The Grudge

For some reason there is some student sitting across from me making the weirdest noise I have ever heard. It is one of those noises that you could ignore if it wasn’t so bizarre and annoying. I think it is because he is chewing gum and he makes some weird noise when he swallows. You try to take your mind of it but as try to concentrate on it less and less the noise just seems to keep getting louder and louder. I can’t help but compare this deformed gargle sound to the ridiculous sounds heard by the weird kid in the Grudge. If you have ever seen this movie then you know what I am talking about, the kind of glargle glargle pop crunch glargle pop glargle sound that the kid makes when he climbs down the stairs in that terrible movie. Maybe this student is a fan of his, who knows? All I know is that I will never have an explanation for why this student is making such strange noises; maybe he was inspired by this film, just like the Grudge was inspired by the original Ju-on. The original Japanese version of this film was decent enough but North Americans seem to have a knack for ruining import horror movies. It seems that they are too lazy to read the subtitles so they make there own piece of crap version that just seems like… well crap. The student has even put in ear plugs now, maybe so he doesn’t have to hear his own Grudge like sounds.

Carnivale

Ok I know this is not a movie but it is an HBO series, and HBO series are leagues above anything else on television. What makes this show so amazing is how mysterious and weird the whole traveling carnival thing is. From bringing dead cats back to life and then the poor boys mother drowning them again in the bath tub. When I first heard of this show about a traveling carnival I though it sounded terrible, but once I seen it on sale at future shop for $30, I just couldn’t say no, I have a real spending problem did I mention that. There is so much more to this show than just the travelling carnival. What is so compelling about the show is how dark it is as a whole and the many different dark and twisted themes. I don’t know of anyone else who has watched this show but I encourage anyone to take a look at it, you will not be disappointed. I am only half done the first season and I cannot stop thinking about it, just watch the first episode and you will know what I am talking about.

Paprika

After watching this movie I felt that I never wanted to see it again, but after careful thought I have learned to appreciate it. The key to enjoying this movie depends on the state you are in when you watch it, and by state I don’t mean stoned or drunk. When watching this movie you have to be in a patient and somewhat sleepy or zoned out state. You have to really pay attention in this movie to figure out what is happening, but if you are patient enough then the movie is definitely worthwhile. My advice is to watch this film after having a nice spot of tea to help you relax. Then when you feel that you are sedated enough, pop it in the player. My problem when watching this the first time is that I was too awake and had too much energy. I was twitching in my chair and the movie felt extremely long. The key to watching any film about dreams is that you have to be in a half dreaming state in order to truly appreciate it.

Pulp Fiction

Goes hand in hand with Apocalypse Now as the two greatest films ever made. There are not enough good things I can say about this movie, the characters are the greatest ever, the separate stories are incredibly compelling and are good enough to stand by themselves but instead of one you get 4, by Grabthars Hammer what a savings. It is great how all the stories connect and at what point they occur in the timeline. There are many movies that try to pull this off such as Crash, but none of them do it as well as this one I know there are many people out there, including my mother, that say, “its just violence” and that this movie is terribly violent. The fact is that this movie is not that violent, sure there are a few violent scenes but it is nothing compared to other movies like Rambo. It is just perfect, the dialogue, the violence, and the parts that are absolutely ridiculous including Z.

Vertigo

F***ing Hitchcock is how my one classmate described this movie. Vertigo is definitely a very interesting movie. Even though the plot is completely ridiculous it still wraps you in and you are wondering what happens next. I can’t even begin to describe the plot, a man hires an ex detective with vertigo to follow his fake wife who he claims is possessed by a dead relative that killed herself at 26 years of age. As you can see the plot is totally absurd but, that could be why the movie is so compelling. You can definitely see that Hitchcock is at work here crafting great suspense and some classic twists that I didn’t see coming. This is one of those movies that does not fit into any genera, it is part romance and part thriller. The only problem I had with this film was the corny music that played whenever they kissed, and James Stuart is one terrible kisser, I mean did you see how he just kind of sucked on her cheek.

