Topic: DCO third annual November Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread

[lyonsden5]

The Wreck of the Mary Deare
Hollywood Legends:
Gary Cooper
Charlton Heston

Overview:
The freighter Mary Deare is adrift in stormy seas. Her bulkhead is leaking, her captain is dead and the crew has abandoned ship – all except for one man. That man is exhausted first officer Gideon Patch, who has taken command. Appearances indicate he's a madman. But Patch isn't a man who relies on appearances.

The Wreck of Mary Deare is part seafaring adventure, part mystery, part courtroom drama and, with screen titans Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston onboard, all heroic. Michael Anderson (Around the World in 80 Days, Logan's Run) directs from a screenplay by famed spy novelist Eric Ambler. And Richard Harris, in his first year of film acting, gives notice of his talent with an intense portrayal of a seaman who may be part of a duplicitous agenda. We're in treacherous (and exciting) waters – all ahead, full steam!

My Thoughts:
An OK movie. The story was a bit screwy I thought. It’s almost like they added bits to it just to try to make it more suspenseful, even though they weren’t needed. Some of the scenes with the original captain’s daughter fell into this category. They also left some plot lines untouched, like when Heston found Cooper coming out of the coal bin. 

Most of the scenes had both Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston in them, which I likes. It seems these days when movies have multiple big name stars in them they are hardly on screen at the same time (Ocean’s 11 type movies excluded of course). The one thing that really seemed to jump off the screen at me was how much better of an actor Cooper was compared to Heston. Cooper stole every scene I thought. His body language, facial expressions, even the tonality and pitch of his voice, all were perfect for the scene at the time. Heston’s performance seemd flat in comparison. 

If I were to watch it again it would be to focus even more on the acting, but I don't see that happening anytime soon

My Rating

[richierich]

...and I had thought I wouldn't have to "cheat".

Just realized that I watched Bad Lieutenant when I had actually planned to put tomorrow cinema visit into the B spot. Well, they are gonna have a special screening of one of my favorite films in Taipei: Terry Gilliam's Brazil I have seen it in the cinema before and multiple times on VHS or DVD as well. Still, wanted to give my friend the chance to see it the way it's supposed to be seen! Well, guess I am gonna give it the Z-spot.


Where is Brazil on Blu-ray? Criterion...? Universal...? Come on!

Good news - I found Brazil on blu ray for you HERE


 

[Najemikon]

...and I had thought I wouldn't have to "cheat".

Just realized that I watched Bad Lieutenant when I had actually planned to put tomorrow cinema visit into the B spot. Well, they are gonna have a special screening of one of my favorite films in Taipei: Terry Gilliam's Brazil I have seen it in the cinema before and multiple times on VHS or DVD as well. Still, wanted to give my friend the chance to see it the way it's supposed to be seen! Well, guess I am gonna give it the Z-spot.


Where is Brazil on Blu-ray? Criterion...? Universal...? Come on!

Good news - I found Brazil on blu ray for you HERE


 

Just how fast did Achim click that link I wonder? You cruel, cruel man!

Meanwhile, I have reached "K". And finally, it's been a while, but I've found a film so bad I can give it an almighty kicking! It's gonna be long one, I reckon, Alien 4 sort of ranting. Just giving you a warning... 

[Najemikon]

King Arthur
2 out of 5



The heroic true story behind one of history's greatest legends explodes onto the screen. It is the valiant tale of Arthur (Clive Owen) and his bond of brotherhood with Lancelot (loan Gruffudd) and the loyalty of the Knights Of The Round Table as they fight for freedom and those they love. Also starring Keira Knightley as Guinevere, this never-before-seen KING ARTHUR is a longer, grittier and more explicit motion picture.

King Arthur has been discussed before on this forum (see here!). I wrongly tried to trash it without seeing it, but Britain hasn’t got much in the way of legends and myths (one of the reasons Tolkein wrote The Lord of the Rings) and I didn’t like the idea of it being messed around without due consideration. It markets itself as the True Story, but it’s just as big a fairytale as any other version!

