Last movie watched

[Death Mage]

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I liked it. A friend of mine who went wasn't as thrilled with it, due to changes made. Quite frankly, at this point, if you're expecting a literal translation from book to film, any film, you're off your rocker. Besides, Tolkien was not a perfect author. Hell, he wasn't even a GOOD author in my humble opinion. Changes for the sake of changes aren't necessarily evil if they make for a more interesting story. (Though, one change he griped about actually WAS in the original book, which just makes the interesting observation of the futility of basing your opinion of something off the source material if you don't know the source material all that well.....)
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[Zag]

I just got back from seeing The Hobbit. First off, you're dead wrong about Tolkien not being a good author, but I won't argue the point. I totally agree that they had to change it, if only because it's coming out after The Lord of the Rings. You can't really keep the light-hearted tone of The Hobbit after the much heavier movie.

So they changed a number of things, and that's ok. There were a few things that they changed that they didn't need to, and I kind of wish they hadn't, but it didn't terribly detract from the story. Part of my issue is that I keep wanting to hear Orson Bean's voice as Bilbo. (Honestly, the 1977 animated version is really very good, especially if you are interested in something that stays close to the book. You can see it all, though in several parts, on YouTube. Never mind, that's no longer true.)

[Jedo the Jedi]

I felt they tied The Hobbit too strongly to The Lord of the Rings movies. I think it could stand on its own two feet, so I don't know why they felt the need to make so many things similar. I can appreciate drawing the stories together (like expanding the Mirkwood business), but not references to the other films.

Anyway, as I've explained to many friends, I think it's as good as [insert worst LotR film], and that's still better than most films.
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[Quailman]

Les Misérables

I went to see this as sort of a compromise. There were acouple of other movies I'd have preferred, but Mrs. Q wanted to see this one, so...

I had no idea going in what it was about or that it was a musical. And it wasn't an ordinary musical like Sound of Music, with a bunch of songs stuck between the dialog. It was mostly sung, and sung for real - not lip-synced - by the actors. Anne Hathaway gave a performance with a song early on that alone was worth the price of admission.

As I said, I didn't know what it was going to be about, just that it had a French title. Part way through, I drew upon my three years of French in the 70's to guess at the translation. I think it means The Miserable Ones. Each character seemed to lead a more miserable existence than the next. And they communicated it so well through song. Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and Helena Bonham Carter were great. Russell Crowe not so much. Of course, Seyfried and Carter had done this before, in Mamma Mia and Sweeney Todd.

At two hours and thitry-seven minutes, you'd think it was too long. I didn't. The cinematography was great. The minor characters were great. I didn't even realize who was playing M. Thénardier until my wife leaned over and told me.

This is the best movie I've seen in quite some time.

[Scurra]

My Top Five from 2012, in alphabetical order.

Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Berberian Sound Studio
John Carter
Marley

It was a pretty decent year really, with all the big blockbusters actually delivering, although I thought all of them were flawed in different ways (Whedon can't do big action set pieces, Nolan can't do characters, Scott can't do plot and Jackson can't do things that don't look exactly like everything else he has done.) I only picked John Carter because I enjoyed it an awful lot more than apparently most, perhaps because it expected more of the audience than some of them were prepared to give.

The one I would recommend everyone to see would be Beasts of the Southern Wild, but Argo is very fine (and I expect both to win lots of awards.)
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[Jedo the Jedi]

[Scurra]

Well I completely understand why Jackson didn't want to direct The Hobbit - he knew what was likely to happen. I think that his decision to go over-the-top in the technical department was an attempt to patch over this, but it didn't quite work. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the film; it really didn't feel too long, he managed to make the Dwarves feel individual which is no mean feat, and once again Andy Serkis proved that he's just an astonishing actor (not to mention Martin Freeman who is in danger of getting a bit stuck in the rut of "quintessential Englishman" roles.) But there were times when I was getting severe attacks of deja vu.

I didn't post any reviews for pretty much all of the first half of the year, which is why I didn't say anything about John Carter, Battle Royale The Hunger Games and The Cabin in the Woods (which were probably the stand-outs.) For me, John Carter did everything right that a big genre piece should - played a bit with audience expectation, trusted them to keep up with a complex background story without too much exposition, juggled the set-pieces and stayed true to the source material, which is partly why the Marvel Superhero series and the Nolan Batman films have been so well received as well. The difference here is that Burroughs' original stories are only really known to SF geeks, which is probably the reason it struggled to find an audience; it wasn't building an over-simplified mythic archetype universe like Star Wars, it was recreating a fairly complex literary world, and I thought it was done pretty well. I wish Stanton hadn't given in and dropped the "of Mars" bit from the title though.

