tháng 1 2011 ~ The Larsen Film Review

I Am Love: Io sono l'amore (2010)

I'm writing this post several weeks after seeing the film, therefore my hate for it has diminished. This is by far one of the worst films I've seen. Pretentious crap is the best way to describe it.

I'll go ahead and warn that there might be a few spoilers here, but spoiling crap is kind of an oxymoron. The film starts in a fashion that made me think a good film about a rich family dealing with failure and the family empire changing generational hands. What I got was cut up plot, loose ends, unexplained events, and bad acting. We never learn trivial parts of the plot, what did the son race?, that are irrelevant to the plot, but the manor in which they are avoided make you wonder for the entire movie. The hint of homosexual behavior by the son never comes to fruition, and the viewer feels lost.

The tangents we take with Tilda Swinton are pointless and only for artistic sake. If you are in film school or want to work on costume design have fun with this one, you are probably the only one getting joy out of this film. Don't just avoid this one, tell others that mention it that you heard it was bad. Oh yeah, this crap was nominated for a Golden Globe just because of Swinton, Italy was smart enough not to submit it to the Oscar Foreign Committee.

Vote: 2/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226236/

This film is the Emma Stone high school spin on The Scarlett Letter. Probably one that I would have skipped, had it not been nominated for a Golden Globe. I'm actually pretty happy that I ended up watching it.

My assumption was that Stone would play a popular or snobby girl, but her character is very likable, and the film is pretty cute. Her parents, played by Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci, are probably more of what a high school kid wishes their parents were like than reality. Lisa Kudrow's character was completely unlikable, I'm starting to not like her performances, what happened to being funny?

This film would have been 8/10 and "Worth Watching" if the ending scenes were a little more realistic. The film had some funny moments, mainly all due to Stone's acting. The pep rally scene was so bad I had to dock it a point. Not for everyone, but not bad.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1282140/

I really want to stay on top of the foreign films this year. So now that the Globes are over and this one was not even short listed for an Oscar I thought I'd knock it out pretty early.

The film is a Russian action/drama/romance taking place in a Siberian outpost just after World War II. An outpost that German sympathizers and others that have wronged the government have been sent to. So far from civilization that escape is nearly impossible. Vladimir Mashkov plays Ignat, the badass of the movie. The film lacked so much direction that I'm not sure if he was supposed to be an action hero or a romantic. He is sent to this outpost because he crashed a train he was conducting, so guess what he does almost instantly? That's right crashes another train. Demoted and now angry he goes into the woods and rebuilds a broke down train to prove himself.

The film really made little to no sense and relating to any character was almost impossible. Some good cinematography is about all this film has to offer. Happy it was ignored by the Oscar committee.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1706414/

Nominated for 10 Oscars and selected by many critics for their top 10 lists of the year. This western film based on the Charles Portis book is supposed to be more true to the book than the original film. To be honest I don't read a lot of books [I watch a lot of films], and I'm not going to read the book to get a comparison. In reality I could careless, if a director takes liberties to make the story more entertaining, that is fine with me.

I managed to watch the original the remake in the same day. Maybe this makes the comparison better or worse, I don't know. I would probably favor the first film regardless when doing a comparison so it can be hard. The bottom line with this film is the girl is the main character and makes or breaks the film. Kim Darby was fantastic in the original, and the Coen Brothers either lucked out, or are brilliant, in casting Hailee Steinfeld. She did the part justice.

There are some differences. Scenes between La Boeuf, Mattie Ross, and Marshall Cogburn definitely seem more realistic, and maybe just because I'm more familiar with Matt Damon, I liked him better than Glen Campbell. The thing that made this film only a 7/10 is how hard it was to understand Jeff Bridges. Why does Hollywood want to make all western stars look like the dirties, most unlikable people now? Kids wanted to be John Wayne, no kid wants to be Bridges. Sure I get it, it is probably a lot more realistic, but I want to at least be able to understand the dialogue. Last comparison: Most of the scenes took place during the day in the original film, they were all at night in this one. I'm not sure why this struck me as odd, maybe it is easier to make a set look realistic in the dark? Maybe the encounter late at night was more realistic...

