Synecdoche, New York (2008)

I've seen a few confusing films while attempting to finish all of these movie lists. The hardest of course has been the 1001 movies to see before you die book, which features a number of foreign film, avant-garde, experimental, and just plain strange films. First director that comes to mind is David Lynch with Mulholland Dr., Lost Highway, Blue Velvet , and the most bizarre film i've ever seen Eraserhead.

The most mainstream of these directors that think outside the box is Charlie Kaufman. Kaufman usually keeps his films someone understandable on first watch, and has many films worth two watches. Like Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. The thing about these films is that he WRITE them all but directed NONE of them. So Synecdoche, New York is actually Kaufman's directorial debut.

I watched this film please Ebert just loved it, and although I haven't found his quote he said something along the lines of "our generations Citizen Kane." How can you skip a movie like that? He even put it on his top ten films of the decade list. Like many have rebutted to Ebert, you liked the concept but the execution was not there.

I applaud Kaufman from trying to direct one of his highly complex films, but for me this was just another film starring Philip Seymour Hoffman that failed. Sorry Hoffman you are one of the best supporting actors ever... but not a lead. The movie just made no sense. I should have to read explanations of the film afterward to understand it. If I read those explanations and still don't get it then there is something very wrong with the film because what is film if it isn't a way to convey your ideas so an audience understands them.

The film follows a neurotic man through his life, through his slightly insane eyes. We jump year at a time with no direction other than people aging. He builds a fantasy land he calls a theater set for a show that will never happen, until his life eventually before this fantasy world. It will not make sense, and it isn't supposed to.


Vote: 2/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383028/

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Stardust (2007)

I do remember this film coming out and through it was a kids film. It didn't peak my interest then, but for the sake of finishing a movie list [the modern 250] I gave it a chance.

Charlie Cox stars as Tristan, a young man set out to win the love of a girl by catching a falling star in a magical land. The star is Claire Danes, and no I'm not saying that her career is dying in this film, it is a fantasy were witches, kings, and this boy are all after the same prize for different reasons.

Michelle Pfeiffer plays a witch who is after the fallen star's heart because it restores youth, and Robert De Niro is a gay pirate who teaches Tristan to fight while helping them on their journey. This is indeed a kids film, not a bad one at that, but just not a movie made for me.

I could see watching this with my daughter some day [not soon], but for a watch by myself it wasn't all that great.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/

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Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives: Loong Boonmee raleuk chat (2010)

Not a pretentious film, but one that is embraced by pretentious people. I've read reviews with lines like, "Though not for everyone, it is a must see for anyone who treasures cinema." So... since this film made no sense to me don't know how to treasure cinema?

A film make in Thailand, spoken in Thai, and the country's submission to the Oscar Foreign Film committee for awards consideration. Winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and The Best Film in Thailand. It is critically acclaimed in Asia, and probably would be a pretty good film if I understood Thai culture and was also Buddist.

But I'm not, and the film... which centers around Boonme, who is dying of what I believe is Kidney failure. There seems to be some form of dialysis or just emptying of his kidney's, but it is pretty clear he is about to die. While on his deathbed [figuratively, because he is still able to get around with some assistance], he recalls his childhood, past lives, and speaks with ghosts of loved ones who have passed.

I've read a lot about this film since, trying to understand it. The problem is that it is both hard to follow and full of metaphors. So there are scenes were a monk showers and puts on street cloths and this is supposed to be a metaphor about Thai society and so forth. Oh yeah, and the catfish performing oral sex on the princess was bizarre enough to make me tell everyone to avoid this one. If you want a bizarre foreign film check out: Dogtooth.

Vote: 2/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588895/

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Harry Potter [8] and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

The thrilling conclusion to the epic decade long movie series... lived up to the hype. Maybe the incompleteness of "Part1" helped set this one up for success... I don't know. What I do know is that all the action was saved for this film. Making a journey to the other side reminded me a little bit of the Matrix and Neo's return. Having not read the books I wasn't sure just how this was going to play out, which is pretty impressive for a long movie series where this only covers 1/2 of a book.

There are two things I didn't understand. Why did they think they had found the last horcrux? They thought there were 7 but knew they only had 4 or 5 at the time. If another was created inadvertently wouldn't that have made 8? Or did the person that told Harry somehow know and count this inadvertent one? 

For having not read the books I was able to keep up thanks to re-watching the whole series in the preceding month. I doubt I would have given it a 9/10 if I hadn't.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201607/

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Harry Potter [7] and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

This is a first for the LFR, a 2nd review of a film. At the same time my previous post on this film said I would re-review it around this time. Interesting enough though I found that I gave it the same 6/10 even when I understood what was going on.

