I quite liked this one too - not a musical, but that's not what I required of a movie as a child...I never got to see this at the cinema but I remember I was about 7 years old when we first hired the VHS.
It scared me, that much I can clearly recall.
I remember being a bit taken aback by the "different" characters, but yes having seem the original illustrations in the Baum novels I can see that they were designed in a pretty close manner to them.
Having seen it again just about a year ago, I think it still holds it's own as a pretty good "kids" movie, if you can call it that.
As far as the grounds as a sequel, I think it does pretty well there too - there are perhaps some things "missing" and "different" from the musical predecessor, but this to me is the stuff of pretty good sequels, continuity and time gone by...really loved the changed Oz.
This, the "original", and "TinMan" actually make for a great collection.
One day, I'll try to get a collected edition of all the Oz stuff, as I understand it the books proceed quite a bit past the Dorothy stories.



I went and saw Transformers 3 yesterday, expecting very little.
I've not really enjoyed this series much at all, so when the third came around I thought "yep, more explosions".
Surprisingly enough, this one actually had a coherent, and IMO actually decent plot...sure, it was relatively simplistic but compare it to the two films that came before it and it's a pretty major upgrade.
The storyline was ok, the characters...hit and miss...with a just a tad more depth to their interactions with each other and the machines.
Have to say the new chick just looks like a freak to me...while I'd hit it, her mouth makes her look like an alien...she wasn't actually that terrible though, her accent was a little bit annoying - reminded me of Lady Penelope.

***Personally, I know Fox got fired etc...but I thought it would make more sense to bring the Australian chick from the first one back, rather than establish a brand new character out of nowhere...though I suppose her storyline and the events involving her didn't play out too badly***

The machines dialogue and interactions with each other was also an improvement, and in one particular scene...was actually a bit heart wrenching.
The fight scenes were pretty spectacular, and this time they seemed a little less cluttered - better to tell what was going on - They were longer and just, put together in a way I much preferred.
The atmosphere was more tense this time around, and the overall events were on a much larger more significant scale.
I actually...liked this film...
It has everything the others do, it just feels like a better movie.
I don't think it's about to win any awards, but for those who have not enjoyed the series thus far it might be worth a chance.

RUBBER

The movie has an opening monologue about things happening in movies for "No Reason"....then spends the next hour and a half proving that.

I almost turned this off after a few minutes but stuck with it....it wasn't half as bad as I thought it might be.

Not for everyone.....but YOU may like it

That movie was insane, i loved it. From what i gathered it was supposed to be a parody or satire of sorts of the way Hollywood makes movies. I thought it was pretty funny.

"Riding Shotgun" (1954)
-Randolph Scott

Plot: IMDB
When a stagecoach guard tries to warn a town of an imminent raid by a band of outlaws, the people mistake him for one of the gang

Phantom's Review: Minor league Randolph Scott film. The acting is good, but the plot is simple, the action is minimal and the attempts at humor fall flat.
And Scott does a truly unnecessary and annoying voice over narration. I like Scott but this is not one of his better films
--

Incident at Loch Ness (2004)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/..._loch_ness.jpg

>>: B

Tras el cristal aka In a Glass Cage (1987)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...GlassCage1.jpg

>>: A-

Carriers.
Starring Chris Pine (Star Trek), Piper Perabo (Covert Affairs) and a brief appearance by Chris Meloni (SVU/Harold and Kumar).
Set after the outbreak of a deadly viral epidemic, two brothers along with their respective partners are travelling towards a secluded area in order to live safely without coming into contact with the infected...which of course, they do throughout the course of the movie.
A popular theory seems to be that this is a zombie film, it's not. The infected aren't undead, they aren't in any way superhuman or flesh hungry - In fact the larger threat in this reality is the "normal" people and how they react to the situation...ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances kind of thing - Breakdown of civilisation incited by panic.
So yeah it's really more of a drama/thriller I suppose, it's not without it's exciting and terrifying moments though, with situations presenting themselves that require the characters featured to make some terrible decisions, the choice between humanity and survival coming into play...it's a pretty emotionally charged, and scary film, acheiving it's scares not through cheap jumps, rather by introducing ideas and concepts that will play on the mind of the viewer.

