2011 New Release Database [Archive] - Page 7

NickGlass

11-08-2011, 02:46 PM

Shame - mild yay

Deeply problematic, undeniably moralistic and conservative (I tweeted wondering if the upcoming The Iron Lady will shed new light on the film, since they both share writing credits in Abi Morgan), but there's enough sublime stuff and overall meat that I'll forgive the heavy hand.

I don't need you to elaborate on the "meat," but what did you find sublime? I found a lot of empty posturing and irritating affectations.

Lazlo

11-08-2011, 05:27 PM

Everything Must Go - Yay

Stay Puft

11-08-2011, 08:07 PM

Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life - yay

Opens this week in limited release. They got that out a lot quicker than Cave of Forgotten Dreams, so that makes two Herzog docs for the 2011 polls.

ThePlashyBubbler

11-08-2011, 08:41 PM

Extraterrestrial - nay

Got an impromptu off-the-cuff Q&A with director Nacho beforehand, though, and he confirmed via half an hour of, in his words, "bullshitting," that he's pretty hilarious.

Boner M

11-08-2011, 09:43 PM

I don't need you to elaborate on the "meat," but what did you find sublime? I found a lot of empty posturing and irritating affectations.
I thought the sibling dynamics were spot-on (in this respect the film's superior than, say, Martha Marcy et al, even if that film's way more successful overall), and even if some of McQueen's choices are pretty suspect ('ironic' use of cartoons on TV in background during intense confrontation? Boo-urns), his long takes at least yield some pretty sublime (yup) moments of performance. The sex scene between him and his co-worker, in particular, was pretty harrowing. I guess it's to McQueen's credit that most of the problematic aspects of the script only took a while to register later on, although a few jump out immediately - Mulligan's "NY, NY" is probably the least plausible showstopper song performance in the history of movies.

Lazlo

11-09-2011, 02:21 AM

Take Shelter - Huge Yay!

Philosophe_rouge

11-09-2011, 03:23 AM

A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas - Mild yay
Monsieur Lazhar - yay

Stay Puft

11-09-2011, 05:27 AM

Septien - nay

ThePlashyBubbler

11-09-2011, 07:28 AM

Jeff, Who Lives at Home - nay
Oslo, August 31st - mild yay

Boner M

11-09-2011, 12:54 PM

Policeman - yay

Dukefrukem

11-09-2011, 06:20 PM

Season of the Witch - Nay

Lazlo

11-09-2011, 07:06 PM

Tabloid - Yay

Dukefrukem

11-09-2011, 07:11 PM

Extraterrestrial - nay

Got an impromptu off-the-cuff Q&A with director Nacho beforehand, though, and he confirmed via half an hour of, in his words, "bullshitting," that he's pretty hilarious.

I'd like to hear more about this movie.

Lazlo

11-10-2011, 02:23 AM

Armadillo - Yay

Stay Puft

11-10-2011, 04:21 AM

Film socialisme - nay

ThePlashyBubbler

11-10-2011, 08:13 AM

I'd like to hear more about this movie.

Also in Nacho's words, it's like "An episode of Three's Company... only with a UFO in the background." Doesn't venture into sci-fi territory almost whatsoever with the exception of the basic scenario. There are some funny moments, and it exudes a casually pleasing tone, but it's overall pretty forgettable.

ThePlashyBubbler

11-10-2011, 08:14 AM

Oh, and

ALPS - disappointing nay
The Loneliest Planet - hell yay

NickGlass

11-10-2011, 02:24 PM

ALPS - disappointing nay
The Loneliest Planet - hell yay

I concur on both accounts.

The Interrupters: mild yay

Rowland

11-10-2011, 07:57 PM

Red State - mild-ish nay

The first half of this was absolutely dire, but it unexpectedly got a fair bit more intriguing and competent in its second half. Not enough so to be good exactly, but at least I didn't hate it by the end, which is something. Everyone praises Parks, but how about Goodman? He takes a sketchily written role and imbues it with real character.

MadMan

11-10-2011, 11:01 PM

Rubber - yay

I'm fairly mixed on this, but I'm going to lean towards a mild yay as there were enough moments that worked for me, plus it was fun playing "spot that actor from Criminal Minds" set to some Mr. Oizo beats.5 minutes in, I thought "I hate this movie." Then 10 minutes later I realized "Hey this isn't so bad." Midway through I realized "I like this movie, and I'm sure I'm going to be one of the few people who actually does."

Lazlo

11-10-2011, 11:31 PM

Margin Call - Yay. Script is insanely good, as are most of the cast. Why doesn't Paul Bettany get more work? Also, Zachary Quinto was a big surprise.

Boner M

11-11-2011, 01:03 AM

Boner M

11-11-2011, 01:17 AM

Interesting to see Alps going the route of Shame; strong reviews from Venice followed by a wave of disappointed buzz elsewhere, including from those admired each filmmakers prior breakouts. Oh well, still can't wait to see the former.

Winston*

11-11-2011, 01:27 AM

I agree it steadily improves, but the end credits' dividing the cast into 'sex', 'religion' and 'politics' killed a lot of my goodwill.

Haha wtf?

Boner M

11-11-2011, 02:18 AM

Haha wtf?
A Film For Our Times

Rowland

11-11-2011, 02:33 AM

I agree it steadily improves, but the end credits' dividing the cast into 'sex', 'religion' and 'politics' killed a lot of my goodwill.Yeah, and thinking about it now, while the second half does repeatedly throw a monkey wrench into audience expectations with a reckless, gleeful abandon that I appreciated, thinking about the film more in retrospect, it does make a number of dishonest cop-outs, the worst one being that those kids really should have been gay. And man, I think I get what Smith was going for with the sermon scene, and again I theoretically appreciate the audacity, but it doesn't work at all, and goes on for-fucking-ever.

Boner M

11-11-2011, 02:41 AM

And man, I think I get what Smith was going for with the sermon scene, and again I theoretically appreciate the audacity, but it doesn't work at all, and goes on for-fucking-ever.
Indeed. Just copied my print review for my blog, fwiw.

