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Topics - Danae Cassandra
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« on: December 31, 2016, 07:14:00 AM »
Film #1 of Scavenger Hunt #22 Task #2: Watch any film that has a sequel or remake/reboot scheduled for release during 2017  The Transformers: The MovieYear of Release: 1986 Directed By: Nelson Shin Starring: Judd Nelson, Lionel Stander, Orson Welles, Leonard Nimoy, Susan Blu, Eric Idle Genre: Action, Science-Fiction, Animation Overview:THE YEAR IS 2005… For millennia, the heroic Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), have been at war with the evil Megatron (Frank Welker) and his Decepticons over control of their home planet of Cybertron. However, an even greater threat – Unicron (Orson Welles, Citizen Kane), a colossal converting planet that devours everything in its path – is heading right for Cybertron. The only hope is the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. Will the Autobots be able to save themselves and their home world in time? An all-star cast, including Judd Nelson ( The Breakfast Club), Leonard Nimoy ( Star Trek), Eric Idle (the Monty Python films) and Robert Stack ( The Untouchables), brings this inimitable, explosively entertaining Autobot adventure to life. My Thoughts:Michael Bay has a 5th film in the live action Transformers franchise coming out in 2017, so I think this fits the bill well enough.  Transformers came out at the perfect time for me. I was 11, and it was the best film that came out that year. Oh, sure, Platoon won the Oscar, but if middle-schoolers could have voted, it would have been Transformers all the way. I must have seen it three or four times in the theatre. I remember getting my mom to drop me off there one day while she was in class and watching two showings of Transformers and one of Flight of the Navigator. If you haven't figured this out by now, there is certainly quite a bit of nostalgia appeal here for me. It's a very 80's film, from the animation style, the color palette, down to the hair metal soundtrack. It's all the best parts of my post-Edmonson childhood, and these characters (and the cohorts on the Joe team and in TOS Star Trek) certainly gave me something to look forward to and hold on to in dark times, so I have a lot of very fond memories attached here. It isn't just nostalgia though. This film holds up surprisingly well. There's a lot of darkness here that you don't expect in a kids film. Disney laid the blueprint for the animated kids film, and this isn't it. This is a war film, and a lot of beloved characters die here. Don't be fooled by them being robots - they're people, and kids know it. Starscream was my favorite as a kid, and his death just gutted me then. Yes, I know he's a villain, and it's okay to kill off villains in kids films, but the good guys die here too. Lots of them, and in merciless, cold-blooded fashion. The animation looks tons better than a lot of 90's stuff, but that could be my child of the 80's glasses looking. There's a great cast here - Judd Nelson, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Idle, Orson Welles - and they give it their all. Yes, it is light on plot and heavy on action, and if you know the tropes you can predict how things will end, but it's a great ride along the way. I haven't seen any of the Michael Bay films. I won't comment on this being better - only that I don't know how they could ever be as good. Unlike other things from my childhood, this still holds up as being a wonderful film, an immensely fun film, and one that still delights me every time I watch it. Bechdel Test: Fail Mako Mori Test: Fail Overall: 4/5
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« on: October 21, 2016, 03:04:00 PM »
I thought I'd emulate Gunnar and get in on taking Yves challenge as well. HorrorHad some issues narrowing this down, but I'm happy with the list. I decided not to include anything animated here, otherwise we'd have quite the stop-motion heavy list. These are in no particular order. Honorable mentions: Eyes Without a Face, Suicide Club, The Hunger, Masque of the Red Death, and Kwaidan
 | Crimson Peak
 | Year: 2015 | 119 min. | United States
When her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood-red clay – a place filled with secrets that will haunt her forever. Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak.
From the imagination of director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) comes a gothic romance masterpiece starring Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Charlie Hunnam.
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 | The Wicker Man
| Year: 1973 | 94 min. | United Kingdom
When a young girl mysteriously vanishes, Police Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) travels to a remote Scottish island to investigate. But the seemingly quiet community is not as it appears, as the detective uncovers a secretive pagan society led by the strange Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee). While the townsfolk tempt and threaten him with bizarre rituals and wanton lust, Howie must race to discover the truth behind the girl’s disappearance before his clash with Lord Summerisle builds to a terrifying conclusion – one that has cemented this cult shocker as a modern horror masterpiece.
