If Paris Not Fun

If Paris Not Fun, If Paris Downcast 2018

If Paris Is Not Fun Around the love story between Yue Zhu (Truong Han) and Nguyen Man Quan (Hieu Thanh Tu). He is a successful young entrepreneur going to receive the admiration, women followed long queue. She is a good lawyer and a strong, deep woman who does not fall easily. A person with a liberal personality, not afraid of anything in this world. One who always wants to protect himself and others around him is in love with each other. Imagine they are two opposing extremes, but they create a touching love story. Before meeting Dong Zhuo Yao, Nguyen Man Quan encountered the biggest event in his life. To help her ex-boyfriend get rid of a financial case, the man fake the papers, but she also finds herself in jail and is unable to work as a lawyer.

Staying in prison is still a heart toward her boyfriend she is waiting for each day free to return to find her love. But the end result, when Tse Yao was released is also his boyfriend married another girl. The soldier seemed to have lost everything, so much so that there was nothing left. And at that moment she accidentally encountered Yue Zhuo, who pulled her from the mire. Nguyen Man Quan tried his best not to stop him from becoming a voice actor in the company. But then, she wanted to return to work as a lawyer as before, not because she missed the job so much that she could not quit, but because she wanted to pursue Yao Yuzu Peach.
But their love is too many obstacles, the Army has always felt guilty about his past, while Trieu Yao has many "good reputation far away" about the lack of food, playing lovers not long. Apparently they love each other but always fear and evade their feelings. The enemy flees, to lose before the heart, she ran to Paris, but finally met him. That may be the cause, probably because they can not give up each other but later on, the military knows for Tieu Yue: "People who love Dong Zhuo Yao, but in the world Yue Zhuang only one That person is Nguyen Man Quan. "

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December 2011 - In Review

Am I catching up... well not really. Here is the batch from December with a few notes on each.


Worth Watching
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) [9/10]
It is pretty close between this one and Contagion for the best of the month. This was a pretty good comedy starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, and Marisa Tomei with a minor role by Kevin Bacon. This is how all romantic comedies should be made, check this one out.

Contagion (2011) [9/10]
Films like this one just make me more of a germaphobe. Directed by Steven Soderbergh with another stellar cast of Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, John Hawkes, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, and Kate Winslet. I read a review where one of the actresses said that Soderbergh called them up, said I have a small role for you, I'll have everything set up, just come out for a week and shoot your scenes. For a movie about a plague with a lot of stars there is no telling which one will get knocked off, pretty cool.

Moneyball (2011) [8/10]
There was something about Brad Pitt's character that wasn't a perfect fit for me. I thought it did a great job acting but I don't know... on the other hand Jonah Hill was amazing, I didn't know he was capable of anything more than crappy comedies and won't know if he'll ever get a role this good again. It really pisses me off that Plummer beat him for the Globe and Oscar because Beginners really really sucked, but we'll get to that. I loved seeing some play Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington, hilarious. If you don't like sports films, don't dismiss this one, it has little to no game time scenes, it is about the science behind statistics and a very interesting film.

Drive (2011) [8/10]
The more I reflect on this film the more I like it. Ryan Gosling stars as "driver," which reminds me a lot of the 1978 film The Driver, that I watched in action movie month last June. The film stars the same, a driver hired by criminals to get away from the scene and out run the cops. Like the 1978 film we start to see "driver" wanting to have more in his life than just driving, but unlike the original this one becomes a very bloody action film half way through. Be warned this one is not for everyone.

Buck (2011) [8/10]
An Oscar shortlisted documentary about "The Horse Whisperer," I know what you are thinking... "man that sounds awful.... and boring." On the contrary it is one of the best documentaries I've seen this year. It has the perfect mix of telling us about what Buck Brannaman does, and his background. It is only 88 minutes and edited very well because I was never bored. Don't overlook this one it you like documentaries, it should have been nominated for an Oscar.

