queen_of_painting: Yeah, it’s great. 
I just had my brother watch it since I knew he’d like it, and he did, but we had to watch it through YouTube and stupid YouTube removed the final part because of a copyright claim on a certain song. 
YouTube is getting downright stupid. It just gave my friend a bunch of trouble trying to post Practical Magic onto YouTube, just because of songs.
I loved it as well! Not Adrien’s looks… just the film. 
Me and my family just saw…Galaxy Quest.
What did you guys think of it?
I gave it a 7.5/10
I like that movie quite a bit. It’s underrated.
I love the way Tim Allen does his classic humor…I liked it, but the aliens and gore …
The Darjeeling Limited is awesome. x) And I only saw it for Adrien Brody.
Galaxy Quest is great too, saw that just for Alan Rickman. <3
Actors just rule my life. 
I liked Adrien Brody from The Pianist and King Kong because he’s not a particularly dashing leading man, and plays the ‘everyman hero’ in his movies. Especially in Kong, when he was the scriptwriter ‘loser’ who saves Naomi’s butt like a billion times. I’m looking forward to him in The Brothers Bloom.
I watched a couple of movies from the local library lately:
Home on the Range - 5/10
Pretty good by 2-D animated film standards. Cuba Gooding Jr. stole the show as the deluded sheriff’s horse Buck, and Judi Dench as an upper-crust cow Mrs Calloway, but the derivative plot was boring and predictable. Good thing there’s some brillaint comedic moments and a couple of nice scenery backdrops, but these weren’t enough to elevate Disney’s swan song to traditional animation up to anything of particular artistic or thematic significance.
The Taking of Pelhman 1 2 3 - 6/10
Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw star as a disgruntled New York transit officer and a train hijacker respectively in this heist movie. The suspense is quite exciting, especially when they were racing to deliver the ransom money within the unreasonable deadlines, and how each side tries to deceive the other in a game of wits and high stakes. The twist on how the robbers escape is not particularly ingenious, but yet I didn’t see it coming. Overall, an interesting above-average action movie, with an awesome ending that will crack a grin on your face.
Over the Hedge - 7/10
Above average performances by the all-star voice cast (I find it amusing tough-guy Bruce Willis voices an adorable but unscrupulous raccoon). Animation is trademark Dreamworks, a bit of Chuck Jones and Tex Avery Looney Tunes style thrown in, and exaggerated body movements. The jokes pale in comparison to its searing indictment of suburban living and human’s rampant over consumerism (reminded me of WALL-E a bit). The “Food” scene where TJ explains to the animals the concept of human food is amazing and bitterly true in many ways! The cliched plot drags it down a bit, but the zany action sequences and the witty dialogue more than make up for it! Watch out for Hammie the hyperactive squirrel, who steals the show (the slow-mo finale was jaw-droppingly awesome!).
GoldenEye - 7/10
Pierce Brosnan’s first outing in this James Bond adventure was a little slow to start off after the spectacular opening sequence (and with one of the most awe-inspiring stunts where he boards a plane in mid-plunge off a mountain cliff) and the post-credits car race, but once it gets to Russia, things start to get more interesting. There’s a tank chase featuring the wanton destruction of St. Petersburg, a game of chicken with a nuclear train, tons of explosions, and a final showdown with his predecessor Agent 006 on top of the requisite villain’s lair. Sean Bean and Isabella Scorupco turn in decent performances as Bond villain and girl respectively. Judi Dench also makes her debut as M in the franchise with a poignant scene in which she denounces Bond’s womanising ways and disregard for the sanctity of human life, while revealing she has no reservations of “sending him to his death.” Sean Bean’s 006 and Scorupco’s Natalya also deliver similar speeches questioning Bond’s controversial life as a secret agent. An enjoyable outing, and one of the better Bond flicks.
Bullitt - 3.5/10 for the movie, 9/10 for the car chase
Steve McQueen is the essence of cool in this police procedural flick. The plot is boring and cliched, cop in charge of witness messes up and the witness winds up dead, he launches his own investigations against his superior’s orders, and kills a lot of baddies along the way. It doesn’t help that the pace is about as excruciatingly slow an ox-wagon. In an attempt to build suspense, they forgot to include any memorable action sequences. The ending was also too abrupt and left much to be answered. The only two saving graces are the scene where his girlfriend confronts him about his unemotional attitude to life and his work, and of course, the seminal vehicular pursuit. Although pedestrian by today’s Bay and Bruckheimer’s crash-fests, it lives up to its title as “Greatest Car Chase Ever Filmed” by its lean, sleek stunts and editing, like the muscle-cars featured in it. From the nail-biting build-up where Bullitt turns the tables on his tails, to the beautiful interior and exterior tracking shots of the Charger and Mustang as they scream down the San Fran hills and desert highway, this is the classic car chase done to perfection. The score is suitably jazzy and practically oozes coolness and sophistication. Too bad the rest of the movie doesn’t quite match up to it.