The Graduate

Wow was Dustin Hoffman young in this movie. This movie was very good and once again I don’t understand why it took me so long to finally see it. This was a great film by Mike Nichols but it was not my favorite one. I enjoyed Closer and Angels in America more than the Graduate but it is still a great movie. It was an odd movie because it had the whole Hollywood love story thing at the end but then as they are sitting there on the bus they realize that they may have made a mistake. It is this point that made the movie unique and great, my only real problem was the overuse of Simon and Garfunkel, sure they had some decent songs in there but they did not have to play them 5000 times. Besides the repetitive use of some of the songs I have no real complaints about this movie. It is definitely worth watching, and the soundtrack is memorable besides the few songs.

The Bourne Ultimatum

When comparing this film to others in the genera it blows most others out of the water, excluding John Mclean though, Bruce Willis is still the ultimate. But it would be interesting to see who would win in a death match between Jason Bourne and John Mclean. You have the crazy fighting skills of Bourne but then on the other hand you have the extreme resourcefulness and downright craziness of Mclean, it would be the battle to end them all. But when looking at other action films such as some of the James Bonds or the Rambo movies, the Bourne movies seem to be leagues ahead in both their finesse and choreographed action. This movie was very technical impressive, the editing was insane and the sound was great. It won 3 Oscars for sound, and editing and they were all well deserved. This is a very well made and put together movie, maybe not the most thought provoking but it is definitely entertaining and that is the point of an action movie, to entertain.

Apocalypse Now

Simply put, this film is one, if not the best film ever made. I believe that this movie was the peak of Copola’s career, even greater than the Godfather. Sure the Godfather was great but it did not have as much substance as this film. This film has so much to it that you can watch it over and over again. It is just so weird and so crazy that it is impossible not to appreciate its greatness. Anyone who says it is terrible just has not opened there eyes wide enough to see an amazing film starring them in the face. I prefer the theatrical version to the Redux version simply for the one scene at the French house. There are other great scenes added into the Redux version but that one scene is the only problem. If the Redux did not contain that one scene then it would be superior to the original. Overall between this film and Pulp Fiction these are the two greatest films ever made. Apocalypse now achieves a perfection that no other movies achieve.

Hearts of Darkness

After watching this you figure out how Apocalypse Now turned into such a crazy and amazing movie. You really get to see how insane everyone became during the making of the movie. Some had breakdowns and heart attacks, others got into speed and many other things. According to Copola he was making a terrible movie that would never turn out, but he kept making it. During the filing they filmed something like 240 hours and that was condensed into 2 hours and 30 min. You wonder how it is possible to cut out that much and still make an amazing film. The conditions they filmed in were almost very similar to Nam, and it drove them all crazy just like Nam. One thing that puzzled me was that when they were filming the dinner scene with the French Copola stopped it and said that they should all forget they ever filmed that because he disliked it so much. But for some reason this footage was included in the redux version which made no sense to me because it was not a good scene and I can see why Copola disliked it.

The Shining

Surprisingly I had never seen this movie until we watched it in class. My one friend was always riding my ass and harassing me about not seeing it. Well his harassing was definitely worth it, this was an awesome movie. Stanly Kubrick is one of the greatest filmmakers alive; he has conquered almost every film genera. He has one of the best science fiction movies out there as well as some of the best, war, comedy, drama, and horror movies. This movie was almost perfect with its execution, pacing, and acting. The atmosphere that the hotel created was awesome and perfect. A large empty and scary place filled with rotting women, elevators filed with blood, and an axe. What I have heard about the ending in the book I prefer the ending in the movie. It seems much more fitting that the hotel is left standing to torment many more people. Definitely one of the greatest horror movies of all time and one of Jack Nicolson’s most memorable roles.

Singing in the Rain

I had seen most of this movie before but only in bits and pieces, and now that I have watched the entire film in on sitting I have to say that I was not too impressed. I would have to say that I am somewhat biased when it comes to watching musicals, I have never been a huge fan but there are a few that I like. The problem with this film was that it felt like it was on a set the whole time, it seemed like they just recorder a Broadway musical and put it straight to film. I would have appreciated it much more if I had seen this on a live stage, like Broadway for example. The dancing numbers were good and they were well choreographed but I felt that they belonged on a live stage. My other main beef with this movie was the comedy which was completely lost on me. I understand that this film was made in the 50’s, but damn the comedy was terrible even for those days. There are aspects of the film that I can appreciate but in the end I do not feel that it deserves to be named one of the best films ever made.