I also realise that I missed out The Raid* which really ought to have made my top five list, but I don't know what I would push out to make room...
*or, indeed, its 3D remake, Dredd.
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New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[Jedo the Jedi]

[Jedo the Jedi]

Gangster Squad

Solid meh. I think the actors did fine acting, I liked the score (even though it was mostly comprised of the strong brass blaring which is common these days), but the story was not very original or compelling. If you've seen The Untouchables or any other similar period piece, then this one won't be much different. Still, I'm not disappointed by the time spent watching it.
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[Courk]

I'm on a Norman Reedus kick (something's gotta get me through Walking Dead's hiatus), so I forced Netflix to finally send me Floating. I quite liked it. It's not your standard 'screw-up kid left behind as others grow up and move on' story like I thought it would be, there were some unique elements thrown in that you don't typically see, at least not several together. Also, bonus Casey Affleck! 3.5-3.75/5

[Courk]

Dear Zachary: a Letter to a Son about his Father -- This is not in any way a recent viewing, I probably saw it 2 years ago, but I apparently didn't review it. I watched it on a whim, Netflix suggested it to me. I don't typically watch indie films or non-educational documentaries unless I'm watching it for a specific actor (see my previous post), yet for some reason I decided to watch this one. It was by far the most gut-wrenching thing I have ever seen in my life. I cried buckets upon buckets of tears. Very well made. 10 out of 5 stars.

[Jedo the Jedi]

Looper

I enjoyed it. I read Scurra's review above after watching it, and it reminded me that the plot holes and stuff were indeed there. They didn't seem all that important during the movie. The plot is a little disjointed, as Scurra mentioned. They start out with the whole "looper" business, but then they drop it for most of the movie. Still, I think they bring it back around. (You see what I did there?)

Not terribly predictable, and yet the tropes are there if you watch attentively. I enjoyed the performance of the main actors, and I thought the world creation was interesting. I really just enjoyed the visual effects in a lot of scenes.

As Scurra concluded, it's a good way to spend a couple hours.
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[jadesmar]

[Jedo the Jedi]

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

I can't believe they had the stones to end the world for real! I was afraid I would be disappointed. It was a very satisfying ending.

The movie as a whole isn't anything more than one might expect, but I think it plays on some good themes well. In the midst of all the craziness and chaos exhibited by the general populace, there was goodness and beauty exhibited by the news anchor, the cleaning woman, and their relationships with each other and their families. I think that is what lent strength to the movie. I like Kiera Knightly, but her character was a little disagreeable with me. Steve Carrell did a fair reprisal of his role from Dan in Real Life, so I guess it's fortunate I didn't hate that movie.

I am not disappointed I saw this movie, and the soundtrack definitely helped it along. It's good, though probably not great (in large part because Armageddon is becoming overdone).
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[Scurra]

Django Unchained and Lincoln

You wait several years for a movie about slavery and then two come along at once...

And they couldn't be more different if they tried. One is a deliberately OTT pulp movie with pretensions, the other is a "political procedural". But at their heart, they are both about the thorny subject of compromise, and whether the ends justifies the means.

Django suffers from all of Tarantino's faults - it is too long and it doesn't adequately distinguish the cartoon violence from the true horror of what was going on. The real frustration here is that the first half is utterly brilliant (certainly amongst the best work he has ever done) but it is all let down by a second half which just drifts a bit before trying to tie everything up a bit too neatly. Christoph Waltz is brilliant as usual, but the real show-stopper is Samuel L. Jackson who has to be seen to be believed.

Lincoln, on the other hand, doesn't feel too long at all even though it is mainly a film of men shouting at each other in rooms for three hours. Then again, my favourite tv show is The West Wing, so I guess I was predisposed to liking what is essentially a 19th-century version. Daniel Day Lewis is just unbelievably good - as someone said, you actually forget it's an actor after a few moments and almost wonder how they got Lincoln to appear. And the real test of a film like this is that even though you know how it all turns out (even non-Americans like me know that!), there is palpable tension and uncertainty throughout.

Lincoln is the better film, but Django is probably more "fun". Lincoln makes a better job of illuminating the subtleties of the issue and challenging your preconceptions from whichever side you are on; Django still ends up a bit black-and-white (pun intended.) But they are both great. It was a good weekend.
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New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[Jedo the Jedi]

Did Samuel L. say his classic line, "Motherf*****"? I'm still disappointed he didn't say it in Revenge of the Sith, but I guess Lucas didn't want an R rating.
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[Scurra]

Zero Dark Thirty

For various reasons, this film has caused a certain amount of controversy. Not just for the subject matter, which is hardly a surprise, but also with the speed with which this "first draft of history" is being presented; the film was underway less than a year after the events it is depicting.

