Topic: KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2010

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Little Fish
Year: 2005
Director: Rowan Woods
Rating: R
Length: 114 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: DTS: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Cate Blanchett
Sam Neill
Hugo Weaving
Martin Henderson
Noni Hazlehurst

Plot:
After years of treading water in her career and redeeming herself after a troubled past, Tracy Heart (Blanchett) sets a goal of owning her own business. But the return of her ex-boyfriend and the criminal intentions of her brother threaten to tear apart her goals and test her relationship to her mother. Will her dreams be enough to start a new life?

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Long, drawn out Aussie flick that has you spending the first hour and a half trying to figure out what the point is. On the back of the dvd box artwork it declares itself a 'psychological thriller' but it's actually a 'life beating you down' type of story that never grabbed my interest at any point. The was a brain numbing bore that even Cate Blanchett can't save.

KC


Rating:

[Dragonfire]

I haven't heard of this one..doesn't sound like I missed much.

[KinkyCyborg]

I haven't heard of this one..doesn't sound like I missed much.

Neither had I when I ran across it in a hock shop used for a couple of bucks so I thought was worth a blind buy for a movie with Cate Blanchett and Sam Neill. Turned out to be a dud but I have found some real gems in exactly the same manner too.    You just never know...

[samuelrichardscott]

I thought Little Fish was a great little film that used it's slight subleties (rather than going all gung-ho from the start) to show you Cate Blanchett overcoming her drug addiction past whilst still seeing being around people who have addictions and the tribulations that are there when she gets involved with one side of drugs to buy the DVD shop and really change her life. I gave it a 3.5/5 but I can see how it would be difficult to get into.

[KinkyCyborg]

Title:Saving Private Ryan
Year: 1998
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: R
Length: 169 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Tom Hanks
Tom Sizemore
Edward Burns
Barry Pepper
Adam Goldberg

Plot:
June 6, 1944. D-Day. The Allies launch the biggest invasion in military history as millions in war-ravaged Europe wait and hope. But even as vast armies storm the beaches, a crack unit of troops is ordered to find and retrieve one man: Private James Ryan.

From Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg comes the World War II drama Saving Private Ryan, a co-production of DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

Saving Private Ryan is a story of heroism and sacrifice set in France during and just after the D-Day invasion of World War II. On the beaches of Normandy, great military forces are converging for the battle that would decide the course of the war. But behind enemy lines, a squad of U.S. Army soldiers, led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks), are putting their lives on the line on a perilous mission to find paratrooper James Ryan (Matt Damon).

As the soldiers push deep into enemy territory, moving from one danger to the next, Captain Miller and his men find themselves questioning their orders. Why is one man worth risking eight...why is the life of this private worth more than their own?

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Production Notes
Closed Captioned
Exclusive message from Steven Spielberg

My Thoughts:

So I deviated from my normal method of selecting a movie to watch and instead grabbed Saving Private Ryan to watch again, one on my top 3 favorite war movies. The occasion? Just the arrival of my brand spanking new 50' Panasonic plasma tv.

I swore to myself a long time ago that the day I got myself a kick-ass tv and surround sound that SPR would be the first movie I watched.... and man, it sure didn't disappoint!

The whole house shook with every explosion, I could hear the bullets whipping by my ears and the visuals were stunning, even with just an upconverting dvd player. My wife was completely disgusted with all the noise she was hearing upstairs which made it all the more satisfying. 

The movie itself has among the greatest rewatchability of any in my collection and I like to revisit it every year or so. While the battle scenes were epic, this goes well beyond a war story as it asks the question... What is one mans life worth? Often brutal in it's depiction of war, it offsets that with brilliant, thought provoking moments where the expectations of duty are questioned. An outstanding cast, well done stories within the story and a final touching moment of closure. This takes a spot in my Top 10 favorite movies to date.

I somehow missed Paul Giamatti's role during my earlier viewings.   

All in all it's been a fantastic day!! 

KC

Rating:

[Antares]

I'm glad you love your new TV, but I have to disagree with you on SPR being a great war film. It is for the first 23 minutes, but after that it is one the biggest cliché driven screenplays ever.