The film explains the meaning of the Deathly Hollows but it really is just the first half of a book. So the conclusion of the film fits seamlessly into Part 2. I'm not sure would have been done to make this film much better though, you can't change the story and this is just 1/2 of a story.

The part I found disappointing though is the lack of action. A series I have come to take as action/adventure/fantasy was really just a drama for this film. The magic was limited and the excitement was minimal. I was also amazed at just how much I forgot in less than a year since I didn't understand much the first time around.

I would suggest you be ready to watch Part 2 very soon after watching this one.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0926084/

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Harry Potter [6] and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

It might be important for me to tell you that I can't write a review for a part 6 of a series of 8 films without spoiling the previous films. So if you haven't seen the earlier films and intend to do so I'll do my best not to "ruin" anything.

This is one of the films that I boosted my rating on after watching the other 5 in a short Harry's mission needs to be and get a sense that we can see a light at the end of the tunnel and understand how this is all going to have to end.

For the acting side I felt that the three main characters really come into their own and mature a lot. Full of action and with some emotional scenes this one is probably my 3rd favorite in the series.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417741/

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Harry Potter [5] and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Part 5 of the Harry Potter series is where I got lost the first time I watched this film. The first four films can really be watched and enjoyed without having seen the others, and without having to remember anything from the previous films. This one is the first were someone like me got lost. I saw the movies as they came out, without reading the books. So the two year gap didn't help.

With Lord Voldemort back we learn about the resistance. The ministry is slowly being taken over by death eaters and most evil character in the series [in my opinion] Dolores Umbridge [Imelda Staunton], comes into play. As she makes an attempt to usurp Dumbledore as the head master at Hogwarts. 

Watching this one in succession of the first four films I felt I had a pretty good grasp on the characters and running storyline. Much better than watching it the first time. For example I had forgotten who Sirius Black was. All that being said it was just ok for me. I didn't dislike it and would only watch it again if watching the whole series.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373889/

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Harry Potter [4] and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

My favorite Harry Potter movie out of the first 7. Directed by Mike Newell and featuring some of the most entertaining magic in the entire series. The tri-wizard's tournament comes to Hogwarts and when someone puts Harry's name into the cup he is forced to compete alongside Cedric [Robert Pattinson] representing Hogwarts.

A difficult time for Harry as his classmates consider him a cheater and is foreshadowing to difficultly he will face with his classmates in later films. The tournament has Harry fighting dragons, rescuing friends from mermaids, and navigating a freaky labyrinth. Some of the most significant events of the series happen in this film, and it has the most action in the series to this point.

Of all the movies, this is the best candidate for a standalone film. If you haven't seen the entire series you will be able to get enough of it to enjoy it.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330373/

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Harry Potter [3] and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

After a short break between part two and three we see a real difference in the three main characters' ages. The directing change to Alfonso Cuarón made for a change from the slapstick comedy of wizardry to the artistic shots of a tree changing with the seasons.

In this adventure we meet some pretty important characters Sirius Black [Gary Oldman] and we learn about dementors. We see the first signs of a potential romance between Hermine and Ron and Harry gets his Marauder's map and learns that the dark lord went to school at Hogworts.

The books start to get bigger with this movie, and the movies start to approach two and a half hours. Unlike the next few movies this one seems to leave out a lot of stuff from the book, I know this because my wife explained a lot of stuff while we were watching it. For that you have to blame the screenplay writer [Steve Kloves], and since they kept him around you can see how much better he did with the later films.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0304141/

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Harry Potter [2] and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Unlike the first film, this Chris Columbus takes a turn for the more mature. The villains are a little more difficult to defeat and the story gets much more complicated. We introduce Dobby and learn a lot more about the dark lord. We get yet another professor of the dark arts.

Despite the annoying characters Dobby, Prof. Lockhart [Kenneth Branagh] and Moaning Myrtle [played by Shirley Henderson]. I actually found this film to be pretty good. The main characters really start to come into their roles and the future of the series is solidified with this movie.


Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0295297/

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Harry Potter [1] and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

In preparation for the final Harry Potter movie this month I went back and re-watched the entire series. I don't plan on writing extensive reviews for each film and will do my best to remember what came from each movie.

Having not read the books and watching the movies spread out over a decade, each one got more confusing and I was lost a little more with each to the point that last years made little to no sense to me. The first time I watch this film I was a Freshman in college and watched it alone in my dorm room. A kids movie with all due respect that I didn't think much of. The series is interesting in that the directing and acting matured with the films as the cast grew up.

Directed by Chris Columbus who is famous for Home Alone and The Goonies, the film has an immaturity to it as well. You get a sense that the bad guy Lord Voldemort is nothing more than a cartoon bad guy that poses little to no threat. The kids are new to magic it is almost geared for a young audience.