Fortunately, the film itself is good enough to mean that most of these concerns get pushed to the sidelines until afterwards. Instead you get caught up in a real thriller that - like LIncoln - manages to keep you on the edge of your seat despite knowing the outcome.

Jessica Chastain effortlessly dominates the screen as CIA agent Maya, portraying an obsessive with conviction, and director Bigelow manages the action scenes (especially the last half-hour or so) with an understated style that suits the material well - probably because she co-wrote the script.

And the whole "torture" business? As ever, you get out of it what you take in. I thought it pretty clearly showed the complete futility of torture as a means of extracting useful information, but I can also see how others might interpret it the other way.

Definitely recommended; and deserving of all the award nods it has been getting.
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New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[Jedo the Jedi]

Wreck-it Ralph

I think this was pretty much a perfect movie. Yes, there are some minor things that I think fall through the cracks, but overall it is a very well-done film. The world creation is excellent in how they envision the interaction of the different arcade games. They also do an amazing job with the story line. The best part here is the way they weave different characters' stories and goals, helping each to achieve them before a watershed finale. That was nicely handled. Yes, one could accuse them of dropping the original crisis in the wake of the finale, but I don't think so. I think they do a nice wrap-up before presenting the new, bigger problem.

Then there are the characters themselves. The casting was simply spot-on, and they had very good writers. I suppose a drawback here is that each actor is pretty much their stereo-typical self, but it really fits. I don't normally care for Sarah Silverman, but she does a damn good job here.

Enjoyable score, and a nice bit of credit animation to top it off. Definitely a family film that all can enjoy. Go see it.
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Death Mage]

It was an eventful, themed day:

Death Race, Death Race 2, and Death Race 3: Inferno. Well, these movies were pretty much exactly what I expected them to be. Some pretty heavy video game influences (right down to Mario Kart style base plates to run over). DR2 reused some footage from 1, big surprise. 2 and 3 were direct-to-video prequels (and despite being out for less than a month, DR3 is already on Netflix, where I watched it). Overall, not bad, not the greatest movies but they delivered what they promised. Cars, violence, and that's pretty much it.

The Death Race 2000. This one came as more of a surprise to me. In retrospect, it shouldn't have. I mean, I love the Carmageddon series, and those games completely ripped-o borrowed heavily fr payed great homage to this movie, down to the third game even being named Carmageddon: TDR2000. Cult classic maybe, but not a very good movie. I mean, even in so far as cars + violence, it didn't have much of that. Satire and commentary? Sure, a bit. But tame by today's standards. *shrug*

And, finally, Death Racers, the Asylum's mockbuster. Oh Asylum. It's such a simple concept, cars + violence. How could they get it wrong? Well, by never having played Interstate '76. "Never get outta the car." A majority of this movie is spent on foot. And the scenes that ARE in the car, they're driving about 5 MPH. Oh, and it has the Insane Clown Posse (of 'Fucking Magnets" infamy) in it. As the main heroes. To be fair, they did it becuase they knew the director, wanted some acting practice before their next movie, knew this movie was going to be shit but went ahead with it anyway. *shrug* Can't fault 'em for wanting a paycheck. And it's not their presence that made this movie bad.

Overall? The movies started alright, and got progressively worse. Which was to be expected, really. But unless cars, guns, and blood is your thing, don't bother. I wouldn't even call Death Race a good movie. Just an entertaining one if that's what you're looking for.
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[Jedo the Jedi]

Life of Pi

So, I bemoaned the information about this when it was in production. Thankfully, Tobey Maguire was absent from the film, and I did not watch it in 3-D.

This is directed by Ang Lee, so it's about what you would expect. There was significant attention to the cinematography, and I think it was well worth it. The movie is very visually striking (and I could see some potential benefits to 3-D). Overall, it felt a little like Castaway in that there were long stretches without dialogue--who is there to talk to when your companion is an adult Bengal tiger?--but this just gives ample opportunity to show amazing panoramas of the ocean, the sky, and the sea creatures. Additionally, I think they handled very well the sinking of the ship and other action sequences. The shipwreck was visceral and chaotic, and the way they filmed it really had me feeling like I was part of the wreck. I think this was probably one of the best portions of the film.

Lee also balanced well between the interview in Montreal and the flashback story of Pi's life. There were some perhaps cheesy fades between them, but I don't think they really detracted from the film. The best part about this was how they handled the narration. It didn't intrude much into the flashback, and I think they appropriately cut down the content of the book capturing the most definitive portions for the film. This is really the part I was most nervous about (minus the rumored Maguire), so I was pleasantly surprised that they did it well.

