I need to see this. The Hubby saw it and loved it.


...


American Hustle (2013)

I didn't realize it when I first came out of the movie, but I totally agree with EC. I honestly didn't care much about the story but I adored all of the characters and had a blast just watching the actors - Jennifer Lawrence was a SCENE. STEALER. Honestly, just a joy to watch.

LOVED the movie.

Maniac - This is one of the better remakes I've seen.I felt the POV immersed the viewer in Franks fractured psyche perfectly,it was quite unnerving when you caught glimpses of his face in reflective surfaces (Including a neat nod to the original).Belting soundtrack too,it really worked well with the vibe of the film. 8/10

Good to see u again, McCoy. :)

And you ! I've popped in now and then,but I really need to post more often :-)

Yea, don't be a stranger. I really like your reviews. :)

She definitely had some great scenes. Don't think I'd let her near my "science oven" ::big grin::

Cliched story for the most part but the dialogue was tight and the cast had no deadweight whatsoever. An enjoyable watch for sure.

Yeah man. I thought this film was gunna be good, but damn is it good. And if you feel this way then don't read the comments on netflix. Its like a tug of war between haters and lovers down there. However I never did get to watching the original. Should I try after seeing this or will it just disappoint with my skewed standards?

Personally I think the original is a classic and Joe Spinell is outstanding.

One of the best performances in horror period. That film is right up there for me.

Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny.

I could watch this once a week - along with School of Rock :)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Enjoyed this one more than the first film. Hopefully the final part is just as good.

I enjoyed both quite a bit - looking forward to this thing coming out as a box set so it can be watched in one long go

I think I just liked the pacing more with this one there wasn't any down time. Some great scenes too. Loved the confrontation with Gandalf.

i don't mind the down time at all … although i'm not as much a fan of The Hobbit as I am of LOTR (books) i do like the quiet scenes… i think there's a lot of beauty in them … and i do like peaks and valleys as far as the narrative goes ..

when it comes to this middle earth business, i'm a pretty easy mark :)

I've never read the books... I must be one of the few people who haven't. Got copies however so will have to delve into them soon.

I bet you could almost read The Hobbit in the time it would take to watch all three films.

Watched This is the End, it was pretty funny with some great cameos.

Sounds good! I've never really research the original Maniac, but now knowing Joe Spinell, from The Last Horror Film, is the lead I'm pretty psyched. :)

The Wolverine - I enjoyed this quite a bit,although some of the storyline was a bit wobbly the action made up for it.I hope Yukio shows up in future Wolverine/X Men films,really enjoyed the character. 7/10

The Eye - Being a fan of the original Pang brothers film I had actively avoided this,now due to a dull afternoon with nothing better to do I have try and forget I watched it.Poor imitation.Blah.

I am waiting for the blu ray too :-)

http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/ph...3249_slide.jpg

Glad to hear that the film is getting some positive feedback. I'm an extremely dedicated fan of the LOTR movies and Tolkien in general. I was somewhat disappointed by the first Hobbit film and I haven't seen this one yet, partly because the holidays have been crazy and partly because I'm a little apprehensive of the whole love triangle story P.J. has added. But it's nice to see that the movie is being well-received by other cinema fans and it definitely eases my anxiety a little.

Now, back to horror...I rented Louise and Her Lover yesterday because I've had some good experiences with indie horror films. This one was okay, although the storyline wasn't exactly original and/or creepy.

I read a couple of reviews where people weren't happy with this but it isn't a major part of the plot of the film. I personally thought it was cool as fleshed the characters out a bit more.

Blood for Irina

http://www.almasoscuras.com/images/1847.jpg

A surreal and dreamlike non traditional vampire film. I dug how she never sprouted fangs and you're left wondering whether being a vampire was all in her mind or perhaps an infection (as the vomiting suggested). I thought there was a definite nod to Martin in this regard. I've watched some painful shoestring budget flicks in my time but this definitely isn't one of them. After reading some of the scathing reviews I thought this would be an endurance test but instead I got one of the better independent horror films I've seen in awhile. Blood For Irina won't be for everyone. It's not a modern classic by any means but is a well crafted interesting film that I'm sure will find an appreciative audience.

The score really stood out (with the exception of the corny classical piece used in the title sequence) with it's great unnerving abrasive sounding parts for the tense moments. A decent score is a rarity in independent horror so this was a nice touch. The minimal dialogue really worked for me too. It kept the surreal vibe of the film going and didn't let the film fall into the trap of novice actors delivering clunky dialogue. Running just shy of 70 minutes Blood For Irina doesn't out stay it's welcome either. It's concise unlike a lot of lower budget flicks where the directors are to precious about their work to ditch unnecessary scenes that make their films drag. Nice cinematography too. I liked the unconventional shots like the sink scene and the figurative meaning in some of the establishing shots (like the shot of the exit sign).