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 | The Dead Zone
 | Year: 1983 | 104 min. | United States
CHRISTOPHER WALKEN (Wedding Crashers) leads an all-star cast, including TOM SKERRIT and MARTIN SHEEN, in a thriller that's ahead of it's time. School teacher Johnny Smith (Walken) had a beautiful fiancée, rewarding career and a fortunate life. Until one tragic accident changed everything. After slamming into an 18-wheeler, Johnny is plunged into a five-year coma. When he awakens, he find his true collision was with destiny — he now has the remarkable gift (or curse) of seeing into the future. From horror master STEPHEN KING and director DAVID CRONENBERG, this supernatural thriller turns an everyday guy into a reluctant hero...saving children in danger, helping the police and capturing serial killers. But Johnny's next vision may be his most terrifying yet, and gives him a once-in-a-lifetime chance to save the world... at what may be the ultimate price.
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 | Kuroneko
| Year: 1968 | 99 min. | Japan
In this poetic and atmospheric horror fable, set in a village in war-torn feudal Japan, malevolent spirits are ripping out the throats of itinerant samurai. When a military hero is dispatched to confront the unseen force, he finds that he must struggle with personal demons as well. From Kaneto Shindo, director of the similarly terrifying Onibaba, Kuroneko (a.k.a. Black Cat) is a spectacularly eerie twilight tale, with a shocking feminist angle, evoked through ghostly special effects and exquisite cinematography.
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 | Don't Look Now
| Year: 1973 | 110 min. | United Kingdom
Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie mesmerize as a British married couple on an extended trip to Venice following a family tragedy. While in that elegantly decaying city, they have a series of inexplicable, terrifying, and increasingly dangerous experiences. A masterpiece from Nicolas Roeg, Don’t Look Now, adapted from a story by Daphne du Maurier, is a brilliantly disturbing tale of the supernatural, as renowned for its innovative editing and haunting cinematography as its naturalistic eroticism and unforgettable climax and denouement, one of the great endings in horror history.
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 | The Iron Rose
| Year: 1973 | 80 min. | France
THE IRON ROSE is a haunting experience—a macabre tone poem about youth and age, love and nihilism, nostalgia and superstition, and, above all, life and death. Francoise Pascal (There's a Girl in My Soup) and Hugues Quester (Three Colors: Blue) go on a metaphysical, Orpheus-like journey inside an ancient, all-but-abandoned graveyard but, as night falls, they cannot find their way out. As Quester's nihilism crumbles to impatience and terror, Pascal transfers her disappointed passion for him to the cemetery itself and becomes jubilantly (and dangerously) attuned to its dead. Pascal gives a remarkably intuitive performance, at times so spontaneous in spirit, one cannot imagine how parts of it were ever scripted.
The cemetery itself is analogous to Rollin's love for all things antiquarian, including the old train station and the nearly moribund city of Amiens. If Orson Welles was correct when he estimated that a film could only be considered good to the extent it represented the artist who made it, THE IRON ROSE is Jean Rollin's first authentic masterpiece.
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 | Interview With the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles
| Year: 1994 | 123 min. | United States
The undead are among us and livelier than ever when Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and a talented group of youngbloods star in this spellbinding screen adaptation of Anne Rice's bestseller.
Cruise stylishly plays the supremely evil and charismatic vampire Lestat. Pitt is Louis, lured by Lestat into the immortality of the damned. Stephen Rea, Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater and Kirsten Dunst co-star. Hypnotically directed by Neil Jordan from a screenplay by Rice, Interview with the Vampire offers enough thrills, shocks and fiendish fun to last a lifetime - and beyond.
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 | Battle Royale
| Year: 2000 | 122 min. | Japan
In the near future, the economy has collapsed, unemployment has soared and juvenile crime has exploded. Fearful of their nation's youth, the Japanese government passes The BR Law: Each year, a 9th grade class is sent to a remote island where they will be locked into exploding neck collars, given a random weapon, and forced to hunt and kill each other until there is only one survivor left. Chiaki Kuriyama (Kill Bill) and screen legend Takeshi Kitano (Boiling Point, Brother) star in this movie that has been argued, acclaimed and banned around the world. More than a decade later, it remains one of the most savage, shocking and emotionally powerful films of all time. Now experience Kinji Fukasaku's uncompromising masterpiece - nominated for 10 Japanese Academy Awards - available uncensored and unrated for the first time ever in North America.
