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I personally thought she was awful in American Hustle, it baffles me how she got an Oscar nomination. But I didn´t like the movie itself, so that doesn´t help. It surprised me really, because I thought she was luminous in Winter´s Bone and Silver Linings Playbook.
Couldn´t agree more with @BAIN123 though. I've come to expect stellar performances from Bale. Cooper deserves praise especially for American Hustle if you ask me. I think it's his best performance to date.
I was totally engrossed in this film. Great performances, direction and full of genuine tension. The music was great too.
One of the years best!
I need to add American Hustle to my watch-again-list since I'm in having a few, um, film projects going, one of them being Christian Bale. :)
Batman is another, just watched Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) last night. I was never a fan of those films, but they're ok. Batman Returns has better atmosphere and looks better, and has better music, too (I still love Face To Face by Siouxie And The Banshees), as well as a much more interesting female character. Kim Basinger is just there and looks pretty and screams a lot, while I always liked Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina/Catwoman a lot (the most interesting character to me in these Burton films). Keaton is fine by me, but... well...I love Bale as Bruce and Batman and those movies are better, too, so...
I never liked Nicholson's Joker much, and I don't find him funny, and to me he's just Nicholson acting (and not that brilliantly, either). I'm very fond of penguins in general, so I'm kinda torn with that part...
I hadn't seen these films in years, and still feel I maybe should like them more than I do, and I wish I did, but I just don't.
Man Of Steel (2013). Thought I should watch this since I'll want to see this guy meet Batman later on (or, to put it more accurately, I'll want to see the new Batman, and this guy happens to be in that film with him, so...), and I wanted to like it, but found it mostly boring, unfortunately. I think in theory Superman's character/story could be interesting, but for me this wasn't, and I wasn't convinced by Henry Cavill, either. I haven't seen him in anything else, so I have no idea of his range or abilities beyond this. I just didn't see any charisma in him - Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner etc. were far more enjoyable and interesting. Or maybe I just can't get into a super strong, super fast guy who can fly and what not.
Then there's the David Ayer project. I'm really not familiar with his work, but I figured I better start finding out even though there's plenty of time and they haven't even started shooting Suicide Squad, yet. (He's writing and directing it.)
So I watched Training Day (2001), which he wrote. Denzel Washington was excellent. Not really my kinda movie, but better than I expected - I expected more macho BS to be honest. :P
Then there are the Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. projects and some earlier ones still ongoing and... heck, I need to pop another dvd in... :D
Tropic Thunder (2008). There are actors and directors that automatically make me interested in seeing a film... and then there are those that automatically make me NOT want to see a film. This had both. Robert Downey Jr and Matthew McConaughey are in the Oh-yes-please group... and Ben Stiller is in the Oh-no-thanks group. And here Stiller was directing, producing, writing, acting... geez. But. And so I watched it anyway. Despite thinking after the first few minutes "do I really need to make myself sit through this?" On the whole not good, at times really bad, but at times hilarious - mostly because of Downey. I loved him here. And Tom Cruise, too. They were both great fun. MMcC didn't have much to do, but oh well. The funniest part for me was in the extras, the Choose A Dude footage. I paid practically no attention to Stiller's side of the screen, but Downey had me in stitches. =))
And speaking of dudes...
Surfer, Dude (2008). Starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as best buddies, so yeah... but that was about it, really. In short, not good.
Batman Forever (1995). I thought Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey were both awful. Chris O'Donnell is boring, but that's no surprise. Nicole Kidman was sorta ok. I liked Val Kilmer, what a pity the film around him was such a noisy mess. I didn't like this when it first came out, and I like it probably even less now. Can't remember the one that followed, was it as bad or worse? I need to re-watch that one, too...
Lone Ranger (2013). This one has Johnny Depp, so... To me it was silly in a non-funny, forced sort of way, but the 14-year-old I was watching it with thought it was awesome, so fair enough.
Ides Of March (2011). This one has Philip Seymour Hoffman, so... the rest of the cast not bad, either. A good one, phew.
Agreed. I saw it a few days back. Very good film although I'm not sure how accurate it is historicaly. I even found Kiera Knightly palatable in it, and I'm not normally a fan of hers. Cumberbatch did a great job in it, and of course the inimitable Charles Dance chewed scenery like only he can. Definitely recommended.
