Emma's Film Reviews (snowcat)

[Najemikon]

 

I forget the others, but I think  and  get used too. So go nuts!

[Jimmy]

Emma don't see the system as a rating one. When I've started it almost 2 years ago (I'm the copyright owner of this one ) it was a way to show how I was feeling watching the movie, not a notation system.

and the original was :

= perfect
= Not so bad
= Not bad but not good either
= Boring
= A waste of time

Of course in those 2 years the original system had evolved for the better.

[richierich]

This is what appears to be the common (copyrighted Jimmy) DCO review marking system


  = Excellent
  = now that was quite good
  = I enjoyed it
  = not really bad, but not good either
  = boring
  = bad or worse

[snowcat]

haha, ok then ill adopt those to future reviews 

[Tom]

haha, ok then ill adopt those to future reviews 

FYI, there is a icon when you post, which has the tooltip "Encore rating" (it's left to the many DVD "WhatYaGot" icons). This icon inserts a tag. The value between the open and close tag will result in the correct smiley icon. The values are from 0 ("bad or worse") to 5 ("Excellent").

[snowcat]

Wow, thanks Tom! thats good news XD less remembering involved :p

[snowcat]

Right ill be back Friday definitely! basicly a friend of mines father was very ill, we fell out a while ago, but in recent weeks started talking again, she said "lifes too short" and wanted to be friends again, which was cool. sadly her father passed away last week and ive been trying to help her sort some things out... It sucks because her mother has never really been there for her. Anyway

I won't be doing a proper Christmas marathon but I have a list of films and TV eps id like to watch this month (Christmas related, or a Christmas scene... Ive probably left some out)

(I doubt ill review them all but here's the list)

Film

scrooged
santa clause
santa clause 2
santa clause 3
home alone
muppets christmas carol
the holiday
elf
fred claus
Mickeys Once upon a Christmas
gremlins
batman returns
black xmas
kiss kiss bang bang
bridget jones diary
mean girls
annie hall
babe
toy story
about a boy
trading places
tenchi muyo movie 2

TV

south park season 1 ep 9
south park season 2 ep 16
south park season 3 ep 15
south park season 4 ep 17
South Park season 6 ep17
south park season 7 ep 15
South Park season 8 ep 14
8 simple rules ep 12
xfiles season 1 ep 6
scrubs season 1 ep 11
scrubs season 4 ep 12
friends season 9 ep 10
friends season 4 ep 10
friends season 8 ep 11
friends season 1 ep 17
that 70s show season 1 ep 12
The Royal Family Season 2 ep 7
The Royal Family Season 3 ep 7

[Antares]

Sorry to be quoting such an old response, but I love talking about great old films, and I just stumbled upon this review.

As everyone already knows, a basic rule of photography says how you compose the subject suggests how you want the viewer to feel about it; Villains tower above you, cute little dogs look up at you. Be careful when you take a snap of your partner! Do you worship them, own them, or consider them equal?   Welles took this to a new level in film that is rarely used even now.

One thing that has always bothered me about the critics who lavish the praise upon Welles for his direction and groundbreaking camera work, is the fact that most of these conceived shots were, in fact, created by Gregg Toland. They never seem to mention this little tidbit. For this reason, I give Welles the utmost respect for the fact that he constantly throughout his life, shared the accolades with Toland for teaching him how to shoot the film. I found this little quote over at IMDB...

Orson Welles once said that everything he knew about the art of photography a great cameraman - Greg Toland - taught him in half an hour. In truth, before the filming of "Citizen Kane" Toland invited Welles to his house and spent a weekend teaching Welles everything about lens and camera positions that he thought his novice director should know. For the remainder of his life Welles always payed Toland the ultimate compliment. "Not only was he the greatest cameraman I ever worked with," Welles often said,"he was also the fastest.".

You're right, the ending isn't really open...

[spoiler]In fact it is explicit. The snowglobe represented his lost childhood. Only we know that Rosebud is his favourite toy, left behind (emotionally) when his mother signed him over. It is both a tragic end (Kane has died misunderstood) and an uplifting one (we do understand).[/spoiler]

There are so many layers to the screenplay that there are also many themes to that ending too...[spoiler]Kane was such a bastard to the people around him during his life because his childhood happiness was sacrificed by his mother for the sake of wealth. Hence, the thought that money would buy him happiness. Rosebud burning in the incinerator can also be interpreted as being a metaphor for Kane's post-childhood life which led him down the path to eternal damnation for the sins he committed. His innocence burning alongside his material acquisitions. The ultimate Greek tragedy.[/spoiler]

[Najemikon]

Oh no! He's resurrected the Kane debate!  

Thank you though, because you're right and more effort should be made to remember people like Toland. It was Welles' charisma and vision that got Kane made, but you have to remember, he came from radio. You don't just pick things up like that. I've wondered before that although Citizen Kane seems technically perfect, much of it smacks of Orson refusing to follow the accepted rules. I bet when he laid out what he wanted, he'd have been told to stop being silly because they can't dig up the studio floor and how can the camera possibly move through a solid set?