The score kind of recedes to the background, but the parts I remember were pleasant. Ultimately, I think it was a good adaptation of the book. They maintained the feel and theme of the book, that of wonder and the pursuit of truth (whether God is real and which is "the real story"). I strongly recommend seeing the film, but I order you to read the book.
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[Scurra]

Wreck-It Ralph

As a forty-something male, I was pretty much the "nostalgia target" for this movie. I used to queue in the arcades for my turn, sticking my coin on the cabinet an' all, and it was single-screen games like Fix-It Felix that I loved the most (Mr. Do's Castle was my guilty pleasure.)

And Disney (with a little help from Pixar) have nailed it perfectly. From the glorious opening travelling thirty years in the blink of an eye (quite apart from the hilarious 8-bit Walt DIsney logo) to the expert plot thread-tying of the finalé (and the lovely post-credits glitch), it barely puts a foot wrong - about the only issue I had was with the irritating Speed Racer diversion, which I assume was there to justify making it in 3D (I saw it in 2D and didn't think I was missing anything.)

No, it hasn't got an original bone in its body - the story beats are as predictable as the soundtrack (indeed the very early moment of "the arcade is closing" made me worry that we were just going to get Toy Story and Monsters Inc. all over again) and the voice artists have all been cast to type, but so what? I was laughing at Q*Bert jokes, surreal minigame parodies, first-person shooter gags, brilliantly pixelated debris (how did they make it look sharp-edged and blocky without looking, well, sharp-edged and blocky?!) etc. etc.

Looking at it purely as an animated family feature, it is merely very good. It's not Toy Story (but then what is?) It might not even be better than Bolt (but it's easily better than Cars.) But I don't care. It punched all my buttons and I am really looking forward to seeing it again. My quarter is in the queue.
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_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[Jedo the Jedi]

Cloud Atlas

I spent three hours going, "Huh?" That doesn't mean it was bad, but I definitely think it requires multiple viewings. It does very well (like the book, I'm told) at weaving together the different stories, and I think the characters are often distinct enough that you don't feel the actors are doing the same things over-and-over (a real danger with this story). I was mostly uninterested in the story arcs where Halle Berry was primary, and I'm not sure if that's because of her acting or because of the story arc material itself. I think Hugo Weaving was excellent in his different iterations, though he doesn't exactly play original parts.

I love the score and the visuals. The ending lacked a strong punch for me, but that's because I was confused for most of the movie. It does tie up the stories well and provides some clarity, but I think it will be a better ending when I see it again.

Anybody else seen this?
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Quailman]

That about sums it up for me.

[LordKinbote]

[Jedo the Jedi]

The Master

I've been waiting to review this one considering the starter of this thread.

Sadly, I didn't enjoy the movie that much. Like Cloud Atlas, I was confused the whole time, but this time there was no pay-off from a good wrap-up. (Nor do I think multiple viewings will help.) I knew the basic plot was a fictionalized history of sorts about the beginning of Scientology, but I'm really not sure what the point of the movie was. I guess if they were going for "This makes no sense at all" as a critique that such cults are bogus and indeed confusing, then they succeeded.

I think Philip Seymour Hoffman did a pretty good job of being The Master, especially the parts when the calm, collected guru loses his cool. If I knew the point of the movie, I'm sure that would be important. At first I thought Joaquin Phoenix was doing a good job, but then I realized the character just devolved into angry all the time and angry is easy to do. I'm not sure if that was Joaquin's fault or the writing.

I think it was nicely filmed. I could tell the artistry of the camera angles and the shot choices. They did a good job of setting it in the period as well. In the end though, I probably wouldn't recommend it unless you are more savvy about what's going on.
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[itisally]

Warm Bodies

So, I loved it. It was a teen RomCom and as long as I go in with those expectations it was great. It wasn't scary... It wasn't suposed to be. The book was satire, tounge and cheek so the movie was too. I laughed out loud and just had a good time. The internal dialog was teenage boy hilarous. Totally taking my son to this one.

on Ralph... Sometimes a predictable feel good movie is just what you need. Isn't that what Disney is for? Yeah I was the target audiance too, and I had a great time.
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[Death Mage]

Shark Night

Deliverance, with sharks, in 3D.
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[Jedo the Jedi]

Skyfall

This was a damn good Bond film. First and foremost, I appreciated the homage to past Bond films. I feel like the characteristic one-liners were well-played (I guess any of these in the past two Craig films didn't stand out), the throwbacks in the initial Q conversation and with the old Aston-Martin, and the ending where they introduce Moneypenny and the new M were all excellent. I almost forgot! I thought this had a stellar opening credits. The images connect really well with the film's theme(s) and setting.

