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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 8, 2008 12:21:00 GMT -5
The Fugitive (1993, Andrew Davis)
Haven't seen this since I was about 16, but damn if I don't appreciate it more now. This was just one of the most brilliantly crafted screenplays I've ever seen. Harrison Ford does a fantastic job, and that script never lets his character out of the fire. Tommy Lee Jones was great as Marshall Sam Gerard - I don't think he deserved the Oscar over Ralph Fiennes, but his performance was an entertaining one. 9/10
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 8, 2008 15:38:41 GMT -5
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993, Eric Radomski; Bruce W. Timm)
Batman: The Animated Series is the first TV show I can remember getting into. I mean, watching religiously. I remember being pissed off when Fox just HAD to show the World Series instead of that first episode Robin was supposed to be in. But strangely enough, I had never seen this movie until today. And I gotta say that it's just as great as I remembered the show to be. In fact, there was almost a tragic poetry to it, reminiscent of Catwoman's story in Batman Returns. Say what you will about Mark Hamill, and how Star Wars allegedly ruined his career, but he made an excellent Joker.
It should be no secret by now that my recent interest in Batman would have something to do with the upcoming film. I've been trying to catch up on some of the films that I either haven't yet seen (which by now, this would be all of them), or haven't seen in a long time. So far, here's how they rank:
Batman Begins (2005) (10/10)
Batman (1989) (9/10)
Batman Returns (1992) (8/10)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) (8/10)
Batman (1966) (8/10)
Batman Forever (1995) (7/10, a guilty pleasure to say the least)
Batman and Robin (1997) (1/10, also a guilty pleasure, but in a sort of... Plan 9 from Outer Space way)
But back on topic, 8/10 for this one. Heh.
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jul 9, 2008 8:25:40 GMT -5
The Fugitive (1993, Andrew Davis) This was just one of the most brilliantly crafted screenplays I've ever seen. Harrison Ford does a fantastic job, and that script never lets his character out of the fire. Tommy Lee Jones was great as Marshall Sam Gerard... 9/10 I agree completely and I think that it was Harrison Ford's last truly great film. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993, Eric Radomski; Bruce W. Timm) Batman: The Animated Series is the first TV show I can remember getting into. I mean, watching religiously. I remember being pissed off when Fox just HAD to show the World Series instead of that first episode Robin was supposed to be in. But strangely enough, I had never seen this movie until today. And I gotta say that it's just as great as I remembered the show to be. In fact, there was almost a tragic poetry to it, reminiscent of Catwoman's story in Batman Returns. 8/10 for this one. Heh. Ironically, I've had BATMAN; MASK OF THE PHANTASM on the list of movies I might watch twice already during the Genre of the Month, for "Animated Films" and then again for "Movies Based on Comic Books", but both times I ran out of time before I could get to it. I was/am a big fan of the animated series and saw this film back when it was in theaters and I agree that it's a really good Batman movie, better than some of the live-action ones. Maybe I'll be able to squeeze it in this month. FAME (1980) An iconic 80's movie that I'd never seen until last night. Of course I was familiar with the title song which was played everywhere that year, but had never bothered with the film. Follows a group of students at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts, where they get training as actors, singers and musicians. Overall, I found it pretty corny and melodramatic. It's supposed to be a serious drama, but at least twice, characters just break out into song and dance numbers, in the cafeteria and then later in the streets, as if they're in a musical. Both numbers are well done, but it pretty much took me completely out of the movie. Some of the film's cast went on to star in the TV series version. 5.5/10 |
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Post by slayrrr666 on Jul 11, 2008 10:06:04 GMT -5
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut-1999
I've been waiting for most of the year for this one to count, as it's one of my favorite comedies ever. Totally gut-busting the whole way through, with a plain insane amount of laughs that are brought on from the cursing to the situation to the extremity of what's happening to the simple throwaway line here and there. The songs weren't terrible either and actually just as funny (especially "Kyle's Mom" and "Uncle Fucka") while the others are just fun. I don't really care for the Satan scenes, I just don't find him funny although Saddam makes me crack a rib. And we finally see Kenny. All around a great time.
