Topic: December Marathons - DISCUSSION AND REVIEW THREAD

[Tom]

Title: Only You
Year: 1994
Director: Norman Jewison
Rating: FSK-6
Length: 104 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.0, French: Dolby Digital Stereo, German: Dolby Digital 5.0, Italian: Dolby Digital Stereo, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.0
Subtitles: Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

Stars:
Marisa Tomei
Robert Downey, Jr.
Bonnie Hunt
Joaquim de Almeida
Fisher Stevens

Plot:
From the Oscar®-winning director of Moonstruck, comes a star studded, irresistibly romantic comedy about a once-in-a-lifetime date with destiny.

Faith (Marisa Tomei - My Cousin Vinny) is looking for her soul mate... but he's not the man she's about to marry! She's known his name - Damon Bradley - since childhood, but that's all the Ouija board and fortune teller ever told her.

Now, following a slim lead, and with best friend Kate (Bonnie Hunt - Jerry Maguire) in tow, Faith takes off to Italy in a last-ditch attempt to find her destiny. Here she stumbles into Peter (Robert Downy, Jr - Chaplin) who doesn't need a Ouija board to tell him that Faith is his soul mate. The only trouble is, his name doesn't fit the bill - and Faith is determined that her romantic quest must continue.

From the stunning Adriatic to the cliffs of the Amalfi coast, Faith chases her destiny... and Peter chases Faith ever hopeful that her 'Mr Wrong' can eventually become 'Mr Right'.

Extras:
Featurettes
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

I have a soft spot for this movie. When I first saw this movie, I knew Marisa Tomei only from her role as Maggie in the first season of "A Different World". I fell in love with her in this movie. She just is really adorable here. As far as I remember this was also the first time that I saw Robert Downey Jr. in anything. I didn't watch Ally McBeal.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to stop my marathon now, just after a few entries.  I've had various physical problems the last few years and one was having an eye hemorrhage.  That's where blood bleeds into the interior of the eye.  That happened with my right eye last December and now it appears to be happening with my left eye so it's very hard to see and I can't really enjjoy TV much even though I can see it a little.  I have a previously made appoointment with m eye doctor for this upcoming Wednesday.  Of course, if it gets worse before then, I may have to make a trip to the hospital before then.  But this is why this will likely be my last post for awhile...

Sorry to hear this Roger... Good Luck with it.... and keep us informed the best you can.

[Jimmy]

Title : Red Porno aka Tenshi no harawata: Akai inga (1981)

Overview
Hitomi (Yoko Kurita) asks her co-worker, Nami (Jun Izumi) to help her out for the evening doing some modelling, while she goes out on a date. Nami agrees and on the night she is stripped and forced into posing for a pornographic magazine that specialises in S&M fetishes, titled "Red Porno". The latest issue becomes a huge success, with Nami starting to become highly sought after not only buy the magazine asking her to do more but also by fellow readers. Nami begins to receive strange phone calls and is soon relentlessly followed by a lonely man named Muraki (Masahiko Abe) who hopes to start a relationship with her. Meanwhile Nami?s job is threatened when a copy of the magazine is found by her boss at the office, leaving her with few directions to take.

My Impression
Surprisingly I've decided to review the worst of the Angel Guts movies (I haven't watch Red Vertigo yet). The overview tell mostly what this film is about if the fact its a roman porno wasn't enough to know. A little explaination for those who don't know what is a roman porno, firstly this isn't pornographic even if the complete name is romantic pornography they are more erotic thriller with rape as a central theme (so it's your general familly friendly japanese film). Secondly, the central character is always a young and strong woman and, finally, countains more or less nudity. Like I've said this is my least favorite of this serie (Nami the previous one is my favorite) and this is mostly because the story isn't really well developped (I could say that it doesn't make sense) and there are far too many sex scenes (don't forget it's Japanese, so we don't see a lot but it's in the   category). Toshiharu Ikeda the director of this film will shoot Evil Dead Trap 7 years after this one, not really the same genre of movie but a much better one.