What I found to be particularly interesting was the theme of "shadow." The bad guy doesn't even make an appearance for almost an hour, then he isn't even in the film much. They also have many scenes in dark areas to heighten the sense of shadow. I think this was cleverly done.

The biggest regret I had was that there was no real love interest for Bond, and that detracts from the throwback quality. There was plenty of sexual innuendo and flirtation going on (which was good), but no girl with whom he constantly sticks. At least what small love interest there was fit the Bond tropes.

It's worth seeing whether you are a Bond fan or just looking for a good rental.


Les Miserables

Now you can hear the other side of the story. (See Quailman's review above.)

I really love the story of Les Miserables. I think it has been well-adapted before. I thought this was horrible. I understand it's different from most musicals in that the dialogue is also sung, but dear God, it has been performed better. First of all, no musical that I've heard of has ever gotten away with the actors doing nothing while they sing. How interesting can a constant, still close-up be? Unless the actors are bed-ridden, they should be moving around regardless of whether that will affect their singing. (Of course, if that's a problem, they should probably work on learning how to sing while moving.) Secondly, they should probably have pre-recorded the solos. I would recommend this for the sung dialogue, but I think there probably would have been issues with lip-syncing. I think the problem is that these are emotionally charged songs, and it seems like the actors tried to sacrifice good singing for emotion. Thirdly, do something interesting with the camera! For the length of the film, the number of interesting shots was low.

Those are my big complaints. I will say that they had mostly good casting. I think any poor singing was mostly for reasons of the things complained about above. Surprisingly, I actually thought Crowe's solos were well-sung. As I think most people would agree, Fantine and Eponine were some of the best numbers. (Maybe you'll quibble on Eponine, but I thought she was good. Maybe that's because she wasn't around long enough to do a bad scene.) I also think they picked pretty good child actors. That Gavroche kid was confident in his part.

Finally, the set and the accompanying music were good. I think such a large-scale show deserves to have a large-scale set. I've seen stage productions which handle this really well, but you can just do so much more on film. I still think you should go see another version. If you are a die-hard fan of the show, seriously, stay away. I didn't come close to shedding a tear, and I've cried over less!
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Jedo the Jedi]

[Dragon Phoenix]

Inception. I rarely go to the cinema, and watch a few movies per year on TV.
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[Scurra]

Oz the Great and Powerful

This time last year, the big non-summer blockbuster was John Carter, and pretty much everybody griped about it (except me. ) It was derivative, over-complicated, over-reliant on sfx and/or badly acted depending upon which criticism you read. Almost none of those accusations were really problems, but there seemed to be a feeling that the film needed a beating - perhaps because Disney apparently didn't seem interesting in showing much support for their own product...

This year, Disney have tried again. And much the same things can be levelled at Sam Raimi's film, but they are similarly virtues in their own way.

Oz is ostensibly a prequel to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, telling the story of how the Wizard came to live in the Emerald City. So yes, it's clearly derivative. But it does so much more than that, having a great deal of fun exploring and expanding upon the mythos established in the original film and incorporating yet more of Baum's imaginative creations from the books.

As a retconner this is my favourite sort of movie - it will reward at least one rewatch to catch all the stuff I only started to pick up on half-way*. But as a result, some of this gets a little over-complicated as the plot attempts to create a backstory that can then resolve such that this film can end with the situation in place for the original to feel like it follows naturally. George Lucas tried to do much the same thing, and look what happened to him. <g> (There are certainly far too many tiny details that require a pretty detailed knowledge of The Wizard of Oz to appreciate fully.)
And yet it does all hang together very nicely, and pulls off one key trick from the original to make the whole thing click together satisfyingly without overplaying it.

As far as the SFX goes, I certainly won't defend any of the entirely pointless 3d sequences – once again it demonstrates that there's just no need for them if your story is engaging and the world is convincing. If anything it reiterated that sometimes a sock and some dust is sufficient (http://www.stormtrack.org/library/fringe/oz.htm) But the barnstormer was the obvious and yet perfectly executed decision to begin the film in black-and-white 4:3 ratio. It makes the arrival in Oz as much of a joy as the the original.

And finally it's true that some of the acting is variable. Franco is decent as the main character, as are the three witches - especially Mila Kunis as Theodora who has the most difficult story arc to follow - but some of the supporting cast (especially the annoying flying monkey) are not so great.