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 | The Tomb of Ligeia
| Year: 1964 | 83 min. | United Kingdom
Roger Corman and Vincent Price hook up for horror in Edgar Allan Poe's "most terrifying" (L.A. Herald Examiner) tale of passion, possession and PURR-fect evil! When a dead wife sinks her claws into immortality – and comes back as a ferocious feline – she leads her husband's (Price) new bride on a deadly game of cat and mouse. And when the fur starts flying, she soon learns that even in death...she can land on her feet!
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 | The Fall of the House of Usher
| Year: 1960 | 82 min. | United States
Legendary scare-master Vincent Price serves up a diabolical nightmare dripping with "brooding evil and sinister suspense" (Film Daily)! Based on Edgar Allen Poe's chilling tale about a family driven to savage bloodlust by a power beyond their wildest fears, this terrifying story of "murder, madness and necrophilia" (Cue) proves that there's no place like home...for horror! Convinced that his family's blood is tainted by generations of evil, Roderick Usher (Price) is hell-bent on destroying his sister Madeline's wedding. But when Madeline's fiancé arrives at the haunted castle to claim his lovely bride, he soon discovers that, for this family, their house is more than just a home...it's their TOMB!
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« on: March 10, 2016, 07:16:17 PM »
This is a challenge I took up on Letterboxd. The challenge is to watch 30 films from 30 different countries in the month of March. I didn't get my last world film marathon ever finished, but ...
01. On Each Side - Argentina - 3/5
02. Waltz With Bashir - Israel - 4/5
03. My Winnipeg - Canada - 4/5
04. Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary - Austria - 3.5/5
05. Trances - Morocco - 3.5/5
06. W.R. Mysteries of the Organism - Yugoslavia - 4/5
07. Valerie and Her Week of Wonders - Czechoslovakia - 3.5/5
08. The Book of the Dead - Japan - 3/5
09. Kisses - Ireland - 3/5
10. Ocean of an Old Man - India - 3/5
11. For All Mankind - USA - 4/5
12. Earth - Ukraine (USSR) - 3.5/5
13. Be With Me - Singapore - 3/5
14. Faraw! Mother of the Dunes - Mali - 3.5/5
15. Caramel - Lebanon - 3.5/5
16. Alamar - Mexico - 3.5/5
17. The Last Homecoming - Cyprus - 3.5/5
18. Nostalgia For the Light - Chile - 5/5
19. Le Quattro Volte - Italy - 4/5
20. Kilometre Zero - Iraq - 3/5
21. On the Verge of a Fever - Haiti - 2.5/5
22. Travelers and Magicians - Bhutan - 3.5/5
23. Five Dedicated to Ozu - Iran - 3/5
24. L'Age D'Or - France - 3/5
25. Angel on the Right - Tajikistan - 3/5
26. A New Day in Old Sana'a - Yemen - 3/5
27. Margarette's Feast - Brazil - 3/5
28. The Student of Prague (1913) - Germany - 3/5
29. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring - South Korea - 5/5
30. Persona - Sweden - 5/5
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« on: February 27, 2016, 09:59:47 PM »
 Gamera: The Giant Monster (Daikaiju Gamera) Year of Release: 1965 Directed By: Noriaki Yuasa Starring: Eiji Funakoshi, Harumi Kiritachi, Junichiro Yamashita, Jun Hamamura Genre: Science-Fiction, Action, Disaster, Tokusatsu, Kaiju Overview:During the height of the Cold War, East-West tensions lead to a nuclear disaster when a Soviet bomber is shot down over U.S. airspace in the Arctic! Massive radiation from the atomic explosion awakens an ancient, gargantuan creature — a long-forgotten legend of the lost continent of Atlantis — GAMERA! Unleashed from its glacial tomb and proving impervious to all man-made weapons, the colossal chelonian smashes a cataclysmic swath across the globe! Can the scientists of the world, led by Dr. Hidaka (Eiji Funakoshi, Fires On The Plain), find a way to stop this invincible supermonster . . . or is mankind doomed? Directed by Noriaki Yuasa (who would oversee all eight of the original Gamera entries of the 1960s and 1970s) and created by the same studio that brought Zatoichi to the screen, Daiei's titanic terrapin became the only true rival to Toho's King Of The Monsters. Gamera was able to hold its own at the box office and secured a place in the hearts of kaiju eiga (Japanese monster movie) fans around the world. Now, for the first time on DVD, Shout! Factory presents the original Japanese version of Gamera with new English subtitles and anamorphic widescreen from an all-new HD master created from vault elements! My Thoughts:Introducing Gamera! His origin story! See him rudely awakened by the blast of the bomb! See him bring destruction as he goes forth in anger! and hunger! He breathes fire! He flies! Watch mankind tremble as they realize their weapons are ineffective! In truth, not a bad opening film. More than a bit of a rip-off of Godzilla, but Gamera isn't created by the bomb, he's simply awakened by it. He's a force of nature rather than mutated by man's weapons. The story's very thin, but we have lots of scenes of Gamera rampaging and causing destruction. Fun kaiju film, and if you're going to watch the old Gamera films, I'd definitely start with the first one. Bechdel Test: Fail Overall: 3/5
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« on: January 05, 2015, 06:05:16 AM »
Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon
So, we are following along with Pete and doing our own lifetime marathon. Since my mom has retired this year, we are doing her birthyear - 1946! Also, I am totally cheating and counting anything for my/our other two unfinished marathons (around-the-world, and the alphabet) so that we can actually finish all of them. But with her being retired now, there should be a lot more time to watch movies, since commute time has been cut!