Great Muppet Caper, The (1981) [8/10]
My favorite Muppets movie, better than the original, better than the Manhattan one, better than Tresaure Island or Muppets from Space. My daughter has watched this one at least 4 times now and the storyline is easy enough for her to follow. Not as man good cameos at the original but Charles Grodin is pretty good as the bad guy.


Just Average
Super 8 (2011) [7/10]
I struggled with giving this one a 7 or an 8 and I settled on a 7 because it just wasn't great. I thought Elle Fanning had the best performance, but struggled to really find any other stand out performances. All in all it was a pretty cool sci-fi film and would be good to watch with kids in the 11-16 range.

TT3D Closer to the Edge (2011) [7/10]
A documentary that had no real shot at an Oscar, but not one I wanted to dismiss. Shot in 3D, but I would imagine the majority of the viewers will see in without the 3D. It is about the "Isle of Man" TT [Tourist Trophy] motorcycle race. With 237 deaths in 102 years it is easily the most dangerous race in the world. Once considered a world championship, but because of safety it is no longer a championship event, meaning that racers do this just for the glory. The documentary follows Guy Martin, it takes a little time to get used to the thick British accents, to don't think you have to understand everything Guy says, the narrator [Jared Leto] will straighten you out.

Bill Cummingham New York (2011) [7/10]
Another short listed Oscar documentary that did not get a nomination. This one is about Bill Cummingham the writer for the fashion section of the New York Times. A very interesting individual this character study documentary won't teach you much, but will show you a pretty unique and interesting individual.

True Romance (1993) [7/10]
Directed by Tony Scott, and written by Quentin Tarantino, starring Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, and James Gandolfini [Tony Soprano]. If that isn't enough stars to get you interested then I don't know what else you need. Written by Tarantino between  Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, so you can imagine how much cursing and killing you are in for.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) [7/10]
I've definitely avoided this one because I dislike Hugh Grant, but that hate has been fading for some time now, so it was a good time to finally watch this one. I actually found Andie MacDowell to be much more annoying that Grant in this film. Best part... Mr. Bean [Rowan Atkinson] was the priest.

Muppet Christmas Carol, The (1992) [7/10]
Michael Caine stars as Mr. Scrooge. I highly suggest watching this one with a kid rather then letting them watch this by themselves. The ghosts of Christmas past can be pretty scary, especially the ghost of Christmas future. My daughter liked it, but we only watched once since it was a little scary.

Cowboys & Aliens (2011) [6/10]
Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford star as a couple of cowboys that fight an alien invasion. Made on a $163M budget and grossing $174M would not be considered a sound investment. A wimpy 6.2 on imdb and a boring storyline made this a good popcorn and beer movie, but not one you will remember.

Change-Up, The (2011) [6/10]
Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman star in a typical body swapping fantasy comedy. Bateman is a married man with two kids and a stressful job, Reynolds is a single actor who has lost the respect of his father and can't really get any respectful roles. The two not only see how difficult their friends life is, but see the error in their own lives. Cuter than I thought it would be, a somewhat fun comedy.

Pride and Prejudice (1940) [6/10]
Winner of an Oscar for Art direction, but watched because it was on the imdb top 250 in 2001. Good enough to not want to put it in the "avoid" group. But it is a dated black and white time piece. Not one I would recommend because the 2005 remake was pretty good, watch that instead.

Good Bye, Lenin! (2003) [6/10]
I struggle with getting the "comedy" of foreign films sometimes. Add to that, Germans are the funniest people, I'm German so I can say that... The plot reads funnier than the actual film. Centered around Alex, the film starts by explaining the East German way of life in the 80's before the wall came down. Alex's mother has embraced the communist view and when she sees her son at a rally against the communist she faints and goes into a coma. While in a coma the wall comes down and Germany is reunited. Alex spends the rest of the film making her think things never changed. The title comes from the Lenin statue being removed by helicopter that Alex has to make another lie about. In the 1001 movies book and nominated for a golden globe, it was just ok.

Avoid Watching
Amacord (1973) [5/10]
Avoid might be a little harsh, a film by the great Federico Fellini that won an Oscar. Silly, long, and really more for classic film lovers. Check out La Strada or La Dolce Vita before committing yourself to this one.