As with John Carter, this is a movie that I think will only really strike a true chord with those who love the original source and understand what Raimi has done. In its own right it is a perfectly enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, if not a classic. But it does have more to give than perhaps appears on the surface.

*for instance, note the multiple parallels with Dorothy's original companions that are set-up and then subverted in various ways.
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_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[Jedo the Jedi]

Killing Them Softly

I think the easiest way to give the feel of the movie is by my wife's comment halfway through: "Is this a Coen brothers film?"

It isn't a Coen film (that's probably an insult to them), but it does have those long, character-building scenes which most editors would cut out in favor of another scene which moves the plot along or shares some other detail which is vitally important for understanding the conclusion of the film. Since the plot is so simple and would never require 97 minutes, there are many extended dialogue scenes which help flesh out the characters. These aren't bad, but there are some with throw-away characters that leave you wondering why they needed them in the first place.

I suppose the key to the film is the Corporate Bailout soundbites which almost constantly play in the background. Combined with the meaning of the phrase, "killing them softly," it seems that the film is a critique of the 2008 Bailout. It certainly gives food for thought. Strangely though, most of the film looks like the '70s with some modern contrivances thrown in periodically.

Really, I didn't think the film was particularly riveting. You know where the plot is going, and nothing is surprising. My favorite lines of the movie are Brad Pitt's last bit of dialogue, and it's this which really sheds light on the intent of the movie.

If you can get it from Redbox or the library, it probably won't be a waste of your time.
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[Jedo the Jedi]

Lincoln

I loved it. I like that the plot tackles something which most films ignore: the 13th Amendment. What was particularly interesting about this for me is how the politics of the 1860s was portrayed through the lens of our current political problems (whether intentionally or otherwise). They had the same problems we do today, but I feel like the moral character of the politicians was a bit stronger than today. Anyway, very interesting to watch the process, though I'm not sure how accurate any of it is.

I'll just get my problems out of the way so I can talk about the people I really liked. Why was Robert Lincoln even in this film? Biggest throw-away character ever. (The theme of the weekend, I guess.) It's almost as though JGL said he wanted to be in the film and/or work with Spielberg, so they wrote a part for him. The only other thing that really raised my eyebrow was all the sage wisdom, aphorisms, maxims, and rhetorical stories Lincoln said. Was he really a well-read, mystic philosopher? If so, they did a spot-on job. If not, it was enjoyable for the film, just not very accurate.

Lincoln! I thought Day-Lewis did a wonderful job. There was only one scene where I could tell it was the actor and not Abraham Lincoln. He had this wonderful balance of strong father and President and frail, worn-out man. A very affectionate and passionate man. It was incredible how he interacted with different characters with a certain grace. I really think this was a marvelous portrayal of him.

I generally liked the supporting politicians. I think they each had some good differentiation, and yet you knew they were all politicians. The interactions with the African-American houseworkers were good additions to the film and helped the characterizations of the Lincolns and the main politicians. Mary Todd was about what I expected from Sally Fields, and she seemed to do a fine job. (A little crazy for my taste, but a good foil to Lincoln.)

Again, the plot! I know the history, and I was still on the edge of my seat about whether the Amendment would pass. Very well done there. The cinematography was excellent. I felt like there were few close-ups (overdone in Hollywood, in my opinion), so the framing of most of the shots were wonderful. I especially love how they filmed Abraham Lincoln. They really played on his height and his silhouette. Excellent. The ending was marvelous, and I even teared up a bit.

I could continue gushing, but it would become even less coherent. I think it would be well worth your time to see this film.
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Jedo the Jedi]

[The Potter]

At one point I gave a a collection of the digital movies to some friends. Because suddenly acquiring a large collections without much knowledge of the films, I made this list to help them.

It was tailored for two people I know but aside from the very top which were films that had come up in recent conversations, I think the list does a reasonable job. Good movies are given a lower number.

