JPF Home Page Forums Creative Arts Forums Acting, Theater, Film and TV Forum Who wants to become our new Siskel and Ebert team here?

Hi Folks,

I was thinking that we should have a movie review team to give us reviews of cool movies and then we can all jump in and discuss. Any volunteers?

Brian

Wow.. I guess that means no one eh? hahaha.

Sounds like fun to me Brian I don't go to the movies as much as I use to just because of lack of funds. However maybe we could do it for movies released to DVD. If we can do that count me in cause I have been often told that I can be highly critical

From the lack of interest, I am guessing that we may not have much of an interested audience. Perhaps we can build interest over time eh?

Brian

sounds good to me Brian. By the way did you get the mail I sent you? That might help encourage traffic.

Geez, I've always wanted to be a movie reviewer!! But with me it's scheduling. I'm either teaching or playing out, so going to the opening of a movie isn't always easy. Plus (my personal preference)... I hate going to opening night, with all the line-ups. I prefer to go a week or so later when things have calmed down.

But I'm up for doing the occasional. I'm sure we all have different tastes, and mine tend to run more to good drama / historical / some fantasy.

Hummin'bird

I've enjoyed movies people hated, and hated ones they loved.
But the "Stardust" movie seemed weak to me. It really fell down a couple times and couldn't get up. One long scene seemed to serve no purpose at all. I kept waiting for it to make sense in the context of what had come before, or make some point that might play out later, and, if it did, I missed it.
Robert DeNiro's character turns into a Saturday Night Live skit; no wait, SNL is back to being funny these days. It was like one of those Mad TV skits that have one joke but go on and on and on. The diversion so detracts from the flow and feel of the movie it canceled out the function it served.
The special effects are fun, the sense of enchanted places and supernatural people, but left me wanting more. Michelle Pfeifer's beauty is horribly disfigured in her character, kudos to her portrayal, but overall "Stardust" didn't charm me.
"Transformers" was too young for me. Good FX but preadolescent story.
"The Simpsons" (or as I call them, The Symptoms) has lots of good jokes. It is somewhat light, not much more than one of their tv episodes. Still fun to see what a few lines and colors have turned into a multi-million dollar enterprise.
Speaking of which, J. K. Rowling's latest "Harry Potter and the..." was a bit of a walk-through, still interesting overall, but not as fresh as the earlier ones, not as well-story-lined. The characters don't seem as connected, too many ins and outs as they try to fit them all in. It takes a masterful eye to consolidate multiple characters from a book into one to make the necessary plot points. No film can compare to your own imagination if you've read the book. I've enjoyed watching these kids grow up and think the genre has so much to be explored. I'd love to see them go on as adults, having other magical adventures of a more horrific nature. There's a lot of subtext for our times in the battle between good and evil Rowling employs so well.
"Live Free Or Die Hard" is one you just go with, and don't question whether it is credible that what is happening is happening.
The latest "Bourne" was full of holes, our hero walking into CIA bigwigs' offices without explaining just how he overcame security to do so, but, again, it's a genre you just have to go with to see these guys kick arse and take names, seemingly invincible. You know, just the way we'd do it if we were in their shoes.

Okay, I am moving this over to the film board where it likely belongs more. (Hopefully you folks will notice it).

Perhaps we can start some film related topics and start reviewing them there. I rarely see new premiere movies either... so maybe we can start with some older movies and some Top 10 lists type things and go from there?

Brian

"Superbad" is adolescently foul-mouthed, even extreme beyond what I've encountered (or said) in public as the boys discuss sexual aspirations oblivious to store clerks and other customers, and go on and on and on. True to reality, one boy is fouler than the others. The film turns into a a partially realistically portrayed teen kid's adventure in nightlife, sex, booze and life lessons, and has merits in story-telling, some laugh-out-loud moments. Its scenes and characters range from the realities of adolescent life to the absurdities of Hollywood fantasy. $5.00 Saturday matinee; $5.50 for child-size popcorn, bottled water. (I carried my empty paper bag and plastic home for recyling, my little extra effort for planet Earth's preservation).
"Superbad" is film making's first $4 billion dollar weekend? Did I read that right? Maybe $4 million?

Ok Brian, let's get it going: my top ten list - (it's very eclectic)

Life is Beautiful -(subtitled, hate those overdubs)Every time I see this movie, even though the ending is bittersweet, I always feel like I've put the important things in life back into perspective, and feel very uplifted.

The Princess Bride - my favorite quote of all time is from this film (believe it or not)...."life is pain....anyone who tells you different is selling something"... isn't that great!!!! Anyone ever read the book?

