Some cleanup…
Here’s the LSC schedule.
Grindhouse: Planet Terror isn’t exceptionally good (but yeah, I seem to pick up on the zombie film culture by watching parodies of it, like Shaun of the Dead, first). Death Proof should not be watched as part of Grindhouse. See it independently — the full version basically has a lot more girl talk, but that’s what makes Tarantino special, anyway. Builds up pace better.
Knocked Up: Pretty ok.
Hot Fuzz: Heh. I had already seen this before and still went to see it. From the makers of Shaun of the Dead, comes an action film.
Paris, Je T’aime: I really do love Paris. The film is rather uneven, etc… I think I’ve written about this already in another post.
Ocean’s Thirteen: Awful. Even compared to Eleven. The sequels just keep getting more smug, not actually better.
The Lives of Others: Very very good. Please watch.
Live Free or Die Hard: Was on a rafting trip in Maine, missed it, and no regrets.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End: I think the films have got steadily worse, although most people seem to like the second one better than the first. I hadn’t really followed the plot the first time I watched it (in Paris), though… this second viewing made everything clear, except the question of why I was boneheaded enough to actually see this film a second time.
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles: Good. Not perfect, but such is life.
Waitress: Er… OK. Good I hadn’t watched a single episode of Firefly then, or I couldn’t have possibly watched this. (It has Nathan Fillion in a “sweet” role…)
The Namesake: Pretty decent, surprisingly. Wasn’t bored…
The Shooter: What do you expect from a title like that? Deserves a prize for absurd mention of the Coriolis force. I only compare films against those of the same genre, so… not bad.
A Mighty Heart: Very good. There’s another post.
The Bourne Ultimatum: As expected. Nothing very bad, and that’s saying a lot.
Rendition: Far from perfect. Not even great. Leaves you with the feeling that a much better film could have been made. Still, ok.
Black Irish: Pretty ok… Tom Guiry was there and seemed a nice non-snobbish guy too.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Awful. Totally awful. Appears to just go through the routine, with no extra effort. Never have I watched a film with this much detachment. The rest of the audience seemed to “connect”, though, so maybe I was just in a bad mood. The only non-awful thing was that it had a few minutes of Helena Bonham Carter (from Fight Club).
Il Postino: Good.
1408: There’s another post. Not bad.
28 Weeks Later: Was screening this :D A zombie film with class (and technically, it’s a virus, not corpse-reanimation.)
Daywatch: Beyond description. I’ve heard the first movie was even more beyond. Close to SF/fantasy/whatever. Some cute Russians…
Wristcutters: A Love Story: Heh. Very unserious, not even seriously so. Rather short, so not much waste of time.
Zatoichi: Missed it. Sangam’s “Diwali Nite” happens only once a year, and is more important.
Ratatouille: Wow. LOVED it. Everyone did — not often that there is applause at the end of a film here. Not often that there are about 50 (instead of 2 or 3) people respectfully waiting for the end of the credits either. Seriously, this is one of the best animated films I have ever seen (and I seem to say that each time I watch something by Pixar…)
Others:
King Arthur: Bad. One Keira Knightley does not make a good film.
Tarzan: Pre-Pixar Disney films are simply not in the same class…
It’s a Wonderful Life: Very good. Feels very good too.
Die Hard: Heh. Wasn’t as bad as I had expected, actually. I’m guessing the later films were, though.
Serenity: I do not deserve to write about it; besides everyone who cares has watched it already.
Life is Beautiful: I had seen this film on TV a few years ago, when I was a kid. At that time I was blown away — I found the film moving, the characters lovable…. When I saw it again now, somehow it seemed to fall flat. I am wondering what the reason could be:
- I have become desensitised, less able to be carried away emotionally, blah…
- I doubt it. Other films have worked on me recently too :-)
- The film itself is more simplistic, the lines predictable, more suitable for a child :P
- Er, this is possible…
- I was watching it a second time!
- Yes, scenes that were unexpected, and either hilarious or shocking, were not, this time, because I had already seen it
- I was not in the right mood
- Possible too
- It’s an awful dub!
- I think this is the most important reason. Having people talk English in weird Italian accents is an insulting presentation of the film, and these distractions does not do justice to the actual film. Films should not be dubbed, seriously. I have never seen a dubbed film I’ve liked.