I don't want to comment to much on the ending. If you haven't seen it yet, then skip this paragraph.Why did we need to go that far? Leave it a mystery! There is no reason to go revisit these characters, bad ending.

There haven't been many westerns in the last 20 years. So for what it is, I liked it a lot. I wouldn't watch it again, and wouldn't recommend it to everyone.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/

I really felt it was necessary to watch the original before watching this year's remake of this classic western. I'll leave the comparison of the two for the remake post.

The film starts with Mattie Ross [Kim Darby] saying goodbye to her father as he goes to town to make some trades. When he is murdered she hires Rooster Cogburn [John Wayne] to hunt down her man. The film features performances by Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper. Lest we forget, this film won an Oscar for Wayne's performance and was nominated for Best Song as well. The remake may have more nominations, but is not going to duplicate the leading actor award.

The fate of this film lay in the hands of the actress playing Mattie Ross. Darby is spectacular in her role as a 13 year old girl in the west holding her own with grown men. One of the best westerns I've seen.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065126/

Considered by many to be one of the very best films of the year, if not the best. The film is a physiological thriller about a dancer going through a nervous breakdown. Without spoiling the film, let's stop at that.

Natalie Portman plays Nina, a ballerina in the New York City ballet company and auditioning for the leading role in Swan Lake. A role that requires that she basically play two characters the "White Swan" and the "Black Swan." Mila Kunis, better known for her role in That '70s Show proves that she is a legitimate actress in this film. She plays Lily, a girl that has just joined the NYC company from San Francisco, I'll let the film speak for the rest.

Director Darren Aronofsky did a fantastic job taking the audience on roller coaster ride through Nina's vantage point. The relationship between her, her mother, the artistic director, and Lily are all very complex and exciting to watch. This is worth multiple viewings.

How does it relate to the other Best Picture nominees for the year? Well with 10 it is easily in the top half, but is it better than the two front runners? In most respects no. There are some very strong performances and I expect this film will have some staying power in an overall weak year in film.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0947798/

A film about 1950's Connecticut starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, and Dennis Haysbert (the All State Guy). Nominated for 4 Oscars in 2003, but winner of zero. This film was a little predictable and boring for me.

From the outside it looks as though Cathy (Moore) has the perfect life. Housewife, two kids, successful husband, and a bit of a socialite. When interviewed for a magazine her friendly relationship with her gardener is misconstrued and she gets labeled as a negro lover, learning that racism is very much alive in her town. She visits her husband working late at the office to find him kissing another man and her world starts to fall apart.

Depressing, well acted, sad, and exactly what you would expect from a film highlighting these issues. A good message but a forgettable movie overall.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0297884/

Part 1 of the Apu Trilogy directed by Satyajit Ray, who is considered to be India's most important director ever and has been highly regarded on best international director lists and by his peer Akira Kurosawa.

The first part of the trilogy starts just before the birth of Apu. We learn the relationship between his aunt, mother, father, and sister and through the film watch him grow up to about school age.

I really really liked this one, when it was over I said to myself, "If I didn't like that, I shouldn't bother with foreign black-and-white films at all." The plot develops well, the story is gripping, and the soundtrack is intense. You question why his family does what they do, but you wonder what their alternatives really are. As I'm writing this review, having actually seen the film several weeks ago, I am now done with the entire trilogy and I can easily say that this film is worth watching all by itself. You do not need to watch the 2nd and 3rd parts to get something out of this one.

A very good look at a culture and time I knew little about, plus the copy from the library has hard-coded subtitles for easy transfer to a portable device.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048473/

Fart jokes, jokes about sex with old ladies, fat jokes, all of what you can expect from a Happy Madison Production. The thing that is really frustrating is that this film is disguised as a family movie.

It is as if Sandler gets together all the comedians who have only put out crap in the last 10 years [Rob Schneider and David Spade] and made a movie about school age friends having a reunion. Maybe it was wrong of me to have any expectations from this movie. Truth is, I've liked most of Adam Sandler's movies. It just seemed like no one tried to really make this more than a "hanging out with Sandler and his friends."

I suggest avoiding this one.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375670/

This one managed to make it into the top 15 of the top 100 films to see before you die by yahoo. Top 15 of all time... seems a little high for a movie most people have never heard of. A pretentious movie about a photographer who treats models like crap. In his free time he likes to take pictures around town, in the park, etc. Unaware that he is photographing a crime he is asked to give up his film by the lady he photographs.