I still hate how people want Adrien Brody to get a nose job … That’s his best feature!!
I just saw Inkheart today, and speaking as a fan of the trilogy, I have to say it was good. Still unbelievable to know that the Post gave it one star! It’s worthy of at least three!!
I won’t give away any spoilers, but it’s like a trimmed down, not too long, easy to swallow version of the book, and I enjoyed it a lot.
The only thing I hated was that Meggie called her father “Dad”, when she never does in the book- she always calls him “Mo”.
I also like that they ended it so that if they can’t afford to make the other two books into films, they can leave it as is. It didn’t do so well on opening weekend.
Crazy that great books and their adaptations, like this one, get ignored, yet the complete garbage that is Twilight gets all the praise. xP What is this world coming to, seriously??
FONY: I want to read Inkheart and its sequels - their concepts sound so fantastic! I’ll be late watching this movie.
And about what you said about Twilight, I agree! Well, I mean, it’d be wrong for me to judge Twilight before reading and seeing it, but the popularity of it is driving me nuts. Before it became a movie, when I first came across the book I was like, hmm, that sounds cool. But after it became a movie, I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem as good. It’s not the story itself that’s annoying me- it’s just that a lot of people around me are talking about it on and on. Even some teachers.
I feel the same way about modern Disney Channel movies (except Dadnapped - that one looks rather good).
BDD: Read it! Definitely! The books are longer and better - I mean, I still felt the movie was good, but you’ll love it even more (I think) if you’ve read the books beforehand, because you won’t need stuff explained, be confused, etc. I’ll admit that it didn’t grab me immediately, but it picks up soon enough and it’s amazing - I jumped from book to book so quick that I’ll probably wind up re-reading it again - it was just so good and I always wanted to read what happens next. 
Personally, I haven’t read Twilight - only seen a bit of the film (on YouTube already!) and it’s Mary-Sue-ness disgusted me. I’ve always despised it, but after learning something completely wrong and gross about it just recently … I am just grossed out that so many people can find the book and the film to be the ‘best thing ever’. I really wonder where people’s brains are at, seriously. I mean, the stupid stuff I’ve heard beforehand was bad enough but … this new information … geez. You need to be sick in the head and love abusive relationships to like the books/films in the very least.
I also watched Inkheart on Wednesday, and found it pretty enjoyable. I remember reading the first chapter or so about a year or two ago, so my memory may be a bit fuzzy, but the beginning of the movie is nothing like the book, and I get the feeling they changed a lot from the novel. I was particularly disappointed that they [spoil]set the story in the real world instead of within the book, cos’ that’s the impression I got from the trailer and poster. Talk about misleading information! I have no idea whether the book had a similar setting too.[/spoil]
Brendan Fraser at least acts more than his dead bored performance in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, here he gets to scream and look angry half the time, with the other half occupied with looking sad and pensive when he really comes off as bored and distant. Newcomer Eliza Bennett plays her part well as Fraser’s bookworm daughter, and Mirren repeats her “reluctant old heroine dragged along for the ride” role from National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. Andy “My Precious” Serkis is splendidly evil as the ruthless villain Capricorn and Rafi Gavron is the comic relief from Arabian Nights, but the real scene-stealer is the selfish antihero bandit Dustfinger played by Paul Bettany. He exudes a roguish charm while manipulating people and events to his own gain, though his motive is to simply be reunited with his family again. His frequent pining flashbacks reminded me of Crowe’s Maximus from Gladiator.
Special-effects wise, there were some pretty epic sequences like the tornado escape and the riveting (Suprisingly, I teared up, I don’t know why. Maybe it’s a guy thing, when we see the good guy finally beat the odds and the bad guy get his comeuppance in a spectacular fashion, we get all misty) climax. The way in which fairytale characters and objects make their appearance though, is less impressive, as portrayed by a series of shaking overlaps MTV-style. And too much of the last third is wasted skulking around the castle, getting captured, escaping, getting captured again, that it gets too tiresome (probably because they ran out of ideas and money).
Overall, because I didn’t read the book, I’m in no position to make comparisons to it. But judging from the viewpoint of a newcomer, I was fairly amused by the beautiful European scenery, some of the henchmen’s antics and the awe-inspiring action sequences. It is also fairly obvious the film wears its heart on its sleeve in its loving tribute to books and the human imagination. Too bad the pacing was maddeningly slow towards the exceptional finale, and hence made the film feel like reading an overly long Harry Potter book.