Rowland

11-11-2011, 03:30 AM

Kidnapped - nay

Impressive enough as a filmmaking stunt (the whole thing is composed of a dozen or so meticulously orchestrated long takes), this latest entry in the home invasion horror subgenre counterintuitively grows less potent as it amps up the increasingly predictable nihilism, so that by the time it arrives at its bullshit ending, I was just left numbly indifferent to the carnage and more than a little peeved by its empty posturing.

Oh yeah, I may have forgotten this as well:

Atrocious - nay

Better than some of the horrible found-footage indie horror I've watched lately, thanks to comparatively naturalistic performances and justifiable reasons for the cameras to be used, an evocative setting (country house with a hedge maze for a backyard), and a willingness to leave its horrors implied for the majority of its duration. Still pretty lame though, especially once its extended climax consists of the kids running through the hedge maze in night vision screaming for an eternity followed by a clumsy twist ending.

Oh, what I put myself through...

ThePlashyBubbler

11-11-2011, 08:21 AM

We Need to Talk About Kevin - yay
The Adventures of Tintin - yay

B-side

11-11-2011, 09:08 AM

Texas Killing Fields - nay

Kiusagi

11-11-2011, 04:46 PM

The Ides of March - yay

Puss in Boots - nay

Take Shelter - yay

Harold & Kumar - mild yay

Martha Marcy May Marlene - yay

MadMan

11-11-2011, 06:47 PM

Tree of Life-Yay

Gotta see this one again, as I'm still mulling over its final rating. Man was this film gorgeous.

eternity

11-12-2011, 11:45 PM

Margin Call - yay

Rowland

11-13-2011, 08:00 AM

Cave of Forgotten Dreams - Yay
Legend of the Millennium Dragon - nay

Thirdmango

11-13-2011, 08:09 AM

In Time - Mild Yay

Boner M

11-13-2011, 11:42 AM

I Wish - yay
A Dangerous Method - yay
Goodbye - big yay
Las Acacias - yay
Arirang - holy hell NAY
Siberie - yay

Weeping_Guitar

11-13-2011, 06:51 PM

Horrible Bosses - nay
Green Lantern - nay
The Sleeping Beauty - nay

EyesWideOpen

11-13-2011, 08:40 PM

Fast Five - yay

I still like Tokyo Drift better but Five is a damn good action film.

Rowland

11-13-2011, 08:55 PM

The Sleeping Beauty (Breillat) - Yay

A pleasant surprise, I enjoyed this more than I expected given its largely lukewarm reception, and perhaps just a bit more than Breillat's also lovely, though startlingly different Bluebeard.

B-side

11-14-2011, 04:08 AM

perhaps just a bit more than Breillat's also lovely, though startlingly different Bluebeard.

Same. Kinda wish she'd stick in the fairy tale realm, but I believe she's doing something different for her next film, which I guess is supposed to be released sometime next year.

Rowland

11-14-2011, 04:13 AM

Same. Kinda wish she'd stick in the fairy tale realm, but I believe she's doing something different for her next film, which I guess is supposed to be released sometime next year.Really? The last I read, she was moving on to an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast for her next feature, though that may obviously have been outdated information.

B-side

11-14-2011, 04:32 AM

Really? The last I read, she was moving on to an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast for her next feature, though that may obviously have been outdated information.

Last I read she was adapting her novel, Bad Love, into a film.

TripZone

11-14-2011, 08:22 AM

Goodbye - big yay

eh

This is Not a Film -yay
TT3D: Closer to the Edge -mild yay

NickGlass

11-14-2011, 03:20 PM

Las Acacias - yay

Curious about this one, and missed it in Toronto due to poor scheduling/general social business. Camera D'Or winner, no? It sounded like a modest success--is there anything particularly special about it or is it simply a well told story of compassion?

Pop Trash

11-15-2011, 12:01 AM

J. Edgar - nay

slow/dry, also not sure if so much was focused on his later life, why they cast DiCaprio in old age make-up. The studio wanted a big star I suppose. The random hopscotchy screenplay wasn't too hot either.

Boner M

11-15-2011, 12:49 AM

Curious about this one, and missed it in Toronto due to poor scheduling/general social business. Camera D'Or winner, no? It sounded like a modest success--is there anything particularly special about it or is it simply a well told story of compassion?
Nothing particularly unique about it at all - I'd put it alongside Curling and Leap Year as recent festival favorites that prove art films can be as much a genre exercise as any Hollywood film, but have enough genuine, deeply felt humanism to redeem said genericness. This one I'd rank slightly below the other two examples because it too often errs toward mawkishness and relying on allegedly failsafe closeups of a cute baby, as if losing faith in its own minimalism... but the two performances are quietly expressive enough to sustain the languorous passages, and the uplifting ending felt earned. I thought the first 20 minutes or so - clearly inspired by Alonso's La Libertad with its observations of labour (the opening shot of a forest clearing is pretty shamelessly liften from Alonso's film) and keen exploitation of the inherently cinematic qualities of driving sequences - were the strongest. Worth checking out if it makes its way to ND/NF next year (probably will).

eh
???

Lazlo

11-15-2011, 01:18 AM

A Little Help - Nay

Martha Marcy May Marlene - Big Yay

Watashi

11-15-2011, 07:02 AM

Immortals - nay

baby doll

11-15-2011, 08:24 AM

Arirang - holy hell NAYSo is this thing so bad it needs to be seen, or just plain bad?

TripZone

11-15-2011, 08:33 AM

Arirang is truly love or hate it seems.

Boner M

11-15-2011, 10:25 AM

Arirang is truly love or hate it seems.
I don't know of anyone else who loved it, other than the similarly washed-up filmmaker (Kusturica) whose jury gave it the UCR major prize.

So is this thing so bad it needs to be seen, or just plain bad?
The former, although even then it was a real struggle to get to the end. Sicinski nailed it: "Arirang is Kim's bizarre and mostly unwatchable testament, a rambling, unstructured confession / rant that begins promisingly enough but rapidly devolves into cringeworthy solipsism, a cinematic drunk-dial from a depressive acquaintance you don't even know well enough to screen on caller ID."