Metropolis

One of the weirdest kookiest movies I have ever seen, and that is why it is so great. Definitely a movie milestone in film history due to its: large budget, great sets, special effects, and great story telling. Even though this is a silent film you always know what the characters are thinking and what there motivations are. The sets and special effects in this film look pretty amazing for 1927. Just one look at the cityscape and you instantly realize how much work it would have taken to make it. From the flying planes to the cars driving on the street it was obvious that a lot of work went into this film. This was the first silent film I have ever watched and I have to say that they are not as unbearable as most people tell me, I’m sure some are terrible but this one was pretty good. I recommend it for hardcore movie watchers who will not condemn it for being a silent film.

Chinatown

This is one of the few movies I have seen where evil conquers at the end of the film, another one being No Country for Old Men. This was the first film noir movie I hade ever seen. Even though this film is much more recent then many of the classic film noir’s it still has the look and feel of a great noir film. What is different in this film is that the audience only sees what Jake sees, it is not one of those movies where the audience sees the bad guy hiding around the corner before the protagonist sees him. This works so well in moving the plot because the audience discovers plot twist at the same time as Jake does. This gives a different feel to the film; it really feels that the movie is centralized around the character rather than the plot. The end is definitely something different, instead of a happy ending where everything works out absolutely nothing works out. The antagonist finishes in the lead, but in this film it is difficult to label who the antagonist really is until right near the end of the movie. Great movie that is definitely deserving of the title classic.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Original is defined as, “Arising or proceeding independently of anything else.” After watching this movie again after a few years I have realized that it has got to be one of the most original movies I have seen. It is unlike any other movie, from the disjointed plot to the unique idea. This movie kept me so interested the entire time, it was simply amazing. It is nice to see well know actors in this movie and being in roles that do not fit with their usual type, mainly Jim Carrey. All of the others were great; my favorites were Kate Winslet, who is always amazing, and Kirsten Dunst who seemed great in a different role for her. All of the characters in this film were great even all of the supporting ones. It seemed that the writer really took time to develop each and every character no matter how small their roles were. Eternal Sunshine is a great movie that everyone should see.

Awake

This movie stars the amazing Jessica Alba, she’s not the most amazing actor but I think you get my meaning. It also stars Hayden Christensen and Terence Howard who are alright but they don’t add up to the greatness that is Jessica Alba. The movie has some great twists and they are all done fairly well. It has a good idea but they could have made the movie much more stylistic. The camera work is very simple and it could have used some finesse. Flashy camera work could have added a lot to this film. It’s hard not to get into the movie when you get wrapped in with twists and turns the plot takes. It is not a great movie but it is worth watching. I liked the idea of him waking up during surgery, I have discussed this in my nursing classes and it is very real and it seems to be portrayed accurately in this film.

The Invasion

Hmm it really seems that our box office today is just filled with remake after remake. The Invasion is the third remake of the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), which was first remade in 1978 and then again in 1993 and now again in 2007. The one in 1978 with Donald Sutherland, Lenard Nimoy, and Jeff Goldblum was a great remake and became a classic. The one in 1993 simply named Body Snatchers was far from being classic and that is all we will say about that. The Invasion for the most part was a decent film; it had a lot of cool camera work and some generally weird moments. Where this movie fell short was in the plot, it seemed rushed and major plot points seemed to just happen. No time was taken to flush out the story and the characters. Unfortunately they removed the crazy screams from the 1978 version but I can probably look past that. Over all this film was a pretty decent remake and the cool camera work made it worthwhile to see. I recommend it to those people that have nothing to do, but don’t go out of your way to see it.

Casablanca

So what can I say about this film that has not already been said. Well I could talk about the amazing Humphrey Bogart and his lack of emotion. Bogart may be the person with the least emotion I have ever seen. His character is suppose to be this way in the movie but when the time comes for him to show emotion it seems very unnatural. His acting was good except for these few parts, it’s as if the man was born without a personality. Monotone would be a great word to describe Bogart in this film, don’t get me wrong I thought he was great but his acting could have used a bit more colour. All in all this movie was amazing, it definitely lived up to its reputation as one of the greatest movies ever made. This film seemed greatly ahead of its time in almost every aspect and it seems to have aged very well, like a bottle of fine scotch.