So I watched Moonraker after Ratatouille on Free-To-Air last night. Not exactly one of the best Bond films, the opening sequence with the freefall grab for a parachute was spectacular, but after that it descends into the routine ‘infiltrate-the-bad-guys-lair’ and ‘seduce-the-girl-for-intel’ rituals. And fitting the style of the 70s, there are some truly cheesy moments that feel out of place in a slick espionage flick (like the gondola-on-land sequence or Jaws’ new gf). And the baddie, though unique in his ambition (he is a eugenic extremist), is ultimately too stupid to be a super-villain (he does the usual fantastical executions, and when he gets the opportunity to kill Bond, he just monologues or leads Bond on a tour of his lair!). And the grand finale… I felt like I was watching Star Wars! 
Get Smart - 8/10
Watched a double-feature this rainy afternoon (two DVD titles I borrowed from the library).
First is the comedy classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I have heard much praise for this film, and I can see why. It is the precursor to spoof movies like Naked Gun and Airplane, non-sequitur TV shows like Family Guy and Futurama, and the most famous of mash-up phenomenons, YouTube Poops. From the warped and twisted mind of Terry Gilliam (who cameos in a few scenes, I discovered) comes an epic retelling of the King Arthur legend, and his Knights of the Round Table’s quest for the elusive Holy Grail. Cue hilarious encounters with a rude Frenchman (Now I know where the “Your mother was a hamster and your father smells of elderberries” line came from!), a band of shrubbery-bandits who are vulnerable to “It”, an overenthusiastic Black Knight (Now I know where the “It’s a flesh wound” line came from!) and a killer bunny who can only be defeated by ‘Holy Hand Grenade’. It is truly a cultural icon, and deservedly so.
Second is the adventure film Fitzcarraldo. I have heard rumours this movie inspired Up, and I can see the resemblance. A lonely, eccentric old man with an impossible dream journeys through South America in a house of wonders, and encounters dangers and great peril along the way. But that’s where the similarity ends. The titular character, played by Klaus Kinski (Nosferatu) has a different reason; he wants to obtain an unleased parcel of land containing rubber trees, and use the profits earned from selling the rubber to finance his dream of building an opera in his Peruvian hometown. Trouble is, the area is inaccessible from the main Amazon river due to a treacherous set of rapids and hostile natives. To reach the land parcel, he will have to enlist the help of the natives to lift his 320-ton steamer over land to reach a small tributary upstream from the rapids.
This movie is not for those with short attention-spans, or the faint-hearted. It is languid and slow, almost calm, like the slow-moving currents of the river Fitzcarraldo’s steamer chugs along. Some may interpret Fitz as exploiting the natives to help achieve his goal, but I took it that they understood what they were in for and that Fitz treats them with respect and as his compatriots. Along for the ride are a stony-faced Captain, an amorous chef with a sense of mischief, and an insurbodinate steamroom operator who may actually be the most loyal crew member. The shots of the ship floating up the side of the mountain, or the towering trees toppling into the river behind a fleet of natives in canoes are magnificent and utterly unforgettable. But again, you have to have the patience to sit this 2 1/2 hour journey out to the very end.
Anastasia, anybody? (10/10) I just re-watched it, and I have to say it’s definitely my favorite movie outside of Disney and Pixar. If you really like the movies of the Disney Renaissance, I highly recommend this film.
Oh, my word, watch the trailer for this horror movie. I think it’s supposed to be scary, but I didn’t expect it to be that literal! 
Oh, my goodness, I could not stop laughing. 
Really? I mean, could you not think of a better horror film than one based off text messages?
Haha, this is just hilarious! I think I need to see this movie just for the amusement. Hopefully it’s not real, otherwise I’m many deaths overdue! 
I just watched Fight Club yesterday. For the first time! I can see now why a lot of people say it’s so awesome. During the first half of the film I was, like, “What the [insert expletive here] is going on?!!” but by the end I was more like, “Oh, my goodness, THIS IS GENIUS!!!” Anyone who’s seen the movie could probably relate to my feelings, haha.
Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I just rewatched it again.
There is a true Les Miserables-esque tone to it. As an adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel, it is not too faithful, but yet it contains dark elements. If there was another animated film (aside from WALL-E) that was snubbed out of Best Picture nominations, I actually believe it should have belonged there. Though the characterization contrasts strongly from the original book, within context, they are likable and more than viable. Esmerelda is not naive and not too innocent and Phoebus is heroic and kind, and Frollo is a complete villain.
Still the changes does not detract from the themes that Hugo wanted to express: religious hypocrisy, inner beauty, and corruption. The true difference is that the Disney adaptation is optimistic, does not make it any less/more better than the book.
Claude Frollo truly is the best Disney villain. Not necessarily because he is dark, but there is true conflict and corruption in him. It was Fridge Horror to listen to “Hellfire” and realize its context.