TripZone

11-15-2011, 10:35 AM

Well, someone I know gave it 5 stars. Also, it was awarded Best Documentary or something at the Brisbane FF.

lovejuice

11-15-2011, 01:43 PM

The Help - Yay

NickGlass

11-15-2011, 07:11 PM

MELANCHOLIA
nay - NickGlass

Can you change this to a "yay"? Change of heart, etc.

Also...

Take Shelter: very, very minor yay

Lazlo

11-15-2011, 07:25 PM

Green Lantern - Nay. What a mess.

Henry Gale

11-15-2011, 09:05 PM

Midnight In Paris - yay
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn - yay

Two of the most enjoyable films of the year.

Arthur - nay

There is some great dialogue and almost all of the sequences focusing on just Brand and Gerwig are extremely sweet, but it's all ultimately suffocated by extremely weak direction and a terribly plotted script (seriously, three romantic comedy third-act plot points where the main couple is pulled away and then brought back together before the end?). Also, the movie completely wastes Garner, Guzman and Nolte (in the few scenes they actually have). What a shame.

Lazlo

11-16-2011, 02:35 AM

J. Edgar - Nay

Rowland

11-16-2011, 02:52 AM

Certified Copy - An absolutely devastating YAY

Philosophe_rouge

11-16-2011, 02:56 AM

immortals - yay

Weeping_Guitar

11-16-2011, 11:12 AM

Melancholia - yay
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - nay

NickGlass

11-16-2011, 02:01 PM

Certified Copy - An absolutely devastating YAY

...and it manages to enchant another. Wonderful.

Lazlo

11-16-2011, 09:07 PM

Immortals - Mild Yay

Lazlo

11-17-2011, 02:29 AM

A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas - Mild Nay

Ivan Drago

11-17-2011, 03:39 AM

Martha Marcy May Marlene - Yay

Boner M

11-17-2011, 06:02 AM

We Need to Talk About Kevin - Yay

Not particularly nuanced, but stunning cinema regardless. Ramsay is a force.

This Is Not a Film - yay

Hard to separate reaction from extra-textual factors, but potent stuff regardless.

NickGlass

11-17-2011, 01:30 PM

Attack the Block: Yay

Certainly not subtle--which works better for its camp sensibility than its moments of social realism, but certainly fun.

TGM

11-17-2011, 02:53 PM

Melancholia - Mild Yay

Rowland

11-17-2011, 08:02 PM

Mysteries of Lisbon - Yay

The first half of this had me convinced I was perhaps watching my new favorite film of the year, that's how much I was swooning. The second half lost me a bit, not enough so to markedly alter my impression of the film, but by the end it doesn't quite feel like the masterpiece for which the first two hours prepared me. Still, it's saying something that I'd jump at the chance to revisit this 4.5 hour epic over most of what I've seen this year clocking in at a third its length.

Boner M

11-17-2011, 11:37 PM

Izzy Black

11-18-2011, 01:55 AM

Has anyone seen Sleeping Beauty? Is it any good? It's advertised as a "Jane Campion" film of some variety, although I've no idea what exactly her involvement in it is.

Kurosawa Fan

11-18-2011, 01:58 AM

The Trip - Yay

Raiders

11-18-2011, 02:03 AM

Has anyone seen Sleeping Beauty? Is it any good? It's advertised as a "Jane Campion" film of some variety, although I've no idea what exactly her involvement in it is.

Campion mentored Leigh (the writer/director) and has helped present the film at Cannes. Over time, there is a bit of a Tarantino/Chungking Express thing that has happened where people have begun to associate her with the film.

Izzy Black

11-18-2011, 02:08 AM

Campion mentored Leigh (the writer/director) and has helped present the film at Cannes. Over time, there is a bit of a Tarantino/Chungking Express thing that has happened where people have begun to associate her with the film.

I see. Thanks.

Boner M

11-18-2011, 02:29 AM

Has anyone seen Sleeping Beauty? Is it any good? It's advertised as a "Jane Campion" film of some variety, although I've no idea what exactly her involvement in it is.
It isn't very good, though Leigh displays and inkling promise as a director. This film is more a compendium of generic 'art film' poses than a fully realised work.

B-side

11-18-2011, 02:52 AM

This film is more a compendium of generic 'art film' poses than a fully realised work.

Disagree. I think it's quite good. It has an eerie, clinical detachment about it, which I find an interesting contrast to the explicitly sexual material. Leigh wisely avoids moralization and allows the events to play out as if we're seeing them through binoculars.

Boner M

11-18-2011, 02:59 AM

Disagree. I think it's quite good. It has an eerie, clinical detachment about it, which I find an interesting contrast to the explicitly sexual material. Leigh wisely avoids moralization and allows the events to play out as if we're seeing them through binoculars.
Exactly: generic art-film poses. Leigh approaches the material as if she's the first person to de-eroticise sex or implicate the audience as voyeurs. Beyond that, the film's a void. It's like a Breillat-for-dummies guide.

Izzy Black

11-18-2011, 03:17 AM

Interesting. Thanks guys. I'll check it out and post my response.

B-side

11-18-2011, 03:26 AM

Exactly: generic art-film poses. Leigh approaches the material as if she's the first person to de-eroticise sex or implicate the audience as voyeurs. Beyond that, the film's a void. It's like a Breillat-for-dummies guide.

You're wrong. Stop being wrong.

TripZone

11-18-2011, 09:09 AM

We Need to Talk About Kevin - Yay

Not particularly nuanced, but stunning cinema regardless. Ramsay is a force.

Spot on.

Yay for me too.

Rowland

11-18-2011, 12:04 PM

I haven't seen Leigh's Sleeping Beauty (though it is on hand), but speaking of Breillat, how about giving her take on The Sleeping Beauty a shot, as it has been unfairly ignored and is really quite delightful.

Boner M

11-18-2011, 12:12 PM

I saw it at Toronto last year and quite liked it, but my memory is pretty hazy - I wonder if a second viewing will do it any favor, since I remember the reaction being pretty hostile, with some even voicing their negative opinions to Breillat in the Q&A afterwards... maybe my judgement was clouded.

I do remember it having a bizarro children's-TV-show-refracted-in-adult-subconscious feel that I found most agreeable.