1946 - The Dark Corner (3/5)
1947 - The Lady From Shanghai (4/5)
1948 - Hamlet (5/5)
1949 - Late Spring (4.5/5)
1950 - Sunset Boulevard (5/5)
1951 - The African Queen (4.5/5)
1952 - The Quiet Man (4/5)
1953 - Roman Holiday (3.75/5)
1954 - Sabrina (3.5/5)
1955 - Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (3/5)
1956 - ...and God Created Woman (3.5/5)
1957 - 12 Angry Men (5/5)
1958 - The Old Man and the Sea (3.25/5)
1959 - Letter Never Sent (4/5)
1960 - Zazie dans le metro (3.5/5)
1961 - A Woman is a Woman (3.5/5)
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia (5/5)
1963 - The Comedy of Terrors (3/5)
1964 - The Tomb of Ligeia (4/5)
1965 - Kwaidan (4/5)
1966 - The Russians are Coming The Russians Are Coming (3.75/5)
1967 - Bonnie and Clyde (4/5)
1968 - 2001: A Space Odyssey (4/5)
1969 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (4.5/5)
1970 - An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (3.25/5)
1971 - Daughters of Darkness (3/5)
1972 - Frenzy (3.75/5)
1973 - F For Fake (4/5)
1974 - Chinatown (4.5/5)
1975 - Picnic at Hanging Rock (4/5)
1976 - All the President's Men (4.5/5)
1977 - The Last Wave (4/5)
1978 - Watership Down (4/5)
1979 - Murder By Decree (2.5/5)
1980 - The Final Countdown (3.5/5)
1981 - The Beyond (2.5/5)
1982 - Arcadia of My Youth (4/5)
1983 - House of the Long Shadows (3/5)
1984 - The Times of Harvey Milk (4.5/5)
1985 - Night on the Galactic Railroad (4/5)
1986 - Labyrinth (4/5)
1987 - The Brave Little Toaster (3.5/5)
1988 - High Spirits (3/5)
1989 - Millennium (3/5)
1990 - The Company of Strangers (3.75/5)
1991 - Beauty and the Beast (4/5)
1992 - Baraka (5/5)
1993 - Ordeal in the Arctic (3.5/5)
1994 - The Santa Clause (3.25/5)
1995 - Home for the Holidays (3.75/5)
1996 - James and the Giant Peach (3.5/5)
1997 - Happy Together (3.75/5)
1998 - Kestrel's Eye (3.5/5)
1999 - Believe (3/5)
2000 - Snatch (4/5)
2001 - Spirited Away (5/5)
2002 - Russian Ark (4/5)
2003 - The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (2.5/5)
2004 - Salem's Lot (3/5)
2005 - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (3.75/5)
2006 - The Da Vinci Code (3.5/5)
2007 - Into the Wild (3.5/5)
2008 - Still Walking (4.5/5)
2009 - The Secret of Kells (4/5)
2010 - Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (3.75/5)
2011 - Dolphin Tale (4/5)
2012 - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (4/5)
2013 - The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (4/5)
2014 - The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (4/5)
2015 - The Avengers: Age of Ultron (3/5)
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« on: October 20, 2014, 09:15:09 PM »
Would anyone like a free copy of The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price, on blu-ray?