After seeing this again, if they could get the same makers and willing to let dark elements stay, I seriously would not mind if they made an animated Disney Les Miserables.
Haha, I love Chain Letter’s trailer cos’ they took the concept too literally. And besides, there’s already a horror movie called Urban Legend, so there is a precedent.
I really need to watch Hunchback again. I used to have poor posture, and the title was my nickname. xD
I watched Tarzan for the first time in years on FTA yesterday. Really, really cinematic. I mean, the poses, the animation, the lines delivery… like Carol said, I felt I was seeing a theatrical play. I think this is what is lacking from most animation nowadays. The subtle gestures, the expressive emotions, holding a pose or a scene to let the audience absorb its impact. I mean, the opening sequence is one of Disney’s most exciting and powerful. We don’t see Tarzan’s parents being killed, but we see the aftermath, and even the feets of their corpses! Same with Kala’s first child. It is Finding Nemo heartbreaking and poignant.
There are plenty more scenes which are remarkable: The catchy ‘Trashin’ the Camp’ musical number (STOMP has no handle on this!), Tarzan pledging his allegiance to Kerchak by presenting Sabor as an offering, the ‘hearbeat’ analogy mirrored by Tarzan with Jane after Kala taught him years ago, Terk being upset and angry over Tarzan’s departure, Tantor finally ‘manning up’ after being the timid elephant the whole time, the tear-inducing post-climax scene with Kerchak…
Interestingly, I was taught by the Malay dub voice actor of Professor Porter in my Speech & Drama class when I was a kid. 
One of the last greats in the Disney Renaissance era, and IMO, too underappreciated.
I also watched the James Bond classic Thunderball after that. It is easy to see why this is Mr. Connery’s favourite JB film. Besides the opening jetpack sequence, they did away with extravagant stunts and confined it to largely one exotic locale to focus more on character and plot development. Bond manipulates his allies, he gets wounded and bleeds, and besides the shark tank, his attempted assassinations are mostly at the business end of a minion’s gun.
Largo is also one of the most ruthless and smartest baddies; he doesn’t spend time ‘monologuing’ (the only dumb thing he did was he showed Bond around his villa, but that was when he wasn’t sure if Bond was an enemy yet), he has zero tolerance for failure, and he even tortures his lover Domino to obtain information on Bond. The only drawback is the ‘underwater battle’ dragged on a little too long, and the ‘runaway boat’ climax was obviously fast-forwarded, but other than that, it’s a very slick and clever adventure for Mr. Connery and company.
Yes, Ding, Fight Club is pure awesome!
Did you know that Vampires Suck is directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer?!? Doesn’t look terrible, though.
Good Burger - 1/4 stars - worst kids’ movie EVER!
Disney’s The Wild - 3/4 stars - Not as bad as everyone says it is, makes me wish C.O.R.E Animation wasn’t shut down.
Flushed Away - 3.5/4 stars - Great film, should have been nominated for a few Oscars.
I’m well aware of that. 
Their flicks are pretty hit-and-miss (though lately, all misses). The trailer for this, though, made me laugh a couple of times. I don’t know, I just really want to see the Mickey taken out of Twilight after what they’ve done to Toy Story and other movies’ box-office takings.
Aw… that was one of my faves as a kid. My bro would always say Kel’s line: “Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, may I take your order?”
For a real stinker, watch Good Boy. It’s like a poor man’s-version of Cats and Dogs.
I’ve seen Good Boy… it’s another one star movie. Now that I think about it, that’s worse than Good Burger! Another bad kids’ movie is See Spot Run.
Just bought and watched Full Metal Jacket, and it was awesome! The first half at the boot camp training was just gold. 9.5/10
My dad loves that movie! I can’t watch it, though. 
Good Boy is pretty terrible. But, I liked it anyway. I like all the terrible talking dog movies. Except, I didn’t see Marmaduke.
The Experiment, starring Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker, will be released direct-to-DVD and Blu-ray after struggling for months to find a U.S. distributor. Columbia Pictures has picked it up, and is foregoing a theatrical release.
woody: There’s another good one. Anastasia was so well done it’s so easy to mistake it for a Disney Classic film. I like Bartok - I know he’s a minor character, and he’s on the dark side, but there’s something a bit comic-relief on the dark side about him. Why’d they have to make him on the antagonist’s side. Ah, but excellent film. Fans of animation (which is everyone here, correct?) can’t miss out on it.
Carol: I completely agree with everything you said about The Hunchback of Notre Dame - well, except I personally don’t think Frollo is the best villain. However, I do think he’s the darkest, scariest, but at the same time most frighteningly realistic. Anyway, I think you’re right- though it’s different from the novel in a lot, it delivers the same important messages, it gets to the heart the same way, expresses the soul of the same story- and that’s what matters in book adaptions.