Guard, The (2011) [5/10]
Brendan Gleeson was nominated for a Golden Globe for his leading role. Also starring Don Cheadle and Mark Strong, this British comedy about a racist cop was really not funny at all. I didn't think it deserved a Golden Globe nomination, nor do I think it was snubbed by the Oscars.

Russian Ark: Russkiy kovcheg (2002) [5/10]
A film recognized for the fact that is was made in a single shot rather than for its storyline. An incredible film that makes its way through the Russian Hermitage Museum but is very boring. The final "scene" is of a ball with dancing and an orchestra, good luck staying awake through that 20-30 minutes with little to no dialogue.

Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) [4/10]
Thanks to an Elton John song this received a Golden Globe nomination. They made back almost triple their budget so it would have to be called a success. It is just a kids movie though, I really dislike it, but there wasn't much to really like.

Beginners (2011) [3/10]
The fact that Plummer won the Golden Globe and Oscar for Supporting Actor with this horrible movie makes me want to give it a 1/10. The plot jumps around and the main characters present a story that is just rubbish, I don't care about Ewan McGregor's character and Mélanie Laurent didn't bring anything exciting to the film either.

Hesher (2010) [3/10]
I really like Joseph Gordon-Levitt films, and I thought that having Natalie Portman also would make this really good. Instead you get a story about a wreck-less misfit that should really have been locked up for some of his actions. He becomes the influence for a young boy and the film is kind of difficult to watch at some points.

Margin Call (2011) [2/10]
BOOOOOOOOOOORING. Seriously the acting made this film seem very realistic, great screenplay. But when the subject matter is boring, uneventful, and jumps from star character it star character is it really worth your time. Don't be fooled by the great cast, it is a bad movie.

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November 2011 - In Review

I know I promised this post about 3 weeks ago. Hopefully I can start getting things on track again soon.

Worth Watching:
Temple Grandin (2010) [10/10]
Winner of the AFI TV Program of the Year, the Golden Globe, and the Emmy for TV Movie/Mini-Series. The film is a biography starring Claire Danes as Temple, an autistic girl who becomes a top scientist in a line of work that is primarily male. The film addresses a lot on Autism and was my favorite of the month.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) [9/10]
A sequel to an already re-booted series, the film has a new star with James Franco. I actually remember joking about this film coming out but was surprised at how good the storyline. This could have been all about the action and CGI, but the story and acting made it very entertaining.

Our Idiot Brother (2011) [9/10]
I watched this one as a break from a couple serious films. Expecting light-hearted, stupid, and disappointing, I was surprised to find it light-hearted, touching, and entertaining. Every time I watch Paul Rudd I expect a bad film and it turns out good, you might be surprised by this one.

The Help (2011) [8/10]
Not a lot to say on this one. Based on a popular book, nominated for a number of awards, good but not epic. I like Emma Stone, I liked Octavia Spencer but didn't think it was necessarily an awards performance that it is hailed as. I thought the standout performance was Bryce Dallas Howard's as Hilly though. I did feel the film failed to show how difficult it was for the women after the book was published.

Midnight in Paris (2011) [8/10]
Written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Owen Wilson. Honestly I could see this Allen playing this lead role if he was 20 years younger, it is almost like he wrote this for himself knowing he would have to cast someone. Wilson isn't always my favorite, but he almost reminded me of Allen from film like Manhattan. This film should win an Oscar for the screenplay, it was a fun witty adult comedy.

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011) [8/10]
One of the few Oscar nominees I actually saw before the list of nominees was released. This documentary is about radical tree huggers who go on a domestic terrorist arson spree against loggers and others who they felt were hurting the environment. A very interesting documentary on a group, ELF, that I knew nothing about.

Hangover II, The (2011) [8/10]
Obviously this isn't as good as the original. The comedy is over the top and crude, but it was entertaining nevertheless.