I thought Jim Carrey was hilarious, one of the few highlights in the film.
Saw this for the first time the other day and really enjoyed it. With some tweaking I think it could have made a great Die Hard film.
I'm a fan of Rob Zombie's films but I understand that my appreciation for the man's work is a minority opinion. House of 1000 Corpses sold me right away, then both The Devil's Rejects and Halloween impressed the 'hell' out of me (pun embarrassingly much intended). The Haunted World of El Superbeasto was funny. Halloween 2 is not without its controversy and lord knows I myself think it's an assault on the famous franchise but I still think it looks good.
You see, that's my main reason for liking Zombie's movies. He shows violence without constraint, sometimes ridiculously brutal, but he compensates by always keeping one foot in the 70s, which is my favourite decade in horror cinema. Zombie's love for the 70s is always obvious, in his musical choices, his cast regulars and even in the fact that we see records and cassettes instead of CD's, no matter when his films take place.
The Lords Of Salem is no exception. Take Rosemary's Baby with a Lovecraftian spin on it and submerge it in that familiar Zombie puddle. So naturally Sheri Moon takes the lead but we also have some awesome retro-casting with Ken Foree, Dee Wallace, Bruce Davison, Judy Geeson, María Conchita Alonso, Meg Foster and Patricia Quinn. The story is pretty simple yet at times confusing, with the second half allowing reality to blur to the point where Zombie practically goes Lynch, not unlike what happened in the third act of House of 1000 Corpses when we go down into Dr. Satan's lair.
The strength of the movie, however, is again how it looks. Gritty, dirty, grainy... like most 70s horror films in other words. Weird images are also fascinating images, reminding me of some of Hieronymus Bosch' paintings as well as of some 80s Cronenberg. Some folks don't like this stuff, especially with the absence of coherent storytelling towards the final act, but the ominous visual elements that are pervasive throughout the film, the eerie music, the interesting casting choices and the dreamy scenes make me enjoy this effort a lot more than its large group of critics.
I had a feeling it might have been even worse. I disliked the two of them and I guess I pretty much erased them from memory. I know I went to see them in theatre, but can't remember a damned thing - except that I found them baaaad. Batman Forever didn't even seem familiar at all. It's been about two decades, but still...
I thought Carrey was over-acting badly and was not even remotely funny, but that's how I tend to feel about his comedic roles in general. He can be good in drama roles, but I just don't find that type of comedy funny - doesn't make me smile, nevermind laugh, just makes me cringe, really.
Absolutely love Rowan Atkinson as this character more than his Mr Bean. Had me in stitches once again! Brilliant! :))
Did any of the characters do what they were advised? No. Still, it was nice to see Hammer stalwart Michael Ripper in a much larger role than he usually was in. And was that TMWTGG's own Lazar I spied lurking about? According to the IMDB, it was.
Sean Connery in 1964, directed by Hitchcock and alongside Tippi Hedren, what do you want more? A Bernard Herrmann score? You got it! A powerful story? Check!
I think this is one of Hitchcock's greatest. Connery may very well give us his best Bond since FRWL in this film.
I've just this morning finally got round to watching the recent big-screen adaptation of John Le Carre's 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'. I've never seen the original 80's BBC version so I don't know how this new take on the tale compares but I certainly enjoyed it. It's rather slow-moving and convoluted (as you'd expect from Le Carre!) but utterly compelling. Apart from anything else it's worth watching simply for an acting masterclass from a truly phenomenal cast. Excellent score by Alberto Iglesias too.
One thing caught my eye during the end credits: there was mention of a "product placement" supervisor. What products? For the life of me I can't recall seeing any brand names. Also, given the story's early 70's setting surely there can't be many products or brands from that period that are still relevant to today's consumer.
Roman Polanski may have become a controversial character but I am eternally grateful for Rosemary's Baby. I simply adore this movie. It's suspenseful, it's scary, but not because of what is shown but because of what isn't. Polanski turned this into a delicate exercise in conveying a lot while leaving most things literally unsaid. How can nice and polite neighbours, a happily married young couple, a beautiful, expecting mother and a cosy apartment provide such strong fears?