Rating: 6/10
Oh, and BTW, I watched your video review, FONY, and agree with your points. I’m fairly open to book-to-movie adaptations, and at least this was not as cheesy as Eragon, or cop-out ending-wise as The Golden Compass. Although I have watched the movie, I’m intrigued to read the book anyway just to see how different the plot is.
Movies I love -
Harold and Kumar 1 and 2, Grandma’s Boy, The Dark Knight, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Zoolander, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Super Troopers, Step Brothers, the list could go on forever.
Animation movies - Cars, Kung Fu Panda, Horton Hears a Who!, WALL-E, Bolt, Toy Story 1 and 2, Everyone’s Hero, Surf’s Up, Ratatouille, this list could also go on forever.
I saw Slumdog Millionaire the other night with my friends, and we all enjoyed it thoroughly. The cinema was absolutely packed, although it was mid-week! I can see why it’s had so much recognition, and I think it’d be fair for it to win the Best Picture award at the Oscars. The colours and the feel of the movie was lovely, and the acting was impressive too, but it’s best aspect has to be the story itself- something that I thought sounded a bit boring on paper, but actually worked really well in the final movie.
thedriveintheatre: Thanks!
I don’t think I mentioned it, but overall, I did enjoy Inkheart, because it was a trimmed-down version and when I realized what they left out, I found they didn’t need it and had a good reason to leave it out. When I watch it again I’ll probably realize how short and rushed it was, but at least if this is the only movie they’re going to make, people who won’t ever read the book can enjoy it at least a little bit. The only way to get full enjoyment, however, is to read the trilogy. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed. Dustfinger’s situation is the only thing that annoyed me (I won’t spoil that) but other than that, it was all good.
The movie, on the other hand … it was missing something, and I can’t explain what it is. But I was content with it. I didn’t hold high expectations, and therefore I wasn’t completely disappointed. I wanted it to be at least more true to the book and better than Spiderwick, and it was. I seriously couldn’t ask for anything more.
I burned through a couple of DVDs this week:
Watership Down - 8/10
Based on the book written by Richard Adams about a warren of rabbits that set out to find a new home, this movie is one of the rare few film adaptations to have done the source material justice. I have read three-quarters of the book two years ago, and from what I can recall, it was fairly faithful to the original story. Each rabbit had its own distinctive personality, as displayed through their detailed animation and talented voice acting. I’m not much of a fan of the long-eared, cotton-tailed variety, but I didn’t have to rear rabbits to appreciate the subtle nuances the animators have put into their furry characters; their nose-twitching, foot-thumping, and most brutally, their propensity for claw-scratching once cornered.
The English scenery is rendered in beautiful watercolour paintings, and the music is both poignant and haunting. Props go to the air-headed gull Keehar with his whimsical walk cycle, and the convincingly menacing villain, General Woundwort. The pace is slow, but there’s some action scenes (some of which the violence makes it unsuitable for kids) to spice things up.
Overall, it’s a very sad and difficult film to watch on the level of “Grave of the Fireflies” (although it didn’t make me cry as much), and it bears an important message on environmental conservation and stewardship much like WALL-E. The tagline was right: “You’ll never look at rabbits the same way again.” Watch out for the brilliant opening sequence which tells the tale of El-ahraihah, its paper animation is both adorable and funny. Not to mention it ties in with the bittersweet tear-inducing ending. 
You Only Live Twice - 6/10
From the opening strains of the haunting theme song by John Barry and sung by Nancy Sinatra, you know that this is a classic in the James Bond cannon. It felt kinda like deja vu for me, for I felt I may have heard those violin strings before, but never knew the title.
Anyway, the movie starts off in a spectacular fashion, Bond is murdered in Hong Kong, only he’s not really dead, see, but as a cover-up to keep his enemies off his tail while he begins his new assignment in Japan. Charged with investigating the mysterious abduction of an American (and later on, a Soviet) spacecraft by a UFO in space, he is assigned to work with the Japanese Secret Service leader “Tiger” Tanaka. Needless to say, his adventures comprises infiltrating a mysterious chemical-manufacturing company, dodging tons of Japanese assassins, going undercover as a ninja, and bedding tons of gorgeous women. The final volcano showdown is abundant in its wanton destruction of scenery and human lives, and I’ve learnt the name of the villain who inspired Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers spoof series.
But the film’s campiness (Bond falls through a trapdoor only to be introduced to Tanaka) and how Bond easily dispatches his enemies with verbal quips detracted me from enjoying the film on any deeper level than the average action movie. There was one poignant scene where Bond acts depressed when his Japanese ‘wife’ gets assassinated instead of him, and Connery’s charming charisma saved most of the film. But overall the film feels very disjointed in its plot progressions and the ending was too rushed. It didn’t help that the special-effects weren’t particularly impressive by today’s standards.