Everything Must Go (2010) [8/10]
I find myself liking Will Ferrell's dramatic films, and wish he would give some of his awful comedies a rest some times. Same goes for Adam Sandler. This film is about an alcoholic who's wife leaves all his stuff on the front lawn. After mustering the will power to get out of his drunken stooper he starts to clean his life up... a little. Don't expect a grand happy ending, the span of the film is short and it is pretty slow.

Just Average   
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) [7/10]
Chris Evans stars in this forgetful summer blockbuster about the comic hero Captain America. Made as a build up to The Avengers out in 2012. It was entertaining, but not very memorable.

Fast Five (2011) [7/10]
The fifth film in this series, a strange one that didn't even have the two main stars in one film. The lead characters are on the run from the FBI, the script was made out of thin air and actually worked. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. A strong 7/10, I just can't recommend a silly series like this.

The Muppet Movie (1979)    [7/10]
I watched this one with my daughter. It starts with the "Rainbow Connection" and leads Kermit across the country to Hollywood. He meets the cast as we go along, so if you want to see how all of these character are supposed to meet then check this one out. We had to see this since a new "Muppets" movie is now in theaters.

Green Lantern (2011) [6/10]
Ryan Reynolds stars as a test pilot who is granted a special ring and made an intergalactic hero. Probably one of the strangest superhero stories to make it to the theaters in this surge of superhero films. I was disappointed.

Water For Elephants (2011) [6/10]
I watched this one in HD, and I have to say it was visually very nice. At least in the beginning. The first 30 minutes were very interesting and I was surprised at how much I really liked it. But half way in it became a lame romance film. First half 8/10, second half 5/10. So just average for me.

Life In A Day (2011) [6/10]
One of the many documentaries I "thought" would get shortlist for the Oscar and was not. This one is the "youtube" documentary. People from all over the world filmed themselves on the same day going through their normal lives. It starts out choppy and ends cheesy, but there is some interesting stuff in here. Consider it our generations video time capsule.

Tabloid (2010) [6/10]
A comedy documentary, this was probably the most famous "snubbed" documentary this year. Directed by Errol Morris who won for The Fog of War in 2003. The film was a little annoying, fun in parts, but I like to learn from documentaries and I didn't learn anything from this.

Cars 2 (2011) [6/10]
This is what happens when Pixar cares more about profits and feeding their product line than they care about quality films. Bad plot, hard to stay awake, and the first time Pixar hasn't been nominated for an Oscar in a while. Very disappointed.

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) [6/10]
I was sure this was the film I grew up loving, turns out it is not. The Great Muppet Caper was the film I thought this one was. I watched this with my oldest daughter and she was very bored. Her cousins even got up and decided to play instead. It is about The Muppets trying to get a Broadway show and becomes a search for Kermit.   

Avoid Watching   
Larry Crowne [5/10]
I hate to put this in the avoid, but unless you are a big Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts fan than this was a pretty lame film. Larry gets fired from his job for being over qualified, goes to community college, and goes through some major life changes. Kind of a cute romance, but really forgettable.

Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011) [4/10]
Like Larry Crowne I don't want to bash this film. Honestly I could see pre-teens loving this film. It is just the same Jim Carrey in another silly role. Very cookie cutter, dad needs to impress estranged kids regain love of his wife. I'm guessing this follows the Richard Atwater book, but I'm really not 100% sure since it has been so long.

Keith (2008) [3/10]
When a film shared your first name then you really have to give it a chance. Sadly this was a really bad B romance movie with a repetitive and awful soundtrack. Let's not forget bad acting and sappy storyline. I wish I could suggest a movie called "Keith" but it is more fun to say I watched it than to actually watch it.

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Friends with Benefits (2011)

Director Will Gluck, who brought us Easy A, last year. Brings us a movie that at one point was going to be called "Fuck Buddies." Good luck marketing that. It was actually in production around the same time as No Strings Attached which features Natalie Portman who was paired up with Mila Kunis in Black Swan. Just a little interesting that co-stars of a film with 5 Oscar nominations was in the process of an ad campaign for a film where the stars were working on two separate and similar films.