Blood For Irina will alienate a lot of horror fans by perhaps being too "weird", slow burning and not having enough splatter or jump scares. There's some rough edges but this film shows the director has a lot of potential and is thinking outside of the square both stylistically and thematically. I'll be looking forward to seeing more of Chris Alexander's work. This was an ambitious film that knew it's limitations and worked well within them to deliver a solid directorial debut.

"12 Years a Slave" 8/10

Definitely not a feel good movie, although i couldn't stop laughing all the way through.

No, just kidding. This really wasn't a fun watch. But it was a good watch. I need to see the directors former 2 movies now.

wow - nice review!
I knew you'd get it …

Did you listen to the commentary yet ?

You're Next

with all the hype I thought it would be better....not a bad watch but over blown expectations.

is it out on DVD? i'm dying to see it

Thanks. No I didn't get a chance to before I returned the disc. Will buy my own copy and check it out then.

I thought you must have from some of the things you said ...
you really hit the nail on the head

I'm assuming it is...watched on DEMAND

I very rarely bother listening to them ::big grin::

Trailers are pretty much all I find interesting about most extras. I find commentaries lift the veil a bit to much for me.

this one is a little more fun ..
I really wanted it to be a mix of information and fun ..
If you go too much either way it's either boring or like a private joke.
I think we found the balance and some reviews commented favourably on it ..

hey - at least you'd get to hear what i sound like :)

Missed all the hype - so I was pleasantly surprised.

Flesh Freaks
I remember enjoying this movie in High School. Even went as far to buy another copy because I misplaced the disc. YUCK! whhat was i thinking?! what a piece of junk!
Full Review

I watched this last night too and really liked it. I've been really into mumblecore and mumblegore lately, so I enjoyed seeing a bunch of familiar faces and all the loosely scripted, awkward dialog. The twist was a bit predictable and some of the 'fighting back' elements were a bit overly-inspired by Straw Dogs, but overall the suspense was pretty good, and a couple of the kill scenes were unique. I think it's easily Adam Wingard's best yet.

I've been into Mumblecore lately too. Any favorites/recommendations?

Out of The Furnace

From all the good things i heard about this, i expected it to be better. Its not bad by any means, in fact its pretty good. I was just expecting something amazing. The performances were great especially Casey Affleck and Woody Harrelson. Even Christian Bales quiet, awkward performance was done well. Forest Whitaker was totally wasted here though.

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

I enjoyed the first one better. This one had less wonder and scenery and more action which seems to be the norm for second movies in a trilogy. Its still very good and Smaug was great, i just enjoyed the first one better.

I think the most bafflingly unique film I've seen is Computer Chess. It might also help that I'm a software engineer with a soft spot for retro computer stuff, but I don't think the film requires that type of interest to be enjoyed.

I really loved The Puffy Chair, and The Do-Deca-Pentathlon was a bit of fun. Although it's evolved from pure mumblecore, Frances Ha was enjoyable -- Greta Gerwig at her best. I think all those are on Netflix. Jeff, Who Lives at Home, and Cyrus, are bigger budget, but I thought pretty darn good. Open Five was not bad with a bit of patience (its on YouTube).

I have a long list of films yet to see. I don't think I've seen most of the essentials, like Funny Ha Ha, Hanna Takes the Stairs, Humpday... There are a surprising number on Netflix, but none of the essentials (except The Puffy Chair).

On the -gore front, I really want to rewatch House of the Devil, which I liked the first time, but didn't realize it was a part of a larger movement. I've watched Baghead twice, although it's light on scares. A Horrible Way to Die was okay, but You're Next is much better. I'm not sure it's truly mumblecore, but Bitter Feast was worth a watch.

I like Mumblecore/gore, as well, although I really have to be in the mood for it otherwise the films just come off as flat and bland. Some mumblecore/gore films I've seen...

Entrance
The House of the Devil
Silver Bullets
Sun Don't Shine
A Horrible Way To Die
Louise and Her Lover

Of all of these, I enjoyed A Horrible Way To Die the most. The House of the Devil was fun as well. Sun Don't Shine was a waste of time, along with Silver Bullets, unless you watch the latter for the Chekhovian influence alone. Entrance, likewise, requires a lot of patience, but I thought the pay off was worth it. ::smile::

....Now, as to my recent viewings, I watched two anthology horror films, Sanitarium and The Signal. The first two segments of Sanitarium were fun, although I didn't like the third act and Malcolm McDowell was way underused. The Signal, unfortunately, I did not like at all.

Jack Reacher

I enjoyed it....which is saying a lot since I haven't enjoyed many of Tom Cruise's movies.

Mumblecore has to be the most ridiculous hipster entry to film terminology I've ever heard ::big grin::