That being said, it was good enough to make 7 more, and to keep the same cast and director for the next film.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241527/

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The Tempest (2010)

The frontrunner for the worst movie of the year for me is this cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare's play. Nominated for an Oscar for Costume Design and greatly overlooked by the production company with respect to promotions.

Helen Mirren plays the main character, a magician who is sentenced to live on an uninhabited island for performing witchcraft. She raises her daughter there and argues with Djimon Hounsou and Ben Whishaw character about lord knows what. Sure I didn't understand the movie, I even read the cliff notes halfway into the movie to try and figure out what was going on. I just don't like Shakespeare movies like this.

I'm not at all surprised that this movie was overlooked and Russell Brand is just another black mark on this film and should be enough to detour anyone on the fence.

Vote: 1/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1274300/

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Angel-A (2005)

This film was suggested to me by a friend, and since I've been on a Luc Besson kick in action movie month, I was sort of expecting this to be an action movie also. Besson having done films I just watched such as District B13, La Femme Nikita, and Taxi.

This film language film stars Jamel Debbouze [Dramatic actor from Oscar nominated films Outside the Law and Days of Glory] and Rie Rasmussen, a pretty girl who some say has had a pretty limited career thanks to a poor acting job in this film. Honestly it is impossible to tell if an actor is just reading lines if you don't know the language... because you are READING the subtitles. So I'm not sure how much truth there is to this. Debbouze is quite a good actor and plays a character he seems to be comfortable with, an immoral man in a lower class of society.


The films title is a play on words. Debbouze plays Andre who is ready to commit suicide because of multiple debts from multiple criminal "bosses," which standing on the bridge [which isn't very high], he meets Angela [Angel-A]. She promises to give him a chance, since he saved her life when they both jumped off the bridge. She has an incredible ability to make quick money and beat up bad guys and spends the movie turning his life around.

This is not an action film and I didn't claim to be, she is his guardian angel, and what starts as a comedy/drama turns into a romance as the movie progresses. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. You might give it a shot if you are a Besson fan, but it isn't all that special.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473753/

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The Fall (2006)

A film styling that reminded me a lot of Pan's Labyrinth, a kid's fantasy with adult themes. A film that Ebert put in his top 10 list of the year, and one that I can't say that I loved.

The film takes place at a hospital in LA where a stuntman has hospitalized after jumping [FALLing] off a bridge on a horse (the opening sequence). A young girl is also in the hospital after FALLing while picking oranges, back in the day where their are no child labor laws... The main character Roy [Lee Pace] starts telling Alexandria [Catinca Untaru] a fantasy story about a group of men hunting down an evil man. The story is clearly Roy talking about the actor he does stunt work for and the girl he lost to this actor. Through the fantasy people start dying, all taking big falls... the central theme to the film.


All in all, it was a creative film, and I loved the narrator and girl changing the fantasy in real-time. It was a cool film, that I thought would be good for a young audience... except for all of the dead. The guy wants to commit suicide in real life with the girls help, and he is killing people off in his sadistic fantasy that he is telling this young girl. Pretty creepy, and no good target audience. It makes sense that this is the same director [Tarsem Singh] from The Cell with Jennifer Lopez.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460791/

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Gulliver's Travels (2010)

I didn't expect much out of the latest helping of Jack Black cinema. A one dimensional actor that you know ahead of the time if you like or not. I'm a fan of The School of Rock and have found most of his films hit or miss since. So right off the bat if you don't like Jack Black you won't like this at all.

Another modern day spin on the classic story, Black works in the mail room of what I believe is a travel magazine. He doesn't really aspire to become a journalist, but for years has been in love with Amanda Peet's character, Darcy. To impress her he plagiarizes some material to get a shot at a story, she sends him to the Bermuda Triangle where he goes through a storm and is sent to the island of Liliput. He makes friends with Horatio [Jason Segel] who is in love with the princess [Emily Blunt].

Like most bad comedies the film has a good setup, the first 20-30 minutes aren't bad. I actually watched this in two parts the was pretty happy when I took a break in the middle. After the setup Black is left to ad-lib the next 30 minutes. This is where the film takes a turn for the worse.

I'm kinda glad I checked it out, but I one bad review from avoiding this one. I hope I'm your "one bad review" and you skip it like I should have. I like Segel and Blunt, but they couldn't save this film.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1320261/

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The Last Airbender (2010)

This is a first for me. I watched this movie back in early November and forgot to blog about it. After spotting it on imdb and seeing that I had not voted for it, I couldn't find it in my blog and traced it back in my log files for when I watched it. Hopefully this doesn't happen frequently, but isn't a surprise since I'm usually a couple week behind on reviews lately.