Interestingly, one of the gargoyles is called “Victor” and another one “Hugo” as a tribute to the author. 
Really? 
That’s so cool!
BTW, I also agree with what you said about Tarzan. I love the Finding Nemo sad feel to the beginning, the analogy of hearing heartbeats was enough to melt my heart, and the animation is stunning. I also loved Tantor’s change in the end- I remember laughing a lot since he went like “I’ve had it with you and your emotional constipation!” and then charging without knowing where he was going.
“I’ve never felt so alive!”
“Good, cuz I’m gonna kill ya!” xD
Ah, there’s so many movies I could mention right now, since my during fast from Pixar Planet and after, I’ve watched many, many movies with family, especially my sister. I’ve journalled short reviews after watching them most of the time, but I don’t feel like typing up every one.
But I could mention a few.
I’ve recently watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - a hilarious animated movie! It’s not classic material but not fart-joke fail, either. It’s somewhere along the in-between, like the Ice Age movies.
The beginning was so cute! I just wanna hug little Flint! His big eyes are adorable!
My sister and I hated the mayor, though. But I guess they wanted the audience to, anyway. That way you don’t [spoil]feel the least bit sorry for him when he sinks. [/spoil]
Although Disneynature’s Oceans was interesting, it didn’t quite enchant me as much as Earth did. I was hoping for another nod to a Pixar film like how Earth had “falling with style” in there. I wished they had said “just keep swimming” about the sharks or something (you know, since they literally do have to).
I got to see Avatar. A bit too long for my taste, but very imaginative, creative, action-packed, and amazingly convincing. It all seemed so real! The effects are excellent - it’s very stunning. The story is good, too. Some parts here and there remind me of Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Culture like ancients, wisdom included, personal connections with their deity, a change of heart, betrayal more or less, a made-up language that sounds very real, close connection with nature and animals, and more like that.
Planet 51 was pretty funny. But I consider it lower than Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on the quality and memorable-ness scale. I love that character Rover - interesting how a probe can act like a dog. Cute how he finds rocks more interesting than aliens. And I loved the short, funny references to old classic movies like E.T. and Singing in the Rain.
The Blind Side - 3 hours is a bit long for me, but this is 3 hours full of inspiration. It’s an amazing, incredible story. I love that strong-spirited mother. Not that many true-story movies are so honest about life and lives and still have a happy ending like this…I could have believed every movement, action, every word was true. It flowed like it wasn’t even scripted. It’s very touching. Sweetest-toughest movie I’ve seen. Worth every second of watching.
Yours, Mine & Ours was very funny, and very intriguing. Imagine - an artistic, free-flowing-loving woman with 10 kids and a strict, orderly captainlike man with 8 kids - getting married, and the kids not getting along! It’s really worth watching as a family comedy. Interesting how the feelings the parents have and the feelings the kids have start to flip. It’s a remake of an old movie with Lucy, but they’ve changed the plot, which I really don’t mind. They’ve explained in the bonus features that they didn’t want to insult the old version but they wanted to keep the concept and the heart of the old movie the same, which I can understand.
Harry and the Hendersons was a funny family movie, too (an old movie). A bit like a role-reversed Monsters, Inc. - caring for a monster that’s making everyone else all over freaked out about when really it isn’t harmful but soft-hearted. And keeping it hidden in your house for a while. Harry really grows on you. I’ve laughed plenty during this film.
Meet Dave was a good comedy, too. Eddie Murphy’s such a hilarious and great actor. Watched it months ago, but my sis and I still keep quoting parts!
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium has such a great light-hearted but touching feel to it. Watched it early in the morning (though I usually enjoy movies better at night). It really sparks the imagination and shows me that being a kid at heart makes life full of joy, so I’m not crazy. I love this movie.
Sleeping Beauty - Ah, the memories are flowing back once again! Light, innocent, cheerful character preyed upon by very dark, scary villains - similar to what’s in Pinocchio and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Though I feel more attached to Disney Renaissance films than their earlier ones, I really like the style of this one. Though most awesome animation is 2D animated with touchups of 3D like in Beauty and the Beast, I actually like how very 2D this was without breaking the connection between audience and movie. I could still sort of feel the story going on. The 2D-ness gives it a medieval feel.
I also like the fairies. Merryweather is my fave. I like how she isn’t afraid to state her opinion besides being outvoted.
One thing I noticed (and loved) when watching was how Maleficent has her own theme- a slow and creepy one- and the other fairies have a quick-step, light, hurrying feeling in their theme. You could really sense their feelings of urgency throughout the music, and Maleficent’s spells eerily cast.
I just saw Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2.
Spider-Man: 3.5/10 (possibly four)
Spider-Man 2: 4/4 (the best superhero movie ever!)
I am going to review Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in a few days.