The woman happens to be Vanessa Redgrave at the peak of her popularity. The film is very racy for the 1960's and with a Redgrave topless scene I can see where the popularity comes from. Michelangelo Antonioni was nominated for an Oscar for his directing of this, and the Brits nominated it for 3 BAFTA's including script, art direction, and best overall film.

I hated it. The main character was a jerk. The story never progresses anywhere with the foreshadowing it provides. It was a waste of time. With less than half of an hour left all I could think was, where is this going? What is the point? You can die without seeing this one.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060176/

On a number of top 10 lists for 2003 and given an Oscar nomination for it's screenplay. This is the biography of Harvey Pekar, the average guy made into a comic strip called "American Splendor."

Pekar is played by Paul Giamatti, Giamatti is now famous for his angry on film persona. To me this was a warm up for Sideways, the film that actually made him popular the following year. Pekar is an average guy with a short temper. He enjoys collecting records, and while making his rounds at garage sales one weekend he starts to get hooked on comics. Feeling like he has something to say but useless when it comes to actually drawing the comics himself, he partners with an artist friend who animates his life.

Bouncing between his comic version, Giamatti as actor, and the real Pekar the film pulls you in, then pushes you back out in a very unique manner. It is dangerous to show the REAL Pekar and the actor playing Pekar because the audience starts to compare the two. However, with good acting and a clever script it works quite well. I found the film a little dull at times, but overall it was pretty good. It is always hard for me to give a film a "worth watching" in the Dec-Feb time frame while I'm concurrently watching the current years best picture nominees.

In horror month I probably would have given this an 8 or 9, but for when I'm watching it, 7/10. This might be something you would like, if you like character studies with a strong actor and a somewhat slow plot.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0305206/

A glorified extended music video considered a great film. Treated like "normal" day in the life of the Beatles, this film is popular just because of nostalgia. Just because you like them and their music, does NOT mean they can act.

Beatles telling jokes and their songs playing in the background is basically the entire film. A running gag with Paul's grandfather is beyond stupid and the jokes are cookie cutter and pathetic. The songs even repeat, with all the Beatles songs available they couldn't fill the film with different ones? I didn't just find this film boring, I found it painful to watch. Counting the minutes left from about 20 minutes in.

I'm very leery about watching the other Beatles movies now.

Vote: 2/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058182/

This one made the documentary short list last year for the Oscar but ended up getting cut from the nominees. Since last year was so strong with Food, Inc.and The Cove. I ventured into some of the other short listed films.

A documentary about Lyme Disease, and the issues those that have it are facing. It takes a personal approach following the life of a 20-something (the girl on the poster) who is suffering from the disease. We follow her as she goes through treatment while trying to maintain a normal life. The problem with a documentary like this is that it gets to personal on a single individual and you lose the big picture. We are trying to showcase just how many people are going through this, yet the events we attend show the same few over and over.

It does however do a great job bringing to light all the issues with the medical field, the doctors that are attacked for trying to treat patients, and the insurance companies that manage to dodge treatment costs. It has redeeming qualities, and since a friend of a friend of a friend is going dealing with the disease I wanted a little more insight. Now the one issue I really had with this documentary was the mother who knew that having a child would mean passing the disease along. Having already gone through the death of a child she tries again and again. I might understand if she didn't already have a healthy child, wanting to have a child yourself... but how is this better than having a kid when you know you have AIDS. Just adopt! It seemed very selfish bringing a child into the world when you know they will have a disease.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1202579/

A remake of the French film The Dinner Game about a group of friends who invite the dumbest person they can find to dinner as a competition. I haven't seen the original but it is regarded as one of the best French comedies of all time. Dangerous territory trying to remake comedy in another language and country.

The film stars Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. Rudd is a businessman who has just impressed his boss at work, he has been invited to dinner and asked to bring an interesting person. Carell is the strange man he encounter and then invites. When Carell gets the date of the dinner screwed up, and starts providing relationship assistance, things get out of hand fast.