The set itself is a good purchase but not because of this one.

Rating :

note : I've used the but this isn't the genre of film I used it for usually. I just think that it isn't a proper movie for the homepage.

[Tom]

Title: All I Wanna Do
Year: 1998
Director: Sarah Kernochan
Rating: PG-13
Length: 96 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo, French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Spanish

Stars:
Kirsten Dunst
Gaby Hoffmann
Lynn Redgrave
Rachael Leigh Cook
Thomas Guiry

Plot:
Hot young stars Rachael Leigh Cook ('She’s All That'), Kirsten Dunst ('Wag The Dog', 'Interview With The Vampire'), Gaby Hoffmann ('Volcano') and Heather Matarazzo ('54', 'Scream 3') light up the screen in this refreshing, feel-good comedy from one of the acclaimed creators of 'Sleepless In Seattle'! If there’s one thing this wild group of friends at an all-girls high school has learned, it’s how to get what they want! So when word leaks out that their school is about to merge with an all-boys academy, some of the students strike back…devising a hilarious scheme to sabotage the plan! Get ready for a side-splitting lesson in laughter, as the girls wage an all-out assault in on outrageous battle of the sexes!

Extras:
Commentary
Featurettes
Production Notes
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

Nothing special. I originally bought this movie when I was on my "Rachael Leigh Cook" shopping spree. If anything, this movie is worth for those interested in seeing an early movie of Kirsten Dunst, Rachael Leigh Cook and Monica Keena. Vincent Karheiser (Connor in Angel) also has an early role.

Rating:

[DJ Doena]

I just thought "That plot sounded strangely familiar" and even Kirsten Dunst starred in it. I have the same movie under it's original title "Strike!": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120692/

[Tom]

I just thought "That plot sounded strangely familiar" and even Kirsten Dunst starred in it. I have the same movie under it's original title "Strike!": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120692/

Strange. Wikipedia lists "The Hairy Bird" as the original title

[Tom]

Title: Home Alone
Year: 1990
Director: Chris Columbus
Rating: PG
Length: 103 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.78
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo, French: Dolby Digital Stereo, Spanish: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Macaulay Culkin
Joe Pesci
Daniel Stern
John Heard
Roberts Blossom

Plot:
Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) has become the man of the house, overnight! Accidentally left behind when his family rushes off on a Christmas vacation, Kevin gets busy decorating the house for the holidays. But he's not decking the halls with tinsel and holly. Two bumbling burglars are trying to break in, and Kevin's rigging a bewildering battery of booby traps to welcome them!

Written and produced by John Hughes ("101 Dalmatians"), this madcap slapstick adventure features an all-star supporting cast including Catherine O’Hara and John Heard as Kevin’s parents, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the burglars, and John Candy ("Planes, Trains and Automobiles") as the "Polka King of the Midwest."

Awards:

Academy Award	1990	Nominated	Best Music, Original Score	John Williams
Academy Award	1990	Nominated	Best Music, Song	"Somewhere in My Memory": John Williams (Music); Leslie Bricusse (Lyrics)
AFI	1990	Nominated	100 Years... 100 Laughs (2000)
BMI Film & TV Music Awards	1991	Won	BMI Film Music Award	John Williams
Casting Society of America Awards	1991	Won	Best Casting for Feature Film – Comedy	Jane Jenkins, Janet Hirshenson
Golden Globe	1990	Nominated	Actor in a Leading Role - Musical or Comedy	Macaulay Culkin
Golden Globe	1990	Nominated	Picture - Musical or Comedy	John Hughes
Young Artist Awards	1991	Won	Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture	Macaulay Culkin
Young Artist Awards	1991	Nominated	Best Young Actress Supporting Role in a Motion Picture	Angela Goethals
Young Artist Awards	1991	Won	Most Entertaining Family Youth Motion Picture – Comedy/Action