There are so many layers to the screenplay that there are also many themes to that ending too...[spoiler]Kane was such a bastard to the people around him during his life because his childhood happiness was sacrificed by his mother for the sake of wealth. Hence, the thought that money would buy him happiness. Rosebud burning in the incinerator can also be interpreted as being a metaphor for Kane's post-childhood life which led him down the path to eternal damnation for the sins he committed. His innocence burning alongside his material acquisitions. The ultimate Greek tragedy.[/spoiler]

That's nice, I like that...  

Sorry to be quoting such an old response, but I love talking about great old films, and I just stumbled upon this review.

Don't be sorry. In fact, catch up with our Hitchcock marathon. Plenty of reading in there and it continues for a few weeks yet!

[Antares]

Oh no! He's resurrected the Kane debate!  

Thank you though, because you're right and more effort should be made to remember people like Toland. It was Welles' charisma and vision that got Kane made, but you have to remember, he came from radio. You don't just pick things up like that. I've wondered before that although Citizen Kane seems technically perfect, much of it smacks of Orson refusing to follow the accepted rules. I bet when he laid out what he wanted, he'd have been told to stop being silly because they can't dig up the studio floor and how can the camera possibly move through a solid set?

There are so many layers to the screenplay that there are also many themes to that ending too...[spoiler]Kane was such a bastard to the people around him during his life because his childhood happiness was sacrificed by his mother for the sake of wealth. Hence, the thought that money would buy him happiness. Rosebud burning in the incinerator can also be interpreted as being a metaphor for Kane's post-childhood life which led him down the path to eternal damnation for the sins he committed. His innocence burning alongside his material acquisitions. The ultimate Greek tragedy.[/spoiler]

That's nice, I like that...  

Sorry to be quoting such an old response, but I love talking about great old films, and I just stumbled upon this review.

Don't be sorry. In fact, catch up with our Hitchcock marathon. Plenty of reading in there and it continues for a few weeks yet!

I also failed to mention that I was glad to see you use Ikiru in your argument as well. A seldom seen film that it is every bit as good as Kane.

You know, for years I've been searching for a forum where film appreciation is discussed from a viewers, not film students point of view. I sometimes venture onto the Criterion forum, but they can be so pompous it drives me away. How many times can you belt out platitudes about Eisenstein and Godard before the dung's waist deep.

I think I've found my Film Valhalla. 

[Najemikon]

I also failed to mention that I was glad to see you use Ikiru in your argument as well. A seldom seen film that it is every bit as good as Kane.

You know, for years I've been searching for a forum where film appreciation is discussed from a viewers, not film students point of view. I sometimes venture onto the Criterion forum, but they can be so pompous it drives me away. How many times can you belt out platitudes about Eisenstein and Godard before the dung's waist deep.

I think I've found my Film Valhalla. 

I'm really glad you said that because that's exactly why I like it here too. We've got a really good bunch of people and some of us drone on for hours and others just say whether they liked it or not, and we all gel pretty well, keeping each other balanced.

[richierich]

I think I've found my Film Valhalla. 

We are glad to have you here, and a welcome addition to see such informed reviews of some older films that I for one was not too aware of.
Maybe you could think of joining our marathons at some point??

[richierich]

I also failed to mention that I was glad to see you use Ikiru in your argument as well. A seldom seen film that it is every bit as good as Kane.

You know, for years I've been searching for a forum where film appreciation is discussed from a viewers, not film students point of view. I sometimes venture onto the Criterion forum, but they can be so pompous it drives me away. How many times can you belt out platitudes about Eisenstein and Godard before the dung's waist deep.

I think I've found my Film Valhalla.  

I'm really glad you said that because that's exactly why I like it here too. We've got a really good bunch of people and some of us drone on for hours (JON) and others (ME) just say whether they liked it or not, and we all gel pretty well, keeping each other balanced.

Seriously though, I've learnt a great deal here, not that I will ever be swayed whether I like a film or not, but i am better informed of why I should have liked them  

And probably the best part of what I have taken from the reviews is having my eyes opened to different genres than I tended to opt for, ie Petes influence compelled me to watch a month of horror films, Rogers influence is leading me towards a Western marathon, and I am now seriously considering stocking up on some Bollywood films

[Antares]

I think I've found my Film Valhalla. 

We are glad to have you here, and a welcome addition to see such informed reviews of some older films that I for one was not too aware of.
Maybe you could think of joining our marathons at some point??

I'm definitely thinking about it. Just the other day I was thinking of starting one in January with the theme being Japanese films for January. Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, Naruse and Kobayashi are four of my favorite directors. And after that, Film Noir February, War films in "March", ooh, I know that's bad, but I couldn't come up with anything different.

[Jimmy]

And probably the best part of what I have taken from the reviews is having my eyes opened to different genres than I tended to opt for, ie Petes influence compelled me to watch a month of horror films, Rogers influence is leading me towards a Western marathon, and I am now seriously considering stocking up on some Bollywood films

So I haven't open your eyes with my adult movie reviews Rich...