The comedy is mostly stupid and relies on Carell being an idiot. About 5 minutes worth is all you can handle and it gets annoying fast. Zach Galifianakis plays Carell's boss at the IRS, a role that was taken in a stupid direction and really missed the mark for me. I think we are all starting to see that The Hangover may have been a fluke.

Not sure why I gave this a 6/10, kinda liked it a little, but overall was just worthless.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427152/

Recommended to me by my father, said to remind him of someone we both know very well. Also on Roger Eberts Top 10 list of the year [that is if you consider that he put 30 films on his top 10]. The third "S___ Man" film I've watch in the last year also, first there was A Serious Man, then A Single Man, now Solitary Man, enough already!

Actually the best of the S-Man films, but still just average. A very colorful cast though. Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Jenna Fischer (Pam from The Office), and Jesse Eisenberg (Mr. Facebook). The film is about a man who uses his hypochondria to justify his downward spiral. Sure he is going to die soon he starts cheating, making illegal business deals, and ruining his family relationships.

Sometimes people want "A POINT" for every movie, but this is one that is really just a character study. Short, simple, and sad (not depressing) because of the self destructive behavior. Aspects of his life to remind me of a certain person, namely the conversation with his new found young friend Daniel [Jesse Eisenberg]. He tells him how women are so easy and predictable then balls to him about how he is going die soon with no real proof that the end is that near. I can see how reviews would be really split on this one.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294213/

The movie poster convinced me to watch this: "From the Author of Fight Club," hey I loved Fight Club so I should love this... The film is directed by Clark Gregg [you would recognize him, from a number of minor roles], this is his first film to direct. Winner of a special prize at Sundance (not sure how notable a "special prize" is...) this film was really kind of a flop.

Starring Sam Rockwell as a sex addict, with a screwed up childhood thanks to his mental patient mother played by Anjelica Huston (Morticia from the Addams Family remakes. Rockwell is definitely a working actor, taking on a number of roles in minor films, and making some shine [see Moon].

The problem is that this film's tone of comedy and serious manner make it very difficult to take enjoy. I'm not sure if I should take his efforts to become a better person seriously or not. The film seems to lack direction, and takes several ironic twists that kind of fall flat. They could have been played differently and been either hysterical or sad, but it didn't seem like either was pushed more than the other. Glad to have this off my watch list since it has been there for two years now, but I would NOT recommend this. Maybe it is worth a read?

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024715/

Let me start by saying this was much better than I expected from the imdb poster and pictures. It really looked like romance film that would be cheesy and dull. This is very far from the truth. A film that that has been hovering around the cellar of the current imdb top 250. On the list at the start of the year, off last week, back on today.

The film is written, directed by, and starring Ki-duk Kim (I still need to see his film 3-Iron). The film treats the cycle of seasons as a generation cycle. About a monk and a boy the first spring is the boys young childhood, summer is his young adult life, fall is as an adult, and winter as he becomes an older man. The movie is actually really cool and I liked the story a lot. I hate to give you much of the plot because it has some surprises.

If you like foreign films, check this one out. With a number of bad foreign film on the top 250 it is hard not to assume that new arrivals will be bad also. It would be nice if this one stuck around for a while on the list.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374546/

A film about two angels walking amongst the living, hearing their thoughts and helping those in need through a kind touch. A film in Time's 100 Movies of the Century, Yahoo's 101 Movies to See, and the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die.

Starring Bruno Ganz [best known for his portrayal of Hitler in Downfall]. The angels see in black-and-white, and after centuries of roaming around helping people Bruno's character desires to be human. Wanting to be able to touch, smell, taste, and see fully. As an angel he meets Peter Falk, you know Colombo, an angel that went through the same process of becoming human. Having been an angel he senses Bruno's presence and tells him how great being human is.

