Topic: December Marathons - DISCUSSION AND REVIEW THREAD

[Antares]

Brando was a pretty impressive macho guy at the time, and Vivien Leigh is at times wonderful in her role as Blanche, but in some scenes incredibly wooden and soulless, surprised she won an oscar for the part.

She's supposed to be soulless at times, as she

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has suffered from mental illness after a traumatic event when she was younger.

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Yeah I understood that, I think it was a few other scenes where it was too OTT 'lordy be' moments that made me question how much her heart was in each scene. Gotta remember I am very new to watching older films, so I am not a great reviewer or expert on the subject

Well, Leigh was pretty well medicated on anti-depressants at the time and she does have that glossy look occasionally. So that may account for what you saw.

[addicted2dvd]

BTW Antares... If I am not mistaken... isn't your avatar from The General? I actually have that movie in a classic boxset I have.

[richierich]

Title: White Oleander

Runtime:109
Certificate:PG-13
Year:2002
Genres:Drama

Plot:Oleander can be poisonous. So can a mother's love. Flamboyant, self-centered Ingrid is jailed for the murder of her lover. Yet she still controls the life of her impressionable 15-year-old daughter Astrid.
Based on the popular bestseller by Janet Fitch, White Oleander traces Astrid's remarkable journey to independence. Alison Lohman portrays Astrid, struggling to get a foothold in life as she copes with her manipulative mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) and with the challenges of living in a succession of foster homes (Robin Wright Penn and Renée Zellweger play two of the foster mothers). Energized by the real and revealing performances of a stellar cast, White Oleander bewitches – and haunts – from beginning to end.

My Review:
Hard to describe this film, very grim but at the same time compelling, depressing but memorable, agonising but uplifting.
A host of female stars perform throughout the movie, but the star of the film is left to the main lead Alison Lohman, who superbly handles a very difficult and emotional part and never appears overawed in such lofty company. Pfeiffer is unusually gritty and severe as the domineering and at times heartless mother, who the viewer slowly hates more and more through the storytelling.
A steady methodical pace helps a sympathetic direction, and the emotional setbacks through murder, suicide, abuse and foster homes are not overwrung, so you never tire of the material.
A realistically tough tale of a mother/daughter relationship, above average fare.

My Rating
 

[Antares]

BTW Antares... If I am not mistaken... isn't your avatar from The General? I actually have that movie in a classic boxset I have.

Yes it is. Keaton is my favorite comedian of all time.

I'm a HUGE fan of silent films.

I think Gloria swanson summed it up best as Norma Desmond, "We didn't need dialogue. We had faces!" and my favorite line of all, "You are... writing words, words, more words! Well, you'll make a rope of words and strangle this business! But there'll be a microphone there to catch the last gurgles, and Technicolor to photograph the red, swollen tongues!"

Priceless

[Najemikon]

I am actually sorry to read that. This is one of the classics I heard a lot about and wanted to check out.

Give it a go Pete, as said I can't put my finger on why this film didn't click for me, it just didn't 

You'll probably be similar to me, because I didn't like it at all either. I think it must be Tennesee Williams. I saw Cat On A Hot Tin Roof years ago and found it beyond tedious. Everything is so... melodramatic! 

All I remember of that film is Newman scowling, Taylor whining and a sodding brass band playing the same tune over and over and over again.

[richierich]

I am actually sorry to read that. This is one of the classics I heard a lot about and wanted to check out.

Give it a go Pete, as said I can't put my finger on why this film didn't click for me, it just didn't 

You'll probably be similar to me, because I didn't like it at all either. I think it must be Tennesee Williams. I saw Cat On A Hot Tin Roof years ago and found it beyond tedious. Everything is so... melodramatic! 

All I remember of that film is Newman scowling, Taylor whining and a sodding brass band playing the same tune over and over and over again.