So the film is about a young hot shot website designer [Justin Timberlake] who is contacted by a headhunter [Mila Kunis] to take a job in New York. Dylan seems happy in LA, but with some convincing from Jamie he takes the job. He works for GQ where Woody Harrelson plays a pretty funny sports writer that questions Dylan's sexual preference. Jamie is Dylan's only friend in the city and their "work" relationship turns into a friendship with "benefits." Trying to avoid a romantic relationship their emotions start to play a factor and we learn that Dylan has commitment issues.

Pretty typical to have a guy with commitment issues, which is why I liked No Strings Attached a little more. In retrospect I'm not exactly sure when No Strings didn't get an 8/10. Either way, the flash mob scenes are pretty cute, there are some good running jokes, and Timberlake proves once again he can handle the shift from singer to actor. Probably worth your time if you like Rom-Com's.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1632708/

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I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor star in an interesting comedy based on a true story. The film which was produced in 2009 and released in three other countries before the production company decided not to bring it to the US. The rights were purchased by two other companies and release at the end of 2010.

The film is based on Steven Russell, an American con artist & prison escape artist. Russell seemed to be living a normal life with a wife and daughter, until one day he decided he no longer wanted to hide being gay. He moves to Florida, gets a boyfriend, and lives an extravagant lifestyle... all on credit card fraud. Eventually caught, he serves him times before getting out, running his con, and going back.

The story is silly, almost unbelievable, and definitely a little over done for Hollywood. Overall I liked it. Not one to watch with the kids and probably not for people that don't like Jim Carrey since he reverts to some of his old comedic shticks.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1045772/

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Deep Red: Profondo rosso (1975)

A little late for horror month, this one came out on blu-ray earlier in the year and was the last horror movie in my possession, yay! Folder complete now.

This 70's horror film has taken a little bit of flack for actually killing a lizard on screen. I can't say that screams animal cruelty to me, but it seems to bother some people so I can respect that. The film starts out a lot like a modern day horror film. A creepy mysterious killer in a leather jacket murders a famous psychic, we do not see who it is but we immediately know there is not a twist involving our main character.

The film gets really slow and basically turns onto a murder mystery at this point. I personally had trouble connecting with the film, partially because I was a little sick of horror films at the time, and also because I watched it with the goal of being done, and not to enjoy it. My fault. Overall I did like it, but the almost constantly out of sync [due to poor dubbing... it is mono audio], and blu ray doesn't help this. It is distracting and keeps me from wanting to watch it again.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073582/

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Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (2011)

After watching documentaries on Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam this year I thought it would be interesting to watch a documentary on a musical group that I DIDN'T group up liking. I know of this hip-hop group and heard a few of there song in CMJ [College Music Journal] back in 1993 when Midnight Marauders came out.

The documentary looks at who influenced the group, how they came to stardom their their connections to DJ Red Alert and their formation of the Native Tongues. A pretty cool concept of collaborating with fellow artists like, De La Soul, Queen Latifah, and Jungle Brothers. The thing I think the documentary hinted at but did not discuss very much was hip-hop being "killed" by rap. At least this is my opinion. The unofficial death was really about the time I started listening to a range of music ironically and was in 1993 when Midnight Marauders came out the same week as Wu-Tang Clan's "Enter Wu-Tang." That same year Snoop Dogg, 2-Pac, and Easy E all came out with albums. Soon enough the fun loving hip-hop artists were overshadowed by gangster rap.

A look at the history of hip-hop and the rise of rap would have been much more entertaining to me, but that isn't what they were going for here. The end of the film goes into the bickering that broke the group up and was not exciting at all. I think Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters documentaries were both better, maybe because both bands are still creating music and getting along.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1613023/

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Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

In a pretty weak year for animated films look for this average film to get an Oscar nomination. A sequel to the 2008 Oscar nominated film with the same director, writer, and star put it in line for another nomination. In 2009 they lost to the far superior Wall-E, but with no Pixar front runner this year you never know.