It is a German release and it is region B.
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« on: July 31, 2014, 09:50:25 PM »
So, in response to Pete's marathon I think I'm going to do my own alphabet marathon. Mostly on my off days (hence the name) so I'm not going to set a time frame to be finished by.
# 9 Songs (1.5/5)
A The Aristocats (3.5/5)
B The Black Pirate (3.5/5)
C Chico & Rita (4/5)
D Don't Look Now (4/5)
E Evil Under the Sun (3.5/5)
F Foxfire (1987) (4.5/5)
G The Gold Rush (4.5/5)
H Harold and Maude (4.5/5)
I Identity (4/5)
J La jetée (4.5/5)
K Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (3.75/5)
L The Last Wave (4/5)
M Millennium (3/5)
N
O Ordeal in the Arctic (3.5/5)
P Picnic at Hanging Rock (4/5)
Q The Quiet Man (4/5)
R The Rabbi's Cat (3.5/5)
S A Study in Terror (3/5)
T
U Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (3.75/5)
V
W A Woman is a Woman (3.5/5)
X
Y
Z
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« on: July 31, 2014, 02:35:08 PM »
 Hansel & Gretel: Witch HuntersYear of Release: 2013 Directed By: Tommy Wirkola Starring: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Famke Janssen, Pihla Viitala Genre: Action, Horror Overview:Get ready for a twisted take on the classic tale as Hansel (JEREMY RENNER) and Gretel (GEMMA ARTERTON) have turned pro, coping with the trauma of their childhood captivity by slaying witches for hire. But when seemingly unstoppable bounty hunters meet their match in an enemy so evil, it'll take all their training, weapons and courage to survive. PAYBACK IS A WITCH! My Thoughts:This is a mindless action piece. We watched it for Jeremy Renner, whom we liked from Avengers. And, he's pretty cool in this. Now, this is a "turn your brain off" kind of film, there's no hidden message, no deep philosophical bent, just a lot of action and blood and gore. It's also pretty entertaining. On top of that, it's also just about the best representation of a D&D adventure I've ever seen. It's kinda steampunk with the tech, and it's not afraid to crack some jokes, but it's your basic "adventurers come to town, get hired for job, find out job is more complicated than thought, make friends & enemies in town, eventually take out bad guys" D&D adventure. So, recommended for fans of D&D or if you want a mindless action film with horror elements. Bechdel Test: Fail Overall: 2.75/5
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« on: July 31, 2014, 02:31:13 PM »
 Dangerous When WetYear of Release: 1953 Directed By: Charles Waters Starring: Esther Williams, Fernando Lamas, Jack Carson, Charlotte Greenwood Genre: Romance, Comedy, Musical Overview:Cartoon legends Tom and Jerry join Esther in the light-hearted extravaganza about a girl who swims the English Channel – and meets a dashing Frenchman (Fernando Lamas). My Thoughts:A fun, frothy little musical. Nothing serious here, just a lot of fun watching Esther Williams swim and romance. There's a cute sequence with Tom and Jerry in the middle of the film, which is just about the highlight of the movie. Williams and Lamas are quite serviceable, but Jack Carson's sleazy promoter is more memorable. It's all good-natured fun. Bechdel Test: Pass Overall: 2.75/5
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« on: July 31, 2014, 02:25:21 PM »
 Logan's RunYear of Release: 1976 Directed By: Michael Anderson Starring: Michael York, Richard Jordan, Jenny Agutter, Peter Ustinov Genre: Science Fiction Overview:In the Year of the City 2274, humans live in a vast, bubbled metropolis, where computerized servo-mechanisms provide all needs so everyone can pursue endless hedonism. Endless, that is, until Lastday, when anyone who's 30 must submit to Carousel, a soaring, spinning trip to eternity and supposed rebirth. The screen's first use of laser holography highlights this post-apocalyptic winner of a Special Achievement Academy Award® for Visual Effects. Michael York plays Logan 5, a Sandman authorized to terminate Runners fleeing Carousel. Logan is almost 30. Catch him if you can. My Thoughts:This is a great piece of classic sci-fi. Like all the best sci-fi it seems, it is both dated and timeless simultaneously. It is a very 70's film - bright colors, big hair, casual nudity. It is also a film for today, and for tomorrow too - in its basic questions: what is one's place in society? is a comfortable life worth what you have to give up for it? what is utopia? is there a responsibility in rebellion? I thought all the main actors were quite good, and the cinematography and effects are wonderful for their day. You don't see miniature sets like that any more. Really, my only complaint is the scene with Box. It's completely out of place in the film and quite jarring. It could have been eliminated completely and tightened the film up quite a bit. Other than that, it's a great film, and I'd recommend it for any fan of classic sci-fi. Bechdel Test: Fail Overall: 4/5