Extras:
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

I have to admit, that I have never seen this movie before. It is in my collection only because it was part of a christmas classics DVD movie set. I had about the same expression on my face as Kevin on the cover when I realized that this DVD is non-anamorphic (a personal pet peeve of mine, especially since I got a widescreen TV).
I was pleasantly suprised by this movie. I always thought the whole movie is about Kevin and his booby traps which I thought will get more ridiculous the further the movie went along. But luckily the movie is not really about those traps. The actually only play a role the last twenty minutes or so. Besides the bad acting by Macaulay Culkin (though I think he was only really bad in the beginning of this movie and was more tolerable later on), I enjoyed this movie.

Rating:

[RossRoy]

Yesterday evening we had a party for my cousin's birthday. And we ended up watching a few movies. I don't really feel like reviewing them, especially because I didn't care too much for them.

Breaking and Entering & The Good German
I didn't care for either of them. I don't know if I was just not in the mood for these type of movies, but I found both of them painfully slow to develop, and completely boring. Oh well, can't like them all!


Hannibal
I like this sequel to Silence of the Lambs. I was sad to find that they replace Jodie Foster, but I think Julianne Moore did the job well. I found it very interesting.


An American Haunting
I rated it as , but to be honest I slept through most of it. I was so tired when we started watching it. But the parts I saw, and what I was able to piece together was good. Well, good enough to warrant another viewing in the future and confirm what I understand of it

[richierich]

Title: Very Bad Things

Runtime:97
Certificate:18
Year:1998
Genres:Suspense/Thriller, Comedy

Plot:Laura Garrety (Cameron Diaz) wants the wedding of her dreams and Kyle Fisher (Jon Favreau) wants to marry the woman he loves. But before that, his buddies (Christian Slater, Daniel Stern, Jeremy Piven and Leland Orser) decide to throw him an unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas.
Kyle's last night of freedom involves booze, gambling, drugs and even a visit from a young stripper. When the stripper accidentally gets killed, the boys get led by Boyd into disposing of the '105 pound problem' in the desert instead of calling the police.
Thus begins a darkly comic homicidal trail, dropped like lethal breadcrumb by writer-director Peter Berg in this audacious, sure handed motion picture debut.

My Review:
Strange film, sort of a whacky black comedy with violence and emotions.
The set of guys who hit Vegas to have a drink and drug filled stag weekend include an impressive array of actors, and with Diaz playing the beautiful but ruthless bride to be you think this film can't go too wrong.
The humour though misses the mark for me, it is quite warped and probably not to my personal taste. Some great performances from Slater and Diaz in particular raise the film above the mundane, and the script is fairly sharp and in your face.
The ending was surprising and funny, and the whole film is a good description of when things go wrong, they keep going wrong!

My Rating
 

[richierich]

Title: Terminator: Salvation

Runtime:110
Certificate:12
Year:2009
Genres:Science-Fiction

Plot:In the aftermath of Judgment Day and the takeover by the machines, John Connor (Christian Bale, The Dark Knight), the destined leader of the human resistance, must counterattack Skynet’s devastating plan to terminate mankind. As Connor rallies his underground street fighters for a last, desperate battle, he realises that to save the future he must rescue his own father, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin, Star Trek). But the most shocking discovery comes with the arrival of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington, Avatar), a mysterious loner from the past who challenges Connor with an impossible choice that will determine the future of the human race – leading them both on a brutal journey into the very heart of the enemy.

My Review:
Stylish and grim, in tune with the original Terminator, director McG breathes some life back into the franchise.
Christian Bale is ok, perhaps not my first choice for the role of John Connor, but does a fairly decent job with little charisma. Apparently he is signed up for 2 more of these films so will be interesting to see how he develops into the role. The introduction of new character Marcus Wright, without giving too much away, adds a new twist to the future and was an interesting addition to the story.
The effects are of course first rate, particualrly the clever human features of the new T800, and I definately want one of the bikes. The machines seemed to be less invincible than before, which was a pity, and some scenes were a bit too much 'paying homage to the original' than I personally liked.
In my opinion the Terminator run should have ended with Judgement Day in 1991, and nothing since has come close to changing my mind on this. With 2 new films due, lets see if they can make this special or if its just a case of cashing in on the franchise.