I can't say that I remember all of the detail from the first film, but they came back to me pretty quick in the first ten minutes. Po [Jack Black] is the "chosen one" and leader of the kung fu masters now. Tigress [Angelina Jolie] has warmed up to Po and the team of animals protects the city. We get a story of a crane who has harnessed gun powder for weapons instead of fireworks and is starting to conquering cities. Kung Fu is thought to be dead and the Kung Fu Masters have to prove that it is not.

On a scare factor rating I'd say that the violence alone gets a 3. If your kids are old enough for that, this film is very kid friendly. We'll see how it does against a slew of animated sequels in awards season. I liked it a lot more than I thought, but it wasn't something I'll buy for my kids.

KSF: 3/5
Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1302011/

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Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Michael Bay is back with his third installment of the surprisingly successful [box office-wise] series. The first one made Megan Fox a star, the 2nd one showed she isn't a very nice person, the 3rd one drops her completely.

I have to say that I did like the first film, it was really good, especially since there were no expectations. The 2nd one was just awful and Bay's camera rotations made it almost unwatchable at times. This one however was quite a bit better. Shia LaBeouf's character is now trying to have a normal life after his adventures in the first two films. He has a model for a girlfriend [Rosie Huntington-Whiteley] who replaced Fox, and when the Decepticons attack he works his way back to work with the government to help out.

This film was much better than the last but still lacked a lot of editing. They do realize that scenes can be cut completely right? All of the interactions with LaBeouf's parents were unnecessary. They added a lot of unnecessary runtime to the film, and none of it was funny or relevant to the plot. That lack of editing keeps these films at an unnecessary 2 and a half hours.

Overall, a big improvement from the last, I'm glad I gave it a shot but 6/10 is about right.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1399103/

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Frenzy (1972)

Another new Alfred Hitchcock for me, as some of you know I really like Hitchcock and have been trying to force myself to ration out his films for years so I always have some new ones. This one is actually in the 1001 Movies book, and gets the horror label simply because I haven't taken the time to make a separate "thriller" label yet.

The film is about a serial killer they call the necktie murderer. We learn early in the film who this person is, then we see how the wrong person gets framed. Hitchcock is interesting and different enough that you can never be sure how it will all play out and keeps the amount of information I shared from being too much.

I had to ask myself when it was over, if it wasn't Hitchcock would you have really liked it? The answer is, maybe not. It was good but he does have a lot better ones out there.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068611/

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Eyes Without A Face: Les yeux sans visage (1960)

Considered in some regards to be a sequel to The Island of Dr. Moreau, in more regards to the storyline than to the actual character or a film. Also, one of those Criterion films that is held in higher regards years after being made than on initial release. This is the type of film I expect in the 101 Horror Films book.

The film is about a brilliant surgeon going to any lengths to repair his daughters face. Her face was burned off in a car fire as a result of his careless driving, and he cares more about fixing "the face" than helping the girl. His assistant scours the city of girls of similar complexion then kidnap them to steal their faces. 

It isn't the most exciting horror film, especially since I think the genre has come a long way in the last 30 years. It was a good story and interesting ending, pretty good, not great.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053459/

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The Brood (1979)

David Cronenberg is famous for making creative science fiction films on small budgets. Known as the Baron of Blood he has made films like  Scanners, Videodrome, The Dead Zone, The Fly, and one I need to see Naked Lunch. Lately he has made the switch to dramatic films, and he is strange to hear his name around awards season with films like A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, and this years A Dangerous Method [all films starring Viggo Mortensen].

With many of Cronenberg's early films all of the stars are only known for this film, that's how you keep your budget low, right? There are definitely a few scenes that are pretty creepy in this film, honestly I didn't find it to be thrilling at all and preferred Scanners over this one. I would say the two had a lot of similarities so you should see Scanners instead.

Better than the last few horror films I've seen so I'll give it a just average rating.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078908/

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Hour of the Wolf: Vargtimmen (1968)

Slowly but surely I've been working through Ingmar Bergman's catalog of films. Considering he directed more than 60 and wrote more than 80 I have a long way to go. He made this one right after Persona, a surprisingly good film, and is probably the closest he has been to the horror genre, which is why it isn't surprising that Schneider would find a reason to include him on this list.