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« on: June 07, 2014, 01:45:33 PM »
 Avengers Confidential: Black Widow and PunisherYear of Release: 2014 Directed By: Kenichi Shimizu Starring: Jennifer Carpenter, Brian Bloom, John Eric Bentley, Grant George Genre: Action, Animation Overview:After interfering with a top secret mission, THE PUNISHER is taken into custody by S.H.I.E.L.D. AGENT and AVENGER, BLACK WIDOW. At the orders of Director Nick Fury, Punisher and Black Widow are sent on a mission to stop LEVIATHAN, a global terrorist organization, that plans to sell stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. technology to the highest bidder. Now, the vigilante and spy must work together to prevent this technology from falling into the wrong hands. The fate of the world, and of the AVENGERS, hangs in the balance. My Thoughts:It's a pretty standard comic story, and makes for a pretty decent superhero tale. It's made by the same folks who did Iron Man: Rise of the Technovore, and has much of the same look and style. I liked the character designs, the animation was quite good - except for a few closeups of Natasha's face, where they didn't get the expressions right, and the big battle scene at the end where the CGI was super-fracking-obvious. If you liked Technovore then you'll like this - and if you haven't see it, do you like anime style? Normally I'd say if you enjoy superhero fare then you'd enjoy this, but the style is very anime, so if you don't like that style then don't watch this or Technovore. Also this is a bit violent for the younger set - this is definitely aimed at teen and up. However, the most interesting thing to me was the (subtle?) critique of traditional romantic tropes. Natasha has a love interest here who didn't feel worthy because she was strong and powerful and he wasn't. So he set out to change that about himself. It's a problem we see in comics (and paranormal romance) regularly - how to write a romantic story for a strong, powerful, independent female character. Inevitably we get either the female character pretends to be less than she is, or she has to go out with someone who is a bigger BAMF than she is (in which case she loses independence), or he occupies a weaker position and the story ends tragically. We are only just beginning to see partnering of these women with men who can hold their own with them without the ladies giving anything up (Wonder Woman/Superman). Or, here, Punisher - no there's no romance between Frank and Natasha, but Frank doesn't treat her any differently because she's a woman. He treats her as an equal, and she is shown to match him. And that's good to see no matter what. Bechdel Test: Fail Overall: 3/5
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« on: June 07, 2014, 01:33:28 PM »
 Cloudy With a Chance of MeatballsYear of Release: 2009 Directed By: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller Starring: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Bruce Cambell, Mr. T Genre: Comedy, Animation Overview:When Flint Lockwood's (Bill Hader) latest contraption accidentally destroys the town square and rockets up into the clouds, he thinks his inventing career is over. Then, something amazing happens as delicious cheeseburgers start raining from the sky. His machine actually works! But when people greedily ask for more and more food, the machine starts to run amok, unleashing spaghetti tornadoes and giant meatballs that threaten the world! Now it's up to Flint, with the help of weather girl Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) and Steve, his talking monkey assistant, to find some way to shut down the machine before the world is covered in super-sized meatballs! My Thoughts:This was an entertaining and funny movie. The animation is great, it's bright, vividly colorful, and super sharp, absolutely perfect for the subject. The characters are interesting and quirky, even the minor ones have a little something to set them apart. Not only is it amusing and inventive, it also has quite a few good points to make - about over-consumption, waste, and how being smart is undervalued. It's also a good father/son film, and would likely look spectacular in 3D. Recommended for any fan of animation or anyone with kids. Lots and lots of fun. Bechdel Test: Fail Overall: 3/5
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« on: May 18, 2014, 05:18:03 AM »