Rowland

11-18-2011, 12:23 PM

Bill Cunningham New York - yay

Feels a bit slight and sycophantic in the end, albeit to immensely charming and affirming ends. I have to say though, Cunningham's response to a series of questions by Press insinuating that his suppressed sexuality may be related to his Catholic faith is just shattering, suggesting that the possibility for a much more probing portrait of the man was here, though perhaps Press was right to let the implications speak for themselves. It's one of the most fascinating scenes of the year.

NickGlass

11-18-2011, 04:47 PM

We Need to Talk About Kevin - Yay

Not particularly nuanced, but stunning cinema regardless. Ramsay is a force.

Gah gah gah. Looking forward to this very much. I have a ticket to see it at MoMA Nov. 30th, with her highness TILDA in attendance. Plus, free post-screening cocktail party with TILDA. I'm immensely excited. I should probably finally watch Ratcatcher, eh?

Pop Trash

11-18-2011, 09:28 PM

Melancholia - yay

Rowland

11-18-2011, 09:50 PM

Leap Year - Yay

Feels too tidy by the end, which blunts the impact and left me a bit unsatisfied, but Rowe's formal control over the material and del Carmen's confidently lived-in performance make a strong impression.

eternity

11-18-2011, 10:30 PM

Breaking Dawn - nay

The last 30 minutes are bloody, campy bliss, and the entire film is full of enjoyable kitsch, but yeah, it's shit.

Rowland

11-19-2011, 12:13 PM

A Serbian Film - mild nay

Ezee E

11-19-2011, 01:26 PM

November 19th
1. Tree of Life - $440
2. Drive - $340
3. Source Code - $330
4. Bridesmaides - $320
- Super 8 - $320
6. Rango - $290
- Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall Past Lives - $290
8. X-Men: First Class - $260
- Certified Copy - $260
10. Hanna - $250

Exact top ten as last time, with a little rearranging as Bridesmaids DVD gets some viewers. Melancholia and MMMM look to crack the top ten next month with theater releases. Otherwise, make way for Dragon Tattoo, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and possibly Hugo?

Derek

11-19-2011, 04:40 PM

Gah gah gah. Looking forward to this very much. I have a ticket to see it at MoMA Nov. 30th, with her highness TILDA in attendance. Plus, free post-screening cocktail party with TILDA. I'm immensely excited. I should probably finally watch Ratcatcher, eh?

To temper your enthusiasm, I didn't like it at all (though Tilda was great, given) and I liked Ramsay's previous two films quite a bit. Tilda and John C. were there for a Q&A after which was far more interesting than the actual film.

Pop Trash

11-19-2011, 07:28 PM

Otherwise, make way for Dragon Tattoo, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and possibly Hugo?

Tintin Too!

Kiusagi

11-19-2011, 07:58 PM

The Rum Diary - mild yay

Paranormal Activity 3 - nay

Immortals - nay

eternity

11-19-2011, 09:49 PM

Hall Pass - yay

Kurosawa Fan

11-19-2011, 10:47 PM

Troll Hunter - nay

Ezee E

11-20-2011, 03:08 AM

To temper your enthusiasm, I didn't like it at all (though Tilda was great, given) and I liked Ramsay's previous two films quite a bit. Tilda and John C. were there for a Q&A after which was far more interesting than the actual film.
Ha. I didn't care for it too much either.

But I can tell that Lynne Ramsey has talent. I haven't seen her other movies.

eternity

11-20-2011, 04:02 AM

Take Me Home Tonight - nay

Boner M

11-20-2011, 04:10 AM

To temper your enthusiasm, I didn't like it at all
I can understand finding it problematic (which it is), and I think it'll definitely be polarising here... but you didn't even like the first 1/2 hour? I think it accomplishes everything Gus Van Sant attempted with Paranoid Park's abstract rendering of an individual's guilt, only waaaayyy more effectively sustained.

Henry Gale

11-20-2011, 07:37 AM

Pirates of the Caribbean: Here We Go Again - Um... yay

Maybe my expectations were lowered so significantly by the months and months of hearing little else but strong disdain for this movie from critics and most other vocal western audiences that I expected absolutely nothing from it and only really watched it because of my lasting enjoyment of the first movie (and to a lesser extent, the third) and this univese in general, but I got a surprising amount of fun out of this.

It almost felt more like an Indiana Jones sequel than either Dead Man's Chest or At World's End. And its ridiculously large scope is also brought down quite a few notches from those last two. Marshall is obviously a weaker storyteller and technical director than Verbinski, but he's also dealing with simpler material. Pretty much the entire story is the overarching ideas of its exposition and Jack Sparrow seems to take more of a backseat to a lot of the action in the second and third acts than he ever has despite the fact that he's now our only familiar hero. But even as a movie made from motives to market and make a lot of money rather than to make art of any sort, it still finds an inoffensive middle ground that gets enough of a stimulating and entertaining job done in a popcorn way that makes me wonder why people made such a negative fuss about it in the first place. It isn't The Tree of Life, sure, but that's because it's a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and a studio is also never going to try and have a Malick movie go out to the public to make a billion dollars (which this movie somehow did, by the way). I mean for a third sequel to a premise / property like this, I'm not sure what I should have expected otherwise, but I don't know what else to say other than it worked for me.

Also, my Crazy, Stupid, Love vote is counted as a "yay" when I would like it to stand as a "nay". But I just want Gosling and Stone to be in more things together (which is why I look forward to Gangster Squad) because their great chemistry is pretty much wasted in it.

Boner M

11-20-2011, 08:42 AM

Putty Hill - yay

At its best it achieves the same sort of free-floating, poetic evocation of a fragmented community as Killer of Sheep or last year's October Country, although some things didn't quite work for me (not the pseudo-doco interludes, tho, which are integral to its exciting and unique timbre).

Rowland

11-20-2011, 11:27 AM

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - nay

Well fuck you too, Conan.

Kurosawa Fan

11-20-2011, 01:31 PM

Troll Hunter - nay

Since I somehow posted this in the wrong friggin thread, I'll quote it to ensure it doesn't go unnoticed now that it's been moved here.

EyesWideOpen

11-20-2011, 02:00 PM

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - nay

Well fuck you too, Conan.

Explain.