The film is a horror, but I would it a drama if you didn't fully "get" it. Having to "get" a film to be scared doesn't make it all that scary. Bergman is usually a pretty confusing director to follow and has many subtle nuances you have to keep up with. This film is about an artist who lives alone with his wife on a small island away from society. He goes to the mainland to work on his painting and is harassed by women who's faces come off when they take of their wigs. Boys on the beach that attack and bite him. A number of strange encounters.

The first half of the film is very slow, and it really isn't building up on anything suspenseful, it is just laying the groundwork for the suspense to follow. The 2nd half is strange, confusing, and scary at times. Bergman is a great director, and he gets this from fantastic descriptive dialogue. The problem is that a picture is worth a thousand words, and in a horror the pictures are the scary part and most of the film fails in this regard. I'll stick to his other films.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063759/

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Horrible Bosses (2011)

One of the #1 films at the box office this past summer, this comedy stars a number of well known actors and a director [Seth Gordon] with a pretty decent track record.

The film is about three people with completely different bosses, all awful in their own way. Nick's [Jason Bateman] boss is a mean corporate manipulator [Kevin Spacey],  Kenny's [P.J. Byrne] boss constantly sexually harasses him [Jennifer Aniston], and Kurt's [Jason Sudeikis] boss is a recently promoted junkie [Colin Farrell].

I can see how playing these characters was probably a lot of fun. Spacey's character is pretty unrealistic... well they all are, his more so than the others. Aniston was probably the most crude, but also pretty funny. I found Byrne to be pretty funny, just slightly annoying at times. Sudeikis was REALLY annoying though, and reminded me of what I didn't like about Hall Pass.

So back to the plot. All three feel cornered in their jobs. Bateman's character realistically more so than the other two. They hatch a plot to kill their bosses, in the process they hire Jamie Foxx, but end up deciding to kill each others bosses... like in Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train.

Over the top silly, some funny parts, a good drinking movie but definitely not one for kids.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1499658/

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Cape Fear (1991)

Funny that I just spoke in my last post about leaning toward originals [review] over remakes. Well this is a good example. My goodness, I really should have liked this huh? Directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, and Juliette Lewis. The original stars are even in the remake, Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck.

The Oscars half way got it right with their nominations. I loved Robert De Niro's performance, but I hated Juliette Lewis' performance. Sure I was supposed to be annoyed by her, but I really just can't stand her acting and it makes her films frustrating to watch.

The film was very "90's," the music, the clothing, I'm not sure why all this annoyed me but I just couldn't love this film.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101540/

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A Tale of Two Sisters: Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)

With High Tension [review] out of the way, this was my newest film from my 101 horror movies book to watch. Since the names aren't close at all I didn't catch that there has actually been an American remake of this film. The remake was called The Uninvited, it came out in 2009 and starred Emily Browning and Elizabeth Banks. It wasn't until I read this that I even realized the two followed the same script. I actually watched The Uninvited about two weeks before starting this blog and gave it a 7/10.

Fans of this film seem to hate the remake, and those that liked the remake tend to hate this film. Interesting how that can work; how a specific director can draw different fans with the same script. I'd have to put myself in the camp of the US remake. I tend to lean towards originals, but in this case I just didn't get the original.

There is a "main" twist, sorry if this spoils it for you, but it has to be discussed. The issue I have is that it gets very confusing and reality and fantasy are never really clarified. Maybe some people like this, but I'm the kind of person that likes that "gotcha" moment of clarity when a director makes everything clear. Hitchcock was a master at this.

This movie really was an 8 or 9 in the first hour, but I couldn't get it and really don't care to figure it out.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365376/

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The Innocents (1961)

Many people are probably familiar with Deborah Kerr from films like From Here to Eternity and The King and I, but when asked what she felt was her finest performance she chose this film. A film that is listed in the 101 Horror Films, and considered one of the most chilling and shocking films of its time.