If you've seen films along the lines of "Right at your door", or enjoy films that introduce visions of a morbid reality, you'd probably enjoy this film.
Good for what it was.
I'd give it a 7/10


Hey cheeba I like these new in depth reviews you've been writing. Enjoying them very much!

Cool, Thanks.
I don't watch all that many movies these days - but I figure I should try to give some insight when I can, so yeah I'll try to keep it up.

That said,

I just rewatched "Rain Man" for the first time in maybe 15 years.
I have many memories of watching this movie as a child...back then, I likely thought it was just about a 'quirky' guy.
So this was the first time I've seen it in my adult life - I got the BluRay, and while it looks "decent", it's nowhere near the quality of the original Dawn of the Dead BluRay I picked up a little while ago...so yeah, it's showing age a little.
Got it for $8 so no complaints there really.

For those that might have missed it, Rain Man stars Tom Cruise as the main protagonist "Charlie" in one of his earlier adult roles (I remember when people actually used to like him, rather than let his personal life colour their opinion...), who has a solid enough performance as a bit of a self centred egotist, though the film is absolutely stolen from under him in every way possible by his characters brother "Raymond" played by Dustin Hoffman.
It's funny, a newer generation of moviegoers may underestimate Hoffmans acting prowess after being involved in a few...less-than-sensible...movie roles of late, but all they need to do is pop on one of the classics like "death of a salesman", straw dogs, (the astoundingly awesome) Papillon, and of course the film you're reading about now.
Hoffman portrays an autistic savant, in a performance he completely embodies to an amazing degree, as a character who is emotionally behind nigh inpenetrable walls.
Long story short, upon the death of his estranged father Charlie discovers that the majority of his estate is falling into the hands of an unknown beneficiary. When he investigates the matter, he finds that this is actually a brother he was unaware of, along with his primary carer and doctor. Raymond resides full time in an institution due to the perceived severity of his condition. Charlie decides to "kidnap" his brother in an brash attempt to extort half of the inheritance he feels he has a right to.
As they spend more time together and the events of the film unwind, the brothers step outside their normal routines and further towards each other, both making personal progress in themselves as they go from strangers to two people with a bond that while distant is very touching and truthful.
A realisation slowly emerges that a sense of "family" that they never had is perhaps worth much more than a dollar figure.
There's some really great character development in this one, some really funny and totally memorable scenes, and also some damn near heartbreaking ones...though the film comes full circle to a satisfying resolution, and one of the better endings you could expect for all involved.
Very well acted all around, and Valeria Golino has to be one of the hottest things in existence...added bonus...
Really excellent musical score and soundtrack as well, this is one of the best elements of the film in my opinion - really sets the mood of their journey.
This film won four academy awards, and watching it again as an adult, it's not difficult to understand at all.

80's gold right there, I'd suggest it very strongly to anyone that's yet to see it, or hasn't revisited it in a while.

i was going to get this movie but never bothered,but reading you quotes i might have to give it a watch.i like a good b movie.

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...riaGolino1.jpg

Ditto!:cool:

Essential Killing (2010)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...alKilling1.jpg

There's very few dialogs in the movie and particularly Vincent Gallo portraying the protagonist has none...a terrorist who initially captured but luckily escaped and struggle every moment for survival as he finds himself in a forbidding snowbound climate; a totally unknown territory for him. But he avoids his pursuers by every little chance he gets...even when its 'essential' he doesn't hesitate to kill or forcefully drinks a baby's most 'essential' food from his breast-feeding mother in hunger (a jaw dropping sequence)...!

Though aside from that there's nothing much happens in the film where the ending comes suddenly & that may turns out to be somewhat 'disappointing' for some viewers but I must say just for that harrowing sequence it's an essential viewing.

>>: B+

Venona para las hadas aka Poison for the Fairies (1984)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...heFairies1.jpg

An amazing film from Mexico that beautifully explores the belief system & reality of two children that slowly takes them into a drastic consequence through manipulation & fear. Love the way the director every time excludes all the adults from the screen in the film.

>>: A

Closer (2004)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...hdc/Closer.jpg

>>: A-

Frightmare (1974)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...ightmarees.jpg

It's quite unusual but interesting to see a film/story which follows a psycho-Cannibal family gets a treatment like this one. Liked it.