The Lord of The Rings Trilogy - ok, ok, I'm a fantasy nerd - but Peter Jackson really did the books justice and pushed film making forward in the process.

Star Wars - the first 3

The Graduate - if only for the score

The Triplets of Belleville - this is a new favorite for me, but I think it's going to last on my list. Love it!!! And again, the music is great.

The Rose - I'm a rock chick, go figure...lol

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - one of the most under rated of Johnny Depp's performances. He and Benecio del Toro are amazing.

Willy Wonka - Gene Wilder version, could watch it over and over

PI - this film, to me, is what the word 'edgy' really means in an art piece. Done on a low budget, in black and white, non linear story line, from the point of view of a schizophrenic - disturbed me more than any slasher I've ever seen! Plus, last summer, I got to work with Mark Margolis who plays the old chess playing man/mentor in the film

Well - that's 10...I could go on and on, but we can start there.. alright folks - what about you

HiDee Brian!

I'll somewhat Volunteer...Tampa Trib often gives away free Premiere Tickets..& my wife's pretty good at Snaggin''Em! Got 2 to go to next week.."Good Luck Chuck" and "In The Valley of Elah"..(Plus we'll prolly go to our Usual Sat-Nite-Evening-Out Movie, No Idea what it'll be.)

I'm as Easily-Entertained as I am Easily-Bored..but I'll try to give a Fair Critique/Save ya some Loot on the "Turkeys" as they fly by. Maybe use the "Bo Derek Scale"...with "10" bein' a Cinematic Knockout? (Certainly Open to Suggestions on the Rating System..but just Thumbs UP or DOWN doesn't leave room for Many Nuances, IMO.) I'll also try to catch the MUSIC Quality, since that's what many of us Writers/Artists here wanna hear about, too.

Hopin' to catch Jody Foster's new flick this Sat Nite...I'll be Baaack~

Best Wishes,
Stan

PS..La Femme just got a Pair for "THE KINGDOM" Premiere...Monday the 24th. (Gonna be a GREAT Week for da Movies next week!)

Back Already...with 10+ Faves:

1) Apocalypto: Mel Gibson EARNED his Oscar for this Flick! It's Primitive..It's Special; one of those Really UNEXPECTED Great Flicks of All Time.

2) Schindler's List: Steven Speilberg rarely does Less-Than-A-Masterpiece..& on THIS Flick, He Outdid Himself.

3) Psycho: I'm a BIG Hitchcock Fan..this Classic's STILL kinda the Gold Standard for a Spooky Horror Flick, IMO. ("The Birds" was yet-Another of his Great Ones.)

4) War of The Worlds: Orson Welles' April Fool's Day Radio Script translated pretty well to The Bigscreen. I like the Original B&W Version the best..recent Big Special Effects-Laden Colorful New-Release was O.K...("Invasion")..but Nichole Kidman's done lots of Better Flicks. (OOPS...forgot NK's was a re-do of "Invasion of The Body Snatchers"..but anyways, I'm fond of ALL Sci Fi Flicks/Wife Isn't, alas.)

5) Tootsie: Tied with "Rainman" for my Fave Dustin Hoffman Movie.

6) Edward Scissorhands: Johnny Depp at his Eccentric Best.

7) Flyboys: Best recent WW1 "Reenactment" Film I've ever seen. Special Effects (Ancient Bombers flyin' away, detailled Dogfights) were Incredible!

8) Uncle Buck: John Candy & That Smoke-belchin' Hulkmobile stole the show! (Also liked Caddyshack, Animal House, Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters & The Blues Bros...All in that Ol' SNL Vein!)

9) Finding Nemo: Great For-Kids (& The Adults who gotta Take 'Em There) Animated Flick. Fine Animation, Plotline, Voice-Casting.
(CARS would be a "Ditto")

10) Gone With The Wind: (Along with Ben-Hur, The Gladiator, and Tora-Tora-Tora) Good History, Great Costumes, & Enough Drama so frankly I DID Give A Damn.

I better get outta here..."Ghandi" and "The English Patient" are filtering in...know I'll think of Dozens More as soon as I hit the POST button!

Best Wishes,
Stan

Well, Wowie...talkin' about Gettin' The Last Word In...

Waal..Review of Jody Foster's "The Brave One" is up. We see "The Kingdom" Premier Monday Nite...stay Tuned.

Big Hugs,
Stan

So did you want Top 10 movies or 10 favorite movies? Because my lists would be different based on that? There are flawed movies I love and there are nearly perfect movies I respect. But the lists are different.

Brian

HiDee Brian!