Kurosawa Fan

11-20-2011, 02:28 PM

Yeah, I'm not sure I understand that reaction, Rowland.

Stay Puft

11-20-2011, 06:11 PM

Shaolin - yay

I've never thought much of Benny Chan, he's hardly had an interesting career (and he directed New Police Story, blech), but this is probably the best work of his career. Not saying much, granted, and not a great film, but surprisingly well mounted and entertaining, and with some deft directorial touches (though a few clumsy ones, too, of course). The action, directed by Corey Yuen, is rousing and suspenseful, but it's the performances that ground the film: Andy Lau is an exceptional leading man, Nicholas Tse is turning into a capable actor in his own right (can hardly believe it's the same guy from Time and Tide, not that his performance there wasn't capable... looks pretty good in retrospect, even), Jackie Chan has a great supporting role, and Wu Jing might be my new favorite action star. The guy is amazing, though unfortunately he's not getting any younger... hopefully he has some nice breakout work soon, ala Donnie Yen, who started doing some of his best work in his forties.

Rowland

11-20-2011, 09:03 PM

Henry Gale

11-20-2011, 11:11 PM

In short, Conan often struck me as something of a megalomaniacal dick whose self-aggrandizing neuroses the film has little interest in acknowledging, let alone probing, playing instead like a feature-length promotional tool/vanity project for the dude's wounded ego.

I think the movie is almost entirely about showing him dealing with that type of superficial self-manifested "celebrity" duty his work has molded him to think he's needed to have over the years. He went from being the host of The Tonight Show (a gig he also moved almost his entire staff out to L.A. for) to being left to have a career on his own terms. The documentary just simply shows him trying to take his mind off of feeling bad for himself or being angry at anyone else and finding a way to still fill that void while engaging and entertaining people in the process (though in a different way since he legally couldn't be on television). But the fact that he's also fine with showing his less favourable moments on the road is enough to bring him down a few notches from someone who thinks so highly of himself to something closer to the more realistic, less humourous counterpart to the self-deprecating comedic persona he utilizes on stage.

Plus, the movie's just really funny.

elixir

11-21-2011, 01:18 AM

martha marcy may marlene - yes!
the ides of march - nah
the skin i live in - mild yay

Rowland

11-21-2011, 01:58 AM

I Saw the Devil - mild nay

Between this and A Tale of Two Sisters, it's clear that Kim is kinda brilliant on formal and technical grounds, and his gleeful invention when riffing on genre conventions produces some interesting results, but neither film has worked for me. Choi Min-sik was as magnetic a force of nature as usual, great to see him back.

Ezee E

11-21-2011, 05:35 AM

Unknown gets a yay.
Totally ridiculous and implausible, but like Taken, it's entertaining throughout. Although kind of a shame that this director gets Akira over the Hughes Brothers.

I also changed my nay to a yay for i Saw the Devil.

Boner M

11-21-2011, 09:29 AM

Weekend - yay
We Have a Pope - nay

TripZone

11-21-2011, 02:02 PM

Weekend - yay

hate youuu

You seriously get to see all these down here? Or are you overseas?

Boner M

11-21-2011, 02:08 PM

You seriously get to see all these down here?
Yeah, whole buncha media screenings for holiday releases around this time (Weekend's out 26/1)

Boner M

11-21-2011, 02:10 PM

Although I was at BIFF recently for five days as well.

NickGlass

11-21-2011, 02:35 PM

Puss in Boots: yay

Er, sure--why not? Dreamworks thankfully tones down some of the obnoxious sexual innuendo here and focuses more on actual theme, even if it's a totally silly affair. My boyfriend is an old cat lady, though, so the experience was amusing nonetheless.

Ivan Drago

11-21-2011, 03:12 PM

The Skin I Live In - a disappointed yay

TGM

11-21-2011, 07:35 PM

Martha Marcy May Marlene - Yay

Rowland

11-22-2011, 02:07 AM

Melancholia - Yay

Truth be told, my expection was to be down on this, but nope, I really dug it. The first half is the year's best comedy.

Lazlo

11-22-2011, 04:23 AM

Bad Teacher - Nay

MadMan

11-22-2011, 05:33 AM

X-Men First Class-Yay

transmogrifier

11-22-2011, 05:40 AM

Melancholia - Yay

Truth be told, my expection was to be down on this, but nope, I really dug it. The first half is the year's best comedy.

Yeah, I never figured LVT to have a sense of humor (on film, at least), but it was actually funny.

Boner M

11-22-2011, 06:02 AM

Waste Land - yay

elixir

11-22-2011, 03:51 PM

The Future - nay

Rowland

11-22-2011, 09:46 PM

Buck - mild yay

Philosophe_rouge

11-23-2011, 12:23 AM

the Skin i live in - yay

Boner M

11-23-2011, 12:45 AM

Lazlo

11-23-2011, 02:58 AM

Happy Feet Two - Mild Yay

elixir

11-23-2011, 03:36 AM

The Descendants - nay

Rowland

11-23-2011, 05:33 AM

Putty Hill - yay

TGM

11-23-2011, 04:21 PM

Hugo - Yay

Stay Puft

11-23-2011, 05:21 PM

Tabloid - yay

Derek

11-23-2011, 05:33 PM

^big or little yay? I gotta say, I'm disappointed by the slightly less-than-enthusiastic reception here. I'll take it over the better-received but relatively innocuous Volver or All About My Mother anyway.

I loved it and almost gave it the extra half-star. It's easily his best since Bad Education.

MadMan

11-23-2011, 05:58 PM

J Edgar-Yay

Boner M

11-23-2011, 09:06 PM

I loved it and almost gave it the extra half-star. It's easily his best since Bad Education.
Good man.

Snowtown (Kurzel, 2011) ***½
Good man.

Rowland

11-24-2011, 01:13 AM

Bellflower - Yay

EyesWideOpen

11-24-2011, 01:22 AM

Looks like you missed my yay on Fast Five and you put me as a yay on Hobo with a Shotgun when I was most definitely a nay.