Bruno mainly becomes human because he falls in love with a trapeze artist. I really expected this to run the storyline of City of Angels, but the plot doesn't progress fast enough for this. It needed to be 4-5 hours long to get that far. So slightly incomplete, but a good idea for a film. Since it was in German it was impossible to get the full effect of them walking through a crowd of people hearing all of their thoughts at the same time. A pretty good film, but not a "Top 100" worthy film.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093191/

The latest Sofia Coppola film, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, best known for her film Lost in Translation. This one was on Roeper's Top 10 of the Year (#10) and had a small contingent pushing for an Oscar nomination for this film. It was also the winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

The film is a very slow drama about a movie star and his relationship with his daughter. Stephen Dorff plays Johnny Marco, a big international action film star. Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning's younger sister, plays his daughter. Dorff's character is either divorced or just separated from his daughter's mother, I honestly can't remember how far that relationship went. The film is short, but has long laborious scenes of him driving around town in his sports car or sitting in a studio getting a plaster mold of his head for his next action film. The film was really about nothing, you didn't like the main character, and his life really seemed like crap. The point of the film, yes, but not worth my time. Chris Pontius from Jackass is his friend, and I do find his interaction with Fanning entertaining it was not enough to support this film. Dorff really wasn't bad either, and Fanning was pretty good also.

So the acting gets an A. The story, plot, pace all get a D- so why watch this film? Some throw around the word pretentious with a film like this. I thought Coppola had good intentions, but just came up short here. If you didn't like Lost in Translation, I doubt you will like this...

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1421051/

There is something about Danny Boyle's films that make them easy to identify. He has a style all his own with films such as Trainspotting, The Beach, and Slumdog Millionaire. The film seems to almost channel the colors and sounds of Slumdog, I'm not sure if he was just very happy with how that one turned out or if he was trying to bait another award. A.R. Rahman's style fit Slumdog brilliantly, but with this film the score just seemed a little off.

Anyways, I really like Boyle's work. Although none of his films are my "favorites" per se, from what I've seen they have been above average across the board, and now I'm motivated to see Millions. Which has been ideally sitting on my list for a while.

It is hard not to give away the plot and spoil the movie because the plot is so basic. A rock climber, climbing alone, gets stuck for more than a few days. That is vague enough to keep it exciting if you have been living under a rock [no pun intended]. There are a few supporting actors with very minor roles and limited scenes, but this film is all about James Franco's character, Aron. Based on a true story, don't look it up, it will ruin the surprise. I did like this film, it was gory at times and you should be prepared for some pretty intense scenes. A short film at only 94 minutes, but a simple plot, so it still does even seem to drag out a little at times. A worse director would have made this two and a half hours to try and make you experience the boredom the main character must have been going through.

Definitely one of the films worth seeing this year, Franco made this movie, but I wouldn't give him an Oscar just for making a film watchable by himself. The movie wasn't THAT good, and his role wasn't THAT complex. Check it out for yourself.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542344/

This is going to be a short review, but I guess you can already see that... Another Hayao Miyazaki film, I'm getting really tired of his entire body of work cycling onto the IMDB Top 250. This one, currently not on the top 250 was #248 on Jan. 1st when I create a static list. I'm sure now that I've seen it, it will never return, and Kiki's Delivery Service will be on there next. Since it is the only feature film of his I have not seen and has not been on the 250.

I'm sure this sounds a little harsh, but this film does not really deserve any acclaim. It just a kids movie. Weak plot, average animation quality, and quite dull. The film takes place well into the future when the forests are poisoned from all the pollution and wars. They live in the valley of the wind, when Nausicaa is a princess of a small community just trying to survive. Warring clans invade and their valley and Nausicaa has to save her people.

Too violent for small children, just about all anime of this type gets a 4/5 on the KSF. Plus, the plot is complicated enough that little ones wouldn't get it.

Vote: 6/10, KSF 4/5

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087544/

I stumbled across this film last year and thought I'd hold onto it and give it a chance eventually. Guess that time finally came around.... An early 90's biography film about Charles Chaplin starring Robert Downey Jr. and nominated for three Oscars.

I'm very glad that it took me so long to find out about it because I now have seen a large large amount of Chaplin's films and a better familiarity with Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, so I got a lot more out of this film that I would have otherwise. This is actually quite an all-star cast for the 90's with Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Kline, Milla Jovovich, and Diane Lane.