Top 10 FAVES I'd recommend...tho it's actually Hard to JUST name 10..as I already found out~!

My Wife's scored Tix to "Good Luck Chuck" (Wed.), "Eastern Promises" (Thurs.) & "The Kingdom" (Next Monday) Premieres in Tampa..so I'll see How-They-Fare for yas.

I haven't done Movie Reviews since "A Dog of Flanders" back in HS Ages-Ago...but it's getting to be Great Fun..so far.

(Fabulous Excuse to Pig-Out on Popcorn & Butterfingers..heh-heh!)

Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

My 13 Favorites which are flawed but movies I can (and do) watch over and over:

After Hours
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
A.I.
Joe Versus The Volcano
Jaws
Groundhog Day
Funny Farm
The Shining
Terms Of Endearment
The Princess Bride
Bourne Ultimatum (Newest to the list though I've only seen it 1 time)

Made For TV Movies/Miniseries:

Lonesome Dove
Band Of Brothers

Now if we're talking the greatest movies ever made from a technical point of view.. that's a different list. Many of the films above were attacked by critics big time. I chose Band of Brothers over Saving Private Ryan because I think it's even more engrossing due to it's length you really get to know some of the characters even more.

Brian

Hmmm...I've only seen about Half what you listed..will try to catch up on the rest!

Think I liked ET better'n AI from Speilberg. "The Shining" was One Spooky WELL-acted JN Movie..(that Actor has Psychos Down-to-a-T!)

Bein' a former Scuba Nut, I've never forgiven Speilberg's portrayal of Sharks as Sinister Killers in that Make-A-Buck Thriller. Lotta dead sharks thanks to that Flick.

Groundhog Day...what a Great Quirky Little Flick!

Bourne..(seen all 3)..takes "Cliff Hangers" to New Heights..(Still prefer the Early James Bond "Action Adventures" with Sean Connery to Bourne-Flicks..wee-bit More Elegant & Gimmicky..& More Humerous, too.) (Tho ALL have great Chase Scenes & Car Crashes-Galore..YAYYY!)

Look forwards to catchin' up on The Other 6 someday!

Thanks for Sharin', Amigo!
Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

These are some of my favorite films. As you will note, most of these are old flicks. I rarely go out to watch films even with my work with FilmNashville. I have most of these films in my collection and tend to watch them over and over.

Elizabeth (the story of Queen Elizabeth #1)I love anything historic
Rob Roy
Anything with Sean Connery...including all his 007 flicks but my favorite is Finding Forrester
First Knight
Pretty Woman
Officer and a Gentleman
Pelican Brief
The English Patient
Three Weddings and a Funeral
On Golden Pond
Lonesome Dove series
When Harry Met Sally
Message In A Bottle
The Matrix (#1) I am not a big sci-fi fan so this is about the only one I own.
I am clearly missing some and I know this is more than 10...but hey...what does it really matter?? LOL

Hugs,
Bobbie

Okay.. I have a new movie to add to my favorites. I just watched it tonight.. it's an old one from 1966 called The Sand Pebbles. It stars Steve McQueen, but the actor I am more impressed with is Richard Crenna who is amazing in this. I'd never even heard of the movie before but checked it out in the free on demand movies on my cable box. It's 3 full hours.. but WOW..

Brian

Okay, I'd also like to add some of my favorite films:

Field of Dreams
Amadeus
What Dreams May Come
The Rose
Lady Sings the Blues
Stella
Gypsy
The Horse Whisperer
Arthur (one)
When Harry Met Sally
Mr. Saturday Night
Ladyhawk

Amadeus and When Harry Met Sally would both be in my top 20. = )

Ok I'll throw in my top ten before it's influenced by others then I'll go back and read.

1. The Presidio Mark Harmon Sean Connery

2. The Fugitive Harrison Ford Tommy Lee Jones

3. Midnight Run Charles Grodin Robert Dinero

4. Cliff Hanger Stallone and John Lithgow (lithgow is an awesome villain! "Sacrafice"

5. Raising Arizona Nick Cage Holly Hunter

6. Stake out Emilio Estevez Richard Dreyfuss

7. Time Bandits (not sure of many of the actors though sean connery was in it)

8. The History of the World Mel Brooks (too many great actors actresses to mention any two.

9. Full Metal Jacket Mathew Modine Adam Baldwin.

10. Liscense to Kill Timothy Dalton (I still think he played an awesome Bond(Sean connery was still the best)

ok decided to add a few more

11. Benny and Joon Johny Depp Mary Stuart Masterson

12. This Boys Life Leonardo Decaprio Robert Dinero(Before Decaprio became a legend in his own mind)

13. Drugstore Cowboy Matt Dillon Kelly Lynch

14. Pulp fiction (too many stars to mention) Though I think Samuel Jackson gave his best performance ever

15. A river runs through it Tom Skerrit Brad Pitt

Probably I'll add some more later

HiDee Folks!