The fact that I completely forgot about this one might tell you just how much I liked it. The film won the Razzie Award last year, for those that don't know what that is, it is the award for the worst movie of the year. Not only did it win the Razzie for the worst film of the year, it also won for worst director, screenplay, and supporting actor: Jackson Rathbone. It was nominated for worst couple, actress, and two others. I've never seen a film garnish so many razzie nominations and wins. So you can see how much this one was disliked.

 I guess I still haven't commented as to what I thought. It reminded me of something a preteen would watch on cable television in the middle of the day. The acting was horrible, and you have to blame the director when it is EVERYONE. Dev Patel, the bad kid, was so bad it was impossible to remember that this was the same kid from Slumdog Millionaire. The other bad guy was played by Aasif Mandvi, previously of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, who came on the show weekly with political commentary filled with over the top sarcasm. Seeing him play a bad guy was impossible for me. He seemed to be constantly sarcastic, and I wondered, is he making fun of bad guys?

The lack of a substantial plot was overshadowed by the ridiculous martial arts build ups to the simplest tasks. Moving a small ball requires the same amount of effort as moving the ocean? It made no sense, and was painful at times. I am reviewing this four months late, and I can't remember what redeeming factors there were, sorry. Just don't watch this one. 

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0938283/
(Move to November 10th, 2010 after 1 month)

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Wings of Desire: Der Himmel über Berlin (1987)

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/

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Inception (2010)

Director Christopher Nolan is probably just as famous for Memento as he is for his Batman films. In between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises we get a treat with a film that returns to the style of Memento. A film that can be watched several times before fully grasping everything that is going on.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio [fresh off of an different psychological film: Shutter Island], Ellen Page [Juno], Marion Cotillard [La Vie en Rose and Nine], and Joseph Gordon-Levitt [(500) Days of Summer and The Lookout]. The concept of the film is all about existing in a dream space. Basically the idea that people can enter and share dreams, then inside dreams they can enter dreams. The dream within a dream theory is pretty powerful, and is fully explained over the course of this film. At almost two and a half hours it is a commitment, and I highly suggest that is be watched in a single sitting.

So did I like this or The Social Network better? That gets into a gray area, because they both get the illusive 10/10 for completely different reasons. This is the type of film I could watch again and again. Social Net. is a film that I found myself lost in on first watch, which doesn't necessarily translate into a great second viewing. Nor do I feel that I must pick, since I gave them both 10's. I fully expect The Social Network to win the Oscar, I don't think an action film like this has a chance. If you asked me which I would rather have in my personal collection and would like to go to the theater to watch with you right now... I'd say Inception.

Vote: 10/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/

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A Christmas Carol: Scrooge (1951)

One of many adaptations of the Dickens novel, and a necessary watch after subjecting myself to the awful Disney 3D animated version. Originally titled "Scrooge" in the UK, and on the imdb list way back in 2001, I've been saving this one for 6 months to watch in season.

It was a good idea to watch it so closely to a bad version to fully appreciate it. First off it is amazing how two films with almost identical storylines, even scripts, could be so much different. Full of emotion, and only in black-and-white this film proves to me that acting trumps effects any day. We all know the story of the ghosts visiting scrooge, so it is futile to discuss that in this post.

This is regarded as the best film adaptation to date, and if you can get past the black-and-white it is the one to watch with the family.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044008/

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Clash of the Titans (2010)

I'm wasn't sure what to think going into this film. Six months before its release it looked to be the blockbuster of the early year. After Avatar's 3-D success they retrofitted this film for 3D as well. With so much hype and the price tag for the glasses at the box office it really crashed.

There are a lot of similarities to Avatar in this. For one it has the same leading man, Sam Worthington. For two, Sam had to conquer and tame a beast that no one has ever ridden before. On top of all of this it is a remake of the 1980's film, so it had that cult classic to live up to as well.

Now for me, I just watched Jason and the Argonauts, so I had Greek Mythology on my mind. This was necessary to understand a few simple Greek Mythology rules to understand, the same few things that seemed ridiculous about the movie to the person I watch it with. Maybe they assumed the audience would understand everything? Bad assumption if you are trying to make a blockbuster. The 3D was unnecessary, surprise, surprise, right? Some of the action even seemed like it was a cartoon rather than a movie. The Pegasus flying around near the beginning of the film just didn't fit the movie at all.

I really wanted to like this, the acting was pretty good, and the action was fun. Medusa was freaky and took that to a whole new level from the original. Overall though there were too many mistakes to be an 8 or higher. A fun watch on a big tv and a bowl of popcorn, but not memorable or worth a 2nd watch.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800320/

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