10/10
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Post by Pulpmariachi on Jul 11, 2008 19:29:52 GMT -5
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut-1999 I've been waiting for most of the year for this one to count, as it's one of my favorite comedies ever. Totally gut-busting the whole way through, with a plain insane amount of laughs that are brought on from the cursing to the situation to the extremity of what's happening to the simple throwaway line here and there. The songs weren't terrible either and actually just as funny (especially "Kyle's Mom" and "Uncle Fucka") while the others are just fun. I don't really care for the Satan scenes, I just don't find him funny although Saddam makes me crack a rib. And we finally see Kenny. All around a great time. 10/10 I always loved "Brian Boitano." What would Brian Boitano do if he were here right now? I'm sure he'd kick an ass or two that's what Brian Boitano'd to. |
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 12, 2008 4:37:07 GMT -5
City of Men (2007, Paulo Morelli)
Having never seen any of the TV show (although now I'm interested), I can only assume this to be a sequel to City of God by way of the TV show. Or maybe the TV show was a spinoff of City of God, and this was like a final episode. Either way, City of Men utilizes the same filming techniques as City of God. And while City of God painted a more sobering picture of Brazilian guerilla warfare, City of Men has a more narrow perspective, focusing on two young men whose lives are affected by it. Fernando Meirelles wasn't directing, but to be honest, I really couldn't tell much of a difference. Morelli's style is pretty much the same, and City of Men, while much lighter on the violence (although it's still pretty violent), maintains the momentum brought on by City of God, and sure as Hell plays like a sequel. Or a spin-off. Or whatever you wanna call it. 9/10
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jul 12, 2008 8:00:15 GMT -5
DRAGNET (1987)
Affectionate send-up of the 50's and 60's tv series. Dan Aykroyd plays Sgt. Joe Friday, the nephew of the character by the same name in the original series, and Tom Hanks plays Pep Streebeck his new partner. Your usual buddy cop film clichés with Friday being the completely straightlaced and by-the-book cop and Streebeck as the more funloving and easygoing partner.
The plot finds the detectives on the case of a mysterious organization called P.A.G.A.N., but I found this movie to be more about the interaction between the two leads who have pretty good chemistry. Harry Morgan also reprises his role from the series, but now he's the Captain.
Aykroyd plays Friday as a total tribute to Jack Webb, the original Joe Friday, complete with the rapid-fire dialogue that was Webb's trademark, and of course, the occasional "Just the facts, ma'am.".
Fun, but unspectacular.
6.5/10
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jul 12, 2008 8:07:37 GMT -5
An update. The scores for this month so far.
July: MOVIES BASED ON A TV SERIES and MOVIES THAT INSPIRED A TV SERIES
Heineken Skywalker = 9
ZapRowsdower = 4
Slayrrr666 = 2
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Post by slayrrr666 on Jul 13, 2008 10:15:58 GMT -5
Scooby-Doo-2002
The show is one of my guilty pleasures, I really enjoy it and the movie is no exception. So glad there's no new backstory to this, and instead it's just like one big live-action version of the cartoon. The gags, while a little raunchier, are perfectly suited to the film and are in spirit with what's been in the show, there's a decent mystery to it that is done in perfect style in a great location, as the island setting allows for some fun to be had. Just a live-action version of the story. I quite enjoyed it.
9/10
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed-2004
Almost as good as the first film, namely for the fact that it actually uses creatures from the first and second series rather than just being a homage to the first one. The action is a little bigger than before, the gags are just as funny and the mystery to get it going is pretty decent. The main thing with this is that there's the really lame subplot about the dating. Takes time away from the film at the point when it's supposed to be going forward with the mystery. It's funny but misplaced, really should've gone more towards the beginning before it all starts unraveling rather than being in the middle after it's all started. Otherwise, it's pretty good.
8.5/10
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 13, 2008 17:18:05 GMT -5
This is probably a stupid question, but if I were to watch one of the Incredible Hulk movies, would they count? They DO reference the TV series in one way or another. Or do you just count them as based on the comic book?
MASH (1970, Robert Altman)
I admit I was never very interested in the TV show. I don't know how into it I'd be now, but I was only really exposed to it as a kid, and I just... never got it. The movie was excellent, though. And the show was very popular, so if I see it on TV again, I'll give it a shot. Robert Altman was a great film director, and the realism of this movie worked to its advantage. While it was a little hard to follow, there are some priceless one-liners thrown in, and some wonderful gags. And the characters were very entertaining. 9/10
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Jul 14, 2008 9:27:26 GMT -5
This is probably a stupid question, but if I were to watch one of the Incredible Hulk movies, would they count? They DO reference the TV series in one way or another. Or do you just count them as based on the comic book? Not a stupid question, but I'm going to have to say "no". Like you said, the 2 movies do reference the show, especially the new movie, but neither is really based on the tv series, they could've both been made without there ever having been a show because ultimately they're both based on the comic books. If I said "yes", than I'd have to allow people to watch the BATMAN movies as part of the genre because there was a BATMAN tv series in the 60's. Or SUPERMAN movies because there was a series in the 50's. The only exception would probably be the 60's BATMAN movie that starred Adam West and the rest of the cast of the tv series, but I think you watched that one last month. TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE (1983) The classic Rod Serling anthology series is brought to the big screen with mixed results. Four "name" directors bring four different stories, one original and three remakes, to the movie. The opening prologue: Directed by John Landis ( ANIMAL HOUSE, AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON), is actually a pretty fun opening to the movie with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks as a couple of guys driving across the desert and quizzing each other on old tv shows. It definitely sets the stage for a much better film than what was actually delivered. 