Topic: Eric's DVD watching.

[SailorRipley]

Some time ago, when SailorRipley still liked us (trying to guilt him into posting if he reads this), he wrote an interesting article on dvd's he wanted to buy and for what reason.  Black Book which I had never heard of was one of them and since I considered SailorRipley a "connaisseur", if figured if he has an interest in it then it can't be a very bad movie to anyone.  It was however quite expensive so I waited until recently to get it and watched it last week-end.

I have to say I was not disapointed.  I had the chance in my life to be close to someone (a romanian jew) who's been a prisoner in a nazi concentration camp.  I consider it a chance because such a person can make a teenager aware of the world, the different cultures and society.  He had quite an influence on my life and because of him and the amazing things he did and lived through, I've always had a great interest in the resistance movements in different countries of Europe during the WWII.

Black Book is the story of a young Dutch woman who works as a spy for the Resistance in Netherlands.  It is not a true story but the director claims that many of the events are true.  If you like that kind of movies I highly recommend it, I enjoyed every second of it.

Rating:

  Peoooople, the Sailor likes you all and is still pretty much alive & kicking.

Yes, work has been a bitch during all these months with almost no time to drop in, but apparently things will get much easier, so I'll plan on giving you hard times with my usual rambling on a more constant basis. You've been warned. 

So... what have I missed?? Guess I better start reading, eh?

And BTW, Black Book rocks in every level!

[Najemikon]

Sailor, you old toerag! About time... 

[Sanuye]

Sailor!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy       

[Touti]

He's back ! He's Back !

[RossRoy]

He's back ! He's Back !

Yeah! Welcome back Sailor! 

[Achim]

 

[Touti]

The Hunt for the BTK Killer



Click on the pic for details

BTK: Bind Them, Torture them, Kill them.  That's the definition of BTK that this serial killer from the 70's gave of his "name".  This movie depicts the true story of the BTK Killer, a sick man who killed 10 people in mid 70's and then disappeared.  He resurfaced 30 years later, in 2004,  when he sent a letter to a journalist.  Shortly after the police was able to find him and arrest him.

This seems to be a low budget movie, no known stars and no stunning effects.  The story was approached from two different angles.  The movie begins with the police investigator character narrating his story.  Then the movie switches back and forth between the BTK killer in court who tells the judge details of the murders after pleading guilty and the view of the events that lead to his arrest.  Throughout the movie we see some flashback shots of the murders.

Although it is not a great movie and it is a bit "simplistic" in the making it is still a very interesting story and the movie is not boring.   I don't want to talk to much about it because I would like some of you to watch it so we can discuss it in the "Movie Analysis" thread.  I believe we could have a very interesting discussion trying to understand what's going in the mind of this man.

My Score: Because the writing s very good but the making of the movie is bit simple I'll have to give it separate scores.

Story/Writing:
Movie:

Overall I guess I'd have to give a and a half.

[Touti]

The Last King of Scotland


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I kind of agree with Jon that this movie is flawed but I'm not sure I do so for the same reasons (meaning I'm not sure I fully understand his).

This movie isn't what I expected it to be.  When watching something called "The Last King of Scotland" wihch is supposed to be about Idi Amin Dada I'm expecting to see a movie about............Idi Amin Dada (Silly me  ).

The thing is that this is not abou Idi Amin, it's about his scottish doctor.  The main character is the doctor, not Idi Amin and the plot is all about him, his dealings with Idi Amin and his regime and, toward the end, his strugle with it as he discovers that what he sees from the inside is nothing like the ugliness of the outside.

Where I agree with Jon in saying that the movie is flawed is just that.  That it's supposed to be telling us about Idi Amin Dada and his regime but it doesn't.  It barely scratches the surface, using it only to support the story of the doctor.

It is a wonderful movie, Idi Amin is brilliantly played by Whitaker and I believe it is quite impressive that an actor can be that good when he's supposed to be the main character but is only in a supporting role with a counterpart which is definitely not up to the task.

I give this movie a because if I judge it strickly from a movie enthusiast and entertainment point of view it's a very good movie.  I can't however put aside my interest for history and I don't feel like I've really watched the biography of a dictator and the story of a bad regime.  Frankly, I was very surprised to read at the end that between 1971 and 1979 over 300,000 Ugandians were killed by Idi Amin Dada's regime because the movie didn't show me that.

I'm glad I bought it but in the end..........I'm left on my appetite !

[Najemikon]

I kind of agree with Jon that this movie is flawed but I'm not sure I do so for the same reasons (meaning I'm not sure I fully understand his).

I think we've come to the same conclusion! As I said before, I like the idea of following a small character in a big story. It takes the pressure off the other elements and helps you see the big picture. However as you say, the story seems to be just about the Doctor. If you think about narrative in the classic sense of "cause and effect", McAvoy's character was given a bit too much cause and credited with far too much effect!