Broadly speaking, leaving aside opinions of Arthur, the film is terrible. If you’ve seen Braveheart or Gladiator, which Antoine Fuqua clearly has, then it’s even worse. It has murky photography, awful pacing and a plot as messy as the muddy fields. The music is blatantly ripped off from Gladiator, by Hans Zimmer himself! Maybe he had spares left over.

Few stand out in the cast, but Ioan Gruffud proves to be a natural Lancelot and while Ray Winstone isn’t stretched he’s always watchable. The script hinders all of them, for instance, Kiera Knightley’s Guinevere is just odd. Perfect teeth and plummy accent aside, her transformation into the vicious warrior of the final battle is unconvincing. And anyone convinced might wonder, are Arthur and his seven knights really that essential? Even the ones ignorant of Arthur, will still leave confused.

Clive Owen certainly isn’t up to the task, exuding no charisma. It’s not his fault, but this isn’t the role for him and he’s given little to work with and the character has a confused direction. Actually, once he’s (predictably) on his own, he cuts a majestic figure, lost once the brave knights (predictably) come back. That’s half the trouble; it’s all so crushingly obvious, you just want them to get on with it!

The plot has too many ideas going on. A mission to rescue a God-Child for the Pope is sort of left hanging and replaced by fighting the Saxons, with an undercurrent of Arthur and his knights wanting freedom to leave Britain. You can tell Antoine Fuqua is more comfortable in urban dramas, he directs the film into so many cul-de-sacs and then just moves onto something new.

The battles are the bread and butter of films like this and they’re good and bloody at least, with one superb confrontation on ice. But it’s a rubbish film over all, with flashes of violence and guts to make it worth persevering. After the credits roll though, what will you have learned about Britain’s greatest legend? Sod all, that’s what.

The film starts off badly by making Arthur a mere Roman soldier. Actually, no, he’s Sarmatian. Oh, hold on, no, he was born in Britain... but he wants to go to Rome. Or Sarmatia. Or... erm... oh, I don’t know. Like the film as a whole, he’s a mix of half-arsed ideas.

It’s a nice arc in how he comes to be leader of the Britons against the Saxons, but it’s lost in pointless waffle. As are other half-decent attempts to bring in accepted lore; The Sword in the Stone is cute and the love triangle is commendable in its subtlety. Though the ending is a pathetic cop-out!

Even within the films own historical logic, they make some unforgivable errors (not including the screw holding Lancelot’s sword together! Yes, I am being picky). If you’re trying to realise a much-loved character as authentic, you shouldn’t bend accepted history to fit! It takes one small fact and hammers it into place. I won’t go into details, but Arthur doesn’t match up properly with either of the films probable inspirations, the Roman occupation dates are off by, oooh, half-a-century or so, the Saxon’s were already occupying Britain by the time this is set, and Fuqua calls the Picts “Wodes”. Why? He though “Pict” sounded weird, allegedly. That just tells you the screwed up attitude trying to make this film.

Thing is, Arthur is just a legend. There is no fact to base him on, so he’s fair game. Usually a fantasy world, King Arthur attempts to make him a real figure. I can’t help feeling the marvellous books, The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell were an influence, but he kept the magic with the realism, and his story had an air of poignancy about the inevitable end and change of times. But hey, why waste good money on the rights to a proper book when you can bang something together on a Speak and Spell instead?

Who are they aiming this film at? They call it King Arthur (from the producers of Pearl Harbor, no less!) and then spend two hours replacing magical romance with smug defiance of everything that made Arthur special, except for shoehorning in the headlines and bypassing historical logic by sticking its fingers in its ears and singing “la-la-la-la”. Idiots. What’s next? An American Robin Hood?

I really wouldn’t mind so much, but the film has no heart, direction or passion. Braveheart makes a mockery of history, but it’s undeniably rousing and fantastic, bloody, entertainment.