1.0 Donnie Darko [the time travel movie i talked about]
1.0 Power of One, The (ah, one of my favourites about a boy in south africa)
1.1 Cool Hand Luke [another that must be watched]
1.1 Crash (another good "serious" movie)
1.1 Green Mile, The [mmmm]
1.1 How to Train Your Dragon
1.1 I, Robot (just good, future robot movie)
1.1 Ice Age
1.1 Infamous (a somewhat serious but strangely lighthearted movie)
1.1 Kiss Kiss-- Bang Bang (a action/humour story! very well made)
1.1 Kung Fu Panda
1.1 Mary and Max
1.1 Meet Joe Black (an interesting love/death movie. )
1.1 My Cousin Vinny (this one you guys will enjoy, funny!)
1.1 Oceans 11
1.1 Princess Bride, the
1.1 River Runs Through It (a slower and ~very~ good movie. read the book as well)
1.1 Shawshank Redemption (the most powerful movie ever.)
1.1 Shrek
1.1 Snatch (this one is a very good movie)
1.1 Toy Story 1
1.1 What Dreams May Come (a personal favourite. watch it!)
1.1 Where the Red Fern Grows (another good/slow/sad well made one)
1.2 12 Angry Men [a classic!]
1.2 Amelie [I can't remember if it was in French or not]
1.2 Flash of Genius [another personal favourite. you could see it happening to someone like me...]
1.2 Gods Must be Crazy I [#1 is excellent, #2 is good enough]
1.2 Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The
1.2 Great Escape, The (a old movie)
1.2 Inside Man (excellent heist movie)
1.2 Matrix, The [the original is excellent. too bad they didn't make a sequel. ]
1.2 Monsters, Inc [classic!]
1.2 Osobenosti Nazionalnoj Ohoti (Peculiarities of the National Hunt)
1.2 Prestige, The [the ultimate revenge movie. very well done!]
1.2 Purple Rose of Cairo, The [a classic woody allen film]
1.2 Robin Hood: Men in Tights
1.2 Thomas Crown Affair, The (a lighthearted movie that is very good)
1.3 Captain Ron (ah the perfect adventure! )
1.3 Forget Paris (romantic comedy, of actual quality, ditto on ICH2u )
1.3 It could happen to you
1.3 Grumpy Old Men (mmm, just because!)
1.3 King's Speech, The
1.3 Pulp Fiction (strange/moving/a little violent. Also a classic)
1.3 Rocky I
1.3 Secret Life of Bees, The (a pointless story that left a good feeling ~shrug~)
1.3 Support Your Local Sheriff
1.4 Illusionist, The [this one is very good, easy to confuse with prestige]
1.4 Bank Job, The [heist/scandal movie.]
1.4 Finding Forrester [it is a good but fictional story]
1.4 It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (old, long, pointlessly funny)
1.4 Precious (this one is hard to place. serious sad sympathetic ~shrug~)
1.5 Across the Universe (if you like the beetles...)
4 Black Hawk Down (very good war movie… worth watching)
2 Chronicles of Narnia- Prince Caspian
2 Chronicles of Narnia- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
2 Citizen Kane [classic! mmm rosebud…]
2 Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) [funny!]
2 Departed, The (action/mystery/cop drama. nicely made)
2 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [strange movie…thoughtful but strange]
2 Forrest Gump
2 Godfather Part 2 (part one is somewhere around here. Don't bother with #3)
2 Gods Must be Crazy II
2 Golden Compass, The [excellent book+movie. too bad the others never got made]
2 Good Will Hunting (a good movie about people who are too smart)
2 Grumpier Old Men
2 Ice Age 2 The Meltdown
2 Ice Age 3 Dawn of the Dinosaurs
4 In Bruges [a british story, slow]
2 Kung Fu Panda-- Secrets of the Furious Five [short]
2 LA Confidential (meh, a cop drama of sorts)
2 Love and Basketball (a serous love story, very good)
2 Madagascar 2, Escape From Africa (animation)
2 Mamma Mia (musical, pointless comedic)
2 Memento [meh, i wasn't overly impressed.]
2 Million Dollar Baby (mmm very good, about boxing. clint eastwood)
2 North by Northwest (it is a classic!)
2 Notebook, The (ah, the perfect love story!)
2 Oceans 11, 12, 13
2 Office Space (people make reference to it, so you have to watch it….)
2 Oh Brother Where Art Thou? (another funny movie!)
2 Orgazmo (jesus gave it two thumbs up)
2 Up
2 Over the Hedge (meh, the comic strip is better than the movie)
2 Ratatouille (low quality)
2 Rocky II
2 Rocky III
2 Rounders (a drama about poker.)
2 Searching for Bobby Fischer (A very good movie about genius/chess/children)
2 Sting, The (old heist)
2 Usual Suspects, The (well, if you are in the action/mystery mood)
3 Fantasia (animation of classical music)
3 Godfather Part 1
3 Invictus [you can skip this one, but it is a true enough portrayal]
3 Simpsons Movie
3 Social Network, The
4 Braveheart
4 Idiocracy (when you feel like you need to kill a cell in your head)
4 Igor
4 Lilo & Stitch
4 Megamind
4 Ugly Duckling and Me, The
4 Y.P.F. (Young People Fucking) [okay-- maybe -- maybe not. But when you need to get paid...]