>>: B+

I thought that movie was pretty boring. It just didnt do enough for me.

Glad i could help

Ah, I've been wanting to see this for so long now. And now I want to even more. Where'd you see it?

Oh yeah, I love this movie. It has such great atmosphere and Sheila Keith is amazing.

He downloads pirated torrents.

So do I. It's the only way I get to catch a lot of films.

Kunfu Panda 2, lol.

Watchin' 'Altered' tonight since I heard so much about it. Probably gonna suck.

I have that movie. Not bad. Not great or anything but i liked it.

"Whiskey And Ghosts" (1976)

Plot: IMDB

A snake-oil salesman is chased across the desert by a gang of Mexican bandits. He finds out, however, that he is being protected by the spirits of Davey Crockett, Pecos Bill and Johnny Appleseed.

Phantom's Review: Truly god awful supernatural western comedy. The film fails on all counts. avoid it like the plague.

I really liked that one...went in with no expectations and ended up really impressed.

Ditto. This is the only available way to catch movies around the world here. The industry here is totally wrecked, IMO! Almost no foreign films gets released in the theaters. I guess most of the viewers here haven't even seen an original dvd in life. All the so called DVD stores are packed with pirated dvds...they just download 'pirated torrent movies' along with the dvd covers and then just copy-paste & sells in the stores in a cheap price. So people got so used to buy & see 'movies in DVDs' in that kind of price range that they can't even think of spending an amount of a standard price of original dvd for their viewing purpose. Moreover, the banks & financial institutions doesn't allow to keep or use an International Credit Card for online purchases. You can have or carry a Credit card to buy things but that's just when you're in abroad. But still I made some desperate efforts to buy original dvds online few years back by sending Cash (USD) via mail which is a very risky & hazardous procedure. Luckily I even bought several number of dvds by contacting with some good sellers at e-bay. But most of the time it took more than expected times (I guess probably for our lazy postal services) to get the package here properly...in most cases 2 to 3 months. But sadly I even lost quite a large amount of cash after some 'failed/missing delivery' and last year or the year before that when I was finally realized that I'm not getting the package of Coffin Joe's Coffin-box set along with some other cool dvds then I finally stopped buying Original dvds online through sending cash via mail.
Now it has been almost a year I bought a laptop and started downloading Pirated torrents and watching films whichever I want or find online. It has been a great rescue for a movie fan like me.

So...Long live Pirated Torrents!:)

MOH: Sick Girl (2006)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...dhdc/MOHSG.jpg

(Viewing Source: DVD!)

>>: B


The Orphan Killer (2011)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...phanKiller.jpg

A low budget but effectively made formulatic Slasher with over the top gore & a masked killer with a voice. (Viewing Source: Pirated Torrents :D)

>>: B

Thanks for the tip as i too use pirated torrents although not for the more understandable reasons as you do.

Last one I watched was Altered.

Boring, stupid and with black comedy in it smh.
I liked the idea tho.

Cold Fish (2011)

Making films like Suicide Club (2002), Strange Circus (2005) and Noriko's Dinner Table (2005) Sion Sono has become one of the most thought-provoking film makers in today's world cinema who often explored a large variety of controversial themes within his films that have established him as a director that isn't afraid to the push the boundaries of cinema to its utmost extreme.

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...ter20102nd.jpg

Sono is a director with genius of showing a grasp of multiple genres when creating his films. Ranging from action, horror, comedy and drama--and in many cases a combination of several of them--Sono has developed a style of film making that has remain distinctively his, and with this latest film Cold Fish, Sono has once again explores the dark, tragic and horrific sides of the human condition, a character study of an individual negatively influenced by his oppressive surroundings. But unlike his above mentioned other films Cold Fish isn't that much hypothetical or mysterious in story telling; it unfolds the story & the characters in an easier & straight forward fashion.
The story loosely based on the case around the true-life "Saitama serial murders of dog lovers", a series of four gruesome murders carried about by dog[breeder Gen Sekine and his ex-wife Hiroko Kazama in Japan 1993, in this film 'Dog' has been changed to fish and a significant number of other details have been altered as far I've read in the articles.