[Rogmeister]

The Deadly Companions (1961)  Color   90 minutes

Directed by Sam Peckinpah
Cast: Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Steve Cochran, Chill Wills, Strother Martin, Jim O'Hara

In this western from 1961, which was the first feature film directed by Sam Peckinpah (later to direct such western classics as Ride The High Country and The Wild Bunch), Brian Keith (a man bent on both revenge and bank robbery) is wounded during a gun battle on the street and due to that accidentally shoots and kills the son of Kit (Maureen O'Hara), a saloon girl.  Kit decides to go deep into a territory where the dangerous Apaches have infiltrated so that she can bury her son alongside his father, her late husband.

This movie is one of many westerns that seem to have fallen into public domain so many companies have released DVDs of this film.  Many of these copies don't have particularly good picture or sound (the reputation that PD films tend to get).  My copy is from Platinum, a company I've seen both good and bad product from...in this case, the picture quality is pretty decent and I enjoyed the film for the most part.  Peckinpah's film debut was decent but he was still inexperienced as a director (he had previously directed some TV western episodes) so some scenes could have been a bit more polished but overall I'd call it a good film, if not a great one.  He is certainly helped by a good cast including Maureen O'Hara, one of my favorite leading ladies.  Miss O'Hara also gets to sing a song over the opening credits and she is quite a good singer (I actually own one of her albums, recorded back in the 50's).  The film was shot on location in Arizona and the film does have good photography, shot by William Clothier who shot many of John Wayne's films of the 60's and 70's.  Unfortunately, this is a full frame release (AKA: pan and scan).  I guess if I was rating this on a scale of 1-5, I'd give it around a 3.5 or so...okay, maybe a 4.

[Dragonfire]

The Bone Collector



He takes his victims' lives and leaves behind mysterious pieces of a bizarre puzzle. And the only person who may be able to make sense of the serial killer's deranged plan is Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington), a onetime top homicide investigator. But after a tragic accident changes his life forever, Rhyme can only watch as other cops bungle the case...until he teams up with a young rookie, Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie), who bravely searches out the clues that help them solve the case.

But as the killer senses the cops closing in, Rhyme realizes that he and his partner are on the trail of a vicious, sadistic murderer who will stop at nothing on his deadly mission. And at any moment, Rhyme and Amelia could become his next targets — and their first case could become their last.

My Thoughts

I first saw this one back in 1999 when it was in the theater.  I think it works as a decent thriller for the most part, though the revelation of the identity of the killer just sort of comes out of nowhere.  That could have, and should have, been handled much better.  I read the book version a few years ago and from what I remember, it was handled better in the book.  The mystery - other than the way the resolution is handled - works well and makes for an interesting movie.  Some parts are gory and graphic and will more than likely bother some viewers. 



I did get a review posted on Epinions if anyone wants to take a look.

Bone Collector

[richierich]

Title: State of Play

Runtime:128
Certificate:12
Year:2009
Genres:Drama

Plot:Oscar® winner Russell Crowe* leads an all-star cast in this blistering thriller about a rising congressman and an investigative journalist embroiled in a case of seemingly unrelated, brutal murders.
Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is the rising star of his political party - until his research assistant/mistress is murdered, and buried secrets come tumbling out. Investigative journalist, Cal McCaffrey (Crowe) has the dubious fortune of both an old friendship with Collins and a ruthless editor, Cameron (Oscar® winner Helen Mirren**), who assigns him to the story. As Cal and his partner Della.(Rachel McAdams).step into a cover-up that threatens to shake theination'shpower structures, they discover one truth - when billionsiofidollars are at stake, no one'shintegrity, love or life is ever safe.