If you want to see a truly great war film then watch Das Boot or Come and See. Both great films without the clichés.

[Achim]

I watched Saving Proivat eRyan at the cinema when it came out (in Singapore, actually). It upset mesomuch (not in a bad way, mind you) that I have not been able to rewatch it since then.

The worst moment in the film was the knifing scene. It only got worse by understanding what the german guy days, as he recommends to stop struggling as the American has no more chance anyway.

Powerful film making, with the first 20(?) minutes being awesomely cinematic stuff.

I'm glad you love your new TV, but I have to disagree with you on SPR being a great war film. It is for the first 23 minutes, but after that it is one the biggest cliché driven screenplays ever.

While maybe not a "goos film", due to an abundance of clichés and such,  it sure is a powerful film, at least when watched in a darkened theater.

No argument from me on Das Boot though.

[KinkyCyborg]

I'm glad you love your new TV, but I have to disagree with you on SPR being a great war film. It is for the first 23 minutes, but after that it is one the biggest cliché driven screenplays ever.

If you want to see a truly great war film then watch Das Boot or Come and See. Both great films without the clichés.

I have Das Boot but have yet to watch it. Will have to check out Come And See. Your constant good recommendations are going to keep me poor! 

I'm not saying that Saving Private Ryan is perfect by any stretch... it has it's warts and flaws but it still manages to captivate. The first time I watched this I don't think I moved or took my eyes off the screen throughout... and not just the demonstrative D-Day landing. Having read your Schindler's List review I think you might be inclined to attribute the success of the film to the masses of 'Spielberg groupies' who whip up the public into a frenzy by heaping praise on his films simply because of who is manning the helm. Perhaps... to a certain degree. Spielberg needs not to make any apologies for banking on his past successes to help convey the messages he wants to with his films, much like he did with Schindler's List... and I can assure you he won't! Good for him! If I had that chip in reserve to play you can bet your ass I would use it... most people would. That being said, I personally think it should be obligatory that all films are viewed without knowing who the director is so as to avoid a jaundiced eye when expressing feelings about the film... both pro and con.

When dozens of old war veterans were asked to screen the film they were deeply moved, remarking on the accuracy and realism depicted in not only the battle scenes but also the moral dilemmas that soldiers faced during the horrors of war. It's interesting to note that many of those revered soldiers had never even heard of Steven Spielberg. 

Until I have watched more war movies and I am presented with more options this will continue to rank high with me. 

[Antares]

Which version of Das Boot do you own?

[KinkyCyborg]

I watched Saving Proivat eRyan at the cinema when it came out (in Singapore, actually). It upset mesomuch (not in a bad way, mind you) that I have not been able to rewatch it since then.

The worst moment in the film was the knifing scene. It only got worse by understanding what the german guy days, as he recommends to stop struggling as the American has no more chance anyway.

That certainly was a gruesome moment. Despite the horror in the American's eyes, the moment the knife slipped in I think you can see a moment of understanding wash over his face, realizing that even though he was about to die, he never really expected mercy from the German... and had the roles been reversed he would have just as easily thrust his blade into the others belly. Even more amazing was when the German walked down the stairs, right past the young American Corporal without even giving him a second thought having already pegged him as a spineless coward. That issue would later be resolved as well.

[KinkyCyborg]

Which version of Das Boot do you own?

I have the 209 minute Director's Cut.

[Antares]

I guarantee that after you watch it, you'll go out and buy the 293 minute version. It's that good.

[KinkyCyborg]

293?! This 209 minute version states to have an additional 60 more minutes of footage! Drives me nuts when they insist on multiple 'cuts' and 'editions'. 

[Antares]

293?! This 209 minute version states to have an additional 60 more minutes of footage! Drives me nuts when they insist on multiple 'cuts' and 'editions'. 

The 293 minute version was the one Petersen made for German television after the film's release. Even at 293 minutes, the screenplay shines. Best war film ever.

[KinkyCyborg]

Added it to my want list.  If I can replace my existing copy with a complete version I'd sooner just wait to watch it in all it's glory.