For Your Eyes Only - 7/10
This film is marginally better than YOLT (Haha, funny acronyms) due to the variety of exotic locales (but mostly centered around Europe), and better-staged action sequences. Among Craig, Brosnan and Connery (I have yet to see Lazenby), I found Moore the farthest from my vision of Bond, because he’s far less ‘reactive’ than the other ones and is too ‘bearish’ in physique for me to imagine him pulling any amazing physical stunts. But he fits the role well enough, in the franchise’s 12th outing.
In a nutshell, he has to go on a hunt to retrieve a missing ATAC machine (which is sort of like the President’s nuclear football, except it’s on a disguised fishing vessel). He teams up with a KGB agent who is also after the machine, and Melina, the daughter of a murdered marine archaeologist who last explored the area where the ship sunk. There are many entertaining action scenes like the Citroen car chase, a ski pursuit which ends with a ride down a luge tube, and a rapel up the side of a mountain’s cliff face (which features one of the most tense scenes I’ve ever seen in an action film involving Bond using his shoestrings as carabiners in a race against time).
There are some character-developing scenes such as Melina’s tearful witness of her parents’ murder, and Bond killing a baddie in cold blood on the edge of a seaside cliff, but the film never really goes beyond that and remains an above average, but enjoyable Bond adventure. Watch out for the hilarious opening sequence in which an unnamed Blofeld gets ‘smoked’. 
Licence to Kill - 9.5/10
This is the best of the three Bonds I’ve watched this week, and the most underrated of the entire series. Timothy Dalton returns in his second and final outing as the British superspy in one of the grittiest (and apparently, the closest to Ian Fleming’s works) Bond adventures. It’s also the most daring and challenging plot-wise, because he’s not after the bad guy (a major drug lord named Sanchez) for his country, but rather as a personal vendetta after his friend Felix Leiter, and his wife were brutally tortured and murdered respectively by the villain. He also had his license to kill revoked (the original title was License Revoked) by M and is now a renegade agent working on his own. Q drops by to give him the requisite gadgets, but by and large, he gets by on his own ingenuity and sheer luck. Along the way, he teams up with an ex-CIA female agent, and seduces Sanchez’s reluctant girlfriend.
The action sequences are inventive as usual, the opening “sky-hook” sequence is jaw-dropping (with Dalton doing some of the stunts), and the explosive final tanker truck chase sequence one of the best vehicular pursuits I’ve ever seen. The villain played by Robert Davi is also one of the most “real-world”, and by extension, most frightening adversary that Bond comes up against. He’s also different in the sense that his main goal is not world domination (although he does control pretty much of the American continent). Dalton is in one of my favourite Bonds, his steely-eyed, tightly-clenched teeth barely masking his boiling rage beneath as he shakes his nemesis’ hand at one point. Carey Lowell plays one of the strongest Bond girls I’ve seen so far, and a young Benicio del Toro cracked me up when he said the word “honeymoooooon…”!
The action is also of the most brutal and violent in the series, so much so that it was the first to earn a 15-rating in the UK. One of the most gruesome scenes also happens to lead to one of my favourite quotes (“Turn the bl**dy machine off!”). Overall, this film deserves more praise than it garnered, and may have inspired Daniel Craig’s performance as a more true-to-life, vulnerable Bond in the recent Casino Royale (which is my favourite so far) and the subsequent sequel’s plot of vengeance, Quantum of Solace.
Oh, and Gladys Knight’s title theme song is one of my top faves next to “You Know My Name”. Love the “Goldfinger” horn theme.
Gran Torino: 10/10! Genius film, perfect ending!
I totally agree with you on that TS2. Gran Torino was such an amazing, heart-touching movie.
I just saw Push. It was really enjoyable. I liked it. Some of it felt a little slow, but I liked the concept of psychics and the different kinds of psychics. If there was one thing that really made me enjoy the movie, it was Camilla Belle. Oh my goodness, I love this girl. Not only is she very talented, she is beautiful.
How’d you feel about the ending, TSS?
I was [spoil]sad that the old man died in the end, sacrificing his life to provide a better life for Tang and his family. But it was a happy ending. Tang got the car, symbolizing that a part of Clint Eastwood’s character will always be with him.[/spoil]
I recently saw quite some movies. But the only one in my head right now is Aladdin. Caught it on Disney Channel. Loved the Genie, and I seriously burst out laughing on this movie more than on live “action” comedy shows on “Disney” channel.
I loved the Genie’s hilarious modern references, funny lines, and other Disney in-jokes. And I enjoyed every second of some old songs I even forgot about!