My Review:
despite a wealth of stars, this 'thriller' did not spark for me, and left me scratching my head. It was boringly slow, to the point I had to rewind several times as I lost concentration. The storyline is so riddled with coincidences it loses any sense of reality, and come the end with the inevitable twist it all fits too neatly in place with all loose ends tied.
Crowe is quite good in the lead role that was quite fitting, and Affleck cruised such an easy character, but miscasted Daniels and Mirren were uncomfortably poor in roles that did not suit their talents.
I will try and watch the BBC series of this soon, as a comparison.
For a better political thriller, and downfall of newspaper industry, I'd stick to All The Presidents Men.

My Rating
 

[richierich]

Title: Taking Chance

Runtime:78
Certificate:TV-PG
Year:2009
Genres:Drama, War

Plot:The remarkable true story of one soldier's death in battle, another soldier's journey of discovery and a nation's reverence and gratitude toward its war dead. After hearing of the heroic death of a young Marine in Iraq, veteran officer Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl (Kevin Bacon) volunteers to escort the remains of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps back to his hometown, where he embarks on an unexpected emotional journey.
In this drama, Kevin Bacon stars as a high-ranking military officer who takes on a surprising mission: he escorts the body of a PFC home to his family.

My Review:
Very short film, which is basically a sentimental and moving tribute of how the services escort home and honour their fallen heroes, from battlefield death to the funeral service. This was written by the serviceman who volunteered to escort home a soldier who was KIA in Iraq, and the extras on the disc cover this. It has political undertones, but is deliberately non-controversial and the focus is mainly on the dead serviceman, and the office based marine who goes through a myriad of guilt feelings as he escorts the soldier back to his family.
From a non-US citizen, it always amazes me that a country that can honour it's dead, with such compassion and dignity, and displays such huge respect and unity with its armed services, can have such social problems with guns, drugs, violence and murder? Is that contradiction what they call an oxymoron??

My Rating
 

[Najemikon]

Late Night Shopping
3 out of 5



An upbeat, oddball, after-hours comedy about the ups and downs of sex and shelf-stacking in the 21st century. Four friends, Sean, Vincent, Jody and Lenny find themselves at something of a dead-end. Trapped in a twilight world of permanent night shift work they hang out together in the local all night cafe, where their only escape from drudgery is observing Vincent's unwavering success in pulling women. There seems little prospect of change. But then events conspire otherwise.

This confident debut from Saul Metzstein is a little known gem. It's an unassuming comedy about four otherwise unconnected people trapped in a limbo with each other because of the strange hours they work. It's inoffensive, but often hilarious, sharp and strangely moving. Really not much to it at under 90 minutes, but this must be the third time I've watched it now. I keep coming back to it because while they aren't amazing actors, they are very easy people to identify with.

We have Lenny (Enzo Cilenti), the socially inept call centre operator, obsessed by one of his colleagues; Vincent (James Lance), the womanizing supermarket shelf-stacker, who we shouldn't like, but can't help ourselves; Jody (Shaun of the Dead's Kate Ashfield), the insecure factory girl of the bunch; and Sean (Luke De Woolfson), the hospital porter. If there's a lead in this film, it's Sean. He lives with his girlfriend, who he hasn't seen for several weeks because she works days! He's getting the "fear", a boy thing according to Jody, and panicking that she's already left him. He's resorted to even checking the soap to see if it's getting used!

It doesn't hold up to much scrutiny, I know, but it's the premise and it is very funny. The story has a couple of other contrivances, but it never feels compromised. It's refreshing that it is never flashy, sarcastic or smug. All of which a lot of these sort of films can be, especially from first-timers showing-off. Metzstein trusts his characters and I suppose himself, so this just comes across as honest and fun. There's not much to it visually, but the narrative isn't lazy and there's a lot to like in Jack Lothian's lively writing.

I really recommend looking this up. Go into it not expecting much and it'll surprise you. I was trying to use this marathon for unwatched stuff, but when this popped up, I just fancied seeing it again. Can't say better than that.