My Rating
 

[richierich]

Title: The Hangover

Runtime:96
Certificate:15
Year:2009
Genres:Comedy

Plot:From "Old School" director Todd Phillips comes a comedy about a bachelor party gone very, very wrong. Two days before his wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha) drives to Las Vegas with his best buddies Phil and Stu (Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms) and his future brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis), for a blow-out bachelor party they vow they'll never forget. But when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning with pounding headaches, they can't remember a thing. Their luxury hotel suite is beyond trashed and the groom is nowhere to be found. With no clue about what happened and little time to spare, the trio must attempt to retrace their bad decisions from the night before in order to figure out where things went wrong, in the hope of finding Doug and getting him back to L.A. in time for his wedding. But the more they begin to uncover, the more they realize just how much trouble they're really in.

My Review:
Incredibly funny and a riotous success, this film is real laugh out loud stuff and is one of the best comedies I've seen this year.
Without any major star billings in the main leads, the film relies on a terrific script and top drawer directing to bring the comedy to the fore, and delivers a great film accordingly.
Very original and fresh, the humour occasionally tiptoes along the boundaries of decency, but manages to always stay on the right side of funny not indecent, with many scenes and lines from the film to remain vividly memorable in the future. Babies hand gestures, and the old naked guy being examined by the doctor, you know you shouldn't laugh, but cannot help it.
The outtakes are hilarious, and showed how much fun the cast had with the film, and overall this should be a good addition to anyones 'comedy' shelf in their dvd collections.

My Rating
 

[Jimmy]

In my opinion the Terminator run should have ended with Judgement Day in 1991, and nothing since has come close to changing my mind on this.

Or just after the first one since the story was ok like that. I can't stand Judgement Day, the original terminator returning as a wimp doesn't do it for me (he is a killing machine not a babysitter machine) and Edward Furlong is one of the most annoying young actor I have seen (not very far from Macaulay Culkin or the asian kid in Temple of Doom)... The only positive in the sequel is Robert Patrick (the special effect are good also, but for me that's not important).

Never watched the third one or the tv serie and I've no intention to watch the fourth one or any other sequel. I can say the same thing for Robocop also...

[Jimmy]

Title : My Brother's Wife (1966)

Overview
Doris Wishman's ode to love, lust, and marital non-bliss, in which sweet little Mary falls in love with Frankie, the slimeball brother of her dull hubby Bob. But when Frankie suggests Mary get money so they can run away together, he neglects to mention his 'other' girlfriend, the marvelously sleazy Zena...

My Impression
Typical sixties New York sexploitation... Always a lot of fun to watch, since it's the first genre I've fell in love with because of the dvd. Of course those films aren't shocking anymore (they were popular more than 40 years ago) but at the time they were. Evidently like many of them this movie was filmed without sound and dub later in studio (kind of evident since the lip movement doesn't fit... but it's even more evident when we hear Darlene Bennett without her Brooklyn accent). The story isn't too much complicated (the end is easy to guess) and we sure see the actresses often in black lingeries.

I like those movies. You can turn your brain off and see what was scandalous when your father was a young adult...

Rating :

[goodguy]

In my opinion the Terminator run should have ended with Judgement Day in 1991, and nothing since has come close to changing my mind on this.

I haven't seen T4, but I would say the best thing about the Terminator franchise is the TV series.

[Najemikon]

In my opinion the Terminator run should have ended with Judgement Day in 1991, and nothing since has come close to changing my mind on this.

I haven't seen T4, but I would say the best thing about the Terminator franchise is the TV series.

Even over the first film? I don't go so far as Jimmy, in fact, I love the second film, but the first is the epitome of the Terminator idea.