Based on a book, the movie is about a young Governess, Miss Giddens [Kerr], who is hired to take care of two orphaned children. Their uncle hires Miss Giddens to raise them on his country estate with complete freedom so that he may go about his city life without them as a burden. We learn from a maid that the former governess died and that she was having an affair with the valet, who is also dead. Miss Giddens becomes convinced that the souls of the dead lovers have possessed the two children and she intends to do her own exorcism.

The scary part of the film is that you are never entirely sure if she is nuts or if they are really possessed. We see the same ghosts that she does and the kids to act pretty bizarre, but we never get the comforting feeling that we understand what is really going on. Honestly a black and white Victorian era film is boring to me to begin with, so the ghost story wasn't enough for me to really like this film. It was just ok.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055018/

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Island of Lost Souls (1932)

Directed by Erle C. Kenton, who was known more for his two reel comedies, but branched out into horror on a few occasions. This will probably be his only lasting film. Recently released in high definition, sadly I didn't know this until I had already watched a very grainy version.

The film stars Charles Laughton [who won an Oscar the following year for The Private Life of Henry VIII.] and Richard Arlen [who was in the silent film Wings... the first Oscar Best Picture]. Bela Lugosi is on the credit pretty high, but his role is very minor, and he is in costume so you wouldn't know unless told. The film is in my 101 horror movies book, but I didn't find it scary in the least. If this was a modern film you would consider it an adventure/fantasy.

The story is about a man, Edward [Arlen], who is found adrift at sea. The boat that finds him is on their way, with an assortment of animals, to an island not on any map. When Edward sticks up for a servant against the drunken captain he boots him off the ship at the mysterious island. The island belongs to Dr. Moreau [a character with about five films to his credit now, the rest much more recent], a mad scientist who does Frankenstein-like operations on animals making them more human.

Horror movies must have soundtracks, suspenseful music sets the mood, awkward silence unsettles us, but a complete lack of background effects or score make the film dull. This isn't the only reason this film was boring, but it just wasn't that interesting and just a little too fake for me. Sure it is very old, but that isn't exactly why. I'm not sure why this needs to be on any lists, and a 6/10 is very generous.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024188/

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Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)

Another documentary that doesn't fit into horror month. Why? Well because my wife and I are done with our horror films for the month, and I'll be watching the rest of the horror movies on my own this month. We jumped to see this one as soon as it went to dvd because we are Conan fans. Not big fans, but we prefer him over the other late night hosts, and hate what Leno did to the man.

So a little background [and the film does explain this], Conan was awarded the Tonight Show when Leno retired. After a few months NBC decided to give Leno a primetime slot in a bad economy because talk shows are cheap. The ratings were awful... as expected and they told Conan they would push his show back to midnight to make room for Leno. He opted out of this deal and was awarded a large severance package, part of the package gauranteed a non-compete where Conan was not allowed to go in television or internet for 3-4 months. During this time he decided to go on tour.

This documentary follows Conan while he sets up his show, and through a portion of his performances. We learn how annoying he can be, and mean/funny he comes across as, because let's face it comedy usually comes at someone's expense. As a Conan fan I liked this because I felt I learned something about him, but it really isn't much of a documentary and wouldn't be worth your time if you didn't know the man already. It reminded me a little of the Joan Rivers documentary because both people can't stop being in front of people and just eat up attention.

Good if you like Conan.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1864288/

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Devil (2010)

I really didn't know much about this independent thriller film that came out last year. It was made on a $10 million budget, and grossed more than three times that, but was it worth my time? Directed by John Erick Dowdle and written by M. Night Shyamalan.

The film stars a group of recognizable stars, but none really that big. You've probably seen Logan Marshall-Green, Chris Messina, Geoffrey Arend, Bokeem Woodbine, or Jenny O'Hara in something. The film is about the devil's presence amongst a group of strangers on an elevator. The five strangers get stuck between two floor and all attempts to move the elevator result in someone getting hurt.

The lights go out and one of the passangers is killed.They come back on and the security guard calls the police who do everything they can to get in. One by one the people start to die...

It was kinda cool, but I see myself forgetting all about it in a year or two. The direction was ok, the story was a little hooky, and none of the stars had breakthrough performances. Take it or leave it.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1314655/

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