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As I mentioned, yes, it does lack elements for us to enjoy too, including good laughs and remarkable visuals and music. :-)
"The gun is good. The penis is bad."
This is the point where I'm supposed to say: holy something something, what have I just watched?! But you see, I know precisely what I've watched because it's the third time I have watched it. Zardoz caught my attention when I first heard about its reputation as a weird, psychedelic experience, something indescribable from the 70s with Sean Connery in a diaper and a wedding dress and Charlotte Rampling closely examining certain of his reproductive assets. With a reputation like that, I will seek you out and I will watch you!
Zardoz is indeed a strange Sci-Fi film but then John Boorman, who wrote and directed this film, also gave us Exorcist 2: The Heretic in which a tapdancing Linda Blair psychically links with ailing boys in locust infested deserts. Boorman reportedly directed that film while suffering from delirium. Many seem to think that when he did Zardoz, he was pretty much off the track too. But I disagree.
John Boorman is the director of Deliverance, a film that demonstrates his abilities more than any other project of his. And Zardoz is merely part of a small line of crazy, almost hippy Sci-Fi projects, which some will argue 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Planet Of The Apes are part of too. But Zardoz drives the crazy meter to eleven and unfortunately is less 'beautiful' than those other two. Only fans of the 70s aesthetic, like myself, will appreciate the visual experience. Also, it's difficult to make sense of the story, even with a large dose of fantasy, and that means you will need to find pleasure in other things.
One of those things is of course Connery who, a few years after DAF, had crippled his career to the lowest lows imaginable. Boorman, who first had wanted Burt Reynolds for the part, eventually got Connery involved and made him do some crazy things like putting on the wedding dress. But Connery's part is essentially that of the unmannered brute with the magic penis who will restore nothing less than fertility among mankind. Leave it to a thick moustache donning Connery to do exactly that. Well, he could have done a lot worse than make Charlotte Rampling his Eva.
Floating heads, a dystopian future in which immortality leads to apathy or senility, magic crystals and experiments involving male erections, Zardoz is by no means a conventional film. But it has a cult following, it keeps finding new fans and if you love this era of the Sci-Fi genre, you may even embrace Zardoz like I do. Not a film for everyone, but some people must give it a try!
At least I got quite a bit on in my book by Baldacci as well King & Maxwell.
As for the movie avoid it like the plague, even if the palgue might be more interesting.
I've watched it on the premiere and were gravely dissapointed, it was predictable, linear, had awful camerawork, uninspired directing and just ticked all the boxes to create a blockbuster. I'm sorry Marvel, you can do a lot better then that!
If they can do better, I would not mind that at all.
And I agree with @DarthDimi. Did you notice the Avatar references, Dimi?
Well, since Avatar was itself a carbon copy of a great many films, I did indeed, @Thunderfinger. ;-) I'm more or less done with this one. I'll focus on Despicable Me and Ice Age and whatever else the girlfriend makes me watch, but Rio I've seen enough of.
I'm not an expert of Noir, but this was more like a straight up drama. :-? Still, it's a chance to see Ginger in colour, and playing a role that was unlike anything else she was in.
Ginger Rogers ranking: 16/24
It's no doubt a big cliché at this point but I honestly think this Japanese horror flick is scary as hell. In my brutally honest opinion, those boring Paranormal Activity films are kids' stuff compared to Ju-On. And at least Ju-On doesn't need the tired found footage format.
The first time I ever watched Ju-On was late at night. I was all alone and still at an impressionable age. Perhaps it's the power of memory that keeps me in trauma mode while I watch this film, even for the tenth or so time. Even after having watched the (perfectly redundant) American remake, after having read the terrifying novelization - one of the few novelizations I've actually enjoyed so far - and after having experienced the manga, I still get goosebumps from Ju-On.
I understand that the Japanese horror film is a very polarizing sub-genre among horror fans. Some embrace it, some reject it as boring and confusing. Being a bit of a Japanophile myself, I'm probably biased. Add to that my already firmly established fan love for the Ringu series, and it's probably no wonder that I keep going back to this classic.
As for Kayako, she's one scary lady, ain't she? Freddy and Jason are fun but this chick is out of control. And I swear, each time I'm expected to ascend stairs which are slightly obscured by a late afternoon twilight, all alone in a supposedly empty house, part of me goes numb. The images of Toshio and Kayako often become more vivid than I'd like. So you see, even after years and years of watching countless horror films, seeking out all the genre has to offer and growing progressively more desensitized towards frightening images, I can still get unsettled by Ju-On The Grudge. I can't promise this is a sensation that everyone will indulge though. Again, some turn left, some turn right: horror is a very subjective genre. But I certainly recommend you give this film a try.