I forgot to add "Blade Runner" to my Top 12..think it was. The "Vision of The Future" was SO interesting..& the Questions it Posed (What is the Worth of a Human Life..especially IF it's been Bio-Engineered to "Burn Fast/Burn Bright"..[for a Profit]) were Quite Important to Answer In-Advance...JMO.

I've tried, with Brian's Blessing, to provide some Reviews..most In-Advance, depending on My Wife's Ability to get Free Preview Tickets when the Tampa Tribune announces 'em. She's gotta spend an hour in-line to get 'em, then we spend another hour (or two..depending on WHERE we gotta DRIVE to see the Preview) to view the flick.

I'd appreciate some Feedback...WHAT should I do to IMPROVE the Quality of The Reviews...(I'm so far eliminating references to Directors/Producers/even Music Editors [Since I've YET to be knocked out by any of The Scores played..so far]). I try NOT to give away the Plot..totally/disguistingly...since that's Not My Job.. BUT sometimes there's a Plotline "Miscue":..like the End of "3:10 to Yuma" that I think ya OUGHTA Know-About in-Advance (Since it kinda Torpedoed the Whole Movie for me)..& this IS "Give-Me-A-Clue" time here.

Tell ME what you'd LIKE to see for Improvement here....& tell Your Friends that This EXISTS..because..eventually...I can get "Credential-ized" properly-enough we won't HAVE to waste about 2 hours gettin' INTO these Premiers...AND I can get to MORE of them.

Thanks Kindly,
Big Hugs,
Stan

Oh! Oh! Oh! I would love to!!!!
I don't get out to brand-new movies all that often either, but I can pick 'em apart.

It's fun to see your movie lists--you can tell a little about what people like from lists like these.

I'm glad SOMEONE mentioned Benny & Joon!! (All right, Derek, I knew you had taste) One of my favorites of all time, and marvelous performance by J. Depp.

If we can review DVD releases I may have some things to say.
Thanks, Brian!

I'm a Lord of the Rings junkie and a little bit of a Pirates of the Carribean junkie, but #3 shot itself in the foot. It bugged me enough I blogged about it on my Soundclick page. I spoiled the plot some, though. (Normally, in writing a review, I won't do that.) I also have a bizarre claim to fame... I actually think I UNDERSTAND the last 2 Matrix movies.

I like a lot of movies, but there are very few I'll watch over and over. If Johnny Depp is in it I will--because he's a remarkable actor, not for his looks. (With the exception of the new Willy Wonka, because I felt like he was piecing that character together from past characters rather than making his own... that, and my kids watched it so much that it got old fast.) I also love to watch Meryl Streep and a number of others.

What I love most now is to find a movie that I don't pick apart while I'm watching it... guess the ending... and rewrite five times before it's over. Not many of those.

Stranger Than Fiction and Night at the Museum are the two best movies I've seen recently.

OK, I love love LOVE movies, but can't spend all day here.
I'll be back.
bwahahahahhahaha

Linda

Hey Linda!

Kindred Spirtis we are. Johny Dep has been a favorite actor of mine ever since Edward Scissors Hands And Cry-Baby (remember ricki lake was in that one classic line "we use are Bossoms as weapons"lol) I also really liked one that is not considered one of his critically acclaimed ones called in the nick of time. He is truly a brilliant actor!
Sincere Blessings
Derek

Hey Linda!

Kindred Spirtis we are. Johny Depp has been a favorite actor of mine ever since Edward Scissors Hands And Cry-Baby (remember ricki lake was in that one classic line "we use are Bossoms as weapons"lol) I also really liked one that is not considered one of his critically acclaimed ones called in the nick of time. He is truly a brilliant actor!
Sincere Blessings
Derek

Yeah...Benny and Joon...One of my most favorite movies of all time. Just love Johnny Depp to pieces....having worked for Disney for many years, during the time that the Pirates movies were being premiered, my husband got to meet and talk to him for awhile(I just missed him, I went nuts when he told me)Anyhow, he said he was such a quiet, gentle, unassuming man. He liked him very much. And this is interesting...he was originally from Florida and also at Disney I actually met the girl that he had gone to the prom with when he was in H.S. She said, she always knew he'd do something in show business and be great.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out there for you. I'll always remember the day that I just missed my Johnny!!!!!!!!

Jan