 Road to SingaporeYear of Release: 1940 Directed By: Victor Schertzinger Starring: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour Genre: Comedy, Romance, Musical Overview:The 1940s' hottest movie trio—Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour—chart a course for comedy and romance in Road to Singapore. Running out on his stuffy desk job and marriage-minded girlfriend, Josh Mallon (Crosby) links up with sailor-buddy Ace (Hope) and sets sail for the farthest point on the map—Singapore. On the exotic island of Kaigoon, they meet Mima (Lamour), a lovely young dancer cruelly dominated by her whip-cracking partner-fiancé (Anthony Quinn). Josh and Ace rescue Mima, who moves into their shack, cooks, cleans, sings—and quickly becomes the object of their wise-cracking war for her affections. A top grosser of 1940, Singapore was the initial entry in the legendary Hope-Crosby-Lamour Road series that delighted movie goers for over 20 fun-filled years. My Thoughts:This is a fun bit of funny, escapist fluff. Our heroes, two chaps looking for nothing but good times, run away from marriage, work and high society to live as island bums. There they meet a girl who just might make them change their bachelor ways, if only she didn't make them both feel that way. The jokes are funny, and Crosby and Hope have great chemistry together and their banter is clever. Lamour works well with both of them, and is probably about as believably exotic as they were going to cast in 1940. It feels like there are a lot of songs for the short runtime, but other than that, no complaints. If you're looking for an amusing little film, and you like old movies, Bing Crosby and/or Bob Hope, this isn't a bad choice. Bechdel Test: Fail Overall: 3/5
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« on: April 04, 2014, 01:14:58 PM »
 Europa ReportYear of Release: 2013 Directed By: Sebastian Cordero Starring: Daniel Wu, Sharlto Copley, Christian Camargo, Karolina Wydra, Michael Nyqvist, Anamaria Marinca Genre: Science-Fiction, Suspense/Thriller Overview:When unmanned probes suggest that a hidden ocean could exist underneath Europa's icy surface and may contain single-celled life, Europa Ventures, a privately funded space exploration company, sends six of the best astronauts from around the world to confirm the data and explore the revolutionary discovery. After a near-catastrophic technical failure that leads to loss of communication with Earth and the tragic death of a crew member, the surviving astronauts must overcome the psychological and physical toll of deep space travel, and survive a discovery on Europa more profound than they had ever imagined. My Thoughts:This was a really great film, strongly grounded in actual science. All too often sci-fi only pays lip service to the science half of the genre, abandoning it for the sake of story (understandable) or effect (less). Don't think, however, that this means a film that will be dry and uninteresting, because once you get past the somewhat awkward beginning you're pulled in to the mission. There's an incredible amount of detail in the film, and an obvious love for science, exploration and discovery. The characters are aware of the importance of their mission, and act accordingly. They're an interesting enough group, as you get to know them, but they aren't easily pigeonholed into typical stereotypes (which I found really refreshing). There is no villain, but there's plenty of tension, and danger, from the reality of what they're doing and the speculative parts of the mission. It's a slow build though, so it's not for the short attention span crowd. Otherwise, this is a must see for fans of serious science fiction. Highly recommended. Bechdel Test: Pass Overall: 4/5
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« on: March 24, 2014, 05:32:58 PM »
 Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro)Year of Release: 1988 Directed By: Hayao Miyazaki Starring: Lisa Michaelson, Cheryl Chase, Gregory Snegoff, Kenneth Hartman Genre: Fantasy Overview:Enter a whimsical "garden of earthly delights" (The New York Times), in this enchanting fantasy adventure that has become an international favorite of children around the world. Deep inside a tree trunk, two children discover a fascinating new world inhabited by Totoros - amazing, charming creatures who become their friends. Some are big, some are small, but all of them are furry, lovable and ready to do wondrous, magical things...like fly over mountains and make giant trees grow in the middle of the night! Best of all, Totoros can't be seen by adults, only the children who love them. With its imaginative characters, heartwarming story and striking animation by the award-winning Hayao Miyazaki, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is "certain to delight" (Los Angeles Times) again and again. My Thoughts:Totoro is a perfect film; charming, magical, nostalgic. Totoro is a movie of simple beauty, of the enchantment of childhood and the magic of nature. It's a film of patience and the unfolding of life around us. It's a film with a simple story and superb animation. It's a film about wonder, about growing up, about responsibility, about children who act like children, and the profound reality of being human. A perfect film. Sit back and enjoy. Bechdel Test: Pass Overall: 5/5
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