Really funny movie. Loved it ! British humour at its best. (y)
Cashback! :-bd
Polanski's 1968 classic remains one of my favourite precursors to the 70s horror film. Forget the safety and security of the family unit. In the same year that zombies would rip the traditional family unit apart in Night Of The Living Dead, Rosemary's Baby does the same thing yet in an even more devious way. The film also serves as one of the first 'unholy' rides into the sub-genre of satanic horror: The Exorcist and The Omen were still a few years away.
Can we really trust no-one, or is Rosemary going crazy? Judge for yourself. Highly recommended.
@DarthDimi, I've yet to see this film, but wondered what you thought of the mini-series coming out with Zoe Saldana as Rosemary:
It's a Wonderful Life meets The Ladykillers.
Very good, darkly comic film based on real events starring Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and Shirley MacLaine.
8/10
Charming romantic comedy/indie drama about a schlubby stoner who has a crush on the waitress at the coffee shop he frequents. When she unwittingly reveals that during a low point in her life, she fell into porn films. She tells him that while the footage is still online, she can't really live her life. So our heroic stoner makes it his mission to find the site owner, and make them take the footage down.
Mischa Barton ranking: 6/14.
I wanted to see this one in the theater but I heard poor things about it so I didn't. I even kept putting off renting it. With the new Spidey movie about to come out, in the states, I've been in the mood for superhero things so I figured I'd give this a try. I watched it last night and I loved it! While it's not as good as the first it was still just as fun. I wouldn't of mind seeing this one in theaters. I really hope a third one is in the works.
"Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull" ("Confessions of the confidence trickster Felix Krull")
It's about a young man who works at a hotel in Paris. There he meets a woman who gives him a lot of money so he starts a double life and finally makes a journey round the world under a false name because the man under whose name he travels wants to stay with his girlfriend whom his parents do not like...
The first scene is very very funny: He doesn't want to go to the army so he pretends to be an epileptic. I couldn't stop laughting! :D
9/10
So far my raking of the movies:
1.Moonrise Kingdom
2.The Royal Tennenbaums (Last one I saw)
3. Grand Budapest Hotel
I'm thinking of seeing Darjeeling Limited next.
Another great collaboration between Bogart and John Huston, this 1953 comedy is easily overlooked by many Bogey collections. Too bad, for I find myself enjoying this film from the bottom of my heart to the back of my brain.
Bogart is excellent, but he's not the only one who shines in this film. Robert Morley, Edward Underdown, that great human toad called Peter Lorre and a lovely Gina Lollobrigida, all make this a fun ride to Africa. But the true star of this film, IMO at least, is Jennifer Jones, whose character is as crazy as she is lovely, as funny as she is witty. And Jennifer Jones is a beautiful woman whose eyes shoot an arrow of Cupid straight to my heart. Oh, and if you stay till the end, you will see one Bernard Lee...
Truman Capote and Huston wrote this film, and what a remarkable film it is. Simple and light but leaving a lasting impressing. To a Bogart fan like myself, Beat The Devil is the proverbial good stuff.
Let us know what you think of that one, because I fell in love with 'Darjeeling Limited' the first time I saw it.
Worthy and bold follow-up. The Webb films are way better than the Raimi films imo. Almost excusively kids in the theatre, and a majority of little girls! They must have a crush on Garfield, I guess.
Harrison Ford, Glenn Close, Gary Oldman, in leading roles
frantic movie that is often implausible and seemed in direct competition with other airplane releases of the year (Con Air, Turbulence etc)
Ford in it for a quick paycheck and a lousy performance. Two out of five stars, being generous
Based off the Dean Koontz book, which I've never read. Found this to be pretty good but different and... odd. It seemed at times it was trying to be silly and other times it was serious.
Carrie (2013) 7/10
Was expecting it to be a 'meh' movie but it was pretty entertaining. I found myself feeling sad for Carrie and then feeling happy for her when she was having a great time at prom. The whole time I was dreading the pigs blood scene. Then when it happened I found myself not rooting for Carrie but feeling sorry for her.
Peter Lorre is a legend. I love watching him in films.
Had man not been given to invention and experiment, then tonight, sir, you would have eaten your dinner in a cave. You would've strewn the bones about the floor then wiped your fingers on a coat of animal skin. In fact, your lapels do look a bit greasy. Good night.
- Baron Frankenstein
Hammer's follow-up to Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) is a delight to watch. Frankenstein is truly evil in this one! Peter Cushing is delicious as the baron. But then in my opinion Cushing is one of the most under-praised British actors of all time. He alone would make this film worth your time. His dialogues are just splendid. One of my favourite Hammer films.
And we've all seen him in TB. ;-) (He's seated next to Bernard Lee.)