I do also think he was a rather spoiled character, thinking too much about himself...

(click to show/hide)

Think of the love affair that's so dangerous but he treats as a casual fling. And at the end when he barely escapes, I couldn't help thinking, "well thank goodness the weedy foreign Doctor got out! Shame about the civilians, but not to worry! The white fella made it and can go back to the parents he feels so trapped by."

This is what I meant by a sub-text: I think McAvoy's character and his actions are supposed to represent the Western view of the situation. He is enamoured by him, treats the people and the land as a novel fantasy for him to run roughshod over, but cowardly runs away when it gets tough and doesn't answer for his own influence on the situation.

Maybe our society does have to answer for some of the troubles less advanced countries find themselves in. All very clever, but it makes it a film about an arsehole. Perhaps it's supposed to be watched by people familiar with the situation enough to appreciate the outsiders angle.

[Touti]

Flyboys



Click the pic for details

This movie is based on the true story of the Lafayette Escadrille which was a french squadron composed of american pilots who voluntarily joined the WWI before the United States did.

I really enjoyed this movie from beginning to end and I highly recommend it.  In certain ways, although very different, it could be compared to The Battles of Britain.  The specials effect of flight and combat scenes are spectacular and although there is many of it I never got tired.  It almost makes you feel like watching an IMAX movie at times.

My score:

[Touti]

Fargo


Click the pic for details

Based on a true story that took place in Minnesota and North Dakota in 1987.  The opening credits claim that the names of the survivors were changed but that "in respect for the deads the rest is told exactly as it occured".

It's about a frustrated loser who hires 2 guys to kidnap his wife and get his wealthy father in law to pay a ransom he will then keep. The story is interesting and I had never heard of it. 

The movie however is not very good.  It was obviously done with a small budget but I don't think it excuses everything.  The thing that bothered me is that the characters from Minnesota and North Dakota all looked kind of "idiotic".  They look cold, like nothing ever surprise them, almost like Zombie.  They also say "Yeaaaaah" at least once per sentence, often more, but pronounced almost with a German or Dutch accent.  I don't know if people in Minnesota really say "Yeah" all the time but in the movie it's very annoying, almost like the writer sometimes makes them say something totally useless just to squeeze another "Yeah" in there.

This is bad IMO because there's a scene in the movie where all those one word sentences with people answering "yeah" all the times makes the whole thing look like some parody that isn't even funny.

They may have told things exactly as they happened by respect for the deads but they could also have shown respect for the people involved by not depicting them as idiots.

My score: , but if you find it somewhere for less than 5$ bucks it can still fill a snowy saturday afternoon if one has nothing else to do.


P.S: After writing this review I checked the movie on Rotten Tomatoes.  To my surprise it got very good critics and scores averaging 85% by critics and 94% by the community so I guess one should base his decision on getting this movie or not on my review.

[Tom]

They may have told things exactly as they happened by respect for the deads but they could also have shown respect for the people involved by not depicting them as idiots.

Fargo is famous for it, that even though it claims that it is based on a true story in the beginning, in reality it is all fictitious.

[Touti]

I just looked it up on IMDB and I'm even more surprised than I have been by the score at RT.  I'm surprised this movie won Academy Awards for best writing. I don't get it.

And to confirm what Tom says: http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/fargo.asp

[Touti]

Chain Reaction


Click the pic for details

Not much to say about this movie except that it proves that putting big names together doesn't automatically mean success.

My score: because I always find Rachel Weisz very pretty otherwise I would have given a

[Najemikon]

I just looked it up on IMDB and I'm even more surprised than I have been by the score at RT.  I'm surprised this movie won Academy Awards for best writing. I don't get it.

And to confirm what Tom says: http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/fargo.asp

Harumph! You obviously don't read your own forum! I was discussing this with Matthias only last week in relation to the strange habits of the Coen brothers; fake DVD extras, claiming stories are true, etc. That was while I was defending The Big Lebowski, which he really didn't like at all. I can't remember what he said about Fargo, but I don't think he was enthusiastic about that either.

I find it fascinating that you've been able to go into Fargo completely blind. I'd say it must still be the Coen's most famous work, even in the face of No Country for Old Men and it was unavoidable for a time. Suffice to say, I (and most of the planet as you've noted through other sites! ) adore these magnificent films. I think they are simply wonderful.

However I'll say the same here as I told Matthias, the Coen's films generally fall into two types. Lebowski, Fargo and Burn After Reading (I assume from reviews) falls into one type, linked by the fact they are usually about idiots. O Brother Where Art Thou is also about idiots, but something stops me from lumping it in with the others. However it definitely doesn't belong with Blood Simple, No Country for Old Men and Miller's Crossing, which are certainly not about idiots. Old Men was fantastic, but Blood Simple, their debut, is still possibly their most genuine noir. Basically your opinion about one of their movies will not help you at all when it comes to some of the others.