[Tom]

Title: Office Space
Year: 1999
Director: Mike Judge
Rating: R
Length: 89 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital Surround, Spanish: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Ron Livingston
Jennifer Aniston
David Herman
Ajay Naidu
Diedrich Bader

Plot:
With more laughs, more fun, and more flair, this all-new Special Edition DVD is a sure cure for a case of the Mondays! Get motivated with writer/director Mike Judge's all-new retrospective documentary. Jazz up your TPS reports with screensavers and audio clips from the movie. Check out the hilarious deleted scenes and tell your boss where to stick them (if you dare). It's everything you love about OFFICE SPACE... cubed!

Unable to endure another mind-numbing day at Initech Corporation, white-collar peon Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) has had enough. Armed with a bold new attitude and a sexy new girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston), he neglects his job with a vengeance - and is quickly promoted to upper management!

Awards:
Extras:
Closed Captioned
Deleted Scenes
DVD-ROM Content
Featurettes
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this movie. I can recognize a lot of stuff working myself at a software company. But I must say, that I loved the first half more. I think the pacing is off in the second half.
Stephen Root as Milton is of course the show stealer. I can hardly believe, that it is the same guy as Jimmy James from NewsRadio. Also really funny is Gary Cole as the boss.

Rating:

[Tom]

I have now seven movies left to watch for this marathon. But I promised my brother that we will watch these together. So I will have to watch those over the next three weekends.
Originally I had planned to tread myself with "Veronica Mars: Season 2" when finishing the marathon as a motivator to finish faster. I will now change my plan to buy it after I have finished watching "Blood Ties".

[Najemikon]

M.A.S.H.
4 out of 5



Hailed as one of the best comedies ever made and nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the story focuses on army surgeons who develop a lunatic life-style in order to handle everyday horrors encountered in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. Though highly skilled and deeply dedicated this irreverent mob of madcaps is equally adept at making a shambles of army bureaucracy.

M.A.S.H. is a great comedy. Kind of like a forerunner of Police Academy, except not. It feels authentic even when in the middle of utter lunacy. Much of this is due to Robert Altman's unique direction style. Even though this was an early film for him and a difficult shoot, his method is key and follows little of what you may expect to be a proper narrative. Scenes are fluid, with few edits, but threads are left unresolved as we move onto a new set-up and it isn't clear how long it's all taking; days, weeks, who cares? This is really funny stuff! Essentially, disguised by the laid back pace, it's a collection of hilarious set-pieces as we follow Hawkeye (Donald Sutherland), Trapper John (Elliot Gould) and Duke (Tom Skerritt) stitching troops back together in Korea.

If anything I was disappointed that there wasn't more serious scenes. I don't remember the TV show well, but I seem to think there was more poignancy. But that's being picky, because within the film is a unique atmosphere that must have seemed very audacious on release and it does have moments that make you think. Nothing is focused on for too long though. Like a good magician, Altman is all about misdirection (dialogue in particular is indistinct). I think you could watch this film a dozen times and keep finding something new.

All the cast work very well together with fantastic banter between them and playing to their strengths. For instance, Robert Duvall is possibly the most serious as Frank, which just makes him funnier in the chaos. All the running gags like the Colonel's one-sided conversations and the base announcements are great fun and serve as tenuous links to the next inspired caper, like a trip to Japan to operate on a child and get a game of golf in, or the quest to find out if Hot Lips really is blonde! Brilliant stuff.

Altman went on to greatness, but here only earned a flat-fee. Funny thing though, is his son wrote the theme, which carried on into the TV show and he ended up earning far more than his Dad!

[lyonsden5]

Home from the Hill
Hollywood Legends:
Robert Mitchum
George Peppard
George Hamilton

Overview:
Wade Hunnicutt is a big man who casts a big shadow, one that looms over the Texas backwoodsmen who work his land...over the beautiful, embittered wife he cheats on...and over the sons -- one from marriage and one illegitimate -- who strive for their father's respect. Robert Mitchum "gives one of his greatest performances" (Michael Barson, 'The Illustrated Who's Who of Hollywood Directors') as Wade, and Vincente Minnelli directs this sprawling emotionally volatile of an epic clash between generations. In early-career roles, George Peppard and George Hamilton co-star as Wade's sons, determined to be their own men, yet in danger of repeating their father's life-crippling legacy of lust and violence.