---note, I put these as list of slow/foreign/tough movies

5.0 Cidade De Deus (City of God) [still my all time favorite, growing up in brazilian slums]
5.0 Amores Perros (it is really long, but one of my favorites…)
5.0 Lives of Others, The (a german movie, a good but somewhat slow choice)
5.0 Bashu, The Little Stranger [a movie from iran, also about race]
5.0 Oldboy (a weird movie that… well… not really your style but it is… unique)
5.0 Spirited Away (a slow/serious japanesse/anime that makes you think)
5.0 Rain Man (long, slow, about autism. very well made)
5.0 American History X [about racism, very powerful]

5.1 Charlie Wilson's War
5.1 Hotel Rwanda [not that you really wanted to know about genocide in Rwanda...]
5.1 Miracle at St Anne [it is a war movie that was worth watching.]
5.2 Slumdog Millionaire (serious/strange movie about india. some graphic violence)
5.2 Schindler's List (very serious holocaust movie)
5.2 Pianist, The (a "holocaust" movie)
5.2 Leon the Professional (slow, good)

5.3 Letters From Iwo Jima (meh, a serious war movie)
5.3 Aruitemo Aruitemo (Still Walking) [it is kinda boring/slow but i liked it!]
5.3 Miqad Alley (El Callejon De Los Milagros)
5.3 Seven Samurai (very slow. very very slow.)
5.3 Uzak (a turkish view of life...)
5.5 Bus 174 -- a very serious documentary about poverty in brazil
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Artwork | Fractals | Don't ignore your dreams; don't work too much; say what you think; cultivate friendships; be happy.

[Death Mage]

Watching Liar Liar on Netflix. I haven't seen it pretty much since it came out. And early on, a thought occurs to me. Jim Carrey is doing his usual, over the top mugging. He's divorced, only sees his son occasionally, but the kid loves him and his jokes.

This is about the most realistic setting I can see for someone who'd act like that all the time. His wife got sick of it and left, his kid only gets it in small doses and, since it is a type of funny, sure he'd like it.

I do like this movie. It, along with Mask, showed that Carrey did have a bit more range than just "idiotic and insane". He's good at the latter (very good, he really excels at the slap stick humor), and these movies helped bridge the gap to more serious films.

As far as the film itself goes, I do like it. It's funny as a comedy, has some good moments of seriousness, drama, and some feel-good moments. It's not perfect, but few movies are. It is a good way to kill an hour and a half or so.
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[Jedo the Jedi]

Liar Liar has historically been my favorite Jim Carrey movie. I haven't revisited that in a while (Man on the Moon is pretty incredible, and I like Eternal Sunshine), but it will at least always have a special place for me.

The Princess and the Frog

This was my first time to see this, and I have to say, I don't know why I waited so long. It was a very good adaptation of a common story. I really liked the musical numbers, and it was good to see a strong, female lead. I was also especially proud that they let a character die. I thought they would shy away from that in a kid's movie, but they had the guts to let him die in a realistic way and let the kids confront that. One surprising thing is that Jim Cummings is apparently the voice of my childhood. He's in almost every cartoon I might have watched as a kid. That gave the movie a dash of nostalgia for me.

If you enjoy Disney movies, I recommend it.
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Jedo the Jedi]

I watched The Hobbit again. I really like the first half of the film, up to the point where they stage identical scenes to the Lord of the Rings films. I said that before, and it's apparently still true. I love the score though, and the sweeping shots of New Zealand are so gorgeous.

I also re-watched The Newsies. I just like the clever lines and the songs. I think I would really have enjoyed this as a kid (considering I enjoy it now).
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Jedo the Jedi]

Silver Linings Playbook

I wasn't as satisfied with this movie as I thought I would be. The first half of the film is pretty straight-forward in that there are all of these dysfunctional people interacting with each other while the main character tries to shape himself up. It's actually a pretty interesting insight into systems theory. The problem comes when the movie decides it needs a plot and leaves behind the character story of the first half. It's not so much that they dropped one plot and started another (though it comes close), but more that they suddenly decided they needed a direction. I would have been quite pleased if it had remained as a simple exposition of characters, a showcase of relational dynamics and how those play out in the dysfunctional setting. Alas, no.

Aside from this, I rather enjoyed the characters and the actors who played them. Some of the idiosyncrasies of the characters weren't always believable, but I still found them interesting and enjoyable in their own ways. The different scenes for character development were intriguing and a little jarring to my "social norms" sensibilities, but I think the latter is precisely what made the scenes intriguing. It was a glimpse into the lives of people who experience these things. The music was also generally enjoyable, and I think it matched the tone of the movie well.

Finally, Jennifer Lawrence.
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Zag]