Yes, you probably are right, it is the over-melodramatic nature of the film perhaps that was the turnoff. Lordy Be and Mercy Me (gazes off in distance with faraway look)
But you know, somewhere in the film and the cast is a good story, just not for me and certainly not dragged out for over 2 hours

[Achim]

Of course, I can see that he got inspiration from other films but most directors do that ;P unfortunately original ideas often get lost, and lets be honest... can anything really be original any more story wise in a film? there are always going to be elements of some other film in something.

Isn't there a total of only seven original plotlines anyway, with everything else being a variation thereof?

[snowcat]

Of course, I can see that he got inspiration from other films but most directors do that ;P unfortunately original ideas often get lost, and lets be honest... can anything really be original any more story wise in a film? there are always going to be elements of some other film in something.

Isn't there a total of only seven original plotlines anyway, with everything else being a variation thereof?

Yeah, thats what they say
[wo]man vs. nature
[wo]man vs. man
[wo]man vs. the environment
[wo]man vs. machines/technology
[wo]man vs. the supernatural
[wo]man vs. self
[wo]man vs. god/religion

[Najemikon]

There's also the Hero With a Thousand Faces theory, which George Lucas used for Star Wars I believe...

[Achim]

So, it's ALL the same, really

[Jimmy]

Just watch the new Code Red release of Messiah of Evil and I won't write a review since I've already written one last year, but if you have seen the previous crappy PD release of this film and like the film go for this one also. The quality is incredible; we see what happen on screen, the dialogue is clear, it's widescreen, we see all the little detail in the decor and, specially for Pete, the god awfull song isn't there anymore...

Really the best dvd release by Code Red

[Jimmy]

Title : Suzie Heartless (2008)

Overview
SUZIE HEARTLESS tells the dark and harrowing story of the last days in the life of a terrified teenage prostitute. Brutalized, raped and fending off the pains of starvation, Suzie finds her only solace in the quiet home she has created in the derelict basement of a textile warehouse. Haunted by a mysterious young girl, Suzie searches the streets of Los Angeles for her missing family in hopes that she'll be able to recapture the beauty of her lost childhood before succumbing to the misery and violence of reality...and dying like a rat in the gutter.

My Impression
Certainly not the feelgood movie of the year, of course being a Tony Marsiglia's film it was expected but it sure make Chantal (his precedent movie) looks like a no hold bared comedy. I'm sure I have already said it in some of my precedent reviews but for me Marsiglia is the most underated and talented director actually. His productions always deal with very sad situation and most of the time the central woman character is mentally unstable (Lust for Dracula, Sinful) or completly at the end of her rope (this one and Chantal), but his movie always had a certain poesie and a little plus.

This one doesn't even had a single joyfull moment in it (even when you think so) and is heartbroken from the beginning (I have no problem to admit that my eyes got wet many times while watching). All the movie rest on the performance of Wendy McColm since she is in every frame of the film and I've to say that it's the best performance I've seen from a young actress since Chloë Sevigny in Kids. She make you feel that she is the character and not an actress doing a character, all this without having to say a single line (good thing since this movie is completely without dialogue, you read me right this film is silent). Andrea Davis even if her role is small gives her best career performance in this film, proving finally that she is at the same level than Erin Brown and Julian Wells (BTW Liana Davis who play the little girl is her daughter and she is as beautifull as her mother).

Of all the film I've reviewed on this website this is probably the only one I think that could been in the Matthias taste palette. Is it an enjoyable movie? No. Is it an accessible movie? No. Is it a good film? Yes and I'll go farther by qualifying it as a masterpiece a proof that you don't need 100 millions dollars to make the best film of the decade.  

A perfect 10 and the first one I've give for a movie made after 1980.

Rating :

Edit : Now you can buy the movie directly from the director on Ebay. Don't forget that when you buy directly from him you will help the financing of future projects.

[RossRoy]

G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra

WHAT THEY SAY

When a secret weapon is stolen by the mysterious and evil Cobra organization, mankind's only hope is G.I. Joe, an elite covert strike force featuring the best operatives from around the globe. So, suit up and join Duke, Snake Eyes and Ripcord in a race against time to stop Cobra from using their ultimate weapon and plunging the world into chaos. When all else fails... they don't. They are G.I. Joe!