MadMan

11-24-2011, 01:33 AM

Captain America-Yay

Boner M

11-24-2011, 02:04 AM

NO SET DATE:

BUCK - 1 out of 1
yay - weepingguitar

LETTERS FROM THE BIG MAN - 1 out of 1
yay - Boner M

MARGARET - 2 out of 2
yay - ThePlashyBubbler, philosophe_rouge

MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER - 1 out of 1
yay - elixir

Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles - 1 out of 1
yay - Boner M

SILENT SOULS - 1 out of 3
yay - Boner M
nay - Rowland, Tripzone

TOMBOY - 1 out of 1
yay - elixir
E, these have already had, or will have, commercial runs this year.

MadMan

11-24-2011, 02:45 AM

Maybe I should just seek out every blockbuster from this year so I have a chance of actually hating on something, but I'm too broke to watch movies that I'm pretty sure I won't like.

Pop Trash

11-24-2011, 02:47 AM

Terri - yay

Really impressed with this one. Puts "authentic" high school movies like Easy A to shame. Feels more European than American in it's honesty, but I would also compare it favorably to Adventureland and/or The Ice Storm.

Bosco B Thug

11-24-2011, 02:58 AM

Happy Feet Two - yay
Melancholia - yay

Pop Trash

11-24-2011, 03:01 AM

E, these have already had, or will have, commercial runs this year.

I believe Corman's World is being released before the new year too, but don't quote me on that one.

elixir

11-24-2011, 03:17 AM

The Help - nope
Putty Hill - yup

baby doll

11-24-2011, 04:47 AM

Yeah, I never figured LVT to have a sense of humor (on film, at least), but it was actually funny.See Epidemic. Or Dogville.

On an unrelated note...

The Adventures of Tin Tin (aka, Steven Spielberg Cashes a Check in 3D) - mild nay

Now, I guess it's unlikely that Spielberg only made this film for the money, but it's hard for me to attribute any other motive to his making it (or Indiana Jones 4). As an adventure film, it hits its marks, and as I was watching it, I felt like I having a good time, but twenty minutes after it was over I could barely remember it. It's fun in a mechanical sort of way (big on action, low on creativity), but bland and innocuous (also like Indiana Jones 4). Tintin is such a non-character (despite his resemblance to Gigalo Joe) that he eventually disappears into the background with the drunken sailor dominating the second half of the movie. And the villain is basically just a bad man with a bad goatee that wants a lot of money that supposedly belongs to the sailor because his grandfather stole it from South America. (It's nice to see that Spielberg's enthusiasm for colonial plunder hasn't diminished in the thirty years since Raiders of the Lost Ark.) The 3D is well done but, as always, superfluous.

Watashi

11-24-2011, 08:06 AM

Hugo - yay

Rowland

11-24-2011, 02:46 PM

Julia's Eyes - mild yay

Boner M

11-24-2011, 03:50 PM

War Horse - mild yay

Not gonna lie, this works like gangbusters as an old-school tearjerker. MVP Niels Arestrup.

TGM

11-24-2011, 05:42 PM

Anonymous - Yay

It suffers from some sloppy editing earlier on, which makes it initially hard to follow. However, it really pulls itself together by the end, and actually is quite an interesting and, well, Shakespearean story.

Pop Trash

11-24-2011, 06:49 PM

War Horse - mild yay

Not gonna lie, this works like gangbusters as an old-school tearjerker. MVP Niels Arestrup.

How's 'berg's filmmaking?

StanleyK

11-24-2011, 07:04 PM

The Kid with a Bike - yay

eternity

11-24-2011, 07:38 PM

Hugo - yay
Submarine - nay

Spinal

11-25-2011, 04:53 AM

Martha Marcy May Marlene - yay
Drive - yay

Leap Year (the Mexican one) - yay
Yikes ... this one is quite a harrowing little journey. I really like how Laura's depression starts off so seemingly mundane and, as time passes, we begin to realize how far she has plunged. About 15 minutes from the end, I wanted out.

Lazlo

11-25-2011, 05:18 AM

Pirates of the Caribbean: When a Stranger Calls - Nay

elixir

11-25-2011, 05:21 AM

Margin Call - nay

Pop Trash

11-25-2011, 05:29 AM

The Muppets - yay I suppose

It's fun/cute even if it's less inspired moments rivals the good stuff (ie the music numbers) for screen time. Walter is a much less interesting muppet than the film thinks. Also: more Animal plz.

Rowland

11-25-2011, 06:08 AM

The Last Circus - mild nay

eternity

11-25-2011, 10:46 PM

The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence - nay

elixir

11-25-2011, 11:10 PM

Drive - nay

Thirdmango

11-26-2011, 12:00 AM

harry potter 7 part 2 yay

Lazlo

11-26-2011, 12:31 AM

Terri - Yay

Spinal

11-26-2011, 04:48 AM

The Skin I Live In - nay

TGM

11-26-2011, 06:40 AM

Immortals - Yay
J. Edgar - mild Nay
Tower Heist - surprising Yay

elixir

11-26-2011, 06:53 AM

Thor - nay

Rowland

11-26-2011, 04:21 PM

Terri - Yay

NickGlass

11-26-2011, 06:33 PM

elixir

11-26-2011, 10:12 PM

Hugo - mild yay

NickGlass

11-27-2011, 12:34 AM

Shame: Nay

'Tis a sham, indeed.

Hugo: Let me think about this one--I'm on the fence. It's a wandering narrative, that's for sure. It's both very particular and yet utterly broad at times. Coasts on its (apt) glorification of film history.

Let's be kind and give Hugo a minor yay from me.

elixir

11-27-2011, 03:46 AM

Bill Cunningham New York - mild yay

EyesWideOpen

11-27-2011, 03:56 AM

The Muppets - yay

Boner M

11-27-2011, 04:24 AM

Le Havre: very minor yay

Possible the nicest, most optimistic film of the year--with all the warmth and trappings of such a superlative. It works as a humanist fable, but not as a social comedy. You say simple--I say simplistic.
I dunno - it's a utopian fantasy alright, but in floridly artificial, Kaurismakian quotation marks; the feel-good euphoria complicated to a certain degree (Bela Tarr even called it his favorite recent film). Michael Sicinski's review nails it (http://cinema-scope.com/wordpress/cs-online/port-of-forgotten-dreams-aki-kaurismaki’s-le-havre/), I think.