My Thoughts:
This one took me by surprise. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it but I know didn't expect what I got. I can't think of any Robert Mitchum movies I don't like so I expected to enjoy it. I was not disappointed. There was a while about 2/3rds into the movie where I did begin to loose interest. It didn't take long to grab me right back again though.

It's a drama about a messed up family, their interactions with each other and with the community. He's a mans man, with power, respect, money, basically everything he wants. On the outside he's got it all. It's pretty clear within 10 minutes of the movie that his family life is dysfunctional at best.

Great performances by George Peppard and George Hamilton, who play his sons. One legitimate with all the benefits of growing up in a powerful family. The other, an illegitimate child who wants nothing more than to be called 'son'. The story turns out to be as much (if not more) about the sons as it does about Mitchum. I'm finding it hard to say too much as there are some good story lines I don't want to ruin for anyone who may watch this.

If you like dramas with good story lines and great performances I recommend this movie. Take note, it is 150 minutes long so make sure you have lots of pop corn.

My Rating

[richierich]

Title: New in Town

Runtime:96
Certificate:PG
Year:2009
Genres:Comedy, Romance

Plot:Award-winning actress Renée Zellweger stars as Lucy Hill, a high-powered executive in love with her upscale Miami lifestyle. Seeking to snag a big promotion, Lucy agrees to move to a remote Minnesota town to oversee the restructuring of a blue-collar manufacturing plant. After enduring icy roads, freezing weather and a chilly reception from the locals, she soon warms up to the small town and its people - especially the town's handsome union representative (Harry Connick, Jr.). What begins as a job assignment becomes the best thing ever to happen to her, in this heartwarming comedy that proves that the warmest people are often in the coldest places.

My Review:
Tired old format - high flier goes to sleepy old town to close down friendly old business, only to fall in love with the place, and a person in it, then proceed to save the day by finding amazing new concept and making company a roaring sucess, and they all live happily ever after.
Zellweger always suits such roles, and is comfortable in the lead, but I found Connick wooden and unconvincing as her love interest. JK Simmons as always injects class, and in general the cast work well together with a fairly dull script.
Not an awful film, there are some genuinely funny moments, and it is better than some out there, but I would recommend Kinky Boots and Spotswood ahead of this.

My Rating
 

[richierich]

Title: The Ex

Runtime:89
Certificate:12
Year:2007
Genres:Romance, Comedy

Plot:Two of TV's funniest and most popular comic actors, Zach Braff (Scrubs) and Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) take no prisoners as they fight it out for the love of Sofia (Amanda Peet). Tom Reilly (Braff) and his wife Sofia (Peet) have just had a baby and when Sofia, the breadwinner, decides to be a stay-at-home mum, it's all change. They move out of the city, back to Sofia's hometown where Tom is offered a job at the firm run by his father-in-law (the legendary Charles Grodin). Everything seems to be fitting nicely into place until Chip (Bateman), Sofia's ex boyfriend, local hero and all-round wonder-boy is appointed as Tom's manager. Chip's flame for Sofia still burns brightly and he will stop at nothing to see Tom undermined, humiliated and made a fool of in order to win back his ex...

My Review:
Lightweight comedy, but with a certain charm and originality that keeps you interested until the end.
Amanda Peet is gorgeous as the wife/mother, but both Bateman and Braff fail to make the most of their lead opportunities.
There are a few laugh out loud moments, but the biggest negative of this film is the script, it just isn't funny enough through the movie, and is a bit of a lost opportunity.
In fact the funniest part of the film is the outtakes which run with the credits, and are definately worth watching.

My Rating