The follows his autobiography and starts in his childhood, the cool part is that Geraldine Chaplin, Charlie's real life daughter, playing the part of her own grandmother Hannah. A performance good enough to get her a golden globe nomination. It was nice to see Robert Downey Jr. do well in a role before all of his legal problems, but the film was far from perfect. It labored on at the end reflecting back on his life, it really could have used some better editing to cut this down to about two hours. It would have been nice if they focused a little more on his acting career than his revolving door of wives. I didn't watch this to see all of that, although interesting, I cared more about his films. Good if you are familiar with Chaplin, Faribanks, and Pickford. Not great if you aren't.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103939/

When I was in junior high a kid from California moved to my school in Oklahoma. He was surprised to find that we didn't life on ranches with cowboys and indians running around. This is the film I expect kids in LA and New York think all people in the Ozarks [Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, etc.] live.

A sad and depressing film about a teenage girl in a very difficult situation. Jennifer Lawrence was fantastic in a film on the level of last year's Precious. The film centers around her, and all of the supporting roles pale in comparison to her. The plot is that her deadbeat dad has jumped bail and left her family's house as part of the collateral. In the backwoods of Missouri the majority of her neighbors are relatives of some sort. In an area where cooking meth is prevalent there is suspicion that family or friend may know what happened to him.

The plot is slow as she searches for answers. The film is generally depressing, and although there are powerful and gripping scenes the film is a bit over rated to me. There were elements I enjoyed seeing, but overall I could have passed on this one.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399683/

Let me start by admitting that when I saw this was Julianne Moore and Annette Bening in a lesbian movie, I thought. Crap. Do I really have to watch this one. Might as well get it over with. Honestly I remember this coming out on dvd and would have passes on it, had it not been nominated for awards.

Can't always judge a film by it's poster huh? I'm very glad I watched this one. An above average (not excellent) storyline, with realistic characters, and great acting. Mark Ruffalo is a nitch actor, and this character reminds me a lot of his performance in You Can Count on Me. Julianne Moore has been hit-or-miss with me lately, her last strong performance was Children of Men, and I still think she was just ok. Annette Bening on the other hand was fantastic in a complex role of a wife having to cope with her family/partner being pulled in different directions. Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson did a good job completing the main cast as sister and brother.

I'll keep the plot simple. Joni turns 18, her younger brother asks her to seek out their sperm donor father, Paul [Mark Ruffalo]. Complications arise when Joni starts spending more time with Paul, and he hires Moore's character to do some gardening work.

The movie seemed like it could have been taken from a real family, and was entertaining and realistic start to finish. Not a glamorous film, but worth of checking out.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0842926/

Barely making the AFI 100 Thrills list at #98 this completed the AFI 100 Thrills for me! The first Joel & Ethan Coen movie definitely showed their likely tight budget. Cheap sets, average actors, and sub-par audio/music make this a film with a lot to be desired.

Frances McDormand's first film, and it shows. She is young immature, and nothing close to her Fargo or Burn After Reading performances. Dan Hedaya and John Getz gave some B-Movie performances, there were many times I want to slap Getz for his characters idiocy at the crime scene. For a thriller it is very slow, and if it wasn't for a strong conclusion this would be rated even worse.

Probably one of my very least favorites on the 100 Thrills list, which was a bad way to end it. A huge disappointment for the Coen Brothers who have made a number of films I really really like. I guess you have to start somewhere.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086979/

Starring Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, and Maribel Verdú, and directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Children of Men), this Mexican film is a story about teenage sexual exploration.

The film is about two boys and their summer between high school graduation and the beginning of college. Their girlfriends are leaving to tour Europe and they are left to find their own fun. After meeting one of their cousin's wifes that just moved to Mexico from Spain they offer to show her the Ocean. The film then follows the three as they embark to find a beach that was made up to begin with.

The film is very racy and has plenty of sex and nudity that you might be careful just who your audience is when watching. It falls somewhere between a teen comedy and a deep drama with narrated points about the class system and local fishers overtaken by big business. Yet, featuring scenes of the two boys jerking off at a swimming pool.

Definitely a film that I was thinking a lot about when it was over. About survival of friendships & about Ana's situation. I don't think this would be liked by a wide audience and think it is a strong 7/10.

Vote:7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245574/

Let me start by saying this is a three hour dramatic epic about a family in Taipei. We follow a number of family member through everyday life starting at a major family gathering, and ending at another.