Watashi

11-27-2011, 04:42 AM

The Muppets - mild yay

The Segal/Adams stuff is insufferable as are the songs. But it's charming enough.

EyesWideOpen

11-27-2011, 04:55 AM

The Muppets - mild yay

The Segal/Adams stuff is insufferable as are the songs. But it's charming enough.

My favorite part of the movie was the stuff before they encounter any of the muppets where it's just Walter/Segal/Adams and the first couple songs.

elixir

11-27-2011, 06:48 AM

Crazy, Stupid, Love. - nay

Rowland

11-27-2011, 07:20 AM

Michael Sicinski's review nails it (http://cinema-scope.com/wordpress/cs-online/port-of-forgotten-dreams-aki-kaurismaki’s-le-havre/), I think.

Sicinski nailed it: "Arirang is ..."
Quite the expert on Sicinski nailing things, aren't we Boner? :P

Spinal

11-27-2011, 07:40 AM

The Names of Love - yay

Rowland

11-27-2011, 11:42 AM

Circo - Yay

kopello

11-27-2011, 03:37 PM

Melancholia - mild yay
Hugo - yay

Sycophant

11-27-2011, 06:31 PM

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas - yay

Weeping_Guitar

11-27-2011, 07:18 PM

The Muppets - Yay
Pearl Jam Twenty - yay
Sarah's Key - yay
Bellflower - yay
Putty Hill - nay
Miral - yay

Pop Trash

11-27-2011, 07:18 PM

The Names of Love - yay

Wazzis?

Pop Trash

11-27-2011, 07:21 PM

My favorite part of the movie was the stuff before they encounter any of the muppets where it's just Walter/Segal/Adams and the first couple songs.

Yeah me too. I continue to like Adams' total non-ironic commitment to being ridiculous.

The film loses steam as it goes along, but is often inspired ("Fuck You" hens, "Am I a Man or a Muppet?").

Philosophe_rouge

11-27-2011, 10:49 PM

the muppets - yay

eternity

11-27-2011, 11:54 PM

The Muppets - yay

Lazlo

11-28-2011, 01:16 AM

Like Crazy - Yay.

Hard to get past the stupidity of the characters, but the aesthetic and the high quality of the acting and the general mood it put me in go a long way towards making up for some of the narrative shortfalls.

Spinal

11-28-2011, 01:19 AM

Wazzis?

http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=3710

elixir

11-28-2011, 05:19 AM

Melancholia - yay

Lazlo

11-28-2011, 05:41 AM

Hugo - Yay

right_for_the_moment

11-28-2011, 09:50 AM

about 5 months worth.. hopefully the alphabetization helps

30 Minutes or Less - yay
50/50 - yay
African Cats - Nay
Almayer's Folly - Yay
Alps - nay
Attack the Block - yay
Attenberg - yay
Bad Teacher - nay
Bridesmaids - yay
Butter - nay
Captain America: The First Avenger - nay
Contagion - Yay
Crazy, Stupid, Love - Nay
The Dish and the Spoon - nay
Drive - yay
Drive Angry - nay
Faust - yay
Fright Night - nay
Green Lantern - Nay
Hall Pass - yay
The Hangover Part II - nay
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - nay
Haywire - Yay
Horrible Bosses - yay
Hugo - Yay
Into the Abyss - Yay
The Ides of March - nay
J. Edgar - nay
Jeff, Who Lives at Home - nay
Limitless - nay
Meek's Cutoff - Yay
Melancholia - Yay
Michael - Nay
Midnight in Paris - Yay
Miss Bala - Yay
The Muppets - yay
My Week With Marilyn - yay
Oslo, August 31 - Yay
Our Idiot Brother - nay
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Nay
Rampart - Yay
Rango - Yay
Snowtown - yay
Super 8 - nay
Take Me Home Tonight - nay
Take Shelter - Yay
Thor - nay
The Tree of Life - Yay
Winnie the Pooh - yay
William & Kate - Nay
Wuss - nay
Your Highness - nay

Yay
yay
nay
Nay

TripZone

11-28-2011, 02:13 PM

The Slap -I dunno, nay. Yay to two or three eps, but overall nay.

Pop Trash

11-28-2011, 05:42 PM

Hugo - yay

I'll jot some thoughts down in it's thread.

MadMan

11-28-2011, 07:27 PM

Hanna-Yay

NickGlass

11-28-2011, 07:40 PM

The Descendants: close call, but I'm leaning a bit on the nay.

Alexander Payne--you were the man who taught me how brilliantly voiceover and montage could be wielded, and now this? The bookends are horrible, even if I'm fine with the core of the film and certain character dynamics.

elixir

11-29-2011, 12:05 AM

Sleeping Beauty (Leigh) - nay

Rowland

11-29-2011, 12:44 AM

Hanna - mild yay

Didn't feel or think much during this, nor is it particularly exciting or ever manage to involve more than merely engage, but as ludicrous pop-art-spectacle-for-its-own-sake is concerned, it's better engineered than most of what's out there.

Boner M

11-29-2011, 01:38 AM

The Iron Lady - NAY

Putty Hill would've made a better title for this one. Watchable only as high camp; Albert Nobbs' status as this year's crassest Oscar balloon has been dethroned.

Rowland

11-29-2011, 02:12 AM

The Iron Lady - NAY

Putty Hill would've made a better title for this one. Watchable only as high camp; Albert Nobbs' status as this year's crassest Oscar balloon has been dethroned.The Iron Lady is directed by the same person responsible for Momma Mia! LOL

What the hell is Albert Nobbs? *looks it up* LOL

NickGlass

11-29-2011, 02:02 PM

The Iron Lady - NAY

Putty Hill would've made a better title for this one. Watchable only as high camp; Albert Nobbs' status as this year's crassest Oscar balloon has been dethroned.

Hm, really? I suppose the "high camp" part fairly intrigues me--better than bloated, dull biopic. Crasser than Albert Nobbs, though? Yeesh. Nobbs and Marilyn battle that Oscar pablum spot for me, still.