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...Poster2010.jpg

The film slowly explores a shattering downfall to the human psyche as one continually views or assist in homicidal actions--which provide a relatively genuine look into how such exposure can turn a simple individual into a monstrous force of destruction. It examines what drives some individuals to murder when pushed to the utter edges of human depravity, where savagery seems like the only 'credible' solution.

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...jidhdc/CF2.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...jidhdc/CF1.jpg

Unlike other stereotypical serial killer genre films, almost two & half hour longCold Fish pushes further the perception of human behavior & following action and give us a gut-wrenching tale of murder, greed and psychological torment where only Sono can treat quite a number of disturbing elements with comedic ease and that even makes the film all the more captivating, filled with a bucket...nope! I should say a fully loaded tank of blood & dismembered body parts.

>>: A

X-Men: First Class (2011)

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/...en1stclass.jpg

Truly first class! It will get an easy entry to the 'Best' club of superhero films by the fans of the genre.

>>: A

"The Long Ride Home" (2003)
-Randy Travis

Plot:
Mistaken for a gunfighter, farmer Jack Fowler kills a man in self defense, then abandons his family and goes on the run and leads the the life of a shootist until he finally makes his way back home.

Phantom's Review: Despite being beautifully filmed and having a good cast, this film is very slow moving. It lacks any real action or tension. It's not a BAD movie, it's just..kinda dull. Randy Travis does sing a nice song over the ending credits.

Anthropophagous: The Grim Reaper AKA The Beast

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/...ropophagus.jpg

I enjoyed it. Good build up although a little slow at points. It was able to maintain its creepiness even after they revealed the killer although i probably didnt find him as freaky looking as most people might because to me he looked like a demented version of my ex-girlfriends father. I think they should have built up the blind girl's ability to smell him although that might have turned it a little gimmicky.

*Side note - I had to keep re-editing this because i couldnt get the damn spelling right. IMDB has it different then the poster. Decided to just make it the same as the poster to avoid confusion. Still dont know which one is right or how to pronounce that mouthful of a word.*

Ah, can't wait to see this one. I thought his film Love Exposure was a wonder.

I think the reason for the difference is because that's the French poster, which defaults to the English spelling of the word with "-phagous". In America, I've always seen it spelled "Anthropophagus".

Yeah i just used the first picture i saw basically. Thats what i thought though although IMDB leaves out the H which is really weird. I looked it up on Amazon.com which is where i buy all my dvd's and they spelled it the way you said. Now if i only knew how to pronounce it :confused:

An - throw - poff - a - gus

Thank you, that has been driving me crazy

A Clockwork Orange

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/...Lake/cloc4.jpg

I've been meaning to see this movie for a really long time unfortunately whenever i hear a lot of hype for a movie i lose interest. However as is obvious i love Villains and i kept hearing about how great a villain Alex was and how amazing Malcolm McDowell is in the role so i finally decided to watch it.

I am now very mad at myself for not seeing this movie sooner. Amazing, thought provoking, disturbing, perverse, engrossing. These are all words i think about towards this movie. Everything in this movie is just incredible especially the acting. People were not kidding when they said McDowell's performance was perfect. Every little mannerism he performed gave new range and life to Alex and made him such a complex character. I honestly couldn't tell at times what he was thinking and what he was going to do.

I loved this movie. I now have a new favorite movie and favorite villain.

I'm glad you liked it-Kubrick made some truly classic films (The Shining, Lolita, 2001, Full Metal Jacket).

I never liked The Shining but that's because i loved the book and hated what Kubrick did to it.

I'm in the minority that loved BOTH the book and the film. I understand the movie was very different but I was very impressed with the direction Kubrick took it. I suppose its because I see them both as seperate entities so I don't compare them.

Thats fair. To be honest, its actually a very good movie and pretty creepy. What i dont like is how the movie seems to get more credit then the book and people attribute and reference the movie especially aspects that were not in the novel. I enjoyed the book so much more then the movie and i dont think it gets the respect it deserves in comparison to how much praise the movie gets. I think that just made me bitter towards it.

That's understandable I see where you are coming from the book is one of King's best I think. It does deserve just as much love as the film gets.

It's my 4th favorite from him. I know that kinda weakens my defense but its only because of how much i loved IT, The Tommyknockers and Salem's Lot that makes The Shining 4th.