Winner of "Best Foreign Language Film" at a number of film festivals, but not garnishing any major nominations. This film starts with a family at a wedding. The boy in the post is one of the two key characters in the film. His father is at a turning point in his life as he wonders about "the one that got away," if his son will follow in his footsteps, and if his company is headed in the right direction. The younger brother of the father is getting married, not to the one he loves, but to the one he knocked up. Working for the same company he is risky and careless in all matters of life, and the film revolves around a lot of mistakes he makes with money, women, and business.

It is a somewhat compelling story, I enjoyed the footage surrounding the son, who is quirky and mischievous. It is hard to say if it should have been edited down because it really was about the whole family and the issues they all had in their daily lives. Cutting any of it out would have made it incomplete. Problem is I don't know if this film was memorable enough to remember in a few years. It is a chore to get through, so I can't see suggesting it to anyone. I didn't see many faults, it just wasn't incredibly compelling.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0244316/

This was a pretty good film about a nuclear power plant accident. Starring Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, and Michael Douglas and nominated for Oscars, for both Lemmon's and Fonda's performances as well as screenplay and set. Lemmon lost to Hoffman, and Fonda lost Sally Field.

The film is about a tv crew, reporter Fonda and cameraman Douglas, on a routine interview at the nuclear facility when they witness an accident. They are promptly told their footage will never air, and after discussions with the senior engineer during the scare, Lemmon, they take action to get their story heard.

It was quite intense at times, and very cool to learn just what the title implies. It wasn't great, but I would recommend it with reservations that you either have to like political thrillers or the stars of this one to enjoy it.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078966/

#92 on the AFI 100 Thrills was probably one of the weakest films on the list for me. Opinions will diverge at this point of a Top 100 so I'm not surprised. This romance turned crime film really wasn't very thrilling though.

The film stars William Hurt and Kathleen Turner with minor roles by some notables: Ted Danson and Mickey Rourke. The first and foremost issue I had with this one is Hurt's performance, it was not good enough to star in a film. Maybe I need to see Kiss of the Spider Woman, in which he actually won an Oscar for Actor in a Leading Performance. I guess it might also have to do with the fact that I see him as a old man and supporting actor in a lot of current movies. Turner was ok, and I have to laugh at seeing Danson give his buddy in the film, Hurt, advice since we aren't in a bar.

I might have come across as a little hard on this film, it really wasn't bad per say, it just wasn't up to par with the rest of the list. It is a decent wife cheats on rich husband then plots to get the money film. Maybe I'm also just not a huge 80's movie fan.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082089/

Nominated for 7 Oscars, and winner of 2. This addition on the AFI 100 Thrills is an oldie, but goodie. Starring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten, and Angela Lansbury in her acting debut. Bergman won the Oscar in a role for which she spent two weeks in a mental institution getting into character.

The film center's around Bergman's character who returns to the home she grew up in and where her famous Aunt was murdered. Newly married to a man with secrets who begins a psychological game with Bergman's character trying to drive her insane. The title comes from the mystery behind the lights in her room dimming at night when her husband goes to his studio to work. Boyer does such a good job as a bad guy in this film that I would be hard for me to watch him in anything else without feeling that way. Cotten's performance as an investigator was the only flaw in my eyes. In the book he is an older man that actually new Bergman's murdered Aunt instead of man easily at most in his early 30's. It just didn't fit that someone that young could have remembered so much from over a decade ago. There is also no way that Boyer's character would have remembered him.

Despite this discontinuity it was a very enjoyable film. I mentioned this as Lansbury's first film, she was in a supporting role that is hard to grade. She didn't even make the movie poster, but it was neat to see her so young in this film.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036855/

Yay! The last movie of the AFI 100 Laughs, #74 is a film starring
Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. The three play co-workers who share the same boss. A boss who just hired Fonda, treats Tomlin like a maid, and sexually harasses his secretary Parton.

After an office altercation between Mr. Hart and Tomlin's character, the three go out for drinks. They discuss how they would kill their boss in joking comical text, and the next day when Tomlin [thinks she] poison's Mr. Hart, the film gets slapstick.

Running around with a dead body. Kidnapping. Threatening with a deadly weapon. Blackmail. All are treated with humor in a film about Women's Rights in the work place. I'm sure 30 years ago it would have seemed a little more relevant and entertaining, but I really didn't like it much. Another list inclusion that shows the American Film Institute and I have differing comedic tastes.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080319/

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