MY THOUGHTS

Loved it! Action from begining to end. Pretty girls. Nice special effects. Nice gadgets and gear. Even a twist of sorts in the story (not that the story matters much in this kind of movie! haha). Much better adaptation of the subjet than I expected.

RATING

[Tom]

Title: The Wrestler
Year: 2008
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Rating: 15
Length: 109 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: PCM Stereo, English: DTS HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Mickey Rourke
Marisa Tomei
Evan Rachel Wood
Mark Margolis
Todd Barry

Plot:
Back in the late '80s, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centres around New Jersey.
Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life, trying to reconnect with his daughter, and strikes up a blossoming romance with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei). Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy "The Ram" back into his world of wrestling and he puts everything on the line for one last fight.

Awards:

Academy Award	2008	Nominated	Best Actor	Mickey Rourke
Academy Award	2008	Nominated	Best Supporting Actress	Marisa Tomei
American Film Institute Awards	2008	Won	Movies of the Year
Art Directors Guild Production Design Awards	2009	Nominated	Contemporary Films
BAFTA	2008	Won	Best Leading Actor	Mickey Rourke
BAFTA	2008	Nominated	Best Supporting Actress	Marisa Tomei
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Actor	Mickey Rourke
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Picture
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2009	Won	Best Song	"The Wrestler": Bruce Springsteen
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Supporting Actress	Marisa Tomei
Costume Designers Guild Awards	2009	Nominated	Excellence in Costume Design for Film – Contemporary	Amy Westcott
Golden Globe	2008	Won	Actor in a Leading Role - Drama	Mickey Rourke
Golden Globe	2008	Nominated	Actress in a Supporting Role	Marisa Tomei
Golden Globe	2008	Won	Original Song	"The Wrestler":
MTV Movie Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Song From A Movie	"The Wrestler": Bruce Springsteen
Satellite Awards	2008	Nominated	Best Actor – Drama	Mickey Rourke
Satellite Awards	2008	Nominated	Best Original Song	"The Wrestler": Bruce Springsteen
Screen Actors Guild Award	2008	Nominated	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role	Mickey Rourke
World Soundtrack Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Original Song Written Directly for Film	"The Wrestler": Bruce Springsteen (music/lyrics/performer)
Writers Guild of America Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Original Screenplay	Robert D. Siegel

Extras:
Featurettes
Interviews
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

When I first heard about this movie I didn't seem like something I would be interested in. But because I am a fan of Marisa Tomei and the film got such raving reviews, I have bought the Blu-ray after the price has dropped.
I did enjoy this movie. Both the leads were really great, especially Mickey Rourke, who I only knew from "Angel Heart" before. Hard to believe that it is the same guy. He really must have pushed himself hard to prepare for this role. Marisa Tomei is still damn hot. I would have liked it if Evan Rachel Wood's role would have been bigger.
What I didn't really like was the cinematography. I know it was supposed to be this way to give you a feeling to be right with the actors. But this documentary style (a la "The Office", Christopher Guest movies) has now been done to death. And here it really bothered me, because there is no documentary crew supposed to be present. The main actors are okay here, but some of the supporting cast really behaves like they are aware of the camera. I have read after the fact, that some scenes were shot in real environments with improvisations by the actors (locker room, super market). That explains it.
But even though this bothered me, I was enjoying the movie. It never once got boring. Although I can't believe that the wrestlers would go to such lengths just for the performance.

Rating:

[goodguy]

Title : Suzie Heartless (2008)
...
This one doesn't even had a single joyfull moment in it...
...
Of all the film I've reviewed on this website this is probably the only one I think that could been in the Matthias taste palette.

So I'm the guy who mostly watches joyless movies? Thanks a lot. 

While I'm intrigued by your reference to Larry Clark's Kids, I'm not sure if this is something for me. Your review actually reminds me more of Lukas Moodysson's A Hole in My Heart, which may have its merits in a similar fashion, but I just couldn't stomach it.