With such great talents as Mia Farrow, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer and Maurice Evans, Rosemary's cast is safe from boredom, even if the film takes its time to build suspense. This isn't one of those you'll-jump-every-five-minutes horror films. But you feel the itch, then the discomfort, then the genuine terror. And yet, people still smile. Paranoia peaks.
Keep sequels, remakes, reboots, ... as far away from this classic as possible. Absolutely nothing can beat Polanski's vision. A must-see, either as homework for the self-proclaimed film connoisseur, or as the bloody good film it is!
Another remake that makes no sense unless you are intimidated by another language, watch Insomnia (1997) it makes the Chris Nolan version look like a cheap attempt.
If you loved Die Hard then you may or may not enjoy this film because it is pretty much a beat for beat remake with a few creative differences. It's good cheesy fun with silly lines and a great performance from Christopher Plummer as the "Hans Gruber" character. It's Die Hard at a ski resort, but still a better movie than A Good Day to Die Hard. ;)
Boyhood is my number 1 aswell, a great achivement in cinema (maybe not very rewatchable though)
X-Men is currently in my top 5, one of the best blockbuster movies this year along with Captain America, Interstellar, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Snowpiercer. I liked it and it was a very different movie from the usual mainstream movies, which is a good thing i think. Not in my top 10 list though.
They recently did a Rosemary´s Baby miniseries and I do not recommend it. Zoe Saldana is good as Rosemary (by far not as good as Farrow though), Carole Bouquet is luminous as always but apart from that it's not worth the watch, if you ask me. I wonder why great actresses waste their time on projects like this? It appears Christina Cole is an awful actress even when she has more thn one minute of screentime.
To use a popular word around here: Yawn.
I pretty much agree. I like the director and I like the actors and theoretically I should really like the film, but I don't. I don't think it's particularly bad, but it's not that good, either. It's just very... ordinary. Why bother doing it, indeed.
"How do you wake up from a nightmare if you're not asleep?"
The Machinist (2004), directed by Brad Anderson, starring Christian Bale, who is just brilliant, and, oh, supporting actors who are all great (especially the lovely Aitana Sanchez Gijón, and the best role I've maybe ever seen from Jennifer Jason Leigh), and I just absolutely bloody love this film. Right down my alley. Fantastic.
The New World (2005), directed by Terrence Malick, cinematography Emmanuel Lubezki, starring Colin Farrell, Christian Bale, and the fabulous Q'orianka Kilcher as Pocahontas. If you've seen Terrence Malick movies, you have some kind of an idea what you're gonna get. It looks very beautiful, and it is like dancing, painting, and poetry, encompassing nature, people and events, presented as a whole that becomes the movie. Or something like that. You either just admire what's presented before you, or you get bored and tune out. I liked it.
The Prestige (2006), directed by Christopher Nolan, cinematography by Wally Pfister, starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Michael Caine and David Bowie. An enjoyable film.
The Fighter (2010), directed by David O. Russell, cinematography Hoyte Van Hoytema, starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo. Supporting actor Oscar to Bale - why he got more awards for this role rather than any other I don't know (he was excellent, but still...), but I'm glad he got his Oscar, etc, anyway. Supporting actress Oscar to Melissa Leo (Amy Adams was also nominated). Based on a true story. I tend to find it hard to really get into sports dramas, and I have zero interest in boxing, but the acting was great throughout, and all in all it was good.
Out Of The Furnace (2013), directed by Scott Cooper. An excellent cast, Bale and Woody Harrelson were fabulous, but everyone else was good, too - Forest Whitaker, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Willem Dafoe, Sam Shepard. Not exactly a cheery story, this, and even before anything really starts to go to hell, you have a feeling that many things will do just that. A great movie, though.
Inception (2010), Nolan, Pfister, the good cast, the works, you all know this one, I presume. Leo DiCaprio isn't Christian Bale, but he's pretty good anyway. ;) So are the rest of them. Marion Cotillard is much better here than in TDKR. Since Michael Caine was first cast in a Nolan film he has appeared in all 6 that Nolan has directed.
Still not sure what I think of this one. It looks good. It nearly gives me a headache at times. I like it. Not sure how much I like it, though. But it's interesting, and I do like it.
Van Helsing (2004), starring Hugh Jackman, who could have spent his time and talents better than this. I was bored, it seemed kinda... empty.