7/10 Segment 1: The only original story is also directed by Landis and is about a bigot who suddenly has the tables turned on him when he finds himself in situations where he is the target of racism, ie: a Jewish man pursued by Nazis, an African-American about to be lynched by the KKK, etc. This one's decent, but made headlines back then because of the accidental on-set death of Vic Morrow (who plays the racist) and two children, who were killed by a helicopter that crashed into them. 7/10 Segment 2: A remake of the episode 'Kick the Can' about senior citizens at an old folks home who are suddenly kids again, is directed by Steven Spielberg, but is too sugar sweet to be an effective example of the best that TZ had to offer. 4.5/10 Segment 3: A remake of 'It's a Good Life' is directed by Joe Dante ( GREMLINS, THE HOWLING), and tells the story of a little boy who can literally bring to life anything he can imagine. So-so. 5.5/10 Segment 4: By far, the best segment is directed by George Miller ( MAD MAX Trilogy) and is a remake of 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet'. The story of a nervous airplane passenger who thinks he sees a creature on the wing of the plane, but can't convince anyone else aboard. John Lithgow is the passenger and does a great job of playing paranoia. 8/10 The original episode starred William Shatner and is one of the all-time classics of the series and that's one of the problems with the movie as a whole. Instead of remaking episodes, they should've created four all-new segments. That's why the original stuff in the film works, you don't know what the twist is going to be. With the remakes, they stick pretty close to the originals so where's the surprise? I guess it's more effective if you never watched the show, but with a show as popular as that was, when turning it into a movie, shouldn't they expect that a huge chunk of the audience has watched the original? The Spielberg segment feels totally out of place. I didn't mind the occasional sweet or nice story on the series because there were a ton of episodes over many, many years, but in a two hour film, he should've really cut loose with a slightly edgier horror or sci-fi story. Overall, with the talent involved in the writers, cast, and especially the directors, I guess I just expected a great genre movie and what we got was mostly a missed opportunity. 6/10 |
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 15, 2008 3:18:17 GMT -5
Shaft (1971, Gordon Parks)
Unless you count Jackie Brown, this is my introduction to Blaxploitation cinema. And I'm intrigued. Isaac Hayes' theme serves as a Hell of a hook, and Richard Roundtree is bad-ass. From the looks of things the 1973 TV series was short-lived, which is somewhat surprising to me, because from what I've seen here, you'd think a Shaft TV series would be popular. After all, this cat's a bad mother...
8/10
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Post by slayrrr666 on Jul 16, 2008 10:13:01 GMT -5
Clerks-1994
About as different a comedy than the other one I watched yesterday, and one I feel a little iffy towards it's classic status. Is it a good film? I thought so. I never got a feeling from it otherwise. Was it funny? At times, but those times were strangley fall-down funny while I never really let loose with anything else. It was either all or nothing with this one, and the parts that did usher it in were great but ultimately I felt that it was too long in between the segments when I was laughing that, at times, I kinda lost interest in what was going on. I've always heard that you had to have worked in a similar job to understand most of the film, and I never have so I can't say that I got most of the humor to this. The best parts were still really good, so it seems like a fun time if you're curious.
8/10
The Beverly Hillbillies-1995
Even though this was the complete opposite, I, like expected, found more entertainment from this one. Stupidity runs rampant to the point of it being a federal offense, but that's the kind of film I enjoy, and this one was just a blast at times. It never produced as huge laughs that Clerks did, but the few that did (the California salute and the bowling game, which was just as good as I remembered it) are still pretty great. The main thing with this one was that, overall, I got more laughs from it even though they weren't as big, and in my eyes I gotta call that more entertaining.
9/10
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 16, 2008 23:11:47 GMT -5
The Blues Brothers (1980, John Landis)
"We're on a mission from God."
How is it that they can, with ease, stretch an SNL skit into 2 1/2 hours, making it in my opinion a real classic comedy, whereas they can't make a 90 minute movie about anything else (Wayne's World excluded)? When I received this movie from Netflix, I became wary about the running time... but this film held me the entire time. I haven't seen the sequel, but I imagine it was a big freakin' mistake to attempt a sequel without John Belushi. The cameos were perfect. I mean, perfect. From James Brown (as a Reverend, no less) to Aretha Franklin, to of course, Ray Charles. And a quick walk-on from my man Spielberg totally made my day. I feel this is worthy enough to put on my "favorite movies" list, so it gets a 10/10 from me. Any comedy that can keep me laughing for 2.5 hours deserves it.
Oh, and I hate Illinois Nazis.
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Jul 17, 2008 16:04:21 GMT -5
Star Trek: First Contact (1996, Jonathan Frakes)
My new favorite Star Trek film (title previously held by The Wrath of Khan). It had amazing special effects, the intensity of a disaster film, and the poetry of... well... Moby Dick. Considering I grew up thinking Star Trek was boring, this has been a pleasant surprise (although I have grown to appreciate Star Trek over the years). 9/10
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