August has been a surprisingly busy month at the cinema, lots of smaller films and an experimental blockbuster or two have offered some pleasant surprises for the summer of 2009. This may explain some of the sleepiness on our part in updating the Movies We Watch section of the site. Below are some of the stuff the writers have been watching that have not been put into a full post anywhere on the site, yet warrant a sentence or two in the interest of stimulating conversation. The complete list of these (since the inception of the feature in 2007) can be accessed by using the icon on the side-bar, and here is a sample:
Vidocq (2001) 4/5
If I were to give a rating for the visuals in Vidocq I would have to give it a 5 out of 5. Many times throughout the movie I felt as is I was watching a live action painting. The story itself is a fairly straight forward murder mystery where you watch the murder happen to the main character and then watch the victims biographer track down the killer. Even though both the acting and the story are merely satisfactory I will be revisiting this one over and over just for the visuals. The French director/visual-effects multi-tasker Pitof cut his teeth doing work for Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet and went on (after Vidocq) to make the comic book disasterpiece Catwoman -JOHN
Franklyn (2008) 2.5/5
With its handsome production design and quite experimental structure and thrust of the story, it is a bit disheartening that Franklyn does not quite come together as a piece of smart entertainment. Using a fractured narrative involving a suicidal woman (Eva Green) a mopey fellow looking for his childhood sweetheart (Sam Riley) and a Gothic comic-book universe involving a masked avenger (Ryan Phillipe) who assassinates religious nuts in a theocratic future, Franklyn has lots of puzzling things it wants to drop on the viewer. Yet it takes far too long to get there, taxing interest/patience to the breaking point. Yes I wanted to know how it all turned out, but only to get the darn thing over with. A shame, because there are some great ideas in there, waiting for a better movie. -KURT
The King of Kong (2007) 4.5/5
Despite its alleged deceitful editing, what started with snarky comments of “I can’t believe these guys” soon turned into a “I can’t stop watching this.” A flawed and lone protagonist, a villain and his henchman who has even the law (er, video game referee) under his thumb. It’s documentary drama at its finest. Absolutely magnificent. -JONATHAN
Harper (1966) 4.5/5
The mere presence of Paul Newman in a film is usually enough to lift the entire production to another level. With HARPER, not much of a lift was needed; this is an entertaining, engaging crime thriller, with Newman at his best as a Sam Spade-like private detective hired to locate a missing millionaire. With a supporting cast as strong as the lead (including Lauren Bacall as the millionaire’s devious wife), HARPER is a blast. -DAVE
The Cold Hour (2006) 2.5/5
A post-apocalyptic survivor picture from Spain that boasts incredible production value, a great collection of actors and far far too many ideas, themes and conceptual quirks to gel into anything special. Biblical names, Zombies, Electrical Monsters, bearded tough guys, sexual awakening, World War II allegory, video journals, gay lovers in the future, to saying things are overstuffed into this holocaust bunker is completely accurate. One can only hope that writer/director Elio Quiroga can find the balance for his imagination and coherence in the future, or trim some of the overindulgences here and start making great new Twilight-Zone styled episodes. -KURT
Die Hard (1988) 5/5
“Welcome to the party pal!” This movie seriously kicks all kinds of ass in every way possible. I still say it’s the best action movie of all time and easily Bruce Willis’ highlight. Watching this again (for the 300th time) at 2:30am last weekend I was just amazed at everything occurring here. I spotted some new details and was further amazed at stuff I already knew was fantastic. The humor works like gangbusters, the action sequences are devilishly tricky and exciting. Bruce Willis is the definition of cool. Alan Rickman is the villain – need I say more? There’s a scene in which one of the bad guys steals a candy bar from the display case while he’s supposed to be guarding the door. The music that plays during that 10 seconds of humor is priceless. “I’m special agent Johnson, this is special agent Johnson… no relation.” The FBI guys are hilarious. Argyle. Ellis. Yeah, this movie completely obliterates all other action comedies and I can’t ever see it being beaten. “WOO-HOO! Just like fuckin’ Saigon, eh slick?” – “I was in Jr. High… dickhead.” -ANDREW
