Scots Taffer on 10/1/2007 at 12:45
Just saw Children of Men and as many have said it was a very, very technically impressive film, some of those tracking shots blew my mind, but it was also an emotionally stirring (that stairwell sequence was nowhere near as cinematically complex as it had many cuts, but it tugged hard on the heart strings), well acted (still think Owen would've made the best Bond), excellently-action-choreographed and politically topical movie with a very real future feel. It rates very highly among the movies of this year, probably the best in fact although Casino Royale still tips the scale as it was not only a brilliant action movie and the best Bond in a long time, but it also involved my new obsession: poker. :D
Next is The Departed, Thank You For Smoking and A Scanner Darkly. I've got good copies of all of those at the moment.
Morte on 18/1/2007 at 12:42
The good
Children of Men
Some shaky plotting and clumsy expository dialogue, but goddamnn if this isn't the technically most fantastic movie of the year. The ambush and the fighting in the streets at the end were things of wonder, and also made the violence shockingly brutal in parts. "Pull my finger."
The Host
Not as strong as Memories of Murder, mainly the Korean soul-searching bogs down the middle a bit, not to mention that sort of thing doesn't work quite as well in a monster movie. Still good though, and the opening 20 minutes are brilliant.
Casino Royale
Daniel Craig creates the definite Bond by getting hit on the balls a lot. So clearly awesome then, even though it's about 15 minutes too long.
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
It lacks the ferocious drive of Oldboy, but this is still a decent conclusion to Chan-Wook Park's revenge trilogy.
Brick
Rian Johnson made a movie just for me. Pitch-perfect all the way through, and insanely strong acting given the non-existant budget and decidedly left-field material.
The ok-ish
Inside Man
Spike Lee taking a break from being Socially Relevant for a disposable heist movie. I enjoyed it while watching, and there's some neat touches, but ultimately noone's going to remember it a year from now.
District B13
Retarded story, but a relentless pace and some insane stuntwork from parkour co-founder David Belle and whatever his co-star's name was make you almost forget about that. Almost.
Crank
No, I am not kidding. Best awful movie of the year.
The disappointing
Mission Impossible 3
Honestly, this could have made the mediocre if it weren't for opening with five minutes of excellence that showed how bland the rest of it was. And then they go and make a lie of that opening as well. Bah. Bah, I say!
Pirates of the Caribbean 2
Or how to make a bloated piece of shit. They could have cut the opening hour down to fifteen minutes without it making a damn difference to the plot progression.
Miami Vice
Michael Mann can still shoot the prettiest nightscapes ever, but that can't hide the fact that this is over two hours of fluff that goes absolutely fucking nowhere.
Scots Taffer on 18/1/2007 at 12:54
Quote Posted by Morte
GoodInside Man
Spike Lee taking a break from being Socially Relevant for a disposable heist movie. I enjoyed it while watching, and there's some neat touches, but ultimately noone's going to remember it a year from now.
That was from this year? I really enjoyed this, it wasn't particularly memorable although the soundtrack was (still listening to the opening credits "Chaiya Chaiya").
I also got around to
A Scanner Darkly. A very enjoyable flick, well presented (rotoscoping is goddamn cool), typically messed-up PKD story and surprisingly emotive acting. Most of it is like being trapped in a room with potheads though, but in the good way, in a gleeful anarchic sort of way.
Hearing a lot of positive buzz about
Blood Diamond, I've got a copy of
The Departed as well.
Spitter on 18/1/2007 at 14:24
I just saw Children of Men and it's really, really fucking great.
BEAR on 18/1/2007 at 21:52
Saw children of men last week, it was great. Emotionally harsh though, it felt really long even though it was good, not the kind of thing I would watch more than once I think. (At least not more than twice)
Tumbleweed on 20/1/2007 at 11:30
During a supposedly-dramatic 'hero' scene I lean over to the person next to me;
"Is this movie really boring?"
"Yes"
"I thought so"
Scots Taffer on 25/1/2007 at 14:30
Just saw The Departed, excellent adapatation of the already brilliant Infernal Affairs, I thought both DiCaprio and Damon did well in their roles and I actually found the ending more satisfying from a morale perspective. Marky Mark whacking Damon's character was such a YESSS moment that they just totally nailed.
Cerpin on 25/1/2007 at 17:33
Brick was fantastic. I was great to see an indie movie where the main character was a badass, of course within context.
Pan's Labyrinth was also quite decent.
There's a Norwegian film too, called The Troublesome Man which was absolutely brilliant.
Other than that I can't really give props to anything else. I mean, Saw 3? :laff:
Bebop on 31/1/2007 at 05:58
Anything currently coming out of Scandinavia is rubbish. (Bergman exempted, is he still alive?)
I have nothing much to add than what has already been stated.
Pan's Labyrinth, Children of Men, Little Miss Sunshine, A Scanner Darkly, Brick, Thankyou for Smoking, The Fountain, The Prestige, The Departed were my favorite movies of 06. The Oscars nominations was crap. At first I thought Children of Men didn't get the Best Picture nomination because they entered too late, but then I saw they were nominated for Best Cinematography (which they should win). Also, Pan's Labyrinth is the best film of the year, not just the best foreign film of the year. Why do they segregate foreign films from American films, as if they were inferior? If anything, they are better (percentage wise).
User was banned by David on 31-1-2007
Scots Taffer on 31/1/2007 at 06:27
Quote Posted by Bebop
If anything, they are better (percentage wise).
I'm as much a film snob as many others, and I have a healthy distaste for the generic trash that Hollywood foists upon sap audiences too willing to cough up their entry fee to see rehashed crappy movies, but if that comment was even remotely true why is it that only 11% of your favourite movies this year were foreign?
I know it's popularist to say that foreign cinema exceeds Hollywood, but really that's utter bullshit. Most foreign movies are terrible, or are so deeply entrenched in their own cultural backwash that they are incomprehensible, just as many Hollywood movies are derivative and soaked in pop-culture that many of us find asinine and bland.
What you'll find happening more often than not is the timeliness of movies coming out of the foreign market is just spot on, for example,
Infernal Affairs came out of HK precisely around the time that any cop movie from Hollywood was either a half-baked buddy flick or another supposedly "clever" twisty turny vehicle, so
IA was a strong return to form of the tense cop thrillers of 60s/70s Hollywood, and
Ring came out at a time where everyone was sick of the horror genre since it was inundated with slasher-type movies or over-the-top death-porn, it harnessed the power of freaky and quiet foreboding that hadn't been tapped since classics like
Jacob's Ladder.
I think the Oscars are a sham anyway, so it doesn't bother me that they segregate foreign movies - at least it means they get a look in from the Academy at all, because if they were included in Best Picture, you know there'd probably be only one a year making the shortlist (if even).
