves the trouble of dressing up.
The Burrowers is a Western/Horror movie, which in theory sounds like it might make for an interesting mix. However, when the film doesn't really have anything particularly Western in it, and there really isn't any Horror to speak of, it turns out that it ain't so hot...
The plot of this film is simplicity filmonified, a family gets kidnapped, people think the Indians took them, people head off to Indian reservation to get them back, people don't make it to the reservation because they are being attacked during the night, the dwindling number of people figure out that it's not very scary monsters (that only attack at night) doing it, people run into some indians that know how to kill the monsters.... and that's about it. Boring.
Rating: 1.5/5
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