Spinal

11-30-2011, 09:06 AM

Uncle Boonmee - nay

Unless something hits me in the morning and I change my mind. A few interesting scenes but not a film for my wavelength.

baby doll

11-30-2011, 12:14 PM

Sleeping Beauty - yay

I guess I'm just a sucker for long takes, unresolved ambiguities, and unmotivated monologues delivered directly to the camera.

TripZone

11-30-2011, 02:30 PM

A Separation -yeah

Dukefrukem

11-30-2011, 04:11 PM

HORRIBLE BOSSES mild yay

Rowland

11-30-2011, 06:16 PM

Of Gods and Men - mild yay

dreamdead

12-01-2011, 12:54 AM

The Housemaid - (barely) yay
Meek's Cutoff - yay

Boner M

12-01-2011, 02:38 AM

The Artist - mild yay

It was cute.

Watashi

12-01-2011, 05:48 AM

The Descendants - nay

The first 20 minutes were god-awful. It kinda redeemed itself from then, but ultimately, I just didn't really care about Clooney's quest. Robert Forster was pretty awesome.

EyesWideOpen

12-01-2011, 06:10 AM

Cold Fish - big yay

Pop Trash

12-01-2011, 06:35 AM

Beats Rhymes & Life - yay

Boner M

12-01-2011, 07:50 AM

Tintin - yay

eternity

12-01-2011, 07:54 AM

Page One: Inside the New York Times - yay

It's an unfocused mess, but I could watch David Carr all day. It was like watching a highbrow TMZ.

baby doll

12-01-2011, 08:18 AM

Tintin - yayYou're in a generous mood.

Rowland

12-01-2011, 12:32 PM

Sleeping Beauty (the naked person one) - Yay

Liked this more than expected, Browning is great.

Boner M

12-01-2011, 01:59 PM

You're in a generous mood.
Tintin is a super boring character here but he's an acceptable audience surrogate/blank slate kinda deal. Mostly my enjoyment comes from the action sequences, which are delirious and kinetic and implausible as I like em.

NickGlass

12-01-2011, 02:01 PM

We Need to Talk About Kevin: Yay

Izzy Black

12-01-2011, 03:50 PM

Sleeping Beauty (the naked person one) - Yay

Liked this more than expected, Browning is great.

Nice

Spinal

12-02-2011, 01:44 AM

Hugo - nay is probably the most honest answer ... so I'll say that.

baby doll

12-02-2011, 04:19 AM

Beginners - I like non-linear structures, non-diegetic inserts, and historical awareness as much as the next guy (maybe more), but there's not a lot of drama here.

Rowland

12-02-2011, 04:54 PM

Tuesday, After Christmas - yay

Not really all that much of a movie, but it's very generous towards the three leads, who return the favor with marvelous performances.

Spinal

12-02-2011, 05:37 PM

Yxklyx also disliked Hugo. Just so I'm not alone.

Watashi

12-02-2011, 05:39 PM

You'll always be alone, Spinal.

Alone forever.

NickGlass

12-02-2011, 05:42 PM

Yxklyx also disliked Hugo. Just so I'm not alone.

I don't really like it either, and I hardly even remember lobbing a soft "yay" in its direction.

Dillard

12-02-2011, 06:46 PM

The Adjustment Bureau - nay
Bridesmaids - nay
Cave of Forgotten Dreams - yay
Cedar Rapids - nay
Contagion - yay
The Descendents - big yay!
Drive - yay
Everything Must Go - nay
Fright Night - yay
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - nay
Insidious - nay
Melancholia - big nay
Midnight in Paris - yay
Moneyball - yay
The Muppets - yay
Paranormal Activity 3 - yay
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - nay
Source Code - nay
Super 8 - yay
Take Shelter - yay
Tree of Life - big yay
Uncle Boonmee - yay

baby doll

12-03-2011, 12:59 AM

Pina - yay (for the record, I didn't watch this in 3D)

Weeping_Guitar

12-03-2011, 02:51 AM

Out Idiot Brother - Yay
Crazy, Stupid, Love. - yay
Cave of Forgotten Dreams - Yay
Beginners - YAY

Bosco B Thug

12-03-2011, 04:05 AM

Yxklyx also disliked Hugo. Just so I'm not alone.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - nay Yay, the board's pairing up.

Dillard

12-03-2011, 05:34 AM

Yay, the board's pairing up.
Strange that I'm only the second nay for the film, although mine is a mild nay.

dreamdead

12-03-2011, 11:28 AM

Leap Year - Yay (more for the audacity of the performances and themes than anything)

eternity

12-04-2011, 03:43 AM

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night - nay

B-side

12-04-2011, 09:27 AM

The Ides of March - yay

B-side

12-04-2011, 11:32 AM

Rampart - yay

EyesWideOpen

12-04-2011, 01:42 PM

Leap Year - big yay

TripZone

12-04-2011, 03:30 PM

Rampart is a yay.

I'm changing my yay for Harry Potter to nay.

Spinal

12-04-2011, 05:44 PM

Melancholia - yay

Raiders

12-04-2011, 08:28 PM

Attack the Block - mildest of yays
Hugo - yay, also mild
Melancholia - nay

Stay Puft

12-04-2011, 10:48 PM

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas - yay

Basically just echoing sentiments elsewhere on the forum. A mixed bag, but some good laughs nevertheless and I adore these characters, so mild yay.

EyesWideOpen

12-04-2011, 11:34 PM

13 Assassins - big yay

Philosophe_rouge

12-04-2011, 11:43 PM

The Descendants - yay

Rowland

12-05-2011, 02:51 AM

Outrage - mild nay

Entertaining as a black comedy for its first half, grows increasingly enervated as it spirals into an endless, convoluted succession of bloody massacres, which I suspect may be in and of itself part of the joke, but it's one appreciated more in the abstract than while actually watching the damn thing. The formal austerity is frequently evocative, but also plays as glib within this context. The most convincing theory I've read in favor of this film's existence is that Kitano was forced into making another yakuza picture after his more surreal, personal endeavors have proven commercially unviable, and thus he made this self-consciously mocking, existentially drained labyrinth of a film as a middle-finger to both the studio and the genre. As such, I suppose it works, but it isn't terribly interesting, and is essentially hollow.